Hierarchy

we have seen multiple bullying focused kdramas over they years, many of them having a uniqueness to them. even this year there was pyramid game, which was very different from usual ones and handled bullying with more care. the only thing unique about this drama was its budget.

the revenge, bullying and romance didn't feel like it held weight. all the plot twists except for the murderer reveal were boring. i thought we all assumed they were brothers. it also didn't make sense for kangha to fall in love with jaei so fast (that too for no reason).

we can see that they intend for a 2nd season and where they are going with it but it would have worked better if they didn't tell that kangha was inha's brother. they should have made this season about the core 4 rich kids and their love and friendship. if this season had focused more on romance and then kangha coming in the middle innocently it would have been great. the previous scholarship student should have been just a passing thought.it would have set up for a more interesting 2nd season if the audience didn't know kangha's personal reasons for revenge. i think there might be love triangle in the next season

the romance felt rushed but it had potential to be great. the acting was not bad like all the social media commentary. im glad that these actors are getting main roles after seeing them be side characters. we need more hera and ujin romance pls

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I hate the way these privileged kids go around expecting every lowly kids to bow down and kiss their feet and this isnt fiction this is how some elite schools act in real life. Couldn't stand the FL. It's a wonder she didn't give up on life she was that miserable. When she smiled it was a different ball game The 2 ML one a bully because he was the top dog and don't forget it. He followed Jai around like a lap dog.. A thoroughly horrible human being.. As for Kang Ha he should have been straining every Sinew in his body to find who killed his brother but instead was gooey eyed and more intent of pleasing the girl friend of Kim Rian.. What did he expect when things got nasty. He should
have stayed away from all the ones involved in his brothers death.. They were all evil.
Trouble is in these sort of surroundings even teachers are cowards.Parents are as bad. You are no good going to Jooshin high if you are not rich because equality for all doesnt come into their curriculum. I did watch the whole series but it wasn't one of the best kdramas. There were no twists or turns and it lacked action. The ending with the baby's photo was one of the high points. was OK..welldone to the actors.. You don't write the scripts..

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Hierarchy: A Letdown

"Hierarchy" contains familiar K-drama elements: relentless bullying, unsolved murder, ultra-rich high school students, a poor student seeking revenge, drug and power abuse, and inattentive parents, similar to "Penthouse," "Sky Castle," and "Revenge of Others." However, it disappoints on multiple fronts. The story starts slow and only gains pace in the last two episodes, where the rushed and lackluster revenge plot finally begins. The ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving viewers with a sense of missed potential.

The characters are underdeveloped, making it hard to invest in their journeys. Despite a talented cast and high production values, the drama's exploration of heavy themes remains superficial, used more as plot devices than for serious commentary.
Nonetheless, I liked the male leads acting. If I could complete the drama it was because of them.

Overall, "Hierarchy" squanders its promising premise, failing to deliver a compelling or engaging narrative, and ends up being a waste of time for viewers expecting a gripping drama.

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who done it mystery

Slow and dragging with story and characters.
School full of moral decay
Good cematroghpy.Flim crew gets a plus.
Spoiler
who gets bumped off in the credits , Moss? A poor attempt to revive it for season 2
The really wasn't a love triangle. The heroine did seem to still love her first love, though the script did put a couple of holes there. but overall she did seem to stay true to her first love. I'm ok with that.
The brother you wanted to wind up with someone better. But in the ending credits the story twists there too. Not really believable for his character.

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We're All Just Trapped in a Cage

Much like many of the reviews of this drama, I was left with a feeling that it didn't deliver what I wanted. Usually when that happens, I try to look at it from a production perspective, mainly the writer and director. I ask myself, "What was the point of this story?" As I thought about this a conversation with a friend came to mind. One day we were talking about the rise of Korean entertainment, specifically Kpop, and she stated, "I feel for Kpop idols. They are trapped in golden cages."

When I looked at the characters of this story, they are all trapped in cages.
The parents trapped in the cage of ruthless power and wealth while appearing to do good in the world.
The principal of the school trapped in the cage of image and branding while constantly putting out fires that threaten that image.
Jae I and Ri an caught in the cage of being the most perfect, obedient, best students in the school, as well as, being crowned royalty which comes with the expectation of service from others.
He Ra was caught in the cage of survival when her only way of life she knew was threatened.
U Jin was caught in the cage of loving He Ra from afar, always wanting but never having.
Ji Su, the teacher and U Jin's lover, was caught in a cage of wanting to be a part of that wealth and seeing U Jin as the source. Her desire led to unspeakable, unethical, and illegal behavior. She was a teacher, suppose to be a good guy, but she was as corrupt and depraved as the students that bullied, the parents that controlled, the principal who covered up.
The wealthy students were caught in a cage of constantly establishing their superiority over others which also meant delivering abuse.
The scholarship students were caught in the cage of just putting up with the abuse to show gratitude for this educational opportunity.
Kang Ha's cage was one of getting revenge for his brother's death.

The only person I could see with a true mission of making things change was Ju Won who wanted to make his mother see how the effect of hiding the student's true behavior was damaging so many people inside the school and also damaging his mother. Which in the end led to the tragic death of In Han.

The story was about people taking control and breaking out of their cages. I think where the story broke down is the act of breaking out of the cage wasn't as clear as it should have been, wasn't as dramatic as hoped for, so we all didn't get the satisfaction we expected.

Jae I was probably the most dramatic of those who broke out of the cage. She said goodbye to Ri an, said goodbye to her way of life, and left to find her banished mother. We are left with the assumption that she is just living a normal, ordinary life.

Ri an too broke out of his cage by not allowing his mother to protect him. He declared he would not be his mother's heir and follow her down the road of corporate wealth. He apologized to Kang Ha for the part he played in his brother's death. Kang Ha's words to him motivated him to go before the disciplinary board to confess he too was guilty. We are left with the assumption that he would be a better person.

Ji Su was arrested for In Han's death and we assume she is now in a real cage.

There was an inkling that U Jin and He Ra might get together but nothing solid. Life seemed very much the same for them. He Ra's father got their company back on track so she was back in the driver's seat of living the good life. No assumption here, as it isn't clear at all what happens to them.

Kang Ha's ending story also fell flat. The revenge he sought in bringing down the school, Ri an, and the other bullies was entirely too anticlimactic. Instead it was coopted by his crush on Jae I, which I felt was too contrived. I honestly didn't feel they had a love connection at all. The scene of him running to catch up to her was stupid. In fact, most of the scenes for the final two episodes were awkward and stunted, like they were suppose to have a purpose but fell very short. It was a bunch of actors delivering their lines as though they all felt in the end that this didn't come together as expected. Which it didn't.

I like a storyline of a person coming into their own skin, breaking out of that cage of expectations by others, and finding their own footing in life. It can make for a really good story. But unfortunately, if that is what this story was suppose to be, it really fell short.

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Good but could have been better

Hierarchy now I don't know why so many people have rated this so low. Is it extraordinary? No, I don’t think so. Is it terrible? No, I don’t think so either. I think this drama was good, could have been better, and I think you really need to watch this to give a verdict.

In terms of storyline, it’s not new. A rich school, scholarship poor kids being bullied and the whole school being controlled by rich families and with controversies and all, it's such a repeated topic. However, I would say aesthetically I really liked this. The classes felt more luxurious and much more high-end compared to some other schools, and it really shows the difference between the elite and normal students from the color of the ties to the special classes.

The buildings gave me major Harry Potter vibes and a bit of a hotel feel. It looked like a prestigious school no normal person could go into. So the idea of the elite was well presented.

Spoilers***
In terms of the characters, Jae Yi and Ri An are actually nice, and they have heart-breaking stories. You can see their love is very strong. Hera and Woo Jin are also complicated kids, but the four together are not terrible; they are not directly doing things, but they are involved as bystanders or solicitors.

Character of Ri An I did like the actor and his acting. I think he was good, and he was consistent throughout, and I enjoyed what he did.

As Jae Yi, well, I recently saw this actress in Our Universe, and honestly, I rated her acting 0/10 in that drama, so when she first appeared on the screen, I was worried. But I must say she did unexpectedly really good playing the part of a cold, emotionless character, and even the emotional parts or scenes with Ri An were sweet and lovely, so I feel puzzled by her work in other dramas. Maybe this cold, emotionless action might be her thing.

Now for the actress who played Hera, I really enjoyed her. I think she will make a great villain in future dramas, and I think she brought a lot of interest and spice to the story.

Kang Ha, I like his acting and all, but he did feel confusing. He went there to take revenge on his brother, but then he was hesitant because of Jae Yi, and I felt like there was no tension between them and it was mostly him. It felt like his character lacked a bit of consistency from the beginning to the end.

The main character who was behind the anonymous messages, his character was puzzling. We didn’t get any backstory: why he started, what was the reason, and what they showed was not strong enough, and also his tie to Kang Ha’s brother felt weak. I felt like his character did not get enough backstory although he was the mastermind behind it all and felt like it was thrown there and lacked really a lot of backstory.

Overall, I feel like most parts of the story were cut, like scenes were missing, and left to the imagination, and it’s really annoying, especially when they cut off important scenes. This is why I do not like Netflix-backed K-dramas; they really ruin it. An episode is 1 hour 17 minutes long, but 25 minutes is about the credits.

Overall, I would say the drama is good, but it has a good setting and interesting characters. All the elements are present, but the storytelling lacked a lot, and there were inconsistencies. I don’t know if they actually filmed scenes and cut them to adapt for Netflix style, but I really felt like a lot was missing in between, which made the overall experience lacking.

It's good, but there are things that could have made this into a 10. There are interesting elements, and the feeling of the rich elite was nicely done but lacked cohesion and connection between scenes. A lot of characters were left, like what happened to Jae Yi’s brother? Did Kang Ha graduate as the top student? What would happen between Woo Jin and Hera? Will Ri An and Jae Yi meet? What happened to the students once the hearing happened? Did they get punished?

I enjoyed this, but it lacked a lot, but it’s not as terrible as many say. I would definitely rate this a - 8 for sure.

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Visually pleasing, but the rest made zero sense

You wouldn't believe how excited I was after looking at the cast and watching the trailer. I really had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, the only things I liked were the vibes and aesthetics. The story made no sense, the characters made no sense, the flow of the show made no sense. The whole drama felt pointless. It looked cool enough for me to finish it and I like the main cast from other dramas, but this frustrated me a lot. If you want to turn off your brain completely to watch rich people nonsense and impressive glamorous high school parties, and don't mind the characters not having much personality, I'd say go ahead. Otherwise, you wouldn't miss much and it that's really disappointing for me.

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