I’m aware of Ji Chang Wook’s popularity - but have yet to watch any of his shows until - healer (reason is i am still busy following my other favorite oppa) - i gave healer a chance given its high ratings/reviews.
Watching the first few episodes are not boring but I was not convinced of the high reviews - until I was on Episode 7 - the rest is just so savory, so satisfying. I may not enjoy the appetizers that much but defenitly enjoyed the main dish to the very last dessert.
It gives me the same thrill from watching “equalizer” “Mission Imp” kind of movies and the chills from watching “twighlight” series.
I must say - koreans really can pull off writing a drama in a way many writers fail to do (so they just use so much killings- making villains obvioulsy and overly cruel that makes watching too depressing) while, Korean dramas - certainly know which part of emotions to attack - upto what extent - and ofcourse it never loses its aim plot and romance.
Having attractive actors (such as Ji Chang Wook) in this case certainly is an advantage in korean film industry- and charming leading ladies.
I would certainly add JCW to my favorite oppa line up. The samchun sure made a huge impact too- i rarely get impressed with a third character.
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11 Years Later, Still got it... A Re-Watch Review For Old Time Sake!
I watched this drama back in 2014... I recently re-watched it again. I tend to always go back once in a while and revisit the dramas that made me love k-drama's and this one is one of it. This drama still stands the testament of time. This is what I think a drama should be when you want to introduce it to a new drama lover. It's got the suspense, the rom-com, thriller and everything that made us all a drama lover.I yearn for those days when I first watched this and awaiting for the episodes every week and loving all the suspense this drama revealed. Those discussions with fellow drama lovers on Dramabeans and love reading those recaps and comments users posted! Those iconic OST used to be my mobile ringtone back in the days and I still get goosebumps when I hear it and makes me feel as if I am in a high chase thriller!
I wish we got more dramas like these which made our hearts skip a beat! I especially love it when I go back and re-watch and enjoy all over again... There is never a boring scene... never made me go like that's enough times I have watched it... I know I will go back again after a year or more later and rewatch it again when I miss dramas like these! This review after 11 years later is just a love note to this drama that I thoroughly enjoyed watching over the years!
And if you haven't and new to k-dramas, please do watch it. I promise you, you would love it as much as I did!
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First, the plot. It's so engaging and mysterious you'd want to watch more and more episodes after watching one. The end of a Healer episode leaves you wanting more so then you find yourself watching more. Healer has a lot of cliffhangers which I think is a good thing after all HAHHAA. The plot was well-executed and I indeed really loved it
Second, the ROMANCEEEE. Oh my god can we just talk about how amazing PMY & JCW's chemistry is AHHHHHH. This drama melted my heart sooo mannyyy timessss. It was a very heartwarming drama. Every romantic scene in this drama was very meaningful and heartfelt. There were no nonsensical stuff at all. The connection, passion, and sincerity in their relationship got me enviouss honestly hahaha Not to mention the warm and tight hugs hihi EVERYTHING WAS JUST WONDERFUL
Third, the actors!!! The actors were great especially Ji Chang Wook wow he was soo good in portraying both Jung Hoo and Bong Soo. Loved him so much!! Ahjumma was really cool tooo and the teacher got me feeling things
Ahhhh there's so much more to love about this drama than those three so you should definitely watch it!! the best!!
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Story:
Yeah, the story is the worst thing with this. It sucked. Too typical. Too boring. So unoriginal, nothing interesting here. There was absolutely NOTHING surprising. Only interesting thing was the flashbacks and the ''villain''. I would have preferred to watch a drama of the flashbacks' story, instead of this. Flashbacks were really the only thing to keep this going. And even the most interesting parts would have been boring in a really interesting and good drama. This drama was only about falling in love (in a boring way) and some stupid plot about the characters' past that I don't even remember anymore.
Characters/Cast:
Yeah, nothing interesting to see here either. Boring characters, but the actors were somewhat good. And Ji Chang Wook looked handsome, so that's good I guess. Especially Yoo Ji Tae's character, why did we even need him? Unnecessary. He was maybe the most uninteresting character here. Compared to him, even Ji Chang Wook's and Park Min Young's characters seemed good. There were some fun comedic scenes with the supporting characters though, but that's it.
Music:
I actually liked the music. Catchy... And some of them got stuck in my head even. But they became annoying after awhile.
Rewatch value:
How about no.
I was interested because of the genres ''action'' and ''thriller''. Action scenes were fun, but I don't know why this has been listed as a thriller.
I can't even believe how high rating this has gotten, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Not judging.
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Outstanding!
Fabulous!
Superb!
Tremendous!
Fantastic!
How many superlatives have you got, cause all of them apply!
I even love the super cheesy, 80's vibe song they played at least 3 times every single episode. That singer must have made a Lot of money off of this drama, lol.
I only feel ashamed that it took me so long to finish.
I Will be rewatching this.
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Healer – A Timeless Classic That Still Hits Hard
Every now and then, I get this urge to rewind time—not just by a year or two, but deep dive kind of rewind. And this time, I landed squarely in 2015 with Healer. Let me just say… what a time capsule of brilliance. Watching Ji Chang Wook, Park Min Young, Yoo Ji Tae, and the forever-iconic Kim Mi Kyung in one drama before they each went on to headline half of Korea's hit dramas? It's like finding vintage wine in your grandma's attic and realizing it’s still better than anything you’ve tasted in years.This cast? Absolute power squad. Between them, they've starred in enough hit shows to start their own drama universe. Seeing them together before Welcome to Samdalri, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, Money Heist: Korea, and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay was both nostalgic and surreal. You don’t always get a lineup like this, and when you do, you feel it. Even ten years later, their energy still crackles through the screen.
What makes Healer different is that nothing about it feels outdated. Not the action, not the suspense, and definitely not the chemistry. Every scene serves a purpose. There are no boring side quests, no unnecessary drama just to fill the runtime. It all clicks together like a well-oiled watch, and honestly, even the pickiest viewers would have a hard time nitpicking this one.
And let’s not forget the sheer effort that went into making this. Back then, the industry wasn’t leaning heavily on CGI or green screens. They closed down actual streets, actors ran across real rooftops, and yes—Ji Chang Wook really did most of those insane stunts himself. That rooftop leap? Still gives me secondhand vertigo.
Kim Mi Kyung, the eternal scene-stealer, is once again in her element here. I swear, that woman has appeared in more dramas than my neighbor’s cat has lives. And Park Min Young? At this point, she’s practically a fixture on my screen. I’ve seen her face more times than any International Channel’s breaking news banner. And I’m not complaining.
Healer is the kind of drama that sticks with you. The pacing, the mystery, the quiet tenderness between the leads—it’s all so beautifully balanced. No flash for the sake of flash. Just solid storytelling with heart and grit. It’s a reminder of how good things were before everyone got obsessed with multi-verses and AI robots.
So yes, they say old is gold, and Healer is that kind of gold you don’t trade in—it stays locked in your emotional vault forever. If you’ve never watched it, you’re missing out. And if you have? It might be time for a rewatch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sometimes in action or mystery stories, less is more when it comes to explanations because the more they try to explain things, the stories become less fun and it’s easy to find the plot holes. Healer definitely did not take the less is more approach and I think the story suffered for it. I almost dropped this drama so many times in the first half because I was so bored by the backstory. It took probably until episode 7 until I was more invested. The action itself is great and it’s clear that Ji Chang Wook had a great time doing all of the stunts. The romance was also very well executed and Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young had such good chemistry. Her character getting into a love triangle with Healer and one of his other aliases was hilarious.
I ended up skipping a lot of the scenes with the main villains because it just did not feel interesting or make a lot of sense. The second male lead was also one of the weaker parts of the show as it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with him.
Everything with Healer and his team was great. The team dynamics, humor, and caring for each other. Her dad and the ex-cons he’d hired at the cafe were fun to watch and the dad was one of the sweetest drama dads ever.
I wish the show had found a way to be more mystery of the week rather than focus on this big convoluted conspiracy that’s gone back decades. Every time the show would focus on the mystery, I just wanted to go back to the main leads or see some more action sequences.
I would have dropped this drama if the romance didn’t hold my attention like it did. Ji Chang Wook really is great in both action and romance, and Healer showcased his skills in both.
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This review may contain spoilers
Healer!
Loved it!Don’t wanna say Park Min-Young carried this show because there are so many other aspects to it I love, but her as the FL in this is so alluring! She’s so quirky and charming… every scene she’s in she just kills. She really brought a great and unique personality to her character. And the short haircut ☺️😍🥰 that’s all I gotta say.
Looking back after finishing, I’d say the first half is far better than the latter… it has so much more going for it, as the first focuses more on the blossoming relationship between the FL and ML as well as developing some interesting plot points we’ll desperately want resolved, the latter half is honed in on unraveling the plot and reveals. I certainly lost a bit of interest, and the ending felt sadly rushed. The mother daughter reunion/reveal wasn’t as potent emotionally as it should have been. The identity reveals for our main characters wasn’t handled the way I wished it was.
But overall this show is amazing. Again, Park Min-Young killed it… made me go check out more of her work. Ji Chang-Wook is also great as the ML, he also brings some great charisma to the screen. Their chemistry together is so great.
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It is timeless.
This is created in 2014. And now it’s 2020 . Yet, this drama can hold on its own even all these years. Why? I’ll reiterate, it is TIMELESS. Yes, a classic, beautifully-made drama that will leave you spellbound up to the very end. It is does not rely mainly on one theme but it perfectly manages to knit varied genres. This I think made the story one fascinating. Hence, I am still wondering why it is not that well-received in Korea during it’s airing. Anyway, I personally dig this show because it somehow reminds me of “La Femme Nikita”. It is like “West meets the East”. It feels like a Hollywood TV show but has Asian touch. Well, maybe it is just me. Overall, I want to give “Healer” a perfect rating. Like seriously, even my husband who is not so much into this kind of thing, seriously finished this show. Dang!!! I am even utterly in love with how JCW portrays his characters. Hope you give it a try too!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Romance with action right up my alley!
The beginning started out a bit boring as they fleshed out the different characters individually. But it soon got exciting for me as I enjoyed the interactions between Healer, his hacker handler and the FL.The acting was great for so many of the characters but the standout for me was Ms Jo who was this quirky hacker who makes gimbabs and also knits all while keeping an eye on the various screens in front of her! Her conversations with the ML are hilarious as she doesn’t hold back, frequently calling him a mutt!
The ML was cool in the way he manages to carry out his various jobs, nimbly climbing up walls and effortless taking down many bad guys - the stunt work was good and choreography of the fighting scenes well done. His acting was very good especially seeing him switch between his real self and his bumbling assistant reporter disguise. His chemistry with the FL was wonderful and their love was beautiful to watch.
Style of cinematography and choice of music was not as good as the more recent dramas but if you can overlook that (considering it is 8 years old), this is a good drama that has a nice romance with some great action sequences.
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The actors and actresses were on point! I like the characters, specially Young Sin. I liked her personality, the fact that she wanted to do some things for her own. I liked how brave she was even if she had this panic attack every time she saw a violent act.
Healer's hacker (Ahjumma) MY FAVORITE WOMAN EVER. LOVED HER. She was so pro! Always helping my guy to solve things. Wow. I was really impressed everytime.
And HEALER, my precious boy Seo Jung Hoo. I'm gonna miss him! This guy is BADASS. I really, really loved all his action scenes, I felt really bad about his story, but I'm so glad he found this awesome girl to take care of him because even if he is the one who protects, he truly deserves the best of the world and most important: love.
The scenery, the action scenes, THE OST. Omg, the OST was the best, best part. I ADORE IT. It's so beautiful.
This is my first action drama and I'm really happy I watched it. Thanks to my friend who recommended me. I cried, I laughed but specially I ENJOYED all the drama. Honestly, my favorite kdrama from now on. This is one I want to recommend always. Everyone HAS to watch this history. It was really touching and heartbreaking. I liked the funny scenes, they warm my heart.
Basically, I'm looking foward to watch it again and again.
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