Pinocchio

With While You Were Sleeping on the horizon, I'm looking back over everything the writer Park Hye-ryun has under her name. So here's a review of Pinocchio. Fun fact, I would never have found my favourite drama of all time I Hear Your Voice if I hadn't seen a few episodes of Pinocchio and wondered what else Lee Jong-suk is in! Not fun? Okay.

Pinocchio is the coming-of-age story about Ki Ha-myung, a boy whose life was destroyed by reporters, who later became a reporter himself.

  After his firefighter father was killed in an explosion (which we know, but the body wasn't found), the media manipulated the story so the victimised and the general public would exile and vent their anger on Ha-myung's family. Sadly, this ended with his brother leaving and his mother attempting to commit duel suicide with Ha-myung. His mother died, but Ha-myung was rescued by a mentally-unstable old man who mistook him for his eldest son, who'd died at sea many fews ago, and so Ha-myung decided to be his son until the man was better. The man's younger son and granddaughter were obviously not happy about this, but had no choice but to accept it. Whilst Ha-myung and his 'niece' Choi In-ha became friends soon after meeting, the realision that In-ha's mother was the reporter who made Ha-myung's family villains sent them back to square-one. However, in high school the relaionship between them improved, after an incident which put Ha-myung on live TV. It was then the In-ha decided to become a reporter. Oh, I didn't mention... In-ha can't lie. She has Pinocchio Sydrome, a (fictional) infliction that means she hiccups when she lies. In a world when the news we hear about is often not accurate, will In-ha be able to fulfill her dream? To support her, Ha-myung decides to become a reporter too. 

Since this was written after I Hear Your Voice, there are many similarities between the two shows, not mentioning the hilarious cameos. The fantasy elements and cohabition and characters who aren't afraid to seek justice are just a few. I loved the insight into the lives of reporters, and the clarification that they aren't always the cockroaches we think they are. There are some who legitimately want to share the truth with the world, and some who feel compelled to. 

  The show used Ha-myung and In-ha's relationship as the foundation the show was built on, which was nice. I find the dramas with constant relationship angst and little other plot to speak of (ahem, Love Rain) very forgettable. 

  I love both Lee Jong-suk and Park Shin-hye. I've never really seen Lee Jong-suk go wrong, but apparently that's because I've never watched Doctor Stranger. The only problem I had with his role in Pinocchio was that, despite Ha-myung and I Hear Your Voice's Soo-ha being fairly different, there were many traits (like a face) they shared and so they blurred into eachother sometimes. But ignore me, Lee Jong-suk was epic. 

  I think Pinocchio shows how much Park Shin-hye has improved. Although In-ha and her problems were never quite as important and gratifying as Ha-myung's hero story, she frequently had moments of complete awesomeness and her character resonated with me greatly. What makes me laugh is that Park Shin-hye cried so much in Pinocchio that she earned herself the title 'Queen of Tears'. 

  The supporting actors were a problem. There are many little gems amongst the cast, but I'm not talking about Lee Yu-bi and Kim Young-kwang when I say that. This is all I've seen of Lee Yu-bi. I frankly hated her character, but I still think she was wasted. She didn't contribute to the plot whatsoever, the girl was just used for comedic relief. And Kim Young-kwang always feels bland to me, regardless of his role.
  I'm trying not to spoil things too massively here, so bear with me for this last paragraph. The moral of the story was actually really similar to the one in I Hear Your Voice: You're only the victim until you get revenge, after that you become the assailant. The character I'm talking about here, and his interactions with Ha-myung, were some of the highlights of the show for me - but don't watch Pinocchio for me, watch it for Yoon Kyun-sang. If you watch, you'll understand.

If you want a show with some substance, watch Pinocchio. It hits all of my sweet spots. I would also recommend some of Park Hye-ryun's other credits for the same reasons; I Hear Your Voice and Page Turner, specifically.