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.

Yes, I've noticed a huge difference between Chinese and Korean dramas in how often they are shown eating. However it's a massive bugbear of mine how little of the food seems to actually get eaten. Characters are constantly leaving restaurants and meals abruptly, having barely eaten a mouthful. Ditto undrunk coffees! 🤔

I think the eating in kdramas is as much of a fantasy as the chaebol dreamboat sweeping you off your feet. Given the exacting waif-like beauty standard in SK and how time poor everyone is, a leisurely group lunch during the working day with mega portions seems unlikely. I’m happy to be corrected if those big lunches are actually a real thing.

I agree Law and the City wrapped up well. I wish some other dramas had the sense to nip along and bow out after ep 12. We’d see fewer soggy middles.

Beyond the Bar is almost touching a 10 from me and it's only four eps in. The poignancy of the child abuse storyline given the ML's back story, and the hint that a romance might be on the cards with his mentee, is giving me all the feels.😍
I also like the friendship between FL and her flatmates.
What a wonderful drama!

Following on from the theme of food in dramas, it was my birthday this weekend, kids got me kdrama/kpop themed gifts including this cookbook I saw whilst on holiday and decided it was too expensive. I found a 2nd hand copy that I put in my amazon basket for later, good thing I didn't checkout! It has recipes based on dishes featured in different shows and details on which episode its in. Hopefully I'll be able to put it to use soon.

I've always wondered how much they actually eat given that they're all tiny and even the male actors need to have next to zero body fat to maintain that kind of physique

Awesome cookbook!
I’ve got Mma Ramotswe Cookbook (that’s more for the traditionally built😁)
Maybe that meal we see on tv is their one and only that day??

I think I've mentioned this before but there's a bit in Because This is my First Life where the FL cooks one of those elaborate breakfasts with lots of courses and then the following day you see her taking the tupperware boxes out the fridge to make the next day's breakfast with the leftovers and I was like "yes! of course that's how they'd do it" because no one could cook like that every day. There's also an older character in Rain or Shine that I particular remember who loved tinned peaches and would prepare very simple meals all from cans which seemed quite realistic for a pensioner on their own on a tight budget.

Yes, I’ve always assumed they do a sort of batch cooking of the banchan as they always show lots of Tupperware containers in the fridge.

Hello all! It's been a little while. Too much envy over those seeing Jin when he isn't coming anywhere near the southern hemisphere, and also Mumsnet stopped emailing me so I had to go and find the link to the chat.
We've had an eclectic mix of viewing in our house - husband and I watched Nine Puzzles which was great barring one quite big plot hole at the end which you need to ignore... But great (non romantic) chemistry between the leads and really twisty plot.

I also binged Dali and Cocky Prince which kept coming up as a suggestion for me and I kept not watching it for no real reason. I finally checked the spreadsheet and saw it scored reasonably well among this bunch so gave it a go. Really fun, loved both the leads, it was very funny, romantic and fun. Haven't had any new releases like that for a while this year.

Have just started Law In the City and 2 episodes in I feel like LGS's froideur actually lends itself quite well to his character.. much more fitting then when he was trying to be a cool playboy type in W for example.

Also! We are going to Seoul and Busan in October - so excited and cannot wait. It won't quite be the late night drinking trip of dreams as we are travelling with a 5 year old but it will be great regardless I am sure!

Said 5 year old is very into KPop Demon Hunters (first movie he has ever watched. We turned off Cars because it was too scary ...go figure) and is big on KBBQ so that's some food he'll eat at least.

Anyone who hasn't watched KPDH yet ... Do!! It's so, so good and doesn't really feel like a kids cartoon. Songs are all bangers, soundtrack is on repeat in our house 24/7.

@AmVa DH and I enjoyed Nine Puzzles but now I'm wondering what the plot hole was?

And I really liked Dali and the Cocky Prince. Cute music and even cuter leads.

And agree on KPDH - DD and I watched it for 6th time yesterday!

Glad you said this MrsF. I want to know what the plot hole is too.

Editing to suggest you DM us so we don’t spoil for the others.

Mumsnet needs a huddle function so we can do a little side chat! I do remember being confused about the circumstances of how the girl and mother got separated. Please DM me the plot hole!

On another note, two episodes in of Beyond the Bar and I have the following observations:

1. will get an extra point for the cute dog - so fluffy!
2. can identical twins have one with a genetic condition but not the other?
3. I hope they don’t have a romance element between the leads - would be creepy given age gap and work seniority

Agree with whoever said that Law and the City ended very well. Just sad we didn’t get to see the baby.

I had the same 🤔 about the genetic condition. If they’re fraternal twins it might add up, but it was implied they were identical.

I don’t think the age gap is that bad in the show. He’s in his thirties and she’s 28.

Their chemistry is off the charts!

It’s a really very good show

Oh that sounds great! We have been discussing it as a possibility for next year. Are you travelling around?

Very jealous @AmVa, have a fab time! Our trip is still a few years away (3 at the earliest, realistically 5).

OK...so...I've listed all of the dramas that I remember watching (with some Netflix prompting) and I've counted 154 so far 😳 not including Japanese, Chinese or Taiwanese dramas nor any films. Plus there are others that I know I've missed. 🙈🤣

So much to catch-up on. Love the cookery books, well jel on the planned trips to S.Korea and had to also post about Beyond the Bar. It's right up there for me for this year, just great. I am also considering Trigger with Kim Nam-gil, might see if I can get husband on board but might need to wait for the darker nights as we tend to settle down to TV a bit earlier.

After at least 6 months of procrasting, I have finally downloaded the mumsnet app 💪 I promise to contribute more boaty!
< waves at everyone >

I am very behind on all my kdrama viewing - still haven't watched season 3 of Squid Game. I did watch a couple of episodes of Dear Hongrang (?sp) with DD and we are enjoying it so far....

Loup! Good to have you back. 👋

I liked that Dear Hongrang stayed with the darker storylines in the manhwa and didn’t wuss out.

@TheLoupGarou! Long time no see

Well I caved and went to both the Deadline and Rosie pop up stores and spent far more than I had planned even though i only bought 2 tops. A keyring was £20! Magnets £16! £28 on 2 pairs of socks??!! Why is the kpop merch so damn expensive?!