Hello Monster (2015)

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THIS IS NOT A ROMANTIC COMEDY! The photo, the descriptions, the trailers, all lead you to believe this is a romance. It is not. What it IS is a brilliantly crafted police/crime/psychological thriller. This is a show that will draw you in at the outset and not let you go until the very last notes of music have died down. I'll warn you up front that you really have to pay attention, because there is a lot going on. A lot of the names were similar and there were a lot of flashbacks. This show really speaks to nature vs. nurture, how much our environment contributes to who we become, choices that we make in our lives, and different components that can make up a family - straying from the traditional thoughts of Mom, Dad and kids to a family of friends, a brotherhood, a dysfunctional coupling of wounded/broken people.

Let me get the female lead out of the way - Jang Nara. She was very good as a tiny but somewhat tough police officer. I did wonder why so many Korean dramas use the "stalker" storyline.

The male actors in this make the show. Seo In Guk is good in everything I've seen him in. In this show he's got that cool demeanor down to an art, but when he shows his vulnerability, it's so touching. Park Bo Gum - WOW! He was absolutely perfectly cast in his role. That beautiful smile and the ability he has to switch expressions on a dime. When his eyes turned cold, I got chills. His character was immature in a lot of ways and he played that very well, looking to others for help and validation. The scenes with Seo In Guk and Park Bo Gum together were enthralling and oh, so powerful.
I've seen Choi Won Young in quite a few shows, and he played a completely different type of character than I've ever seen him do. He was excellent and I found myself fascinated in a weird way.
Min Sung Wook was the comedic relief in a lot of the scenes and was really good.
D.O. as the young Lee Joon-Young was chilling.
This was a great Bromance-type show, between the men in the police squad, the trinity of the three male leads, Seo In Guk's character's friendship with the art dealer. There was a lot of good-natured joking around but there were many instances that showed the real bond between the characters.
The writing - oh my goodness, there were more twists and turns in this than driving on a winding mountain road. Just when you think you've gotten something figured out, the writers correct your assumption by throwing something else at you. A few of the characters kept referencing a "happy ending" and I didn't see how that would be possible with this show, but I thought the ending was just perfect. There was the typical "gone for a year" storyline (so, are the majority of people in Korea just alone, waiting for someone to come back from where they disappeared to? When someone leaves for a long period of time, don't they call? What's up with that?!?!)
Finally, the music - in the BRIEF time the main couple was together (remember I said this wasn't a romance), the music was light and airy. Then there was the suspenseful music woven throughout. But the best thing about the music was when they used that one-note discordant tone, it just spoke of the evil that was coming. Very effectively done.
I, of course, would have liked more romance (there was one very well-done kiss to appease me a little bit), but that would have taken away from the effectiveness of this show. Everything about this show was amazing and I was surprised to read that it didn't do well when it came out. This may be because they didn't do a good job of explaining what to expect. This was a smart show, and if you're not in the mood to have to think, you would find this disappointing. I was power-watching this ("just one more episode") because I was so invested in the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next. After taking a huge sigh of relief that I was finally going to be able to relax, I was sorry that it was over.

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Female Lead was the most annoying character.

Overall this drama is amazing . But if the FL didn't exist this would have been more beautiful. Her character ruined all the enjoyable moments in the drama and instead made us annoyed. We could directly say it's a beautiful bromance drama. Also satisfied with the ending. But would have been excellent if we were offered a scene three of them together in a far away location.
This story justified murders in a nice way and I love the plot that the character development is not as typical as 'just psychopaths' as in other crime dramas. Also love the different ending and not being all murders in prison.

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Good drama

I came to watch after watching Doom at your service. I had watched shopping king. Louis half and was bored so dropped it and thot Seo in Guk is so so. But in Hello Monster i saw he is amazing.
The story is pretty good and there are times i felt sad for the brothers, where people try to make decisions for others. I liked their bromance. FL was not so bad as i have read in many reviews, she came across little selfish and little dumb but she did her part well. All in all it is a good watch. It's right amount of mystery, romance, bromance, thrill till the last episode.

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A Simple Thriller.. The Trio treat to watch

Hello Monster is A simple thriller drama, that presents an emotional rollercoaster story about one's love and concern with a twisted fate..

This drama came into my list when i was at the starting stage of adapting thriller/mystery genres from love/fantasy, and completed in 2 days.. After watching no.of Thrillers in kdrama this drama is also standout for its unique story selection. The main story runs with the investigation part but However, In my opinion the most compelling and freshest element of the plot is the second part of the story, which centers on the brotherhood bond (you will know once you watch the drama ).

And the first Criminal-Profiler drama i watched, they presented very well and detailed manner of new-coming thriller elements like criminal profiler in S Korean dramas, They put forward the topic of criminology to us and showed existential-humanistic theories with different solving criminal cases that explain criminals, serial killers, and psychopaths by examining their motives, behaviors, growth! It was the drama that showed almost everything related to Profiler. And I'm saying too much on Criminal parts means this is not a dark thriller or complete psychological thriller :) this is less romance but complicated brotherhood bond and overall an emotional thriller. A thriller plot twist is the core part of capturing the viewers interest to complete the drama and Hello Monster plot twist challenges our expectations, creates tension between characters and often reveals new layers to the narrative, making our viewing experience more immersive and satisfying adding an emotional backdrop story to it, once the plot twist was revealed it adds unpredictability and suspense and keep engaged and eager to see how the story unfolds from this moment. Plot twist along with additional twists might look simple, but with skilled script work, they created a major impact on the story narration.

Decent performance from the whole cast, especially the trio Seo In Guk, Park Bo Gum, Choi Won Young fictional characters they trigger us to experience a wide range of emotions beyond the relationships with well connected naturally and the bloodline that never want to aprat from us in any circumstances. This trio is a treat to watch.
And Jang Nara was given a settled performance. The Soundtrack & Camera good, the Screenplay highlights in some scenes to surprise with good story telling..

I will recommend this drama to those who are interested in a simple thriller that explores criminology as well as the good emotional bonding between brothers..

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Interesting premise but...

I felt like the premise was really interesting and there was a lot of potential for this to become a really thrilling mystery, but it suffers from something that many mid-2010s dramas do, which is that the romance and the attempts to smush the leads together hinders the show's ability to be darker.

The romantic set-up is a very common kdrama one: childhoods connected by tragedy. I'm fine with this, but the ML's story was just so much more interesting and the chemistry with his brother and the serial killer so much more intriguing that all his scenes with the FL felt just so "blah," as if they were going through the motions.

With that being said, the trio — Lee Hyun, Min, and Lee Jun Young — were absolutely the best part of the show. Their performances were very convincing, and there was a lot of tension in all their shared scenes, and I was also really excited to how the story would play out.

On the other hand, I think the individual cases were fine, but didn't really grab me; in fact, they were a little vague at times, or it just didn't that high stakes. It didn't really help that the FL felt very reactive throughout, never really planning or investigating anything until it was right under her nose, both when it came to individual cases and with the overarching plot.

Now, the ending really does leave a lot to be desired. I felt like they rushed through it (which a lot of kdramas fall victim to) and it focused on giving us unnecessary closure for the romance instead of for the more interesting thriller plot.

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It deserves some love honestly

I just finished watching this drama and all I can say is that it left me with a lot of questions. I even searched if they will make a season 2,but that is not the case.Overall it was a very good drama and I recommend it to anyone who likes dramas that focus on crime and psychopaths and not so much on romance.

1. I have read a lot of reviews on this title that were complaining about the romance between the main leads,or lack thereof.The interaction between them felt like a breath of fresh air next to the crimes and investigation that was going on.Quite frankly I liked that.It was the right amount of romance this drama needed.It was like a little part fitting perfectly between the whole plot.
2.I have nothing to say about the cast because it was magnificient.Everyone played their parts very well!
3.I loved the friendship between the investigation team so much.
4.Now to complain a little.Why did they have to finish the drama like that?It left me very confused.I think it would have been better to end it with catching/killing the murderer.I literally scremed when it said that he disappeared.I could have understood the ending if they would have done another season.It's like I got to the end but the story was just starting.
Another thing:I like how they ended the things between the main leads BUT what about Min??? Personally I think he chose to live as the real him but that is just my opinion.Still...what happened to him?Did he get arrested?Did he went to the police and confess? Even before this. I thought he died but after an year we see him in a hospital... What happened there?
When Hyun met for the last time with Jun Yung, why didn't he arrest him?He already told Hyun he will leave so..It's like he wanted to chase Jun Yung for all his life.Last but not least how did Hyun knew where Min is and that he is alive?

Even after all of this the drama is very good and it deserves more recognition plus I really adored the bromance between the brothers. This drama also keeps on a leash,meaning that the plot is too enteresting to make you want to think about other stuff.At the same time it makes you have so many conspiracies about what would happen next.This makes the drama so much more entertaining and captivating.Please check it out :)

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The plot of the drama seemed great, and I was intrigued by Lee Hyun's past and present. However, the character of Cha Ji An made it very difficult for me to continue watching the drama, they portrayed her as a crime police inspector who is unbelievably dumb, weak and annoyingly irrational. Her actions place people in dangerous positions as well, which irks me as her job require her to be strong and at least a little bit smart as protector of the people. I had to drop it before she kills me as well out of frustration. Badly written female character, such a waste really.

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Adrenalina, sentimenti e tanti ottimi attori

Un thriller mystery un po’ diverso dal solito, se vogliamo, perché le identità nascoste vengono intuite, e successivamente scoperte, molto presto. Non stiamo a domandarci chi sia chi fino all’ultimo episodio. Quello che accade, invece, una volta che quasi tutte le carte sono sul tavolo, e l’infittirsi di un gioco di gatti e topi dove a volte non è ben chiaro chi sia la preda o il predatore. Dove non esistono completi innocenti e, a maggior ragione, completi colpevoli. Dove si prova più di un moto di simpatia per i serial killer nonostante i loro delitti, e non solo perché, essendo il cast formato in abbondanza da attori belli e bellissimi, detti assassini sono molto attraenti.

Genetica o ambiente? Cosa fa di un essere umano uno psicopatico? Se un bambino crescesse in un ambiente amorevole invece che in uno abusivo, svilupperebbe ugualmente delle tare psichiche? E viceversa? E ancora: fin dove è lecito intervenire, vendicarsi, fin dove è lecito perdonare?

I remember you, conosciuto anche come Hello monster, sviscera questi argomenti in una infinita serie di sfumature di grigio, guidandoci per mano a scoprire che, dietro ogni psicopatico, c’è una causa scatenante e, a volte, perfino l’illusione di fare del bene. Non solo la vittima, anche l’assassino è spesso profondamente solo e ha dei bisogni basici che, nella sua maniera contorta e malata, cerca di soddisfare.

In questa adrenalinica cavalcata, che non conosce cinque minuti di noia in sedici ore di drama, l’unica cosa che forse manca è proprio quella che viene indicata per prima fra i generi dell’opera: la commedia romantica. Intendiamoci: c’è la canonica storia d’amore, ma è veramente molto secondaria rispetto alla suspense, anche perché il protagonista maschile ha una personalità particolare, per cui non è inizialmente molto propenso ad esplorare i rapporti amorosi.

Il commento musicale sottolinea spesso a proposito i momenti più topici e può definirsi soddisfacente. Purtroppo la cinematografia è piuttosto basica, senza grandi voli di fantasia ma, sinceramente, non credo che sia la cosa più importante in questo lavoro. Quello che veramente “fa” quest’opera è il cast, unito ad una sceneggiatura veramente azzeccata.

Se la protagonista è molto brava e credibile, è il trio dei protagonisti maschili a dare i brividi in molte scene. Professore, avvocato, dottore e team leader fanno a gara a chi meglio interpreta la sua parte, appoggiati da tutto il resto del cast, che ha lavorato per lo più molto bene. Bromance è una parola che, qui, non ha significati nascosti: è un rapporto fra due fratelli che viene esplorato in maniera dolcemente malata e, ben più della parte romantica, è il vero fulcro dell’opera.

Ho particolarmente apprezzato lo sviluppo dei personaggi, la scoperta delle loro motivazioni, delle loro storie, del loro doloroso passato. E' stata una piacevole sorpresa la presenza di una protagonista forte, per una volta, ma forte veramente, di corpo e di spirito.

La sceneggiatura, come detto adrenalinica e priva di noia, è fantastica, anche se devo ammettere un po’ confusa nel finale, che viene lasciato abbastanza aperto, suggerendo la possibilità di una seconda stagione che però, a distanza di diversi anni, ancora non si è vista, e quindi probabilmente mai si farà. Peccato: a patto che il cast fosse lo stesso, ne avrei visto volentieri anche una seconda serie.

Sono stata veramente risucchiata in questo drama, cui si può forse rimproverare la gestione un po’ “allegra” di alcune indagini, minus che però ho dovuto applicare a tutti i mystery che ho guardato finora. Non che i polizieschi italiani o americani seguano perfettamente le procedure e le leggi, vero?

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Mano do céu o que falar desse drama?! Me prendeu do começo ao fim, tiveram momentos que nem ar passava ??. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
É um drama onde desconfiei de tudo e de todos .
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A construção de cada personagem foi simplismente incrível. E já vou logo dizendo que passei pano até dizer chega pra um personagem lá ?.
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A ost é pra chorar mesmo, principalmente a música Remember by Dear Cloud (inclusive estou ouvindo ela e escrevendo essa resenha).
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E não posso deixar de falar da atuação do D.O que foi impecável, os olhares daquele menino me deixava cagaça de medo ?.

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APARECIDA BARÃO

Terminei de assistir hoje, adorei a série. A atuação do elenco realmente impecável, a música belissíma e emocionante, me emocionei diversas vezes e fui as lágrimas. Só uma duvida persiste em minha cabeça, qual a escolha do personagem do Bo Gun. O que realmente ele escolheu, pagar por seus crimes e viver ao lado do irmão, ou assumir uma nova identidade e começar uma nova vida, mesmo tendo de separar-se defitivamente do irmão que ele tanto ama. Sinceramente fiquei em dúvida com relação ao final desse personagem. Então se alguém entendeu melhor que eu, poderia por favor me explicar.

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