Vincenzo (2021)

Refreshing

Vincenzo is really a refreshing drama. The base story is actually quite used in dramas. A corapted company uses everyone and everything to be on top and a team tries to bring them down. But the way they use it and the whole plot is really new. Everyone more or less is a villain, this isn't a battle between the wrong and right. It is a battle between the wrong and the wronger (I don't even know if this words exists...). And it isn't dark, it is actually a comedy. I won't speak about the ethics or the morallity or the message this drama leaves behind, I saw a lot of people speaking about that in others reviews/comments. Even if I don't agree with the way things work on the drama, I don't think this is important. It isn't the type of series in which the viewer look to the meaning of life and the morals, at least for me there is series I watch for the messege and series I watch because they are refreshing, new and interesting ( like come on, everyone watched Game of Thrones and no one cared about the nonexisting morals or the violence -much worse than Vincenzo and people justified Ramsay-, everyone loved Daenerys and she burned everyone in the end). Moreover, the concept "bad coglomerate/good lawyer with morals and fighting the evil in the right way" is overused in k-dramas, no one would care about it. They had to do something different. And for me, fortunately they did it...

Vincenzo isn't a hero, not even an anti-hero, He is a villain, he knows it, we know it and he doesn't want or care to be nothing more. And I really like that and, even if sometimes a good redemption arc is really nice, Vincenzo doesn't need it. Or better, if he had one of those, he would be totally out of character. The only heroes is the residents of Geumga Plaza. Even Hong Cha Young is an anti-heroine. One more point of the plot, was the great characterization of women, Hong Cha Young, Choi Myung Hee, the women of Geumga plaza. Strong yet sensitive, memorable and interesting. It is really rare to watch a k-drama and love the FML. Overall, the only thing I personally didn't like was the end of Choi Myung Hee and Jang Han Seok, the plot as well the cinematography and the shots of the scenes was a bit too much and they weren't necessary.

Also, I have to speak about the cast. Everyone was really, really great, and I mean literally everyone. But I believe Ok Taecyeon and Kim Yeo Jin was fenomenal. They were psychos and I loved them.

Last but not least, aesthetically pleasing and amazing shots. I am an architect and this means a looot to me (completely symetrical shots with Song Joon Ki in the middle and amazing lights...). And of course, really good music and music themes. They were the perfect choice for every scene (The scene in the first episode with Vincenzo, the fire and this music is what made me think, Oh God, I love this.)

(English isn't my first language, so I am sorry for any mistakes.)

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watched july 17th to 20th

honestly some of the most fun ive had when binge watching a kdrama! immediately fell in love with the characters, especially geumga plaza squad 😭❤️ i love how different they all were but always had each others backs and kept wanting to protect the plaza and vincenzo. hong cha young became one of my fav female leads from how badass she is. I LOVE HER SM. same with vincenzo i loved his backstory with his mom and it made me cry so much when she died, he deserved to know she knew he was her son 💔 and the scene where he kept calling her “mom” just made me BAWL my eyes. the cinamotagraphy is no joke and same with the ost, so many good songs even the intro and outro! tho, i will admit i was very confused throughout the show about certain plots and characters, but nevertheless i still had an idea about the direction of the show and kept going. song joong-ki gave one heck of a performance all throughout the show, playing an anti hero definitely suits him and would love to see him in more projects soon. the same goes for taecyeon, he did not JOKE!
finally, i liked the scene and how it showed that in the end, he is still the “villian” he always was and never changed that.

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Intense but also comedic

This had the perfect balance. It was an intense story of revenge and some gruesome things happened. Without the added comedy it would have been too much.

Song Joong Ki played the part perfectly. I have only ever seen him in The Arthdal Chronicles so to see him in a modern role was completely different. He is a great actor. Although he really only looked cold on the outside, this role demanded many different emotions from him. I especially loved the episode where he had to pretend to be gay to stop an investment from happening. That was just hilarious.

Jeon Yeo Been was fantastic. She was great in A Time Called You but I think this role was far superior. I loved how free she was to speak her mind and dance around and even skip.

Let me say this Taecyeon is an amazing actor. We all know he’s a nice guy but he used none of his real personality for this role. He was either goofy or a monster. This was the first time seeing him act and I plan to watch more. I need to wash this monster character from my mind.

I was super sad and cried for Kwak Dong Yeon. When he asked Vincenzo if he did good, I lost it. This is the second time I’ve seen him die: Vincenzo and Love in the Moonlight.

This was a great series and I rated it 10 but I just don’t think I could watch it again.

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My FAVORITE Kdrama!

I watched this drama a year ago out of pure boredom and because I had nothing else to watch. I was scared it would be another overhyped drama, so I didn't have high expectations. I almost dropped it after episode 2 because it was dragging a bit. I am glad I continued watching because, after Episode 4, every episode was AMAZING.

I never rewatch dramas because I already know what happens, so it will never feel like the first time watching. However, I just finished rewatching this drama, and it feels just as exhilarating as the first.

Song Joong Ki did Vincenzo justice, and I fell for him after watching this. I love this plot and its twists, the acting, the cast, the romance, the humor, the OST, the action, and the suspense so much. I love anti-hero concepts the most of all, which is why I enjoyed both of SKJ's works (Vincenzo and Reborn Rich) so much.

I have a feeling I will be rewatching again next year because all of the genres I enjoy are poured into this drama. I am currently facing drama withdrawal symptoms, and I simply cannot move onto another series.

PLEASE give this drama a watch, I swear it is so so good!!!

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Action With Humor

I honestly loved this show and don't understand the bashing. In my opinion, it was a fun show to watch. The first 4 episodes were a bit boring but it set the story and from there it became a delight. I liked that the tenants got screen time so you can get attached to the characters and understand the family symblism behind Vincenzo. I loved particularly, the humor remained throughout the show so it wasn't super macho serious and I liked the soild friendship with Cha-Young instead of a bunch of love scenes. Han-Seo's scene broke my heart. Poor guy just wanted to be loved and truly was repenting. Hes goofy but the watch scene proved hes more intelligent than people think.

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give me amnesia so i can watch it again please

where do i start someone pls tell me ok well firstly i rewatched it 4-5 times so i think that says enough about how much i enjoyed this show. give my regards to the script writer cuz how does someone think of all that ????? its so damn good from the cast to the osts to the development to EVERYTHING the small details of everything im telling u its why i rewatched it 5 times fr. there were some small tweaks i wish i couldve changed but i mean when u have such a crazy kdrama i rlly cant complain. i think its crazy vincenzo came to korea with 1 thing then had to deal with 50 others LMAOAOAOAO that man was going through it fr but UGH the slow burn of him and cha young had me on my knees i do wish they never did that inzaghi scene even vincenzo was shocked cuz what i love the small scenes of inzaghi and how he was ruining vincenzos life but inzaghi leading an army of birds against professional italian assassins??????? yeah nvm. also hated how they didnt show a funeral for han seos death???? like vincenzo you wouldnt have killed han seok in that dirty ass way if it werent for that watch han seo gave you ON HIS DAMN DEATH BED??? even when cha young woke up they were all smiley like damn didnt even go through the 5 stages of grief let alone 1?? bro wasnt even in denial he just accepted it, moved on, and left asap but fr watch it savor it and repeat

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Unexpectedly Refreshing -- Enjoyable Ride

Vincenzo is not what I expected it to be; I'm not even sure what I expected, but when one hears Italy and the mafia, one immediately sets an expectation of mayhem, drugs, and murder. Vincenzo is nothing of the sort, well, at least not yet. It's crazily witty, entertaining, and thrilling all at the same time. I am refreshingly pleased by the writing style, the acting, and the directing. Vincenzo is everything it was hyped up to be and more.

I thought Vincenzo in Italy was brilliant; everything about it was sexy and beautiful, from the people to the buildings but most of all, Song Joong Ki speaking Italian. His subtle yet cutthroat demeanor is enjoyable to watch. But Vincenzo in Korea is where I fell in love with the drama, and the man, especially G Plaza. I can tell the plaza and its quirkily insane tenants (I love them all, even the annoying daughter) will be my favorite place/scenes of this drama. There is a lot of story behind Vincenzo, be it his childhood to what drives him at present, it will all be worth exploring.

Song Joong Ki is fantastic in his role; the last drama I saw him in was in 2016, Descendants of the Sun. It sure is good to have him back. It's also good to see the fine Ok Taec Yeon, the enormously talented Yoo Jae Myung. Despite not being too familiar with Jun Yeo Bin and slightly turned off by her unscrupulousness, I can tell I'm going to like her. I enjoyed her affectionate banter with her father, played by Yoo Jae Young.

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Speaking Italian

Most memorable for me: Song Joong Ki’s wonderfully deep voice speaking Italian (yum!); Ok Teac Yeon’s interspersing perfectly spoken American slang into his Korean dialogue ( wonder how much was his adlib); Jeon Yeo Been’s imitation of her boss’s dance moves (LOL); and Jeon’s high heeled skip and strut (gotta try that!). This series was very violent and needed the ridiculous humor to offset the darkness. There are plenty of off the scale premises and characters that I had to accept but no more than most of ‘Wuxian’ dramas I’ve seen. I enjoyed this series very much in that it was different. I can’t watch CEO/Cinderella or High School romances 100% of the time.

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Did I miss something?

Okay, yet another unpopular opinion coming to this drama's reviews.

The Pros: It was a fun ride between episode 3-15. The characters of Geumga Plaza were entertaining to watch as they interacted and grew as people. The humor honestly gave me some good chuckles and, although the humor is one of the more highly contested parts of this show, I honestly found it fine overall. The action was also engaging and the cinematography was simply stunning. But none of this could hold together a show that otherwise completely lacked reason and soul.

The Cons: The first red flag for me was the villain. The “twist” of who the true villain was in the early episodes made me go “why?” and I was never (literally never) able to take him seriously. The cat and mouse game between Babel and Vincenzo was exhaustingly repetitive. After the first couple of major deaths, everyone also seems surprisingly nonchalant about the absolute abnormal amount of dead people and near-death experiences they were constantly encountering. Vincenzo literally shoved someone out of the Geumga Plaza when that was an unthinkable act to do in the first few episodes and no one blinked an eye (Where do these dead bodies go?? Where is the government??? Where are the concerned citizens?????) Perhaps this is my own bias coming through, because I appreciate character driven dramas and I felt like there was an amazing cast of characters to grow. Alas, all the heart in the middle of the series had extinguished by the end to make way for "plot progression."

What really did me in was episode 17. I had rated this show as a 9 until episode 17. Following this episode I quickly dropped my rating to a 6. The episode broke everything for me. Characters were already starting to act out of character, but I was truly appalled when they killed the stuntman with the bomb. The worse part wasn't his death, it was the fact that all those lovable people I had come to adore in the Geumga Plaza had assisted in this crime and the LITERAL KCSI AGENT didn't give two shits that Vincenzo just killed a personal (in an entirely unnecessary and gruesome way nonetheless). What??? My thoughts of the show never recovered from this episode.

I swear, if Vincenzo's cast wasn't star-studded and the cinematography was slightly less beautiful this show would have gone down in Kdrama history as one of the worst. With all the hype, I left this show feeling disappointed and asking myself “did I miss something?”

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AVERAGE & OVERHYPED

VINCENZO is like that new dish you had always wanted to try out but it's served to you extremely bland. Good story, superb plot development. BUT, plenty of unnecessary characters to fill in the unnecessarily lengthy drama, slow screenwriting, substandard screenplay editing and dragged as well as stretched scenes to the point that it becomes BORING as early as in 4th eps. Morever, so many ILLOGICAL happenings in the disguse of fiction like typical Indian show where people get killed without a second thought and the killers get away with everything easily. They did an amazing job in casting actors for the major characters but NAHH, it's not it!

Story-writing: NICEEEEE
Script-writing: MEHHHH
Story and script are 2 different things and one doesn't necessarily has to be good at writing both. The direction could have compromised it but the director's screenplay editing made it even more boring.

They have portrayed homophobia in a positive light here hence I deduct one point from it. It was horrible to sit throught how they made fun of someone's sexuality.

Totally overhyped by people who only fall for visuals. Unreasonably rated high by people who watch selective dramas just for entertainment. It is not that bad but it definitely is not one of the best. PLEASE.

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This is on my top list of best dramas

1. I came expecting nothing, a mafia concierge born in Korea and coming back to korea
2. No romance but a couple fighting crime
3. Didn't know any of Jeon Yeo Bin dramas, and wasnt a fan of Song Joon Ki because I couldn't bear watching DOS
4. comedy, thriller, drama, mafia genres
5. like 2% of romance

Let me tell you
1. The plot is not all that, is more far and beyond
2. Never been a fance of thriller, crimes etc. but romance but I enjoyed every single interaction of the main leads like I was watching a romance drama.
3. After Vincenzo one year later, I still can't let go of my love for this drama and the main leads I became instantly a fan of both Jeonki together or in separate projects (but deep inside i want them to reunite in another project)
4. I never knew they could blend all these genres and make a beautiful drama that will be in my memory forever, they blended all this elements that one minute I was laughing my a..off then i was scared then I was mad Ohh my Gosh all the feelings, I would wake up every Saturday and Monday to watch 1.20 hrs of episode which took me like 3 hours because of the rewatch value, never happened before ever.
5. Yes romance is like very soft, slow born and minimal but every single scene is about them being together sparkling enormous chemistry.

So yes, even me been biased because I love everything about this drama, please don't get fooled by episode 1, I did get hooked since episode one but Ive hear many of my fellow Vincenzo fans took until episode to really kick off on them so yeah give it a try will not dissapoint.

OST-wise they don't have many songs but the few they have are in my mind 24/7 my ringtone is Ill always be by your side and I change it eventually to Adrenaline.

Rewatchable value 100%

BTW, I never give reviews but I thought I needed to for future viewers not that the drama doesn't have a high rating but because is well deserved direction and writing is phenomenal plus the acting of every support cast. Give it a try you won't get dissapointed.

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It's like watching cartoons (not in a good way)

There's a hero who saves the day and there's Vincenzo who fixes every problem/issue/injustice like a walk in the park 3 days before it even happens lol

Every episode ends on this major problem that they make seem like the end of the world with no way out. Yet on every next episode's first scene comes Vincenzo laughing in our faces like: SIKE!! I already knew about this and took my measures to prevent it!! Everything is great literally less than 10 minutes into the episode.

So Vincenzo knows everything about everyone and knows how the bad guys will think and act before they themselves know. Nothing (literally) is stopping him or slowing him down whatsoever. He's perfect and makes no mistakes. So why are we watching? It's incredibly unrealistic and unmotivating to watch someone who is good at everything. If I know that everything would magically work out for him anyway then what's the point?

The plot is a mess and I don't understand how it has a nearly 9 rate. Maybe people are seeing something I'm not but what I see is... A perfect mafia guy who killed lots of people and could never face problems, suddenly joins a bunch of random people's long fight against a huge corporation in a country he doesn't even know and swears to help them achieve "justice for some reason that was never discussed.

The fl character is flat and two-dimensional although being funny and quirky and quite promising in the first few episodes which, if used properly, could've been a really good and fresh view of female leads in kdramas.

Vincenzo's character being in the mafia was also a fresh concept that I was excited about until they butchered it literally in the first half of the first episode. And for the rest of the drama cut the whole mafia storyline down to being too cool and too smart and too ahead of everyone plus a bunch of random quotes said in Italian.

and what with the dreams he always has of killing people? What even is the purpose of those?

Every episode is longer than an hour which is extremely long for the lack of events in each one. it got quite boring really fast and sometimes I had to increase playback speed because everything is just SO SLOW I don't know why.

I don't have a problem with "easy to watch" light dramas. I also love Song Joong-ki (I really really do. He's the only reason I continued the drama) But this drama isn't light it's just plain ridiculous and I'm genuinely sad to say that I regret watching it!

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