Hierarchy

Disappointing, Boring With Useless Love Triangle

I watched it because of the face card of most of the cast members have and with some expectation for a plot twist. But turns out, with the existing love triangle and unsatisfactory cast for murderer, it's just too boring for me.

Kang Ha was the center of the story, who should exposed and taking a revenge for his twin brother's murderer starting with transfer to a prestigious high school. But as the episode goes by, Kang Ha was distracted from his original plan and entangled with a useless love triangle with Jaeyi and Rian.

I hate the way this drama make most of the characters pretending to be adults cuz it's just too dramatic as if they had been living in their 30-40. I hate how arrogant the characters behave too, like how can u act like that with people whose been with u since u were a child? I don't blame Yoon Hera characterization fir acting that way.

Well, besides the lacking, I still love the handsome cast and the stunning cinematography.

I don't regret watching it but if there's season 2, I really hope it can fulfill my expectations.

Read More

an underwhelming attempt at adapting 'elite' for korean audiences

Here's the thing. Different countries are good at portraying different things. I didn't even like Elite, but it knew what it was doing. It knew its audience, it knew its strengths. It didn't shy away from violence, sex, drugs, all that gritty jazz.

It's no surprise that Korean TV is subject to more restrictions -- it's a cultural thing, they're just more conservative, and that's not inherently better or worse. But that doesn't mean Korean TV can't have its own strengths. In the context of thrillers, Koreans sure know how to make revenge thrillers, and they know how to portray bullying and all its horrible ramifications. Look at King of Pigs. Look at The Glory. They knew what they were doing. They knew it very well, they were sure of themselves.

And that's why they were good.

This show tries to emulate Elite, but it's ultimately limited by what it can show on the screen considering its target audience. Instead of trading the Spanish flavor for Korean elements, it simply settles for a washed-out, toned-down adaptation of the original show. There is little to no shock factor in this supposed revenge thriller in a supposedly high-stakes setting. The plot is nonexistent, the characters are caricatures, the cast is miscast, and the pacing is nothing short of atrocious. The camera is always trying to find some angle to showcase the prettiness of the actors, and sure, the production, the lighting, it's all very good, but this is not an advertisement for some high-end brand. This is a TV series, and the audience expects something to actually happen. Thousands of pretty shots featuring pretty people staring into space is not adding to the story in any way whatsoever.

I was hoping to see something along the lines of Cheongdam International High School (Bitch x Rich). While that show definitely had its flaws, it also knew how to properly drive a soap opera. BxR was similarly filled with unlikeable characters, but there was a much clearer plot and all the characters had different motives and personalities. It didn't meander or fill the runtime with scenes of pretentious posturing -- there's only so much grandiose walking and emo staring a viewer can take.

A terrible drama that tries to be a teen soap set in the ultra-rich, but completely squanders its potential and wastes its obviously high production value.

Read More

TOO ALL OVER THE PLACE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

(alt title: "ri an is the fucking prince and everybody except him knows it")
I have been waiting for this ever since it was announced (before they even decided a release date) and to say it was underwhelming would be an understatement.
The story lacks any substance and there's just too many loops that my logical af brain just cannot ignore. Like obviously it's a drama so u do expect far fetched and not so practical stuff to happen but there's a limit to it.
The plot is basically set in the background of "Elite", the ml from "Boys over flowers" and everything else is just "Crazy rich asians", and not in a good way.
It's just such a cliche story of poor kid comes to rich kid school, gets bullied, wants to take revenge and then succeeds, except there's a (supposed) murder plot here. A normal person would expect solving the murder and finding clues is the main plot but no it is discussed in the first and last 2 episodes making it a side plot. Now you may think what's the main plot then? I don't think even the writers know the answer cuz they took some ideas from different places and then jumbled them to make *drumroll* - HIERARCHY!!!
Looking at everything u can tell there was quite a bit of money put into this and u r gonna find all the chaebol stuff like mansions, expensive hobbies, cars, millions of caretakers (duh) and a wardrobe change for each hour of the day. Speaking of the wardrobe, please get a better stylist. In what universe do all high schoolers wear tailored suits and formals no matter the occasion or the time of the day. The outfit choices were honestly unaccounted for. It seems like they picked up the prettiest fit, included as many different pieces as they could and called it a day. The writers, directors and costume designers just couldn't decide if the characters are adults or kids smh.
ABOUT THE ACTING: When a person watches something, they're expecting to feel emotions they don't usually have the chance to feel, but here I literally felt zero emotions and trust me I'm pretty emotional. I didn't cry when they cried or when they told their sob story, I didn't laugh either cuz there was nothing funny, I didn't even feel frustrated or angry at hera cuz she just wasn't worth it or important to the plot. The acting wasn't as good as I had expected, mainly because there weren't a lot of emotions being shown throughout. Like legit all of them were smug, cold and aloof at least half the time! There wasn't much to act out so no point in judging the acting, really. The actors are all good tho as we have seen in their other works.
THE CHARACTERS: If u love shitty characters with no depth then this is definitely for u. First off, they couldn't decide on one main lead and then they couldn't give everyone a proper storyline. Woo jin and He ra were literal errand runners here. They had no background no personal storyline or any depth to the character. They wouldn't even qualify as second leads imo. Like just put them in supporting role rather than giving them nothing except the title. Even with the 3 other leads, there wasn't necessarily any growth or depth to them. Half the time we legit didn't know what they were thinking (like there was no "voice in their heads" kinda things) which again pulls down the plot.
THE PRODUCTION: As I said they did put in a lot of money into this with the sets and everything so no wonder it turned out pretty. I did like the camera work, cinematography and sets but I have seen better ngl.
CONCLUSION: All in all this does make an okay one time watch but just go into it with no expectations cuz you'll probably not be shocked with any 'plot twists'. Basically just go watch the rich kids be rich kids.

PS: I really hated how they made it look like those 'rich kids' have all the pressure and problems in the world, like yeah, we get it, everyone has issues in their life but there's no need to overlook their privileges.

Read More

I ACTUALLY LIKED IT??

Ngl I read the reviews before watching and dare I say I almost didn't watch it.
But here I am, just finished watching the 7 eps and I guess I'm one of the 1% people who liked it lol
I know the storyline was quite circles but besides that, THE BUDGET, THE STYLING, AND THEIR ACTING!!!
The kids wore proper school uniforms which i liked and thank god there were no unnecessary N/C scenes.
I would suggest watch ep 1 and then decide whether to watch it or not. Don't search for answers in reviews as you might have diff opinions about the drama based on your interest.
Lee Chae Min was way too HOT in this. BYE.

Read More

it's not so bad, it's not groundbreaking either

I recently finished watching "Hierarchy" on Netflix, diving in without even seeing the trailer. Just from the poster, I had a feeling it would be the Korean answer to shows like "Gossip Girl," "Elite," and "Pretty Little Liars." After watching, my initial impression held true. The plot was fairly predictable, and the twists didn’t really surprise me.

Set in Jooshin High School, the most prestigious institution in South Korea, the series revolves around students chosen from birth to attend. These students include Jeong Jae Yi, the eldest daughter of the Jaeyool Group, Kim Ri An, the heir to the Jooshin Group, Yoon He Ra, the youngest daughter of an international trading company, and Lee Woo Jin, the second son of a powerful politician. In stark contrast, the poor students, though wise and cheerful, face a different reality.

The story kicks off with Kang Ha transferring to Jooshin High School, bringing with him a secret that threatens to unravel the entire establishment. As expected in high school/teen suspense dramas, the rich students bully the poorer ones, with the administration turning a blind eye to their misdeeds. We also see the pressures these privileged kids face: maintaining family reputations, inheriting businesses, and dealing with envy.

While the storyline wasn't disappointing, it wasn't particularly outstanding either. The series felt like it was trying too hard at times, and the storytelling wasn’t as seamless as it could have been.

On the positive side, the production quality was top-notch. The show looked incredibly expensive, with meticulously designed sets and costumes. The cinematography was stunning, with each shot looking cinematic and the colour grading flawless. The background music was catchy and perfectly conveyed the emotions of each scene.

Overall, "Hierarchy" is a decent watch. It’s a good time-pass drama that’s bearable but somewhat below average. If you’re a fan of western teen dramas like "Elite," you might enjoy it—just don’t go in with high expectations.

Read More

NOT EVERY HIERARCHY IS EASILY TOPPLED.

I must confess that when I started watching the drama, I saw the terrible rating of the last episode and thought it had been awful, but I found it consistent with how it began and how we got to this point. I noticed several insights for a second season. Some considerations:

• Finally, Jae-I realised how toxic, obsessive, and abusive her relationship with Ri An was. It was a relief for her to understand that the two of them together, directly or indirectly, brought misery to everyone around them.
• I noticed an interesting insight left by the writer. Did you notice she rode a bicycle, stopped to sit on the bench near the street stall, and bought that snack with Ri An? Clearly, it was her subconscious showing that the moment she was happiest in all the hell she went through was with Kang Ha. In other words…
• I firmly believe that, in the hypothetical second season, the writer will develop the relationship between Jae-I and Kang Ha.
• I also believe that Kang’s smile and the exchange of messages were not him sending messages to Ri An. I think we will have someone violent who wants something. Kang Ha showed throughout the drama that he was a naive and kind young man.

That said, it is a drama with mediocre performances, but I liked the actress who played He Ra and found the actor who played U-Jin stunningly handsome.

Read More

Very mid but I liked it

I'm kinda gonna go against the grain here, even tho I agree with the outstanding majority. The general consenses is spot on--The show has tons of wasted potential. The most redeeming qualities are the pretty cast and cinematography.

That being said...I still enjoyed this, at least the first 4 eps. But even after that I cared enough to see it to the end. Let me be honest: As someone who loved Penthouse and Sky Castle I came into this for rich people mess and high school shenanigans. As crazy as they get, you gotta have a high tolerance for bs and throw logic out the window with makjangs. Compared to those dramas this pales, especially in the mess department. Still, I have to think a drama is really bad or boring in order to drop it. Eps 4-5 is when things started downhill. And it did go downhill. But...I want a S2. I found it likeable enough to want to see more. The finale was open ended enough and the premiere was successful so it'll prob happen.

The biggest reason why this wasn't impactful is there simply wasn't enough time to flesh out anything. 7 eps isn't long enough to bake the cake. The outside is delicious but the inside is underdone. I don't call for this as much anymore but 16 eps seemed better this instance. That way we could've had more room for the plot to cook.

Characters were ok overall. Unpopular opinion: Lee Chaemin carried. Losing sight of his motivation was what ultimately brought him down. It would've been more interesting if he led Jae-I on as part of his revenge plan despite actually liking her. Only then would I have gotten behind them as endgame.

To sum it up this was a good example of presentation >> substance. Its true we got a half baked cake but I still ate it up. Maybe folks should lower their expectations next time?

Read More

Shallow, Predictable, and Ultimately Disappointing

The premise of this series is nothing new – a student is murdered, and their sibling or friend returns to school to investigate who’s responsible. It’s a plot we’ve seen many times before. What really matters are the details—characters, twists, suspense. However, this series struggles after the success of similar K-dramas like The Glory and Weak Class Hero, which tackle bullying. The issue here is the protagonists' actions—violence they initiate against others—isn’t adequately addressed. It’s a missed opportunity that leaves the viewer unsatisfied.

The themes of societal injustice and the powerlessness of the lower class are certainly relevant, but they're tackled in a way that feels inconsistent and lacks the depth we’ve seen in other series. It’s like Elite, but watered down with no real consequences or meaningful exploration of its characters.

The production is solid, but the characters and plot fall short. Kang Ha starts strong but falters at the end, and his arc feels incomplete. His blind obsession with Jae Yi leads him to let things slide, only for Jae Yi to be the voice of reason. And then there's Ri An, who orchestrates bullying and violence yet is romanticized—his toxic, possessive relationship with Jae Yi isn’t cute, it’s unhealthy. He deserves more than a slap on the wrist. Meanwhile, He Ra is the most relatable character, with her flaws making her more grounded. Woo Jin, on the other hand, is underdeveloped despite being a potentially dangerous character, and is completely overlooked.

The series is full of attention-grabbing scenes, but they lack substance. The characters’ motivations—jealousy, power, and petty rivalry—don’t leave much room for emotional depth. The series fails to deliver the satisfaction of watching characters get what they deserve, leaving behind frustration instead.

With the second season looming, I can’t help but wonder: what’s the point? The characters have seemingly faced the consequences for their actions. A murder? Really? It feels like a cliché. It’s their last year, and I’m not expecting much.

On a positive note, I hope this series opens more doors for Lee Chae Min in the future.

Read More

JUST MY OPINION

I love this, why everyone hate it
it's so freaking good
I love the cast
my biggest fav in the cast it's hera love her so much
I saw so many people that doesn't like this kdrama maybe this type of genre isn't something you like
guys don't bother other that says this is the worst
just watch it

Read More