Manual do Presidiário (2017)

Definitely worth the time.

I've always been a fan of romantic comedy dramas but this drama surprised me (in a good way). The story, characters and the acting together with witty and tasteful script, cinematography and music was PERFECT. You can learn and see humanity as its worst and finest through pivotal characters in this drama. If you want layers of story, emotions and life lessons about depression, discrimination and stereotypes then this is the right drama for you. If you're used to romantic comedies and predictable plots, then this will be one wild roller coaster for you. While there are some aspects of drama that can be too scripted or planned, their is a sense of reality and sincerity to the portrayal of the prison life. I'd say this is one of the best dramas I've watched throughout the decade as I've seen nothing like it before.

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I always felt a tad bored by this drama when I watched it - not for any particular reason. Objectively speaking, the plot was solid. The characters were great. We had a wonderful blend of both happy and sad endings for our characters. But for some reason, sitting down and watching this drama felt like such a dull experience. I mostly blame the directing, since the episodes that were dragged out to 90 or more minutes could have fit nicely in a 60 minute format. A lot of the time seemed to be filled up with characters staring into space as the camera focuses on them, or even filler chit-chat that doesn’t really change the plot one way or the other. Take that away, and you’ve got a solid drama. Just because I didn’t have the heart to give this drama a lower rating (since it was exceptionally high quality and the storytelling was incredible) than 8.5 stars, I’m just going to take the slowness as the director’s unfortunate affinity for dragging out the plot rather than his lack of ability to direct a captivating drama. Overall I would recommend this drama. Took me a while to get into and another month to finish, but the overall story was very wholesome and pretty comedic. Love me a good comedy :)

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Definitely Recommend

Where to start? I loved this drama. At first I wasn't sure about it but decided to give it a watch anyway since there was nothing else. I did hear that this was about friendships in prison and unlike other dramas this time it is based on older characters. I was not sure what to expect even knowing this. I was not disappointed. It was funny and very emotional. I found myself laughing more than I have while watching a drama in awhile and I also found myself getting all teary eyed and crying a little near the end.

I will say that the ending for han yang and kaist kind of sucked. Although what happened with han yang is realistic it still sucks that he relapsed when he just got out of prison too. Getting over an addiction is never easy but he did his best and if he was able to do it once he can do it again. I will also say I felt bad for Kaist too because he did what he could and trued to be a good father to his son but his son did not want that. He just did not have a very good ending at all. I did love ki soos ending though because he spent the rest of his days in prison all happy which made me very happy.

As for the ost it was awesome. Not many times do I watch a drama that also has an amazing soundtrack. So if you are into that then I would recommend this drama even more.

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I was almost going to add this drama to my list of favorite dramas, but then the ending threw me off so bad. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed watching this, I laughed at lot. To be honest, the inmates and side characters' relationships, as well as the character development are the highlights of the drama. The development of the characters is immaculate. Every character was unique and had their own story, and they did a good job incorporating all that. 

The biggest problem I have with this drama was that they introduced so many characters which also had a lot of screen time but I guess the writer got lazy to end and finish their stories well. There was no follow up whatsoever. The characters that really grew on me just disappeared mid season. There is nothing really exciting about the male lead, I preferred watching the supporting characters. Overall this was just a decent drama, it would have been better if only it had a more satisfying ending. I would recommend but don't expect much.

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Tbh, I was hesitant to watch it at first. I thought it's going to be serious and tedious since it's not like the usual KDramas that I watch. If you're a sucker for romcoms and you've never tried watching other genre of KDramas like "Prison Playbook", don't worry! Your time will definitely not be wasted! I thought 1 hour and 39 mins for 1 episode is too long, but it's not! Episode was not that great tbh but I got hooked at ep 2! I love each of the characters' story. The drama was heartwarming and funny. (SPOILER AHEAD)














I love how the story of Kim Je Hyeok and his cellmates ended, except for Hanyang. I was hoping he would start a good life with his lover. He was able to fight his craving for drugs for months while he was in prison. I was so disappointed that not even an hour after he got released, he was doomed once again. But.. I guess what happened to him was kinda realistic.

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On aurait presque envie d'y aller passer ses vacances...

Pour Prison playbook, j'en suis à l'épisode 10, donc plus de la moitié et j'aime toujours beaucoup !
Ce n'est pas le truc qui te tient réveillée jusqu'à l'aube pour voir la suite, mais plutôt l'histoire qui s'installe tranquillement, les personnages qui s'approfondissent et auxquels on s'attache peu à peu.
Le fil rouge du joueur vedette balancé dans le milieu carcéral n'est, justement, qu'un prétexte pour voir toute une galerie de portraits (détenus au passé plus ou moins chargé et gardiens plus ou moins sympathiques)bien que le joueur lui-même ne soit pas du tout un faire-valoir banal ! On se demande au début si, à part lancer des balles, il est capable de comprendre quelque chose, mais peu à peu on s'aperçoit que derrière sa naïveté et sa maladresse indéniables se cachent un grand cœur et beaucoup de finesse !
Et j'adore voir Jung Woong-In (officier Paeng)si parfaitement odieux dans Empress Ki ou I hear your voice en gardien de prison bourru mais très humain, ça change tellement qu'au début j'étais sûre qu'il allait être le gardien sadique typique !
Alors bien sûr peu de femmes, sauf dans les flash-backs sur la vie du héros au temps de sa gloire, et aussi dans la vie du gardien Lee Joon Ho
Il y en a qui partent, (libérés, transférés, ou vers un monde meilleur… ) de nouveaux qui arrivent  apportant de nouvelles histoires et de nouveaux caractères.
Bon, j'aimerais être sûre que le système carcéral coréen est comme dans le drama (il faut voir la taille de la cellule de 6 personnages centraux !!! )avec un tel soin apporté aux prisonniers (nombreuses activités, et surveillance compréhensive.. )parce qu'on pourrait envoyer en urgence notre ministre de la Justice prendre des leçons !  
D'autre part le drama a clairement pris le parti-pris de rester du côté humain de la Force, car si les brimades et le côté sadique de certains petits chefs de cellule est évoqué, il reste très "soft" et plutôt en arrière plan

Maintenant je l’ai fini, et je peux conclure qu’il est vraiment agréable à suivre, les acteurs sont parfaits, et l’histoire finit comme on le souhaitait, sans cependant que ce soit ridiculement bisounours !

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I heard about this drama way back before and I don't find it interesting because all i thought it would be like a violent prison life but I was wrong I never thought that I would enjoyed watching this because for me it was so funny and was hooked in every character in that particular cell, each of them has different story to tell.

Je-Hyeok is a famous baseball player adjusted well in his prison life with the help of his inmates and his bestfriend Joon-Ho who is also a prison officer. But my most favorite character is Han-Yang a.k.a LOONEY grabe na ang tawa ko basta xa nga mga trashtalk hahaha... sometimes his normal and sometimes his druggie which is I loved the most hahaha... If he made you cry in Hi Bye Mama, here you will cry in laughter ???. And Captain Yoo (Jung Hae In) is so hot and his acting here is different from his other dramas that Ive seen. And if you hear the tweeting bird you already know what it means hahaha ????.

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Un piccolo gioiello da non perdere assolutamente!

Questo drama si è rivelato davvero una gran bella sorpresa. L'avevo messo in lista per via della presenza di Jung Kyung Ho, attore che sto apprezzando sempre di più. La serie conta in totale 16 episodi, estremamente ricchi senza mai essere frettolosi: incredibile come con un ritmo calzante ma non precipitoso, riescano a susseguirsi un gran numero di eventi in un singolo episodio. Il tempo sembra dilatarsi, in senso positivo, si arriva alla fine di ogni puntata soddisfatti di quanto appena visto e contenti del fatto che ce ne siano ancora altri da vedere.
La sceneggiatura è solida, il background complesso e ben curato. L'attenzione dedicata alla serie si evidenzia sotto molti aspetti, dalle riprese, dal montaggio, dalla sceneggiatura stessa, dalla cura per i dettagli. Forse un attimo di smarrimento all'inizio del terzo episodio, dove ho avuto l'impressione di un tratto disconnesso dalla fine dell'episodio precedente, ma pazientando un poco tutto torna nello schema logico. Belle le riprese che diverse volte sfumano quasi nel bianco/nero, mai per caso ma sempre a sottolineare momenti salienti. Se parliamo dell'ambientazione, ci troviamo davanti a una serie ambientata per la maggior parte del tempo all'interno di un penitenziario ma dove la tematica sportiva del baseball è di fatto costante e motore di tutta la storia. Presenta l'accenno di due storie d'amore, un coppia che si riunisce e una che si forma da zero (che poi è quella che più ho apprezzato). Parlo di accenno perchè il fulcro del drama è in realtà l'aspetto bromance, ovvero il legame tra quelli che a conti fatti sono i due protagonisti, due amici - migliori amici d'infanzia e del periodo scolare - ritrovatisi in età adulta vestendo i ruoli rispettivi del detenuto e del secondino. Una delle poche cose che non ho compreso, anzi diciamo l'unica, è come mai i due si fossero persi di vista da un decennio, dato che erano migliori amici e che, una volta che il destino fa incrociare nuovamente le loro strade, riprendono lo stretto rapporto di prima come se l'amicizia, negli anni, fosse rimasta intatta. Ad ogni modo, dall'interazione non solo a parole ma anche negli sguardi, nelle azioni e nei gesti trapela questo stretto legame, questa fiducia indissolubile e conoscenza dell'altro, dove con uno sguardo si può capire il non detto e il non voluto dire. Davvero, il sentimento fraterno è rappresentato in modo impeccabile. Loro due sono i protagonisti del drama, ma la storia è ricca grazie anche a numerosi personaggi secondari che tanto secondari non sono, ma che con le loro singole vicende calcano a turno la scena. Dal Galeotto al Pazzo (una delle figure più complesse, con storia altrettanto complessa alle spalle), al capitano Yoo, al tenente Paeng (splendido personaggio interpretato da un bravissimo Jung Woong In, che per una volta non veste i panni del cattivo di turno ma sa ritagliarsi un ruolo di tutto rispetto nello schieramento dei buoni). Per quanto riguarda Jung Kyung Ho (l'attore che interpreta Lee Joon Ho), ha dimostrato ancora una volta grande talento e versatilità: è un attore che trovo sempre molto sobrio - anche nei momenti divertenti e scherzosi - con un'eleganza intrinseca che sa esprimere attraverso gli sguardi, il portamento e la voce (di quest'ultima, timbro e cadenza mi ricordano incredibilmente quella di Namgoong Min, punta di diamante tra gli attori coreani, per quanto mi riguarda). Che dire, una serie davvero complessa e completa, di alto livello e con minimi difetti, che consiglierei a chiunque di vedere perchè davvero merita! Non do il massimo come valutazione poiché sono irrimediabilmente fan dei grandi romance, e questo no lo è, nessun batticuore da grande amore al centro della scena. Ma, al di là di questo motivo, è come se gli avessi dato il massimo del punteggio. Da non perdere!

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This show is a such a humane show. For one, it tells a different side of a prison, something we don't often seen in drama. And it's never been done quite well this way. All the characters came with in-depth background and stories to themselves. It really does champion the "slice-of-life" genre. It was serious, comedic, sad all together. Even though I wasn't familiar with the main actor, Park Hae Soo, I found him utterly enjoyable to watch.

And as for Jung Hae In, this guy really just compliments all uniform he puts on. He looked damn good in a cop uniform in "while you were sleeping" and in here he looked damn good in a military uniform as well. Even the prison uniform, haha.

Overall: Great human show. Something different from the typical soap-opera kdrama.

Rewatch: yes.

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One of must-watch drama! This drama is unique in a way. A mix of satire, humor, and bromance. If you are looking for romantic like the usual K-drama, this is not for you.

However, if you are looking for a drama with Humor, Bromance, reality, deep messages, great acting from a lot of experienced and talented actors, and great cinematography, you are looking at the right place.

SPOILER ALERTS:

The story is focused on the baseball player Kim Je Hyeok, who accidentally killed a man who tried to assault his sister. He was sent to the jail where he has a hard time to adjust. Luckily, he met his best friend, Joon Ho who was working as the Jail Guard. With Joon Ho helps, and the Jailbird (a jailmate who has a lot experience being in prison for so many times.), he started to get accustomed to prison life. During his stayed, he met with other jailmates and find other stories about where they are coming from and start to have a brotherhood relationship with them. Not all the jailmate are friendly. Some had tried to take advantages of him and some had assaulted him, to the point where his injury was so severe and his career as a baseball player may come to an end.


AGAIN SPOILER ALERT HIGH
The more eps come to an end, the more interesting the story is. All the characters are very interesting. It is very interesting at the beginning of the series, there was a scene where Je Hyeok was seating on the car and went through a tunnel on his way to his trial and when he came out, he was in the bus on his way to prison. Then at the end of the series, there is the going through tunnel scene again, but this time he went as a free man and on his way to his come back games. The cinematography is just so beautiful and memorable.

The songs are really good. The song Bravo My Life by Eric Nam was a perfect choice for portraying Je Hyeok's life. I also like the fact they are using the classic song, "Time to say Good Bye " in the beginning as a premonition for Je Hyeok new's beginning in prison.

All the characters are great, unique and loveable. It's hard not to love and sympathize with their situation. I also love the fact, that there is a character who is shrewd without any reason at all (Captain Na, I'm talking about you. You remind me of my high school teacher). Although if I can have a complaint, I would like to complain about Looney aka Han Yang ending. I really really want a happy end for him! I was soooo sad but then again. It was actually pretty realistic in a way and bitter. It is true that once you are a drug addict, it will be very very hard to stop your addiction. But I still with a happy ending for him. He is my fav after all.

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Finest Prison Slice-Of-Life Drama met all my high expectations and then some.

Went into this with high expectations, since it has super high MDL ratings. Just finished it and must say, I am NOT disappointed. It starts as a story about a famous baseball player that accidentally kills the man who tried to rape his sister and turns into probably the finest Prison Slice-Of-Life Drama made. This is primarily character driven, and the ensemble cast are ALL excellent at portraying guards, inmates and their families. Their stories interweave as they interact and this is all very well done, with nothing feeling forced or strange. Kudos to the scriptwriters for this.

The 2 main leads are Park Hae Soo as Star Baseball Pitcher Kim Je Hyuk, and the handsome Jung Kyung Ho as his childhood friend, Lee Joon Ho. Both disappear into their characters. As a viewer, I found it IMPOSSIBLE not to like Je Hyuk - he's clearly protective of his family, is smart enough to "act" dumb and has a "psycho" mode. Joon Ho is the perfect foil, he's smarter but cunning enough to do good things for others by subterfuge, like when he tells the other guards to come watch Je Hyuk pitch so Lieutenant Paeng can change in peace, or when he goes off on a prisoner so the same Lieutenant won't get another demerit. That's a good man right there. Both romances were also done well.

Of the other cellmates, I found myself liking the old gangster Min Chul, the Innocent man in prison Captain Yoo, Kaist the swindler and towards the end I started to love Crony for how his arc turned out, as that last statement he made to Je Hyuk actually reduced me to tears. But NONE of them grew on me like Loony. When he took drugs he was smart. Then he went cold turkey and we laughed and cried as he went through withdrawals. Then, RIGHT After he got released ... argh, I was so angry when that happened both me and the spouse actually said "NOOOOO" at that scene. We were FULLY invested in him and even though what he did was probably more realistic it still hurt, bad. Great acting, and writing.

The guards were also fun - the smarter than expected warden, that obnoxious and hateable rules Chief Na, kind Leutenant Paeng, Prison guard Song the motormouth even the bumbling Dr. Go. Supporting cast also had their own story arcs, I especially was fond of Je Hee (Je Hyuk's sister) and Joon Dol (Joon Ho's brother the stalker level super fan).

The last episode made me cry, too many feelings. I was for the most part very satisfied and how nearly all the various plots wrapped up so there was hope, recovery, friendship and ultimately redemption. This is one of the game-changing Korean dramas that has elevated the genre as a whole and I hope more people see it.

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A nice watch but I wanted more

Overall a nice watch and a lot of mini lessons and touching scenes, but I'm kind of surprised it's rated THAT highly here. I think the beginning was stronger for me, more about JH dealing with his prison situation and who the people around him are, rather than the latter half which had more rotating bad guys and random baseball obstacles. I thought the drama would deal a lot more with morality and be heavier, but overall it seemed pretty light-hearted to me.

There are A lot of rotating characters, which makes sense given the prison system, but it just makes it feel like the writers dropped the ball on their stories. One side character that was consistently present throughout the entire series got a terrible ending; I know how unrealistic it can be to give everyone a happy ending when there's such a big cast but it just felt terrible to watch and so unsatisfying :'(

A lowkey star of the show — Paeng! So much depth in his character, from his own backstory to just how he interacts with the inmates. And Minchul was another fave of mine.

Obviously, I loved the bromance and the friendships throughout but I think it could've gone further as well if they handled more serious topics about unjust laws / redemption / life paths / power dynamics, etc.

Anyways! This was a fun one for me and as a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, the fact that we got two of that was a huge plus.

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