It's very funny, at first you think it is going to be a really heavy drama but the black comedy evens it out! It's pretty sad that Kim Je-hyuk gets sent to prison and for longer than expected for something any person would do but he handles it briliantly. His cell mates are great characters which you'll hate and be annoyed at first but grow to to love and be annoyed at. Le joon Ho is one of the best characters always staying beside Je-hyuk.
Don't miss this drama it has everything you need with a main character who is only really smart at baseball but you'll love him to pieces. The little love scenes between him and ex girlfirend Kim Ji ho are the sweetest.
Honeslty you will love this drama!
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I HAVE NO WORDS. MUST WATCH!!!
DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST DRAMA KOREA HAS EVER MADE. REWATCHING IT RIGHT NOW!!!!~THE CASTS, THE ACTING, THE STORYLINE. THE OST AND THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS SO COOL. VEYR NICE. VERY FUNNY. VERY EXCITING. AMAZING AND VERY HEART WHELMING. I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ANYMORE HAHAHAHA IT SAYS I NEED TO POST THIS IN 500 CHARACTERS SO LEMME JUST LAUGH AND DON'T MIND IT OKAY? MUST WATCH PEEPS! MUST WATCH. I SWEAR. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHGHAHHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHGHAHHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHGHAHHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHGHAHHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
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Secondly, I've got to give a hand to the writing. Although the last few episodes felt a little bit sudden, the overall drama was written to be both heartbreaking and immensely heartwarming. Through the combination of slice-of-life writing and talented acting, this ensemble grew to be a family in my eyes. For a drama about prison, this drama ended up being more about ordinary life than one would think. It's not a dramatized caricature that's looking to romanticize criminality, but rather it's a narrative that attempts to portray real people dealing with the same problems that we all have, just in a unique setting.
Specifically, with this drama, each character's arc felt meaningful and subversive. Everything in the drama really is not what it seems, and that holds most true with our "loveable idiot" Jehyeok. Yes, we know that he can be a bit slow and thick-skulled at times, but Jehyeok isn't at all an idiot – he's thoughtful, he plans things out, and he never gives in. He sees people as they are, and maybe that is the gift of his straightforward thinking. I also love that he's reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms this whole entire time, because it's clear that he can't get through it, and yet he's kind of planning out his own tactical strategy this whole time – it shows that his talents don't lie in book smarts, but he can still make good choices based on his sense of self and his ability to be good to others. Also, love that this drama is called "Prison Playbook"/"Wise Prison Life" because that's really what it is – kind of like a playbook for surviving life.
The soundtrack is also amazing, from commanding K-hip hop raps to sweet k-indie love songs.
Everyone should watch this drama! It's just darn good TV, and I also learned a few things about my own life from it.
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I will explain now about what I enjoyed in the drama. Firstly the character development. Wow. Each character, was so well written and deep. I especially liked Loony, the druggie. He was hilarious, tragic and endearing all at the same time. There were characters who showed me that you should never judge a person until you know them really well personally and some who showed that positive transformation in behaviour and mind really is possible. This was of course helped by the largely talented cast, who all acted exceptionally. I ended up rooting for many characters, not just the leads.
Secondly the comic timing was great. It perfectly blended comedy and drama with a pinch of romance. The inclusion of a gay couple in normal light, was just so beautiful. There was just enough violence to reflect a genuine prison.
Each episode Is as long as an average feature length film. If this was another drama I would have complained. Fortunately each moment was justified. The writers have done a superb job.
The OST was amazing! It was very versatile and really complemented the excellent writing.
Overall this drama will make you feel some empathy for prisoners, prison guards and their families. The drama reinforced how important family support is as well showing how forgiveness and repentance can have positive consequences. I hope this review leads people to watch it. It will make you cry, laugh and think.
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A Story About Humanity…
‘ Prison Playbook’ easily has to be one of my personal favorite shows and for good reason.The series gave many opportunities to present humanity of its characters. No one in the drama felt like a stock character or particularly “ good” or “ bad” but instead human. The fact that the series presented many moments to see characters from all- sides which is a factor which can be hard for a lot of screenwriters.
Liked the acting front also. It was well- done by everyone in our main cast and helped to present an emotive and impactful storyline.
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Definitely worth the time.
I've always been a fan of romantic comedy dramas but this drama surprised me (in a good way). The story, characters and the acting together with witty and tasteful script, cinematography and music was PERFECT. You can learn and see humanity as its worst and finest through pivotal characters in this drama. If you want layers of story, emotions and life lessons about depression, discrimination and stereotypes then this is the right drama for you. If you're used to romantic comedies and predictable plots, then this will be one wild roller coaster for you. While there are some aspects of drama that can be too scripted or planned, their is a sense of reality and sincerity to the portrayal of the prison life. I'd say this is one of the best dramas I've watched throughout the decade as I've seen nothing like it before.Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
Definitely Recommend
Where to start? I loved this drama. At first I wasn't sure about it but decided to give it a watch anyway since there was nothing else. I did hear that this was about friendships in prison and unlike other dramas this time it is based on older characters. I was not sure what to expect even knowing this. I was not disappointed. It was funny and very emotional. I found myself laughing more than I have while watching a drama in awhile and I also found myself getting all teary eyed and crying a little near the end.I will say that the ending for han yang and kaist kind of sucked. Although what happened with han yang is realistic it still sucks that he relapsed when he just got out of prison too. Getting over an addiction is never easy but he did his best and if he was able to do it once he can do it again. I will also say I felt bad for Kaist too because he did what he could and trued to be a good father to his son but his son did not want that. He just did not have a very good ending at all. I did love ki soos ending though because he spent the rest of his days in prison all happy which made me very happy.
As for the ost it was awesome. Not many times do I watch a drama that also has an amazing soundtrack. So if you are into that then I would recommend this drama even more.
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The biggest problem I have with this drama was that they introduced so many characters which also had a lot of screen time but I guess the writer got lazy to end and finish their stories well. There was no follow up whatsoever. The characters that really grew on me just disappeared mid season. There is nothing really exciting about the male lead, I preferred watching the supporting characters. Overall this was just a decent drama, it would have been better if only it had a more satisfying ending. I would recommend but don't expect much.
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This review may contain spoilers
Tbh, I was hesitant to watch it at first. I thought it's going to be serious and tedious since it's not like the usual KDramas that I watch. If you're a sucker for romcoms and you've never tried watching other genre of KDramas like "Prison Playbook", don't worry! Your time will definitely not be wasted! I thought 1 hour and 39 mins for 1 episode is too long, but it's not! Episode was not that great tbh but I got hooked at ep 2! I love each of the characters' story. The drama was heartwarming and funny. (SPOILER AHEAD)I love how the story of Kim Je Hyeok and his cellmates ended, except for Hanyang. I was hoping he would start a good life with his lover. He was able to fight his craving for drugs for months while he was in prison. I was so disappointed that not even an hour after he got released, he was doomed once again. But.. I guess what happened to him was kinda realistic.
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Je-Hyeok is a famous baseball player adjusted well in his prison life with the help of his inmates and his bestfriend Joon-Ho who is also a prison officer. But my most favorite character is Han-Yang a.k.a LOONEY grabe na ang tawa ko basta xa nga mga trashtalk hahaha... sometimes his normal and sometimes his druggie which is I loved the most hahaha... If he made you cry in Hi Bye Mama, here you will cry in laughter ???. And Captain Yoo (Jung Hae In) is so hot and his acting here is different from his other dramas that Ive seen. And if you hear the tweeting bird you already know what it means hahaha ????.
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This review may contain spoilers
Bad People don't Always Do Evil Things, Good People doesn't Always Do Kind Things
It's always never easy to make a long review on a quite realistic life show, like this one. This show is very calming and heartwarming. But please note, the genre is prison so sometimes it turns really dark and malicious. This show is about bad people being put together in the same place after doing some bad things. Character development is very strong in this show: some of them are repenting, some are going worse; some deserve it, some has to unfairly experience it.The screenplay is excellent, everything is as pure as life. There are a mix of tears, laugh, love and friendship as your normal day in life, nothing overdramatic or too ecsatic. It is very soothing that the heartwarming moments mostly involve the most evil person such as Cha Min Chul or Lifer. The whole cast, on the other hand, does an oustanding job here. Looks like they do this all effortlessly. The technique of flashbacks is really awesome.
While the screenwriting is quite impressive, it doesn't mean flawless. When the cellmates try to manipulate Je Hyeok's dream, it is later known that both Captain Yoo and him didn't take the sleeping pills. However this has zero impact to the plot, and it's still unknown what happens that night. The ending is quite unfavorable though. Je Hyeok seems to think about other cellmates while he was imprisoned, so I was expecting him to track all of his past prisonmates, but he doesn't. It's also never seen on screen, the moment with Je Hee after Je Hyeok released. The writer also suddenly forgot about Joon Ho and Je Hee relationship in the last episode.
The soundtracks are excellent. Finally, this show is highly recommended for rewatch, especially to someone who are looking for something calming after a hectic day.
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