Gangnam B-Side

A fast paced action story, you can definitely watch it once.

The vices are many and virtues are rare, the society that we live in is becoming scarier day by day. But fortunately humanity still continues to fight. I appreciate the director for bringing forth a realistic story on screen.

The Emotional acting and fight scenes from JCW are the captivating factors, and as expected he shines in those. He talks less acts more in this drama and we can only love all his subtle expressions. While his face is covered in bruises, bandages and blood and we can only see his eyes, he somehow still captivates your view and draws you in with his intense gaze. There is a reason why people fall for him! Screen time for JCW is a little constrained, his fans will definitely want more of him.

While the first half of the story was excellent and glued the viewer to the screen, the second half comparatively slowed down.
Since it's a short 8 episode drama, things move at a fast pace The subject matter of the story is drugs and prostitution, there is violence of course but I am glad that there are no explicit scenes.

This could have been a perfect drama if the story narration followed a perspective(either the story of Father and daughter or Gilho and Jayhee), but instead it tries to unbundle everything as it happens, and the viewer needs to connect the dots to understand thoroughly.

While I do not give complete marks for Direction and story narration, the Main leads get 100 percent for their acting skills. Given the scenes, they did their best.

You can definitely watch it once for the gripping tale, action sequences and realistic acting! I would recommend this as a binge watch on a weekend.

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Tried to Be Brutal, but Failed to Bring the Characters to Life

1. Story & Script

This drama attempts to explore the dark side of Gangnam’s nightlife, criminal gangs, and violence. Unfortunately, the execution feels more like a collection of brutal scenes without meaningful depth. The main character is thrown into countless bloody situations, but the conflicts feel shallow and fail to build real tension.

2. Characters & Acting

Ji Chang-wook is a solid actor, but his character, Yoon Gil-ho, feels like a caricature of a pimp—existing just to showcase the city's dark side. The other characters aren’t much better—they show up, suffer, and disappear without leaving any real impact. A shame, because there was plenty of potential to make this drama more substantial.

3. Directing & Visuals

Visually, Gangnam B-Side does a decent job of creating a neo-noir atmosphere. The lighting and framing support the crime-heavy setting. But when it comes to action choreography, it falls short. The violence is detailed but feels more exploitative than meaningful to the story.

4. Themes & Message

The drama tries to expose Gangnam’s dark side but does so half-heartedly. Instead of offering a deeper look into crime and the underbelly of the district, it mostly focuses on violence without any real social commentary or meaningful exploration.

5. Genre Execution

As a crime thriller, this drama fails to build strong suspense. The pacing isn’t tight enough, the characters aren’t engaging, and too many scenes feel like they exist just to fill time. Instead of keeping you hooked, it ends up feeling repetitive and exhausting.

6. Rewatch Value & Overall Appeal

If you enjoy brutal shows without caring much about storytelling depth, you might still find this watchable. But as for rewatching? There’s almost no reason to revisit it—unless you just want to appreciate the dark aesthetics.

Final Verdict: Style Over Substance

Gangnam B-Side tries to be edgy and brutal, but in the end, it feels empty. The violence lacks weight, the characters are flat, and whatever message it’s trying to deliver isn’t clear. It’s mostly just fight scenes—without much else to offer.

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Close to reality but it will question your thoughts

Gangnam B-side is a captivating drama that offers a refreshing glimpse into the cutthroat world of the K-Pop industry. It goes beyond the glitz and glamour, delving into the struggles, sacrifices, and raw emotions that lie beneath the polished surface with how people greed can distroy human life.

The series masterfully portrays the intense competition, the pressure to succeed, and the mental and physical toll it takes on aspiring idols. It highlights the importance of mental health, the dangers of idol culture, and the importance of finding one's own voice and path.

Ji chang wook as actor make the drama 50% more watchable with his performance a great actor who's screen presence is enough to make viewer's stick through the screen, 10/10

Gangnam B-side is a must-watch for fans of K-Dramas and K-Pop alike. It's a captivating and insightful drama that will stay with you long after the final credits roll. Ji Chang Wook's exceptional performance, coupled with the compelling storyline and strong supporting cast, makes this series a true gem.

I highly recommend Gangnam B-side to anyone seeking a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant drama. It's a powerful testament to the human spirit, the pursuit of dreams, and the importance of finding your own voice.

I will say first 4 ep 10/10
Next 2 ep 8/10
Last 2 ep 9/10

Overall 8.5 to 9 /10

Overall a good watch for short time with great cimatography from a female director in dark genre it's very rare we see a women director in Dark genre and she did phenomenal job with all the great performance from all the actors.

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A NAIL BITING GRIPPING ACTION THRILLER WITH STELLAR PERFORMANCES...

Gangnam B Side is a nail-biting action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its captivating casting, storytelling, impressive acting, and direction. While the plot starts out a bit slow, you might find yourself a bit confused around episode one. However, by episode two, it really settles in and becomes fast-paced, filled with action and thrills that get your adrenaline pumping.

The acting is, without a doubt, impressive. Ji Chang Wook, as always, embodies his role perfectly. I actually see a mixture of two of his previous roles in this one: first with his character in The Worst of Evil and then his role in Revolver. He has the aura and charisma that makes his character exciting to watch. His acting is nothing short of perfect, as expected from the king of action in K-drama land. Other actors and actresses, like Bibi, also deliver impressive performances that complement the already exciting plot.

The story does contain violent scenes that may be triggering for some viewers, but they are definitely interesting to watch and contribute to the overall excitement. Overall, so far, this is a nice crime thriller that is worth the watch for action fans.

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A great drama♥♥

A great drama that touches the soft underbelly of society, and I was even more surprised that the story is based on a true story, perfect casting of the actors, perfect acting by Ji Chang Wook, such a talented actor, who doesn't need much text, he simply has a phenomenal ability to convey a range of emotions in his facial and eye expressions. It's true that there are violent scenes in the film, but they are asked to enhance the plot. The plot reminds me of the scandal of "Burning Sun" | (2019) in Seoul, which involved politicians, celebrities, police officers, lawsuits/prosecutors, trafficking in women, drug use and trafficking, corruption, sexual favors. And it all happened in a nightclub for friends only.
It's true that the first two episodes are a bit confusing, but in the following episodes the picture becomes clearer.
Great soundtrack
Perfect direction
And as I said, perfect casting
A drama worth watching

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Everyone should try this Hit✌️

The whole drama is a wonderful combination of great actors. The story is also fascinating and sooooo intensive. It increases your heart rates in each and every episode.
The drama directly address the darkest reality of a city and the sad reality of the people who live beneth the world we live.
It openes a new sympathetic direction to think about those gangs, prostitutes etc.
So the story is not average if you watch it deep and open mind bcz you can catch those beautiful massages.

The acting and actions are 1000000000% good. Everyone did there best. Jichangwook, as always delivered an unforgettable performance with hot and sexy look🙂🔥(his look is insanely beautiful in this drama,)

The love line is also fascinating. They didn't go deep, Bt it is the best for the focus of this drama. The chemistry is also insane.

Most special thing is the BGM!! I love it. Specially the music that play for Gilho and his actions.
The Action scenes are also perfect..Bt at last episode, I wanna see more detailed actions than the amount tht included.
It is amazing to think tht this beautiful extreme action drama is directed by a female director!!👏...Bravoo

So, everyone should try to watch this. Try it with open relax mind. It is not hard to understand. The best Disney drama of this year.
No wonder it hit Top 01 at Disney global charts❤️ Really worthy.

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What the What?

I only watched this series because of Ji Chang Wook. He is absolutely my favorite actor and is GREAT in everything he's in. He really is a fantastic actor! (and of course he is off the charts handsome)!!!!!!!!
Sadly this kind of series is not my cup of tea! Way too violent and to see JCW get his ass kicked like that was not fun!
His face was always covered with blood and bandages, but he can still act with his eyes! He was fabulous as always. It had a SAD but interesting story and it kept me screaming at the TV throughout the entire series! And let's just say, if he would have died at the end, I would have been so pissed! Again, not my kind of series, I prefer him in romance type series, but I'll watch anything he's in! This was even a bit more violent than "Worst of Evil". YIKES! But again, I watched it because he was in it.
If you like violent cop-bad guy series, this is your one!!

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⚗⛓Why We Can't Trust the System⛓⚰ °7.2° °rough but good°

It starts with the raid at an illegal club. The police scoop up one of their own there. When the officer is being questioned about his crime activities, he says he was just making a delivery. It was the first time he ever did anything like that, and what are they going to do, arrest /everyone?/ ❓ The whole violent crimes unit is involved in this, he says❗ GBS is a 2024 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 8 50-minute episodes.

We cut over to a party where the women aren't being respected. Jenny makes a run for it and she doesn't leave empty-handed. She has a dangerous video. Now she has a target on her back.

Jo Woo Jin (Alienoid: Return to the Future, Happiness) is detective Kang Dong U. He won't take bribes. He insists on putting perps in jail, even if their uncle is the mayor. He was involved in cleaning up the last police scandal. He got awards, but that was for show. He's been a pariah and was pushed to the side ever since that award winning heroism. His wife is a stunningly gorgeous, smart anchor woman. Ex-wife, that is. And his daughter’s in psychiatric care. She's been brutally bullied and she's not coping well. We see video of her slamming her head on the table. It's heartbreaking. She's discharged from inpatient care, and as he's driving her home, she begs him to find her friend, Jaehee (Jenny), who has been missing for weeks. “I need her to live,” she explains.

Ji Chang Wook is Yun Gil “Ho”. Ho runs Ho's. He's a pimp! I don't know what to think of this guy. He's top tier ML, both action and romance, it's just that for every good casting choice he's also made a poor one. He's the lead in The K2-8 - one of my gateway Kdramas & a top notch action thriller, he's the romantic lead in Lovestruck in the City-7.3 - really a fabulous romance (I've had the nagging feeling, for a while, that I've underrated it, I'll have to watch it again), he's solid in the crime thriller The Worst of Evil-7.7, but Backstreet Rookie-6.4 has way too many problems and he lacks sex appeal in it, while Melting Me Softly-4.9, has a declining IQ that dipped under 70 before ep14. It has some nice moments, but overall, it's awful. So, pimp is a new look for Mr. JI, and h's killer in this role. His performance is exceptional. All the acting is exceptional. The writing in the 2nd half is what keeps this show from flying high.

Ha Yoon Kyung See (You in My 19th Life, Umbrella) is prosecutor Min Seo Jin. She grew up poor. DA, Tak, recognizes her as someone that he could use. He knows she can be bought because of her deprived background. BIBI- I pretty much fell in love with her while watching The Worst of Evil. She has unlimited potential. Here, she plays Kim Jaehee / "Jenny". Ryu Hye Young from Law School-8 & Reply 1988-8.6, is one of the cops, Seo Ji Su. R88 is 20 episodes that are around 90 minutes each. Once a person's spent that much time watching a family, one feels adopted into it. I'm thrilled to see sister Bora working and doing such a great job. Jeong Man Sik (Iris-8, Vagabond-8) is Tak Ju Il. When he's fully dressed, all I've noticed about him is his kind looking face. That doesn't mean that he can't play a tough guy, but there's something likeable about him. In The Worst of Evil, he's a gangster. There's a shot with him shirtless showing his muscularity and, in that show at least, he's covered in tats. It was impressive looking. Park Noo Ri (Money) directed and co-wrote with Jo Won Gyu (Argon).

By the end of ep2 my thought was: O-shizzle-me-fizzle, this is good! GBS has some multi-layered complex humor to it. Jo Woo Jin as the Detective and Hyun Bong Sik as Kim Jang Ho have a few scenes together. We're following a grizzled, hardened cynical cop... He went state's witness and locked lots of his buddies up. He needs help from one of them, now. His old partner is now a gangster and he actually has the gall to go ask him for help. The way they write their dialogue and the interactions is marvelous. These 2 can't help but lapse into recollecting the old times. They're on a stakeout together and the gangster starts reminiscing about what they used to eat during their past stakeouts. The acting is aspirational - it's divine. I've seen Mr. Hyun in DP-8.4, Our Blues-8.5, & The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion-7.6, just taking him for an off-the-rack bad guy. He's much more. I'll be paying closer attention from now on.

The show does get a tad outrageous, but anymore, I expect that for everything I see and hear, reality is that bad or much worse. The world makes more sense since I've adopted that view.

We have 2 male leads. The cop wants to save his daughter. The pimp wants to save Jenny. This isn't a world in which everyone gets what they want, not even all the bad guys. We get a depressing look into the seedy side of Gangham, Seoul's most affluent neighborhood. The timing and the editing are crisp. Most of the music is techno noise. The opening credit song is dystopian sounding technopop.

This show is for those who enjoy hard hitting crime and action, who won't get triggered by violence - severe violence - against women as well as men. There isn't scene in which Ho's face isn't battered and bloody, and yes, you should see all the OTHER guys - they're in the morgue.



IMHO〰🖍


📣7.3 📝6.7 🎭8.4 🎨7 🎵/🔊6.5 🔚🤗2 ▪ 🌞2 ⚡7 😅3.3 😭6 😱6 😯3 🤢7.7 🤔5 💤0



Age + Language: R-rated w/ F💣s
Scantily clad women. Drug parties that seem like they'll soon be origies. Violent, bloody knife fights. Killing hookers. Betting on fights to the death. Brutal stabbings.


Re-📺? Probably won't subject myself to this again



In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:


⚡/🚀 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay-9,
Descendants Of The Sun-8.3,
Itaewon Class-8.7,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Uncanny counter-S1-8.4;S2-4,
Vagabond-8,
Why Her?-8,
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing),
A Taxi Driver-8.4,
Beyond Evil-7.4,
Blood Free-8.5,
Tunnel 8.5, Iris-8,
Revenge of Others-8.1,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Awaken-8.7,
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
Moving-8.5,
D.P.-8.4,
Light Shop-8.6,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
The Wailing-8.8,
Black 9,
Sweet Home 8.4
Oldboy-9,


〰 Hulu Catalog 〰

A Shop for Killers-8.7
Big Mouth-7.4,
Blood Free-8.5,
Call It Love-8.4,
Crazy Love-7.8,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Han River Police-7.1,
High School Return of a Gangster-7,
The Judge from Hell-4.5
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (this show is marvelous except for taking a quality dip in eps 20-22)
Light Shop-8.6,
Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7,
Maestra: Strings of Truth-6.8,
Moving-8.5
Pandora: Beneath the Paradise-3.9,
Parasite-9,
Revenant-7.4,
Revenge of Others-8.1,
So I Married the Anti Fan-6.8,
Uncle Samsik-8.4,
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim-6.8,
Why Her?-8,
Wonderful World-7.8,
The Worst of Evil-7.7

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Gangnam B-side

Better than I expected!! Totally worth giving a shot, althougth there is a lot of violence, it is a little brutal and there is a lot of blood but no really disgusting? I mean it was not too visual - but if you do not like watching violence then do not watch it. Also I do not think there is need for second season.
But moving to characters - which will be named as actors in review cause it is easier for me - Ji Chang Wook was a little as a game character (but personally I like it), he playes antihero here, also many people were happy because of "reunion" with Bibi - and yes there is chemistry, but my enemies to lovers heart felt more chemistry with Ha Yoon Kyung - eventhougth they did not have many moments - also I am happy that her character in the end was not a villain.
What more it was rather clear that Bibi and Oh Ye Ju was more than friends. And moving to Oh Ye Ju - her revenge act does not really make sense to me, like it was not really something she should or really could do and if she -spoiler- just would gave video to her father as she was asked to many things would not happen.
But moving to most important thing from this drama - it shows how famous/rich/popular/anyone to be honest can act as a really nice person and meantime do some crazy sh*t - first half of drama really reminded of burning sun scandal in some aspects, so in my opinion it is important to remember that we really do not know our "idols" and they can be really awful people - no matter male or female (and I do not mean only kpop, cause let's be real hollywood is not saint either)
In general it was really good drama.

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