Chicago Typewriter

I've just finished rewatching this series for the 2nd time. The first time I watched it was when it first came out in 2017. While the pacing might be a tiny bit slow for some, I really loved the storytelling in this drama. This story just feels so one-of-a-kind, with how it wonderfully interlaces the past (1930s) and the present (2010s) lives, each having equal importance, and each having a story of its own.

The main cast's performances are great, and I like the chemistry shared between Yoo Ah-in, Im Soo-jung & Go Kyung-pyo. In particular, Im Soo-jung's crying scenes towards the end of the series were truly heartbreaking. Yoo Ah-in is charismatic in playing his characters, and I admire the little nuances he has for the 2 characters he plays. Kwak Si-yang as the antagonist, played his role fairly well too, though there were certain scenes where the performance felt subpar.

I love the OST of this drama as well. I feel it's unique and helps to aid the emotion of the moment right away.

There were some small inconsistencies that I've spotted, but it doesn't take away from the overall drama, so I won't expand on that. Overall worth watching!

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A good story with a powerful ending.

For me this drama is 8.5+
There have been so many reviews for this drama, so I won't repeat many of the comments by other reviewers.
I love dramas about the past lives and reincarnation. This drama was all about that topic. Life in general is a mystery and a knowledge of past lives tend to remove of some that mystery.

What I disliked:
Hours of drama that was pointless with the main story line such as the motor cycle accident. Hence, my low rating for this drama.

What I liked:
The message of this drama. I quote the ending of the drama:
"Is it so difficult to admit that you did something wrong? Is it so difficult to say that you are sorry? Someone waited for 8-years to make an apology. Someone even risked his life to keep his word. Life isn't only about the good old days. If you did something wrong.. admit it and correct it. It might be painful at times but you should fight it.. that is life. Atone for what you did for rest of your life so that you can make a fresh start." This is a powerful message for all of us and this planet would be in a different place with that philosophy.

In my opinion 50% of this drama is really good with a good message about life and how to live one's life.

Finally, I wish we all could remember our past lives with the commitment to live in the present. There have been many times that I can't explain my emotions and triggers, similar to the FL reaction to the guns.

Another story line i liked was about the character of Sophia who ended being a mom in 2017. Sophia sold out on her comrades because of her attachment towards her son. In the next life, as a mom, she chooses to abandon her daughter in her childhood. Hmmmm. what were her life lessons?... something to think about.

There are many story lines in this drama which has me doing some critical thinking about my own life. Therefore, this makes a really grown up drama.

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actually , i'm not into korean period drama, and this was my first one which has elements of period drama. in the starting few episodes , the drama might feel a bit boring and slow, but it can totally grip you once you are down a few episodes.

story - spoilers ahead !!
the story is about a writer who encounters a eerie typewriter from korean freedom struggle era that has a link to him and the heroine , this encounter totally changes the fate of the protagonist once and for all . he then gets into a professional slump partly due to the chaos and perplexion caused by glimpses of his afrerlife (sin). he later gets to accept his memories and tries to face it head on. along with this the plot is combined with standrad recipe for a drama - a backstabbing dysfunctional family, a jealous stepbrother , heroine who is hardcore fan of the protagonist , and finally the ghost (aka the resident of the typewriter)

screen play & acting - the drama is directed very well . the part from the past occupies less screen time of each episode, but certainly enhances storyline getting the characters more and more involved and improving the feel of the plot & drama

On overall this a great drama that is certainly worth the watch, though you might need a bit of patience.

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Chicago Typewriter is indeed a heart warming/wrecking story.

I really enjoyed it but I felt like the story was dragged a little too much in my opinion. Of course the whole plot and story with its twist was awesome but I think that they often put too many unneeded fillers.

The music is what made this drama especially wonderful, it added a lot to the emotions. The cast was also perfect. Go Kyung Pyo was a wise choice for this character.

I would give this drama a try and then decide wheter to watch it or not. If you are a big fan of romance then I have to disappoint you a little bit. There's no denying that this is a story about love but it's not this kind of happy-dabby dramas.

Overall, I give this 7/10 points.

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Idk why I put off watching it for 8 years...

Ive known about this drama since it came out and whenever id look for something to watch the past EIGHT YEARS it always came up but i always ended up pushing it back... WHY !?! OML IM OBSESSED!!

I was a little indifferent to it the first two eps in fact i wasnt really a big fan of the dynamics of the main leads. He was overly snarky and she was a little obsessive. BUT when all things start to fall into place and the story being to unravel itself, omg i just couldnt help but fall in love with.

Its been AGES since a drama has been able to inflict such emotions in me let alone make me sob like a babyyyyy.

Also i absolutely LOVE dramas that reference the korean resistance and how they resisted their occupation, its so uplifting.

Overall HIGHLY reccomend and it honestly made me so sob like a babyyyyyyyyyy in the last few eps till thr last second.

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A Quiet, Eerie Love Letter to Those Erased by Time

Some stories demand to be heard.
Others whisper — soft, persistent, inevitable — until you realize they were never meant to be forgotten at all.

Chicago Typewriter is one of those rare stories.

At first glance, it feels deceptively simple: a stylish, slightly eccentric tale of writers bound together across lifetimes. There’s humor, warmth, even a hint of fantasy romance.
But if you listen carefully, you’ll realize it’s doing something far more unusual — and far more haunting.

Where most dramas romanticize writers as artists chasing inspiration, Chicago Typewriter treats writing as an act of haunting — a debt to history, a responsibility to lives that never had their stories told.
It moves between 1930s resistance-era Seoul and modern-day life without heavy exposition; the past isn't recounted. It's relived.
The memories come not as grand narratives, but as flashes — moments so immediate and alive that they make it impossible to pretend time has closed the wounds.

It’s not about reincarnation as destined romance.
It’s about unfinished loyalty.
Unfinished responsibility.
Unfinished courage.

Chicago Typewriter is a story about invisible lives — those who fought, resisted, loved, and were forgotten. It’s a quiet, eerie love letter to them. A promise that even if history erased their names, their sacrifices still echo through time, through words, through memory.

In a world that increasingly demands louder, faster, more shocking storytelling, Chicago Typewriter dares to move differently.
It trusts silence.
It trusts that grief can be inherited.
It trusts that redemption doesn’t always come from grand acts, but sometimes from remembering — truly remembering — those who were left behind.

This isn’t a drama that screams for your attention.
It’s a drama that earns your memory.

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A Very Beautiful Story

This is a very beautiful story.

Tells about the struggle for independence in Korea during the Japanese colonial era.
But not too complex and tends to be taken towards dramatization but written and presented very beautifully.

Initially, this drama seemed easy to predict because the author scattered clues here and there.
But it turns out there are many stories that hidden by the author. Every important scene is only opened in several parts, not in its entirety. It opens slowly, so that the audience can imagine and guess the future plot. But in the end a twist awaits ahead.

And I really love how they end every single episodes. A twist then soundtrack hit and its done well. Wow......beautiful.

The weakness of this drama is in the ending.
The ending must done better.
The writing seems a little rushed. As far as I know, some dramas are shoot and the ending is written while the drama is being broadcast. So there are a lot of weak points at the ending.

But yeah, overall it still deserves a 10/10 because it's that good.
Bravo.

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A heartwrenching masterpiece against my eyeducts!

'A binding eternal knot of friendship and pure love.'

I started this series in excitement that it FINALLY made its return to the States. I had heard so much good buzz about this storyline that was headlined by some of my fave K-actors. So going in, I was hooked on the intermingling of modern with period storytelling, and then came my fave third wheel (who places green flag, oh so well)! Each actor carried this series very well. This series gave us a story about perseverance, accountability in life, and steadfastness in self, as well as in friendship that becomes your family. I see why it's a beloved drama. With its quirky moments, and some thread of drama that might annoy out of unnecessity, I now get to add this to my highly recommended list,

Note: Errrrrrmahagawd!! THIS WHOLE DAMN TIME!
So...I enjoy me some anime on top of my K-Dramas. If you too are an anime watcher and have watched ALL of Attack on Titan [remember grand finale]...watch Chicago Typewriter cus... [see my starting comment]!!!!!!

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Little bit of a slow start, but ramps up quickly

I really regret holding this drama off so long. My god is this intense and hilarious at times. Absolute emotional rollercoaster! The writing is so tight with incredible performances from the actors, and this is all backed by a beautiful OST (I could listen to Satellite 24/7) and cinematography. I really love the main trio so much. I don't think they could have picked better actors or written the characters any better. They have such a great chemistry! ALSO YOO AH IN THE ACTOR YOU ARE! I especially wish YAI would have got an award for his amazing standout double role acting. The differences between his past and present characters are so subtle, but he switches from one to the other so seamlessly that he makes it look incredibly easy. I was a lot more invested in the past, mainly because of how he brings both his characters' growth alive through his incredible acting. It's like just through his gaze alone, you can tell instantly who is who. I've instantly become a huge fan of the talent he brings as an actor, and am now going down a rabbit hole watching his other mesmerizing performances in dramas and movies. He is easily one of the most devoted actors I've seen, and I am so glad he's making a comeback! Apparently the subway scene was even inspired by his own real life, when he was struggling as a young actor, and an old lady cheered him up with food.

Now this does have a slow start, but I highly recommend sticking till Ep 4 at least before dropping it, because things only ramp up more and more. This is one of those few dramas where it's clear that the director, writers, and producers all had a common vision from the start and they fearlessly and faithfully followed it till the end. EPISODE 15 IS ONE OF THE SINGLE GREATEST EPISODES I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME and the way it all perfectly comes together with the character development, the plot twists, backed by an amazing OST is just so beautiful that I have no words to describe it. This deserves a lot more attention.

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A beautifully written and marvelously created fantasy historic drama  that is worth each second watching and savoring.Story:A marvelously woven fantasy that builds on reincarnation, portraying a friendship strong enough to span centuries. The message behind the story was so epic and majestic, it just brings an already highly entertaining and beautifully shot drama to a whole new level of perfection.The story portrays two timelines, with the present one in focus and the past one as recollections and flashbacks. The past arc, 1930s Korea under the Japanese rule portraying the comrades fighting under the main goal of liberating their homeland , the present arc modern day Korea,  destiny and fate playing their divine role bringing together the reincarnations of the comrades.I Loved how both the past and present arcs interwined seamlessly making the viewer sometimes mistake a present character for his past self, and feeling the consequences of past events that took place during the past arc in a way that is raw and immediate like it both involves and affects our present-time OTP.CastHighly solid and believable performances by the main leads especially from the ever-young Yoo Ah In. I might have had my doubts initially concerning the female lead's casting choice, and felt that she didn't really fit the role, but later on when the story developed and the past-time arc was portrayed more I started to feel she fitted just nice, and Im Soo Jung's overall performance was excellent.As for Go Kyung Po, I really enjoyed him when he was being funny or goofy, not so when he was emotional and melodramatic, I have to admit that as originally an actor who excells in the comedic genre, he needs more experience on emotional portrayals. But beyond doubt, his not free of flaws performance were never distracting or cringe-worthy.The characterization:All characters felt believable, and I really appreciated how the child traumas in both of our present-time OTP's lives which greatly shapes who they are as adults (such as abandonment and betrayal) is not excessively shown with endless flashbacks like other dramas do, rubbing it till the viewer gets sick, but rather they're first introduced at the exact right moment in the story after several hints, and afterwards is only refered to in conversations.Out of all the characters, the main lead felt the most relatable and believable, showing multi-layers of personality, in a sense 3 dimensional. Like how their behavior changes drastically when they open up to people, and how the character they show to the world is a mere facade or defense mechanism they developed as a result to their past traumas.No need to mention, that as usual I appreciate drama-writing which gives characters a sense of their feelings, and not act dumb when they harbor feelings of attraction to someone, but rather own up to it, and act accordingingly while being true to themselves.I might have not been equally invested in some other characters' lives and odd choices of behaviour (like the ever so passive writer Baek Sr. and his evil wife with a never-ending vengeful agenda) but it was strangely convincing that such oddballs can only bring up a Sociopath psycho freak that was Baek Tae Min.                 The script and direction:The story had a very original take, and stayed true to it all through the drama, never going astray to the main message it aimed to deliver. As a person who is not so much huge fan of history or politics, I liked how the past arc was focusing on the friendship and camaraderie of the fighters rather than the mechanisms and specifics of their fight. Above all, the pace of this drama was so good, there was no moment at all where you felt the story was dragging, and not one event or scene that felt unncessary (ie no fillers).The script was very strong and heartfelt, especially in the main trio's concersations together whether past or present, you were always smiling lovingly, tearing up, or getting inspired by their deep thoughts. The direction and cinatography was flawless, amazing props especially in the past-time scenes and open-space shots were always top notch.To sum up, this is a drama that once I finished I had a huge grin on my face, and rushed to MDL to add as an all time favorite.

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