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!

Not necessarily a LMH fan but I agree that he's well cast in that and his apparent forthcoming role as Space Gynaecologist has the potential to be a 2023 KHighlight.

I received the book as a Xmas gift. Looking forward to starting it this weekend.

The book is wonderful

I’m eating lunch with DS2 , who has cooked the super spicy Buldak kimchi and cheese ramen I put in his Christmas stocking. He says the cheese flavour ones are less deadly than the super spicy without cheese ones he ate earlier this week. He is whimpering a little and has gone to get another glass of milk. 😂

The book (Pachinko) is really good but I'm not sure I'd use the word "wonderful" as some of the story is really quite sad. It's the the most recent 'can't put down-able' thing I've read, though, I'd definitely recommend it. And, yes, when I heard LMH had been cast as Hansu I thought it might be a role that would really suit him, but I wasn't able to confirm it as we haven't got Appletv 😞
Not that I need anything else to watch atm. We've just started watching Alice in Borderland 2, which I've been really looking forward to, and it's not disappointing so far.

Cobol, I watched Pachinko on Olga's and I going to buy the book. Pol, hope they do follow up on filming more eps.

I have a vested interested in the immigrant experience and my heart bled over the plight of the Koreans in the drama. More and more, as I get older, I'm grateful that I live in the West (even though DC have chosen to live in what I would call dodgy countries abroad!)

Wait, what?! I'm intrigued.

Hahaha even though I'm mega busy in work, I watched that all the way through for Namjoon's knees 😂

Yoongi's photos are awesome - he's come a long way for sure. I'm really interested to hear the new solo stuff.

mydramalist.com/article/gong-hyo-jin-and-lee-min-ho-s-upcoming-k-drama-ask-the-stars-unveils-first-still-cuts#:~:text=%22Ask%20The%20Stars%22%20is%20a,Jin%20will%20lead%20the%20series.
TheLoup

I have read Pachinko too. It is a book that stays with you for a while. After that I read all of the author’s other books and have liked them all. I am wondering whether to watch the series.
Sorry to be late, but thank you for doing the spreadsheet Boaty, very interesting and makes me wonder if we gave up too soon on Gaus.
Agreed that Yoongi looks very beautiful.

Wildflower, if it helps, I dropped Gaus after ep1 but went back after the good reviews here. It took me to ep3 before I started to enjoy it.

Argh. The Glory. I’m trying to watch the first episode but the bullying is so, so grim. How much longer does it go on for? Is the pay-off worth it? I’m not sure how much more of it I can bear. 🙁

I couldn't.

Migs thank you. I needed a new drama, will try again.

I have read and very much enjoyed both Pachinko and the Benedict Cumberbatch 😁 book. The latter is just revelatory and joyful, I've recommended it to so many people. Particularly those trying to understand my love of BTS 😂 I guess Pachinko is like A Little Life (only not as extreme) - I found it so beautifully written, and the bad stuff made such total sense in the context of the story, that l could take it. Haven't seen the series as we don't have Apple tv 😱 and I'm a bit weird about Olga-ing 😁

Seeing how I managed to stomach Somebody I think I'll be ok with grimness in The Glory. But good to have a warning 👍🏻Have added The Fabulous to the list 👍🏻👍🏻

The Glory, much like Somebody, will not be for everyone.

The vengeful FL has bided her time, strengthening her hand for the complete annihilation of her school bullies, mirroring the GO references. The individual bullies are starting to be fleshed out in S1 but it's still a hard watch. I'm expecting the infliction of just deserts plus a redemption arc for the M and FL as the pay off, boaty.

Kim Eun Sook the writer, said in interview that her inspiration came when her daughter asked, “Would you be more hurt if I beat someone to death, or was beaten to death?”

According to a 2022 survey, bullying in SK has increased by 25.4% in one year, so the subject matter is very topical.

So-e from SI 2, plays the part of the previous victim (seen in flashbacks).

Shit!
"However, the scene in question is a school violence incident that actually occurred in 2006. K, who was attending a female middle school in Cheongju at the time, habitually abused her friend, J, with a curling iron, scratched her breasts with hairpins, and extorted J’s money for reasons such as not keeping her promise. In response, the Cheongju District Court issued an arrest warrant for the assailant, K."

I have been outvoted! We are starting Mr Sunshine.

Mr Sunshine is a good choice. There is so much to enjoy in it.

Thanks pol - haha daebak! I am totally up for some LMH space gynaecologist action.

I have read Pachinko and, whilst it was very good, I don't know if I can really say I enjoyed it - I found it pretty depressing. My mum, auntie and best friend all loved it, and now think I'm a total philistine. I can't bring myself to watch the TV adaptation.

I 'loved' Pachinko the book in that I was totally absorbed in it, read it in pretty much a day while I was on holiday, couldn't put it down. But it was obviously such a sad book which means it's not for all moods / reading occasions. Also really enjoyed Free Food for Millionaires.

I've only watched the first episode of the show during an Apple TV trial... We will probably start paying for it when there's another season of Ted Lasso 😅 so will have to wait until then.

Mr Sunshine was my first k-drama. Ahhh nostalgia...

@TheLoupGarou not liking the mood of a book definitely doesn't make you a philistine! I seem to find things other people find depressing almost uplifting 🤔 Not in a conscious way (e.g. fictional characters' misery means I feel better by comparison). I can't really explain why. Catharsis perhaps?

On this theme, was going to have an early night but started The Glory instead and am loving it so far! Lee Do-hyun is helping, I've enjoyed everything I've seen him in so far.

I’m well into Gaus Electronics now. It’s so much fun. 🙂

HAPPY SIGNIFICANT BIRTHDAY to uri J-lovin', Alternative Oppa-supplyin', Great Wee show ratin' TOP chingu FEDUP 🥳🥳🥳🥳
May the rivers of soju flow all the way to NI and the oppas assemble to piggy back you from pub to pub all day.