Pied Piper (2016)

What a great adventure this was!

When I started this drama I wasn't even sure if I'll like it or not. I haven't seen anything with the leads except for Jo Yoon Hee (The King's Face) and therefore had to get used to the male ones. First impressions were good but not overwhelming, though interesting enough to keep watching.

And man, was I glad I continued this one!

What about the story... It's basically about a small negotiation team that doesn't have much recognition from the public and has to kinda prove its existence every single time something happens. But it wouldn't be a kdrama if there wasn't a bigger story behind it - the story of Pied Piper. And here is where the impressive part starts. It's not necessarily the story itself but the way it was delivered that makes it so worth-watching. Step by step revelations and each of them just makes you more curious. Add a very captivating and skillful cinematography and incredibly top-notch actors to it, then your dessert may be served.

Shin Ah Kyun and Yoo Joon Sang were at their best (their interacting was purely epic) and I'm not exaggerating here. Their characters were wholly shaped by the writers as well as their development and growth during the drama. Jo Yoon Hee tried her best, too, but in the end couldn't keep up with them completely. But she wasn't bad either, just sliding out of the light sometimes which was kinda sad, imo.

As for the cinematography. I don't even know how to describe it the right way. It's just the way how single scenes are put together, underlined with precisely accurate music. The beauty of it just leaves you speechless and shocked at the end of an episode.

My rating's not a whole ten but don't be bothered by it. I for myself did find some tiny flaws and couldn't overlook them - as well as for some cases the team had to take on. Sometimes, they just seemed to be a bit overdone.

I still think this drama is underrated. There's even a message delivered that you can pick up - or not.

So, let me give you an advice: If you have some free time and are in need of a really good crime drama, start this one. It's worth its 16 hours.

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I can't believe no one has posted a review on this amazing and underrated drama! I really believe a lot of people on MDL should give this a try.

Story
The story of this drama is about a terrorist who calls himself the Pied Piper. This terrorist is controlling people to commit and act of terror. A negotiation team is set up and the two main protagonists in this drama both lost a loved one from one such act.

The story is really great and and the drama unfolds itself with each episode. And every episode the tension is getting higher until the very end! The only reason why I'm not giving the story a 10 is that there are still side story lines I felt where not fully completed.


Acting/Cast:
Acting was great overall, there are a lot of experienced actors as well as new faces but everyone was good. Shin Ha Kyun like always was great at its role, but Jo Yoon Hee not so much and I really had to get used to her, the only drama I have seen her before was Nine Times Time Travel but eventually she didn't bother me that much.

Music:
Music was good nothing special but still pretty good

Rewatch Value:
I don't rate any drama for a rewatch

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Much like screenwriter Ryu Yong Jae’s earlier Liar Game, Pied Piper boasts two intriguingly complex male leads and it’s well worth watching just to enjoy Shin Ha Kyun and Yoo Joon Sang’s fantastic performances. They put flower boys to shame as they prove how mesmerizing sheer unadulterated screen presence can be. Unfortunately, the female lead, despite being capably acted as well, gets marginalized as the story progresses, becoming a muse and motivator for the men rather than a dynamic plot driver in her own right. It’s a shame, since her relegation to token damsel in distress blunts the impact of her unique perspective on injustice and its remedies. As the show turned to increasingly dire (and increasingly less plausible) schemes revolving around the guys it started to lose me. There were some great acting moments, but I never felt that the show’s payoffs were as compelling as its set-ups. I kept wanting the one character truly dedicated to positive change to actually, you know, initiate positive change. Instead she shifted to the sidelines as the world crashed and burned around her. For a show predicated on giving voice to the victims of violence, it felt oddly ironic. Pied Piper deserves applause for venturing into unconventional drama territory, but it doesn't always have the courage of its own convictions.

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This drama has many very good aspects and it is thrilling to watch and to try to figure out who the Pied Piper is in the end (I guessed right). There is a lot of tension and action, so you do not get bored, which is definitely the best about this drama, along the good acting, especially imo by the reporter.

HOWEVER... in some other aspects this drama is insanely unrealistic. And I do not mean the overall story, which is great - the whole plot of revenge and everything. I mean many of the individual plots and scenes. Courtroom, police work, order of plans and many more border on fairytail. They are just so far off of normal procedure and what would be realistically done, that its impossible to overlook.
Then, the female lead, although well acted, is one of the weakest, unprolifically written female characters I have ever seen. They could not have made her more naive, believing in good, crying here and there, being always forigiving, and a tag-a-long. Gosh.
The finale felt very cheezy and at the same time oddly dissatisfying.

All in all I cannot give it a higher ranking. It's a good drama, but not outstanding, although I really appreciated the few plottwists.

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Pied Piper tells the story of three main characters which were involved in an incident in their own way thirteen years ago. A criminal which tries to force his own justice on those who deserve it in a way that looks awfully familiar to a book called 'Pied Piper'.

Pied Piper was a series which I have enjoyed watching with some dark plots. From my perspective it started a bit slow and boring, but gradually improved in quality. The series mislead you several times about the identity of Pied Piper, which makes you wonder at the end if it was really him (of course until it is known for sure in the last few episodes).

Though I wouldn't rewatch this series as it is not fun anymore once you know all about Pied Piper's identity from the beginning.

A dark, but great series from my point of view and I would give it a well-deserved 7.5.

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bloody brilliant

i.m not going to write a long review.
just to say anyone who has not seen this hidden gem is missing a trick.
it is brilliant in every way from story to cast, acting and music it kept me on the edge of my seat from episode 1
If you like crime dramas youll love this. Honestly one of the best korean crime dramas I have ever seen,and I have seen many as it is my prefered genre. The only place I could find it was on kissasian. they have also plenty of what i would call old or retro dramas and movies. This is by no means an ad for them just a little information I have found.

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Oh my lordy- It's a shame that this drama is underrated- with its storyline that would surely put you on the edge of the seat at the end of each episode every. single. time., this drama deserves a watch!

Story
So the summary is simple- yet there's a bigger picture to be painted. It's about a person called the Pied Piper who manipulates people in order to do his bidding and a small negotiation team that was once borderline being disbanded having to prove itself by solving cases. What was impressive about this drama is that each case is somehow tied in with each other, painting a much darker and mysterious story.

The Good
The cinematography was good as the different scenes tie in together leaving an insatiable hunger for the next episode every single time each episode nears the end. The music was damn amazing with the scenes, incorporating a super impressive selection of instrumental and a mix of good genres even in different languages at times to suit the scenes.

Shin Ha Kyun and Yoo Joon Sang were amazing. They portrayed their characters perfectly as you can see how their characters mature and grow. I've seen Shin Ha Kyun in Brain (2011) and I wasn't too fond of his acting since I felt like it was forced and overexaggerated at times- however I'm pleasantly surprised that his acting was realistic and 3-Dimensional in this drama so it actually feels like he is a negotiator in real life. He nailed the two sides of his character perfectly, whether it being a cold heartless negotiator doing everything to get his way or an emotional man who regrets the mistakes in his past.

Yoo Joon Sang was perfect- her acting was on point, however there were times where I disliked her acting since it was too plain or her actions were just plain unrational, however I really liked how she portrayed her character and how she really matured throughout the episodes.

Yoo Joon Sang seriously knows how to play the audience. Honestly- he deserves an award for portraying such a complicated character, since you never know what his motives are.

The Bad
The only thing that bothered me at times was the storyline at times i suppose. It might be slightly hard to follow at times as you don't know whats happening- however it clears up at the end! There's not much to say about the bad things in this drama since the flaws are so minimal that it doesn't really affect your judgement!

And so?
If you are a fan of crime and action packed dramas- or if you just want to dip your toes in, start with this one since it's worth the 16 episodes as every episode will leave you on the edge of your seat!

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A police crisis negotiation team try to solve hostage situations and the likes. On one such crisis, a business crisis negotiator Joo sung chan was targeted by a unique identity called the pied piper asking him to confess the crimes that he committed as a business negotiator. Things take another turn when that fails and the team leader of the crisis negotiation team dies on spot. Also Joo sung chan's girlfriend dies there and media withheld his confession tape. Joo sung chan along with the media's new anchorman Son Hee sung and the police crisis negotiation team tries to catch the Pied Piper. Each episode will keep you on your toes and yes this drama is worth all your valuable time!

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Remember I said my review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk if you haven't seen this.

I came to watch this because of the positive reviews and I honestly have to say this one wasn't all that great.

When I came into watching these kdramas I became hooked because of how good they were. A lot of the dramas I watched had me heavily binging.

This one did not.

Every episode dragged a bit for me. I was even dismayed that the villain was announced in the 10th episode. I seriously did an eye roll. There was no shock factor in the reveal.

The plots were lackluster and the villain behind the whole ordeal didn't even solve the problem. The punishments for the evil doers failed miserably.
I'm the type of person who wants justice in these dramas but a lot of the ones I've seen have completely missed the mark.

I didn't care for most of the time that whiny MFL. I couldn't understand why the villain cared so much about her. It was like having a crush on a wet paper bag. Plus they tried to make the MML and the MFL have a spark but that quickly flamed out-which I was glad about because I don't care for the rom-coms.

As always the last episode did no justice. It just wasn't there. The ending just plain sucked for me.

I could've given this a lower score but I'm being nice. I just tried to watch this just to get it over with. I've dropped a few dramas and should've dropped this one.

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*Skip a bit for a longer review*

What I liked:
- the job! Negotiations! solving everything through a conversation. how can a listening ear change everything. work with hostage, terrorism situations!
-the concept of pied piper!
- the main lead's transformation
-the villain
- all the amazing quotes and messages of this drama that makes you think about lots of stuff.
-The ENDING! omg amazing

What I didn't like:
-the female lead! so much cries! >< she was annoying (sorry to the actress)
-a bit boring at parts (especially the begging) it is not a spicy drama, the juicy parts for me started at around 9-10th episodes. lol

I recommend it for at least one time watch :) I really enjoyed it a lot, especially the end. You just need to hold onto it and deal with boring parts and the female lead lol. the messages were fantastic. There is no that much romance though (only a super tiny hint, with a small look or small touch).It is mostly about crime and existential questions that rise through the drama, which i liked a lot.

Longer review:

The pied piper takes the children farther and farther....
What can you do for the truth? For justice? Can you become a monster to teach people to listen to the voices of weak?
This drama is about conversation, power, the voices of weak, negotiation, and quite philosophical thoughts.
I'll write a quick summary because i don't think the real summary describes it well.

Slogan: What is needed in the worst situation is not a violence but a conversation!

Summary:
The main male lead is a negotiator! Cold and calm. He does what he needs to for money. One day everything changes and he turns from a successful negotiator to a person who tries to find out the truth behind that case,which changed his life. The female lead is part of the police negotiation team, which is not so much in favor inside the police. Our male lead ends up joining the team and now they try to uncover the truth behind the series of cases where a certain someone controls people behind the curtains, making them commit crimes.

I'd be honest it was boring at first. Well after watching so many crime/mystery dramas this was not a surprise. Signal was out during the same year and was more than incredible. This one.... no, it can't be as good as signal. It's just a drama which has OK-ish first episodes, couple of twists, and breathtaking final episodes. It starts to open many questions and turn into a big question: Are you ready to sacrifice yourself for the sake of a unknown person, or your own comfort is so important that you close your eyes and ears and just follow the tide?
This is how the Pied Piper, with a not-so-amazing story line, slowly, but certainly, made a tiny question crawl into your mind: Is the villain... really a villain? And here goes the philosophical questions about everything, that made me want to immediately think about meaning of life and stuff like that.
There are lots of stories about revenge for parents, sad childhood etc etc that show us all of that in a better way. Well the Pied Piper looked at the problem in a little different perspective. In each one of us lives evil based on traumas, jealousy, complexes, injustice, rage and if someone suddenly shows you that all those emotions are justified and your revenge is needed, your inner monster can get up and go with the sweet melody of the Pied Piper to the road of Hell. But the melody sounds sweeter and louder covered in the vale of your noble intentions...

Do you know how to boil frogs? You boil them slowly controlling the heat so they don't notice. And when they do it's already too late. This country is such a boiling pot, and we are frogs getting cooked in it. The frogs will never notice unless someone comes and tells them, "Get up! lets leave this place, you are being boiled!"

Story:

Well i talked a lot about this already but i wanted to say some more about the occupation of the main leads. This drama is about negotiating. We have seen lots of dramas where people smack each other. Where police doesn't take action at all, or takes action through violence beating each other and all. Well here we follow the team who doesn't go into violence but into conversation. It shows how important it is and how it can save not only the victims/hostages but also the criminals themselves. Because at the end of the day we all strive to be heard. When no one listens to us we get hurt. And when that reaches a certain level when you are already so desperate to be heard but still hit a wall. No one can stop that rage anymore and in the clouded state one makes decisions that cannot be undone anymore. For fare negotiations the both sides need to have the same amount of power. There needs to be a balance, or you get smashed by the other's power. So you take the risks and get yourself a power that sometimes can't be ignored. Like taking hostages. So that the other party will listen to your plead. To you desperate cry.
I also liked how the main lead showed that in different situations when you need someone to do something, like tell cars to open the road for the ambulance, or tell someone to call the ambulance, you don't say it generally referring to all of the people, but tell it precisely to certain people. for example tell the car number and tell them to move, or tell a a person "you, call the ambulance" and not "someone please call the ambulance". Because people really don't react when when someone talks generally, they think someone else can do it.... I really liked how this drama showed it.

Characters + Acting:

Can't say that this drama has all the best characters. Especially when some of them go through the transformation, we all are familiar with, from a strong policewoman, to a crybaby (yes, this is about the female lead). She has her won role though, showing everyone the road of forgiveness, the road that is not through revenge. There is no romance here, by the way, they did some tiny romantic scenes for show but that's all. This Piped Piper is lead by the two main actors, Shin Ha Gyun and Yoo Joon Sang. Others are just extras. I already knew Yoo Joon Sang from Master in the House. He was introduced as a super energetic musical actor. Shin Ha Gyeon I saw for the first time I think, not sure though. The main lead's character goes through a lot of transformations. From a cold negotiator doing everything what it takes to finish his job and get the money, to someone who cares for others people and fights the injustices for free! He is a complex character with difficult personality and sometimes his acts can seem very bad. Some admire him, some hate him. But he does his work well. Solving a problem with minimum loses. What will you do if you can save 4 people by sacrificing one? Ask yourself the question without all moral principles. So what was the answer.....?
On the other hand Yoo Joon Sang plays a reporter who went from a poor reporter with no power, to someone who gained a lot of power by closing his eyes on a certain case only once. Well he didn't forget his principles though. He wanted to unveil lots of truths so he worked hard in his own way. Yoo Joon Sang could perfectly portrait him till the end! standing ovations for him.

The ending was incredible! It was breathtaking and this drama was worth every second for just that ending! bravo!

Music:
It was great!In the OST I discovered a nice song that describes this drama so well!

In conclusion, I think this drama is worthy of at least a one time watch :) Just need to keep watching despite it being not so spicy at the start.


P.S.I usually don't rewatch dramas so i put a random number there.

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Hmmm....

Poor quality, low budget, scuffed effects, poor color grading, murky story line, half functioning cast and a handful negative IQ characters. Uninspiring and dull cases. Might be the worst "negotiation" themed piece of media I've ever seen. Still watchable, I guess.

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