MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #44): In which a surprise feast of corking contract marriage dramas 🙌 is undercut by an imminent BTS content famine as Jung Kook, RM, V and Jimin enlist 😭

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. Most of our viewing is drawn from 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 www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4894818-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-42-where-we-marvel-over-the-singularity-of-taecyeons-ears-while-waiting-for-lee-min-ho-to-show-up-in-his-space-scrubs?page=1here.
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
Bloodhounds (Netflix)
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)🌟
The Worst of Evil (Disney+)
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟
Vigilante (Disney+)

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

Makjang
Perfect Marriage Revenge (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 The Eighth Sense [BL] (Viki)
Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)🌟
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki/Netflix)
His Master’s Sun (Netflix) 🌟
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)🌟
King The Land (Netflix)
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Race (Disney+)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)🌟
Run On (Netflix)
Semantic Error [BL] (Viki)
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 Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟
Daily Dose of Sunshine (Netflix)
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Netflix/Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
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)/When the Weather is Nice (Netflix)
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 (Netflix)🌟
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki), season 3 (Disney+)
Search: WWW (Viki, Netflix)🌟
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

Straighter ‘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)🌟
Not Others (Viki)
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)
The Good Bad Mother (Netflix)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki/Netflix)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
A Time Called You (Netflix)
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)🌟
My Lovely Liar (Viki)
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
Twinkling Watermelon (Viki)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
#Alive (Netflix)
Black (Netflix)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Moon in the Day (Viki)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
Sell Your Haunted House (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
Behind Your Touch (Netflix)
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
School Nurse Files (Netflix)

Decent Japanese, Taiwanese, Thai and Chinese dramas
The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff especially is more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent or worth a look here:

Before We Get Married (Viki - Taiwanese)
F4 Thailand (Viki)
Fake it Till You Make it (Viki)
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)
Meet Yourself (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
My Personal Weatherman [BL] (Jdrama, Viki)
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 Makanai (Netflix, 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.

When we 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.

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!

It’s interesting watching Park Sung Hoon play a bastard in The Bequeathed. He usually gets cast as nice guys.

I'm enjoying The Bequeathed it's a nice short one too,only 6 episodes.....

I've only watched one episode of The Bequeathed so far (I keep falling asleep) but I didn't recognise Park Sung Hoon at first, he looked the same....but different. I was just saying to DH that I've only seen him play bastards, apart from in Into the Ring

Waaaah. Ep 5 of The Bequeathed and I am so confused. I rewound the forensic examiner’s explanation about the DNA samples in ep 4 and I was none the wiser. I’ve got a feeling FL has twigged that the game is afoot and is now actively manipulating events but I have no idea why or what’s going on. 😭

Also Park Byung-Eun still has oppa charisma but he’s so pathetic in this role it’s hard to see.

Park Sung Hoon was FL’s buttoned up sunbae in Not Others.

Just started ep 5 boaty - she's not going to buy that crap building is she? I'm started to get annoyed by it, wtf is she thinking? That gangster guy is so shady.

Am liking Park Hee-soon as the smart cop with the traumatic back story. Did we ever find out what happened to his wife?

Agree and yes.

Yes was to your 2nd para.

I fell asleep at the start of ep6 so I’m saving it for tomorrow.

Ahhh just got to the back story reveal, sad times.

I can't work out if FL is completely clueless or manipulating things herself somehow.

Totally agree with LJS
Romance Is a Bonus Book - FL & ML had no chemistry yet I have enjoyed the show. Feel like watching something similar.

This thread still going?? Finished My Demon (with a bit of FF) and feel they really fumbled the ending. Brought back some of the humour though so that was good. Obsessed with Do Do-hee's various ear cuffs and have been googling them all day 😅

Welcome to Samdal-ri wrapped up in suitably cosy fashion. Wookie remained the most delightful cuddlesome poppet throughout. Just wanted more babies.
Started Captivating the King because I am a sucker for JJS, who is already hamming it in his usual fashion and I am already putty for. DON'T JUDGE.
Also 3 episodes in to Flowers in the Sand and really loving the small town crew vibe.

I was also popping on to say Samdal-ri wrapped up well. I will forgive it a few shortcomings (Arab prince reveal?? Really???) because JCW was absolutely PERFECTION (also green flag Dolphin man 👍)

Oooh LJS was was first krama love!! I loved him in I Can Hear Your Voice and Dr Stranger but have gone off him a bit due to later dramas

The Arab Prince had my eyes rolling so hard that could have won a game of marbles. I loved the reconciliation of oldest sister (and Mr Chaebol stripped down well...)
A point to chew on for scoring as spreadsheet scorers grow is that I think the system will increasingly favour the violent thriller/action KDs as those who watch them get the sweet endorphin kick from a good one that will always see them scoring high, whereas those who know they don't like that genre simply avoid. As opposed to a romcom which has to be "better" because most will give it a go and value/be annoyed by different things.
Maybe highest scorer for different categories next year?

Am with you all on LJS, never know why he makes the big $$$s and tops out the actor listings. Need to finish My Demon, got pushed a clip of Doom again last night and while Demon seems to use some similar themes, I don't think you can beat the longing looks of Seo In-guk! I still go back to the poor styling for Song Kong. They have got ‎Kim Yoo-jung styling spot on but SK just looks too 'small/young' in a lot of his clothes. Maybe as said upthread, he is a 'lighweight' god, so lacks the gravitas LDW, GY and even Jang Ki-yong in Gumiho. Also if you need more for the spreadsheet happy to help. Can't see that we had Café Minamdang on the list but then see it it 2022, so I was late to the game. Am sure looking forward to Dr Slump.

Hard to say Pol. It may have just been a good year for thrillers. I mostly watch supernatural/horror and 2023 wasn't as strong as 2022 for that genre. Sweet Home 2 was good but was only half a story with the rest coming in 2024. And Alice in Borderland 2 was brilliant but not a kdrama. As for the romances, there weren't really any on a par with the likes of CLOY or HTCCC last year I don't think, unless I completely missed them. Certainly I didn't feel like the top 5 was missing anything significant, which I absolutely would have done if Alchemy of Souls hadn't made the cut last time. I think Bloodhounds was a very worthy no 1 as it managed to appeal to a wide range of people who might not normally watch that sort of show while both The Glory and The Good Bad Mother have been tipped elsewhere in the media. So it's not a bad list, even if I haven't watched most of them!

Oh and I agree with Dragonrock that Dr Slump looks promising. Maybe 2024 will be a better year for romcom.

Yesssss @Dragonrock you and me are 🤝 when it comes to Seo In Guk. Comparing Song Kang to Doom is maybe a bit fairer given we are talking younger actors, and not the insane star power that is both Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook, and he comes up very short.

I agree with @polkettle on genre splitting out as well! I remember everyone was totally raving about Love to Hate You for example! A well acted, witty romcom with great chemistry is a feat of brilliance.

Yes and no Cobol (Actually I got stuck in Bloodhounds and never finished it - not even because it was too violent, just obviously didn't grab my heart for some reason - although attempting to watch with dh partly to blame). And it's maybe not a big deal anyway. But something to consider if it consistently skews.
In Korea My Dearest would be right up there and weirdly none of us really watched it!

Pol - I noticed the same thing re the skew towards action and was chewing it over last night. Where we’ll struggle with genre-based scoring is actually defining things neatly. We could expand to top 10 to balance the list. We’ve got a year to think about and see how we could have reformatted the last 4 years’ scores.

Maybe we need to up the number of scorers needed to qualify? If you only counted those with 6+ voters I think Love to Hate You as mentioned by AmVa above would have made the list.

I also think western streaming platforms like Disney+, Prime and Netflix jumping on the bandwagon could be a factor. They are coming out with showy, big name short series that more of us finish (and score) that are also more even tonally and accessible for western viewers, for better or worse. I think that settles more of the live/hate scoring extremes.