Are You Human, Too? (2018)

Quick Take: Are You Human, Too? (2018), starring Sao Kang-joon and  Gong Seung-yeon.  9.2/10.  36 episodes 35 min. each.

Synopsis:   An AI engineer loses custody of her young son Nam Shin, and creates a robot version of him to comfort herself.   A murder attempt puts her human son into a coma, so she sends the robot Nam Shin 3 to take his place until he recovers.  Nam Shin 3 is nicer and more ethical than any of the people around him, including the human Nam Shin, who is a jerk.   Kang So-bong, his bodyguard, falls in love with Nam Shin 3 — yes, knowing that he’s a robot — and supports him as he becomes increasingly independent.   Themes include good vs. evil, the meaning of free will, and  the vile nature of human beings in general.

Review: The plot is intriguing, but the best thing about this drama is Sao Kang-joon.  He plays the sweet but naive Nam Shin 3 as well as the malicious human Nam Shin.  Gong Seung-yeon, the female lead, has had an active career but her performance in this role is underwhelming.

A robot with superpowers is a magical creature, even when the source of the magic is technology rather than pixie dust.  But wait!  Nam Shim 3 has an Achilles heel, a fatal flaw in the form of a “kill switch.”   Can he survive?   Uncertain to the end.

Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 8,  Acting/Casting - 9,  Production - 10,  Bonus - 5.  Bonus points for plot twists.

Notes:

Sao Kang-joon

studied piano from the age of 8. His breakthrough role was playing a talented pianist in the college romance Cheese in the Trap (2016). He also had lead roles in Entourage (2016), When the Weather is Fine (2020), and Grid (2022). At the end of 2021 he enlisted for his mandatory military service.