First Look: Please Come Back Mister

A story about second chances, Please Come Back Mister allows two people with unfinished business to return to present life.

A middle-aged family man Kim Young Soo (Kim In Kwon) and a former gangster turned chef Han Gi Tak (Kim Soo Ro) both find themselves in the afterlife. The journey takes them from gathering document stamps for heaven or hell to the train express bound for their final destination.

heaven bound train express, Please Come Back Mister

Episode 1 is devoted to showing events leading to Kim Young Soo and Han Gi Tak's death. Although the episode narrates two days of the protagonists' past life, it only takes one scene to paint Kim Young Soo as an extremely hardworking assistant manager of Sunjin Department Store, loving father to Kim Han-Na and lucky husband of beautiful Shin Da-Hye (given that he is only an average looking middle-aged man).

Similarly, only a scene is needed to convey Han Gi Tak's character - tough boss with a big heart. He considers subordinates as brothers and he has a soft spot for first love Song Yi-Yeon. These two characters may have nothing in common except for dying on the same day, but they are also determined to protect their loved ones, setting them on a journey back to present life.

afterlife colleagues, Please Come Back Mister

With rules and consequences unknown to them, they signed the contract that would take them back to earth. Succeeding episodes show Kim Young Soo in a new body (Rain) and Han Gi Tak surprisingly in a woman's body (Oh Yeon Seo). Funny scenes await these two characters but they are also compelled to finish their business on earth in two months.                                                      

First impressions: Although the theme is quite common, the series commands attention by painting a vivid picture of the afterlife. It is a good wake up call, seeing how a devoted assistant manager like Kim Young Soo can end up with a ticket to hell while former gangster Han Gi Tak passed for heaven. Like Kim Young Soo, many lose sight of their real purpose in life, prioritizing work and neglecting family. On the other hand, Han Gi Tak had a good balance of work and personal life, thereby earning a place in heaven.

The protagonists are not your typical leading men with the usual romantic comedy stories. Rather, Kim Young Soo represents the average salary man working to support his family while Han Gi Tak is a feared but well-loved. Nonetheless, the first few minutes of the series does not fail in getting votes for these characters.

Kim Young Soo may have mixed up priorities, but his diligence, sincerity and humility are worth admiring that it is simply easy to root for his character. Han Gi Tak's courage is also striking as he is willing to protect his first love Song Yi-Yeon. These two contradictory characters have numerous things to learn from each other and perhaps it is one of the reasons their paths have crossed.

As Kim Young Soo and Han Gi Tak are given new identities, the series adds more laughter and action to the mix. With the appearance of main characters Rain and Oh Yeon Seo, it is impossible not to get admiring looks from followers.

Although looks can be deceiving, these two characters stay true to themselves and I look forward to see these good looking 'undercovers' in action.

You can rate now rate this drama in our 2016 k-drama recommendations.

New identities, Please Come Back Mister

First Look: Shine or Go Crazy

Anyone who has seen their fair share of Korean historical dramas would know that these dramas usually revolve around a cursed prince or princess or twins who will be cast away to live in exile until their eventual return as an adult.

Shine or Go Crazy is one such k-drama where Prince Wang So (Jang Hyuk) is born during the night when the Star of War was at its brightest. His birth precludes him from having the privileged life that all royalties are accustomed to and for fear that he will bring forth more chaos and destruction to the palace, Wang So is sent to the mountains to fend for himself.

Years later, the King sends for Wang So reaching out for his help in making a great Goryeo empire that is free from the control of the nobles. The King has found a way to change Wang So's fate via an arranged marriage with a lady born of the North Star. Wang So adamantly refuses and his pain from being abandoned all those years come pouring out in a wave of resentment directed at his father. 

Their meeting is disrupted by a group of assassins and despite everything that has been said, Wang So readily comes to his father's defense. The King narrowly escapes with just a scratch, yet Wang So earns a slap from his mother, the Queen who wants him immediately out of her sight. Determined to track down the perpetrators, Wang So leaves peacefully. 

Wang So and the King's faithful guard follow the group of assassins all the way to China where through an unexpected chain of events, Wang So finds himself in a contract marriage with Shin Yool, a Korean merchant living in China who was desperate to fake a marriage in order to escape an aging general's marriage proposal.

First Impressions: I'm beginning to understand the dynamics within the royal family. The benevolent father king is actually good despite having sent his son away and the mother queen is irrationally misguided for pushing all the blame towards her younger son Wang So.

I almost gave up watching halfway through the episode. The fight scenes were subpar and the plot a repeat of every other period drama out there and don't get me started on Oh Yeon Seo's atrocious wig. As for the acting, I notice historical dramas tend to be different in the sense that it requires actors to over-enunciate their lines but Jang Hyuk was emoting on a whole other level that was way too exaggerated for my taste, which is weird given that I absolutely loved him in Volcano High and many other dramas.

Nevertheless, I powered through and I'm so glad I did. The latter half of the episode was devoid of drama and it showed me what this k-drama can be, which I think is better off focusing on the romance between Shin Yool and Wang So. Their meeting was quick - he was put in a bag and voila, their married. 

Oh Yeon Seo's character as Shin Yool is quick-witted, capable and looks like she's pretty lucky herself, which is just the perfect balance needed to pair up with Wang So's unlucky streak and his uncouth, foul-tempered ways. And Wang So's infectious laughter, it bothered me so much but now it's beginning to grow on me.

For synopsis, cast and other info, see 2013-2015 k-drama recommendations.