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!

Even I am going to see Yet to Come - although not until Friday. Keeping a friend/neighbour company who is a True Fan and has no-one she can share this with. I am as good as she can get. I am also enabling encouraging her purchase of a life size JK.
Got an embarrassingly long way into Meet Yourself yesterday. It's sort of an ASMR drama.
Slightly (only slightly) distracted by ML's faintest hint of a mullet. The back of his hair is just ever so fractionally longer than the sides. It's kind of Embryonic Mullet.

I'm going to see YTC tonight! With my lovely colleague that brought be back lots of lovely stuff from her Korean holiday. We have been bonding over k-stuff lately 💜
She is planning on going to Korea again next year and is trying to get me to go

Do it! Do it!!

Cobol HRVY? Ha, the circle is round. Unless I am mistaken, it was his dance on Strictly where I first heard Dynamite 😁prompting me to look up who did it and disappearing down the entire BTS/Korean rabbithole. Lord knows why though as, looking back, they murdered it.

TheGirl surely you don't need persuading to go to Korea! 😉

Pol I will now endeavour to use the term Embryonic Mullet at least once a week. This thread has expanded my vocabulary for the good!😄 Although Korean Dennis Waterman and Beautiful Ryu Wotsit are probably a bit too niche for everyday use 🤔

The life-size JK sounds interesting. Where might one acquire such a thing? I have looked online but can only find rather dated ones, where they all have 90s boyband hair. Asking for a friend of course 😁

YTC - I'm going with a Bangtan curious friend. I think this is going to seal the deal. And then again on Friday with my hardcore Bangtan friends and our Korean teacher 🤘I am so excited about it. If I were ever to go to a real-life concert, I think I'd be practically levitating 😂To everyone who'll be there this week: Let's gooooooooo! 💜

Me and FedUp are going tonight and then I'm going again with the kids on Saturday. 💜🎉 If they tour in 2025 we should all go together: Daebak Cybercafe ARMY!

Life sized JK: Omo. Perhaps worth waiting to see if he gets the rumoured Calvin Klein sponsorship deal and seeing if a cut-out can be stolen obtained from a department store 🤣

We should trademark Embryonic Mullet™️ that's a good one pol!

This is where Mr Binn came from - www.celebrity-cutouts.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvcqPXrr4eFBAFpkkF0vOFy_BQfqkTMb-7i7FCAYvuBXcIqCeOquzJWBoCRVUQAvD_BwE&v=79cba1185463
Whatever the hair I advise any purchaser to choose one that looks you in the eye as it's bad having a standee who's always looking over your shoulder for someone better to talk to.

I am lucky that I have some family joining me on Saturday. Really looking forward to it. As well as, obviously, hoping for a world tour at some point; we would like to see Mamamoo and Kai.
The Girl, surely this is too good an opportunity to miss?!
Loving the Fifthly Noona chat. It would be Gong Yo, for me.

Oooh Pol they have some lovely Half Body Buddies

😁

While we've been getting excited about cardboard cut-outs and YTC, my old dream chingu (and obvious shoe-in for FN coffee shop/soju bar rendezvous) has posted some more arty photos 👀his ears must have been burning 😂

I need no persuading at all to go to Korea but unfortunately my budget does! DH said he's sure we could work it out if I really wanted to but I'd also feel super guilty as I havnt visited my sister in Australia for 6 years.

Can’t she meet you half way in Seoul/Jeju?

Thegirl** I would have to make a stop in Oz if I'm going to SK too! Perth, which is on the wrong side ☹️

Funnily enough my Australian but currently UK resident niece has just booked tickets to Seoul to holiday their with Sydney friends.

*there

Wildflower me and Gong Yoo are the same age - I remember getting momentarily excited by the fact he was single until DH pointed out I was, in fact, married with 3 kids.

Ooh my sister is in Fremantle - we could go together!
I will suggest the Korea midway meet up point to my sister 🤔

Thegirl** we certainly could!

Anyone listening to BTS on their way to watch BTS?

Just got proposed itinerary for Korea trip and it's all very exciting but weirdly what made me MOST excited was the prospect of bus journey to Sokcho which includes stop at a rest area😂 SO many dramas...

Pol I understand!
theloup, your husband’s logic!!

Pol, when are you going?
We are going in May - we’re going to Seoul for a few days, Gangneung, back to the magical Hahoe village near Andong and then Jeju island.
We are so excited and my mouth is watering at the prospect of the food.

I’m definitely going to check out some drama locations in Seoul such as the traditional cafe where Do Min Jun used to meet Lawyer Jang.

October, fingers crossed Andante

OK, I now have all of the BTS boys locked down & secure. I was able to name them for my friend. 🙌 Junkook was a bit of a shock as he looked so much less boyish, though I’m not sure I could go as far as manly. I enjoyed Yet to Come but not as much as Permission to Dance.

Well, what did everyone think?

I thought it was great fun, and the boys all looked great 😊

Well, the friend I went to see YTC with left the cinema asking where she could find more concerts 🤔😁 She also said she was totally exhausted when she arrived but felt 'relaxed and energised' by the end 🤔😁. I wasn't slipping her Kopiko, either 😂

I think this particular deal is sealed 🥳 And I probably now have someone I can watch the Sowoozoo and Love Yourself Speak Yourself box sets with 🤩 🙌

Was anyone else in the 4DX seats or whatever they're called? The ones that move all the time? 😳

Good job Boaty. Weren't they great?