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Pretty typical action drama with a few highlights
What I was expecting when I started watching this drama was ultimately what I got, and that’s not a bad thing!I don’t expect every single drama to have a long-lasting message for the audience. I understand that some dramas are made for the fun of it and this is definitely one of those. The story was similar to most action dramas where the main lead wants to get some sort of vengeance against those that wronged him, however, there were some aspects of this show that were a bit different that I liked.
First of all, as I’m sure most people will not argue, the strongest part of this show is the friendship between Gunwoo & Woojin. They were both extremely loyal to one another and never betrayed the other’s trust or y’know…died. Their bond was very sweet to watch and I appreciated the simplicity in it. Like they just understood each other and supported each other and that was that. Also, Woo Dohwan and Lee Sangyi had great chemistry together and I am not surprised that they are super close irl now. It helps that they aren’t bad to look at…just a little.
I also liked the fact that neither Woojin or Gunwoo were the standard brooding hero who showed no emotion. Gunwoo was extremely kind, loving, and honestly adorable at times lol. Woojin was also so funny, caring, and definitely gave off Golden Retriever energy. I have no problem with the typical male hero archetype, but it was nice to see a change up in this instance.
Setting this show during the peak of Covid was also a good idea to show how desperate people were for money and how others would take advantage of that. Not that that isn’t apparent at any time, but it was especially prevalent during Covid.
The flaws of this show for me is the lack of depth the majority of the characters had. Especially the antagonists. Like, I get that some villains are just evil to be evil but at least make them interesting??? I found the scenes centered around the bad guys to be pretty bland despite the great acting. I would just see them on screen and guess what they were going to do next which doesn’t bode well for your villain being engaging for the audience. Also some of the characters motivations just didn’t make sense to me? Like why was Inbeom so loyal to MyungGil? Why did Mr. Choi suddenly grow a conscious? Just a lot of nuance I felt could’ve been easily added but wasn’t.
The finale was also fine. Like it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good. I was just kind of like oh? that’s it? alright.
Overall, this is a drama that doesn’t require a lot of brain power. Like you could probably look away for ten minutes and still know what was going on when you looked back. It was a fun time and I think it’s easy to enjoy. Definitely recommend if you are into action dramas, and even if you aren’t i do think Gunwoo & Woojin’s cute bromance is worth a watch.
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perfect till ep 6. a shame they had to rewrite eps 7 and 8. I wonder how original would have been
The removal of kim sae ron's character in eps 7 and 8 just ruined the pace and the tight chemistry among the main characters in this drama. the new female character that joined in eps 7 and 8 was such a clumsy addition to the series it was cringe-worthy. wish they found someone else who was equally sharp in the action sequence. Kim sae ron really complemented Woo Do-Hwan and Lee Sang-Yi. It was a perfect trio.I just continued to watch eps 7 and 8 and finished the series because I immensely enjoyed episodes 1-6. Shame that they had to rewrite the last 2 episodes. I wonder how it would have been if we saw the original version of the ending.
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Not Easy to Finish, Impossible to Forget
An intriguing story paired with a beautiful bromance, portrayed to perfection.The only reason I’m taking off stars might be considered subjective, but I believe there’s some objectivity to it: it took me five months to finish this K-drama because I found it not very "engaging" or "accompanying." Several times I felt like dropping it even though I genuinely liked it. I pushed through and finished it, but I can't say I'm entirely satisfied due to this one issue that appeared early on (around episodes 2–3) and lasted until about episode 6.
I became very attached to the characters, but I really wish we had gotten to know more about Woo Jin. So I’m rooting for season 2 to shine a brighter light on his character than in the first season.
I honestly don’t know what to expect from the second season, but I have a gut feeling it’ll be a lot more emotional than season 1.
Despite a slow and somewhat unengaging start that made it hard for me to get into the series, it eventually managed to build a deep emotional connection thanks to a beautiful bromance and memorable characters. The bond I felt toward the end and my strong desire to see a second season outweigh the initial struggles. That's why I’m giving it a 7/10.
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Amazing Start, Rushed Ending
With an all star cast, I expected to like this going into it. The premise also got me intrigued with boxers having to become bloodhounds, and I totally enjoyed it! (for the most part) The first 6 episodes to me were perfect, it had the right amount of tension and character moments. The action is AMAZING. The COVID setting is kind of weirdly placed into the story, only coming up once in a while to explain random beats to the story (which could have just been written out in my opinion). What I didn't enjoy so much was the last two episodes. It wasn't bad per-say, but it definitely did not live up to the tension that has built up during the whole series. The pay-off was lackluster, and felt both rushed and dragged out. Rushed because it did not perfectly conclude the series and dragged out because it was sort of slow compared to the beginning of the series. Now, I do know that the main female lead got into controversy and so it may have effected the story (maybe it was towards the end of filming but this is just a guess) which is why the ending felt not complete. Overall, i would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves the action/revenge plot dramas but just prepare yourself for a not-so-fullfilling ending.On a side note, be wary because this drama has A LOT of blood, There are so many knife fights (especially in episode 6) and it shows the whole stabbing , cutting and blood gushing in full frame.
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Action-packed, but watching once is enough.
Action mode: ON!Romance: ZERO (which is a good thing).
Bromance & Friendship: 100%!
While the acting was outstanding and the friendship between Gunwoo and Woojin was heartwarming, a few things bothered me throughout the series.
1) They used a Mustang for stakeouts. I mean, come on—everyone knows that a Mustang draws too much attention, making their stakeout efforts practically pointless! It seems like Mustang is a sponsor for this series, but it really detracted from the realism.
2) Mr. Choi’s house was inexplicably unguarded, despite him being incredibly wealthy. He repeatedly emphasized that he wanted to protect his granddaughter, yet it seemed like he made little effort to ensure her safety or the security of his home.
3) Mr. Choi’s knifers met a pointless death. They were introduced as skilled fighters, yet their potential was never fully showcased before they were quickly dispatched. I was genuinely looking forward to seeing more action from them.
It’s unfortunate that Kim Sae Ron had to leave the show due to controversy. Her character played a crucial role, and her absence resulted in some awkward plot developments.
Another point of frustration was Kim Min Jae’s brief appearance. His character was introduced with an air of mystery that piqued my curiosity, yet ultimately, we were left with very little information about him. It felt as though his character was underutilized, despite being important to the storyline. I wanted to learn more about his background and role, but instead, he seemed to fade into the background without making any significant impact.
Overall, this series is decent for passing the time, but I likely won’t watch it again. Once was enough for me. I do have to give props to Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi for their dedication to building impressive boxer physiques, though!
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Fun, thrilling, short watch
This was a really good drama. The acting was good, the story for the most part made sense and it wasn't unnecessarily long, only 8 episodes all around an hour long(except for the last episode). The action scenes were done so well, a little long but entertaining nonetheless. The characters were easily the best part, the friendship between the 2 main leads was also really well done, as well as the others, and also this was also pretty funny.I would say there were some logistical fallacies:
- One would be the fact that when they contacted the heir guy, they just sent him a DM and he actually had his notifications on despite having 500k followers. Like I felt like they could've done something more creative.
- Another one was the fact the sushi restaurant fighter got killed off even though he was supposed to be this incredibly skilled and experienced fighter? I just couldn't believe he got taken out by one guy, when a whole fleet couldn't even do it.
- Not as well planned. This is mainly towards the last 2 episodes, a lot of the operations (especially after Mr Oh got captured) weren't planned out and they kind of just improvised what they were going to do, and I would've liked to see them put a bit more brains into their operations.
But overall, I really did like it, and it got me out of a kdrama slump so if your also in one then I would most likely recommend.
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Tough and nail biting
Oct 2023The very early episodes that lay the foundations for this very violent, gripping and fast paced drama, go from causing feelings of mild anxiousness to all out threat, fairly quickly.
It is not easy watching ordinary people being strong armed out of their livelihoods, all their savings and conned into crippling debts they'll never be able to repay.
The ferocity with which the strong-arm gangs operate is sickening. That people could do this to others, totally blows my mind (gang wars happen in real life).
We are then moved on to Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and his new found friend from boxing, Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), getting drawn ever deeper into conflict with the legitimate business fronted, highly successful and wealthy loan shark, Myung-gil (Park Sung-woong ~ always a brilliant villain).
The story sees them joining forces with someone whose past has a strong connection to Myung-gil. Then, together with characters involved with one another as veterans and members of the Marines (their military service), they decide they have no choice but to take him and his entire organisation, down.
The fight scenes are something else and the efforts both WDH and LSY must have gone to, to get as fit as they look in this, don't bear thinking about!
In terms of how characters are dealt with by the drama/writer, it reminded me of the early days of The Walking Dead... no one is safe and there are shocks aplenty. The sudden departure of one character in particular was very odd but might be to do with the actress.
Excellent writing, as some very witty dialogue and interactions pepper most episodes, which counters the angst and violence.
I love the cast and was really surprised to see Choi Siwan (didn't even realise he was in it), in a very different and [to me] surprising role for him.
Much of it is very OTT in terms of being a long way from what's possible, but, this is an action and justice/revenge drama, not a slice- of-real-life story or a documentary. It's entertainment and I loved it!
The ending held some shocks and I wasn't disappointed, but (why's there always a but?
;-D ), I would have loved to see some characters actually suffer the consequences of their disgusting deeds, and get legally punished by the system, with a nightmare life behind bars!
The most hateful character for me was In-beom, MG's muscle and right-hand man... what a mindless neanderthal. One of my favourites was the quirky and unflappable Oh Da-min, who makes her appearance in later episodes.
If the brutal treatment of others and quite high levels of threat are not for you, then the drama probably won't be either, but otherwise, it's a great and compact watch.
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It was okay
I love the bromance in this movie, but ofc it's not just all fun and games (which i would have preferred that way (don't judge me)). The story was aight, but one thing i love about this show is that, the pacing of the story is really random, which most people won't enjoy but it's something new to me. But overall, it was an okay show, not really emotionally touched or anything, sort of an expected ending as well. Will this movie worth your time? Well, depends, if u have nth else to watch this is a pretty decent show. But if you have other recommendations from ur friends like always, prioritize their show instead.Was this review helpful to you?
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Everyone is dumb and the writers think I'm dumb too
one thing I hate in media is when we get introduced to a character who is incredibly smart and then force him to make an incredibly stupid decision to get rid of him. that just pisses me off so bad and it happens not to one but THREE people in this drama (episode six pissed me off). this is weak writing an there is no excuses ! I could go in details but im not that passionate about this drama honestly.Started this for dohwan but then the most horrific thing ... he is playing a grown adult acting like a child NOOOOOOOOO omg I almost *redacted* myself. I hate when it happens to female characters and its even more painful on a guy. anyway bunch of stupid guys making stupid decisions over and over again until almost everyone is dead. at some point I expected them to be more ruthless but no. AND THEN HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY AT THE END "IVE BECOME LIKE THEM UWU" ARE YOU DUMB ??? (lowering the score as I wrote that bcs what ???) Actually its the opposite you are so unlike them might as well be a p*ssy. the writers are spitting on me and telling me its raining. needed them to be smarter. also they gave the money to a billionaire they barely know like why are they torturing me like this.
Why did I stay ? well, once again hate made me stay. I was introduced to someone on ep 1 that I needed to see suffer. so I watched all of it and once again I was let down bcs I did not get to see him suffer.
It looked good, the acting was good. the action was very good, the punches felt so good and powerful especially after the time-skip. If they fixed the script just a little bit this would be a 10/10 which is all the more upsetting.
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Gun woo and Woo jin Friendchip
I loveddd this so much…. it was so action packed🫶🫶Gun woo and Woo jin have a great character and I think they can fight very well.
I always loved watching Gun woo run because he always ran so fast….Hyun-ju can drive really well.
Myeong-gil has a very good charisma but I didn’t like him in the first episode.
I was suprised that I see Siwon for Super Junior there but really like character,his outfits were always super good and they always looked very expensive.
It was a little bit too short.
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Thrilling scenes, corny writing
One thing I'm sure of is this has got some insane keep-you-on-the-edge action scenes. but pretty much everything else feels mediocre; the acting, the plot, the writing.. all very unnatural to the point where it's noticeable. especially what happened with the fl.. i dont undestand why they felt they had to replace her with another awkwardly placed female character when the initial trio were just done. 4 main characters were just written off 2 episodes before the finale, and the show lost its purpose which is such a shame honestly.overall fun really, but mostly only because of the fights.
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SEASON 2 PLEASE!!!!!!
I have to say, I was thrilled! This drama captivated me from beginning to end. It was an incredibly suspenseful and captivating drama that impressed me with many surprises and twists.The cast was fantastic, the chemistry between the actors was just amazing. I was particularly impressed by the performance of Woo Do Hwan as Gin Woo and Lee Sang Yii as Hong Woo Jin. The two of them embodied their roles perfectly and thrilled me with their acting and their Bodies 😏The villain, played by Park Sung Woong, was nothing short of terrifying. I couldn't help but be impressed by his portrayal. And of course, one must not forget the performance of Choi Si Won as director Hong Min Beom. He played the role perfectly and made me smile every time.
However, I have to say that the drama seemed far too short to me. I'd love to see a second season that gives us even more of this great cast and lets us dive deeper into the thrilling story. All in all, "Bloodhounds" was an absolute highlight for me and I'm sure other viewers will enjoy it too!
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