Remember was one of those shows that will make you grind your teeth out of frustration due to what is happening. At the same time you will be glued to your screen to see what happens next. It was a wonderful journey, a very well-thought story, that was greatly executed and heavenly acted!
STORY
The base idea of the story is the constant struggle of average everyday people, against the higher, powerful, rich people who think they can get away with anything. We have a kind, average man who is being framed for a crime he didn't commit. Of course, he gets convicted as he is up against those people who have consealed their crimes with their wealth. In this story, his son decides to take action and seek revenge on behalf of his parent's innocence. Hence we get the base concept of the story which is revenge. The base concept isn't anything groundbreaking imo, i mean, how many revenge dramas are out there, but the idea behind it of the rich people and the power of truth was unique indeed and flawlessly delivered!
I found the first 4 episodes really amazing and thrilling. Sadly the pace of story, even if it was always interesting, it felt rather slow, and this is the main reason i cannot give this a higher score than 8.5 even if it actually deserves it. We get several law cases, that are linked somehow to the base story, but serve little to no purpose most of the time, and they could have been avoided. At the same time, the constant struggle of the main character who has all the right in the world, but still is treated like a germ, and was constantly the losing party of the story can make anyone angry and frustrated at what is happening. However, the writters took a realistic decision here, i mean it is public knowledge that rich and powerful run this world, and this was perfectly depicted here. The drama was a perfect reflection of our fucked up society and gave a great life lessons like 'The truth will shine in the end if you fight hard enough'.
Whenever i was watching the drama i had the same though circling around my head 'MONEY vs CONSCIENCE', which one is more important to you? Which one will win? What type of person are you? Can you be bought? Is money really worth it?
I saw people asking if this involved any romance, i don't understand the question, there is no 'romance' tab added in the main page, but anyway. Yes, there is romance but it is way in the back, insignificant really, and that was a good thing because sadly, the main actors, even if they did a wonderful job acting-wise, they had no romantic chemistry.
ACTING
The acting was, most-definately, the best part of the drama, by far!
I came here originally for Yoo Seung Ho, and he was as amazing as expected. I think his crying is the best crying i've seen in kdramaland, he looks great while crying, it comes naturally to him, effortless really. His strong scenes were really something, his emotional scenes were even better, and he delivered every time! He was an exquisite leading actor, he did justice to his character, and lived up to all the expectations. I am looking forward to seeing him the future.
However, even if i came for YSH, Man Gung Min stole my heart completely. He exceeded my expectations, his character was the most essential and important one for the story to make sense and not be ridiculous. He blew me away many times. His acting sent shivers down my spine. He was a complete lunatic, amazing facial expressions, to the point of overacting but still a person this crazy tend to over-do everything! His body expressions were also flawless. Luscious performance, heavenly acting! Really, my words aren't enough to express how great he was, best actor in this! The drama is basically worth watching to watch him. Amazing performance in every way.
Another surprise was Park Sung Woong. I am not sure why i was surprised by him, i didn't know him before this, his performance was amazing, sensuous, emotional. I don't know Korean, but i was taken away because of his rather peculiar pronnounciation, or the way he spoke, i don't know how to explain it, maybe it was just me. His acting felt rather unique to me. An overall great performance, and another actor i will follow from now on.
Park Mi Young. I read a lot of people had problems with her performance, i didn't. She wasn't amazing, but her character was so insignificant, she felt like the groupie of the main hero character. She was there just to support, nothing else. The story could have worked without her. I understand the importance and power of support in situations like this, but still. I guess every story needs a female lead, and for the purpose she was placed in the story, she did great!
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
I've seen many people dropping this, i don't understand the reason. I mean, this is a melo, what do you expect? Happy people running in corn fields with their hair untagled...? o.O This is a revenge melo, frustration and anger are a given. If you are a melo fan i think you will appreciate this a lot. It wasn't the excessive tear-jerker i was expecting it to be. I get sentimental with dramas very easily and i didn't shed a tear here. Borderline, this is definately recommended to melo fans, and definately worth a watch.
I wouldn't rewatch it though, the fact that it was infuriating combined with the fact that it was slow, doesn't make this essential for re-watching, at least not to me. Definately worth a watch though.
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