Mr. Back (aka Mr. Baek) is a16 episode KTV drama from late 2014. This is a standard Korean TV melodrama show that tilts towards those looking for a mostly breezy romantic fantasy drama without a mega overdose of melodrama & angst & despair involved. It stars people in their late twenties to mid-thirties, and that's also the age of the primary audience it's targeted for, though it is suitable viewing (age wise) for just about anybody. It's sweet and decent enough for what it is, but it's a bit unsatisfying when all is said and done.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Story: A dying 70 year old scrooge type rich man is given a chance to relive his youth via some mystical means. The result is he gets turned back into his 35 year old self, yet retains the life experience & knowledge of a 70 year old. This man (with his newfound youth) now has a limited amount of time to change his regrets in life, find love, reconcile with his son, save his family & company legacy, and so forth. Basically, if you mixed the 2013 Korean film 'Miss Granny' with the 2012 Korean TV show '49 Days', and substituted the main female protagonist with a man, the end result would be a close approximation of this show.
How the lead character transforms himself into the younger version of himself doesn't really matter. This is a fantasy themed K-drama, and as usual, these shows often play fast & loose regarding the rules of aging, switching bodies, the afterlife, time travel, aliens, etc. For what it's worth, (SPOILERS), I believe the lead character accidentally swallows a meteorite that becomes lodged in his heart somehow and magically makes him younger (Yep! It's ridiculous!). What will happen going forward, & what can be done about it, is basically at the whims of what the directors & writers think will work best ratings wise as the show progresses.
Shin Ha Kyun stars in the lead role as the man given a new lease on life. He's been a favorite Korean film actor of mine for years, and this is the 2nd TV drama I've seen him in recently. He's always effective because he can do a wide range of things, and, he can act. What he isn't though is either subdued or restrained, so if you like your K-drama leading men stoic and silent, he may not be your cup of tea. Jang Na Ra stars as the primary female love interest. She's equally adorable as she is adept at portraying what is a fairly stock Cinderella K-drama role (i.e. she's the pretty, unassuming, & honest/normal/poor/kind girl that soon finds herself having not one, but two, rich handsome dudes competing for her affections). I thought these two leads worked well together here and were likely the best part of this endeavor. They are both solid performers.
All the supporting actors and actresses were capable or better as well. I recognized most all of them and I have zero complaints with any of their efforts. Fortunately, pointless, underwritten, and/or obnoxious side characters who simply annoy the crap out of you every second they're on screen are in short supply here. The writing & direction isn't bad either; this show mixes various tones quite well, and, it often gravitates from sweet to sad to dramatic to silly to romantic quite effortlessly. The written/spoken dialogue can also be quite funny &/or poignant at times as well.
Additionally, this show does many of the other "little things" fairly well. It doesn't drag on forever (i.e. 16 episodes is awesome), and the director & writers keep things moving along sufficiently enough. It also has all the expected earmarks of any respectable modern K-drama (i.e. an appropriate soundtrack to suit the show's varying moods, a competent pre and post production team doing a rock solid job, set designers and stylists on hand to make everything look vivid and colorful and everyone look stylish & pretty (or old, as the case may be), etc... These "behind the camera" people that work on these KTV shows are regularly undervalued & under-appreciated in my opinion, and, they often make the difference between how good (or not so good) a show actually is when all is said and done.
On the down side, this show takes a while to find its rhythm; maybe 4-5 episodes or so. And, it's a bit unfulfilling & disappointing down the stretch run. It's so very close to being an outstanding KTV melodrama overall, but, it's ultimately just lacking that illusive extra missing ingredient/magic to make it truly stand out among the crowd. Is it worth watching though?...I'd say Yes (if you're a fan of these types of K-dramas)...I've seen several better KTV shows in the past that were similar in nature, but I've also seen a CRAP TON of similar KTV shows that were far, far worse than 'Mr. Back' is.
Summary: I have no problems recommending this show. It is often rather charming, and everybody involved accomplishes their tasks quite well for the most part. I just wish it had a little more time to be a little better overall than it actually was. I long for the day when writers of K-dramas are regularly given the freedom to tell a story without being slaves to time constraints and viewer ratings. Some of these shows would be really, really good if that were the case. Alas, such is life for modern day Korean TV melodramas.
Bottom Line: A right solid 7 out of 10 stars on the K-drama scale.
