Come Back, Ajusshi

Come Back, Ajusshi

7.5/10

Come Back, Ajusshi

Genre:                             Episodes: 16                                 Year: 2016

Comedy

Supernatural

Melodrama

Synopsis:

On the same day, Kim Young Soo and Han Gi Tak die and find themselves in purgatory together. The company responsible for Young Soo’s death is claiming it as a suicide, and Young Soo’s wife, young daughter, and elderly father are suffering. The woman Gi Tak died to protect is in serious trouble as her ex-husband is doing everything he can to make her life miserable. Believing that they still have things they must accomplish, the two men are allowed to return back to earth, but they cannot reveal their true identities. Young Soo returns as an attractive, wealthy young man, while Gi Tak returns with the body of a beautiful young woman.

Cast:

Rain (Lee Hae Joon/Kim Young Soo)

Oh Yeon Seo (Han Hong Nan/Han Gi Tak)

Kim In Kwon (Kim Young Soo)

Kim Soo Ro (Han Gi Tak)

Lee Min Jung (Shin Da Hye)

Lee Ha Nui (Song Yi Yeon)

Choi Won Young (Cha Jae Guk)

Oh Dae Hwan (Na Suk Chul)

Lee Tae Hwan (Choi Seung Jae)

General Thoughts:

The characters and cast are what really hold the show together. While the plot kind of dances around, not quite knowing where to go, this fact is almost completely hidden by the wonderful construction of characters and the actors that played them. Rain is just made for comedy. He’s hilarious in every sense of the word.

Handsomely hilarious 

While he was certainly able to deliver the emotions in heavier scenes, it was his beautiful fit into the comedic aspects of the role where he really dazzled. Oh Yeon Seo was spectacular as a man with a woman’s body.

Behold the perfect comedy duo

She was able to perfectly channel not only the character Han Gi Tak, but also Kim Soo Ro’s interpretation of the character. The two were 100% believable as the two ajusshis, and I imagine that wasn’t an easy feat. The two ajusshi reincarnations and the two ajusshis themselves were what really made the show. As they were dead from episode 1, it was pretty clear that there was going to be some heart-tugging moments along the way- and there were. Young’s Soo’s family and their grief just slayed me. It was gutting and totally believable- especially Young Soo’s daughter. Unlike Young Soo, Gi Tak’s relationships were handled with an air of comedy- what with him being in a female body, his minions finding him hot, and beloved Seung Jae nursing a monster crush. But even those relationships were able to occasionally bypass the laughs for a moment of honesty and sincerity. Tonally, the drama wasn’t always perfect- there were some funny scenes that probably should have been serious, and some serious scenes that might have bettered from a bit of humour, but for the most part the writers were able to nicely interweave humour and heart through the whole story. Thankfully the emotions and the characters were able to mostly distract us from the more unpolished aspects of the drama. Like our central plot.

Just enjoy all the relationships and ignore everything else

It wasn’t the most horrendous drama I’ve ever clapped eyes on, but you definitely don’t want to concentrate on the details too hard lest you see the flaws. And gapping plot holes. However, despite the confusion in the plot line, the drama manages to chug along at an intriguing little pace, with enough events occurring to occupy our array of delightfully magnificent characters.

What Was Great:

Ajusshi Bromance:

Bromances are always fab- always. Even the sh*ttiest of bromances have their upsides. And this bromance is all kinds of awesome. The bromance adds in a wonderful punch of comedy as one of our bros now resides in the body of a stunningly gorgeous woman.

Top stuff

But Young Soo doesn’t see him as a woman, and neither do we- which opens the door for a whole heap of misunderstandings and gender-bender shenanigans. Not only are Kim Soo Ro and Kim In Kwon absolutely adorable in their bromantic moments, but the bromance is actually one of the strongest plot points.

Taking on the afterlife together

While it’s wonderful watching these two men bond due to their similar circumstances and complete desire to protect their loved ones that they left behind, the reveal of their connection from when they were alive added an extra punch to the series. Birth secrets are nothing new in K-Drama (or any drama), but the writers cleverly made the reveal more about our two ajusshis than about Da Hye herself. While it was sad that Da Hye only found her brother after he had died, it was still satisfying for our ajusshis. All along Gi Tak had seen how much Young Soo loved and treasured his wife, so even though both men were gone, Gi Tak was able to know that his little sister had been completely loved by a wonderful man that Gi Tak himself had come to care for deeply. Speaking of birth secrets, Young Soo’s daughter not actually being his daughter was probably one I could have lived without. I could roll with it because that scene in the ferris wheel was unspeakably sad and added new layers to their father-daughter relationship, but the drama kind of killed it right at the end. Is it wrong that I don’t want Han Na to have sort of relationship with Ji Hoon? I don’t care if it is, because Ji Hoon is an ass who covered up Young Soo’s death and was macking on his widow. 

Convincing Characters:

All the characters were brilliant, right down to our side characters. The drama has a wonderful ensemble, and though the writers may not have created the most fluid plot, they absolutely nailed the character relationships and dynamics.

You can't not love these characters

There’s not much else to say. The characters were awesome, as were the actors. Especially Lee Tae Hwan. His misguided crush on his hyung was adorable and hilarious.

Basically how I feel when a 'comedy' drama is actually funny

It’s Funny:

With so many comedy dramas out there it seems strange to praise a series for being funny. But it just was so wonderfully humorous. Many dramas tend to have the comedy fall away towards the end of the series to make a more emotional ending, but ‘Come Back, Ajusshi’ managed to keep a fair amount of humour right to the end. And it was good humour too- it wasn’t just slapstick comedy or pure ridiculousness, but well thought through and well executed comedy.

What Wasn’t:

Where’s Our Main Plot?:

Yeah, it’s kind of all over the place. For a long stretch there the series focuses on Young Soo revealing the truth behind his death and his battle with the department store. Which isn’t the most interesting thing out. His changing dynamics with his wife are what make this portion so entertaining, and his confused relationship with Gi Tak/Hong Nan definitely helped bring the funny. There was a brief point in the middle there where Young Soo was trying to save the department store and Ji Hoon was our villain.

I'm totally on board with that guy being our villain cuz he just plain sucks

Maybe? I don’t know, I’m confused too.Then the drama shifts towards who killed Gi Tak and what they want now. Which definitely raised the stakes.

Lee Tae Hwan- you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention

Having Young Soo’s wife being Gi Tak’s younger sister gave them a common enemy in Na Suk Chul and a common goal- don’t let Suk Chul kill Da Hye. It was all over some funds that were never properly explained and didn’t seem to ever make an appearance. Throughout all the different plot points there was always Hong Nan/Gi Tak’s relationship with Yi Yeon. Which didn’t add much to the drama plot-wise, but was great for character development. Because I won’t lie, Yi Yeon’s plot line of becoming a great actress again was pretty yawn-worthy. But if it gave us more time with Seung Jae I suppose I can live with it.

Gi Tak’s ‘Death’:

I so didn’t appreciate this aspect of the ending at all. While I guess it does sort of make sense- if Gi Tak never existed then Da Hye would never be in danger, but it did feel like a major cop-out. It was almost as though the writers realised too late how complicated they had made this section of the drama and couldn’t think of a satisfactory way to wrap everything up, so they just altered the fabric of reality by removing Gi Tak’s existence. It wasn’t awful, but I’m sure there could have been a better way to close the conflict than erasing Gi Tak. Not to mention that it opens up all kinds of plot-holes. All kinds.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this

The only part I found passable and acceptable about erasing Gi Tak from the world was that final epilogue of young Young Soo in the car while young Da Hye’s picture was taken. It was like the whole point of the series was revealed in the last 2 minutes. Da Hye had been loved all along by her brother and by her husband, and now the two ajusshi’s know that. Goodbye, The End.

Re-watch?

Unlikely. Beautiful as the characters and their relationships were, there’s not a lot going on in the drama at all. Rain and Oh Yeon Seo were fabulous, but the plot was a bit desperate.

It wasn't phenomenal, but it was enjoyable and got the job done

Big

Big

5/10

Big

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2012

Romance

Comedy

Fantasy

Synopsis:

Gil Da Ran is a substitute teacher engaged to Seo Yoon Jae- a kind, well-mannered doctor. Kang Kyung Joon is a young, immature student from the US who transfers into Da Ran’s school around the same time her fiancée starts to become strangely distant. After a car accident involving both Yoon Jae and Kyung Joon, Kyung Joon wakes in the body of Yoon Jae, while Yoon Jae remains in the comatose body of Kyung Joon.

Cast:

Gong Yoo (Seo Yoon Jae/Kang Kyung Joon)

Lee Min Jung (Gil Da Ran)

Shin Won Ho (Kang Kyun Joon)

Bae Suzy (Jang Ma Ri)

Jang Hee Jin (Lee Se Young)

Baek Sung Hyun (Gil Choong Shik)

General Thoughts:

I started this drama for Gong Yoo and the great cover. I had heard some critiques of the series, but bravely ventured forth regardless. For the first, let’s say half, of the drama it was great. After that… not so much.

Rather accurate representation of the direction of this drama

The first episode is marvelous. We get introduced to everyone- boring but gorgeous Yoon Jae, gorgeously childish Kyung Joon, and the girl. It’s fairly evident where the drama is heading with the tension between Da Ran and her fiancée and the spark between her and her student. It’s a nice substantial, action-packed first episode that is a great start for the series. However, as the drama progresses it begins to lose steam. After about the midway point

Coming Soon: B*tch Who Can't Make Up Her Mind

they should have changed the title to ‘B*tch Who Can’t Make Up Her Mind’. Because that is all we get for a long while. Gil Da Ran is engaged, Gil Da Ran is not engaged, Gil Da Ran likes Kyung Joon, Gil Da Ran is going to force herself to not like Kyung Joon. Eish. The drama really missed out on capitalizing on some great plot devices. While Da Ran always refers to Kyung Joon as a ‘kid’, there is never really a cute period where she allows him to be close to her under the guise of ‘he's young and I’m looking after him’. While she does hold this sentiment, she still keeps him at arms length because she views him as a ‘man’? I don’t know. Missed opportunity. I also think it was a mistake to leave Yoon Jae in a coma for so long. We missed out on what could have been some fantastic awkwardness and confusion and given us an idea of why she moved from Yoon Jae to Kyung Joon (apart from the fact that one was conscious and the other wasn’t). Us viewers weren’t given much about Seo Yoon Jae at all, besides some quick flashbacks and Da Ran reminiscing. Again, as is common with many rom-com K-Dramas, there wasn’t much going on story-wise apart from the feelings of the leads- until about two-thirds in where it got very ‘Days of Our Lives’ with fake parents and siblings and secret DNA tests.

It's a miracle I didn't shoot anyone after finishing this drama

 What Was Great:

As Usual, Gong Yoo:

He even impresses himself sometimes

Despite what a bore this series became Gong Yoo is still exceptional. His acting is perfect, and similarly to ‘Hello My Teacher’ he superbly channels the angst-filled schoolboy.

The Brother!:

In K-Drama land we are plagued with people who can’t make up their minds on who to love. Whether it’s a love-triangle or denying their feelings for the greater good, there is always some obstacle. I think this is why characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves are so well loved- and in this series we get two! While Kyung Joon is stubborn on his feelings for his clueless teacher, we also have Gil Choong Shik who actively pursues Jang Ma Ri- despite her complete obliviousness and devotion to another man. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it’s fantastic to watch him attempt (and fail) to be cool in front of his crush.

Lovely Love:

The couple scenes with Kyung Joon and Da Ran are acceptably adorable. Nothing outstanding as far as K-Dramas go, but good enough. These scenes bought a great sense of light-heartedness to the drama. However, I would’ve loved to see more couple moments as apposed to awkward pre-relationship mode.

Gong Yoo carrying Lee Min Jung like he carried this drama

60% of each episode

Family Drama:

The goings on between the Seo family and locating Kang Kyung Joon’s father were an effective way to add something new to the rather slow-moving, minimalistic plot. Though I’m not sure how much of my attraction toward this plot development was actual interest, and how much is relief that I’m not looking at Da Ran putting on, staring at, or taking off her damn ring.

Uh Oh:

Kyung Joon’s sporadic English and adorable catchphrase gave great individuality to his character- not to mention it was charmingly funny. It was also a great help in cluing in the audience as to who was in Yoon Jae’s body. Both Gong Yoo and Shin Won Ho suited the English very well, and it never came across unnatural. I would watch that first episode over and over again just to hear Shin Won Ho say ‘Uh oh’ and ‘stupid’ a million times.

Top English skills

What Wasn’t:

Annoying American:

Hopeless, but cute

I really love Bae Suzy but I HATED her in this. Her character is whiny, annoying, manipulative and selfish. All traits that I tend to find myself not loving in a person. While it is endearing for some to wear their hearts on their sleeve (Choong Shik), in this case it’s just pure irritating. We are all well aware (and so is she) that Kyung Joon is not interested and that he is heading towards a mutual relationship with another girl. And yet here’s Ma Ri butting in, making things complicated, and on multiple occasions really hurting her supposed ‘love’- but she doesn’t seem to care how miserable he is as long as he’s hers. Boo- I really dislike this type of girl and didn’t find her cute at all.

Most awkward thing ever

Coma, Coma, Coma:

I don’t know whose decision it was to leave Seo Yoon Jae/Kang Kyun Joon’s body in a coma for so long but it totally blowed. We got about 5 minutes of Shin Won Ho, which was a

He got real good at doing nothing

total disappointment as I adored him in ‘Bachelor’s Vegetable Store’ and was looking forward to seeing him in another drama. Granted, his 5 minutes were amazing, but it was such a shame that after his stellar performance all he got to do was lie down with his eyes closed. The coma also really restricted Seo Yoon Jae’s character, as all we really saw him in were flashbacks, so we never got to truly grasp who he was.

Memory Loss:

I am not a fan of memory loss in K-Dramas at the best of times, and the use of it here was just awful. It really served no purpose and I don’t know why it had to be done at all- as the whole period where the memory was lost was glazed over in a time-skip.

Time Skip:

Speaking of time-skips, I’m not a fan of those either; and this drama had not one, but two time-skips. It was even more ridiculous that these travels through time added nothing extra to the drama except as a way for explaining why people weren’t mad at each other. Time heals all. Except my hatred for time-skips.

Episode 15:

I don’t think anyone anywhere enjoyed what a clusterf*ck this episode was. Nobody made any sense. I mean really, hurting your girlfriend with fake amnesia to cover up potential future amnesia that may hurt her later? No, no, don’t do that. Would it not make more sense to just be like ‘Hey, there’s a good chance I may not remember you when I wake up, so let’s cuddle and snog and live it up while we can’?

Gil Da Ran looking for her dignity

Plus we have Ma Ri being an ass and trying (and in some cases succeeding) to manipulate people in the most OBVIOUS ways. Not to mention more or less everything that occurs in this episode is undone in the next.

WHERE IS SHIN?:

For the most part, the final episode was doing an acceptable job of clearing up the complete slop that was episode 15, when suddenly along comes the worst ending ever. I had read that it was a completely sucky ending and thought I was prepared, but no. They don’t use Shin Won Ho. While it might have been a little jarring to see Shin Won Ho acting Kyung Joon after 15 hours of Gong Yoo- it is what we all wanted. It’s a year later, they’ve swapped bodies successfully, Gil Da Ran even calls him Kang Kyung Joon. But it’s still Gong Yoo acting him! While we don’t get a shot of his face, we aren’t stupid- we know Gong Yoo’s hands, chest and silhouette. Definitely the first time I was disappointed to see Gong Yoo on my screen.

WHY? WHY? WHYYYYYY?

The whole sucky, time-skippy last episode could have picked up what was left of its dignity if it had just given us that one scene we’d all been waiting for: Lee Min Jung and Shin Won Ho kissing or holding hands or even just standing under the umbrella. But instead we got Gong Yoo’s arm. This drama is like a terrible date that you stick out right to the end, but then no one gets off.

Re-Watch?

I am going to re-watch the first episode and then pretend the rest of this drama does not exist. 

I won't lie, there were some cute scenes