My Lawyer, Mr. Jo (2016)

If I could describe this show in two words it would be these: "High Energy." One of the defining aspects of this drama is the way the characters never stop moving, both literally and figuratively. From Episode 1 to the triumphant climax, this feeling of energy is almost omnipresent, only occasionally ebbing for a tender or romantic moment here and there.

While it's not without an issue or two, My Lawyer, Mr. Jo is both clean in content and high in entertainment value.

The plot centers around the titular character as he makes a transition from high-powered prosecutor to penniless lawyer. While there is a central conflict that progresses in each episode, the story is told through multiple court cases that connect to one another, which creates multiple emotional climaxes through the course of its 20 episodes. You'll rarely feel like you're just being teased, and the action never feels like it's being prolonged artificially.

There are villains aplenty here as well, and the story structure does a great job of keeping the audience wondering "Who is REALLY the Big Bad here?" Only one villain is a mustache-twirler, but even he has complex motivations and a true story arc.

While one or two of the early dramatic courtroom scenes come off as overdone due to some sloppy editing, you mostly won't see an issue with the storytelling at all. The endings of the episodes are also some of the best I've seen, not so much for their "cliffhanger" status as for their emotional impact and comedy. This is a very well put-together show. Many times, when the End-Of-Episode Musical Glitter thing happens, you'll be completely taken aback.

Unequivocally, though, the biggest strength of this drama is its cast. I can't even take the time to point out the stand-out actors, because they basically all stand out. Just go to the Cast page for this show and look at all the Main Roles and Supporting Roles: you're looking at the stand out actors. There's essentially no "soap opera acting" here. While larger than life, these characters are people, and the writing never leans on the crutch of Sudden And Inexplicable Stupidity in order to create drama, tension, or conflict.
The entire ensemble is a joy to watch, and I'd love to see it be nominated in the "Best Ensemble" category for any 2016 awards.

My Lawyer, Mr. Jo is one of the most fun watches of the year, free from the usual kdrama trappings of either "too serious" or "too silly". It's a clean drama with a ton of heart, energy, and positivity. One of the overlooked gems of 2016.

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I watched this drama because of Park Shin-yang..but I also gained Ryu Soo-young.. *giggling*

This is a light black-satire drama for me. Talking about how injustice has infiltrate the justice system. Talking about establishing the justice and defending the righteousness.

Simple idea converted into a great performance. The cast's acting are great, the cases are interesting too. It turns out that some of them are really happening in reality. A great drama with minimum love-story. I have mistaken couple times in guessing the story line.

One little minus point perhaps about cast plot that haven't been considered well. Kim Dong Jung role and character. His role is kind of useless and there are no progress on his character too.

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i dont write long reviews. so you can have doubts if i write long story short-
one of the best K-drama i have ever watched, the all-the-time-on-the-run attribute of this drama instigates the thrill feeling, yet to provoke a person to gulp a chill-pill , that feeling cant be described in words, you have to watch and see, dont blame me  if you smile after watching every episode...

The story is so meticulously written that i have no complaint. it is sophisticated yet very well organized.
 The male lead Park Shin Yang's performance was refreshing , the female lead has done her work well. As for the other actor and actresses, without their beautiful performances , the main leads' good acting would not be enough.

Honestly, this is the first time i have liked any music in a K-drama and it will make you bang your head automatically.

Yes, it has re-watch value up to the mark. Believe me at your own risk.

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Forget The Sequel

The introduction threw a wild scenario with a big stretch which helped attracting the viewers but the drama didn't return to the main case until the last 1/4. Meanwhile, it added fillers in the middle with okay cases but nothing interesting or outstanding like the initial jolt of rush, however, these middle parts helped connecting the characters together and form their relationships. The male lead character played out well with the setting and Park Shin Yang did a good job with his portrayal. The female lead was the most useless character in the drama. She had no role to play in anything other than being an insignificant side character. The return to the main case was good but unfortunately the drama went a bit soft in the punishment of the culprits.

Moving to season 2, I'm sure that season 2 is the worst non-consecutive sequel I've seen in any drama series ever. It's truly impressive how these seasons were in stark contrast to one another. Season 2 had a bad introduction and setup right away. There was a big disconnect between the male lead and his struggles. Which couldn't achieve the same impact as season 1. Everything the drama built, developed and achieved in season 1 was neglected in season 2. All cases were random generated garbage with little to no coherency to its theme, story and character. The male lead character was almost nothing like season 1. They went as far as erasing his past. He became a new character played by the same actor. It's a good example for how a character can change with a different director/writer even when hiring the same actor. Other than the 2 main lead, the drama had a full list of immemorable selection of cast members, completely blending into the background and turning into a white noise mush. Right from the beginning the female lead was the antagonist here but the drama built her story and character in a comical cheesy wronged by society kind of way. Her character had no real weight and ended up falling flat despite being played by a veteran actress Go Hyun Jung. The drama's attempt to make the viewers sympathize with her case and struggles at the end with an emotional climax was unsuccessful. If you really want to watch season 2 then don't watch it immediately after season 1, come back to it a month later because otherwise it will ruin your experience with season 1.

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Started to watch this last month but got stopped due to some circumstances (I moved houses). Plus I am also watching this with my husband. One of the KDramas he agreed to watch with me since there is not much cutie romance in it.
Its a refreshing drama to watch if you are tired of sweety sugary romance dramas. And if you are into law a little bit. It has lots of comedy in it and little action. Plus Kang So Ra is here. And that lead guy from "Lovers in Paris".

Started to watch this last month but got stopped due to some circumstances (I moved houses). Plus I am also watching this with my husband. One of the KDramas he agreed to watch with me since there is not much cutie romance in it.
Its a refreshing drama to watch if you are tired of sweety sugary romance dramas. And if you are into law a little bit. It has lots of comedy in it and little action. Plus Kang So Ra is here. And that lead guy from "Lovers in Paris".

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