Completed
WandereR
164 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 26
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Her Name is Fury

Fight Club meets Infernal Affairs with a dash of La Femme Nikita, Anna, Atomic Blonde, Kill Bill and Villainess, among others. That’s how I would describe this drama in a sentence.

My Name is an utterly visceral tale of one woman’s odyssey of vengeance through the deepest pits of Seoul’s dark underbelly and vicious criminal underworld that is seeped in brutality and cruelty. This drama is not for the faint-hearted for its many scenes of pure, unadulterated violence and bloodshed will most certainly induce much consternation indeed.

Based on an original screenplay, this production is helmed by Kim Jin Min, whose previous works include Extracurricular and Lawless Lawyer, and headlined by Han So Hee, of The World of the Married and Nevertheless fame. The Grand Bell Award-winning composer, Hwang Sang Jun, serves as music director.

The narrative is not groundbreaking, for those acquainted with the genre. However, when the re-telling of a similar concept is executed well, it can be an absolute joy to behold and may open doors to new fans of this dark thriller and suspense genre. My Name certainly accomplishes this, in my humble opinion, through a fascinating take on the classic revenge and betrayal plot with a focus on gritty storytelling infused with incredible cast performances and which does not shy away from highly graphic and explicit visual language. For the most part I’m quite pleased with the direction and tempo of the story development which manages to sustain the momentum of the intensity, tension and suspense. I have no major complaints over the design of certain plot devices and twists as well as the final outcome. The fact that there is absolutely zero comedic absurdity and contrived humour is a major boon for me as well.

Over the course of only 8 episodes at 50 minutes each, I did not lose interest or feel a smidgen of boredom. The action is breathlessly high-octane featuring countless fight scenes ranging from mass brawls to hand-to-hand combats involving the use of a variety of weapons. Despite composing a major proportion of the entire drama, some of the quieter and more poignant moments are interspersed throughout, including an extremely brief romantic interlude in the very last episode.

Likewise, as far as the production quality is concerned, there are no discernible major issues. The high production value is reflected in the art direction while technical execution is outstanding. I love the fact that the cinematography perfectly captures the action sequences because oftentimes these scenes are ruined by shoddy camerawork or poor post-production editing and visual effects, which is not the case here. Credit goes to the relentless efforts of the action choreographer and the cast themselves in performing the rather complicated and dangerous stunts. In particular the varied fight scenes involving mixed martial arts movements and knife fights in open spaces as well as cramped indoor settings.

The biggest praise is reserved for the cast themselves, and none more so than the lead actress, Han So Hee. My Name is a character-driven story where the failure or success is fully dependent on the depiction of the main character in question. Thankfully it is the latter because Han So Hee has unreservedly dispelled the doubts surrounding her ability to tackle this lead role which she does so magnificently with aplomb. Sometimes a role does not suit the performer, which seems to be the massive feedback from her previous performance in Nevertheless, but the characterization of Yoon Ji Woo, the FL here, is such a perfect fit for she truly embodies the persona in totality. The believability in her portrayal of sheer agony and torment, single-minded determination and strong will as well as the physical exertions inflicted from the challenges and ordeals that she faces in her pursuit of retribution. It is certainly not an exaggeration to declare unequivocally that Han So Hee thoroughly slayed this role.

Park Hee Soon deserves praise for his portrayal of Choi Moo Jin. This man oozes class, charisma and screen presence as the mafia leader of Dongcheon gang. Together with the hugely experienced and recognisable Kim Sang Ho as police detective Cha Gi Ho, both these men provide excellent support to Han So Hee’s main character that elevates this production to greater heights.

An aspect worth mentioning is the music. I love the retro beats of synthwave which complements the more contemporary rock element in a captivating combo that makes up the score by Hwang Sang Jun, who additionally composed two tracks out of the 3 OSTs in the drama.

My Name featuring Swervy and JEMINN
Mediocre Life featuring Pre-Holiday
A Thought is Haunting Me by Raphael Lake & Royal Baggs

All things considered, it’s been quite a while since I was last invested in a compellingly raw and savage journey of vengeance by a ferocious female character in an Asian drama. I’ve been dying for a bona fide strong FL in every sense of the word. Not a poser or a pretender but an actual badass who literally kicks ass. This has been an incredibly worthwhile viewing experience. Bravo!

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Completed
Joerin
37 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Do you want revenge regardless of the price?

Dark, suspenseful, violence and heartbreaking, “My Name” tells a story of a woman who lost her father and then she chose to lose herself in order to take revenge.

“My Name” is an action thriller with the revenge trope as a main theme so the story doesn’t have much depth and it’s somehow predictable but overall, the drama is entertaining. It has many good action scenes and the choreographed fights are very well executed. The gore is also very realistic so trigger-warning: “My Name” has extreme violence that may not be suitable for everyone.

The story is also well written and it doesn’t lose its interest. The pace is good, not too slow nor too fast and it can be binged-watched easily. The length of 8 episodes is good enough to tell the whole story without leaving anything untold and without making the viewers bored or tired of it.

What was really likable about the story was the building of the protagonist’s character. Yoon Ji Woo has a powerful spirit within an unpowerful body which she eventually manages to build up after living, or better surviving, in a very brutal environment. She is indeed a very dynamic woman who doesn’t let anything or anyone keep her away from her goal, revenge. Seeing her journey through Han so Hee’s surprisingly good portrayal was satisfying and thrilling.

The relationship dynamics in the drama are also impressive. Yoo Ji Woo’s and Choi Moo Jin’s relationship was very unique and special. Their chemistry was perfect and there was always a tension and a mystery between them. Yoo Ji Woo’s and Jeon Pil Do’s relationship was also good and well written. Their relationship played an important role in Yoon ji Woo’s character’s final set up.

The production is of course decent, as we expected from a Netflix original show. The shots, the sceneries, the camera’s transitions during the action/fight scenes were all very well made and everything was on point. The music was very suitable and gave the right mood to the audience in every scene but personally I think that it wasn’t so memorable. All in all, it’s obvious that the production team and the actors worked very hard for this drama.



“My Name” has a lot of good elements that make it a decent drama. However, as its plot is very common, I can’t say that it was an exceptional drama but it’s good enough if you want to see an action mini-series where the main lead is a strong woman who is willing to sacrifice everything in order to succeed.

Last but not least, the way she is realizing what’s the price she has to pay for her revenge which slowly became the purpose of her life and imprisoned her, was very heartbreaking and, personally speaking, the strongest moment of the drama. Is revenge really what we should be seeking for? Is it worth it?

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Completed
Marshmallow-Chocoholic
44 people found this review helpful
Oct 17, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

Revenge Is Sweet…



Screenwriter Kim Ba Da’s revenge-filled drama follows vengeful young woman Yoon Ji Woo ( Han So Hee) who seeks to find and bring to justice by hunting down the murderers of her father ( Yoon Gyung Hoo). Taking up another alias and infiltrating the police force as Oh Hye Jin , Ji Woo’s quest sends her down a dark road with many revelations coming to light.

Whilst the drama does present some prominent messages about corruption and morality both within South-Korean society, the justice system and the police force, the drama itself doesn’t really stray away from the stereotypical reaches of the “ revenge” drama, from Ji Woo’s experiences as an outcast teen to the “ murdered parent” trope soon taking central route before the actual zest of the revenge story crumbling slightly by the midway point . Of course this boils down to the ultimate question; “ is ‘ My Name’ actually worth watching or is it a waste of time?”

One of the strongest virtues of the series came through the acting front of our main cast. Main actress Han So Hee was undeniably dynamic as Ji Woo. Whilst the actress has respectfully formerly come under mixed reception for her role in the controversial Netflix flop ‘ Nevertheless’, Han So Hee reinstates any doubts within her moody, angst-driven and cunning onscreen persona as Ji Woo. As a character, our female lead has two different lives which are both intriguing as one another. On one side it’s easy to understand Ji Woo’s role early on in the series. She’s the “ outcast” and socially isolated from her peers due to her father’s criminal record and past. However refreshingly rather than presenting Ji Woo’s father as a “ heroic figure” in the eyes of a grieving Ji Woo, the series helps to explore more complicated depth to Ji Woo’s emotional state, as well as cunningness and stubborn to enlist help in unlikely places to reenact her revenge.

Helping her along the way comes the merciless and mysterious gangster played brilliantly by Park Hee Soon, Choi Moon Jin. Moon Jin acts both as a major mentor figure and an antagonistic plot foil for Ji Woo by helping to reinvent her identity as Hye Jin as well as hide his own personal motives also . He shares his own reasons for helping Hye Jin / Ji Woo but isn’t afraid to be more brutal or punish those who put a toe out of line.

As Hye Jin our female lead is a talented and a skilled police officer who over the years has not lost her raison d’être for revenge. Her partnership with fellow colleague and partner Jeon Pil Do( Ahn Bo Hyun) presents a great contrast between other relationships in the drama. Bo Hyun plays Pil Do with a laidback yet naturally driven charisma as a hardworking cop. Naturally as he spends more time with Hye Jin he becomes more curious about her identity and motives. Whilst a later plot development was supposed to present a “ moment we’ve all been waiting for” this undeniably felt lacklustre due to lacking screenwriting and bonding opportunities often made revelations between the fall short of plot drive.

Yet ‘ My Name’ isn’t without its more obvious problems either. Pacing could sometimes be a major downfall. Whilst a major drive was evident within Hye Jin/ Ji Woo’s search for her father’s killer, this major plot point felt often rammed into the storyline when it was necessary rather than flowing more coherently within the small subplots which followed in each episode. Evidently another major downfall as a consequence occurred within plot lore and logic with many setups (including early on) often falling short or lacking more depth due to writing and character exploration often falling short. Consequently the ending was overly anti climatic than well-paced or completed with an expected yet abrupt twist which failed to bring a sense of finality or completion overall.

What is refreshing about the series is that it isn’t afraid to trade any punches with presenting brutality in its full glory. Interplayed with moody lightning and a dramatic OST, bloody fight scenes and knife attacks, as well as hallucinogenic palettes of bright reds, purples, blues and golds during drug and dodgy dive raids help to shed a more dangerous and dark presentation of the mysterious underbelly of Ji Woo’s world.

Overall ‘ My Name’ is an odd array of both a highly-talented cast and crew, but often falling short of plot-writing also. The revenge drama was a fairly archetypical approach to the revenge genre; intriguing with many interlaced messages shedding light into corruption, violence and problems in South-Korean society, but sometimes failing to hit the mark with actual build-up . Undeniably a good watch but lacking more finesse in certain areas.

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Completed
Anushka
89 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 12
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 3.0

Great start, a bit lousy middle but with meh outcome

Her story is exactly like as every lead of revenge drama has: Death of family member-killer is unknown-desire of revenge-getting ready for mission-undercover (ah this thing is a must)-a lot of killings and action-big disclosure of killer (the ultimate twist)- then revenge is done! so yeah it is the same path as it's always been but just a little change we have a girl... who can fight well.. very well, very very well, and honestly, it's entertaining.

It's quite predictable, none of the 'twists' really shocked me or made me "What? Whoa!... or what just happened now?" (maybe there's only one scene as an exception), from the beginning I almost knew who was the real villain.. so the thing is the big revelation isn't surprising at all... maybe you'll end up saying, ah I knew it! so yeah you're definitely getting the satisfaction from your guesses being spot on lol But it's intriguing and story dynamics are interesting as well. I mean who doesn't love to see badass FL, who loves to win every time and is an expert in beating people. So even though it's not the best plot out there but something that'll entertain you.

Characters are one-dimensional and kinda stereotyped, their actions are only as of the story want and what the story needs. Maybe it's the time factor that affects here, we don't get to explore characters well... even the leads, we only see one side of them.

Ji Woo is shown as one man oops my bad one-woman army (literally)... I mean she just kinda fights with a looot of people and never actually loses lol which is quite unrealistic... I mean almost everyone is armed and trained fighters but I don't think there's a need for realism for this kind of drama. She has the ultimate goal for her life so yeah she does nothing else other than that basically no life. She's rash and impulsive which end up making a lot of trouble for her.. but we don't get the cliche personal development thing out of this one lol.. she's reckless till the end. We've our lead character flawed not the ideal or moral one, well this one adds points for me. Han So Hee did a really good job, especially with the fighting scene.

Moo Jin's presence kinda overshadows everyone or mostly it's coz of Park Hee Soon brilliant performance. I truly enjoyed his acting and seeing him on the screen lol.. even though he is well you know. His character was interesting and had more shades than anyone.

Pil Do ah the character to get the story where it should... I wasn't connected to his story, even his backstory was more like, let's make characters having tragic backstories. So just we can emphasize with them, wasn't a great tactic :')

It was going well till it wasn't... coz then they have to add some unnecessary bits, I was literally like... "WHY? this wasn't needed" things are just thrown to you without any context, and we just have to accept it even though they make no sense at all!

Cinamatographically it's good... having that typical Netflix touch. The color palette goes well with the tone of the drama. I loved the soundtrack again this one Netflix thing lol, there aren't many songs only a few but more than enough and perfectly fitting. Bgm was also good, in the start is a bit off, but it gets better with time.

Action: Fighting scenes is the thing I truly enjoyed... they were entertaining and satisfactory lol, not too much but enough.

This isn't out-of-the-box or extraordinary but definitely an interesting watch. I was hooked from the very first episode and never stopped pressing the next episode till the end so yeah quite addictive too, best to binge

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Completed
DIANA LIU
40 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Good Efort Making the Fighting Choreography, but Lazy Writing

1. At the back of my mind, I always thought this entire show could have been avoided easily if someone talked to her about her dad or took care of her. Instead, she had a crap childhood and was bullied because of her dad's job and was even harassed by cops. Why was she not put under witness protection or something of similar nature? Several parts of the stort felt like it happened just for the plot. Such as: how the crime boss is supposed to be smart and out manoeuvred the police many times, but didn't predict the guy whose face he disfigured would come back for revenge. He let him go instead of killing him by following the chinese saying: "to cut weeds and eliminate the roots."
2. It was shown he easily killed people that betrayed him. Why was the female lead's dad so memorable that he got all sentimental at the end, just because he was an early member, who fought with him and was nice to him? His character is kind of all over the place, both psychopathic and willing to murder people in cold blood; willing to use anyone and everything to stay out of jail and continue his drug business which he cares about. But he is also sentimental and seems to care about the female lead? In the end, he was basically willing to die for her, taking bullets out of his gun. Or maybe he went full on Johan Liebert, in order to see if she would become like him and kill him and become a monster? If he really wanted the female lead to become someone who would never betray him, he should have just went after the police himself and provided her with full on fabricated evidence that the police chief did it instead of using her and risk being found out. That would have been the biggest revenge against her dad's betrayal , having his daughter view her her father's murderer as a friend or guardian, instead of using her as a mole and easily risking her finding out the truth.
3. The female lead is perfect at fighting, and never looses a single fight. I like a strong female lead, but when it's shown she is hardly buff or muscular at all, very pretty and feminine looking, and wrestles and takes down hallways of well trained men armed with swords while not wearing any sort of protective gear is rather unrealistic. Her acting is very good, and the action scenes are very detailed if not very realistic. I felt as if many parts of the plots happened just for the fight scenes and action and final climax, instead of the other way around. Like, the director wanted as many exciting fight scenes as possible.

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Completed
the_sapio_nerd
31 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”

MY NAME, as the name suggests is indeed a game of names. Reminds me a quote by Homer that said, "How vain, without the merit, is the name". The impact, influence and inemancy that a single name can bring in the world, is quite evident in the history and the present itself.

The mini series by Netflix Korea is undoubtedly the 3rd best action thriller Kdrama of the year after Taxi Driver and The Veil, in terms of action of course. Revenge thriller plots and female fighter element is not something new for us, however, "My Name" stands out because of putting only a single girl at the center of the story who seeks vengeance at any cost.

Yoon Ji Woo is highschool girl who's bullied bcs of her father's deed and right on her birthday, see witnesses Yoon Dong Hoon, her father and only family, being killed through the peephole of the door. Despite resenting her father, she tries to give him justice but ends up at Dongcheon, the biggest drug ring of Korea, where she knew Dong Hoon worked. With the help of Choi Mu Jin, the leader of Dongcheon and Dong Hoon's closest friend, she prepares herself to avenge her father. Later she joins the police force and subsequently to Narcotics Control team on Mu Jin's conspiracy where she's partnered with Jeon Pil Do, a righteous and hardworking detective. The team is led by Cha Gi Ho, an old enemy of Mu Jin and can do anything to catch him. Jung Tae Ju is the most loyal subordinate of Mu Jin who controls everything in Dongcheon.

Talking about the story, it wasn't something wow for me. Can't say it's predictable bcs despite a common basic revenge story plotline, the screenplay and multiple chaptered elements of the script is actually well put. But again, avid thriller fans can point out or at least assume the main culprit of the story and that was my case too so I wasn't very surprised at the major revelations either, hahaha. Considering the entire thing, I am not very pleased. It started nice and expectedly kept the thrill up till the halfway of 5th episode but after a peak scenario that happens around it, the story started going a lil down and became somewhat uninteresting (?), yes! The ending? I'm very disgusted with how they shitted on the last episode. Well, the turning point at the beginning of the finale can be accepted considering some people actually change their stances under the influence of virtue but then they had to ruin it again in the same episode. Very disappointed bcs it could have been a lot better with the original plan but the writer seemed to have struggled to make it extraordinary, just to mess it up in the end, oof.

Well, will give brownie points for acting though the characters are not that wowish except for Han So Hee whose character also took a bad turn in the finale.. She as the central character did a very good job. I don't think she has struggled much in the industry with the number of dramas she's done but this sure should be a booster in her career. Kinda felt absurd when the character gave in to the ML in later episodes, when she had been the strongest being all her life. Ahn Bo Hyun finally getting attention? Yes! Well, glad seeing his improvement over years. His character was poorly written for someone as a ML and didn't leave any impact for me but fine. Park Hee Soon ahjussi, the master actor, surely won over with his performance & charms, plus his fighting skills. Lee Hak Joo has done his job just perfect all these years and it's evident from this as well. Do I really need to say about Kim Sang Hoo ahjussi? His existence is what we assures about the drama's quality haha.

Overally, the drama is dominated by Han So Hee and Park Hee Soon who are the most major character. The story greatly revolves around their relationship, trust build-up, loyalty, care, hate and finally to a downfall.

The direction is pretty amazing and it had to be bcs the person behind it is Kim Jin Min PDnim with a record of good and familiar titles. Cinematography work is notable too which is the signature mark of typical dark and shady Netflix Korea original series of it's kind. Background score setting and screenplay editing was on point along without the sound production. There aren't many OSTs in it but all of them are in English and quite catchy with a touch of modern pop that also fit with the mood of the drama and it's development. The lyrics wasn't on rhythm but at least made sense and was kinda enthralling to the ears.

Please note that comedy and romance are not the elements of this story so be prepared to be thrilled continuously throughout the drama. There are slight dark comedy adjusted here and there. And at first the partnership between Han So Hee and Ahn Bo Hyun felt like a subtle romance but what happened in the last ep was very absurd to me. That was unnecessary for the build-up. Also the ML's fate at the end was very stupid.

Finally, let's talk about the best thing about this drama, i. e. ACTION. YESSSSSS! This drama is entirely a power-packed thriller full of action and violence, even to the point of drastic bloodshed. In fact, the story is set up in the dark underworld universe of drugs business and mafia culture where fight for power, wealth and position is very common and a required element. You'll witness dreadful fights throughout; sometimes gangsters fighting in groups, one to one face-off, several beings ganging up on one or vice versa. The fights are not just the show-off of physical power and fighting techniques, they involve dangerous weapons, power-arms and sometimes, drugs. The one who dominated everyone else in the drama was Yoon Ji Woo (Han So Hee) who survived every single fight, proving herself the strongest in the race though that was not very realistic. Then it was Park Hee Soon (Choi Mu Jin) who was very good at fighting and was almost undefeatable. Watch it with a major TW if you're sensitive to brutality bcs there are a plenty of it, especially the group fights where people get killed in numbers like insects.

Han So Hee obviously needs a standing ovation for her performance. Her acting was nice but what makes everyone notice is how she she managed to good job in learning and showcasing her fighting skills throughout the entire thing, proving her determination.

OKAY! Overally, MY NAME is not something very fabulous but it surely is an interesting and enthralling watch which successfully keeps up the interest till the end even with an inconsistent graph. Only if the final outcome were a lil better and unnecessary events wouldn't have took place, I'd gladly mark it at 8.5/10. Ain't gonna discredit the entire work because of the ending, but yeah, I am displeased with it. Anyways, it's worth the one time watch, go ahead!

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Completed
Xavier Ng
26 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

didn't know i would love it so much..

WHERE DO I BEGIN???? This was an absolute masterpiece, definitely one of the best dramas in 2021, it was super worth the wait, ever since it was announced I was waiting for this. (I personally enjoyed this more than squid game, oops) EXPECTED FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EXTRACURRICULAR THIS WOULD BE GOOD AS WELL. If I have the option to give it a 11/10 I would honestly, I don't even know how to express how good this is LOL. Action-packed show, super fun super gore, filled with action fun and bloody scenes. PLS Sohee's ACTING HERE IS PHENOMENAL, I'm not even kidding, her acting is so top notch, she deserves nothing but all the awards she can get for this show alone, she didn't work so hard without a stuntman and risk her health just for nothing, because she really did so well, I never complimented someone's acting so much before but damn Han Sohee, she is just so good, really. The other actors did well as well. I won't say much about the stories and the plot twists here and there, the story alone looking from the synopsis, looks very common / original, nothing new, but please GIVE THIS A WATCH. Rewatch value is definitely a 10/10. My Name, lived beyond my expectations.

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Completed
dazaitey
35 people found this review helpful
Oct 18, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 4.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Disappointed based on the reviews

This is going to be a bit of a rant. I thought it was going to be a cool story about a girl who joins a gang to avenge her fathers death, goes undercover as a cop, finds and kills the killer, then either continues her life in the gang or is able to create a new identity after she kills him. While some of this happened, any trace of possibly not getting a stereotypical ending to the show disappeared over the last two episodes. Then the unnecessary romance? And sexual situation randomly with basically no development while her life is at risk. Just for the guy to die later. If you’re going to go the romance route, just do it, it’s like they thought of all the possible surprise things that could happen and just threw them all in with no thought. I just don’t get it. Then her fathers supposed deep cover. It’s understandable that a cop would be able to go undercover but to become basically partners with the boss of a gang is completely not plausible. They also went into no detail on how he was not only able to meet and join the gangsters or why they would ever have him be so deep in that cops would be tailing his daughter from home to school. If it had been something normal like they were best friends since they were younger, and they had scrapped the cop thing, it would’ve made more sense. Maybe could’ve even added a season to with the fl full gangster and the “ml” trying to take her down but also having a crush on her. But you don’t just join a gang randomly and become best buddies like that. But I guess anything to fuel the sunshine and rainbows ending that it was with the picture of her and her father even though she should literally be in jail for her crimes. I feel like I wasted my time watching this show. Maybe it was because of the short amount of episodes but it’s like they wrote this for some extra cash between dramas. I know I’m being harsh, but honestly i expected more maybe it was the synopsis that made me think it would be more than a revenge plot turned blocky redemption lone wolf drama.

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OneAjhussi
18 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Not as good as expected due to some huge flaws in the logic.

1/ STORY:
After her father, a notorious gangster, is assassinated, Yoon Ji Woo goes to take vengeance on the killer. She is helped by her father's best friend to learn how to fight and enters the police where the killer is hidden. The plot is thin like a paper of cigarette. But there is a huge twist and then a huge counter twist which lead to a very predictable final. The fights are the best part. They are bloody but the choreography of the violence make them very enjoyable. Overall the story is nothing surprising. It would be good enough if there was not a few illogical things:

- Why a 17yo girl would decide to avenge her father who was a gangster for16 years and made her life miserable?
- Why she was trained for years and sent as an undercover gangster among the police for a task that only needed a killer just like for her dad?
- Why the bad guy was accused of stabbing the thug to death when he was shot dead by a cop in front of another cop?
- How come the ex junkie helped the FL out of the blue?
...
There are some weak points in the script that made the drama look not very well written for me. But in the midst of the action, it is less noticeable.

2/ CHARACTER/ACTORS:
- The FL: Loved her fighting spirit. She looks weak but she is resolute and ready to suffer to achieve her goal. In another hand, she is a bit reckless and naïve. Han Soo Hee did a good job here. She is surprisingly good in this action drama too.
- The bad guy: A scheming and ruthless guy but also a little bit psycho behind a nice facade. The actor was impeccable.
- ML: Not a very smart cop. I found the actor was not so good as he looked a bit bland or the character is supposed to look like that?
- Bad Guy's right hand: interesting guy. He should have had a bigger role.
- Gang Jae : a little bit too crazy and not realistic for someone who wanted to climb the gangsters ladder.
Other characters were ok.

3/ OST:
Good enough but a few songs were a bit too loud just to give a style.

4/ REWATCH VALUE:
Not the whole drama but some scenes are quite fun especially towards the end where the pace is faster and the action is particularly savage.

5/OVERALL:
Despite a few flaws in the writing the drama is still enjoyable because it is only 8 eps long and the vengeance is well told in the end and makes it a guilty pleasure. 7.5+0.5 because it is an easy watch.

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Completed
Quitas
29 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Jiwoo lost so much and gain nothing.

Revenge shows are always enjoyable, since is an easy way to throw action into the big screen and some badass characters.

Most people enjoyed this series because of "finally a strong female lead ready to kick ass" and that's not it, she's not "strong" she's completely broken, traumatized. It's pretty sad, and people don't see it. But then Netflix wanted to force the typical badass girl who can beat 10 experienced guys all alone.
The camara work is so weird. It has bad angels, sometimes some really bad fast movements and then very basic ones. It's not interesting or creative.
It felt the series tried to have plot twists over and over again to shock the audience, but everything was obvious since like ep 2. Because basic revenge stories are like this.
Some really hated the love scene, I didn't mind it at all, both of them were having a break down and that was their way to find contort (i guess).
Jiwoo lost so much and gain nothing. She was so blind, that she never really noticed that.
I had a totally different ending in mind honestly. I thought she was going to shoot herself in the middle of the fight with Moo Jin. I thought she would finally realize that she would never gain anything for that revenge and she already lost so much when she choose this way, even when Moo Jin told her not to seek for it. And maybe after that Moo Jin would be in pain cause in the end she never really betrayed him.
Anyways I was confident that she would kill herself either way.
I love the actress lead. But idk I wasn't a fan like other people for her here. I don't think she was a good fit. The dynamic between her and Moojin, yes. I can see the try hard behind it. It was very good. Moojin was probably my fav character and the actor slayed it.

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Completed
Shiro
11 people found this review helpful
Feb 15, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Bad-Ass Bloody, Beautifully, Bloody, Blood, Blood... with a side of cuteness and a lot of REVENGE

Prepare yourself for a lot of blood splatter as you get up close and personal with some of the underworlds most gorgeous and interesting people...

This drama surly has it all from hot steamy bloodbaths to hot and steamy other stuff... twists, suspense and gorgeous visuals. Making it hard to know who to root for and seemingly blurring the line between the usual good-guy bad-guy type of deal. I found myself hoping some pretty bad criminals would get away and actually think oh no how how are they going to make up for that loss of pretty dangerous drugs that are really bad for you...

I also found myself thinking oh he is so cute... accompanied by aww that must hurt... and oooh they are so cute... and awch, awww, how the ***** did they survive that... and D*** she is so cool... still human but oh she is so cool... and WTF happened here...

in only 8 too short episodes, my nails have been bitten, my heart has fluttered, I have laughed, yelled and almost cried and looked a way a lot...

The characters are well casted, well written and have 0 annoying tendency's. I would not say this is easy to watch because of all the raw fight scenes but it is highly bingable (even though I watched it with my husband in the evenings after my kid had gone to bed)...

I defiantly recommend this to any action lover who does not mind some blood splatter...

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Completed
LEVI
18 people found this review helpful
Oct 17, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

Average Show

Predictable Story, Seems like a copy of the Departed (or Internal affairs) movie concept, Unnecessary romance without any chemistry between leads. Music and acting were only positive . The music was very good . The acting of the main female lead (Han So-hee) was good enough but Park See Hoon's acting was really good . The action was good enough but I hoped for more . Overall it is an average show. It started really well but gone downhill . The last episode was really bad. I would recommend you skip it.
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