Angry Mom (2015)

Went for this drama wanting to watch pure comedy after finishing Scholar Who Walks The Night, and the trailer looked like a familycom but it turned out to be so dark and real it took me by unpleasant surprise.
I know I will get a lot of flame for this as a lot of other reviewers praised for well balanced darkness of the story I instead found it bothersome. I know that extremes of bullying in Korean school and consequences of it should be talked about but for me mixing it with such comedic element was kind of bad taste. It's my personal opinion so if you like the mix of two then this drama will be for you. I still got quite a few lols out of this and GongJoo is goals xDDD

Didn't find music memorable, tho the eerie tune they used really got to me, I was scared I'm gonna have nightmares after this (weak ass nerv system), but I guess fitting for the occasions they used it.

The actors are good. Guy who plays Ahn Dong Chil really makes you hate him with all passion of your soul.

In general as much as I find the story interesting and grabbing your attention again and again the dark eerie moments leave really bad after-taste that's why I can't rate it high. But I guess I just watched this at a bad timing as I was hoping for something else so it doesn't mean that drama is bad. Maybe I should've read some reviews before watching it.

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First off, I just wanna say that Angry Mom is a must watch! Angry Mom is about a mother of a high schooler going back to school as a high schooler to get back at the kids who tormented her child. However, as she makes friends at school she soon discovers what's truly going within the school walls and fights for what is right not just for her daughter for the other students as well.

I stumbled upon this drama as I was initially looking for a comedy drama to watch and the synopsis alone seemed so absurd I had to give this drama a whirl. Angry Mom definitely has some comedic elements especially with Gong Joo and her gang, but I was not expecting this drama to be this dark and deep as it was. The drama really dives head first into the corruptions of the world such as embezzlement and really showcased school bullying excellently, which is a severe problem in Korea. As I kept on asking myself "does this really happen in Korea?" then again these things can happen anywhere in the world. Angry Mom is initially more comedy based, but gets more and more chilling as episodes continue.

I absolutely loved the main female lead Kim Hee Sun as Jo Kang Ja her performance was simply amazing. Although, I'm not sure how she looks like a high schooler as you can definitely tell she's at least 30 years old, but Kim Hee Sun has aged beautifully and to my surprise is currently (per this review) 38. Not to mention, Ji Soo as Go Bok Dong his character transformation was truly my favorite as he went from being a hard core uncaring gangster/bully to someone who truly cares.

Furthermore, after watching so many romance dramas, I was getting tired of all the mushiness and watching Angry Mom was really refreshing as I was glad it did not contain the typical romances. However, this drama did contain love such as the love between a mother and daughter, the love of a friendship, and the love of a teacher who deeply cares for his students. These are the types of loves I think everyone can relate to which is why this drama resonated with me so much.

However, my one critique is that I did like the OST, but during certain scenes I felt as though the song did not quite match with what was going on. Although, separately I liked each song.

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This is my first review for a drama, ever, that's how much I love this drama.
As many reviews have stated, the cover and description of the drama make it sound like a fun comedy, and while it has some comedic moments, it's very, very serious. To be honest, I was shying away from this drama because it didn't have romance, but I got interested when I heard all the rave reviews on KHS's acting. I started and then then marathoned it in 2 days.
Honestly, everything about this drama is amazing--tight, well-written plot with well-timed twists and turns, a-maz-ing cast with a-maz-ing chemistry, great music. What I love the most and what makes the heart of the drama (for me) is KHS's Jo Kang Ja. She is such an awesome, mature, cool, noble, compassionate, badass female lead. She stands up for what she believes in, she helps those in need and she knows how to throw a punch. I love, love, love her.
Along the same lines, I also LOVE how the drama takes the usual naive female lead and wordly male lead, and flips it around. I don't think I've seen any other drama do this, ever.

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STORY -
I had started watching Angry Mom because the synopsis sounded funny - I had wanted to watch something light-hearted and short. While Angry Mom might sound like a teenage high school drama, it is so much more than that. The plot is deep and heavy but it all comes to a very satisfying ending in the end. Although I do feel the post-drama sadness, I don't think the ending could've been sweeter.

ACTING/CAST -
Kim Hee Sun played her role perfectly. I can't be more glad that she was the one who had played the main role. It didn't take long at all to grow fond of her. Her strength and love for her daughter just makes it all better - she was an amazing female lead.

In the beginning, I wasn't fond of Park No Ah's acting all; in fact, I found his character to be my least favorite among the good guys. But as the episodes progressed, he continuously improved, and he became one of my favorite characters at the end of the drama. Although his naivety may come off as frustrating in the beginning, it slowly became one of his characteristics that you will grow to love.

Go Bok Dong...I didn't think much of him in the beginning. I thought he was the typical gangster bad guy bully, but just like No Ah, he ended up becoming one of my favorites. He might be my second favorite character after Jo Kang Ja. Honestly, even though I knew it wouldn't happen, I had really wanted him to end up with that girl he had (has?) a crush on... ;u;

Han Gong Joo and her two underlings were another one of the golden characters of the show. I enjoyed watching her a lot. She was an awesome best friend and side-character, and she adds a little quirkiness when things get heavy.

Overall, the cast was spectacular. Each character was played very well.

MUSIC -
I hadn't particularly payed attention to the music since I was so focused on the drama...but the music was good and fit the scenes well.

REWATCH VALUE -
The reason why I had given a 7.5 for the rewatch value is because I hardly ever rewatch dramas. Especially if they are drama-heavy and have a long plot. However, since Angry Mom had so many moments that are worth rewatching, maybe if I have some spare time, I might rewatch a few episodes.

Overall, I would give this a 10 because I had enjoyed it so much.

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Angry Mom (2015) - I didn’t have expectations of it because of the title but i was wrong. It was good in both the fun part and the action part. I like how the story revolves around bullying which is common nowadays. I never really like high school setting dramas but this an exception. It is quite slow paced but still worth watching. It makes my heart beat and it’s my first seeing Baro in a serious 2nd generation chaebol - and I think he did great. This drama also makes me loved Kim Jisoo and is now one of my favorite actors (this was before his bullying scandal).

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I really loved it
Very strong plot

But I hate that the romance was in the very back seats they could make a huge space for romance according to the story
I was wishing that Jo Kang ja will love the teacher
And ji Soo find a cute girl for him

Ji Soo succeeded making me fall in love with him the whole drama

Even Hong tae at the end I loved him

The only thing that I found it illogical
That Jo Kang ja was oh ah ran real mother

According to the story she used to be in jail when she was pregnant and born her baby while she was there at age 19 or 20

But she is 34 and having ah ran 18 also
She must be 37 or 38 btw


Any way I really loved that I waited for the next ep to see what happens next
It was unpredictable
But the end disappointed me much
As usual the weakest point at KD is the end

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I don't usually write reviews for dramas but this ones an exception. So bear with me. I guess I'll talk about the pros and cons.

Pros:

Message: the message is done very well. Basically the message is that specifically korean society is too corrupt and money hungry but I think this can apply to all. It is done very masterfully. It's done in a satirical way. So keep in mind that it is SUPPOSED to be ridiculous. It's supposed to make you think "is our society this ridiculous?" Also another constant message was "be kind and have courage" I know I stole that from the recent Cinderella movie. But if you watch this kdrama, you'll notice problems don't get solved until you are kind and take action. You need both. It's really beautiful to see. But you have to watch for it. It's done subtly.
Acting: The acting was very good. Personally I love Yoo Jung and was excited to watch her. And may I add that I'm officially addicted to ji soo??? He's on my list of must see (and that's not a big list).
Characters: The characters all needed to grow. It was pretty amazing to see them grow and mature. It's one of those dramas where you think "maybe, just maybe there is hope in the world". Personally I love it when I get that feeling. My favorite characters would be Kang Ja, Bok Dong, and Noah. Also they really grown on you. I was in love with Bok Dong by the end of the drama! Sooooo cute!!! I love him, he's actually the reason why I had to marathon this drama. He was ruining my productivity. He was always on my mind.

Cons:
OST: seriously??? The songs were annoying and catchy (not in a good way). Sometimes they didn't even make sense. Like super intense scene and then they play "sunny side up" there's nothing sunny going on!!! But I did like crying, they did that one beautifully.
Acting: Though I liked the majority of the actors (Kang Ja, Ah Ran, Bok Dong, Sang Tae all did great) but Noah...was like a sore thumb...He always looked like a lost puppy. But to his credit, he did amazing scenes with Bok Dong.
Character developement: It was a little bit uneven. In my opinion they spent too much time on Kang Ja and should have spent more time on the kids (specifically Sang Tae, who got pretty much no time until the last 3 episodes)

Overall: This drama was really good and had a really good message. I found it really interesting. By that I mean it did a really good job of highlighting flaws in society. I loved the characters even the ones I started out hating. (I didn't really like Kang Ja and Noah...but then they ended up on my favorite list...) I would definitely rewatch it again. And my I say one last thing: Bok Dong is amazing!!!! He just really grows on you (give it time though!!!)

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I was expecting a comedy. How wrong could I be? But over the whole series there was in fact quite a lot of comedy mixed in. The huge contrast of comic and tragic in the same drama seems quite strong feature in Korean dramas like this. The plot of corruption in high places was not original: the idea of mom becoming a student is ridiculous but to my knowledge is original. Both heroes ・heroines and villains played well, with special mention for Kim Hee Sun with stand-out performance as mom and the dastardly villain Park Young Kyoo as Chairman Hong Sang Bok~~ almost a caricature villain ~~ who kept up the shouting to the end and came to a fitting end. Go Soo Hee as Han Gong Joo and her cross-dressing minions were hilarious right to the end. Really there was not one character who did not act well. One very interesting theme I noticed in this drama was the transformation of "nasty" characters to good ones as the story developed. I am thinking especially of the students Go Bok Dong and Hong Sang Tae ~~ which I found very hard to believe. Bad characters do not suddenly change to saints in real life. Applies to some adult villains too. But the villains who stayed villains were far more convincing [especially Hong San Bok]. There was great suspense and I watched last 5 episodes in one go, which is a first, so it must have been good. Not so happy with the music which I found too hyper emotional and intrusive, except the music for the comic parts was good. Knowing the story, not one I would watch again but highly recommended.

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This drama, wow, I have no words. I went into it thinking it would be a light-hearted comedy about a mom going back to school to get revenge on the kids that bullied her daughter but it's so much more than that. This drama seems light but actually has very dark undertones with themes of rape, murder, underage sex and pregnancy, teacher/student relationship(s), suicide, political agenda, corruption, etc. First the plot, the plot was really well thought out and I loved everything about it. All the characters had a purpose including the supposed and actual "villains" and all the actors did a fantastic job portraying them, so much that at the end I actually felt bad for some characters despite them having done heinous things. The relationships in this drama are truly what drive it despite this not being a romance at all really. First is the relationship between Ah Ran and Kang Ja (her mother/aka the angry mom), this relationship is like the backbone to this drama and represents the will that a mother had to do anything for her child. There are other relationships between the students, and some of the adults but I won't spoil that. What I will touch on is my favorite though, the friendship (and what could've been more) between Ah Ran and Yi Kyeong. This relationship has stuck with me the most and has made me so happy and so sad. A lot of people will take their relationship as just a friendship but the truth is we will never know. So if anyone has been searching for LGBT relationships in KDramas (which are literally slim to none so you have to take what you can get), I suggest watching this.

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Improbable story but greatly done

The story doesn't seem realistic at all at first glance as it is a mother who hides her identity to go to the school of her daughter in order to discover what's happening there and why should her daughter suffer from her classmates. It's a revenge story. Yet, everything is explained little by little as to how it is possible and it still stays quite rational even though it's not doable in real life.

The plot is quite interesting, action scenes are here too with a lot of moments where she may be discovered and then suffers for her lies, there's also the mystery of what's really happening inside of the school. There's a police drama vibe as well as a thriller vibe when the protagonists are confronted to the villain.

If I have to say, it's worth the watch, it's pretty entertaining, funny and with a consistent story, well build characters.
I just think it lacks a bit of deeper explanations but there's a format for the episodes so we can't blame the scenarist for it.... BUT I blame them for the SLS !!! It's Ji-Soo again who suffered from it.... From the start you know it can't be possible because of the age gap yet you hope for it because he is so cute and he needs this love... Be prepared to be sad for him cause he won't get the woman he fell in love with... Just why is it always him ?...

Well, hope you still enjoy the drama. It's not a romance one so it's only a given it won't be a focus !

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Perfect Family Drama with balance of dark and light moments

Really meaningful, emotional, and funny.

The jazzy music is unique, it's like watching American Mafia film, they all fit.

Kim Hee Sun & Kim Yoo Jung's acting should be praised, along with Ji Hyun Woo and Jisoo. Although, I wish they show more of Kim Yoo Jung's side.. being the bullied character.

Imo, the romance with Baro also felt rushed, I was not convinced at all when it happened.

One thing for sure, Jisoo is the show stealer of this drama, while Kim Hee Sun is the major carry.

the greatest magic in this drama? Is every time Kim Yoo Jung smiled. Perfect pre ending shot in the finale

Totally rewatchable

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I just finished watching this and really enjoyed it.

Let me talk about my hangups first. The fact that the main character ABSOLUTELY DID NOT pass for a 19 year old was the most irritating thing to watch. Plus everybody trying to make her seem as if she was a teenager was disappointing. Yeah, she was short but did the make up artist not know how to make her look younger? She looked the same in both flashbacks and present day!

The bad guy Kim Tae Hoon who played as a teacher...I saw him in Hidden Identity and thought he was a waste in that drama and it seems like it was the same in this one. Maybe it's because he already have that shady McSheister look that I didn't like He is one of the few Korean actors I don't like and would avoid any drama if they're in any.

The dimwitted home room teacher. By golly when they made it seem like he got fired from 7 teaching jobs I believed it. But as the episodes progressed, he became a loveable dimwitted teacher.

Now this series focused on bullying and how difficult it is to do something about it. What wouldn't a mother do to protect her child? They portrayed the scenarios really well. But they had to throw in some political corruption to make the whole 16 episodes work.

I watched this because of a video of bad a** female leads who could fight and Kim Hee Sun was one of the females on the list and after seeing a preview of her fighting a bully I had to watch. I was a little disappointed because she came out blazing in the first few episodes but fizzed in the end. I don't know why she was portrayed as a gangster. That scenario died real quick.

I liked the two subordinates. They were hilarious. There were characters in here that you hated and then there were characters in this that you hate to love.

As always I like to comment on the last episodes of all the Korean dramas I watch. The last episode was doing fine in the justice department but it became long winded close to the end. Korean justice must've taken notes from the US justice system. People who do horrible things rarely get punished the right way. Plus there were several things that were left unfinished. I should be use to that by now but it always irritate me when this happens. I have a OCD issue when it comes to subjects not being finished.

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