Flashy legal drama with sizzling chemisty between the leads
Likes1. Explosive chemistry between the two leads. I loved their petty fights, legal battles when they were fighting againat each other and when they finally learned to work together, those moments when they became personal and emotional and opened up to eo. They may not have ended up together but the finale was still perfect because they are now partners in their own firm.
2. I believe that Geum Ja will get to buy her own building with Hee Jae's help and Law Firm Choong will be bigger than S&K.
3. Their team, the old smart guy, the funny talkative best friend, Geum Ja's secretary, Ms Boo, newbie lawyer and the detective. Each one has their own strengths and skills that they bring to the table.
4. Reminds me a lot of Suits with the flashy office, 2 representative lawyers fighting over the law firm, annoying lawyer at odds with Hee Jae, the witty lines and the amazing ost.
5. The cases were fun, a lit bit intriguing, well developed that you see the connection in the later episodes. At first i was team Song but ugh! So bad to betray Hee Jae. I still didnt like Kim though.
Dislikes:
1. That 16 episodes went by too fast. I want season 2 please!!
Rating: 9.5/10
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Delightful cast creates a wonderful viewing experience
Kim Hye Soo is stunning on screen, both visually and as an actress and I loved every bit of her turn as the driven Jung Geum Ja who has a somewhat selective but still very strong ethical morality about things and a unique way of accomplishing them. Yoon Hee Jae is the character you'd generally mark as the dashing and suave occasionally amoral male lead but who instead turns out to be a softer and a lot more fun interactive partner for Jung Geum Ja's complex and intense personality and isn't just a generic rich jerk with deeply hidden heart of gold you have to tolerate for 90% of the show, but is instead trying to find his own footing in life and with the woman he loves. I loved that there were multiple female characters interacting with each other, all with their own personalities so no one female character had to be the sole Strong one and it wasn't just a sausage fest. The plot was interesting but was more of a vehicle for the characters and I enjoyed it thoroughly.Was this review helpful to you?
These two work well together, not just at work. I felt the chemistry between the characters. I think it was mainly thanks to actress Kim Hye-Soo, who played fantastically. Her brave look and outstretched neck gave the impression of a proud, brave and fighting woman.
In such dramas the themes of murder and corruption are very often discussed - there is no shortage of them either. I have to admit that despite the lack of originality in the approach to the subject, the series was very well watched.
There was no shortage of funny scenes, obviously related to the relationship between the main characters. I liked that Jung Geum-Ja was not ashamed of herself, she knew that she was a good lawyer and that she was able to overcome the male dominated system.
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The Kdrama is so good that if you rewatch it, you might get too addicted too it, that’s the only reason I haven’t gave it a 10/10 score.
Everything from the twist and turns, casting, acting, music etc. Everyone needs to watch this Kdrama!
I’m just honestly hoping this isn’t the end of this amazing Kdrama, I could watch 20 seasons of this Kdrama if it continues this greatness, I’m honestly begging for another series asap please, that’s how good hyena is! You will love it!
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The story follows the two main characters, Yoon Hee Jae and Jung Geum Ja, who are lawyers striving to make a name for themeselves in a very competitive field of work, each having different backgrounds, ethics and aspirations.
What I loved most about this drama is its characters. Each and every one was a complete, distinctive persona and there was also natural and well-paced character development as the story progressed. After completing all episodes, I can definitely say that the director and the screenwriter wanted to make a drama that features strong, independent women with realistic behaviour and that is something I have to respect, really. There is no unnecessary drama, no women-pitting-against-women-for-no-logical-reason plot additions and nearly all the female characters are just as you would see them in the real world: striving for personal and professional success, while not being slaves to their feelings.
What was also incredibly fun to watch was the interactions between the two main characters, Yoon Hee Jae and Jung Geum Ja. Through this drama, you get to see what happens when two strong, competitive and self-centric personalities enter each others' worlds. It is mostly chaos, but the underlying passionate attraction between them makes for a very interesting relationship. The actors had amazing chemistry, but that is to be expected since they are both renowned and experienced professionals.
I have to also give a shout-out to the OST which was incredible. Giriboy's "Hyena" is now one of the most replayed songs in my playlist. The drama featured many tracks that are different from the classic drama ballads that you usually get, which was a refreshing change.
All in all, this was a very fun drama to watch, quite different from those I have watched lately, and one of the few out there that features female roles worthy of respect and admiration. I definitely recommend it!
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I love that this is an empowered female lead who takes no bull and needs no man to save her. Add to that a seemingly typical cocky and overconfident male lead that actually shatters toxic masculinity as he isn’t afraid to show his emotional and tender side often. I love this dynamic. The second lead woman who forms the love triangle appears like a typical bitchy, smart popular girl who will start a fight but shatters that appearance too.
Gosh this was such a badass series that I binged it unknowingly (and I dont do that anymore!). Praying it gets another chance and continues to a second season.
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1. STORY
The story is fresh, and that's one of the reasons why I was able to finish this drama. Although the political issues used in the story can be found in many politics-based dramas, I believe that they have done a good job of making the story enjoyable enough with the different characters and messed up relationships. These kept the story going as there are several plot twists here and there, leaving you in awe and also encourage you to watch more. The background story of the protagonists was well built because, thanks to that, we were allowed to get a character development that we often don't see. At least, I don't. Another reason why I continued to watch this title it's how they tackled the story by also keeping a bit of romance here in there without overdoing it and sway away from the real story.
There are several things that I would have liked to see, and that's why I didn't give this title a 10.
1) I would have liked to see more of the ending on the relationship between our female protagonist and her father. I think that the indifferent playing was nicely played, but I believe that they could have added something more in the end.
2) The protagonists were able to get until the end after all the mess that they got in, but somehow they didn't show us the scene in court or anything like that, it was disappointing...
3) I wanted more scenes between our hero and the father, as I feel that was one of the most essential things for clear character development in our hero.
2. CHARACTERS
I loved all of them. They were all well made, and they also gave them character development, so I was delighted with them. However, as I said above, they could have added some more scenes to make the changes more evident as in both the character's personality and the relationship between them.
My favorite characters were the protagonists - our hyenas. The heroine was strong and not the usual weak and dumb girl that gets swayed away by all the guys she meets. She knows what she wants and doesn't want, and she keeps consistent with it throughout the whole story. If you are tired of the typical drama heroine, then this drama will make you pleased for once. The hero seemed strong, but it was just a way not to show weakness and escape from his name to show that he is capable of achieving results. Again, this is not the usual male character that you find in dramas, where the male protagonist is good at everything and just has a lousy personality. Here we get something new and different. I loved their love-hate relationship because you can see that no matter what, they still care about each other.
SUMMARIZATION OF REVIEW
The story is different and fresh, with also new characters that you often won't find. Although the main story is quite similar to many political dramas, Hyena was able to tackle them in a different way, which didn't make it too heavy to watch. There are also exciting plot twists and cases in the story that were enjoyable.
Should you watch it? I would highly recommend it to you if you are not searching for the usual romance drama. I would recommend it if you are into mystery and detective type of dramas. I would recommend it if you don't mind having more friendship than romance.
If you want some innocent and fluffy romance, then this drama isn't for you. If you aren't into investigatory dramas, then this isn't for you.
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This review may contain spoilers
I like Legal Dramas - just did not find this one interesting
7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean drama with 16, 70 minute episodes.Jung Geum-ja (Kim Geun-ja) is a lawyer who, like a Hyena, has no issue with scavenging off other‘s weakness to win a case. She crosses paths with Yoon Hee-jae (Ju Ji-hoon) who works for a distinguished law firm that caters to the wealthiest of the wealthy. Yoon Hee-jae is confident in his ability and has risen through the ranks of his law firm at an accelerated rate due to his exceptional legal skill that is until he goes against Geum-ja. Their first encounter is on a divorce case and Geum-ja seduces Hee-Jae in order to get close enough to him to steal information that is critical to winning the case.
In general I did not find the cases they worked on very compelling. It was mostly corporate level cases or rich chaebol and that type of law was not very interesting to me. I did not feel a lot of chemistry between the leads. I also did not like Geum-ja's underhanded way of doing law. It was okay a lot of times for the criminals she was pursuing but tricking someone by pretending to love them then stealing information to win a case was cruel and it made it so I did not like her very much. She is supposed to be very attractive but her short hair did not make her look very attractive to me. I have been watching this for many weeks and I usually watch things quickly but I find it very slow.
It took me a long time to finish this drama. I did not hate it but I certainly did not love it. Spoiler Alert* I found the way Geum-ja treated Hee-Jae in the beginning reprehensible. She seduced him to steal information to win a case. Hee-jae was a nice guy so I could not excuse the way she treated him as just being competitive or breaking some rules for a good outcome. If he had been a jerk then maybe I could have gotten past that but he was nice and what she damaged his career. I also did not find the cases they were working on very interesting. Corporate intrigue is just not much my thing. Since I was not pulling for the romance between the leads, I was not super invested in them getting together. It was also very slow in some parts. If you are someone who really likes legal drama, particularly corporate law, or likes one of these actors a lot - you might find it worth the watch. In general I would say there are far better legal dramas to watch and I would pass this one over.
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they should be sued.
It starts bad and goes downhill fast. if you like a strong FL with lots of character, then maybe this is your movie if you squint hard. We are introduced to the ML and given little information why he is a flawed character, who is in need of redemption. You can see a mile away he is being setup. The payoff he supposedly falls for the FL and just can't seem to recover. A grown man is repeatedly told she is not interested, she is not sincere, and he loses all perspective to cope with this information. You keep waiting for him to make a stand of some kind or simply move on.The FL is portrayed so badly, she is in it for the money and he was just collateral damage along the way. By the time her backstory is revealed, I found myself not really caring. In fact, I could relate more to the actual villain of the show.
This flawed story is covered up by continually introducing more characters, whose sole purpose is cover up for the weak story of the two leads. After all the viewer is being punished enough by this dysfunctional relationship. The bones of a story are there, and more is the pity for that. Don't watch this mess, there are better courtroom dramas.
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I love the ML lead too, he is just as smart as the FL. They really have good chemistry.
The story line is refreshing, it kept me wanting to watch each episode without skipping any scenes.
This is unexpectedly excellent drama. If anything, I would prefer it to have more romantic scenes, the chemistry between the ML and FL just sizzles!!
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powerful, explosive, unexpected drama
flipping through netflix one day, i suddenly stumbled upon this drama. i was not really invested after reading the synopsis but i decided to give it a go anyways and my god was i shocked. from the very first episode i was invested. my jaw hit the floor after the first episode, totally unexpected. this drama definitely empowers women in some sort of way mainly showing you that women can trample over anyone who comes in their way and emerge as strong goddesses. the best thing about the drama for me was the chemistry and the dynamic the two main characters had. with the constant squabbling and fights they would have to them being there for each other. the male lead is fine as hell and he really fits the part of the main character. the female lead is on a whole other level, i truly did admire her persistence in this drama. she is one hell of a woman. the cases are somewhat interesting, but they should have introduced other cases as well, there were maybe around 3-4 cases and they spun that around for all the episodes. Hyena is the perfect title for the show as these lawyers tear they're competitors apart from limb to limb. i thoroughly enjoyed this drama. if you're looking for the romance element, this drama does not really have much, its present in specks but not really very evident. in a nutshell, its a fantastic drama to watch, its fun, its fast-paced and very enjoyable. if you're looking for something out of the ordinary compared to other dramas, then this drama is a must watch.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Horrendous sideburns aside, this drama was INTENSE in the best possible ways.
NGL, I skipped over this drama soooo many times because the female lead's hairstyle just looked so ugly with those weird chunky sideburns. I know that's a stupid reason to skip a drama...but dudes, they are like a toupee for her ears. It grew on me though, after awhile...or at the very least it stopped bothering me. Once I did finally start watching this drama I was floored by how great the acting and chemistry between the two leads is. The story is also super engaging and entertaining, especially in the first several episodes where the leads are essentially enemies. Their interactions were intense and clever and so so funny. They both have exceptional facial expressions and know how to use their eyes to deftly convey messages without words. The female lead, especially, dude she shoots harpoons from her eye holes...not daggers, literal harpoons. She's SO intense. Although, with all that badass intensity it was pretty hilarious to see her walking around with a grandma level phone chain.The side characters were also all extremely well done, each had a very distinct presence and well defined reactions. The acting in this drama is impressively coordinated. I mean...not to play favorites too much but any comedy with Jun Suk Ho and/or Hwang Bo Ra is going to be hilarious as a given, those two are stellar at supporting character comedy. But really, all the comedic side characters were so well performed down to the lowest screen time thug. Whoever cast this drama did an amazing job.
I will say...there were several points where I wasn't sure if the male lead was maybe having seizures. Like most of his body comedy is really funny, but every once in awhile he'll do something that seems...well...like he's got Tourette's. Like episode 4 at about 41:20. What is he EVEN doing with his face there. I was 900% sure he was having a stroke (at this point in my review I popped out and googled him a little to make sure he wasn't actually having a stroke cause it would be pretty mean for me to poke fun at that right). I just cannot figure it out at all...like I guess if it's not a "oops I have brain damage" plot twist, then he must have been trying to express annoyance or...hold in his anger? IDK. It was SUPER strange though. Like if he were actually having a medical issue they would have refilmed or cut that segment right? So it must have been intentional? IRL if you see someone do that...idk wouldn't you ask him if he's ok? Like she just doesn't even seem to notice his face is spazzing out in the middle of delivering a serious line. I'm still astonished tbh.
The OST was also really well done, however I was super confused when I looked up the OST online because it felt like the songs listed weren't the songs I was hearing. The OST you'll find online is all filled with lovey dovey slow songs, but the actual music in the drama has so many upbeat and badass lyrical songs. This is the first drama where I haven't been able to find all of the soundtrack songs on Spotify/Youtube/etc. I'm a huge fan of dramas that use the OST to amplify the story being told, and this drama did it so so well.
I would 100% watch this drama again just to see the great character development and the intense interaction of the exceptional lead actors. ...maybe it was gagging? Based on his dialogue at that moment, he says she disgusts him right after he makes that face...maybe he was like...idk trying to gag? Like to show how disgusted he was? If that's the case, dude needs to seriously eat or smell something disgusting in front of a mirror so he can understand what disgust actually looks like...to prevent himself from having seizures on screen in the future XD
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