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.

The Mongolians have the best costumes so far! 👌

I'm engrossed by Physical Asia - the tactics, the male in high heels! I'm in love with James' big heart btw.😍
Because it's a team effort, the women are not disadvantaged as they were in Physical 100 , when they had to compete directly against males.
Strangely, I'm not rooting for South Korea to win; I just want the best team to win.🙌

Oh, and the Muay Thai champion delivers knockouts with a kick to the neck! The precision it must take to not kill your opponent instead.🫡

I second this nomination! I love our Junho!

@Rowdythreehas anyone nominated Wi Ha Joon or Lee Do Hyun this year yet? 🫡 I'm sure whoever makes the final pick will be satisfactory 😉

Almost forgot - my original reason for appearing - Halloween today, fans of Train to Busan, Happiness and All Of Us Are Dead - Thai drama Zomvivor has dropped on Netflix - it's a mash up of all of the above so far with it's own Thai spin - good fun and gruesome.

There is also the brilliant Khemjira on iQiyi if you like less gore, more supernatural thriller.

And (not new but good) Kdrama Revenant on Disney+ (Kim Taeri)

Over and out

Halloween horror came early for me with the stinker First Lady. I took one for the team there! Avoid. 2/10. I was hoping for a political thriller but it was a nonsensical mishmash of tropes.

Thanks for your sterling service Miggs! 🫡

I’m watching Ms Incognito on Viki. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s currently tracking a solid 6 or 7 (6,7 - see what I did there kids?). It’s perfect for a duvet day.

TheLoup - I've added them to the list 🤩

I’m flying through Romantics Anonymous and it’s so lovely. The main question is, can I count it on my kdrama list? It’s the third thing I’ve watched with the FL (Moving and Happiness being the other two) and she’s so different in each - the sign of a good actress, I guess.

Rowdy, do we need to start the advent calendar on 1st November to fit them all in??

Thank you for your service 🫡

She is excellent. I loved her in Moving. I didn’t recognise her for ages in this!!

I want to file a complaint against Romantics Anonymous for their chocolate bait and switch. Ok, I get that it's supposed to be the best chocolate shop in Japan, but I so wanted to taste those interesting flavours that I was on google like a rash as soon as I finished the drama.

The export choices are about 50 flavours of Kit Kat (most sold out) and popular supermarket type brands. You can get the premium Royce brand from Amazon, but according to many reviews, it comes as a melted, separated mess.

If I go to Japan however, I get to try squid in chocolate (well Mexicans do turkey in chocolate don't they?), yuzu, fermented soya bean etc. Yum!!

I now want to go on a chocolate making course. Smoked kippers in chocolate here I come!😂

Smoked kippers? 😭

Yes, I too was 🤤 at the selection boxes in Romantics Anonymous and I don't even really like chocolate! 🤣

On the go at the moment:
My Dearest (rewatching, this time with DH)
Itaewon Class (never watched!)
Stranger 2 (a little at a time is best)
My Sassy Girl (very of its time but fun)
Delightfully Deceitful (enjoying but fear that the FL will be type-cast, similar role to Atypical Family)

Main course and dessert in one!💅

I’m still trying to get past the endless SK v Japan rematches in the sandhill task in Physical Asia. It feels never ending!

And with every round you can see more and more physio tape and strapping on the contestants. 😱

I can confirm that Zomvivor on Netflix is really good if you like a zombie show! The ending has definitely been left ready for a part two or season two though! Some very handsome Thai actors in it too for those that might be interested 😌

I have Physical Asia FOMO! I'm going to start it today

Also DD and I got tickets to see P1 Harmony in January. Is anyone else going?

Finished Homeland Cha Cha Cha which I did enjoy, though not as much as CLOY, and the mad product placement of Domino’s Pizza in the final episode was bonkers.

Just started Tuphoon Fanily and seconding (Thirding? Fourthing?) Lee Jun-Ho for the advent calendar. Enjoying it so far!

I struggled to get started with Saturday’s episode of Typhoon Family because the Busan loan shark bits depress me. However, I should have trusted the writers. This show is so warm-hearted. I’m glad Junho’s character is impulsive and makes stupid choices because he’d be too saintly otherwise. All in all I am enjoying the show hugely.

Ddakji · Yesterday 22:07
Finished Homeland Cha Cha Cha which I did enjoy, though not as much as CLOY

I agree - though to me CLOY is the best of all dramas. A parallel universe of perfection.

Boaty I was also unsure about Typhoon Family because I thought it might be a bit gloomy so it's rather ironic that I ended up starting Murky Stream instead as it's set in the 16th century when the lives of ordinary folk were pretty grim. Rowoon is gorgeous in it though, he has that same quiet, intense presence he had in Extraordinary You.

Ddakji The pizza episode of HTCCC was definitely one of the cringier product placements I've seen in an Asian drama. It's what happens when you get to the end and realise you haven't featured the sponsor yet 😂😂😂. I still feel more sorry for the Korean actors who have to pretend to enjoy a Subway, though.

I still feel more sorry for the Korean actors who have to pretend to enjoy a Subway, though.

I agree! Their hearts must sink.

Be still my over worked heart. Physical Asia will put me in an early grave if the events continue to be as dramatic as some of the last two trials. The absolute heart and determination from the underdog Indonesian team members! 👏 (Fina Phillipe, Brasilian Ju-jitsu) got all fired up and turned into a pepper fly, just raging to take on male comers. And a swimmer (Glenn Victor) vs a judo expert? The individual match ups made for a nail biting watch.

The so called "Restless Boy" of team Australia was a joy to watch in action (as he wasn't being mouthy then).😁

Now I have to wait till 11Nov for more.🙁

<watching Gannibal on Disney+>