Revenge is a dish best served with Kimchi and Soju! Loved every minute of this.
this is a total gem! I'm looking forward to the second half!
Good does win over bad
Sensual. Infuriating. Delicious. This is an intense full blown revenge drama which cleverly & beautifully combines revenge with bullying. One of the best Drama of 2023....
This probably one of the best shows I have ever watched, right up there with shows like The Wire, Hannibal and Midnight Mass. It is bloody, violent and emotionally devastating yet incredibly warm and touching amidst all the chaos.
A real sleeper this is, loved it. Sad yet a strong theme. Lead is brilliant in the role. Can't wait till the next set of episodes drops. Hope good wins over bad.
Whackiest take of a Shades of Grey esque series with terrible dialogues, stereotypes and plot.
Unfortunately I had to sit through this due to my gf. Thanks for that partner.
Even accounting for this operating on its own plane of reality, there are some detail-logic leaps and structural flaws peppered throughout. Among the latter ones is the romance that threatens to distract from the main plot (and its adjacent male lead's story finally takes over in the finale), even if some late reveals help elevate it to a darkly comedic, twisted take on typical K-drama romance (flirting over a body, talking of murder as their love language), although the villain in that thread is very standard-psycho uninteresting.
But after having abandoned a few K-dramas in the past over their bloated episode runtime and stretched-out rhythms, the way they structure this story and tease out its intrigue (not mention top-notch direction and fantastic-across-the-board ensemble) over these comparatively fleet episodes, leading to the second half that feels like house of cards tumbling down non-stop in spectacular fashion, is downright exhilarating. Some smart choices along the way to give the story variety too, such as the husband character's ambiguity, or giving our lead a mutually benefited helper who is so different in temperament but works together well (it doesn't hurt that she is played by maybe MVP performance from Yeom Hye-ran).
It’s rare for kdramas to have good endings, but this one wrapped up so well! Was gripping the entire way through with little clues here and there. Some minor situational plot holes, but relatively easy to suspend disbelief. I love watching LDH act but wish they’d chosen an older actor because the romance felt off the entire series given the age gap between the FL and ML. Or maybe they should’ve chosen a younger FL - which would also match the general age of the other actors who were supposedly the same age as her. Overall, probably one of my favourites!
the 6 months in the last ep ruined it
The first episode was almost too difficult to watch, the bullying was so brutal (the physical abuse was horrific) but I understand we have to know how deep the damage was for Moon Dong-eun that would set her on a lifelong path to vengeance. I would suggest that if physical violence is triggering for you that you skip the first episode and start watching the series at the second episode. The first episode establishes the depth of the violence she faced, daily and for years, and that she had no one, family, teachers, friends or police, that intervened for her. There will also be flashbacks to the violence, so be aware. Now that I’ve addressed public concern, back to the review. The question this series asks is what does one do with the atrocities that might frame your world. It is a great thriller and a genius build for a character. The acting is riveting. I give this series an 8 (dark and gritty) out of 10. [Psychological Drama]
Highly overrated. Besides the brutal impact of the flashback scenes, there's little in the way of any type of emotion for me. All the characters felt one dimensional especially that annoying as hell comic relief older lady. The main character was really dull and I get That's the point, she has been stripped of her humanity. But the character development is so damn pitiful in this show, by the time she is able to laugh and cry and love she is revealed to be quite a boring character anyway. The bad guys are comic-book villain levels of goofy but at least they are fun to watch, Lim Ji-yeon especially absolutely smashed her role as a psycho-bitch. Then therre was arguably the most forced romance subplot I've ever seen. Lee Do-hyun easily had the most standout performance (that breakdown in the car hit me with sudden heartbreak out of nowhere!) when they didn't involve the dull main character, I really hope to see him in dramas with better writing. But overall even he I could care less about, I kept watching his subplot like why is this even here???? By the last 6 episodes I didn't care if the revenge followed through or if the bullies got away with it. And worst of all is the filler. I'm not even talking about the entire useless subplots that plague this show. The main plot, mainly the second half, is littered with scenes which do little to drive the plot forward. It became unbearable. So yeah. Moments of brilliance in the performances and beautiful cinematography did just enough for me to finish this slog of a show. I will say it succeeded in being one the strongest anti-bullying statements I've ever seen. Those earlier scenes are hard to watch.
A guilty pleasure that had me waffling between loving it, and dropping it.
It started off really strong, but settled into what I would describe as akin to a CW production. Most of the characters were more like caricatures then fully fleshed human beings, but it also had some truly standout performances mixed in. The show would have been much better served in 8 episodes instead of 16.
If you're a sucker for a good revenge flick/series like myself, there is still a lot to like here. Just don't expect the airtight revenge plot you'd expect after spending half your life planning it.
(7.5/10) The first half is better than the second, and they shouldn’t have split it up.
Moon Dong-eun (expertly played by Jung Ji-so (young) and Song Hye-kyo (older)) is a victim of horrifying school violence at the hands of classmate Park Yeon-jin (also excellently played by Shin Ye-eun (young) and Lim Ji-yeon (older)). She eventually quits school and begins an elaborate plan of revenge, placing each piece of her life like a move on a Go board.
This show was satisfying, and it follows what I see as a current trend in South Korean media - revenge. Moon Dong-eun has a horrible start - no father in sight, and a mother who really doesn’t give a shit about her - when she is targeted by Park Yeon-jin who is a sadistic sociopath. Yeon-jin and her friend group bully and physically assault Dong-eun, and there isn’t a single adult who steps in to help her. She grows older, stripped of her dignity and with nothing but hatred to fuel her. She is consumed by it, and has no way of stopping because it’s the only thing that keeps her alive. This is what makes the first part of this series, where the viewer sees the Go Board being set up, so compelling. Sadly though the second part failed to live up to it's fantastic start. The ending was only okay.
I think we can all agree that the truest true villain of this series is Moon Dong-eun’s mother, and she gets her “just desserts” and then some. The other ends come slowly - Yeon-jin was less scary in part two as well, which was a bit disappointing, but on theme narratively. In the sense that when she realises what’s happening she tries to get even, but just digs herself deeper and deeper. When Moon Dong-eun is a teenager, her bullies are the be all to end all. They are untouchable monsters. As she ages, she discovers they are just sad, powerless and ultimately human - like everyone else in the world. I think the power in Moon Dong-Eun is that she repeatedly gives Yeon-jin and her friends multiple opportunities to repent. She is willing to give up her entire need for revenge - but only if they can admit their wrongdoing and take responsibility. Again and again she gives them that opportunity and they continue to rebuff her. So, she takes them down, piece by piece, in an artful way in which she actually doesn’t do anything. She gives and takes information, and lets them destroy themselves.
It is satisfying to watch, and some of the moments in his show had me utterly shocked - which is rare for me.
The revenge was a dish served cold, but god the romance was not for me.I could leave all of that behind, it was a cold dead fish in the water and I won’t even talk about it in this review. Do not for the love of God do a second series about it. That's all
“Some hatred resembles longing. It’s impossible to get rid of.” Moon Dong Eun
Is his the sequel to 'Crazy Rich Asians'?
Heard good things and I was not disappointed.
The concept is great but a little overrated
The first part is like a park chan-wook revenge film the second one starts to go to the soapiest of operas direction, the drunk acting from Moon Dong-Eun mother is one of the goofiest things i have ever seen in my life.
Great show. Very riveting, makes us all fall into the side of the Dong-eun and wish her to win. The only thing is that a lot of her plan doesn't really work without other people making just the right moves that can not be predicted entirely but suspending belief just to allow her plan to work makes this story really enjoyable. Also, everyone's performances are really strong especially Song Hye-kyo kuudere-esque demeanor. When ever she does show any emotion, it's a delight to the audience.
suspenseful and exciting, just wish the revenge part itself had started a little earlier
my first kdrama of the year and damn, it was awesome
I like to fight violence with violence, evil can only be suppressed with a darker evil, but the evil of Korean dramas will always add hope for humanity where it is not needed, perhaps Lee's character is such that the darkness of humanity lies in the irredeemable
Shout by Mani DVIP 2BlockedParent2023-03-28T06:23:56Z
Moral of the story is basically : people try to remember good deeds, but they don't forget bad ones; be a good person and you'll be alright, be a bad one and they won't forget what you did even if you do.