MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #47: Lee Min-Ho’s a no-show, Kim Soo-Hyun cried himself into a dry husk and a sweet mobster sausage supremo is currently charming the noonas. We continue our ongoing mission to spread Kdrama joy. 😘

[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 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)🌟
Missing Crown Prince (Viki)
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
My Dearest (Viki)
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)🌟
Lovely Runner (Viki)
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 Atypical Family (Netflix)
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!

@GaladrielHiggins yay! I'm going to the Manchester show - ok, with my dd 8, but I am also firmly a filthy noona 🤩

I was too slow for the lower tier as well, due to being in work, but dd wanted to go even if far away from the stage, so here we are!

Don't get me started on Ticketbastard though- the fees are astronomical, so annoying!

Dd is HYPED to say the least 🤩

I need to check my work rota, can I let you know tomorrow?

We should have a Filthy Noona badge or T-shirt so we can recognise each other

Yes no worries

The two leads in Shopping King Louis are like watching Dumb & Dumber: The Adorable Dork reboot. It’s made me realise careful partner selection in chaebol families is absolutely vital for the business’s continued success. SKL is adorable but he’s quite a few IQ points and sandwiches short of CEO material. What do you do in those circumstances? Clever spouse to run the business? Top-notch company secretary? SKL is the sole heir in this case so out’s slim pickings & his partner, well…

Nice one! I had a nightmare trying to get London tickets yesterday. Did manage to get 3 but right at the very back/top. Tried again this morning and had even less luck, axs has decided that I’m a bot and not allowed to buy any tickets at all 🤬.

Luckily my partner didn’t have the same issues so he’s bought us tickets for the extra date. Fingers crossed that I can sell yesterday’s ones 🤞

Did I see somewhere that Ateez have added an extra date for London?
Might have imagined it!

Aye, you sort of worry a bit about how they are gonna get through life don't you 🤣

Highly competent secretaries/PA'S maybe?

I see they made a wise choice and handed the President role over to someone competent. Phew!

Complete aside: I find the Viki mobile phone app much easier to browse on than the TV interface. I set the filter to Korean shows & you can view what currently most popular in descending order. Occasionally someone on this thread will ‘spiral’ and watch a particular actor’s back catalogue. That’s v much in evidence in the most popular list. Lots of older Kim Young Dae, Jung So Min and Jung Hae In back catalogue in the most popular list. I found one with Jung So Min & Seo In Guk as leads, Hundred Million Stars from the Sky (2018). It’s worth browsing that way periodically to bookmark all the old ones.

@boatyardblues I always now use Viki on my phone and then cast to the TV - it always seems to crash on the TV unless I do it that way.

I can recommend hundred million stars across the sky (also called the smile had left your eyes) if you are prepared for a big cry. It is really amazing but hard going at times.

I recognise your comment about spiralling as a behaviour I always engage in 🤣🤣

It was Bea, one of the early posters on these threads, who coined the term. I think it fits well.

The thing that winds me up about Viki is that when I go to Continue Watching and click, it always takes me to the last episode I watched instead of the next!

First world problems, I know!

I'm sure that Seo In Guk show was called The Smile has Left Your Eyes when I watched it on Viki and I remember warning someone on here that, although it's really good, it's very, very dark and they subsequently didn't finish it when it took a horrible turn. I always felt a bit bad I didn't warn them more strongly but I did like it, it was very well acted and very compelling. I was actually thinking of it recently as I'm currently watching He's Psychometric, which started out as a nice little mystery thriller but has since taken some really dark turns and if anything I'm finding it even more traumatising than the above, though still enjoying it.

@Cobol that was me! I did end up finishing it, I just needed to prepare myself for the sadness 😅😅

Finished LND finally (after getting lost in 2gether and Still 2gether for a week or so) - yeah .. bit of a fizzle out at the end. Most random line that made me laugh out loud from the finale - choisseung saying 'we've torn down the stereotype that architecture firms are intimidating' 🤣🤣 wasn't aware this was a huge societal issue that needed fixing but good for them I guess??

@AmVa I'm really glad you finished it in the end. I think the place where you stopped would have been a dark place to leave it as the bit at the end where they find each other again and the whole truth comes out is very moving, though still very sad. I'm hoping He's Psychometric manages to pull it back a bit as well as at the moment it's looking pretty bleak 😟

Evening all. Coincidentally I only started to listen to Ateez today after seeing them pop up on YouTube, I did quite enjoy Work and may have to watch some videos 😁

DH and I finished Love Affairs in the Afternoon on viki. Soooo slow! And definitely thought it was going to be more dramatic than it was. That's 16+ hours I won't be getting back. I think we will watch Flower of Evil next.

I've started Mr Queen. Fairly entertaining so far though I had been expecting to lol.

I've found myself looking at Ateez tickets but they go on sale in a couple of hours and I'll be in class. WIBU to let my 6th formers get on with it themselves whilst I book tickets for a band I only just started listening to yesterday?

🤣 Of course! (We exist to enable!) Next question?

@peanutcookie what Boaty said ⬆️ 😁

Seriously though, if you're interested try to get online just before they go on sale. It's staggered sales - fan club, then pre-sale (involves registering online in advance to get a code, worth knowing for next time), then general sale. So may not be much left. Good luck! 🤞🏻

Do it Peanut!

We are indeed all terrible enablers 😁

Haha I actually forgot about it until break time but still haven't had a chance to look for tickets. Probably nothing left at a price I want to pay

Now this sounds like a book I want to read. Apologies I can't figure out how to do a clicky link from my phone vm.tiktok.com/ZGdeUM7Tq/

I started What Comes After Love - it's so beautiful and sad. Don't want to have to wait a week for the next episode!

Think I'm going to go for a classic next and watch Goblin.

Goblin is a classic for a reason.

I’m now caught up on What Comes After Love. I have two thoughts: 1) I want to thump the dozy male lead and 2) I think things are about to kick up a notch after today’s ending. Actually, 3 thoughts: I really like that the FL had enough self-esteem to call time on things and walk. There are far too many drippy FLs swithering in kdrama. Choi Hong rocks! 💪