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!

Ten seconds into Chicken Nugget and I'm already wondering how the hell someone came up with the idea of coating a chicken nugget in corn syrup. American influence. Reminds me of the deep fried corn dogs dipped in sugar they were selling in Jinny's Kitchen🤢

I had one of those corndogs last year and it was dusted with cinnamon as well as sugar. It was weird, especially with the mustard and ketchup drizzle, but it worked.

Cinnamon too!!! Now wasabi ice cream sounds tame.😆

The tenacity of the weightlifting fairy in Physical 100 was impressive too. She reminded me of Park Bo Young in Oh My Ghost, where her nickname is chestnut because she’s so small.

Back in the room after more Uni offer days (last one this Saturday thank goodness), a ladies ski trip and stinking cold have kept me away. Missed you all and now need to decide if I start on QoT or Chicken Nugget. I never got time for Doctor Slump but am working my way through Ghost Doctor. Have to stop myself saying 'Rain oppa' every time he appears! Kim Bum is very good indeed, he really is very talented isn't he?

@Dragonrock I haven't seen Ghost Doctor, but I love Kim Bum in both series of Tale of the Nine Tailed. I was much more interested in the relationship between him and LDW than either of the romantic pairings!

@AmVa , I think you'd like it then. It is billed as a bromance and while I am only at ep6 am enjoying it a lot. Ensemble cast spotting is good fun as well so far got Sung Dong Il, Park Chul Min, Ko Sang Ho, Yoon So Hee, Hwang Seok Jung.

I like Kim Bum as well - he's one of those actors that lifts everything he is in, I think. He was great in TOTNT. Scheming bad boy energy does it for me every time. ..
Ofc I love Rain-oppa too - his insta is a gift that keeps on giving 🤣

Not watching much regular kdrama at the min - epic cdrama and bl snack-sized series only. I've watched/read so much bl lately that whenever I'm watching anything with any tension at all between two male characters my brain goes "now kiss". Sorry not sorry🤭

TheLoup Which BL epic cdrama are you watching at the moment?

Dragonrock I also enjoyed Ghost Doctor. Rain was surprisingly good and Kim Bum was in his element.

The Midnight Studio (Viki) is showing promise.

I just checked the synopsis Boaty and it's more my kind of thing than I was expecting. And Yoo In-soo as well. Definitely one for the watch list.

I'm in awe of the contestants on Physical 100 too

Cobol I'm still on Word of Honor and the anime of Heaven Official's Blessing 🙂
BL wise have recently watched Blueming,Sing my Crush, Love for Love's Sake all worth watching!

At this rate, I'm going to end up getting Viki as well, aren't I? Want to see this, Twinkling Watermelon and Wedding Impossible.

The Midnight Studio does look good. I liked Joo Won in Good Doctor, so this looks promising. mrsfeatherbottom - I have Viki and found it useful, still holding out against Disney +. Anyone know where I can watch Confidential Assignment 1& 2?

I have Disney + but haven't actually watched any kdramas on it. ASD DD watches Modern Family on a loop as her way of regulating herself so no way I can get rid of that! Might bin Amazon. I use mostly Netflix.

TheLoup I've nearly finished Word of Honor. I've been finding all the fluttering robes and slo-mo sword (and fan!) fighting action strangely soothing. (Not to mention being slightly startled every time Zhou Zishu cracks a rare smile - he's disturbingly pretty).
I don't recognise any of those BLs - I'm guessing they're on IQIYI. I've currently got Netflix, Amazon and Viki and, like others, I'm reluctant to add any more atm. It's pretty much the only downside to this thread - platform fomo 😂

Yeah those are all iQiyi actually - I'm trying to get my moneys' worth 🤣 there is TONS of chinese and taiwanese drama on there, some k and jdrama and a lot of Thai bl - some crossover with Viki but lots of unique content too. It's definitely worth the 99p for the first month offer, I got it only because I wanted to watch Kinn Porsche (bonkers Thai BL) but ended up keeping it for a bit as there was a lot more on there than I thought.... I get terrible FOMO with streaming services, we've just got rid of disney+ but then ended up subscribing to crunchyroll 🙈

The Midnight Studio looks really good! I'm definitely going to watch it! Right up my street....

I’m starting to think QOT is one of those dramas which would have been entirely resolved by a 1-2-1 conversation or better communication at a critical point. Enough of the noble idiocy and restraint! Use your words and free yourselves!

It continues a tonal mess - although given where we've got to in 5 episodes I'm hopeful it may start to pull together now. Today's episode should have been a satisfying sooky blub fest, but missed mark for me as trusting them as a fated couple a hard ask given his behaviour before.
And don't get me started on her medical condition. Just WHY KD writers? Why?? Tell your story another way!
(still watching and enjoying just grumbling)
Hooray for aunt at least.

I agree Boaty & Pol.
Did you spot what was on tv in the mother’s sitting room?
Nice to see Manbok, albeit briefly.
Did none of his family wonder about the muddy and torn trouser suit, or did I miss something?

OK it's official. Even Kim Soo-hyun thinks Baek Hyun-woo is a bit pathetic 🤣

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C42dh8pOjFr/?igsh=MzVpcWFvMWE1ZTI3

Hello chingus, quick check in from Seoul. It's more than fab to be here again. I was a bit worried it might not be as spectacular the second time, but ha ha ha NO

I watched half of Chicken Nugget on the way over and will watch the rest on the way back. Love the madness. Not watching anything current except FlexXCop, because of wanting to have seen as much as possible ABH before the fanmeet.

Well that was yesterday and it was FAB. I do really like ABH and his dramas, but am not head-over-heels like some fans were. I enjoyed the whole thing as a wholesome, technicolour, hi-energy evening of saranghae, singalongs (sometimes with lightsticks 😁), quizzes, games and giveaways. Best part of 3 hours, with a little file past the man himself at the end. As predicted, fans from Singapore and Japan. There were only a few other westerners and ajummahs. I'd put the average age at mid-20s. The guy gives good fan service and it was 68,000 won well spent.

Even those of us who didn't win any of the special prizes got a printed signed photocard at the end.