by Michael McCarthy
I am currently watching a Kdrama called Fix You. It’s another series starring Jung So Min, who’s become my favorite Korean actress. Like many Kdramas, it has another title for some reason, which is Soul Mechanics. I’m watching it on Viki but it’s also on Kocowa. In any case, Jung So Min plays a mentally ill woman in it and I cannot tell you how blown away I am by her acting. She’s truly wonderful in everything I’ve seen that she’s done and I’ve watched something like a half dozen of her series at this point. But in Fix You, she gives a truly Oscar worthy performance. Her character essentially has a nervous breakdown in every episode. I think I’m up to episode 28 now. There are 32 episodes of this one but they’re only half an hour long so it’s the equivalent of your average 16 episode Kdrama. Anyway, I’m 28 episodes into it and I have to admit that at least 25 of the episodes have made me cry at some point. She’s just such a remarkable actress that she truly makes you feel her pain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a series or movie that has ever had this much of an emotional impact on me.
Since there are so many Kdramas out there, I would have to admit that I’ve never rewatched a Kdrama. There are dozens that I would like to watch again someday, but there are always so many things I’ve yet to watch that I’m interested in that I’ve never gone back and rewatched anything yet. Then again, I rarely rewatch anything. There are shows I have every season of on DVD like House, Bones and Supernatural but I never watch them. When I started watching those shows, they were already on their third or fourth seasons so I did watch the first few seasons on DVD but I haven’t watched any of them since. I’m happy that I own them but there are just so many wonderful things that I have yet to watch that I just can’t bring myself to rewatch anything.
Getting to my point, I will definitely rewatch Fix You. It might even be my favorite Kdrama of all time now. Since I saw It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, another series dealing with mental illness, I’ve said that that one is my favorite. But I can’t say that it’s made me cry as many times as Fix You has. And I know it’s probably weird to base how much you love something on how many times it’s reduced you to tears but for whatever reason I’ve always loved movies and shows that can make me cry. Also, in the case of Fix You and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, I could really relate to the characters and that’s surely a big reason why they’ve made me cry. But if the acting was not so superb they probably wouldn’t have made me cry like they have. In any case, if you like stories about the mentally ill, I am absolutely certain that you would adore both of these shows. And I do think they’re both shows that people could enjoy even if they normally don’t like Kdramas. I realize that Kdramas can be an acquired taste but even if most of them bore or irritate you, I simply cannot imagine anyone not liking either of these series. The acting is beyond wonderful. Just have some tissues nearby if you watch them.
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