WHATS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE
i briefy scrolled through the review and im wondering, did i watch the same show as you guys because guess.VINCENZO IS THEE BOMBOCLAAT BESS. i loved everything about, nothing i would change because everything played its own part perfectly. i love watching show with creative and smart people and this was it. Even the minor leads played very big parts in making the show what it needed to be. this will always and forever be recommended by me. I have watched this 3 times within a year and not 1 episode is skippable!! i even found 1 of my favourite songs in here. Always by your side<3
must watch
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Cha-chi Loves Vinny ⛏ A Golden K’Italian Fable °7.9° °a romp°
“Evil is prevalent and vehement.” Therefore, one fighting against it must be even more so.Suits. Food. Paintings. Art. Wine; Vincenzo is Italian. Not by blood, but by choice. Opera and a nice dish of pasta really get his heart going. He's smart, he's methodical, and it's generally a bad idea to pi$$ him off, because he's not just Italiano, he's mafioso - a consigliere (which is NOT “corn salad,” though that's what it sounds like in Korean). When his father dies, his cousin takes to calling him an “uncivilized Yellow,” while at the same time demanding respect as the boss. (Vinny is not uncivilized. He's even kind to pigeons). Vinny (♈) points out that respect is earned (Amen!). After his cousin tries to kill him, ♈ decides to walk away. Arrivederci! Jjajangmyeon, kimchi, and tteokbokki here I come! Just for a month to get business done. Then it's off to Malta🏖.
♈ ain't nobody on the international crime scene. One NIS agent (Im Chul Soo from Alchemy of Souls-7.9) notices when ♈ lands in Seoul. He wants to follow him, but his boss isn't interested. Turns out, that agent is a tad obsessive. He takes leave to get a job in the building to watch ♈ closely. He develops a man-crush on ♈.
Meanwhile, back in 🇰🇷, attorney Cha is in court. She's arguing a case for Babel (big Pharma), and boy is she ruthless - even to her father - he's opposing counsel. But she does NOT lose. Yoo Jae Myung (Stranger) plays her father, Hong Yoo Chan. He's unrecognizable from his fantastic performance in Itaewon Class-8.9. Jo Han Chul (Mr. Plankton, Mother) is her boss, Han Seung Hyuk, CEO of Woosang Law firm. He's amazing in Romance Is a Bonus Book-7.9 as a poetry obsessed editor. He's also amazing in 100 Days My Prince-5.5, but the show tanks in the 2nd half - not his fault. Here, he's a lawyer. “I've never seen a sly person who wasn't a coward,” ♈ will say to him.
Korea is now a world leader in filmed entertainment. They must have felt a little left out because they didn't have a good catalog of Mafia shows. Haven't their orphans been adopted all over the world? What happens when a Korean is adopted into Italy? Into a Mafia family? A 2021 release that is rated 93 on AWiki, ♈ is 1 season consisting of 20 75-minute episodes. A behind the scenes extra episode was made but can't be streamed. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but I did expect something with a more serious tone. Despite all the multiple deaths and a fair bit of gore, they keep it light-hearted. ♈ is a caper, a romp with a collection of fruit-and-nuts characters. There's just no criticizing it as it's all for laughs. It's well written, acted, and directed, so the creators maintained the confidence to have fun, and it's obvious that the cast is enjoying themselves. It shines through, and the audience can bask in it, ♈ isn't afraid to be heartbreaking, either. Many sad things happen.
There's a dilapidated building in a run down area of Seoul that's sitting on a gold mine. That's where the mob hid their gold. ♈’s mission in 🇰🇷 is to retrieve the gold stashed in a secret basement in the slums. Nothing is going his way, though. He's drugged and robbed by his limo driver. The old building he wants to destroy is inhabited by a collection of oddball tenants who unsettle /him/. The dry cleaner ruined his limited edition suit. The Italian chef is a fraud. The pawn shop owner also seems sketchy. When the manager of that shabby building arrives at home, thugs have taken his family hostage. They force him to sell the facility to Babel, Inc: Sign or die! He signed. The next day, he is “accidented to death,” and thugs show up to kick everyone out JUST when Cha is there having an argument with her dad (a do-gooder attorney who is helping the residents there). Cha doesn't respond well to thuggery. She resists. Things are getting ugly when ♈ shows up and everyone freezes. So, ♈ and Cha meet. That's just ep1.
As ep2 opens, ♈ quickly gets the upper hand. After the police leave, Cha says a few pithy words to him and then trots off. But wait! She stops. She realizes she's gone in the wrong direction😂! So much for the cool exit. She pivots and walks by him again. No words, no explanation no nod of the head… she's still cool ~ Even when she has to pivot. Apparently, she's got a chronic problem with going the wrong way as she does it again later in the parking lot. Let's not forget that she was defending Babel in court in ep1, so her life's been directed wrongly. ♈’s also going the wrong way. Perhaps they can turn it around together.
Jeon Yeo Been is Hong “Cha” Young. I loved her in Be Melodramatic-8.7 & Glitch-8. She's comfortably in her wheelhouse here, being smart, snarky, impatient, and aggressive. Song Joong Ki (Space Sweepers-7.6) is ♈ Cassano. He could have passed for a high school student despite being 34. He looks even younger than he did in Descendants Of The Sun-8.3.
Kim Yeo Jin is recruited to be Cha's new boss, Choi Myung Hee, the most unctuous and sleazy character in the show.. She had small parts in Daily Dose of Sunshine-7 & Itaewon Class-8.9, but she gets to shine here. She's smart and quite the individual. She doesn't seem to have moral qualms about helping an evil corporation do their dastardly deeds. She's sort of a monster. Yoon Byung Hee (Our Blues-8.5, Mr. Sunshine-9) portrays Nam Joo Sung, Jipuragi Law Firm's paralegal. He looks like your everyday geek, but he has fun surprises packed away. It's an amusing role. Ok Taec Yeon (Save Me, Blind, Heartbeat-4.8) portrays Jang “Jun” Woo, Cha's underling at the law firm as the show opens.
Kwak Dong Yeon (Queen of Tears, My ID Is Gangnam Beauty-7.5) is Jang Han Seo, CEO of Babel Corp. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing, and our gang quickly surmises that he's a front man. He's a half-ingenuous idiot, half-terrified little brother. There's so much going on in the show that I was taking his performance for granted until, north of episode 15, I realized his acting is stunning and he's nearly stealing the show. Screenwriter, Park Jae Bum, brought us Dinner Mate-7.2 & The Fiery Priest. The director is Ms Kim Hee Won of Queen of Tears & The Crowned Clown.
Babel took the building by force. ♈ is gonna get it back. There's no way he's letting them get his stash He goes to someone who knows Babel well - Cha's father has all the intel on this eeeevillle entity & their karat & stick: As Vinny reads up on them, he realizes they operate JUST like the mob. And their lawyers operate JUST like he did as a consigliere for the La Cosa Nostra. “Even though I know that the game is rigged, I must give it my all to beat them. That's my fate. Smart people may rule the world, but reckless and stubborn people like me protect this world.” Cha's father is an inspiring character. ♈ looks stunned after he hears this. A tragedy changes the course of Cha's life. Instead of shilling for Babel, she decides to take up her father's cause and fight them. When the 2 leads start working together, they are in sync. It's seamless. They aren't motivated by good; not yet. She wants revenge and she wants to win. He wants his gold.
This is a thunder dome match. Only one side will exit alive. They go on one campaign after another to bring Babel and its depraved leaders to justice (for the record, ep4 is magnificent), but Babel is loaded with money and resources, and they don't play fair. Just like a horror movie, the Pharma company gets back up no matter how many times it's knocked down, and the game turns ever bloodier. ♈ and Cha deal out serious blows that Babel never saw coming (they even did the Carrie thing and dropped a bucket of blood on a dude while he was on stage), but they reconnoiter, regroup, and put their near limitless resources to work. Babel's not afraid to get their hands dirty. They rather enjoy it. ♈ doesn't mind a good fight in the mud himself. Cha positively relishes it. “Sometimes one wins because one doesn't give up. It doesn't come down to merely skill every time.”
The weakest aspect of the show is that it does get outrageous, but that's also the funnest part.
The true chairman of Babel has been undercover. I can see why he did and the job he did, /sort of/ but it doesn't entirely make sense. It is overlookable, though, since he's clearly not sane.
“All this time, we thought we were weak. We weren't weak. We just didn't try to be strong. We're going to give it our all, now.” Before long, the building residents are turned into prospectors & gold diggers. A homeless person, in exchange for dinner, tells the residents he was on the team that built the secret chamber for the tons of gold. He actually has a picture of himself posing with the gold bars. The rest of his crew were killed. He only escaped death by going underground. Convinced, the residents decide that they're going to Go for the Gold. They start searching. (Apparently none of them have heard of a metal detector). In matters like this, silence is golden. If anyone else finds out about what's underneath the building, everybody in the country will be trying to get it. Still, the problems will not cease for them! They need a retinal scan from the guy who was in charge at the time this was all set up. He's not even alive anymore. It almost seems like that gold might as well be fool's gold.
The romance isn't a focus. It's hard to tell if they're attracted to e/o at all until… In ep14, they are running yet another scam. He tells her she can't wear her pantsuit to this one. After buying a dress, he takes her to a jewelry store and puts a necklace and earrings on her that are to die for. She comments that they're too expensive for a single job. He deflects by saying, “It's not a gift, I'm only transferring them to the rightful owner.” Swooner! They stole another couple's reservation of an entire art gallery and are on an elaborate play-date. Babel's been using art for smuggling and money laundering, and they believe something crucial is hidden on the grounds. What Cha-chi & ♈ didn't know was that the man had planned a surprise proposal for his gf. The gallery employees are completely caught up in the moment: “Get down on one knee!” “Declare your love!” “Present the 💍.” “Seal it with a 💋.” He was about to try and squirm out of it when her lips met his. She kept her eyes closed, and he kept his open, but not forever. He closes eyes and starts reciprocating, and then she opens her eyes… and closes them again. The whole thing played out softly and slowly to lite jazz music over 53 seconds. That's no trifle. It's lovely. It's way up there with first kisses shown on film.
As for the couple whose big date was stolen, the residents picked that couple up and gave them the night of their life. Dinner at the Italian restaurant, a show put on by some of the more talented nutcases occupying the building, and the pièce de résistance: They got engaged in the Buddhist temple. It all went so well that we see other couples doing the same thing later.
♈ keeps its tongue in its cheek. It's the furthest thing from serious. The borderline overacting is part of the fun factor. They get away with all of it due to the crisp timing and excellent delivery. It reminds us that “the real gold isn't in a mine. It's in your heart. Finding gold will not fill your heart.”
QUOTES🗣
One who achieves small victories will eventually achieve big ones.
When you continuously turn lies into truth, you become blinded to the truth.
The only free cheese is in the mouse trap.
The strongest punch comes from behind.
There's no law that can punish a monster like {him}.
Ignorance isn't a sin, but refusing to learn is.
To not have is to have. (Thank the monks for that one).
Be careful which ladder you choose to climb
You know how people are. The less you know about something, the easier you believe it.
Friends are like two souls in one body.
All the criticisms children give their parents will come back as regrets… Regret is the most painful thing in life.
Do you know how to tell when someone's become evil? It's when they stop feeling ashamed.
IMHO〰🖍
📣8 📝7.7 🎭8.3 💓6 🦋6.5 🎨7 🎵/🔊6.5 🔚7 🤗6 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡6 😅4 😭5 😱3.5 😯3.8 🤢6 🤔4.5 💤0
Shazams: Adrenaline (Italian Version) by Aalia, I′m Always by Your Side, by John Park
The use of Italian opera is very effective
Age 16+ Language: $h!+, @$$hole, pr!ck,
There are multiple murders, assaults, and deaths. This show is violent. Rated TV-15
Re-📺? Would
In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
🌐💘 -
Crazy Love-7.8,
Racket Boys-8.3,
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (But for eps 20 &21 it's an 8+)
Reply 1988-8.6,
Oh My Venus-7.4K,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
Move To Heaven-8.4,
Misaeng-9.1,
Hospital Playlist 9 (give it 3 episodes to get warmed up),
Itaewon Class-8.9,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
SKY Castle-9,
Something in the Rain-8.6,
My Mister 9.5,
Wonderful World-7.8,
Parasite-9,
Mother-8.8
⚡/🚀 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
Glitch-8,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Uncanny counter season-1 only °S1-8.4 S2-4,
Vagabond-8,
Why Her?-8,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
K2-8,
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing),
Revenge of Others-8.1,
Tunnel 8.5,
Moving-8.5
Blood Free-8.5,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Awaken-8.7,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
The Wailing-8.8,
Black 9,
Sweet Home 8.4
Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
Heirs-7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Something in them Rain-9,
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
Wait, My Youth-8.4,
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Find Yourself-8.9,
Hidden Love-7.8
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What a colossal waste of my time.
This show peaked when the White Van TM took its victim, because that was the last time I cared for one of the characters we’re presumably supposed to root for. Mind you, this happens in episode 3, so that’s kind of unfortunate given the show’s run-time.From that point onwards, my sympathies quickly shifted, until I found myself growing much more attached to Han Seok and Myung Hee than the protagonist. This, once again, was a very unfortunate development because Vincenzo (the show, the character) is so goddamn conservative and unimaginative. So there was no doubt in my mind that all antagonists would be gruesomely punished, regardless of the show's performative reluctance towards embracing vigilantism. The thing is, I don’t even mind my favorite characters being put through the wringer. But normally, the narrative at least allows you to feel bad for them and to experience catharsis through their suffering. In this case, it’s just a mix of disappointment and dragged-out torture, just like how Vincenzo kills his enemies.
It's hard to enjoy a show when you can't stand the titular character.
Okay, fine, so Vincenzo gets rewarded with power, money and love no matter how morally dubious his actions.
But why won't you let me revel in his misdeeds? Ah, yes, because he has to have these reoccurring bouts of remorse and feelings other than slow-motion bad-boy emotions. Man, the amount of times I had to fast-forward through the painfully boring scenes with his mother! Guess we're going the morally gray route, then. Sike! The show’s criticism of corruption is way too hackneyed for that. So, Vincenzo is “the lesser evil” and a monster who defeats other monsters to “protect” the innocent, but also an infallible strategist and action hero who is just family-oriented enough to sweep his damsel in distress off her feet. I have yet to watch a K-drama with a “strong” female lead who doesn’t eventually need saving by her man. How is this in any way a complex portrayal of anything, and not just the cookie-cutter bad-boy archetype again? Do you want to have your cake, eat it or seem health conscious? Pick One!
Other things I didn’t like because why not:
Obligatory cliffhangers without satisfactory payoff at the end of most episodes.
Some storylines overstaying their welcome.
Mostly way too many characters whose actions are so repetitive it feels like I’m watching Ground Hog Day, except without the variation on a theme. For example: How many times do we hear the plaza inhabitants say that they will fight now, as if that’s a new revelation and not an epiphany they've already had and acted upon multiple times? How many times will the antagonists despair, cobble together a plan, think they've won, only to lose again and somehow both be surprised but also not? How many homoerotic pairings will we create just to make fun of them for existing and give Vincenzo the opportunity to express his deep discomfort with the mere idea of homosexuality (what kind of viewer does this even appeal to)? How many times will Cha Young get 1 nanosecond of superficial bad-assery only to instantly be outshined, called crazy or saved in the next scene? Seriously, what kind of second-screen storytelling is this?
Yes, this review is barely coherent, but the show's descent into mediocrity fried my last brain cell and sapped my will to live. I’m VERY open to a fun show with villains and antiheroes who aren’t dragged down by pesky morals, just as much as I enjoy a thoughtful exploration of why people commit selfish and evil actions. However, it seems to me that marrying these two approaches was obviously a way too ambitious goal for Vincenzo. That being said, the couple of cool characters, fun scenes, and genuinely engaging moments saved the show from being unwatchable.
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How to enjoy it? Be blind about the plot writing
Contain indirect minor spoiler.I was watching this drama when everyone raved about it, so it was prolly more entertaining back then because of the euphoria around this. But still, there were few mistakes in terms of storytelling I can't see past, 1) it tried so hard to convince me that the main villain was THAT bad psychopathic bitch, with all random fun killing + taking trophy from it when he was young, but he was so helpless (most of the times) in front of our protagonists, 2) which led to low stake, it was hard to sympathize with our male protagonist bcs he was doing just fine, except that one time in the hospital, 3) the 5 minutes cliffhanger that would be solved within 10 minutes of the next ep is lazy writing, I hardly cared about the consequences or felt tense after few eps. I finished this for Song Joongki and Song Joongki only, (I lie, I also love Hanseo).
So my advice to all of you who wanna watch this, don't look too much into the storytelling side, especially if you expect intricate character development or mystery. This is, as it said, a dark comedy action. They have great casts, good comedy and action, and wonderful cinematography, simply enjoy the action scene and laugh with the characters.
Bcs, if you love the kind of slapstick comedy, the characters are overall great, even the minor role of Geumga Plaza. They pulled surprises throughout the series which drove few moments into an unpredictable fun one. The connection grew, you would not care for lots of them at first, and our Vincenzo didn't care either, but as time goes, they became a good team who shared foods and jokes. Our villain team was great too, God, I was so SO in love when Myunghee and Hanseok were having a dance after their killing, *chef's kiss*. Also Jang Hanseo, adorable and lovely, he has the biggest growth!!
Love inzaghi too lol, my fav character besides Hanseo. And the ending, was nice seeing Vincenzo didn't change that much.
p.s. I'm still bitter about what they did to Hanseo, so that's one more pet peeve.
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not part of vincenzo nation i’m afraid.
i started this right after i finished watching arthdal chronicles (which make me a song joong ki fan) and also hearing all those good praises for this show i decided to watch it, and it started good to be honest, it made me laugh at the beginning and i have always like the “fighting evil with evil” type of stories which is not that typical in kdramas. however afterwards it become so disappointing and very dragging (almost hour and a half per episode!), big flaws really started to show, the whole concept of the story just kinda fell apart and by the time you reach episode 20 you are already tired of it all. it took me almost a year to finish this. it’s sad to think that what i initially enjoyed become so tiresome to watch. this show really had so many potential and it’s completely wasted.but well;
about song joong ki’s acting though i like it and i kinda accept him playing a mafia character i feel he does a much better job in arthdal chronicles in which he plays *2* different characters (i believe it’s his best work so far), i’m inclining to think the fault is on the script, which just reinforces the missing opportunity of what this show could have been.
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Not my cup of tea !
I didn't like how story progressed ! Sometimes it was fun but absurd ! Inzaghi saving Vinshenzo ? WTF! I was skipping many scenes ,because each time it became quite draggy and boring .Sincerely I had high expectations for Song's new drama after watching him in Arthdal Chronicles,(I need season 2 T-T ) but I didn't feel that attraction for his character, like when you say wow he's great! It didn't happen to me!
Instead I was more shocked by how they portrayed the villain, the president of Babel, the actor did a good job and his step brother was charismatic ~ I expected a better ending for him because we did see his growth through the drama :c
I'm the only one who thinks that the romance was unnecessary ???? I mean their relationship as an "avengers team " was enough. I didn't feel chemistry between them as a couple !
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This review may contain spoilers
Good story and cast but wayyy to long
At first when I start watching this drama, I felt this was just pure hype. A mafia guy, fear by the all country (Italy) was being played like I child when arrives in Korea. I thought the rest of the cast annoying, basically I disliked everything but gave a second chance and end up loving all the cast.Positives: The people fo plaza made this drama for me. They all so friendly and funny, I laught like a mad woman in all their scenes, I like that they start helping Vincenzo on his revenge plans.
The acting of Taecyong was amazing, he improved so much I was so suprised.
Negatives: This drama is wayyyy to long. 20 episodes, each 1h25 min is too much. I usually love drama with long episodes but the story line here dragged ALOT. Everythinng could have end in 16 episodes and I dare to day even 13 episodes would be enough. I see people saying this drama dosen't feel too long when watching when it airs and I totally agree. Is near impossible to bringe watch this in one go, i sjust the same plot all over again.
The romance.... why inclued romance in this? KDRAMAS writers never learn. Just because this is a drama, we don't need a romance between the leads. They would be perfect as friends but no they added romance for no reason and gave us only 2 kisses and an open ending.. JUST WHY?
Overall: 7
Watch this if you want to have a good time, the plot start moving around episode 17 everything else is just fillers.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Don't be fooled by the FanFair.
I've dropped 3 dramas: 1 being Backstreet Rookie (couldn't handle the dude with the locs with flies in it being a regular character) and the other was a drama that I couldn't get into at the time, but I might revisit. Vincenzo was the worst of the three.Where do I begin?
Let's start with the plot-
I don't think the general idea behind the plot is a bad one. In fact, I was interested and genuinely enjoying the first couple of episodes. It was as the story progressed that I realized that there was nothing to the story beyond the titular character.
When they named the drama "Vincenzo" they really meant it was the "Vincenzo Show" because quite literally everything was about this character. I don't ordinarily have an issue with this but if you're going to make a story about one character, make the story about them. Don't tell other people's story and force him to be the hero in it.
Things that made no sense-
-Vincenzo was meant to be an Italian lawyer. He was adopted at a young age and went to law school and practiced law in Italy. Realistically, he would have a far lesser understanding of Korean law than the female lead yet she and the other Korean lawyer on their team kept deferring to him for the next move as it related to the trial. That makes absolutely no sense-if anything, the female lead, who's been working at the firm that they're going up against for 8 years should've spear headed their case but because it's the "Vincenzo Show"...you get the gist.
- Our introduction into the female lead character is of her bribing a witness to prevent their testimony at trial while working at the firm they're now going against. However, when their case against the company (Babel) who's being represented by that same firm begins and they have witnesses to testify, she not only doesn't anticipate that this same tactic would be used, but she's surprised by it. She doesn't believe that they could do something as despicable as bribing witnesses WHEN THAT WAS LITERALLY WHAT SHE'S DONE FOR THEM BEFORE! Did the writer forget all about their female lead character once she met the male lead? It's like they decided that she's no more than his sidekick/love interest and he's the only one that gets to utilize his skills but if that were the case, why even bother making her a lawyer? Why even bother establishing her connection to the evil firm in the first place.
- What is Vincenzo's motivation and connection to the story? Beyond his desire to get his gold that's buried underneath the building that's primed for demolition, he's got absolutely no real connection to the story. He's singled out as the largest obstacle in Babel and the law firm's way, but he has no real drive for why. The female lead, however, does. She spent 8 years working for the firm-trusting the people within only for them to betray her. Her father was murdered by the evil corp. Her assistant whom she trusted for years turned out to be the leader of the evil Corp -he not only lied and manipulated her for years, but he murdered her father and grieved with her over the man that he killed yet the focus is on Vincenzo as we move forward with the plot to destroy them.
I feel like it would've been a much better story had they not spent every episode making Vincenzo the magical savior and allowed the other characters to shine as well. They could've split the responsibilities between Vincenzo and Cha Young-since they've already established that he's a morally grey character who's a member of the "Italian Mafia" and Babel is a company that operates outside of the law to get its way, they should've had Vincenzo handle the illegal things-things that are necessary when going up against such a company but ordinary people wouldn't have the means or resolve to do-killing, kidnapping, blackmail etc. while she handled the things in the light-using the law against them. Fighting them in court, with the skills that they taught her and also her ability to anticipate their moves as she's done it all before.
I didn't finish the drama obviously, but I learned that it was Vincenzo, once again who had the final show down with main villain and wouldn't it had made more sense if the one who brought Jang Han Seok to justice/ended him was Han Seok's brother and Cha Young (the female lead)? Han Seo spent his entire life under his brother's shoe, being terrorized by him and when he finally develops the strength to stand up against him, they kill him off so that Vincenzo can have the opportunity of the final show-down with him.
Also, the side characters were exhausting to watch at times unless you have the attention span of a fruit fly and you're between the ages of 12-14.
Vincenzo is the most random character in this story, and I feel as though the writers weren't thinking beyond casting Song Joong Ki and they ended up smothering what could've otherwise been a good drama.
You couldn't pay me to finish this mess.
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This review may contain spoilers
I placed any potential spoilers at the end of this review.The acting was great and it had wonderful cinematography. However, the story concept was ok. The script started off strong, but it lost steam by the end. I personally think that episode 8 could have been handled differently. The series is also too long. It has 20 episodes and each episode can be over 90 minutes long. This is also why it took me so long to finally commit to watching it. Because of the number of episodes, the series felt repetitive at times. The series could have been 14- or 15-episode series max.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
I did not like the ending, I wished the character Jang Han-seo lived.
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Process of 'Vincenzo': Hm, BOOM. BOOM, Boom, Hmm..., Hmm!
Point of Story: GoldGradually Shifted Focus: Babel
This is not noir or a gritty drama.
Actually, much of the drama is about being 'cool', and then it becomes dark(er).
Advice in Advance: Show should not be taken seriously.
If I had to simplify everything my review says below:
The worst part about this show is the plot, because there are later frequent loopholes and because the first couple episodes aren't interesting. Show does not take itself seriously. The takeaway I had was that the show's focus is not on the plot, but the message it sends out. Themes and characters are worth pondering, and the story discusses corruption and evil through comedy and cool scenes. In fact, comedy distracts some of the illogicalities/inconsistencies of the show due to overblown scenes, so it milds down some loopholes (comedy acts as a somewhat separate scope of logic). Mafia persona should not be taken seriously until three-quarters of the series. However, I rated it a 9 overall still because of the feelings it gave me, and for defying K-Drama relationship tropes. If logically rating it, I would give it a 7.5-8.0. Flaws are all listed above, but to be honest, I really liked this drama despite its faults.
In-Depth Review:
There are two ways I rate a drama: through critical analysis and the feeling while watching.
The feeling of watching it is great if you stick to the scope of its logic.
Not a heist drama (for those wondering about the gold), and not a 'dark comedy' (totally misleading). It is a show about rampant corruption within the ranks of prosecutors, court cases, lawyers, corporations, and so on, and mixed with a hefty amount of slapstick comedic relief. Comedic relief is a break in between and does not affect the plot, serving as its own universe.
The change (especially from dark to comedy) of Italy to Korea is unnerving, but thankfully it's a very short while IF you know this. The focus is on Korea, NOT Italy. This I later found very pleasant because it would be foreign to write about a Korean-Italian mafia member in Italy as it a foreign topic and seems like its structure is fantasized. In fact, the Mafia persona is already the most fantasy-structured part, if you don't count the humor.
Many came for the Mafia persona, so here's a hint: His mafia persona acts as a background introduction until about the middle of the series, where his characterization is looked more deeply into. It's not The Godfather. This is all in K-Drama style.
The first three episodes are not so gripping. I personally don't like it when people tell me to wait until a show gets good, so it's up to you to stick around or not. For me, it was unexpectedly worth it.
At its fourth, it picks up the pace and goes on a huge exponential growth of anticipation and excitement until around the middle, and then it goes through a kind of confusing period and then, I would say a satisfactory ending.
(Hence the title of this review)
Here are the best things about this drama: Unfaltering characterization consistency and an independent female lead. It also does not goes back on its themes and many lines in this drama are worth pondering on.
The drama has about two episodes worth of filler in its run towards the end, but I would argue the ending is a good end. It wraps up every single plotline and unanswered question. However, there are definitely plot and logical loopholes, though you are able to rationalize this with character motivations. Still, if you took out the supporting cast's comedy, then it could be broken down into even fewer episodes. Still, the comedy does fill in errors, and the significant moments don't work if the drama is gritty.
The soundtrack is definitely a selling point and never misses. The acting is on point (minus the comedy, because I didn't find it funny), and the chemistry between the two leads is great in the workplace. Romance is a slow burn, not front and center, and doesn't affect the plot.
The ending is kind of open, in the sense that you can imagine what's going to happen, but wraps up everything. The drama is also a great exploration into different themes and definitely has the most brutal blood-type scenes I have seen in a K-Drama (it's not that brutal, just so considering the scope of violence in K-Dramas).
I would especially say that I really never considered SJK to portray a mafia member because his image didn't stick it out to me. I still can see that point, but his acting definitely pulled through and made it believable. I also think his blend of comfortable humor and dark acting worked very well. Speaking of humor, slapstick (typical K-Drama style) is a large part of the drama, though not very important, so you can skip some of it, mostly serving as a distraction or breather from the plot. I personally am not so fond of the cast, because I saw them as mainly as fill-ins, but many like them gradually. Still, humor worked the best when it was under the working relationship of the leads because it was a simple integration within the story.
Do give it a try. I might have been disappointed with some parts but not utterly shocked and dismayed by it, and I still recommend this no matter what. I left the drama with a light and fulfilled heart.
Ah, that sentence is a little underwhelming.
It is the drama I enjoyed the most thus far in 2021.
I joined MDL to participate in its discussions.
If not, we can sure agree to disagree. Hope this helps.
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This review may contain spoilers
Han Seo's character development
The movie was great to watch especially Han Seo's character development. Even though he was evil at the beginning as the story progressed you get to understand how he was the way he is. Deep down he just wanted a family (which i think he never experienced because of his psychopath brother), friends, someone to deepened on and care about him. In conclusion I think he was just a child force to grow up and abused by his family to take up responsibility he did not like. I think some people might relate to his character. Even though it was almost certain he will die i hoped he would have lived the life he wanted. People saying Han Seo was evil, just no, NO one in the story was innocent. Each character had something to achieve leading them to use any means and ways to achieve them. The story i personally love was Han Seo and Vincenzo's bromance even though it was short. The story was good, actors great and everything else was good. I will definitely recommend you to watch it.Was this review helpful to you?
If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
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