MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #49: Still reeling from the insanity of When the Stars Gossip, we dust off our party frocks to present Daebak Café’s 2024 best scoring shows

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix, Viki, Amazon Prime, 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 - the best are listed below.

The previous thread is here. Our list is cumulative & includes previous threads’ recommendations and favourites. Shows marked with a star are more uniformly loved or admired. On genre categories, 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. This tonal chaos is 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)🌟
Family By Choice (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)
Light Shop (Disney+)
Moon in the Day (Viki)
Moving (Disney+)
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)
I’m Married But… (Netflix - Taiwanese)⭐️
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 2024 dramas with 5 or more votes
Overall scores reduced due to more voters this year.
#1 A Shop For Killers 9
#2 Lovely Runner 8.8
#3 Let's Talk About CHU Score 8.8
#4 Family By Choice 8.6
#5 Squid Game 2 8.5
#6 Mr Plankton: 8.3
Full run down by Bettys here.

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.

I haven't come across that one FedUp. I'd definitely watch it if I did, it sounds like my kind of thing.

Something that also sounded like my kind of thing was Dear Hongrang but I found it a bit disappointing in the end. There were some great swordfights, and the leads were fine, but it was a bit lacking in storytelling and character development somehow. It all felt a bit rushed. Too much gloss and not enough substance.

I'm not sure what to try next. Anyone got any good recommendations? I recently watched Flex X Cop after remembering it being mentioned here and it was surprisingly good, if rather daft.

I’m enjoying Nine Puzzles on Disney+ if you like a good serial killer/thriller mash-up.

I’ve also been distracted by The Royals this weekend, an Indian series on Netflix. It’s about a super smart girl boss in the hospitality sector locking horns with an asset-rich, cashflow-challenged Indian maharajah prince. Both of them are hot-bodded & hot-headed, think princess diaries with more sunshine and venture capitalists. The palace settings are beautiful, though possibly fake/sets. It’s brain-rotting fluff & not Korean, but the joy of embracing subtitles is unlocking a whole world of shiny nonsense.

Today’s Our Unwritten Seoul was <chef’s kiss>! It’s lovely. It’s my favourite drama so far this year.

Watching Mercy for None , Netflix. It's very violent. 🥊🥊🥊

I started watching it last night too Miggs. I agree about the violence. So Ji Sub doesn’t suit his dodgy hairdo at the start at all. I didn’t recognise him initially and thought Cha Seung Won was in the lead role. They are gradually converging, looks-wise. I can’t tell yet whether I want to stay with it. I sense the possibility of a redemptive arc, but I’m not sure I have the stomach for the violence.

SPOILER ALERT!
There is no redemptive arc, just bloody and overwhelming violence.

I will definitely avoid it, then!

Really? 😕 That will test the strength of my warmth towards So Ji Sub. I may have to rewatch My Secret Terrius instead.

I really want to watch My Secret Terrius but can't find it on any of the (many) platforms I have.

It was on Netflix for a while. I didn't realise it had gone again. 😠

@boatyardblues It's his sad eyes, isn't it?

Indeed, and his beautiful hands.

Editing to add that I have been open about my tall oppa bias. So Ji Sub meets many of my important criteria though his foray into hip hop was extremely cringey, potentially fatally so.

Another tall oppa fan here! 😍
MrPunks is 6' 2" (I'm a dumpy 5') 🤣

I had no idea that So Ji Sub did music, so rushed to youtube and Picnic isn't bad. A bit of a BTS vibe but OMG, So Ganzi MV is totally cringe! And irl he has a half sleeve of tattoos on his right arm. Well, well, a wannabe hip hop bad boy. Who knew?

Funny Weak Hero Class reference/crossover in the finale of Tastefully Yours.

So ganzi was the song I had in mind when I talked about the cringe.

Started Good Boy on Amazon and really enjoying it. Cracker cast. I have a soft spot for Park Bo Gum.

Hey all! Have been quiet around here as none of the recent dramas have really been grabbing me. Last thing I watched that I was really obsessed with was First Frost and that was a while ago now. I've been watching Tastefully Yours and Pump Up the Healthy Love in a half hearted sort of way... but honestly I just want to skip to the resolution of both.

I'm just about to start Our Unwitten Seoul and am very excited about that one given the reviews it is getting around the place.

On a whim on my lunchbreak today I started rewatching Lovely Runner and it was immediately just SO GOOD. In fact, knowing what you learn later in the show, the first episode is even better this time around. Nothing so far this year has given me this feeling where from a few minutes in you know you're in for a fantastic show.

Tastefully Yours is meh. Skipped big chunks of it.

I was looking forward to First Night With The Duke because I loved the webtoon, but from what I’ve seen of the first episode so far it is pretty terrible and the production looks cheap. What is Taecyeon doing?

I concur on Tastefully Yours. I enjoyed the haute cuisine experimentation and lingering close ups of the plated food. Lingering close-ups of Kang Ha Neul not so much. I don’t find him convincing as a romantic lead.

I dropped Tastefully Yours and now going "hehehe" at the goings on in First Night with the Duke. (Viki). I'm going to complain to the production company that it is totally not fair that the first night flashback was filmed with the leads behind a screen!!!
My boy Taecyeon is LUSH in it. Seriously pretty and TALL. 😍

There was a beautiful tree with yellow leaves, in one of the night scenes, so I looked it up. It's a Ginkgo tree, and in Korean culture, is associated with hope and resilience.

In case anyone else is interested, their trees have meanings in a similar way to their flowers.
https://medium.com/@unboxyourseoul45/famous-trees-in-korea-a-shed-of-heritage-and-history-236c49a2cdd6

I’ve just started First Night with the Duke. Tacyeon’s appeared in the opening credits to save the fair maiden. It cut to him and my first thought was “ears!” Love ‘im. I hope he never gets surgery on them. They’re his calling card. 😄

Been away for a while, a sneaky 5 days beach holiday with my sister...bliss. Now I am well jel about those starting First Night with the Duke. I concur on Tacyeon’s ears, he is such a cutie. I am finishing up ep 13 of HP and am just wanting to get in there and give some advice! Have to say watched far too many snippets of the 4 BTS members demob and can't wait for Suga to finish!

Random thought watching some Taiwanese and Chinese dramas after several years of Korean - where's the bloody food?!

Practically every other scene in Kdramas involves food, I'm feeling undernourished while watching The Devil Punisher 😋