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!

DH and I are working our way (very slowly) through Little Women. We thought it was going to be a family drama but he is loving all the embezzlement etc. I'm making even less progress with Melo Movie. It's OK, too slow for my liking really. I finished Study Group which was a bit bonkers but I really liked it and I need to catch up with My Dearest Nemesis.

DD2 managed to get us tickets to BlackPink in August so yay. I like them and wasn't that fussed about seeing but both DDs wanted to go

LOVED LOVED LOVED Hidden Love so very much looking forward to First Frost. Shame they didn't keep at the the brothet the same actor

Loving First Frost Peanut (actually more than HL because I like slightly older protagonists) I don't think you'll be disappointed by the casting. Best to think of it as its own thing or different - rather shall we say more ordinary faced- actors for HL protagonists will perhaps annoy you. Its a whole heap of stylishly shot smoulder.

Wot @polkettle said
Loving First Frost so much

Here are the results of the 2024 drama spreadsheet:

It's worth noting that the more viewers often means the score is brought down….meaning that the ones with both high scores and viewers are more reliable quality. But again the variety of platforms means that the dramas get less viewers overall.

Top scorers with 5 or more viewers
A Shop For Killers Score: 9 Votes: 7
Lovely Runner Score: 8.8 Votes: 10
Let's Talk About CHU Score: 8.8 Votes: 8
Family By Choice Score: 8.6 Votes: 9
Squid Game 2: Score: 8.5 Votes: 5
Mr Plankton: Score: 8.3 Votes: 10

Top scorers with 3 or more viewers
High School Return of a Gangster Score: 8.6 Votes: 3
Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Score: 8.5 Votes: 4

High scorers - few viewers
LTNS Score: 9 Votes: 1
Chief Detective 1958 Score: 8.5 Votes: 2
Culinary Class Wars Score: 8.5 Votes: 1

Surprisingly lower scorers - high viewers
My Sweet Mobster Score: 8.25 Votes: 12
Marry My Husband Score: 7.3 Votes: 12
Queen of Tears Score: 7.45 Votes: 11

Shogun not included as is US produced & filmed but here for interest
Shogun: Score: 8.7 Votes: 9

Excellent work @bettys !

Nice work bettys 👍

The first list - Top scorers with 5 or more viewers - is pretty much what I was watching and enjoying over the last year, except for A Shop for Killers which I only watched when it looked like it was going to top the poll and I can't fault the scoring as I also thought it was really good 🙂

Excellent stats @bettys you are amazing

Well done Bettys, a lot of work there! I am two episodes into Potato Lab and have had some real LOL moments already. Loving all the 'tropes' esp the shining light in the office scene. Keep getting pushed clips of Undercover High School, so reckon that needs to be on my list as well. Been working my way through Are You The One a historical c-drama, with Zhang Wan Yi (who has a lovely deep and mellow voice) and Wang Chu Ran who plays smart feisty heroine very well (but as with many of these c drama actresses not sure how she is meant to be a fighter when she could seemingly be blown over by a strong breeze).

Fantastic work Bettys! 💪 I’ll top & tail the new thread adding in the 2024 top scorers and create it before this one fills.

You know, it was lovely opening the spreadsheet & seeing so many more scorers on there. It’s great to have so many of us crowdsourcing the best stuff & sharing tips. 🫶

Here goes: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5287309-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-50-still-reeling-from-the-insanity-of-when-the-stars-gossip-we-dust-off-our-party-frocks-to-present-daebak-cafes-2024-best-scoring-shows

I ballsed up the thread number again so will ask HQ to correct it. Basically it was correct but self doubt crept in, so I edited it. 🤦‍♀️

You know the drill. Fill this one so no one gets left behind. FedUp will wrap things up with a party vibe when the 1000 post mark is in sight.

Hopefully I can get to it this weekend with DD2. It's Ramadan so lots going on and a lot less time to watch. DH and I are only managing half an episode of Little Women a night
He has football this evening so I will try and get in an episode of My Dearest Nemesis when I get back from the mosque

I'm burning through First Frost! 😳

It's my first modern Chinese drama, as opposed to the floaty robes with flying spells type stuff. It's reminding me a lot of Kdramas circa 2019, with emotionally constipated leads, a slightly tragic backstory, reunited first loves and plenty of knitwear. I'm hooked! 🤩

Great scoring analysis thanks!!

I was not expecting the potato lab to be so funny but it is brilliant so far and exactly what I have been feeling like.

I can't help but feel like the guest house finances would not be so strained if all three residents weren't wearing £600 Bottega Veneta slides around the house 🤨🤨 I know kdrama fashion usually requires some suspension of disbelief but come on 💸💸

£600 for slides?!?!? 🤯

Oh sorry sorry, US$600. ~£400 then 🤣🤣

oh AmVa, well spotted. I spend inordinate amounts of time spotting the Thom Browne knitwear in C and K dramas and wondering how the impoverished ML can afford it! peanutcookie, hope you get some downtime in between all the activities.

I'm musing on the oufits in FF this morning. As well as the tasteful knitwear and (ahem) vest, there have been some rather dodgy leather jackets and weird shoulder pads. However this prize goes to the actor intern, especially episode 17, where he's wearing a shirt that appears to have been crayoned on by a bored toddler. Is it because he's supposed to be creative type or has he upset the costume department, do you think?

I'm watching the J-drama I've had earmarked for a while Asura. It's really good so far, family drama with some funny moments. Superb acting.

Dipped into First Frost but my brain is not smooth enough for it just yet so will start it properly after Asura.

When Life Gives You Tangerines out today! I'm cuckoo for IU, so I'm praying that my ick for Park Yer Bum gets suppressed by her brilliance.

Park Yer Bum 😂😂😂

Sadly cannot claim ownership of that nickname - better Filthy Noonas than I came up with that wee gem 😁

I have guests all weekend so I’ll see you on the other side. I’ll be keeping tabs on the thread to see if lovely toothsome Park Yer Bum brings the feels in WLGYT. 😄

I've given up on Buried Heart for now - was finding it boring. Started Undercover Highschool and it's very good fun.

Hats off to the Potato Lab writers, Kang Tae Oh and Lee Sun Bin. The scene at the picnic table by the greenhouses in ep 3 was frigging hilarious. Great set up. I can’t wait to see this play out now.

Helloooooo chingus
Hospital Playlist (Resident Playbook’s) teaser is out.

Excellent work @bettys
I had such a dry year that I can’t even recognise most of the names.
I did watch Culinary Wars. Started Mr. Plankton but ditched it. Currently slowly wading through Melo-Movie.