Hierarchy

THE ONLY THING I LEARNED WAS PRIVACY IS VERY IMPORTANT

I binge-watched Hierarchy (2024) just because it only has seven episodes. I'll be honest about what I felt about this show.

The story isn't anything new; it's been done many times around the globe. However, I was happy with how they treated the male lead's characters. I can see that the show has some inspiration from the Elite TV series. As always, to differentiate between the classes, they used drugs, sex, and alcohol. I mean, you can tell this story without these elements, or if the writers wanted to touch on this area of society, they should have gone all the way and made the characters more grey and darker. Since the premiere on Netflix, they had so many opportunities with this kind of story structure. I also felt this kind of story has already been done in Korea too. If not the story, then the situation or surroundings, for example: Penthouse, The Glory, Weak Hero Class 1, etc.

Production-wise, the quality is good. The art direction was on point. The cinematographer did a really good job; there were many creative shots, and it was well-edited. However, I think the OST of this series could have been better. I wasn't into it (this could be my personal taste, so don't hate me for that).

Now, let's talk about the acting. Everyone did a fine job, and they can improve in the future, I guess. But I was really impressed by Choi Won Young (Jeong Ki Young [Jae Yi’s dad]). He did an amazing job portraying an evil dad. I was really impressed by him.

One thing I really wish is that they had made the male lead into an anti-hero (my personal opinion).

Since they hinted that there could be a second season by showcasing an end credit scene in the final episode and leaving us with an open end, I wish they would bring another female lead for our male lead.

So, I will give this show a total of 7 stars out of 10.

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Underwhelming

i watched the premise and i thought it would give us a dark thriller highschool type of genre, wherein every moment gets you thrilled, i was wrong.it was a complicated romance all along. i was wondering why hera got 3 love interests and yun-seok and woo-jin having the same fate, like what's the point?. i also wasn't satisfied to how the main 4 jooshin high elites' fate ended, it felt too rushed. and what was the post-credits scene even for?x.also didn't like how woojin got less screentime than the other main cast, the other bullies got more screentime than him tbh, he was so invisible the whole time, plus the first close up solo encounter he had with kang ha was literally was in ep5-7( i forgot which).i think we already knew that it was jae yi's perv brother who filmed the whole thing?, it was so obv.tho i liked the aesthetic and cinematography, they could've done better than this, i expected more since this was from netflix, the cast did somewhat average, some did fell flat, some did great, and pleas stop with the unnecessary romance, every time!it was so cringe, like😭still hoping that hera and woojin will end up together🙏as for ri-an he was ugh idk, i was so confused with him idk why, then here comes our typical fl jaeyi who got caught along a fricking love square, babe u gotta choose!(she's so me, indecisive queen) but i liked her character tho.kang-ha was so questionable, i thought he would come up with some thoroughly analyzed plan, but boy just went straight to the police!it was so bland😭🙏i was also thinking how ri-an's mom didn't bribe the police considering she's so respected(like jaeyi's dad), like if that's the logic, anyone could've shot thst school down sooner!i mean at least think for a defensive countermeasure?

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Love, Revenge and Redemption

This show revolves around Kang Ha and his journey into a school called Jooshin, which only the super-rich kids can afford. His goal in attending the school is to get revenge but along the way, he starts sympathizing with the rich kids who caused his sibling to die and forgets his original plan. The only thing I truly liked was the beautiful relationship between the female lead (Jae Yi) and the second male lead (Ri An). They are like each other's life and destruction at the same time. They love each other a lot, which I appreciated because, in most high school dramas like this involving super-rich kids, there are usually many cheating scandals and other dramas. However in this show, this couple focused only on loving and protecting each other. Jae Yi hides a big secret from Ri An, which eventually causes damage to her friends and she was insufferable throughout the whole series with her actions. I actually don't need a season two of this because I feel like the ending is satisfying in some way.

When it comes to the plot, just like everyone said, it was so messy. It was all over the place in the middle but the ending kind of wrapped up nicely. The acting was fine but I liked Hera's character (2nd FL) more because she was such a 3D character. She honestly carried the show with her acting and the uniqueness of her character. I love how they portrayed her love for her dad ( which is rare for a rich mean girl). I would give this a 7.5 out of 10, but this show honestly has room for more improvement.

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okayy

at first I felt a really strong connection to this drama. Particularly the first episode was really good. the ones after that (2,3,4) were also really good, but after episode 5 it went downhill. I think they should’ve focused more on the revnge plot than the romance + the romance plot was very weak. if they wanted to do it, they couldve at least make it better. beside that I still give it a 7/10 because I think if there will be a s2 then this is okayy. Don’t expect too much, if you really wanna watch a great high school “getting revenge for my brother who was killed” go watch revenge of others!

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Old theme served in a delectable plate

A student was seen running through a dark alley, before ending up blood smeared on road.



After Pyramid Game few months back, Korean drama is back with another high school hierarchy drama. The backdrop is an international school which is regarded as one of the most influential school of Korean. The school works with the mood of Ri an - son of the founder of the school. His mood is souring each day with his tumultuous relation with Ji Ae. Enters a student with scholarship - Mr. Ha.

Reasons to watch the drama

1. The first thing which will work is the plot. Watching a thriler is always fun. And here thriller has been served right.

2. Fresh chemistry: Chemistry does not lie within leads only. The performance observed between characters in charge of pulling the story must align well which is identified in the story.

3. Performance delivered by actors have been terrific. They bore the burden of pulling the story well off.

Why skip..

1. Same hierarchy issue in school. Korea should focus on reducing this hierarchy order in their school. They infact harbour bullies in school more than in other place.

2. Well know theme makes the story predictable at many places. Even though twist is fresh, you just know what's coming next.

Verdict

A school drama with no melodramatic love angle. Twists and turns loaded as story peddling through the mess life of both upper hierarchy and lower hierarchy. If you have missed Pyramid Game, go for it. Also this time it is a boy who is up for revenge.

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Oh my

This series had potential, but it was just way too messy, too much loop holes, no solid plot/story line. A lot of questionable & unanswered scenarios, it’s like throwing 3 different stories & combining it as one the squeezing it out in a short 7 episode series, it lacked so much on the foundation of the story line, shifting from issues at school, family, power but it all seemed pointless because there weren’t any solid plot to begin with.

The FL’s half brother is such a psychopath even with the way he smiles, laugh etc. The series could have done better too bad it was all too messy. but since it’s a short series it was bearable to finish in one sitting, but I had so many questions… acting wasn’t so bad but it was really a bad writing.

They could’ve at least shown a better backbone of the story, instead it was all over the place, Pyramid Game was top tier not just for the excellent acting, but somehow there was a solid story behind it, that made you anxious to know what would happen next. I feel bad because hierarchy had so much potentional, but for some good point I like the chemistry between the 2 ML with the FL it’s there & it was pleasant in the eyes, but that’s about it.

The FL’s best friend was so pathetic & annoying, she was very shallow & too self absorbed. But she had her good points too don’t get me wrong, slapping the hell out of her best friends half brother was so rewarding! and she somehow showed that she values their friendship, and for that I like her. it goes to show how effective her acting was because I felt so many emotions seeing her throughout the 7 episodes.

The FL could’ve reached out to her BF I mean after seeing their sweet past why can’t she just be upfront with him, her reasoning not wanting him to get tainted and be on a bad light is bull tbh. Now that I’m writing more I’m getting more and more frustrated because they could’ve done so much better for this series aaghhhhh, The teacher who had an affair with the student looks & acts psycothic too!

I should stop, there’s so much more I would like to point out but it’s just upsetting, but if you have the time go watch it it was really bearable, it’s not like those other series that you dislike and instantly drop, Too bad this series, Hiearchy lacks a lot…

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Cliche but amazing casting

6.5 might be a bit high but I did enjoy it.

The story is insanely flat and dull for what it is, however the cast made it work. I found their acting amazing enough to enjoy the drama.

While giving similar vibes as Sky Castle, and Penthouse, and all the other dramas revolving around wealthy children with bullying all over, Hierarchy falls behind with the lacking plot. Everything was handled very simply and contain little complexity but I guess that isn’t a horrible thing.

As lacking as the plot is, there is one thing I enjoyed and that is the emotional intelligence the characters had, and the cast potrayed it amazingly. The main rich kids didn’t have a clear, straight goal from the start, however, their emotional development was clear. The 4 of them had a great relationship with each other and having known each other for a long time, their bond shows to an extent. Their actions do not scream high school at all, and I almost forgot that they were in high school - but their emotions were clear signs as they all show development in that aspect throughout the show. My favourite character development has to be Hera’s as she truly considered Jaei as a best friend but simply didn’t feel she got treated right, and despite her father’s business going down, she didn’t lash out on him but took their situation as is which changed her mindset towards scholarship students, all while reflecting on her friendship with Jaei.


The main stars of this drama for me were the supporting characters! Inhan and Han Jisoo (teacher) played small parts but they had strong impact on the story, most specially Inhan as his character was insanely potrayed well.

Kim Ha’s fluctuating emotions was one of the biggest dislikes with this as his character was full of uncertainty and made so much things frustrating. His goal and background was predictable but Chaemin is hot so its okay

Aesthetic wise, this drama did amazing. The cinematography was amazingly done.

At one point I thought it would take a similar route as Class of Lies and Solomon’s Perjury but it didn’t which bummed me as those 2 dramas were amazing.

This review seems like such an amazing praise but the story is empty and I found other reasons to enjoy it hahaha

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The acting was amazing

I went in with high expectations and enjoyed every episode. The writing was good but not great. The acting from the MAIN characters carried this show and that's ok.

It was really great to see the characters develop and grow from start to finish. People have to remember this is a highschool setting. They're going to have flaws, make mistakes and possibly forgive.

The story started out about revenge but if you kept an open mind and paid attention it was a story about love and growth. There are so many types of love and it's displayed beautifully throughout the show.

Only thing I would've changed was the ending but I understand why it ended that way.

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