Funnily enough, I almost passed by this drama and, had I not been practically forced to push the play button, I would have missed out on the best drama I've seen in my twelve years of drama watching experience. Even the fact that this is my first drama review on MDL shows how highly I think of this drama and how strongly I feel that the overall rating of #2 and popularity of #1 is completely well deserved. Healer has become my top favorite drama, dethroning my previous favorite, which had held onto the top spot for the last seven years. That's the power of Healer.
If strong characters all around, both male and female, are your thing, watch it. If a solid love line without stupid, nonsensical love triangles and noble idiocy break ups are your thing, watch it. If you enjoy a good action, romance, political, and gripping-the-edge-of-your-seat-intense drama, then this is definitely, definitely for you. Watch it.
The acting by the ENTIRE cast is flawless. The OST is amazing and so well suited to each scene that its played in. Healer will make you experience the widest range of emotions throughout its 20 episodes and you'll still feel like you didn't get enough. Heartwarming, touching, beautiful, intriguing, heartbreaking, action-packed, downright hilarious, and so perfect! That's Healer.
In fact, I don't think there are enough words in the world to describe Healer and the effect it has on me and this is coming from a writer. The plot was solid, the pacing was perfectly balanced while never slow, and the characters were so natural and realistic. I walked into this drama unfamiliar with the cast and walked away a fan of all three leads and then some.
If you've ever fallen so in love with someone or something to the point where your heart hurts and throbs with the pain of overwhelming emotions, then you'll understand what Healer has done to me. But, quite frankly, it would hurt more to never experience this drama than to deal with the withdrawal of a perfect in every aspect drama.
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It's comedic, suspenseful, romantic (wonderfully), full of action (and awesome fight scenes), character development, and deep/heavy/intricate plot lines.
I usually write a review by covering each of the topics I am to rate (e.g. Story, Acting/Cast, Music, etc.), but I feel this drama deserves something more unique. A list of the first things that come to mind when I think of Healer or recommending it to others.
1. Whatever you do don't let this be your first drama.
It can be your second or forty fifth, but don't ruin every other drama by making it your first. It would be like listening to your favorite song for the first time and then only being allowed to listen to "It's a small world" for the rest of your life. (Okay thats a bit of an exaggeration but think of it this way): You won't be able to truly appreciate how wonderful this drama unless you have something to compare it to, and any drama you watch afterwards will fall short of expectations.
2. Whatever you do watch it.
If you have to wait, wait. It's completely worth it. It's ratings are proof of its beauty. I mean its the first drama to break the 9.0, "1 liter of tears" since probably 2006, and the only drama currently in the top 5 (while being surrounded by movies).
3. Relationship goals.
It will become a desire, envy, need, and dream to find a love as wonderful as theirs.
Every time I find a relationship I fall in love with or adore I find certain aspects of that relationship that I want or aspire to, it's kinda like piecing together your dream significant other, but the relationship part instead of the person and what color eyes they'll have.
Healer's aspects: The way they subconsciously recognized each other. The way they looked at each other. How they craved the others' touch. The way they acted like a real couple when they hugged, kissed, and touched each other. The way they spoke to each other. The way you could see how they felt and treasured each other. The reassurance and peace they had when they were together. These are the aspects I personally dream of in a relationship. ( I apologize for gushing, but you'll understand after you watch it).
AKA: the chemistry and acting are A+
4. Plot.
Besides extremely lovable characters, the interconnected relationship and plot lines made me obsess over watching the next episode. I woke up early to get an episode in before school... it was too good to watch while sleep deprived, which brings up point 5..
5. Don't marathon it over night.
The story is basically a drug, it will infest your mind and make you want to marathon the show in 24 hours. Don't let it. Take your time, savor every episode, because it will be over way too quickly.
Imagine your on a diet and your not allowed to eat your favorite food of all time. Now imagine your allowed to eat that food only once (for the last time), don't ruin it by shoveling huge bites into your mouth. Relish every spoonful, forkful, (heck, chopstick-ful) while watching your favorite show, or looking out at a beautiful (your favorite) view. Eat at a leisurely pace: not finishing it in seconds and not putting half into the fridge to save it while slowly letting it go old.
Start, don't rush, savor, enjoy, (possibly cry here or there), finish, and then cry (probably again) because there's nothing left to watch, (then pray your hardest that a drama just as wonderful will air soon), and then (probably) watch it again.
6. There are flaws.
There are probably a ton of flaws in this show, but they are so insignificant that you can't pinpoint them, or they just don't matter to you, because you love even Healer's flaws.
One thing to note: I take rating and reviewing very seriously, because I rely on ratings very heavily as an avid drama fan/watcher. Please don't see my 10/10 rating and just think, "oh it's one of those people who just rate anything they like a 10/10", because that is not the case. My 10 just shows how high I treasure and enjoyed this drama, and I hope you will too.
P.S. sorry for the length, I hope it was helpful :)
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Coming to characters, Healer. God I love healer. I love how he's jumping around buildings and coming up with these exciting plans. I love what he does for a living and I love his little high-tech shack. I love that he's a loner. I've only watched Ji Chang Wook in Empress Ki other than this drama but I must say he is always a delight to watch.
Park Min Young. I must admit that the only reason I ever hesitated to watch this drama, it was because of Park Min Young. I've watched many of her dramas and I've generally not cared much for her roles. But it was Kim Nana in City Hunter that ticked me off. God I hate Nana. She's a bodyguard who needs a bunch of bodyguards. In fact, I think it would be better if someone locked her up somewhere far, far away until everyone's done with whatever they're trying to do. She seriously messes things up and then goes around acting cute about it. So, yeah, basically I was weary that Park Min Young is going to play a role like Nana here. But I guess 2015 is the year of Reinvention for Korean actresses (with Park Shin Hye also winning hearts for her performance in Pinocchio). Park Min Young not only did a wonderful job in this drama, her character Cha Yeong Shin was a delight to watch. There were a few times in this drama where I held my breath because I was afraid that Yeong Shin would make a terrible choice that would create a havoc and make me hate her. But she was so awesome at those points that it really made me love her character overall.
The rest of the cast was great too. My favorites were definitely ajjumma and Yeong Shin's family (her dad and the rest of the criminal staff). I really held my breath there towards the end when I had a feeling Ajjumma is going to die. My Eun Shi Kyung feels were returning to me, I was all set to cry. I'll never forget that moment of relief when I realized she will escape. Thank you writers for not killing her off. I wish they had shown an emotional reunion of mother and daughter though. The ending was just a little rushed. Or maybe it's just me never wanting Healer to end. lol.
The music was great. I have the whole album on my phone. My personal favorites are Eternal Love and When You Hold Me Tight. I like that song by Ji Chang Wook too, although I've only heard it a few times.
Overall it's a masterpiece and even though the ratings in Korea weren't all that great I'm so glad it's getting it's due on MDL (9.2 avg yay!) and other internet portals. It's doing well in China too, with Ji Chang Wook being one of the most searched Korean actors there these days. I guess a good story would always find it's worth one way or the other.
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Ok, let's go now: Healer is the best drama I have watched in my two years of watching dramas. I am absolutely speechless, actually I have so much to say and I don't know where should I begin. I'm not biased or something like that because I started this drama out of pure curiosity, I didn't even know JCW and YJT existed(shame on me, stupid girl) and I wasn't fond of PMY's acting. However, the three of them did such a good job portraying their characters and overwhelmed me completely. JCW became my first favorite actor because his acting is simply brilliant, I've never seen a Korean actor before him who's able to portray emotions so perfectly, switching constantly (He played Healer and geek Park Bong Soo). His eyes are expressing every single one of his feelings, I just focus on his eyes and I can read his mind, just perfect. PMY also surprised me (like I said she didn't make impact on me with her acting before) but she was so amazing here, her character Chae Yong Shin suited her so well that it is unbelievable, her chemistry with JCW is something you can't see every day, they are the best couple I've seen in dramas, maybe even in shows generally. That love in Healer was portrayed so beautifully, so intense, so perfect!! Every their interaction made my heart skip a beat, they don't even have to touch, their looking at each other tells you everything! And when they touch I feel like going insane, I've never felt that way before watching some couple in a drama. but this couple is something else. Also, other actors like Do Ji Won who played CYS's mum Myung Hee, Park Sang Won as Kim Moon Shik etc did an awesome job too! Every single character in this drama was portrayed so good, even the ''bad ones'' like Kim Moon Shik and his secretary were interesting to watch because they are not the usual drama-like bad characters who ruin everything, they had their own characteristics which they are known for like every human being, so they were also intriguing. Everything in this drama was done so perfectly I can't even explain it here properly, even If I used so many words.. Plot done by a perfect writer Song Ji Na, acting, OST.. If you haven't seen this drama believe me and start right now, you won't regret it, you'll actually be thankful to God and me, and other people who recommend it. :)
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Healer has everything - a perfect OST, an epic OTP, an amazing cast, and a script that keeps you invested from start to finish. I found myself falling more and more in love with this show after each episode. The battle between good and bad/ right and wrong just grabs you and makes you want to root for the guys fighting to make sure truth prevails.
The acting is top notch. It's adorable, sincere, cool - everything you need to fully invest in the story. The music is beautiful. The synopsis really doesn't do this story justice. You might think that watching a story about reporters would be extremely boring, but Healer is anything but. It's a great mix of action, romance, and mystery. If you only watch one kdrama this year, it should be this one.
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1. Romance: It has one of the best OTPs of all time, in terms of chemistry, character, story, hotness, AND did I say CHEMISTRY? I think Healer set some kind of record for skinship and hot kisses for a major network Kdrama.
2. Action: Sure not all Kdramas have action scenes - but really good ones do! And they are a common feature of Kdramas. And when they are done well, they add so much excitement and fun to the show. Healer has really good fight scenes.
3. Acting: I would put Korean actors up against Hollywood ones any day and this cast was fantastic from top to bottom.
4. Kdrama Trope Soup - Healer has it all: mysterious vigilante hero, childhood traumas, powerful evil organizations, birth secrets, conspiracies, corruption, twisty plans, murders, orphans, weirdly specific illnesses/psychological issues that act as plot devices, quirky co-workers, and an OTP that was destined to be since childhood. (I'm sure I've missed a bunch.)
5. Hotness: A beautiful lead actress and a smoking hot leading man.
6. Directing: Lots of Kdramas have subpar directing, but I've noticed that on average their directing is much better than most other foreign fare. Healer had very good directing!
So when I say that Healer is not the best Korean show I've ever seen but it is the best Kdrama I've seen, that's exactly what I mean. Healer takes all of the things that make a Kdrama a Kdrama and then puts them together better than anyone else. It does this without any of the failings that so many less stellar Kdramas have:
1. plots that start good and then become redundant to fill time or unravel towards the end,
2. noble idiocy / characters that don't tell each other the truth when that would solve all their problems just to keep the plot moving,
3. poorly thought out plots where the writer puts herself in a corner and cannot get out without the writing going to crap,
4. poor OTP chemistry,
5. annoying characters that make you want to strangle them (especially when they are the female lead),
6. mediocre acting,
7. sketchy directing, and
8. crappy endings (by that I mean endings that don't actually end anything!!!!!!!!!)
The best thing about Healer is the OTP and their to-die-for, smoking hot chemistry (and the fact that they are genuinely awesome characters both together AND on their own). But the second best (and rarer) thing that makes Healer so special is that the writer really thought it out from beginning to end. There are hints and clues all over and nothing is wasted (no guns are left unfired, for all you Chekhov fans). The writer is not lazy or gratuitous or wasteful or redundant. Everything that is there is needed. I am, of course, not the least bit surprised since she wrote one of the best Kdramas of all time, Story of a Man, and one that I have not seen that is also considered one of the best of all time, Sandglass. (She's written some crap too, but I think her good outweighs her bad.) So, props to the awesome Song Ji Na!
The only reason I gave it a 9.5 and not a 10 is that the ending, while satisfactory was a bit rushed. And I felt just a twinge betrayed since the writer had paced it out so well for 19 episodes and then got a bit rushy at the end. However, if I could give it a 9.8 I would.
Anyhow, I normally only write reviews of less popular dramas, and I know that Healer has a huge online following so it is definitely not in that category. But I still had to get my two cents in because it's just that great! And if you haven't seen it, and you still need convincing: didn't I mention the historic levels of skinship and hot kisses?!
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Okay i really love these kind of dramas with such amazing cast! I for YEARS tried to find some drama with action/spy AND powerful romance! The romance is very innocent, passionate and deep so if u want to see very deep emotional moments go for it! The action scenes were done also very good and kept the drama in a good flow. For me i did marathon and i NEVER found any moment boring. I know everyone has different opinion but this was....really wonderful. After year and half i finally watched drama guys and i enjoyed it so so much! The plot is very interesting and i never saw such plot so this was something very new and fresh! Keeps ur mind busy and trust me...you will lose your sleep XD
ACTING:
Okay I watched dramas with JCHW before and i knew he had talent but this like...smacked me straight in head and woke me up! I can tell he is a top actor and i don't care what others say. He seemed like he was really the character he was playing. From the first ep his face started to change with emotions..Nothing was too much and nothing was missing. It was perfect! Main lead girl is also great actor and i know her and i can tell this is her best role. I love that in this drama she is also the brave girl who will stand in front and fight for justice ^^
MUSIC:
Honestly the main song '' Eternal Love'' is downloaded on my phone and i listen to it all over again. It's too good. And did u read the lyrics? No? Okay than go and do it! It's so sweet and so real and it fits the main couple!
REWATCH VALUE :
To tell you the truth i started to watch it all over again right now XD It's too good to just watch it once...So right now i'm going at it once again! ^^
This drama is filled with emotions so enjoy it and give it a try i can tell u..that you WON'T regret it :)
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While telling an interesting story, Healer manages to do brilliantly what most fictional works should and sometimes fail to do: create 4-dimentional characters, believable persona whose growth and mutual interaction reach the heart of the viewer. When characterization is so strong, the plot twists - whatever they are - fall to the background, becoming a mean to an end. In this sense, it doesn't matter how many times the same plot subject has been used in a drama: what matters is how this same subject pertains to the journey of the characters. The reason why I was constantly on the edge of my seat while watching Healer, is not because I wondered what was going to happen next, but because I was eager to know how each character would react to a certain event. Will she give up? Will he fall apart? Will that one lie, speak the truth, run away, face the challenge, cry, laugh, rejoice? What would I do, in their shoes?
And every single time I feared the ominous K-drama tropes would sneak into the narration with the usual noble idiocy, nth misunderstanding, petty jealousy or envious triangles, these characters surprised me and made me extremely happy for NOT conforming.
Someone here called this drama "a breath of fresh air" and I couldn't agree more.
This story, while simple on the surface, hides a few, much deeper and more complex subjects. One over all, the roles of adults and how their choices can make the lives of children a living hell. K dramas have accustomed us to adults who abandon their children, or abuse them, dictate them, mold them to their will, silence them. In the best of scenarios, they over protect them. This drama, on the other hand, gives out a different message: adults should give their children the means to fight their own battles, their own way. The same could be said about women, who are the true strong point of this drama. I wish I could write an essay on Young Shin and Ahjumma, but don't worry, I'll spare you the boredom, Suffice to say, true courage and strength are not in the fists.
Healer is also a love story. A sweet, realistic, heart wrenching and heartwarming love story made of little, endearing details. It's the encounter of a young man with a tough shell and a vulnerable soul and a young woman with a fragile body and a brave, unwavering heart. They are so natural together, watching them is a pleasure. I think I fell irremediably in love with them as a couple. I ascribe it to the acting, but also to the brave script, which for once depicts 2 young adults who admits they are attracted to each other physically as well as emotionally. I do not expect a drama to show me anything happening under the sheets, but I'm a little weary of tons of dramas where the girl is shocked by the mere hands touching and calls for a trial. Guess what, Young Shin and Jung Hoo are human!
I've read somewhere this drama had a very low budget, so low that they had to film lots of scenes in a rush and couldn't afford complicated special effects. I grew even fonder of it because of this and wish viewer would stop comparing this show to others which had a lot more money to work with. All the actors give out the impression of truly believing in what they are doing, that's possibly why there's a collective, tangible alchemy keeping the whole cast together. As for the music, I admit at not having liked a particular song in the beginning, but because it was so fitting to the story told, I ended up loving it too. The instrumental pieces were perfect.
As I said, I've already watched this twice. When I reached the end the first time, I felt the urge to go see again how it all began and how it all unfolded. When it comes to dramas I like, I am a serial second watcher and go in search of that lost detail I've overlooked before. I think Healer lends itself very well to multiple watching, because even when you already know the outcome, the journey there still has so much enjoyment to give.
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Healer might sound like a typical justice-prevails story where the good guys go through troubles but win at the end and the bad guys get their punishment; with a super hero jumping across roofs and defeating bunches of guys at the same time. Well that’s true, if you want to think of it that way. But strangely, no matter how ordinary and overused the plot might sound, it’s portrayed perfectly. Genuineness is not only about new ideas but new and fresh portrayals of the already tackled ideas.
Of course acting is superb. Every one did a wonderful job. What impressed me the most was the younger selves of the 5 friends! How could they find people who look so much alike and with such skills? Every time one of them would be on screen I’d simply stare.
The chemistry between the leads and the supporting actors was evident. Everyone seemed comfortable and well-aware of their roles. No one covering for the lack of skills for another.
Not a dull moment. No taking your eyes away. Especially the moments of Healer and Young Shin AND Moon Ho’s emotional outbursts. Moon Ho for me was the best thing about the drama and I officially fell in love with him.
The new Park Min Young was groundbreaking in every single aspect.
As for themes; I loved how they tackled the concept of family in its different aspects and probabilities; in a touching way. How money and authority can change people. How much freedom of opinion are we practically allowed?! Can people actually change each other and help them become better people? Are dreams definite sources or can they be changeable? And the most urging and universal question; does justice ultimately prevail?
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Three genres are featured prominently in this drama: action, drama, romance. None were explored to their full potential. Plus, where the cliches of one genre were challenged, they ran amok in others.
The action scenes were well choreographed and exciting to watch, but were often pulled up short and were too far in between to have full effect. Just when my adrenaline started to flow and I'm about ready to forgive less involving aspects of the show, they were over.
Which brings me to the weakest, but most prominent, link ... the drama. I spent a good portion of this show, from ca ep 6 to at least the 3rd quarter of ep 14, being bored. These episodes were mostly dedicated to the back story of the parents, for which I never developed an interest. I never became invested in any of these characters enough to care about their story. I cared about the characters in the present and wanted more of the focus on their individual & common journeys, independent of what happened to their parents in the past. There's a reason why they urge you to keep flashbacks as a driver of story to a bare minimum in screenwriting 101. Flashbacks are intrusive and passive, and should only be used as a function of character (for eg, recalling a memory), not story. An entire story hinged on flashback yanks us out of the present action and keeps the plot from moving forward, which is exactly what happened in Healer (and many other K-dramas. Why some Korean writers can't seem to grasp this very basic rule of screenwriting, I don't know.).
What's more, characters were inexplicably killed off or shipped off when they no longer suited the writer's purpose. This was glaringly obvious. There was no cohesion in how one plot line flowed into the other. Just '(s)he is getting in the way of where I want to take this story so bang! you're dead!' When the sex scandal case concluded, I was like 'Wait, what just happened? That's it?!!' And have you ever noticed how women in K-dramas are *never* killed off? No matter who they are or what situation they find themselves in. Oh, the men are fair game, but the women always manage to escape with their lives. ::eyeroll:: ... because this is such a cliche of the genre.
Finally the romance, it was nice. I agree with other viewers who commended the absence of the usual unpalatable cliches as well as the relatively good characterisations. I really applaud this evolution the romance genre seems to be having in recent K-dramas. They're finally starting to acknowledge their characters as sexual beings, rather than strip them bare of human desire. My only complaint? People will make bold statements ... about kissing, holding one another, making love and what have you, but words aren't followed up enough with actions. It's all just big talk. There's still that air of fakeness and lack of emotional depth in romantic relations. That lack of natural, comfortable, spontaneous intimacy (one drama which came close to what I'm looking for is It's Okay, That's Love). Oh there were some fine moments, by all means, but they often felt ... stilted. Staged. Contrived. Awkward. And even if this were only a minor complaint (it's not, not for me), the romance itself took off too late, almost in the last quarter of the drama, and stayed around for exactly two episodes and change, before focus was returned to less involving narrative arcs. Romance has always been a 'back-up' genre for me. When all else fails, it tends to keep me going, until hopefully things pick up again in other departments. That didn't happen here. Basically, every aspect of the drama that could've and should've kept my interest, short-circuited. There's no doubt the romance was cute, there's no doubt the characters had chemistry, but it wasn't executed to satisfaction.
A more worthy drama to me is Nine, in which the same combination of genres were better executed. I can't remember being bored watching Nine. I was on full alert, wondering what would happen next, how will the characters react? The plot wasn't without its holes, but the pacing maintained its momentum almost from beginning to end. The romance was evenly spread, so that when it wasn't being featured I didn't miss it, but just when you started to crave it, it appeared. I was able to enjoy Nine in spite of its faults whilst Healer became untenable because of them.
In closing, I would be remiss not to mention the 'villains' (with the exception of Secretary Oh). I've never seen a more pathetic lot. All these imbeciles knew to do was snare. Imagine a whole barrage of goons not able to break down a door being blocked by one man ... and other absurdities. In terms of moronic villains, Healer could be Cruel City's cousin, the drama in which a pair of slight 100 lbs women in 6 inch heels, who couldn't fight, outran & outfought seasoned criminals. To say these bumbling idiots were cartoonish would be an understatement. And as per usual dramas give the South Korean police a very bad name. If I were a police officer watching this show I would be offended. Neither one nor the other presented any real threat or challenge to the good guys, which only served to discredit whatever battles they won against the Farmer and his farmhands. It's really hard to suspend belief when they make it sooo easy for the good guys to win.
By the time Healer drew to a close I didn't even care that the ending was rushed, because the show had already gone downhill for me long before that.
There were things I DID like: the score and the soundtrack. The characters and the acting. Yoo Ji Tæ can do no wrong for me, an incredibly charismatic actor. I didn't think Park Min Young was that bad. Ji Chang Wook is one to watch. And I liked the mild-mannered, unassuming, but creepy Secretary Oh. That little smirk of his, with his hand raised to his mouth. It was a nice flair. I appreciate these little quirks and habits that make a character stand out. And it was rather effective too. I wouldn't want to be trapped alone in a room with that guy. So kudos to the actor.
While I liked these things, if sloppy storytelling keeps pulling me out of the narrative and have me asking too many questions, instead of sucking me in with the action and the drama and the romance, then something is wrong. Healer, in some ways, is quite different from the average K-drama, but in other ways it's all pretty much the same.
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The acting was top notch. Ji Change Wook, Park Min Young, and Yoo Ji Tae were daebak as Seo Jang Hoo, Chae Yeong Shin, Kim Moon Ho respectively. There is so much I can say about their chemistry and acting abilities, but I'm going to concentrate on the supporting cast. I have always liked veteran actress Kim Mi Kyung. She killed it as hacker extraordinaire, Jo Min Ja. I loved her quirky character. Also, Jeong Gyoo Soo was scary and creepy as Kim Moon Shik's assistant. That hand covered smirk made me want to beat the crap out of him myself. For such a minor role, he made me hate him the most. All of the actors are good.
The music is really good. I have a lot of it on my play list already.
I will probably rewatch this at some point.
I highly recommend this drama.
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