K-Drama Review: “Zombie Detective” Entertains and Thrills With Its Comical Story Plus Unique Protagonist

Both entertaining and intriguing, Zombie Detective grabs viewers’ attention with its unlikely combination — zombie as the main hero and human as its enemy.

If you are not yet convinced by that concept, keep reading, and maybe you’ll give this drama a shot. I’m sure you won’t regret watching it, especially if you are a huge fan of comedy K-dramas!

TITLE: Zombie Detective
NETWORK: KBS2
THEME: Comedy, Zombie, Fantasy
LENGTH: 12 EPISODES
BROADCAST DATE: 21 SEPTEMBER 2020 –  27 OCTOBER 2020
MAIN LEADS: Choi Jin Hyuk & Park Joo Hyun
HIGHLIGHTS: Kim Moo Young | Quirky Supporting Characters
OVERALL RATING:
RE-WATCH VALUE:

Highlights

The one-of-a-kind hero Kim Moo Young

Throughout its 12 episodes, we witness the journey of the zombie, Kim Moo Young (Choi Jin Hyuk), trying to live with “what-we-thought-of” his target — the human.

Although he is for a fact a real zombie, on the contrary, he was threatened by the living. He has a heart of gold! Before turning into a zombie, he remembers nothing about his identity, past, and the reason why he became like that.

While he mysteriously had the chance to somehow be born again in a form of being a zombie, he witnessed —through a different perspective — the cruelty of people. But because he was a human before, he is well aware of his actions, thus, he still know what’s the right thing to do. He chooses to live within the boundaries of people, and can’t stand injustice.

The quirky supporting characters

Aside from the lovely main leads, each of the supporting characters had their own charm too. One of the closest to Kim Moo Young — the two clumsy neighboring detectives who look like they’ve come out of the ’80s. Although they were shown as incompetent in their field of work, they have a softer side when talking about their loved ones.

The female lead’s fun-loving family who always bickers but care a lot for each other at the end of the day, the three clever kids, Seon Ji’s sassy friend, and amiable police station gave delight to the show. They brought  Seon Ji’s brother in law’s movie scripts to life in a slapstick humor style.

Recommendation

As I have written in my premiere review for Zombie Detective, it will likely appeal the general audience. And I am really glad that my initial assumption was right. The whole drama is wholesome, warm, and comfortable in its own way. It has particular charm and radiant energy that will never fail to make someone laugh, or put a smile on someone’s face.

Though having just 12 episodes in total, the narration was kept concise and the excitement was maintained. The writers have finely woven the sub-plot of the murder case connected with Moo Young’s back story and his relation to Seon Ji.

While it has a light take on the supernatural concept, it mixes mystery and comedy elements fairly. If you need a break from heavy dramas, I highly recommend Zombie Detective.

Streaming Site: Viu

Photos/Videos: KBS2