diff --git a/MySQLdb/_mysql.c b/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
index 2d236982..53e57f85 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
+++ b/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 #include "Python.h"
 #if PY_MAJOR_VERSION >= 3
 #define IS_PY3K
+#define PyInt_Type PyLong_Type
+#define PyInt_FromString PyLong_FromString
 #define PyInt_FromLong(n) PyLong_FromLong(n)
 #define PyInt_Check(n) PyLong_Check(n)
 #define PyInt_AS_LONG(n) PyLong_AS_LONG(n)
@@ -87,6 +89,7 @@ typedef struct {
     int use;
     char has_next;
     PyObject *converter;
+    const char *encoding;
 } _mysql_ResultObject;
 
 extern PyTypeObject _mysql_ResultObject_Type;
@@ -203,6 +206,25 @@ _mysql_Exception(_mysql_ConnectionObject *c)
     return NULL;
 }
 
+static const char *utf8 = "utf8";
+
+static const char*
+_get_encoding(MYSQL *mysql)
+{
+    MY_CHARSET_INFO cs;
+    mysql_get_character_set_info(mysql, &cs);
+    if (strncmp(utf8, cs.csname, 4) == 0) { // utf8, utf8mb3, utf8mb4
+        return utf8;
+    }
+    else if (strncmp("koi8r", cs.csname, 5) == 0) {
+        return "koi8_r";
+    }
+    else if (strncmp("koi8u", cs.csname, 5) == 0) {
+        return "koi8_u";
+    }
+    return cs.csname;
+}
+
 static char _mysql_thread_safe__doc__[] =
 "Indicates whether the client is compiled as thread-safe.";
 
@@ -251,6 +273,9 @@ _mysql_ResultObject_Initialize(
     self->result = result;
     self->has_next = (char)mysql_more_results(&(conn->connection));
     Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS ;
+
+    self->encoding = _get_encoding(&(conn->connection));
+    //fprintf(stderr, "encoding=%s\n", self->encoding);
     if (!result) {
         if (mysql_errno(&(conn->connection))) {
             _mysql_Exception(conn);
@@ -289,6 +314,8 @@ _mysql_ResultObject_Initialize(
             int j, n2=PySequence_Size(fun);
             if (fields[i].charsetnr != 63) { /* maaagic */
                 flags &= ~BINARY_FLAG;
+            } else {
+                flags |= BINARY_FLAG;
             }
             for (j=0; j<n2; j++) {
                 PyObject *t = PySequence_GetItem(fun, j);
@@ -943,8 +970,6 @@ _mysql_string_literal(
     return (str);
 }
 
-static PyObject *_mysql_NULL;
-
 static PyObject *
 _escape_item(
     PyObject *self,
@@ -1011,17 +1036,10 @@ _mysql_ResultObject_describe(
 {
     PyObject *d;
     MYSQL_FIELD *fields;
-    MY_CHARSET_INFO cs;
-    int isutf8 = 0;
     unsigned int i, n;
 
     check_result_connection(self);
 
-    mysql_get_character_set_info(&result_connection(self)->connection, &cs);
-    if (strncmp("utf8", cs.name, 4) == 0) { // utf8, utf8mb3, utf8mb4
-        isutf8 = 1;
-    }
-
     n = mysql_num_fields(self->result);
     fields = mysql_fetch_fields(self->result);
     if (!(d = PyTuple_New(n))) return NULL;
@@ -1029,10 +1047,10 @@ _mysql_ResultObject_describe(
         PyObject *t;
 #ifdef IS_PY3K
         PyObject *name;
-        if (isutf8) {
+        if (self->encoding == utf8) {
             name = PyUnicode_DecodeUTF8(fields[i].name, fields[i].name_length, "replace");
         } else {
-            name = PyUnicode_Decode(fields[i].name, fields[i].name_length, cs.name, "replace");
+            name = PyUnicode_Decode(fields[i].name, fields[i].name_length, self->encoding, "replace");
         }
         if (name == NULL) {
             goto error;
@@ -1089,9 +1107,10 @@ _mysql_ResultObject_field_flags(
 static PyObject *
 _mysql_field_to_python(
     PyObject *converter,
-    char *rowitem,
+    const char *rowitem,
     unsigned long length,
-    MYSQL_FIELD *field)
+    MYSQL_FIELD *field,
+    const char *encoding)
 {
     PyObject *v;
 #ifdef IS_PY3K
@@ -1110,7 +1129,27 @@ _mysql_field_to_python(
     }
 #endif
     if (rowitem) {
-        if (converter != Py_None) {
+        if (converter == (PyObject*)&PyUnicode_Type) {
+            if (encoding == utf8) {
+                //fprintf(stderr, "decoding with utf8!\n");
+                v = PyUnicode_DecodeUTF8(rowitem, length, NULL);
+            } else {
+                //fprintf(stderr, "decoding with %s\n", encoding);
+                v = PyUnicode_Decode(rowitem, length, encoding, NULL);
+            }
+        }
+        else if (converter == (PyObject*)&PyBytes_Type) {
+            //fprintf(stderr, "decoding with bytes\n", encoding);
+            v = PyBytes_FromStringAndSize(rowitem, length);
+        }
+        else if (converter == (PyObject*)&PyInt_Type) {
+            //fprintf(stderr, "decoding with int\n", encoding);
+            v = PyInt_FromString(rowitem, NULL, 10);
+        }
+        else if (converter != Py_None) {
+            //fprintf(stderr, "decoding with callback\n");
+            //PyObject_Print(converter, stderr, 0);
+            //fprintf(stderr, "\n");
             v = PyObject_CallFunction(converter,
 #ifdef IS_PY3K
                           binary ? "y#" : "s#",
@@ -1120,6 +1159,7 @@ _mysql_field_to_python(
                           rowitem,
                           (int)length);
         } else {
+            //fprintf(stderr, "converter=None\n");
 #ifdef IS_PY3K
             if (!binary) {
                 v = PyUnicode_FromStringAndSize(rowitem, (int)length);
@@ -1153,7 +1193,7 @@ _mysql_row_to_tuple(
     for (i=0; i<n; i++) {
         PyObject *v;
         c = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(self->converter, i);
-        v = _mysql_field_to_python(c, row[i], length[i], &fields[i]);
+        v = _mysql_field_to_python(c, row[i], length[i], &fields[i], self->encoding);
         if (!v) goto error;
         PyTuple_SET_ITEM(r, i, v);
     }
@@ -1180,7 +1220,7 @@ _mysql_row_to_dict(
     for (i=0; i<n; i++) {
         PyObject *v;
         c = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(self->converter, i);
-        v = _mysql_field_to_python(c, row[i], length[i], &fields[i]);
+        v = _mysql_field_to_python(c, row[i], length[i], &fields[i], self->encoding);
         if (!v) goto error;
         if (!PyMapping_HasKeyString(r, fields[i].name)) {
             PyMapping_SetItemString(r, fields[i].name, v);
@@ -1219,7 +1259,7 @@ _mysql_row_to_dict_old(
     for (i=0; i<n; i++) {
         PyObject *v;
         c = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(self->converter, i);
-        v = _mysql_field_to_python(c, row[i], length[i], &fields[i]);
+        v = _mysql_field_to_python(c, row[i], length[i], &fields[i], self->encoding);
         if (!v) goto error;
         {
             int len=0;
@@ -1422,8 +1462,7 @@ _mysql_ConnectionObject_set_character_set(
     err = mysql_set_character_set(&(self->connection), s);
     Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS
     if (err) return _mysql_Exception(self);
-    Py_INCREF(Py_None);
-    return Py_None;
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
 #if MYSQL_VERSION_ID >= 50010
@@ -2634,12 +2673,10 @@ init_mysql(void)
     _mysql_ConnectionObject_Type.ob_type = &PyType_Type;
     _mysql_ResultObject_Type.ob_type = &PyType_Type;
 #endif
-#if PY_VERSION_HEX >= 0x02020000
     _mysql_ConnectionObject_Type.tp_alloc = PyType_GenericAlloc;
     _mysql_ConnectionObject_Type.tp_new = PyType_GenericNew;
     _mysql_ResultObject_Type.tp_alloc = PyType_GenericAlloc;
     _mysql_ResultObject_Type.tp_new = PyType_GenericNew;
-#endif
 #ifdef IS_PY3K
     if (PyType_Ready(&_mysql_ConnectionObject_Type) < 0)
         return NULL;
diff --git a/MySQLdb/connections.py b/MySQLdb/connections.py
index 27a8d437..e902912f 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/connections.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/connections.py
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class object, used to create cursors (keyword only)
         documentation for the MySQL C API for some hints on what they do.
         """
         from MySQLdb.constants import CLIENT, FIELD_TYPE
-        from MySQLdb.converters import conversions
+        from MySQLdb.converters import conversions, _bytes_or_str
         from weakref import proxy
 
         kwargs2 = kwargs.copy()
@@ -174,9 +174,6 @@ class object, used to create cursors (keyword only)
         def unicode_literal(u, dummy=None):
             return db.string_literal(u.encode(db.encoding))
 
-        def string_decoder(s):
-            return s.decode(db.encoding)
-
         if not charset:
             charset = self.character_set_name()
         self.set_character_set(charset)
@@ -187,7 +184,7 @@ def string_decoder(s):
         if use_unicode:
             for t in (FIELD_TYPE.STRING, FIELD_TYPE.VAR_STRING, FIELD_TYPE.VARCHAR, FIELD_TYPE.TINY_BLOB,
                       FIELD_TYPE.MEDIUM_BLOB, FIELD_TYPE.LONG_BLOB, FIELD_TYPE.BLOB):
-                self.converter[t].append((None, string_decoder))
+                self.converter[t] = _bytes_or_str
 
         self.encoders[unicode] = unicode_literal
         self._transactional = self.server_capabilities & CLIENT.TRANSACTIONS
diff --git a/MySQLdb/converters.py b/MySQLdb/converters.py
index 6394a5c6..7b1eb035 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/converters.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/converters.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 from MySQLdb._mysql import string_literal, escape
 from MySQLdb.constants import FIELD_TYPE, FLAG
 from MySQLdb.times import *
-from MySQLdb.compat import PY2, long
+from MySQLdb.compat import PY2, long, unicode
 
 NoneType = type(None)
 
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ def quote_tuple(t, d):
     return "(%s)" % (','.join(escape_sequence(t, d)))
 
 # bytes or str regarding to BINARY_FLAG.
-_bytes_or_str = [(FLAG.BINARY, bytes)]
+_bytes_or_str = ((FLAG.BINARY, bytes), (None, unicode))
 
 conversions = {
     int: Thing2Str,
@@ -109,12 +109,12 @@ def quote_tuple(t, d):
 
     FIELD_TYPE.TINY: int,
     FIELD_TYPE.SHORT: int,
-    FIELD_TYPE.LONG: long,
+    FIELD_TYPE.LONG: int,
     FIELD_TYPE.FLOAT: float,
     FIELD_TYPE.DOUBLE: float,
     FIELD_TYPE.DECIMAL: Decimal,
     FIELD_TYPE.NEWDECIMAL: Decimal,
-    FIELD_TYPE.LONGLONG: long,
+    FIELD_TYPE.LONGLONG: int,
     FIELD_TYPE.INT24: int,
     FIELD_TYPE.YEAR: int,
     FIELD_TYPE.TIMESTAMP: mysql_timestamp_converter,
@@ -122,11 +122,11 @@ def quote_tuple(t, d):
     FIELD_TYPE.TIME: TimeDelta_or_None,
     FIELD_TYPE.DATE: Date_or_None,
 
-    FIELD_TYPE.TINY_BLOB: _bytes_or_str,
-    FIELD_TYPE.MEDIUM_BLOB: _bytes_or_str,
-    FIELD_TYPE.LONG_BLOB: _bytes_or_str,
-    FIELD_TYPE.BLOB: _bytes_or_str,
-    FIELD_TYPE.STRING: _bytes_or_str,
-    FIELD_TYPE.VAR_STRING: _bytes_or_str,
-    FIELD_TYPE.VARCHAR: _bytes_or_str,
+    FIELD_TYPE.TINY_BLOB: bytes,
+    FIELD_TYPE.MEDIUM_BLOB: bytes,
+    FIELD_TYPE.LONG_BLOB: bytes,
+    FIELD_TYPE.BLOB: bytes,
+    FIELD_TYPE.STRING: bytes,
+    FIELD_TYPE.VAR_STRING: bytes,
+    FIELD_TYPE.VARCHAR: bytes,
 }