Kdrama Review: Are You Human Too?

Title: Are You Human Too?
Native Title: 너도 인간이니
Also Known As: Neodo Inganini , Are You Human?
Screenwriters: Jo Jung Joo
Directors: Cha Young Hoon
Genres: Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

The drama tells of an android called Nam Shin III who must pretend to be the son of a rich family when the real Nam Shin falls into a coma. Nam Shin's mother, Oh Ro Ra, is a genius on brain technology and artificial intelligence (AI) so when her son, the real Nam Shin, is taken away from her at a young age, in her grief she creates an android that looks exactly like her son and has it grow up in the place of Nam Shin. But when Nam Shin, who is a third generation heir to PK group, gets in an accident and is comatose, the android Nam Shin III must learn how to take his place.

This was the drama that got me anxiously anticipating for Mondays and Tuesdays every week, checking if the subtitles were out every few hours when it aired until a trip to China caused it to be put on hold for me and put me into agony. Once I could watch it again, I could not stop streaming this for hours straight.

Are You Human is such a nail-biting, unpredictable journey which plays philosophically with the meaning of what it means to be human, with the writer's intent being that robots could be more human than people.This show embraced so many sides of humans using the perfectly good and humanistic robot Nam Shin 3 and juxtaposing him with the despicably portrayed human Nam Shin, who endures emotional suffering which scars his sense of being a decent human. In the developmental stage of AI, it shows how a robot can carry many virtuous qualities and be a benefit to mankind while even surpassing its human counterpart. It shows how being human isn't limited to being externally biologically human, but being intrinsically humanistic as Nam Shin 3 was programmed to be and develop into. (Although my personal philosophy is that human beings are complex and no matter how advanced technology is, it can never replicate the central part of being human--having and feeling emotions and struggling to achieve their goals. The human Nam Shin portrays this perfectly.)

What I loved is how this message is so powerful with the development of the characters in order to show human growth. The character growth here is so well done and it is impressive in midst of all the action, drama and suspense, through the kind robot who acts as a model of humanity and restores goodness in the lives of others. Especially So Bong. She went under phenomenal character development as I went from hating her immoral actions in the beginning to loving her passionate and stubborn character at the end. Gong Seung Yeon is so beautiful and talented, it was amazing how smoothly her character transitioned from the beginning to the end. She came so far in her character development that old Kang So Bong felt like years ago. I almost wanted to drop the drama because I hated her in the beginning, but boy I'm so glad I continued because it got so much better! Human Nam Shin was someone everyone wanted him to be hit by a truck with and Ye Na was an annoying obsessive girl over human Nam Shin--both which transformed by the end.

The superb character development couldn't have been without the phenomenal acting. I was already a fangirl of Seo Kang Joon since the first drama (and the only one of his before I had watched this one) of his I had watched which was Cheese in the Trap and it was the first time I had experienced Second Lead Syndrome LOL! But his acting in this drama intensified my already flourishing love for him as an actor. The stark contrast between the evil jerk human Nam Shin and the soft and cute boyish Nam Shin 3 was amazing. I could instantly tell which one was which just by the expressions.The fact that I could feel such contrasting emotions for the same actor playing the same role just shows how talented Seo Kang Joon is. And those visuals...I swear he looks like a walking robot doll! (pun intended) I also fell in love with how charming Young Hoon is always keeping his cool with his expressions, with an attractive sense of responsibility, dedication and strong morals throughout the entire show. If Nam Shin 3 is already taken..please give me Young Hoon! The one thing I found lacking was the writing of the antagonist. Seo Jong Gil, was your typical antagonist though and was nothing special, but somehow the show still had such a purpose even without it. The grandfather, however, was fun to watch!

Apart from the main antagonist, everyone became more human, empathetic, and righteous at their own pace, all because of Nam Shin 3. We get to see what inherent evil vs neglect/abuse induced evil, and the good, showing all the shades of humanity as a result. Every character has their own drive and motivation except for Nam Shin 3 and it was interesting to see everything interplayed around him from company politics, family drama, and the romance. The CGI here is notable as well and it is so well done!

The plot was unpredictable for me at every turn, and I was never disappointed. Although there are some plotholes with the fact that they didn't delve deep into the tech parts and his relationship with Kang So Bong, I'm willing to overlook it because at the end, it is part of the fantasy/supernatural genre. I wish they prolonged this drama partly because they wrapped things up quite quickly and it did feel quite rushed, but mostly because I am itching for more. The romance portion was well done and it wasn't too overpowering and cheesy. The drama has the right amount of balance between all the political/philosophical/suspense/drama/romance aspects and I never felt as though there was too much of one aspect. To be honest, it wasn't very romantic until the end and I found the ending realistic but satisfying. Though some people get iffy about a romance between a human and a real robot (not something like "I am not a robot"), it really isn't that bad. It is great that the relationship develops on the basis of strong friendship and fierce loyalty, and the robot is made to be so advanced and develops to become very human-like that at times I forgot Nam Shin 3 was just a machine. (The characters also toy around with this fact a lot, leading to a lot of philosophical questioning).

I loved the OSTs, and the music fit perfectly with the premise of this show. It felt magical and had a kind of modern/aesthetic feel with my favourite song from the drama, "The Longing Dance" while at other parts it had the kind of nonchalant but pleasant drama music that was always there but didn't get annoying.

Overall, I personally love this drama despite its flaws. I had such a good time with this show because I wasn't sure what to expect from it and didn't have many expectations. It has such a high rewatch value for me. I really recommend that you check it out!!