SKY Castle (2018)

REALISM IS THE KEY WORD HERE

This show is a punch in the guts. Emotional with plot twists and breathtaking acting.
The show didnt hold back and went all in showing how the educational system works or better dont work.
The characters were well written with diversity and many layers that we got to explore more and more as the show progress.
I truly believe that SKY Castle is probably one of the most important shows to watch if you want to watch how the Korean culture is treating children.
Amazing acting by everyone and beautiful scenery.
Please have in mind that this show has some strong scenes that can trigger some people.

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Revolutionary

This drama was nothing short of revolutionary, as someone who grew up in an Asian country and has seen the effects of what undue pressure from adults about grades and careers can do to children. The best thing about this drama was how life-like and realistic the characters and their portrayal by the actors was. There were no black and white, evil and good characters in this show and that made their actions less predictable and their stories more interesting. The OST was eerily perfect for the mood and vibe this drama was going for. And the sets were beautiful, along with the cinematography and direction.

Contrary to popular opinion, I liked the ending. The show not just managed to wind up all plot points and lose ends without dwelling on any single one for too long but also managed to assuage all the emotions it had invoked, in the last ep. Just the corny part about glorifying Uju dropping out of HS to discover himself could have been taken to a different direction, as this show had never blatantly shunned the prospect of education itself in the last 19 eps but seemed to do so at the very end, it just seemed a little trendy. Other than that, perfect storyline and acting.

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"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" - Sir Walter Scott

Playing catch up can be really fun (at times). I've had "Sky Castle" in my queue for a while. Mood played a part in the delay. I moved on to other themes after I finished a similar genre with "Crash Course in Romance." I'd had enough of bratty kids. Though "Crash Course" was good, "Sky Castle" had a much deeper experience. It wasn't long after episode 10 that I was already thinking about how I was going to review this show. Just so much going on and many roller coaster of emotions.

A father of 6 myself, I originally had so much to say. Even though it's from 2018, I'm sure the new Kdrama watchers will love it. So, I tried to keep it short:

An upper class group of families lives in Sky Castle, which is an exclusive and prestigious residential complex. There are a lot of academically driven residents and their kids go to a prestigious school. Family dynamics are explored in the series, showing the pressure parents put on their kids to do well in school.

The show highlights the fierce competition within Korea's education system. The acting was fantastic. Actors Yeom Jung Ah (Seo Jin), Kim Seo Hyung (Kim Joo Young), and Lee Tae Ran (Lee Soo Im). These were my standouts, but credit is definitely due to everyone else. Everyone did a great job. Characters are well-written and complex. A major theme of the film is the ambitious and driven parents, who often sacrifice their own needs and desires to help their children succeed. It's outright ridiculous in some cases. My blood was boiling in some episodes, while others just intrigued me.

The cinematography is also impressive, with the use of camera angles and lighting techniques to enhance the storytelling and create a visually stunning viewing experience.

Sorry I just have to explain my rating for rewatching of 6.0, which isn't terrible. Let's be honest. This show is a well-written "one and done"type of series. This type of story is structured like that. I like how the story unfolds with each episode showing you critical points, character revelations, character motives, and answering most of your questions. The second time around won't be the same. Those emotions you felt during your second 20 episode watch may be diluted, because you already know all the secrets. I feel of 50 folks that rate the rewatch at 10, only about 15 or less will actually rewatch.

Over all, "Sky Castle" turned out to be a very enjoyable watch and earned a high mark.

Wow, and this is my short review.

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I am so drawn to dark comedy. And Sky Castle didn't disappoint at all. I came for it expecting nothing. The rating was a single digit for crying out loud. And for a cable drama, that's not bad at all. But boi did it come for me with a vengeance and showed me a narration that I did not know I needed until this drama.

Story: It is drama in every sense of the word. Sky Castle is an exclusive place for the elite and educated. This is enunciated at the very first episode when Seo Jin hosted that party for Myung Joo. The affluence was dripping and everything just screamed expensive. The first episode is gripping enough to want to see the next one immediately. I know I did.

It revolved around 5 families in total in which one way or another have an unhealthy obsession about the perpetuity of their family's affluence through their children. Both parents in the 5 families are in some way flawed and reflect the type of parents we have today. Seo Jin and Joon Sang want to produce a third generation doctor in their family, Min Hyuk wants his children to be as smart and ambitious as him, Jin Hee wants her son to excel in school, Soo Im who have an intelligent stepson, and then there's Myung Joo committed suicide because of guilt at how her son turned out.

What I like about each family is that they are struggling in their own way on how to be a proper family while also showcasing to the rest of the world that they are a model modern family that should be emulated by everyone. The irony of the things we show and the things we let rot inside our home. The play on this plot had been a genius move by the writer and she did it beautifully. From the death of Myung Joo and how it stirred the actions of the mothers to the death of Hyena and how the children, including their parents reacted was critical and meticulously wrought. I'd rewatch the whole drama just to pan-out the whole narration again.

Acting/Cast: The cast was phenomenal. No one was overshadowing or outperforming anyone. The girls in this drama is meant to be heroes. They know what they want, and fight for it. They have their own principles and stood their ground to protect their children and their family. It is so clear in the sequence between their husbands what role a wife plays in the making of a great home and great family. In this sense, I commend the chemistry shared by the adult cast, and the children wasn't far behind their parents. Ye Seo was amazing. I love how the twins love their mother, Ye Bin and Soo Han was outstanding, and Se Ri is badass. Woo Joo's acting was so on point too.

Music: We All Lie kept playing in my head for weeks. That's it.

Rewatch Value: Definitely worth watching again. Not the genre that would be loved by everyone but the flawless story telling would make anyone think otherwise.

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Mindblowing

How do I start this review? I honestly wanted to watch SKY Castle cause I wanted to know why people were praising it so much. I let the hype died down a little and I even came late to the party as I'm watching almost three years later since it came out, but I can say with my hand in my heart that I have cero regreats. It was totally worth the 20 episodes.

It's been so long since I last watched such a raw and cruel drama. The story itself is so twisted, and I love how it shows what a person is capable of doing to achieve their goals. In this story, I dare to say that the adults are the scariest people, what they are willing to do, even walk over others, to achieve everything they want.

This drama gave me the biggest, scariest and longest goosebumps ever. I couldn't believe what my eyes were watching, what I was hearing. The cruelty of every character, how selfless they were, I literlly cried of pure anger and frustration.

One of the things I liked the most about this story is the development of the characters, the difference between who they were when it started vs. how they grew up as the story was concluding. The characters themselves were amazing, each and everyone. The antagonists, the secondary characters, the main cast themselves, everything fitted well and was done excelently.

But certainly what I loved the most about this drama was the message they were trying to convey. How obsession with education and with being the number one can drive you crazy, how society imposes this idea that evevryone has to graduate from school and go to college otherwise you are no one, how greed can make you do the scariest things, even get you killed. I love how raw this story is, and how it shows the true faces of people.

I don't know what else to say, those 20 episodes are totally worth it, every second of it. I will probably rewatch it in the future.

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A mastar piece drama ...

I wish there could be a better happy ending

But the writer of this drama is a killer..
She always kill someone in his story either hero or any special character
In bridal mask she kill heroin, in snowdrop she kill hero


But the writer of this drama is a killer..
She always kill someone in his story either hero or any special character
In bridal mask she kill heroin, in snowdrop she kill hero


But the writer of this drama is a killer..
She always kill someone in his story either hero or any special character
In bridal mask she kill heroin, in snowdrop she kill hero

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Whoa this drama was completely a bop it was really something. I would recommend you to watch it definitely if you are willing to face the darker scenes but really at a whole it was just a masterpiece.it keep me engaged throughout each and every episode there wasn’t even one part I might have felt like it was draggy at all . And that the casts’ chemistry among was marvellous as well . But I would warn you a bit early that there would be parts where you would want to rip apart few of the characters then and there but this actually shows that how good their acting was and that even the child actor were amazing on their part . Even though I don’t know much about music so I don’t know whether you would be liking the music or not but the you will definitely LOVE ❤️ the drama and that even the ending was so perfect ? specially that they didn’t leave any character aside or forget about that instead the character development you will be seeing here is just indescribable .

Overall, I’d you wanna take a roller coaster ride than come on join it .

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Human Nature At it's Best

Who else shipped Woojoo and Yesoo? Okay, let me start by saying that although I knew how some parents were about their children's education, SKY Castle showed me a more intense and deeper understanding of Korean educational system.

SKY Castle had realist characters. I enjoyed the Kang family in comparison to the Hwang family. The Hwang family was rather too good for their own good especially Uju. Although Chani was great with his emotions, there could have been a balance in the way he looked at Yesoo and the other girl ( I forgot her name).

I appreciate the depth of the drama and also the comic relief. I loved the twins, the Harvard daughter and the Professor. It is really one of a kind.

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Sky Castle = (Korean) Life

The story told in Sky Castle is by far one of the most cruel and realistic ones that can be told. It's all about how the korean "high society" live their lives of trying to get their kids to the best university possible, make them doctors and what not and just force them to study until they die basically. They go to lengths, just to accomplish their goal, that are unheard of and should never be ignored. I think this drama has one of the best stories out there and the plot develops in such an unpredictable and harsh way that you sometimes are annoyed at humans just because you can imagine that what you see is probably really happening somewhere in the world. Something that no human being should go through - in the past, present or future.

The story is insanely well written and directed, nonetheless what really seals the deal for this korean drama is the acting and just the cast in general. I don't think there is a single actor or actress that did poorly in this show. Even all the side characters, the kids and what not have been a fabulous way of portraying their character in the most accurate and perfect way you could think of. They are not just acting their characters, they're living them. I especially was very fond of a few here: Oh Na Ra, as she was really really good in My Mister already and I loved that show to heaven, Lee Tae Ran as Lee Soo Im just acting her ass off and Yeom Jung Ah, Yoon Se Ah and also Kim Seo Hyung just being what their characters are best at. I really enjoyed Kim Bo Ra as Kim Hye Na and Kim Byung Chul as Professor Cha aswell. There were many others who could and should have been mentioned as fantastic actors and actresses but I can't talk about them all.

The music is also very fitting and there's always this one main theme called "We All Lie" playing in crucial situations, mainly the ending of episodes, which is really just taking over this show. At the start I couldn't really feel myself into the lyrics that much, but it got more and more fitting over time and I sang along a few times in the last episodes, especially when it really hit me hard in terms of story. There are many upsetting pictures and scenes in this show, where I was just really starstruck and upset about everything in life - I was thinking "How could they even do that?". It just adds to how well done this drama is. I really need to watch some behind the scenes stuff now though, since I really can't cope with some stuff that happened to a few characters.

One thing, I guess you could call it a flaw, though is: what happened to the real killer of Kim Hye Na? That security guard? He just wasn't mentioned anymore at all and it's a little weird. He was surely not important for the story but it's kind of a plot hole you know. Also I would have really loved to see Young Jae and Ga Eul reunite at the end. That was something I longed for a while and it made me sad that it only kinda happened in our imagination.

Even though, this drama is for sure a 10/10 and worthy of being called a masterpiece. It's nothing short from that and everybody should watch this show for sure!

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Please Watch this Masterpiece!

This is such a unique and fresh show, about how far wealthy parents are willing to go to support their children to get into top universities.
The characters were all well done. I love Professor Min Hyuk! An excellent comedic actor.
The acting was top notch and the actors defintely deserves the awards recieved.

This show can be pretty dark, but the comedy was well timed and excellent.
Kim Byung Chul made this show to a legendry status.

The story was exciting and filled with twists. The show is entertaining for sure.
The music was good, We all lie is a fitting song for this drama.

The audience can empathise with these characters, especially teenagers who go to school.
Including young adults who go to university. This show is special.

So Go and enjoy this special show, we need more unique shows like this!

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Sky Castle is a well-written and well-executed drama. In other words, the cast and crew did an exceptional job of portraying the meaning behind the story. It's not your typical Korean drama out there. It tackled on the issue of the educational system in Korea but it also gave light to the importance of families and self-exploration. There were a lot of characters to follow but each individual story was depicted very well-- everything made sense and wasn't forcely connected.

I felt for each individual character. For instance; at first I thought I'd hate Kang Ye seo, Han Seo Jin, Kim Joo Yeong and Professor Cha; but in the end I grew to understand their characters more. It's definitely unusual for antagonist characters to be understood but their stories were portrayed very well.

This is the Korean drama that is worth watching.
A Korean drama that you'll definitely learn from.

It deserves such great ratings. Korea has spoken, you should watch it now.

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EVERYTHING IS EXECUTED PERFECTLY

The show is entirely about parenthood and Korean education system. It has a great cast and all of them performed excellently. There were so many characters but all of them are remarkable. Even the kids and teens delivered their performances very well. The show has a deep storyline (which is about parenthood) but it managed to balance the watching experience by comedy scenes.

What I saw in the show is that Coach Kim is a representation of a living demon. The main character Seo Jin always ended up asking for help from a demon, which is Coach Kim. There was always temptation from Coash Kim and Seo Jin seemed like sold her family to the devil. The show emphasized to let go all the greed, ambition and wrongdoings to make things right. And I'm glad that Seo Jin chose the goodness in the end.

Here are my views on the families in SKY CASTLE:

Hwang Family- The model family. The parents are well mannered and managed to raised their son without any pressure. I understand in the end when U-Ju decided to drop out in school. For me, he knows what he wants and he wants to live his life to the fullest and his parents support him 100%.

Kang Family- The ambitious family. I really hate Seo Jin for being a manipulative mother, wife and neighborhood, so as Ye Seo for being so rude and having no respect to elders. Honestly, I wanted them to have the same fate as what happened to Young-Jae's family because of their attitude. However, for the sake of character development that will give lesson to viewers, their ending is so much okay. Jang-suk is so handsome! LOL

Cha Family- The comic family. They have the most hilarious scenes from the disbandment of Reading Club, to the noodle scene and many more. I love the bond between the mother and her children. Even though she had so much pressure in her studies when she was just a student, she chose to protect her children from her husband from being so obsessed in harsh teaching methods.

Woo Family-The happy family. Even though the parents have high ambition for their son, they still manage to be loving parents to him. I admire how the mother hugged her son in the bed.

This dark comedy series has a good run. I'm so amused of the rivalry of the two doctors, Professor and Doctor Kang, the fight of the families, etc. I thought the story was stupid during watching the first episode because of the parents' ambition for their children and I was feeling like I didn't like it. But I was wrong, it has a relevant goal and the show is executed perfectly and successfully. I firmly believe that Sky Castle Story can happen in real life. Most of the scenes were written in a realistic way, some of those was when Hyena didn't have the chance to confess to her Dad that she is his daughter.

PS: I watched this because of Kim Dong Hee (one of the twins) and ended up liking al the characters.

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