EllisDream
Italy
Suspenseful black comedy that will both make you laugh and keep you on the edge of your seat!
Psychopath Diary is a crime/thriller black comedy and it's its own unique blend of genres which I haven't yet met in Korean dramas.
Some of the themes are serious and sometimes even bleak, but it's the humour and surrealism that take center stage. It's the sort of show where you know you shouldn't laugh, but you end up snickering anyway!
That being said, it's definitely not for everyone.
If you think this drama sounds interesting I suggest you give it at least two episodes since the first is mostly set-up and many found it a bit boring...I didn't, but I can see why some people did.
STORY / WRITING
The premise is a fun and unique twist on the amnesia plot. The story blocks aren't new, but they were used in a fun and quite refreshing way. It actually felt like one of the most unpredictable shows I ever watched, even if I can't really figure out why...I think they just managed to set the tone perfectly and make me completely invested with the drama.
The plot keeps going till the final episode, which is quite important since sometimes Korean dramas derail towards the end. There were a few episodes in the middle which I felt were a bit slower, but for me they were preceded/followed by more eventful ones, so I never felt the plot dragging. The ending was a tiny bit underwhelming, but satisfying enough and in any case it didn't depreciate the drama's value for me.
I personally found that pretty much all the decisions made by the characters made sense, if one takes into consideration the weird logic of the drama. There were no baffling moments were I couldn't understand why a character did something, in the context of his/her characterization.
A warning, though: you'll be disappointed if you go into this expecting a serious and realistic drama...the plot does indeed have quite a few contrivancies, I just didn't mind because...well, it's just so **** fun, okay!?
CAST
The casting for me was spot on!
I honestly can't think of a better actor than Yoon Shi Yoon to portray Dong Shik who can be both adorable yet downright scary at the same time. I personally think he really has a comedic talent and his style of acting perfectly suits the tone of this drama.
The other two leads deserve praise as well.
Park Sung Hoon managed to be extremely charismatic even when portraying a quite deranged serial killer. His character became more interesting as more details about his background came up in the story, but it was pretty fascinating even in the beginning.
Jung In Sun is likeable as always; even that sadly doesn't save her character from being the least compelling of the 3 leads. I liked Bo Kyung well enough, but she never really felt as important as either Dong Shik or In Woo.
In any case, I think all three leads played well with one another and had overall a good chemistry.
The supporting cast was also great and I honestly couldn't find a single weak link.
Special kudos to Heo Sung Tae whom I'm used to see in villain roles, but here is so cute and funny. I'm converted to a fan!
MUSIC
The main song "Wanna Be Bad" is catchy, but beside that I didn't notice any particular noteworthy song.
Sound design though was really well done!
PRODUCTION
The production value is quite high and the settings well made.
I am no expert, but I found certain scenes and shots to be particularly visually appealing and the camera work and editing were quite impressive.
REWATCHABILITY
Some of the suspense will certainly be lost upon a second viewing, but I'll definitely rewatch this drama anyway.
I think there are several visual details which I have missed and that will for sure prove to be funny or interesting to discover a second time around.
Yoon Shi Yoon's acting alone might simply provide enough entertainment to make it worth the time for me.
OVERALL
Basically...I've really loved this show. It's the first Korean drama I've watched during airing and I definitely do not regret it!
I recognise there are a few issues and that is a drama that probably won't appeal to the greater audience, but right now I don't feel like giving it anything less than 9.
I've actually rated it 9.5 on my watching list, because I really had so much fun.
Some of the themes are serious and sometimes even bleak, but it's the humour and surrealism that take center stage. It's the sort of show where you know you shouldn't laugh, but you end up snickering anyway!
That being said, it's definitely not for everyone.
If you think this drama sounds interesting I suggest you give it at least two episodes since the first is mostly set-up and many found it a bit boring...I didn't, but I can see why some people did.
STORY / WRITING
The premise is a fun and unique twist on the amnesia plot. The story blocks aren't new, but they were used in a fun and quite refreshing way. It actually felt like one of the most unpredictable shows I ever watched, even if I can't really figure out why...I think they just managed to set the tone perfectly and make me completely invested with the drama.
The plot keeps going till the final episode, which is quite important since sometimes Korean dramas derail towards the end. There were a few episodes in the middle which I felt were a bit slower, but for me they were preceded/followed by more eventful ones, so I never felt the plot dragging. The ending was a tiny bit underwhelming, but satisfying enough and in any case it didn't depreciate the drama's value for me.
I personally found that pretty much all the decisions made by the characters made sense, if one takes into consideration the weird logic of the drama. There were no baffling moments were I couldn't understand why a character did something, in the context of his/her characterization.
A warning, though: you'll be disappointed if you go into this expecting a serious and realistic drama...the plot does indeed have quite a few contrivancies, I just didn't mind because...well, it's just so **** fun, okay!?
CAST
The casting for me was spot on!
I honestly can't think of a better actor than Yoon Shi Yoon to portray Dong Shik who can be both adorable yet downright scary at the same time. I personally think he really has a comedic talent and his style of acting perfectly suits the tone of this drama.
The other two leads deserve praise as well.
Park Sung Hoon managed to be extremely charismatic even when portraying a quite deranged serial killer. His character became more interesting as more details about his background came up in the story, but it was pretty fascinating even in the beginning.
Jung In Sun is likeable as always; even that sadly doesn't save her character from being the least compelling of the 3 leads. I liked Bo Kyung well enough, but she never really felt as important as either Dong Shik or In Woo.
In any case, I think all three leads played well with one another and had overall a good chemistry.
The supporting cast was also great and I honestly couldn't find a single weak link.
Special kudos to Heo Sung Tae whom I'm used to see in villain roles, but here is so cute and funny. I'm converted to a fan!
MUSIC
The main song "Wanna Be Bad" is catchy, but beside that I didn't notice any particular noteworthy song.
Sound design though was really well done!
PRODUCTION
The production value is quite high and the settings well made.
I am no expert, but I found certain scenes and shots to be particularly visually appealing and the camera work and editing were quite impressive.
REWATCHABILITY
Some of the suspense will certainly be lost upon a second viewing, but I'll definitely rewatch this drama anyway.
I think there are several visual details which I have missed and that will for sure prove to be funny or interesting to discover a second time around.
Yoon Shi Yoon's acting alone might simply provide enough entertainment to make it worth the time for me.
OVERALL
Basically...I've really loved this show. It's the first Korean drama I've watched during airing and I definitely do not regret it!
I recognise there are a few issues and that is a drama that probably won't appeal to the greater audience, but right now I don't feel like giving it anything less than 9.
I've actually rated it 9.5 on my watching list, because I really had so much fun.
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