Page Turner is a Korean drama special following in the footsteps of other recent specials such as Puck! starring Lee Kwang-Soo and the incredibly popular Splash Splash Love which earned over 6 million views online and simultaneously broke the record for web dramas. What makes these series’ so unique is their length, specials are usually less than 5 episodes long and Page Turner is no exception, it is only 3 episodes long but the intricate story it tells does not feel rushed. It stars some of Korea’s brightest and most talented young actors; Kim So-Hyun portrays Yoo-Seul an Arts High School student who is the best in piano due to her Mother’s relentless and sometimes overbearing tutoring. Ji Soo is Cha-Sik, a boy who attends the nearby sports academy, he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer but he is a wonderfully simple character with a purity that reaches the audience from beyond the screen and finally we have Shin Jae-Ha as Jin-Mok, a boy who as hard as he tries is always 2nd place to Yoo-Seul, He cannot put his feelings into his piano playing and therefore is called a ‘psychopath’ numerous times by Yoo-Seul and others every since he was young and therefore he grows to deeply resent her.
The story may sound like your typical teenage angst drama, but it is much more than that. It is about youth in all of it’s entirety and what separates this drama from others is not its story-line (which is admittedly somewhat conventional) but the characters. The characters are so completely full of personality it feels like we, as the audience, personally know them. Their relationships, their interests and drives are so brilliantly portrayed and in only 3 episodes, that is not an easy feat. The story-line definitely has its turns and I assure you that as soon as you watch it, your expectations will be blown away, It is not patronizing in it’s portrayal of young adults but rather tells their story honestly, these 3 characters are all simply trying to find themselves while dealing with the mistakes the adults around them continually make. And it is simply a joy to watch the characters develop, the drama itself is beautifully made and with an amazing classical music and modern K-Pop soundtrack paired along with it, it is utterly fulfilling. But what sets it apart, is the humour that is deeply embedded in every episode that makes it so realistic and relatable.
Check out the official KBS trailer:
Info –
Name: Page Turner (페이지 터너)
Director: Lee Jae-Hoon
Cast: Kim So-Hyun, Ji Soo, Shin Jae Ha
Episodes: 3
Aired: March 26 – April 9, 2016
You can watch all 3 episodes of Page Turner now with english subtitles on Viki ^.^
