Pinocchio (2014)

At beginning when I heard the title... what!? pinocchio? I can't help but to imagine this drama is about a character who can't lie, else his/her nose will change its shape or something like unrealistic things would happen. My friend forced (I'd love to call it 'a challenge') me to watch it, and I accepted that challenge. First episode wasn't bad, Choi Dal Po was able to make me fall in love with his character (his CHARACTER, not his appearance, face, or something). So, I decided to watch the next episode, and next, and next. A curiousness made me watch this drama till its end. The story is above the average, even I can say it has more complicated yet entertaining storyline, than While Were You Sleeping (Ups). I love its plot twist too. It's not like I'm a diehard fan of Jung Sook though.

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Firstly, it was super cool to have each episode titled the same as a fable or a myth, and for us to figure out how they connected as the episode went on.

The plot was overall really interesting, and I loved how it seemed to treat the audience the same way the news organizations treat the audience in the drama — like little mice to do experiments on, to distract and direct attention with carrots and sticks, knowing the power of public anger. I do think the middle part of the drama was the most exciting: when the main conflict was peaking and the bad guys were playing even with our main leads. The ending was a little anti-climactic to me because I felt like the main leads got too much of an upper hand. Yet, I appreciate how the plot played out, and that a lot of characters got their loose ends tied up.

The romance was really interesting. I've always been a fan of friends-to-lovers and Pinocchio was constantly recommended to me. It did not let me down, and I really enjoyed the tension between the main character's romantic relationship and the clashes between and within their families. But it was dragged out a little too much — the disapproval by the grandfather did not have to last until the epilogue to get resolved.

The plot was honestly the strongest part of the drama, and the romance was enjoyable. Pinocchio honestly made me want to become a reporter.

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I have literally just finished this drama and am to emotionally unstable and attached to do an in depth analysis of this show (hopefully at some point I will).. But i've just come online to tell anybody who is contemplating watching this show STOP! You have stumbled upon something mind-blowing and you are in for a treat. Don't think any further just press play because you are in for an amazing 20 hours. It keeps you gripped every second, makes perfect sense at every step despite the complicated plot, doesn't give any uneccesary angst, has amazingly lovable characters that are going to stay with you forever along with being funny and having all the feels.

STOP READING.. START WATCHING. Lucky you.. I wish i could watch it for the first time again.

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A very rare gem

I went into this drama expecting very little from it and came out very happy and content. In short this is one of the best dramas I have ever watched. The story was very good and the drama never even for a moment got boring for me.

The plot was very well made. Even though the name and concept is Pinocchio the drama doesn't rely on it too heavily to move it forward instead it's just a trait that makes the interactions with the female lead a bit more dynamic and fun to watch. The concept of Pinocchio was there, but it was by no means overwhelming like other dramas where these type of unique syndromes are overused. The plot is more aligned towards the concept of news reporters and their search for truth in the mass of lies. This drama has some youthful feel to it. It's also very emotional. But they made it very balanced and this was one of the biggest reasons for this drama being so good in my opinion.

Every one of the casts, main leads and support, did amazing job and made the drama so much more enjoyable. The dynamic between the main leads was cute and beautiful and they made it look like that they were really in love. The romance was big part of the plot but it didn't seem overwhelming or forced. Even though the relationship between the two leads was a bit unique but their acting made the awkward situation very ignorable.

The supporting roles had good character development and made it feel like they really grew as the drama went on. The supporting characters also had good screen time and their interactions were more than just being there for comedic relief, they had their own purpose in the drama.

The one thing that was lacking in this drama is music. The music in this drama wasn't very noteworthy but I actually didn't notice the lack of good music before writing this review. This goes to show that when the story and overall drama is good you don't need flairs to fill up the flaws.

It was unexpectedly a very very enjoyable drama and I liked it very much. I regret not watching it before but am also happy that I watched it now when good dramas are so rare. If anybody is reading this review and is wondering whether to watch it or not then please watch it. I hope you like it.

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A Friends Lovers Whirlwind

Lee Jung Suk and Park Shin Hye! Their chemistry as friends is so believable and the concept of a person who can't lie without hiccuping is so much fun. Their family dynamics are entertwined in a messy, dramatic knot and these two precious beans are just caught in the middle. I love that we not only get to see them grow up together but pursue the same profession together, untangle their family trauma together and reveal corruption and crimes together! It was a great ride. I also love the brother and side Oppa is so sweet and you feel so sorry for him at the end. It was a solid drama and a for sure must watch.

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I started on Dramaland judging a lot the performance of Lee Jong Suk, as I said in some posts before. But now I'm starting to love his characters and the productions that he participates in. It's always a fun experience and a crazy plot with a lot of exaggeration and drama. It isn't for every kind of spectator but certainly will conquer most people. With "Pinocchio" we see more of it.

The story is very simple in the beginning, but when you start to go deep in the episodes, things get very interesting. I really was involved in the plot and started to get curious about how things could end. For me, this is the essence of a good story. You have to be connected with the plot. Some things, as I said on the "first impressions", was a little too much, but I put in the "Lee Jung Suk's fantasy quota", haha. If you aren't a big criticizer, you gonna let these little things passed.

About the actor's performance... I really started to look at Lee Jung Suk with other eyes. I could see the emotion and strength of his performance in many scenes. Honorable mention to episode 11 and 12, when I went down in tears. I won't give spoilers, but these episodes were just powerful. About Park Shin Hye... Guys, I just don't appreciate her performance on dramas. This time I thought she was blessed with a good character, because Choi In Ha is very intense and spontaneous, but even with this benefit I still couldn't feel personality on her. She is good at crying, but I just can't feel the emotion of the character. I really tried this time, and I expected that soon she can show to us an excellent performance. I have to say that I loved Yoon Yoo Rae (Lee Yoo Bi)! Most of my laughing was in her scenes! She crying and telling that wasn't... I start to laugh already remembering, hahaha. Seo Beom Jo (Kim Young Kwang), just useless for me. They put the character as stupid in the beginning and tried to change this in the process, but I just not bought it. Honorable mention to "araboji" Choi Gong Pil (Byun Hee Bong) <3

The OST wasn't remarkable to me, what it's a shame, and the production was a little simple... But considering the year of the production, we can just let this pass.

I will put this show as a PRETTY GOOD ONE (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) just because of the little things that I mentioned about the reality in the story and because of the end, that was graceless for me compared with the crazy plot twists that we had in the process. If you are looking for something interesting and simple, funny and emotional, this drama is for you.

See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.

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10/10 is my rating. This was a 2014/2015 South Korean drama than ran for 20 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). Choi Dal-po is a man with a troubled past full of family tragedy that resulted in him being orphaned and adopted into the female lead's, Cho In-ha (played by Park Shin-hye), family. Cho In-ha has Pinocchio syndrome where, in this drama, she hiccups if she lies making it impossible for her to lie without this "tell." Pinocchio syndrome is real although it does not typically exhibit in this way - more often associated with uncontrollable autonomic responses to stress. Playing along though Cho In-ha hiccups until she resolves the issue. Both decide to become reporters for very different reasons. They develop feelings for each other fairly early on but must suppress them due to family bias about an "uncle" and his "niece" being in a relationship.

Spoiler 🚨 I loved this one. These two were so perfect together it is hard to not envision them actually being together in real life. The "mystery" in this was very intriguing, the character development was deep and amazing, and the love stories were heart warming. It was not what I expected from reading descriptions but that is often the case. I looked forward to every episodes and gained even more admiration for the acting ability of these two incredible actors.

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My first Kdrama with Lee Jong Suk as leading actor and it was great. Since then I watched a few more Kdrama with him as a leading role as he knows how to pick a great drama. It took me a while to be engaged with the story, the beginning was a little slow. But once the show got back to the present it started to be good and it hooked me till the end. The only flaw for me here is the female leading role, Park Shin Hye might be a great actress but in every series with her as leading role (the heirs for example) I couldn't relate to her, she has some kind of distance when she acts and its hard for me to empathized with the character.

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Pinocchio is an awesome drama, i loved it so damn much. This drama is all about reporters, how a single step of reporters can change a whole life of a person. It shows the importance of truth when it comes to reporters. If you want to watch a drama filled with love, rivalry, heartbreak, and again love. This is the dose for you.
Overall, I loved the main leads. From their acting to expression, every bit of it. They are really awesome at acting.
I don't even remember how many times had i re-watched it . Every time you watch this, it feels like the first time.
You should definitely watch it without any second thought.

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Pinocchio is a nickname for the character this story revolves around.

Choi In Ha, acted by the unbelievable Park Shin Hye, who did a fantastic job in this drama, is a person who can't lie or else she has to hiccup. A very unfortunate feature, so it seems. Yet, she strives to be happy in life - just as much as anyone else in the world. When she crosses paths with Choi Dal-Po, her same-aged uncle, her life story changes drastically.

Pinocchio does a wonderful job of depicting what it's like to be controlled by the media and how everything works behind the scenes when you are a reporter. It clearly shows the scary side of media on a whole other level. Pinocchio itself has a very complex and weird-structured story. Even after finishing the drama, it's not 100% clear, what the red thread throughout this story was and that makes it very enjoyable to watch on the one hand, but it also makes you a bit confused and worried at times.
To highlight outstanding acting performances, I clearly - as I already hinted at - have to point out Park Shin Hye as the main anchor point of this story. She just depicts this character perfectly and her acting the hiccuping is so real to a point where it's scary that it's only acted. She couldn't have done this better and it's definitely her best drama act so far. Lee Jong Suk is very strong here, as usual, but I think he got outshined by Park Shin Hye a bit. Talking about the supporting cast - very well acted were the roles of Jang Hyun Gyu by Min Sung Wook, as the crazy nitpicking reporter who just has the most unique humor ever shown in a tv show period, and also Yoon Yoo Rae played by Lee Yoo Bi (I know she is listed as a main role here, but I wouldn't call her that), who supported especially Park Shin Hye and Lee Jong Suk perfectly. These two actors made side stories impactful and enjoyable as no other and I can't think of any better choices of well-acted roles than these two and Park Shin Hye.
I overall enjoyed Pinocchio quite a bit, but let me warn you: The first 3-4 episodes are weird and misleading and you might actually get annoyed by some story twists here and there. Also by one or another character - so bear with it. It only get's better from there. Another critique point of Pinocchio could be the awful depiction of tears on the actors and actresses faces'. I'm not sure if I ever saw any worse job done than here and even though that shouldn't keep anyone from watching this great show, it could get you annoyed sooner or later, since it's being used quite a bit and just doesn't look even close to real. For me, Pinocchio get's a 9/10 or 9,5/10 score - depending on what I decide on in the next few days - I have to let all this sink in a bit more, since I watched this drama in less than a week of time span and just finished it now.

More in-depth review: https://youtu.be/oLiyySnTP90

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Ahh another drama of Lee Jong Suk that has something to do with justice and doing what's right! It is something that I admire in him.

I can say that this is a drama that is such an eye-opener for me to the NEWS side of the Media Industry. I totally saw what people with power can do to manipulate everything that we see in the media in order for us to believe something that is false. Starting with the plot, I really admire that it actually roots from something for the leads or the main characters to solve. I also like the character development of the characters in the whole drama. Thinking that they were simple characters with such ambitions, you can see how they realized things that were causing them grief and pain.

Going to the characters, this is one of the Park Shin Hye characters that didn't annoy me at all. I'm glad that her character here as Choi In Ha was natural yet it gave a look at how strong she can be in order to do what's right. I don't have much to say about Lee Jong Suk's character or Dal Po because he portrayed it really well. He was someone funny, but he was also someone that knew how to be caring despite his clashing emotions between love and hate. Lee Jong Suk's acting did not disappoint! I'm glad Dal Po and In Ha were mature enough to solve problems and I like that they didn't drag the romance part of the drama too much.

I also loved Kim Young Kwang as Seo Bum Jo! Literally a different chaebol in your usual dramas. The only thing I didn't like about him was at the beginning of the drama, for some reason, what he did put me off. Lee Yoo Bi as Yoon Yoo is the cutest! My friends told me that they were annoyed at her for me, she isn't at all. She gives off such a light mood for her character that was somehow relatable at some point. Let me also applaud the veteran actors and the supporting casts in this drama. I would like to highlight Yoon Kyun Sang and Shin Jae Ha because seriously, they were both so good. Even with little screen-time, they never failed to capture my attention at how good they act and how they portrayed their characters. I was sympathetic and at the same time, I understand where the hard emotions were coming from.

I had a hunch that Every Singe Day was part of the OST in this drama and when I searched it up, I was right haha. I loved how the songs created by the band fits just right for the drama.

This drama had flaws, and I really think that despite the good character development, it's just hard for me to watch 20 episodes. But that's better than rushing and fitting all the consequences in 16 eps. Overall, I give this drama a 9.5/10.

P.S. More dramas for Shin Jae Ha pls!

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