Olá, Monstro (2015)

I didn't expect much logic or veracity in this show. Since the beginning, we can tell that the script isn't the most elaborated in Dramaland, but it kinda surprises me at certain points. I really figure out about the killer and the brother in episode two, but that wasn't the main question of the show, at least that was what I felt.

The relations between the characters and motivation of each one actually were the goal here. The reason behind the murders, the reason behind the emotional issues... I think this was a drama that tried to made a deep plot but was limited by a low budget (I suppose) and a poor script.

I wanted that they explore more the duality of the character and put the audience to really doubt everyone. But when you started to see the things showing up, the mystery turns quite obvious. Somethings really bothered me, as the police station where anyone can do whatever they want (including fraud and case's covering) and don't get punished, or just receiving a scold. The many cases crossing over the main plot were also a little forced to me, and sometimes I had to go back to understand the connection because there were many. It wasn't the greater performance of my oppa Seo In Guk either, but I could feel that was a direction choice because his character was pretty stereotypical. The script was really a problem to me, and seeing that was the same screenwriter of "Suspicious Partner", I can get that. The idea was good, but the development was frustrating, catching you by the curiosity and not for the involvement.

I won't complain about the few romantic scenes because this wasn't the point of the drama, but already complaining... Why not a few more scenes between these two? I think that is the curse of noona romance, where the producers and actors don't wanna expose the actress... It's a shame because the chemistry between them was great.

The highlight for me was the performance of Park Bo Gum, because I always saw him as the good boy and here I really had chills seeing his cold smile. It's not for nothing that he received two awards because of this character, it was a good job.

I'll put this one as an "I expected more, but okay" (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) because I could watch until the end and I could enjoy until a certain point.

See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.

Leia Mais

Near perfect

As near perfect of its type as you can get, this drama. It certainly grabbed my interest, with good mystery and acting from the start, although I really do not like dramas with psychopathic characters~~they cause huge damage, not just at the extreme end of murderers, but to other human beings in day to day life. Seo in Guk in character totally different from King of Hi School and works brilliantly. Also Jang Na Ra, I did not at first associate the teacher in School 2013 with her in this setting, though the character is similar. There are lots of comic interludes between the murder and mystery and the support characters of the crime team are good fun. I like the "team leader", with his self-confident bravado and his mournful look when things do not go quite according to plan but his character also developed in the course of the series. My only reservation was how the romance "on-off" worked and the end, which did not seem realistic to me. Apart from this, the plot was worked out at the end in a very accomplished and masterful way. The music was very moving. I do not usually re-watch, but putting this at 9 as this may be an exception in the future. Congratulations to actors, producer, director but above all the brilliant writer.

Leia Mais

Sherlock vibes.

Hello Monster/I Remember You is a drama which revolves around a high functioning main lead — Hyeon — who’s on a mission to find out the person who killed his father and possibly find his brother. The series starts off really well, there’s a good introduction of characters and the main leads personality grows on you well. There are many crime thrillers that start of well but don’t keep up in the second half, but thankfully that isn’t the case with Hello Monster. The pace is steady and though the plot is slightly lacking, the well rounded characters make up for it. The antagonists are also revealed pretty early on so it doesn’t leave you guessing who’s the killer until the end.

This drama is a collection of flashbacks and present time. The cameos are so well done and I absolutely loved the acting of the child actors. I also enjoyed the team dynamics of the investigation team. There are characters used for comic relief, but the best thing about them is that that isn’t the only thing they are used for. That’s another reason why I loved this drama. Each character isn’t restricted to individual characteristics.

Overall, it’s an interesting drama that’s more about bromance and mystery oriented. It starts off well and ends well. I personally feel that the ending could have been less safe than what we got, but any other way would have meant that we would be left with many loopholes. Slightly disappointed with how it ended, but I’m not unhappy with it. It’s a good drama with lots of wholesome fun scenes!

Leia Mais

Hello monster is very well scripted and brilliantly acted series. There is never a dull moment, just grips you in. This is NOT just any other crime drama with stupid cases and cheesy romance, it actually delves deeper into criminal psychology and how childhood trauma or the way society treats them could trigger a person to transform into a beast.
Things I absolutely loved
1)Every case they solve reveals a minor aspect of the main story line, which makes it quite interesting.
*~SPOILER alert! -'*
_ like in ep 1 the killer thinks he is actually killing the same person again and again like min does ' .
_And the one in which a guy ( son of a rapist) is always traumatised by the fact that he would end up like his father. But dies saving someone else heartbreaking.

2) Villains having an origin story ( very rare)
_Like I know why Lee jun young is so hell bent on rescuing children from abusive homes murdering their parents and min targetting people who abandon.

3) Female lead is super strong. Really! -Refreshing. Kicks ass, doesn't wait to be saved, emotional anchor for ML though herself dealing with tragic stuff. Does what is right and knows when to do it. I loveee Jang NAra!!!!
_one scene where she is gifted the location of her father's burried bones on her b'day aaahh h!! she waited for it for 20 long years that she couldn't shed a tear(on the verge of total breakdown.)

4) Seo in guk is a gem! ! Especially during the case profiling and interrogation scenes. And a super adorable hyung.
5) PGB is a revelation. I like how his eyes turns from lost puppy kind to total creepy within seconds.
6) The team. Sunbae leader kang everyone.
_ leader kang is a nice kind of second lead harbouring a secret crush, protecting but NEVER. clingy.
7) OTP - cute ,caring ,realistic ,share gloom.

Things I found irritating:
1) all of them having meals together again and again. Knowing everything!
2) while min heads to confess other the real murderer set loose. so much time to arrest wasted !!
3) no scenes of Lee jun young brain washing Min as a kid .what happened in those years.
~END SPOILER~
Please watch it! keeps you hooked. Very unique and underrated.

Leia Mais

Watch this show!

THIS IS NOT A ROMANTIC COMEDY! The photo, the descriptions, the trailers, all lead you to believe this is a romance. It is not. What it IS is a brilliantly crafted police/crime/psychological thriller. This is a show that will draw you in at the outset and not let you go until the very last notes of music have died down. I'll warn you up front that you really have to pay attention, because there is a lot going on. A lot of the names were similar and there were a lot of flashbacks. This show really speaks to nature vs. nurture, how much our environment contributes to who we become, choices that we make in our lives, and different components that can make up a family - straying from the traditional thoughts of Mom, Dad and kids to a family of friends, a brotherhood, a dysfunctional coupling of wounded/broken people.

Let me get the female lead out of the way - Jang Nara. She was very good as a tiny but somewhat tough police officer. I did wonder why so many Korean dramas use the "stalker" storyline.

The male actors in this make the show. Seo In Guk is good in everything I've seen him in. In this show he's got that cool demeanor down to an art, but when he shows his vulnerability, it's so touching. Park Bo Gum - WOW! He was absolutely perfectly cast in his role. That beautiful smile and the ability he has to switch expressions on a dime. When his eyes turned cold, I got chills. His character was immature in a lot of ways and he played that very well, looking to others for help and validation. The scenes with Seo In Guk and Park Bo Gum together were enthralling and oh, so powerful.
I've seen Choi Won Young in quite a few shows, and he played a completely different type of character than I've ever seen him do. He was excellent and I found myself fascinated in a weird way.
Min Sung Wook was the comedic relief in a lot of the scenes and was really good.
D.O. as the young Lee Joon-Young was chilling.
This was a great Bromance-type show, between the men in the police squad, the trinity of the three male leads, Seo In Guk's character's friendship with the art dealer. There was a lot of good-natured joking around but there were many instances that showed the real bond between the characters.
The writing - oh my goodness, there were more twists and turns in this than driving on a winding mountain road. Just when you think you've gotten something figured out, the writers correct your assumption by throwing something else at you. A few of the characters kept referencing a "happy ending" and I didn't see how that would be possible with this show, but I thought the ending was just perfect. There was the typical "gone for a year" storyline (so, are the majority of people in Korea just alone, waiting for someone to come back from where they disappeared to? When someone leaves for a long period of time, don't they call? What's up with that?!?!)
Finally, the music - in the BRIEF time the main couple was together (remember I said this wasn't a romance), the music was light and airy. Then there was the suspenseful music woven throughout. But the best thing about the music was when they used that one-note discordant tone, it just spoke of the evil that was coming. Very effectively done.
I, of course, would have liked more romance (there was one very well-done kiss to appease me a little bit), but that would have taken away from the effectiveness of this show. Everything about this show was amazing and I was surprised to read that it didn't do well when it came out. This may be because they didn't do a good job of explaining what to expect. This was a smart show, and if you're not in the mood to have to think, you would find this disappointing. I was power-watching this ("just one more episode") because I was so invested in the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next. After taking a huge sigh of relief that I was finally going to be able to relax, I was sorry that it was over.

Leia Mais

Female Lead was the most annoying character.

Overall this drama is amazing . But if the FL didn't exist this would have been more beautiful. Her character ruined all the enjoyable moments in the drama and instead made us annoyed. We could directly say it's a beautiful bromance drama. Also satisfied with the ending. But would have been excellent if we were offered a scene three of them together in a far away location.
This story justified murders in a nice way and I love the plot that the character development is not as typical as 'just psychopaths' as in other crime dramas. Also love the different ending and not being all murders in prison.

Leia Mais

Good drama

I came to watch after watching Doom at your service. I had watched shopping king. Louis half and was bored so dropped it and thot Seo in Guk is so so. But in Hello Monster i saw he is amazing.
The story is pretty good and there are times i felt sad for the brothers, where people try to make decisions for others. I liked their bromance. FL was not so bad as i have read in many reviews, she came across little selfish and little dumb but she did her part well. All in all it is a good watch. It's right amount of mystery, romance, bromance, thrill till the last episode.

Leia Mais

Interesting premise but...

I felt like the premise was really interesting and there was a lot of potential for this to become a really thrilling mystery, but it suffers from something that many mid-2010s dramas do, which is that the romance and the attempts to smush the leads together hinders the show's ability to be darker.

The romantic set-up is a very common kdrama one: childhoods connected by tragedy. I'm fine with this, but the ML's story was just so much more interesting and the chemistry with his brother and the serial killer so much more intriguing that all his scenes with the FL felt just so "blah," as if they were going through the motions.

With that being said, the trio — Lee Hyun, Min, and Lee Jun Young — were absolutely the best part of the show. Their performances were very convincing, and there was a lot of tension in all their shared scenes, and I was also really excited to how the story would play out.

On the other hand, I think the individual cases were fine, but didn't really grab me; in fact, they were a little vague at times, or it just didn't that high stakes. It didn't really help that the FL felt very reactive throughout, never really planning or investigating anything until it was right under her nose, both when it came to individual cases and with the overarching plot.

Now, the ending really does leave a lot to be desired. I felt like they rushed through it (which a lot of kdramas fall victim to) and it focused on giving us unnecessary closure for the romance instead of for the more interesting thriller plot.

Leia Mais

It deserves some love honestly

I just finished watching this drama and all I can say is that it left me with a lot of questions. I even searched if they will make a season 2,but that is not the case.Overall it was a very good drama and I recommend it to anyone who likes dramas that focus on crime and psychopaths and not so much on romance.

1. I have read a lot of reviews on this title that were complaining about the romance between the main leads,or lack thereof.The interaction between them felt like a breath of fresh air next to the crimes and investigation that was going on.Quite frankly I liked that.It was the right amount of romance this drama needed.It was like a little part fitting perfectly between the whole plot.
2.I have nothing to say about the cast because it was magnificient.Everyone played their parts very well!
3.I loved the friendship between the investigation team so much.
4.Now to complain a little.Why did they have to finish the drama like that?It left me very confused.I think it would have been better to end it with catching/killing the murderer.I literally scremed when it said that he disappeared.I could have understood the ending if they would have done another season.It's like I got to the end but the story was just starting.
Another thing:I like how they ended the things between the main leads BUT what about Min??? Personally I think he chose to live as the real him but that is just my opinion.Still...what happened to him?Did he get arrested?Did he went to the police and confess? Even before this. I thought he died but after an year we see him in a hospital... What happened there?
When Hyun met for the last time with Jun Yung, why didn't he arrest him?He already told Hyun he will leave so..It's like he wanted to chase Jun Yung for all his life.Last but not least how did Hyun knew where Min is and that he is alive?

Even after all of this the drama is very good and it deserves more recognition plus I really adored the bromance between the brothers. This drama also keeps on a leash,meaning that the plot is too enteresting to make you want to think about other stuff.At the same time it makes you have so many conspiracies about what would happen next.This makes the drama so much more entertaining and captivating.Please check it out :)

Leia Mais

The plot of the drama seemed great, and I was intrigued by Lee Hyun's past and present. However, the character of Cha Ji An made it very difficult for me to continue watching the drama, they portrayed her as a crime police inspector who is unbelievably dumb, weak and annoyingly irrational. Her actions place people in dangerous positions as well, which irks me as her job require her to be strong and at least a little bit smart as protector of the people. I had to drop it before she kills me as well out of frustration. Badly written female character, such a waste really.

Leia Mais