Come and Hug Me (2018)

PLOT: Masterful
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This series is among the best of the best. It is one of those rare shows where every episode matters. The plot was never left hanging in order to extend the series. Instead, every single scene was developed in service of the narrative.

The transitions from tension-filled scenes to sweeter ones was flawless. It made watching the series easy and enjoyable. The narrative was also organic, with nothing feeling forced or out of place.

Overall, prepare yourself. This drama will demand your complete attention, push you to the edge of your seat, steal your breath away and have you rooting for more than just the main leads.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Memorable
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The main leads were remarkably three dimensional. They were given as many strengths as weaknesses and every single one made sense. The development of the characters was consistent and coherent. Every action had a lasting consequence, and every instinctive reaction demanded a hefty price.

Yoon Na Moo (male lead, aka Chae Do Jin): His complex character was handled masterfully. He was presented as a sympathetic and strong figure, but realistically so. The best way I could describe him is with the saying, "courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it." Throughout the short series, this character struggled with his inner fears but accepted his vulnerabilities rather than hide them. He was strong precisely because he was afraid... but he didn't let that fear rule him.

Gil Nak Won (female lead, aka Han Jae Yi): Despite her tragic backstory, she was well written and very well portrayed. She's strong, not because she got over her past, but because she's able to face her present while accepting what happened. Her strength is quiet and subtle; allowing her actions to show her defiance rather than voice them loudly. She's also very nurturing towards Na Moo and I love that she never once runs from her problems, but faces them head-on. Because of the nature of the story, Na Moo's side of the story was more intense, but she is without a doubt one of the strongest female leads I've seen in Kdramas so far.

ANTAGONIST: Imposingly petrifying
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Yoon Hui Jae (ML's father): Heon Joon Ho deserves an award for his performance. Every time he stepped into a scene, he dominated and filled it with almost palpable tension. He cast a terrifying shadow over every character, continually reminding you that he was a prowling beast ready to strike. Forget Hollywood "horror" movies and "frightful" tv shows. From now on, Yoon Hui Jae is my new standard for blood-curdling terror.

SUPPORT CHARACTERS: Relatable & complex
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Though this series has an amazing cast of characters that bring something of importance to the table, I'll focus on the top three characters that merit a special recognition...

Chae Ok Hee (ML's adoptive mother): Talk about a character caught between a sword and a hard place. Her performance was absolutely brilliant and her character was probably the most relatable. Ok Hee is going to go down as the definition of a strong mother. She's a testament that water can be thicker than blood and, when push comes to shove, any mother will pull her claws out to protect her children.

Yoon Hyun Moo (ML's brother): Kim Kyung Nam deserves an award for his superb performance. Alongside Hui Jae, he stole the show for me. He had some of the most powerful scenes and the strength he displayed was of a different kind than usual. He was a sacrificial character (a spot almost always reserved for the female lead) but with a strong purpose. He loves, selflessly and fully, without expecting anything from anyone in return. I found myself hurting alongside him and rooting for him throughout most of the show.

Gil Moo Won (FL's brother): Another character that stood out with his complexity and excellent portrayal. We were given his backstory in small doses until the picture was completed. This was a character that lingered in his pain but who was strong enough to accept and ask for help when things got tough. He understood and empathized with Hyun Moo because they were both shades of grey, which gave them an undeniable bond. The fact that he plays off of Hyun Moo so well, made me wish they could've shared more screentime together.

PORTRAYAL OF ROMANCE: Sweet & nurturing
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The relationship between Na Moo and Nak Won was exceptionally balanced. It was an exchange of giving and taking; of want and need. They were loving, sweet and nurturing towards one another. They were also both hurting and, rather than taking the easy way out by keeping away from each other, they actively decided to pave a path out together. The quote: "You lean on me, I'll lean on you and we'll be okay" is enough to describe this beautiful relationship.

Here are some of the highlights:
1) They each have moments where one of them is vulnerable and the other strong; so it never feels one-sided.
2) There are no misunderstandings because they communicate with each other in a very honest and straightforward way.
3) The chemistry between them makes their relationship feel natural together. You can tell how much they care for each other with every stolen glance, soft smile and lingering touch.

HORROR FACTOR: Off the chart.
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You better be prepared to hold your breath and curl your toes whenever Yoon Hui Jae steps into the scene, is all I'm saying.

OVERALL: This is a masterpiece.
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The art direction is Hollywood quality (I'd say it even surpasses it). The framing, colors and lighting enhance the message communicated. So if you know what you're looking for, you'll be amazed at the attention to detail.

The music has also been carefully selected, used to amplify a feeling rather than distract. The ambient sounds help enhance the atmosphere, drawing you into the scene and forcing you to live it alongside the character.

Add to that the interesting story, superb characters and amazing acting you'll get a series that you'll not soon forget. Re-watch value for this is also quite high.

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I really expected to love this drama, but instead I felt very indifferent at the end, and indifferent isn't a good thing for a melodrama to be. My main issue is that I think this story should have have never been this long. This could have been an interesting movie, or a much shorter drama, but even if the episodes were short, 32 episodes is way too many to tell this story. To fill the time, there were so many repetitive scenes, so many flashbacks, looooong intense stares, and of course lots of hugging. Very dramatic hugging.

The best thing about this drama is the acting. Jang Ki Yong and Jin Ki Joo do make a very sweet couple, enough to make the star crossed lovers storyline believable, but there wasn't enough exciting chemistry between them to make the repetitive parts less boring. I also loved their child actor counterparts, who were really good, and matched the older versions well. However, the majority of their storyline never changes, so although I felt bad for them, and I was rooting for them, I also wished something more would happen than intense stares, emotional hugs, and occasionally fighting off various psychopaths.

Speaking of psychopaths, I think the best performance was Heo Joon Ho, because I love a good villain. His performance gave me Hannibal Lecter chills at times. Still, even his character started to get a little monotonous. I wish they went a little deeper into what made him tick, instead of waiting until the end. His scenes with the psycho tabloid reporter were fun to watch, and I liked the dynamic with his ex wife, but I felt like his interactions with other characters could have gone much further than just being generally creepy. I definitely wanted to see more scenes connecting him and Na Moo (not just overused flashbacks). The few scenes they actually had together were so intense.

The only reason I stopped myself from giving the cast a 10 is because even though everyone performed their parts well, their characters weren't always engaging, which is probably the writers fault. Some of the characters were one note, which I think is what stopped me from being emotionally connected to many of them. There were parts of the story that were emotional for me, and a some other characters that had moments that touched me (Like Na Moo's brother, Step Mom, and Team Leader), but the story is so slow at times that many of the characters get lost. Some just didn't have enough interesting contributions to the story.

My lowest score is obviously for the story, but again I am surprised by this because heartbreaking romance and psychological thrillers are two of my favorite genres. I saw some complaints about this being a melodrama, but I think it wasn't melodramatic enough. There are some very intense moments strung together by twice as many moments that are predictable and redundant. How many times do we have to refer to the same flashback to get the point. Maybe I am more jaded than others, but everything I found unique about this drama was drowned out by what I found to be predictable, and uninteresting.

The only way I would watch this again is if someone spliced together a much shorter version. I'm convinced that very large parts of this drama, maybe even full episodes, could be cut and not missed.

Overall I am pretty apathetic towards Come and Hug Me. I honestly almost dropped it, but decided to finally power through to the end. I liked the overall theme of the story, and parts of the last few episodes were much more interesting, but there were also really overdramatic and cheesy parts that were not necessary at the end. If you are a fan of slower paced dramas you may be more patient with the storyline than I was. This is an interesting romance at it's core, and that may be enough to make some people excited to watch. I will say that if you don't like the drama at the beginning, it probably wont get much better for you by the end. If you're still curious, maybe have someone make a cheat sheet for you of every episodes where things that are important actually happen. Maybe pay them for it in hugs!

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This show was unexpectedly interesting from episode 1. I have to hand it to Jang Ki Yong and Nam Da Reum - they were both amazing actors in this (and props to the casting director, because they did well choosing NDR for the younger Na Moo/Do Jin). My complaints lie in the back end of the story, and most especially with the last 2 episodes. I'm not sure if the pacing got off due to pre-emptions for the World Cup and elections, or if they made changes in the story. But the last episode was just super cheesy and didn't fit the tone of the rest of the show at all. One scene in particular - that I won't spoil - was just corny, and I was cringing so hard about it. (Surprisingly, a scene that a few commenters found tear inducing. I felt quite the opposite about it.)

While the story sort of floundered mid-way, I can't say enough about the cast - the acting was on point. Jang Ki Yong and Nam Da Reum were kings of facial expression. Heo Joon Ho was appropriately terrifying. Kim Kyung Nam elicited unexpected feelings towards his character as well. Seo Jung Yeon was perfect as the selfless mother to sons that weren't even hers. And Kim Seo Hyung, the reporter, was even more hated than the villain of the story. I had no complaints about the acting.

I doubt I will ever rewatch this, and honestly if I had just known the ending for our star-crossed lovers, I would have been happy to have skipped out on the last episode altogether.

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The story started off well and it had a very good potential to be one of the best dramas this year, but the slow pace is what upsets me. I can't call it is ruined, but I was anticipating more.
It is not a slow burner. Normally, I am ok with this kind of pacing. But here is the pace is really slow of the kind that the actors take five minuets looking at each other without a word and the antagonist takes scenes and scenes before he could strike, not to mention some plot holes and some stupid acts by the police. In the last episodes, the pace lift up and the episodes became more intense, which made the rating process kinda perplexing for me.
Acting-wise, the child actors did a better job than the adult ones. Nam Da Reum and Ryu Han Bi really impressed me. Heo Joon Ho (father) managed to make me cringe every time he is on screen. For the protagonists, Jang Ki Yong (Na Moo) was really good in the dramatic and when-he-is-angry scenes, but failed -unfortunatley- is the romantic moments, which was a big let down as I had seen him in Go Back Couple and made me develop second lead syndrome. ?His looks to Nak Won felt mannered and artificial, trying hard to look endearing and fluffy. Other than that he did a good job especially in the aforementioned scenes.
For Jin Ki Joo (Nak Won), I hope there was another actress instead. I won't lie, I skipped a lot of her (romantic) scenes.
Seo Jung Yeon (mother) overacted while acting angry but she was ok on the overall level. Kim Seo Hyung's (reporter) character was very annoying and was depicted evil for a reporter.
Music was soothing and lovable.
Overall, it wasn't a bad journey, but it could be much more better if it was shorter. I don't regret my time, but I don't think I'll be able to watch it again.

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Why you should watch Come and Hug me?

1. Amazing Cast - I know Nam Joo Hyuk and Suzy were being considered for this show. But sorry, I don’t think they could have brought the intensity that this cast did - especially the FL. JKY and JKJ might be newbies, but the kind of emotions that they conveyed through their expressions, with no words needed, was commendable- the evil smile that Na Moo would break into or the confidence that Nak Won would wear, these two people were made for this role. And the child actors - oh my god - they are a new generation of Ji Sung and Jung Eum coming up- so much potential. I think the child actors were the best part about the drama. All the supporting cast and villains were also incredible.

2. Story - The truth has been spoken - Romance Thrillers are my favourite genre. The drama was not fast paced but was not boring. It was full of emotions - no cliches. I loved how noone blamed anyone and tried to fight for each other’s happiness. This is melodrama done right.

3. Cinematography - I loved the settings - Cherry blossoms and house on the hills. Even when there was eerieness, it was worth watching.

If you are looking for something to watch, please try this. Highly Recommended.

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A drama that I could watch a million times!

This is my very first time writing a review and it is because I feel very overwhelmed by the fact that this drama is one of a kind.

First of all, I want to make a note of how I almost turned into a psychopath because of the reporter, whose character (in my opinion) is more vicious than the father's. It's funny that I even thought of slitting her throat and dry her to death when what she's been doing all the time was to ruin the lead's chance to smile even for a bit. I even relieved when she was killed (funny me haha). However, I give the character a credit for making the drama more satisfying.

In addition, the father's role as a psychopath and an unforgivable sinner was greatly portrayed with just those creepy eyes and evil smile of his. In the end, it was proven that everything that he had been doing (the killings) were not just his wickedness but a cover-up for him being weak. Nevertheless, his demonic character is much appreciated in this drama.

On the other hand, I want to just stand up and give a round of applause to the best stepmom in the world. Lucky, that she's not selfish and unconditionally gave her full support and love to Hyun Moo and Na Moo; even though she can just forget and abandon them, she chose not to and stayed despite of danger and humiliation from many.

More importantly and undoubtedly, the lead couple, both the young and the old characters, made this drama superb! I would never ever forget those loving stares and smiles they share with each other. I am 100% touched with their undeniable chemistry and the simplicity of how they show their affection to each other.

Overall, this drama.... is definitely rated more than perfection. The casts did a great job, especially the director and the writer.

Again, despite of almost turning to a whacko (hahaha), this drama completely overrun all the Asian dramas I've watched since I was 10.

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There are a lot of really good reviews about this drama, and I feel like expressing my unpopular opinion,

PLOT: Weak. At the beginning it felt like it was going in a good direction. To be honest I liked 1000x more the story narrated through the flashbacks than the main portion, but the real issue for me is that it seems wanting to be a psychological thriller with no real psychology in it. The motives of the murderer are a classic example of "Because I am evil" character. No redeeming qualities and no charm at all. When studying criminology, you learn pretty fast that serial killers do possess interesting traits that make you want to know more about their thinking. This? I really couldn´t care less. The romance is there because it has to be there ( for unknown reasons ) and honestly is not credible at all. No twists, characters thrown in midway through to fill the blanks and an ending that was just cheesy and felt like a completely different ( poor ) drama overall.

CAST: Boy, oh boy. I will get this out immediately. Main male lead: boring. Sorry, I know that a lot of people liked him, but he had no personality at all and I wanted to throw something at my screen for every expressionless shot we got of that face. And we got a lot. Main female lead: a lot of potential, but then... ROMANCE. Her best scenes were at the end, when the male lead was nowhere and we finally got some personality from the girl. The chemistry between these two was non-existent. The killer... ugh. He looked constipated most of the time, I will just leave it here.

BUT... I will say that the supporting cast saved this drama for me. The brothers were absolute scene stealers. I loved their dialogues, I loved their acting and I loved their plotlines. If the show was about them, it would have not taken me so long to finish it. The mother got some really emotional scenes and the acting felt genuine, her actions had depth. The "evil" reporter could have been better, she suffered from the problem these writers seem to have with negative characters, but overall she captured my attention for a short while.

Shoutout to the children in the flashbacks. All of them were magnificent and I really liked them ( even the main, here, when their interactions are actually sweet and heartfelt )

Ah, yes. There were two people following/admiring the killer. That´s as much as I can say about these two, they were forgettable.

MUSIC: To be honest I seldom notice music in a drama, unless it is really up to my tastes. I don´t even remember a note here.

REWATCH VALUE: ...I fought my way to the finish line, I´m surely never going back again for more

OVERALL: Meh. I would still not NOT recommend it. Everyone should try for themselves, just because this isn´t my cup of tea, it doesn´t mean it can´t be yours.

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This wasn't the drama I was expecting. A lot of viewers refer to this as a melodrama but to me it's more of a crime and suspense series. I have TBH and again I'm probably the first one to give this a low rating but the whole thing was just a huge YAWN. I was mislead by the title and the early reviews once again but having said that, amidst the corny plotline lies a huge miss by the writers right from the very beginning that could've turned the whole thing 180° and make it more original. . .

pros
1. JKY's silent acting. he has definitely grown a lot as an actor in a short period of time, no wonder he got the lead role this time

2. JKY's stare. his eyes speaks a thousand words even when he's not talking. I always find his gaze to be engaging

3. cinematography. the mood and feel of the drama is great especially the lighting. I have never seen a police station with such pretty lighting before

4. directing. the camera panning is good. just the way the director frames the scenes especially that vending machine scene where JKH just rested his head on to it

5. im glad I skipped through till the end because that last scene touched me. I finally got to know why it's called come and hug me

cons
1. Jin Ki Joo. loved her in MISTY but here she's the weakest link. Her whole story line felt like I was watching an entire separate drama (the ones like the cheesy daytime weekend dramas). We come from this dark and bloody scene that already got me hyped up and then suddenly it cuts to her scene sitting pretty in her pretty dress and makeup with her damsel in distress demeanor which really throws me off

2. I was not convinced that JKY is really playing a cop

3. the never ending flashbacks

4. I never thought I would mention this but JKY's younger sister's acting so cringy! it was so bad y'all

5. The first half of the series was just a total mess. I felt like watching two completely different dramas

6. I was not feeling the chemistry between the two leads

7. I was really hoping for a twist but it never happened and I'm not gonna spoil it but for those who already finished this would know what I'm talking about

8. Am I the only one who thinks that the star here is Mr. Heo Joon Ho? he is the only reason why I didn't dropped this drama because I was really intrigued and captivated by his character. This is what I'm talking about what the writers could've done differently, instead of the usual two lovers as the lead, I wished that they turned HJH's character into the protagonist, that would definitely give us a whole new drama! Can you imagine a drama about the makings of a psychopath serial killer? kinda like a Hannibal-ish drama. SIGH.

9. the last episode was a huge let down. it just turned up that those build up from all the episodes were all for nothing

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This is a serial killer drama with a lot of dead time. Most of this show is seriously boring. The first couple of episodes of this drama are promising, but I would not recommend it. The characters are so dumb and get themselves into lots of dumb situations. Also, there are some uncomfortably violent scenes throughout the show. The dialogue is repetitive, dull, and poorly written. I agree 100% with another viewer who called this the “I’m sorry drama” because many of the conversations involve the characters apologizing to each other. Gets old pretty fast.

That said, Heo Joon Ho knocked it out of the park with his masterful portrayal of Yoon Hui Jae. I’m also a fan of Jin Ki Joo and hope that she is able to land more roles in the future.

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This show literally reminded me why I love and watch kdramas. Come Hug Me was such an emotional rolercoaster in which in enjoyed every second of of it. There was not an episode in which dissapointed me and each episode was meaningful and had a purpose to the story. From the intricate characters to the story, nothing went wrong when i watched this show.

The first episode gripped me in in the first minute as we are introduced to our two main leads Na Mu and Nak Won. I loved how slow paced the relationship bewteen our leads were as they slowly came back into each others lives 12 years later after the incident. When watching that incident it broke my heart everytime seeing it and I know how much it affected them. When it finally introduced Na Mu as a detective and Nak Won as a successfull actress 3 years later, i wondered how they would cross paths into each others lives becasue they live such different lives but they did it in a way which seemed believable and heartfelt so it didn't seem wrong.

With the main male lead Na Mu, I really loved teh development of his character from the get go becasue as a child he was quiet and obedient to his father who was a monster but after meeting Nak Won he begun to want to change and change his life. He saw Nak Won as a paradise, a place in which he could confide in and feel at peace. Even after the event and when he was in police university, he would look at a poster of Nak Won everyday to feel comfort as he was having a hard time. The more the story unfolded he begun to show the side of him in which if anyone messed with Nak Won he wouldn't be afraid to kill and thats what everyone linked to him being a pyscho like his dad and thats what his father wanted him to be, a monster like him. Becasue of Nak Won, Na Mu was able to calm down and stop himself in times he was about to kill someone and especially his father in the last episode.

With Nak Won, I couldn't help but just feel sorry for her through out the whole show, even though the father of the son she loved, she still said it wasn't his fault her parents died and still stayed with him. When we saw her as a 16 year old in the first episodes I loved how upbeat she was around Na Mu and lovavble she was as character. Then when they met 12 years later she still accepted him even though Na Mu felt sorry to her everytime he saw her.

I loved the support character in Come and Hug Me as they all supported the story nicely and the actors did the script justice. With Hyeon Mu, I didn't like him as a teenager but as we saw him in the latter part of the story we saw how much he was suffering and how much he just wanted a normal family. So Jin which was No Mu's younger sister made me feel so bad for her at the start of the show cause she was a little child and idolised No Mu in which they had to split up with eachother but i'm so glad they met reunited again because she really deserved to live a good life. Lastly the reporter who ended up dying, i don't know what it is but the actor who played her really has a unlikable face and she always place characters I end up hating.

The OST truly made this drama whole as it added emotion to the story and when the OST intrumentals played at sad moments it really made me feel so sad. At the end of the show when it was all over the OST played and it made me think about what happened throughout the whole show and I couldn't stop crying because of how bad i felt for the main leads and how glad I was for the good ending we recieved

Overall if your looking for a melodrama to watch with a heartfelt romance I highly reccoemend this, it was a trully a masterpiece in my oppionion and would have anyone watch it.

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A hatchet job by the writer...

The concept of this drama was so promising, and maybe because it was too long (actually for me there was really only enough real substance for a movie) the longer plot must have over-extended the writer and ultimately the talk-and-hug-heavy- plot exposed his limited set of skills. The biggest snag? Once you hit the middle you keep getting a loop of the same conversations between our leads with the EXACT same words...over and over and over again...followed by regular hugs. Now I do love hugs & skinship in a drama, but these were long and awkward with drawn out camera shots. After ten of these identical "talks" though, even the earlier thrill of seeing them hug was gone. The thin plot is filled up with identical and gratuitous bloody and violent murders, a lack of police 'smarts' and the same trope that makes my blood boil every time: the girl stays alone or goes out on her own without backup when there's a killer out looking for her. The demented father was THE best feature, and I also loved the performance of the two young actors who started the drama, along with our hero's Mom and lost brother. Really sad and quite a surprise for me, was that Jang Ki-Yong's character was restricted in the range of emotion he was given, unless he was angry. The rest of the time he stared a lot in hurt or longing silence.. The romance was 'ok' but got a little boring because they kept repeating 'exactly' the same dialogue about the same topic. The plot had big gaps in common sense, especially when it came to the transparent and predictable events in the crimes. Too bad, what started out to be a gripping story that questioned whether we have to follow in our parents footsteps, turned into an endless blood-spattered kill-fest. Definitely a 'hatchet job' by the writer. It's a miss if you care for a well-developed drama.

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