Reviews

Toxic badass FL, Doormat ML ..

At the beginning I was so happy finally The FL has a Self_esteem, Dignity, freestyle
- I'm tired of Stupid, weak and Humiliated Girls who lose her mind, insults herself with Embarrassing acts for crush And love in C-Dramas ..
but Unfortunately, Good things never Complete ..The ML is a Doormat, keep insulting himself for Her. fr !!!!

I think Chinese Writers have some issues, I piss off of Thier writing, Either they create an Arrogant ML insults the stupid FL OR a toxic badass FL insults the dump ML . They have to know what DIGNITY and Healthy relationship means.
I bet no one of those writers were in a relationship Before that's why they don't know HOW to write a Light and creative Love story

I really can't handle FL , she keep hanging out with her Ex then blame ML for literally NOTHING and made him apologize !!!!!!!

FL take advantage of all Males around her (Her boyfriend, Ex , Firefighters.....etc) for her Damn store ..

I like ML's friend he's so cute and funny.. the decorations in drama are amazing as well , FL outfits are chef kiss .. this is the only things I like

for me I didn't see any romance scene made.me flutter or something ..
- let's see EP 14, hope it will get better but I don't think so

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Not for everyone

Okay, so this is a super unpopular opinion it seems — but I did not enjoy Vincenzo. Yes, Song Joong-Ki is pretty. Yes, the cinematography was beautiful. I even came to like Hong Cha Young's extra behaviour at some point. But the plot??? The side characters???

My biggest gripe was with the story. So many parts simply made no sense at all. I understand that the over-the-top ridiculousness was part of the "fun" to some people. Personally, I hated how the show could go from sublime coolness (like the vineyard, ending of ep 4, or even the demise of our Wusang trio... talk about WOW) to bonkers slapstick moments. I can see how this contrast may add levity to a drama that might otherwise be too heavy, but it felt like a lot of bloated filler. It honestly ruined a lot of the immersion for me. The episodes could be so much tighter without so much time spent on the Geumga Plaza crew (who never became endearing to me, unfortunately). How plausible is it that they're all from such crazy athletic backgrounds too, and can take down professional goons so seamlessly? I could've also done completely without all the NIS stuff, zumba, etc. I didn't even like Inzaghi all that much, although I did like the symbolism related to him + Jang Han Seok at the end. At a higher level, I will give points to the broad direction of the story though. I am glad Vincenzo's character did not fundamentally change throughout the story though, and that the ending remained dark but neatly tied up. Vincenzo is an anti-hero through-and-through, and it's good that the writers stuck to their guns there. The "corn salad" joke was fairly endearing. Also, you have to give them some props for the horseback riding fan-service and the callback to it at the end. Hah!

Still, I will commend this show for its social commentary on corrupt structures in Korea and beyond. It does show the interplay between government / corporate / legal realms well. The OST was fitting and gorgeous, and varied enough to not give me PTSD like "We All Lie" from SKY Castle. And you can tell it was a high-budget production with great CGI and cinematography. Oh, and did I mention Song Joong-Ki is pretty yet? Worth reiterating in case you're willing to watch just for that.

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An Emotional Rollercoaster Worth Riding

This drama grabs you from the first scene and refuses to let go, keeping your heart racing long after the credits roll. It’s the kind of story that leaves fingerprints on your soul.

Duan Wu: She’s a force of nature. Fierce, street-smart, and unshaken by challenges—yet there’s a vulnerability in her innocence about life beyond the pearl farm. She’s the girl who punches first and figures out the rest later, and honestly, it works. Hardworking and fearless, but not invincible, her flaws make her real and relatable. Watching her grow into someone even stronger, someone more aware and mature, yet still kind at her core—it’s a transformation so raw and profound, it’s like witnessing a pearl form under pressure.

Yan Zi Jing: Oh, the layers. He’s sharp, complex, and burdened by a past that’s as heavy as it is painful. Living in the grey areas of morality, he’s ruthless when he has to be but still clings to shreds of humanity, refusing to lose himself completely. He’s the guy who looks ridiculously good while taking down enemies and even better while side-eyeing the FL’s stubbornness. A total tsundere, he pretends to be indifferent but sees her in ways that matter. His evolution? Breathless. Watching him rediscover his humanity and love is mesmerizing.

Zhang Jin Ran: The unsung hero. Kind, optimistic, and oh-so-easy to root for. He’s the guy who holds up the light in a dark world, even when it flickers. His hero complex might annoy some, but it’s laced with such genuine care that you can’t help but adore him. His journey from idealistic to grounded is realistic. Honestly? One of the best-written second leads.

Antagonists and Villains: Deliciously dark and grey. The kind that get under your skin, making you rage one second and admire their complexity the next. A perfectly woven balance of evil and intrigue. With a few wicked redemption arcs thrown in.

Acting: Zhao Lusi’s growth as an actress is evident; she’s more captivating than ever here. Her abilities are stronger, more powerful, and stable throughout the drama. She’s mesmerizing, with her emotions hitting you like tidal waves—raw, beautiful, and unrelenting. First time watching Liu Yuning, and he’s impressive—he brings believable subtle emotions and totally owns a tortured, morally grey character that is borderline red flag. His quiet intensity and tortured eyes carrying so much weight, you feel it in your chest. And Tang Xiaotian? Solid and nuanced, keeping his character compelling without overshadowing.

Plot: Fast-paced and brutally real. It’s a story that isn’t afraid to dive into the shadows—exploring slavery, resilience, and redemption with unflinching honesty. The imagery is vivid and unforgettable, lingering like a bittersweet echo. At its heart, it explores the unbreakable bonds of family—the ties that anchor us, but also the ones that weigh us down when love and revenge collide. It’s about a love so deep and unwavering it defies logic, carving through pain and misunderstandings to prove that sometimes, love is not just a feeling but also a choice. Betrayals cut like knives, their sting magnified by the trust that preceded them, and redemption feels hard-earned—messy, imperfect, and profoundly human. This isn’t just a tale of good versus evil; it’s a reflection of life’s grey areas, where the lines between right and wrong blur, and every choice carries a price.

Chemistry: Fire. Between the Duan Wu and Yan Zi Jing, it’s charged with simmering heat, the kind that makes you lean closer to the screen. And with the Zhang Jin Ran, it’s tender and heartwarming. Even the bromance between Yan Zi Jing and Zhang jin Ran was heartwarming. Lusi and Yuning’s connection, obvious and through the roof. Yuning's eyes are so expressive and matches Lusi's intensity. Their height difference? Dreamy. Their comfort with each other brings every romantic scene to life in a way that feels seamless and positively electric.

Cinematography & OST: A feast for the senses. Stunning visuals set the tone, and the music? Hauntingly beautiful, amplifying every emotion.

In short: This drama doesn’t just tell a story—it pulls you into its world, holds your heart hostage, and leaves you grateful for the experience. Watch it. Feel it. Love it.

PS:
The ending made every moment precious and worth it. A Walk to Remember left a lasting impression on me, but The Story of Pearl Girl takes it a step further, its finale is unforgettable. Duan Wu and Yan Zi Jing were dealt some of the harshest cards in life, yet they played them with fierce determination. They didn’t just survive, they lived and loved with all they had, defying every hardship thrown their way.

In the end, their dreams weren’t just fulfilled; they were brought to life in each other’s embrace. Their time together may have been fleeting, but it was luminous, filled with memories that eternity itself couldn’t erase. Their story showed something profound: life is brief, fragile, and unpredictable. But in the moments we do have, we can choose to love deeply, live boldly, and create something timeless. Duan Wu and Yan Zi Jing didn’t just exist - they made every second count.

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It was good but it could have been great!

A solid 8/10 for me.

General Remarks:
Excellent writing, brilliant acting and a suspenseful story that keeps you on your toes.

1. Story about 3 sisters with absentee parents.
2. A mystery surrounding a girl who stole 70 billion won and left it in the account of one of the sisters before she was killed.
3. Main focus is one of the sisters trying to find out what happened to her friend and why she was killed.
4. Characters mysteriously being killed and willing to go to their graves to find this stolen money.
5. The interconnected storylines and drama in each of the sister's and their enemies lives.
6. Mystery behind the blue ghost orchid and the people wrapped up in a society that pledges their lives to it.

Let's start with the positives:

I really enjoyed the storylines of all the sisters. I felt like In Joo and In Kyung always had to be so strong for In Hye and tried their best to take care of and provide for In Hye because of again. absent parents.

I thought the plot was amazing and unlike any other drama I had ever seen or watched. I didn't know so much about orchids and I thought it was refreshing to see a show centered around a rare species of orchid (the orchid of death) and the whole group of people wrapped up in the organization.

I found In Joo battling what to do with all that money to be a realistic portrayal because really and truly most persons wouldn't know where to begin if that amount of money somehow fell into their hands.

I like how everyone's storyline became interconnected and it was like each character was serving a greater purpose in Song-A's "play" of sorts. They were all like her little dolls and she basically called all the shots. At first I was led to believe that she was being forced and coerced by Park Jae Sang but soon it became apparent that everything she was doing was a ruse. She believed herself to be an actress and presented herself differently to each person. Each person was treated like a new canvas or stage of sorts.

Personally I think Sang A was the most interesting character because she was a truly evil serial killer / psychopath. She had no qualms or regard for other people or their feelings (typical sociopath behavior). Finally, a villain being a true villain without any regretful backstory as to why they became that way. Song A was just born that way and though they tried to justify her actions by saying she killed her mom on accident and was living with the guilt and the trauma in her "closed room" (ie. the door that she never opened) Imo her recreating that tragedy was sooooo sick and I loved every minute of it. She was downright horrible and at a point I believed she was going to try and take everything away from both In Joo and In Kyung. I thought In Hye would have never escaped her and she was gonna get rid of Hyo Rin and mold In Hye in her image – creating the perfect daughter. Thank god that didn't happen though!

In Joo and Do Il left much to be wanted at the end – I am disappointed that we did't even get a kiss or a hug lol! The chemistry was there and despite everything they went through you could feel the sheer care they developed for one another. They may not have ended up together but I believe important lessons we learned. No amount of money in the world could make In Joo happy / satisfied and that she would give it all up in a heart beat to protect her sisters and the people she truly loves and cares about. Through In Joo, Do Il too realized that there are some people worth fighting for and more important than money.

I never thought In Kyung would give Jong Ho a chance but I lwas literally so happy at the end when they finally got together and admitted their feelings for one another.

Though In Hye was a really complicated character I thought her message at the end was sweet and behind her depressive and cold hearted exterior was a troubled teenager with a heart. She did care for In Joo and In Kyung but just had a sh*tty way of showing it. Her message to her sisters was sweet and I could kind of understand her reasoning for being distant and wanting to find herself first before appearing in front of them again. Even though she appreciated all the sacrifices they made for her in her life she needed to go her own way and find independence.

Negatives:

I could not stand their mother. She was awful and didn't give a singular f*ck about her kids and it was so infuriating to watch. She took her daughters field trip money and just ran away with the sh*tty excuse that In Hye is young and has so many opportunities to travel and that she needs to go now because she's "old" essentially. That was just soooo absurd to me considering the fact that the mother knew damn well that was In Hye's dream and the thing that would make her the happiest????? Imo she stifled those poor girls and was not fit to be a parent, not to mention their good for nothing father who the mother ran away to help and barely heard from ever since. In Joo and In Kyung practically raised themselves with the help of the great aunt who raised in Kyung for a while and then them turning around and raising In Hye.

I found In Hye to be ungrateful and selfish and the fact that she chose to find herself and travel the world with her friend rather than stay with her sisters even when the danger was eminent left me shocked.

I wish In Kyung's alcoholism was tackled more and we could see her path to recovery not like she just woke up and magically got over it. It's a touchy subject yes but I feel like many people struggle with alcoholism and it would've been nice to see a kdrama tackle such an important issue in the midst of all the mystery and chaos going on.

I wish we saw more character development but I understand it was hard to do so in 12 episodes.

I thought the last episode was rushed but again it was hard to fit everything into 12 episodes. I felt like Sang A died a quick and mildly painful death but she deserved to suffer wayyy more for her crimes... so it was upsetting seeing her die without having to atone for any of it while Hwa Young was badly burnt, survived and still had to go to prison. Imo Hwa Young has mental issues that also need to be taken care of because I don't know how someone can endure all that + their fake death and still be mentally sound. Also I am not sure how I feel about her getting involved in another gardening program (like especially if it has anything to do with orchids) like that was strange and it gave me the creeps. Hwa Young has the perfect demeanor and makings to be a villain / antagonist so it would be interesting to see her character arc in S2 (if there is one) Honestly I feel like she wasn't able to fully get her revenge and have peace of mind so I kinda do hope if there is S2 that opportunity presents itself.

Final Remarks:

Kim Go Eun really puts so much into her acting and you can feel that translate across the screen no matter what role she undertakes. Wi Ha Joon's character was mysterious and throughout watching I couldn't quite place him. Was he evil or was he good? It became clear that he was a morally grey character (which I ate up btw) essentially a wildcard that could swing either way depending on the situation.

I hope there is season 2 with a whole other mystery that the sisters are swept up in. Maybe this time it can start with In Hye and her friend Hyo Rin and then the others have to help save her. I would also love Hwa Young to make a reappearance and help them from prison if she can or this mystery finally frees her as we meet an even bigger contender / mastermind than Sang A was.

I liked it so much as I am still thinking about it and wishing there was more even though it's finished. I would definitely recommend it to others :)

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START UP becomes MESS UP. The writer / production team seemed to be wasting the potential in this drama.

After watching episode 12, I had to change the review about this drama.
This drama is very promising at the beginning because the theme, storyline and actors are very good. But only for the first 8 episodes.
From episodes 9 to 12, in my opinion, the quality has decreased dramatically in terms of the storyline.
The only thing that kept me watching was because of the character Han Ji Pyeong, who in my opinion he was a very extraordinary scene stealer.
As the second main character, he can attract the attention of many audiences to beat the main character.
There are still 4 more episodes left, but I didn't expect much.
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This drama went from 만점 (100) to 빵점 (0) real quick ?

The issue isn’t the fan ship war that has erupted lately.

It’s that This has become the most important question for viewers to judge whether they come out of the drama slightly satisfied or not: “who the female lead is going to choose as her beau?”

•The second female lead has been reduced to a poor cameo role; who despite being sister, daughter & granddaughter doesn’t even get told in 3 whole years that her Grandma is losing eyesight.

•The female lead turns from an independent, almost self-raised woman with a bold personality to a damsel in distress who cannot function without help from the men in her life.

•The Start Up title is a bait. We start off with a group of inexperienced + Zero business knowhow but passionate people who hope to become the next Steve Jobs or Google. Whilst the first half of the drama gives you hope that this team will slowly learn how to become entrepreneurs and encounter common start-up problems.... We end up with a bunch of (very) immature people who rely heavily on plain luck to secure investments, recognition & success and then proceed to Sell off their company in ONE day without any forethought about their goals. The drama then proceeds with a misplaced time skip to gift this team success & wealth from jobs at other companies.

•One of the worst time skips ever. Not just because the actual scene transition was terrible. First due to when it takes place, it robs the characters of the opportunity to reflect and learn from their mistakes. Second, zero character development in 3 years skip. Everyone seems to have frozen in time. (stagnation) Third, all the previously struggling characters have found (lucky) career success & wealth and we miss their journey through it.

•The show seems to Romanticise/gloss over undue violence and immaturity Especially in a workplace/professional area. (Guys if you punch your mentor At work or school because he made your girlfriend cry after your Own friend told Him to tell Her the “harsh truth, no feelings involved”..... You will be kicked off campus/site and not allowed back in. There may also be lawsuits on assault.) The main characters consistently & unrepentantly make business decisions based on personal emotions- love life, jealousy, euphoria, entitlement. I cannot stress enough the lack of maturity a bunch of 25+ somethings show in their Place of Work- that even teenagers in contrast can seem more wise.

•The male lead has been reduced to a whining entitled toddler who, like a broken radio in order to gain sympathy points from everyone around him, keeps crying & repeating he “has nothing” just because his love life isn’t sailing smooth. THIS, despite the fact that he has 2 very loyal friends, supportive parents (regardless of their expectations of him they still invested into his loss-making, no-real-plan, debt-run business for 3 whole years prior to the show start), a close cousin who’s more like a brother that does marketing for him for basically free, genius coding talent, handsome & tall looks, a warm family house (not an apartment!) to return to.... and after a time skip, even becomes successful & wicked rich..... Like dude, what the hell more do you want ?!? And what’s more ridiculous is that he’s the most well-off character in the show. One of his own friends has lost a brother to suicide. The girls have a dead parent + blind grandma + enemy like stepfamily. The other guy is a literal friendless orphan whose success is all self-made......


It’s a wonder we’re still watching this drama. The effort of the actors, the pretty cinematography, the enticing OST. There’s not much else bringing us back except needing to know the conclusion of a drama we already invested our time & energy in.


*credit to someone*

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a fashion show, a screaming wife and unnecessary sex scenes

I can't even describe how trashy this drama is, I was left disappointed and in shock over the whole thing. Honestly, I'm shocked at myself for having finished this discombobulated mess. It almost felt as if this "comeback" drama is a punishment that Seo Ye Ji had to endure before she would be given a more decent script to work on.

Where should I begin? The synopsis, maybe? This is how the synopsis goes: "Lee Ra El idolised her parents, a highly intelligent father and a strikingly beautiful mother." I was actually waiting for more snippets of her happy family life to be revealed, but none of that was given until late, where a meagre birthday celebration of 3 seconds was shown. How smart was his father? He was just described as "the Bill Gates of Korea." This was mentioned in passing in Ep 6 or so. How beautiful was her mother? Was she a walking fashion house, an elegant homemaker? The makeup and image artists for this drama did a disastrous job at dressing up her mother in the flashbacks. The mother was a typically ordinary housewife who apparently loved to dress like a countryside grandmother. They gave her granny floral blouses with straight cuttings, while Ra El gets to wear a different outfit in every scene! Ra El the fashion bombshell was the main focus. The synopsis goes on to say Ra El's goal is to bring down the fam using a USD1.6 billion divorce lawsuit. And yet halfway into the drama, we were told through another character's mouth (Moon Hee) that the original goal was to have the villains arrested using proper evidence and by way of the law. .....What divorce lawsuit? LMAO.

Nevermind that, who cares about what the synopsis says? The drama is nothing like what was advertised. Ra El should have been the glue that holds the story together. The plot centers around her revenge. But she too, changed her mind about only punishing the main culprit who killed her father midway into the drama. Her behaviour became more and more psychologically disturbed, as if she's trying to remind the audience of her past performance in It's Okay to Not Be Okay. Like, why? Wanting to exact vengeance on the person who ruined your life is one thing, but it's unnecessary to be psycho about it. You can still be human about it. There is hardly any need to portray every revenge-seeker as psychotic. Now Ra El, after finding out that Han So Ra murdered her mother, decided that she not only wanted to destroy the patriarch, but also everything in that family now. The targets of her vengeance have increased.

Alas. Despite learning who her mother's killer was, the writers of this drama still insisted on placing the man Ra El seduced, Yoon Geum, at the center of the story. They spent hours upon hours of episode time showing me the dynamics of the seduction. They kept bringing up Yoon Geum's feelings for Ra El, which started with nothing but pure lust. And suddenly, I found myself being shown Yoon Geum's miserable childhood. Do I care? What has his childhood got to do with Ra El's revenge? I know the scriptwriters were trying to say that So Ra losing Yoon Geum is an apt punishment for murdering Ra El's mother, and I'm feeling that the scriptwriters were trying to convince me that Yoon Geum is somehow a guy deserving of some level of sympathy. LOL. He was already steaming with lust the first time he laid his eyes on her. Why would I sympathise with a guy like this? LOL. Ra El uses sex as her weapon, and there's something grossly wrong about this in the year of 2022. Let us all throw a pity party for Yoon Geum, his tortured childhood, his deranged, spoilt wife, and his daughter who wasn't potty trained.

Frankly, I don't give a donkey's ass about this male lead.

The most infuriating thing that I soon realised is, when a man comes back for revenge, he gets to do things like deep researching, device-tracking, surveilling, espionage or military-style anti-reconnaisance without having to sacrifice his body or mental acuity. But when a woman comes back for revenge, she uses her body and sex to get what she wants. She goes through trauma and scarring, out-of-control situations where her mental judgement is impaired and subsequently, criticised, questioned, ridiculed. It always cheapens the female character, and this is unacceptable for me. The year is 2022, not 1972. This drama had set up the situation in such a way that the target is a bunch of fools whose intellectual processes occur in the lower half of their bodies.

The writers gave no information about Yoon Geum's father-in-law, Han Pan Ro, the main villain who gave orders to ruin Ra El's family until the end. Not much was also said about the crimes of his father-in-law's right-hand man either, Joon Cheol, who was directly responsible for Ra El's father's death. I want to know how these main two old crocs are going to get their comeuppance, chop chop. I want to know what Ra El was going to do to them and how she's going to set a trap them. But no. This drama insisted that the focus was placed on Ra El's load of chameleonish outfits, the seduction process, and the boring, lusty object of her seduction. Everything is all over the place. It's garbage.

I mean, don't we need to know, how Ra El gathered the specific evidence to nail the bad guys? Shouldn't I be learning about the villain's specific crimes? Shouldn't I be learning about why Moon Hee, the older woman she's collaborating with in her revenge scheme, and why does she also want Han Pan Ro's head? What's Moon Hee's backstory? But I got nothing. All I got up until Episode 9, was wasting 9 hours of my life watching useless catfights between Han So Ra (the guy's wife, also daughter of Han Pan Ro) and other wives of the upper class, Ra El waltzing and sashaying in different outfits to seduce the guy and finally had sex with him. I also had to watch Han So Ra have sex with a manservant. For what purpose was I shown this? What has So Ra's sex life got to do with Ra El's revenge plot? And I have to put up with scenes of failed attempts to gain entry into Yoon Geum's safe, in order for Ra El to obtain the ledger of her father's company 13 years ago, which is remarkably stupid.

No one keeps a 13-year old ledger of a company they usurped illegally from a man they killed. No one does this. They would sooner burn the ledger to get rid of the evidence. I'll quote a real life scenario: Weeks before Enron Corp officially went down, Arthur Andersen started shredding its audit documents related to Enron. So to think that Ra El and Moon Hee's aim was to retrieve a decade-old ledger (13 years lmao) with the assumption that it still exists, is all the more ridiculous. Additionally, what kind of huge company would contain its accounting info in just one thin ledger? Is this junior high accounting class? In the real world, companies in operation are allowed to destroy their documents after a minimum of 7 accounting periods have passed (7 years) by IFRS Standards, which the Korean Accounting Standards Board (KASB) adopts. It doesn't make an ounce of sense then, for the villains to have illegally acquired Ra El's semiconductor company and then still retains the documents detailing their crimes after 13 years. It's common sense that criminals would destroy evidence as soon as possible.

Again, this whole drama really doesn't bother to tell you the specifics of what really happened to Ra El's father or his company. It really only vaguely tells you that the father was accused of being an industrial spy, was forced to sign a confession which he refused, and had his life snuffed out of him and his shares of his company robbed. Which is again, dumb. There are laws which protect a director and his company shares. The script just wanted to use that cheap backstory to give Ra El a motive, and show the audience some fashion houses' outfits worn by Seo Ye Ji, show the audience some skin and sexy times. Oh, and scriptwriters had to make the seduced man's wife, Han So Ra, into a screaming, crazy mess, because it helps with raking up more sympathy points for Ra El. Imagine if So Ra was actually a good person!!! That is a no go for the scriptwriters. It would make Ra El invalid. So of course the wife had to be evil. And she had to be someone who also had a hand in Ra El's mother's death. This was only revealed in Ep 7, by the way, I guess it's the scriptwriters' way of saying, yeah, we know we're focusing way too much on the wife, but there's a reason!!! And still, that reason went to nought. Too many retroactive continuity in this trash.

The side character, Seo Eun Pyeong, the "clean" assemblyman who scorned the rich, who would never agree to meeting any of them for whatever reason, neither accepting a lunch invite nor a gift -- he was a convenient tool for Ra El in this drama. Eun Pyeong was usually so morally upright, that he was incorruptible. But of course, he easily agreed to rubbing his shoulders with Han Pan Ro for the sake of helping Ra El in her quest for revenge. What made this ridiculous was, Ra El was a mere 15-year old child he had helped some 13 years ago. She was a child he had sent to the USA to live a new life after her father's death. This dude was essentially sacrificing his entire career for her now. And the reason? Love! He decided that he loved her, and declared his love out of nowhere. This was after meeting the kid 13 years later and not even spending an inch of time to find out what her character is really like for him to fall in love with her. Nevermind, he fell in love after watching her erotic dance that one time in her studio, I guess that counts. Very logical! I swear this is one of the worst dramas I've ever seen this year.

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Hate to love scenario between me and Jung Woo. Damn, I disliked his little smug face so much in the first two episodes, I thought it would be impossible for me to jump on the ship in the future. While I warmed up to him in later episodes, I never sailed with the two dudes.

The biggest flaw of the show is the fact we truly know nothing about the characters. What are their motivations? Why do they do what they do? Why is Jung Woo working with Laura? What is his goal? Why is Do Gun so into keeping true to the basics and so against the innovations and new ideas? Why is he obsessed with working at Laura Dining? What is Laura’s deal? They did not explain anything. Literally not one thing. Who is Jung Woo anyway?

It’s also the first time I felt exactly zero romantic chemistry on screen between the main leads in BL. While I enjoyed their bickering and them having fun, their romantic scenes just made me feel slightly uncomfortable, because it felt like they were not that into it either.

The acting was good. Both Jang Eui Soo and Lee Chan Hyung have acting experience to back up their performance.

Production quality is what we usually get from k-bls: indie web drama vibes. Personally, I truly enjoy these aesthetics.

Overall, fine to watch when you are in between BLs and have nothing else to watch. Would not prioritize this over other shows though. It’s like a filler show.

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Give it a Chance.. it's worth

Writing this after watching 8 episodes...

I found this drama accidentally while watching some YT videos. So I just watched.. literally binged watched.

I don't know why some people have given low rating to this drama. Normally its happen after 20+ episodes because of fillers. But this one so far interesting. Maybe because they don't like genre. Anyway usually I don't write reviews but I am writing this because I don't want some drama enthusiastic to miss this drama because of a bad reviews. So give this a chance.

The cinematography is absolutely stunning. The creators took great care in introducing each character through well-choreographed fight scenes. These scenes aren't just background noise – they're beautifully filmed and truly set the stage for each character. The fight choreography itself is top-notch, and the CGI seamlessly blends into the action.

The acting is on point as well, and the plot has me hooked so far.

If you're looking for a drama with impressive visuals, engaging characters, and a captivating story, don't be discouraged by the bad reviews. Give this one a try – you might be surprised!

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Not worth the wait

3 long years after the insanely good and very high rated first season, I have to say I’m very disappointed with season 2. It fell way below what I was expecting, and honestly felt like a completely different show to me.

First off, I was very sad that the original cast made it so far for half of them to be killed off by the second episode. They introduced way too many new and not important characters with no character arch or background on any of them. The cast from season 1 is what gave the show such great charm, and these new characters had nothing to them at all. Not to mention, none of the good characters from season 1 remained except for obviously Hyunsu and Eunyu. Everyone else that was there I could care less about. Give me back Jisu!!!

Next, the storyline was just so all over the place?? There were 5 different storylines going on, all of which added barely any substance to the plot. We definitely could have done without Yikyung and her weird monster baby, that pretty much added no value other than, that monsters are evolving, which we knew would happen at some point. Didn’t need to be some weird sub storyline. Keeping with this thought, I could give a shit less about the people at that damn stadium. It became pointless to me after Eunyu left it to find Eunhyuk, but instead we spend most of our time here instead of the more important plot points. Who was Chief Ji? Why was she so suspicious? Was she harboring a monster? Was she a monster? Guess we’ll never know that because they didn’t explain anything. What was with the old man and Hanni?? What was their added value?? Why did they want us to care about these soldiers so damn much? They were a tad bit more important to the story though as they did come across more neo-humans, but why do I have to care about them? We were gonna end up at the research facility at some point with or without them.

And lastly, my BIGGEST issue with the show: where the hell was Hyunsu for half the show?? Main character but they gave him no main character energy. He was sidelined to make way for these less important characters. Last we saw him, he was petrified/turned to stone by Uimyeong at the research facility as it was crumbling, then what happened?? How did he get out? How did he become unfrozen? How did he find Yikyung and her weird monster baby?? And then he’s just gone? for three episodes? and magically shows back up for the last 2?? For a story about Cha Hyunsu and him being the only one that can stop monsterization (maybe) he sure was given dust. What happened to Uimyeong after he petrified Hyunsu? He was j chillin until Dr. Lim showed back up? I mean none of this story made any sense and lacked what made season 1 so popular.

All I can say is, I was very disappointed with the long and highly anticipated wait for season 2. With the return of Eunhyuk at the end, I have slightly higher hopes for season 3. I hope season 3 can redeem any lost hype that season 2 didn’t have and bring back the feeling of what made Sweet Home so incredible.

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Good Premise but Bad Story Building

To be honest, I picked watching Happiness because both of the main actor, Park Hyung Shik and Han Hyo Joo. They have a great acting and I enjoy their past work. Though, I couldn't help but got disappointed by the stories and the character building this drama has.

Happiness actually has a good unique premise. It is a zombie themed drama that pour slice of life scenarios into it. It has a great opening that is linked to our current pandemic situation. This drama started by how people overcome and get used to the virus and continued on their daily life. But, a good premise need a good execution.

A story need a character to let it flow. What disappointed me the most, how poor written the characters are. Happiness has two main lead that is a former highschool mates. Both Sae Bom and Yi Hyun are shown as a strong selfless characters with no weakness. Is it wrong for them to act like that? Of course not. But as a viewer, we never get a glimpse of understanding on how both the leads grow into the person they are. There is no introduction of their past and they just suddenly show both leads as a cool detective and officer. I actually expect the drama to give background stories for the leads even if for a bit so there can be a character development and we can connect to the character growth, but nothing until the last episode.

This goes for the supporting roles as well. Each resident have different background and that can be a great foundation for the stories. But again, there is no a scene of process of building the character with depth and they are shown as frustated selfish characters just because they are trapped in quarantine. They give us a poor written villain over other poor written villain over other else poor written villain and stuck them up in one place.

How about the apocalypse setting? At first I am truly interested with the setting and I actually link the virus outbreak in the drama with the title of 'Happiness'. I thought the 'Happiness' emotion might be related on how the infected could bear the virus, but again there is no explanation. They don't give any scenes about the virus, the illegal drug, or even the symptoms.

In fact, Happiness actually casted many great actor and actress that played well with the acting that can make you stay to watch and that is my reason to finish this series. But, there is a lot of scene that against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. If you are not bothered by illogical, unlikely or impossible events, you can begin watching this drama.

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Unexplainable thriller, and definitely not a social commentary

I'm going to be honest, I started this movie only because of Siwan, and since the plot seemed interesting, I thought it would be worth watching it beyond the fact that I love to watch Siwan's shows and movies. However, I must say that his performance (and Chun Woohee's) in this movie was the only thing that kept me watching it.

If you want to watch 'Unlocked' looking for a movie that criticizes our society's dependence on smartphones and technology, don't. This is not a social commentary and it doesn't approach the topic like that. This is a movie about a psychopath with no background story or reason to kill, and once again, shallow female relationships that make you wonder if these writers have ever seen women in real life.

I'm going to start with the fact that it bothers me personally that psychological thrillers these days - and by these days I mean in the past several years - are all about male psychopaths with a nonsensical obsession to kill young women. No, I'm not saying that we should give these psychopaths a troubled childhood in order to justify their actions as adults. I'm saying that a story should have a reason to be, whatever it might be. But lately, kdrama writers, and those at Netflix in particular, seem to be making these stories about killing women just for shock value and nothing else. The fact that the reason 'Oh Junyoung' killed these women was just because they dropped their phones is the weakest and most boring reason I've seen in this type of dramas, and that's a lot to say considering that I keep thinking about the drama 'Somebody', which I feel the same way and worse about (if you watched it, you would know what I'm talking about).

Now, another bothersome plot point about this movie is the fact that the killer is always smarter than everyone and can anticipate every move, action, and thought from his victims, making it impossible for them to ever escape their fate. But then again, this wouldn't be so irksome if the writers provided the psychopath with at least a reason to kill or an explanation as to why he's doing what he's doing and why he's so good at it. In this drama, however, we don't even have a name for our killer, which wouldn't be that much of a problem if we at least had any type of information about his background or what he did before the movie started rolling. The only thing that we know is that he impersonated the detective's son and wanted to frame him for his murders. But why? Why did he start impersonating this man? How did they meet? Why was the detective so mad at his son? Why do the writers give us information about the detective's wife and their family situation in general, when it won't even be resolved or explained, or even shown what the link between all this is? The killer wasn't even actually the detective's son, so why do we even need to know this, when we won't know who our killer is or what his reasons are at all? Who did the killer have a grudge against to be going around doing all this, to begin with? There's absolutely no explanation for anything ever and the more I think about this movie, the more questions pop up in my head that will never be answered.

Moving onto the female characters, this is probably what makes me the most upset. The female lead had her phone hacked and discovered it, but the first thing she does is blame her best friend after consulting a man that she met two days ago, and against whom her father warned her. It's kind of annoying how she dismissed the very reasonable concerns of her dad, but I won't even get into that. What I will question, though, is, why do you live in a house without a code? Why does your best friend scare you about having someone breaking into your house? Why do you believe a man you met two days ago over your best friend since middle school? Why does your best friend get immediately upset with you and decide to cut contact with you for a misunderstanding you had in a moment of extreme distress after your life was literally ruined by some psychopath? I don't understand why they made their friendship so shallow and ridiculous that you would decide to cut contact with your friend. Yes, I would also be absolutely hurt if my best friend suspected me of pulling such a horrible thing on her, but to go beyond that and warn her to never contact me again, and leave her all on her own to deal with such a dangerous situation... It pisses me off to think that these writers think women would do that.

Also, after the female lead finds out that her phone was hacked, she simply decides to keep using it as if nothing was happening. Girl, the first thing you needed to do was throw it away. At least she came up with a reverse strategy eventually, but I just kept thinking about why she simply decided to keep using her phone after everything that was happening to her.

These dramas and movies written by men about psychopathic serial killers that outsmart their victims all the time, and in which said victims are the dumbest people you'll ever see really gives me an unsettling feeling considering the incredibly high rates of this type of murder in South Korea.

Overall, this isn't the worst movie you'll ever watch, but it's only a movie to watch if you don't have anything else to do and if you don't feel like watching a complicated story. Don't let the thriller tag deceive you into thinking you're down for an actually good psychological thriller because you are really not.

At least Siwan did amazingly as expected, and Chun Woohee was a very good actress. In general, the cast is pretty good and there are many familiar faces if you watch a lot of kdramas, but other than that, this movie is very weak and not really worth your time.

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The worst regression of a plot and its characters I've ever seen

This entire drama is a fraud. It pulls you in from the beautiful pilot episode filled with symbolism, breathtaking cinematography, and the heartbreaking backstory of who you THINK is the main lead, Han Jipyeong. And then it pulls the rug from under you.

Nam Dosan is the main lead, though he had a 10 second clip only in episode 1. Regardless, he was great in the beginning. Relatable, cute, dorky, and very lovable. Until he's not. I really can't pinpoint where this happened, but Dosan quickly became the most toxic, manipulative, serial liar with anger issues and violent tendencies, male lead who never gets called out for his actions. In fact, he is rewarded for everything he does, good and bad. Why? Because he's the main lead, of course! Duh.

On the other hand, we have Jipyeong, our second main lead who feels like the main lead but is treated like a punching bag and a waste disposal. Everything revolves around him: the plot, the letters, the character development, and the relationships with all the other characters. He is the heart and soul of the story, no matter what the writers were trying to convince us otherwise. This was in part Kim Seon Ho's doing, as he breathed life into his character. What I firmly believe happened was that Han Jipyeong was not MEANT to be as loved as he is. Rich, quick-witted with a sharp tongue and a self-made man, he could've easily become the antagonist of the story, but Seon Ho achieves in making him out to be a beautifully flawed human, a man who grew up with nothing and has had to fend for himself all his life. Props to Kim Seon Ho, who was a hidden gem that was discovered through this mess of a drama, and for that reason only I don't regret watching it with my entire self. As much as the viewers learned to love Jipyeong, the more the writers began to hate him, and his entire character arc ended with a whimper, leaving us unfulfilled and demanding justice for him.

As for Seo Dalmi, our female lead, the writers were amazingly horrible in developing her. She went from being independent, hard-working, dream-filled to a pathetic and helpless nobody who couldn't do anything without the help of a man. We never really learn what she's thinking, or why she's doing anything, or the reasoning behind any of her thoughts or actions. Honestly, I don't even know who she is. The show failed in fleshing her out and showing any sort of character growth and development on her end. She's a mystery box. You can't predict anything she'll do or say because nothing about her is consistent. Very disappointing.

Overall the show advertises itself as a business youth drama, but it really isn't. It pretends to be one until the plot falls apart and character development is thrown out the window. Plot holes everywhere, dead storylines, and "main" characters are more like cameo appearances- AKA Kang Hanna. The writers forgot the overall arc of the story and instead focused on a love triangle that went nowhere for 10 episodes. In all honesty, the plot could've been concluded in about 6 episodes. It dragged on for so long and so painfully, with virtually nothing happening in the second half. Without Seon Ho's portrayal of Jipyeong, I really doubt that this show would've caught the hearts of the viewers, and as amazing as he is I would still never recommend anyone to watch this show. You're better off watching clips of him on youtube.

Lessons and morals of the story? Cheat, lie, play dirty, fight your mentor and those who help you, blame others for your failures, never be grateful to your friends and family, use "fate" to explain your mistakes, and win the girl. Wonderful, very heart-warming.

I don't think I'll be watching another Bae Suzy or Nam Joo Hyuk work for a while to cleanse my palate from their portrayal of the worst characters in kdrama history, which is ironic given that I started this for them in the first place.

1/10.

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Overpowered Oppa with 768 IQ and ninja skills saves the day once again! I am surprised.

Listen to me. I really wanted to like this drama. I wanted to like this drama so bad that I watched it to the very end just so it could prove me wrong. I was crossing my fingers to the last minute, almost praying for it to get better. I ADORE Lee Je Hoon and Esom and I love the crime/thriller genre so there really was no reason for me to not like this except that... this is just bad. There, I said it. Now, let's get to the list of reasons why:

▪︎Writing▪︎
See, the fact that this drama is based on true cases was something that was like catnip for my True Crime loving heart. It started out strong as well with a few really jarring cases but soon it gave way to sheer monotony. The cases are so dramatized and they all follow the same black and white format: extremely evil villains get caught by a bunch of street smart folks out for vigilante justice.

That's ok, I mean. That's what you expect from an episodic drama what's not okay is the sheer amount of stupidity in literally every episode. The way these cases are solved is just mindnumbingly dumb. They hinge on convenient plot devices, pure luck on the good guys's side and Lee Je Hoon's ultra acting skills. Yes, you can let the ridiculousness slide once but not again and again.

▪︎ Just an example: ▪︎
Our ML wants to teach this criminal lady (who voice phishes people out of money) a lesson. He wants to play the biggest uno reverse card in k drama history and instead rob her out of all her wealth. So, what does he do? He romances her ofcourse. That's okay. Then, he goes along with her to the bank and leaves his duffel bag that is CONVENIENTLY fitted with a microscopic camera and asks her to take care of it. And what do you know, this lady who literally runs a whole voice phishing ring and bosses around quite a few dimwits CONVENIENTLY places that duffel bag on the freaking table where her atm pin machine is and she also CONVENIENTLY angles the bag towards the pin machine so the camera can CONVENIENTLY record her pin and the good guys can then CONVENIENTLY use that to rob her out of her money as revenge.

I mean, come on. Who even puts a gigantic ass duffel bag on the table and not the floor in the first place? And even if they do, how can the good guys know for sure that they will. It's just them counting their blessings instead of using actual smarts.

See, this is just one example because every single episode is filled with ridiculous stuff like this that requires a lot of suspension of belief.

Moreover, the way the Taxi Gang operates is akin to flashing a bright neon sign that says 'Look at us! We exist' so the entire secretive, batman hiding in broad daylight saving the world plotline falls flat hilariously.

There are also a lot of flashbacks, scene repetitions and just lazy writing with the way conflicts are written for the main leads.

▪︎Characters▪︎
This is your typical squad of self righteous goody two shoes united by their shared tragic pasts. The male lead is so over powered. He can fight, is smart, is hot, is basically a wonder boy all around. You know your typical oppa in every run of the mill k drama.

These guys never lose. Everything is just a small hiccup for them. Never mind the people they are trying to catch are seasoned murderers/criminals and have been successfully evading the authorities. No, because this gang of average joes can take them down EASILY.

I mean yes it helps that one is a hacker, one is an engineer, one is a CEO- but really these job descriptions are all just for the sake of moving the plot. These are one dimensional characters you've seen in so many dramas before and while there is definitely camaraderie and warmth between them, there's not enough focus on thorough character development both individually and in terms of the group dynamic for us to truly form a connection.

The serious problems they do face in the last couple of episodes are so tropey, badly written and resultant of their own stupidity complimented with pointless death baiting and trucks of doom that it's hard to sympathize.

The antagonists are screechy and definitely not the smartest bunch themselves so the entire drama is just a bunch of goldfishes fighting against each other.

▪︎Female Lead▪︎
Now this just made me mad. Prosecutor Kang Ha Na has to be one of the worst female leads I have ever seen on screen. Now, I know a lot of people didn't like the fact that she was out to get the group but I didn't have a problem with that. My entire issue was how useless she was. Her contribution to the plot was zero and she was just terrible at her job. I wanted her to have like 10 minutes of relevance and I would have been pacified but no throughout the show she wears these badass business casual suits and power walks to... literally nowhere.

She's the last to arrive at the scene, she solves nothing, saves nobody and basically is just a walking talking product placement there to create this fake and hollow opposition for the Taxi Gang and to justify or question their system of justice.
Cause after a while, even you start thinking that if the Prosecutor with so many resources at her disposal can't even decipher the most basic of clues, it's better to just let this rag tag group do their thing.

The only action the poor girl gets is this random gun firing in the air for like five seconds where she badly tries to assert her barely there authority. It's sad, really.

▪︎Plot Development▪︎
The ending episodes just makes the drama look like it's floundering for direction. For like 12 episodes, it has different cases, then suddenly it just focuses on this one villain and then phew that gets solved and what do we know, they pull out an entire plot line from thin air and just throw it in your face. There's no structure at all to the show and it feels like the writer brainstormed all these ideas and just splattered them all on screen without any elegance whatsoever.

▪︎Acting▪︎
Now, here's why watching this drama really hurt me. The cast is phenomenal. Lee Je Hoon is a chameleon. He is great at completely embodying every role he does. Esom is so charismatic on screen. The rest of the cast is great as well but the plot execution and script is so bad that despite the talented cast, it's just 16 episodes of wasted potential.

▪︎What I Did Like▪︎
The only saving grace for me was the comedic moments in the show cause they made me smile and Lee Je Hoon in his various roles was a delight to watch. There was also a lot of potential love/hate bickering chemistry between Kang Ha Na and Kim Do Ki that was left untapped.
The action sequences while enjoyable are nearly not as sophisticated as some other productions. Some fights look obviously fake and visibly "acted". You see the punch, hear the punch but it's like it never really landed lmao. Still, action with hype music playing in the back is always good.

I also loved Esom's Prosecutor boss but he has a total screentime of like 30 minutes in the entire show so that's awkward.

▪︎Ending thoughts▪︎

In my opinion, this drama is a time waste and massively undeserving of the hype. Better examples of episodics with a gang of underdogs fighting crime with crime can probably be found in Bad Guys and Mad Dog.

So, even though I know that you guys are readying yourself for hate comments and downvotes right now, this drama still gets a solid NO for me. Sorry.

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The Beauty Of ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’…

“My name is Woo Young-woo, as in flower and luck. It means a lucky charm as pretty as flowers. But perhaps Young-woo as in clever and foolish would’ve been a better fit. Woo Young-woo, who remembers every single book she’s read since birth but can’t even go through a revolving door. Clever and foolish Woo Young-woo.” - Woo Young Woo ( Park Eun Bin).

Legal romance drama ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ attempted to make some big steps in the world of procedural dramas with a positive representation of autism and some complicated legal cases. However while the sixteen-episode series certainly soared far and high with its subject, plot and acting performances, it certainly had a few issues along the way also.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is mainly focused upon upcoming law attorney Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin- ‘ Operation Proposal’, ‘ Do You Like Brahms?’ and ‘ The King’s Affection’) at Hanbada Law Firm. An intelligent and top-achieving law graduate from Seoul National University, Young Woo finds it hard to navigate her way through social and emotional situations due to being on the autism spectrum. Struggling with earning respect from those in the law profession as well as clients, Young Woo’s journey to make it to the top is far from easy or straightforward. However, with the surprising support and camaraderie of fellow coworker and young lawyer Lee Joon Ho ( Kang Tae-oh- ‘ My First First Love’, ‘ Doom At Your Service’ and ‘ Run On), Young-Woo is determined to continue persevering and to overcome social prejudices.

Probably best known for ‘ Innocent Witness’, screenwriter Moon Ji Won is likely not a familiar name for many K-drama watchers. Nevertheless, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Ji Won’s writing decisions as well as subject matters. At heart, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a fairly lighthearted watch. Of course, this isn’t to say the series isn’t afraid to delve into some deeper issues. (Screenwriter Ji Won was fairly open about addressing topics such as stigmatisation, assault and crime to name just a few.) However , it is important to acknowledge that ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ doesn’t expect or require viewers to have in-depth knowledge about everything addressed. Instead, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a procedural drama with a big heart and attempted to remain fairly accessible to a wide audience .

It is infectiously feel good ( if not a little tiresomely at times),comical as well as surprisingly touching with its open address of real-life issues.Nevertheless, the show does admittedly run into trouble in a few moments with accurate depiction and has divided some viewers over its “factual” representation. ( Especially with regards to the portrayal of autism throughout the course of the series.)

Delving into ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ would not be complete without talking about the title namesake and main female lead, Woo Young-Woo. Played brilliantly by actress Park Eun Bin, Woo Young-Woo is a character who could’ve easily gone of one of two ways. Young-Woo is shown to be a quirky individual. She has a complete obsession and fascination with aquatic mammals ( especially whales) and has a meticulous routine with the order of things in her bedroom, as well as partaking in eating her father Woo Gwang-ho (Jeon Bae-su)’s carefully prepared kimbap on a fairly daily basis. However as the plot premise would suggest with Young Woo’s new profession, one of the female lead’s major growth points comes through having to acknowledge that real-life can rarely be so structured.

The motif of whales in the opening and ending credits, their symbolism on objects as well as passing dialogue at times by Young-Woo can often be said to wonderfully coincide with Young Woo’s character growth and journey. ( Whales are symbols of extraordinariness, strength as well as change; traits that perfectly epitomised Young-Woo’s personal journey .)

Additionally, there were moments in ‘ Extraordinary Young Woo’ which could feel a little frustrating with little frustrating to see Young Woo having taken one step forwards and one step back at times. Although in retrospect, it did help to add a touch of realism to Young Woo’s personal struggles. ( One of the most heart-wrenching moments of the series occurred when Ji-Woo openly spoke out about social stigmas held against those with autism; “ Even now, hundreds of people click the like button on a comment that says, ‘It is a national loss if a medical student dies, and an autistic person lives.’ That is the weight of this disability that we bear.” ) As mentioned previously, her autism is admittedly a topic of debate for a lot of viewers with regards to its accuracy but regardless of opinion, it seemed as though Moon Ji Won’s depiction of an autistic and successful female lead was well-intentioned.

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding her surprising ally and coworker Lee Joon Ho, played fairly consistently by actor Kang Tae Oh. Lee Joon Ho is what many viewers would define as the “ nice guy” archetype; sweet and a good person to have in the female lead’s corner as well as a potential love interest for the writing of the show but a little staid at times also.Of course, this is certainly not a bad writing decision per say. He was fairly supportive, kindhearted, had his own struggles at times as well as remaining non-judgemental when it came to first meeting Young Woo and learning of her autism, instead valuing personhood rather than her disability. ( “I want to be on the same side as you, Attorney Woo. I want an attorney like you to be on my side.”)

However considering Joon Ho’s relevance in the storyline as well as the focus on empathy throughout the series , it felt odd that the narrative didn’t delve slightly deeper into some of these writing traits. Aside from that, his potential romantic relationship with Young Woo was admittedly a subject of debate for a lot of viewers. Although some saw this as a positive and healthy relationship as well as a good message put across for autistic characters to have love interests, others have noted that the potential relationship seemed a little enforced and took away somewhat from the initial camaraderie between the main leads.

In addition to the main leads, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ boasts an eclectic group of side characters also. Woo Gwang-ho, played by Jeon Bae-su, was a surprisingly heartwarming side character as Young Woo’s single father, senior attorney at Hanbada, Jung Myung-seok ( Kang Ki Young) was Young Woo’s stern boss and mentor, Choi Su-yeon ( Ha Yoon-kyung), played the role as the female lead’s coworker and her former classmate at law school, Han Seon-young ( Baek Ji Won) was the CEO of Hanbada law firm and her father’s old friend from university, Kwon Min-soo ( Joo Jong-hyuk), Young Woo’s peer at work, and Dong Geu-ra-mi ( Joo Hyun-young), Woo Young’s close friend and associate.

The narrative of the series unsurprisingly takes an episodic format; a situation or dilemma case is presented to the characters and the audience, Young Woo’s approach or reaction to a situation is often seen as unconventional or comes under scrutiny by those around her, Young Woo is forced to work hard to prove her approach is okay, and then she is forced to confront or resolve the issue or dilemma of the episode, often resulting in a bittersweet outcome or a surprising turn of events.

Perhaps the one problem with the narrative structure came through feeling a little predictable and repetitive at times. Early episodes rarely fell into this trap but later episodes did noticeably begin to heavily rely on niche tropes which while having the possibility to be intriguing in the frame of ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’, were often slightly niche. ( Cliches such as the “ traumatic backstory”, an “ envious antagonist” and the “ enemies to lovers” being noticeable in particular.)

Stylistically under the directing reigns of Yoo In Shik, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ was a fairly slick and glossy production. The palette scheme was multifaceted; ranging and varying from scene to scene and heavily dependent on changing mood, tone and atmosphere. Although this was a fairly standard approach, it certainly did often help to animate scenes to life for viewers. (Standout examples include the ever-changing neutrals of the law firm feeling warm or harsh, the friendly and comforting tones of Young Woo’s family home and the use of rain, sunshine or nighttime background to reflect the feelings and emotions of the characters.)

The comprised OST for ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ was typically upbeat and lighthearted. A few of these tracks often bordered on being overly chirpy while others were bittersweet and serenading. Admittedly there were a few songs throughout the sounds track which did feel a little indistinguishable from one another but this was also dependent on personal taste. However, there were some songs such as Beyond My Dreams" (상상) by Sunwoojunga and “Tuning In To You" (기울이면) by Wonstein which did stand out.

‘ My Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a procedural series filled to the brim with heartfelt moments and empathy. Naturally the series did have its ups and downs ( especially in the latter part of the drama), but the main cast were fairly consistent throughout with their onscreen acting . (Especially actress Park Eun Bin). Overall, a fairly good watch though a little rough around the edges.

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Low stakes and oversaturation of characters

Before going into this, it was already pretty clear that Strong Woman DBS, which had one of the most iconic kdrama couples ever, was a difficult act to follow. I'm going to try and get all the comparisons out of the way first. While I wasn't a HUGE fan of the humor in SWDBS, it knew well enough to take serious moments seriously, and everything else was strong enough to make up for it; I loved the leads and the murder plot was thrilling and high-stakes. This drama has the same issue with its humor, but its other aspects are either weak or worse.

The humor just isn't my style at all. There's a lot of physical humor and over-acting; it might be fine if it was only used in select moments, but I felt like it permeated every second of drama, even big fight scenes and what should've been tense moments with antagonists. Overall it made the entire tone of the drama seem kind of off — as if nothing actually mattered because it was all for laughs.

The drug plot felt low-stakes not just because of the tone, but also just because of the way it was written. I don't think anyone going into this drama should expect any profound commentary on drugs or class issues in South Korea. The drama seems to try every once in a while with an offhanded comment, but it really doesn't go much deeper and it's even self-contradictory sometimes. There's parts where they touch upon it, but they also make its lead a "good billionaire" because she's kind with her money and because she pulled herself up by her bootstraps. It felt contradictory to any commentary, just so viewers could get some #girlboss moments.

In terms of characters — I'm not a fan of ensembles to begin with and this drama is a good example of why. It felt like there were so many characters and so many subplots that none of them got enough screentime to be complete, and less important subplots took over more engaging ones. The drama spent SO MUCH screentime on the grandmother's romance, which felt slapstick and unserious, while Namsoon and Heeshik's screentime began to dwindle. And as the drama went on it felt like more and more antagonists were getting introduced as random side characters, and because they served no purpose other than to trigger plot points and had no backstory or personality, they began to blur into each other.

The only antagonist that really had a good story was the villain Ryu Shi-O, but my bigger issue with him plays into my low-stakes criticism. He was just...a bad villain. He has physical abilities, sure, but his plans, goals, and motivations weren't that clear, and most of all I just can't believe that he couldn't piece together anything our protagonists were planning when they were being so obvious about it. I mean...Namsoon's acting...

With so many things going on, romantic lines didn't have enough screentime for good development. I'd already mentioned not caring about the grandmother's romance, and while Namsoon/Heeshik were the best in the show, it felt like they didn't really go deeper than both of them being cute.

Honestly, I think there's an audience for this somewhere out there — maybe someone who likes quirkiness and shenanigans — but it's not me. I'm giving this a 2 (and not a 1) just because it didn't utterly infuriate me as much as me just not really caring.

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