After having this in my cw list for almost 6 months now, I finally managed to finish this. That doesn't necessarily mean that it was boring. Quite the opposite, even though I still have my issues with some things.
If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
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