“I Hear Your Voice” series review

Park Soo Ha and Jang Hye Sung first crossed paths during a murder and the trial that followed.  10 years later, they reunite just as the man who murdered Soo Ha’s father is released from prison.

The rain and shadows will hide our inappropriate love.

Junggugeo Kaenada 중국어 캐나다: ★★★★
Only 만: ★★★.5

Telepathic teenager, Park Soo Ha (Lee Jong Suk) takes on a protector role for apathetic public defender, Jang Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young) just as the man who murdered Soo Ha’s father is released from prison. The murderer is out for revenge against Hye Sung, whose testimony put him in jail. Little does Hye Sung know that the teenager who has inserted himself into her life is the little boy she helped 10 years earlier. An inappropriate romance blooms in the midst of never ending court scenes.

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Junggugeo Kaenada 중국어 캐나다: What I remember the most about this series are the mind blowing kissing scenes, and the chemistry between the main couple. So, my comments about this series recap may not be logical.

Only 만: My memories involve those elements mixed with overly long and painful courtroom scenes, so my comments will be a little harsher.

중국어 캐나다: Let’s start with the premise. On paper, I thought it would be sappy and ridiculous.

만: But, the two lead characters saved it. The characters were pretty fully fleshed out.

중국어 캐나다: The chemistry between the leads is undeniable even given the inappropriateness of their relationship.  Her blunt, anti-social attitude versus his sensitive and dedicated protector role was a perfect recipe for a dreamy noona romance.  You’re less enamoured with the series than I am.  Why do you think it works?

만: I think it works because it rode the line between cartoony (à la “Flower Boy Ramen Shop”) and melodramatic without falling into either trap. They kept it lighthearted, but somehow you became invested in the characters. There wasn’t a lot of crying, which I appreciated.  That said, Lee Bo Young was really the one who carried this drama ahead.  The character was great; an anti-social jerk at times, but Lee Bo Young definitely made her a real person.

중국어 캐나다: I liked that she was not made to be likable, at least, not initially. Park Soo Ha’s as disappointed with her as the audience is, but he sticks by her anyway.

만: I also like that the story didn’t turn her into a nice person by the end, or leave her with nothing to do.

중국어 캐나다: Of course, there is a love triangle. Do you think Lawyer Cha Gwan Woo (Yoon Sang Hyun) could have been made more of a romantic threat?  We have commented before on how he inexplicably became dorky when he quit the police force to become a lawyer.

만: And then, he had the most sudden makeover I’ve ever seen in a drama. He took off his glasses, messed up his hair, and voila! A flower boy.

중국어 캐나다: What we have yet to discuss are the court scenes, and there are a lot of court scenes. I pretty much zoned out during those moments.

만: I got angry at them initially, because they were so patently ridiculous and slow, and this was not helped by the series extension, which was spent in courtroom scenes for a secondary story. Eventually, I just fast forwarded.

중국어 캐나다: Yes, the court scenes were the weakest part of the series, but I suppose they were necessary to prevent the drama from becoming a pure romance. What surprised me was how ruthless the show was at times.  At the risk of spoiling it for readers, I can’t believe they actually killed off an important character! That doesn’t happen in comedic romance K-dramas. The victims might end up in a coma for a while, but they wake up later when everything is okay.

만: They’ve been watching “Game of Thrones”, obviously.

중국어 캐나다: The villain (Jung Woong In) was all crazy. I was not a fan of his acting, which I found lacked subtlety and did not inspire sympathy. As in, the situation that led him to murder was sympathetic, but his depiction of the character was not.

만: I thought he was appropriately scary, but he seemed pretty two-dimensional. By the time they revealed what his story was, I didn’t care.

중국어 캐나다: That’s why the final scenes involving him versus Soo Ha were a little painful. The overacting was such a disappointment after the fantastic, nuanced interactions between Soo Ha and Hye Sung.

만: The explanation for the villain’s murderous actions was pretty ridiculous. They could have left it at a loved one dying, rather than adding on two additional deaths, which were just there to inject some belated sympathy.

중국어 캐나다: The additional deaths actually made him less sympathetic, because his actions and incarceration had brought them about.

만: True. The fact that he blamed it on everyone else just made him worse. To go back to the courtroom scenes, I felt like they were there to fill a quota, rather than have any narrative function. It really seemed like wasted time. Let’s be honest, basically everything in this drama that took away from the main narrative was pointless.

중국어 캐나다: Let’s talk about that first kiss between Soo Ha and Hye Sung! I actually exclaimed, “Oh my!” when they kissed, because I’ve been let down with a shitty hug so many times. This is why I love noona romances.

만: More kissing, but you still get the dewy skin of the younger actors?

중국어 캐나다: You know, I was disappointed at how chaste the series ended. I guess the K-drama had to draw the line somewhere. Hye Sung and Soo Ha were like roommates by the end.

만: I agree with that. I expected at least another spectacular kiss scene. If not for the voice over, you could easily assume that they had become roommates.

중국어 캐나다: Well, they had that final kiss outside her apartment that involved a little more lip action. But, I actually preferred the two earlier kissing scenes. They were less about technique, and more about the emotion.

만: At least she looked like an active participant in that one.

중국어 캐나다: Look, she was never like Park Shin Hye. Her lips were pursed.

만: True. But, it still looked like he had to catch her off-guard to kiss her.

중국어 캐나다: Were you a fan of the amnesia plot device? Did you enjoy it in this series?

만: It produced a couple of cute moments, but overall, no. I’m not a fan of amnesia or time skipping, or going away for some reason and coming back or any of the usual pointless plot devices that read like filler. That was my main issue with the series. The writing was all over the place, to the point where anything that wasn’t part of the main storyline seemed like filler, and even a lot of the main storyline felt like delay tactics.

중국어 캐나다: Yes, the writing was all over the place, just like this series review. Best and worst things about “I Hear Your Voice”?

만: It was really the two leads who carried the show for me. Basically, everything that took away from the main narrative was pointless.

중국어 캐나다: I agree. And, Lee Jong Suk has the dewiest skin of all.

만: It’s true. He’s the dewiest.