viking
Hits the mark with Comedy and Romance but it just feels like there's something missing.
(No Spoilers.)
Behind Your Touch plays on several elements seen in the likes of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Crash Course in Romance, wherein a relatively contained level of world-building fuels romance and comedy but also throws in a complicated hint of mystery and crime. However, it executes this plot much better than the other two dramas. So far, it appears to keep you on your toes, never giving too much away, but also creating an environment of bitingly comedic romance and more. I'm a bit worried about the stagnancy of the plot as comedy-mystery-type dramas often miss the mark when it comes to keeping a balance between fast pace and deliberate devices to stall the plot. I'm also... thrown off by the script and waiting for the slapstick character development.
Story:
The plot of this show revolves around a hilarious incident in which our protagonist, Ye-bun, is given the power of being able to see other people's memories by touching their... rear end. I know this is a plot device to create light-hearted, comedic situations but... Yes, a little perverted. Even weirder if the roles were switched around and it was a man gifted such a power. Which does put you off a bit at first as a brief ethical question that leaves room for criticism.
Our protagonist Ye-bun has an interesting set-up as a vet with a dotted past. She's young at heart, despite being in her mid-30s, and immature as well as innovative. Such a rowdy personality is balanced by the male lead Jang-yeol who is sharp, equally comedic given the occasion and is an outsider to the small town, desperate to return to Seoul for unknown reasons. The second male lead, Sun-woo, is presented as that handsome yet quiet outsider that Ye-bun hilariously drools over.
I'm reminded of The Killer's Shopping List in terms of the balance between having such comedic main characters at the forefront of a plot with silent crime lurking in the background. You'll be left howling at the hilarity of some of the situations, secretly loving the townspeople as no detail goes unnoticed with their developed personalities that are present enough to make an impression but not too strong to steal away from the main three characters. At the same time, there is plenty of seriousness to go around.
However... this is what it's been like for the past 5 episodes. I'm still waiting on the character development or at least just something. I don't really know but it just feels like something is missing from this drama to give it that one final push into being good?
Plot-wise, it's those typical procedural dramas with an extra plot brewing in the background. You'll be seeing a lot of new faces, and sometimes you'll have to move on to the next episode being a bit like "Wait, what's gonna happen to X? What happened to Y?" I think that's just because this show goes through characters so quickly.
Additionally, I did not like the side romance LMAO involving Ye-bun's aunt. I thought it was ridiculous and annoying. Sorry not sorry. The problem there was that they made her character so unlikeable in the beginning and a little bit irritating, and that the actual romance between her and the police captain is unnecessary (in my opinion) and felt like they wanted to beef up her character and the level of world-building in the small town. (You can skip these scenes, as I did. They're super short and feel like filler if anything.) They made her a "supporting character" but you honestly didn't need to make her life revolve around romance of all things.
I'm only halfway through the drama but so far I'm finding it fairly good. It's not overly amazing or anything, but it doesn't have to be, it only has to be watchable to be enjoyable in my opinion and I love the consistent humour and brewing love triangle. I will admit I got bored around Episode 6 but only because there was a much greater shift in tone from the "comedy" that felt like I was watching a completely different show. I'll give Episode 7 a try and see if it improves.
Acting:
I think everyone's acting is pretty on par with their characters. Suho, former EXO member, has had a few main lead roles here and there but you can tell he's fairly new in terms of creating an elusive character like Sun Woo, who is always with a smile and a quiet mind. Especially because his previous dramas haven't received that high ratings. His character is a complete contrast to the other male lead, which I think he does greatly with his mannerisms and pale expression. Han Ji Min plays Ye-bun with a smiley face and dramatic fashion. I think there were some scenes where I wasn't too sure about whether she had the "right" expression or not. But that might also be due to the comedy element of this show. She's energetic, whiny and a great character with a distinctness to her that separates her from the likes of other female characters.
As for Lee Min Ki, who plays Jang-yeol, he has an extremely tired face, but a definitive attractiveness and certain "arrogance" to his expression that helps capture Jang-yeol's personality in terms of his dynamic with Ye-bun.
Scriptwise, I understand they were working with what they were given. Imagine opening up the script to see you have to be fondling the rear end of your co-star. I'd be howling. Anyway yeah, sometimes the script felt like it wasn't for the same show. It just seemed to be flat at times but also nothing really... nuanced or hard-hitting. Sometimes you need a script that actually makes the scenes memorable, but because of how quick things go, it just feels like one thing after another.
Music:
I love the music in this drama! In fact, that's what got me hooked after the first episode really. The OST is modern and upbeat, which greatly emulates the youthful themes of the drama but also the correlation of the main leads' dynamic.
Here is the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Wx4aY3oPM6Z3CGH9u5IHL?si=ca6ee3e44c184347
Rewatch Value:
Possibly a 6/10. I imagine that once we have those big grand reveals towards the end of the drama in terms of who is good/bad, who is doing what etc. then the drama feels a bit obsolete if you know what has happened. However, this drama sustains itself because of how strongly developed the personalities are as well as the tons of things going on in each episode.
Usually, the showrunners think that having plenty of plot is what keeps the audience engaged, but they always compound it too quickly and make it hard to differentiate or process the events. Behind Your Touch manages to avoid this problem. As the scenes don't drag on for too long which makes you kinda forget stuff that has already happened.
Overall:
I'm not going to try and sell this drama as more than what it is. But it is really a funny yet interesting watch. I did get a bit... bored by Episode 6. Only because there was a shift in tone due to the plot. I don't think it's the best thing yet because the balance between comedy and thriller is a fine line that can't be dragged out and I'm a bit worried that this show might do that.
Behind Your Touch plays on several elements seen in the likes of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Crash Course in Romance, wherein a relatively contained level of world-building fuels romance and comedy but also throws in a complicated hint of mystery and crime. However, it executes this plot much better than the other two dramas. So far, it appears to keep you on your toes, never giving too much away, but also creating an environment of bitingly comedic romance and more. I'm a bit worried about the stagnancy of the plot as comedy-mystery-type dramas often miss the mark when it comes to keeping a balance between fast pace and deliberate devices to stall the plot. I'm also... thrown off by the script and waiting for the slapstick character development.
Story:
The plot of this show revolves around a hilarious incident in which our protagonist, Ye-bun, is given the power of being able to see other people's memories by touching their... rear end. I know this is a plot device to create light-hearted, comedic situations but... Yes, a little perverted. Even weirder if the roles were switched around and it was a man gifted such a power. Which does put you off a bit at first as a brief ethical question that leaves room for criticism.
Our protagonist Ye-bun has an interesting set-up as a vet with a dotted past. She's young at heart, despite being in her mid-30s, and immature as well as innovative. Such a rowdy personality is balanced by the male lead Jang-yeol who is sharp, equally comedic given the occasion and is an outsider to the small town, desperate to return to Seoul for unknown reasons. The second male lead, Sun-woo, is presented as that handsome yet quiet outsider that Ye-bun hilariously drools over.
I'm reminded of The Killer's Shopping List in terms of the balance between having such comedic main characters at the forefront of a plot with silent crime lurking in the background. You'll be left howling at the hilarity of some of the situations, secretly loving the townspeople as no detail goes unnoticed with their developed personalities that are present enough to make an impression but not too strong to steal away from the main three characters. At the same time, there is plenty of seriousness to go around.
However... this is what it's been like for the past 5 episodes. I'm still waiting on the character development or at least just something. I don't really know but it just feels like something is missing from this drama to give it that one final push into being good?
Plot-wise, it's those typical procedural dramas with an extra plot brewing in the background. You'll be seeing a lot of new faces, and sometimes you'll have to move on to the next episode being a bit like "Wait, what's gonna happen to X? What happened to Y?" I think that's just because this show goes through characters so quickly.
Additionally, I did not like the side romance LMAO involving Ye-bun's aunt. I thought it was ridiculous and annoying. Sorry not sorry. The problem there was that they made her character so unlikeable in the beginning and a little bit irritating, and that the actual romance between her and the police captain is unnecessary (in my opinion) and felt like they wanted to beef up her character and the level of world-building in the small town. (You can skip these scenes, as I did. They're super short and feel like filler if anything.) They made her a "supporting character" but you honestly didn't need to make her life revolve around romance of all things.
I'm only halfway through the drama but so far I'm finding it fairly good. It's not overly amazing or anything, but it doesn't have to be, it only has to be watchable to be enjoyable in my opinion and I love the consistent humour and brewing love triangle. I will admit I got bored around Episode 6 but only because there was a much greater shift in tone from the "comedy" that felt like I was watching a completely different show. I'll give Episode 7 a try and see if it improves.
Acting:
I think everyone's acting is pretty on par with their characters. Suho, former EXO member, has had a few main lead roles here and there but you can tell he's fairly new in terms of creating an elusive character like Sun Woo, who is always with a smile and a quiet mind. Especially because his previous dramas haven't received that high ratings. His character is a complete contrast to the other male lead, which I think he does greatly with his mannerisms and pale expression. Han Ji Min plays Ye-bun with a smiley face and dramatic fashion. I think there were some scenes where I wasn't too sure about whether she had the "right" expression or not. But that might also be due to the comedy element of this show. She's energetic, whiny and a great character with a distinctness to her that separates her from the likes of other female characters.
As for Lee Min Ki, who plays Jang-yeol, he has an extremely tired face, but a definitive attractiveness and certain "arrogance" to his expression that helps capture Jang-yeol's personality in terms of his dynamic with Ye-bun.
Scriptwise, I understand they were working with what they were given. Imagine opening up the script to see you have to be fondling the rear end of your co-star. I'd be howling. Anyway yeah, sometimes the script felt like it wasn't for the same show. It just seemed to be flat at times but also nothing really... nuanced or hard-hitting. Sometimes you need a script that actually makes the scenes memorable, but because of how quick things go, it just feels like one thing after another.
Music:
I love the music in this drama! In fact, that's what got me hooked after the first episode really. The OST is modern and upbeat, which greatly emulates the youthful themes of the drama but also the correlation of the main leads' dynamic.
Here is the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Wx4aY3oPM6Z3CGH9u5IHL?si=ca6ee3e44c184347
Rewatch Value:
Possibly a 6/10. I imagine that once we have those big grand reveals towards the end of the drama in terms of who is good/bad, who is doing what etc. then the drama feels a bit obsolete if you know what has happened. However, this drama sustains itself because of how strongly developed the personalities are as well as the tons of things going on in each episode.
Usually, the showrunners think that having plenty of plot is what keeps the audience engaged, but they always compound it too quickly and make it hard to differentiate or process the events. Behind Your Touch manages to avoid this problem. As the scenes don't drag on for too long which makes you kinda forget stuff that has already happened.
Overall:
I'm not going to try and sell this drama as more than what it is. But it is really a funny yet interesting watch. I did get a bit... bored by Episode 6. Only because there was a shift in tone due to the plot. I don't think it's the best thing yet because the balance between comedy and thriller is a fine line that can't be dragged out and I'm a bit worried that this show might do that.
Was this review helpful to you?
