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.

That's very interesting, @MigsandTiggs . There certainly seems to be a lot of loans and debt etc as a running theme in so many dramas.

The other thing driving children to take on parental debt is filial piety. Children have to be grateful towards parents for giving birth to them and looking after them, and part of the payback is taking on their debt.

This is now sending me down a rabbit hole to find out what being 'grateful for life' means today. What far beyond the usual actions (treating parents respectfully, taking care of them in old age, mourning them well at proper funerals, and performing ceremonies for them after their deaths) does it go?

I didn’t realise we were so close to topping out - only 23 posts’ headroom. I’ve created the new thread but feel free to keep nominating additions & I’ll add them in readiness for thread 51. You know the drill - fill this one first so we don’t lose anyone.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5445292-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-50-god-rest-you-merry-gentlemen-oppa-season-is-just-around-the-corner-and-we-are-here-for-it

Miggs - thanks for the insight on inherited debt and recent law changes. That seems incredibly harsh for the minors who are potentially inheriting the debt. If they’re that indebted the chances of them getting good legal advice seem slim. 😞

Has anyone watched Doctor Lawyer on Disney+ with So Ji Sub? I need to know whether they dial back the silliness after his v po-faced, earnest emergency tracheotomy in a full courtroom in ep 1. It gave me the giggles and I’m finding it hard to take it seriously.

Haven't seen that one, Boaty. Talking of courtroom scenes, we weren't impressed with JCW's lawyer in the first episode of The Manipulated! We were both shouting at the TV a lot!!

Of the current things I'm watching Dynamite Kiss and Spirit Fingers (terrible name but cute show - very webtoon-y) are my favourites. Last Summer is a snore fest and Typhoon Family is heading that way too, I fear. Moon River has potential but not finding FL convincing in a sageuk.

Kdrama is facing some stiff competition from elsewhere in the world in our household atm. I'm currently binge watching Love in the Clouds - it's not especially different from the many other historical fantasy cdramas but for some reason I'm really enjoying this one. We're also watching Last Samurai Standing while we wait for Stranger Things 5 to drop. The Murky Stream was OK but felt like it was lacking something - more episodes probably. Parts of the narrative were quite leisurely told while large chunks of back story and plot were kind of skimmed over. It felt a bit like if you tried to do all the Poldark books in one season.

Unfortunately I agree with mrsfeather on Typhoon Family, so that's Jun-ho's second show that went downhill fast for me. It's the writing. There's a curious lack of tension in the plotting. Yes, he encounters a series of bumps but there's no edge of a cliff moment where we're rooting for him to succeed. Some characters need more development and from what has been shown so far, it would have been better as a six episode, limited-series drama.
An underachieving, waste-of-talent 6 from me.

I started Genie, Make a Wish and fell asleep, but I'll try another episode.

At least I'm still okay with Last Summer, being traumatised by Dear X and positively in love with Dynamite Kiss.

edited for typo.

Jang Ki Yong is surprising me with his flair for comedy in Dynamite Kiss. The little boy is good too.

Agree with sentiments about Typhoon Family. I find myself pausing regularly so I noodle on the internet and look things up. This is a good barometer for ‘not gripped’. We need more dramas with the heft of The Red Sleeve or Rain or Shine - they were worthy of Junho’s talent. He’s a good actor.

Is anyone watching today’s episode Last Summer? In the hanok teahouse scene the wardrobe team have bodged shortening FL’s vest straps at the shoulder, probably to make her cleavage decent for the camera angle. It’s so badly done I can’t stop looking at it. Why not just put her in a different top? Also, she’s in a vest top. He’s in a full lounge suit with tie. Are we supposed to buy it’s a sweltering hot day? One of them is uncomfortable. 🤷‍♀️ This is possibly a sign the drama is not as engaging as it could be.

It’s a v picturesque hanok village. If anyone recognises it please name check it. I’d love to visit it.

Hello all. Haven't been watching much kdrama recently as mainly been rewatching Stranger Things in preparation for the new series. DH and I have caught up with Typhoon Family today - how many misfortunes can one man face? We are enjoying it though. We need to start on something else now whilst we wait. Nothing heavy, any suggestions?

Have you tried taking a photo of the hanok and asking AI?

I’ll give it a go later. 👍

Hello all, long time no see. Life has been extremely busy, all essentially good but leaving little time for non-essential stuff. And then I hadn't been on here for so long I got logged out, so that went tits up.

Anyhow, back in business now 🙌🏻 just in time for advent oppas

One of the time-consuming real-life things occupying me has been Korean language learning. Just done the latest round of exams, so that will be quiet until next year now. At the same time I was preparing for that I gave TOPIK I a go (because clearly the one thing you ought you do when you have too much on is take more on 🤡💀😁). Won't get the results for a few more weeks yet, but man it was hard.

Drama wise, I'm focusing on classics really as current ones are not hugely grabbing me. Nearly finished Jirisan, which is FANTASTIC and ticking all my boxes. Got lured into The Manipulated as it was short and had JCW but really, absolutely awful. In some aspects so bad it's good, in others not even that (the last two episodes are actively embarassing).

Got happily distracted by J-drama Gannibal, which is excellent, and enjoying (if that's the right word) You, Me and Everything Else and As You Stood By. Agree with @MigsandTiggs that LeeMoo-saeng is 👌👌👌 BUT only when angsty, not smiley 😁

Bit like Saram been a bit distracted but not for such admirable reasons. I awe of your persistence, do you speak other languages or did Korean grab your attention? I finally gave in with Perfect Match (the 36 ep historical C-drama) and fast-forwarded to last couple of episodes. I did enjoy it and with more time it was my kind of thing but 36 episodes defeated me. I have been pushed some clips of Don't Call Me Ma'am and was looking forward to it but seems I was catfished, as might not be available on Prime or Netflix in the UK. Anyway am back in the room now just in time for Advent Oppas, perfect timing.

I’m finding a lot of the dramas a bit cookie-cutter at the mo. I recall there was a surge of lookey-likey US content, especially low budget sci-fi, when Netflix first took off. I have a hunch Hallyu and SK suddenly being fashionable is driving similar behaviour to meet the demand for content.

@Dragonrock I studied languages at uni, and learned the language of the country I now live in when I moved here as an adult. So I do have form :) I'd love to study Korean full time really, but that's not an option for practical reasons.

@boatyardblues I think you're right. There's alot of quantity-not-quality stuff around at the moment 😬

I’m really enjoying Dynamite Kiss - just hoping it maintains the pace throughout. For you BTS fans, the 2ML looks very like Jin.

There's great rom-com acting in Dynamite Kiss feather. All the main characters and their shenanigans keep me engaged and smiling.

I was glad to welcome the return of dodgy Korean knitwear, this time in the form of FL's origami pink sweater in Ep 5.

Can't wait to see what our advent calendar oppas will be appearing in now.🙀😹

@Rowdythree Are you still taking oppa suggestions for the advent calendar? I’ve returned to Pachinko (Apple TV) after a stupidly long hiatus. I’d like to nominate Steve Noh who is playing Bark Isak. 👌 He’s topical because he’s also played Ejlael in Genie, Make A Wish recently. Do I get my Christmas wish? 🙏

Closing out the thread so Oppa Advent can begin fresh on our shiny new one

New thread here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5445292-mslattes-daebak-cybercafe-kdrama-addicts-50-god-rest-you-merry-gentlemen-oppa-season-is-just-around-the-corner-and-we-are-here-for-it?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Half century for our gang of Filthy Noonas! Howzat!

fin