Crime Korean dramas take on a new type of storyline with Netflix’s Inspector Koo. The drama debuted on the streaming platform on Oct. 30, with Lee Young-ae leading as Koo Kyung-yi. An ex-cop is now an insurance investigator who stumbles upon a possible serial killer who makes murders look like accidents.
Inspector Koo promises a refreshing K-drama full of comedy, a never-before-seen killer, and a corky female lead. Compared to other crime K-dramas, Inspector Koo is just what fans need to take a break from the dark, grueling and bloody dramas they are used to.
Video game style editing meets laugh-out-loud comedy in ‘Inspector Koo’
The editing style Netflix’s Inspector Koo uses is based on its main character, Kyun-yi. She becomes a hermit crab after her husband’s death who spends endless hours playing online video games. The K-drama’s poster depicts the main characters with video-game-inspired thought bubbles and graphics.
The style translates into the K-drama as Kyung-yi is depicted as a lone superhero who has a habit of standing on rooftops like Batman. Inspector Koo episode 1 shows how having one pint of beer recharges Kyung-yi’s brain like a video game power-up. A simple tone and style occur throughout the drama. At one point, Kyung-yi even addresses the audience in a fourth-wall break.
A female serial killer leads the K-drama into a different style of murder-mystery
Die-hard K-drama fans have seen their fair share of serial-killer dramas. On many occasions, the evil and heinous murderer is always male. Netflix’s Inspector Koo breaks the mold, giving fans a refreshing new killer to be enthralled by. Actor Kim Hye-jun plays the leading role of Song Yi-kyun, aka Kei.
Kei is introduced using flashbacks during her time at school. Behind her somewhat kind demeanor, she harbors a dark secret when a faculty member at her school suddenly dies. Fast foward years later, Kei has become a serial killer and disguises her murders as accidents with the help of another character.
Her Modus Operandi deviates from the gruesome gore other K-drama serial killers use. Netflix’s Inspector Koo builds Kei’s character as someone who kills for fun, has no regard for human life, and has an aloof persona. Fans can expect Kei and Kyung-yi to have an exciting connection. Events of the past might lead to Kei that forever changed Kyung-yi’s life. Kyung-yi is hot on the trail to find the culprit behind multiple staged murders.
Kyung-yi is an eccentric and unexpected gifted detective behind her messy hair in ‘Inspector Koo’ for Netflix
Inspector Koo’s leading character Kyung-yi is not the typical investigator fan are used to. She was once a neat detective who became a messy, alcohol-driven character addicted to computer games. She would rather sit in her garbage-filled apartment wearing stained clothing than go out in public. But, it is what makes the character fun to watch on screen.
Behind her greasy hair and pajamas, she is a talented detective and sleuth. She solves the first insurance case with ease while picking up clues of a possible serial killer. In a day, she solves a tall stack of insurance fraud cases with the snap of her fingers. Her investigative methods are also unique. Kyung-yi pretends to be different characters to gather information.
In one scene, she convinces one of her gamer friends to stay alive by throwing herself off the ledge of the building. She timed it perfectly to land in a garbage truck. Kyung-yi later scares a worker to death as she emerges from the trash as if nothing happened. According to Soompi, “When I read the script, I felt how weird and unique it was. It felt like it got stuck in my head. I kept reading the script over and over. It was that unique. It’s different from other dramas, but it’s fun,” said Lee.
Behind Kyung-yi’s comical persona, she uses her new lifestyle to hide her past. She slowly reverts to her old self throughout the episodes but quickly tries to shun it away by drinking and playing video games. Her partner even warns her not to get too invested in cases.
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