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Lives Hanging by a Thread
This is a very sad, emotional, tough, and raw drama that carries a fierce social commentary disguised as a thriller. It is a beautiful yet deeply heartbreaking story that makes no concessions to the viewer. Not for the faint of heart, the show rewards far beyond expectations those who dare to venture into it: in my opinion, the best thriller of 2025, among my favorite thrillers overall, and without a doubt a story that has earned its place among my all-time favorite C-dramas.
The Hunt isn’t free of flaws, but they aren’t significant in the overall picture. The crime-thriller plot is tight till the very end, and the gritty storytelling is well executed, never becoming boring or predictable. The different timelines flow naturally, never feeling forced or out of place, and the story unfolds slowly from multiple perspectives. The oppressive, doomed cinematography, the excellent production, a perfectly fitting OST, and overall solid performances strengthen the merciless social commentary.
Because beyond being a thriller about murders, this drama is a fierce story about the lives of the lowest classes, those left behind, the injustice of societies, and the trap of poverty. And it is the humanity and empathy with which this brutal reality is portrayed that set the drama apart and give it its beauty and soul.
The acting is solid overall across the whole cast. Teresa Li is very strong; there are certainly not many actresses within her age range who could portray this type of character with such accuracy in C-dramaland. Huang Xuan, however, is simply fantastic. Although the oldest of the main cast, playing a younger version of himself in the more distant past timelines requires some suspension of disbelief. I stand by the decision to keep the same actor in those sequences, as it not only helps the story flow, but his performance is powerful enough that you quickly forget about the issue.
Bai Yufan, in a prominent supporting role, is the weakest of the core trio—though still good. The on-screen dynamic between the three is excellent, but whenever Huang Xuan is absent, you can feel a decrease in intensity. Episodes 11 to 13, with another actor, Yin Fang, included in that dynamic, flatten the tension quite a bit—I don’t think he was up to the role. Nothing to cry for, though, as the final three episodes quickly escalate the conflict within the drama and between me and the drama.
The drama constantly makes you reflect on social rules, morality, your own values and perspective, on what is right and what is wrong. You find yourself agreeing and disagreeing with the characters and their decisions at the same time. It puts you in conflict with every character and every decision they make, no matter who they are. You understand them, root for them, reject them, dislike them, judge them, like them, wish them the best, wish them to be held accountable for their actions and decisions, and pity every one of them throughout the drama - sometimes all at once.
You can’t quite decide where to stand with the characters or with the themes tackled by the drama, and the ending reinforces that conflict. The fact that it has to pass censorship makes the dilemma even stronger. I believe the drama goes the extra mile with its preaching because the story is so human and the critique so fierce that a sense of injustice becomes unavoidable.
The Hunt succeeds in making you understand other people’s inner worlds and the lives of the lower classes without resorting to good-or-bad clichés. People are imperfect and complex, and the world is an unfair arena where everyone can choose, yet at the same time cannot choose freely. And this applies to everyone.
We look at the world through lenses of privilege: education, a safe home, food, health, money. And we tend to judge others through those lenses. But what about those who don’t have them? Can they make the same decisions? Do they really have the same range of options to choose from as we do? Do they have the inner and external resources required? And what should societies do in those cases? Should they be judged and held responsible in the same way as those with more opportunities and resources?
If destiny had placed us in their position, would we have thought the same way and walked the same path? How can we possibly know? But on the other hand, what justifies killing? Can killing be justify? Are all killings the same?
Can society judge and condemn with the same severity those whom society itself has failed? If not, what message is left for everyone else—those with more resources and privilege, and those at the bottom, trapped in the same cycle of injustice? What would be the outcome in any of these scenarios?
I like the questions the drama provokes. A thriller doesn’t usually go this way. The answers? I was conflicted, but with a calm mind they are clear. And that is why, for me, this drama is superb. It shakes my seemingly well-defined world and values, and makes me think as much as it makes me feel - and oh, how deeply I felt this drama! It takes you out of your comfort and safe zone, in a beautiful and deeply sad way.
I loved The Hunt.
The Hunt isn’t free of flaws, but they aren’t significant in the overall picture. The crime-thriller plot is tight till the very end, and the gritty storytelling is well executed, never becoming boring or predictable. The different timelines flow naturally, never feeling forced or out of place, and the story unfolds slowly from multiple perspectives. The oppressive, doomed cinematography, the excellent production, a perfectly fitting OST, and overall solid performances strengthen the merciless social commentary.
Because beyond being a thriller about murders, this drama is a fierce story about the lives of the lowest classes, those left behind, the injustice of societies, and the trap of poverty. And it is the humanity and empathy with which this brutal reality is portrayed that set the drama apart and give it its beauty and soul.
The acting is solid overall across the whole cast. Teresa Li is very strong; there are certainly not many actresses within her age range who could portray this type of character with such accuracy in C-dramaland. Huang Xuan, however, is simply fantastic. Although the oldest of the main cast, playing a younger version of himself in the more distant past timelines requires some suspension of disbelief. I stand by the decision to keep the same actor in those sequences, as it not only helps the story flow, but his performance is powerful enough that you quickly forget about the issue.
Bai Yufan, in a prominent supporting role, is the weakest of the core trio—though still good. The on-screen dynamic between the three is excellent, but whenever Huang Xuan is absent, you can feel a decrease in intensity. Episodes 11 to 13, with another actor, Yin Fang, included in that dynamic, flatten the tension quite a bit—I don’t think he was up to the role. Nothing to cry for, though, as the final three episodes quickly escalate the conflict within the drama and between me and the drama.
The drama constantly makes you reflect on social rules, morality, your own values and perspective, on what is right and what is wrong. You find yourself agreeing and disagreeing with the characters and their decisions at the same time. It puts you in conflict with every character and every decision they make, no matter who they are. You understand them, root for them, reject them, dislike them, judge them, like them, wish them the best, wish them to be held accountable for their actions and decisions, and pity every one of them throughout the drama - sometimes all at once.
You can’t quite decide where to stand with the characters or with the themes tackled by the drama, and the ending reinforces that conflict. The fact that it has to pass censorship makes the dilemma even stronger. I believe the drama goes the extra mile with its preaching because the story is so human and the critique so fierce that a sense of injustice becomes unavoidable.
The Hunt succeeds in making you understand other people’s inner worlds and the lives of the lower classes without resorting to good-or-bad clichés. People are imperfect and complex, and the world is an unfair arena where everyone can choose, yet at the same time cannot choose freely. And this applies to everyone.
We look at the world through lenses of privilege: education, a safe home, food, health, money. And we tend to judge others through those lenses. But what about those who don’t have them? Can they make the same decisions? Do they really have the same range of options to choose from as we do? Do they have the inner and external resources required? And what should societies do in those cases? Should they be judged and held responsible in the same way as those with more opportunities and resources?
If destiny had placed us in their position, would we have thought the same way and walked the same path? How can we possibly know? But on the other hand, what justifies killing? Can killing be justify? Are all killings the same?
Can society judge and condemn with the same severity those whom society itself has failed? If not, what message is left for everyone else—those with more resources and privilege, and those at the bottom, trapped in the same cycle of injustice? What would be the outcome in any of these scenarios?
I like the questions the drama provokes. A thriller doesn’t usually go this way. The answers? I was conflicted, but with a calm mind they are clear. And that is why, for me, this drama is superb. It shakes my seemingly well-defined world and values, and makes me think as much as it makes me feel - and oh, how deeply I felt this drama! It takes you out of your comfort and safe zone, in a beautiful and deeply sad way.
I loved The Hunt.
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