Healer Review

10/10

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Overall: 10/0
Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Feels Factor: 10/10
Reviewer: Alyssa

 Can I possibly review this as an 11/10 for characters? 

2015 is KILLING IT so far, and I can't believe how awesome this drama was. I'm still geeking out about it! Actually, more accurately, I'm swooning over Healer. I needed something to take away the pain of Pinocchio being over, and TADA, I got a new favorite drama. Well almost number 1. Number 2? Or 3? It's hard to put kdramas on that kind of scale, but this is up there. I'll compose myself long enough to give you a full review here. 

The Bad: Honestly, nothing about this drama was bad to me. Not a single thing. Not for one moment was I bored, or frustrated, or in any way uninterested. The pace was fast the whole way through, and the life or death situations just ramped this whole thing up in intensity. 

If I HAVE to imagine something bad about this drama, maybe the situations were a little repetitive? The thing is, I loved the plot and situations so much, I didn't care one iota if the girl got kidnapped and put in danger a few times, and then we had to watch Healer kick people's butts and save her. Give me more!! I love that crap. 

Another thing that might have made me pause a bit was that the happy ending was...I don't want to say rushed, but we didn't get to soak in it a whole lot. Yes, spoiler alert, the series has a good ending. But I didn't get to see the bad guys actually get their comeuppance, so I guess that's a negative. We know they lost, and the good guys won, but we didn't get to see the whole thing go down in detail.

The Good: Let's start with the story. The whole idea of this "errand boy" spy person named Healer was just genius. Hot guy who jumps from roofs and can take down a whole gang of thugs in like 30 seconds with his bare hands? Hot. And then throw that in there with your classic "everything and everyone is connected" kdrama plot, and you've got heart, and cleverness, and intrigue all rolled up into the perfect kimbap snack. (If you watched the drama you'll find that hilarious.) 

There was enough of a supporting backstory to make the current storyline feel relevant, and enough bad guy schemes to propel the characters through the plot at an enjoyable pace. 

So moving on to characters, which was hands down the very best part of this show. Ji Chang Wook was just so gosh darn SEXY in this drama, I honestly could not get enough of watching him do...whatever it was he was doing. 

 I mean obviously his role as Healer was unbelievably smexy. I think I can confidently say he is the most swoon-worthy character I've encountered in a kdrama yet. (Yes, even put right up against Do Min Joon the alien!) Look at this guy:

But his character Seo Jung Hoo (codename: Healer), also needed to have a few alter egos. His "bumbling" nerd alter ego Park Bong Soo was so adorable, I honestly couldn't even stand it. The way he would fake being nervous, and stammer his "Y-y-yea. Yea sunbae." CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

I could go on and on about how sexy Healer was, and how they basically created the perfect guy, but I'll let you find out for yourself. 

Our leading lady Chae Yeong Shin (played by Park Min  Young) was also very likeable. Although I don't love her as much as the quirky Chun Song Yi from My Love From Another Star, or other similar leads, she was still adorable, vulnerable, and brave all at the same time. I loved watching her grow. And it was funny because she basically played the same character she portrayed in City Hunter...just better. Like a lot better!

I can't leave out my second favorite character of this show. Ahjumma. 

Hacker, wingman, knitter, and quirky but genius kick butt Ahjumma. She was hilarious, and impressive all at the same time. I am in awe of the attention to detail they put into her character, making her an integral part of the story. She wasn't just a gimmick for laughs--she was a living, breathing, crazy old lady who could take down the government if she was so inclined. I love her. 

And of course, I can't leave out the feels factor. The romance will not disappoint you. They balanced it very well, making it a source of motivation for Healer, but at the same time not allowing it to muddy the seriousness of the supporting plot. It wasn't cheesy or overdone. In fact it was surprisingly natural for something born out of roof jumping, butt kicking, and vigilante situations. Look at how tender he is with her. 

So in conclusion, this drama has it all. For me, anyway. I love a little action, a little romance, and a little intrigue all in perfect ratios. It doesn't come along very often, but I just got two killer dramas in a row this year. Score!

What I'm saying is watch it. Or rather marathon that sucker. Isn't there a three day weekend coming up? All 20 episodes are available!

If you saw Healer, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Lie to Me Review

Click the pic for a synopsis!

7/10

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Overall: 7/10 
Characters: 7/10
 Plot: 5/10
Feels Factor: 8/10
Reviewer: Alyssa 

So here's a telling thing about this drama--I can't remember it very well. I watched a few clips and refreshed my memory, but even then, I'm having a hard time coming up with the details. Why? It's a forgettable drama. That said, I did some digging to find out why I originally gave it 7 stars on my drama list. Here's what I came up with:

The Bad: That plot, though. The writing absolutely killed this drama for me, and I've seen similar reviews. It's like the writers had some good ideas for scenes they wanted in the drama, but they had a hard time building a believable plot with which to support the cute moments. The drama just sort of ambled along, strung together with cute circumstances and some pretty impressive chemistry. But what was the point of this? The cold hero (played by Kang Ji Hwan) did in fact thaw, and the leading girl did become successful in her endeavors after much struggling. I didn't dislike anyone (who could dislike Yoon Eun Hye?), but I didn't have stars in my eyes after the show was over. I found myself going, "Blah, blah, blah, can we get to that coke kiss scene already?"

 This was the drama that I could put down. The one that left me feeling a little unsatisfied, and thus drove me to watch what would then become my very favorite drama of all time--Secret Garden. So maybe I should thank Lie to Me for sending me running to the arms of my beloved Hyun Bin? We'll go with that. Which leads me to...

The Good: The chemistry was there. Although the script meandered, and the "tension" was thin, the chemistry between Kang Ji Hwan and Yoon Eun Hye was SIZZLING. Did I mention that coke kiss? 

 So even though I wasn't sure where the drama was going, or what the point of it all was, I sure enjoyed the ride. Most of it anyway. There were tender moments, and funny ones, and a few gripping plot points that made me do little marathon spurts. And that's why it got a 7 and not something lower. Those scenes that were pieced together somewhat awkwardly where so enjoyable that it was actually worth sitting through the whole thing. And believe me, there have been plenty of "must see" dramas that I just dropped. This one kept me interested through pure. scientific. chemistry. baby. 

The Ahjumma's consensus: If you're in the mood for a hard-to-get guy who is softened by a lovable, strong-willed girl, and you want some great kisses along the way, then give this one a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed.