K-Drama Review: Memorist

Writer: Andrea Fernandez (Kerala, Kollam, India)

Editor: Khushi Vaid (Delhi, India)

Memorist is an action, thriller and supernatural-based drama. The drama narrates the story of a young detective who possesses the power to read the memories of people and the challenges he faces in using the power. The role of a young detective is played by Yoo Seung-ho as Dong Baek, and the female lead role is played by Lee Se-young as Han Sun-mi.

Dong Baek is a youth who claims to the world that he can read a person memory just by a touch and after his declaration about his power many experimental tests are conducted to prove the accuracy of his statement and the results revealed that it was true and it was made known to public which made Dong Baek a celebrity among the public because of his looks and his power, he gained attention. 

A few years later, Dong Baek is appointed as a police officer to solve various cases and crimes, utilising his ability to read memories. Still, Dong Baek is an officer who is reckless and is a person who quickly loses his temper, and due to such behaviour, he has been kept on watch by his superiors.

Han Sun-mi is a young crime profiler, and she has solved many difficult cases with her intellect. And due to her amazing performance, she was promoted to the post of superintendent at a young age. Han Sun-mi is a person who solves cases with determination and wants to bring justice to the victims by punishing the offenders and lawbreakers. Han Sun-mi had witnessed her father’s death when she was a kid, and that’s why she chose to be a crime profiler to punish the criminal.

Dong Baek and Han Sun-mi were summoned together to solve a case. At first, Han Sun-mi did not have a good impression of Dong Baek because she thought that Dong Baek was just showing off with his power and was a person who was seeking attention. Dong Baek, due to his character, did not have a good relationship with his colleagues, and he did have support from his immediate superior and his best friend, as well as his junior.

Even though Dong Baek had the power of reading memories of people, the more power he used, he became weaker in his health, and he could also feel the pain of people while reading their memories. People at times feared Dong Baek being close to them because of his power to read their memories, and at times, people tried to avoid him. 

Dong Baek and two officers were the trio that kept entertaining the viewers in a few instances, and the friendship and trust between the three are really seen in the drama. Dong Baek and Han Sun-mi work together on the case of the eraser. The Eraser is a serial killer, similar to Dong Baek, who has the power to erase people’s memories, thus the name “Eraser”. The Eraser, in his view on justice, punishes the wrongdoers in his own way, and the problem that Dong Baek and Han Sun-mi face during the investigation of this case is that the witnesses of the case do not have any memory of the murder that happened.

The memory of the witness at the time of the murder was being erased by the Eraser. The first appearance of the Eraser was seen, punishing a wrongdoer during a gathering. 

Dong Baek is not only challenged by the wits of the Eraser but also by other corrupt politicians and officers who use their law to control the weak, and during the investigation, both  Dong Baek and Han Sun-mi were able to connect the events with their parents’ deaths. The end of the drama is a really unexpected twist.

Overall, the drama was really amazing, with the action and power of Dong Baek, and how Han Sun-mi’s bold and intelligent character provides great support to Dong Baek during their chase of the Eraser. Yoo Seung-ho as “Dong Baek” was so perfect in the role, and the action scenes were just so awesome. I really loved how Dong Baek did things recklessly, in his own way, and how he used his power to solve various cases and punish the wrongdoers.

Do share with us your thoughts on this drama, and which K-drama review we do next. Let us know in the comments below.