dragynfaerie
USA
Heartwarming. Funny. Emotional. Well written. Great cast! Fantastic production!
OK I'm done. That's my review right there. Honestly, I should hit submit and then edit because this is my 2nd review. I accidentally loss the first one right at the end. It was good, too. * sigh * ANYWHO... Prison Playbook is an excellent black comedy. It literally became one my favorite Korean dramas while I was watching it. I can't recommend watching it enough. It's the first Korean drama I've seen that bromance is the main part of the story and isn't being used a beard for some sappy romance stories. The 2 or 3 romances are side stories and not really part of or the crux of the story. You can basically remove them without issue.
Prison Playbook's story is one that is well written, excellently portrayed, and masterfully presented. The writing/directing team of Jung Bo Hoon and Shin Won Ho made something special here. In this prison set where women are not allowed except as visitors, they created a testosterone heavy atmosphere that isn't quite what you might think it would be (aside from the cussing perhaps). The 2 also paired for the Replay dramas of which I've watched nada, but think maybe I should. This pair along with the editing made watching Prison Playbook fun. For the most part flashbacks are used to tell the story and move it along, not to sell whatever song is being played.
I got the impression that the staff had fun watching PP being filmed. That's solely because of it's fantastic cast. The cast led by Park Hae Soo as Kim Je Hyuk, a hard working professional baseball player that winds up in jail due to his rage issues, and Jung Kyung Ho as Lee Joon Ho, a correctional officer and ex-baseball player who has known Je Hyuk since grade school. Together these 2 corral an entourage of zany characters with befitting nicknames like Looney ( <3 ) and Headache. Watching the relationships develop and in some cases abruptly end is what made PP worthwhile. In the beginning you may think Je Hyuk is a simpleton, but you realize he's just a simple man. Things are as they are with him. I've got to say this is the first time I've ever seen someone look like a Romulan or Vulcan and not be on Star Trek. His blank stares are precious. In the beginning you think he's thinking 'wtf have I done' then you think he's thinking of how he's gonna get his way. That or he's thinking of using a Vulcan neck pinch. Je Hyuk spends most of his time with the cell members of 2-6: Min Chul, the lovable gangster and cell boss; KAIST, the con-man that thinks showering is optional and has a killer kick; Looney, "that bastard druggie" that says and does pretty much anything he choses and becomes the beneficiary of KAIST's kicks daily; the petition writing Dr. Ko that knows the regs of correctional facilities better than the employees; Capt. Yoo who may be an innocent man; and Crony a gangster that's best as a lackey. There are other inmates, of course, like Jailbird and the aforementioned Headache, who screams for hours on end. There's also the other correctional facility employees that impact Je Hyuk, most especially Lt. Paeng played by the incomparable Jung Woong In. I wasn't sure if he really wasn't Lt. Paeng in real life. He completely embodied the role. I adored every single last one of the crazy characters save 1. I did not like Ji Ho. If you watch anime or dramas based on animes/mangas, you have undoubtedly run into the girl next door/best friend type that never tells him how she feels and doesn't really know how badly she's screwed up until she loses out to the big boobied alien girl with superpowers. Ji Ho is the best friend. There was never an alien girl. Ji Ho won. Now, I now why the girl next door should never win. Why? Because she's annoying af. Ji Ho alone screen time equaled fast forward for me.
The music is pretty good. I RARELY like the music. PP ranges in it's music from Frank Sinatra standards to hip hop. That kept my eyes from rolling. The opening them called OK by Bewhy (produced by Gray) sets the tone for the entire show. I also adore The Door by Kang Seung Yoon (who plays Jean Val Jean in the show) and Mino is produced by Zico and is a great song. Of course there's the overly used little love song. It's not bad, but the Soul and Hip Hop songs kept it alive for me.
I usually preface this part by saying I rarely re-watch a drama because I don't have the time. I already rewatched an episode of Prison Playbook. I was going through withdrawal too fast. I needed a Looney fix.
Is Prison Playbook the best drama I've ever watched? No, but it's one of them. Is it the most entertaining? Right, now I'm going to have to say, it sure the hell is. My biggest issue is that they left us hanging. I'm sure we all understand that prisoners don't usually have long lasting relationships. They come and go, but when your made to fall in love with some of these guys you have the right to expect some kind of finale. Even a brief synopsis on each of them at the end would have been sufficient. Other than that Prison Playbook is utterly enjoyable. You'll love it unless you're some giant emo melo fan that can't deal with laughter, men being men without women, and a few tears every now and again.
OK I'm done. That's my review right there. Honestly, I should hit submit and then edit because this is my 2nd review. I accidentally loss the first one right at the end. It was good, too. * sigh * ANYWHO... Prison Playbook is an excellent black comedy. It literally became one my favorite Korean dramas while I was watching it. I can't recommend watching it enough. It's the first Korean drama I've seen that bromance is the main part of the story and isn't being used a beard for some sappy romance stories. The 2 or 3 romances are side stories and not really part of or the crux of the story. You can basically remove them without issue.
Prison Playbook's story is one that is well written, excellently portrayed, and masterfully presented. The writing/directing team of Jung Bo Hoon and Shin Won Ho made something special here. In this prison set where women are not allowed except as visitors, they created a testosterone heavy atmosphere that isn't quite what you might think it would be (aside from the cussing perhaps). The 2 also paired for the Replay dramas of which I've watched nada, but think maybe I should. This pair along with the editing made watching Prison Playbook fun. For the most part flashbacks are used to tell the story and move it along, not to sell whatever song is being played.
I got the impression that the staff had fun watching PP being filmed. That's solely because of it's fantastic cast. The cast led by Park Hae Soo as Kim Je Hyuk, a hard working professional baseball player that winds up in jail due to his rage issues, and Jung Kyung Ho as Lee Joon Ho, a correctional officer and ex-baseball player who has known Je Hyuk since grade school. Together these 2 corral an entourage of zany characters with befitting nicknames like Looney ( <3 ) and Headache. Watching the relationships develop and in some cases abruptly end is what made PP worthwhile. In the beginning you may think Je Hyuk is a simpleton, but you realize he's just a simple man. Things are as they are with him. I've got to say this is the first time I've ever seen someone look like a Romulan or Vulcan and not be on Star Trek. His blank stares are precious. In the beginning you think he's thinking 'wtf have I done' then you think he's thinking of how he's gonna get his way. That or he's thinking of using a Vulcan neck pinch. Je Hyuk spends most of his time with the cell members of 2-6: Min Chul, the lovable gangster and cell boss; KAIST, the con-man that thinks showering is optional and has a killer kick; Looney, "that bastard druggie" that says and does pretty much anything he choses and becomes the beneficiary of KAIST's kicks daily; the petition writing Dr. Ko that knows the regs of correctional facilities better than the employees; Capt. Yoo who may be an innocent man; and Crony a gangster that's best as a lackey. There are other inmates, of course, like Jailbird and the aforementioned Headache, who screams for hours on end. There's also the other correctional facility employees that impact Je Hyuk, most especially Lt. Paeng played by the incomparable Jung Woong In. I wasn't sure if he really wasn't Lt. Paeng in real life. He completely embodied the role. I adored every single last one of the crazy characters save 1. I did not like Ji Ho. If you watch anime or dramas based on animes/mangas, you have undoubtedly run into the girl next door/best friend type that never tells him how she feels and doesn't really know how badly she's screwed up until she loses out to the big boobied alien girl with superpowers. Ji Ho is the best friend. There was never an alien girl. Ji Ho won. Now, I now why the girl next door should never win. Why? Because she's annoying af. Ji Ho alone screen time equaled fast forward for me.
The music is pretty good. I RARELY like the music. PP ranges in it's music from Frank Sinatra standards to hip hop. That kept my eyes from rolling. The opening them called OK by Bewhy (produced by Gray) sets the tone for the entire show. I also adore The Door by Kang Seung Yoon (who plays Jean Val Jean in the show) and Mino is produced by Zico and is a great song. Of course there's the overly used little love song. It's not bad, but the Soul and Hip Hop songs kept it alive for me.
I usually preface this part by saying I rarely re-watch a drama because I don't have the time. I already rewatched an episode of Prison Playbook. I was going through withdrawal too fast. I needed a Looney fix.
Is Prison Playbook the best drama I've ever watched? No, but it's one of them. Is it the most entertaining? Right, now I'm going to have to say, it sure the hell is. My biggest issue is that they left us hanging. I'm sure we all understand that prisoners don't usually have long lasting relationships. They come and go, but when your made to fall in love with some of these guys you have the right to expect some kind of finale. Even a brief synopsis on each of them at the end would have been sufficient. Other than that Prison Playbook is utterly enjoyable. You'll love it unless you're some giant emo melo fan that can't deal with laughter, men being men without women, and a few tears every now and again.
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