"The world is like a mirror.
If you spit and curse at it... the world will spit and curse back at you.
If you laugh... I'm sure the world will follow and laugh with you, too. "

So don't be so serious... and laugh....
-Shi Hyun


I seriously couldn't hold it in and teared up every time I heard these words, especially when Soo Min recited it in front of Shi Hyun... It was devastating to hear! too sad and unbearable to accept... They laughed and the world quite didn't follow as much. She finally became a cop... and he didn't get the chance to congratulate her.

And since I  mentioned sad moments, there was this specific scene in the last episode, which I found absolute heart-breaking... and that's when Jin Sook met Doctor's son, consoled him, and congratulated him! Kudos to writer-nim to give us such a beautifully crafted memorable moment! Such brilliance!


Do you have another favorite line from the series? or a scene which was very memorable to you to share?


it's so great I found topic about Cruel city. 

this is my favorite Asian drama (with Arthdal Cronicles), so great so amazing, but not as popular... How can be "City hunter" or "Vincenzo" be so popular when not so many people know this masterpiece!


 Rawa:
Do you have another favorite line from the series

I can't even say because there are so many great moments! I must write almost every episode )))characters were so great, bromance was soooo amazing! and romance (even it's not main focus this romance story was one of best, with that hot unforgateble scene), relationship with Jin Sook... 

and OTS is soo perfect fit!

oh god, I wish I could find some drama like Cruel city 

 NiSkywalker:

it's so great I found topic about Cruel city. 

this is my favorite Asian drama (with Arthdal Cronicles), so great so amazing, but not as popular... How can be "City hunter" or "Vincenzo" be so popular when not so many people know this masterpiece!


I can't even say because there are so many great moments! I must write almost every episode )))characters were so great, bromance was soooo amazing! and romance (even it's not main focus this romance story was one of best, with that hot unforgateble scene), relationship with Jin Sook... 

and OTS is soo perfect fit!

oh god, I wish I could find some drama like Cruel city 

Ohh :)) I'm so glad you found this thread then. And yes Cruel City is indeed at a masterpiece level while the trend these days are hot guys/hot fight scenes/flashy cinematography which isn't necessarily bad, but it's becoming somehow annoying, since the more of such stuff are created, the more masterpieces lie these gets buried and unknown to people.

I love Cruel City to death. My absolute Police/Detective story with a little but very impactful romance plotline. What I'm sad is our beloved characters really deserved to get better! I was devastated through the runtime, and even worse through my first rewatch :((

And yess, Jin Sook was such a lovely lady! Her relationships with everyone was one of beautiful stuffs.

GOD I love it so much, rewatched it week ago... I want so see something even close to it so much, I know I wont see a drama equally good (at list something like this, as for overall great dramas, I have equally favorite few drama in different genres).

if someone knows something close to Cruel City, please recommend

I  haven't seen much of dark themed revenge dramas, but I can definitely recommend this fantastic mystery romance drama which has many traits in common with Cruel City, it's called "Misty"

One thing to make it more interesting, the theme song from Misty had a very similar melody and rhythm  to the theme song "Wound" from Cruel City, I actually went and google it the first time to see if they were created by the same person....

Hope you enjoy it.

 Rawa:

I  haven't seen much of dark themed revenge dramas, but I can definitely recommend this fantastic mystery romance drama which has many traits in common with Cruel City, it's called "Misty"

One thing to make it more interesting, the theme song from Misty had a very similar melody and rhythm  to the theme song "Wound" from Cruel City, I actually went and google it the first time to see if they were created by the same person....

Hope you enjoy it. 

thank you, I know that drama, but somehow hesitated about it, because it's about older generation and I kind of prefere 20-40 age, more interesting for me )) though I'll try.

I hoped Vincenzo could be have same charm but not even near, drama just tales us "he is smart and badass" but I couldn't see it (watched 6 episodes) with facts ))) +totally different character with different goals somehow becoming pure peoples defender... 

My all time favorite tv series is British "Peaky Blinders" which is more like Cruel City" somehow than any other what I can remember, I mean it's different time but ML and many things have similarities 

Oh it's true that the lead characters are somewhat between 35 - 45 in age, more a middle aged people, but the plot is especially gripping, they have very definite goals and the drama goes in the direction of achiving them tho it's a path full of struggle and let downs... You will probably enjoy this  lot after watching a few episodes where it gets to the main plot-line. and also the characters become much more inspiring with strong development around then.

As for the British series, I haven't seen it. I also didn't want to watch Vincenzo since it didn't seem like something I would enjoy, it seems like it's a dark comedy  action one and I kind of don't like the overused action and comedy from Korean shows, ofc I have seen action ones I loved but those are usually more serious stuff, like Cruel City, Healer and K2.

I'll try Misty, thank you


 Rawa:
I also didn't want to watch Vincenzo since it didn't seem like something I would enjoy, it seems like it's a dark comedy  action one and I kind of don't like the overused action and comedy from Korean shows, ofc I have seen action ones I loved but those are usually more serious stuff, like Cruel City, Healer and K2.

agree, same here )) I loved K2 too, not as much as Cruel City but still it could be almost perfect if not forced romance (if romance was needed ML had soo intense chemistry with second female lead). In Asian and also Western movies/series often action or even other genre, not focusing on romance has much better romances like it was in Cruel City, but sometimes they are just forced like in K2. 

if you sometime try "Peaky Blinders" I'm 99% sure you would love it, I can say it from what you said about your favorite genres and dramas ^^ 

Yeah in K2, he has amazing chemistry with  Song Yoon Ah, I especially loved the scene when he opens an umbrella for her in the building failing rain shower. with Im Yoon Ah, they were not at all close except for being on the cute couple side.  It would work without the romance, leaving only the 2nd lead's parts like with Cruel City.

I checked out the series on IMDB and yes it does seem like something I will enjoy. I'm just not watching anything from the western entertainment unless it's finished and I know how well it did towards the ending. watching my favorite series and getting a terrible finale would ruin the fun for me. western media has so many seasons for each series, which makes me on alert. and one more reason I'm not watching any, is cuz f the lack of innocence of the characters, unlike in eastern media, you end up loving many of the characters, and even creating sympathy for the more evil ones. It's a perfect formula for me, JDrama still have much of that innocence in them, tho Korean are moving more towards what's out in the west, but there are still many screenwriters and directors gladly that remembers the important of that point, shows like  My Mister, anone and Chugakusei Nikki  (both JDrama ) are great examples that have it as main focus. 

That being said I wanted to try them at some point, and watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad, ended up putting it on hold, if I went back to them, I'll be sure to check that out too. 

Thanks for the reccomendation, It's always so much fun talking about stuff we enjoy with someone of similar thoughts. 

 Rawa:
not watching anything from the western entertainment unless it's finished

last season will air soon (there was 5 seasons but it has only 6 episodes per season), soo remember to watch it later, it's really best ever show in that (and not only) genre with amazing cast, music, cinematography.

 Rawa:
western media has so many seasons for each series, which makes me on alert. and one more reason I'm not watching any, is cuz f the lack of innocence of the characters, unlike in eastern media, you end up loving many of the characters, and even creating sympathy for the more evil ones.

yes many seasons aren't always good, I mean there are tv series which was planed for several seasons/chapters because story really needs it and later seasons aren't regress, maybe even gets better and culmination. But I don't like when they continue it because of success and trying to come up new story which is forced. 

about innocence, I think western and eastern both are too much (mostly), of course I don't like romantizing/making heroes totally  evil characters but I also don't like eastern and old western dynamic making main lead characters too perfect, because real humans are more complex, not black or white, this is why I like dramas like Cruel city, Arthdal chronicles and some others with gray natural characters. I love "anti heroes", they are more real, interesting and 3D. 


 Rawa:
watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad

I've watched it recently, I think it's good show, you won't see it in few episodes, but overall I could eel that story developed as long seasons as it was needed and they showed us how main lead who is kind of good man, husband, father, teacher, scientist, normal citizen it real evil person, he started making drugs for reason but on the way did soo terrible things, and he didn't "become bad" he always was bad, in last seasons you see 100% that he is monster, doing something very bad is not error for him, like it is for his younger partner (by the way at the end you understand he is best human in the series, he has more humanity then any other characters), every time main lead was doing bad he didn't regrated, didn't feel "what I've done", like it was with younger partner who killed one person because of pressure from main lead and he suffered long time. But main lead killed many, used people including family and younger partner who becomes like son, did really horrible things but we never see him suffering because of it... 

So it was that - he was just hidden evil, and he wasn't character we should like, on contrary.


I don't like characters like him, but I like characters who have dark side but it suffers them. I don't want angel like main leads who never do any bad things, are nice even to them who treat them bad, it's not being good, it's being stupid (often female characters in dramas are like this and I don't like it).

I just want say I absolutely agree that Cruel City is a masterpiece drama. I wish more people knew about it. Beyond Evil is the closet equivalent. Also Bad Guys is similar, great dark drama. But this one is without doubt the best in this genre, imo, because of the strenght of the psychological dimension. I am glad that others pointed out the crying scene in the last episode, how awesome and devastatingly beautiful  that was. Doctor's Son was just that little boy he was in the flashbacks.  I didn't care about the romance thread as much as the friendships between Doctor's Son, Lee Jin Suk, and Soo. Safari turned out be a fantastically written character.