Hip (2023)

A weird ass drama that turned out to be my fave of the year

So maybe you’ve seen people talking about Behind Your Touch but you’re not quite sure whether you wanna watch a kdrama where the central premise involves reading people’s minds by grabbing their asses. Well I freakin' loved this show and here’s why I want everyone who’s been holding back on starting this one to check it out.

Behind Your Touch tells the story of Bong Ye Bon, a small town veterinarian who one night during a meteor shower acquires the ability to see people’s memories -- but only if she touches their butts. She teams up with Detective Moon Jang-yeol, a Seoul detective banished to the town because of a screw up, to solve crimes and soon they’re desperately scrambling to solve the mystery of her mother's death and to stop a serial killer. To give you a flavor for the tone of the show, their meet cute is when he arrests her for trying to test out her powers by touching a pickpocket’s behind on the bus.

There's a lot of bizarre comedy like when the FL’s best friend develops a crushes on the ML and keeps serenading him with an accordian. She has a girl squad who she calls on to provide muscle as needed, like the scene where they deliberately start a fight at a political rally so the FL can run through the crowd and touch as many asses as possible. The squad includes a token man who is subbing for his pregnant sister and refers to the 2FL as EONNI! There’s also a screamingly funny 2521 parody that goes on for half the drama (people were referring to it as 5551) and even a throwaway gag referencing a famous artwork by Yoko Ono. The small town residents speak in an impenetrable dialect that has to be translated for Detective Moon who can't understand what anyone is saying.

But even in the early episodes (which are the funniest), there’s elements of a disturbing thriller. For example, the very first scene of the drama shows poor Ye Bon watching her mother’s body getting pulled out of a car in the ocean. And the first episode also features a scene with a woman being dragged through the dirt by her hair

Also know that while there are some very sweet and deeply heartfelt moments and some heart fluttering moments, this is not a romance. While I was dying for something serious to go down between the leads, it's only ever alluded to. I still loved them together. And there are secondary romances which are delightfully bonkers.

As the drama goes on it become less and less about zany wacky shenanigans and more and more about omg where did he stick that knife. The body count is truly impressive and major characters who we deeply care about die which is a bold choice for the creators and raises the stakes for catching the killer.

Unfortunately the thriller part of the story eventually goes off the rails. This writing team has never produced a thriller before and it shows. There's a lot of huge plot holes and implausibilities in the unsatisfactory final episode. It's really too damned bad because up to ep 15 I was absolutely riveted by this show and loving every minute of it.

In addition to the mostly excellent writing (except for the final episode) I want to shout out the performances. Han Ji Min and Lee Min Ki are absolutely perfect as our chaotic crime fighting duo. They handle the comedy and tragedy equally well. The entire cast is stellar, especially the actor who portrays the killer. I also love the Mujin police officers and the local shop owners and fishermen.

My biggest problem with the drama was episode 16 which failed to close some gigantic plotholes and wasted time with cameos from people we didn't care about instead of giving us a proper ending for the main couple.

Despite all that I freakin' loved this show and rate it my favorite watch of the year. I need LMK and HJM in a proper romance together asap.

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Unique and Intriguing

"Behind Your Touch" unfolds as a captivating blend of genres, weaving together mystery, crime, comedy, and supernatural elements seamlessly which keeps the audience engaged with its unique premise and well-developed characters. The blend of mystery, crime, comedy, and supernatural elements, along with the characters' distinct personalities and backgrounds, created a rich and entertaining narrative.

The well-developed characters, such as the veterinarian Bong Ye Bun and the demoted detective Moon Jang Yeol, bring distinct personalities and backgrounds to the narrative to the storytelling. The introduction of the mysterious figure, Kim Seon Woo, introduces unexpected twists, keeping the audience engaged and guessing until the very end.

It had a good level of suspense and intrigue that kept me guessing until the end . It's always satisfying when a story can maintain that sense of mystery and unpredictability.

The rural setting also adds a different flavor to the storytelling, providing an interesting backdrop for the unfolding events. The drama incorporates lighthearted moments, balancing the more intense elements with some comedic relief.

"Behind Your Touch" is not just a crime-solving drama; it's a character-driven story that explores the dynamics between its protagonists and delivers a rich and entertaining narrative. If someone is a fan of mysteries with a touch of the supernatural and enjoys character-driven stories, it sounds like "Behind Your Touch" could be a worthwhile watch.

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A Refreshing Romantic Comedy K-drama

I think this romantic comedy + crime thriller k-drama is refreshing and hilarious! I've watched 2 episodes so far and I can't help but chuckle & laugh. The story sets in a remote Mujin village & it's full of villagers with wacky personalities😂

Overall, it feels like it was adapted from a manga or manhwa but I think it's an original series? I quite like the storyline & characters so far. The director for this K-drama is the same person who directs "My Liberation Notes", so if you like that drama, you might like this one.

I've watched 2 episodes and looking forward to the next episode!

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Disappointing Cringefest with Zero Sensitivity and Respect for Sentient Beings

Waited for this to finish uploading before tucking into it. Like Doctor Cha, it was uberly disappointing. Unlike Doctor Cha, it wasn't even good enough for me to consider adding to my "treadmill list", which are a list of shows ok enough to watch only while I'm on the treadmill but not really to capture my utmost attention and emotional investment.

Main reasons were:-
1) For Asian shows that deal with animals, the first thing I'd prefer is "No Animals were Harmed" precautions. If the 'Secret Royal Inspector and Joy' series were able to achieve this—and their story did not revolve around animals— why couldn't 'Behind Your Touch'? Especially since animals are such a pivotal theme to BYT.
2) The plot was so cringey and paper thin nonsense. Woman keeps going around holding onto a moving being's butt to "read" them is not quality writing. I've read better stories from 9 year olds.
3) The male and female behaviours were WTF. Having a man Judo-flip a woman onto a bitumen road floor isn't cool. The same kind of uncool with getting flipped off a treadmill in 'King the Land'. Neither was remotely quality slapstick comedy. Plus the "romance" between the policeman and her aunt was cringefest to the max.
4) The characterisation of the protagonist was unrealistic. Vet Sci is a hardcore course in any country to get into yet the FL is an emotionally underdeveloped idiot who doesn't have seem to have any instincts or confidence around handling animals.

But, ultimately, the main reason I decided to drop this disaster was the treatment of gender violence. Having the FL find out that her ex coursemate might have abducted a woman whom he is abusing is one thing. To have it glossed over and ignored by fluffing the rest of the minutes up with comedic routines was incredibly tone deaf. If writers are going to show gender violence have some backbone to treat it with the care and sensitivity it deserves. The portrayal of it as just a plot device to fill in the time, without any context or follow-up, seemed an extremely lazy and cheap writing serving only to titillate for views. Pathetic. Are we supposed to laugh at the carrying-ons of the ML and co at the farmyard and completely ignore the horrid images of the poor abused woman whom have been seared into our memories? Go f#ck yourselves, male Sth Korean studio execs.

Have some respect for crime victims. Have some respect for animals. And, especially, have some respect for discerning viewers.

Don't waste your time on this BS. Unrealistic portrayal of a vet. Stupid approach to animal whispering and brain dead characters all around. Only stars were the animals but since there's no way to know if they'd been treated well at all during the filming of these series it's especially not worth supporting a show that could have been unnecessarily harmful to animals.

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Hits the mark with Comedy and Romance but it just feels like there's something missing.

(No Spoilers.)

Behind Your Touch plays on several elements seen in the likes of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Crash Course in Romance, wherein a relatively contained level of world-building fuels romance and comedy but also throws in a complicated hint of mystery and crime. However, it executes this plot much better than the other two dramas. So far, it appears to keep you on your toes, never giving too much away, but also creating an environment of bitingly comedic romance and more. I'm a bit worried about the stagnancy of the plot as comedy-mystery-type dramas often miss the mark when it comes to keeping a balance between fast pace and deliberate devices to stall the plot. I'm also... thrown off by the script and waiting for the slapstick character development.

Story:

The plot of this show revolves around a hilarious incident in which our protagonist, Ye-bun, is given the power of being able to see other people's memories by touching their... rear end. I know this is a plot device to create light-hearted, comedic situations but... Yes, a little perverted. Even weirder if the roles were switched around and it was a man gifted such a power. Which does put you off a bit at first as a brief ethical question that leaves room for criticism.

Our protagonist Ye-bun has an interesting set-up as a vet with a dotted past. She's young at heart, despite being in her mid-30s, and immature as well as innovative. Such a rowdy personality is balanced by the male lead Jang-yeol who is sharp, equally comedic given the occasion and is an outsider to the small town, desperate to return to Seoul for unknown reasons. The second male lead, Sun-woo, is presented as that handsome yet quiet outsider that Ye-bun hilariously drools over.

I'm reminded of The Killer's Shopping List in terms of the balance between having such comedic main characters at the forefront of a plot with silent crime lurking in the background. You'll be left howling at the hilarity of some of the situations, secretly loving the townspeople as no detail goes unnoticed with their developed personalities that are present enough to make an impression but not too strong to steal away from the main three characters. At the same time, there is plenty of seriousness to go around.

However... this is what it's been like for the past 5 episodes. I'm still waiting on the character development or at least just something. I don't really know but it just feels like something is missing from this drama to give it that one final push into being good?

Plot-wise, it's those typical procedural dramas with an extra plot brewing in the background. You'll be seeing a lot of new faces, and sometimes you'll have to move on to the next episode being a bit like "Wait, what's gonna happen to X? What happened to Y?" I think that's just because this show goes through characters so quickly.

Additionally, I did not like the side romance LMAO involving Ye-bun's aunt. I thought it was ridiculous and annoying. Sorry not sorry. The problem there was that they made her character so unlikeable in the beginning and a little bit irritating, and that the actual romance between her and the police captain is unnecessary (in my opinion) and felt like they wanted to beef up her character and the level of world-building in the small town. (You can skip these scenes, as I did. They're super short and feel like filler if anything.) They made her a "supporting character" but you honestly didn't need to make her life revolve around romance of all things.

I'm only halfway through the drama but so far I'm finding it fairly good. It's not overly amazing or anything, but it doesn't have to be, it only has to be watchable to be enjoyable in my opinion and I love the consistent humour and brewing love triangle. I will admit I got bored around Episode 6 but only because there was a much greater shift in tone from the "comedy" that felt like I was watching a completely different show. I'll give Episode 7 a try and see if it improves.

Acting:

I think everyone's acting is pretty on par with their characters. Suho, former EXO member, has had a few main lead roles here and there but you can tell he's fairly new in terms of creating an elusive character like Sun Woo, who is always with a smile and a quiet mind. Especially because his previous dramas haven't received that high ratings. His character is a complete contrast to the other male lead, which I think he does greatly with his mannerisms and pale expression. Han Ji Min plays Ye-bun with a smiley face and dramatic fashion. I think there were some scenes where I wasn't too sure about whether she had the "right" expression or not. But that might also be due to the comedy element of this show. She's energetic, whiny and a great character with a distinctness to her that separates her from the likes of other female characters.

As for Lee Min Ki, who plays Jang-yeol, he has an extremely tired face, but a definitive attractiveness and certain "arrogance" to his expression that helps capture Jang-yeol's personality in terms of his dynamic with Ye-bun.

Scriptwise, I understand they were working with what they were given. Imagine opening up the script to see you have to be fondling the rear end of your co-star. I'd be howling. Anyway yeah, sometimes the script felt like it wasn't for the same show. It just seemed to be flat at times but also nothing really... nuanced or hard-hitting. Sometimes you need a script that actually makes the scenes memorable, but because of how quick things go, it just feels like one thing after another.

Music:

I love the music in this drama! In fact, that's what got me hooked after the first episode really. The OST is modern and upbeat, which greatly emulates the youthful themes of the drama but also the correlation of the main leads' dynamic.

Here is the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Wx4aY3oPM6Z3CGH9u5IHL?si=ca6ee3e44c184347

Rewatch Value:

Possibly a 6/10. I imagine that once we have those big grand reveals towards the end of the drama in terms of who is good/bad, who is doing what etc. then the drama feels a bit obsolete if you know what has happened. However, this drama sustains itself because of how strongly developed the personalities are as well as the tons of things going on in each episode.

Usually, the showrunners think that having plenty of plot is what keeps the audience engaged, but they always compound it too quickly and make it hard to differentiate or process the events. Behind Your Touch manages to avoid this problem. As the scenes don't drag on for too long which makes you kinda forget stuff that has already happened.

Overall:

I'm not going to try and sell this drama as more than what it is. But it is really a funny yet interesting watch. I did get a bit... bored by Episode 6. Only because there was a shift in tone due to the plot. I don't think it's the best thing yet because the balance between comedy and thriller is a fine line that can't be dragged out and I'm a bit worried that this show might do that.

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