But kudos to the actors especially Shin ye sun who played teenage Ji-yeon for making it so realistic that I literally hated that character.
This is my first drama of Song Hye-kyo and she nailed it. Its a slow burn revenge and the writing and execution is perfect.
Waiting for the second part (Although in my opinion there was no requirement of releasing in installation).
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This review may contain spoilers
Gratifies with ruminative revenge-driven story
The Glory is a brutal, gory revenge drama through and through and the first part that comprises eight episodes shows that there is no space for redemption, forgiveness or peace.High-school bullying and its scarring repercussions is always an unsettling, chilling presence in Korean dramas. While serving as the uncomfortable backstory, The Glory also provides a rather keen insight into the torments of Don-Eung and how it made her vengeful towards her perpetrators.
The Glory pragmatically asserts how extremely bullied people carry the scars from those experiences in life. The cast has done a good work indeed along with the teen ones as well. The story is well written and paced cautiously without any boring moments. Hopefully we will see more story of Do-Hyun in the 2nd season.
My Rating : 8.5/10
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Bullied victim's revenge that falls flat because of the weak "adult bullies"
**Bullied victim's revenge that falls flat because of the weak "adult bullies"**Acting was was ok for all of the actors, specially Song Hye Kyo and the young cast. But I don't know if it's the writing, directing, or maybe the adult casts' decision, but adult Yeon Jin and Jae Joon were complete misses. With the level of evilness of those people you'd expect them to turn out like fake, manipulative Seong-hye of One the Woman, and psycho Tae-goo of Voice -- but they didn't. *eye roll*
**Evil Queen B turned weak ass news anchor**
Young Yeon Jin was portrayed as a strong, evil, b***h that likes to manipulate people around her but is not averse to getting blood on her hands. She isn't lose and doesn't immediately use her body to get what she wants -- that's Hye Jeong's thing. She was also usually classy and rarely showed her craziness -- that's Sa Ra's thing. But the adult Yeon Jin seemed to forgot her youth and combined Hye Jeong's and Sa Ra's thing. What happened to her sting? To her strength due to growing up getting everything she wants?
**Mysterious, silent evil dude turned short tempered G*g*lo**
Jae Joon was also another big miss because he was the silent enabler of the group with his hidden vileness. But somehow he turned into a sorry example of gangster, wannabe, lovelorn rich guy. It was like the writer rubbed off some of Myeong Oh's horniness on him. Also, I felt like Do Young looked more like adult Jae Joon than adult Jae Joon himself. Do Young knows he's rich and powerful, silent, mysterious, but hides a ruthlessness inside his calm façade.
I was so miffed by how weak and shallow adult Yeon Jin and Jae Joon were that I continuously irritated when the show made it seem like Dong Eun was doing something so difficult when Yeon Jin and Jae Joon can barely fight her. Even basic Kdrama logic, the rich villains, would have countless of henchmen and 1 competent side kick from the get go and it makes them seem bigger than life which is why whenever the protagonists best them we feel a sense of accomplishment. But with Yeon Jin and Jae Joon it was like Dong Eun was playing with her food. I also think they just want to make the show edgier by adding s*x so they delegated those scenes to the supporting actors (Im Ji Yeon and Park Sung Hoon). I think SHK would ask for way more if she was asked to do that.
So disappointed with the wasted potential. Not really looking forward for S2 because the antagonists are weak. Maybe I'll watch it for the adorable chemistry between Dong Eun and Hyun Nam, and how Dong Eun will use Yeo Jung and Do Young.
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Lifting the lid on S. Korea school violence and lack of justice snd accountability
This story inspired by a true story really upsets me. As an international KDrama fan, the way art imitates life in these dramas, especially in the:-1. the heinous ways Koreans treat their employees,
2. the way they treat people they perceive are "lower class",
3. the ageism,
4. colorism,
5. racism,
6. bribery and corruption
7. lying to get ahead,
8. lying for money and ruining other people's lives,
9. Violence of all types towards women
10. obsession with beauty
11. obsession with marrying rich
12. obsession with addressing people by their employment status - that irritates me and makes no sense : Chairman this, Attorney that, Team Leader this, Secretary that ?
13. obsession with treating richer people as if they're gods. Here we don't give a hoot how much money you have. We dont bend backwards or forwards for you. Respect is earned and not given because you were born rich. We don't get out of the way to let you pass. Period!
14. SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY BULLYING!!!!
How is it the judicial system is still that antiquated? Like still living in the Joseon dynasty. FR! Why is the law so loose that people literally get away with murder and attempted murder? THOSE PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN JAILED! But you know what, with the way we've seen the Police portrayed, I'm all for this type of justice.
This drama, as with other dramas, is shining a light on these issues, but still the law does nothing about it. It's very concerning and finally showing the world that S. KOREA IS not all KPop, rainbows and beautiful people like we see in Goblin. Secretary Kim. BUT IS ACTUALLY A SQUID GAME.
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Revenge Served with Absolute Perfection
Sometimes with revenge stories the plot ends up half a**ed or it gets bogged down in some silly love story where the person wronged has an epiphany, and decides that revenge is time wasted. But not here.I liked what Yeo-jeong told Do-yeong, that some people move forward from trauma with forgiveness while others seek revenge. In this case Dong-eun sought revenge and had every right to do so considering the torture she suffered.
Yeon-jin, Myeong-O, Jae-joon, Sa-ra and Hye-jeong were some of the most narcissistic sociopaths I’ve ever seen on streaming. They cared about no one except themselves. Nearly every decision they made, every utterance was about their desires, their life, getting what they wanted or humiliating and ridiculing each other or torturing those whom they deemed beneath them.
Dong-eun’s plan to take down these sociopaths was clever, and the execution brilliant. They were all such horrible people that all she had to do is be a catalyst for their destruction by simply nudging at their weakness. A couple of nudges and their houses of cards came crashing down resulting in them turning on and ultimately destroying themselves and each other.
There were so many great take downs in this series but my favorites were:
Dong-eun going the to visit the teacher who’d beat her for reporting abuse from her classmates. All she had to do was show up which set off a chain of events that cost him his life. It was ironic that
his prestige as a teacher was what led to his demise.
Dong-eun expelling her mother from her life forever. This woman was her MOTHER but she cared not one iota about her. And was an utter menace in Dong-eun’s life. She was almost as bad as Yeon-jin and her crew of bullies. So Dong-eun having her committed to an institution was needed and well deserved.
Yeon-Jin being abandoned by her mother. Everything done to her was sweet justice, especially her ending up imprisoned and now a victim of bullying herself. But her losing her mother who was always her ally, always cleaned up her messes, always supported and encouraged her depraved behavior was an absolute befitting reward for all the horrible things she’d done.
I really enjoyed Dong-eun’s intellect. She knew where to secure allies and how to use them. Moreover, she was always respectful to them and at times helpful. Which was a wonderful contrast to the bullies in this. They had people in their corner but were just as nasty to their allies as their enemies, which in part resulted in them having no one loyal to them when they most needed support.
What was great about this series is that the revenge was always driving the story. There was romance between the leads but thankfully it was sprinkled throughout the series and didn’t overwhelm the main story. And though I thought Dong-eun and Do-yeong had incredible chemistry, making she and Yeo-jeong look like two cold fish together, I was happy that their interactions were kept to a minimum as anything more would not have made sense.
There were very few moments I didn’t like in this, obviously the bullying and torture. I also didn’t like that they kind of left Yoo So-hee’s story up in the air. The audience knew what happened, but they rushed Yeon-jin’s arrest and made it all about M-Yeong-O’s murder with no more mention of Yoo-So-hee. I would’ve liked to have seen her deaf mom learning that her daughter was finally getting justice and also her daughter’s name being cleared in the media considering Yeon-jin had cried and lied on nationally TV saying she killed herself and implied that she was promiscuous by revealing that she was pregnant.
Overall this was a great series. One of the best revenge stories I’ve ever seen.
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incredible
what a drama man it is so good , suspence is something which this drama highlighted man it kept me on the edge in every ep . the actors were also very good. ...... .Was this review helpful to you?
"Have you finished watching this title?" Umm... Is that a trick question?!
"Have you finished watching this title?" I guess I have technically but since this is only the first part of this story it feels like a trick question. This isn't a full review because this drama put itself on hold at least halfway through, which is annoying, but I will admit this is an intriguing and easily binge-able first half."The Glory" is a story about extreme bullying. The plot is pretty cliché as far as revenge thrillers about abuse go, but the intensity of the bullying definitely raises the stakes of the story. Song Hye Kyo plays revenge-obsessed Moon Dong Eun. Don't expect the charm of her earlier roles (like in "Full House"). This drama seems to fall under her new typecasting, which is the cold and bitter woman who is too traumatized to be truly happy (like in "Encounter" and "Now, We Are Breaking Up"). Dong Eun survives unimaginable circumstances so her coldness is justified and fits, but it can also feel a little redundant after a while. I prefer the few moments when she is enjoying taking revenge or at least showing some other emotion besides numbness.
The rest of the cast is mostly filled with a couple of interesting and likable characters with their own demons to manage and characters to despise. The villains are pretty one-dimensional, either spoiled sociopaths or obsessed with status. I guess they are convincing but just basic and predictable. My favorite characters so far are Yeom Hye Ran as Kang Hyun Nam, who has the most entertaining character transition, and Lee Do Hyun as Joo Yeo Jung who I feel like I was finally getting to see new and interesting sides of when season 1 ended. I hope these characters, and others key characters will have more depth and screen time in season 2. I also hope season 2 focuses less on setting up the plot and more on actual suspense and revenge in action.
There are a few too many flashbacks in season 1, but Jung Ji So as young Dong Eun is also excellent. I could see her playing the young and adult role quite effectively tbh.
I also fear that I may forget a lot of the details of the plot before season 2 starts.
Luckily I watched all 8 episodes in a day, just in case I need to rewatch to remember.
Overall, I wish I waited to watch this. Instead of an intense cliffhanger, I feel like I was rudely interrupted in the middle of them finally really starting the story. I want the satisfying feeling of watching people get what they deserve and I feel like I was cheated into waiting for a real payoff after having me sit through some pretty horrific and traumatic abuse scenes. "This Glory" definitely does a good job of setting up a lead you can empathize with, and enjoy her meticulous plotting, but the pace and interruption make me less enthusiastic about this drama for sure.
So I guess this is less of a review, and more a warning that starting this drama means committing to wait months to see how it finally ends. If you are a revenge drama binger more than an "on-air" wait and watcher I would definitely save this one for later. I personally wish I waited, but I believed the NetFlix hype while in between dramas. Song Hye Kyo fans are probably just happy to see her in another drama, so maybe that's enough of a reason for some to just watch now. I guess the Go game metaphor was supposed to teach us patience while watching but I don't know how to play so that's totally lost on me! lol! I just hope by the time season 2 comes out I will still care enough to watch.
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Violence in the schools is assault.
I am both a parent and a teacher.The behavior from the first episode is not “bullying” but assault. Let’s call these attacks what they are. Assault is a crime no matter the age or the perpetrators’ roles whether directly attacking, or making the attacks possible. Rather than the numerous drama series showing the criminals attacking other students always with impunity, expose physical and verbal assault in the school system for what it is: a crime punishable by expulsion and imprisonment.
For the victim to become obsessed and as vicious as the criminals—while understandable—makes her no better. I am still waiting for a brilliant writer like this one to stop the histrionics and go after the criminals and their supporters carefully and methodically and legally until they are expelled and imprisoned. Because it never should have gone as far as it was allowed. And it won’t stop until it is exposed and punished in the courts. That said, everyone in this drama is excellent. Think how much more they could have been in a true revenge story resolved through the courts.
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Interesting but slightly lagging
The story telling is very quick to establish the victim and the torture she endured but the story wasn't paced in the next 7 episodes. Weak Hero series 1 was very meticulous in each episode that the whole season was some how balanced between each characters and each characters were clearly defined. But here it seems they wanted this to drag so as to make it to the 2nd season(9 -16 episodes). The insignificant details were boring.Acting wise they did a good job. FL is a legend in K-drama industry so its kind of expected. Maybe too much is expected? I have never seen SHK losing composure in acting though. Production also seems amazing and BGM is fine. Sometimes it does feel like they pushed it too far with the gory details for the drama's popularity.
Nonetheless SHK fans won't be disappointed.
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Overly slow burn revenge show
First thing, the acting of the younger "bullying" cast was good. The older cast tried in general but were lacking in some aspects.The story itself makes me watch it longer, as someone who has experience with bullying I want to watch all the bullies pay for their crimes, but the pace is so slow and even after these eight episodes not much has happened.
Personally, I believe that a revenge drama especially of this kind needs to be fast paced and it needs to show results to the viewers that something is being done. But, it fails from the very beginning when the female lead goes to introduce herself to the perpetrators and tell them she wants revenge, & even some of her plans and motives (indirectly/directly) to them, like who does that? Tell the people you want vengeance over the truth?
I also disliked the addition of the male lead, after everything she's faced, do the writers really think that she is in need of a love interest? And the way that after she told him what happened he was immediately "who do I kill for you" he basically left his long time job and changed city to be with her (after she has repeatedly avoided his message and has shown basically 0.0001 interest in him) it felt very far fetched and cringe. It also kind of feels like he is a different entity in behaviour from the rest of the cast, (too cheerful, too polite, and kind) and his character has been pretty useless except teaching her how to play GO.
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Even if you don't like revenge/thriller genres, WATCH THIS!
Wow. Just wow. I have no words to describe this wonderful drama. First off, I would like to start out by saying that I don't typically watch revenge/thriller dramas. My watchlist is mostly full of cute rom-coms and historical dramas. But the Glory peeked my interest. So I put it in my watchlist and decided to watch it later. After a while I forgot about it while I was busy watching my other dramas. But recently I've been in a drama slump where I don't know what to watch and want something new to try. The first thing that came to my mind was this show. So I started it.... and absolutely loved it. Trust me on this. I don't watch this type of genre because it bores me and I always find myself forwarding through the show. But that is not the case here.It has action, it has mystery, romance, revenge, etc. I could not stop myself from watching it. And yes, yes I did binge it. This drama was that good. The actors did an amazing job playing their roles, and I could not look away. I definitely recommend this to EVERYONE. Yes everyone. Even the ones that are not into this type of genre. I gave it a chance and I am so glad I did. Even though it was a bit late. 1000/10 recommend.
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WOW
WOW is all I can say for this Kdrama. The acting, the writing, the production, the cinematography was just WOW. Amazing job to the entire cast and crew. Song Hye-kyo has proved once again why she is a famous actress of Kdramas, love how her character could show so many emotions without actually showing them. This series is quite good for binge watching, as you'll get hooked on the first episode.The story of a woman who suffered severe school violence in high school and also how she's risking her life to complete her revenge. The plot is really good and the characters are well portrayed. One of the best dramas I've watched, as the message behind it is so real and affects a lot of peoples lives both childhood and adulthood. The bullies must be taught a lesson. Stop school violence and give others a chance. Some people try to play God and make sure others will never smile. Trauma us also heavily focused on this show. I can't wait till season 2 comes out!
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