MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #48: Time for all the seasonal goodies, advent surprises and the weighing of the year’s dramas for the vote-off. Lazy holding title because I dropped the ball 😄

[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 here.
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
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
LTNS (no major platform yet)
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)
Killer Paradox (Netflix)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, no major site yet)
Little Women (Netflix)
Maestra (Disney+)
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)🌟
Missing Crown Prince (Viki)
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
My Dearest (Viki)
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)
Destined with You (Netflix)
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 for Love’s Sake(QiYi)
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovely Runner (Viki)
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)🌟
Wedding Impossible (Viki)
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)🌟
Marry My Husband (
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)
Tell Me That You Love Me (Disney+)
The Atypical Family (Netflix)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
First Responders (Disney+)
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
Chicken Nugget (Netflix)
Behind Your Touch (Netflix)
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)
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)
Let’s Talk About Chu (Netflix, Taiwan)⭐️
Lost Romance [BL] (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)
Orange Days (Japan, Netflix)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki, Japanese)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
The Untamed (Nertlix, 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 2023 Dramas
#1 Bloodhounds 8.9
#2 = The Good Bad Mother 8.8
#2 = Deaths Game 8.8
#2 = Moving 8.8
#2 = The Glory 8.8
(#2 rankings by number of votes)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
#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!

Thanks @bettys ! I'm actually quite proficient with excel but was scared to add rows in case I fucked up the whole thing!!

I started Love Scout on Viki which only has two episodes so far so I'll add that to 2025 tab!

South Korea www.mumsnet.com/Talk/holidays/5245555-south-korea

Someone is asking for advice on a trip to Korea on the holiday board if any of you lucky people who have been want to pop over and share tips! Hope the link works ...

Or we could just tempt them over here…

DH said this evening he thought the mouse CPR scene wasn’t being played straight in yesterday’s When Stars Gossip and was sure we just hadn’t picked up on the subtle Korean sarcasm. I disagreed. I think they’re leaning into the sanctity of life angle hard. It was very funny, but I’m not convinced it was intentional. I’d be interested on other views on this.

Boaty. Hmm……interesting.
I wasn’t sure what to make of that scene. I thought maybe Commander Eve is incredibly emotionally invested in the research into reproduction in space - viz. her reaction to the fruit flies mating - and also she’d become very fond of the mice like they were pets.

Back online now I am on my holidays and had loads to catch-up on. I am with you all about WTPR, what on earth was all that about in the middle + and peanut, you are right, they needed to have dropped all that Argan tosh and she needed to have given him a thundering good talking to. Then he might have told her when he was off looking all glam negotiating and left her to find out on live TV😵. Enjoyed the last two advent oppas immensely. I am still wading through Dr John and wondering what kind of poor vetting they have that allows the mother (???) of the murdered abducted children to be nursing the perpetrator? I have downloaded When the Stars Gossip, but think I might need to be a bit more awake to watch it.

Hi all! Having a scroll through 2024 ranking / dramas to see if I have missed scoring anything. Weird numbers things are happening again with scores vs no of ratings - things like shop for killers coming in as a top 2, when hardly anyone watched it... Understand this is how maths works, but it's not necessarily indicative of the years top dramas.
As always, many many of us watch all the more romantic dramas, and between different tastes all scores drop a bit but overall they are enjoyed more by all? I don't have a fix, just commenting / discussing 😊

In other news - just back from a week in Japan, had an amazing time, husband already talking about our next visit 😅 was happy to go there with a 4 year old where I naturally had to make trip concessions for him, think I would like to go to Seoul sans-kid so I can happily line up for restaurants / spend ages in cafes etc

The Queen Who Crowns (Viki) has made a very strong start for me. The costumes are vibrant, the palace sets amazing, the countryside photographed beautifully at different angles, plus ML is one of my faves, the sad-eyebrowed Lee Hyun Wook, previously seen in Remarriage and Desires.

It's refreshing to see a FL actress, Cha Joo Yong, who isn't one of the usual bunch and I'm looking forward to next week's eps. As the story develops, I'm hoping for a top notch script and not a reworking of tired sageuk tropes. The directions/rules for a royal consummation are hilarious!

Will add to spreadsheet.

www.instagram.com/reel/DEgORBIMm06/?igsh=Z2g1dHJsdGtoYjNz

Another Ju Ji-hoon drama? The man must have debts to pay 🤣

Just when you thought after Advent Oppas and Alternate Oppas there were no more to be had.....come explore the wonderful world of Manhwa and 2D Oppas in Draw January 🎨

We start off with the greenest of green flags, it's Kang Doo Joon from Positively Yours, the original Sha La La!

Manhwa: Positively Yours
Platform: Tapas
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life 💝💚
Status: Completed with special episodes

Shalala! 🤩

Shalalala! Indeed!

Shalala! So sparkly 🌟🤩

@AmVa Weird numbers things are happening again with scores vs no of ratings - things like shop for killers coming in as a top 2, when hardly anyone watched it... Understand this is how maths works, but it's not necessarily indicative of the years top dramas.
As always, many many of us watch all the more romantic dramas, and between different tastes all scores drop a bit but overall they are enjoyed more by all? I don't have a fix, just commenting / discussing 😊

Yes, it's a conundrum, isn't it? It's true that romcoms/slice of life gets the most of us watching , but then the dramas with most viewers eg Marry My Husband and My Sweet Mobster which were each scored by 10 of us only rated 7.05 and 8.1 respectively. I guess the more scorers the more varied opinions. When doing the results, I think we only consider scores that have been rated by 3 or more people. Dramas such as A Shop For Killers is on Disney which not everyone has and maybe lacked the buzz. Over the years of doing the spreadsheet it's become obvious that with the spread of platforms that the large amount of votes for any one drama has diminished. Lot more condensed when there was just Netflix & Viki.

Maybe we should have a category for Most Watched Drama? And award it to the one with the highest score?

✨SHALALA✨

Thank you @bettys for picking up the baton so spectacularly

Yeah - more scores is definitely going to mean more varied opinions and diluting of the score. And I'm personally invested in Lovely Runner (😅) which was by far and away my show of the year, and in kdrama land felt like the smash hit of the year as well in terms of buzz / stars etc. But I know there were some people on here were a bit lukewarm on it so the score will reflect that.

I feel like 7.05 for Marry My Husband is fair and reasonable given the Trainwreck that was the second half 🤣🤣🤣 halfway through I was thinking 'could this be the first show that gets a 10 from me on the spreadsheet?' and shortly after that it was clear the answer was a resounding no.

😂

Looks good, though!

I haven't had a manhwa on the go since my epic True Beauty binge so Draw January will be the perfect opportunity to find a new one. It's a great idea bettys.

As for the little watched high scorers, it does seem to be a growing problem. You could have multiple categories, so top Netflix/Viki shows and then 'best of the rest' perhaps. Or maybe just a higher threshold, so minimum 5 scores instead of 3. But I'm not too unhappy leaving it as it is, though. It usually works out.

Am I the only one who's a bit 🤔 about Shogun being on the list, though? Although I'm sure it's a great watch, it's not even a jdrama, let alone a kdrama. Feels like its missing the point of having a dedicated kdrama thread, somehow....

Oh, I though we were mainly kdrama, but now branching out into J/C/T dramas too?

Perhaps the way round the scores could be via categories. I rarely rate rom-coms highly as I prefer action/ thrillers/fantasy/makjang dramas.

I'm happy as a pig in s* with another Ju Ji Hoon drama soon.

ShaLaLa - ing for January's 2D oppas @bettys 👏

Isn't Shogun an American production, though? I know there are Japanese actors and dialogue but it's a Western-made show rather than an Asian-made one. I may be the only one to make that distinction, though, which is why I was asking if I'm the only one who feels it doesn't really belong.

@Cobol I agree about Shogun.. yes it is set in Japan but it is American made / produced and feels like an American show rather than an Asian drama. Stars mostly Japanese actors but feels different..

@Cobol Am I the only one who's a bit 🤔 about Shogun being on the list, though? Although I'm sure it's a great watch, it's not even a jdrama, let alone a kdrama. Feels like its missing the point of having a dedicated kdrama thread, somehow....

I know what you mean, I think because it feels that predominantly using english as the spoken word makes it different, even though there are subtitles. And the source material is a book written in english. We included Giri/Haji when that came out, which was similarly a UK/US/Japan co-production.

We just won't let it win, maybe 😂

Now, now bettys, no rigging! 😁.