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.

Boaty as it's on Netflix, there's no automatic replacement. I'm watching Blossom. Bitch x Rich 2 in its place.

Has anyone been able to watch Hunter with a Scalpel (Disney+)? I've even tried a VPN but it still says not available.

I’ve just been bumped from the main TV which has our Disney+ sub by DH just a crucial point in Our Movie. 😩 I can’t really complain after bingeing 4 and a bit episodes on the trot. 😄

🚨PSA🚨 there are Prime Day deals on thread favourite rice cooker brand Yum Asia.

I just watched Law & the City, and it really got moving in Ep2. The relationship bet M&F leads will be amusing.

I’m really enjoying Law & the City too, or as I like to call it Not-Hospital-Playlist 😅

We have finally finished When the stars Gossip - went from enjoyably ridiculous in the first half to annoyingly ridiculous in the second. The ending was absolutely insane and possibly the whole show was bankrolled by some kind of government body aimed at increasing the birth rate in Korea?? (That is just wild speculation based on the final few eps 🤣).

Speaking of shows that didn't stick the landing .... Squid Game season 3 was a bit of a let down wasn't it??

I am back in the arms of Taecyeon, sadly only figuratively speaking, and enjoying the froth that is First Night with the Duke.

AmVa · Today 12:44
We have finally finished When the stars Gossip - went from enjoyably ridiculous in the first half to annoyingly ridiculous in the second

Thats exactly what I thought. The whole thing is a bit odd - why was there such a long gap between the end of filming and the series starting on tv, and why did such a stellar cast sign up to it?

www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/crash-landing-on-you-netflix-iiseltwaldseltwald-b2784612.html

It sounds like CLOY has been a mixed blessing for Iseltwald. I’ve lived in a popular tourist destination. Looking up from your morning cornflakes to see a large tour group standing outside, half of them gawking at you through the window, takes away much of the joy of living in a destination city. I’m #teamaveragetown now.

I've finally finished Squid Game. I'm not sure why some people didn't like the ending, I really enjoyed it.
I'm trying to decide whether to watch Law and the City next or Head Over Heels.
In the meantime I've been reading Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat. I'm really hoping it lives up to its jolly title after a bit of a run of rather sad dramas. I need more happy endings 🤞

Everyone on this thread needs to start watching BETTER LATE THAN SINGLE (Netflix) so we can chat about it.

I'm only on ep1 but there's a chap who grew up in Brasil, who decided boundaries were needed because the girls were constantly offering kisses. It's every teenage boy's dream but ...You couldn't make it up. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Thanks to Saram13 for the recommendation!

I watched episode 1 last night. Most of them were perfectly normal twenty-somethings outwardly, but with crippling shyness or no ability to mingle with the opposite sex due to single-sex education right through to uni followed by similar professional circumstances. The first guy seems to be on the autism spectrum but I thought had made a noticeable improvement in his ability to engage when he met the other contestants following pre-filming coaching. You just know the chatty tutor can only keep a lid on it for so long. I’m waiting for her to let rip once she’s had a beer. 😆 I’m in for a watch along! 🙋‍♀️

If nothing else this dating show makes me want to visit Jeju! It’s beautiful.

That's so funny - DD and I just started it and it's so funny. They have an innocence that Single's Inferno doesn't have anymore. We also diagnosed the first guy with autism!! Love pink hair girl and cried a little over the girl with the less than ideal father figure growing up. ☹️

Just finished episode one. Adorable girls, useless men is my first impression 😅

Useless but slightly adorable, no?

Well I've finished ep3 and what is 'chapaghetti'?? Agree with fedup that the girls all seem normal ok. The one who can't be arsed with men who don't meet her standards, I want to shout, but love, that's not going to get you a man!

In another drama, one of the characters says to the son of a mistress, "you're not at my level" when they're equally wealthy, and it made me think that Koreans are all about relationships of people on similar levels - looks, education, jobs, money, status. I'm now applying this idea to the forever singles. 🤓
They need to learn that it's possible to punch way above your level!😆

And while I'm at it, why do Korean females wear such short skirts that they need a throw/cushion to cover their crotch what's exposed when they sit????

In a similar vein I am often surprised at the tiny mini skirts and smart suit shorts women wear to the office in kdramas. Conversely I’ve read that tourists are judged for not wearing enough in SK, especially if women show too much cleavage. 🤷‍♀️

I've read they're more concerned about exposing the shoulders and heaven forbid, cleavage!!

I've often wondered this - it bugs the shit out of me.

Bearing in mind current summer temperatures in SK, baring your legs may be the only way to stay cool if you have to stay covered up on your top half. That still doesn’t explain women’s winter attire.

The other thing that mystifies me is when someone introduces him/herself to a group then someone asks something like "ah X means eg Tree?". Does the meaning of a word depend on the other words it's next to?

@Saram13 !!!!

Saram will have the authoritative answer but my understanding is that there is a one to many relationship between the Hangul syllable blocks in names and the Hanja (Chinese) characters that relate to the same syllable sound, so a name can have several different meanings depending on which Hanja character/combination was chosen.

Edited to give Hangul and Hanja their proper noun capitals. /pedant

Chapaghetti is an instant noodle brand from Nongshim - it’s black bean like jjajangmyeon. Delicious.

If you mix it together with Neoguri instant noodles and top with steak, you get Ramdon as made famous in Parasite.