I changed my mind since the first episode. It was the kind of drama that I wasn't looking for, but you can't do anything, because once you see the first ep it takes you into the characters world.
I saw this while airing, from the second episode till the last, and I was waiting like a crazy for it every week. If a drama has this effect on me, it is good indeed.
The storyline is simple but well done: a story of revenge, and justice with the saddest moments, the sweetest one and action at their right place.
Even the romance is well balanced, and it never gets you annoyed. The love story between the characters is beautiful and makes your heart beats everytime. I loved the main couple, a pure love but also a strong one.
I loved the characters because they are kinda smart in their mistakes.
The cast was just perfect. Jong Suk and Bo Young are in their roles, you can see their differences very well. Sang Hyun too is very good as always making a role different from the one I knew him for. Woong In was just perfect in his role, I really could feel the tension while he was on screen.
Also the music was awesome, I loved the sad/deep/funny/relaxing songs.
What more can I say? The perfect drama. From the first the last episode.
Everyone should see it!
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This drama was truly a masterpiece.
The acting, story-line, everything was just amazing. From the start to the end I could just not stop watching it. I thought it would start dragging towards the end as so many dramas do but I really liked it up to the end.
Can I just say Jung Woong In was brilliant. He characters really gave me goosebumps. He portrayed Min Joon Gook so well.
I originally started watching this for Lee Jong Suk, and I loved him in this drama, he was stunning. But, the rest of the cast really amazed me as well.
The character developments were also portrayed really well. It is also really amazing how the story line develops and how the writers intertwined the comedy, romance, law, thriller and everything else. It's honestly been a while since I enjoyed a drama this much because I get bored easily but this one was just...wow. I am honestly amazed. I think everyone should give it a watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
I am still in awe of this drama. How is it possible to cram so many good things into one short series? IHYV will not only make you come back to it, but it will stay with you to think about it a long while after you finish watching it.The main plot is just so well done and the minor cases that the main heroes solve are not self serving like in many dramas of this genre, but tell a consistent story a give you food for thought. IHYV also centres around a few very interesting tropes and small character/relationship details that keep you emotionally involved.
When it comes to characters, this is the way I imagine a strong female lead. Lawyer Jang is so gutsy, follows through even if she might be wrong and gives her everything to things she deems worthy. Lee Bo Young portrays her in such a lovable and charming way, it's a joy to watch. She also clicks with both of the main male leads and let me tell you - this is a love triangle that truly hurts. Both Park Soo Ha and Lawyer Cha are so fleshed out, strong contenders and both have such unique qualities that you root for them both in everything. I also think, having seen quite a lot of Lee Jong Suk's performances, that this is one of his best ones. Same goes for Yoon Sang Hyun who can pull such different characters in every drama in a totally believable way and his (in this case subtle) comedic ability is simply amazing.
And this is not all there is. IHYV does not centre only on love stories, it's true charm lies in developed relationship all around. The love-hate "friendship" between lawyer Jang and prosecutor Seo feels so real, as well as the relationship between lawyer Jang and her mother. And part of this is also in the way the dialogues are written - they all feel like being led between real people, with common emotions that you yourself go through in your everyday life and the drama emphasises things like honesty, fighting for the right things and truth (plus the "use" of it in the law).
Also, you just freaking hate the main antagonist. Phenomenal performance by Jung Woong In. His conflict with each of the main leads is so different, it kept me on my toes.
I would also like to praise the aspect of a coming of age perspective that is represented by Park Soo Ha. The development of the character is such a journey. The creators also throw in some little elements such as confronting your idea of someone with reality, keeping of promises despite of what you want and learning to leave certain approaches behind. These are all things that we experienced in our reality and the contrast of Park Soo Ha, who is very special because of his ability, and goes through the same is a genius move.
If I had to point out some negatives, it would definitely be the extension of the drama. This makes the very last episode sort of unnecessary and disturbs the flow of the last couple of them. There is also a few cliches used and the typical trope of kdrama timing, which are a bit of a sore spot. Other than that, there is really nothing else that I found lacking.
Overall, this is one of the best dramas out there, a good representative of it's genre and solidly written. It's also worth coming back to and notice all the little hints you might have missed during the first viewing. You should stop hesitating and just go for it. It really is that good.
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This review may contain spoilers
An enjoyable drama, if you can ignore the plot
This is a solid drama in many ways. The pacing is good, the cast is impressive and the romance is enjoyable. However, I did feel that this time around (my second time watching through, after several years of having not seen it) the actual mechanics of the plot became more frustrating to me. The depiction of the legal system is tenuous and lacking in realism, which made it hard to enjoy large portions of this drama.I think part of the reason I enjoyed this drama so much (and still do) is due to the cast and the writing of the main characters. Lee Bo Young is excellent as the materialistic, brave and petty Jang Hye Sung. She is well-rounded, compelling and enjoyable to watch. Her emotional journey in the show feels organic and the ending is satisfying. She is wonderful in the more over-the-top comedic moments, as well as the more serious dramatic ones. Her chemistry with Lee Jong Suk also feels very natural. Lee Jong Suk is also very good as Park Soo Ha, who is a young and tortured soul. I am not much of a fan of Lee Jong Suk but I think this is one of his best roles. He plays all the facets of the character very well.
However, the more dramas I watch the more I enjoy intelligent plot, not just pretty faces and romance. That's what keeps me from ranking this drama higher. It has too many dumb court cases that don't make any logical sense from a legal standpoint and which in turn make it harder to care about what's actually going on. Although I like the villain and enjoy the tension from that standpoint, it gets tiring to watch him when everything else feels so idiotic.
Ultimately this is a drama that I WOULD recommend if you're looking for romance, some action, and some fun moments. If you're looking for a realistic legal thriller, look elsewhere. With the current popularity of legal dramas, there are plenty of excellent ones to choose from.
High point: Death of Jang Hye Sung's mother -- Hong Yeo Jin is the queen of my heart
Low point: Park Soo Ha being tried for MURDER when all they found was a guy's cut-off hand. Thanks, modern forensics.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the supernatural twist as well as the romance between the main characters. Also the investigation details and the 'law' side of it all was fascinating to watch. This is definitely not one of those typical romantic dramas.
I would suggest to watch this drama to those who are interested in a good mix of everything – romance, action and supernatural – as this drama has everything in good dozes and it’s indeed captivating and interesting.
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And so it was. There were two twists I had not see coming, which was really great.
The fact, that the main character can read minds plays a minor aspect in the whole story arch, which is actually nice. But you feel for him and his pains and cheer him on.
All the main characters are not as cliché as one would expect, therefore quite refreshing. And the actors are really great.
It is a great show, quite outstanding with an original idea. It really is one of the best I have seen so far.
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The first thing that stuck out to me is the fact that the main character, Jang Hye Sung, is not a very likable person, yet she's a completely relatable character. I realized early on that these characters wouldn't be so cliché, which really peaked my interest. Interesting characters in an interesting story is the perfect recipe for a really great/memorable drama. I Hear Your Voice was mostly that... yes, I said mostly. There were a few things that stopped me from agreeing with the mostly 10 rating reviews, but I believe the good in this drama heavily outweighs the bad.
The whole cast was great. Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young worked well as a couple, in spite of the huge gap in age. Lee Jong Suk was totally believable as the wise beyond his years Park Soo Ha (though sometimes more emotionally flat than cool). It's pretty similar attitude-wise to his role in Secret Garden, but this time he gets to shine as the leading man, while Yoon Sang Hyun takes a back seat.
Yoon Sang Hyun's Cha Kwan Woo on the other hand is the antithesis of his role as Oska. Cha Kwan Woo is super idealistic and a bit of a doormat, and his dynamic with the sometimes bullying and pessimistic Jang Hye Sung was kind of a refreshing change from the K-Drama norm. It was like the typical K-Drama gender stereotypes were reversed (he's even the one to get the makeover lol).
The three of them made an entertaining love triangle, though the love story did start to drag after a while. I loved the initial chemistry between Park Soo Ha and Jang Hye Sung, but I will admit that towards the end I became less interested in them as a couple. The characters remained strong, and interesting in spite of this. I don't blame the characters, it's more the fault of the somewhat repetitive romance plot.
Jang Hye Sung and Seo Do Yeon's rivalry was just as engaging as the love triangle, sometimes more so. Both characters were strong willed to the extreme, which made their vulnerable moments even more heartbreaking. I really enjoyed their anti-bff storyline.
My two favorite characters however were not any of the leads. Although I loved the leads, and the whole supporting cast, there were two cast members that were the true stars in my opinion.
Jung Woong In was such an amazingly sinister villain. As Min Joon Kook he really scared the crap out of me (which is pretty hard to do), and unlike the average cartoony K-Drama villain, his character had depth which made him even creepier.
The other stand out to me was Kim Hae Sook, who played Jang Hye Sung's mother. I loved the dynamic between mother and daughter, and one scene of hers in particular left me completely devastated. After watching her in this she has officially earned a spot in my top K-Drama actresses list (also see her in Cain & Abel, and definitely in Hotel King).
I gave the story a lower score than most, because I did completely drop this drama at one point. There's a point in the story where is takes a completely different turn, which I guess is better than being predictable, but I started to completely lose interest. After a while I decided to give it a second chance, and the reason I gave this a higher rewatch score is that I watched it again from the beginning and was completely sucked back into the story. I'm glad I made that decision because the story goes in so many interesting directions.
Like most dramas, the story started to drag a little at the end, but not enough to make me stop watching a second time. The writers also deserve a lot of credit for not leaving annoying loose ends in such a complicated story. The beginning was much stronger to me, but In the end I was not disappointed.
Oh, and the music. So many of the OST songs annoyed me. The songs in general are probably not as bad as my score, but hearing them over and over again was borderline torture.
I know I mentioned Secret Garden a lot in this review, but It was cool to see Yoon Sang Hyun & Lee Jong Suk in another drama together (since SG is one of my all time favorite dramas). Both I Hear your Voice and Secret Garden are also similar in how they successfully weave the supernatural elements into the story. I think a fan of one may also like the other.
Overall this is one of those dramas that has a little something for every K-Drama fan. There's the increasingly popular older woman younger man couple craze for romance fans (shout out to all the cradle robbing Ajummas!), There are plot twists for fans of suspense, There are cry worthy moments for drama fans, There's a bit of a tragic super hero story, There are court cases for those interested in the Korean legal system, There's some epic revenge for thriller fans... I Hear Your Voice really does attempt to take on a lot of genres!
I really would recommend giving this drama a try, and if you do watch, and find yourself ready to drop it halfway, I strongly recommend hanging in there a little longer. It may not live up to all the review hype, but I think the fact that it has so many enthusiastic fans makes total sense. At the very least, it's not just more of the same, which already puts it ahead of many dramas.
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The story is very complex; it's a lovely, bittersweet, bloody tale that makes you experience wide range of emotions during it's progress (I went from being downright furious at one character's behaviour to loving him)! As such, it will not be very easy to watch, and at times, it'll maybe make you question watching the rest, but I would recommend holding on, because this is a drama that everyone should see.
Actors are great, I like the supporting cast, the main villan is a well-written character (for a change) and even Lee Yong Suk, whom I have never seen in a drama before, has done a pretty damn good job and his acting is very believable. Loved Yoon Sang Hyun in this one, partly because of his wonderful character, but even more so for the life he gave to him.
I like the main OST, it fits the drama well, and the overall music was not that bothersome, not even in saddest scenes.
Also, this is one of the rare dramas I would recommend watching again, because there is much to be reminded of when seeing it; this special set of humane values that we may often misplace when throwing a fit in anger or being disheartened by daily happenings.
I think the biggest proof of a good drama or simply, a well-executed story, is when it just makes you feel so much; regardless of it being bit too long, having a few fillers (1-2 episodes), or giving a somewhat naive plot (there were plot holes which did NOT have justification)...But, the overall carried me into this world that I am glad I've met, and though there is a significent age difference between Lee Boo Young and Lee Yong Suk, hell, I didn't even care. This just serves as an example that some other dramas and movies with this kind of couple could've done a lot better.
Recommended.
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I was kind of not sure whether I want to watch it or not so I decided to watch when it’s over and gone and I got what I was missing.
The story was really refreshing. It had all the genres, crime, suspense, drama, romance, comedy, action, life and all its many splendor things.
The whole casts have an amazing-charismatic-on-screen presence.
It was as if the characters were written for them.
I just have to say that what amazes me with Lee Jong Suk is his ability to change from one character to another to another. He went from being the strong So Ha to the gentle lost SH back to the way he was before so convincingly you kind of question yourself if you are still actually watching a drama or a reality show. It was the same with his other dramas. I think I fooled myself into believing he is who he was playing to be and I totally forgot that he was playing a role altogether. Not a lot of actors can shed one character and take up another so easily as if simply changing clothes. Usually a part of who they were remains but in his case he sheds all that he was before and simply becomes what he is supposed to be.**absolute fangirl here**
I never really watched any of Lee Bo-Young’s or Lee Da Hee’s dramas before and I barely know the girls but I’m absolutely in love with them now.
I’ve never really liked like Yoon Sang Hyun, I mean I watched Secret Garden and he was cute but I tried watching his other dramas and I didn’t really it as much as I would like to, I take all that back now. I think he just had poor role choices and he is really the emotional amazing man that he is here.
The music was absolutely amazing too. It didn’t feel pushed into the scenes and it felt just right.
If you want something that has an “all-kill” value this is the series for you.
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The story was really riveting, even from the very first episode, it grabs your attention and sets everything up nicely. You always might think you know how the story will unfold but there are always nice twists that are unexpected. Literally there were a couple of moments where I was genuinely shocked or surprised because I had no idea of the outcome of certain situations. It was really intriguing.
Another aspect of the story which was welcome was the way the conflicts between characters were set up. Everyone is interconnected and had history which gave relevance to their problems with each other. None of that "I'm the b****y girl so I'm gonna be mean now for no reason other than thats my stereotype." OR "Oh I'm the hot male lead so let me be perfect and wonderful with no vices, why? because I'm the male lead."
The acting was phenomenal. Not only the two leads but also the supporting cast as well was perfect. All the characters go through subtle personality changes throughout the story, and each actor portrayed this perfectly. Nothing was rushed, nothing felt off, the transitions were all very natural and fluid.
The music was also spot on. Weirdly enough they only had a handful of songs for both OST and background music and kept these same songs throughout the entire drama. However they were never boring or overplayed. They all had an emotive quality that contributed to the feeling of the moment, and the timing when they were played was great.
Overall this was a OUTSTANDING drama, probably the highest ranking review I've ever given (and I hardly give 10s). Really it was SOO good, lots of intense moments, lots of adorable, make you squeal like a 5 year old girl moments. I would definitely recommend this drama to ANYONE. In fact I think EVERY SINGLE KDRAMA LOVER MUST WATCH IT!
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Well, let´s start how I got to watch this Drama. I have a lot of friends that watched this Drama and all of them recommended it to me, also I totally fell in love with Lee Jong Suk/Han Tae Sun in SECRET GARDEN and since he acted in I HEAR YOUR VOICE too, I thought: Let´s give it a try, I can drop it if I don´t like it, right? So I started this Drama - and the very first Episode got me! I think it´s very outstanding!!
Everbody knows that: there´s a Drama with a boring plot, but a very good cast (for example HEIRS), or a Drama with a exciting plot but a bad cast and not to Forget: Dramas with a good plot and a good cast! My opinion is, that I HEAR YOUR VOICE is one of the last category, and I think that there are also some People who think that too!
One very very good thing in this Drama is "the devil man"(Min Joon Gook), cuz he explanis through the whole Drama why he became "devil" and it´s not one of These chliche "I want to rule over the whole world", a sadistic thinking or something like that! No, there´s a Story for it, and that was one of the drama´s strong Points! ( BTW, Jung Woong In, who played the role of Min Joon Gook, did his Job very well! I´ve never seen such a good "devil" actor!!)
Besides of Jung Woong In, Lee Bo Young, Lee Jong Suk, Lee Da Hee, Kim Ga Eun and Park Doo Shik were also very good in their roles! I totally loved Kim Ga Eun and Park Doo Shik! They are so cute together, and I really want to know wether they finally got together!! It always seemed to me like they were having a Lovers quarrel :3
I just found one Point, that was something bad: I think the OSTs in this Drama are good, but there was a Little lack of Music. I don´t knwo if there´s anybody except me that´s thinking the same, but I think like that..
However, I´m writing a novel here ^^ To get to the Point: I HEAR YOUR VOICE is a very outstanding Drama, that I can only recommend!! You really won´t be wasting your time!!!!!! It´s worth a watch, and you can always drop it at any time!
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