Pine (2025)

Truly Unique

Low Life is a truly unique drama in a time where uniqueness is hard to come by. I thoroughly enjoyed the first nine episodes of this drama, with the final two episodes still great, but the direction felt a little... off? Honestly, this drama could have at been at least 16 episodes, but by episode 10, it felt like the writers were told that they only had two more episodes left instead of seven, so they decided to cram seven episodes worth of story into the final two - this is the only reason why I haven't rated this drama a perfect ten!

This is a highly addictive drama, nevertheless. The characters, honestly, spectacular. The supporting cast all felt like the main cast, and instead of two or three main characters, honestly, it felt like we had eight or nine, something so amazing and difficult to find (and executed superbly, I mean). I also really enjoyed the acting and everyone acted really well, and the chemistry between everyone felt amazing. Rivalries felt real, bromance felt genuinely special, and friendship felt golden.

The story, sensational. I have not watched a drama with this sub nautical/adventure/crime type of theme before, and it was really nice. I wish there were more. I loved the unpredictable story and some of the twists and turns were both predictable, and made logical sense! Even though relationships were complex alongside the story, I never felt confused and I could easily keep track of everyone and everything.

If you are not sure whether to watch this drama or not, I think you should definitely give it a try. Before watching, I also felt that way, but now I am so glad with myself that I made the decision to watch Low Life. Watch it!

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All's fair in war and pottery

I came across Low Life by accident and the plot piqued my interest. After reading some comments that claimed that it was really underrated, I decided to give it a try just to check by myself if it's truly underrated. And oh boy, was I in for a hectic journey!

Low Life's plot is not that groundbreaking. We have a bunch of characters who want to get their hands on some old pottery. Everyone wants to use it for their own benefit but eventually, all of them are made to work together in order to achieve their goal. And while on paper this plot might not sound that interesting, the way the series got crafted manages to present it in a way that makes you want to continue watching.

The story is taking place in '70s and just by watching the first episode, I almost felt like I had time travelled. Throughout the whole series, I was getting immersed by the visuals and the settings. Everything was done so meticulously, it's clear that a great effort was put to the production and the result is more than stunning. The clothes, the settings, the hairstyles, the props, everything was as accurate as possible, capturing the vintage vibe of the times accurately enough. I love myself a series with good visuals and Low Life was certainly a joy to look at.

The score was equally good. The soundtrack from the intro is stuck in my mind. The soundtrack was used effectively in order to create the proper atmosphere. Cheerful and charming when the scenes were lighter, mysterious and intimidating when the plot required a darker tone. I even got some western vibes and overall, the soundtrack matched perfectly with the gangsterish nature of the plot.

What I did not expect from Low Life was its subtle and black humour. It certainly cannot be described as a comedy but the series had surprisingly many good comedic moments under its sleeve. The gimmicks of the characters and their interactions were so funny at times, it's not your typical in-your-face humour but the subtlety was perfect for me. It really helped that the funnier parts did not feel forced at all. While some of the characters' actions and dialogues lifted the mood, it all came naturally.

While the built-up was slow, after the sixth episode the twists kept incoming. Bombshells got dropped, backstabbings kept taking place... The plot became hectic in a very entertaining way, I just had to sit back and see all this mess unfold before my eyes. The slow pacing was necessary in order to establish the ground of the story and the characters but once it was done, everything started to shatter. It was mildly amusing to see how the tables turned and I was very curious about the fate of the characters and the story.

What made Low Life so interesting was the characterisation. The drama is a classic example of an ensemble series. You have the main character, Heedong, but every character mattered and everyone played their role in the hunt for pottery. On the first episodes, more and more people got introduced and eventually, all of them became integrated into this journey. Personally, I had no issue following the different subplots and stories but I can understand why some people found the new additions confusing.

I want to warn you: if you are not ready to watch a story full of morally grey, corrupted people, who will hesitate to do nothing in order to achieve their goals, Low Life might no be for you. There are barely any characters whom I could describe as "good". And yet...I couldn't help but root for some of them. Yes, they did many evil things but once I got to learn more of them, I started thinking more about their circumstances and motives.

The characters' interactions and different relationships was one of the best parts of the story. I had a blast watching these dirty and corrupted people join forces in order to dig up more pottery. There were many funny moments among the crew and at parts, it was as if I was watching a bunch of teenagers. I almost wished that they would work together as a genuine team instead of trying to get on each other's throat. The tensions were very high and I just had to wait and see when things would escalate.

The story did a great job at revealing the connections between the characters. Instead of giving all the information at once, we got small montages of their backstories at the beginning of most episodes and by the end, it made sense why so many people got involved in this pottery adventure. All of these people found themselves tied to this mess either because of their own choice or other external forces. At one point, it was so funny to see how many people became interested in the ancient pottery and one could only guess how this would end.

The chairwoman, Yang Jung-Sook, was one of my most favourite characters and one of the most complex ones. The more I learned about her, the more conflicted I became. While I didn't support all of her actions, I could sympathize with her and understand where she came from. She started from the bottom and she wanted to reach the top. She felt suffocated by her husband's control and she wanted to gain more power. On the surface, she appeared as a cold woman but when she let her mask slip, I could see a woman in need for love and validation, eager to prove her worth in a world commanded by men of power. I take my hat off Im Soo-Jung, whose excellent portrayal brought the character to life. Meticulous, manipulative and alluring, she commanded the screen and I couldn't take my eyes off her when she appeared.

I also found myself rooting for Heedong, the main character. While he was anything but vicious, he grew up with messed up morals due to his involvement in his uncle's dirty businesses. Throughout the whole story, we see how he grows more and more distant from the world he previously knew. He lived a dirty and low life but his ethics were not shattered altogether. Yang Se-Jong did a great job at portraying Heedong's character, his facial expressions and body language conveyed Heedong's conflicted feelings and he was really good in the dramatic scenes where he had to express Heedong's pain and anger.

And of course I cannot ignore Ryu Seung-Ryong, who played Gwan-Seok, Heedong's uncle. He was perfect as a gangster who does dirty jobs for a living and it was so amusing watching him manipulate the other characters for his own benefit. He is far from being described as a likeable character but I had a blast observing his maneuvers and how he made the rest of his crew follow his orders. He was clever but money hungry and he proved many times that he wouldn't hesitate to go to great lengths in order to get more cash - even if he had to paint his hands with blood.

Low Life was much more than a mere adventure drama. Amidst the chaos, the betrayals and the search for the treasure, the series tackles various heavy themes. There is subtle commentary regarding class and gender differences. The characters themselves come from different backgrounds. Ultimately, it's these differences that shaped them and their decisions. However, there were some traits that they had in common: greed and ambition. Greed for more money and power and ambition for a better future. Everyone looked out for themselves and the force that kept driving them was none other than money. Just like Squid Game, Low Life is another kdrama that demonstrated the great lengths people will go to in order to gain financial prosperity.

During the whole series, Gwan-Seok repeated at Heedong that money can do anything. And we see that at the end when the chairman gets released from prison. Power and money are the catalysts in society and all the characters realise that. Desperate for more, they kept getting involve in the search for pottery and their desperation drove them to heisty and even paranoid actions. Even when they had chances to save their lives, they would always return to the pottery because they believed they could be saved by the money it would bring.

But was this all worth it? That's the real question. Sure, money and good status are very beneficial and they can certainly improve your life. But when does the hunt for more cash become too much? When do the lines between survival and greed start to blur? The drama raises some interesting questions and by putting you in the characters' shoes, it makes you wonder if you would have behaved any differently.

In the end, all of that was for nothing. Think about the tower of Babel. All of these characters poured so much effort in the search of pottery. Money, equipment, human power. They bought, bribed, deceived, stole, killed. They built their own "tower" just to make it crumble and shatter because of their own ambition and greed. As the saying says, "he who grasps too much, grasps little".

I enjoyed Low Life so much more than I expected. That being said, I admit that there were some moments when my interest loosened and sometimes, the pacing became slower than I liked. But that wasn't a big issue. My main issue was the ending. Many side characters did not get a proper conclusion and the writers did not tie up all loose ends. I understand that they probably wanted to leave a possibility for a second season but there's a difference between a proper ending and a rushed one.

Overall, Low Life was one of the most chaotic kdramas I've watched so far in the best way possible. I really feel sad for its lack of popularity among international fans and I hope that more people will catch up. Granted, it's not the typical style of a kdrama but more people should give it a try.

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