Prison Playbook: The unparalleled in its genre
Writing this review makes me nervous, to be honest. The drama is so good, and I'm afraid my review won't give justice to how good it is.
The story revolves around Kim Je-hyeok, a baseball superstar who was imprisoned over excessive self-defense. It follows his life inside the prison and how he survives living there.
The plot alone will tell you that this isn't your regular Korean drama. Like the director's (Shin Won-ho) past works, the most notable is the Reply series, this drama centers more on life and friendship. The representation of characters is realistic. This one doesn't have an eye-candy and extremely wealthy oppa. Or a cutie cheerful female lead or the badass fashionista main character. This one has an average looking-guy named Kim Je-Hyeok (Park Hae Soo), who is mighty in the baseball field but quite dense in other aspects of life. His performance is admirable. The transition from being calm and simple-minded to temperament is remarkable. The love interest, played by Krystal, whose performance is equally pleasant, is the perfect representation of a college student. No fancy outfits, no good-looking son-of-wealthy family running after her, no prolong unnecessary love triangle. Jung Kyoung-Ho, who played Lee Joon-Ho, best friend of Kim Je-Hyeok, performance was terrific. The chemistry between him and Park Hae Soo as best friends is effective and impressive. Good thing I don't see posts that people are shipping their bromance.
The secondary characters are unique, and each has their own personality, which is evident and consistent throughout the story. They have their own stories that reveal their own depth. Among them, Lee Kyu-Hyung, who played Han-yang, stole the spotlight. He stood out the most with his exceptional acting and good chemistry with the rest of the cast. Kudos to him!
The casts were great, but Lim Hwa-young can do better. Her acting is a bit bland, and she's lagging behind the others. But in all, I couldn't imagine other actors playing their respective characters. They were able to radiate the emotion from the small screen to the viewers.
Some will think that this drama is too heavy and dark. They are not wrong, but they are not right either. Thanks to their unique characterization, comedy comes naturally out of it. I can guarantee that you're going to love the humor, and you can especially look forward to Kyu-Hyung's character. I wouldn't spill so much about it as I don't want to spoil and lose the charm of this drama.
Of course, it's not just all laughs. This drama is a rollercoaster of emotions. You'll laugh, cry, get shocked and mad. Just when you thought everything is fine comes another storm. Every end of the episode will have you at the edge of the seat. I'll bet that you couldn't help but click for the next episode because you couldn't wait for what will happen next. There are lots of heartwarming and tearjerker moments as well without the overly-sugar-coated dialogue. The script is more beautiful because it is realistic, and one can reflect on it. There are also great rare shots in the drama, which are surprising and refreshing.
Overall, Prison Playbook is a sensational drama with a great script, plot, casts, and production. So, do yourself a favor and watch it now!
prguitarman
origamiaround
2087
gamechangershow
gracieabrams
stormborns
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
vaporwave
ellievsbear
