Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Didn't want it to end!

What I loved most about Chicago Typewriter, besides the great story and production value, was the bond developed between the three main characters. Individually, all were endearing whether in the present and past, but my favorite was the ghost, Yoo Jin Oh.
Indeed, the acting of the main characters was spot on, and kudos to the supporting characters as well - including the villain.
I ended up having to buy the DVD set because I couldn't find it streaming anywhere. It was worth every penny. No doubt, I will watch it again and again when I need a good laugh or good cry!

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Let me start by saying that I watched the first episode eons ago and didn't pick this back up until a couple weeks ago when I just could not ignore all the stellar reviews this drama has been receiving.

Am I glad I picked it back up? Yes, although I can't agree that every episode is a masterpiece.

Obviously this drama is beautiful and it has a unique spin of nostalgia in it and anyone who watches it I'm sure can attest to that. Easily my most favorite parts of this drama were those that took place in the past. Sometimes I found myself just waiting for the flashbacks to happen because I knew I would love them. It was exciting seeing the past unfold and inspiring seeing a group of friends so passionately and fearlessly fighting for their independence.

Unfortunately here's the flip side of loving the past story line so much. No matter how hard I tried, I could not make myself love the present story line nearly as much. There was so much more weight and meaning in the past story line that just wasn't there in the present. Although that may have been the point in order to give the watcher a break and/or to show how much times have changed, the balance just felt off for me. I couldn't engage in the present until much later on in the episode progression. For one, I really just disliked Se Ju as a character for a solid chunk of the first episodes. He was sporadically angry in a way that was annoying when I think it was supposed to be funny. Jeon Seol I felt really disconnected to for quite a while (although in the end I loved her) and Yoo Jin Oh was just a catalyst for Se Ju's emotional outbursts. I do feel that things went uphill at a certain point, I just wish it would've went uphill sooner and faster than it seemed to.

Although I came to love and care about each of the main cast, Yoo Jin Oh I rooted for the most. His character's journey I found the most special. His battle between his emotions and obligations brought tears to my eyes and had me questioning my own strength. I commend Yoo Ah In, Im Soo Jung and Go Kyung Pyo's acting but I was specifically impressed with Kwak Shi Yang. I had no idea he was so capable.

The music, oh my god, the music! Every track is so purely breathtaking. The most emotional scenes are perfectly topped with some of the best tracks I've heard. The music added so much to Chicago Typewriter and it just wouldn't have been the same without that aspect.

I'm still unsure if 8.5 is the right rating for Chicago Typewriter because I was so torn in loving some moments and finding others to be pretty lack luster. I just feel like the present time story paled immensely to the past which made it boring for me at times. I will agree that Chicago Typewriter is well done and deserves a watch but these are just my own conflicting thoughts on why I couldn't give it a 10.

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why is this one so underrated?

after watching this, i cannot understand how is one is this much underrated... i liked it way better than some of the hyped-up famous dramas...
the story goes to and fro b/w the past and present...i personally liked the present story more than the past... it wasn't too light-hearted not too dark... had a really good balance b/w both...

the only problem i had with the drama is how the fl was shown to be a kid in the flashback while the guys were the same... it kind of showed a huge age gap b/w the leads which wasn't evident at all... im soo jung looks young for her age but yoo ah in looks younger for his age so its not that believable when he is shown to be much older than her... they should have just went for same age...

the acting was really good and i loved the look of present-day yoo ah in... it was different from the typical kdrama lead looks...

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This drama manages to wonderfully tell the story it wants to tell without getting lost in secondary characters or subplots. I personally find stories of friendship more captivating and moving than those who focuses on romance, which is why i loved this drama so much. It does have romance in it, but i felt like it developed slowly enough for me to get invested in the characters and their relationship, and it doesn't feel more important than the friendship between the characters.

The acting is wonderfully done by all parties involved. The main characters felt very real and complex and very clearly grows as the story progresses without loosing the core of who they are. The side characters were also interesting in their own way, but remains in the background in favor for the main leads. Despite this leading to the side-characters being almost forgotten, i think it was the right choice to focus on the main storyline. More often than not, dramas tend to try to tell too many stories at once and because of this the main storyline suffers.

The music in this drama is not only beautiful in itself, but fits perfectly into the drama and enhances the impact of the scenes.

In summary: great performances, wonderful music and a captivating story. What more could you wish for?

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Unique warm and genius!

A great watch for romance lovers. Although, I’m disappointed as I thought this was a time - travel scifi instead of past life - recarnation.

Story (8.5/10)

Such an unique story that I have never seen before. It’s the best part of the drama. In this we get to see how activists struggled and sacrificed to liberate south korea. A mixture of biter sweet romance enhanced the plot-line. The story of past life was great.
Ngl the story is really was really slow paced. To me, the plot went boring - interesting - boring - interesting. I wasn’t really thrilled with the whole series but still carried out. Last two episodes were best to be specific.

Acting (8.0/10)

Actors played out their characters perfectly. Specially the leads! Great chemistry between three friends.

Music (5.0/ 10)

Music and osts were so-so.

Rewatch value (1/10)

Very low. I wouldn’t watch it again.

Overall (7/10)

As I said if you’re into purely romance series you’ll enjoy.

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This is a heavy drama, a real good one
What bothered me much and made me deduct from the rate that I didn't find the FL fits the role
Older than both ML' s and it was extremely obvious while she supposed to be younger
No chemistry between her and both male leads
She wasn't a light character in my opinion
Although she was a good actress
But I couldn't feel her in this role
that's what I felt

Except that, the drama was really amazing
Well connected events for both stories
Both stories were going parallel to each other
There were character development

they didnt left any event during the whole drama witout being explained,
As they did most of the time, dropping events without being explained
No flaws
Strong plot


I was so sad only for the end of 1930 story
It broke my heart
I was shocked when I found shin yool betrayed hwi young and his country
I couldn't hold myself
I found myself spitting on him LOL

There were lots of comic scenes
The ghost was cute
Their bromance was cute also
The end of the main story were cute and satisfying

Highly recommended

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The mystery, anticipation and the unknown is what drives the continuation of the drama. It pulls you in to find out what really happened in the past that connects the three main characters. The people around them all have some sort of connections. Some remember others are left wondering what their life was like.

When I first started I thought the drama was going to be cheesy and boring, but as you get to see their past life it pulls you in, with wanting to know the whole story.

It’s a very sad ending for what happened in the past, but they all had to go somehow for them to all end up in the present together.

At first I wanted Ryu Soo Hyun and Shin Yool together. They both seemed to fit better , but underneath it all it was Seo Hwi Young that had strong emotions for her, but chose not to express them in front of everyone.

For Han Se Joo I did not like his haircut. It was way too short. I liked his hair when he was playing Seo Hwi Young.

My first reaction to Baek Tae Min was that he was an abuser. It became very clear of what type of person he was when he threw his cat. I myself am a cat lover so I almost stopped watching the show because of him. I am glad that I stayed with it though.

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Slow first half, amazing latter half

Watching the first half of this drama was very slow-paced and really focused on setting the plot and characters up. I get that it takes time before you really get into a drama or for the plot to start rolling, but for me, it did not get interesting until Episode 10. I was literally giving up on this drama and I kept asking my sister if it was going to get interesting. Episode 5 apparently is where most people started to like the drama. It had an interesting cliffhanger but then lost me again within the next episode. This drama could’ve easily been squished into 10-12 episodes rather than 16. Overall, I still gave this an 8 due to the cinematography & production, OST and the second half.

From Episode 10 we get to see how the plot unravels and how our 3 MCs are all connected from their past lives. It was fun to watch. I didn’t feel bored from Episode 10 onwards. I’m really a fan of dramas that have the concept of time travel and history incorporated in it. So every time they would show flashbacks of their past lives I would get excited. I also loved that we got to see the bond/friendship between the 3 MCs in the latter half that we didn’t really get to see in the first half.

The OST I’d say is top-notch and one of the most underrated!! Definitely worth adding to your playlist after you finish watching this drama. Satellite (a fan favourite) and Writing Our Stories were my faves from the soundtrack but they’re all good!

If you have doubts watching this drama, I suggest for you to give it a try! It’s really for those who are patient and can handle slow-paced dramas. Since I got bored until Episode 8, what I did was I only watched 1-2 episodes a day or whenever I had time to watch it. I didn’t pressure myself to binge-watch it or keep going just to get it done. It is worth watching from Episode 10 though, well at least in my case, but it could be different for you. I know that not getting invested in a drama by Episode 5 is discouraging but for those who love books, time travel and past lives this drama is for you!

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I bawled like a baby

I absolutely love the relationships in this show. The friendship that transcends time is absolutely beautiful. The flashbacks to the past life always had me guessing, and were absolutely beautiful. The plot about the modern life does drag considerably towards the middle; I almost stopped watching. However, the last few episodes were completely worth it. This is definitely one of the top "made me cry" k-dramas I have ever watched just for the past life story alone.

Admittedly, I tried rewatching it. The rewatch value is really low because it's the mystery and past life scenes that really push you through some of the dragging portions. However, the guessing game that makes this drama so suspenseful is lost in a rewatch. The past life scenes alone though I could rewatch to no end.

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