Vincenzo

TEN, TEN ACROSS THE BOARD ! ( best drama I've seen so far this year)

I have to say I understand that this type of drama isn't to everyone's liking. I get that, I do. I also felt dumbfounded at some really popular dramas that I didn't quite like.

With that disclaimer out of the way, Vincezo is one of the best things I've seen come out of drama land this past couple of years. I loved every side character and their quirky and lovable personality. I loved that they had a pretty good backstory and each and everyone was a stand out cartoon like human beings.

I really enjoyed this almost slap stick aspect of this show. They mixed perfectly the seriousness of the story with the comedic relief that at times felt like a Tom and Jerry episode. I feel like it was a really refreshing take on this type of story.

Now, let's talk about the main leads. Vincezo's relationship with all the side leads had a pretty steady progression from distrust to a family like bond. The Geumga-Cassano family, what bonds them is their resolve to survive and then the silly gold rush plot that I actually think it was really fun to see unravel.

I can't not acknowledge the very strong and very present plot armour around the whole main and side cast. I can't complain about it too much because from the first episodes I knew this will end in a happy ending. Again, I don't think that this drama's purpose is to show the real life corruption of the system. If you want something that comes close to that I recommend "Stranger" https://kisskh.at/21934-stranger.

The chemistry on screen between Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young was flawless and their dynamic perfect. Again, I think that this drama doesn't take itself too serious most of the time and so HCY over the top personality felt right in that universe. But it still managed to make my cry like a babe at times, especially at !!(spoiler incoming) !! Vincezo's mother death and HCY father's death. Those scenes really tugged at my heartstrings. But, I would've loved to see HCY relationship to her father fleshed put more. I found it weird that Vincezo's relationship with Hong Yoo Chan was more sketched out than with his own daughter.

VC character was really well made, it had the bad-assery of the classic stereotype of the Italian mafioso, the cunning of that world that mixed itself with a traumatised child now turned adult, that subconsciously wanted to feel like he had a place in his mother-nation. I liked to see his vulnerable side peek through with his mother and the scene when they take the pictures together was really good and showed his yearning for a relationship with his mother.

His realtionship tp HCY is very enjoyable to watch and see how it changes and grows in a subtle, grown up romance that feels really real. As a fan of course I would've loved to see more skinship but the way their relationship was portrayed made a lot of sense for HCY and VC personality. !!(SPOILER ALERT) The ending felt a little bit lackluster and rushed, it made sense in a way but still didn't feel right. At least I would've like to have more closure for VC and HCY even more if a second season is off the table.

The Babel plot was really entertaining to watch, especially the whole chess/cat-mouse chase that spanned to whole series right to the very end.The elaborate plans were well made and creative even if at times were too far fetched and chaotic.

I felt really satisfying to see the villain get what they deserved and the gore was watchable even though at times it felt like all the violence was gratuitous. Also, the foreshadowing with the corporation's name was a clever touch.

I have to applaud Kim Yeo Jin and Ok Taec Yeon performance. They really blew this one out of the park. It was spot on, over the top, scheming corporate greedy monsters.

Also, honorable mentions: Inzaghi's "plot" was hilarious and matched the silly energy of the drama perfectly. And the OST was amazing, I still listen to it. And I liked the small details like the sound of the buddhist monk drumming and the Nirvana tote bag.

I think the best way to describe this drama is a over the top cheesy wattpad in real life story with amazing acting and cinematography. It created a genre of it's own and a unique feel. Really a big breath of fresh air.

It isn't a flawless ( The first episode was really confusing and tbh unnecessary, if you skip to the half of the episode you honestly didn't miss anythiing important, and there are some plot holes that are never tied up and it can feel a bit choppy sometimes) and faultless drama ( See the homophobic reactions of Vincezo in that episode) but it works so so so GOOD!

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Not what I expected... let down

Maybe I am too hard or too demanding but I expected more from this drama.
I am a fan of #mafia storylines book-addict for that matter... and after all the books and research about this topic that i have done I feel let down. I mean it was well performed for a korean because as an itilian mobster it was not accurate enough. They sugarcoated too much, the characters development was a huge mess on some of them like Hong Cha-young or Vincenzo himself. If a character was one way in the beginning why did you make it seem like they were abducted by aliens that perdormed a lobotomy on them, e.g. Mrs. Hong how someone so materialistic and cheap could suddenly undergo a complete personality transformation... her character was too annoying and too nosy which devaluated the storyline from my personal pov.
The best job was done by Taechyun, his interpretation was superb, like i really was scared in some of his scenes, a lot more than with Vincenzo (the "mobster").
The storyline was underdeveloped and too long for only a few interesting episodes, they dragged the end for too long and then the most interesting part was too rushed and sloppily closed.
Another thing that was a overdid was the neighbours from the Geumga Plaza, sometimes they focused too much on them for my liking and there wasn't anything interesting to see...
The romance was truly the worst part 📢📢
NO CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE ML AND FL!!!
Song Joon Ki had more chemistry with the other male leads and supporting cast than with Mrs. Jeon. Not trying to be anti or anything, I am just saying the truth from my personal perspective. There were a few awkward moments between them that they could have saved us from...
Summarising it, too much expectations that were not reached and too much melo for a "thriller/crime" drama.
Hope this review is helpful for you. 💕😝😊
P.S: Don't hate or impose over those with different opinions like myself in this case... let's all be respectful and mature.
P.S. II: Thanks for all the comments (goog ones, let's not leave bad comments, please).

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Fast paced drama with great acting

I am going to start by raving about the anti-heroes. What is it about them lately!! First of all hats off to the team who has chosen them and then to the actors who have portrayed the characters. Ok Taec Yeon is amazing in his dual portrayal of the foolish apprentice and the evil CEO. His display of both personalities is amazing. One villain who is so likable and yet disliked at the same time. I want him to be with the heroine but at the same time, I want him to be tortured the way he tortures anyone who comes in his way.
His stepbrother, acted by Kwak Dong Yeon is again superb in his portrayal of the character of Jang Han Seo.

While Song Joong Ki is good, Jeon Yeo Bin as Hong Cha Young is FABULOUS. Her craziness, her laugh, her over-the-top reactions, her style, and her emotions are just unique to her. She brings her character alive with a vigor that is unmatched.

And what do I say about the residents of the mall! They are hilarious and adorable in their endeavors to help the team and in their effort to find the gold. The undercover guy from the intelligence security (Im Chul Soo as Ahn Ki Seok) is the best thing to happen to comic relief in this one. His expressions are to die for. That scene where he asks for a hug from Vincenzo is just tooooooooo funny. Such a melange of characters and each one with their unique personalities. Love it.

The plot has been brilliantly interlaced with a serious thread and apt moments of comic relief. Kudos to the writers and the director.

Finally the main character Vincenzo is unsurpassed in his acting by Song Joong Ki. He is the perfect blend of raw toughness and a kind heart. His relation with his mom progresses like his character. Tough on the outside and soft on the inside. His work ethics are very clear; that he is doing his job and he will have to get his hands dirty while doing so. When he leaves Italy to go to Korea we see a rational side of his which is what we see in the entire series actually but the foundation of his character has been written beautifully and of course portrayed brilliantly by Song Joong Ki. He is excellent in his portrayal of Vincenzo.

The background score is supreme too. It builds the right amount of suspense and I love the way the tempo changes whenever a particular scene is highlighted. I give a lot of importance to the background score, especially in thrillers. They add a lot of momentum and character to a scene.

And as a team the two leads are perfect. Their badass nature just compliments each other. Waiting to see if their chemistry culminates into something. And even if it doesn’t, there is so much going for them.

What I also like is that both the opposite sides are strong and their fight is not just one-sided.

I am just on episode 12 where the big reveal has happened and I couldn’t wait to write this review. Going to binge-watch the rest. Ciao!
( Watch this one. It’ll keep you on your toes and tickle your funny bones)

Finished watching it.....and it doesn't disappoint. Everybody will have their opinions on why someone was killed or why the end was the way it is. But if you look at it logically, it's the perfect end with the much-anticipated kiss.

JUST ONE WORD.....SUPER!!!!

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I recommend watching it.

The plot and story were very well thought out. I was shocked at the plot twists in almost every episode.

I read someone saying that they didn’t like the FML’s acting, but I loved Jeon Yeobin’s acting, FMLs don’t usually act that way, so it was nice to see something different.

There were not a lot of romantic scenes, there were more revenge/anger and comedy scenes.

Oh, the comedy in this kdrama was amazing. There’s usually only one actor that would be the funny guy, but on this one there were like 5 guys who would be in charge of the comedy.

Ok Taecyeon… Wow!!! *clap, clap, clap*

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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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Is it worth the hype? Corn salad says yes!

Most definitely, and I agree with the corn salad. I was afraid that the hype I saw on my social media pages would leave me disappointed, and I'm so glad to be wrong.

This drama introduced me to JYB as an actress, highlighting her expressive character and streamlining it with the more collective Vincenzo. SJK did an amazing job at portraying his character, handling all the issues that came his way with a flare of dramatic expressions and his signature smirk and occasional Italian lines (I don't speak Italian, but damn they were so cool!) Taecyeon and Kim YJ did amazing with their characters. While Kim YJ/ Choi Myung Hee did a better job as passing off as villainous, Han Seok felt like a comedic ragey villain who throws a tantrum every time he fails. (though the ending episodes, he definitely felt more villainous).

That leads me to my only quip with this show. A majority of the episodes ended with a stupidly frustrating cliffhanger, only to be extinguished within ten minutes the next weekend. In a way, the show's unpredictable nature became predictable. Issues were dealt with rapid pace, and it felt largely anticlimatic. For example...you'd never expect to see a flock of pigeons as a form of deux ex machina, but figures.

Regardless of the anticlimatic cliffhangers, our leads partnering up together was an enjoyable watch. Seeing them scheming together to bring down Babel was extremely pleasurable to watch, it's so hard to not root for them and the Geumga plaza squad working together to keep their building and each other intact.

Now the OSTs are a bit less memorable when compared to other dramas, but they're still very good regardless at boosting the feels during specific scenes (my two faves are Adrenaline by Solar and I'm Always By Your Side by John Park).

Go watch Vincenzo now!! While you're at it, try and sneak some gold from the vault, will you?

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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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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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LITERALLY THE BEST!

this is the first review i ever wrote in my whole life bc this drama deserves it.
if you are reading this, this is your official confirmation to watch this. you will NOT regret it. for me the 1st half of the 1st episode had me intrigued and then it go hard to watch for the 2nd and most of ep 3, but near the end of ep 3 it got literally amazing and started picking up.

it has absolutely everything, a bad ass male lead(my fave type) , a great fl, and interesting villain, plotwists with a bit of romance, comedy and AMAZING hyped up fight scenes. you will not regret i promise, and i am extremely picky with dramas an tv shows i watch. you will smile so hard at some scenes and have tears in the others. the visuals to OMG are fabulous. i usually do not care about OSTs but oh my god i absolutely love the music, especially the Italian mafia instrumental music during serious scenes.

there is a hole in my heart now that this show is finished :((
the only thing i is is that the ending was more solid, but the ending is still very good.

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An unexpected drama that fell off halfway

When I read the summary for this drama, I really didn't wanna watch it but after seeing some rave reviews from my friends and also not having anything else to watch, I decided to give it a go.

Overall, there were some "wtf" moments in this drama; an example is the rooftop scene when the group of pigeons just coincidentally helped Vincenzo when he was at a disadvantage. LOL? And the way that all the tenants, who came from an athletic background and even won championships were stuck in a place like Geumga Plaza was just very... coincidentally placed? I was really sad when Cha Yong's dad and Han Seo died, even though we've only seen the dad for a few beginning episodes but he made a very huge impact. Han Seo had the most character development but was sacrificed for our two leads (wowdidntseethatcoming). Also, does anyone else cringe when Vincenzo starts saying some Italian lines? Most of the time, the characters would be conversing about something important and he would randomly quote something from Italian; which would throw me off. Choi Myung Hee's satoori was so annoying (sorry) that I almost dropped this drama (yes it was until that extent).

I didn't care much about the Geumga Plaza tenants; tbh they were rather annoying than funny to me. Also, I think this drama would have been way better without the romance plot. I love Vincenzo & Cha Yong as individuals but unlike others, I don't really see the spark between them and would have loved it even more if they were just business partners.

The OST was good. The acting were A+++++++. But, I wouldn't rewatch it cause the episodes are long and a bit over-the-top for me.

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