First Impression: My Holo Love

This is a very short 12 ep series from Netflix, but…it’s a must watch. Get your hands on it…quick.

Main cast:

• Yoon Hyun-min (from Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter) as Holo/ Ko Nan-do. Holo is the AI holographic image of Nan-do, the reclusive genius CEO of Gio Labs, who by a planned accident, ends up with So-Yeon.
• Ko Sung-hee (from Suits) as So-yeon. The owner and beta tester of Holo.

Synopsis:

So-yeon has always been shunned by her colleagues, and has few friends. Though not by choice — she suffers (in secret) from an inability to recognise faces (re: Beauty Inside). One day, by pure chance, she was granted the glasses which “houses” a very intelligent holographic AI, Holo.

Holo is the design and brain child (literally) of Nan-do, a reclusive but genius programmer and CEO of Gio Labs. Nan-do (as usual), has a rough childhood, with abandonment issue and all…and he (from a tender age) has programmed an AI friend (which he named Holo).

As Nan-do matures, so did Holo’s programming. So much so that Holo is now almost near-human in physical appearances…and more. When Holo “selects” So-yeon as a beta tester (cos Gio Labs’ figurehead CEO was chased by some scary mobsters who seem intent on robbing the tech glasses), he begins to act more and more like a human…becoming So-yeon’s (only) friend.

Nan-do, when he tries to retrieve the glasses from So-yeon (who doesn’t recognise the similarity between him and Holo cos of her impairment), accidentally locks lips with her. Strangely…even though Nan-do on the surface is all bristly and blaming So-yeon for Holo’s “glitches” (he disobeys Nan-do’s commands to leave So-yeon), he somehow appears to genuinely cares for her — and is weirdly jealous of Holo’s closeness to her.

Review

Holo is reminiscent of Yeo Jin-gu’s Perfect Boyfriend — only…more advanced. He managed to blackout the entire Seoul in order to save So-yeon and Nan-do from getting electrocuted. (now that’s SOME ability)

Unlike Yeo Jin-gu’s humanoid though, Holo…doesn’t have a physical body. He is merely an intelligent AI image. Which brings the second “lead” into equation. The creator of Holo — who also looks exactly like Holo, not that So-yeon knows — has the chance to bring the relationship between “Holo” and So-yeon to reality. And we all know by now, the more prickly the male lead, and the more “baggage” he has, the more closely tied the OTP will become.

But as of ep4, it is really hilarious to have Nan-do at one moment cheesed off that his long term bestie has “chosen” to befriend another human, and yet at the same time…unable to understand why he is “disturbed” by So-yeon. He tries to “logically” explain So-yeon as a “failed” beta tester who has corrupted his life’s work…but then again, is unable to help coming to her aid — or stalking her. The typical bickering couple.