The Manipulated

Manipulative He Was or Manipulative He Is?

If you know one, you recognise one for what he is. Gotta admit, he was a superb manipulater, but I don't think this is the end of it. They left that plot hole of a an evil woman, his "nanna", or better yet, if you don't remember the secret coming out at some point, his real mother, who happened to kill her son's leftover family after he was threatened with the herance at his parents memorial. And how did she cover it all up? A fire, just like in the end. So, yeah, I think she set the fire and saved her son, remember, he was still alive, and there's a possibility of a second season.
If that's the case, they gave a little hint at the end, bring it on!
Congrats to everyone involved in this remake of Fabricated City (that was surprising!), picking it back up and, honestly, making it better than the original, which for me was poor and weak.
Awesome performances by both Ji Chang Wook as a neverending fighter for justice and Doh Kyung Soo, as one of the greatest villains. I mean, he really took that role seriously. Wow.
All in all, a crazy worthy addicting watch.

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Vengeance with style, but with "superpowers" out of nowhere

The Manipulated (조각도시) marks a solid and highly anticipated return to the screen for Ji Chang-wook. The opening is intense and heartbreaking; the setup is so well-constructed that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, desperate to see how the events will unfold.

However, as the story progresses, we hit some "suspension of disbelief" hurdles:

The "Super-Delivery" Man: Tae-jung goes from being a mild-mannered delivery guy with no special background to suddenly having the physical strength and elite skills to take down prison gangsters, wealthy elites, and a corrupt governor. I know it’s fiction, but the exaggeration is a bit much, it’s hard to stay convinced when he basically becomes an invincible action hero overnight.

Do Kyung-soo is brilliant: His portrayal of An Yo-han is sinister. He genuinely makes you believe he’s a psychopath. While his bad boy performance is top-tier, I felt the script lacked depth regarding his motives. Why is he like this? Also, the blind woman who follows him, who seems to be his actual mother, remains a mystery. I missed having more information on their dynamic.

Pacing & Side Characters: The show is incredibly addictive from episodes 1 to 4, but it loses steam afterward. In the end, the protagonist resolves everything on his own. He has three friends, but they never truly help; they feel like minor additions rather than meaningful characters.

The Highlights:
I absolutely loved Mr. Yong-sik. He is a good, loyal man and a true friend. I’m so glad he survived and managed to make peace with his daughter.

What was missing:
I really wanted to see the villain behind bars and find out what happened to the blind nanny. She supported him through everything, yet her fate is left hanging in the air once he falls. Some of the chase scenes were a bit too unbelievable, but hey, that’s K-drama action for you.

Overall: A strong action series that hooks you early on, even if it asks you to ignore logic towards the end.

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Too convoluted

I liked the plot, and it had a lot of potential. I am always a fan of Ji Chang-wook's work, so I was looking forward to this film based on the early reviews. It started strong, but (without giving away spoilers) it took a bizarre turn in the middle that distracted from the central plot. Eventually, it largely abandoned this new storyline to return to the original one. During the action sequences, they included unnecessary elements, such as unresolved character grievances and unrealistic twists. Also, how did Chang-wook's character go from being a friendly florist to a super fighter? I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough for this drama.

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Prison arc is awesome, but followed by typical American style

From the very start, I was impressed, hooked, and so happy that this movie seemed to be living up to my high expectations—but I couldn't have been more wrong.

Ji Chang Wook never disappoints. His acting was phenomenal, and to be honest, his performance is what carries the entire film. The first half—specifically the prison arc—was flawless. You feel so much empathy for Kwon Tae-jung as you watch all these horrific things happen to him. It was gritty, emotional, and perfectly paced.

However, after the "race" sequence, the story went downhill fast. It shifted from a grounded thriller to a typical, over-the-top American-style action movie. The "plot armor" became too much to ignore; Tae-jung would be lethally injured in one scene, only to appear perfectly healed in the next. It felt incredibly unrealistic and took me out of the story.

To make matters worse, the villain just did not fit. Their acting felt "off" and lacked the depth needed to match Ji Chang Wook’s intensity, which really ruined the experience for me. While the cinematography and the fight scenes were great, the side characters didn't add much value, and the script ultimately let the actors down. I really wish they had stayed with the darker, more serious tone of the prison chapters. It had so much potential, but it was ruined by a messy second half.

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entertaining all-thrill action but ultimately lacks depth

this drama started off so strong but began to lose momentum and went downhill after the first four episodes. the concept was cliche but well loved (by me at least): a classic revenge crime action thriller centered on our protagonist, a victim who was wrongfully framed. but as the story progressed, it became overloaded with subplots that were barely resolved by the end.

some arcs that i thought were poorly executed/written or simply unnecessary:
- the death race; the squid game esque concept is overdone atp and revealing yohan to taejoong so early on removed a lot of potential tension
- the prison gangster arc; bringing back the mob boss only for yohan to end up killing him? also, it would’ve been more compelling if one of prison gangsters end up helping taejoong instead.
- yohan’s backstory; he’s such an intriguing character yet we barely see his upbringing/family.
- eunbi’s one-sided crush; would’ve been more fitting if they gave them a close sibling relationship

that said, the action was undeniably intense.. my heart was definitely racing for many of the scenes. as expected,the ji changwook and action combo never fails. they did a good job keeping the show suspenseful, but as everyone already mentioned, the plot armor went crazy. from delivery boy to tackling 100 skilled men at once. and the fact that he had numerous enemies (everyone wanted him dead!) but he still made it out (a bit too easily, i’d say). it would’ve been more awe-worthy/satisyfing if he was able to win with some wits and not just fists.

taejoong’s character felt a bit bland. there was so much potential for him to evolve into a darker anti-hero after enduring prison, learning about his brother’s death, and discovering others had been framed in the same situation, but he remained pure and kind, even risking his life to save the hair salon mother and daughter. while admirable, it limited his complexity and made it frustrating to watch at times. at the same time, the narrative focused too heavily on him, leaving the side characters underdeveloped. they had so many opportunities to build from the prisoners, the doctor (bae nara), nanny, taejoong’s three friends, etc. but they completely missed. i think it would’ve been more entertaining to build the doctor to be stronger and more of yohan’s right hand man (instead of the random chinese girl??) instead of killing him off.

yohan was also a really interesting character, but they failed to elaborate on his upbringing/backstory. with that being said, his death was so random and the “revenge” was extremely underwhelming and emotionally unsatisfying. or i’d like to think that he didn’t die and nanny covered it up with the fire. im torn if i liked kyungsoo as the villain though he portrayed him convincingly—“just a boy”. he was terrifyingly powerful both physically and mentally. the way he killed with no remorse but excitement was so chilling man.

on a more positive note, yongsik and eunbi were good additions to the very bland supporting characters. i liked how they built their relationship development and it was heartwarming to see that they reconciled because of taejoong. i’m glad the writers gave them a happy ending.

overall, the drama had a powerful start, strong action sequences, and compelling character foundations but it ultimately fell short due to uneven pacing, excessive plot armor, and missed opportunities in character development.

“Time is the greatest enemy that you’ll ever have to face while you’re in here. The secret is, the only way to defeat time is to surrender to it.” - Yongsik

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A great action thriller, even though the ending could have been much better

Starring Ji Chang Wook, The Manipulated is an intense action thriller that centers around a man wrongfully accused of murder and who gets out to take revenge on the perpetrator.

With 12 episodes, the series is tight, had a lot of action scenes and the pacing was very convincing. The characters could have been written more smartly, since a few of the characters (especially Tae Joong's friends) had no contribution to the story at all.

The action choreography were very good. The antagonist was way too overpowered and rich and the show failed to explore more of his past and how he became what he became.

The show takes a certain turn with the death racing game but it was not totally disappointing. The show focused too much only on the main character and his world, while keeping aside the side characters.

The finale was too crammed up, a lot of things happens in a span of 45 mins. There should have been atleast one more episode to have a proper ending. The ending though not disappointing, felt heavily tushed.

Overall, The Manipulated is a stylish action thriller that does many things right, if not all. And seeing Jichang Wook in action was genuinely refreshing. Not the best of the year, but definitely watchable drama.

My Rating : 8/10

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An Action Show That Lost Its KDrama Touch

This show is far from a typical Kdrama. It's better to be labelled as a western action drama played by Korean actors. This show runs in a quick pace, but lacks of depth. The suitable way to describe it is probably Korean John Wick. The beginning was really promising, an innocent deliveryman was taken as a scapegoat of a murder. Everything was alright until An Yohan arrived. He was a psychopath who tried to destroy everything for fun, it's totally a western superhero villains trope. Park Tae Jung was tortured behind the bar, suddenly found a way to escape and gained a fighting skill out of nowhere; another western superhero trope. He ofter came into a difficult situation without or with minimum preparation. During the prison era, everybody was fighting him with weapons. He, on the other hand, rarely used any. Yet he always survived, because that's what the hero do.

The pace during the prison era is too slow for an action show. The story takes too much focus on Park Tae Jung. All of his friends were only given a very little part to the story. Meanwhile the backstory of each characters are questionable. Nobody knows what happened and how the relationship was built between Yohan and his nanny. The ending were questionable, especially his nanny whereabouts. The storyline involved too much coincidental events, which we usually call makjangs. For example when Deok Su was chasing him for his car, the one saved him and Ji Yong was another car accidentaly got in their way. It was also weird for car no 11 to join the race after he had been shot to death. The super ultra powerful villain was beaten at the end with just a little bit of again, luck.

Thankfully, Ji Chang Wook, D.O and Jo Yoon So played really well here. In conclusion, maybe kdrama world should stop replicating western style. This show is recommended for someone who got tired with Kdramas. But if you're seeking a Kdrama because you want a story like a Kdrama, this show is not suitable for you.

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Action, prison, friendship, and revenge — basically everything I like in a series.

This is my third series with Ji Chang Wook, and I’m not disappointed at all. :) The mix of intensity and strong character relationships made it a really enjoyable watch for me.

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It was great.. until the first half.

This is why I was always sceptical about a booming/very anticipated drama (by all people generally, because of the casts). The acting was superb, no doubt. Ji Chang Wook once again proved he was a very good actor. The other actors like Do Kyungsoo and Lee Kwang soo also did great acting. I really enjoyed the first half of the drama, it was such an emotional roller coaster. I can feel the anger and desperation of the main character. It was all good.. until the second half hits.
(stop here if you want no spoilers)

I was wondering where the story will go when he failed to escape and got ganged up by so many prisoners - which was a very bloody fight btw, that I feel that it almost made no sense he survived that. I thought after all that hit he will be appointed to the hospital for so much injuries - so that it will make a way he could try for another escape. Welp, but guess what? Everyone was okay and probably just treated in the infirmary and the next day the story got into a big unexpected flip, which is bombastically confusing. I really hate that Squid Game-like plot coming in this drama - and even further the car racing. Like where the hell will this story go?? The writer is too ambitious to make the story extravagant IMO. I think it would be a lot better if they just focus on the prison break and the revenge plot. The logic is really not in the room at this moment and ahead. Everybody is quite immortal, really, especially the main character of course. Always got into bloody fights but always okay, it was too ridiculous for me. And most importantly how he was so very skilled at everything only after 5 years in prison. He was the best fighter of all fighter in this drama haha.

I've watched some of Ji Chang Wook's drama and always felt like this. Whether the story got weird/boring halfway, or the main character is always amazingly immune to death and amazingly skillful in everything. This time I finished watching because I wondered how it will end. Well of course the ending was quite forced and once again quite nonsensical. Really hope JCW's next action drama will have a better plot.

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