Is he a vampire? No. Is he a prosecutor? No. He's the Vampire Prosecutor.

Leave it to a K-dramaland to combine two elements that I currently love to create one fantastic drama.  The OCN cable drama Vampire Prosecutor combines the fictional world of blood-sucking vampire fantasy with crime scene investigation.  I mean what could be better than that, right?  To be fair, I actually thought a lot of things could be better than that, cause Korean crime scene investigation dramas generally leave a lot to be desired on my part, and vampires popping up every which place since the emergence of the Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries TV show has been driving me nuts.  So how would a K-drama handle it?  I feared finding out and steered clear of Vampire Prosecutor. So what made me attempt this seemingly doomed drama? It's avid fanbase.  Comments on how "great" the drama was, continued to pop up all over my internet searches.  Even more astounding was the fact that it broke the 4% view ratings on a cable drama which in itself is a feat.

I am not one to jump on the band wagon because of fan comments (I often share differing views), but I checked out the cast and found that Yung Jung Hoon who was excellent in the tortured story of brotherly love which is East of Eden was the leading man in this drama, plus the quirky and bubbly Lee Young Ah, of King of Baking: Kim Tak Goo fame was the female lead.  I decided well it can't hurt to watch one episode. One of the best decisions I have ever made. 

Fangs and Blue eyes the vampire trademark.

Vampire Prosecutor follows the story of Min Tae Yeon (Yung Jung Hoon) who is a well-known prosecutor seeking justice against the dangerous criminals.  There is just one difference between Tae Yeon and his other counterparts, he is a vampire.  Once a human being, while in pursuit of another criminal, who happened to be a vampire, he was bitten and turned against his will.  Tae Yeon now chooses to fight against his natural instinct to feed on living beings, and rather become a diligent prosecutor bringing criminals to justice.  How does he survive without drinking blood from living humans?  Don't go thinking he kills animals like the Cullens or Stephan Salvatore, he opts for the more Damonesque method of getting blood from a blood supplier who also happens to be a bartender.  Interesting right?

What I love about this drama is that despite the vampire premise, it is not a drama about vampires.  First and foremost, Tae Yeon is a prosecutor, he just happens to be a vampire.  Kind of like being a prosecutor who happens to be a vegetarian.  Bad analogy I know, but you get where I am going with the food reference right?  Anyway, Tae Yeon's senses have been heightened due to his supernatural abilities and moreover, once he drinks little blood from the dead victim he can see the final moments of their death, greatly assisting in his investigation process.  I like that his being a vampire helps him in his day to day job.

What would K-dramaland be without Bromance?

Of course, Tae Yeon does not work alone.  His team is made up of the perfect blend of eccentric and intriguing individuals that adds to the dramas development.  He works with police officer Hwang Soon Bum (Lee Won Young) who is actually privy to the fact that Tae Yeon is a vampire.  You don't say.  And the friendship and interactions between these two guys are fantastic.  Soon Bum is the funny, "lazy" cop, who likes the easy way of doing things, but is still top notch at his job.  And boy, how do I love the scenes where Soon Bum teases a vampire.  Doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do, but that's bromance in dramaland for you. Then there's the lovely Yoo Jung In (Lee Young Ah) who is a junior prosecutor.  She is straight-laced and full with the desire to catch the bad guys no matter what, while trying to get acknowledgement from her stone-faced boss, who keeps her at a distance.   She also has her own mysterious past which adds to her zeal for justice.  The sexual tension between Tae Yeon and Jung In is also sizzling, but of course, Tae Yeon fights getting close to her, since you know, she looks all tasty and everything and he doesn't want to tempt fate.

I enjoy that every week there are new murders to solve and most are not as black and white as they seem.  There is the overall story arc of the "big bad" vampire that Tae Yeon was chasing to begin with, and slowly week to week, as they solve minor cases, we get more insight, not only into the characters but, more leads as to who the "big bad" vampire is.  It's a well written script and excellently directed and performed.  You cannot talk about Vampire Prosecutor without mentioning the beauty of how it was filmed.  The shots are sublime and use of colour and technique are phenomenal.  If I was just rating on looks, it gets a full five stars on that. 

For me, it's a great investigation drama, and I was excited trying to solve mystery week to week.  It was intense, but fun, with the right amount of humour and intensity to keep me going weekly.  I give it a four and half star rating.

According to Bel: It quenches my thirst.