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The background story might be the similar to most of the crime-thriller dramas but what makes Memorist special is the element of supernatural powers which keeps us guessing all throughout the drama who the villain actually is. Each time you make a theory, the very next episode throws all that into bin making you ho crazy and invested in the story. The execution of the drama was really made well. And what makes it unique is it stays original to its genre and delivers a convincing, satisfying and real story.
Another major asset of this drama is the perfect casting. Yoo seung ho and lee se young totally rocked. And all the supporting actors also did really well and made us feel connected with them. I've already seen lee se young in doctor john (which is also another gem) and she is really a great actress. What a performance!!! And yoo seung ho, again was perfect as the jerky detective who deals with these bastrads in his own way. And the trio of old man, se hoon and DB totally stole the show. I'll be missing these AVENGERS a lot!!!
So if you're debating on whether to watch or not, no doubt just watch it.. its a rare gem and not to be missed one. Beginning 4 episodes might be slightly a drag but thereafter it takes you on a roller-coaster ride which you'll surely enjoy if you are a fan of crime thrillers.
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This review may contain spoilers
A good crime thriller
I really enjoyed watching this drama though it lacked a way to put things! Acting is great, i really was pleased and equally surprised with satisfaction as both of the leads were my fav and seeing them together was good.As for the story it was really good to some extent i gotta admit it was intriguing and the plot twists in the drama were just another level....it's not something you can predict...i was so curious i ended up pulling an all-nighter for this! If you want to watch you can go for this.
For me i wished there was more of the story on leads like a lil more about their past...just had few glimpses of but it really would have connected it a bit more....and the story was really lagging in between they kept dragging just to simply end things in a hurry and show everything in the last few eps.
Anyways it's a good thriller crime drama no romance at all don't go in expecting!! So yeahh thats it hope you have a great time watching.
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Hope there's a second season
Even though this series was enjoyable to watch I'm being generous with my ratings.The first 10 episodes were awesome but somewhere after the tenth episode the original plot got lost. It went in a whole new direction! The original plot didn't lose it's twist so I don't know why the sudden change happened. The second twist did. It left me scratching my head.
Usually Kdramas lose their focus and starts going in another direction and this was one of them. It made me angry that it did that. Plus the whole reasoning behind why the ML's skills were the way they were was just thrown into the very last episode. The FL to me was just a waste. I don't get why I never like female Korean actresses but I try to like them I do. To me they're just there for looks I guess. I'm not for the looks, I'm for the skills and the FL didn't have it.
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!! Unpredictable plot , must watch this underrrated masterpiece don't hesitate!!
I will make it simple & short :-♡ unpredictable plot which will make u hooked up to this till the end .
♡ yoo seung hoo & Lee Se-young acting skills will blow your mind .
♡ great team work on both side , here I'm taking about the police team of han su mi & baek dong (ML&FL)
♡ you will think this is the villain but end up getting clueless till the end who the real villain is
♡ each episode is unpredictable like u think u guessed it but u know u are clueless , this is what I loved the most in the plot
Ps : I tried to make it short & didn't included any spoilers . I must say this was the masterpiece for yoo seung hoo acting career . No romance , no music still at its best.
" you can always make a right path to bring justice so choose it wisely "
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Must watch!
It is a great drama with a lot of twist and comedy. No cheesy romance and all fun. I liked how they give depth to each character, and you'll always be asking who's side is this character on. A lot happened but as you watch each episode everything makes sense, it feels as though each episode you're unlocking a surprise and can't get enough of it. A must watch if you're into fun and thrill. Anyways that's it for this review. Hopefully it'll help you decide. Worth your time! *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************~Erick†
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This review may contain spoilers
Carefully scan your memory before choosing the culprit
First of all I like the action thriller mystery genre with supernatural powers but I'm less familiar with South Korean dramas so far. After going through many reviews I give it a try and was hooked up in the story and the acting.Dong Baek is a famous police officer, who has the ability to see people's memories through touch. Along with many fans, he has also many foes and many people who don't want him to touch them. Besides his special ability Dong Baek don't know anything about his childhood past, but can vaguely remember someone is murdering his mother. Han Sun Mi a genius profiler, is the daughter of a man who was murdered by a serial killer who seems to have come back 20 years later.
After the first episodes in which the characters are introduced and the daily life of the police office is displayed, the real story starts with the appearance of a serial killer, who also has a special ability like Dong Baek. He can manipulate memories and because of that he was labeled as the Eraser. Until the end you only see glimpses of him with a mask. Throughout the entire series you are left questioning who you can trust and you can't as you try and figure out who exactly the Eraser is. Almost every episodes the plot twists around and you're constantlly asking yourself who is the real culprit. The direction, screenwriting, editing, connecting plots and events and the entire plot development are really really good and you I almost binge watched the series, since I really want to know, who the culprit is.
I didn't know Yoo Seungho and never saw him in a drama, but after watching this I'm also kind of a fan of him. He plays the main role of Dong Baek really well and I enjoyed the character the most. You can feel all the personal and physical problems he has with his ability, but nevertheless he's a funny and caring character. I like Lee Seyoung and her calm and straight charakter. She displays the genius profiler with her straight rules also in a great way.
The music was also really good and absolutely fitting for the series. I really like the theme songs.
Overall I really like the series and I'll definitely rewatch it again, although the ending felt a bit disappointing.
Especially the not fitting funny last scenes....
But in my opinion this is a must watch and I recommend it to everyone, especially if you like super powers.
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Just read the comment :-)
I want to thank all the staff producing this drama. I think this is one of the best crime and thriller dramas out there. I am happy that I watched it after it aired because I don't think I could wait for the next episode each week. The drama was so intense and there were times where I had to take a break because of how powerful and unpredictable the story was. I advise everybody to watch this drama. You really won't regret it if you like murders and crime involved plots. The actors .. I just can't describe. Yeo seung ho is one of the best male actors. The female lead was also awesome.The music was great too and well matched the scenes.
Overall, I am so happy that I watched this drama.
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relentless justice. my first k-superhero!
(i dont rate rewatch value - neutral)4K
this is as far from the case of the week detective show as i could've expected when i first heard the premise. it's a straight superhero show, and the villain is pretty much the entirety of south korea.
well, the systems that drive south korea.
dong baek's power is damn near a revelation in that sense, cutting through all the noise of politics and media and what have you by forcing him to literally feel the pain of the victims he scans, causing him to act rash and promptly make enemies of pretty much the entire country. 0 f!#k mode. - because they simply can't feel the extreme emotions he feels. how is one individual expected to stay sane when mentally and physically reliving everyone elses horrors day in and out?
the poster of him in fighting stance reflects that ruthless and fun side of the show, where he kicks criminals in the face and does pretty much everything else a cop shouldn't (including using his powers in the first place), tho the bulk of that is only contained in the first few episodes, really. from then on out the tone is generally a lot more serious. you're made to be as angry as him, theres genuine scary moments, and a whole lot of trauma. everyone seems to be corrupt and nothing is quite what it seems. heck.. han su mi, who is his co-star, spends their introductory period suspecting his ass! gun rly pointed at the head.. which makes her huge smile in the closing minutes of the finale that much sweeter.
i felt cozy with this drama early on and it just kept pulling me in closer by the episode. the no-bs dedication to justice is it's heartbeat, and it results in surprisingly varied storytelling, as every element in this thing is freaking aced. where the hacking/surveillance scenes lack any real depth past convenient transition moments, the room it takes place in has so much character you just love to see it. white mechanical keyboards. same for anything. car scenes, lawyer-y scenes, journalism scenes. prosecution stand-offs, the sweet bonding scenes between characters. it's all so organic. *good* prevails in the truest sense since despite him basically being hunted down for most of the show, the people hunting him down (police force, other agencies) all are kinda hesitant from the get to even do so.. which is why they never do lol. it's the small guys teaming up to take down the top that they all know is corrupt. but it happens mostly very subtly.
then the finale comes a long and everything just perfectly clicks into place. simultaneously graceful for the payoff resolve, but also appropriately ruthless to end with the right bite. it lays the heart bare that you heard beating the whole way. only small lil issue being the the very very final like 2 minutes where the radio broadcast and the scene following it almost lowkey undo that sense of uncompromising fairness and justice that prevails truh this whole thing. it's complicated and i won't spoil, but overreaching is overreaching, and it's not like this drama aint aware that good intentions alone don't eliminate the possibility for evil!
it's pretty much perfect other than that, but it did irk me a bit. especially since they could've easily avoided it by just writing in an extra line or two.
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I'm so sad it had to end...
I-I just want a season two even though I know it's pretty impossible. One can dream though.
I was so tempted to put this show as one of my all-time favorites but ended up going against it. As much as I love love loved it, some things need to be said.
So let's go on and say it...
Story 〆(・∀・＠): This show is a mystery with supernatural aspects to it. That's a no brainer.
But I love how they incorporated the superpowers into everyday society. Usually, the special person has to hide their abilities, but this show decided against that, which I ultimately loved. I also loved the mystery itself. There were so many twists and turns, which made it so hard for me to put the puzzle pieces together.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
I'm not an avid mystery/investigation drama watcher. In all honesty, I watched this show to see some super-powered action as well as for Yoo Seung-ho (I'm a sucker for him). But I was delightfully surprised to find myself just itching to watch the next episode.
And as much as I can go on about everything I loved, there were a few negative things...
First is that there were so many names and faces. I struggle to remember Korean names if so many are thrown at me during a short period. I can handle the central protagonists/antagonists' names, but in mysteries, there are a lot of witnesses, suspects, and just a lot of other people. They'll come into the story then leave, so sometimes if you don't remember their name, it's difficult to feel the same shock when something surprising is revealed.
Another thing is that there were so many routes the story took. Similar to real life, there are a lot of dead ends in criminal cases. This show made sure to show it. There were so many unnecessary scenes that were added in all to throw the viewer off. While that's fine once or twice, doing it regularly makes it a bit trickier to follow.
With those two main things being said, I didn't particularly mind it. I did have to use a recap website to understand everything properly, but it never ruined my enjoyment for the show. That's why I can't bring myself to give it too low of a score.
I just had so much fun watching it! :D
Acting ｡゜(｀Д')゜｡: Oh boy here we go.
I just wanna give everyone a round of applause. *stands and claps*
There were so many emotional, mentally disturbed, and comedic characters that were involved. And pretty much every actor gave it their all. Yoo Seung-ho was flawless in my eyes and made it so easy to connect with Dong Baek. Even in the first episode, I found myself cheering him on! Lee Se-young also did fantastic in portraying the reserved Han Sun-mi. Usually, with more logical and conserved characters, it's harder to connect with them since it takes longer for them to open up. Although Se-young managed to rock it!!!
I also wanna give a special shout out to Jo Han-chul!!! My god was he amazing.
Even though he wasn't introduced in the beginning and wasn't apart of the main gang, I ended the show with Jin Jae-gyung as my favorite character. I don't wanna say why since it'll spoil too much. But know that the crazy characters.... well... their actors brought and owned it!!!
Music ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪: Same old situation for the music category.
The show is mystery based, so most of the background songs were just there to provide a suspenseful feeling. It worked, don't get me wrong. I genuinely felt anxious during some scenes. So the music did its job. I just didn't care much for it, which is why the score isn't as high. The ending song was interesting, though, so I'll give that credit.
But overall, this isn't a show you'd watch just for the soundtrack.
Other (ง°ل͜°)ง: Supernatural stuff. Let's talk about it!
It's so hard to discuss specific details cause then we'd be walking into the spoiler zone. And although I'd love to rant, I write reviews with people who don't like spoilers in mind. But that makes this show a bit more trickier to explain.
Dong Baek can see into people's memories. A very straight forward gift.
Yes, it was used to forward plot but not so much to where it felt forced. I really loved how it was able to fit in with everything. I did have some questions, but the show managed to end with answering most of them. I can't say what they were, but I will admit that there were one or two things that never fully got cleared up.
Thus this show didn't end with no plot holes. There were quite a few but nothing too significant.
I also liked how this show didn't rely on just the same group of police. There were different branches and roles, and the ways they interacted with each other made you question which side you're on.
Something I can really appreciate.
I think the main reason I can't add this to my favorites list is because I don't think I'd watch it again.
So much of it is a mystery, and rewatching investigation shows is just not the same the second time.
Although it can be fun to see small details you missed, this show just had a lot of story routes that led nowhere, and I don't want to have to go through them again.
But the characters and overarching plot stole my heart!
I would do anything for a second season since I'm not ready to part with it.
I 100% recommend this to anyone who likes anything related to the supernatural, mystery related things, or is just in the mood to watch something new.
It's definitely something I'll remember... let's just hope nobody wipes it ;)
Happy watching <3
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Confusing, drain brain,, unpredict villain, still worth for watching
In the first 3 episodes I thought about dropping this drama, because it was very messy and confusing from the start, plus the investigation was so sudden, suddenly checking on information A, suddenly checking on information B ,,,(when they checking information about what happen 20 years ago,,, and about water pump) And the evidence or information they get too not explained very detail,, and and they can go straight to the next destination without being explained in advance where( case prof.nam), sometimes confusing because a criminal has many hiding places
plus they added a backsound that seemed tense, but at that time what I felt was not tense, just confusing and and dizzy
and when the detective Han's subordinates reported the laboratory results, it was also confusing ,, because there were many cases and piled up so didn't know whose report was read plus the confusing subtitle
#### nice part######
The highlight of this drama is ,, the main villain who is hard to guess until the end ,,,
In one episode I saw a shadow and had suspected that the villain was a ........... (forget what episode) ,,, and also suspected very many people, even though I knew the gender but who was the real eraser unpredictable
#bad part of story##
1.ep1 , Since the beginning there is no evidence that Yoon Ye Rim's case related to serial murder is being investigated, but Dongbaek can immediately start the search from investigating the serial murder case.
Because it can only be truly concluded that Yoon Ye Rim's case was related is when episode 5, when Det.han saw a point of similarity about they case
2. Suddenly two detectives of Dongbaek's friends investigated about the water pump, but it was not clear where it was because it was not clearly stated,, plus when they suspect Yoon I Tae ,, the place Dongbaek & Hansunmi go to is different
3. Episode 8-9
was the most difficult episode to understand, very brain-draining ,,,, the words they said, and the place they were going to was unclear ,,,, and when the flashbacks of jinjaegyu's house they mean is different? But from what SANG HA said, the house of jinjaegyu in past was the same as now, so which house was the house with the caretaker?
4. and i don't understand what is the purpose of eraser provoking dong baek and hansunmi?
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Memorist is a drama that I would definitely love to see for multiple seasons. It had the tone of a great series similar to US' CSI or NCIS or other crime thriller drama. It also had the supernatural tone to it with the main lead having the power to look into the memories of whoever he touches. Dong Baek is the typical arrogant lead but the thing is he knows what he's doing and he knows that he is good at it which frustrates all of his team mates. I love his relationship with his team chief Goo Kyung Tan and his partner Oh Se Hoon. The addition of the reporter Kang Ji Eun made the drama like a legit multiple-season crime thriller drama. Lee Se Young as the strong-willed Han Sun Mi also gave the drama its color.
This drama is a reminder that a series can be compelling and brilliant even without the romance angle.
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