Are You Human? (2018) 너도 인간이니?
Directed by Cha Young-hoon, starring Seo Kang-joon as Nam Shin / Nam Shin III, Gong Seung-yeon as Kang So-bong, and Lee Joon-hyuk as Ji Young-hoon.
Watched 11 - 28 December 2025 — 36 episodes (NETFLIX)
*Currently I'm fascinated with the development of AI, and while looking for a new series to watch, I stumbled on this fantasy drama about an AI-generated robot. My younger sister loves this and I like the main couple, Seo Kang-joon and Gong Seung-yeon, so I gave it a try. The story is original and I immediately liked it and it kept me engaged until the very last episode. As a whole I really loved this as well.
*Seo Kang-joon plays Nam Shin, a third generation heir who is taken away from his mother at a young age. The mother (played by Kim Sung-ryung) is a scientist working with brain technology and AI, who in her grief creates a robot in the image of her lost son. When Nam Shin (both robot and human) is an adult, Nam Shin the human gets in a coma as a result of a truck accident. The robot then takes his place. (Incidentally, I didn't really like the mother, not the character nor the actress.)
*Normally I wouldn't be too excited about a robot playing the romantic lead but it works here. Much has to do with Seo Kang-joon's performance. He is totally endearing as Nam Shin III and has something disarming about him. I love how sweet and thoughtful he is, and at times bewildered. Seo Kang-joon looks good too. Also, the female lead Gong Seung-yeon as Kang So-bong gives a lively performance, and I like her sassiness. The leads have great chemistry. The romance is very appealing and I love how So-bong loves Nam Shin III, fully aware that he's a robot. At some point, it doesn't matter anymore that he's not human. You really root for him because he's the better guy, sweet and kind.
*Nam Shin the human is not very likeable but in the end he comes around, fortunately. He's genuinely sad when his mum dies and his tears are real. It would have been nice if he would have become friends with Nam Shin III but that would be really stretching it. Seo Kang-joon manages to differentiate between the two Shin characters well.
*Luckily the good guys stayed on the right side. I love Lee Joon-hyuk as Ji Young-hoon (Nam Shin's secretary and only friend — I believe I've only seen the actor in Designated Survivor: 60 Days) and Choi Deok-moon as David. Also So-bong's dad (played by one of my fave supporting actors, Kim Won-hae) became a likeable person, while being slightly annoying in the beginning.
*I didn't like Nam Shin's girlfriend very much but she was instrumental in the arrest of her father, the big villain, and I'm glad she recognised what was right and wrong.
*SPOILER AHEAD: I knew it was going to be a happy ending (otherwise my sister wouldn't have loved this so much) but I was still curious how it was going to end. At one point I thought maybe the robot was going to be destroyed for good and So-bong was going to share her happy ending with Nam Shin the human, once he completely redeemed himself. But that wouldn't feel right at all, because it was Nam Shin III she fell in love with and me too. Well, despite being shot at numerous times and fallen into the water and very damaged (but not beyond repair), a robot is a robot and can be assembled again. Thank heavens for that!
*The drama comes in 36 episodes of about half an hour each but I watched it on Netflix in 18 eps. of approx. an hour.
*One last thought: with AI developing so fast nowadays, and already having an AI-generated "actress" character (Tilly Norwood) created by a Dutch producer, can we even imagine a future where humans and AI robots have romantic relationships???!!!