Tae Ho
In the shining galaxy of A.N.JELL, Bangtan Sonyeondan & CNBLUE
Wow, just wow! Definitely one of the best dramas of 2019, and a must-watch KBS drama that matches the standard of a good OCN crime show.
The story is spectacular. I didn't come to this drama with a high expectation because crime series is not a KBS forte, but they totally nailed this one. In the beginning, at least there is one chess move that's undertaken by the protagonist to trap his enemy, only to be cancelled in the later episode (the two main leads Dr. Na Yi Je and Dr. Seon Min Shik are equally cunning and smart). As you progress in the second half of the drama, you are thrown more twists in one single episode which makes the whole viewing experience even more thrilling and satisfying.
What makes the writing of this drama so spectacular and compelling is that the thrill of a 16 hour episodes is not reduced down to some filler cases where the story of our main leads are cast to the side, rather the entirety of the storyline is built around these three main characters and more (which greatly explains how the suspense has not slowed down at all the moment it began - yes I strongly disagree with other reviewers saying this story dragged or became boring in the middle). Voice is the crime drama that I can think of which weaves in the episodic filler cases in between the main leads effort to entangle and come closer to the main culprit, and thus having the consequential probability of losing its steam midway the series, which skillfully didn't happen here.
There is an unexpected love line, the character growth of one antagonist character and several gang members in the prison which brings out the much-needed lightheartedness into the story. Therefore, although this is similar to other OCN crime shows in genre, the insertion of light-hearted comedic reliefs is what differentiates this show to others, and makes it truly unique and special. Hello Monster is the only other crime story I can think of that delivers this balance brilliantly, which also has Choi Won Young as the other main lead.
This is in fact my favourite way of executing a crime drama, with some tender light-hearted moments instead of a constant stiffness that permeates the entirety of the story, something like Voice or Confession. I started this just randomly when I've already completed 13 episodes of Confession, and thought that I was just going to take it easy and watch the first episode only. Boy was I wrong, I couldn't stop moving onto the next episodes!
The acting of all three main leads are amazing! They literally carried the whole show on their barebacks. This is the first of anything I have seen Namgoong Min in, and I am definitely checking out his previous works. He's truly an exceptional, chameleon and a well-deserving Daesang actor. Kim Byung Chul was as amazing as the cunning medical director of the Western Seoul Penitentiary who serves no one's interest but only himself. Choi Won Young did such a spectacular job playing a sociopath chaebol heir who's suffering from major childhood trauma. Every cheek muscle movement, bulging neck veins and shivers are a testament of how brilliant of an actor he is, and how he has outdone himself in Hello Monster. Park Eun Sook deserves a special mention as well as the arrogant jerk who was given the most important characterization as the support character other than the three main leads, and he delivered his character with ultimate finesse. This young actor is definitely a main lead material whom we can all look forward to in the future.
The BGM of this show was deliberately minimalistic to accentuate the lighting and mood of the drama, and the ending beep heart sound at the end of every episode is just what is needed to keep an audience member engaged.
The rewatch value for this is always high, especially if you are a fan of spectacular performance by actors who execute cunning and wicked antagonist roles brilliantly. Definitely very rewatchable for the acting, if not for the story!
I am a sucker for crime-revenge series with genius main leads, and in my opinion, this show was definitely written better than Stranger. Yup, there I said it. Therefore, the rating average should be as high as Stranger on MDL, if not better. The part where they explain the role of stay of execution where people of power/money can especially exploit to get out of incarceration is so interesting and insightful to me; I am so glad to have watched the drama. It gives a better closure/context to some of the frustrations expressed by prosecutors in other law dramas where it's already extremely hard to catch the powerful bad guys, but even if you manage to do it, they will definitely exploit medical assessments to avoid imprisonment. Such is the reality of a capitalist world. Enjoy!
The story is spectacular. I didn't come to this drama with a high expectation because crime series is not a KBS forte, but they totally nailed this one. In the beginning, at least there is one chess move that's undertaken by the protagonist to trap his enemy, only to be cancelled in the later episode (the two main leads Dr. Na Yi Je and Dr. Seon Min Shik are equally cunning and smart). As you progress in the second half of the drama, you are thrown more twists in one single episode which makes the whole viewing experience even more thrilling and satisfying.
What makes the writing of this drama so spectacular and compelling is that the thrill of a 16 hour episodes is not reduced down to some filler cases where the story of our main leads are cast to the side, rather the entirety of the storyline is built around these three main characters and more (which greatly explains how the suspense has not slowed down at all the moment it began - yes I strongly disagree with other reviewers saying this story dragged or became boring in the middle). Voice is the crime drama that I can think of which weaves in the episodic filler cases in between the main leads effort to entangle and come closer to the main culprit, and thus having the consequential probability of losing its steam midway the series, which skillfully didn't happen here.
There is an unexpected love line, the character growth of one antagonist character and several gang members in the prison which brings out the much-needed lightheartedness into the story. Therefore, although this is similar to other OCN crime shows in genre, the insertion of light-hearted comedic reliefs is what differentiates this show to others, and makes it truly unique and special. Hello Monster is the only other crime story I can think of that delivers this balance brilliantly, which also has Choi Won Young as the other main lead.
This is in fact my favourite way of executing a crime drama, with some tender light-hearted moments instead of a constant stiffness that permeates the entirety of the story, something like Voice or Confession. I started this just randomly when I've already completed 13 episodes of Confession, and thought that I was just going to take it easy and watch the first episode only. Boy was I wrong, I couldn't stop moving onto the next episodes!
The acting of all three main leads are amazing! They literally carried the whole show on their barebacks. This is the first of anything I have seen Namgoong Min in, and I am definitely checking out his previous works. He's truly an exceptional, chameleon and a well-deserving Daesang actor. Kim Byung Chul was as amazing as the cunning medical director of the Western Seoul Penitentiary who serves no one's interest but only himself. Choi Won Young did such a spectacular job playing a sociopath chaebol heir who's suffering from major childhood trauma. Every cheek muscle movement, bulging neck veins and shivers are a testament of how brilliant of an actor he is, and how he has outdone himself in Hello Monster. Park Eun Sook deserves a special mention as well as the arrogant jerk who was given the most important characterization as the support character other than the three main leads, and he delivered his character with ultimate finesse. This young actor is definitely a main lead material whom we can all look forward to in the future.
The BGM of this show was deliberately minimalistic to accentuate the lighting and mood of the drama, and the ending beep heart sound at the end of every episode is just what is needed to keep an audience member engaged.
The rewatch value for this is always high, especially if you are a fan of spectacular performance by actors who execute cunning and wicked antagonist roles brilliantly. Definitely very rewatchable for the acting, if not for the story!
I am a sucker for crime-revenge series with genius main leads, and in my opinion, this show was definitely written better than Stranger. Yup, there I said it. Therefore, the rating average should be as high as Stranger on MDL, if not better. The part where they explain the role of stay of execution where people of power/money can especially exploit to get out of incarceration is so interesting and insightful to me; I am so glad to have watched the drama. It gives a better closure/context to some of the frustrations expressed by prosecutors in other law dramas where it's already extremely hard to catch the powerful bad guys, but even if you manage to do it, they will definitely exploit medical assessments to avoid imprisonment. Such is the reality of a capitalist world. Enjoy!
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