Healer (2014)

First time I wrote a review. I swear. why did I bother this time, because Imheard that this movie had low rating when it was aired. I really don't understand why unless it is because Korean viewer have different standard than Americans! I'm american actually.

Anyway,I just started watching Korean drama during summer break. I watched 5 so far, and rhey all had good revies and rating (I always make sure I don't waste my time watching the bad ones, so I read reviews and rating first before I actually invest 20 something hours on the movie. This one Ichose after I watched City Hunter and many reviews on this site actually mentioned that Healer is better than City Hunter. So I gave it a try. And thank goodness I did.

In short, this the only Korean movies that I watched that made me laugh constantly, made me said 'cool! I like her!' (I am talking about Jin Ma and Healer little sister), shiffer to the bones (with the romance scenes), and (this one is rare for me) cry. I fast forwarded some of the scenes in City Hunter but Healer kept me hooked untuk 3 am in the morning that I finished this movie in 1 weekend.

Watch this movie. trust me. It's that good.

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I put the story at around 7 because I feel that it is pretty confusing and I still wish that there were more developments on the backstory. More things could be fleshed out on that and some questions are left unanswered...

HOWEVER

Other than that plot hole, this show is superb. The writer has great attention to minor details and I found myself impressed how those little minor details make up the bigger picture. Park Min Young and Yoo Ji Tae were great here but Ji Chang Wook was phenomenal on this show. The way in which Ji Chang Wook was able to convey so much emotion in his eyes for each of the different persona he takes on is far beyond me. There are also no typical Korean drama cliches such as noble idiocy or too many deaths. I understand the comparison between this show and City Hunter is inevitable but both are solid shows on their own. This show exceeded all expectations of a Korean drama and raised the bar even higher. I've been watching korean dramas since 2004 and this is the one to beat.

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If I could give this drama more than a 10 I would.

Where does one begin on how awesome this drama is?

First the music. Awesome I have the sound track.

Now to the story and characters.

The story line is awesome from the beginning to the end. The twist of fate that you see come to life is freaking amazing. The chemistry between the cast members is awesome. You could not have ask for a better cast to play each character role.

This was my first drama of seeing Ji Chang Wook, (Seo Jung Hoo / Park Bong Soo ("Healer") all I can say is freaking awesome. Loved him from the beginning.

Park Min Young (Chae Yeong Shin / Oh Ji An) loved her. The chemistry between her and Ji Chang Wook was awesome.

The supporting cast unbelievable awesome job. Their not much you can say without putting spoilers in the review.

It is a must see if you haven't already...

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Not a worthy of 8.9 rating

Frankly speaking I am big fan of Rachel Park.
I am not telling this is a bad drama but it is not worthy of 9 pointer. I have seen so many silly blunders, immature direction and unrealistic decisions.
1. There are so many characters but no characters has proper ending(except ML and FL).
2. I got confused and annoyed whether the FL is really had feelings ( love ) with ML or just a gratitude for saving her number of times, because it is portrayed before ML she is in deep love with ML but she didn’t trust him in some situations, instead she keeps on avoiding him keep him away from her.
3. There were so many bad characters but it is not clear whether or what punishment they got.
4. I think the director didn’t do planned or homework well, because simply wasted time on unnecessary things or so many characters and stories but no story is properly finished or ended but simply rushed to the ending.
5. I can’t say their chemistry is ultimate because as a couple they spent very less time compared to as working partners.
6. The main positive thing in this drama is the cast, everyone’s acting skills are unbelievable, especially the FL acting was beyond my expectations, because before watching this I have watched some of her dramas I thought this is very old drama her acting skills may not be as good as the new ones but I got surprised, I can say her acting in this drama is the best one compared to city hunter and others.
I am stopping here, I can point out few more mistakes but I don’t want because I have seen much worse dramas but this is not that much bad. I can assure you that if you watch this drama you won’t get bored or disappointed but if you watch this drama seriously you will feel the same as I mentioned in the above.

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Boy, what a disappointment.

Healer is... mediocre.

Now, it's possible I'm not the target audience. And it's possible I expected more from this series than it promised. That being said, I dont think I've ever been this disappointed in a series before.

The plot is solid. Cute romance, intriguing mystery. Cool.
However, it is so horribly stretched out. 20 hours for something that could have been 5. It seems the writers put in absolutely every scene they wanted to, without ever considering if they drove the story forwards. It means that moments that should be dramatic end up losing all of their significance, because with 10 hours left of the show you get the feeling it's all going to be irrelevant. And it means that while the series is technically a "thriller", you feel about as much thrill as going 10 km/h at a highway.

As for the "action" element, these scenes were hugely disappointing as well. The use of stunt men during parkour and fight scenes was so jarring that I was genuinely laughing out loud. Don't worry, though, there are only about 5 fight scenes in the entire show, though the main character does do a lot of unnecessary parkour.

Add to that possibly the worst soundtrack I have ever heard in my life. What felt like less than 5 songs were played at seemingly every opportunity, until they were grating at my ears. Thus, even the important scenes related to the (solid) plot were ruined for me.

There are good things to this show (after all, I did finish it). But the negatives for me weigh up to something that I cannot justify giving anything above 6.

That being said, go watch it. You'll probably love it.

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This is my all time favorite drama. I love everyting about it: the plot, the characters, the main paring - agh, just everything! I can't reccomend it enough to all kdrama folks out there.
My short summary :
- This drama is packed with all that good stuff: comedy, tragedy, action, romance, kickass fighting - everything that is best in drama field!
- Ji Chang Wook character makes all the ladies sway
- Young Shin is perfect hero: cute, brave, smart and unique but with flaws like every human being
- the main leads chemistry makes simple hand-touching like porn
- the plot is magnificent, the conection with every character well convey, without unnecessary chaos and overflow of information about every aspect of drama. Everything here is important and everything connect so well with each other!
- touching the subject of coruption and manipulation in media and politics
- and least but not last lets give a round of applouse for the most badass ahjumma with fire-hacker skills! (without her, they all would die)

I cannot reccoment it enough, I'm sure every drama lover will find in this series something for themselves. Just give it a try!

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I just finished watching Healer after a 4-day binge (yup, goofed off from work lol). Can't believe it took me soooo long to discover this serial!! I had actually been staying away from kdramas for some months as I started a new job and couldn't afford the distractions as I tend to watch compulsively late into the night until I get headaches. I had just finished Reply 1998 last week and the withdrawal symptoms were so bad I needed another serial to distract myself after finding myself obsessing a little too much over Park Bo Geum's photos in my Instagram feed.

Healer really lived up to the hype and I agree with many of the viewers here that it felt fresh and had a nice mix of comedy, action, intrigue and drama. The chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young was amazing and natural (did they not kiss more than usual compared to other serials??). The pacing of the story was tight with enough little twists to keep it interesting. I did like the fact that the love "triangle" was between Healer and the Park Bong Soo alter ego. It was both funny and bittersweet to see them try to make sense of their emotions. After all love is frequently less about logic but relying on your heart and your senses to tell you what your brain cannot.

I'm now a new fan of Ji Chang Wook (sorry PBG, still love you, but his Healer character is way cooler) and am now eager to suss out his other dramas. Suggestions on which ones to watch first are welcomed!

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This drama is absolutely mind blowing. It made me laugh, cry, bite my nails in anticipation, fall in love, everything in a single drama. I love the way it progresses and the character development. The chemistry between the leads is perfect and the story line keeps you hooked throughout. I almost wouldn't have watched this drama if my friend hadn't urged me to watch it. When I first heard about there being 3 leads, I was wary of it being another love triangle drama, but thankfully it isn't that. If you love a good romance mixed with mystery and action, this is the perfect drama for you.

1. Cast and Acting:
We have Ji Chang Wook playing the male lead, Healer (Park Bong Soo /Seo Jung Hoo) and Park Min Young playing the female lead, Chae Young Shin. The chemistry between the two is sure to make you soft. I have always loved Ji Chang Wook's works and this one didn't let me down either. Park Min Young's acting has improved by folds in this drama. The way both of them portray their characters have you falling in love with them and their relationship every second of the drama. I love the cute, clingy moments they share and especially how Bong Soo gets jealous of Moon Ho. The innocent romance between the main leads develops over time into something more intense and passionate, bound to make you feel a rollercoaster of emotions. Yoo Ji Tae has a central role in the drama as well, acting as Young Shin's role model and long lost 'uncle' (more like an elder brother) Kim Moon Ho. The three leads have a very good harmony amongst them. The casting for the other roles are also very fitting. My favourite characters are 'Ahjumma' and Young Shin's dad.

2. Plot:
Every episode has a new turn of events and always keeps you on your toes. Every episode has a cliffhanger and honestly, I love how the present story is connected to the past. The intricate web of interconnections between the characters' stories is very well depicted. There is a perfect balance of romance and action and mystery. I loved the action scenes and how JCW never fails to deliver them perfectly.
The best thing about this drama, apart from the amazing smoking chemistry of the leads, is that the writer has written it thoroughly, leaving no loose ends. There are many clues throughout the plot and everything has been thought out from the beginning. The end is a tad bit rushed, but overall, hats off to Song Ji Na.

3. Music:
The OSTs for this drama are so beautiful! They are in perfect sync with the mood of the drama. My personal favourites are 'Eternal Love' and 'You'. Eternal Love is the main OST for this drama and honestly, it will make you feel such deep emotions with its lyrics and beautiful singing, you'll be left in tears. I have it downloaded and its one of my go to songs, its so good.

4. Rewatch value:
VERY HIGH. I have watched this drama twice and I'm definitely going to watch it in the future!

All in all, I highly recommend you to watch this drama. Trust me, you won't regret it. ;)

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Something isn’t instinctually right about this drama.

I will admit : I’m the oddball because I do not like this drama at all .

To put context - I must also make it clear that I was really excited to watch this show. I thought the genre was rejuvenating and that Healer was going to make for a stimulating watch. I had also previously watched Park Min Young and found her to be a pleasant actress plus this show enjoys nearly perfect ratings on MDL . A stunning overall of 9.2 out of 10 to be specific. Suffice to say - I was quite rapt to watch this drama.

But dear lawd.

For its type - it’s required to be more gripping which it isn’t. What are the intentions of this drama ? They are not clear at all. Is it romantic ? Political ? Fate ?Thriller ? Socially charged?Action ? And if it’s all these : why is it flat ?

The past informing the present wasn’t so satisfactorily done .. It affected the dramatic unfolding of characters in the present and the things they would say as well.The emotional core of the story was also set up to be socially relevant which was quite undermined by the childish direction of the main protagonists.The cartoonish action scenes with that twangy instrumental didn’t make much sense to me . There was so much to work with on a emotive angle which missed the plot. I did however like how warm and vulnerable the protagonists were but in retrospect that was just an accidental good consequence of puerile directing.

The character portraits of the supporting cast could have been more thought provoking and more intentional with the social relevance their were gunning for . That media side of the story line was so powerful and socially provoking and timeless as it’s relavance is quite apt in the 21st century but like I said before - puerile. The whole puppet master that you don’t really see but controls the politicians and corporations was quite intriguing but this show still managed to watch like a Coca Cola that’s been open and all the carbon is gone.

With such powerful themes - powerful character portraits battling ethics and morality is absolutely called for but all the characters proved severely wearisome.

For a while - I knew something wasn’t instinctually right about a certain component of the cast . I thought maybe it was that tenebrous , god forsaken picture they kept prancing around with no resolve. I seriously couldn’t quite put my finger on it until ep 7 and I realised that the main actor is not the most consistent. The way he handled his three personas could have been far better handled with another actor in my view. Especially when you are with the illustrious Lee Moon Shik who is superbly showing all his different personas of greedy business man, brother , husband , killer and loyal servant of the boss.

Ep 7 was a monumental episode for a number of reasons: it proved to me that this show has a really good plot but poor screenplay . It also showed that dramatic tension amongst the whole cast is very weak. I couldn’t carry on . Watching a thriller that’s not thrilling ? No thank you.

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