This review may contain spoilers
Questo edificio è mio!
The best drama of 2021. Everything was AWESOME! the story, the cast, the acting. I laughed a lot, cried, got angry, shipped the protagonists.There were only two faults: Hanseo's death - I cried a lot despite the fact that since the beginning when he started to be against his brother, we already imagined that he would end up dying. We already expected but we weren't prepared for this moment.
ChaEnzo's ending: yes, the focus of the drama wasn't romance but I thought they needed more work on what happened to their relationship. Would ChaEnzo date from a distance? Would ChaEnzo each go on with their lives in their respective countries? Would ChaEnzo just be friends with benefits when Chayoung came to visit him in Malta? It was very vague.
Anyway, I want a second season!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This show is a good watch and I enjoyed the ride. Every episode is something I look forward to seeing on weekend nights. But just like any other shows, this one is also not spared for some criticisms despite the fact that I loved it.My major complaint is the last seven minutes of episode 20. It is very clear that the meticulous and badass Vincenzo suddenly disappeared into thin air when he could've saved Han Seo. How in the world did he walk into that place without any back-up plan at least? This is a major character regression. With all his expertise, for sure he knows Cha Young's shot isn't that fatal. And here goes Cha Young acting overly as if she's dying. Just because of what? Love? So cliche.
I feel like Han Seo's character is the best in development in this series. I still believe that his death could've been preventable and him dying is really unnecessary. It was a heroic one, yes, but I'd rather keep him alive and give him a chance to run the company straight. They quickly got over his death. Did they mourn for him off-screen? I wish there was a scene like that for a bit.
The death of the two pyschos were gruesome but very satisfying. Two thumbs up for this.
I wish the show fleshed out more on how Vincenzo became a member of the Mafia. What's with the lighter?
Even though I feel satisfied with how this was wrapped up, I still have a lot of questions in mind. There were some loose ends I need an answer.
I don't think a season 2 is needed. Maybe just a spinoff.
Nevertheless, it was one enjoyable ride and Vincenzo is a good watch. Kudos to the whole Cassano Geumga Fam, and the production of Vincenzo.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Questo edificio è mio!
The best drama of 2021. Everything was AWESOME! the story, the cast, the acting. I laughed a lot, cried, got angry, shipped the protagonists.There were only two faults: Hanseo's death - I cried a lot despite the fact that since the beginning when he started to be against his brother, we already imagined that he would end up dying. We already expected but we weren't prepared for this moment.
ChaEnzo's ending: yes, the focus of the drama wasn't romance but I thought they needed more work on what happened to their relationship. Would ChaEnzo date from a distance? Would ChaEnzo each go on with their lives in their respective countries? Would ChaEnzo just be friends with benefits when Chayoung came to visit him in Malta? It was very vague.
Anyway, I want a second season!
Was this review helpful to you?
A good watch but not for everyone
There is a particular genre in Asian webnovels that I don't really see elsewhere - the "revenge fantasy", and key to this genre is that even if the stakes keep climbing and the risks turn life-threatening, the protagonist will always win. I think that's what you've got to keep in mind before you dive in, because it ticks every archetype in the genre box - an overpowered protagonist, a number of irrationally brutal villains, a supporting cast of smitten fans, exaggerated stakes and hyperbolic resolutions. If that's not the genre you were hoping for, or you're looking for the classic gangster/thriller genre, then this isn't for you.It's also a peculiar mix of (more classic) genres - personally I found the comedy hilarious, the business manipulations interesting, and the violence fun, but audiences who enjoy cutesy domestic comedy and dark violent thrillers don't overlap by much. That said, I personally found the comedy gave much needed relief to what is at its heart a grim tragedy about the corruption and collusion of the justice systems, which forces the main characters to take increasingly illegal means to protect or get back what's important to them. There's a lot of good themes wrapped up in the Geumga Plaza residents' journeys - from simply accepting that they're disenfranchised and helpless, to making full use of their own abilities to protect their own rights. For the main character himself, though, as satisfying as it was to see him give the villains their comeuppance, it was a bittersweet journey that gave him a short reprieve before forcing him return to his old trade.
Maybe because my expectations going into this drama was low - I honestly just expected pointless fanservice, which there was a lot of - but I was surprised that I could actually see a consistent theme and message in the story. Can justice exist when every branch of the justice system is corrupt? And this show is the perfect fantasy for everyone who has ever wished, in those situations, someone could just sweep in and take out the trash.
PS: Also has one of the best OSTs I've heard. Not many songs, but a great variety of instrumental pieces.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
wow, this was a hectic show!
PSA INCLUDES SPOILERS!LIKED ABOUT THIS -
- the little romance
- the fighting scenes
- how prepared he was
- his smart & unexpected moves, he hits them 10x harder & they retaliate
- the chemistry between the main leads. & how their connection with another is very trustworthy & cute! Also when they lost one of their parents, they were there for each other & helped each other. + their kiss scenes were amazing ngl! They weren’t little pecks!
- the tenants at the plaza, they had many talents like wthele. You could have never expected that!
- everyone’s love for one another, they are were all devoted to helped Vincenzo win
- I basically loved everything
HATED ABOUT THIS -
- HOW MANY FREAKN PEOPLE DIED! ALOT OF PEOPLE DIED & I WAS HONESTLY GETTING USED TO ALOT OF PEOPLE DYING TBH CS IT KEPT HAPPENING!
- WHEN HIS MUM DIED, THAT BROKE MY HEART! HE WAS FINALLY GETTING TO KNOW HER BUT FROM HER DEATH ON, HE JUST GOT MORE RUTHLESS! WHICH IS KINDA GOOD BUT STILL HEARTBREAKING
- WHEN HER DAD DIED , THIS ONE HIT HOME TOO! IT WAS SO SHOCKING & I FELT BAD FOR HER SINCE HER LAST WORDS TO HIM WEREN’T NICE
- WHEN THAT GUY DIED AT THE END ( I FORGOT HIS NAME ) BUT THE GUY WHO VINCENZO SHOT IN THE ARM TO MAKE HIS STORY MORE BELIEVABLE
- THE ENDING TBH, WHY COULDN’T SHE PROVE HIS INNOCENCE OR DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF HIM RUNNING AWAY.
- WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THE GOLD ? DID THEY SPEND IT ? HOW DO YOU GET THE MONEY FROM THE GOLD ?
& I NEED A SEASON 2, WITH A NEW VILLAN! MAYBE HIS BIOLOGICAL DAD ?
Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing
One of the best crime mafia esk dramas. It has plot twists and reveals that you don't expect alongside the villains you believe are villains are redeemable. It is very funny alongside dark when it needs to be. The casting was perfect alongside the chemistry too. There was no moments were I was bored, the humor was enjoyable and well placed compared to other shows. The wardrobe chose also adds to the overall greatness. The FL in my personal opinion great, she wasn't helpless but she had emotions and flaws like all the other characters.Was this review helpful to you?
Potential Imbalance
An anti hero with a mafia background goes back to his homeland to retrieve the secret stash of gold buried there after the owner dies. There he encounters a series of unforeseen problems, gets dragged into a war against a conglomerate and learns that there are more secrets than he had been made aware of. It's a fantastic foundation to base a story on. We can see that it has deadly potential to give us one of the best dramas of the year. But sadly, that is what it remains- a foundation- which is why it feels more disappointing than the average series that failed to deliver.The plot is pretty straight forward for a touted thriller- but the back and forth screenplay keeps the viewers guessing. If you've watched enough movies/dramas, you wouldn't find the plot unpredictable. There are the usual betrayals, the chases, the comebacks, the one-upmanship, the cat and mouse game and the intermediate comic relief. But there are also a lot of unnecessary scenes and half baked elements that were mixed in as well. It could be because they all were originally a part of the script or because they had to fill the entire stretch of 20 episodes with something. In other words, this is not a racy or nail biting thriller. Truthfully, this is more an action drama.
The writer-director duo tries to overcome the hurdle of "too many episodes with too little story" with humour and fall flat face first onto the ground. That they respectively worked on Chief Kim and The Crowned Clown is another example of wasted potential- they could have turned the tables and made this better at any point of time during the show! The slapstick comedy feels forced, dispensable and boring. They could have totally done away with them and placed some actual courtroom scenes, seeing that the series' main characters are lawyers. The glaring lack of court scenes is rather conspicuous. The action sequences are nothing new either. I wouldn't call any of the plot twists shocking - I saw them coming from a mile away. Barring the first three episodes, the first half is long and uninteresting and the finale ends up being meaningless in its attempt to be a "desperate-last resort" action. Also, why all the last minute gore and torture?
The beauty of Vincenzo is that it is engaging in spite of everything. It is visually pleasing even if a majority of the incidents happen in an old building that actually requires the redevelopment that it vehemently opposes. For all the right reasons, yes, but it needs to be mentioned. The story picks up in the second half and the show delivers then what it had been storing all along. It feels like a fresh breath of air to see the plot take the reins and run the show, to drive its characters into their respective positions and make them do what they were brought in to do. The characters feel more grounded, as if they are a part of the story rather than in the beginning when they felt out of place with visibly forced acting. This overall improvement is backed by some solid performances from all the actors, with Ok Taec Yeon and Kwak Dong Yeon standing out. I think if Vincenzo did one thing good, it is that it brought out the versatility of these two.
It took me a while to accept the chocolate boy looks of Song Joong Ki as a feared and ruthless Consigliere and I was never fully convinced he could do it. But he does it, and although he didn't look threatening at any point, it's more on the plot. He provides a lot of gravitas to the character of Vincenzo that even the script fails to provide, ironically. He was a treat to watch. Did I say his Italian is sexy?
Jeon Yeo Been emotes well. She portrays the antics of her character without being over the top, right from the scene where she is introduced to us. In my opinion, we needed more of her extras and less of the unpalatable comedy that was thrust in our face. I was never sold on the chemistry between the leads and the romance is light, breezy, and blink-and-miss.
Kim Yeo Jin is brilliant as Choi Myung Hee in what is one of the few best written characters of the show. Kim Yoon Hye as Seo Mi Ri is another. Music and cinematography are the other plus points.
The major pitfall of the show is its imbalance in the construction and execution of the plot and the inconsistency in the characterisation. I got tired of how easily and quickly the residents of the plaza changed their stances. Hong Cha Young's fire and extras in the first three episodes vanish abruptly and she becomes yet another woman who needs rescuing towards the end. The character of Jang Han Seok was only saved from being a weakness that could drag the story down by Ok Taec Yeon's incredible work because he loses his spark midway as well. It's as if after his reveal as the Chairman of Babel he had no more cards left to play. All Han Seok did in the second half is just a response to Vincenzo's advances. Han Seung Hyuk was the most unstable of the lot and it was difficult to predict what he'd do next- in a way that's more irritating than it is exciting. This uncertain characterisation and a plot that doesn't tie up its lose ends (starting scene? Vincenzo's dreams? How did he get into Han Seok's house? Why did one of Myung Hee's lackeys return to her?) adding in comedy for fillers create a sense of imbalance. Several scenes and episodes feel disjointed. At times, the scene transition is not smooth and the music cuts off suddenly. It feels like a poorly patched up broken vase when the vase was never broken in the first place; just a little messy.
So would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Yes, the actors are amazing, go fall in love with them. Should you watch it? Yes, if a slightly wonky mafia story is your bowl of corn salad.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not amazing, just acceptable!
Initially I was avoiding this drama, as I thought will not be on my taste.I watched first episode and I want to discover more, so I watched each episode till the end.
I may say that this drama contains some weak scenes, but I was able to pass through them, as I liked a lot acting of the main leads.
I got a big disappointment on the last two episodes of this drama:
1. I did not like how the director create the scene when Vincenzo go to save the girl .
2.I didn't like the ending, if the screenwriters created a love connection in this drama, they should offer to the viewers a scene with "I love you", the one with "I miss you", was not good enough for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
A true masterpiece
Anyone that tries to argue that this isn't the best kdrama ever can go argue with themselves. Every aspect of this show was great and it was really unpredictable which I loved. Not only were the two main actors hot but they portrayed the characters so well. Not to mention the cinematography and editing job was insanely good. Would def watch again and recommend to everyone. Also, Vincenzo is the best villain. I love how he can go from looking like a soft innocent boy to this intense evil guy. The ending was so satisfying which was great because I hate it when kdramas are amazing until the ending that's a let down. :)))Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Interesting
Very fun and interesting drama. Great performances from the cast, especially Ok Taec Yeon. Strong female characters... Though since there is so much violence, the male lead still has to save the female lead again and again. The villain could have been written better; they implied that Jang Han Seok was intelligent, and combined with his craziness and psycopathic tendencies, he should have been able to take down Vincenzo from time to time. Disappointed with the ending: although Jang Han Seok was the type of crap to kidnap a woman as a hostage (like every action movie ever made), I really had higher hopes for this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
2021's SOURCE OF HAPPINESS, YET AN AVERAGE ONE!
I won't misguide to those who have not watched the drama yet and are planning to dive into it. This is your average drama with good action, acting and yes of course The BROMANTIC ROMANCE.Is this overhyped? Yes this is. Viewers and fans had lot of expectations from this one cause of the star studded cast and dot dot dot... This became one of the reason that this has got overflowing criticism and all....acting wise this was good, I won't say it is very good...
Ok taec Yeon nailed it? Nahhh...he was another dumb......a typical psycho which he ofc was not, is what I expected. They just made him nothing but A Weirdo!
That is it. I won't curse this any more... let's move on to the good ones....
SJK as VC, he nailed his character but he was way too much perfect yet dumbly showed...I mean he was like everyone would be afraid of which is not bad for the supporting roles but Ok taec Yeon? No he is not easily supposed to be afraid of him ... Cause he is antagonist plus psychopath
If not for SJK and the family this would have been another piece of shit.
JYB...oh my Bullshit! I love her and ofc her character but the director made her character act like BullShit! She is supposed to hold a vengeance against Ok teac Yeon and be smart ass too but wow! That's it.
I liked their BROMANTIC ROMANCE...their interactions and all it was sweet and deep. And The plaza family! wohhhh! They are just good...NO. more than just a good! From their acting to chatting making this drama more exciting! Is exactly what they did.........that is why this has become my 2021's SOURCE OF HAPPINESS....
Yes I am disappointed in some of the things...but just because I am doesn't mean this is bad. It is a very good enjoyable one, iff you are not bothered by the things I have mentioned above..... If you ask me if I wasted my time my answer would be NO. Yes it is overrated and overhyped but you should not judge it because of what others say? Don't be bothered by criticism and fascinated by ratings....GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO FEEL IT.
I am quite happy cause of the Vincenzo family...and I hope you enjoy too...
Was this review helpful to you?
A series that brought moments of horror and at the same time lots of laughs. But I was prepared for a real gangster series, unfortunately I got an ordinary law series with a little bit of thrill. But I hope to see Vincenzo as the head of the Italian mafia and the real gangsters.
I am very pleased with Ok Taecyeon's acting. His character is the best in this series. I love him in such strong roles. They suit him very well in my opinion.
Song Joong-ki as the main character, Italian mafia member Vincenzo Cassano is also eye-catching. Especially at the very end of the series, when we get stronger cinema than those legal adventures from the beginning. The only thing I miss in this character is "strength". Vincenzo Cassano is a handsome man, constantly wearing suits, as befits a mafioso, but I miss the authenticity and maybe even the feeling of being in this role. Somehow I don't buy what he shows us on screen.
And the last character that stuck in my memory was Jang Hanseo played by Kwak Dongyeon. I really liked his acting and the whole character, it's a pity that there's not much of him on the screen.
The series holds your attention, has a great cast and a really good atmosphere. It's worth taking your time and getting to know its storyline. I hope this is not the end of the adventures and we will meet the Cassano family again!
Was this review helpful to you?
