One, Two, Three - A sense of Fulfillment! (watch it - and you'll get it)
I do not want to admin the number of hours I have spent (lost) watching KDramas.This one was worth every minute and I wish there were more dramas like this one out there.
It was relevant, current, educational, emotional and all the other positive adjectives you can think of.
I loved Park Eun Bin in King's Affections and Do You Like Brahms, but the performance in this one - beyond everything you could imagine! Have the awards come out yet? She definitely has to get one!
Kang Tae Oh - great!!! (so great, he made me cry (must admit, it was nice to cry for the guy, instead of the girl) ;)
Kang Ki Young - I was happy to see him being in a more serious and important role - he nailed it!!!
Truth be told: you will become a better person by watching this one. Or understand "not ordinary" people!
All I have to say is: Enjoy! It was a real pleasure for me to watch it, hope you will feel the same way!
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What a wonderful, wonderful show.
This drama is close to perfect in my eyes. It is in turn touching, profound, funny, heartbreaking, swoony, sweet and real. Park Eun-Bin gives the performance of a lifetime as the luminous and peculiar Woo Young-Woo. The show is a success in all aspects: writing, directing, acting, set design, soundtrack... Oh my God, the soundtrack! It's among the best I've ever heard! I only have to put on "Beyond My Dreams" or "Inevitable" to feel transported and filled with sweet emotions, thinking back to the warmest, most delightful parts of this drama... Parts that both make me love Young-Woo, and remind me that deep down and in many ways, I feel like I *am* Young-Woo.Isn't it only the very best characters that can invoke all of these feelings at the same time?
Finally, I must add that I thoroughly enjoyed the English subtitles, which seemed to provide a highly creative and thoughtful translation.
I feel thankful for this drama. Thank you to everyone involved in its creation, for the joy and thoughts and emotions that you have brought me.
It was even better than a blue night in Jeju~
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This review may contain spoilers
The most amazing show I've seen so far and my first 10
What can I say about this show? Absolutely amazing.Everyone fits their roles perfectly.
There's no silly love triangle, no characters making bad decisions
We have some characters you might hate but they also have great stories behind them.
This show is really well written as well along side with some amazing characters, specially the women.
If you are looking for strong females characters either from the FL, her two best friends. All of them are super likeable.
I really thought her office bestie was gonna be a total scumbag she found out that the ML likes the FL but to my total surprise, she moved on quick and even told the FL pursuits him. She moved on, because she's an amazing friend. Funny , she's called the angel by the other FL bestie. Totally fits her since her character definitely brings the best people. Hope she finds true love next season and with that other attorney. He got this.
But all praises have to go to the FL since she has to carry the show and acted like she has autism which isn't easy to do.
She's very charming and funny either intentional or not.
She's amazing.
The ML is good too but I wouldn't say the show has a ML although there's a love interest but that's not really the main reason the show was made.
It is truly a court drama show.
He did get job done. It is super hard to love anyone with any disabilities and the show portraited that well. Everyone deserves to be loved but it is never easy.
I'm very happy there's a season 2 coming since I think the finale felt kinda rushed with many stuff unsolved.
But I'm definitely gonna miss these characters.
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bow for best drama of 2022
I never watch an airing drama cause I don’t have the patience, but for the first time, I went out of my way to watch EAW because of the unending spoilers everywhere.The series is an amazing take on autism and the extinction of whales. Autism is a condition, not a disease, and I loved to few people who always considered her extraordinary. They cared for her and did friendly stuff than treat her as an outcast. The whale concept held very deep meaning and raised awareness about its extinction.
The series had an episodic case so it didn’t feel stretched. They made short, simple, meaningful, and convincing cases for the drama. The cases also focused on the main character's insecurities, vulnerability, and growth. After each episode, I felt happy like a kid and sad when it led to heartbreaks. Watching an episode is good instead of a whole drama because it doesn't have cliffhanger ends.
All actors did a daebak job in portraying their characters perfectly The characters made me hate them like Kwon Min Woo, Tae SuMi. While characters who made us fall in love, are Choi Su Yeon, Dong Geu Rami, Jung Myung Seok, Lee Jun Ho and Woo Young Woo. Park Eun bin did a magnificent job portraying an autistic person. She gestures, hand moments, eyes. Dialogue delivery everything was pitch perfect.
Because the show was based on courtroom cases more, there was significant character growth in Woo Young Woo and Jung Myung Seok, other characters had presence but were like supporting characters. And it is totally fine because the show is based on Attorney Woo she is the main character but I still wished to have more character arc of her colleague.
The romance held an important part in the drama, it showed WYW growth as an adult. The relationship with an autistic person is sure hard and the writers gave a good script. The chemistry of Park Eun Bin and Kang Tae Oh as wyw and LJH was superb. Just like the drama because such characters only exist in dramas, not in real life
BGM and OST were soothing. “Beyond my dreams” was used so much that it eventually grew on me. “The blue night of Jeju” by Park Eun Bin and “inevitable” by Suzy are other tracks that are heartwarming. The whale enlightenment music had a lovely charm.
I am rewatching this. It is heartwarming and comforting.
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A good drama that scratches beneath the surface
I enjoyed watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo from the very first episodes and, even though I think there are some flaws in the story, I am glad to have kept watching. First of all, the way this drama dealt with emotions gave me an "old drama" feeling, a way of carrying out the story into the deep core of life experiences - the good ones and the bad ones.Then, I think the cast did all a good job, expecially Park Eun Bin. I never got bored, even when there was something that did not convince me so much or that made me feel disappointed. The legal environment and the focus on the interaction between people working together were interesting and the "evil" characters were convincing and portrayed well.
I hope there will be a next season in order to meet Attorney Woo again :)!
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Warm and Fuzzy Feeling!
I've come to realize that I'm not that good at writing reviews but I still want to give it a try, especially with this gem of a drama. I couldn't get enough of this one. The FL did such a great job! I first watched her in that short kdrama with Kai from EXO and then with the King's Affection. She is such a diverse actor! Amazing! I loved watching her grow and fall in love and just live. The sense with her and her love interest was so sweet! Like sugar! It was an innocent but lovely relationship. I do wish that she told him when she wanted to break up with him. She usually has no filter, so I was shocked to see that she didn't tell him what was up. I liked that about her. She wanted to test to see if her feelings for him were real, and she told him that! LOL! Then she made sure to ask him what he was feeling. She wasn't beating around the bush. I love that about her character. Overcoming life's obstacles and difficulties...this was a powerful and inspiring one for me, and I am not autistic.The only thing that disappointed me a little was that dad did not get to meet the boyfriend! Also...what was that makeup about? Was that all? No heartfelt hug or kiss? But that might just be the romantic in me who loves to see these things. And in the same romance stream...could we have gotten a little smooch from the second leads? At least? SMH.
But this is a good watch and a must-watch especially if you like legal dramas.
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Loved It - You will Never Look at whales the same - in a good way
9.5/10 is my rating. This s a 2022 South Korean Legal Romance Drama with 16, 64-82 minute episodes.First I will provide a synopsis then I will review it.
Synopsis:
Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) is a lawyer with high functioning autism. Her single father raised her and provided a lot of life tricks that help her navigate social situations that are complex for those with autism. Although she graduates with the top scores in law school, because of page 2 of her resume, which outlines her autism, no-one wants to hire her. That is until the CEO of one of the major law firms focuses on page 1 that shows she is not only the firest Autistic person to graduate with such high honors, but that she is phenomenal in her field in general. Growing up Young-wo had only one friend Dong Geu-ra-mi (Joo Hyun-young) who has a rough exterior but a kind heart that led her to protect the Young-woo from the bullies. Hanaba, the firm that hired Yong-woo quickly discovers that, although they gave her a chance as a result of a connection the CEO had with her father, page 1 was, indeed the important page. Not only does Attorney Woo’s different ability (not disability but different ability) proide exceptional legal intelligence and photographic memory but her sweet nature draws people to her . While her manner of speech and presentation is direct and without any guile, even when the situation calls for it, initially make her peers think she will not last, her ability to hold so much legal information in her memory and scan it, makes her an invaluable asset to any team. Her supervising lawyer, Jung Myung-seok (Kang Ki-young), who was skeptical of her ability to do the job at first, becomes one of her strongest advocates. One of her close work associates, Lee Jun-ho (Kang Tae-oh), falls for the incredible woman who is Attorney Woo. The story follows Attorney Woo as she uses her outstanding and unique skill set to tackle a variety of interesting cases. Hanaba grows as a result of having such an outstanding attorney and attorney Woo progresses with the frienships she builds and the prejiduces she overcomes.
Review
Spoilers* This was such an amazingly good drama I feel sorry for those that don’t watch it. Attorney Woo is a differently abled attorney who has to deal with not only ethical issues around being an attorney in a law firm that is profit driven, but prejudices personally directed at hefor her different manner of speech and approach to social norms. Several of my family members are autistic and on various levels of the autistic spectrum and she truly said it best when she emphasized it is a spectrum so that simply having autism does not automatically mean you are the same, or can understand, others with autism. I liked how each episode dealt with a unique case and that, each case had some unique legal angle that Attorney Woo was uniquely skilled to ascertain because of her above average legal intelligence and photographic memory. I was a law technician and, at the time (this was 35 years ago) a physical law library was maintained in the law office and we would receive updates in the form of replace pages 10-19 with these new pages – the law books were in 3 ring like binders because the laws and relevant case citations updated all the time. As I am inserting this or that I would read parts of this case or that and there were a couple of times when I was able to point the attorneys to a case that was pertinent to whatever they were working on. A good attorney is open to any help with sifting through the mounds of case law to find that needle in the haystack that might shed light or add credence to a legal line that they are pursuing whether it be from a prosecutorial standpoint or defense. So, even from a lowly legal technician, if I spotted something in my many siftings through the law books – they appreciated the refence. And, whenever there was a big case there was a whole team of legal professionals researching case law, making recommendations on lines of defense or prosecution (I worked for a county legal team so they did both) and discussing all aspects of each case. I thought they presented that very well in this series – those that were open to additional ideas and looked at Attorney Woo not as a threat but as an amazing resource, did well on their cases. I also loved how it portrayed, because of her autism, some treated her like she was not fully capable and not fully an adult. Those that were in her inner circle realized she was extremely capable and that she had all the life skills of an adult with just a few modifications. Yes, she would panic if it was too chaotic or noisy but I know people with post traumatic stress disorder and general anxiety that don’t react much different. I have found that those with autism can be brutally honest and this series showed that, sometimes brutal, honesty. They just do not tend to be as socially devious as the majority of the population. While it can be awkward at times, it is also very refreshing. I wondered how they would treat her relationship with Jung-ho as some might see it as an awkward relationship but I thought they handled it perfectly. His sister was the voice of “but you have to take care of her” and I thought it showed Attorney Woo’s emotional maturity that she took that to heart and also considered she might make him feel lonely. One of the things that Attorney Woo finds undendingly fascinating are sea animals particulary whales and dolphins but she, at times mentions, narwals and other sea creatures as well. Whales are like her spirit animal because whenever she envisions one swimming through the air it is accompanied by some amazing revelation about a case. I love the visual as her hair blows back and her eyes get wide.
The few things that kept this from being perfect for me was just some loose ends I did not feel were tied up. I worry a lot about Netflix “Americanizing” Korean dramas as what I find very refreshing about Kdramas is what sets them apart from American television series. I like that one season is generally what series run and that a 2nd or 3rd season is an exception not the rule. In this case I felt it was left more open ended to leave room for additional seasons. They were back together, and that was nice, but it didn’t feel like their relationship had progressed significantly nor had he made the important step of meeting her dad. I really wanted to experience what her dad thought of him. She met her little brother and it felt like there could be a relationship there but he just disappeared from her life after the court case. It seemed like her little brother wanted a relationship with his older half-sister and I really liked his character so it would have been value added to have him involved with Attorney Woo. ? It was never clear what the CEO of Hanabah had against Attorney Woo’s mother. It was clear there was a back story there that was never explored.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you are looking for a fully executed drama with no loop holes, this is not for you.
This drama is great for those people who were just starting to watch this kind of genres. The story and the characters were great. But Minwoo's character development was poorly executed. He could've stayed as a protagonist. They didn't even give him a one whole episode to explain himself. They think that a very small backstory would justify his actions. Plus they deleted A LOT of scenes just to create a loop hole which will give way for s2. I personally don't think that "popular" dramas need s2, it will definitely ruin the story ( just like love alarm) S2 was actually very unecessarry because the drama was already good as it is.Was this review helpful to you?
Good drama
Amazing acting by female lead . Story was very simple ,a girl was suffering from autism spectrum disorder then to she achieved first position in her class . She solved many criminal cases which made he renowned person . Everyone admired and not make fun of her . A boy had fallen in love with her but his sister didn't accept this relationship which was heard by the girl and she broke up with him . He always wanted to know the reason but she never gave him the reason and at last part of the drama he got the clue of the reason that why she did with him a then he persuade her and she gave the reply which we as a viewer wants. A don't want to be a spoiler ,so watch it what would be a her reply.Was this review helpful to you?
Don't understimate Autism
The story is about a woman who has had autism spectrum disorder since she was born. But She is a genius when talking about whales and law. Not only that, but She also becomes the top score in the university which makes her special. Sadly, nobody is going to take her because of her autism... This is where the story becomes interesting when She got a job and her backstory is discovered.I love the CGI that they use to make 3D Whale which is mostly used on windows. It's realistic and smooth in my opinion.
These series have a lot of morals that we can take such as not underestimating autistic people, don't work too hard, making the right choice that is based on your feeling, etc.
Recommended to watch it with your family or friend.
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Something Refreshing
The story of an autistic attorney who graduate with the top rank from her law school but couldn't get a placement even after that because of her autism and how she deals with life, law and grows as a person as well as an attorney.This story is not serious, gripping, thrilling with over the top scenes, but rather a light watch with a perfect balance of court room scenes and life, sprinkled with some romance too.
What actually refreshing about this show is that almost every episode is standalone while focusing on a particular case, and while that happened there were side plots too which kept developing in the background as this show entirely focuses on the law department.
The cases were all new which most probably was never seen in kdramas before which seemed more realistic because these type of cases are the ones which mostly law firms deals with everyday and the drama introduced a wide range of those cases.
The production, directing and acting were all top notch and I can't pinpoint a character and complain that this person didn't acted well.
Every character has their own story and own character arc and were different from each other which made the drama more better.
This drama doesn't have some serious villains who are after the leads, so even though there are people who created problems, one could actually see why they did what they did, the reason behind there actions were clear the more you'll get into the story.
Acting wise kudos to Park Eun Bin for making Woo Young Woo come to life. Her manner, body language, the way she talked, walked, sat, ate and overall did everything made me believe she was literally suffering from autism. And Kang Tae Oh my guy, he didn't have that much screen time tbh but damn he was the greenest flag of a man. The way his character was portrayed and the way he dealt with young woo was phenomenal. What I loved the most in this drama is that every character was natural, realistic and nobody is over the top.
Even though there were not any overdramatic emotional scenes but there were enough scenes to make you laugh, cry a tear or two and relate with them. You will genuinely feel empathy for the characters.
The way it started and the way it ended, anyone could literally see the growth and character development each character has whether it be as an attorney or just as a person. The drama was definitely a positive one gives you one of the most important lessons - A DISABLED PERSON IS A HUMAN TOO AND THUS SHOULD HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE AND DESERVE TO BE LOVED.
The music wasn't really much used in the drama so I can say that the ost was decent enough whenever it was used.
Had a great time watching it and will recommend this to everyone.
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Extraordinarily Brilliant
I am obviously quite late to jump on this bandwagon. While I was aware of the hype, I hadn't heard enough about this drama other than it was good to really feel the need to watch it. Guess the joke's on me. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a charming but at times surprisingly deep episodic drama. The episodes' tones run the gamut from quirky and fun to dark and heartbreaking. And through it all is Woo Young Woo, brilliant but autistic, and faced with learning to be an adult and an attorney in a world that doesn't quite know what to make of her.Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an episodic legal drama, each episode focusing on a different legal case, however, there is still a general overarching plot. The strong point of the drama was certainly that episodic nature and getting to see the team tackle each case regardless of the outcome. It was not what I was expecting but I very much enjoyed it. I did not find the general plot to be quite as compelling as there would be multiple episodes with no development before it suddenly popped up, moved along a bit, then disappeared again. That story in itself was weak as the rivalry between the Tae Su Mi and Han Seon Yeong was not developed enough to make it in any way compelling nor was the position Tae Su Mi was running for explained enough to make it seem high stakes despite the implication. There was a struggle to balance everything: the plot of the episode, the plot of the drama, and developing the characters. While the episode plots were generally fairly well thought out and portrayed, as I mentioned before, the main plot was inconsistent and the characters and their development was lacking. The legal aspect was well done. There was plenty of legal jargon but even though none of it would make sense to anyone not working in law, it wasn’t distracting or overbearing, but rather served to give credibility. While I did enjoy the visual of the whales and dolphins every time Young Woo had an epiphany, what I would have liked to see was more collaboration rather than her ideas saving the day every time. It felt unrealistic and it would have been nice to see the team pulling together more to solve the cases.
I’ve seen a lot of debate about the portrayal of autism in this drama and I can see both sides. I do think the character of Young Woo was presented with the best of intentions and with the goal to be as authentic as possible. I think there was also the goal to present the world as seen through the eyes of an autistic person and the challenges and stigmas they face. That being said, I do also see how it fell into the trap of portraying autistic people as either geniuses or children. This is especially evident in Episode 3. Though a point is made to say that autism is a spectrum, it’s still far too prevalent in media to meet with these two extremes which are far from the ordinary. And while Young Woo does develop relationships, both platonic and romantic, much of the legwork is done by others while she remains static. She is, in general, coddled by everyone. There is very little of her learning to adapt to others and instead everyone else learning to adapt to her. Similarly, there is no desire to seek independence aside from one fleeting moment which is quickly forgotten. I would have liked to see more on both fronts, both more growth and more independence.
This drama has a good mix of characters, both likable and unlikeable with a few in between. Part of what makes it stand out is the lack of a universal villain. Though certain episodes have their own personal villain, there is no central villain. And while most dramas leave me feeling pretty certain with how I view characters, this one did not. Despite the lack of background for most of the characters, their personalities and actions were enough to allow me to form opinions on them and more than a couple ended up in a kind of limbo. And while backgrounds weren’t necessary per se, in some cases, I do think it may have beneficial in helping to understand some of them. For example, I don’t believe it’s ever explained why Han Seon Yeong wants to take down Tae Su Mi so badly or if it was, it was so forgettable that I can’t remember it. A little more about Min Woo to explain why he is so driven, we get a hint there towards the end that it’s likely related to his parents and their health, but I’d like more.
Young Woo and Jun Ho are pretty much impossible to dislike. Despite her quirks and moments where I found myself facepalming, Young Woo is endearing. She is the opposite of a cutthroat attorney, seeking justice and wanting to do the right thing, even if it goes against her company’s client. Her romance with Jun Ho was a surprise, though a pleasant one. I thought it was developed well though it did stumble, unnecessarily in my opinion, there at the end before recovering. Jun Ho was a breath of fresh air and though at times I did find him to be too much of a push over, I did really like his character and appreciated how respectful he was of Young Woo. I loved Young Woo’s dad. He always tried so hard and with the best of intentions to take care of his daughter. I kind of wanted him to find someone and get a chance at happiness too. He deserves it. Also up there are Min Shik and Geu Rami. Their love and loyalty for Young Woo is adorable to watch if sometimes misguided.
I was initially uncertain of both Myung Seok and Su Yeon. I was fully prepared to dislike Myung Seok. His treatment of Young Woo in Episode 1 had me all up in arms. Who had have guessed I’d end up adoring him. I was terrified they were going to kill him off and I’m so glad they didn’t. He was such a good mentor to Young Woo and the other rookies, accepting of her quirks and guiding all of them the best he could. I thought Su Yeon was going to be the stereotypical mean girl, but I loved how loyal she actually became and how protective she was. I honestly would have liked to see her friendship with Young Woo developed a bit more. I also just generally appreciated her growing confidence in herself and saying what she wanted. I’m still up in the air about her relationship with Min Woo, mostly because I’m still not sure about him and I think she deserves better.
My gray area folks are Min Woo, Tae Su Mi and Han Seon Yeong. While Min Woo certainly improved in the last couple of episodes, that in no way erases all the crap he pulled prior to that. He had some vulnerable moments that revealed that not everything in his life was sunshine and roses, but again, didn’t excuse his behaviour. I appreciate that he’s working to make a change, but I would also like to see him actually apologize for his past actions or at least acknowledge them rather than just sweeping them under the rug. As for our two ladies, there’s such a gray area where they’re concerned that I’m still not totally sure what to make of them. Clearly neither is completely without a moral compass, but both are also willing to be shady if pushed. I appreciate that they’re both badass, powerful women. There’s just not enough to them at this point for me to have a fully developed opinion.
The cast was unanimously superb. Everyone did an amazing job with, of course, an outstanding performance by Park Eun Bin. Regardless of your opinion on how the show portrayed autism, I don’t think you can say that she didn’t give her all. It’s evident the amount of work she put into the role.
I have to comment on the cinematography for the Sodeok-dong and Jeju Island episodes as those were beautifully done as well as the sunset scene at Nakjo. The OSTs were all quite pleasant though I can't say that any really jumped out at me.
I found this to be a generally heartwarming drama that I quite enjoyed. There were certainly some episodes that I enjoyed more than others, but none that I hated. And while certainly not a perfect portrayal of autism and it did lean into the cutesy, I do think intentions were pure and it tried to be authentic. This is one that I would recommend, especially if you enjoy episodic dramas and you're looking for something that strays from the ordinary.
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