Ghost review/meta 1
Because I don't wanna post this on tumblr~~~~ the journals needs love as well~~~
Ghost/Phantom (2012)
So considering recently I'm done with Master's Sun, I had wanted to watch some other of his drama... then again I'VE heard of this drama prior to that but just haven't started watching it then. Because the last time I heard about this drama was while I'm following Gu Family Book. Yeap... because I had been looking for other shows that Lee Yeon Hee had been in that I knew of this title. Well... to add to my near-end review post about the series...
I can't say any more how I love this series to the point I wished the production team would consider making a sequel or prequel for this series. It's that good. I mean... who wouldn't want to know more stories about the Cyber Team 1 after the event in Ghost to see what other challenges the team had in fighting cyber crime... or even to know how the original Cyber Team 1 had coped prior to the Hades case as well as after the Sekang scandal? If the scriptwriter is the same... I see no reason why the show wouldn't have continued to be followed.
Though this post was meant to be a review of the show... it probably end up being a meta/review of the series, characters as well as the cast. XD. So yeah.... there be plenty of spoilers. It might not be fully accurate since typing by memory but here goes~
Characters
Detective Kim Woo Hyun - He's the Team Leader of the Cyber Counterattack Team 1. Meticulous, organized and by-the-book, from the very beginning I loved him right away. He's an image of a good cop (in my head) and a good leader. He's also quite good with computers which is why he's part of the Cyber Team. At the beginning we're introduced to him as he presented a lecture to a class of new recruits to teach them about Cyber Crime and the importance of Cyber Security. From here as well... we can see that he's also a no-nonsense officer who's passionate about his job and paid no care about the pressures from higher authorities, as long as he could do his job.
Aside from the usual cyber crime cases that his team handle (which not always ended up successful since they needed to be quick to gather evidence before the criminal could erase all evidence) the team also faced an unending mission to track a notorious hacker named Hades who had been hacking into many government and private corporation's computer system. The team, as well as Woo Hyun faced constant pressures to capture Hades... which lead to them handling a case involving Shin Hyo Jung. At what seemed to be a simple defamation investigation turned suicide case, Kim Woo Hyun's life would completely change afterwards.
During the investigation, Woo Hyun inevitably found out that the identity of Hades was actually his best friend, Park Ki Young. Struggling over the fact the hacker he'd been tirelessly chasing was someone he knew and the possibility that a friend had commit a murder, Woo Hyun and Ki Young ended up caught in an accident that killed him. We were given impression that Kim Woo Hyun might not be quite a good police officer that we thought he was.
After his death, his friend assumed his identity and continued investigating the case to find the truth.
Park Ki Young/Hades - Using the name Hades, Ki Young had been hacking through various databases and revealing various secret documents to the general public. Because of that, he'd been pursued by the Cyber Team. As a cover, Ki Young founded an online newpaper company, True Story, and carrying around his identity as an online reporter. During the Shin Hyo Jeong case, he'd been contacted by a person who knew his hacker identity and told to recover a file from her computer, which lead to him witnessing the idol's murder. Framed as a killer, he tried to pursue the real culprit as well as proving his innocence. At which point he ended up seeing a video that also revealed his friend as an accomplice.
Wanting to find out the truth, both of them met at an abandoned factory as Woo Hyun appeared to try silence him. But it turned out that they weren't alone as someone tried to set the place on fire to kill them. During the first explosion, both of them had been thrown out but Woo Hyun ended up being pinned underneath a pillar, preventing him from escaping as the subsequent explosion killed him. Mistaken as Woo Hyun, Ki Young managed to survive and after a year recuperating--returning to the force as Woo Hyun, vowing to get to the heart of the case and capture the true killer, using Woo Hyun's appearance to draw out the villain.
Officer Yoo Kang Mi - The second-in-command of the Cyber Team 1, she was known as the 'beauty' cop in the team. Due to some of the past cases where she made some mistakes while chasing after cyber criminal, she was often looked down on by the other officers of the NPA. Despite that, she was a competent aide by Detective Kim's side. Amongst all of the team members, she was the closest to Woo Hyun and know him best. It turned out prior to this, they have met when Kang Mi's friend commit suicide due to bullying and stress at school. Woo Hyun turned out to be the investigator during that case.
After noticing that Woo Hyun's ID tag was at his office, Kang Mi went to confirm the identity of the survivor of the explosion. Devastated to find out that Detective Kim was the one that died instead, she barely protected the badly wounded Ki Young and aided him in assuming Woo Hyun's identity. Together, they worked together to find the person who killed Shin Hyo Jung as well as Woo Hyun.
Detective Kwon Hyuk Joo - Known as the Mad Cow, he's a cop who distrusted people especially Woo Hyun who once marked him as a suspect during a Hades case. After the accident, he continued to investigate on Woo Hyun who he suspected to be Hades. While investigating a case involving the death of Nam Sang-won who was connected to Woo Hyun, he and Woo Hyun/Ki Young ended up working together to find the real criminal.
CEO Cho/Jo Hyeon Min - The true villain of the story, he's the director of the Sekang Securities with a thirst of revenge. He wanted to reclaim the company that was taken by his uncle, who using his vast influence framed his father for corruption which led to him killing himself. Through a hacker syndicate as well as Safe Tech company, he tried to exact his revenge on the people that causes his father's death. Because of that, he'd stop to nothing to achieve his means even if it meant killing anyone that tried to recover the truth. He's known as the Phantom only to Hades and himself.
Thoughts
I liked the dynamics between the officers as they tried to do their job. I feel for Yoo Kang Mi as she faced the hardship alongside Ki Young to try finding out the identity of the true killer, despite the possibility that it might also reveal a harsh truth about the person she respected and loved. I find her character strong... despite she still did some blunder when she overlooked a suspect during a case. Because it was a promise she made to Woo Hyun, as his last message to her was for her to be strong and be a great cop. And she did well, in supporting Ki Young and keeping the secret as they pursued the case. I liked the fact that she had grown stronger throughout the case and become a better cop than she was before. And it was sad when Ki Young revealed to her--after following the trail of Woo Hyun's past activities--that both of them had mutual feelings for each other. At which it was actually noticeable before as Woo Hyun defended/supported her whenever fellow officers/higher officers talked her down. Because of that, it was heart breaking... for them not being able to spend time together until after his death. By then, it was Ki Young who was by her side despite him looking like Woo Hyun. It's partially a cruel twist to her as the ghost of Woo Hyun remained by her side despite the fact it wasn't truly Woo Hyun. And her gradually get even closer to Ki Young as she fought with her feelings for Woo Hyun as well as Ki Young. Despite there was barely any romance between then, the conflict was still there.
Equally, it's also tough on Ki Young as he continued to pretend he was Woo Hyun while being with the person close to his best friend. It's like being a third wheel against himself. His back story with Woo Hyun would give you a lot of emotions as you see how close both of them had been to the point of inseparable. Ki Young even treated Woo Hyun's father as his own. I wish I could see more of their past. And I loved the fact that both of them used similar passwords for their computers and think alike. While Ki Young might've changed Woo Hyun's password prior to his questioning when Hyuk Joo tried to reveal his true identity, I'd like to believe that the truth had been that both of them think alike with regards to securing their computers. It was a relief to find out that Woo Hyun had been working undercover while being on Hyeon Min's side but I couldn't say that I haven't wavered slightly when it seemed to reveal that Woo Hyun might be lying. Trust issues... it's like with Director Jeon and Director Shin; though I've had my suspicions on Dir. Shin before that. Since it was fishy for the old guy to act so 'fatherly' to Woo Hyun. And Woo Hyun had warned Ki Young that there were sympathisers in the NPA. While he might have not suspected Kang Eun Jin before, he must have suspected Dir. Shin after Nam Sang Won's case.
The plot line was never dull... as twists and unexpected revelation made you become wary of everyone. Because people might hide a different persona inside, you can't afford to be reckless in trusting people in fear of falling into the criminal's trap. And Jo Hyeon Min is a cunning enemy who was hard to capture and pin the crime on him as he seemed to always be a step ahead. But no one can forever be able to remain un-caught as our team tried to overturn the situation and bring the criminal to justice. Especially for the sake of the people that ended up being killed.
The ending really hits me in the heart--not about how Hyeon Min finding out that he killed an important person while blind in revenge and killed himself--but having Ki Young listen to Woo Hyun's last words to Kang Mi finally. The words may be the same yet the message to Ki Young was different. It felt as if Woo Hyun's last message was also meant for Ki Young, to be a better cop than him and not end up like him (dead). In which Ki Young did, as he remained being Woo Hyun for the sake of Woo Hyun's son as well as his allies. I also loved how the last scene with Kang Mi doing the cyber lecture mirrored the same scene in ep 1 with Woo Hyun. I had lot of feels for this pair~~
Yeap, a great police drama. No doubt about that.
This entry was originally posted on Kaleidoscope World.
Ghost/Phantom (2012)
So considering recently I'm done with Master's Sun, I had wanted to watch some other of his drama... then again I'VE heard of this drama prior to that but just haven't started watching it then. Because the last time I heard about this drama was while I'm following Gu Family Book. Yeap... because I had been looking for other shows that Lee Yeon Hee had been in that I knew of this title. Well... to add to my near-end review post about the series...
I can't say any more how I love this series to the point I wished the production team would consider making a sequel or prequel for this series. It's that good. I mean... who wouldn't want to know more stories about the Cyber Team 1 after the event in Ghost to see what other challenges the team had in fighting cyber crime... or even to know how the original Cyber Team 1 had coped prior to the Hades case as well as after the Sekang scandal? If the scriptwriter is the same... I see no reason why the show wouldn't have continued to be followed.
Though this post was meant to be a review of the show... it probably end up being a meta/review of the series, characters as well as the cast. XD. So yeah.... there be plenty of spoilers. It might not be fully accurate since typing by memory but here goes~
Characters
Detective Kim Woo Hyun - He's the Team Leader of the Cyber Counterattack Team 1. Meticulous, organized and by-the-book, from the very beginning I loved him right away. He's an image of a good cop (in my head) and a good leader. He's also quite good with computers which is why he's part of the Cyber Team. At the beginning we're introduced to him as he presented a lecture to a class of new recruits to teach them about Cyber Crime and the importance of Cyber Security. From here as well... we can see that he's also a no-nonsense officer who's passionate about his job and paid no care about the pressures from higher authorities, as long as he could do his job.
Aside from the usual cyber crime cases that his team handle (which not always ended up successful since they needed to be quick to gather evidence before the criminal could erase all evidence) the team also faced an unending mission to track a notorious hacker named Hades who had been hacking into many government and private corporation's computer system. The team, as well as Woo Hyun faced constant pressures to capture Hades... which lead to them handling a case involving Shin Hyo Jung. At what seemed to be a simple defamation investigation turned suicide case, Kim Woo Hyun's life would completely change afterwards.
During the investigation, Woo Hyun inevitably found out that the identity of Hades was actually his best friend, Park Ki Young. Struggling over the fact the hacker he'd been tirelessly chasing was someone he knew and the possibility that a friend had commit a murder, Woo Hyun and Ki Young ended up caught in an accident that killed him. We were given impression that Kim Woo Hyun might not be quite a good police officer that we thought he was.
After his death, his friend assumed his identity and continued investigating the case to find the truth.
Park Ki Young/Hades - Using the name Hades, Ki Young had been hacking through various databases and revealing various secret documents to the general public. Because of that, he'd been pursued by the Cyber Team. As a cover, Ki Young founded an online newpaper company, True Story, and carrying around his identity as an online reporter. During the Shin Hyo Jeong case, he'd been contacted by a person who knew his hacker identity and told to recover a file from her computer, which lead to him witnessing the idol's murder. Framed as a killer, he tried to pursue the real culprit as well as proving his innocence. At which point he ended up seeing a video that also revealed his friend as an accomplice.
Wanting to find out the truth, both of them met at an abandoned factory as Woo Hyun appeared to try silence him. But it turned out that they weren't alone as someone tried to set the place on fire to kill them. During the first explosion, both of them had been thrown out but Woo Hyun ended up being pinned underneath a pillar, preventing him from escaping as the subsequent explosion killed him. Mistaken as Woo Hyun, Ki Young managed to survive and after a year recuperating--returning to the force as Woo Hyun, vowing to get to the heart of the case and capture the true killer, using Woo Hyun's appearance to draw out the villain.
Officer Yoo Kang Mi - The second-in-command of the Cyber Team 1, she was known as the 'beauty' cop in the team. Due to some of the past cases where she made some mistakes while chasing after cyber criminal, she was often looked down on by the other officers of the NPA. Despite that, she was a competent aide by Detective Kim's side. Amongst all of the team members, she was the closest to Woo Hyun and know him best. It turned out prior to this, they have met when Kang Mi's friend commit suicide due to bullying and stress at school. Woo Hyun turned out to be the investigator during that case.
After noticing that Woo Hyun's ID tag was at his office, Kang Mi went to confirm the identity of the survivor of the explosion. Devastated to find out that Detective Kim was the one that died instead, she barely protected the badly wounded Ki Young and aided him in assuming Woo Hyun's identity. Together, they worked together to find the person who killed Shin Hyo Jung as well as Woo Hyun.
Detective Kwon Hyuk Joo - Known as the Mad Cow, he's a cop who distrusted people especially Woo Hyun who once marked him as a suspect during a Hades case. After the accident, he continued to investigate on Woo Hyun who he suspected to be Hades. While investigating a case involving the death of Nam Sang-won who was connected to Woo Hyun, he and Woo Hyun/Ki Young ended up working together to find the real criminal.
CEO Cho/Jo Hyeon Min - The true villain of the story, he's the director of the Sekang Securities with a thirst of revenge. He wanted to reclaim the company that was taken by his uncle, who using his vast influence framed his father for corruption which led to him killing himself. Through a hacker syndicate as well as Safe Tech company, he tried to exact his revenge on the people that causes his father's death. Because of that, he'd stop to nothing to achieve his means even if it meant killing anyone that tried to recover the truth. He's known as the Phantom only to Hades and himself.
Thoughts
I liked the dynamics between the officers as they tried to do their job. I feel for Yoo Kang Mi as she faced the hardship alongside Ki Young to try finding out the identity of the true killer, despite the possibility that it might also reveal a harsh truth about the person she respected and loved. I find her character strong... despite she still did some blunder when she overlooked a suspect during a case. Because it was a promise she made to Woo Hyun, as his last message to her was for her to be strong and be a great cop. And she did well, in supporting Ki Young and keeping the secret as they pursued the case. I liked the fact that she had grown stronger throughout the case and become a better cop than she was before. And it was sad when Ki Young revealed to her--after following the trail of Woo Hyun's past activities--that both of them had mutual feelings for each other. At which it was actually noticeable before as Woo Hyun defended/supported her whenever fellow officers/higher officers talked her down. Because of that, it was heart breaking... for them not being able to spend time together until after his death. By then, it was Ki Young who was by her side despite him looking like Woo Hyun. It's partially a cruel twist to her as the ghost of Woo Hyun remained by her side despite the fact it wasn't truly Woo Hyun. And her gradually get even closer to Ki Young as she fought with her feelings for Woo Hyun as well as Ki Young. Despite there was barely any romance between then, the conflict was still there.
Equally, it's also tough on Ki Young as he continued to pretend he was Woo Hyun while being with the person close to his best friend. It's like being a third wheel against himself. His back story with Woo Hyun would give you a lot of emotions as you see how close both of them had been to the point of inseparable. Ki Young even treated Woo Hyun's father as his own. I wish I could see more of their past. And I loved the fact that both of them used similar passwords for their computers and think alike. While Ki Young might've changed Woo Hyun's password prior to his questioning when Hyuk Joo tried to reveal his true identity, I'd like to believe that the truth had been that both of them think alike with regards to securing their computers. It was a relief to find out that Woo Hyun had been working undercover while being on Hyeon Min's side but I couldn't say that I haven't wavered slightly when it seemed to reveal that Woo Hyun might be lying. Trust issues... it's like with Director Jeon and Director Shin; though I've had my suspicions on Dir. Shin before that. Since it was fishy for the old guy to act so 'fatherly' to Woo Hyun. And Woo Hyun had warned Ki Young that there were sympathisers in the NPA. While he might have not suspected Kang Eun Jin before, he must have suspected Dir. Shin after Nam Sang Won's case.
The plot line was never dull... as twists and unexpected revelation made you become wary of everyone. Because people might hide a different persona inside, you can't afford to be reckless in trusting people in fear of falling into the criminal's trap. And Jo Hyeon Min is a cunning enemy who was hard to capture and pin the crime on him as he seemed to always be a step ahead. But no one can forever be able to remain un-caught as our team tried to overturn the situation and bring the criminal to justice. Especially for the sake of the people that ended up being killed.
The ending really hits me in the heart--not about how Hyeon Min finding out that he killed an important person while blind in revenge and killed himself--but having Ki Young listen to Woo Hyun's last words to Kang Mi finally. The words may be the same yet the message to Ki Young was different. It felt as if Woo Hyun's last message was also meant for Ki Young, to be a better cop than him and not end up like him (dead). In which Ki Young did, as he remained being Woo Hyun for the sake of Woo Hyun's son as well as his allies. I also loved how the last scene with Kang Mi doing the cyber lecture mirrored the same scene in ep 1 with Woo Hyun. I had lot of feels for this pair~~
Yeap, a great police drama. No doubt about that.
This entry was originally posted on Kaleidoscope World.