Compelling Journalism/Revenge Thriller Burdened by Endless Coincidences and Cyclical Melodrama
Good Things:• The enduring themes. For examination of ethics in journalism, the responsibilities of the free press to the citizenry, and personal vs. professional integrity it's top tier. The secondary themes of justice, revenge, and moving forward are equally well executed.
• The higher-end production. Thanks to the writer/director/ML's success with I Hear Your Voice the previous year, it had a big budget and it shows. It looks more modern than most 2014-2015 dramas and there's some memorable cinematic tableaus that highlight peaks in the story.
So-So Things:
• The genius ML. It was a tired trope even in 2014, and it hasn't aged well.
• The romance. Because of two large time skips, you never really see how or why the leads are in love; the story just tells you they are, and expects you to accept it. The adoptive-relatives angle is milked for every last drop of melodrama, which gets draggy and repetitive with manufactured conflict.
Bad Things:
• The glossed-over conclusion. Things are settled too simply in both the plot and the romance, which is grossly unsatisfying after a long build up.
• The pacing. Twenty episodes was either too much or not enough. It starts slow, picks up in the middle, then zig-zags unevenly until so many sudden reveals and tidy resolutions are packed into the final episodes that the plot gets off kilter.
• The serendipitous plot. The entire progression of events from beginning to end is driven by one unlikely coincidence after another, which robs the characters of growth and agency. Events more often just happen rather than as a result of meaningful choices, which leaves the impact of what should be major developments lacking.
It's a 8.5/10 as a nuanced revenge thriller and around a 7 as a melodrama romance, so somewhere in the middle as a whole. Recommended if you enjoy the classic tonal Kdrama mix of comedy/tragedy/plot/romance and don't mind some wonky pacing, running-in-circles melodrama and a narrative progression that's overall too convenient.
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With out spoiling the plot it was nice to have a character with integrity. I actually did not care for PSH character In Ha as much because she seemed to hiccup too easily, even if she wasn't "lying". I liked that while there was obvious romance here it wasn't the overly romantic drama, romance was almost like a supporting character, explaining their roles and characters without being overwhelming.
One of the biggest problems/best things was that I did not hate the antagonist. I actually felt bad when they got in trouble at the end. In fact none of the people who did "wrong" in this show were very "bad" at least not to me. I actually really liked a few of the antagonist like the Chairman.
Overall I liked this drama, it was an easy watch, not something that maybe kept me "really" fascinated but at the same time it was smooth.
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Amazing script and execution!!
This drama had ticked all the right boxes for me.Story - I think this is the strongest point of this drama. It is well written and it isn't a cliche. The depth in each character just uncovers episode by episode and keeps you hooked as to what will happen next.
Acting - All the actors portrayed their part beautifully. You will go from hating FL's mother to admiring her. You will realise how one action's affects the life of all the others around.
The chemistry between ML and FL was comforting to watch.
But the main catch of this drama is it's title. You kind of have to watch it to understand it.
Honestly, this drama's uniqueness makes me it stand out!
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1. The acting is amazing. Jong-suk and Shin-hye did a great job! I cried and laughed along with them.
2. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, it has one of my all time favorite soundtracks. Bless Roy Kim's voice.
3. The chemistry between Jong-suk and Shin-hye is great. The best chemistry I've seen with any of her leading men. They were so adorable and I love it.
4. The storyline is unique and interesting. I never got bored at all with this drama although some people thought it was boring, I don't know how.
5. I love when a drama can make me emotional within the first episode and that's what this drama did. I went on the feels train throughout this whole drama. But I don't regret any of it.
6. It was super funny and cute.
7. I adored the whole cast, even the ones that I hated in the beginning. I didn't hate them so much at the end.
Overall it's an amazing drama that I highly recommend everyone should at least give a chance.
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A very good drama that's got everything to please, even if there's a few inconsistencies here and there, a few wrong plot elements there and here. Watch it if you enjoyed I Hear Your Voice or you think you would. If you didn't like it, pass.
THE STORY
It's hard to try to reproduce the success of a drama in a new project without creating a show that you, the production team and the entire world of Kdrama fans know is a replica. So why pretend? Pinocchio is obviously and shamelessly a spinoff of I Hear Your Voice. The essence of the drama, a social critique made of suspense, humor and romance with a touch of supernatural, is similar. The story, heavily consisting of unexpected plot twists that grip viewers from beginning to end, is similar. Although the female lead is original, the male lead is similar in both dramas (and to make things even better, played by the same actor too). Characters of I Hear Your Voice even make cameos. I would be indignated by all of this, but the show is so much fun, the characters are so likable (except the villain, that is), the romance is so sweet, the story is so inspiring, that I couldn't care less. I Hear Your Voice might be better, but Pinocchio stands close behind. That's what I call good project recycling! On the down side, something's off about the ending. I can't pinpoint what it is...maybe too cheesy?
THE ACTING
More than the main leads, I feel like the rest of the cast really shone through Pinocchio; special kudos to the ajuhmma actresses, they were the stars of this show. Park Shin Hye I liked here more than in all her previous dramas, probably because for once she was playing someone with a backbone. Her acting also seemed more convincing, even though there's still room for improvement. Lee Jong Suk was dashing as usual, but he seriously needs to break the mold and play different roles. They made a very nice couple, with good chemistry (how come he has great chemistry with all his co-stars? Can I be one?)
THE MUSIC
Could it feel any more the same as the music of I Hear Your Voice? Anyway, it was fitting for the show, it wasn't bad to the ears, but nothing I feel the urge to google.
REWATCHABLE VALUE
High, very high.
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Ok to some point
It was REALLY GOOD till episode 11, then it took a real nose-dive! Slow path and lazy writing with over the top acting towards the end. And for some reason it seems that all the actors/actresses used the same hair dye and make-up, they all looked simultaneously styled. Acting wise, the main actor was ok, while the actress was a little bit over the top and had her own dull moments, the show stealers for me were the supporting cast, whether it was the brother, the 2nd lead or the colleagues at work.Was this review helpful to you?
Pinocchio Syndrome
I heard about this syndrome first time and turns out it exists!Pinocchio Syndrome( gelatophobia) is a reflex epilepsy. Significant part of the seizures can be regularly provoked by a triggering factor (most often a sensory stimulus.) Reports on unusual epilepsy had occurred when the patient lied. Patient having this syndrome experiences attacks with loss of consciousness and generalized convulsions. These attacks starts with sensations the patient regularly feels several times each day. They consisted of epigastric constriction, a sensation of hot flush rising fro the stomach to the head then auditory and visual illusions, for instance sensation of hearing in echo with intense anxiety. More than a third of attacks occur when the patient is lying. Other episodes occur without obvious factors. Lying has mot previously described as a triggering factors of seizures but, accdg. to certain authors, in some very rare cases, seizures have been regularly provoked by emotions. Emotions are linked to the limbic lobe. When the patient is lying, he could feel a particular emotion and this limbic stimulation may have triggered epileptic discharges in the amygdala.
The Dembo- Rubinstein method is used for diagnostics of gelatophobia. If you haven't heard about it yet go ahead https://www.google.com/
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Korean Drama is the same, at least 60 percent follow the same old pattern. Thankfully, "Pinocchio (2014)" is different. It blew me away. It kept me watching for two days. It thought me some new information. It made me feel different afterwards.
Pinocchio (2014) is a spectacular drama that rivals others. The cast are all great, almost to perfection. They're all so beautiful yet charismatic. They don't focus solely on our "Romeo & Juliet" rather, other casts are showed with equal chances. It's not the kind of drama where it's completely bias on two characters alone, no it hated that.
Unlike Heir, Park Shin Ye truly shines on this drama. At times, she doesn't look as beautiful but that's the best part. It shows honesty and simply her best part. Heir traumatized me as well as Park Shin Ye but thankfully, this drama fixed the problem.
It's my first time seeing Lee Jong Suk in a drama and he completely blows me away. Sure there are times where he annoys me with how quiet he is, but ... that's the drama itself and the way he improves throughout is spectacular. With Park Shin Ye, Lee Jong Suk and the other cast, this drama fully satisfies the acting and cast.
While I'm composing this review, another tab is playing the drama's OST and I feel at peace right now. The drama uses the OST and songs alike to full advantage. It also fits as well. My favorite is "Passionate to me" by YounHa because during some romantic scenes, this song comes in and it makes you feel all gooey and happy in the inside. There's nothing that can be said anymore other than the fact that Pinocchio (2014) Music is legendary and fits in with the mood.
The story is this drama's main strength. Like I said previously, a lot of drama uses too many cliche moments & predictable story line. Pinocchio completely dissolves that kind of misunderstanding throughout the series. It keeps you online, it keeps you up during the night, it makes you understand things that are otherwise unknown to the general populace. Everything, from the start to the end is connected, even the simplest detail that most viewers may have forgotten at the end of the show is explained. I can't reveal anymore without spoiling the reader, but one thing I can say is that any age, any culture, any backgrounds will love the story alone.
Lastly, I truly enjoyed the show. Previously I watched "Heir" and it depressed me at every minute and this drama completely filled me with hope like what Dal Po does to Cho in Ha. It doesn't stress out the viewers. Instead, it make sure that the viewers are thoroughly enjoying the show while also making them anxious at every ending episode. I can keep on going but at this point, the reader should now be watching the drama at this point.
With that said, I bid farewell and hope you have a good time watching this drama like I did.
I'm sure "Peter Pan" will as he waited for the girl he loves until he got approval, I hope you understand this by the end, it's truly amazing.
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This review may contain spoilers
The don't make them like this anymore... and I'm glad they don't.
After I Hear Your Voice I was looking forward to another drama by the same writer/PD team and with the same ML, but Pinocchio is kind of a hot mess:1. Red flag romance where FL is alternately ML's emotional punching bag or cheerleader while ML can't decide between punishing her or himself for their relationship.
2. A plot that's a series of coincidences explained by the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon which is... a choice.
3. Guessing game of "who's the real villain" where the real villain turns out to be the most cliche option possible.
5/10 for an important underlying message about journalistic integrity, touching side stories and a strong ensemble cast. Otherwise, it was hit or miss for me and mostly miss. The story picks up pace after a slow start, but then drags to the point where by Ep12 it lost the thread, by Ep16 it should have been a wrap and at Ep18 it was simply dead in the water. There's some compelling plot lines that get abruptly cut off and a total change of focus in the second half that replaces the previous themes with a revelation that's nothing more than another generic corruption plot. Yawn.
The romance was more rage inducing than yawn inducing. I'm wary of older dramas exactly because of dynamics like this one. ML is an emotionally immature jerk who every once in a while makes a grand gesture which magically redeems all his other behavior. Yes, he has tough circumstances - but continually taking out your trauma on someone else is a HUGE red flag. And FL just rolls with the punches - she even apologizes to him (more than once!) for not being more understanding. There's a few scenes where she asserts herself but she's mostly a sponge for ML's man pain.
Speaking of FL, I expected her to play a much larger role in this drama considering it's literally about her family and she's the one with the titular Pinocchio syndrome but somehow ML is always the center of attention. FL struggles for years to get a job in journalism - genius ML does it in three months. FL builds a relationship with her mom - she torches it in favor of ML's revenge. FL's family is torn apart when ML's identity comes out - she's more worried about him than them. She isn't given much agency or identity outside of her romance with ML which is another HUGE red flag.
Even SML and SFL exist just to provide comic relief or act as plot devices to further ML's story. The rest of the ensemble cast is great and frankly far more interesting, but to waste two leads like that is incredibly lazy writing.
The best thing I can say about Pinocchio is it has a good message and tries to portray people in tough situations attempting to do the right thing. But that gets drowned in the noise of the other needless drama.
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A good drama, albeit a bit overhyped
This is a well crafted, well written and above all, rightfully applauded drama for all the right reasons. Most of the characters are layered, have intriguing personalities and goals and are acted well, to boot. The flow of the story is mostly consistent, with a few weird choices which were pulled off adequately. Like others said, the synopsis for this drama definitely makes it out a rather boring slice-of-life show, when it`s so much more. Despite this, it didn`t wow me as it did other users on here. My issue with this drama lies in my own taste however, which have eventually led me to not be as invested in the whole presentation, nor connect with the characters. First off, I have to critique the title a bit from the get-go. While interesting and eye-catching, In-ha`s Pinocchio Syndrome definitely has the least to do with the story, despite being the selling point of the show. I wish they showed a lot more of In-ha and Dal-po when they were growing up, as that would let us see their relationship and connect with them in that period a little more. It would surely add weight to Dal-po`s emotions and torment of ending it for good with her. Although semi-romantic, I hesitate to categorize this drama under romance as well, as it definitely takes a big backseat over the reporting aspect of the story.Another issue I had was with the second villain of the story. Bum-jo`s mom is an...interesting choice for a villain. While In-ha`s mom had a whole story arc where I genuinely felt for her(it also helped that she was acted by one of the best actresses of the Korean drama world) and was obviously thought out meticulously, I feel like the Chairwoman was an alternative rather than a planned out villain. She felt rather cartoonish at times and I just didn`t feel anything when she finally did confess in that final scene. I would say this drama was at its best when exploring relationships between In-ha and her mother and Dal-po and his brother. Everything afterwards honestly felt like filler. And I have to reiterate, the characters were written really well. The situations they were put in however...eh, give or take. At times I felt like they couldn`t find a way to correctly develop someone like In-ha, for example so they put her and Dal-po in these rather stereotypical situations where I could already predict why they would break up, how and that`s purely my fault. While I didn`t fall head over heels for this drama, I admit it`s technically very, very good, it just needs to strike the chord with the right person. With me, it was half right.
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I like this drama.
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