MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #48: Time for all the seasonal goodies, advent surprises and the weighing of the year’s dramas for the vote-off. Lazy holding title because I dropped the ball 😄

[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!

@MigsandTiggs That jumper is truly insane. Sometimes there is a lot of jumper slagging off that goes on around here while I quietly think 'actually I can see myself wearing that' 😅 However absolutely not in this case. Is one of her hands ensconced in the little padded bit like a crab claw??

I think her hand is in her armpit and the crab claw is the elbow bump

Totally agree. It's creepy but not too bad and we just watched the 5th episode and it's switched completely and things are starting to make sense. DH's early prediction was spot on!

@mrsfeatherbottom Oh you are right - I missed that little sliver of visible hand! slightly less crazy but not that much

AmVa, I'm a fan of the 'Bonkers/Inexplicable jumper choice club. I remember with particular fondness the one with all the holes and the ensuing speculation regarding errant, escaping, chest hair.
Ahhhh, fond memories.
I need to watch more Cdramas as I hear the fashion there dials up the bonkers level considerably.😭

SPOILER ALERT!!!! Do not read on if you are hoping for a third drama version of Yumi's Cells ....

Shin Soonrok is not your typical oppa, being younger, introverted and a homebody. However there is an oppa for everyone, and he is Yumi's, though it may take her a long while to find him. If you haven't read Yumi's Cells, it is a classic and scored a perfect 10 on the spreadsheet.

Manhwa: Yumi’s Cells
Platform: Webtoon
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life
Status: Completed

I should probably say at this point, that the Draw January 2D Oppas are not being presented in any particular order - I am just varying the art styles and themes and trying to include all the recommendations I have been given by you fellow manhwa addicts out there! So the 31st January oppa may not necessarily be the absolute peak or to everyone's taste 😂

Looking at The Queen who Crowns made me ponder the origins of the practice of concubinage and that is how I stumbled upon the difference in meaning between the English word Concubine and the Chinese word for it which actually means Consorts of Emperors.

I love learning useless random information. <slinks away quietly>

I like this useless snippet. It’s an interesting perspective shift.

It's like reading a sageuk! Seo Gyeol is the stern and scary general who saves Dani, a Jurchen girl from a tea house in the dangerous borderland. She becomes the maid who prepares his tea.
There's mystery, childhood trauma, shared childhood connections, wispy bearded politicking and beautiful artwork.

Manhwa: That Which Flows By
Platform: Webtoon
Genre: Romance, Historical
Status: Ongoing

Great pitch Bettys! 👏 I’ve not read that one but I’m going to bookmark it for later.

Still slowly catching up with things - I was absolutely helpless with laugher during Rented in Finland at everyone trying to eat the 30 minute scrambled eggs.

Almost finished Family By Choice as well - coming in strong at the end as one of my favourite shows of 2024.

Sangwoo seems like a robot at college, whereas Jaeyoung is all about the fun. When they are forced to work together to complete a project, will opposites attract? (of course they will or there'd be no story)
I was so invested in the 2D characters that I didn't bother with the drama though I am told that is good too, but much less saucy!

Manhwa: Semantic Error
Platform: Manta
Genre: Romance, College Life, BL, NSFW 🌈 Smut 🥖
Status: Completed

Dipping in to say That Which Flows By is a wonderful read. I’m 27 chapters in already. The artwork is beautiful and story is really good. It’s crying out for a TV adaptation. I’m not sure who would be best cast as the Ghost of the North (tsundere ML). It would be a fun role. Park Bo Young would have been perfect as Dani but it needs someone younger.

@boatyardblues It was @polkettle that recommended it to me, it is great, isn't it? And I know nothing of the Jurchen side of thing so interesting on that score too. Agree ré Park Bo Young for Dani, and always tend to think of someone like Jang Hyuk for the general, but both need to be younger & in their 20s

Jang Hyuk’s energy and poise in fight scenes would 100% work. We need to think of a younger version. Woo Do Hwan has good fighting skills. I racking my brain to remember whether he glowers well.

Ooh I loved the adaption of Semantic Error bettys but never thought of reading it. I'll definitely add that one to my list. I'm on daily free eps of Positively Yours now so it might take me a while but I'm sticking with it. I really ought to get back to the book I was planning to read, though, all this manga is mighty distracting....

I rue the day the filthy noonas introduced me to manhwa. My proper book reading habit will probably never recover. The pandemic dealt a heavy blow & then the pretty manhwa squirrel finished me off. (But I’m having a lot of fun.)

The manhwa of Semantic Error is really good Cobol! I recommend! The art is great too

• it has some of the best drawn kisses in manhwa, and this is the hill I will die on!

And Bettys the drama adaptation is worth watching - it's a bit different but the bones are the same.

Like Boaty I also think my proper book reading habit is likely to never recover 🤣 no regrets!

Agree 100% @TheLoupGarou

Will give the drama of Semantic Error another try then!

I didn't mean to put a bullet point in my post, I stand by it though 🤩

You were very emphatic on that point. The bullet seems justified. 😄

Quite a dark tale that is ongoing so have no idea how it will turn out, but adding to the list because of ML's long legs in black jeans (biased much?) thanks for the heads-up @polkettle Couldn't choose which images to use so have just thrown them all in.
A woman who has been betrayed and left in debt by her husband, is pursued by a mysterious younger man. Starts with smut, do not open in public.

Manhwa: Tears on a Withered Flower
Platform: Naver Webtoon
Genre: Romance, Dark, Slice of Life, NSFW, Smut
Status: Ongoing

🤩 i love the "do not open in public" PSA

I quickly realised things can escalate quickly in manhwa even if it starts off innocently 🤣

I'm watching the first series of Hospital Playlist and am concerned about the disproportionate amount of people needing liver transplants - is it all the soju??