Anna (2022)

Suzy Bae never disappoints

The reason why I watched this was completely because of Suzy Bae, and she definitely delivered a performance.

The story was so interesting and well done, I finished everything in one sitting. Granted this Kdrama isn’t hard to finish since it only has 6 episodes but it was still very well done.

I love Suzy Bae as an actress but this was the first time I disliked her character in a show. Anna was so naive and annoying at times, that I had to click ‘pause’ at certain times just to collect myself and not go crazy.

I wasn’t expecting her character to be sort of a villain since the edits I saw of her character seemed to make it look like she was a badass poker faced character. Especially because of the first episode where they showed a woman from UK (?) visit her and give her some advice, which I thought they would bring back but it seemed pretty useless? The only thing she got from that woman is to have poker face which played a big role in the show.

Anyway I think this deserves a season 2. It did so well in just 6 episodes that I feel like it deserves justice by being back on the screen again.

Bae Suzy, you are phenomenal!!!

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Watch the Extended Version instead

I usually don't write reviews but I think this drama deserves more a higher rating. I watched the extended version first. The 8 episodes one and the story flowed nicely. This Drama should be atleast in 8.5 but my rate will be 9 since after watching the last episode it leaves me wanting for more. There are also certain plot points I think they could have done more, but I guess there's only so much you can do if this was listed for 8 episode only.

Now reading the past comments and review here I think the 6 episode version was certainly not the best to watch this show. So if you read this, definitely watch the extended version more.

On the acting department, I haven't seen that many drama by Suzy, this was probably my second time watching her after Dream High and I would say her acting was really in character and fits her perfectly, she gave Lee Anna so much depth and complexity that made you root for her no matter what.

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like Bae Suzy? its worth watch at least its short

Anna (2022) - 8/10 -kdrama

quite average drama which is worth seeing just if you Bae Suzy fan.

story goes about FL from poor family which is attention seeker and ambitious to get into rich social class.
Which in way is ok since exist real life cases of such happening for example sadly even I know there exist some recent cases cant remember them..., but mine favorite story from this theme is about - Iacob Heraclid also known as Despot Voda which managed to forge his origin well enough to become monarch of Moldavia

plot -Yoo Mi is the woman who tells a small lie and ends up living someone else’s life. Hyun Joo is a woman who lives her life holding herself above everyone, treating them with neither kindness nor malice. She has a subtly tense relationship with Yoo Mi. Ji Hoon is Yoo Mi’s husband who is ambitious and future-oriented. Ji Won is a dependable senior who is the only person whom Yoo Mi trusts.

(Source: Naver)

genre - whatever .... just story about caste system and girl trying to lie her way onto top of it.

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Started Strong, but Fizzled out.

ANNA, for me, was a missed target. A real let down, to be honest. It really could have been great, but completely missed the mark. Now the confusing thing is there were things about the show that were actually pretty great, for example an intriguing premise with endless possibilities and a lot of room for suspense, and the cinematography and artistic eye behind the camera made the show eye-catching and great to watch. Quality.

Starting the series I felt for sure it would turn out to be a real gem, a wonderful suspensful and dramatic show, full of twists and turns. Why? Because it just looks so good, like you can feel right off the bat that a lot of care went into it. It's quality and has high production value, great visuals, great music, intriguing premise, a big actress starring in it, strong supporting cast. What could go wrong?

First of all, for me this wasn't actually a suspense, mystery, thriller drama. The pacing was almost incredibly slow. And listen, I love a good slow burn mystery drama. Intellectual, political, psychological. Those can be great, some of the greatest really. So I don't even think that the fact the marketing misled me on the genre description as the fault of this show failing in my view...

It's difficult to explain why it missed the mark exactly, except maybe that it was lacking in some key ingredient that make for an excellent drama recipe. Namely character development and character acting. After watching the show, I can honestly say I still didn't really feel any attachment to Lee Yu Mi, the main character, played by Kpop idol Bae Suzy. By no means do I mean to bash on her acting ability, but to me her portrayal of her role felt so bland and dry. Boring, unmemorable and somewhat irritating. Sterile, unemotional, robotic. I don't think this was her best work, though certainly not her wirst either.

I felt like the director maybe should have guided her more, encouraged a better performance or at least a different variety expressions and reactions. Often it felt to me that she was just not invested in her role at all, or maybe she thought the same expression would carry her through the show. And truly that fact itself, that it didn't carry her is saying something too, because she's quite lovely to look at, but that certainly doesn't mean she was suited to the role and in my opinion, she definitely wasn't.

Now, in Bae Suzy's defense, a weak character can also happen in series as short as this one (6-8ep), given much less time to develop onscreen and hence less time to connect with the audience, especially given there are other characters, other moving pieces and plotlines also needing sufficient screen time, so perhaps the short length was partly the reason why. And while I admit, I haven't seen many series with this lead Actress, Bae Suzy, in it, I am certainly well aware of her high status and reknown, especially in Korea. And I'm sure she's great in other shows, and certainly as a singer, which is how she started and gained her popularity and fans. So no hate, truly.

However, this series just didn't endear me to her. I'm not trying to criticize her, personally. I'm sure she's a great actress in other things. I'm thinking the writers here didn't do her character justice or perhaps they encouraged a more subdued, muted performance for whatever reason, which definitely wasn't the course to go. For me, I rarely felt attachment or concern for the characters, but least of all for her, which is definitely not a good thing for a drama. The Main Lead is someone the viewer needs to bond to, connect with, vibe with and root for. The supporting cast made her character appear even weaker, by how strong they all were. Also, another thing of note was that the two younger actors for the same character (both the child and adolescent) were more memorable than she was in their respective roles.

The character of Yoo Mi felt often like a passive doormat and then at random intervals more like a sly manipulator, someone you can pity but not admire or relate to. And there didn't seem to be any given reason for this behavior or growth from it, no redemptive path. It was a pity, because this could have been a stronge feminist character with morally ambiguous motives and vast range of character development. Instead, I felt myself rooting for the moral secondary character, the political journalist, Han Ji Won and more interested in the charasmatic and selfish character of Lee Hyun Joo. At least they both felt more dynamic and more dimensional.

I must also add before closing, the premise was indeed quite intriguing and I admire dramas that offer social commentary and make room for deeper intellectual discourse. This series was definitely good in that way. There is much to be said and to analize here about human behavior, human nature, tendancies that can worsen, the evolution of a lie, how ego and hubris can effect identidy, how one lie can turn to many, and eventually spark an all consuming fire that inevitably destroys. The ripple effect, the consequences of that one lie. The reality that sinks in. Really some good ideas to chew on...

Anyway, all this to say this good show felt weighted down by weaker acting, a weak lead character that never had the chance to develope onscreen, perhaps poor casting choices, poor character development/writing and honestly a pretty weak ending. A beautiful face does not equate to a powerful or skillful actor. A great famous singer does not equate to a great actress. Great acting can be hindered by poor direction and writing. A great show or work of art can be hindered by poor editing. Perhaps this show would have been superb with different circumstances. Overall, this was more of a dissapointing watch for me and didn't live up to what I felt it could have been. Very conflicted about this drama.

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Too unrealistic

So many questions … first off, the first 3 episodes are good but too many questions popped into my mind. Why was she unrecognizable given she became a public figure? She could NOT have walked from West coast to East coast on foot! She will not survive unless she has money to spend for hotels, food and clothing. It would take months to walk across the US! Does the Korean writer know this? How did she enter Canada without visas, without anything? The climate changes up in the North, how did she cross the wilderness without getting attacked by some wild animal? It is too unrealistic. It would have been better if she stayed in the west coast and became an illegal alien. So disappointed with the ending. I thought the ending was hilarious.

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Anna (2022) - is one of the kdramas this year which I think is not yet done? I really thought its gonna be 8 episodes and so I waited for a week to the next 2 episodes and nothing. I just hoped for nothing and I think its because the ending was not satisfying at all. It does not justify the whole series. Some of the characters in the drama are not fully utilized, I don’t know. Though I must say Suzy really did great in the role. I think it is more like a passing drama that is nice overall but then I would forget the story after a while. Good premise and reminds me of Miss Ripley Korean drama.

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One Little Lie Leads To Another

As Madeline would say 'once you start, you cannot stop".
Anna is a Coupang play drama based on ‘Intimate Stranger’ by Chung Han-Ah. The drama is about Lee Yu Mi (Bae Suzy) a girl who has Ripley’s syndrome, and it follows her from her teenage years up to her early adulthood and how she lies each step of the way, one always bigger from the last, the unraveling of her lies & how she deals with everything in between. I have not had the privilege of reading the book, so this review is just about the drama itself.

From the first time, I saw the synopsis of the drama I was very intrigued by it, and it was very different from Suzy’s previous picks, so I was very excited to watch it. Starting with performances, I can see Suzy’s dedication to the role. You can tell she worked hard to convey the way anna felt during key moments of her life and every moment where her life changed as she lied. However, I was quite disappointed with the accuracy of her performance in how she conveyed the character. At certain points, she is meant to feel bad for lying but we only see that towards the end but not during the show. The duality of a woman that is meant to look strong outwards but is crumbling inwardly was attempted but not to the satisfaction of my liking. I found that everything was linked more to the fact that her pride led to every single lie she told.

The personality disorder (Ripley’s syndrome) is defined as “a false situation or context, while another could also represent failing to fulfill what is required” either in social deception or self-deceit, coined from the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Hayes (Analysis of Ripley Syndrome). A calculated series of plans and practice to obtain and satisfies her desires by committing fraud. Ripley’s syndrome is often met with people who have no shame, and their desires drive them to do the worst of things (The uncanny and Diagnosis of Mr. Ripley). Yumi engaged in social deception but not self-deceit. I think the drama tried to dive into the self-deceit aspect of the syndrome but failed halfway and you can find that with Suzy’s performance as well. It showed the levels she took to deceive people around her and people who cared about her to satisfy her desires and needs. Her depiction of the role kind of came off as discomfort and greed rather than guilt or shame. On the brighter side, I praise Suzy's portrayal of her relationships with her parents and how that fueled her desire for a state of peace she thought could be attained by lying, you could see throughout the drama how her parents were huge forces in everything she did, Suzy did her best to depict that in her performance. It showed how in each stage she thought it would be the last, but it just kept on going. For her not being the strongest of actresses she carried the role to a very decent point

One thing I loved is the cinematic perspective of the drama. Lee Joo Jung, the director, took the audience through defining moments of Yu mi’s life without making it feel short felt or too overwhelming. It was enough pieces to allow me to have a full perspective of Yu Mi’s life without wanting more. The end did feel rushed, and it might be due to the editing issues between Lee Joo Jung and Coupang. I am yet to see the director's cut so I am not sure if it would have been better and more packaged than the present one. The drama is a great perspective into the lives of different personalities and social classes. It shows the strive that a lot of people have in their lives, to reach a level of wealth and success. Yu mi embodies the smaller amount of people who will do whatever it takes even if it means crossing a moral boundary. The rest of the cast performed well, however in terms of character planning there was much to be explained. I found myself getting used to or liking the story of the other characters and then they would be cut off or certain aspects of the storyline would be left unfinished. It was quite unsatisfactory.
Overall, it’s a short watch with 45-55 minutes in each episode. It embodies a lot and it’s a new step toward Suzy's ability as an actress. There was more to be said that wasn’t but in all things, the end was not left empty. I recommend this as a light watch with very little expectation.

I also cited some of the articles I took info from, the student in me couldn’t help it. (APA style-best citing format ever). also the link for Madeline's one little lie leads to another- a banger

(2018). The Uncanny and Diagnosis of Mr. Ripley: a Freudian Approach. Retrieved from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-uncanny-and-diagnosis-of-mr-ripley-a-freudian-approach-2/

Analysis of Ripley Syndrome Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1430398-ripley-syndrome

Madeline-One little lie leads to another retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAYtdZlqYPI

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This drama give me a goosebumps and suzy had amazing acting.

This drama is better than I thought it was so sad that yumi has always been bad luck in her love life but I think she made the right decisions. She doesn't get much love from people she loves but in the end, it shows that only her parents make her feel love and care for her but it was too late. At first I don’t really understand this drama but when I keep watching I can feel it myself with yumi life. .she wants to do everything she wants and in the end, it teaches her life lessons. Suzy acting is amazing and beautifully stunning. I wish she gets more drama. Love u Anna!!

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not an usual drama

this drama tried so many topics untouched in the kdrama world. it was something very unique and new for me which is why i enjoyed this drama to the very core. so me may find suzys character underwhelming but i find it much more realistic thatn her having so much of a reaction to things that is happening in life. personally i find annas character so real. she sees an oppurtunity to transform her whole life and takes it,uses it to the very core and when things take a toll she just have no choice but to give everything up because she was a nobody,her lies made her the person she actually is. this is what happens when you build anything out of lies, you will have to accept whatever that comes following the lies because the truth is much more powerful compared to the lie that you built.

anna by birth was a girl who wants to excel in whatever she does and that is exactly why she also does a good job in lying as the opening itself says "i was always like this,i do anything that i put my mind into"
i somehow find myself in anna which is something i should not be proud of but it shows what kind of person that you actually are when you lie.

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