Page Turner

Page Turner

7.5/10

Page Turner

Genre:                                  Episodes: 3                          Year: 2016

Comedy

Melodrama

Synopsis:

Talented pianists Yoon Yoo Seul and Seo Jin Mok are in constant competition with each other. After an accident threatens Yoo Seul’s ability to play, she meets Jung Cha Shik, a boy who has only just started on his journey to be a musician. The three students struggle with their dreams and pressure from their families as they strive to be professional musicians.

Cast:

Kim So Hyun (Yoon Yoo Seul)

Ji Soo (Jung Cha Shik)

Shin Jae Ha (Seo Jin Mok)

Ye Ji Won (Yoo Sul's Mother)

Hwang Young Hee (Cha Shik's Mother)

General Thoughts:

Tiny though it may be, it’s actually a very well thought-through, entertaining drama- so much so that it’s one of the rare few series I wish was actually longer. The characters are unique and their relationships are enjoyable to watch.

So cute, so fun, so blind

Kim So Hyun is really the star of the show. She’s just so good at making sassy, snarky characters so weirdly likeable. She’s really figured out how to do snappy and defensive as an obvious cover for her character's perceived sense of vulnerability.

You can't even handle the straight up sass

It played out particularly well in this series, as not only does Kim So Hyun’s character feel vulnerable, but she actually is due to her new blindness. What makes the character of Yoo Seul so much better is the way the two boys respond to her. While Jin Mok seems to shrink away from her (after he somehow believes he’s responsible for her accident), Cha Shik is so beautifully blasé about the way Yoo Seul treats him. She acts angry and belittling in order to push him away, but Cha Shik cares so little for what other people think of him that he’s always by Yoo Seul’s side no matter what she throws at him- which makes for some pretty hilarious moments, and also a few emotional beats in the times he isn’t by Yoo Seul’s side, and she obviously feels his absence. Shin Jae Ha had much less screen-time than the other two (like waaaaay less), but still managed to have a wonderfully satisfying character arc. While at first Jin Mok seems arrogant and unsympathetic, by the end we have a thorough understanding of why he feels so desperate and where all his insecurities stem from. Both the boys acted pretty well, though I do think Ji Soo’s been better in other dramas.

I found his melo-moments a bit better than his comedic ones

The writing is brilliant from start to finish. The writer knew exactly what sort of a story they wanted to show, and knew exactly how we were getting there. The whole drama had this delightful balance of humour and angst- cutting the angst with some humour to prevent the series from being completely over-melodramatic, and bringing in some heavier notes during some of the comedic scenes. Most often it was Yoo Seul’s heavy, emotional scenes (like her contemplating suicide after her accident) that were undercut with beats of comedy (Cha Shik took her to the parking lot, not the roof), or Cha Shik’s funny scenes (nutting himself in his pole-vault) that suddenly snagged your heartstrings (his spine is too damaged to continue athletics).

The most perfect balance of angst and humour I've ever seen

Yoo Seul and Cha Shik were always perfect accompaniments for each other, being complete opposites yet managing to mesh together so well. Often, Jin Mok feel like a bit of an outsider, so I’m glad the show managed to squeeze in some bonding moments between him and Cha Shik before it wrapped up. It was just wonderfully enjoyable to watch three different kids with the same dream but totally different struggles, and how they each set out to try and achieve their goals. 

What Was Great:

Kim So Hyun:

I’ve liked Kim So Hyun in other dramas, but I particularly liked her in this. It almost seems as if this role was written specifically for her,

She's always fab- but here she was particularly fab

as I can hardly imagine any other actress being able to carry that same air of completely understandable and weirdly endearing brattiness. Some of Kim So Hyun’s other roles have leaned a little bit too much towards b*tchy, but in ‘Page Turner’ we get to enjoy all her sass without having her become too dislikable. I mean really, there can’t be anything more enjoyable than watching a tall, muscled star athlete being bullied by a tiny blind girl. And props to Kim So Hyun for acting blind so convincingly. It must be so hard to speak without making eye-contact, or moving your eyes at all, but she did a brilliant job at appearing blind- both while talking and while walking.

Three Sides to the Same Coin:

The real emotional impact of this series is the way all three kids want the same thing, and how seemingly hard, or almost impossible it appears to be for them to achieve it. Yoo Seul has all the talent she needs, but her mother’s constant pressure had snuffed out her love for the piano- so much so that she no longer wanted to play, and was actually thankful for going blind as she thought it meant she could give up music.

No one over-parents quite like K-Drama mothers

The blindness is of course a stumbling block for her as well, but her biggest conflict was definitely her battle with her mother and how she wanted to break out of her mother’s insane coddling. Cha Shik is the one who comes along and helps Yoo Seul step out into the world she’s never been able to experience (as her mother’s kept her at the piano 24/7) and is also the one who reignites Yoo Seul’s desire to play again. Jin Mok also has the talent to become an excellent pianist, but has none of the confidence.

Poor sad puppy

Even though Yoo Seul is blind, she’s completely confident that she’s the best player, while Jin Mok starts to question his talent and wonder if he was the only one who ever thought he’d do well. His father is the complete opposite of Yoo Seul’s mother- actively dissuading him from playing and telling him that the most he’ll amount to is a private teacher. Yeah, not exactly the way to build up your son’s confidence. Jin Mok’s conclusion comes pretty swiftly, but that doesn’t make it any less poignant. All it takes is for Yoo Seul to call him talented and his confidence returns. It was a beautifully written scene in the way Cha Shik got Jin Mok to play in his stead, because while Cha Shik only intended to have Jin Mok cover up the fact that Cha Shik couldn’t play the piece yet, he accidentally helped Jin Mok rediscover his dream. After Yoo Seul complements him enthusiastically (which she would never have done if she’d known it was Jin Mok playing), Jin Mok realises that he loves the piano, and that he actually is very, very good at it. Then we have Cha Shik who has all the confidence and the most loving, supporting parent- but just not enough talent. Hard-working as he was, it’s just impossible for Cha Shik to be able to compete with kids who have been playing all their lives when he’s only been playing for a couple of months.

A magic piano that made Cha Shik 100 times better than realistically possible

In fact, when you think about it, the speed at which he advanced during the series is totally unbelievable anyway no matter how hard-working he is. Regardless, Cha Shik just wasn’t good enough to compete at the time, and his trajectory was more about how it didn’t matter who his father was, because he himself was dedicated and could become anything he wanted so long as he set his mind to it. Three kiddies, one dream, and one very cute drama about how they get there. 

What Wasn’t:

I Want More:

Totally would have been up for watching this bromance blossom

My only real complaint (apart from how ridiculously rapid Cha Shik’s process was) is that I was left wanting more. It wasn’t just that I loved the characters and din’t want to part from them, but I still felt that there was more story that the drama could have told. I really want to see what Yoo Seul’s reaction was when she found out how Cha Shik had Jin Mok stand in or him at the competition, and I really wanted to see the three of them become closer. Not to mention a little bit of romance wouldn’t have hurt. I also wouldn’t have minded if there actually were some difficulties due to Yoo Seul’s blindness, because as it was, her playing skill seemed pretty unaffected by her inability to see. The only real consequence her blindness had is that she’d never be able to see how ridiculously handsome Cha Shik is. 

Re-watch?

Probably. It’s small size means it’s quick to get through, and it’s genuinely a very good drama. Not to mention that I love Kim So Hyun. And Ji Soo. And I really love Shin Jae Ha.

Unexpectedly excellent