Section 3: K-drama review: Innocent man

"Nice guy" / "Innocent Man"

Introduction:

• Release date: september 2012
• Genre: melodrama
• Episodes: 20
• Director: Kim Jin Won
• Writer: Lee Kyeong Hee
• Where to watch: dramacrazy
• My Ratting: Average

Resume: 

Kang Ma Ru (Song Joong-Ki) is a medical student living with his younger sister Choko (Lee Yoo-Bi), who is often ill. One day Choko is laying on the ground when Kang Ma Ru checks on her. As he is about to take her to the hospital he recieves a phone call from Han Jae Hee (Park Si Yeon), a reporter working for HBS broadcasting company, who is also his big crush since childhood. Han Jae Hee is crying on the phone and begging him to come help her out. Despite his sister's condition, Kang Ma Ru leaves Choko alone and heads to Han Jae Hee instead. As he reached the motel room his eyes meets a dead body on the ground and a crying Han Jae Hee in the corner. Kang Ma Ru asks Jae Hee to turn herself in, but after seeing her in so much pain unable to take responsibility for her own actions, Kang Ma Ru takes the blame for murderer, after sharing a passionate kiss with her. Kang Ma Ru is sentenced 5 years in prison. 

While Kang Ma Ru spends his years in prison, he thinks he is able to live a happy life with  Han Jae Hee once released, but it turns out that she already married a rich man in the mean time. This man is the CEO of TAE SAN.

Angry about Han Jae Hee's betrayal Kang Ma Ru decides to take revenge, and thus uses Eun Gi(Moon Chae Won), the CEO's daughter, who already hates her step gold-digging stepmother.  Eun Gi falls in love with Kang Ma Ru, but once she finds out the true intentions behind why Kang Ma Ru is being with her, she breaks up with him, however, at this time Kang Ma Ru has already started to develope true feelings for Eun Gi.

An accident accours and Eun Gi looses her memory. 

Now together with Choko, Kang Ma Ru's best friend Park Jae Gil (Lee Kwang Soo) and Eun Gi's loyal subordinates, Kang Ma Ru helps Eun Gi to find her memories again, win back TAE SAN and put Han Jae Hee back to in her rightful place.

Introducing characters:

Kang Ma Ru (Song Joong Ki) is a medical studen who comes from a poor family and is the older brother of Choko. Kang Ma Ru is also Han Jae Hee's first love. We see Song Joong Ki change from being a heartwarming man to being ignorant end emotionless through this melodrama. 

Seo Eun Gi (Moon Chae Won) is the daughter of TAE SAN's CEO and also the heiress of TAE SAN. She is a cold hearted working woman, raised by her father to never show emotions to anyone. Eun Gi falls in love with Kang Ma Ru.

Han Jae Hee (Park Si Yeon) is a reporter who would do anything to escape going back to poverty and chooses money over love. 

Han Jae Gil (Lee Kwang So) is a great friend of Kang Ma Ru who easily falls in love with girls and often looses his money to gold digging females. He is filled with confident about his looks and has a big heart. 

Choko (Lee Yo Bin) is Kang Ma Ru's little sister from the same father and a different mother. She lives With kang Ma Ru and have a crush on her older brother's best friend, Han Jae Gil. She is a very shy but a cherfull person who cares for everyone. It is mentioned that she is often ill.

The wonderful:
The best thing that I took notice of was the bond between Maru and Jae Gil. I know both actors are quit close in real life as they are the same age, but they clearly nailed their roles here. What's very beautiful is how much Jae Gil loves and care for Maru despite Maru being cold to him at times or acting like a horrible non caring friend towards Jae Gil. Even though Jae Gil would have an easier life by just leaving he never gives up on Maru and stays by his side through it all.

Overall thoughts and ending:

I think it's a quit good drama overall but too long in my opinion. Up to epi. 8 the story goes well, but afterwards the story speeds down a lot, and the last 12 epi. could have easily been finished with 2-3 instead.

Some things also remains unanswered after the story is finished. Like why Kang Maru didn't avoid Eun Gi's car to avoid the accident. He didn't intend to die alone but take her with him? And what about the stuff he said he would tell her after the surgery? Does it mean that all her questions about the true Kang Maru were never answered? In that case how can she truly know that he is a good guy. We know very well through this drama that Kang Maru knows how to control others mind and put on an act... so in the end did Eun Gi only stay by his side because she is blinded by love and not because she know understands him?

From the beginning Kang Maru and Eun Gi's relationship was not meant to be. How will they live from now on? We see Kang Maru going from being kind and warm to being cold and heartless and then getting back to his own self by, but him getting back to his real self wasn't thanks to Eun Gi. Eun Gi didnt erase all that pain done to him by Han Jae Hee, the memory lost did, which does destroy the ending by quit a bit. It would have been a better ending to see Eun Gi forgive Maru fully and lead him back to his real self, but it just seems like she without understanding him fully just accepted the new Maru.

The main issue I have about this drama is the titel."Nice Guy", "The Nicest Man on Earth", "There's No Such Thing as Nice Guys", "Nowhere in the World Does a Good Man Exist" are all misleading in my opinion.