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 clicked on A Time Called You last night after you mentioned it and saw I’d watched the first 9 episodes. I can’t remember a damn thing about it.

😂

That made me laugh boaty as I'm watching Nothing Uncovered (2024!) and I think I've already seen it but also can't remember a damn thing. I put it down to watching too many dramas at the same time.

boatyardblues · Yesterday 22:43
I clicked on A Time Called You last night after you mentioned it and saw I’d watched the first 9 episodes. I can’t remember a damn thing about it.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who that happens to!

Is that the one with a walkman and (possibly) a record shop @ScarlettSunset?

Disclaimer: I could have confused several dramas or dreamt them up altogether, it's been known to happen 🙈

I often scroll through the Netflix suggestions and realise how many things that I've watched and forgotten about. I might count them up!

It is indeed.
It was confusing but I found trying to work it out was really engaging and meant I had to binge watch it as I was always so keen to get to the next episode as soon as I finished one.

Sorry all been off line for a while on holidays in similar scenery to Betty in CLOY country. I am on ep 9 of BLTS and am enjoying it immensely. Agree with the all the comment son lack of airtime for the surgeon, very surprising! Off to see Jin tonight with hubby! Taking twin #2 with me tomorrow. Got my ARMY bomb from the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself concert at Wembley working, so am very happy. Also have the little red pouch from the pop-up shop at that time and need to decide if I am taking my RJ with me.

OMG Dragonrock you're making me feel really old, I only understood about half your post (RJ? ARMY bomb?) 😂😂😂

As for a A Time Called You - <Spoiler Alert> - all I can really remember is the bit where Ahn Hyo-seop and Rowoon were flirting in the car right before it crashed. Such a tragic backdrop took the edge off the leads' happy ending a bit for me. I thought it was a really harsh ending for the ML's double.

Part of the problem is that Netflix upgraded at some point and lost your previously viewed. I get recommendations all the time now for stuff I’ve already watched on my profile. It’s annoying. It didn’t use to be that way.

That was a great cameo!

I watched Brigid Jones's Baby at the weekend and it was only at the very end that I realised that I'd already watched it. I also do this with books.

Korean week on Great British Sewing Bee now, I'm still catching up with last week's episode so I'll probably watch it tomorrow

DH has decided that Goodboy is too bollywood for him, he couldn't get past 1 guy beating up 25 armed guys so we have switched to Singles Inferno s1 and we have watched another episode of Tastefully Yours. I'm about ready to give up on Dr Romantic. It just doesn't have the drama/pace of ER or the romance of Grey's. Maybe I should stop comparing to those two 🤷🏾♀️. I'm halfway through the first series and I've not paid any attention to the last few episodes. Think I will move to watching Goodboy

Yeah, it was a surprising twist.

Peanutcookie I've always thought of Dr Romantic as the Korean House - brilliant but grumpy and unconventional veteran doctor nurtures waifs and strays through a series of ever more unbelievable and preposterous medical emergencies whilst butting heads with the establishment. As for the romance, it really makes you wait for it, but it delivers in the end. It's probably way too silly for conventional medical drama fans, but I really enjoyed all three seasons of it, especially season 2.

I’m still enjoying Law in the City (for the legal stuff and the lawyers, couldn’t care less about the romance).

Love, Take Two has started on Viki and I’ve watched one episode so far. It’s got a stellar cast of ahjummas.

I watched the first 2 episodes of Live, Take Two last night and liked the slower pacing. It’s ahjumma central as well, so many familiar eonnis. 😄

I am also staying with Law and the City. LJS’ performance is the least enjoyable one in the whole show and leaves me cold. The others are carrying it. I like the pregnant lawyer and her attentive husband the most followed by the chunky foodie lawyer and the building owner. The ensemble cast make it worthwhile. I want the two horrible male bosses to get their comeuppance. The lunar new year ham slight was a fantastic sly burn. 🤣

We watched The Match last night starring Lee Byung-Hun & Yoo Ah In. It was made a few years ago but its release was delayed because of Yoo Ah In’s court case.
Yoo Ah In is always brilliant but honestly this was a bit boring. It’s about a Go champion who takes on a young prodigy as his student. Not a lot happens other than the two protagonists staring moodily either at one another or the Go board.

Law and the City has definitely improved after a very slow start.

Will give Love Take Two a go too. Currently watching Our Blues and nearly finished A Shop for Killers with DH (or The Murder Shop as he keeps calling it).

I agree about Law and the City Boaty, it's definitely growing on me. The ensemble cast is really good, especially pregnant lawyer's husband who I have a particular soft spot for because he played one of my favourite characters in Six Flying Dragons. It's shaping up better than expected.

Is Law and the City so good that it makes me forget my slight 😏 about LJS? I mean he must be an alright chap as IU is not mug but still I struggle with him as the romantic ML. I am tempted as I know bits were filmed in HK as well, so can play 'spot the location'. After reading the above comments I might have to get a Disney + trail subscription so I can watch Dr Romantic 3, as I loved 1&2. Anyone heard anything about "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty". Got pushed a v short clip and hope it is funny.

Beyond the Bar is so far so good. A sleeper hit?

Oh FedUp, I got pushed a couple of clips of that and so will add it to the list. Now recovering from my 2 nights at #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR at the 02. It was FAB. Hubby enjoyed himself, was blown away by the outfits, loved the fish headdresses and the kindness and giveaways. Says it made his day to see me so happy😍. Twin #2 loved it as well. She was trying to be cool, you know 19 and all that but quickly got very excited as well and loved chatting with everyone around us. We are now planning strategy for the World Tour ticketing.

That’s lovely @Dragonrock🥰

This time next week, DD and I will be at Blackpink at Wembley! Now, is it true that there are never support acts at K-pop concerts? Doors open at 5 - what time do you think we should go and what time are they likely to come on? I’m all for soaking up the atmosphere but not sure if I want to be sitting there for 3 hours waiting for them to come on!!