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!

Only managed 2 episodes of Hidden Love yesterday. I couldn't be bothered to carry on with My Roommate is a Gumiho. I started Because this is my First Life today as that was the first suggestion when I turned on Netflix- have only watched the first episode but it was great so hope the rest is too, might be able to squeeze in another episode this afternoon. I think we are upto ep5 of Hierarchy and its chugging along nicely, look forward to see how it all wraps up. Google said its 7 eps so hopefully will finish soon.
Friday was my birthday and DDs said they would cook l. As we were going out for family meal on Saturday, I didn't want a big meal so said wings and loaded fries. They did it K-style with bulgogi loaded fries and spicy wings plus a pickled Cucumber side. Yesterday we went into London for KBBQ which was lovely then walked to Spitalfields for mochi and bubble tea. All in all, a pretty good day 😄😋

Sounds fabulous, peanut!

DH and I have only two episodes of My Mister and are completely hooked!

I also started Serendipity's Embrace.

YES! High-five Cobol - it is totally bonkers but I've been enjoying it loads. Plus, how cute is Xiaobiao with his dimples?? - last 2 episodes are out this week!

BTIMFL is one of my enduring top 3 kdramas. It’s excellent (apart from the shameless bra PPL).

Welcome @Amrapaali 🙂🖐 and any other new posters I may have missed.

Enjoyed reading what everyone is watching. After finishing the wonderful My Mister I started on Queen of Tears, which kept me entertained during holiday travel. Three episodes to go. I seem to remember it going nuts towards the end, but as long as it's not another MMH, I'll cope. I think Kim Ji-won is a bit Marmite, but I've liked her in everything I've seen her in so far.

Finished and on the whole really enjoyed My Sweet Mobster. I felt it flagged a bit towards the end, and UTG's suit in the final episode was HIDEOUS. MY EYES. But the excellent ensemble cast (especially the Thirsty Deer crew and the baddies) saved it.

I'm up to date with Serendipity's Embrace. Slight, but I always enjoy Chae Jong-hyeop. It has bad fashion, wigs and English too 😁EXCELLENT. Overall it comes across as oddly low budget 🤔CJH presumably signed up for / filmed it before the massive success of Eye Love You. All in all, glad it's only 8 episodes.

Thanks to @MigsandTiggs I'm also watching and enjoying J-drama Tokyo Tower. C-drama Will Love in Spring is also still on the back burner, I do mean to finish that before the summer ends, once I've wrapped up QoT.

I feel I need something a bit weightier again once the current watches are done (though Tokyo Tower is quite intense in its own way). Any obvious next stops on the classics route after My Mister? Maybe BTIMFL Boaty?

Think I might be ready for Lovely Runner, so that might fill the gap also possibly topical given scootergate 🤔

Oh and I started Sweet Home 3 earlier in the summer, with slight misgivings, as having loved the first series I was a bit disappointed by the second. But dropped it halfway through episode 2. It was all getting a bit repetitive 😬

I think you'll like Lovely Runner Saram- give it an episode or two to get going though...

Saram - definitely watch BTIMFL next. It is so good. I won’t spoil but the scene in the restaurant later on with the writer, producer and dick director made me so angry. However the FL (and script) is magnificent. I liked how BTIMFL shows love comes in many different forms and isn’t always predictable or linear.

All of this BTIMFL talk is making me want to rewatch it. It’ll be either my fourth or fifth rewatch.

Samesies. A top 5 drama for sure!!

TheLoup Xiaobiao is, indeed, very cute with his dimples 😊

Saram I agree series 2 & 3 of Sweet Home haven't been as strong as the first series, which is brilliant and in my top 5, but I still found them very enjoyable. The imagery and special effects in particular are stunning.

OK, BTIMFL and Lovely Runner it is! Cheers chingus!

Cobol I will probably return to SH3 later in the year. When the nights draw in. I do want to know how it ends, have a distinct fixation with Lee Do-hyun 😁and Song Kang is, perhaps legendarily by now, the oppa I have the most mixed feelings about 🤔🤩 Sure he's DEVASTATED about that 😁

OK, BTIMFL and Lovely Runner it is! Cheers chingus!

Hooray! 👏

Aaah Because TI My First Life is a proper gem! I'd rate it along with My Beloved Summer. That one was also such an under-rated drama. I became a little bit obsessed with Choi Woo SHik watching that. Particularly his hands, not sure why 😄

I used to pause and rewind and just keep looking at those lovely fingers.

@Amrapaali yes to Our Beloved Summer / CWS obsession - that is one of my fave dramas too.

Joining the BTIMFL chorus of fans, and regulars here may remember my Lovely Runner insane fangirling. Still listening to the soundtrack a lot and will probably rewatch in the not too distant future. Enjoy @Saram13 !!

I'm trying to persuade DD(14) to watch Lovely Runner!

Ooops yes Our Beloved Summer not My Beloved Summer 😅

Too many dramas beginning with "My" I'm getting a little bit confused. Agree CWS is fiii-ine!! I'm probably a good decade older than him but I so would...

The only male leads who have given me proper butterflies are CWS, Jang Hyuk and Kang Tae Oh.

Saw JH first in an old drama with Jang Nara- it was probably the ancestor of all contract wedding storylines out there. He had a weird, jumpy energy in that but was all the more endearing for it.

Jang Hyuk is all quiet restraint and inner steel in Money Flower, Amrapaali. He’s the total opposite of his persona in You Are My Destiny. After admiring his amazing posture and poise in Money Flower I read that his wife is a pilates instructor & it made total sense.

Thanks for the rec @boatyardblues 😍

Money Flower is going on my list. Not available now anywhere to stream. Hope Viki adds it to their catalogue

Thanks to @MigsandTiggs I'm also watching and enjoying J-drama Tokyo Tower. C-drama Will Love in Spring is also still on the back burner, I do mean to finish that before the summer ends, once I've wrapped up QoT.

Saram I've just finished Will Love in Spring today after starting it ages ago! I did enjoy it, so I'm not quite sure why it's taken me so long to finish it.

I'm really looking forward to Love Next Door starting on Saturday, it has a great cast so I have high hopes for it!

So, DH and I finished My Mister and oh my, I understand what all the fuss was about. It was so beautiful. Dying to talk about it but don't want to do spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen. Very emotional last episode, and extra poignant given what happened to Lee Sun Kyun. Very sad. 😢

@Rowdythree - I'm also looking forward to Love Next Door. Looks good!

Making a start on Romance in the House. Hoping it's got Not Others vibes

I started Dinner Mate on Prime last night. I think the story has promise and it reminded me I have missed Song Seung-Heon. The man is built to show off fine tailoring, though the scenes with him in halmeoni market attire made me laugh. How does he even look decent in technicolour polyester? 👏

My Mister is such a hard sell. It’s so bleak to begin with but the payoff is immeasurable.