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!

If JK ages into Hitman Bang I'm going to be sorely disappointed 🤣

Going to get stuck into Kokdu today as well as maybe a wee trip to picturesque rural China.

I've just completed all 40 episodes among the intangible cultural heritage of rural China and it may be my new fave CDrama. You know how I love a low stress good communicating couple who actually seem to like each other and throw in foals, kids and teacosy hat wearing wise grannies and I'm in heaven. I mean obviously nothing much happens. Lovely.

Just settling in at the cinema with the kids for YTC viewing #2 - much busier than weds pm and excitable crowd...

There's some cracking t-shirts in Crash Course. Want the pancakes one today and the pink dinosaur one and the kittens one. Let me know if anyone knows the brand.

Pol - was this the Lixian drama? If so, can you remind me of the title.

Meet Yourself Boaty

Very fun second viewing of YTC, hyper crowd with lightsticks, bt21 mascots and even a bit of screaming. Jin in leather remains a highlight and JK would still get it 🤣

Started it tonight, second time watching 💜

Just seen my BIL who has reported that his kdrama loving 83 year old MIL has now fallen down the BTS rabbit hole!
She's off to see YTC with my SIL tonight, and went to London last weekend to see the Hallyu exhibition, and got her That That dancing recorded on the big screen!!
BIL says she just won't stop talking about BTS 🤣🤣🤣

I'm really tempted to visit Seoul for 10 days in April. DH has offered his services to help with my DB's house renovation in Portugal that month (convenient to golf courses🤨)
We've had the convo and he is insisting I book it. The only thing stopping me is I wanted company so I had extra set of hands to carry my shopping.
I'm going to sleep on it...

Love that 👆!!

I love this! That MIL is all of us 😂💜 she is braver than me: I was too chicken to get my dancing recorded at Hallyu!

I had to look up Hitman Bang's wiki page ....Fedup you've hit the nose on the head, so to speak! 😂You are all so knowledgeable on this thread. 🙌

Loup,
"Also probably unauthorized product placement for beer and the chicken shop"

I've replaced Unholy's body shop with chicken shop, in the JK loop that's still going round my head. Works fine!

Hahahaha! Me as well now migs. 🍗🍺 "Daddy's getting hot, in the chicken shop" 🤣

Loup, marry me!!

🤣

Morning! Here's a little tune to greet your Sunday morning and make you blub!.
. I have! 😫🧑‍🚀😭😭😭😭

May I Help you... Ep 15 has really taken a really sinister 😱😱😱😱 turn!
It's perfect and filling the kdrama void whilst waiting for new Crash Course eps!

Bea unexpected Bangtan always welcome 😃

I saw YTC for the third time in four days yesterday 😁 it was the best yet. TheLoup our screening was also full of teens, all very hyped and SCREAMING (and singing and dancing) almost all the way through. Lots of 'Yoongi sarangae!!!!!'s and guttural screaming for Namjoon 😳 Quite a few FNs in the making 😂 I would happily go and watch it again every day.

Best of all, my Bangtan sceptical friend had the time of her life. Her first words at the end (spoken with shining eyes, glowing with happiness): 'I see what you mean! That was brilliant!' BACK OF THE NET

Just got the schedule for the next level Korean course. Shit just got heavy 😳 But I'm really excited about it! Drama viewing time will be severely compromised though 😬

Saram I’m so impressed by your Korean progress. Can you give me an example of the sort of sentences you’re doing now?
This is me in Korea:

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

Saturday YTC sounds bouncier than Wednesday YTC here, which was was a fairly muted affair. Still, no distractions for trouserwatch.

I have just ploughed through Before Death Do Us Part on Bato (50 eps are up so far). Gluten-free contract/forced business marriage between son and daughter of two rival gangster-run construction conglomerates to head off an all out turf war. The artwork is good. It’s staying the right side of the line on consent and the relationship is balanced. The leads are good, esp FL, although the bodyguard storyline is improbable. There’s some light corporate espionage and plenty of dirty dealings. It’s a thriller where you’re not quite sure whether people are what they seem. There could be some double-crossing and shocking reveals in the offing. It’s good. Annoying that it’s not yet complete. 😠

Oh Bea I shed a little tear there - Chris Martin can't quite deliver that vocal like Jin though. May I Help You is next on my watch-list, I have a coding exam on Tuesday so I'm going to start it after that as my reward!

Saram loudest screams in the cinema yesterday were for Jin, especially at his air-kiss moment (apart from one impressively loud "AAAAAHHH JK SARANGAE" from a girl behind us with an army bomb). I also could watch it again - hoping it will come to Disney + at some point.

Andante My spoken Korean is pretty crap, believe me, as I can never practice it. Am doing my best to resolve that as have engaged one of the freelance teachers who's stood in for the odd lesson to give me 45 mins Korean conversation class a week (literally using Korean ONLY). Fingers crossed that will improve things!

An example of the sentences we're doing now 🤔 Well the email with instructions for the class is in Korean only (the attachments with the teacher's bio etc. is also mostly in Korean, with a bit of English). So we're expected to be able to read farily simple sentences with practical information. For example '이번 주 금요일까지 이메일로 보내 주세요'. 'Please email this to me by Friday this week.' That contains grammar points and vocab we covered in course 2, so all fine. Include vocab or grammar I've not already done :😬

What I can write by myself: something like '한굴 학교를 재미있지만 많이 공부해야 돼요.' 'I enjoy Korean school but I have to study alot.' Disclaimer: there are probably mistakes in there 😁