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!

Atypical Family finishes this week btw in case anyone hadn't clocked its a 12 parter. I think it's been great.
Also recommend (despite drugs hysteria) Connection on Kocowa/Olgas for those who like a cracky plot thriller. Continue to enjoy Crash and catching up with Midnight Romance in Hagwon. The hagwon politics are giving me conniptions in their utter madness all round but the snogging is heating up nicely.

Today, as I drove home with hailstones bouncing off my car, my thoughts turned to <shudder> Christmas.

So getting in early with my nominations for our ADVENT CALENDAR 🎄
Lee Hyun Wook . After finding a slew of this year's dramas uninspiring, I finally decided to watch She would Never Know. His sad face in this drama could win prizes!
Yeon Woo Jin

Can't wait to see what dodgy attire and poses Rowdy will excavate this year!

Disclosure.
I have a free pass on the age inappropriate criteria.😘

My teens have discovered classics like Dexter and are now monopolising the big TV in the day and early evening. It’s been seriously detrimental to my weekend and evening kdrama viewing. I’m giving them a pass because it’s exam season & it’s their downtime activity. Thank goodness for FedUp teaching us the ways of bato. My manhwa consumption is making up for my kdrama shortfall. 😂

I'M A FECKING SAINT

Only one more AS to go here, thank fuck heavens! 😬

From today's Korea Herald

Is it still the case that you can settle to avoid punishment?

I have just binged the 4 available episodes of High School Return of a Gangster. Most enjoyable!

Oh Migs what platform is it on? I keep seeing reels on tiktok and I really wanna watch!

Just been pushed a trailer of this - Miss Night and Day - looks right up my street. Quirky, ensemble cast and took me a while to place Choi Jin Hyuk, but it came to me eventually, Mr Queen!

Loup, HSROAG is on Olga's. The visuals of the character with the Dulux dog fringe!😂The wannabe teenage gangsters! I'm totally amused by them all.

I haven't been on mumsnet for a bit and have just read 4 weeks of posts on this thread. Very entertaining 😁
I have just finished Lovely Runner and loved it!!! Best romance drama I've watched in ages. Loved the FL and ML, and the 2ML, and the friends and family!! And the swoony music!!

A bit down the thread someone mentioned Boys Over Flowers I tried to watch the first ep recently but found the bullying and threat of sexual violence a bit too much. I'll try and find a different classic drama to watch

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap I am listening to SO much Lovely Runner soundtrack at the moment. I was also in a Korean restaurant the other day and was very excited to hear Run Run by Eclipse playing!! Kind of mad how big some songs by a fictional band are getting!

That's amazing! The songs are great though

@MigsandTiggs I have just started this on your recommendation & am thoroughly enjoying it!!

@bettys , it's fun isn't it!

It really is! I'm up to date now and wishing I'd waited so I could binge it all!

I don't know if somebody has already mentioned this but about two weeks ago Netflix updated their list of their most watched shows.

They do Top 10s for each week regularly, but this list covers over 6,000 shows and looks at how many hours were viewed and how many viewers there were over the six months from July to Dec last year.

Guess which show had the most hours viewed worldwide in that period - it was a Korean show?

King the Land

That really did surprise me, that a Korean language show had the highest number of hours viewed worldwide on Netflix.

It came top in number of hours viewed but only 14th in number of viewers.

This may sound a bit odd but it is because they calculate viewers as total hours watched divided by runtime.

So if a show gets watched for 1 million hours and the total length of the episodes is ten hours then they say that there are 1,000,000 / 10 = 100,000 viewers.

But if a show gets watched for the same 1 million hours and the total length of the episodes is twenty hours then they say that there are only 1,000,000 / 20 = 50,000 viewers

Anyway, so that's why King the Land was number one in terms of hours watched, but only number 14 in terms of viewers as the total runtime is given as 19 hours.

It had 630 million hours viewed and 33 million viewers.

The show that came in second was One Piece with 542 million hours viewed but that actually came first in terms of viewers with 71 million viewers as it was only seven hours long in total.

Other shows that came in highly were:

Destined with You 18th in hours but 97th in viewers (222 million hours, 13 million viewers)

Strong Girl Nam-Soon 22nd in hours but 121st in viewers (196 million hours, 12 million viewers)

True Beauty 28th in hours but 176th in viewers (175 million hours, 9 million viewers)

My Demon (this was only released in Nov so it did well as figures were only counted up to Dec) 42nd in hours and 69th in viewers (152 million hours, 15 million viewers)

See You in My 19th Life 46th in hours but 129th in viewers (137 million hours, 11 million viewers)

Doom at Your Service 47th in hours but 196th in viewers (133 million hours, 7.8 million viewers)

Behind Your Touch 49th in hours but 213th in viewers (131 million hours, 7.5 million viewers)

A Time Called You 56th in hours but 147th in viewers (123 million hours, 10 million viewers.

About the lowest that I could find from the list of recommended shows was Extraordinary You: Season 1 (2019) which is no longer available on Netflix (but is still available on viki). It came in at 5224th with 1.6 million hours and 94k viewers.

The entire list can be downloaded here:

https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-the-second-half-of-2023

Weak Hero Class 1 Viki. I binged all episodes recently then found out that Series 2 has already completed filming and is scheduled for Netflix in Jan 2025.

The violence is shocking but the characters are more than the usual, and the pace makes Midnight Romance in Hagwon drag even morefor me. I'm having 2nd thought about MRIH.

Series 1 was open ended, which makes the news about S2 very exciting for me.

Quite a big hmmmm face from me to Atypical Family finale. Some poor pacing decisions. Still pleased to see the consequences of an ott confession played out to fruition. And let that be a lesson to all those who don't risk assess their romantic gestures.

I enjoyed The Atypical Family although I agree about some of the pacing. DH says that this sort of things shows why romatic gestures are fraught with danger and are best avoided. I've pointed out that it wasn't a 1970s public information film, but it's still not worth the risk apparently 🤨😆

I’m struck by the long speech in a low oxygen setting. 🤦‍♀️ (Atypical Family)

Edited for more appropriate emoji

I was screaming at the telly Boaty

Anyone going into TMRiH beware, like it or loathe it, the perky and endlessly repeated soundtrack will lodge in your brain as a constant earworm.

That annoying imitation Friend's soundtrack?😩

pol I hate TMRiH theme tune so much I have to fast forward through any bits with it in. I looked the bastard thing up and it's not even by a Korean group murdering English because they don't know better, they're American! Ffs!!!

Migs The extreme slow pace and geeky details of hagwon life in TMRiH are what I'm enjoying about it the most at the moment (only up to episode 5 so far). It kind of seems totally committed to what it is, if you see what I mean. There are no concessions to international audiences (for those not watching it's not a Netflix production, it's on Viki). All Korean viewers will be totally familiar with the ins and outs of hagwon and high school politics. And although we have Wi Ja-joon (YES PLEASE), because it IS a drama and we need some juice, I love that there's alot of dry office politics and power games and stuffy mansplainers, as that's what you have in Korea, so it's pretty authentic in that respect. I'm enjoying it immensely.

I'm watching it at the same time as Eye Love You - which of course is very typical Netfix as in tailored to press all our buttons, nice short episodes, appeals to the reward centre of the brain. I'm savouring it slowly. Chae Jong-yeop is not an immediately obvious romantic male lead. He's too boy-next-door for that I would say. But, like other dramas I've seen him in, he's kind of growing into that role over the course of the story. Really works for me.

Also watching My Mister. IU is just radiant, with that wonderful steely core. She has such star quality. I love the relationship between the three brothers. The beautiful performance by Lee Sun-kyun is making me really sad, though.