WOW WATCH IMMEDIATELY
JUST WOWNot only was the acting amazing but also the story, the twists and turns. It left me on the edge of my seat, always wanting more. I cried like a baby at some points which means I was invested A LOT.
At first I thought that 16 eps would be a lot to chase one serial killer and that I would be bored BUT I WAS SO WRONG. The story kept me enthralled until the last second.
The levels of everything were just perfect in this drama. Yes it was very serious but had comedic moments that just fit perfectly in to lighten the mood and showcase the relationship between different characters.
I laughed, cried and shouted while watching this. One of the best dramas I have watched.
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All my braincells are dead (in a good way)
THIS DRAMA, my god this drama took all my brain power to process. The story is so delicated written and the threads are so well threaded that it takes all your attention to fully understand what's happening.I started watching this drama with cero expectations and got extremely surprised when I finished it. I love a well-written thriller / suspense plot and I can totally agree that this drama reached the bar.
Honestly I'm at a loss for words cause I don't know what to say. The story is fantastic, it has layers and layers of situations that connect with each other. Just when you thought that you got all figured it out, the contrary happens and all your theories are thrown to the trash. You can't even trust the main protagonists. More than one time I was at the edge of my sit, making all my braincells work to try figuring out what the hell was happening.
The relationship between the main team is just absolutely adorable. The trust they have in each other, they are willing to sacrifice their own lives just for the sake of the others. It felt like a family the way they protected each other.
I feel like each character suit the actor. The performances were amazing, the chemistry, everything. I'm very happy with the final result.
Latly, the suspense. MY GOD THE SUSPENSE. I couldn't take a breathe with all that happens. Heart beating so fast, my mind working at 10000km p/h trying to solve the misteries, the nerves at their highest point, the rush of adrenaline. Amazing.
Truly one of the best dramas of 2020.
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One connection which is missing if anyone can help me understand it
One connection I dint understand. Jin jae gyu when he was 7 or 8 years old his mother will be killed and after that he was sent to some mental hospital and over there he meets some one (From a brick a person catches his hand) and after that he escapes and tries to live normal life, then he gets married and as doctor says he may die soon, so he plans to give his money to his wife after his death (If he dies) and she has a daughter, and she plans to kill him by poisoning his food but he will finds out it is poisoned and then he even finds out for his money she is planning to kill him and also her daughter, so for saving the little girl he kills his wife and her boyfriend. And then the little girl thinks her father killed her so she runs away from home. Then later jin jae gyu feels someone is watching him and erasing his memories and following him, even though he installs camera he won't findout anything, Jin jae gyu runs away from the country and he return after 20 years maybe and again he feels Eraser is following him, which is present. NOW I DONT GET THIS POINT. ERASER IS DONG BAEK SISTER, WE WILL KNOW THIS IN THE LAST EPISODE. BUT ERASER STORY STARTS FROM 2000 (20 YEARS BACK FROM PRESENT) BUT JIN JAE GYU KNOWS ERASER MORE THEN 20 YEARS ... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE???? Did I miss any thing KEY point???? Linking between ERASER AND JIN JAE GYU????? Can anyone tell me....Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
When you feel like you already figured things out, the series will prove you wrong the next episode
Honestly, I love everything about it. From the cast, the plot (AND PLOT TWISTS!), characters, lines, almost everything! But the ending is such a let down. I expected it to have a more bloody and gruesome ending, but I guess the writers wanted to give a happy ending to the story. But what I really don't get is why did they made Han Sunmi a civil rights lawyer at the end (maybe it was because of his father). I just think they should've given her an ending that will put her impecable profiling and detective skills into use.Was this review helpful to you?
The plot is great but I feel like the pacing could have been a lil better. The prologue was dragged too long, and I felt like I was most likely to drop the drama after the 1st two episodes. Otherwise, episodes 4-14 onwards were all pretty great. I also felt like the last episode was a lil rushed. Things just kept happening and they could’ve been developed a lil more. Also not a fan of the last episode “smile while doing everything” ”tie up loose end vibe”, but that’s just me. I love the fact that there’s no romance in this. If they tried to squeeze in a kiss or some slow or heart fluttering moment I would’ve probably dropped this. The characters stayed true to their personalities and watching their teamwork made me smile. These 2 individuals which are so drastically different in their thoughts and actions always managed to reach the same goal with their own methods. The storyline is not like your typical serial killer, 1-case-per-episode drama, it was an entire web of discovering his past + identity, corrupted officials and a thin line between right and wrong, many characters struggled because of their unwavering belief to follow their morals and *no spoilers*
Alarge part of what made the drama so good was the cinematography, the appropriate use of angles and slowmo. It made the tension rise at every scene and I was always left in curious confusion after every scene. Seriously!! I can’t elaborate on this because I’m not an expert but it really really contributed to how great this drama was and is honestly one of the most essential things for crime dramas.
I saw a lot of people complaining about the music but I personally didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. I loved the 2 themes they played at the end of each episode and the beginning theme got me excited for each episode. Also that one creepy track they played everytime one of the detectives went exploring made me so anxious and tensed.
Loved it, as much as every single one of my romance or contemporary faves. Definitely worth a watch and rewatch.
9/10 because it doesn’t deserve that full marks yet, but it was A in every sense.
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This review may contain spoilers
Though the cases they dealt with are quite brutal for me, the story was never a boring one. It has a lot of twists but it was not tiresome. Though it was quite like a different version of "He is Psychometric", this was a more interesting drama. I guess this is the first mystery drama that I never got to figure out who is the real killer till the story revealed it. The real killer was so great in hiding his identity.I'm not really a super fan of Yoo Seung Ho, but he was way cooler here than in "Remember". His acting was great and was very sense appealing. He also appeared more charismatic here.
I loved that Lee Se Young is the leading lady here. She really suited the character she played. I was awed by her acting before, and she never disappoint me even a little bit in this drama.
All the other casts are amazing - from the villains to the police officers & heads - they were all amazing, and no one's quality of act has been left behind.
This was the first drama where I saw Yoon Ji On, and I was amazed by his character and the way he played it. I will look forward for more of his drama.
I love everything in this drama. I love the story. Though it has a lot of twists, it was never boring. Every episode was interesting. I love the fact that the villains' act were justifiable and not just out of insanity or what, and I love how Baek showed them that doing thing in a right way is the more reasonable approach in relieving their grudges. I love how things turned out for everyone of them - from the leading characters to the villains. The ending turned out great but still realistic and not too idealistic. I have enjoyed this from beginning to end.
Good job everyone!!
#memorist
#yooseungho
#leeseyoung
#yoonjion
#mustwatch2020
#mysterykdrama
#kdrama
#kdramahookedbylady28
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Just amazingly wow
I never knew this supernatural-action drama with super low (or no) romance at all, would suprised me so much!This is just a great series. It crashes my idea amazingly that highly-rated kdrama series would end with such a beautiful romance between leads.
Although, to be honest, I indeed hoped there will be somehow romance between leads along the story (because they are both my fave KDrama actors), but with its own story alone (the uniqueness and authenticity), it will not disappoint you even there’s low hope of romance between leads.
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Likes:
- The story was really very solid and the piecing together was exciting. I was intrigued and shocked every time some parts were revealed and bits of the story slowly came together
- The two main leads had great chemistry and I was really glad that no romance transpired between them! The side characters were also so wonderful and you find yourself suspecting them but also rooting for them at the same time :P
- It was not too long and the pace was good. I didn't feel like I was forced to sit through anything or that any parts were draggy.
Dislikes:
- Even though the final reveal made sense and was pretty cool, I was a bit disappointed.
- There were lots of elements and I think there were moments of confusion that weren't explained. I think there were also too many red herrings and this definitely was not going to be a mystery that as an audience you could have pieced together because you aren't given all the clues.
If you like thrilling/mystery themed dramas and want a break from the rom com life, I highly recommend this!
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This review may contain spoilers
One thing that kept me amazed while watching this drama is its ability to fool its viewers. Of all drama genres, good thriller/crime dramas are the most difficult to achieve because most of the time, the plots are cliche. Having serial killers/murderers, detectives/police that has past relationship with the suspects etc. Although this drama is almost as cliche as the others, one thing that it differs from the rest is its ability to fool its viewers. (Ngl, i always thought it was Chun Ki Soo who's behind the mask, but I got fooled. Then, I started to think that it was Lee Shin Woong, and I got fooled again.) This alone, made the drama become more interesting and thrilling.
As expected, Yoo Seung Ho (Dong Baek) always nails his role. He's a flexible actor who can do every genre and this is why I like him so much!!! After Remember: War of Son and My Strange Hero, he hasn't done any crime/thriller dramas so I was really waiting for this!! Lee Se Young (Han Sun Mi) is a great actress as well, i've only watched her on Hit The Top so I never knew her that much, but seeing her acting here, she's a great actress and deserves more recognition!!! She portrayed the superintendent role very well!!! And Jo Sung Ha (Lee Shin Woong), I don't know why he always portray the villain role in korean dramas but he always nail the role as well!!! And appreciation for Oh Se Hoon!!! He was such a good partner and friend, I wanted to have a friend like him, willing to fight with his friend even though he knew that it will risk his life.
This drama was good as I have expected. Yes, there is no romance but that makes this drama more interesting, because it focuses on their story, the reason why they fight, who they are fighting for etc!! Although I've been craving for more scenes of Dong Baek and So Won because they really suit each other in the drama, and I got really teary eyed when she died and Dong Baek blames himself because he thought if he did something (shook the hand of girl who killed So Won), he could've saved her. I also got teary eyed for Dong Baek's sister, imagine dealing with all those scumbags. Although what she did to give justice was wrong, I'm thinking that it must have been difficult for her too since she saw all their memories, she knew all those crimes that they did, so she must have felt the pain that her loved ones felt.
Overall, I liked the acting, the story, and the major plot twists that got me fooled every time. Having no romance in this is also an advantage since it showcased more the beauty of this drama!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
I finally managed to finish watching this drama and was happy that it turned out to be good. This drama was pretty enjoyable when you can just marathon watch it in one go, cos if you watching it as it air you may end up losing interest in the middle as the tension goes down. This drama was yet another good show featuring a detective with a supernatural telepathic ability to read minds and to my delight, the drama made good use of the plot idea while also showing realistic reaction of how the public would respond knowing that such a person existed. If anyone had seen He is Psychometric, the story had a similar tone though Memorist had a much more darker and sinister cases and mystery.
I've watched quite a number of dramas by Yoo Seungho and grew to really like his character Dongbaek in this drama. As always Seungho was able to bring out the sincerity of the character and the anguish felt by Dongbaek, enough to make you care about him to keep watching the drama. You just can't help rooting for Dongbaek as he continues to push forward to save lives while also being cornered into unfavourable situations.
That said, at first I wasn't really taken in with Lee Seyoung as the profiler character, Han Sunmi. Though that probably also influenced by my initial impression of the actress from her character in Korean Odyssey, to which I had some mixed feelings about. But once I set that bias aside, I was able to like the character as Han Sunmi's pasts and motivations were unveiled.
The cases featured in Memorist were written quite well. And while there were some pretty hard cases that involved implications of rape as well as religious cult stuff that may be a bit unbearable, the rest of it was pretty fine. The mystery elements as well as supernatural were pretty balanced with the normal detective stuff so it was good enough to draw you more into the story without making it too unbelievable. And I love the fact that as much as there were a lot of corruption in the drama like the many abuse of powers by people of influence, the drama still had a lot of hope for things to become better. And the writing of the Eraser and Executioner character was done so well that it didn't feel out of place when those characters started to be redeemed. Only thing I regret was that I wished the drama could be longer because Dongbaek was really such a lovable character.
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One of the things Seung-ho is known for is choosing projects with sensitive, multi-layered male leads and strong, three-dimensional female leads with their own arcs. No female lead in a recent Yoo Seung-ho drama has been there merely to propel the male arc's lead or serve as an accessory. Strong female leads are almost a part of his brand.
The Memorist continues this trend by having a good mutual partnership between Seung-ho's telepath Dong-baek and the profiler, Han Sun-mi. Capable, intelligent, respected and extremely competent, Se-young's character has her own connection to the plot independent of Dong-baek and serves an equal role in the text to his own. This is extremely rare for this genre (and for kdrama generally). And, if it wasn't for the weaknesses of the plot, direction and editing, it would almost be enough for me to persist with the show.
These are two excellent actors doing their best with the material. It's just the material itself that's the problem.
Unfortunately, The Memorist just isn't that interesting. The show is dark - so dark sometimes that you can barely see what's happening - and badly edited, with things moving from action frame to action frame as though it's still a comic book and not a live action version. The characters remain undeveloped at episode 8, with little time given to them as people. To some extent, this is deliberate as Dong-baek's ambiguity is required for several plot points. But it doesn't add to the show's watchability if we can't connect or feel invested in these people as characters.
By episode 8, the show consists of our protagonists chasing a smirking psychopath around in the dark. And while I would usually persist just for Seung-ho and his badass female lead, I am unfortunately bored. Worse even than that, the show has a voyeuristic violence against women problem - a common issue with this genre. It's unfortunate for it that I am very tired of crime shows torturing women for their viewer's pleasure, or for them perpetuating the myth that it's strange psychopaths in the street we need to be concerned about. The real threat to women is men they know and it's about time dramas started acknowledging that.
Having a single strong female lead is not enough to overcome the victimisation of every other female character and by episode 8 this is becoming a real problem.
And so I am dropping the show and hoping Seung-ho's next endeavour is more to my taste.
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In the sea of K-crime dramas, Memorist tries to be a blue whale but ends up being a fluke- the most abundant fish in the waters. It's generic, follows a pattern already used by many others, unoriginal and unfortunately boring by the end of the day.
In order to be apart from the norm, a mystery/crime show has to bring its own color to shine through. Stranger did that with the unique characters, Voice did that with its powerful antagonist, Defendent did that with the brilliant acting but Memorist, unfortunately has nothing that stands out.
Trouble with over powered protagonists (like the ML here, can read memories, is a kickass fighter, super smart, handsome , has a fan base) is that you're less forgiving of their stupidity. The ML's reckless actions and punch first, think later idealogy was less charming and more idiotic to me. It kept him from doing what matters and unfortunately, that meant I'd be stuck with more episodes of the same running around in circles with the plot I have no interest in.
Yoo Seung Ho is good here. He knows how to act but does not have the wow factor to make you connect with him (unless you're already a fan), the FL's character is well written but the actress's portrayal of her is just bland enough to make it meh.
Sure, there's mystery and the whodunnit factor and the frustration of not being able to catch the murderer but to me personally, it felt like I was seeing more of the same thing. And the idea of watching the same thing for the umpteenth of time, digesting all of the info dump with a mediocre setting and characters for 16 hours straight does not sound appealing to me at all. Some people say it got better, others say the plot just became messier as the episodes progressed, I for one don't have the patience to find out.
Maybe more suited for watchers that are new to the genre and fans of the cast but for a seasoned watcher? A hard pass.
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