MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #46): *Still* no sign of Lee Min-Ho, leaving us with plenty of time to debate whether Queen of Tears can be genre-defined and what’s going on with Kim Soo-Hyun’s neck

[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/4989666-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-45-where-we-are-still-waiting-on-lee-min-hos-astronaut-obgyn-to-arrive-and-ponder-whether-2024-will-be-kdramas-breakout-year?reply=132388025 here.
Our list is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads. 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
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
LTNS (no major platform yet)
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)
Killer Paradox (Netflix)
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)
Destined with You (Netflix)
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 for Love’s Sake(QiYi)
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)🌟
Wedding Impossible (Viki)
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)🌟
Marry My Husband (
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)🌟
First Responders (Disney+)
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
Chicken Nugget (Netflix)
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)
Let’s Talk About Chu (Netflix, Taiwan)⭐️
Lost Romance [BL] (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, Japanese)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
The Untamed (Nertlix, Chinese)
To Fly with Me (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)
You Are My Hero (Viki, Chinese)⭐️

AVOID aka “the shit list” 💩
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!

Lovely Runner is perfect for binging Pol so it's worth saving until it's all dropped - I'm getting quite frustrated now I've caught up and have to wait for new episodes. I've also caught up with Missing Crown Prince so currently have nothing to fill the void. I may go back to Dr Slump. I agree The Midnight Studio wasn't a must see but it's consistently paced and ends well

Agree with Cobol, Pol!!! Wish I had waited a few weeks and watched it all in one go. It is painful waiting now for episodes to arrive!!!

Have watched three episodes of TAF and really enjoying so far!

Question is...will I sacrifice some solo viewing time for some english language TV now new Bridgerton has arrived...

My Mister is in my all-time Top 5 but agree with @boatyardblues & @polkettle that it is only in episode 4 that it suddenly seems to take off and then it's unstoppable.
I never finished MLN though

Need to finish The Midnight Studio which falls into the perfectly competent but not essential category and liked first episode of 195whatever Detective but it was a bit heavy on the men doing man stuff for me. I'll get back to it eventually.

This reflects my position on both of these shows to a tee. 👍

This article is a bit of an eye opener. When did respect for elders get thrown out? Is the current ageism the result of economic competition between young and old? Do they card people to check if they're over 60?
link

As much as I like the food, the music and the dramas, the more I learn about South Korea the more I'm finding deeply concerning. #cognitivedissonance

I just had a blinding flash of clarity and realised who Go Kyung Pyo reminds me of in Frankly Speaking. Oxford Reading Tree’s Floppy! It's the eagerness to please and his hangdog expression when things aren’t going well.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cd/b5/52/cdb552c12bda8afd32347bce5c5a5c01.jpg

Oh my god 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 dying

Pffffffffff! 💀.
Bless him.

DH and I have started The Red Sleeve. I'm apprehensive of the tragedy that awaits. It's all cute and goofy at the moment! We don't trust that Royal Preceptor at all though!

We also watched True Beauty recently, which I absolutely adored. High school dramas are my absolute favourites. I was very pleasantly surprised by Cha Eun-Woo's performance having only seen him in Rookie Historian before.

Very much looking forward to Lovely Runner once it's all out.

I need an idea of something new to watch with DH. He enjoyed Moving. He doesn't like romantic stuff and I can't cope with horror or too much violence. Go!

WOW! I had a marathon watch today and binged the entire eight episodes of The 8 Show on Netflix. The plot was nothing I hadn't seen before, but this typically Korean execution was deeply disturbing in its exploration of human nature. It's Elevator meets Squid Game in the prisoner/guard dilemma. Lots of twists that kept me fully engaged the entire time.

I also wondered what it was in Ryu Jun Ryeol that had two women fighting over him irl.😆

Stranger?

MrsF - Would he cope with a sharply observed office drama/slow-burn thriller-lite with a plucky underdog lead, a principled, likeable manager trying to survive a seething nest of snakes office hierarchy? If so Misaeng might be his thing. Like My Mister it has heart by the bucketload, rewards your commitment and is threaded with dry humour.

Stranger is a good call by FedUp too. 👍

Was about to say Misaeng! Such a good show.

Bravo for Floppy Boaty 😁👌

Thinking about Moving, also throwing The Good Bad Mother, Little Women and The Atypical Family into the potential mix for Mr FB too.

Little Women is a good call Pol. It’s only 8 episodes and such a good twisty thriller. 👌

I have a suggestion. It's a series that we're currently watching (so far only got to episode 5 of 24) called "Mr Sunshine" - it's on Netflix.

It popped up on Netflix as being recommended to me so I just had a quick check here and it is on the list of recommended shows under the "Historical/Period drama" heading.

I've seen a couple of historical dramas that are really more romance with a bit of drama thrown in (eg Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung) but this is much more of a drama with (so far) just the hint of a possibility of a future romance. There are also three male characters who may, or may not, be interested in the female lead.

This show was not at all what I was expecting (I was expecting eg Rookie Historian) but it is really, really, good and both myself and DH are really into it.

The characters are engaging, there's plenty of action, a hint of romance, what more could you ask for?

There's one problem though. And that's episode 1. It is very confusing and there is an awful lot of violence in that first episode. Once you get past that first episode then it's really great but, to be frank, that first episode nearly made me give up on it.

But I'm glad that I didn't give up as, from episode 2 onwards things got so much better and I really do like this show a lot.

Episode 1 is all back story and is told through a series of flash backs to when each of the main characters were children. It does get very confusing, I had no idea who most of these different children were supposed to be.

Also, there is a lot (an awful lot) of violence and battle scenes in episode 1. Many people die violent deaths in episode 1. There are also many battle scenes. My DH says that there was a lot of CGI involved in episode 1 and that it wasn't particularly realistic.

It may sound like I'm trying to put you off, but I'm just warning you that Episode 1 is very violent indeed but the whole pace of the show changes as soon as you get to episode 2.

After the first episode, the show is set in 1900-1910 when Korea is changing a lot due to the influx of many foreigners and the tensions this causes, particularly from the Japanese and Americans that have arrived in Korea.

The lead male character is a Korean man who left Korea as a child to go to the USA and is now an officer in the US Marine Corps. In the show, he has just been appointed as acting US Consul General to Korea (in reality, that was a guy by the name of Edwin Vernon Morgan).

He is played by Lee Byung-hun who was also in the series "Our Blues" which you will also find on the list above under the "Top Scoring 2022 Dramas" category.

The lead female character is the grand daughter of an aristocratic/noble Korean family.

She is played by Kim Tae-ri who was also in the series "Twenty-Five Twenty-One" which is on the list above under "Romance - lighter & fluffier".

All in all, I think it's a great series that your DH would likely enjoy and, once you've got past the violence in the first episode, I think you would enjoy it as well.

To be frank, with episode 1 you can probably just watch the first ten minutes or so (not really any violence), that just sets up the lead male character and then skip over the rest of episode 1 - you won't really miss anything. Just leave your DH to watch it and he can fill you in if there are any details that need explaining.

I'm just off now to watch episode 6

ps DH says that it is shown in 2.4:1 aspect ratio - this is the widescreen thing in cinemas, so you have black bars at the top and bottom if you're watching on a normal TV - he's using this as an excuse that we should get a projector but I'm just saying that I'm quite happy with the bars

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! He insisted we start watching Rebus on BBC tonight but I will keep on at him. Stranger looks like a good fit as we watch a lot of police shows. I think Mr Sunshine would be too much of a commitment for him with 24 episodes of more than a hour each!!

There is a second series of Tokyo Vice, I see which he wants to watch too.

Chief Detective 1958 (Disney+) has come to an end and I will miss it. No schlocks, just good, steady, family friendly entertainment. There's warm work colleague dynamics that even tick the inclusion button when a female detective joins the gang. Definitely one of the better dramas of 2024 for me, in a year that has seen my drop count rise alarmingly.

After numerous attempts I’ve finally caught my Fight For My Way wave and I’m riding it. 🙌 I can’t work out what got in the way before. Possibly Kim Ji-Won. I don’t warm to her at all, but she is more familiar after QOT. Maybe that it seems less polished production-wise and too brightly lit in places. Anyway, it has charmed me into watching this time.

You will NOT regret this.

So glad to see all the FFMW love ❤️
What productive things have i been doing with my weekend you ask?
Heheh well, I finished The Spirealm (viki, horror/thriller based on danmei novel kaleidoscope of death) - I really liked it but accept it's probably a bit niche.

Also finished Boys Be Brave (viki - adorable fluff, minimal angst, based on manhwa 'Roommates can't confess' - 8 25 min episodes)

Started The Stand-In (iQiyi - very good Thai body- swap thriller, but currently airing at a maddening 1 episode a week) and also Blossom Campus (iQiyi, BL college shenanigans that I'm pretty sure is based on a manhwa as well).

If anyone is interested, I reckon at this point I can make a BL round-up list/spreadsheet for the curious, just give me the excuse 😉

Also still catching up with Lovely Runner and enjoying it a lot. Haven't had time to start 'The 8 Show' yet but it's next on my list....

Finished Ghost Doctor so (galvanised by you lovely people) I'm giving My Mister another go 😁

😍 FFMW too 😍

I've started Lovely Runner and am LOVING it!! So, so good. 4 episodes in so far.

Also watching Queen of Tears again with DD (14) who wanted to watch it. It's good watching it again, actually, as there were things I missed first time round and fun seeing it through her eyes knowing what I know - like, she has no idea who all the baddies are etc.