O Dia (2023)

The two leads form a splendidly unique mixture, providing unique heartbeat and appeal to the story

“The Kidnapping Day” is all about its two great protagonists. I'm tempted to say: it is about the female lead character. The actress is simply wonderful and perfect for this character. Nevertheless, in my opinion, in her eccentric role she comes into her own so brilliantly precisely because her adult counterpart: the Kidnapper, who is just the way he is – as a rather clumsy person, he is practically the antithesis of this cheeky eleven-year-old but highly intelligent know-it-all. Yet, he ist the one who is sort of seeing, liberating and nurturing her usually neglected self, that is hidden underneath her intellectual brilliance: First of all she is just a child with all needs that come along. So, he might be not as smart as the little girl, yet he is actually the true grown up, who is not letting him be mislead by her genius, but watching out for her and intuitively caring for the child she is, too. This splendid mixture provides the unique heartbeat and appeal. So together they form this edgy team, keeping the audience in a good mood.

The plot offers a lot of humor and quite some comicalness of the situation, but there are also serious themes lingering. After all, there is an unsolved murder case. Furthermore, it is nevertheless a case of kidnapping, even if the prefix may change over time. Added to this is the sad fact that health is often a question of money. And ultimately, behind all of this, there is also the issue of abuse. “The Kidnapping Day” is also able to tackle the ever late-breaking topic of “education hype in South Korea” in an original new way, entangling it in an exciting crime thriller.

What initially starts as kidnapping quickly takes a completely different direction. The victim becomes the mastermind. The police, or at least one of the investigators, dares to think twice and appropriately take unusual paths according this unusual case. Good and evil, black and white, its blurred. Yet, there are still unscrupulous villains. We are also stumbling over complex enmeshments, lying way back in the past.

“The Kidnapping Day” knows how to deliver on a variety of levels. Accordingly, the number of viewers has more than doubled over those 12 episodes. The special charm of the two leads also got me and I was happy to stick with them. Mind you, this was basically because of the charming relationship dynamics of the two leads, and how the two shape the kidnapping scenario along the way in a pleasantly witty way, including the solving of the murder case and at last providing a solution .




P.S.
The two protagonists, their particular relationship, THAT is the clever strength and the endearing piquancy. The rest might at times come across rather careless and pallid. Obviously, this is (once more) the product of the new era that has dawned in the KDrama orbit. Numerous new networks are now happily playing along on the market, including ENA, former SKY, which has repositioned itself in 2022 in order to get involved with its own KDrama productions in the top Pay-TV segment. (ENA belongs to Korean Telekom and produced 22 series in 2023 already.)
In general, with Disney, Netflix and others, I´d say KDrama productions feel like having doubled in 2023 (I didn't count, though). But what seems like a blessing at first sight turns out to be a bit of a sham, too. Where are all the original ideas supposed to continuously come from? And if there is a promising plot idea, it is yet far from being thoroughly worked through... Quantity rarely automatically goes hand in hand with quality. And it doesn't work the other way around either. Accordingly, “The Kidnapping Day” also suffers from the ravages of time: negligence can be observed here and there. However, the main strength and driving force of this story - the strangely lovingly developing relationship of the two unconventional leads - luckily is awesome enough to carry and equilibrate.

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It is too well done! Perfectly constructed, every episode is just amazing, go watch!

~In a desperate situation to pay for her daughter's surgery, Myung Joon kidnaps a sharp-witted girl Ro Hee. At that time, Ro Hee lost her memory so she does not recognize her kidnapper. Crisis starts when an incident happen to her real parents...

A snappy child-genius & a clumsy man with the warmest heart, together they are involved in various situations from kidnapping to an unassuming mystery. The story is solid with no filler scene, it’s refreshing, angsty, with a sprinkle of family melodrama. What’s stand out among the usual crime show is that it still set up a high stake, but it’s packed with comedy without it derails the plot. As a wannabe kidnapper, Myung Joon is not-criminally-minded. People and police are guessing his motives, but he is not-at-all pretentious. In contrast, Ro-hee is an intelligent 11-year-old, she shows no fear and confuses him. You’ll see who's in charge watching them together! Their relation is beyond the usual paternal-affection... More like two frenemies teasing each other's nerves. I can’t take their bickering seriously but that's why I'm loving this show! ? As dim-witted Myung Joon is, he's a tough cookie in all situations. There's a fast n furious-like car chase, following him fighting, flipping his body like a fish! ? ? His fighting skills are authentic! Hahaha… #iykyk

There's an intriguing story behind Ro Hee's amnesia and kidnapping. I won't spoil, but everyone who's involved with this is boiling my blood. Another pro, I often get frustrated if the investigation is pointless until last minute, but here police have agency; they busted people in act, clues and plot twists are dropped early on, keeping me on the edge of my seat. This show is marching strong way beyond all other 2023 dramas I’m watching and I'm so involved consistently to the finale.
Despite so many shows on my plan-to-watch list, I am already re-watching it

-Oct 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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