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This review may contain spoilers
A Hilarious Thriller or a Thrilling Comedy?
Only Koreans could find a way to mix a thriller with comedy, and somehow pull it off so that you’re laughing your head off one minute, and then intrigued with suspense in the next. You really can’t think of two more polar-opposite genres than these two. It would be like trying to combine the elements of The Pink Panther movies with Silence of the Lambs.
You may be hard-pressed to find a more lovable and mostly capable bunch of misfits out solving crimes than this bunch. A criminal profiler mimicking a shaman and the worst police division in Seoul, out to catch a serial killer and the corrupt businessmen behind him.
Nam Han Jun was set up as a fall guy for his best friend’s murder, and now that he’s out of prison, he is trying to solve the crime and find out who’s behind it. His other best friend, Kong Su Cheol, another former police officer, is the brainless muscle of the team. He’s fiercely loyal and dedicated to Nam Han Jun, but he’s also not very bright. Next, you have his sister, Nam Hye Jun, who is a master computer hacker, and it’s her skills that provide the elements for Nam Han Jun to help his troubled clientele as a shaman. Locked in her computer room for days on end, nobody can stand the smell of her!
On the other side of the fence, we’ve got Lieutenant Han Jae Hui, who’s the new head of the worst police division in Seoul. She’s a bit dense and not too bright when it comes to the men in her life, but she thrives on the attention she gets. She’s also a fierce hand-to-hand fighter. She’s also the younger sister of Nam Han Jun’s best friend who was killed, and Nam Han Jun doesn’t realize this until later in the series because she’s working under a different name, and they haven’t seen each other in years. At first, she blames Nam Han Jun for her brother’s death until the layers are slowly peeled back to reveal the identity of the true killer and what really happened. She also has a couple of bumbling detectives on her staff who can never do anything right.
Han Jae Hui’s initial disdain for Nam Hun Jun often comes with hilarious interactions in which she almost always punches him, kicks him, slaps him, and even tasers him! All of these are done with great comedic effect, thanks mostly to the brilliant acting of Seo In Guk, who’s got enough comedic chops to do Jim Carrey proud. Nam Han Jun is loud, verbose, and a bit arrogant, but he’s also really gifted when it comes to criminal profiling and seeing details that most people miss.
The story is mostly a good one, even though I knew early on that there was something off about Prosecutor Cha Do Won, who is the true serial killer and psychopath. My only complaint is that he doesn’t act like a true psychopath, with a number of elements missing. Psychopaths are incapable of love or empathy, and Cha Do Won’s love for Han Jae Hui is a contradiction. However, his skills of lying and manipulation are spot on. I would have preferred an actor with a more dynamic personality who could showcase these elements better, but that’s a very minor complaint.
This series will have you rolling on the floor with laughter. It’s easily one of the funniest series I’ve watched in a while. All of the actors did a great job showing off their comedic abilities. And the series will also have you on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out who’s pulling the strings.
My only other issue is that there is a glaring age discrepancy between Aunt Im, Cha Do Won. and Koo Tae Su. She’s supposed to have found them when she was a grown woman, and they were just small children, when the actress is easily 12-15 years younger than either of them in their adult years. I don’t know why it was so hard to find an older actress to play the part of Aunt Im.
But, if you’re looking for a fun series, you can hardly go wrong with Café Mindamnang!
You may be hard-pressed to find a more lovable and mostly capable bunch of misfits out solving crimes than this bunch. A criminal profiler mimicking a shaman and the worst police division in Seoul, out to catch a serial killer and the corrupt businessmen behind him.
Nam Han Jun was set up as a fall guy for his best friend’s murder, and now that he’s out of prison, he is trying to solve the crime and find out who’s behind it. His other best friend, Kong Su Cheol, another former police officer, is the brainless muscle of the team. He’s fiercely loyal and dedicated to Nam Han Jun, but he’s also not very bright. Next, you have his sister, Nam Hye Jun, who is a master computer hacker, and it’s her skills that provide the elements for Nam Han Jun to help his troubled clientele as a shaman. Locked in her computer room for days on end, nobody can stand the smell of her!
On the other side of the fence, we’ve got Lieutenant Han Jae Hui, who’s the new head of the worst police division in Seoul. She’s a bit dense and not too bright when it comes to the men in her life, but she thrives on the attention she gets. She’s also a fierce hand-to-hand fighter. She’s also the younger sister of Nam Han Jun’s best friend who was killed, and Nam Han Jun doesn’t realize this until later in the series because she’s working under a different name, and they haven’t seen each other in years. At first, she blames Nam Han Jun for her brother’s death until the layers are slowly peeled back to reveal the identity of the true killer and what really happened. She also has a couple of bumbling detectives on her staff who can never do anything right.
Han Jae Hui’s initial disdain for Nam Hun Jun often comes with hilarious interactions in which she almost always punches him, kicks him, slaps him, and even tasers him! All of these are done with great comedic effect, thanks mostly to the brilliant acting of Seo In Guk, who’s got enough comedic chops to do Jim Carrey proud. Nam Han Jun is loud, verbose, and a bit arrogant, but he’s also really gifted when it comes to criminal profiling and seeing details that most people miss.
The story is mostly a good one, even though I knew early on that there was something off about Prosecutor Cha Do Won, who is the true serial killer and psychopath. My only complaint is that he doesn’t act like a true psychopath, with a number of elements missing. Psychopaths are incapable of love or empathy, and Cha Do Won’s love for Han Jae Hui is a contradiction. However, his skills of lying and manipulation are spot on. I would have preferred an actor with a more dynamic personality who could showcase these elements better, but that’s a very minor complaint.
This series will have you rolling on the floor with laughter. It’s easily one of the funniest series I’ve watched in a while. All of the actors did a great job showing off their comedic abilities. And the series will also have you on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out who’s pulling the strings.
My only other issue is that there is a glaring age discrepancy between Aunt Im, Cha Do Won. and Koo Tae Su. She’s supposed to have found them when she was a grown woman, and they were just small children, when the actress is easily 12-15 years younger than either of them in their adult years. I don’t know why it was so hard to find an older actress to play the part of Aunt Im.
But, if you’re looking for a fun series, you can hardly go wrong with Café Mindamnang!
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