Currently Watching: Queen For Seven Days
Currently Watching: Chicago Typewriter
Hello, everyone, it's been a long time since I last wrote here. Today I came here to bring a new Korean drama that I started a few weeks ago - Chicago Typewriter.
Please be aware that this article contains spoilers. This is a new Korean drama aired by tvN, currently, my favorite network (here is also a list of some good tvN dramas.)
WARNING: SPOILERS!
1. Original Plot
This drama is original, you can see that it's not going to become one of those cliché romantic comedies or heavy melodramas. I have nothing against them (I love those, too), but sometimes we need a break from the rich boy/poor girl trope, evil moms, inheritance fights, and so on. This is the kind of drama that has everything: romance, fantasy, mystery, a little drama, time-traveling… I think it is impossible not to feel attracted.
Go Kyung Pyo, we know the feeling...
The bestselling author Han Se Joo was also an author in his past life. He finds an old typing machine while visiting Chicago, then, later on, realizes that he can see his past life, back in the 1930s, when he used to use the typewriter. He experiences strange encounters with Jeon Seol, a veterinarian, and his fan. The weird thing is that a girl with the same face as hers is in Se Joo's past life memories and the two of them tend to meet in a very strange way that doesn't seem like a coincidence.
2. Interesting Characters and Cast
Yoo Ah In is a new face to me, even though he has been in a lot of dramas and movies. He portrays bestselling author Han Se Joo who used to be a very successful writer but after a traumatic episode started to suffer from a writer's block. His character is mysterious, his parents died when he was young and he went to live with Professor Baek Do Ha (who kind of adopted him) and his family that also had a biological son, Baek Tae Min. Se Joo was known as Seo Hwi Young in his past life.
Yoo Ah In as Han Se Joo (present)
Yoo Ah In Seo Hwi Young (past)
Im Soo Jung is Jeon Seol, a veterinarian and book lover who used to be a national shooter. Her past life memories have been haunting her ever since she was young, so much that she even had to quit shooting. She is a die-hard fan of Han Se Joo and they have an unexpected encounter while she is working at her part-time job. She was Ryu Soo Hyun in her past life. (Sometimes she is disguised as a boy, sometimes she is a fine lady singing at the bar.)
Im Soo Jung as Jeon Seol (present) and as Soo Hyun (past life), as a boy
Go Kyung Pyo (I am sure you all remember him from Jealously Incarnate and Reply 1988) plays Yoo Jin Oh, a ghost that comes back to find Han Se Joo and asks him to write a story about him. In his past life, he was Shin Yul, the owner of a bar named Carpe Diem.
Go Kyung Pyo as Shin Yul and Yoo Jin Oh
The three of them were friends living in the 1930s when Korea was under Japanese rule (which started in 1910 and ended in 1945, at the end of World War II.) Seo Hwi Young was the head of an internal resistance organization, Shin Yul was also a member of the resistance and the bar was likely a facade to hide their meetings. Soo Hyun joined them later as a sniper.
Baek Tae Min is played by Kwak Shi Yang and is also a writer. At first, he seems like a very kind and nice person, but he starts to show a different face a few episodes in.
Such a nice face, but whatever, he scares me.
3. Unexpected Twists
I wait every weekend for this drama and the waiting is crazy! The reason is that this drama is very good. You don’t wait each week just to see cheesy romantic scenes with no story line. This drama does not drag. In each episode, you get to know about the characters a little more and also you get hints about their past life stories.
Chicago Typewriter was written by Jin Soo Wan, who also wrote Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) and Kill Me, Heal Me (2015).
This writer knows how to makes us wait for the next week...
4. You Can Actually Learn Something from this Drama
One of the first things you as yourself is why this drama is called “Chicago Typewriter.” Is it because the typewriter was found in Chicago? Well, could be, but I doubt that a well-made drama would use a reason as simple as that. Actually, the Thompson sub-machine gun has the nickname of “Chicago Typewriter” because of the sound it makes. You can also learn a bit about history while you’re having fun and watching your weekend drama. (Aside from the fictional aspects, of course.)
This drama has a lot of modern (and smart) references that make it even more fun. When Se Joo first meets Yoo Jin Oh and asks for his name, Jin Oh (apparently) lies and says he is called Yoo Jin Oh because he saw the portrait of Eugene O’Neill (his name is pronounced Yoo Jin Oh Nil (유진오닐) in Korean.) Se Joo realizes this much later on because Yoo Jin Oh is such a common Korean name.
5. Soundtrack
This drama has released four OSTs for now. My favorite one is "Blooming Memories" sung by Baek Yerin. I think a good drama always has to come with a good OST, so for me, this is also a good point.
6. You Will Fall in Love
If these reasons aren't enough, let me say one more thing: You will fall in love with the three leads of this drama. The story reveals that they were tangled in some kind of misfortune that ended up in murder and betrayal. So you can't help but like them. Han Se Joo can't even hate the people who wronged him, Jeon Seol is a brave and straightforward girl, and Yoo Jin Oh is the sweetest ghost ever.
Go, girl!
These two have the best scenes, I am in love with this pair.
I didn't really like Go Kyung Pyo before watching this (even though I watched a few of his previous dramas) but now I totally changed my mind.
If you haven’t started this drama yet, you should really try it. It gets better every week. If you liked dramas such as W, Goblin, andLegend of The Blue Sea, this could your ideal next drama. I hope you'll have a great time!
Special thanks to WednesHwang who is doing weekly updates about curious facts related to this drama and also translating the OST lyrics. (She is doing very good work!)
Thanks for reading!
