📺 Korean Tv Series Review: Chicago Typewriter (시카고 타자기)

During the lockdown in March/April, I took on a couple of k-drama challenges and quite a few people picked "Chicago Typewriter" as one of their favorite series...so I got really curious and decided to start watching it.

1930 - Kyungsung, Joseon
Seo Hui Young, Shin Yul, and Ryu Su Hyeon not only are part of the Joseon Youth Alliance (a group that fights for the country's independence from the Japanese invasion) and are also good friends with each other. While the first is a writer that uses his articles to send messages, the other two are skilled snipers and, respectively, the owner and singer in a pub called 'Carpe Diem'.

2017 - Seoul, South Korea

Han Se-Joo is a famous writer (labeled as the Korean 'Stephen King') and while in public has a charismatic and charming facade, privately he's moody and extremely demanding.
Due to some events that happened 10 years ago, he doesn't want to get close to people nor trust them.
Jeon Seol is Se-Joo's first and most passionate fan, has a bright and cheerful personality, and even was a shooter in the national team and, even if she's a veterinarian, she works several part-time jobs.

The two happen to meet when Jeon Seol delivered a box at Se-Joo's house and from that moment on they are bound to meet and crash frequently.

Se-Joo has writer's block and that's when a ghostwriter appears in his own house, using the typewriter that Jeon Seoul delivered. Se-Joo bursts with anger, thinking his publishing company doesn't consider him capable of writing a new novel anymore, hence they sent a ghostwriter. But they deny they ever did something like that.

So, who's this ghostwriter and why does he act like he has known Se-Joo for a long time?

My Opinion👍👎

First things first: I want Han Se-Joo's home library!!! It looks like the one in Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'...but better!! If you're a bookworm you'll appreciate all these houses in this drama, as they are filled with so many books it looks like they literally built the walls with them.

The drama's title refers to the similar sounds that a 1930's fire gun and a typewriter have and, needless to say, the entire story develops around it. 

The stories from the past and present entwine frequently and I really can't say whether I liked the past's or present's one the most because they're both really engaging and communicate so well the struggles freedom activists had to go through back in the days while in the present viewers are involved in the dramas caused by grudges and unfounded envy.

I'm a sucker for historical dramas, especially those set in between the 1920s/940s (Downton Abbey, 

Peaky Blinders as well as movies like Midnight in Paris or Magic in the Moonlight, just to name a few) and I 

loved how elegant and chic those times were. 

In 'Chicago Typewriter' the clothes and dresses are magnificent and I dare say that if Seo Hwi-young channels perfectly his role of dandy and braggart writer is also thanks to that retrò style.

I enjoyed this drama so much: the friendship that binds the protagonists defies time and space and is able to make them meet again. It has tons of hilarious moments, so prepare yourselves for some major laughter.

The story is intriguing and relatable because it deals with various themes like betrayal, fighting for a just cause, and ultimately, protecting the ones you love.

Especially the final two episodes are super immersive, which may not help you feel less frustrated because it ended but at least all issues and misunderstandings are well explained.

Rating: 4½/5

Ph: hancinema.net & my collage