#mysterious skin kms and a blunt..

[thekoreanlass]

I’m Not a Robot (로봇이 아니야; Robosi Aniya) is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Seung-ho, Chae Soo-bin and Um Ki-joon. It is written by Kim Sun-mi and directed by Jung Dae-yoon. Producing the series for MBC is May Queen Pictures. It aired on MBC from December 6, 2017 to January 25, 2018 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 32 episodes.

The Cast

[Main] Yoo Seung-ho as Kim Min-kyu (28 years old) Chae Soo-bin as Jo Ji-ah (28 years old) / Aji 3 Um Ki-joon as Hong Baek-kyun (34 years old)

[Minor] Santa Maria team Park Se-wan as “Pai” Angela Jin (30 years old) Song Jae-ryong as “Hoktal” Kang Dong-won (33 years old) Kim Min-kyu as “Ssanip” Eddie Park (31 years old)

KM Financial Kang Ki-young as Hwang Yoo-chul (28 years old) Hwang Seung-eon as Ye Ri-el (28 years old)

People around Ji Ah Seo Dong-won as Jo Jin-bae Lee Min-ji as Sun-hye (28 years old) Yoon So-mi as Hong-ju (28 years old) Lee Han-seo as Jo Dong-hyun (8 years old)

The Plot

Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho) lives an isolated life due to a severe allergy to other people. He develops extreme rashes that rapidly spread throughout his body once he makes any form of skin contact. Jo Ji-ah (Chae Soo-bin) is a woman who is trying to make it in life by creating her own businesses. However, after an encounter with Min-kyu, she ends up pretending to be a robot in place of the supposed Aji 3 robot. The Aji 3 robot was developed by Ji-ah’s ex-boyfriend, professor Hong Baek-kyun (Um Ki-joon) and his team. The robot was meant to be tested by genius Min-kyu, however an accident caused the robot’s battery to malfunction. As Baek-kyun modeled the robot after Ji-ah, the team ends up recruiting her to take the place of Aji 3.

First Impression

I’m Not a Robot didn’t strike me, at first, as anything interesting so I skipped it. I’m not really a fan of robot stories, much less one that mixes romance with it. Well, not unless it’s anything close to Transformers or Iron Man (I’m Team Tony Stark, sorry) or something akin to it, I’ll probably buy it.

Besides, what are the odds that someone can write some robot shit and love story in one without ruining the story line? Many attempted to do so but failed, so I had my own share of doubts about the drama. From it’s summary, to the choice of cast, the genre and themes. There are so much to worry about.

Plus, the ratings are really low when it aired and people’s reviews were bluntly realistic in a sense. Well, it made sense to me when I haven’t seen the drama yet, but now I think they are just being plain mean and judgmental or just had too much expectations since it’s an MBC produced drama and Yoo Seung Ho is the lead.

I don’t really enjoy criticizing a drama not unless it’s that bad. And I’m Not A Robot isn’t a failure, if you ask me. Finishing it put all my doubts and worries to rest.

Review

Cutie Min Kyu with the Human Allergy

I think that starting the drama with a question and a mystery was a good way to buy the viewers interest.

During the first episode, we see Kim Min Kyu enter a room, I guess, to an interview for his mandatory military enlistment. He must have been in that kind of situation in the past and all the time they think he was just making up excuse not to fulfill his duty to his country, but it’s quite funny to see the officers’ reactions when he revealed the reason why he can’t fulfill his enlistment–he is allergic to humans when his skin merely comes in contact with them. They think it’s a contagious disease and almost bathed in antiseptic.

I thought it was pathetic for people to think that, but at the same time I felt sorry for Min Kyu for getting the kind of rare skin allergy. Nonetheless, this caught my curiosity. I had my own question: why is he allergic to human contact? Is it even possible to be allergic to humans? If so, what caused for him to turn out the way he is? I have a clue as to why but I didn’t really want to get too ahead in the game. All I knew is that it has to be psychosomatic; meaning, he exhibits physical symptoms because of a psychological cause or stress.

On a brighter note, I am blessed to see a really cute side of Min Kyu after his visit to the base. Call it cliche; Min Kyu is a filthy rich 28-year old bachelor, but has the rare character that of a child. He’s so serious, snobbish and untouchable one moment, but has the naivete of a child. I’m not sure if people realized why he’s like that when they watched this, but I’m sure that it rooted from the isolation his allergy to humans caused him.

Just imagine yourself unable to touch another human. Imagine yourself putting up with it with no moral support around you, just an empty house in your inheritance, a huge company to one day rule, a gardener to be your guide, an awful lot of pretending people around you whom you couldn’t trust. I guess, it would really result to him depending on his own, learning on his own–with only books and movies to guide him through, resulting to a man with less knowledge of what life is really like. He was enclosed in a box filled with darkness that he didn’t know what it was like to be under the bright sun or how it’s like to love someone or what it’s like to do things. I think this is the reason why he was so dumb to realize that Aji 3 isn’t really a robot but Ji Ah, who is a human.

Not realizing this might make the story look really dumb, so I’m trying to make a point here if I even make sense to anyone else. Because of this, it made everything else really amusing; the fact that because it’s Min Kyu they were fooling that the plan of putting Ji Ah through the robot act made it foolproof and the fact in which even Santa Maria and Ji Ah are so frustrated and dumbfounded he wouldn’t get a hint she isn’t the real deal. It makes the entire mood comical and light.

And I guess, because it’s Yoo Seung Ho acting that I didn’t find Min Kyu annoying for being so dumb. In fact, he made Min Kyu a really sensible character, adorably charming even. His smile is always so precious and the moment he did that during the first episode when celebrating ‘Pretty’s birthday was so cute I wanted to pinch his cheeks. The depth of his character isn’t nonsense at all, in fact his backstory is really believable for me.

Ji Ah the Human Aji 3

If there is one thing I am really good at, that is doubting. Chae Soo Bin isn’t really a favorite of mine since her last antagonistic role in Sassy Go Go, where in she acted as the backstabbing and lying best friend of the main lead (played by Jung Eun Ji).

That’s also part of the reason why I avoided watching I’m Not A Robot as much as possible, because I felt like once I hate someone because of a particular role they played in the past that truly annoyed me, I would probably hate them forever. Nonetheless, I think I am getting over this pace just like with how I used to criticize Suzy or Park Min Young and I don’t regret any second I spent watching and giving Chae Soo Bin a chance. There’s no doubt she is an actress, a versatile one at that, that you know will do well whether it’s an anti-hero or lead female role.

She proved herself with being a double role with Ji Ah and Aji 3.

Getting to the point, I think she portrayed the misfit Ji Ah really well. At first, we come to learn that Ji Ah isn’t really bright and looks probably dumb to her peers, even her brother who graduated law; this is quite emphasized by her low IQ. That is really fine, though, with me since Chae Soo Bin didn’t really make Ji Ah seem annoying unlike a couple of heroines I’ve seen in the past who has the innocent character but are just really dumb.

Though this emphasis doesn’t really back up the fact that Ji Ah is innovative in her own way, where in she has a way of creating simple inventions, albeit as eccentric looking as how her brain works, she can make it work. She can’t just sell her inventions because of her lack of knowledge how to make a business out of it as President Jo, but because of her simple brain, she gains a little fan–who will later be revealed as our cutie Min Kyu!

Ji Ah gets the courage to join a contest to get herself a sponsor for her new invention–her heart lamps that simultaneously light up if you touch one no matter how far the pair is from each other–but she is hit by ups and downs along the way, including a low blow from her very unappreciative older brother, who will later admit Ji Ah must be a genius behind her dumbness; this was a notable scene where the eccentric-looking Doctor Hong Baek Kyun explained how Ji Ah used quantum physics in making her heart lamps without her realizing it.

On the other hand, as the robot Aji 3; the real one, I am quite impressed at how believable Chae Soo Bin acted as a leggit AI robot. As Aji 3, she fascinated me how she managed to act and speak like a robot. Aji 3 is quite refreshing and adorable with her innocent and blunt robot responses that sometimes frustrated Min Kyu for the lack thereof emotion from her.

With Ji Ah pretending to be Aji 3, I think this is where I get the most comedy from. Ji Ah’s reactions are just so precious, like that time when she reacted out of surprise of seeing Min Kyu after their unexpected squabble over a toy that they almost killed each other for, that I can’t help but anticipate for the next dumb and un-robot like thing she will do.

Min Kyu made the situation even better and even laughable by believing her poor acting as a robot that it’s hilarious. Plus, it is always so much better whenever she is in ‘friend mode’, as Doctor Hong called it, and is either fearlessly swearing at Min Kyu and the latter letting her or just being a friend to our lonely hero who apparently only has his appliances as friends.

With Aji 3 in the picture, Min Kyu finds a precious friend in the human he thinks is a robot. The friendship and trust Min Kyu allowed himself to give Aji 3 credit for, made it possible for him to get cured from her disease, not because of the thought she is a real robot, but instead because he thinks he finally found something real; something that will not betray him.

Chae Soo Bin is able to create a picture of a female lead in Ji Ah and Aji 3, who is filled with warmth, hopes and dreams, and a brightness that sets the mood of the drama to a really lighter note. She’s really pretty too and can really act as a nice girl apart from her old image that I stuck to.

A Unique, Bright Concept and Romance

I’m Not A Robot is arguably going to be your favorite in terms of concept and the adorable, bright, albeit unconventional romance of a human and another human pretending to be a robot.

There’s no dull moments in this drama and the heart fluttering romance is surely something you can indulge on if you’re up for some light romance with a touch of drama. It is so simple yet so complicated you will laugh at the thought of Min Kyu thinking he fell in love with a robot, though unknown to him, he is in fact right in liking this robot because she’s definitely a human. This really brings me back to the old Hana Kimi feels where in the second lead doubted himself because he was crushing on another guy, not knowing that this guy is in fact a girl pretending to be a guy. Ironic, right? Possibly dumb, but very effective to create laughs.

Then on one side, you will totally sympathize with Min Kyu as he starts learning other feelings because of Aji 3. Watching him grow and improve, with his human allergy almost gone, does really make me proud like a mother watching her son grow up. He’s just so cute and innocent, but with a secret angst about betrayal that I watch with a broken heart when he found out Ji Ah is in fact his Aji 3. He thought everything is a lie. That all they went through was too and this really almost killed him. That was probably one of the saddest parts of this series, but I guess, because Min Kyu learned to love Ji Ah as her, that it outweighed the mistrust and eventually he learned to move on from the shadows of his past, curing his illness in the process.

I love that the drama is able to use the robot concept well, in a very refreshing light that doesn’t feel too much or too less. The graphics or effects are absolutely stunning and realistic that I can give five stars for the visuals of it as a whole. And I am glad that they were able to remain faithful to the concept, not wavering one bit throughout the entire storyline

I think to this point that everything is just right. Just perfect that I still feel my heart flutter with thoughts of the story from time to time. Being reminded of I’m Not A Robot makes me fall in love with it over and over again because of these reasons. You won’t get bored every single moment of it.

Chemistry & Bromance is Real

In the beginning, I am not really sure whether Yoo Seung Ho and Chae Soo Bin will click, but I have not seen any moment in the drama where they became awkward or anything. In fact, Yoo Seung Ho as Min Kyu, with googly eyes and an adorable puppy personality, made me believe he truly likes Ji Ah as a robot and as a human. It’s so real I don’t mind them dating.

Then here comes my second and third favorite pair in respective order. (1) Sun Hye and Hoktal – this pair really only proves that opposite attracts. Sun Hye definitely has a unique taste with boys. She comes off as a playful character that doesn’t seriously date, but then when choosing between the cool Ssanip or the conservative Hoktal–that says the opposite of what he really means, she sees beyond the facade and chooses the guy everyone would probably think she won’t choose. (2) Doctor Hong and Pai – the relationship of these two took years in the making. You can probably relate their progress to that of a walking turtle; slowly but surely. Probably Doctor Hong’s lingering feelings for Ji Ah also became a hindrance for him to realize too late his affection for the timid Pai, who later takes the advise of Sun Hye and learned to come out of her own shell. Nonetheless, they are just as cute as the other pairs.

Let’s also not forget the cute bromantic pairs! Ssanip and Hoktal is probably my top bromance pair, leaving me in a heap of laughter with most of their antics. They are quite an unseparable duo to the point Ssanip thirdwheels even when Hoktal and Sun Hye already started dating. It’s like they were a package deal and he can never be left behind.

I also like the Min Kyu and Jo Jin Bae pair.  Together they are a mix of hot and cold. In terms of work, Min Kyu is the boss and Jin Bae is his loyal subordinate. On the other hand, when it comes to Ji Ah, it is fun to always watch whenever Min Kyu’s personality mellows and he resembles a puppy around Jin Bae, his future brother-in-law, always trying to please him. Even going out of his way to hire him again when Jin Bae tried to end his contract with Min Gyu.

Of course, the Min Kyu and Hong Baek Kyun pair also fairs. Though I won’t mind if there was some kind of tension that escalated to some sort of fist fight between them because of Jia, I’m not complaining that they got along instead. It seemed anticlimactic though that it didn’t happen, but it’s not disappointing that Doctor Hong became Min Kyu’s hyung instead and everyone is happy.

Lovable Supporting Characters

I think I have not loved supporting characters as I loved the ones in this drama. They just have very rich character and backstory that I felt more connected to them than not. It made the encounter with these characters even more personal and more human as the store went on, because despite the allegorical portrayal of some themes, these people’s emotions, words and actions made it simple for us to understand their point in a very relatable manner.

Santa Maria Team. I am dumbfounded every time these people bond, because their jokes aren’t really that funny, but their skills are so superior I believed they are real inventors that can do anything and everything. Santa Maria, on top of that, isn’t just a group of people with a hobby of creating robots, but instead a family that has loyalty for each other, is humble and really hardworking.

Doctor Hong Baek Kyun. Though I still can’t believe he’s Jo Ji Ah’s ex-boyfriend–who she calls ‘Fungus Guy’ by the way–I am hands down that Doctor Hong is a genius. Aji 3 is probably his most notable work, but I think there’s no doubt he can do so much more. Plus, I think you know now why he named the robot ‘A Ji 3’ and even created her in the image of Ji Ah; he was so hung up with his ex that is!

Nonetheless, Doctor Hong may be smart, but because he’s so focused at his craft that love always came second to him and eventually since Ji Ah isn’t really in the same league as him that they grew apart. Sharing something in common with Pai made them both more compatible with each other, though there’s no doubt constant bickering is expected of two very common personality.

Pai. To be honest, I found it a little hard to empathize with her character at first because she was too quiet and it looked like she didn’t like Ji Ah very much. But when I realized the reason is because he likes Doctor Hong, all I could complain from then is how annoying her curly curls were and how plain she dressed up. I could tell she is really pretty without the curls and the glasses that I am really happy she changed her appearance for the better but maintained her simple personality. She’s so enduring and so loyal to Doctor Hong that I am also quite happy her one-sided crush with him didn’t end in vain.

Sun Hye. I was thinking that this girl is going to be the typical sidekick that has no real depth in the series, but then it turns out Sun Hye is our modern cupid. Her looks makes her seem intimidating, but it is always quite fun whenever she opens her mouth and says something poetic and predictive and it always comes true. Truly, she is a love guru, who gladly found her own happy ever after with Hoktal. And also a loyal best friend that has a bag of wisdom that often help our protagonists clear their heads.

Ye Ri El. She comes off with a common bitch vibe at first glance, especially when she treats Min Kyu–who liked her for years since he was a kid–coldly and doesn’t acknowledge his efforts of winning her with his sincerity, but I guess it wasn’t really her fault Min Kyu misunderstood her. Her father was the one who continuously wrote to Min Kyu, anyway, pretending to be her, paving her fate by being Min Kyu’s first love and probably last.

I was just happy, though it made the build up turn anti-climatic and kind of get to waste, that she didn’t got with her daddy’s plans and followed her heart when she realized it wasn’t Min Kyu but Yoo Chul she likes and decided to pursue her own path.

Hwang Yoo Chul. I was determined Yoo Chul was going to be the ultimate villain with some vengeful plan in store for Min Kyu that will probably bring him to tears and make him pay with revenge at some point, but his role is almost similar to Ri El, where in he draws back and finds his conscience and admits to his own faults. I find it really  cool though, how he found the strength to ask for forgiveness and do the right thing even if it will compromise his father’s position. It made me respect him and cross him out of the blacklisted characters’ list I kept in my head,

Jo Jin Bae. I found older brother such a jerk when he got mad at Ji Ah for doing what she wants, because though it sounds too far-fetched and fruitless, an older sibling shouldn’t discourage their less privileged younger sister, right? I mean, he should have at least supported her not make her feel like crap more than the situation already was. Gladly, I think Jin Bae grew a pair and came to appreciate Ji Ah and saw how beautiful her her heart was beyond her 80 IQ.

Over All

If you want a cute and light romance, with a set of bright characters and superb acting, that has an easy and steady approach to its overall plot, I’m Not A Robot is going to be the perfect choice. Not only it is sweet, but also filled with underlying lessons about love and life figuratively placed across the story line.

I especially love that they tackled about the lives of different people with almost the same dilemma in the world; people who can’t find a place to belong to and who are struggling all the same whether it was about their dreams and aspirations or simply with getting by life in its tendency to put you into a loneliness that can break you or just finding someone who will sincerely love them. Because they were people yearning for these things that somehow they must have unconsciously found each other, somewhere to belong to.

Notably, I truly appreciate, too, the philosophical take on love; how sometimes the truest love can be in the form of the sweetest yet ugliest lie. This kind of love has seen negative effect most of the time, probably due to the motive of the doer. But I guess, not everyone has bad intentions towards the recipient of their actions. Sometimes you love someone so much that you have to lie to them in order to prevent them from hurting, but you basically hurt them in the process after all, especially if it comes to the point where in they learn about the truth in the most painful way.

“There are times when lying to a friend is better than telling them the truth.”

That’s why I was able to totally relate with Min Kyu when he found out Ji Ah was really his A Ji 3. I mean, it was nice he found someone that really is a mirror image of Aji 3. The idea of it was so dreamy and too impossible that wishing and looking from a distance at something you don’t think can happen and is too far-fetched would be great until it last. I am just glad that his love for her reigned and he was able to see the truth past the big lie.

I know lying may hurt and looking past through it takes so much courage, but if the person is worth it, why not?

“The deeper the love, the deeper the wound. He must have liked you more than you thought.”

In terms of the plot, I must say I commend the drama for having such a light story despite incorporating corruption and politics in the business sense, it’s a relief the story didn’t dive deeper into exploring that area and having our cutie Min Kyu turn into another protagonist fighting for his position in the office or battling for his inheritance for his parents’ sake or something like that. It will only make the story darker and I guess that’s not what the production is aiming for. Since the story have to be easy to watch and light for the heart, I love that they focused more on the romance and the relationship of the characters with each other. By doing this, I think we see a more graspable human story.

What I think  I will call an only ‘miss’ for this drama is the sort of sweet, but really fast-paced and mediocre ending. I guess, because I have invested so much time and emotions during the first 31 episodes that I didn’t expect the ending to just show a few seconds of heaven with how our team is doing. Yes, everyone seems happy and all but it doesn’t really say much or I might have expected so much more. But then, seeing Min Kyu finally get discharged from the military after two years, Jo Ji Ah finally doing good business with her heart lamps, and that sweet ending kiss made up for the miss.

Anyway, I think I got what I signed up for. The drama has hinted on a couple of ideas to which they left it open to the imagination to fill in the blanks. Just like what does Aji 3 really look like after the makeover? They said they will change her face and I guess they turned her to a male robot that they named after the late President of KM Financial. If so, does this mean he will look like the late president or…? Another example is when after all what happened, they didn’t really reveal the identity of Madame X. This mysterious character helped Min Kyu a lot with his battles against those who wished to take over KM Financial, but it isn’t really clear who she is, right? My only guess is that she is either the gardener or the lady Min Kyu talked to and said she is only there to represent Madame X. But then a guess can only remain a guess and we can only wish they will spill the beans.

See my point? They left some questions unanswered not because they want to leave us hanging or they just have a way to end it properly, but instead I think they did it to give us the liberty to find out for ourselves or imagine what comes next. So, even if some were left unsaid and it’s truly quite frustrating, I am not really that upset about it, it just makes me think from time to time what the answer to those questions are.

Nonetheless, I really had a fun time. I say it’s cool and if I will revisit this drama one day, I won’t really mind. Giving it a rating, I think 4.8 out of 5 is perfect.

Review: I’m Not A Robot – A One of a Kind Romance I'm Not a Robot (로봇이 아니야; Robosi Aniya) is a South Korean television series starring