Hyde, Jekyll, Me 하이드 지킬, 나 - Review

 

Title: Hyde, Jekyll, Me 하이드 지킬, 나

Genre: Psychological, Romantic Comedy

Release: 2015

Starring (Main Cast): 

Hyun Bin as Goo Seo Jin/Robin

Han Ji Min as Jang Ha Na

Sung Joon as Yoon Tae Joo

Lee Hye Ri as Min Woo Jung

Director: Jo Young Kwang, Park Shin Woo

Writer: Kim Ji Woon

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

Audience Rating: 4.6/5

MyDramaList Rating: 7.4/10

Rakuten Viki: 9.4/10

MyDramaList Synopsis: Click Here

Watch with VIKIPASS Plus on Rakuten VIKI: Hyde, Jekyll, Me 

Episodes: 20 Episodes (abt. 1 hr each)

Content Rating: PG-13

Violence/blood: Use of physical force, fighting, kidnapping

Sexual Content: Hugging, kissing

Language: Moderate - there is some swearing in this

Ending: Happy, Satisfying

My Synopsis

Goo Seo Jin is the only son and heir to the head of a huge business cooperation. An operation that includes the running of the theme park Wonder Land, the location of a traumatic event in his past. An event that resulted in Seo Jin's development of dissociative identity disorder; and the birth of his alter ego, Robin. Having been successful in managing his illness the past five years the reappearance of a girl from his past triggers a relapse. When that girl falls in love with his alternate personality it puts Seo Jin in a difficult spot. Can he get rid of Robin and save himself, or must he find a way for his two personalities to co-exist, and not destroy each other in the process.

Trailer

My Review: 8.5/10

Though this drama did have its flaws and a middle that was dragged out a bit too long, I really overall enjoyed it. I think if they could have condensed the middle a bit and maybe not stretched the catching of the criminal as far as they did it would have been better. However, I won't go into all that and spoil it, so I will leave that there. Just know that if you get in the middle and find yourself getting frustrated by it, try to hang on, it does pick up again.

The story is really a fascinating one to me. Two personalities co-existing in one body. This being a very real illness, has my medical side very intrigued. The mind is crazy thing. In Seo Jin's case, we have a little bit of a difference from the norm. The real Seo Jin is the cold version, and his alter ego is his kind and caring version. Usually it will be the opposite, but in this case, Seo Jin, who is suppressing feelings and emotions, developed Robin, who was free to have all the emotions and feelings and was the brave, hero that deep down Seo Jin wanted to be. As we unpack the story behind Robin, and dig into the cold-hearted façade of Seo Jin, we find a much deeper person. I found it difficult to not love them both.

As I said, it does have its flaws, but if you can look past them I think you will find a beautiful story of growth and healing.

Main Characters

Goo Seo Jin/Robin

Hyun Bin played our handsome duo personalities. I thought he did an amazing job with them. Truthfully, he did such a great job playing them both that it was easy to see who he was just by the way he stood and even in the natural expression on his face. Each had different habits, etc. He played a wide range of emotions and I felt he pulled each off excellently. This, of course, is not the first time seeing him act as directly before this I watched him in Crash Landing on You which made it into my top favorite dramas. After watching that, I decided to watch this one since it was already near the top of my "to watch" list. And I am glad I did.

The character of Goo Seo Jin has the biggest change throughout the drama. We start off with the cold side of him. He isn't very likeable and a huge contrast to the flip side of him who is Robin. At the start of the story we find him successfully managing his DID with his emotions safely behind a solid wall of ice. He sacrifices others for himself, and steps on who he wants without allowing himself to feel anything. His coldness is his safety net from ever having to feel anything for anyone or anything.

However, breaking through that coldness is the personality of Robin. Robin's nature is to save and protect. He is loved by those he meets, and fits in naturally with other people. He is the person that Seo Jin can't allow himself to be. It was easy at first to love Robin and wish away Seo Jin, but as the story moves, we see changes in both sides that will have you a bit torn between the two. 

Jang Ha Na

Han Ji Min plays the pretty love interest of both of our main personalities. This is also not my first time seeing this actress and she is the main reason I had this on my "to watch" as I had really enjoyed seeing her in both Familiar Wife and the short film Two Lights: Relumino. I found her to be a very good actress and I enjoyed her in both. In this drama, she also had a wide range of emotions to portray and, as before, I found her very believable and enjoyable to watch.

Jang Ha Na, having returned from abroad, takes over her late father's role of running the circus portion of Wonder Land. However, it brings her directly into conflict with Goo Seo Jin who is determined to rid the park of it for financial reasons. In her fight to save "the heart of Wonder Land" she ends up the only witness to a kidnapping that almost gets her killed. It also ends up being the situation that ends Goo Seo Jin's five-year remission from his DID, and starts a kaleidoscope of events that will push our characters to the limits. Will Jang Ha Na's naturally caring personality be a healing balm to Goo Seo Jin, or will she be what keeps him torn a part? 

Yoon Tae Joo

Sung Joon played the character of Yoon Tae Joo. He is a new face to me. But, I felt he did an amazing job with the wide range of emotions he had to portray here. I see that I have one more of his works on my list to watch and I will definitely look forward to seeing how he portrays another character. My first impression, however, is good and I have high expectations for anything else involving him.

The character of Yoon Tae Joo is a specialist in hypnotics. He ends up involved in the case of the kidnapped doctor by association and as the one that works to free Ha Na's memories of the event. However, there is much more to this character than first meets the eye. There will be a lot to learn about him, which is unpacked as the drama progresses and so I will end my evaluation of his character here. 

Min Woo Jung

Lee Hye Ri played the dramatic Min Woo Jung. I first had seen her in the drama Two Cops, and am thankful for some prior exposure to her acting as this drama did not give me a great impression of her. Probably mostly due to the writing of her character, but I possibly in part to her portrayal. Overall, I wasn't impressed here.

The character of Min Woo Jung, was a bit annoying to me. I didn't feel the character actually added to the plot at all. She added filler, but that was really it. Her father was Robin's agent and because of that she had developed a crush on him prior to his disappearance five years prior. When we meet her in the present (before she knows of Robin's return) we see her still thoroughly obsessed and running his fan club. She continues this teenage obsession throughout the drama, complete with the pouty whiny personality that goes along with the fact that she isn't his main girl. She was definitely a character the drama could have done without.

Robin & Jang Ha Na

Robin has a habit of saving Ha Na's life. Who wouldn't fall in love with a guy like that? Whenever she is in danger the cold-hearted Seo Jin finds his heart stirred and the fearful emotion brings out his alter ego. When Ha Na meets who she thinks is Seon Jin's twin she quickly falls in love with him. He is everything she dreams of. He is gentle and kind, protective and fun-loving. Robin, also realizing that Ha Na helps to bring him out, easily falls in love with her back and it really doesn't take that long for a relationship to develop.

The two have great chemistry in this. Robin and Ha Na fit so naturally, it is easy to root them on from the start. However, it isn't an easy relationship. As the creation of Seo Jin's mind, Robin is torn between his reality and his struggle to continue to exist. He doesn't want to lose himself or Ha Na. 

Goo Seo Jin & Jang Ha Na

Though I enjoyed the love story of Robin and Ha Na, this one was the more satisfying relationship to me. Seo Jin starts out very cold to Ha Na. In fact he spends the early portions of the story trying to get rid of her. But, her nature being a lot like Robin's she finds her self still trying to take care of him. Seo Jin's heart is already stirred by Ha Na, though he tries to ignore it, but as she comforts him through his moments of PTSD, we see him beginning to cling to her and even start to grow protective back.

The first moment he chooses to save her life over his was a huge moment in the growth of Seo Jin, and the moment that my heart took a huge turn. It was almost as if the two personalities had merged and it felt as if he was the best of both of them. It was then that I truly wanted the real Seo Jin to win. To heal, to find his Robin within and be the man we know he truly wanted to be. Because the same man played them both, it seems strange to stay this, but the chemistry between Seo Jin and Ha Na seemed even stronger at times than Robin and Ha Na. A testament to their acting skills?

Support Characters

Kwon Yeong Chan

Out of all the support characters, my favorite was Kwon Yeong Chan, played by Lee Seung Jun. He was the personal assistant to Seo Jin, and was close with both of his personalities. This is actually not the first time I have seen this actor. He played a significant support role in Descendants of the Sun as well as some other support roles in The Tale of Nokdu and He is Psychometric. I always enjoy his acting whenever I see him so I was excited that he was the one to play this role. He really is a strength to both of the personalities and I felt the drama could not do without him. He is an amazing actor and definitely my favorite support character in the drama.

Conclusion

Regardless of some of the flaws in this drama, and the dragged out middle, I really felt this a worthwhile watch. It was entertaining and thought provoking, and I really did love the characters a lot. Would I recommend? Definitely. If you enjoy psychological dramas, romance, and a little comedy thrown in the mix, this is a perfect one for you! 

OST

The OST for this drama wasn't supper impressive to me. But, of them all I think this one below was my favorite.

Embrace by Yoon Hyun Sang

안녕! - 줄스