The story will endure. I can definitely see appropriations and manifestations of this show in the future.
The acting and cast was amazing. I have seen works consisting of most of the actors such as A-Teen, Come and Hug Me, Dokgo Rewind and School 2015 and none of them let me down, despite the atrocity of Dokgo Rewind. Although the character overload in the beginning can be quite overwhelming, its gets easier and you get used to all the characters throughout the show.
Music was great, and Ha Jin's We All Lie will remain a classic. I would re-watch this any time and with anyone who views kdramas as lighthearted. If I could, I'd write an essay on it.
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One day, during a conversation with a friend (which was more me goading her to watch a show), I mentioned how Reply 1988 was the highest-rated drama to date, and she told me I was wrong. Cue *shocked face*. And I had been a strong supporter and admirer of that series, so seeing it dethroned hit a nerve.
And so, I decided to give it a try. And half an episode in, I was hooked, line and sinker. There was a charming surreal feel to the whole thing. My first impression of it being like a darker version of "Desperate Housewives" was quickly demolished. This was better.
This was the best.
It was well-paced, well written and for a while, I was mesmerized by the sheer number of topics it covered and what was even more surprising is that despite it having so many main characters and so many storylines running simultaneously, it did them all justice.
Needless to say, my initial irritation had quickly turned into love and now, I fondly remember this as one of the best dramas of this year. If not, ever.
So, in case, I wasn't clear about it. Watch the drama. I promise you, it's worth it.
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A bit like a slowly lit firework, the type that risks exploding in your face.
To be honest he first episodes did not live up to the high ranks this drama has. Some parts where fun others reminded me of 90s soaps. The plot evolved in a slow pace and the characters where not very lovable. So you are going to need allot of patience.But after a while the episodes got better a slow acceleration towards a big bang that made all the slow acceleration worth it and necessary for the plot. I'm not really in to re watching series but this one is probably better the second time if you have the time and patience.
Looking back every episode is genius, from the lightning, the sounds, the looks and the angels. And leaves a bitter sweet taste.
The first time you hear one of the characters say "I'll whack your jaw open" you will probably feel nothing but after a while it will become your favorite insult/threat.
The sight of a pyramid will make you wonder if you have ever been truly loved and you will probably find yourself laughing at the oddest things while you wonder how much are these people willing to put up with. Are they really human?
This was however followed by me wondering how far would I would go in a situation like this. The genius in this series is in the bitter sweet of first thinking that there is no way I can relate to any of this at all and then realizing I can...
It’s easy to judge but if we turn this down a knot am I really that much better? So get ready for a really really really slow start (did I mention the slow start) followed by an amazing ride.
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This drama made me realize a lot of things. Titles don't really matter and it doesn't matter what your social ranking is. You're still human whether your rich or poor and your personality is more important than the money you have. What good is it if you're not happy in life? One may be a CEO of their own company but it doesn't always mean they are happy. Grades aren't everything. It's not the end of the world if you fail. You can always keep trying.
The smallest things in life are the ones that can make a person happy.
What's great about Sky Castle is that the audience can empathize with the characters and that it discusses issues surrounding university and good grades in order to get to the top and depression that comes with pressure from wanting to get good grades in order to get to university.
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The drama portray on the effect on children being molded by their parents. The story have many twists and turns. What I love about this drama, the acting is on point. The actors are not well-known but they deserve any awards for this drama.
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WE ALL LIE swell in each cliffhanger is dope! dislike most characters, love their fantastic acting!
The drama showcased societal issues and the pressure on schooling, focusing on families living in a luxurious residential area SKY Castle. Students were expected to spend over 16 hours a day studying to get admitted into one of the 3 big Korean uni: Seoul, Korea, and Yonsei, hence the title SKY Castle. A new simple family moved into this area, it becomes a major upset to their neighbors. Thus, the motivated parents compete another in their best way as possible...I've rarely watch shows about rich people, but I applaud the crew for the craftsmanship of SKY Castle. The masterful use of sets levels up the whole experience of watching it. The sets look rich, with luxurious costumes. The camera work is amazing: there are lots of reflections and unique angles that make the vibes much more dramatic (and comedic for the twin fam). The family photos you can see on the next photos are very meaningful to represent each family. However, the only fitting OST is We All Lie, there rest are not memorable.
The story itself is not very exciting to me overall and I hate most characters, but their acting is fantastic! The only family I'm rooting for is the family with the twins. LOVE the twins; Seo Joon and Ki Joon, whoe are always there for each other. Their dad was so messed up in the worst and funny way possible. Frankly, I don't like the new family mother, she keeps meddling with other families' business. But I like the ambiguity of the coach. Overall, I enjoyed the dramatic family melodrama, but not so much when it reach the latter crime incident (no spoil!)
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Started watching Sky Castle out of curiosity. Never thought I'd get hooked. Honestly, I'm so surprised that a satirical drama was aired and even broke a record because education is really something that everyone takes so seriously and I think this drama depicted it perfectly.
Acting wise, I would give them an overall of 10/10. The actors made the viewers hate their characters so much because they were able to embody them so perfectly. I honestly never hated so much characters in one drama ever. At first, I hated Kang Yesuh because, well let's be honest, she was just plain rude to every anyone when she doesn't get her way of things. Then I slowly started hating her mom, Coach Kim, her dad, Mr. Cha, Park Suchang, etc. But I think the character that I felt hatred toward the most was Hyena. Gahd she was just so irritating that I hoped her character would just die (and she did thankfully). She thinks she can outright anyone just because she doesn't really have anything to fear for. I understand she and her mom went thru a lot but in the end she conditioned her mind that she was always the victim and that became her flaw. While we all hated some characters, we were also able to empathize with them. That's how good they were.
However personally, there is one actor that I think needs to improve his acting a bit more and that's the actor who played Hwang Uju. He was able to portray his character well during light scenes but since his character had more depth towards the end he had to enact more heavy scenes. I don't why but I just find it hard to empathize with him during those scenes. It felt like it was "pushed". It might have been too much for him to portray.
Coach Kim is an interesting character, I expected more than what they revealed from her past. I would've loved to find out what is the main root of her personality. Would've loved learning more about her. And does ending mean, she's back? I think the final episode gave us more questions that answers regarding her.
I think 16 episodes should've sufficed, the drama felt too long at times but nevertheless I enjoyed watching every episodes.
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It follows the story of filthy rich parents who go about extreme ways to make sure that their children gets accepted into Korea’s top 3 SKY universities (Seoul, Korea, Yonsei) to satisfy their own greed. The drama, despite being a light comedy at times, is extremely heavy, dealing with topics like depression, suicide, toxic parental expectations, and broken relationships. It highlights how flawed the education system is and how it can break children going through it.
What’s especially brilliant about this drama is it’s story and complex characters. Despite having almost all their main characters frustratingly flawed, and even downright evil, which would usually put people off, the story is so compelling that this actually becomes a draw. You’d end up caring for all the families, which makes it even more heartbreaking when you have situations where one family can’t be happy without making another devastated. The adult actors are breathtakingly talented, so much so that it makes the children actors who are by all means decent, seem bad in comparison. This is also the only flaw I can find with this drama. The direction really shows its charms during its intense scenes, making scenes that were already emotional absolutely unbearable. It really is one of the best directed kdramas.
Special mention for episode 17 which is without a doubt the single best drama episode I’ve ever watched, with the heartache I felt from watching it still lingering
TL;DR if you’ve ever felt suffocated by the education system, this will be a hell of a relatable and emotional ride.
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This is a real Kdrama
This show is nothing I have watched before, it will keep you taped to your scene. The amount of suspense that is in each episode is CRAZY. I have watched a lot of kdrama, but this one is special it focuses on a different part of society not that normal Romcom kind of stuff, but how detailed students behave in high class. The ost is actually really good to it got pretty catchy "we all lie". You can really feel this show, you will be like I want more or i need to know what happens next. The story is crazy good super enjoyable, I can't imagine skipping a show like this.Was this review helpful to you?
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okay the one and only character i love in this drama is Coach Kim's daughter, Kay. she's warm, innocent, sweet and loves her mother undyingly. i am glad she's not hurt even after eating the curry, i was so scared for her. the last scene when she reunited with her mother in the cell was just heartbreaking, i hope she's always happy and healthy.as expected, this is a weird drama difficult to get through because literally wherever left or right you turn, there's always a crazy person doing crazy sh*t that it gets so tiring/torturing to watch.
i am borderline glad that i finished this drama but it traumatizes me a lot that it's a real projection of how modern society functions. i also don't see a twist where it made me gasped for air or something (like you know, that dramatic moment). i was waiting for it, and it was not enough of shock value for me.
well the one message you can take away from this is given in the last episode when the four ladies were dining among themselves, and one of them said that as long as you make sure that your kids know you love them, and you mould them properly as a person of good character and emotional strength, they should be able to sustain the enormous pressure of growing up in a modern society.
this really hits home, and i hope that i always remember this message when i become a parent myself one day.
P/s i love twins mom and the twins too. what a wonderful, sassy and classy trio.
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