Chicago Typewriter

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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Beautiful, deep, well made drama. Friendship takes the main stage here, with duty, courage, hardships and love following, together forming an amazing world. World, which perhaps every viewer would be like to become part of. Storyline and characters are just as they should be, without unnecessary twists that some of other similar dramas have (also Goblin, to be frank). Lots of sadness throughout the series, but it’s a healing sadness - the one that will make you smile and cry.
I think it’s the first time since J.K Rowling Harry Potter series where I felt similar connection between this trio, their bravery and care for each other, and how they would fight the injustice.

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"Chicago Typewriter"  aired April 07, 2017 to June 03, 2017 with a total of 16 episodes on TVN.  This Fantasy, Romance, Comedy drama starred Yoo Ah In, I'm Soo Jung, Go Kyung Pyo and Kwak Shi Yang.  Now I have never seen I'm Soo Jung or Kwak Shi Yang in any dramas so this was my first rodeo with the two of them. Yoo Ah In and Go Kyung Pyo, on the other hand, I have seen many of a time. I have to say the cast for this drama was top notch.
The story of "Chicago Typewriter" is very intriguing, however, I think that the synopsis for the drama on wiki.d-addicts is a little misleading, and on Viki, so you might want to stray away from them. I thought the plot for this drama was very unique and I loved the use of two different timelines to tell the story. The 1930's plotline is the one that truly got me the most, the present is great obviously, but the past is where the real emotion came out. I think the story of the three of them in 1930's is a tad bit more compelling and was where I found myself crying the most. Now I didn't cry throughout this entire drama, until the last two episodes. Those two episodes really just yanked my heart out of my chest. However, I do think it has some pretty emotional scenes throughout the drama, so if you cry before then, I don't blame you.
There are a couple things I want to point out as well. The OST for this drama, at first, was a little weird. The use of English songs in Korean dramas nowadays is pretty jarring to me. Apparently, there are 5 songs in this Original Soundtrack, but I can only remember4 of them. I know that some people did not like the music all that much in this drama, according to the harsh and sometimes ignorant comments on Viki which I truly suggest turning off. I hadn't watched a drama on Viki with the comments on for years but I thought I'd give it a swing and man it's hit or miss on there. Some of those comments are gold and some of them are just of some of the most clueless and rude people I have ever met, so be warned about that. I think it took me a while to be okay with this OST for the most part. The song "Writing Our Stories" by SG Wannabe is the one that truly stood out, more than the English songs. The lyrics to "Writing Out Stories" is something that goes so well with the drama and by the last episodes, just the music to that song had me in a puddle of my own tears.
Like I said before, the acting in this drama was pretty top notch. Yoo Ah In never really lets me down,  except for Fashion King, but we don't ever talk about that drama. This gorgeous 30-year-old man is doing wonders. He brought me to tears with his acting and I love him so much. I thought he did a fantastic job portraying both this characters in this drama. I preferred the Seo Hwi Young character more, but he did a fabulous job all around. It was my first time seeing I'm Soo Jung, she is more of an actress who sees herself in movies rather than dramas and this was her first drama since 2004. I have to say she did a fantastic job. Her crying scenes in this drama, especially towards the end where you can see the real raw emotion and heartbreak and just pure pain from what is going on in the show, really was amazing. I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of her character at first, but after a few episodes, I fell for her. I'm kind of sad that she isn't in more dramas, only 2 others, and I hope that in the future she shows up more in the drama scene because she is fantastic. I haven't seen Ko Kyung Pyo since Flower Boy Next Door, and that happens to be one of my favorite dramas to show people who haven't watched a Korean drama before, and I was very happy to see him again. Obviously he has been in a5 other dramas since 20013, but I took a few years break and haven't gotten around to seeing any of his other work. So from that point of view, he has improved so much. I loved his character and his struggle.  Seeing him in this drama really brought back a lot of memories for me, and seeing how well he is doing now really put a smile on my face. I hope to be able to go back and watch some more of his dramas and to see his newest drama "Strongest Deliveryman".
Overall,  I thought this was a pretty amazing drama and is one of my favorites of the year, from what I have watched. I thought the plot line and the way it was written out was fantastic. The acting was amazing and the OST after a while really complimented the drama as a whole. There were a few editing choices throughout the drama, cuts and what not, that had me questioning things, but that may have been Viki. So that aside, I thought it was pretty flawless. It had my interested from the first episode and I found myself totally addicted to the drama. I hope to see more dramas like this, obviously not just like this, but more with dueling timelines and creative plots. I'm rooting for this drama to be my favorite drama of 2017, but we will see. It will be a hard one to beat for sure.

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In pursuits of uniqueness, failed to deliver even the ordinary.

After watching almost one-third of this series, there is still not a single aspect, character, or storyline that truly keeps me engaged or makes me eager to continue. Five out of sixteen episodes are already over, yet I am still waiting for something meaningful to happen. Instead, I am stuck watching this overly sensitive male lead throwing constant tantrums, behaving as if the entire world should adjust to his moods. He comes across as cranky and emotionally exhausting, while the female lead keeps babysitting him with endless patience.

What frustrates me even more is how this self abasing female lead continues to tolerate his behavior despite being disrespected again and again. He has humiliated her in countless ways, yet she stays around as if she has no self-respect, almost like a doormat who refuses to walk away. Her actions make it difficult to sympathize with her character.

Then there is this third character who treats other people’s house like his personal love hotel, casually walking in and out whenever he pleases, while maintaining privacy against the house owner himself. The supporting cast does not help either. We have an animal abuser, a worthless paparazzi reporter, an annoyingly loud personal assistant, and a woman constantly insecure about her husband’s past relationship. The only somewhat decent character so far is the shaman.

On top of all the plot moves at a painfully slow pace. The storytelling lacks tension, meaningful clues, or satisfying reveals. At this point, it feels less like a drama and more like a test of patience.

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My only regret concerning this drama is that I didn't pay the necessary attention to it sometimes and missed out (so, this is going for a re watch soon). The story of this drama is as compelling as interesting. The one twist follows the other, as the story unfolds slowly its layers. The first part deals with the mystery of the ghost. Then, it starts focusing on the past affairs, as well as the currant ones. It's amazing how the film makers managed to present the medley of past present so beautiful, without confusing the audience or tiring them. In addition, there as so many things one has to anticipate to happen, except from the past story, that is by itself entertaining and well executed, with the costumes on point, the whole atmosphere of the past and the secret revolution- resistance presented as such as it didn't look fake, rather, it could have been easily compared to a movie's class. Lastly, the performances were great, and you can't help but eventually get emotional (even though, with most ghost dramas you kind of expect that to happen) towards the end, which, unlike other dramas that usually the story ends in episode 14 or 15 and the last one is just there to complete some side stories, this one was as entertaining as the rest. Probably, the only thing that didn't appeal to me as much as the rest of the stories, was the today's romance. The couple seemed to lack some of the chemistry they had compered to the past story. Plus, I would have liked for the film makers to have completed some of the side stories as well and not just the main one. But, overall, it was a great drama so I'm rating it with 8.5 out of 10.

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Amor à primeira vista

Foram não menos que quatro vezes as que joguei esse drama para baixo na minha lista de "para assistir". Achava a sinopse mediana e os pôsteres não me encantaram. Que grande erro! Quando finalmente resolvi ver pela boa e velha falta de opções, fui fisgada já nos primeiros minutos para dentro do universo desse drama maravilhoso que se tornou meu segundo favorito dos que já assisti.

Chicago Typewriter é uma grande história sobre três amigos que se amavam e queriam a felicidade um dos outros. É a história de três guerrilheiros que lutaram pela libertação de seu país e arriscaram suas vidas. Ainda mais que isso, é o (re)encontro de três pessoas que tiveram vidas difíceis e construíram muros a sua volta, cheios de mágoas e arrependimentos.

Esse drama não é aquele tipo que fica enrolando a história ao longo dos episódios. Cada um dos 16 é extremamente certeiro e necessário para o desenvolvimento da trama e quando cheguei ao final tive a sensação de completar um círculo perfeito.

O trio principal é encantador. Começamos conhecendo o escritor Han Se Joo, aparentemente um cara excêntrico e mal-humorado que só pensa em trabalho e dinheiro. Ao longo dos episódios descobrimos porque ele é assim. Para mim, o desenvolvimento dele foi o maior do drama: ele se tornou o oposto do que eu esperava e mostrou que aquela pessoa tão clichê tinha 1837488383 camadas abaixo daquilo, quais a roteirista soube desenvolver com maestria.

A protagonista feminina, Jun Seol, também faz uma diferença tremenda na história. Ela é a verdadeira dona de muitas cenas. Amei o modo como os medos e inseguranças dela são apresentados e a maneira como ela supera tudo isso. E supera, não por acaso, mas sim porque ELA SE DISPÕE e corre atrás da solução. Eita bichicha corajosa!

Do último membro do trio não posso falar muito por spoilers, mas ele é a "cola" que une esses amigos. No início achei que ele iria dar um ar pesado ao drama, mas ele deixa as cenas muito mais leves, às vezes!

No momento não consigo encontrar algo negativo nesse drama. Apenas estou grata por finalmente resolver desfrutar dele.

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Um drama que vai muito além do que é entregue na sinopse

Eu amei demais a amizade entre eles.

Amei as partes que ele dizia que ia fazer algo pelo país (quem já assistiu vai entender 😅).
A história é bem envolvente, me prendeu demais.

Esse é o primeiro trabalho que o Yoo Ah In esta no papel principal que eu assisti, uma perfeição de ator.
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Recomendo demais esse drama, apesar que fiquei um pouquinho perdida no começo da historia mas logo tudo fez sentido pra mim e eu me apaixonei. Os últimos episódios me emocionaram demais😢.
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A ost desse dorama é viciante, principalmente a música Satellite (não paro de ouvir😍).

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aquele dorama q vc ve sem muita expectativa e ama

confesso que estava mofando na minha lista pra ver, tomei a iniciativa só pq ia sair do catalogo da netflix, e meus amores... engoli tudo de uma vez. Admito que o enredo da vida passada foi o que mais me encantou, fico arrepiada só de lembrar. Além da ost incrível o cast é impecável, yoo ah in, soo jung e kyung pyo não tem como ser ruim... (inclusive foi esse drama que me fez começar amar o ah in). O único motivo que não dou 10 é pelo fato do desenvolvimento do romance principal, acho que poderia ser muito mais elaborado, os personagens do presente ficam até mixurucas perto dos da vida passada. Porem se erraram no romance acertaram na amizade, simplesmente aquele trio memorável não tem como não amar. Por isso e por mais motivos recomendo muito esse dorama, principalmente pra aqueles que buscam uma história não tão convencional (meus amores que final lacrador foi aquele? jeon sol TE AMO!)

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NOTA GERAL: 8,7/10

Uma obra criativa. Apesar de suas falhas, recomendo fortemente que todos assistam, principalmente se você é fã de romances históricos e de sobrenatural, como eu.

• História (9/10): Que história! Essa obra possui um roteiro comovente, cheio de reviravoltas e momentos de partir o coração. O romance é legal, apesar de eu preferir o bromance. Eu apenas queria que algumas coisas tivessem sido contadas de maneira mais subliminar, diálogo expositivo demais fica cansativo e parece subestimar um pouco a perspicácia do telespectador.

• Visual (8,5/10): O único defeito da parte visual é que alguns efeitos especiais não são muito bem-feitos (e o corte de cabelo do protagonista no passado era preferível ao do presente), entretanto, a ambientação e a direção são impecáveis.

• Som (8,5/10): Uma ótima e emocionante seleção musical.

• Personagens (8,5/10): Pra começar, devo dizer que o vilão desse dorama é muito bem desenvolvido. Não é um simples rival amoroso que tortura o protagonista com a única justificativa de causar drama (e alongar) a história ou preencher a lacuna de antagonista que parece tão essencial para que uma obra seja considerada “completa”. O vilão é, de fato, uma pessoa, e um personagem crucial (e não uma ferramenta) que interfere tanto ativamente quanto passivamente no andamento da história, tendo seus próprios objetivos exteriores aos personagens principais. E ele, com sucesso, vai conseguir fazer você odiá-lo. Também devo dar créditos aos personagens Han Se Joo e Yoo Jin Oh, que são simpáticos e formam uma dupla muito divertida. Fico contente por eles não serem os típicos homens unidimensionais de romances e por terem mais de uma expressão facial. Já a Jeon Seol é um pouco tapada no começo, mas ela fica menos irritante depois (mesmo eu não tendo me apegado muito a ela).

• Entretenimento (9/10): Chicago Typewriter vai te deixar muito curioso e aflito a todo segundo e você não conseguirá resistir a clicar no próximo episódio.

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