Healer (2014)

A little bit overhyped, maybe?

I wrote some notes while watching this (I usually don't write them but with this show, I feel like doing it so I did).

- Ji Chang-wook is one of my favorite male actors, no doubt. I've only watched two of his dramas so far and I feel like I've not had enough. I know I have a lot of his dramas to watch still but I'm already afraid of running out of JCW shows to watch (and I don't usually rewatch shows). I wanna binge all of this dramas right now but at the same time, I wanna save them. But at the beginning of this show, JCW was somehow not that great. I mean, he's so gorgeous and so talented. But I feel like his full potential came into action later in the show. He just has it all: the good looks, the talent to act and convey many type of emotions (and he is so good in acting only with his eyes and facial expressions), beautiful voice to listen to, those intense stares... He can do romance, he can do action, he can drive a car lol (I have a personal thing with korean actors driving fine cars, since I'm not that great of a driver myself).
- The name of the drama, Healer, got many meanings as the plot progressed. At first I didn't really understand the title but now I think I do. The main couple also seem to heal each other in some way, they both have had some terrible experiences in their past. But the events in the past felt a little separete. They got explained but I'm still a little confused.
- On the other hand, it was nice that the romance wasn't really the main focus of this drama. But still, I wished that there would have been a little bit more romance and it would have started a little bit earlier. But, then again, the romance betweem the main leads felt so natural. There really wasn't that much of those cliche stupid misunderstandigs and breakups/makeups and that on/off-stupidivity that I'm used to seeing in many kdramas (those misunderstandings are just annoying and childish). Both of them respected each other and Healer himself didn't act like a douchebag but was so protective and nice and, well, clingy (but in a good way), towards her. That's the real romance! The chemistry between the main leads was also good, I believed their romance.
- The fighting scenes were okay but still not that great. I mean, some of them were really good (for example, the one were Healer was speaking on the phone and hitting the villains at the same time) but, on the other hand, some of them felt a little fake and you can clearly see it. There was many cuts in those scenes and it made it feel like trying tobluff the watcher to believe them and to make an illusion of a fast-pacing and dangerous fight scene.
- At first, the beautiful piano music (the Healer theme, I think?) felt a little separate when it was playing almost all the time. But as the show progressed further, the effect of that beautiful ost got stronger. I really liked that song, it was the most memorable in the show. Very beautiful and good to make the emotional impact stronger.
- The last episode was a little bit of a let-down. Everything happened and there was even more plot twists and it seems that it wrapped up a little too fast. Instead, the better option would have been to make this kdrama a little bit shorter and then to start wrapping things up earlier. So the pacing of the events wasn't always working that well. And so many things happened that it was a little confusing to keep up at times. So much politics and all that.
- This was a good series. I just felt like it got really good and addictive around the middle part when I've seen about half of the episodes. So it was quite slow and maybe a little bit too long. But there is pretty much everything in this drama: humor, action, romance, drama... And superhero vibes!

Overall, I really enjoyed this show and watched it quite fast. Very watchable and, well, if Ji Chang-wook is in a drama, it's automatically at least a mediocre show - and this kdrama was a way above mediocre, definitely. Just a little bit overhyped, in my opinion. But I will keep watching JCW's shows, of course I will. And now I feel quite empty having finished this show.

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"Healer" was the first Korean drama I've ever watched. I stubbled across its trailer online and so I decided to give it a try. Next, I found myself obsessing over both main characters Seo Jung Hoo and Chae Yeong Chin. I was first surprised and chocked by the storyline since its unique and quite perfect. Then, what attracted me the most was the chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young. I've watched several Korean dramas after "Healer" but Ji Chang Wook remained forever my favorite Korean actor with his shining smile and perfect looks.

Overall, I recommend anyone who is looking for a wonderful action romantic drama to watch "Healer". You'll find yourself hooked and eager to rewatch over and over again.

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A ‘Healing’ watch

While no show can be truly perfect, Healer certainly comes very close. The chemistry between the Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young was fantastic. Very believable, sweet, lots of skinship, trust, and communication. An excellent romance. Falling in love with a man of mystery is a dream many people may fantasize about, and here we get to see it personified in a tasteful manner.

The plot was fairly solid. While the villains were rather 2D and the plot got a little lost at the end, it was not overwhelming. While there were many action/fight scenes, they were well choreographed and there was little gore. Some of the earlier fight scenes were cut with a relaxing OST which I personally enjoyed, as it softened the tension a little and set the mood for the show.

I think it would have been nice to have more backstory/screen time for some of the supporting characters. They do have enough to make them feel “real” which is nice, but the writer chose to focus on the main couple the most—which I’m happy about. So it’s not really a complaint, but rather an observation.

Though I liked the OST, it would have been nice to have ~2 more songs, as it felt like I was always hearing the same 3 songs. I probably have the lyrics to them memorized by now lol. That being said, I do also find it comforting to hear the same song frequently. Anyway I didn’t really mind, it’s more just something I noticed.

Overall it was a very easy and enjoyable watch. Though there is action, it is not too intense, and though a romance, it is not unbearably cheesy. I’ve rewatched it once (1m after first watch) and enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than the first time. The plot was a little easier to follow and I picked up on little details I hadn’t noticed before.

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A perfect blend of story, characters and relationships

I absolutely adored this drama.
One great feat of this show is that it managed to perfectly blend story, characters and relationship. Oftentimes shows will have too much plot and not enough characters and relationships development making it heavy to watch or they’ll have too much focus on the characters and relationship and just barely any plot. Healer in my opinion blended all of these aspects perfectly.
For me to fall in love with a show I need one of two things: at least a character that I absolutely love or a great plot that leaves me breathless. If the plot is meh but I love at least one character I can keep watching and if the characters are just fine but the plot is mind blowing I can keep watching.
In this case the story wasn’t mind blowing, however it also wasn’t mediocre, it was extremely interesting and I always wanted to see where we were going and what was going to happen next, not once did I find myself feeling bored of it and wanting to just skip ahead. (a bit of a lie, I did skip through during the last 2 episodes, but I don’t think that’s the show’s fault, I’m honestly just impatient and have a short attention span).
What I really fell in love with, however, was our main character “Healer”. I really liked him from the beginning but by the middle of it I was completely in love with him and I kept begging the people in the show to please just give him lots and lots of love (and a reliable father figure). He’s the perfect blend of badass and reserved, but not in a macho bad boy way: he will kick the bad people’s asses but he’s not a rude asshole, he’s reserved for sure, but in a “I don't know how to act in social situations” way. Listen, I don't know how to explain this. I just know that I love him and I’ll be founding a campaign to find him a new father figure.
Does it deserve a 10/10? I don't know, but I also don’t know how to rate things so I’ll just give it because I feel like it.
(gave the music a 6 because nothing really wowed me but also there was nothing bad with it,. I honestly can't remeber one single piece of music that I heard)

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After 7 months (I started watching this in September), I finally completed this drama. Yes, you heard (read lol) well: 7 months! I don't know why it took me so long to finish this show, because the quality of the cast, the production, the action scenes etc is undeniable. I did end up giving it 9 stars. But it wasn't a drama that grabbed me to the point I was obsessed. I would watch it every now and then, two episodes at a time, and then not watch it for a while. For that reason, I can't give a 10. Also, I must admit that the last 2 episodes disappointed me quite a lot. It was way too fast-paced and the ending didn't satisfy me because it was underwhelming and we didn't get to see how the relationships between some characters developed after the revelations. Nonetheless, I really loved the story and the characters. The side-characters were amazing! The ajumma and the young girl were great, the lawyer father and the ex-inmates were hilarious, the bad guys were interesting and everyone was profissional and acted superbly well. It's for that reason that I disliked the ending: we didn't get a conclusion for most side-characters which I fell that, in this situation, was very much needed.

I really liked this drama and I hope you'll like it too!

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Both female and male lead have a solid chemistry. The male lead pulled all the stunts and action scenes so well, his duality of being a cold-hearted in mission and being in-love is awesome. The female lead also did her part in the series and I think it worked. The story is fine from acting, props, and editing everything fits.I found out that only 2 songs were mostly used but I agree with the music director, it fits the scene so well. Thus, it intensifies the scene wherein you would feel it yourself vibe. Watching this is like a set of The K2. I also recommend watching that after this or before this!

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My First Ji Changwook's Drama

Quarantine made me rewatch this again. My very first Ji Changwook's drama. I was instantly fall for him since the first minute of this drama.

Healer has everything. Do you want romance? It has. Do you feel like you want to watch action or suspense? Healer obviously got it. The comedy one? This drama literally funny af. Healer is basically a romance-action drama that you need to watch at least once in your lifetime. Trust me, go watch it without reading the review or even looking for spoiler.

The plot, the cast, the ost literally was so perfect. In my opinion, everything was so perfect until we came to the ending. The ending sucks. But it didnt ruined my experience of this drama. Healer was always has a special place in my heart and it was one of the list if people asking me what all time my favourite dramas, i'd tell them: Healer.

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This Drama Solved My Life Problems.

plEASE, I was so proud of this drama when I finished watching it. For the first time I found myself genuinely wanting a season 2 for absolutely no reason. Though, I wish Yeong Shin had more interactions with those ex-cons because I could tell they treated one another like family. I won't lie, I feel like Yeong Shin's past wasn't fully explained, and her biological mother never exactly found out, did she? Anyway this is the first drama I really want to rewatch some time.

Chae Yeong Shin is the most innocently fearless female lead I've seen in a kdrama so far. Literally, this girl can do anything head-on it's pretty mind-blowing. Yet she's a whole softie and I love it. SEO JUNG HOO, PARK BONG SOO, HEALER, WHATEVER HE PREFERS. He's so cute, I LOVE him. I loved his interactions with Yeong Shin. And the disrespectful relationship with his partner is to DIE for. This man's duality is pretty damn good. I loved how terrified he was when Yeong Shin's dad chased him around. The five friends that connected the male and female leads' pasts was a lot more complicated than I thought. At first, I thought everyone was stressed out about a car accident, but it turned out to be something more detailed. Jo Min Ja is the best hacker I've seen. She's just like a teenager's mom, and the way how everyone thought she was Jung Hoo's mother is hilarious. She's so sarcastic, all her scenes make the show so much more lively.

The other characters were also good, but then this review would be too long lol :))

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it was quiet good ??

The show was made a long time ago 2014 and i've just watched it recently in 2022 , personnlly i am not a big fan of rom-cos or cliché mi am more into slow burn romance with kind of a darks side which this drama wasn't giving as was expected .

despite being so old and having those cliché ngl i kinda felt nostalgic cus it's been a long time since i've watched an old drama with so well done clichée i'd say ; the acting was on point neverthless i kind off didn't understand some of the ML reactions abt the new revelation the whole story was abt her finding these things but they didn't give it importance which i kinda disliked cus they passed and moved on .

i kinda liked and diskliked the ML is a love hate relation ship, but i did like that she was understanding to what the ML was hiding from her and she didn't ask more question nor hated him or was angry even tho she knew he was hiding things from her which was what the whole plot were about , she yet acted as if she didn't know, you know i was like yes that's good ?? but still she just sucked it up and didn't get mad or anything of sort like that's it the revelation she found out were what the whole plot is about and i thought they would give her more script of her being a stubborn kind of they just moved on on her finding those revelation and passed so thats what i disliked .

after all i really liked the characters they have done a good job acting and i felt absorbed by what i was watching even tho i am not very fan off 5+ years old drama yet it was a good watch smtg that i wouldn't recommend first thing but you can try if you're being nostalgic to the old drama with the ost in every romance moment personnally i was missing it so that's why i liked it .

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Still one of the best, all these years later . . .

'Healer' himself is the key character to this story - the one who transforms from a loner, selfish, barely trusting anyone to a kinder, more generous person who wants to see justice done. His story would be transfixing on its own - but its paired with a believable romance with lots of interactions, a mystery with multiple subplots, and a moving story regarding old friends, family and generational hopes.

The acting is top notch, and all the leads (and many of the supporting characters) can go back and forth between humour, tragedy, action etc. with the drop a hat. The music is good enough. There is a lot of rewatch potential as a lot of its value is not in the 'mysteries' of the show.

I grade by other criteria as well:

Complex Themes -10
There are A LOT of themes here regarding corruption, power, love, friendship, selfishness v. sacrifice etc.
Character Growth -8.5
'Healer' grows a lot as noted above, and at certain points in the show does a 'Superman' type deception. Yeongsin does become a bit sharper, cynical and somewhat steelier over the show, but the majority of the transformation is on his side.
Nuanced Women -7.5
There are 3 great female roles in the show - very smart with strength of character, but unfortunately no real bond or connection between them until the very end. The women are more ideals and inspiration - motivations for the men in the show than fully fleshed out characters in and of themselves.
Cinematography/Production Values - 8.5
The action scenes are really well done on what appears to be a lower budget than what K-dramas have today. Lots of 'exteriors' shot in real settings scenes - good, basic cinematic camerawork. The main downfall is the wealthy people do not have the trappings/attitudes of the wealthy probably due to lack of budget.

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I enjoyed the series, which was good but a little black-and-white.

What I liked:
* The main lead's acting. I loved how he portrayed his character's emotional turmoil and, especially in the first half, his confusion about his feelings.
* I liked the pacing overall. There was a bit of a drag around the 2/3 mark, and the last episode felt rushed, but I really liked how the story, the parent's history and the love story, unfold.
* The action scenes were well done, and there was no excessive violence, only what was needed by the plot.
* I like the underlying message. Namely, that a free press (Free of politics and free of commercial restrictions) can be very powerful and that is why we need it.
* Something which I loved: At the beginning of each episode we were shown the last scene of the episode which came before -- which is not that new, but that scene always had something new, either just an extended version or the pint of view of another character, which sometimes even made me re-evaluate what I saw before. I don't think I've seen that done before, at least not that consistently.

What I did not like:
* Maybe I'm spoiled by dramas like "The Good Detective" or "Stove League", where there are multilayered characters and no clear line between good and bad, but I was disappointed by the "mystery", which was basically the "evil group who controls everything with an even more evil leader" trope. That trope is old and overdone, and I think audiences can and should expect more respect for their intelligence.
* I especially don't understand why they had to introduce a new plotpoint in the last two episodes. I'm sure they wanted to resolve the "item" and the murder of the first episode and maybe they wanted to finish with a bang, but it did not feel as an organic part of the rest.
* The female characters (apart from "Ajumma") also stayed remarkably passive during the whole show. The plot was mainly driven by Healer and the male reporter, while the young female reporter and the lady in the wheelchair usually followed behind, although both women's lives were equally, if not more, affected by the bad guys. Also, they are meant to be reporters! I expected them to take the lead at least in the later episodes.

All in all, it wasn't a bad watch but I'm not sure if it's worth a rewatch.

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