Chicago Typewriter (2017)

actually , i'm not into korean period drama, and this was my first one which has elements of period drama. in the starting few episodes , the drama might feel a bit boring and slow, but it can totally grip you once you are down a few episodes.

story - spoilers ahead !!
the story is about a writer who encounters a eerie typewriter from korean freedom struggle era that has a link to him and the heroine , this encounter totally changes the fate of the protagonist once and for all . he then gets into a professional slump partly due to the chaos and perplexion caused by glimpses of his afrerlife (sin). he later gets to accept his memories and tries to face it head on. along with this the plot is combined with standrad recipe for a drama - a backstabbing dysfunctional family, a jealous stepbrother , heroine who is hardcore fan of the protagonist , and finally the ghost (aka the resident of the typewriter)

screen play & acting - the drama is directed very well . the part from the past occupies less screen time of each episode, but certainly enhances storyline getting the characters more and more involved and improving the feel of the plot & drama

On overall this a great drama that is certainly worth the watch, though you might need a bit of patience.

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Chicago Typewriter is indeed a heart warming/wrecking story.

I really enjoyed it but I felt like the story was dragged a little too much in my opinion. Of course the whole plot and story with its twist was awesome but I think that they often put too many unneeded fillers.

The music is what made this drama especially wonderful, it added a lot to the emotions. The cast was also perfect. Go Kyung Pyo was a wise choice for this character.

I would give this drama a try and then decide wheter to watch it or not. If you are a big fan of romance then I have to disappoint you a little bit. There's no denying that this is a story about love but it's not this kind of happy-dabby dramas.

Overall, I give this 7/10 points.

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A Very Beautiful Story

This is a very beautiful story.

Tells about the struggle for independence in Korea during the Japanese colonial era.
But not too complex and tends to be taken towards dramatization but written and presented very beautifully.

Initially, this drama seemed easy to predict because the author scattered clues here and there.
But it turns out there are many stories that hidden by the author. Every important scene is only opened in several parts, not in its entirety. It opens slowly, so that the audience can imagine and guess the future plot. But in the end a twist awaits ahead.

And I really love how they end every single episodes. A twist then soundtrack hit and its done well. Wow......beautiful.

The weakness of this drama is in the ending.
The ending must done better.
The writing seems a little rushed. As far as I know, some dramas are shoot and the ending is written while the drama is being broadcast. So there are a lot of weak points at the ending.

But yeah, overall it still deserves a 10/10 because it's that good.
Bravo.

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A beautifully written and marvelously created fantasy historic drama  that is worth each second watching and savoring.Story:A marvelously woven fantasy that builds on reincarnation, portraying a friendship strong enough to span centuries. The message behind the story was so epic and majestic, it just brings an already highly entertaining and beautifully shot drama to a whole new level of perfection.The story portrays two timelines, with the present one in focus and the past one as recollections and flashbacks. The past arc, 1930s Korea under the Japanese rule portraying the comrades fighting under the main goal of liberating their homeland , the present arc modern day Korea,  destiny and fate playing their divine role bringing together the reincarnations of the comrades.I Loved how both the past and present arcs interwined seamlessly making the viewer sometimes mistake a present character for his past self, and feeling the consequences of past events that took place during the past arc in a way that is raw and immediate like it both involves and affects our present-time OTP.CastHighly solid and believable performances by the main leads especially from the ever-young Yoo Ah In. I might have had my doubts initially concerning the female lead's casting choice, and felt that she didn't really fit the role, but later on when the story developed and the past-time arc was portrayed more I started to feel she fitted just nice, and Im Soo Jung's overall performance was excellent.As for Go Kyung Po, I really enjoyed him when he was being funny or goofy, not so when he was emotional and melodramatic, I have to admit that as originally an actor who excells in the comedic genre, he needs more experience on emotional portrayals. But beyond doubt, his not free of flaws performance were never distracting or cringe-worthy.The characterization:All characters felt believable, and I really appreciated how the child traumas in both of our present-time OTP's lives which greatly shapes who they are as adults (such as abandonment and betrayal) is not excessively shown with endless flashbacks like other dramas do, rubbing it till the viewer gets sick, but rather they're first introduced at the exact right moment in the story after several hints, and afterwards is only refered to in conversations.Out of all the characters, the main lead felt the most relatable and believable, showing multi-layers of personality, in a sense 3 dimensional. Like how their behavior changes drastically when they open up to people, and how the character they show to the world is a mere facade or defense mechanism they developed as a result to their past traumas.No need to mention, that as usual I appreciate drama-writing which gives characters a sense of their feelings, and not act dumb when they harbor feelings of attraction to someone, but rather own up to it, and act accordingingly while being true to themselves.I might have not been equally invested in some other characters' lives and odd choices of behaviour (like the ever so passive writer Baek Sr. and his evil wife with a never-ending vengeful agenda) but it was strangely convincing that such oddballs can only bring up a Sociopath psycho freak that was Baek Tae Min.                 The script and direction:The story had a very original take, and stayed true to it all through the drama, never going astray to the main message it aimed to deliver. As a person who is not so much huge fan of history or politics, I liked how the past arc was focusing on the friendship and camaraderie of the fighters rather than the mechanisms and specifics of their fight. Above all, the pace of this drama was so good, there was no moment at all where you felt the story was dragging, and not one event or scene that felt unncessary (ie no fillers).The script was very strong and heartfelt, especially in the main trio's concersations together whether past or present, you were always smiling lovingly, tearing up, or getting inspired by their deep thoughts. The direction and cinatography was flawless, amazing props especially in the past-time scenes and open-space shots were always top notch.To sum up, this is a drama that once I finished I had a huge grin on my face, and rushed to MDL to add as an all time favorite.

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Beautiful, deep, well made drama. Friendship takes the main stage here, with duty, courage, hardships and love following, together forming an amazing world. World, which perhaps every viewer would be like to become part of. Storyline and characters are just as they should be, without unnecessary twists that some of other similar dramas have (also Goblin, to be frank). Lots of sadness throughout the series, but it’s a healing sadness - the one that will make you smile and cry.
I think it’s the first time since J.K Rowling Harry Potter series where I felt similar connection between this trio, their bravery and care for each other, and how they would fight the injustice.

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"Chicago Typewriter"  aired April 07, 2017 to June 03, 2017 with a total of 16 episodes on TVN.  This Fantasy, Romance, Comedy drama starred Yoo Ah In, I'm Soo Jung, Go Kyung Pyo and Kwak Shi Yang.  Now I have never seen I'm Soo Jung or Kwak Shi Yang in any dramas so this was my first rodeo with the two of them. Yoo Ah In and Go Kyung Pyo, on the other hand, I have seen many of a time. I have to say the cast for this drama was top notch.
The story of "Chicago Typewriter" is very intriguing, however, I think that the synopsis for the drama on wiki.d-addicts is a little misleading, and on Viki, so you might want to stray away from them. I thought the plot for this drama was very unique and I loved the use of two different timelines to tell the story. The 1930's plotline is the one that truly got me the most, the present is great obviously, but the past is where the real emotion came out. I think the story of the three of them in 1930's is a tad bit more compelling and was where I found myself crying the most. Now I didn't cry throughout this entire drama, until the last two episodes. Those two episodes really just yanked my heart out of my chest. However, I do think it has some pretty emotional scenes throughout the drama, so if you cry before then, I don't blame you.
There are a couple things I want to point out as well. The OST for this drama, at first, was a little weird. The use of English songs in Korean dramas nowadays is pretty jarring to me. Apparently, there are 5 songs in this Original Soundtrack, but I can only remember4 of them. I know that some people did not like the music all that much in this drama, according to the harsh and sometimes ignorant comments on Viki which I truly suggest turning off. I hadn't watched a drama on Viki with the comments on for years but I thought I'd give it a swing and man it's hit or miss on there. Some of those comments are gold and some of them are just of some of the most clueless and rude people I have ever met, so be warned about that. I think it took me a while to be okay with this OST for the most part. The song "Writing Our Stories" by SG Wannabe is the one that truly stood out, more than the English songs. The lyrics to "Writing Out Stories" is something that goes so well with the drama and by the last episodes, just the music to that song had me in a puddle of my own tears.
Like I said before, the acting in this drama was pretty top notch. Yoo Ah In never really lets me down,  except for Fashion King, but we don't ever talk about that drama. This gorgeous 30-year-old man is doing wonders. He brought me to tears with his acting and I love him so much. I thought he did a fantastic job portraying both this characters in this drama. I preferred the Seo Hwi Young character more, but he did a fabulous job all around. It was my first time seeing I'm Soo Jung, she is more of an actress who sees herself in movies rather than dramas and this was her first drama since 2004. I have to say she did a fantastic job. Her crying scenes in this drama, especially towards the end where you can see the real raw emotion and heartbreak and just pure pain from what is going on in the show, really was amazing. I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of her character at first, but after a few episodes, I fell for her. I'm kind of sad that she isn't in more dramas, only 2 others, and I hope that in the future she shows up more in the drama scene because she is fantastic. I haven't seen Ko Kyung Pyo since Flower Boy Next Door, and that happens to be one of my favorite dramas to show people who haven't watched a Korean drama before, and I was very happy to see him again. Obviously he has been in a5 other dramas since 20013, but I took a few years break and haven't gotten around to seeing any of his other work. So from that point of view, he has improved so much. I loved his character and his struggle.  Seeing him in this drama really brought back a lot of memories for me, and seeing how well he is doing now really put a smile on my face. I hope to be able to go back and watch some more of his dramas and to see his newest drama "Strongest Deliveryman".
Overall,  I thought this was a pretty amazing drama and is one of my favorites of the year, from what I have watched. I thought the plot line and the way it was written out was fantastic. The acting was amazing and the OST after a while really complimented the drama as a whole. There were a few editing choices throughout the drama, cuts and what not, that had me questioning things, but that may have been Viki. So that aside, I thought it was pretty flawless. It had my interested from the first episode and I found myself totally addicted to the drama. I hope to see more dramas like this, obviously not just like this, but more with dueling timelines and creative plots. I'm rooting for this drama to be my favorite drama of 2017, but we will see. It will be a hard one to beat for sure.

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Another paean to Sasaeng

Imagine the scene, a DHL delivery driver comes to your door. He has a parcel for you. But he won't actually leave the parcel with you. Instead, he insists, verbally and physically on pushing past you into your home because he's your Number One Fan and just wants to see where you live. Romantic, huh?

I watched this drivel for 5 whole episodes before I gave up. Maybe it gets better after that, but:

- the premise that a man/woman you 'love' will return that feeling as long as you bully/stalk them enough is repulsive (to me);
- this is another failed kdrama attempt to create a MPDG - a flawed concept at best - but particularly where the 'M' instead of 'manic' means barking mad;
- the ML spent the whole first 4 episodes SHOUTING pointlessly, at every turn (only some of which was justified by the FL's creepy behaviour); and
- they've cast a 40-something woman as the FL who tries to appear more 'youthful' by doing the dumb/blinking/staring thing. Repeatedly.

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My only regret concerning this drama is that I didn't pay the necessary attention to it sometimes and missed out (so, this is going for a re watch soon). The story of this drama is as compelling as interesting. The one twist follows the other, as the story unfolds slowly its layers. The first part deals with the mystery of the ghost. Then, it starts focusing on the past affairs, as well as the currant ones. It's amazing how the film makers managed to present the medley of past present so beautiful, without confusing the audience or tiring them. In addition, there as so many things one has to anticipate to happen, except from the past story, that is by itself entertaining and well executed, with the costumes on point, the whole atmosphere of the past and the secret revolution- resistance presented as such as it didn't look fake, rather, it could have been easily compared to a movie's class. Lastly, the performances were great, and you can't help but eventually get emotional (even though, with most ghost dramas you kind of expect that to happen) towards the end, which, unlike other dramas that usually the story ends in episode 14 or 15 and the last one is just there to complete some side stories, this one was as entertaining as the rest. Probably, the only thing that didn't appeal to me as much as the rest of the stories, was the today's romance. The couple seemed to lack some of the chemistry they had compered to the past story. Plus, I would have liked for the film makers to have completed some of the side stories as well and not just the main one. But, overall, it was a great drama so I'm rating it with 8.5 out of 10.

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Amor à primeira vista

Foram não menos que quatro vezes as que joguei esse drama para baixo na minha lista de "para assistir". Achava a sinopse mediana e os pôsteres não me encantaram. Que grande erro! Quando finalmente resolvi ver pela boa e velha falta de opções, fui fisgada já nos primeiros minutos para dentro do universo desse drama maravilhoso que se tornou meu segundo favorito dos que já assisti.

Chicago Typewriter é uma grande história sobre três amigos que se amavam e queriam a felicidade um dos outros. É a história de três guerrilheiros que lutaram pela libertação de seu país e arriscaram suas vidas. Ainda mais que isso, é o (re)encontro de três pessoas que tiveram vidas difíceis e construíram muros a sua volta, cheios de mágoas e arrependimentos.

Esse drama não é aquele tipo que fica enrolando a história ao longo dos episódios. Cada um dos 16 é extremamente certeiro e necessário para o desenvolvimento da trama e quando cheguei ao final tive a sensação de completar um círculo perfeito.

O trio principal é encantador. Começamos conhecendo o escritor Han Se Joo, aparentemente um cara excêntrico e mal-humorado que só pensa em trabalho e dinheiro. Ao longo dos episódios descobrimos porque ele é assim. Para mim, o desenvolvimento dele foi o maior do drama: ele se tornou o oposto do que eu esperava e mostrou que aquela pessoa tão clichê tinha 1837488383 camadas abaixo daquilo, quais a roteirista soube desenvolver com maestria.

A protagonista feminina, Jun Seol, também faz uma diferença tremenda na história. Ela é a verdadeira dona de muitas cenas. Amei o modo como os medos e inseguranças dela são apresentados e a maneira como ela supera tudo isso. E supera, não por acaso, mas sim porque ELA SE DISPÕE e corre atrás da solução. Eita bichicha corajosa!

Do último membro do trio não posso falar muito por spoilers, mas ele é a "cola" que une esses amigos. No início achei que ele iria dar um ar pesado ao drama, mas ele deixa as cenas muito mais leves, às vezes!

No momento não consigo encontrar algo negativo nesse drama. Apenas estou grata por finalmente resolver desfrutar dele.

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