It's like watching cartoons (not in a good way)
There's a hero who saves the day and there's Vincenzo who fixes every problem/issue/injustice like a walk in the park 3 days before it even happens lolEvery episode ends on this major problem that they make seem like the end of the world with no way out. Yet on every next episode's first scene comes Vincenzo laughing in our faces like: SIKE!! I already knew about this and took my measures to prevent it!! Everything is great literally less than 10 minutes into the episode.
So Vincenzo knows everything about everyone and knows how the bad guys will think and act before they themselves know. Nothing (literally) is stopping him or slowing him down whatsoever. He's perfect and makes no mistakes. So why are we watching? It's incredibly unrealistic and unmotivating to watch someone who is good at everything. If I know that everything would magically work out for him anyway then what's the point?
The plot is a mess and I don't understand how it has a nearly 9 rate. Maybe people are seeing something I'm not but what I see is... A perfect mafia guy who killed lots of people and could never face problems, suddenly joins a bunch of random people's long fight against a huge corporation in a country he doesn't even know and swears to help them achieve "justice for some reason that was never discussed.
The fl character is flat and two-dimensional although being funny and quirky and quite promising in the first few episodes which, if used properly, could've been a really good and fresh view of female leads in kdramas.
Vincenzo's character being in the mafia was also a fresh concept that I was excited about until they butchered it literally in the first half of the first episode. And for the rest of the drama cut the whole mafia storyline down to being too cool and too smart and too ahead of everyone plus a bunch of random quotes said in Italian.
and what with the dreams he always has of killing people? What even is the purpose of those?
Every episode is longer than an hour which is extremely long for the lack of events in each one. it got quite boring really fast and sometimes I had to increase playback speed because everything is just SO SLOW I don't know why.
I don't have a problem with "easy to watch" light dramas. I also love Song Joong-ki (I really really do. He's the only reason I continued the drama) But this drama isn't light it's just plain ridiculous and I'm genuinely sad to say that I regret watching it!
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COULD'VE BEEN PERFECT
I was onboard the moment it was announced that Song Joong Ki will star, I was expecting a big serious action drama but i was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually lighter in tone - something i didnt know I needed.ACTING. 9.5. Song Joong Ki as Vincenzo was just phenomenal here. Oh Taecyeon as Jang Jung Woo was so terrifying and was a revelation. Jeon Yeo Been's quirky and smart Hong Cha Young was just the right amount. The pool of amazing support cast - Kwak Dong Yeon, Kim Yeo Jin, Jo Han Chul, Yoo Jae Myung, and all the Geumga Plaza residents were all top notch.
STORY and EXECUTION. 8.5. The premise is interesting - and the overarching idea of good vs evil or evil versus lesser evil is not original but executed well. The shift in tone when Vincenzo arrived in Korea and the touch of comedy was also somehow welcoming.
However, in the middle of the series I got tired of the chess-like moves each camp is making, that it became a little hard to take things seriously. I questioned whether Vincenzo was really a scary mafia that we were constantly reminded of, and whether Jang Jung Woo was really a baddy or just a a spoiled little twat. It didnt help that the main characters, despite being constantly faced with danger or threat remained alive, almost till the end. Somehow it felt like the story and the lifespan of the characters were extended because the number of episodes were extended. Also, the fact that everyone in the Geumga Plaza building were somehow hiding a secret identity just made the story telling convenient but not necessarily engaging.
The special effects were also amazing.
REWATCHEABILITY. 8.5. Id argue that you can watch it and mute the sounds and the show will still be watchable thanks to the visuals of Joong-Ki - this guy age so well. Okay in all seriousness, although there are some weak moments, the light tones sprinkled within the series made it easy to watch and re-watch. The characters are easy to love and the villains are so hateable that overall it is still entertaining.
OVERALL im giving this show a 9 out of 10.
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When In Rome ( or Seoul), Take A Leaf Out Of Vincenzo’s Book...
Park Jae Bum’s ( The Fiery Priest, Chief Kim)screenwriting as well as director Kim Hee Won ( The Crowned Clown, Love You) did leave a distinct mark of their combined style by mixing heavy-hitting tension with lighthearted moments throughout the storyline .
Yet whilst the comedy is evidently prominent in the plot to relieve more vigorous themes, it is probably fair to say that typical of Jae Bum’s screenwriting, the comedy often felt slightly juvenile in parts and an unnecessary weight at times. ( In certain episodes, you’d go from having an incredibly intriguing and fierce revelation exposing the mafia’s dark roots, only to have a tiresome gag in the next such as a word play upon Vincenzo’s name in early episodes.)
Admittedly, there are several moments in the drama ( even by the main cast ) which may raise an eyebrow by questionable line deliverances. However, as far as acting is concerned, the main cast were absolutely brilliant as our main leads.Song Joong Ki and Ok Tae’s Yeon headline the drama by their high-profile acting careers, however, even fellow costars Jeon Yeo Bin and Kwan Dong Yeon will quickly win the hearts and affections of the viewers also.
The characterisation in the drama was honestly a mixed bag. Song Joong Ki’s character Vincenzo was undeniably an intriguing protagonist. Whilst initially falling into the trap of the romanticised ‘ good gangster’, it was intriguing to see screenwriter Jae Bum breaking this mould in order to develop Vincenzo with sentience and realistically questionable morality rather than merely being a " hero who saves the day". However, there was a lot which felt vacuous with Vincenzo’s character, not least never going into his actual reasons for joining the mafia as a consigliere ( which was always half-baked) , his bond or relationship with his adopted Italian parents and ultimately exploring the actual reasons why his birth mother gave him up in the first place.
Next, is our main female lead Hong Cha Young ( Jeon Yeo Bin). Cha Young did initially seem to go down the route or being a little irksome in the beginning of the drama, but, her unreserved assertions and loyalty towards Vincenzo soon become defining qualities about the character. For instance, Cha Young has long-held enmity throughout the show towards Kim Yeo Jin’s character Prosecutor Choi Myung Hee. (Or ‘ Zumba Snake’) which certainly was maintained . On the other hand, similar to Vincenzo , Cha-Young is not a flawless character. Sometimes, she struggled to be lifted from being anything more than one- dimensional such as her textbook-style, (rather than emotional) responses initially to the events around her father Hong Yoo Chan ( Yoo Jae Myung) in earlier episodes. ( Which after their initial use in the main storyline, were disregarded completely without Cha-Young even contemplating this significant factor again.)
As far as the relationship between Cha Young and Vincenzo is concerned, it was a fairly predictable formula. There was nothing inherently wrong with it per say and did present some essential bonding moments between the characters, however, it often felt a little enforced for the sake of plot when it was necessary , rather than developing this with the respected characters’ thoughts and feelings in mind.
Antagonists are an intriguing conversation to talk about in the drama. From the cliche cronies, law firm enthusiasts Choi Myung Hee ( arguably one of the most annoying villains in the show) , CEO of the rival law firm Woosang Han Seung Hyuk ( Jo Han Chul) and the " dumb, but not so bad" masqueraded CEO of ‘ Babel Group’( Kwan Dong Yeon), the show has an odd array of trope advisories .
However, finishing up assessing ' Vincenzo’ wouldn’t be completed without talking about the drama’s main villain Jang Jun Woo. This is because, Jun Woo is designed to be the " ultimate twist villain" and " big bad" early on in the series, but, he was often underplayed as a dead weight and minor threat until later events. This wouldn’t have been such a bad screenwriting decision, if the show had used some time to go into Jun Woo’s backstory ( apart from a couple of brief flashbacks) or sketched him out more than just a " villain you’re supposed to hate". Jun Woo is far from romanticised or glossed over and whilst later episodes enjoy going into a " Sherlock Holmes And Moriarty" rivalry between Vincenzo and Jun Woo, there was little sense of actual build or intrigue behind similarities (and even differences) between them. Of course, Jun Woo served his main purpose; a disturbing evildoer, but he could have certainly been so much more than a one-dimensional moustache twirling villain.
The ending did hold the drama in good-stead with a bittersweet cliffhanger which reflected the overall themes and genres of the show. Admittedly, there were a couple of things which could have been tied more concisely in the ending ( despite its long duration), but, it did bring an appropriate finale. With an odd balance between genres and screenwriting decisions, Vincenzo is attractive for viewers’ attention by its main premise and cast. Certainly enjoyable in parts and not unwatchable, but, a little overrated for what its worth.
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Horrible Overrated
I constantly see this show being hyped up but honestly I don’t think it’s that good?The female lead is underdeveloped, she’s supposedly a top lawyer defending a company with plenty of dirt to be dug up (meaning you’d have to be very good at your job to keep them from losing the case), and yet she’s constantly relying on Vincenzo. Everything being done is all Vincenzo Vincenzo Vincenzo. Who made the plan? Vincenzo. Who is the key player for said plan? Vincenzo. Etc. She should’ve been given more opportunities to actually do something because she was a useless character that didn’t live up to her background. Not to mention she’s honestly a questionable character. Like she knew what Babel was doing and yet she didn’t care to do shit until it affected her personally (her dad being killed). Like…?
Moving on from her, the main enemies (Vincenzo and Jun Woo) are not at all an even match. Vincenzo overpowers the villains wayyy too much. He’s constantly planning ahead and is seemingly immortal (literally how is it that hard to kill a single person) while the villains are set up to be so tough and yet they’re really not all that? Honestly they’re stupid. For example, Vincenzo’s mom. They see that Vincenzo, who has yet to be really personally affected by them but is still set on destroying them, is a real threat and that he has a weak old mom who he loves. And what do they do? They killed her, giving him even more motivation to destroy them. The smart move would’ve been to have kidnapped her and controlled him using her. And despite how obviously weaker they are compared to Vincenzo it still took him so long to destroy them. Like??? Realistically it really should’ve taken him a week, max. Especially given he wasnt even going in accordance to the law, he just ended up killing them which he could’ve easily done before.
As for the side characters, I get that they’re for comedic purposes but they’re so useless and unrealistic. Useless because they served no purpose to the plot that couldn’t have easily been given to a different character who already has purpose. And unrealistic because what are the chances that a bunch of secretly amazing fighters just happen to live together?
And as for Han Seo, I have no particular problem with his character, if anything he’s probably the best written one, but his death was so cheap. Like I get you want something with an emotional impact to make the show more memorable, but you could at least make his death useful. His death served no purpose to the plot, could’ve been easily avoided, and created a hole in Vincenzo’s character (as in, he’s supposedly some mastermind and yet instead of grabbing the gun and shooting Jun Woo, which would’ve saved Han Seo, he goes to Cha Young which was useless).
But that’s just my opinion, feel free to disagree.
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Good potential marred by poor scripting and character development
WARNING: This review does contain a fair amount of spoilers, and is meant for people who have watched the drama and are here to commiserate.First off, Vincenzo is not a bad drama. It is well produced, entertaining and the cast is sufficiently charismatic enough to make one feel invested. But it always feels like you’re waiting for that Great Plot Moment to happen, rather than actually getting said Great Plot Moment.
Make no mistake, this is not for lack of trying on the scriptwriter’s part. In fact, often it feels as though the drama is trying to serve up an entire buffet of iconic screen moments - a la romantic sit ups from Secret Garden that people will reference for years to come - rather than to tell an actual story. The basic bones of the plot has the potential to go quite deep, and being constantly offered this sort of shallow entertainment instead of something more substantial left the bad taste of dissatisfaction after every episode.
To begin with, we had an infallible hero pitted against a one-dimensional villain.
Vincenzo is a Mary-Sue. His plans never fail. He knows everyone who is anyone. Everybody loves him (except of course, the baddies). He always manages to light his iconic lighter on the first attempt. He also gets hit by a truck and makes a complete recovery, without so much as needing physiotherapy or even recovery time after waking up. He escapes an entire intelligence organisation (make that two intelligence organisations) continuously throughout the show, AND to top if off, he kills off side characters in the same offhand way as the villains but never ever faces any kind of consequence for it. Clearly, god's favour - that being the scriptwriter - rests on him.
On the other hand, poor Tacyeon received no such blessings. Jang Joon Woo is portrayed as an absolute villain. He is violent, self-serving and psychotic. He has no redeeming qualities, no deep motivations for his actions, no sad backstory to humanise him. He is simply there to be the villain. Even his cute puppy love for Hong Cha Young is ephemeral, serving no plot purpose except possibly comedy and 2PM fan service. It appears that Chaka-nim did not love him enough to make him an actual person. Chaka-nim used him simply to drive the plot forward and give the audience a 100% pure unadulterated evil character to hate.
Next, the themes of the drama were not properly developed.
With the hero and the villain being such polar opposites, there is no meaningful way to explore the theme of good and evil — a theme one would fully expect from a show such as this. Both Vincenzo and Jang Joon Woo are bad guys, so what makes us root for one over the other? What, exactly, is good and what is evil? These are the thoughts that the drama should have provoked in the audience. More deliberate side-by-side lining up of these two characters, muddying up the lines between them would have made for a more compelling story. Yes the drama does frequently drop reminders that Vincenzo is no angel, but still expects us to love and adore him all the same, as shown by the ensemble cast.
Similarly, so much more could have been done with Hong Cha Young. Her motivations and character development in the drama are vague, to say the least. She has no clear growth arc. She initially appears motivated by revenge, but her father’s death is quickly forgotten once it has served its purpose of bringing her and Vincenzo together. Does she change as the story progresses? Does she become more like those she is trying to destroy? Does she grow into fully inheriting her father’s legacy as the “Last Straw”? We don’t know because, like Jang Joon Woo, she is there merely to serve the plot and the romance. It is such a waste because she is perfectly positioned to explore how a person might become evil, sort of like a possible origin story suggesting how the male leads might have ended up being who they are. She would also have been a much more suitable adversary to Choi Myung Hee, driven as she is by personal revenge, as well as possibly being the younger version of Choi Myung Hee had the drama made use of that potential direction. Which, as with so many other opportunities, it didn’t.
Finally, a note about the drama’s presentation of violence.
Watching Vincenzo, I felt uncomfortable with the way the drama handled violence and gangsterism. It was not Jang Joon Woo’s rampage scenes that bothered me, even though those were graphic. Those were clearly portrayed as wrong and undesirable. It was the way the drama permitted its heroic couple to casually kill off side characters with no reprimand or consequence. Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young engage in their own share of violence, either directly or indirectly, killing off those they wish to seek vengeance on, who are in their way, or who have outlived their usefulness, but their position as heroes is never once questioned. They continue to enjoy the adulation of all the ‘good people’ in the drama and, by extension, that of the audience too. I understand that this is a show about pitting a lesser evil against a greater evil, and the writers wanted to highlight the morally ambiguous aspect of Vincenzo, but they definitely have double standards for Vincenzo and Jang Joon Woo’s equally criminal, and equally selfishly motivated acts, presenting Jang Joon Woo’s crimes as abominable while excusing Vincenzo’s deeds. This, more so than the actual violence itself, makes me feel that the drama fully deserves its M18 rating on Netflix.
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Sorry I watched it
This is tagged as " Comedy, Law, Romance, Crime, Drama" and it was, initially. There was a rather uneasy blend of crime and comedy, but the humor was quirky and the soundtrack provided a lot of good laughs. I initially hadn't planned to watch it because I hate most Mafia dramas (I went to school with children of real Mafia bosses, so it's not a world I find amusing) and because I'm not very impressed with Song Joong Ki's acting (bring on the haters!). Song was better than I expected but still not great - he simply doesn't have the gravitas I expect from a consiglieri. And I never felt any romantic vibes between him and Jeon Yeo Bin; they were pretty cold fish until the hastily tacked on end scenes.But he real issue is that it went from a nice hidden treasure drama to a vicious revenge drama with over-graphic hate and sadism. There was nothing likeable about Vincenzo, who showed himself to be a purely evil as the psychopath he was trying to bring down. And what happened to all the gold? Was anything worthwhile done with it, or were the tenants just sucked into Vincenzo's world of revenge and greed? In the end, he corrupted them all.
The star performance was, of course, was Ok Taec Yeon, who went from a bumbling office assistant to an evil psychopath seamlessly and believably. It was a great performance. In the end, I felt sorry for him, a clearly troubled defective human being, while I disliked Vincenzo immensely. If you enjoy cruelty and revenge, you might like this. But don't be deceived by the lighthearted moments in the beginning - this drama is nasty.
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EXTREMELY OVERHYPED
i don't even know where to start. this drama is so overrated and people praise it too much that i felt the need to voice out my opinions about it.BAD
1. the story
i am completely disappointed about how it turned out. when i first watched the trailer, i was like oh it's a mafia concept, this is gonna be interesting and new. i was expecting it to focus on vincenzo being a mafia, how the mafia works, or some storylines related to italy. i was expecting it to be unique and worth the watch because it's a new concept of kdramas. but instead, it turned out to be the usual good vs bad plot. it's SO CLICHÉ it had so much potential to have one of the best kdrama plots of the year yet it provided nothing new. those usual corrupt characters, lawyers against lawyers, gang fights, kidnapping, murdering bc they gonna ruin the plan, revenge etc. my mom and i literally predicted the whole main plot right on the first episodes (what happened to the dad, **** teaming up with vincenzo, **** switching sides etc) and even who's the real villain. the whole story is repetitive, bad does something bad > good tries to defeat the bad > bad loses > bad revenges to good > good loses then revenges and so on. it's just a series of tom and jerry episodes :/ people praised the plot too much saying it's smart, amazing, thrilling when it's not. could've added some emotional elements as well.
2. the whole essence of vincenzo being a mafia is USELESS
please, he's just the common male protagonist except that he has a gun and he's from italy. i don't get why they made him a mafia character when he's not really different from other male protagonists. the kdrama made him look smart and the viewers think he is overly smart, but no he's not. it's just that the other characters are stupid. there's nothing special about his character and it made me frustrated because i really looked forward to how they will portray a mafia character. i expected this already, but being a mafia is so romanticized in the story. well it's a fictional story after all.
3. a lot of useless fillers
i can handle lengthy dramas. i have even watched dramas with around 60 episodes. but i have not watched a lengthy drama that has so many useless fillers as this one. many episodes did not contribute to the story or the ending, many episodes did not have a permanent after effect. they never should've brought those episodes in, it won't even make the story different. when something happens, usually there's an aftermath that would give a shift or upgrade to the story. but in this one, after that particular part happens, they just move on as if nothing happened. there's no cause and effect, it's basically just in there to make the story longer. oh and please they should've added essence or purpose whenever there is a failed attempt by the good guys, like sure it's necessary that the protagonists don't succeed at first try. but atleast give a reason why that had to happen, give that part a purpose (e.g they met a new character, they discovered something etc). atp it's just a whole trial and error story. don't get me even started about how much they emphasized some things at the start but at the end was almost forgotten or wasn't really a big part of the plot.
4. it did not excel in any genre it could fit in
it could've been atleast outstanding on one genre, but it isn't. action? no. law? no. thriller? no, wasn't thrilled at all because it's predictable and nothing remarkable happens (could be because i've watched around 100 kdramas already but idk). black comedy? no. it fairly did well on black comedy, but half of the time cringey and there's no scene that really sticked on my head for a long time. i also had a problem with one specific episode that had the purpose of contributing to the black comedy, i will explain that later. on.
AVERAGE
1. acting
i am satisfied with the acting. every actor portrayed their role well and the actor that stood out the most was kwak dong yeon. here's an unpopular opinion, i feel like song joong ki wasnt the best choice for the role vincenzo. don't get me wrong, i love sjk and i know he did his best to portray his character and i am satisfied with his performance. but i personally think because the character is a mafia, the actor should've been manlier and more intimidating. and sjk is the total opposite of that, he has feminine (positive way) and soft visuals. he's not intimidating at all tbh, but since he did a great job, i don't want to complain too much about it. imo however, the role would've suited better for other particular actors. it's not the "this role was made for him" as everyone thinks it is.
GOOD
1. the ost
nothing more to explain about this. the osts were great and added impact to scenes that wouldn't have been impactful at all.
2. attracts kdrama newbies
probably because the genre is black comedy? kdrama newbies won't focus much on the quality of the story, if it has comedy and some good vs bad plot with some fairly good scenes, they'll automatically love and enjoy it. another thing is that it's song joong ki, he is a very famous actor internationally.
now about the specific episode i mentioned that had the purpose of black comedy, that episode really disturbed me. it was homophobic and as someone who is part of the lgbtq+ community, i loathed the way the portrayed those scenes. those type of characters rarely get portrayed in a kdrama, but they chose to portray a gay character as a disgusting criminal. (i will use they/them when pertaining to the gay character) and the way vincenzo was disgusted by their actions? it was utterly disturbing. oh and don't even make excuses that he's disgusted because they're a criminal, if that's the case, he would've been disgusted in the first place and not particularly when they do gay actions. besides, vincenzo is a mafia. he surely encountered way worse people and he's used to criminals.
to summarize it all, vincenzo is not a special drama and the story is cliche. it isn't worth to watch, there are a lot of better ones. if you think this is the best (or one of the best) kdrama of all time, then you're seriously missing out a lot. i can name more than 70 kdramas better than this. the fiery priest is a lot better (they're from the same writer and has similar genre), it has amazing action, amazing comedy, amazing characters especially protagonist, and the whole kdrama is really enjoyable. vincenzo and the fiery priest both has those cliche corrupt characters, but the fiery priest has better personal story of the protagonist and the protagonist itself is more charming and unique (i mean where tf can u see a handsome priest that **********). vincenzo is a 4/10, tfp is a 9/10. even tho tfp has one side of the kdrama where it's cliche, the rest is outstanding.
anyways, if you're just a starter, then vincenzo could be a good introduction to kdramas.
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I DON'T GET THE HYPE..... BUT I DO
As someone interested in the genre I was rlly excited to see VINCENZO.I think almost everybody recommended it to me.
After the show I was utterly disappointed😞.
The story was nothing but plot holes. (Nd I just can't bear plot holes 😤)
The illogicality blew me away.
The acting was the only reason which stopped me from dropping it.
Initial episodes were ok, but then it went downhill. Again the show got a hold of itself in the midways nd wrapped it up terribly.
As the title say, I don't get the hype with such an awful story line ......... but i do 😶 (U KNOW WAT I MEAN RIGHT)
🚨NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL🚨
WATCH AT UR OWN RISK!!
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Song Joonki is the only reason this show has done so well
I’ll start by adding that I don’t pay attention to music so I gave it a 5 because I can’t say if it’s above or below average.Anyways.
So first, let’s talk about the plot. People praise it for having a strong plot line, but really there’s so many plot holes. Like why would the villains decide to kill his mom when they could’ve kidnapped her? What was going on in their brain to make them think he would just stop because his mom died and not be even more motivated to get revenge… That’s just one example, there’s plenty.
As for the comedy, which is supposed to be dark comedy but really the show is just a mix of action and forced funny moments, it’s very meh for me. Some moments I laughed at, but as I already mentioned, there’s also some parts that feel very forced. Also wtf was that scene where the pigeon saved him?? I mention it now because I assume it was meant to be a funny scene, but really it felt stupid.
As for the characters and the actors portraying them, I think it all could’ve been done better. For Vincenzo, they should’ve chose an older actor with a more mature/rough looking face. Song Joonki’s acting wasn’t bad but his face really didn’t fit the role. Also Vincenzo’s character was way too overpowering, like he always had a plan for everything and seemed to almost never listen. It took away from the suspense because you could always trust that he’d get out of the problem he’s in. As for the villains, they seemed to just be there for comedy, like a cartoon villain, which would be fine if not for how smart Vincenzo is. The female lawyer villain carried her team, it’s amazing how stupid everyone else (and even her at times) was. Like really, how hard can it be to kill one man? Even if he is a mafia, he still has a limit. As for the female lead, I don’t have a problem with how energetic she is, but she literally did nothing. Her only purpose seemed to be giving the two male characters (main villain and male lead) dimension. It was always Vincenzo’s plan, she never came up with a helpful or vital idea. It amazes me that she was a top lawyer defending such a problematic company and yet she acts so stupid when working with Vincenzo.
The pacing isn’t great either. It should’ve been a few episodes shorter, I think, because the first few episodes are really slow and the last episode was filled with villain deaths, which should’ve felt satisfying but there was no suspense to them so they felt empty.
Overall, not the worst thing to watch if you have nothing else to do, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it or recommend it to someone trying to get into kdramas because it’s not that impressive (if anyone is trying to get into kdramas, I’d recommend Mr Sunshine, My Mister, Sky Castle, Hymn of Death, Hotel Del Luna, and Mr Queen).
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some good moments with so many problems
This is the first time I'm writing a review so I'm gonna keep it simpleLikes
- song joongki
- choi myunghee death scene (the filmography was absolutely gorgeous)
- symbolism in the show is used beautifully
- some of the twists are really good ideas (idk about the execution of them)
- concept
- kwak dongyeon's character was one of the only put together characters in the show
- same for kim yeojin
Negatives
- Taecyeon's acting genuinely got me riled up, maybe it's just not for me. The switches between English and Korean are jarring and he overreacts, I couldn't take him seriously at all.
- Cutting of the scenes? I feel like so much of the show is happening behind the screen, none of the actual action, the plotting is shown and when I want to see more in one scene, we jump to another scene in another setting. It's hard to feel any connection to this show.
- Heros are supposed to have highs and lows - the lows never really came for Vincenzo so it was hard to once again feel connected to his character. Yes, he's a mastermind but everything just came with no explanation
- I feel like I didn't know anything about hong cha young's character other than the fact that she was Vincenzo's love interest and just went along with everything he did
- the comedy tag on the show is super misleading, nothing is funny about this show and they used it so they can just stuff random nonsense into the plot which can be entertaining but not funny
- I really wish the writers fully fleshed out the characters because the main concept behind both Vincenzo and Hong Chayoung as well, is that they're anti-heroes and so much can be done with that but they make dumb decisions.
- randomly including the police in the last episode when all the characters have faced little to no legal reprecussions in the previous episodes
- there's so much more I could say but I forgot so
To conclude, I truly believe that this could've been a well-plotted out show with more (40 maybe?) episodes but the writers/directors would just stuff in random uncorrelated twists in the show.
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This is pure GOLD ;)
Strong partnership between leads✓ Friendship✓ Action✓ Perfect amount of suspense✓ Comedy✓ A sprinkle of Romance✓Are you looking for a drama that'll have you hooked straight from the get go? Yes...? Well then sadly you'll be a bit disappointed, because the first few episodes are a little slow, but don't let that discourage you from watching more, I promise it'll eventually have you hooked. Besides that, are you looking for a drama that gets more and more addicting with every episode? Big cliffhanger endings? Plot twists? Smart main leads that make the best decisions, are perfect partners in crime and have great chemistry? Scenes you can't help but rewatch at least 50 times because of how cool or sweet they were? Well then you're in luck! This is the perfect drama for you!
Vincenzo will have you dying of laughter one minute and on the edge of your seat the next... It's so good and all the actors are perfect for their roles. And what I noticed was the fact that the suspense continues onto the next episode and doesn't just finish at the end of that previous one, it was refreshing and definitely gave me something to look forward to, as I knew it would be just as thrilling. I have never felt more alive while watching a drama holy moly!
However, one down side to Vincenzo is that there are so many brief and perhaps unnoticeable plot holes that I wished were explained or at least touched on in the end but sadly weren't. And keep in mind that it is very comic-like (villain vs villain, lots of revenge, over the top, etc.) So this may not be for everyone.
Song Joong Ki and Jeon Yeo Bin's companionship is just everything, they'll definitely become an iconic duo in the drama world. The whole time I'm just thinking 'CAN THESE TWO JUST GET MARRIED ALREADY!' And Ok Taec Yeon's acting is just incredible, his characters duality though?? Of course I can't forget to mention the plaza residents, I love how their bond grows stronger and stronger as the story unfolds. The Cassano Family (°◡°♡). I like the depth in each character and their relationships, they aren't just black and white, more like different shades of grey, you just don't know what to expect next. One of my favourite castings of both main and supporting characters - including Inzaghi.
To sum it up, Vincenzo is worth watching (or at least giving a try)!
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All spectacle, Less Substance.
This drama had an interesting premise. Not only that, it had a good star-studded cast. It's just that I felt that this drama was overrated.Before I lay out the issues I had with this drama, I'm going to start with what I enjoyed. I enjoyed the cinematography of this drama from start to finish.
There were also episodes that spark creativity. One episode was when it opened with the painting of the French Revolution. Then, the whole episode was built around it and it comedically culminated in the characters of the drama doing a paint-me-a-picture of the said painting.
Now, I get down to the issues.
First is perhaps the most minute of them all. For me, Soong Joong Ki doesn't really strike me as a consigliere who experienced a lot from the mafia because he looks... too clean... and soft... This is just personal preference but hey.
Second was how it wanted to be serious and not serious at the same time. This leads to a very confusing mix of genres. As other reviewers have pointed out, these two elements didn't really work together. The comedy kills the seriousness that this drama has while the gory and violent scenes kills the comedy. When balanced well, it could lead to a good drama. In Vincenzo, the tone is a confusing mess.
The third problem I had was how shallowly written the characters in this drama were. This became more obvious when I watched the screenwriter's other work, the Fiery Priest which had better-written characters. Characterization was where a lot of the missed opportunities that this drama had.
First, is with Hong Cha Yeong, her father's death could've been an interesting point for her character to grow but she gets sidelined into sometimes an obnoxious FL as the focus has been on the titular ML. Knowing her character can be something more, this is why I am not buying into the fanservice thrown by the drama as I don't see the point of it story-wise despite it being eye-candy for the audience. For me, it feels forced.
The second one is with this show's villains. Taecyeon's character was introduced to be a cunning and cruel psychopath and it was good until he revealed himself. I was expecting for him to be an active villain but he was more of a passive, spoiled brat who doesn't take part in the scheming of bringing Vincenzo down and instead leaves it all on the female prosecutor-turned-attorney of Wusang and complain that when the schemes fail.
The fourth issue, while minor, I had with this drama is when they tried to lighten up Vincenzo's character when they tried to introduce an animal companion, the scenes end up cringey. Though, I kinda like how it got concluded though it seemed ridiculous.
If you want a popcorn drama that has little struggles to offer its protragonists, has spectacle, the actors that you like seeing onscreen without having to think deep into the plot, you might like this drama.
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