Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Quick Take: Chicago Typewriter, starring Yoo Ah-in, Im Soo-jung, and Go Kyung-pyo.  9.5/10.  Sixteen 70-minute episodes.

Synopsis:   In contemporary Seoul, a surly writer blows off his “first fan,” Jeon Seol, a delivery girl who used to work at a Subway where he would sit and write 10 years before.  He is suffering from writer’s block, and she is looking for a career.  In high school Jeon Seol was an Olympic-potential sharpshooter, but holding a gun made her so anxious she had to give it up. Then she went to vet school, but her first job was euthanizing cows exposed to mad cow disease, which was emotionally devastating.  Now she has started up a delivery service, which is what brings her to Han Se-ju’s door with a magical typewriter.

Han Se-ju’s agent has him under contract to serialize a novel, one chapter a week, but Se-ju is suffering from writer’s block and can’t write a word.   Nevertheless, chapters appear.  Finally the ghostwriter appears, who is an actual ghost.   He has been blocked from reincarnation by the unfinished novel that he wants Se-ju to complete.

Review:   The three of them — Se-ju, his former best friend now a ghost, and the girl they both loved — were resistance fighters in the 1930’s during Japan’s occupation of Korea.   The central mystery is how they died, and how their past relationship affects their present lives.   An ongoing theme is whether people change from one life to the next, and whether they deserve forgiveness for transgressions in this life, as well as previous ones.  Spoiler alert:  Not always.

Although it presents as a romantic ghost story, Chicago Typewriter surprises with dark undertones and an unexpectedly powerful ending.  The limits of friendship. love, trust, and loyalty are questioned.

My only quarrel is with the casting of the female lead.  She doesn’t come across as fierce enough for the role of a resistance sniper.   Kim Tae-ri  (Go Aye-shin in Mr. Sunshine) shows how to get it done.  That said, this series includes perhaps the best of all K-drama kisses. You’ll know it when you see it.

Recommended.

Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 10,  Acting/Casting - 7, Production - 10,  Bonus - 8.    Lead actress unconvincing; bonus points for emotional impact.

Notes:

Yoo Ah-in

Yoo Ah-in is recognized as one of South Korea’s most powerful dramatic actors. He is best known for his leading roles in coming-of-age film Punch (2011); melodrama Secret Affair (2014); historical series Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) and Six Flying Dragons (2015); and zombie film #Alive (2020).

The Japanese Occupation of Korea, 1910-1945,

The events of Chicago Typewriter take place in two time periods, present day and 1930’s Occupied Korea. Some basic knowledge about this period is helpful to understanding the story. Other K-dramas that deal with this time period include Mr. Sunshine (2018) and Hymn of Death (2018).