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!

I watch bits of When the stars Gossip from time to time though without much enthusiasm.
However I’m impressed by how they film the astronauts floating around in zero gravity.

Did you see any BTS clips of them with big hoop things round their waists and being dragged around by people in green morph suits? Hilarious to watch.

Mrsfeatherbottom - haha, no, is that on YouTube?

I think I saw it on Instagram

This shows it quite well although it's the not the same one I saw before:

www.instagram.com/reel/DFHtEKwvkvV/?igsh=MWRwazc5OWVldXcwNg==

That’s hilarious. It must’ve been exhausting for the actors, though.

I know. I bet they have excellent core strength now, though!

Useful for episode 8’s shenanigans. 😄 It’s a hot mess of a show. DH has lost interest. He’s fallen asleep in both of this week’s episodes.

Throughly enjoying Trauma Code which is Nonsense but actually surprisingly well done and heartfelt Nonsense.
Flourished Peonies finishes today (part one anyway) and I will be bereft because it's been such a daily treat. Big recommend if you fancy marvelling at Olde Chinese Haire and wedding ceremonies and girlpower sticking it to the Olde Chinese Patriarchye. Or indeed if you just fancy Li Xian. And who doesn't?

Hey @peanutcookies! Also on my way to ATEEZ today with a better informed/prepared pal. Really looking forward to my first proper KPop experience although with a slight air of the anthropologist abroad.
Will wave at you and dd. I'm sure we'll know each other instinctively 😉

@polkettle and @peanutcookie you guys should both wear a red carnation on your coats for easy recognition amongst the throng 🤩

Looking forward to hearing the reports from the Advance Party - me and dd are going on Thursday in Manchester ❤️

Have fun at Ateez, everyone!

Have fun chingus!

This is a tale of nerd poppets and their slow romances. Joonhyung has liked Kyoungmi since college though she doesn't remember him. With their friends Jaechan and Sora they navigate the ups and downs of friendships and relationships.
There are cats in it too. And he looks good in glasses too.

Manhwa: Honey Lemon
Platform: Webtoon
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life, Cute Cats
Status: Ongoing

✌ to the lucky Ateez goers. Please post pic of decorated lightstick.

Trauma Code is pure Boys Own OTT shenanigans and such fun!

Hope all Ateez attendees have a fantastic time, can't wait to hear the reports. I am onto my last episode of Virtuous Business and certainly enjoying it. Some plots holes, such as how come the detective speaks such good Korean having been adopted to the USA and then got back his Korean citizenship so he could join the police force, but there we go! Still a bit behind on Love Scout but the slow burn is making me 'sigh' a lot. Next stop will be Trauma Code & Motel California. I also watch clips of Flourishing Peony as well, but keep getting out of order, mind you I hear Pt 2 is in the offing. You'll all be pleased to hear that I put a lot of the info you have all shared re politics as well as society to good use at the weekend. A friend in her 30s enjoyed T.O.P in Squid Game but couldn't get her head round why it was a controversial casting choice. Well, Chingus it gave me chance to share about Korean society and the impossibly high standards they impose on their celebs, contrasted it to the politics, covered the origins of the Korea War, moved onto martial law etc. All the knowledge in this group has been invaluable to widening my knowledge, so BIG thank you.

Enjoy Ateez tonight everybody, we’re going tomorrow. The girls are so excited!

This is such a great post @Dragonrock . I’ve learned so much from my thread chingus too. Thank you all! 🙏 It was interesting during the martial law shenanigans before Christmas. Friends were interested to know more about SK and I was able provide an overview. Every now and then having niche interests is useful.

@TheLoupGarou I’m going to Manchester too, with a non KDrama/Kpop listening friend! I’m so excited, haven’t been to a gig in years, but also panicking about when to get there as I don’t want her to be bored silly waiting for me to buy merch or just look at everyone being excited!

I noticed that there is a pop up merch shop at the People’s History Museum on Weds/ Thurs but I’m not sure we have time to go or not.

if you see us in the crowd give us a wave, we’ll be the middle aged ones without a light-stick

I’ve just twigged that lovely Dr Yang in Trauma Centre is the egg-eating contemporary dance student in BL romance You Make Me Dance. Now I’ve remembered it, I want to watch it again. It was a lovely series. The debt collector boyfriend’s sharp tailored coats were especially memorable. 🙂

I’ve started this off the back of your recommendation @bettys . The cats are adorable! 😻

Could not have enjoyed those hard working ATEEZ boys more. Anyone going tonight/later in the week is guaranteed a blast.

More cats for you @boatyardblues !

Chayeong has the perfect life with her husband and pets, but when she is killed mistakenly before she is supposed to die, she is given the chance to go back 10 years to try and reclaim her life.
This is a charming story where for once the regressor is trying to repeat her life with the people and pets she loves, not change it or take revenge. Lovely characterisation of animals and the couple are adorable. Oh the ML is called Ju, and he's a total green flag.

Manhwa: Want To See My Cat?
Platform: Webtoon
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life, College Life, Cute Cats, Cute Puppies, Low Stakes Lovely Romance 💚
Status: Ongoing

@polkettle woop! I enjoyed all your stories.

Have just watched the first couple of episodes of Motel California - enjoying it! There's something quite different about it isn't there?

Greatly enjoyed the ending of Family By Choice and thank goodness HIY got to play a proper swoony lead in this case. I'm still salty about the ending of TB as I totally switched camps in the last couple of episodes 🤣

I have to ask - have I missed something with the xylitol gum chat in RiF - its not PPL right because they are blurring the package. But why are they having so many conversations about it in such an unnatural way?? 🤣🤣

Just watched the first few episodes of Love your enemy on Viki and really enjoying it, definitely recommend if you want some lighthearted fun.