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!

Gotcha Cobol. Yes, I think the financial rewards of acting and singing are probably pretty low even for well known faces and much of that siphoned off by management companies at the start of careers? I'm imagining there are a lot of "loans" to be repaid for their career "investment" in you. Sigh. And the constant knowledge that you're one of the lucky ones with a hundred other hopefuls snapping at your feet.

I had a quick look at First Frost but it didn't really pull me in. I might go back to it later. I'm still enjoying My Dearest Nemesis, though. I seem to be clocking up a lot of silly, undemanding viewing lately - Study School, Twinkling Watermelon and Impression of Youth - all fun and youthful but now I think about I realise why I was so excited to see SSK - a proper male lead I can fancy instead potential son-in-laws!

Also like the second couple and their refreshing attitude to sex very much!
However I think the gawky adolescent behaviour of main couple works as they are meant to have missed out on certain developmental stages as they both closed off that side of things after the first love debacle.

I wonder if Yoon Park (37) has just been smoothed out? The same could be said for Hong Jong Hyun (35) who looks weirdly different from when he was in Moon Lovers WHICH IS COMING SOON TO VIKI!!!!!!

Also liking the looks of cdrama Love in the Edge of Divorce which may fill the First Frost gap

I nearly always prefer the second couple!

Moon Lovers coming to Viki!! bettys, that just made my month!

It might not be for everyone, but The Art of negotiation is doing it for me in spite of LJH's white-ish wig. Good cast and interesting business goings on.

When I said A Killer Paradox reminded me of 'Crime and Punishment' I didn't realise the book was actually going to feature in the show! I've still got one episode to go so I don't know how it'll all wrap up but it's been quite excellent so far.

I've just started it @Cobol, so it's good to know that the dark theme is worth it.

I can also now sleep at night, having been bugged for days now by the 'I recognise him from somewhere!' vibe from the ML in FF. I've finally pinned it down to him having been the FL's bodyguard/sidekick in The Rise of Phoenixes, which was the first asian drama that MrPunks and I watched at the beginning of the first lockdown, when I was teaching from home and needed something escapist at the end of the day. We followed it with Korean Odyssey and CLoY, and the rest is history 😄

DH and I finished Little Women a few nights ago. Overall we liked it but I felt there were too many plot twists. We started Something In The Rain last night. I still need to go back to Melo Movie, I like the plot so far but it's a bit slow

I can't get past the FL playing an adult. The only thing I've seen him in is Twinkling Watermelon and he just looks like a kid to me

Agree in ML in My Dearest Nemesis although is that not kind of the point, that he's trying to act like his dead dad to please his grandmother and hasn't been allowed to have a normal adolescence?

Geurae in Miseang is another child in a suit, bless him!

I liked Little Women but it did get a bit silly at the end with all the twists.

There have been a lot of conversations on this thread about actors looking way too old for roles in school uniforms but I think this might be the first one about an actor looking too young for a role out of one 😂

Choi Hyun-wook will always be the carefree student/MMA fighter from Weak Hero Class 1 for me so it's definitely weird seeing him being all serious in a suit though I agree with mrsfeatherbottom that he's supposed to be a child trying to be a grown-up so it does work, I think, and I also like the fact that the actors appear to be the same age as their respective characters, with the same age gap, which is so often not the case.

This all makes sense about ML in My Dearest Nemesis - stunted adolescence, playacting at being an adult, looks like a 12 year old in a suit. I am on board from a character development / accuracy of show POV. Unfortunately, how young he looks has given me the ick, cannot imagine him as any kind of romantic lead, and as such have stopped watching 😅

My life at the moment is First Frost, with a weekly light hearted break in the form of the Potato Lab.

Potato Lab is good fun. I'm also still enjoying Undercover Highschool. Of the current ones I'm watching, My Dearest Nemesis is my least favourite but I'll stick with it.

I've watched the first 4 episodes of WLGYT and need to watch the rest as I keep getting major spoilers on social media which is very annoying.

My current viewing in order of preference is: 1) Potato Lab, 2) WLGYT, 3) Buried Hearts, 4) Dearest Nemesis. I also started Moon Lovers on Friday but DS1 has been home from uni for the weekend so no opportunity to binge.

Potato Lab is such good fun. Kang Tae-oh is a cracking ML. Just the right balance of playfulness, tsundere froideur and standing around looking handsome. He was great as 2ML in Run On. I’m glad he’s getting lead roles now. His bickering with Lee Sun-bin in PL is first rate. Good stuff.

For once I’m thankful for my half assed approach to other social media.

Get you with your tsundere froideur!! I loved Kang Tae-oh in Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Wikipedia says EAW was his breakout role that brought him to international attention. He was a bit too bouncy Labrador in that for me. I prefer him in Potato Lab.

Potato Lab sounds good but I think I'll wait for more episodes before I start it. WLGYT has me stumped, though? I'm sure it will be obvious when you tell me.

@Cobol I was the same and then it hit me. When Life Give You Tangerines!

I have started that yet - maybe when I finish First Frost.

And yes, 100% on board with the tsundere froideur 😂😂

Thanks @AmVa I'd completely forgotten about that one.

Are we nearing the end of the thread? I think we must be.

👋

There is a new one waiting for you all: www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5287309-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-50-still-reeling-from-the-insanity-of-when-the-stars-gossip-we-dust-off-our-party-frocks-to-present-daebak-cafes-2024-best-scoring-shows?reply=142695284

DD2 and I finally started First Frost last night and watched the first 2 episodes. I also commented on Sang Yan's shoulder pads. I wish they had kept the original actor but yes I will just take this as a whole new drama. I was trying to work out the timeline with the other one as we saw his sister in the bathroom queue as a schoolgirl. I'm sure it will make more sense soon.

DH and I have taken a break from Something in the Rain to watch Adolescence.

My Dearest Nemesis is just silly but I'll stick with it. And same with Melo Movie though it is sooo slow

Am I the only one watching The Art of Negotiation? It's my current favourite followed by Buried Hearts, MDN, then PL.

Love in the Edge of Divorce tl;dr (so far). In bed, smoulder, smoulder, ml jumps over table, smoulder, smoulder. It's ridiculous fun!😂

Boom! 💥 Thread closed (and no FedUp today 😢)