"Chicago Typewriter" review: a Korean drama about a two-part romance!

It is time for us to present you as every month, our first K-Drama of May. And above all, the one that particularly caught our attention. The lucky winner is none other than Chicago Typewriter from our partner Dramapassion.

The plot projects us into the lives of several protagonists and especially their common past of the thirties!

Chicago Typewriter

Original title: 시카고 타자기 – Sikago Tajagi

Genre: comedy – romance – fantasy

Country: South Korea

Episodes : 16

Channel: tvN

Broadcasting platform: Dramapassion

Release period: April 7 to June 3, 2017

Director: KIM Cheol-Kyu (Mother)

Scriptwriter: JIN so-wan (Kill Me, Heal Me)

Synopsis

Han Se-Ju is a young writer with global success. One day, he finds himself the owner of a mysterious typewriter, sent for him from Chicago. Strange visions then begin to haunt him, which does not facilitate his life already tested by the madness of some of his fans and the imminent threat of burn-out. One of his long-time admirers, Jeon Seol, will soon find herself involved in the tribulations of her idol, but also in these famous visions… Or are they memories of a past life?

Catapulted to the heart of their history and history with a capital "H", our heroes will have to oscillate between a present punctuated by disillusionment and a past under the sign of the Japanese occupation of the 1930s.

It's up to them to write history. Literally.

Source: dramapassion

Main cast

This review contains important elements from K-Drama and may therefore contain spoilers. To be read at your own risk.

Between two shores

The story of this drama begins in our time with first of all, Han Se-Ju and his daily life as a successful writer. This man who has everything in life or almost, is very imbued with himself. At first at least, you'll have a hard time getting attached to the character. The arrival of Jeon Seol has therefore come, allowing us to discover another facet of Se-Ju that becomes endearing. We quickly understand that an invisible bond unites this couple to something much bigger. His two characters find themselves linked by a destiny they did not know and yet, they were destined to meet.

On the other hand, Jeon Seol is his first fan and the delivery of the famous typewriter; which will bring back their memories of a forgotten past. In this machine sent from Chicago (USA) by a restorer who can no longer take mysterious supernatural apparitions; is Yoo Jin-Oh a man from the thirties. On this intriguing departure, Chicago Typewriter takes us in its wake, with a trio of complementary and touching actors. It will take you, however, some time before you can fully appreciate this scenario that navigates between past and present life.

Winning trio

Chicago Typewriter is a series that gives pride of place to its characters, exploiting and developing them with accuracy. So let's come back to the heroes who have marked us the most and made us deserve to be interested. To begin, let's give the floor to YOO Ah-In (Han Se-Ju ) an actor whose career continues to progress and whose acting we enjoy. Through this writer we learn a lot about this profession (as in It's Ok, That's love) but also about human relationships.

Then we have LIM so-Jung (Jeon Seol) her character is the one who connects all the others since the young woman has had many strange things in her life. She also has memories of her past life that prevent her from doing certain things (shooting a gun). In contact with Se-Ju and later Jin-Oh everything will become clear. Finally, the actor KO Gyung-Pyo (Yoo Jin-Oh ) was a real crush for us since he still spent eighty years in a typewriter waiting for his friends… His story is really touching by the way, the big plus of the plot is precisely the scenes where our band returns to the meanders of the past.

However, we must also briefly address the secondary roles in particular, KWAK Si-Yang (Baek Tae-Min) a very complex character who gradually turns out, not to be as perfect, as it seems. He could easily be described as a troublemaker with no remorse, given what he has done in the past and in this case. YANG Jin-Sung (Ma Bang-Jin ) and his mother are two women who take care of Jeon Seol and we really had this feeling of warmth and family between them.

History repeats itself

The drama has a rather slow pace in the first few episodes so, you will need patience to really appreciate it and get into it. The scenario itself is divided into two distinct stories, that of the very classic present: the heroine falls in love with her idol who also ends up loving her. And the second, much more interesting revealing a part of the history of Korea by telling it to us through a group of independentists during the Japanese colonization. In this sense, history lovers will appreciate this part whose realization, the scenery and the plot itself captivate us.

What disappoints is in the modern world where in the end it's all about jealousy and envy for Baek Tae-Min and his family. So, that the character could have gained depth and credibility if deeper, especially his relationship with Se-Ju. However, the choice to incorporate his two stories arouses the interest of the viewer, who wishes to discover the past of the protagonists and if they will make choices identical to their other "selves". On this side, it is an observation made previously, the heroes of the past are endearing and combative while, in the present it is difficult to identify and appreciate them … Overall, it is a very good series that we liked to follow and that will appeal to a wide audience whether for its romance, its story or its characters!

Chicago Typewriter is a K-Drama that is worth seeing for its two complementary plots, which project you through two different eras. Romance is beautiful but, does not take up all the space allowing us to also follow other issues and in particular reincarnation!

Trailer de Chicago Typewriter

https://youtu.be/-JbL4VxYS6Y