Hyde, Jekyll, Me

Didn’t realise Hyun Bin was also in this!

So after being disappointed with “Crash Landing on You” , I was looking for the Webtoon version of this series and wasn’t able to find the whole thing online. So instead, I used good ol Netflix instead and while watching the rest, I didn’t realise Hyun Bin was also on this and he killed it man with his changing personas.Now my only complaint is that the 20 episodes was long winded and wanted to finish it in one go (finished at 6am, stupid I know). However it was an addicting series to binge like both Hyun Bin and Han Ji Min were just very cute together, I think also Han Sang Jin played the wacky mischievous villian pretty darn good, I loved how in the near end he made Bins character draw in front of a serious conference like wtf with that scene man xD

It’s pretty good but again the episodes were long winded even if it was a binge to watch!

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Look, we've all been there. Watch a drama you absolutely frigging love and then it's over. You desperately try to find a replacement but the problem is you don't have encyclopedic knowledge of every drama made in existence so you don't know what the closest thing to the masterpiece you just watched would be. So you head on to Wikipedia, search up the actors to the drama you loved to death and go "ok, Hyun Bin, what else have you been in that I can watch?"

This is what happened to me and the drama "Crash Landing on You". CLOY is a drama exclusive to Netflix which this is NOT, so if you have Netflix drop everything and go watch that instead. I consider Hyde, Jekyll, Me the rebound drama after CLOY and by god is it sub par in every way. It might fill your Hyun Bin needs but it's just not the same.

Ok, ok, fine you get two versions of him (specifically one with glasses and gelled up hair and the other one without either of those things), like what more do you want?

It's just unfortunate that they wanted to return Hyun Bin to the throne of rom com king after his stint in Secret Garden and while the premise of the story is quite interesting (when will split personalities not be interesting?), everything else just seems contrived. Like the story line exists in order for Hyun Bin to play this interesting role.

For example, Han Jimin's character (Jang Ha Na) being a circus master was laughably 1 dimensional in that she did absolutely nothing involving being the circus master besides: a) being slightly more athletic and being able to use a tightrope and b) constantly whining about how her circus is going to be shut down when their most elaborate shows is on par with a cheap children's party magic show. The whole circus business was merely way to keep Ha Na close to Seo Jin - after the whole Seo Jin/Robin plot took off with Ha Na as an unsuspecting passenger, it no longer matter Jang Ha Na was a circus master.

I don't blame any of the actors for this. On paper, this drama was just asking to succeed because it hit all the right points: rich guy/ poor woman story, pretty leads, quirky female lead, two male leads that cover all the points from likeable, athletic, protective to prickly, tsuendre, and outright cold. However it seems that splitting Hyun Bin into two different people meant Han Jimin couldn't quite build a connection with either sides of the coin. I personally feel it's why it falls short in terms of likeability. But hey, it's a rom com, if you like those, you'll probably be ok watching this one....

(But seriously, go watch Crash Landing on You.)

--- SPOILER BELOW---

I disagree with the way the storyline went with Hana falling for Robin exclusively. I think it would have been a bigger hurdle for her to realize the she like Seo Jin all along and that Seo Jin could have made that personal journey into being a better person through that relationship. It seemed like they tried to do this via the 'merging' of their personalities, but I find that to be the cheap way out. Seo Jin didn't really have a change because that's just Robin merging into his psyche. Hana liked Robin because he was the easier side of the coin for her to get along with.

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Irritating!

I really wanted to like this drama and Ilike the storyline but am struggling for two reasons -first the female lead is intensely irritating! She acts like a teen /ingenue, with an irritating chuckle. She is supposed to be the lead of a circus? I dont find her endearing or comedic, and many of her scenes with Robin are so sickly sweet its nauseating! Just how old are these two supposed to be? Just too childish for words. I'm not blaming the actors but the writers! She is beginning to show more character and maturity then along comes Robin and she regresses. The puppet scene was beyong cringe making!
I also found the male leads physical grabbing and pushing offensive - I do not like this particular behaviour in so many korean dramas. Violence towards women is just wrong and should not be seen as acceptable.
I just cant seem to engage with this drama - am beginning to fast forward thru the fl scenes just to get thru the story which is not developing fast enough! There is plenty of mystery surrounding how the ML got to be how he is but its dragging!
Oh and the music is also cloying in its sentimentality!

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I tried and tried and really tried...I had put it on hold a while back and tried again after I got addicted to Hyun Bin.  

It's not that the drama is bad but it's Robin and Hana's story not Seo and Hana...so kinda like second lead getting hooked with the heroine. Though it is Hyun Bin only...I don't like it and thus cudn't watch it.

The story looks like its well plotted but it lacks  a real soul and that is why I couldn't finish it....

Hyun Bin is amazing but thats is all....will have to watch secret garden and kim sam soon again...oppa :(

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Just finished watching this drama and I have rollercoaster of emotions while watching it since the beginning until the end. I actually watched this when it came out 4 years ago but I dropped it halfway because I was watching too many dramas a week at that time and later then I forgot to continue watching it.

It's normal for people to like someone like Robin because of his nice personality but I just couldn't like him as much as I love Seojin because no matter how good Robin is, he's still fake to me because he's just another personality created by Seojin. I know Robin is very kind, funny and caring person and that's why Hana loves him very much but I still feel unfair to Seojin because it seems like Hana be with him at the end because he has Robin's memories inside him, not because she loves Seojin because of Seojin himself. I don't know whether I'm being overreacted & way too emotional but it just breaks my heart thinking how lonely Seojin is all this time. Seojin just asked her permission to love her only without asking her to love him back & willing to sacrifice himself for her happiness even though she doesn't love him the way he loves her because she loves Robin more. It's true Hana helped to cure his illness but she hurted Seojin at the same time too.

For some reason I just think that Hana doesn't deserve Seojin because he's just too nice for her. Even though it's still Hyunbin but I don't like the way this drama showed too much of Robin & Hana's love story instead of Seojin & Hana's. I still think it's bit too much and ridiculous of her for hold wedding with Robin. Have to admit this drama is a quite draggy and it took them 15 episodes just to arrest a criminal but I love seeing Seojin and Soohyeon after they reconciled and I thought their friendship was beautiful.

I have to say that Hyunbin is such great actor for being able to potray Seojin and Robin's characters very well and I'm so proud of him. Have no idea about anyone else but I'm Seojin's team since 1st episode until the end.

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Um dos melhores K-dramas

Um enredo bem diferente mas muito credível no que concerne a quem sofre de múltiplas personalidades. Do que mais gostei foi que o papel da protagonista feminina foi escrito de forma a ela não actuar como uma tonta, como muitas vezes acontece nestes dramas asiáticos, mas sim como uma mulher madura.

A nota de excelência vai para o actor que fez de Seo Jin e Robin! 2 personalidades totalmente opostas e maravilhosamente interpretadas por Hyun Bin.

No geral todos desempenharam bem os seus papéis destacando-se ainda o Secretário de Seon Jin.
Recomendo vivamente este drama.

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Quando il troppo stroppia e i pregi diventano difetti

L'idea alla base della serie non è nuova - come dice il titolo si ispira al noto Dr.Jekyll e Mr. Hyde - ma la chiave di lettura sembra avere un buon potenziale di partenza: un Jekyll freddo, cinico, egoista e per nulla empatico e al contrario un Hyde che invece di essere un alter ego malvagio viene dipinto come un eroe, un salvatore, costantemente permeato da sorrisi e buone intenzioni.
Un meccanismo rovesciato che mi ha incuriosita e che già dopo i primi episodi mostra un ulteriore inversione: Seo Jin non è poi così freddo e calcolatore come si sforza di apparire e d'altro canto l'altruismo di Robin non è proprio così smisurato. Un doppio flip che sembra voler rimettere tutto in discussione, gettando l'idea che "la verità non è quella che appare". In realtà, alla fine, la verità si troverà un po' nel mezzo.
A condire la storia ci sono dei buoni temi a supporto: la psicanalisi, i ricordi del rapimento durante l'infanzia, con tematica poliziesca annessa.
Tanti aspetti positivi, insomma. Eppure...c'è mancato poco che non la terminassi. Il ritmo - non dico incalzante, ma quanto meno coinvolgente - dei primi episodi rallenta a una velocità da crociera. Il giro di boa l'abbiamo a metà serie, con la protagonista che finalmente fa 2+2 e scopre che non esiste alcun gemello, ma sia prima che dopo i tempi sono davvero troppo dilatati, parliamo di 20 episodi che potevano benissimo essere riassunti in poco più della metà. E poiché il troppo stroppia, tutti gli aspetti positivi sopracitati diventano delle zavorre: la questione dell'avvicendarsi dei due sembra voler proseguire all'infinito, la storia del rapimento e del recupero dei ricordi sembra la saga della "storia infinita", la dottoressa segregata, le sedute ipnotiche, ecc... a una certa viene da dire "ok, abbiamo capito, ora però andiamo avanti!". Sostanzialmente è proprio questo dilungarsi esasperante che affossa una serie dalle premesse più che buone. Anche il triangolo amoroso viene trascinato fin quasi alla fine e risolto con un ricongiungimento che non ha il tempo di essere percepito come tale (più che un protagonista che alla fine è sia Robin che Seo Jin, la spiacevole impressione è che lei si sia sposata con Robin per poi trascorrere la vita con Seo Jin). Poteva essere gestito meglio, insomma. In ultimo, c'è davvero un eccessivo buonismo: il dualismo bene/male di Jekyll/Hyde sparisce, e vogliamo far risultare buoni entrambi. Non contenti, anche al padre di Seo Jin viene condonato molto e, perchè no, pure l'amico d'infanzia, che ha fatto da antagonista per buona parte della serie, entra nella squadra dei buoni redenti. Alla fin fine, i cattivi sono tutti spariti, insomma.
Per quanto riguarda i due attori protagonisti, non conoscevo l'attrice ma l'ho apprezzata molto. L'attore che interpreta il Presidente l'ho già visto in altri drama - in primis Suspicious Partner - e lo trovo sempre una valore aggiunto. Quanto a Hyun Bin, servono due parole a parte: l'ho conosciuto nel più acclamato "Crash landini on you", che è stato anche il mio prima k-drama in assoluto, e che ha fatto da apripista a tutte le serie asiatiche che ho visto successivamente. Non avendo termini di paragone, all'epoca, l'avevo trovato ineccepibile - pur nei panni di un personaggio non particolarmente scattante, va detto - ma molti degli altri suoi drama ero finita poi per abbandonarli, ridimensionando la sua bravura a una triste monotonia interpretativa. Con questa serie, invece, si riscatta decisamente: non solo perchè ricopre ruoli diametralmente opposti ma perchè emerge in entrambi tutta quell'energia che mi era sembrata sopita persino nella sua sopracitata serie di maggior successo. Consiglierei questa serie? I primi episodi valgono la pena, ma mettete in conto di non arrivare alla fine.

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