Memorist: The drama that gives you worth keeping memories

Written by: Jamaica Rose D. Simbul

What does it takes to be someone with good memories? What memories are worth keeping? And what are those memories you wish you could just forget?

At first, I thought Memorist was just like the 2019 drama He is Psychometric starring Lee Ahn, Yoon Jae In, and Kang Sung Mo, but I was wrong. Lead roles may have similarities but they are way too different from each other. 

Memorist is a story about a popular police officer named Dong Baek, played by Yoo Seung Ho, who has the ability to scan or read people’s memories by just touching them. He also has his own ways of arresting and punishing those criminals who break the law.

Because of the incident about the missing and death of young girls, Dong Baek is able to work with Superintendent Han Sun Mi played by Lee Se Young, a very talented but arrogant criminal profiler. They then indulge in a never-ending investigation in finding the real mastermind behind everything that just had happened.

Yes! I would say that it’s almost a never-ending investigation because you will think at first, that they got the culprit but later on, you’ll realize that the real culprit is someone behind those suspects who are trying to manipulate the said investigation.

Every character plays a big part in what happened 20 years ago with Dong Baek’s past which he couldn’t remember, as well as with Sun Mi’s past which she spent almost all of her 20 years looking for the man who killed his father. 
 
So, what exactly I have learned in watching Memorist? 
 
1. Some people may seem arrogant and heartless, but those people can be the most warmhearted person you will ever meet. They cry easily, they laugh like a kid when they are happy, and they are just like everybody else. 

2. Some people may be popular that almost everyone loves them and they may be happy with all the love and attention they can get but in reality, they are lonely. No one really loves them on who they are as a person. They just love the popularity, their good looks, and the talent that they have but not the things that make them whole.

3. People may always nag, bully, and say bad things to you but deep inside, they love and care for you unconditionally.

They rely on you and can’t do things without you just how Oh Se Hoon (played by Yoon Ji Hon) and Captain Gu Kyung Tan (played by Ko Chang Seok) care for Dong Baek. They never once left his side. They never doubted Dong Baek’s actions and intentions, but instead, they trust, love, and understand him secretly (bromance if you may call it).

I just love how they are able to show what loyalty is plus the funny scenes they depict in the story which are pretty intense most of the time.
 

4. Always remind yourself of who you are as a person, whether a friend, an employee, or a fan. That’s what Kang Ji Eun, played by Jun Hyoseong has taught me. She doesn’t get swayed easily just because people told her to do so.

She will do everything what she thinks is right and always remind herself that in her line of work as a journalist, they should only tell the truth. She is such a fighter.
 

5. You cannot hide the truth all the time, just like how Chief Lee Shin Woo (played by Jo Sung Ha) did everything just to bury all those crimes of Hwang Pil Seon’s family. The truth will always be revealed no matter how good or bad that truth was.

The drama has two ways to tell the truth, it may be an easy way (you tell them) or in a hard way (you let them find it out). It’s up to you on how much you want to hide the truth but as for someone who only wants the truth, they will always do whatever it takes to reveal what really happened. 

6. It may be not obvious, but most of the characters did what they did because of their loved ones. Just like Dong Baek who are looking for answers behind the death of a woman which he believed was her mother, Sun Mi for her father, and all the characters who made bad decisions in the past only for their loved ones.

Sometimes we are unconsciously doing the bad things for our loved ones not knowing that we might regret it later on because those people only did what they thought is the right thing to do. So never judge someone who is fighting for their loved ones.

You never know how hard is it for them to fight for the truth, for justice, and for the people in their lives. But always remember that everything has limitations, and it’s up to you whether you do it in the right way or the other way around.

They may look bad and heartless but deep down in their hearts, they have their reasons. So don’t ever hurt other people and never destroys someone because you never know what they will become. 

Some people are busy fighting their own monsters not knowing that they have become one as well, just like what happened to So Hee Soon, played by Rie Young-zin.
 
7. Our memories can’t punish us. It’s up to you whether you always hold back those hurtful memories, or you can learn from it and never ever look back.

Memories are just memories after all. It shouldn’t control you on what you can do and what you can become in the future. Learn from your wrong decisions and don’t do it again. If not, it will only be called a mistake.

8. Sometimes, I am wishing that even for a day I could read someone’s mind, so I could have the chance to know their perspective about myself. Or even for a day just to know someone’s deepest darkest secrets, but as I watched this drama, I realized that it’s not easy.

Do you know what’s the hardest part of having such ability like Dong Baek’s? It’s the pain, sorrow, and frustration that he can feel every time he scans someone’s memories. So no, I don’t want to feel that way.

Sometimes, people say that they understand our sentiments by just simply listening to us, but they don’t. I think with Dong Baek’s ability, you may be able to say that you really understand what someone really feels.
 
So how will I rate this drama? After watching all those 16 episodes, after the almost-heart attack that this drama gave me, I would say that I’ll rate this 10/10.

Yes! Why? From the characters itself which are well-portrayed by the actors and actresses, the storyline which was always compared with He is Psychometric (but I would say if you want a deeper story and more twists, memorist will be a good choice), to how the story ended is amazing.

Some Korean drama has gaps during the ending (when one of the supporting characters was not mentioned at all in the ending), but this one I would say that they ended the story very well, minus the love story which I thought there will be some kind of romance between Dong Baek and Sun Mi.
 
Good job Memorist team for a good nerve-wracking, heart-stopping but warm kind of a drama. Surely, this will be one of the best K-drama in 2020 and one of Seung Ho’s best played. I can’t really think of an actor who can play this character well but him, he really gave justice to his character, well-played, as always, our Seung Ho. 
 
Will I recommend this drama? Yes! You will definitely use your brain for watching this drama, no skipping, no boring scene, everything is perfectly right. 

In the end, the real question is: How will you make your life memorable? How will you change the world with your abilities?