‘Our Unwritten Seoul’ Netflix Series Review - Park Bo-young is Remarkable in a Promising Show

The exposition towards the beginning of the first episode of Our Unwritten Seoul arrives so swiftly that I had to jot down key details for this review. Here's what you need to know: Mi-ji and Mi-rae are identical twin sisters. Mi-ji, the younger sister, has short hair, while Mi-rae, the elder, has long hair. During their school years, Mi-ji showed great athletic potential - she could have been an Olympic-level runner. An ankle injury, however, shattered those Olympian dreams, and she now works odd jobs. Mi-rae, on the other hand, had always been a top student, and due to her hard work, she is now employed at a public corporation. Their mother, Ok-hui (Jang Young-nam), is proud of Mi-rae and her achievements. What about Mi-ji? For Ok-hui, she is almost invisible. The mother is disappointed with this young daughter. In front of her colleagues, Ok-hui prefers to boast about her older daughter. It's Mi-rae, after all, who pays all the bills and has financial power. What else could a parent want? As long as their son or daughter works at a big company and earns a fat paycheck, the parents remain happy and content. But what about that daughter, that son? Are they happy with their choices? How is the workplace environment?

Our Unwritten Seoul arrives at that last question so smoothly, so effortlessly, that it takes you by surprise. Nothing about the initial portions of Episode 1 indicates that it will end up in the realm of toxic workplace culture. This is why one can't help but fall in love with these South Korean TV shows. They change their shape so fluidly seductively and convincingly that you get a strong urge to give a kiss to the writers (Lee Kang is the genius here). How do they manage to write so beautifully, and why do other industries struggle to write like them? Most shows almost immediately tell you what they will be about, and they, more often than not, walk on a predictable path. But something like Our Unwritten Seoul consistently surprises you at every turn. The change in narrative direction isn't treated like a big twist that aims to impress the viewers. Rather, the shift is very organic and very believable. You are impressed by the confidence of the filmmakers. They introduce their themes slowly, and everything occurs at just the right moment. Based on its premiere episode, Our Unwritten Seoul looks like another winner from South Korea, and Park Bo-young's performance definitely enhances the experience. In the role of Mi-ji and Mi-rae, she looks the same but also quite different, thanks to the makeup (the hair clearly distinguishes one sister from the other). Hence, you feel as if you are watching two different actors and not one actor playing two different characters. It's a remarkable achievement. I hope the rest of the episodes, too, turn out to be as remarkable.

Final Score- [8.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times