I Remember You

I Remember You, otherwise known as Hello Monster, came out last year and effortlessly climbed it's way onto my list of favourite shows - probably coming second to I Can Hear Your Voice.  Or first. I drift back and forth nowadays. Although it recieved lackluster ratings, it was a perfectly sharp and thrilling watch.

NOTE: There are some spoilers. I tried my best not to spoil anything important, but it's so damn hard! If you don't want any clues towards the bigger mysteries of the show, I suggest you watch the series first and then come back.

The show experiments with a theory - are monsters born, or made? If you're raised by a murderer, will that make you one? Criminal profiler Lee Hyeon has lived most of his life with holes in his memories - but the past is becoming clearer, and someone is reaching out for him to remember. With the help of Cha Ji-an, a detective with a connection to him, Hyeon tries to find Lee Joon-young, the serial killer who ruined his life.

A thing to note quickly is that, despite the show being promoted as a romance story, the romance is not the primary focus of I Remember You. Hyeon and Ji-an shared a sweet, supportive relationship, but it never overshadowed Hyeon's desire for answers. I believe the show was named I Remember You, not because of Ji-an's past with Hyun; but because whilst Hyeon lost many of his memories, Min's remained intact and he was remembering, missing, and longing for Hyeon in all the years they were apart. The show never lost it's focus.

  Romance overtaking the story was a glaring problem in Oh My Ghostess - the mystery of the main character's death was sidelined until the last few episodes because she was far more concerned with kisses. I'm all for romance, but I'm glad it wasn't the primary source of conflict here.

  Aside from the ambiguity of Hyeon's exact condition, the writing was solid. Not only was the main mystery gripping, the individuals arcs were interesting, since the show struck a balance between the haunting minds of the criminals, and the heart-racing action it took to bring them in.

  I have nothing but praise for the actors. I adore Seo In-guk (but that's hardly a secret), and he showed versatility here after bubblier roles in Love Rain and High School King of Savvy. I'm also very familiar with Jang Nara, and feel like some of her other roles didn't really give her a chance to shine. Cha Ji-an was a tough but relatable character, the kind of heroine that can think and take care of herself. I always appreciate a heroine like that. But I feel like all the credit here should go to Park Bo-gum, as Jung Seon-ho, a reserved but two-faced lawyer who isn't all that he seems. He gave a breathtaking performance, showing off a stunningly wide range of expressions, which was enough to convince me to follow all his future projects.

  A little thing I absolutely adored about the show was the attention to detail in the direction - the show was very visually interesting, but my favourite touch was how flashbacks were actually changed to the perspective of the person remembering. It was clever and unique of the director to do so. It's clear that they wanted to explore how far they could play with the drama's central theme - memories, and how subjective they can be. 

In conclusion, I Remember You is deep and chilling. It offers a lot of insight into what might make someone a murderer, which I found intriguing. I like how most of the characters - Lee Joon-young, especially - were never portrayed as completely black or white. It was often twisted morals that led to destruction. A scary thought, but if Lee Joon-young had never felt compelled to 'save' Hyeon, he and Min would never have suffered the way they did. It makes me wonder if monsters truly exist, or if it's just your perspective.