I was looking for a drama featuring great chemistry and Hyena came highly recommended. I wasn't excited by the rival lawyers synopsis, which I thought would be boring, but Kim Hye Soo as Jung Geum Ja is so dynamic that I was never bored. This is the epitome of a strong female lead drama. She's a grown woman and she does whatever she wants! It's refreshing to see it, even when her methods are super sketchy. It took a few episodes for me to really get into the story but once I did I was hooked. Yes, this is a romance with great chemistry too, but it's mainly about Jung Geum Ja being unapologetically bad@ss and unconventionally sexy. Almost Sexy-"Signal" lol

"Hyena" doesn't quite reinvent the wheel and follows the usual cliché of rivals turning into teammates and more but it does have a unique beginning. Their initial scenes together truthfully didn't seem all that interesting, but soon it all comes together in a way I didn't expect, so I won't spoil it. Sure, some moments are a little corny, but it was fun watching the leads play off of each other. Geum Ja is ambitious, ruthless, and rulesless and is matched with Joo Ji Hoon as Yoon Hee Jae an arrogant and blunt high-end lawyer who is not used to losing. I loved that he also has a clear sensitive/petty side as well, which made him feel less like a stereotypical character. They are definitely well matched, and both characters I wanted to root for, even when on opposing sides.

Another plus this drama has is that the entire ensemble is great! There are many memorable supporting cast members that I liked, even with much smaller parts, especially as they learned to work together as a team. Some of the clients and rival lawyers were less interesting, but once Jung Geum Ja was involved no scene was ever boring. I definitely have to shout out Oh Kyung Hwa as he secretary Lee Ji Eun who was my favorite of the supporting cast, and a great side kick/ride or die character. I loved her subtle reactions from the sidelines too.

If you are not the biggest fan of courtroom dramas or business corruption dramas, like me, don't worry too much since most of this story is character driven there's an even balance. It's not just about the cases and clients and is often more about how the main characters rise to each challenge. It did help that their cases involved the same related characters, so there's no overload of unnecessary new storylines. There are some scenes that I didn't care as much for but they were never long enough to make the story drag. I do wish Geum Ja's personal story got a little more attention, but what they did show was still enough to understand her. The pacing of the episodes are really good and actually get better as the story progresses, building up to a satisfying ending.

Would I watch this again? Maybe. The banter between the leads and Geum Ja's antics are good for a second viewing, but I would be tempted to skip too many scenes without them since I know how it all turns out. There aren't many specific rewatch worthy scenes either . However, I would definitely be interested in this writer creating a new strong female lead drama. We need more!

Final verdict? This drama met my chemistry expectations and surprised me with a character I won't soon forget. I didn't love it enough to add it to my favorites list but I would definitely recommend it as worth watching. This is a grown up drama for people who like to root for a flawed anti-heroine. It has some suspense elements but it's still mainly a rom-com as much as it's a court drama. I didn't mean to binge watch this so fast but I could not stop watching! Did I care about who worked where, and who owned/lead what business? Not even a little bit. Neither did the Geum Ja though... which was fun to watch. She cared about winning, and win this drama does.