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've started Business as usual too TheLoup, I watched the first three episodes this morning, but I think I should have waited for it to complete before starting it, as it's so bingeable! Now I have to wait a week for the next episode 😭

Back with another K BL rec -
"Something's not right" - 2 episodes out, on Viki.
It's based on the popular webtoon "what defines popularity?" Which also gave rise to 2023's live action "Blueming" but it's a spin off/side couple & different actors.
College set, childhood friends to kinda-lovers via various misunderstandings and whatnot it is hella cute.

Similar recs - Love Class 2 (viki), Boys Be Brave (viki), Semantic Error (viki) Blueming (iQiyi) and WhyRU (iQiyi) - there is also a Thai version of WhyRU that's on viki - but it's... a bit different.

Over and out!

Heesu in Class 2 is such a comforting watch, I absolutely love it, it's so cute. A bit different from the manhwa, but it's definitely worth a watch

I've been enjoying Heesu in Class 2 as well Rowdy. The young romances are all very sweet and there's a lot of humour too with his older sisters' more cynical take on love. In fact it's probably the show I'm most looking forward to atm, surprisingly. It's nicely paced with well written characters.

Something related: Love Unlike in K-dramas, an Indonesian Netflix film, about 3 late 20s former schoolfriend noonas visiting Seoul on a girls’ holiday was very relatable and enjoyable. The married friend’s husband is a green flag good egg. There was a scene that sailed perilously close to makjang, possibly deliberately. The writers had their own kdrama trope list to tick off & delivered on the goods. 👌 I was nervous all the way through about bad things happening because of the Netflix sexual violence tag but you can all rest easy. The Netflix taggers need to take a chill pill & untag. A heartwarming couple of hours. 👍

Does anyone know whether there are more episodes of Way Back Love on Viki? It feels like ep 6 could have been the finale but there were also some loose ends. Viki app isn’t showing any further eps with the ‘5 days’ tag in them. 🤷‍♀️ If it’s all done, I rate it. It delivered on the feels. I had a good cathartic cry in ep 5 too.

A quick google tells me only 6 episodes! Will add to the list.

Way Back Love Ep5 is like chopping onions for the duration. Excellent expressive face acting by FL. #us

Aligns with pol in recommending.

We wanted to watch Buried Hearts as I'm intrigued by the plot twists. However am I right in saying it’s only on Disney? We couldn’t find it on Netflix or Viki.

It's on Olga's or Disney+ @Andante57

Thanks Migs - Olga’s it is then.

Happy Easter to all noonas.

Happy Easter Noonas!

I also am enjoying Heesu In Class 2 . I love Heesu's family dynamic with his sisters and it's just a really cute watch overall, especially if you like first love type stories.

DH and I finished Karma last night (Netflix) - only 6 episodes and it's very good - all ties together very satisfyingly.

Great suggestion boaty, keep finding them please. I thoroughly enjoyed it♥️
(I feel like Kikan sometimes 🙄)

It got me thinking, if there ever was a Mumsnet Travel Agency, it should definitely offer trips to (and tours of) Seoul. For like-minded noonas. Plenty of soju, fried chicken. I’ve never done the karaoke but could be persuaded.

@hanka

For anyone visiting Korea who wishes to go to k drama locations, there is a website called Korean Dramaland which is pretty comprehensive.
Though sometimes buildings - shops or restaurants and so on - are made to look different in the dramas. We saw some of the locations for Hometown Cha Cha Cha and I found it hard to recognise them.

Ooh thank you Andante. Though I know no-one IRL here around that shares my affection for kdrama (who’d be willing to go with me)

That's useful Andante, We're going there in June, I will have to see what locations we can visit 🤩

That’s exciting Rowdy - whereabouts are you going?

We’re setting off again today week, we’re so excited. We’ve got lovely trip planned including Jeju for a few days, and we are much looking forward to being reunited with our wonderful guide Alex, who some of you on here know.
Dh is doing a course in Seoul in Chaekgeori art - actual painting rather than studying.
I got in touch with the art school administrator and she told me there was a beginners course coming up.
“My husband isn’t a beginner. He’s an extremely accomplished professional artist” I said indignantly.
“Madam, it takes a lifetime to master this Korean art form. Your husband is a beginner……”
So that’s us told!

We are there for 13 days and will visit Seoul, Gyeongju, Jeju and Busan where we will then get the ferry to Osaka and spend a further 13 days in Japan. We're very excited 🤩

How exciting that you are going next week, have a fantastic time. Let us know how your trip goes!

That sounds amazing, Rowdy. I love Gyeongju and hope to return there next year.

@Rowdythreethat trip sounds amazing! I've just come back from 2 weeks in the motherland and just before I went I found a women's trip to SK and Japan over Easter which I'd have booked immediately if I hadn't already booked my holiday. I had very patchy Internet whilst away so didn't manage to watch a single episode for 2 weeks.

DH and I have watched 5 or 6 episodes of Tangerines since I got back on Friday and I've cried in every single one so far. Hoping to watch some First Frost today if DD2 can fit me into her schedule and also want to watch Moon Lovers on my own.

That women’s trip sounds intriguing peanutcookie. I’d be interested in details.

Me too, @peanutcookie. DeepSeek just gave me a list.

Both DH and I really enjoyed Potato Lab, it was just really funny all the way through. Kang Tae-oh often looked like he was struggling not to laugh, especially when Lee Sun-bin almost clobbered him with the car door. They looked like they had a lot of fun with it.

We've now started on both Way Back Love and Karma but I'm on my own this evening and need a solo watch. I'm not sure what to try next. Lee Jae-wook's new historical drama, Dear Hongrang looks promising but isn't out until May.

Lee Jae Wook in a historical drama - yes please! 🤩

I noticed there's a new historical rom-com on Viki with Kim Ji Hoon in called The Haunted Palace. I might start that once I've finished Moon Lovers