MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #50: God rest you merry gentlemen 🎶 Oppa season is just around the corner and we are here for it.

[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 cumulative list includes previous threads’ recommendations and favourites. Shows with a star are more uniformly loved or admired. On genre categories, most Korean dramas have multiple strands - e.g. supernatural, romance with a thriller; crime series with fantasy elements. Genre-busting mash-ups are normal. Series tagged as dark may also have moments of comedy or the absurd, likewise fluff can have heavier moments. 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)
Squid Game - 2 seasons (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)🌟
The Lies Within (Netflix)🌟
The Worst of Evil (Disney+)
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟
Vigilante (Disney+)
Walking on Thin Ice (Viki)

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)
Our Movie (Disney+)🌟
Our Unwritten Seoul (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)⭐️
Glass Heart (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)
Romantics Anonymous (Netflix, 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

#1 A Shop For Killers Score: 9 Votes: 7
#2 Lovely Runner Score: 8.8 Votes: 10
#3 Let's Talk About CHU Score: 8.8 Votes: 8
#4 Family By Choice Score: 8.6 Votes: 9
#5 Squid Game 2: Score: 8.5 Votes: 5
#6 Mr Plankton: Score: 8.3 Votes: 10
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.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or actors’ names. Don’t be afraid to ask for help/clues if we’re not making sense or have descended into acronym soup.

If you want to join us down the kdrama rabbit hole, welcome! Pull up a chair, say goodbye to early nights and get stuck in!

Helloooo lovelies 🙂

Finished Pursuit of Jade, my first drama of 2026.

Perfect Crown looks amazing, but 6 episodes to go. It’s between waiting every week or wait till all the episodes are dropped. Enjoying the reels and probably have watched most of it on instagram. The dressing of ML is on point, not sure what’s happening with FL’s styling.

Bloodhounds 2 yay or nay? I did enjoy S1 and it’s in my top 5.

We’re in the air, an hour or so from Incheon so much looking forward to the trip.
we’re doing a tour of the studios as recommended by one of you chingus so I’m sure that will be fascinating, and we’re having wonderful guide Alex who some of you know.

So jealous! Have a fab time.

@Andante57 - how fab, what a treat.

@JinBhoot If you liked the first one you'll probably enjoy Bloodhounds 2, I did. I found it a bit more relentless than the first one, though, and I think Rain took his villain brief a bit too seriously - he was really rather scary!

I hope you're having a good time on your trip @Andante57 , a studio tour sounds fun.

Thank you chingus for your kind words. We did the MBC studio tour this morning which was great fun, then went to the antique market in Dapsimi and then a walk down Cheonggyecheon.
My first bites of kimchi pancake and mandu were sublime…..
We’re going to Mokpo tomorrow.

That all sounds amazing. My experience of Dapsimni market was that there were many beautiful items but none luggage-friendly. I had more success in the Dongmyo flea market. It was a proper flea market though - many shabby secondhand goods with some pearls among them.

Good news Chingus, seems in the Sky upgrade we got Disney+ thrown in! Secretly pleased the weather is turning wet and cooler (sorry) as have an excuse to dive into Perfect Crown, I never got to see Dr Romantic 3 or Jimin and Jungkook Are You Sure?! so got lots to catch up on. I am also a very happy bunny, as Heart Signal 5 has started on Viki and I have watched both ep released so far😍. Back on Viki I spotted an office rom com, Filing in Love with Shin Hae Su & Gong Myoung, strong supporting cast but only spotted Kim Jae Wook, so far. Anyone know the lottery number for tonight as I need a cash injection so I can retire and just watch TV!

@Dragonrock- there’s some good stuff on Disney to keep you busy.

I started Filing for Love - the ML is perfect for the role but I’m not sure how convincing the romance is going to be when it starts but the press they’ve been doing they seem to get on really well so maybe I’m being pessimistic.

Finished Yumis Cells 3 but only 8 episodes so I’m feeling hard done by!

Perfect Crown is my current favourite airing show. It’s absolute toot and full of clichés but IU is such a consummate actress it works. I like the mix of modern with old.

Just wait till you watch My Royal Nemesis 😻

I am already up to broadcast pace on My Royal Nemesis. That’s fun too.

I'm still a few episodes behind but Perfect Crown is delivering on light and fluffy romance so far.
I'm also really enjoying Absolute Value of Romance on Prime. I have no idea where it's going but it's really funny. It has the actress from Poong the Joseon Psychiatrist in it and she's great fun as a schoolgirl with an embarrassing secret.
I'm still watching Phantom Lawyer as well which is really good.

Boaty, I am with you there My Royal Nemesis, is making me smile. Think we all chatted before about wanting to see Heo Nam Joon not be the baddy, so it is looking promising. Also loving Im Ji Yeon, she plays her parts so well. Similar comments on Perfect Crown just loving it all and having 😘about IUs clothing/accessories and Byeon Woo-seok, not sure he could get much better and then I heard his voice and realised he has done of the OSTs again. He is one very talented man.

I’ve started Unplanned Trip on Viki. The set up is 3 celebs get sprung with an unplanned trip in a live broadcast. In efficient Korean style, Jung Yu Mi & Choi Woo Shik turned up so early the production team were still prepping the livestream. 😂 Park Seo Joon makes up the trio.

It’s basically a low stakes Race Across Korea: Celeb Edition. They are on a limited cash-only daily budget, access to their phones only for a short time each day, having to use public transport and eat in mom & pop local restaurants. It’s great telly.

Jung Yu Mi and Park Seo Joon did a reality restaurant show on Lanzarote (Youn’s Kitchen) a few years ago where both of them grafted in a seriously impressive way. They clearly have a genuine rapport & enjoyment of each other’s company.

Choi Woo Shik is coming across a tad spoiled and celebby. And I absolutely do not believe he failed to shower before turning up to film and is wearing yesterday’s pants. 🤔

Has anyone else started The WonderFools on Netflix? It is wonderfully bonkers in a supremely Korean way. I love it.

It’s on my list.

I’m really enjoying Filing for Love

Finished Perfect Crown they could have easily stretched to 16 episodes.

Undercover Miss Hong was also good.

My Royal Nemesis is glorious nonsense that has me laughing all the time. The ML's lip lift is the first one that is attractive I don't mind.

I'm down a C-drama rabbit hole that started off with Pursuit of Jade, went past Legend of the Female General and I'm now on Dominion and Devotion.

My social media feeds are dominated by Zhang LingHe to the extent that I got pinged when he started a live feed and I ended up spending 5 mins watching him eat and say hello in several languages!!
Madness at my age.

Oh yeah, Miggs, him.
I watched (on youtube I think it was) The Best Thing where he played a TCM doctor helping FL with her insomnia. Let’s just say Oh.My.Giddyaunt! I could be his (ehm) older sister (cough) but I totally would.
<getting my hat and coat and exiting in shame>
(sorry to bring down the tone)

I think we are all in similar territory. Boaty - I started on the launch episode of Unplanned Trip the other day as did enjoy their forays into Mexico, Iceland etc. But have SO much on the go at the moment. I am down a slightly different but adjacent C-Drama rabbit hole as Miggs on 27 ep of Splendid Match it is very pacy and is still ramping up the plot even this far in. I've seen both leads in another C-drama where he was the protagonist. The Heir is another historical onie I am on the look out for, due any day in UK and has Elvis Han, he was in Fake it till you Make it the office drama a few of us enjoyed a while ago. Settling in to finish Perfect Crown tonight. Wonderfools is also the list. I am also being patient with schedule and am waiting for ep3 of The Legend of Kitchen Soldier on Viki - it is fab, nutty comedy comedy with a strong cast. So much to watch...

@hanka This is the stuff that's popping up on my feed...

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYey_FMNOSX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

<runs for cover>

That is very important scientific research right there Migs