Cititorul Gândurilor (2013)

Timeless Legal Thriller with a Memorable Cast of Characters and a Top Tier Slow-Burn Romance

Good Things:

• No one is effortlessly good or irredeemably evil. Everyone gets a story that examines their motivations and allows them the chance to grow and change; even the villains. FL's journey is central, but all the leads share the spotlight.
• If you like slow-burns with a focus on daily life domesticity, tsundere!FLs/steadfast!MLs, witty bickering, role reversals, healing from shared trauma, cohabitation, hurt/comfort, a protective ML with an equally protective FL and helplessly devoted longing, it's top tier.
• Parallelism is used to great effect, both as a rhetorical and narrative device to explore the themes of justice, the cycle of revenge, personal vs professional integrity and the limits of the law from different vantage points.
• Unlike most legal thrillers it doesn't involve chaebol/political corruption, genius lawyers or an episodic case-of-the-week format. Instead it's an arching narrative about how the legal system fails to hear the people that it represents and several people in particular who have to live with the consequences.
• It's an excellent example of the cross-genre complex plots that were hallmarks of Kdrama in the mid-2010s and have been dumbed down ever since: all the niggling details have a purpose and it sticks it's landing at the end. There's also a balanced mix of comedy/tragedy/plot/romance so no one aspect becomes overwhelming.

Either-Or Things

• The age gap. ML is 18/19, FL is 26/27 (int'l). May be deal-breaker for some, though it's more of a 'I would set myself on fire to keep you warm' romance than an overtly sexy one.

Bad Things:

• The cinematography. It has a simple style and high frame rate that looks plain compared to modern Kdramas.
• The pacing. It received a two-episode extension due to high ratings, so the story stretches EP14-18.

Interesting Things:

• Lee Bo Young won the 2014 Best Actress Baeksang for her role as FL.
• The story is loosely based on the fairytale 'The Happy Prince' by Oscar Wilde.

Recommended if you enjoy slow-burn romances with domestic/daily life relationships, idealistic legal dramas, anti-revenge revenge cycles and sweeping, panoramic stories.

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I loved this drama, but before I tell you the many reasons why I liked it, I need to talk about it objectively.
Starting from music and direction: The music is always introduced at the right times, and although some footage is not just enjoyable, because of movements perhaps a bit 'too fast, has not ruined anything. I gave a half past nine to music, touching and sweet. I love ost.
With regard to the actors: Impeccable.
Characterization gives the characters: I caraterizzati well and each of them has a personality fresh and credible. Some are a bit 'weird, others perhaps a little' too blunt ... Some, again, you would not think "But he's an idiot?", Yet it is these moments that make you realize how much realism managed to give the actors and creators.
History: History enjoyable to follow, not boring. Do you take a lot.

It 'was my first drama, and I consider myself lucky. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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First of all I must say it was far better than I expected. In the beginning I didn't want to watch it because of summary, but I decided to watch. And I'm happy that I did.
This drama definitely has its strong points and I can understand why a lot of people loved it. Without doubts it is a beautiful story of love, but it's better to say story of twisted destinies, how lives of main heroes were interacted. There are many interesting ideas which can make a person think. For example Jang Hye Sung's Mother said a lot of good stuff and of course the life of the main villain.
Secondly, the cast is gorgeous! Don't understand me wrong I have nothing against Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young, but I wasn't impressed by them. To say more I was a bit tired of them by the end of this drama. It was too much of them despite the fact that they are the main actors in this story. But the supporting roles were indeed magnificent. I love the skills that actors showed and it was a pleasure to see. I especially liked Yoon Sang Hyun (Cha Kwan Woo), he showed his character so well. He was serious but at the same time very playful and I fell in love with this character and then Lee Da Hee. She was simply awesome in her role of Seo Do Yeon. She showed progress of the character and so much passion. I enjoyed watching her a lot. And other characters too, but I won't mention them all. So the cast is definitely a spot on.
But there are also disadvantages. For me there were a lot of situations where I understood it's just not possible. There are dramas where you also understand it but it is not so obvious. But I hear your voice isn't a happy case. So the overacting and overreaction isn't good.
And all in all this drama is good, there's no doubt in that, but is it so great? I'm not sure, there are a lot of dramas which are worthy of attention, but they didn't receive it. And this drama received it so much, so that I had a lot of expectations and not all of them were fullfilled.
But if you ask me whether to watch or not I will say: watch it. It's good, the cast is great, there are some interesting thoughts. So it's a good drama as far as I'm concerned.
Btw the scene in aquarium was so bloody awesome!

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I absolutely adored the concept of this drama. The beginning captured me right away and I wanted to keep knowing what happened next. I would (im)patiently wait for the next episode to come out week by week. I typically love criminal/justice type dramas because you never know what will happen in a court and the fact they tied in the mystical aspect of being able to read minds was beautiful.

The cast was great. The acting was great. I could actually believe all the emotions each actor was portraying and the characters themselves were hilarious, cute, etc.

The reason why I dropped it down to an overall 8 and a rewatch value of 6 is because of the ending. At some point towards the end, it got predictable and some parts seemed like fillers. When I had heard this drama would have a two episode extension, I was ecstatic and worried because when extensions happen, the story seems to drag on. To me, personally, it felt like there were three different endings in the last episode.

The ending disappointed me but I still loved the drama very much overall. If I ever do end up rewatching this drama, I would most likely not watch the ending.

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I didn't give the story part a 10 because i HATE HATE HATE that killer and his pissing me off and right now i honestly want him killed offff
BUT other than that i real really really like this drama i feel like Soo Ha is much more mature then main chick she annoys me sometime but i come to like her with each episode i think this drama gonna take off because lee Jong Suk in this and his really in demand right now i but with the drama so far you never know how its going to end because there just so much emotion in every character i don't know why she doesn't have friends i wish she was more social but lately the drama settings are A. her house B. his school C. her office D. the police station E. the court room PLEASE MAKE IT SOME OTHER PLACE LIKE .... HIS CRIB. but overall really a good mystery/ Nonna romance thriller plus i LOVE LOVE LOVE NONNA romance

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"I Hear Your Voice", is an exceptional drama that really pulls at the heartstrings and gives insight to the rules of the judicial system. "Innocent until proven guilty" is the basis of this drama and is implemented nicely into the story-line. Character development is impressive, as each cast finds meaning in their lives and the lives of others. Personally, I looked forward to Yoon Sang Hyun's transformation, both physically and his demeanor. Although I love his comedic side, I know he has more potential as an actor. My only disappointment... the ending romance. I must admit, I never saw that coming and and it lowered the overall value of the drama for me. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this intense, yet humorous drama.

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This drama starts as a drama that people like me would expect... A DIFFERENT KIND OF DRAMA, one that ends with the stereotypes of what a Kdrama is, while not losing that korean charm that is the one that hooks most of us... Well im PRETTY dissapointed. Like most dramas it started EPICLY, i even imagined the day it finally ended and I came here to give it the 10, that by that time, i thought it deserved. It had great comedy, amazing thrill and suspense, and the character portrayal was such i could not pick a favorite. But, it all died mid through. The same pattern of your every day kdrama was adopted, the same melodramatic stuff, and I could start telling what would happened 2 to 3 episodes in advance... It had a glorious beginning, it was fair midway and TOTALLY crashed in the end. If you love your typical Kdrama, you will LOVE this, if you look for something refreshing and different, you will be satisfied for a short while only to be disappointed later on.

The cast was great, they portrayed their roles VERY well! no complains there. I didnt sympathize much with Park So Haa midway in the drama but, it was ok (he reminded me a lot of his character in secret garden; but im used to characters being made for actors and not the actors actually portraying the characters) I particularly liked the antagonist. The way he had that "good guy/bad guy" switch was EPIC! (i would say more but im afraid I would be a spoiler)

The music too was great! Not that it had a wide variety of songs, I guess thats the reason I liked it. But the songs that did play were perfect for setting the mood.

The drama has its redeeming qualities, but if i had known it would have been more cheesy everyday kdrama and less trial lawyer/judge/prosecutor/defendant and accused action, I prob wouldnt have even started it. Its sad that for Kdramas to be a hit they have to be so typical and predictable. Anyways~ I give it an overall 6, cause it did have some awesome moments, if i kept thinking about how disappointed i was with it it would get a 3 or so xD BUT im trying not to dwell on that and remember instead the fun and thrilling moments.

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This could have been so much more!

I should be forgiving considering how old this show is, but there too many missed opportunities!

This show is about a kid that witnessed his father being killed, but is saved by a school girl who also testifies on trial helping to put the villain away in jail.

The story was good, but was poorly executed! This show required a darker tone, and for the villain and his actions to remain concealed most of the time to create tension and suspense. The male lead dedicating his whole life and falling in love with the girl from the moment he was saved is something we have seen before.

About the male lead:
Park So Ha seemed like he was going to be a mature and cool guy that regardless of his age would take good decisions based on logic and even strategy, but he ended up being a moodie young kid was was putting up a front, but in the end was immature and hotheaded. He seemed like a guy who had a plan, but ended up being a kid who was influenced by absolutely everything around him. This guy had a superpower, the power of reading minds, which was never relevant through the story; every discovery he makes with his power could have been revealed with tactics or plain strategies and traps.

The female lead:
Jang Hye Sung was a perfect candidate for good character development, but she never really changed until the end, the only thing that changed is that the people around her were not strangers anymore.

The "Love Triangle" guy:
Annoying character with way too much screentime, that won his cases playing America's Got Talent appealing for the feelings instead of the law or evidence, which worked for some reason.

The villain:
He was supposed to be the big bad wolf, but he was just a normal guy that was inflated by his incredible luck to not get captured until the end of the show. His motivations are shown towards the end, but they felt hollow for some reason.

The plot:
I don't think we can call this one a legal drama, but it is supposed to be one. The plot is basically about this bad guy that killed Park Soo Ha's father, how they survive him and how he ends up in jail and paying for his crimes, but we never see actual strategy in trial, plot twists with new evidence or just well written arguments between prosecution and the defenders.

I don't think the show is bad, but once again, I would have appreciated if the male lead was actually mature but scarred; if he did not fall love with the female lead so early; if they broke the love triangle within the first 5 episodes and just took lawyer Cha out of the equation; if there was another lawyer who supported the female lead at a professional level as a lawyer like a big brother or father for her; if instead of making the leads fall in love for no reason and out of nowhere they allowed a few sparks along the way to make sense when they recognize their feelings; and a lot of more ifs.

Enough with the Ifs... This is good show with average acting, below average plot and weak romance.

In the end, we are left unsatisfied and with our time wasted since things never really moved from episode 1.

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Wow, this drama was wonderful.

It may seem too much to give 10/10 but seriously: I couldn't stop watching it because it was that good.
It has the perfect mix of romance, school, thriller, comedy and slice of life at the same time.

The story line was smooth and not confusing or drifting away at all. With so many dramas I'm disappointed because it gets boring somewhere in the middle - NOT HERE. Every episode has its own peak and it is exciting up until the very last scene.

I loved the cast, every character was so unique and special in their own way, which made them so loveable and also so near to ourselves because we all have those feelings they have. And they made you cry sometimes...yes, this drama makes you cry good, but only sometimes.
It's a very moving story and you can feel the emotions of every character even if it's the antagonist.

Also well done on the music - there were very nice piano songs I should find on youtube to put them on my playlist haha :D

I would also rewatch it again because it's such a cute, moving and also nerve-wrecking story - well done!

OVERALL 10/10 <3

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