chillikun
10/10 4 years ago
> Perfection. That is the only word I can use to describe the absolute treasure that was Healer.... It's comedic, suspenseful, romantic (wonderfully), full of action (and awesome fight scenes), character development, and deep/heavy/intricate plot lines.
This is on one of my first K-Drama if CLOY introduced me to K-Drama ; Healer pulled me in deeper. When I watched the first time almost a year back I have no idea how famous this cast is and I have rewatched this now (after watching 150 other kdramas) and i still feel this is the perfect K-Drama ever made. This drama will forever hold a place in my most memorable and favorite dramas. I really hope you watch Healer and enjoy it as much as I did.
PLOT
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Okay i really love these kind of dramas with such amazing cast! with action/spy AND powerful romance! The romance is very innocent, passionate and deep so if u want to see very deep emotional moments go for it! The action scenes were done also very good and kept the drama in a good flow. For me i did marathon twice and i NEVER found any moment boring. I know everyone has different opinion but this was....really wonderful. The plot is very interesting and i never saw such plot so this was something very new and fresh as I being just pulled into Korean world from Japanese , American, British and Spanish and this show made a K-Drama addict.
While telling an interesting story, Healer manages to do brilliantly what most fictional works should and sometimes fail to do: create 4-dimentional characters, believable persona whose growth and mutual interaction reach the heart of the viewer. When characterization is so strong, the plot twists - whatever they are - fall to the background, becoming a mean to an end. In this sense, it doesn't matter how many times the same plot subject has been used in a drama: what matters is how this same subject pertains to the journey of the characters. The reason why I was constantly on the edge of my seat while watching Healer, is not because I wondered what was going to happen next, but because I was eager to know how each character would react to a certain event. Will she give up? Will he fall apart? Will that one lie, speak the truth, run away, face the challenge, cry, laugh, rejoice? What would I do, in their shoes?
And every single time I feared the ominous K-drama tropes would sneak into the narration with the usual noble idiocy, nth misunderstanding, petty jealousy or envious triangles, these characters surprised me and made me extremely happy for NOT conforming.
This story, while simple on the surface, hides a few, much deeper and more complex subjects. One over all, the roles of adults and how their choices can make the lives of children a living hell. K dramas have accustomed us to adults who abandon their children, or abuse them, dictate them, mold them to their will, silence them. In the best of scenarios, they over protect them. This drama, on the other hand, gives out a different message: adults should give their children the means to fight their own battles, their own way. The same could be said about women, who are the true strong point of this drama. I wish I could write an essay on Young Shin and Ahjumma, but don't worry, I'll spare you the boredom, Suffice to say, true courage and strength are not in the fists.
CAST
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Coming to characters, Healer. God I love healer. I love how he's jumping around buildings and coming up with these exciting plans. I love what he does for a living and I love his little high-tech shack. I love that he's a loner. JCW became my first favorite actor because his acting is simply brilliant, I've never seen a Korean actor before him who's able to portray emotions so perfectly, switching constantly (He played Healer and geek Park Bong Soo). Unfortunately I have yet to find another show that uses his full potential.
Park Min Young. I must admit that the only reason I ever hesitated to watch this drama, it was because of Park Min Young. I didn't know that she was famous when i watched this and then she kept on appearing in many famous shows (good ones and bad ones) but Park Min Young not only did a wonderful job in this drama, her character Cha Yeong Shin was a delight to watch and suited her so well that it is unbelievable, her chemistry with JCW is something you can't see every day, they are the best couple I've seen in dramas, maybe even in shows generally.
The rest of the cast was great too. My favorites were definitely Ajjumma and Yeong Shin's family (her dad and the rest of the criminal staff). Also, other actors like Do Ji Won who played CYS's mum Myung Hee, Park Sang Won as Kim Moon Shik etc did an awesome job too! Every single character in this drama was portrayed so good, even the ''bad ones'' like Kim Moon Shik and his secretary were interesting to watch because they are not the usual drama-like bad characters who ruin everything, they had their own characteristics which they are known for like every human being, so they were also intriguing.
Healer is also a love story. A sweet, realistic, heart wrenching and heartwarming love story made of little, endearing details. It's the encounter of a young man with a tough shell and a vulnerable soul and a young woman with a fragile body and a brave, unwavering heart. They are so natural together, watching them is a pleasure.
OST
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The music was great. My personal favorites are Eternal Love and When You Hold Me Tight. I like that song by Ji Chang Wook too, although I've only heard it a few times.
VERDICT
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If strong characters all around, both male and female, are your thing, **Watch it**
If a solid love line without stupid, nonsensical love triangles and noble idiocy break ups are your thing, **Watch it**
If you enjoy a good action, romance, political, and gripping-the-edge-of-your-seat-intense drama, then this is definitely, definitely for you. **Watch it**
Overall, watch watch watch watch watch make SURE to watch this drama. I don't care what lengths you have to go to, but this is a must. One cannot call oneself a dedicated watcher if you have not watched this. However, like many people have previously stated, don't let this be your first drama. As a first drama, it's exceptional and great and amazing...but other dramas can't compare. After finishing this, many dramas will fall short of your expectations. Therefore, you have to watch something that's inferior so you can both appreciate this drama and later dramas.
As I said, I've already watched this twice. When I reached the end the first time, I felt the urge to go see again how it all began and how it all unfolded. When it comes to dramas I like, I am a serial second watcher and go in search of that lost detail I've overlooked before. I think Healer lends itself very well to multiple watching, because even when you already know the outcome, the journey there still has so much enjoyment to give.