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The Good:
— The Male Lead: Liu Yu Ning (who also had an impressive starring role in this year’s “The Prisoner of Beauty”), plays a misunderstood prince who’s hated by most of his family and caught between conflicting loyalties. He’s always interesting to watch as an actor and gives a layered performance here. Don’t miss his microexpressions — they reveal a lot about his character, who’s supposedly stoic, but really has a lot of emotions and inner turmoil simmering beneath the surface.
— The Second Male Lead: To describe his character arc would spoil important plot points, but Wang You Shuo delivers an impressive and wide-ranging performance. You’ll have a lot of feelings about his character, and it’s almost like you can see the workings of his mind playing out through his expressions.
— The Costumes: Many of the costumes are gorgeous and unique compared to other historical dramas. Whoever designed the tasseled hat and mask combination deserves a raise — it’s such a badass and mysterious look that makes the character who wears it instantly recognizable. In fact, all the martial artists’ makeup and styling stand out.
— The Action: Another highlight is the stylish action sequences. Many of the 1-on-1 fights in particular are like beautifully choreographed dances.
The Not-So-Good:
— The Beginning: I wasn’t feeling the first several episodes, which are a bit bizarre and almost seem like a different show than the rest of the series. I found the female lead’s antics irritating and the male lead cruel. Although that’s intentional; he’s supposed to be a stereotypical ruthless warlord type of character.
The story doesn’t really find its footing until episode 6, when it gets into more normal drama territory. The workings of the script and the FL’s desperate attempts to avoid (or kill) the ML become less of a focus as the requisite drama plot points play out, including love triangles, palace power struggles, and secrets and misunderstandings.
— The Female Lead’s Character Development: Li Yi Tong plays a modern woman who ends up inside the script of the costume drama she’s about to film. She has a lovely, expressive face and shows a lot of emotional range, but I never found her character very likable — partly due to how the role is written and partly due to the actress’s portrayal, which often comes across as affected and childish. The fake crying and pretend coyness aren’t cute or funny. Plus, her refusal to see that both the characters and plot are different than the original script makes it difficult to sympathize with or feel invested in her or her choices as a main character. While the characters around her change and grow, she's stuck in the same stubborn thinking and behavior through two-thirds of the drama.
— The Hit-and-Miss Humor: The parody of drama cliches and common tropes can be quite funny. The early episodes in particular are pretty over-the-top with character behavior and crazy events that viewers may or may not find humorous. (Side note: if you don’t find repeated accidental deaths and violence played for laughs to be amusing, maybe skip parts of episode 1; you won’t miss much.)
To sum up, it’s a flawed but entertaining story. The rocky start, a frustrating relationship between the leads (the friendships and rivalries are more interesting than the romance), and distracting music and sound effects that sometimes drown out the dialogue take some of the enjoyment out of the experience. But an intricate plot that sometimes feels like solving a puzzle and some unexpected twists keeps things interesting throughout the 40 episodes. I won’t comment on the ending except to say make sure to watch the post-credits scene closely!
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This gripping story revolves around the arrogant and reckless heir to a technology empire and his lookalike — a lifelike AI android programmed to be a caring companion.
The drama really ramps up when some circumstances result in the robot having to pose as his human counterpart, imitating his personality and behavior. Seo Kang Joon’s talent really shines here. Playing a double role, he makes each character completely distinct — from their speaking cadence and facial tics to body language and walking style. During certain scenes where it’s uncertain who’s who, observant viewers will be able to pick up on some clues thanks to his impressive acting skills. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was two different people.
SKJ also puts his distinctive good looks to good use for both characters, convincingly pulling off both the wealthy bad boy and the gentle android with a moody smirk or an innocent smile. It’s a brilliant performance that’s worth watching closely — don’t miss his microexpressions and subtle changes as the android develops increasingly human-like behavior.
I haven’t seen Gong Seung Yeon, who plays the female lead, in anything else, but she also does a great job with her role as a compassionate and brave bodyguard and former professional MMA fighter who gets caught up in the family drama.
In fact, there are a lot of compelling and layered performances from this cast, even for supporting roles. The “good” characters aren’t perfect; the “bad” characters aren’t irredeemable (with perhaps one exception); and watching their motivations and secrets come to light kept me glued to the screen. Lee Jun Hyuk as the loyal but conflicted personal assistant also gives a standout performance. There are a few irritating side characters, but their screen time is fairly limited.
The series doesn’t get too philosophical about its AI subject matter, but the plot does raise some interesting questions: When an entity develops independent thought and something similar to emotions, should it be treated any differently than a human being? Is its existence any less valuable than a human’s? Various characters struggle with these questions, but the series makes it easy to empathize with its non-human main character.
Despite its sci-fi trappings, this drama is a love story at heart, and not just a romantic one. Familial love — particularly love (and love lost) between mother and son — is a big focus and drives much of the show’s emotional impact.
The first time I watched it and was nearing the final episodes, I had some doubts about how the series would conclude, but it does come to a satisfying ending.
I don’t give out 10-star ratings easily, but after multiple viewings, this series continues to be one of my all-time favorite K-dramas. Its bingeable 30-minute episodes are fast-paced, have some killer cliffhangers, and keep the twists and turns coming between the family tension, corporate power struggles, and tangled relationships. “Are You Human Too?” is serious (but not humorless), exciting, and thought-provoking all at once — both the plot and the performances make this drama a must-watch.
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