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!

@TheLoupGarou I hope today went well.
Fedup, sounds fanastic!
@AmVa sounds like a good day
Really enjoying CCIR , though it makes me wish they did another series of Hospital Playlist..

Still down in the manhwa weeds. Can someone chuck snacks into the thicket to keep me going please. 🙏 I look forward to the day when I start reading like a proper grown up again. I dipped my toe in some AO3 Alchemy of Souls fanfic last night after TheGirl’s confession. There were more words, but a lot of them were rude. I need to start reading mainstream novels again…

Ha boaty you need to but do you want to?? Didn't the Rolling Stones write a song about that?? 😅

Thanks chingus! Coding exam was hard, but I hope I did enough to pass 🤞 I literally cannot go down the manhwa rabbit hole - I already don't have enough hours in the day. I am standing firm, baguettes or no!

Having a random watch of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon as a study reward at the min. Off work tomorrow thank the gods!

The only proper book you need to read is This Book is Not About Benedict Cumberbatch Boaty and then go back to AO3 and the manhwa guilt-free.

Bravo TheLoup 🙌👏

I’m half way through it following your last recommendation.

(And it speaks to me. 😂)

Excellent! 😂

Talking of guilty pleasures, finally began undressing unwrapping Physical 100 yesterday Migs.

Well done The Loup!!

Congratulations TheLoup. There is no feeling that that of finishing an exam (provided it went ok).
My last exam was a music theory one in lockdown and coincidentally that evening we watched our very first K drama, namely Crash Landing on You.
Life changed for the better that day.

Andante57, my first watch was CLOY, in lockdown too! Rarely watch anything but Kdrama now.

Same. Watching it was my husband’s idea and it was worth marrying him just for that! (Not that he isn’t wonderful in every other way).

I think the first k-drama series I watched was Kingdom back in 2019. I've always watched a lot of asian cinema/anime though, from being a teenager - the days of Akira, Urotsukidoji, Ninja Scroll, Dragonball, Naruto etc. My gateway was a half Japanese manga-loving boyfriend - I dumped him for being too into skateboarding, which now seems like madness 😂

Eek what has our Song Kang done to his lovely face?!

www.instagram.com/p/CoZKDO2rxyY/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

FedUp Jesus he looks awful. I hope it's 'just' 😵 weight loss. Out of interest I took a look at the comments to see if anyone else was horrified. There were a few voices of concern, but the vast majority was of the '❤❤❤❤❤❤' 'LOOKING HOT BABY' variety 🙄 Is Song Kang known to have a particularly high proportion of sight-impaired fans? 🤔

Following on from this 😬 I think Navillera was my first K-drama. It had just come out when I first discovered this board. CLOY was quick to follow 🙌

Looks like Yoo Ah-in is embroiled in a propofol misuse scandal.
Meanwhile my blooming internet is down 15 minutes before drop of ep 15 TIoL. It's a cruel world and I'm shaking my fist at the sky.

Not a shock. He looks like a wrong'un.

I really rate him as an actor. I'll be sad if this is a career killer. I hope he gets the help he needs.

Song Kang - oh dear. I can’t figure what he has had done, but it’s not good. I thought he was good in Navillera, but not other things. Is it the South Korean beauty standards, that make young, good looking people do this?
I have my daughter to thank, for introducing us to Kdrama.

I refer you all to my previous comments about his Insta feed, which gave me the ick.

First two episodes of Our Blooming Youth very enjoyable - first episode took a while to get going, but it has all the right elements for a (fairly) light hearted sageuk 👍

Pol I really liked Yoo Ah-in in Burning. Genuinely great actor.

It's difficult, the whole thing about the morals of actors etc. I guess Instagram and social media in general lay people open in a way they generally weren't before, for good or ill. It's perhaps a rather obvious example, but I grew up loving Polanski's films. But the more I found out about him as a person, the harder I've found it to go back to them now 😕

Wildflower why they do it.... yes, Korean beauty standards I guess 🤷‍♀️ and I think social media, much as I enjoy it in many ways, has alot to answer for. I mean if x hundred thousand people 'like' a picture of a guy in his 20s who looked (relatively) normal a few months ago and now looks like a latter-day Michael Jackson 😬 and only a few people say in the comments, hmmm, we're a bit concerned about this.... it's kind of self-perpetuating. I mean people were saying stuff like 'he just gets more handsome'. NO HE DOESN'T!

In the wake of Song Kang's new face reveal, I've been comparing photos of Yoongi at last year's baseball thing in Japan and this year's in LA. (Apologies if I'm getting my timings/places muddled up). OK, photos can be misleading, but I'm pretty sure he's had some invasive stuff done between then and now. He doesn't seem to be able to move his face properly any more 😬 I hope I'm wrong. Why would you mess with that face?! Hope it was just the Valentino nerves making him so expressionless 🤔 [clutches at straws]