I Missed Eight Years. You Don't.
Back when Healer was airing, it was EVERYWHERE. Everyone was talking about it, and I remember thinking, “Wow, this thing looks freaking awesome. I HAVE to watch it!”
And then… I didn’t.
Years went by.
Eight freaking years.
And finally, I broke the curse and watched it.
And holy shit… ALL THOSE YEARS I MISSED OUT ON THIS?!
What a show.
It’s not just a little better than its peers—it’s two or three levels above them. And considering how much the Korean drama industry has evolved since then, the fact that this show can still stand toe-to-toe with newer dramas after all these years is seriously impressive.
So, what’s it about?
A masked hero.
Well… he’s not exactly a hero. He’s more like a mercenary. You pay him, he does the job. And that job could be literally anything.
In the very first episode, he gets a new assignment: find a girl.
He finds her pretty quickly, but for certain reasons, he can’t exactly walk away from her. So he creates a fake identity, starts hanging out with her, and…
Well, you can probably guess where this is going.
Yep. They fall in love. :))
I have to say, the whole “masked hero” concept has been done a thousand times, and yet it never really gets old. There’s just something about it that’s always fun to watch.
How’s the story?
Excellent.
It starts out as an action story, then slowly brings in the romance, and a little later, the characters’ personal struggles and troubled pasts come into play.
And trust me, it’s so damn good that you’re not gonna want to put it down.
Character development?
Good.
Really good.
You could actually understand where every single character was coming from. And a huge part of that was the acting. Every single actor did a great job.
Especially Ji Chang-wook, who plays the lead.
This drama really showed me what a capable actor he is. Why?
Because his character goes through some pretty extreme emotional ups and downs—extreme happiness, extreme sadness, extreme anger, you name it— and he nailed every single one of them.
Seriously, you could SEE the happiness and sadness in his eyes.
And on top of that, his character constantly disguises himself as different people, and he plays each identity as a completely different person.
There were moments when I genuinely went:
“WAIT… THAT’S THE SAME GUY?!”
Bottom line: the characters are both well-written and well-acted, and that gets a big thumbs-up from me.
That’s why Healer is one of the very few dramas where I genuinely like every single character in the cast.
Music?
Excellent.
To this day, the main theme of Healer is still my ringtone. :))
Direction?
Also excellent.
Pacing and suspense?
Excellent again.
This show had me watching all 20 episodes in three days.
That’s a freaking record for me.
Final thoughts:
If you’re a fan of K-dramas, Healer is one of those shows you really shouldn’t miss.
Sure, it has a few silly ideas here and there—like the fact that there’s this ridiculously badass hacker sitting behind Healer 24/7, basically making sure nothing ever goes wrong for him. :))
But honestly, the show has so many strengths that those little things are incredibly easy to overlook.
For me, the enjoyment factor is a solid 10/10. It is a must watch.
It also has a happy ending that actually makes sense, which is always a nice bonus.
And honestly? My recommendation is to make your 13–14-year-old girls sit down and watch this.
Let their eyes turn into little hearts. :))
Okay, I should probably stop talking about this now because I’m slowly starting to want to watch it all over again. :))
And then… I didn’t.
Years went by.
Eight freaking years.
And finally, I broke the curse and watched it.
And holy shit… ALL THOSE YEARS I MISSED OUT ON THIS?!
What a show.
It’s not just a little better than its peers—it’s two or three levels above them. And considering how much the Korean drama industry has evolved since then, the fact that this show can still stand toe-to-toe with newer dramas after all these years is seriously impressive.
So, what’s it about?
A masked hero.
Well… he’s not exactly a hero. He’s more like a mercenary. You pay him, he does the job. And that job could be literally anything.
In the very first episode, he gets a new assignment: find a girl.
He finds her pretty quickly, but for certain reasons, he can’t exactly walk away from her. So he creates a fake identity, starts hanging out with her, and…
Well, you can probably guess where this is going.
Yep. They fall in love. :))
I have to say, the whole “masked hero” concept has been done a thousand times, and yet it never really gets old. There’s just something about it that’s always fun to watch.
How’s the story?
Excellent.
It starts out as an action story, then slowly brings in the romance, and a little later, the characters’ personal struggles and troubled pasts come into play.
And trust me, it’s so damn good that you’re not gonna want to put it down.
Character development?
Good.
Really good.
You could actually understand where every single character was coming from. And a huge part of that was the acting. Every single actor did a great job.
Especially Ji Chang-wook, who plays the lead.
This drama really showed me what a capable actor he is. Why?
Because his character goes through some pretty extreme emotional ups and downs—extreme happiness, extreme sadness, extreme anger, you name it— and he nailed every single one of them.
Seriously, you could SEE the happiness and sadness in his eyes.
And on top of that, his character constantly disguises himself as different people, and he plays each identity as a completely different person.
There were moments when I genuinely went:
“WAIT… THAT’S THE SAME GUY?!”
Bottom line: the characters are both well-written and well-acted, and that gets a big thumbs-up from me.
That’s why Healer is one of the very few dramas where I genuinely like every single character in the cast.
Music?
Excellent.
To this day, the main theme of Healer is still my ringtone. :))
Direction?
Also excellent.
Pacing and suspense?
Excellent again.
This show had me watching all 20 episodes in three days.
That’s a freaking record for me.
Final thoughts:
If you’re a fan of K-dramas, Healer is one of those shows you really shouldn’t miss.
Sure, it has a few silly ideas here and there—like the fact that there’s this ridiculously badass hacker sitting behind Healer 24/7, basically making sure nothing ever goes wrong for him. :))
But honestly, the show has so many strengths that those little things are incredibly easy to overlook.
For me, the enjoyment factor is a solid 10/10. It is a must watch.
It also has a happy ending that actually makes sense, which is always a nice bonus.
And honestly? My recommendation is to make your 13–14-year-old girls sit down and watch this.
Let their eyes turn into little hearts. :))
Okay, I should probably stop talking about this now because I’m slowly starting to want to watch it all over again. :))
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