MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #38): Where we’re still reeling from the 2022 top 5 scoring Jdrama First Love v Alchemy of Souls kerfuffle. What can I say? Takeru Satoh broke our scoring rubric.

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. Most of our shows are on 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 but 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 (with a side order of absurd)
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki/Netflix)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

Crime/Thriller
Come and Hug Me (Dramafast)
Graceful Family (Viki)
Healer (Netflix)🌟
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, no major site yet)
Little Women (Netflix)
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)🌟
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki/Netflix)
Crowned Clown (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)🌟
The King’s Affection (Netflix)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)🌟

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)🌟
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki)🌟
His Master’s Sun (Netflix)
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)🌟
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)🌟
Run On (Netflix)
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)🌟
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 Landing on You (Netflix)🌟
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
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)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)🌟
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)🌟
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (other sites)🌟
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki)
Search: WWW (Viki, Netflix)🌟
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
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)🌟
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)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
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)🌟
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)🌟


Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
#Alive (Netflix)
Black (Netflix)🌟
Happiness (Viki)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (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
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)
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)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, 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 2022 Dramas
Courtesy of much-missed Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

#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!

That's a very good article FedUp - interesting to read something that goes beneath the surface.

I have stumbled on An Hour of Romance (manhwa, Bato) last night. It’s a gluten-free bodyswap story between 2 colleagues who are polar opposites temperamentally and professionally, plus M:F. It’s by the same writer/artist as the original What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? manhwa and the dialogue is great - snappy, wry. I love the artwork and the character development so far. There’s >100 episodes and I’m only 10 eps in so I’m delighted to have a clear weekend to binge it.

SUCHWITA ep3 dropping soon!!! Trailer shows Suga wearing the slippers I need, where can I buy them? Furry crocs?

Fascinating article FedUp, thank you 🙂 I've only travelled long-haul three times in my life (each time the US, twice for work) but always said if I were to travel anywhere really far away purely out of interest it would be Japan. Obviously Korea has overtaken that now, but Japan is waiting in the wings! And I will definitely be checking out more J-dramas after First Love.

I finished The Fabulous the other night. On fast-forward. Confirmed that it was not for me. I do like fluffy silly romantic stuff (enjoyed HCCC, FLAW for example) but didn't warm to the leads, and didn't get on with the portrayal of camp/gay characters (have had the same with other dramas occasionally, but not so acutely as here).

Got up early this morning and thought I'd make a start on Crash Course in Romance, but it's not out here for another 3 weeks 😭 So returned to Vincenzo, which has taken a while to get going but is now really gripping. Just starting episode 10!

Checked in with MrSaram about returning to Alchemy of Souls (he fell asleep during S1, E2 and we haven't tried again since😁🙄) and he said he'll give it another go, so here's hoping!

Migs just saw the trailer! I like his Patti Smith t-shirt 😁 When I pointed out Taehyungs's Joy Division one in the I Need You video MrSaram just muttered 'marketing' 😁

Despite having no interest in fashion I'm really enjoying Jimin and J-Hope at Peris fashion week.
Robert Pattinson looks like Jeremy Clarkson next to Jimin!

Or even Paris fashion week!

Saram, you know that husbands are always right!
Fedup, good article, while I knew of the ageing population problem, I had never considered all the reasons why things couldn't change. I went on to read the article on the hafu Miss Japan and the country's prevailing xenophobic attitudes, which gives added context to a peculiarly Japanese problem.

www.instagram.com/reel/Cm9ChCjByUN/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

Excuse me sir, can you wear me like a scarf?

TheGirl, I was in a majority of one in my comment on jhope's IG post with the two of them in an art gallery. I was "water lilies!" but everyone else was sending 💜💜💜💜!

I'm dying!! 😳

www.instagram.com/reel/Cndcy04qyCm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Holy shit I wouldn't have recognised Robert Pattinson! WTF is that jacket about?!

Jimin and Hobi rocking it as usual - I love the art gallery pics and the mad designer outfits that would look ridiculous on anyone else. The media attention on them looks insane though.

Saram your DH and mine sound like they would be in the same wavelength re BTS 🤣

Jimin demonstrating the archetypal Korean roll neck sweater in that pic though, even if it is probably cashmere woven by fairies that costs more than my annual salary.

Oh Crash Course is just making me happy 😍 Top notch larking.

Jimin looks ace! 😍 Next to him, Clarkson Pattinson and co. look like they've just spent 20 years in a gulag 😂 Note to self: avoid getting photographed with BTS 🤔😁

Talk of J-Hope has reminded me I had a quality dream featuring him last night 😁 I was having a lively Kakao Talk conversation with him, with lots of LOLs and emojis. But in the dream I was thinking, well it won't actually be him, must be his manager. Then I was watching him on a video set. He came up to me afterwards and I ruffled his hair/patted his head as if to say good job, you"re done now. Then a woman standing behind me pointed at him over my shoulder and said 'I'll have that one' and I was in the process of doing a horrified double-take at this when I woke up 😂

Brilliant Easter egg appearance of Kyungho's actual dog too 😂

If ALL the dreams start appearing on AO3, I'm claiming authorship now!

Pol K-pets are the gift that keeps giving. I've started selecting which Korean celebs I follow on Instagram on the solo basis of percentage of pet action 😂 As a result I'm now being spammed with random cutesy Korean pet accounts, as well as BTS-related stuff, giving people behind me in the tram quite an eyeful 😁

Haha! Your dreams are ace saram! Imagine being friends with J-Hope and having wee Kakao chats 😍.

Thank you, Fed up , really interesting article.
Crash course is perfect for the weekend, and love the dog’s cameo.
I have never seen the appeal of Robert Patterson, but I too was wondering whether it was a bad day for him, or just Jimin shining!
Miggs, wow! what an Instagram post!!

On the one hand, to be fair to Robert Pattinson, he's nearly 10 years older than Jimin. On the other hand, that jacket he's wearing..... urghh 🤮

Meanwhile, 100 episodes of Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life later and I've finally got Kim Jae-young out of my system (sort of 😂) and am ready to join you guys with something more current. I've decided to plump for Crash Course in Romance. I'm enjoying it so far but from the flashbacks it seems like both FL & ML are playing characters a good 5-10 years younger than themselves, which is a little distracting. Either that or the niece is still trying to graduate from high school in her mid-20s! Is it just me?! Have I misunderstood something?

You're not wrong Cobol. If niece was adopted age 6ish and FL was then (at most) in her early 20s, she's playing mid-thirties I think. The actress is 49. But GOOD ON HER say I (at least any surgery she's had is not distracting) 😂 ML is probably supposed to be two or three years younger so playing a mere 8 years or so down from his real age. I liked all the comments in today's episode about her looking too young to be the mother when she looks exactly the same age as all the other mothers.

Ahhhh cobol, you finished BLWL ! Did you enjoy it? I was a bit confused about the ages in CCiR as well - need to catch up on this week's episodes once the kids have gone to bed.

Yes, I did enjoy BLWL TheLoup. Even when it dipped a bit from time to time it soon sucked me in again in true soap fashion and I really enjoyed the last few episodes when all the secrets came tumbling out, it was a strong finish, well worth the wait.

Thanks chingus, it is indeed side effects of coming off meds. Seeking medical help so hopefully things will get better soon.

I am think fermented food might help so will try kimchi. What’s the place in London, recommend here few threads ago.

@MigsandTiggs dont worry about ⛺️ you will rock the look.
I have a huge collection (from my medication years), moon face does makes you look young (I see it as baby fat 😉).

@Saram13 I enjoy your BTS dreams.

@hawthornknitter EAW Ep3 is my favourite, sibling relationship & parental conflict - all portrayed very well.
Every episode is better than previous one.

From Paris fashion week, I quite like Hobi’s trousers/skirt thingi. I think I can carry it. But not sure about my wallet.