The Day of the Kidnapping

Korean Drama '' The Kidnapping Day '' is an intense thriller with a sensitive side.

The drama starts off quite strongly, with the pair of kidnapper-child being enjoyable to follow, as they start bonding and forming a somewhat family. Their relationship was also what kept things going when the drama started flaking as well.

Actually, towards the ending, the drama's twists were a bit over the top and, again, the strong duo were there to save the day, even if the rest of the characters were frustrating to follow.

The performances, finally, were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, six out of ten.

At first, I did not bother to check this series probably because of its title. I thought it was just a straightforward kidnapping plot.

Being an avid fan of crime (mystery), suspense & thriller genres (both in US and Korea), I went ahead and gave it a shot. It was the synopsis that somewhat got me, I find it interesting.

I love the build up of the story and how the characters were introduced in every scene. It may sound odd but you'll be rooting for the kidnapper (didn't expect this one). Else, what I love about this is the mystery part, looking for answers about who the real culprit is.

I just want to add, hands down to both lead actors, Kim Myeong-joon (Yoon Kye-sang) and Choi Ro-Hee (Yoo Na), super talented and natural.

Give this series a try and you'll find yourself juggling with emotions, like literally! Watch this together with your family and friends, no doubt they will surely enjoy it.

Kim Myung-joon is desperate to save his ill daughter who is in need of a surgery and Kim Myung-joon desperate for money to pay for the surgery. His ex-wife Seo Hye-eun, suggests him to kidnap Choi Roo-hee who is a 11 year old girl and daughter to rich parents. As he clumsily tries to be a kidnapper, he finds Roo-hee appear infront of his car and collapsing. Taking her to his home, he realizes she has amnesia and assumes him to be her father. To make things worse, Roo-hee's parents are found murdered thus forcing Kim Myung-joon to go on the run with Roo-hee who just happens to be a genius child. How does he protect the girl while a bigger conspiracy gets unveiled around her parents murder, forms rest of the story.

With 12 episodes, Jeon Yu-na as Choi Roo-hee is the star of the show and the bonding she shares with Yoon Kye-sang as Kim Myung-joon remains the highlight throughout. It is their story that captivates the viewers while the murder mystery and the bigger conspiracy is the usual K-drama with a bunch of honest cops led by the promising Park Sung-hoon as detective Park Sang-yoon. While the initial 4 episodes succeeds in making us root for the two main characters, it also succeeds in establishing the narrative firmly for the mystery to unveil.

The final episode is a brave choice with pitting the antagonist against the girl and the episode is entirely driven by emotions. The show had plenty of chases and fight scenes but to go with a proper dramatic take for the last episode was a good choice and the performances stand out. The humor is well executed whereas the heart touching moments keep coming at the right time. Driven by standout performances and a engaging story, The Kidnapping Day despite it's minor flaws, makes up for a worthy watch.

The Kidnapping Day is adapted from the popular Korean novel with the same title, using the black-comedy thriller genre. An amateur kidnapper who is willing to commit crimes to pay for his child's hospital bills, this drama will probably tell the story of a father's struggle for his child. A seemingly simple mistake sets off a chain of unexpected and tragic events, leaving these two characters in a complex moral and emotional dilemma. It's quite light to watch, even though it has the thriller, crime and comedy genres, but it doesn't seem to drain a lot of thought, although that doesn't mean it's not good, it's still recommended to watch because there are lots of implied moral messages that can be taken away.

Such a disappointment! A super interesting premise that goes down the wrong road with poorly defined characters, cartoonish & unnecessary chase scenes & violence. Of course, in similar fashion to other shows (like Vagabond), characters can be stabbed, in car accidents and beaten to a pulp, but everyone instantly recovers. And at times characters can easily stay off the grid, that is unless someone (or the writer) needs to find them ASAP.

What saves this is the great performances of the two leads. Yu Na and Yoon Kye-sang.

Glad this was only 12 episodes and virtually all are 60 minutes. With so many great stories/compelling Korean drama's, check out the far more entertaining Reborn Rich or Start-Up for light weight, but wonderful shows.