It’s been a while, but I’m back, baby!
So, only one of my predictions was true. But that is okay. For the sake of no spoilers, I won’t say which prediction was right.
Behind Your Touch follows veterinarian Dr. Ye-bun Bong and Detective Moon as they join hands to solve crimes using Dr. Bong’s newly acquired power: she can see a person’s past and see through their eyes by touching their butt. Detective Moon, desiring to return to Seoul after being dumped in the small town of Mujin, needs Dr. Bong’s powers to help him solve a big case that will help him prove his worth and send him back to the big city. But turns out the biggest case of his life will be catching a serial killer in the small town where everyone knows everyone, or at least they think they do. Will Dr. Bong and Detective Moon figure out who the killer is before it’s too late?
They do! Yay! Let’s get into this review.
PLOT: 4/5
All 16 episodes were fairly well-paced. I kept watching to figure out two things:
- Will Dr. Bong and Detective Moon get together, or will she get together with Seon-Woo, the object of her affection?
- Who the heck is the serial killer?
By episode 13 or so, we are convinced it might be two people who are very close to Dr. Bong. Without giving too much away, these two people are killed off, revealing that they are, in fact, not the serial killer; you just sort of sigh in exhaustion and go, damn well, who is the killer already!
We are granted the information in episode 15 but spend most of the episode and most of episode 16 on a chase to capture the killer. I feel like that part was a bit unnecessary.
The plot moves along through character choices, including the main character, Dr. Ye-bun Bong. She is a bit of a ditz and lives in a world of sunshine and rainbows. This becomes a big problem when one of the characters figures out the serial killer’s identity and gets mortally wounded. As this character dies, the character goes to Ye-bun to tell her the killer’s identity, hoping that Ye-bun will grab their butt and see the truth. But all she does is scream and cry and shake the person. It’s like, girl, this character went to you because they know you can read butts, read the person’s butt!
I believe this happens in episode 13, and that is when I was like, alright, we need to come to some type of conclusion.
Despite some extending towards the end of the show to reach that 16-episode mark, I was satisfied with the pace.
Also, it should be noted that for such a heavy subject as murder, the show was heartwarming at times and funny. Even though a serial killer is on the loose in a town that doesn’t really see major crime, the writers found a way to balance humor with the awful topic to the point where the murders were almost background to the everyday life of the people in the town.
ACTING: 5/5
At this point, I have seen three shows with Han Ji-min in them, including Our Blue, and Familiar Wife, and I must say I like her character portrayals. She seems to have a good range of playing quirky, sultry, or self-assured women. Sometimes, I wanted to strangle Dr. Bong in the show, which is how you know the acting is done well. You are convinced.
This is only my second time seeing Lee Min-ki, the first was in My Liberation Notes, and I thought his acting was stellar in that one (that is just a stellar show, to be honest)
I have seen all the secondary characters in one show or another, and they all portrayed their characters really well. Even the serial killer did a great job of showing the insanity of deciding to kill a town full of people who trust you.
CASTING: 5/5
That said, the casting was great. Lee Min-ki especially. He plays intense, overzealous characters well (see him in My Liberation Notes) and fits well into the detective role.
I will also note that I watched most of the show in English dubbed before switching back to subtitles, and they did a great job of selecting English voice actors for this show. Shout out to them.
CHARACTERIZATION: 4/5
Most of the characters were interesting, and since you didn’t know who the serial killer was, you sort of questioned everyone and started to do your own thinking about whether or not the character could have a motive for murder.
However, there was one character, Dr. Bong’s crush, Seon-woo, that I was kind of meh. For most of the show, we are led to believe he is the serial killer, and then we figure he isn’t, and then we figure he is again, only to find out that he is not. The writers create this mystery around his character, even for the town’s residents, but he is secretive to a fault. Like someone has to know the truth, it comes down to Dr. Bong believing that he is innocent to the point where you, as a viewer, believe she believes in his innocence only because she likes him and nothing more. Like he gives her nothing. I get why they had it like that, but it was a bit annoying, especially his role within the love triangle.
COSTUMES: 5/5
Characters were costume accordingly, and besides Dr. Bong’s sort of upscaled Little House on the Prarie vibe, nothing stands out except for the lipstick.
There are two scenes in which Ye-bun’s aunt asks Ok-hui (Ye-bun’s bestie) for some lipstick. It turns out to be this bright neon orange lipstick; you just have to see the pictures to get it. At the end of the show, Ye-bun asks Ok-hui for some lipstick so she can talk to Detective Moon, and it is the same bright neon orange lipstick. I like running gags in shows.
But it is difficult to costume everyday people to look every day, so with that, I give the costumes 5 out of 5.
TROPES: 5/5
The only trope in this show was the “land scam” trope. Many K-dramas have this as a plot point or even the main focus. There is land that no one is using, and some wealthy person or political figure gets people to sell the land with the promise of wealth upon redevelopment; only redevelopment never happens, and the people lose everything, and years go by, and suddenly the land is worth a whole bunch, but the people don’t have a right to it anymore. This trope is not a driving factor for the show, but it is a part of several characters’ motives to convince us as viewers that this character might be the murderer.
Other than that, this romantic comedy was light on romance, so there aren’t any romance tropes, which is sad but refreshing.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT: N/A
I think because Netflix is really shelling out the cash for these shows, there is less product placement than in other shows I’ve seen. I don’t think I saw any awkward offers of joint medicine, energizing coffee candies, or scenes of the actors chewing a dry Subway sandwich.
OST: 10/5
It’s the best OST I have heard in a long time. It is a basic hip-hop beat, and accordingly, the song is titled “Hip Hop,” but doesn’t fit the show. Like it is just some peppy and hip-hop. None of the characters is a secret hip-hop dancer. There is no connection to the show at all. Additionally, the opening is animated with a cartoon version of Ye-bun Bong bopping around on different animals and doggy butts wagging in front of the camera. But somehow, it all fits even though none of it makes sense. JooHoney of MonstaX wrote the song. I know nothing about this group, but I like this song.
Final Score: 33/40
I give this show 33/40. Technically, removing the N/A category of product placement, this show gets 33/35! It is a fun show to watch, with great acting, and will keep you coming back for each episode. So, if you are between shows and need something to watch, I recommend Behind Your Touch.
They Don't Kiss Until Episode 16 
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