This review may contain spoilers
I went into this show with high expectations, because of the glowing reviews and the interesting sounding summary. The show luckyly lived up to my expectations. The plot kept me at the edge of my seat the whole, even while watching it the second time it had my full attention. The story is told bit by bit and it feels almost like your are solving a mystery along with the characters, this very much reminded me of another of my favourite shows, healer, which is also told in a similar way. The story set in the 1930's was the most intriguing to me, because it's the whole mystery of the show, what happend in their past life?
The romance and the friendships in this show are if i had to descripe it with only one word heartwarming. Han Se Joo's relationship with the two other main leads is at the start very hateful, but slowly he begins to care about them. It was especially fun to see the friendship between Han Se Joo and Yu Jin Oh grow, bacause Han Se Joo didn't really wanna admit that he cares about him. This bromance was in the past also really pure and you knew they had each other back. The romance between Han Se Joo and Jeon Seol is pleasure to watch develop through their two lifes. Their relationship is at times heartbreaking and others times it warms my little heart, and makes me cry while smiling. Jeon Seol and Yu Jin Oh bond at times seems kinda one sidede, because Yu Jin Oh likes Jeon Seol as more than a friend. But she truly cares about him too and cares for him like a big brother and comrad.
The characters are all fleshed out and truly feel like real people. They all grow and develop through the series. Many of the charcaters are technically two charcters. Two characters that have different goals, beliefs, personality and live in different time. But they are at times the same person and at others two people. Han Se Joo is arrogant and is very distant. He was very hurt by people he saw as his family in the past and because of that doesn't trust anyone. He begins to trust and love people after meeting Yu Jin Oh and Jeon Seol. His past self, Seo Hwi Young, is very secretive, but is like his future slef not so because he doesn't wanna get hurt, but is rather like that because he doens't wish to see those dear to him hurt. Hwi Young is a strong and resolute independence fighter. He's smart and skilled and is the leader of an independence fighter group.
Jeon Seol is a smart and hardworking, but is sadly often unlucky. She has since she was young been able to see moments of her past life, which led to the end of her shooting career. Her past self, Ryu Soo Hyun, is also a very hardworking girl, that has also gone through hard times. She fights to revenge her father and to help her friends.
Yoo Jin Oh is a cinnamon roll and really helps and stand up for the few people he really cares about. In his former life, Shin Yool, also cared more than anything about Ryu Soo Hyun and Seo Hwi Young.
The acting in this show was phenomenal. I hadn't ever seen any of the actors starring in the show before, but now most of them will be on my radar. The music fits the show so well and are great songs on their own.
I have within only one week already watched this show twice. It's a rollercoaster. It at times brings you immense happines and at other times has you crying like a newborn baby. I recommend this show to people who just wanna laugh, who wanna se a cute love story, but most of all i recommend this show to those who wanna get wrecked by a good show.
The show is about discovering your past, but it wants you to live in the moment. Just like Shin Yool's bar is named Carpe Diem.
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Doesn’t Han Se Joo’s speech sound like one of Yoo Ah In’s statements in his SNS? I would buy it if they said he was the one who wrote these particular lines. I’m sure this is yet another reason why he picked Chicago Typewriter for his final project before enlistment.
As the story goes towards the end and each character tries to recall their past life, Chicago Typewriter‘s 1930s scenes take center in most part of the episodes. The 1930s classic story of the struggle of young independence fighters is done perfectly. There’s a hinge of sorrow and joy, there’s a hint of hope and desperation. And there’s Carpe Diem– seize the day. The scenes make a lot of viewers curious and digging more into the history of Korean independence as well.
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This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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Thank you to everyone involved in this production. I'm sorry that more people didn't watch this amazing piece of art.
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This review may contain spoilers
Another paean to Sasaeng
Imagine the scene, a DHL delivery driver comes to your door. He has a parcel for you. But he won't actually leave the parcel with you. Instead, he insists, verbally and physically on pushing past you into your home because he's your Number One Fan and just wants to see where you live. Romantic, huh?I watched this drivel for 5 whole episodes before I gave up. Maybe it gets better after that, but:
- the premise that a man/woman you 'love' will return that feeling as long as you bully/stalk them enough is repulsive (to me);
- this is another failed kdrama attempt to create a MPDG - a flawed concept at best - but particularly where the 'M' instead of 'manic' means barking mad;
- the ML spent the whole first 4 episodes SHOUTING pointlessly, at every turn (only some of which was justified by the FL's creepy behaviour); and
- they've cast a 40-something woman as the FL who tries to appear more 'youthful' by doing the dumb/blinking/staring thing. Repeatedly.
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This review may contain spoilers
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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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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