MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #45): Where we are *still* waiting on Lee Min Ho’s astronaut OBGYN to arrive and ponder whether 2024 will be kdrama’s breakout year

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of AmazonPrime, AppleTV and Disney+. There are also platforms streaming content illegally if you go looking. We don’t promote them as they are peppered with pop-ups of “Olga” and friends offering a good time, but we can point you in the right direction. We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when.

The previous thread is www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4956077-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-44-in-which-a-surprise-feast-of-corking-contract-marriage-dramas-is-undercut-by-an-imminent-bts-content-famine-as-jung-kook-rm-v-and-jimin-enlist?page=1 here. Our list is cumulative so includes previous threads’ recommendations. Shows marked with a star are more uniformly loved or admired. In categorising series, its important to note most Korean dramas have multiple strands - e.g. supernatural, romance and a thriller; crime series with fantasy elements. Genre-busting mash-ups are normal. Series that are tagged as dark may also have moments of comedy or the absurd, likewise fluff can have heavier moments. Writer/actor Simon Pegg referred to it fondly as “tonal chaos” - it’s part of kdrama’s charm. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance about suitability for younger viewers.

Comedy (with a side order of absurd)
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki/Netflix)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

Crime/Thriller
Bloodhounds (Netflix)
Come and Hug Me (Dramafast)
Graceful Family (Viki)
Healer (Netflix)🌟
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, no major site yet)
Little Women (Netflix)
Maestra (Disney+)
My Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)🌟
Signal (Netflix)🌟
Somebody (Netflix, content warning: sexual & violence)
Snowdrop (Disney+)
Stranger - 2 seasons (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)🌟
The Lies Within (Netflix)🌟
The Worst of Evil (Disney+)
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟
Vigilante (Disney+)

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki/Netflix)
Crowned Clown (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Our Blooming Youth (Viki)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)🌟
The Forbidden Marriage (Viki)
The King’s Affection (Netflix)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)🌟

Makjang
Perfect Marriage Revenge (Viki)

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as The Eighth Sense [BL] (Viki)
Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)🌟
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki/Netflix)
His Master’s Sun (Netflix) 🌟
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)🌟
King The Land (Netflix)
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Race (Disney+)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)🌟
Run On (Netflix)
Semantic Error [BL] (Viki)
She Was Pretty (Netflix)🌟
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
The Secret Life of My Secretary (Viki/Netflix)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki) or as Still 17 (Netflix)
To My Star [BL] (Viki)
True Beauty (Viki)
Twenty-five Twenty-one (Netflix)🌟
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Netflix/Viki)
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)🌟
Where Stars Land (Viki)🌟
You are my Destiny (Netflix)
You Make Me Dance [BL] (Viki)
Yumi’s Cells (Viki)

Romance - heavier weight/more grown up themes
Another Miss Oh (Netflix)🌟
Because This Is My First Life (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Chicago Typewriter (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Crash Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟
Daily Dose of Sunshine (Netflix)
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Netflix/Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Go Back Couple (Viki)/Couple on the Backtrack (Netflix)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki)/When the Weather is Nice (Netflix)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)🌟
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)🌟
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (Netflix)🌟
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki), season 3 (Disney+)
Search: WWW (Viki, Netflix)🌟
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
Tell Me That You Love Me (Disney+)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)🌟
Hospital Playlist 2 (Netflix)🌟
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)🌟
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)🌟
Navillera (Netflix)🌟
Not Others (Viki)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)🌟
On The Verge of Insanity (Viki)
Once Again (Viki)
Our Blues (Netflix)🌟
Stove League (Viki)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)
The Good Bad Mother (Netflix)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki/Netflix)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
A Time Called You (Netflix)
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix) 🌟Extraordinary You (Netflix)
Goblin (Viki)🌟
I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
Kiss Goblin (Viki, webdrama)
My Holo Love (Netflix)🌟
My Lovely Liar (Viki)
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
Twinkling Watermelon (Viki)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
#Alive (Netflix)
Black (Netflix)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Moon in the Day (Viki)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
Sell Your Haunted House (Netflix)
The Guest (Netflix)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)
W: Two Worlds (Viki & Netflix)🌟
Zombie Detective (Viki/Netflix)

Guilty Pleasures (for the joy, not the quality)
Bride of Habaek (Netflix)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
My Secret Romance (Viki)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)

Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable
Behind Your Touch (Netflix)
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
School Nurse Files (Netflix)

Not Korean ‘You May Also Like’
Regulars also branch out into Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese drama. The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff is much more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent here:

Before We Get Married (Viki - Taiwanese)
F4 Thailand (Viki)
Fake it Till You Make it (Viki)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
First Love (Netflix - Japanese)🌟
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
In House Marriage Honey (Viki, Japanese)
In Time With You (Viki - Japanese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Meet Yourself (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
My Personal Weatherman [BL] (Jdrama, Viki)
Orange Days (Japan, Netflix)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
To Fly with Me (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)
You Are My Hero (Viki, Chinese)*

AVOID 💩
Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine & stands alone)

Top Scoring 2023 Dramas
#1 Bloodhounds 8.9
#2 = The Good Bad Mother 8.8
#2 = Deaths Game 8.8
#2 = Moving 8.8
#2 = The Glory 8.8
(#2 rankings by number of votes)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45
#2 Alchemy of Souls 9.10
#3 First Love 8.88 (Jdrama)
#4 Our Blues 8.83
#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75

Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
#1 The Red Sleeve - 10
#2 Happiness - 9
#3 Devil Judge - 8.75
#4 Squid Game - 8.6
#5 Navillera - 8.57

Top Scoring 2020 dramas
#1 Mr Queen - 9.4
#2 Parasite (film) - 9.05
#3 It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
#4 The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
#5 Once Again - 8.42

Top Scoring 2019 dramas
#1 Her Private Life - 9.40
#2 Melo is My Nature - 9.00
#3 tied: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
#4 Hotel del Luna - 8.50
#5 tied: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

We are fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, current affairs, film and music when the mood takes us. A few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or actors’ names. Don’t be afraid to ask for help/clues if we’re not making sense or have descended into acronym soup.

If you want to join us down the kdrama rabbit hole, welcome! Pull up a chair, say goodbye to early nights and get stuck in!

Anyone else booked to see D-Day Concert in cinemas?? Looking at you @Saram13 I'm going with my husband who is ARMY, but hasn't listened to much Agust D so I've given him some homework for next few weeks :)

Have watched first three Wedding Impossible's and for episodes 1 and 2 I was probably watching a bit half heartedly, and then suddenly episode 3 I was grabbed and the end of ep. 3 I am all in.

Other than that and QoT I have been a bit uninspired lately. Things I have enjoyed the most recently are some older dramas. Think I will finish DS, but as it is a bit slower moving I've been waiting for it all to air so I can binge it and not lose momentum between weeks.

Is that the Agust D concert from Japan that screened last year, or a different one?

I think it's the same tour, but I believe it is made up of the filmed concerts in Seoul which had performances from RM / JK / Jimin .

sugathemovie.com

Thanks Amva. I saw the last one so I think I’ll give this a miss.

AmVa yeah busted 😂 I'm going to both showings. Of course 😁 The Suga total radio silence since enlistment is harsh, but I guess Hybe knew what they were doing..... as I also bought the massively expensive (even if you bought it in yen in Japan) boxset of the D-Day in Japan concert (it's magnificent 😻)

Hope your DH enjoys it! And good on him for going. Mine loathes all MY solo stuff, which is a bit of a shame seeing as the title track from D-Day is my phone alarm tone 🙌 Start the day the way you mean to go on and all that.

boaty I went to last year's broadcast too (different Japan concert to the one on the DVD) and was sad I could only go once 😂It was enormous fun, me and my chingu dressed up in our Sunday best to honour Yoongi and our teacher came with us 🙌 Yes, as AmVa says this one is the Seoul concert with some BTS member cameos. And I think there's some backstage stuff/documentary bits too, (not sure how much). So it's more a film than just a concert broadcast.

@Saram13 I am very excited! It will be my first time watching a concert in the cinema so hopefully there is a good vibe.

Husband is a big Jimin fan, and has listened to enough solo MY stuff around the house. My 3.5 year old loves Daechwita 😁 army family.

I'm so behind in everything due to (likely) short lived current obsession with a mobile game.

Normal service will resume shortly.

DH and I enjoying Shōgun on Disney+ though. Beautiful cinematography.

AmVa Excellent! I predict bobbing light sticks, mass sing-a-longs and ALOT of screaming/guttural yelling 😳 And that will just be your DH My eyes leaked at the trailer already 🙄💀 so there will probably be panda-eyed superfans too 🥹😻😁

I've crumbled and got a crunchyroll subscription, so now the kids are bingewatching One Piece, Mashle and My Hero Academia. Wall to wall anime theme songs in our house with associated dancing 🤣

Saram dd was watching Ateez mv's on YouTube whilst holding her lightstick - I had a go and it increased my fun by about 30% I'd say 🤣 .... might ask for an Army bomb for my birthday for all future bts endeavours. I would like to see the D-day film! Dunno if it's screening anywhere locally tho.

TheLoup ds and I have just finished My Hero Academia and we're eagerly awaiting the new series, We're also watching Demon Slayer and Hunter x Hunter

DS and I just watched ep 4 of Shōgun. I agree the cinematography is wonderful. I love all the fabrics and the raked gravel gardens. I can take or leave the British actor but I like all the gruff Japanese warlords, especially Torunaga.

I also got round to googling the locations and feel vindicated with my British Columbia guess: https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2024/02/where-was-shogun-filmed.html?m=1

I can take or leave the British actor but I like all the gruff Japanese warlords, especially Torunaga.

Yes, Poundland Tom Hardy is quite the over actor.

DH and I are also enjoying Shogun. I've decided I'm going to start walking in tiny steps like the women in it do.

@boatyardblues very impressed at your location spot!

Ha ha! He was in that weird Persuasion version with Dakota Johnson.

He's chewing the scenery 🤣 why is he so posh?? He sounds like a 1950's Shakespeare production.

Who was the courtesan that crept into his room that night? I was only half paying attention - Mariko? Or poor consort who's baby got killed?

Also love all the gruff Japanese warlords 😁

Over two days, I've binged 6 episodes of The Impossible Heir (Disney+) Lee Jae-WooK's new drama. It started off with all the hallmarks of 'the usual' drama tropes - business corruption, illegitimate 3rd chaebol son, damaged ml, fl with an abusive mum etc. as motivations for their greed/ambitions, but the twists have started coming as the love triangle emerges. It never lags and I'm lapping it up.

I can't see sunshine, butterflies and rainbows yet, but maybe it's a healing drama too. All the characters are playing baduk and now there's murder added to the mix.

We presumed it was Mariko!

We thought it was Fuji (widow/grieving mum) but it was hard to tell because DS was cringing and watching through his fingers and I was watching him cringe.

very impressed at your location spot!

I think we’ve already established my crap taste credentials (Twilight films, Fifty Shades series) but I’m going to shred any remaining cred by adding that a LOT of cheap sci-fi that aired on obscure cable channels from the mid-noughties onwards was filmed in BC too (tax breaks). Once you’ve banked a few hours of mossy, rain-lashed BC forest and coastline it’s instantly recognisable. There’s something about the light too.

If anyone wants some mellow Korean hiphop to potter to, Code Kunst’s Remember Archive album is perfect.

Edit: I just spotted it’s categorised as kpop on AppleMusic. They do a lot of collabs with hiphop artists. Muggles Mansion is more hiphoppy.

I've just finished Shop for Killers, an absolutely brilliant show, probably one of my favourite shows of the year so far, I wonder if there will be a 2nd series?

Your wish is their command!

www.facebook.com/share/cfPdifT5TY2YybtE/?mibextid=WC7FNe

I'm going to see the D-Day concert film too!!

All this Shogun chat is making me want to watch it too. I got 4 dramas that I've started that I'm not managing to keep up with 🤣