The Chaser is easily one of the most underrated dramas of 2012 (at least internationally) and you should definitely give this a try.

The plot of the drama starts out pretty simple: A girl gets killed in an accident and her father Baek Hong Seok promises to find her murderer. But as he finds out more details and has to face all the powerful people behind the scenes a complex story unfolds. The writers of the drama really did an awesome job, the drama is full of suspense as you follow Baek's journey. There are a lot of twists, turns and hidden cards that always change who's in the better situation and who has more power. At the same time the events happening never seem too unrealistic or forced and the decisions the characters make are very relatable.

While the plot is really good the actors are definitely what makes this drama shine. Everyone plays out their character really well, you don't even notice that they are acting. The standout performance for me was Kim Sang Joon who plays Baek's enemy. Even though he's the antagonist it's hard to dislike him. He's ruthless and does whatever it takes to reach his goal but somehow he still seemed human while doing so (like pretty much every other bad guy in this show).

The only criticism I have is that during the latter episodes I got really impatient to find out how everything will be resolved. There's a lot happening in each episodes and the pace of the drama is really fast so it's not like I got bored but at some point I just finally wanted the conflict to end. But the ending of the drama was very well done. The writers took enough time to wrap everything up and even though I still have some questions I'm really satisfied with the ending.

I recommed to give this drama a chance even if the plot doesn't sound that interesting to you, it's definitely worth watching! Though you might want to keep some tissues close for the first episodes^^

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Do you like dramas with a slower pace, focus on character development, an older main cast and a mature atmosphere? Read on, because A Wife's Credentials might be the one you're looking for.

We've all seen her in dramas, the woman who married into a wealthier family, who is faced with comparisons to people that are doing so much better than her and receives lots of pressure from her in law family. What makes this drama and its heroine stand out is the focus on her journey of growing stronger and questioning her status quo in life. That is not to say she's a weak woman at the start of the drama, because she can take a stand for herself when required, but she's just not a person that puts her own needs above everything else.

The drama raises several important social issues, the most prominent ones were the role of wife and mother in a family, education of children and affairs. Some people might be put off by the fact that the female lead starts an affair, but imho the affair topic was not the point of the drama. These two people meet and get closer, because they both feel kind of left behind in their respective lives, but the important point for me was not whether they would stay together or not in the end, but that they began to think about their current situation in life and whether they could continue living that way. I see the affair more as a starting point of their character growth, and especially in the case of the female lead that was really well done.

I keep talking about the female lead, but her character really was the heart of the drama for me. I realize now that I rarely cared about a female character as much as her and Kim Hee Ae's outstanding and relatable performance played a great part in that. She made that character come alive, so that I always felt her pain and was rooting for her to find happiness. The rest of the cast was impressive too, there were several characters that I hated with a passion, but the drama actually managed to make me feel a bit sympathetic for some of them, although that doesn't excuse their previous behavior.

There were some things I wish would have been done a bit differently in the second half, which is the reason I didn't rate it a 10, but those aren't any major flaws. All in all, I highly recommend this if you want to see a drama with a mature approach to its topics.

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If you're looking for a Korean rom-com that can actually make you laugh and that doesn't have an overdramatic, angsty second half Dal Ja's Spring might be the right one!

The plot itself is rather simple and not that difficult to predict, but what made the drama stand out is how everything was presented. The tone of the drama is very lighthearted and serious moments or events aren't portrayed in an overdramatic way. I loved that some dramatic scenes were even purposefully exaggerated so that they seemed funny instead. With a 2 episode extension the last episodes were a little slower than the rest, but personally I didn't mind that especially because I really liked the ending.

The cast was great as well; Chae Rim really gave life to her character and she will be one of the drama heroines that I won't be able to forget. For me a huge plus of this drama was that it dealt with regular middle class people who are often overlooked in dramas. Another thing I liked was that even supporting characters were well written so that I've grown fond of the whole cast. However, I thought that one of the male leads was a little dull and he didn't leave as much of an impression on me as other characters.

All in all, Dal Ja's Spring is a heartwarming, cute story that I will surely rewatch on a rainy day when I need an uplifting drama!

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I just finished this drama, but I wanted to write a review right away, because I really enjoyed it and as a daily drama most people might overlook it. The episodes are only 30 minutes long, so don't let the episode count scare you!

Let's start with the story: This drama doesn't exactly have a ground-breaking plot, but it was well-written and I appreciated that it always moved towards one direction without having unnecessary plot devices thrown in. A negative point of the story might be the slower pace and lack of revelations to the viewer: One of the main conflicts consists of several cases of secret or switched identities, and while the viewer is aware of these as soon as they happen, most of the characters find out really late in the story.

What makes this drama worth it is following every step of the characters' journeys, because the time you spend laughing, crying and hurting with them makes the characters' reactions to the revelations all the more powerful in the end. The characters are definitely the strongest point of the drama for me. These are not the typical cliched people, that are painted in a black or white light in other dramas. They felt like real people, with real character motivations (even smaller supporting roles) who always stay true to themselves. I loved the whole cast, because I could always understand them even when they did evil things and I will miss seeing them on my screen.

As it's not a drama with lots of twists and turns, I can understand if someone thinks it's boring, but for me it was a heartwarming drama (despite the sometimes painful happenings), where I enjoyed following the characters' stories and watching them grow. If you're looking for a drama that isn't overdramatic, or like stories where the journey is the destination, I'd recommend to give Soo Baek Hyang a try!

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"I want to show the people that even those in high positions are equal before the law."
Punch is a fantastic drama that shows how hard it is to take even one more step towards a world like that. The writer Park Kyung Soo's previous dramas also dealt with corruption and the fight against powerful people and with Punch he delivered another amazing drama on this topic.

What first drew me into Punch when I started it was that our protagonist is just as cold-blooded and ruthless as the main villain. He is the one who helped the villain to get his position, but when he discovers that he only has a couple of months left to live and people start to mess with him, he decides that he can't be the only one going down. His journey of trying to take down the other corrupt people leading the prosecutor's office is thrilling to watch and kept me glued to the screen not wanting to miss even one second! The plot moves fast, giving you twists and turns at every corner. It might even be frustrating to watch, because for every step the lead comes closer to winning he gets pushed back just as much. Since most of the drama takes place in the prosecutor's office it could have become dry, but the plot was always presented with just the right amount of feelings that I was 100% emotionally invested in the story. Punch also has one of the best final episodes and endings that I've seen so far. It wrapped everything up realistically and I can't think of anything I'm not satisfied with!

Aside from the story itself the strength of this drama are its fascinating characters. This drama doesn't have the usual black or white characters; they come in all shades of grey and it was captivating to watch and see in which direction of the good and evil scale they would develop. Our anti-hero Jung Hwan actually does some really despicable things at the start of the drama that usually you'd only see a villain do. Tae Joon, the main villain, is one of the most fascinating villains I've ever seen (I'd put him up there with Mishil, for those of you that have seen Queen Seon Duk) and I loved that he wasn't the usual cold guy without feelings who has never even heard of the word loyalty before (although that doesn't necessarily mean he can't throw it away). I actually have so much to say about the character development, but it is one of the points that make this drama so awesome and I don't want to spoil it.
The actors and their portrayal were as awesome as these characters deserved and especially Jo Jae Hyun as Tae Joon stole the spotlight for me. Kim Rae Won also showed an engaging performance as the anti-hero, which caused me the dilemma of wanting him to take everyone down but at the same time hoping that Tae Joon's downfall wouldn't be too hard. The only small complaint I have is that the female main character seemed less complex than the rest. She was pretty much the only non-corrupted character in this show and therefore very much needed as a good example, but in my opinion that also caused her to fall a bit flat compared to the others.

The third aspect I really loved about this drama is the dialogue! Coming from this writer intelligent dialogue is a given, but I want to point out how creative his metaphors are. A lot of them were related to food and I always found myself looking out for the next one, because they brought across the points of the characters so well. In line with the drama's title there were also a lot of hard-hitting lines that must have felt like a strong punch to the stomach to whoever they were directed at. (Oh, and since I'm already talking about the title, be aware that some things the characters do or say might make you want to punch your screen!)

Now since my review is getting too long and in case all of my rambling was too much to read, here's the tl;dr version:
Thrilling drama with brilliant writing and acting, awesome dialogues and fascinating characters! In my opinion a must watch for everyone who likes dramas dealing with serious topics!

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Among the many Korean rom-com dramas Soulmate is one that really stands out and will probably stay with me for a long time.

The story involves different couples, some of them believing in fate and some not. The thing I really loved about the drama is that it treats the fate/soulmate topic in a very lighthearted way because the characters weren't forced onto a certain path by fate, they were still free to make their own decisions. The drama made me laugh a lot but also had its share of touching moments without being overdramatic or angsty.

The cast was really outstanding for me. They portrayed their characters very realistically and there's not one character I disliked.

If you're searching for a drama that focuses on one couple falling in love this might not be the right one because it takes a long time for the main couple to even meet. But if you're looking for a refreshing drama that's different from your typical romance storyline I highly recommend to give Soulmate a try!

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I realize my ratings for this show are all over the place but I'll explain why one by one^^

The premise of the story (vampire prince accidentally getting stuck on earth while trying to visit a concert of his favourite girl group) is pretty wacky but also one of the two things that originally drew me to this drama (the other was the cast). It has an episodic format with an overarching story developing in the background. As a sitcom there's not that much plot happening, but the episodes do exactly what they're supposed to - make us laugh (a lot).
The reason I didn't give more than a 7 for the story is that the drama was cut short by a lot. I really liked the direction the writer seemed to take, but with the episode cut we unfortunately never reached the point where the backstory came into the foreground. What we get instead is a wtf ending that raises a lot of questions, but since the writer isn't to blame for that, I actually like what she did with it: Showing us what could have been if people had actually allowed her to tell the story until the end.

On to the cast:
1. I loved every single one of them.
2. Most of them were newbies which results in bad or awkward acting.

In other dramas these two points might be contradictory but I really wouldn't want to see anyone else in these roles for the sake of less awkward acting. The heart of the cast were definitely the 4 vampires landing on earth. I personally loved the vampire prince the most, but Lee Soohyuk as his quiet but loyal and caring bodyguard, Kim Woobin as the not so smart guy with incredible hearing skills and Hong Jonghyun as the nerd with an IQ of 790 were great in their roles as well. Kim Soo Mi was as usual a joy to watch in her role as the temperamental, cursing grandma.

Now the reason why I rated this show a 9 despite the lower scores in acting and story is simply because it's that funny. Starting from the prince's name, the vampires having to adjust to life on earth, the fact that beauty standards on the vampire planet are opposite from those in Korea, the 4 vampires calling the grandma aegi because with her less than 70 years she's still a baby to them to the budding relationships between the girl group and the vampire boys - it was just so much fun all around and made me laugh more than any other drama could so far.
It has a pretty low budget and the sense of humour might not be to everyone's taste, but when it is you're in for a fun watch!

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Having watched writer Song Ji Na's 90's hit drama Sandglass, Healer first caught my attention when it was announced as a story that shows the lives of the children of the people that lived in the generation Sandglass was set in. Sandglass was a very tragic drama so I was interested in how the lives of the following generation would be affected by that. Thankfully Healer turned out to be brighter and entertaining than Sandglass, which saved me a lot of tears and made it more enjoyable to watch.

The plot of Healer itself was not that original. However, from watching many dramas we've probably all learned that there's not always a need to reinvent the wheel in order to make an exciting drama. What made Healer such a refreshing watch for me is that things weren't dragged out needlessly. The drama had a slow but steady pace, with pieces of the mysterious past being revealed just at the right time. Add to that characters with consistent development who don't suddenly lose the ability to count 1+1 together and don't go around misunderstanding everyone and everything and you get a drama that doesn't leave you feeling frustrated.

I'll admit freely that I had my doubts when Park Min Young was announced as the female lead, but I take all of that back, because she really proved me wrong. I loved her take on Young Shin and think she really grew into the role. Ji Chang Wook stole most people's hearts with good reason; I'm honestly impressed how much he has improved over the years. Yoo Ji Tae was amazing as Moon Ho, despite not getting as much of the spotlight. He nailed his character from the first episode on, you could just see that he was hiding so many emotions beneath the surface even if we as the viewers had no idea yet what his character was really thinking.

Going into the drama I actually didn't expect to care about the romance part that much, but I totally fell in love with this couple. Their moments together were cute, often touching and never felt to me like pure fanservice. Every kiss or other gestures showcased so well what the characters were feeling in that moment and I don't think I've ever watched a drama before where simply holding hands made me feel that much.

Now one (small) complaint to balance out all of my praise for Healer: The ending should have been 5 to 10 minutes longer to wrap things up properly. Only the most important points were explained, but I would have appreciated more details on that and getting to know what exactly happened to all of the awesome supporting characters.

All in all, watching Healer was an exciting ride that had me sitting in front of my computer as soon as the next episode was uploaded and made me wait impatiently for the next Monday to come around. I can't explain just what exactly it was, but all of its parts just fit so well together that it turned out to be an unforgettable drama for me!

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Recently I was in the mood for a more serious drama and happened to see a review of A Man's Story. I'm really glad I gave it a try!

First of all the plot of the drama is very well written. I'm really into these revenge stories where one party is more powerful than the other and A Man's Story is a very good example of that. I loved that the drama seemed very realistic, especially the decisions that the characters made. There's none of those totally angsty "I'll just tell nobody anything and suffer through everything alone"-moments; in a way the drama shows how important it is to stick together in order to achieve anything. This drama also has one of my favourite drama endings because it leaves some things unsaid that make you wonder how the story would continue!

The cast in this drama was truly amazing! Everyone from the lead roles to the smallest supporting roles acted really well and very believable. I loved the group of people around Kim Shin as well as the interesting character of the villain and this is really the most important thing for me when watching a drama because the best story doesn't matter if I don't really care about and can relate to the characters. I was really impressed by Kim Kang Woo's performance as the villain (especially in the last episode) and props also to Park Ki Woong - it probably wasn't easy to act as that character without seeming ridiculous but he nailed it.

After all these positive things I want to mention why I didn't give this drama more than 8 points overall: After watching 2 episodes I was expecting it to be really intense but the pacing of the drama was actually not that fast. It's not like the drama ever got boring to watch but it wasn't as emotionally intense or so gripping that I couldn't stop watching. At the same time the slower pacing has the positive aspect that you got to know the characters better because not every scene was focused on driving the plot forward.

All in all, A Man's Story is a very good revenge drama with a well-written plot and great characters that make the drama definitely worth watching!

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I put off watching this drama for a long time but I'm glad I finally did.
What I liked most about it was definitely the cast. Everyone fits their role really well and the characters grew on me a lot. Especially Kim Sun Ah's acting as Sam Soon is amazing.

The plot was also well-written, even though I had some issues with it. One is that they could have done a lot more with Daniel Henney's character but somehow I just feel that he didn't add much to the story even though there was potential for it. I also have to admit that I was annoyed a lot with Hyun Bin's character, especially in the second half of the story. I know that it's usually the case in these Rich Guy/Poor Girl type of dramas, but he should have acted more considerate towards Sam Soon.

Despite the issues I had with the plot it was still a great drama and I really enjoyed watching it. The show just had "heart" and I could relate to the characters really well. It was also very funny and made me actually laugh out loud (which doesn't happen very often).
All in all, I'm glad I watched this drama and if you're looking for a fun rom-com this drama is highly recommended!

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