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[Funcurve Review] "Hello Monster"

Unforgettable Misfits

"Hello Monster" is an interesting mystery thriller with a captivating story told almost to perfection with great dialogue and an even better cast. This story is particularly good because it isn't built solely on the romance between our lead characters. Instead, it uses them as devices to help answer the many questions raised by the main premise of the drama - mysterious murders and how those murder cases are all connected.

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Two things I particularly enjoy in this drama are the frequent references to quotes or stories, and the games of verbal chess played between our main characters. It is as chilling as it is gripping. There's also a constant dose of humor in the mix of serious events. A big contributor of which, are the dialogues between our characters, especially the hero and heroine. They're witty, engaging banters that always take the least expected of turns.

A captivating story told with great dialogue and an even better cast.

But what makes the drama memorable are its diverse yet capable cast and its ability to build suspense. Every actor brings his A game and augments the story in leaps and bounds. From Choi Won-young's calm, unnerving stare, to Do Kyung-soo's piercing gaze, to Park Bo-gum's creepy stare-smile combo, every actor illustrates his character in a way that makes it hard to ignore and forget.

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"Hello Monster" successfully creates immense tension with many questions I'm eager to find answers to. Will our hero find his long-lost brother? Who is the murderer? Will the murderer get away with their actions? The drama does a good job of teasing my appetite and keeps me guessing to the very end what's going to happen to our main characters.

Episode 1– 3 Review

The drama does a good job of introducing its main characters. Within minutes of the first episode, we meet the police investigation team consisting of our heroes. The team already looks quite promising with the tough as nails female cop Cha Ji-an (Jang Nara), and genius profiler Lee Hyeon (Seo In-guk), who recently returned to Korea to seek his lost childhood memories and his missing brother. We're given a glimpse into Lee Hyeon's past and an idea of what he's searching for in the present.

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From the first few episodes of "Hello Monster", it's already evident that our lead cast is going to crush their roles. Seo In-guk as the cold, robotic, logical, and smart-mouthed Lee Hyeon is a testament to his tremendous skill and range as an actor. There is a scene in the third episode where he literally transforms from a smiling, bumbling klutz to a raging killing machine in a matter of minutes. It is simply amazing to watch an actor portray such an array of intense emotions in that short amount of time. The same can be said for Jang Nara, who immediately makes a strong impression as no-nonsense, femme-fatale Ji-an. She's a strong woman unafraid to get involved in any dangerous situation, even if she ends up getting hurt in the process.

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What also impressed me is that the introductions are done so smoothly that I barely noticed the addition of both permanent and temporary cast members. And thanks to the excellent deliveries from our awesome cast, the tone of the drama is light enough for me to enjoy the comedic parts, but serious enough for me to realize nothing in the story should be taken for granted. I can sense that the mystery is already brooding and am keen to find out more.

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Funcurve is a new kind of reviews site. Their reviews help readers visualize the ups and downs of a drama from start to finish with an impression graph. Read more Korean drama reviews at funcurve.com.

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