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!

Oh I forgot - No Gain No Love - I enjoyed that a lot! Now I have seen bits and pieces of the ending, awfully glad I did not invest in WtSG. Now need to line up some others.

I'm seeing lots of people on social media singing the praises of WtSG! Weird

Hahaha! WTF indeed!!!

It simultaneously went exactly where I thought it was going and anywhere and everywhere else at the same time. So many thoughts. So many questions. Was it total rubbish or script writing genius for the fact I’m still thinking about it. I don’t think anyone will ever forget the ending. I’m also not convinced a single person will ever watch it twice. oh dear. WTF a thousand times 🤣

Still watching When the Stars Gossip with MrPunks and bracing myself for the crap ending.

I'm also watching Sky Castle, with Melo Movie on the side for a bit of light relief. Completely agree about the whining, sulky 2ML though, so annoying!

Our drama watching has ground to a halt with the girls going back to school, although my youngest did announce that we should watch an episode last night just as the match was kicking off - she got short shrift! 🤣

i was chatting to my brother and I asked if the Amazon fire stick thing I bought for my mum a couple of years ago could get the Viki app on and it can so I might treat us to one of those as at the moment we’re crowding around the iPad. It might have to wait a bit though as I just bought us blackpink tickets. I’m looking forward to breaking that news to my partner tonight. 🫣

I got tickets too @clare8allthepies !!! So excited. Now, need to book flights and hotel. Gulp.

@mrsfeatherbottom so exciting! I’m not sure what to do about travel yet, when we went last month we got the train to London and back and stayed at a (really nice) premier inn next to the train station. Both stray kids and black pink fall in the school holidays so I might stay with my mums which is much closer to London and go to the concert from there.

So jealous of you all. I had hoped a Blackpink world your might include Australia but no dice. Keeping my hopes up for BTS 2026 (/ telling husband we need to budget for a trip to Singapore or something 🤣)

I'm really not feeling many of the currently airing dramas. I'm kind of half heartedly watching Dearest Nemesis but the ML is too much of a baby for me to fancy. He looks like a 15 year old in a suit 😅😅.

I will try out the Potato Lab which starts this weekend, looking forward to seeing how they k-drama-ify the potato Lab working environment.

Agree about current dramas, @AmVa. My Dearest Nemesis isn't really doing it for me although I'll keep watching. Talking of 15 year old in a suit, DH and I started Misaeng - Incomplete Life last night - Yim Siwan looks so young in it, it's hilarious.

Might try Undercover High School which looks like it could be fun. Will also watch Potato Lab - I do like Kang Tae-oh. Apparently the second series of Extraordinary Attorney Woo is out this year.

I'm really not feeling many of the currently airing dramas.

I agree AmVa. We’ve just finished Atypical Family which we enjoyed, though the last few minutes were a bit inconclusive.
We’re not sure what to watch next - after five years of K drama we don’t want to go back to Western tv.

Long time lurker here. I've started watching Newtopia on Prime. It's a funny zombie show and the first thing I've really enjoyed in a while.

Welcome @turkeyboots ! 👋 Lovely to have you delurked at last. I don’t have Prime though I’m wavering. Let us know how you get on. My FOMO may tip my hand.

A de-lurkey turkey!

I can't watch zombie films unless they are slapstick like Shaun of the Dead - otherwise, too scary for me. Is it comedy zombies or scary?

@mrsfeatherbottom they arent scary zombies really but it's rather gory, like a lot of Korean zombie things. Eyeballs and intestines all over the place. But the zombies are more background to the humam daftness.

So, we're 2 episodes in of Misaeng and please tell me that it's not just 20 episodes of him being bullied and yelled at! I don't think I could handle that.

No, it’s great MrsF. Stick with it. Karma wins out.

MrPunks and I finished WtSG last night and have come to the conclusion that we rather enjoyed it. Yes, the ending was nuts, but no more so than the rest of it. We wouldn't watch it again but are siding with the 'batshit but entertaining' team. We clearly have strange tastes! 🙈

Welcome @turkeyboots! I too like a good zombie plot, although I'm not allowed to watch them with the sound up at breakfast due to my woosy family 🙄

Good to know. Was getting angry and wanting to punch certain characters. Someone needs to get their comeuppance!

Kang Tae-Oh is back after completing his military service and looking slimmer, but hotter than ever, in The Potato Lab (Netflix) where he's the mergers and acquisitions hatchet man. It looks promising. I want the fat, short, Heinz 57 dog and the cool brother and friend, in my life right now as compensation for watching that White House 'peace deal' meeting.

After the recent turkeys I had no recourse but to drop if I wanted to keep any brain cells alive, thank goodness for it and Buried Hearts (Disney+) which has maintained the high standard of the opening episode.

M&FLs have chemistry and PHS is mighty purrty with slicked back longer hair...in the bath, snogging on the stairs.... Stop snickering those at the back whispering insults like 'Lego hair' and 'Fisher Price hair'!!!

There's chaebol succession planning shenanigans; a possible chaebol murder; a child outwith marriage; a very dodgy looking and very large painting; a Bond villain and raw egg yolks swimming in soju, which we are told several times, is better than ginseng. And did I forget to mention the small matter of a stolen two trillion won problem compounded by the thief's memory loss? Nothing's really original but it's well put together and moves along at a fair lick.

I’m just watching some Buried Hearts now. It’s super-slick and pacey. I’m not loving PHS’s hair, but he’s getting to explore his range and owning it so I’ll let his Fisher Price 🤣 coiffed chaebol bouffant slide.

Can I also put in a good word for the bride’s gown in ep 2? Exquisite. 👌

Lolz, it makes up for the huge back to front bow on the polka dot blouse someone wears in TPL!
The dressmaking side of me had a good look at the upper half construction of the wedding dress. It is a beautiful dress.<3

Agreed. It was beautiful.

And the egg yolks in soju made my stomach turn! 🤢

It’s good to have Kang Tae-Ho back on our screens. I thought he looked like he was about to laugh as he closes the door at the end of the scene when he’s in his pyjamas. I sensed some nifty editing so they didn’t have to reshoot the scene.