I wouldn’t say this Kdrama is a classic but it is one of the first ones that I can remember watching and liking. Mostly because it managed to combine 4 of my favorite elements. It mixed romance, humor, the supernatural, and even had some mystery elements thrown in there. Most importantly I also had to give it some bonus points because it was the one that introduced me to the adorable actress that is Go Ara. She was my first Kdrama crush as a matter of fact. 😍 The name of this drama that I am talking about is “Who are You?” and it came out back in 2008.

It is a drama that focused mostly around 3 characters, 2 of which share 1 body. Wait what? 🤔 Allow me to explain. lol One day an older guy named Son Il Gun is involved in a tragic accident and dies leaving behind a daughter named Young In. She is left penniless and having to fend for herself. Not willing to cross over with her living like that, Song Il Gun is able to stay back as a ghost. A ghost who finds himself with the ability to take control the body of Cha Seung Hyo, a business man. He can only do that for up to 3 hours a day and has to use his time wisely if he has any hope of helping his daughter out. As you can probably imagine things get weird quickly when he suddenly shows up in this young business man’s body. In fact it’s probably more confusing than anything to poor Young In. From her point of view this strange guy just shows up out of nowhere and is acting like her father one moment, then the next he is acting like he doesn’t even know her! 😓

The drama is primed for much comedy because of this, with a lot of it utilizing it’s supernatural aspects. Like with all the crazy scenarios that Son Il Gun finds himself in while using Seung Hyo’s Body. Seeing the people around him react to the sudden change in his behavior kept things lighthearted.  The actor really did a good job making both parts feel very different. Every time he switched from stern business man to doting father it put a huge smile on my face.  In particular, it was Young In’s reaction to his antics that stood out to me though. She had some of the best blank stares I have ever seen in a drama, no seriously….they can’t be beat. lol Then you had other things like poor Cha Seung Hyo questioning his own sanity. Not understanding why he keeps blacking out and why he acts so freaking weird when he does. To be fair Ghost possession is probably not high on anybody’s list for explaining those symptoms right? 😛

As for the overall acting, I thought the actors did a respectable job in their performances. They pulled of the humor when needed but brought forth the dramatic chops here and there too. Not enough for them to earn any awards but good enough to feel the chemistry with one another. You also got a solid romantic pairing in Young In and Cha Seung Hyo. I know some thought they lacked chemistry early on but I took it more as the writer making it a slow build and  I liked it. It was a relationship that started more as a curiosity for one another that little by little turned romantic. It felt like a natural and organic development. Although I will say it is a bit weird that what sparks the curiosity in her for him is the fact that it’s her dad in his body. Don’t worry though she doesn’t fall for her dad 😶😨 lol She clearly falls for the real Seung Hyo, all her dad does is unknowingly set things in motion. 😏

Unfortunately I can’t say that I shared the same enthusiasm for the Villain in this. Not to say that the performance was terrible or bad more so that the character was written in a way that was lackluster. There was never enough focus on him to make us care or to make him feel threatening. It’s really more of a romance/family drama first with the villain being more a plot device than a character. He was there to infuse some conflict into our main characters lives but you never got a sense he was really going to achieve anything of consequence. On the bright side that meant less angst.

In terms of production I think it holds up and doesn’t feel dated. Not like 8 years is really all that long ago anyways. The Wardrobe, sets, effects, the way it was shot, etc. are all still good. I guess it helped that the ghosts looked like regular people so they didn’t need to use any crazy CGI.  The only negative in there I can think off is probably the music. It didn’t stay with me all these years. Even back when I first watched it I thought the soundtrack was lacking.

With that said if you find yourself with some free time and unsure of what to watch then by all means give “Who are You?” a try. It might not blow your mind with it’s storytelling but it is fun. I would give it a good 7/10.

Thanks for reading. ^_^ I’ll see you peeps again soon.