My Name (2021)

Generic

Honestly the story was predictable with its betrayal, decieve, death of a beloved character and all.
It's just the like a typical "lead living two lives to revenge for the loss of a beloved ending with the loss of another" and therefore making them lose morality but with gender reversal.
As usual actors are amazing with their work.. Except the mafia boss who looks like he's sleep-talking.
Music is addicting that sucks in the audience into the scenes.
Personally I felt that the protagonist lacked a character development and her pair with her senior looked like one sided with him showing all the emotions and her painfully lacking and their love story felt more rushed into to complete the plot than well-thought.
That's it. The drama being short saved all the trouble... And i guess we'll have another season?!

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Revenge

Revenge - in one word we can sum up all the moves of the main character.
Han So Hee perfectly played the role of a small, weak girl who under the supervision of the mafia boss undergoes an extraordinary transformation and turns into a real tough girl. This character will stay in my memory as one of the really well played ones.
Park Hee Soon as Choi Moo Jin is an amazing combination. I love him in this role. And the chemistry that develops between him and Oh Hye Jin is something that keeps the viewer hooked.
I think the series is amazing. Gangster cinema at its best. It keeps you in suspense, shows the brutal life of the mafia underworld and in all that, the girl's struggle to get to the truth. The series has been keeping me awake for over three weeks now. I will definitely revisit it.

But one detail puzzles me. That chemistry between Oh Hye Jin and Choi Moo Jin. The whole team gave us a glimpse of something wonderful. The way they play off each other on screen, the subtleties mixed with brutality. And the ending itself, something so real. Different from all the "happy endings" we get from Americans for example.

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Gritty Realism

This was an epic cinematic blast of a drama. I'm going to recommend this to everyone I know, whether they watch Asian dramas or not! If they like action, I'm forcing their ass down on the couch next to me and prying their eyelids open with my fingers. So what if it has subtitles? You will fucking love it!

I loved how realistic they took this. They didn't make her unbelievably badass, completely cold, or even fully determined right away. She quickly wants to get revenge but doesn't process exactly what that means. And she's also scared. But bit by bit, in just the first episode, she builds some courage.

In particular, I found the training and fight scenes well done as Yoon Ji Woo is shown to have weaknesses in that she is not as large or muscular as the other men, but she has grit, a bit of talent, and she's not afraid to hurt others and understands what it will cost her.

This was one of the best strong female leads I've seen.

I highly highly recommend watching this if you haven't already.

How I wish I could watch this on a massive theater screen *sigh*

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I knew

Wow. This is one's really good. Story wise, it's a classic revenge themed drama. Not so fresh, but still entertaining enough because it was done just right.

Nowadays, tv drama tends to be too long with too many filler episodes. But with this one, maybe it could've use a few more. Like a bit more back story for the police captain and what happened after the whole shebang. Or a bit more time to fall in love, before that bullet straight to the head. A little bit of conclusion could've been better.

To be honest, it was really obvious who was the villain since episode 1. It was painful to see FL, go through the trauma of tragically losing her father. And as an adult, it was painful to see her lose everything. Every truth that she believed in, every pain that she held close to her heart, and even the man she could've loved.

This show has a classic plot, very good fight sequences and a little bit pull on the heart strings. I wouldn't mind rewatching this again or watching a sequel if ever there's one.

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awesome plot with a disappointing ending

The revenge plot was perfect, and i know that from the beginning it was centered on taking justice into their own hands, but the journed that the lasts eps took indicated something else...the outcome seemed obvious, imprisonment, and even if they still wanted the jiwoo killed the mujin, there were other ways, there were millions of near-deaths, they always used knives, but just with the pildo they used a gun, i dont conform, i think they wanted to give it an air of drama that the ending is not so happy. She already had a thirst for revenge for the death of someone she loved, it didnt need to be repeated for her to kill the guy, she didnt need to start a romance, which until then was just something in the air, in the 45 seconds of the last time just to minutes later its all over, and its very discouraging when something unnecessary happens, they wanted to be unpredictable but the surprise was negative, in my view i didnt even need to develop a romance, the ending would already be perfect with her revenge and leave the two as one possible romance for the future, i cant explain it, that "we'll be together in the future beyond the episode". Anyway, im disgusted because the drama is incredible, the development, the plot, the characters, everything, but the ending left something to be desired with an impression of "we did something because there had to be an ending", or something like that, but I give 10 stars anyway, just pretend it was another way haha

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ACTION ACTION ACTION

I binged this show in ONE DAY! I wouldn't have been able to walk away even if I had needed to! Everything about this show was so bad***! Our lead was so powerful and did such an amazing job! She walked into the devils playground and walked away to tell the tale! It had twists that you'd never expect, moments that you were on the edge of your seat, you were routing for her every step of the way!

She was everything!

The ONLY thing I can't stand about the show is the horrible heartbreak it caused. I was devastated. I had to reassure myself this wasn't real and that person was actually okay in real life. I couldn't believe the writers would do that to me! I also respect how epic it happened and the impact it had on me.

I wished it had more episodes but that would have left room for stale episodes. This was perfection!

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Despite the Amazing Acting it was Very Predictable and Lacked Depth for Side Characters

The first three episodes of this show were amazing; they had me hooked and excited for the ending. However, it became so predictable. I think the issue with revenge dramas is that they fall into two categories: the first is revenge taken in the middle of the plot, and the second is revenge taken at the end of the plot. This drama is the latter, and because the characters and journey overall lack in plot development, it becomes very predictable. I honestly did love Jiwoo, but I found that Pildo's character, and everyone else around her, lacked any depth and really just rushed the romance in the final episode.

I wish the plot element, of her dad being a cop the whole time, was revealed in episode 4 (rather then ep7), and then the rest of the plot could've turned into Pildo and Jiwoo taking revenge together. Instead, they kill him off after a rushed romance. It bothered me so much because everything else in the drama was so well done—especially the acting and cinematography. Han So-hee blew me away with her acting; she's genuinely so amazing, and Bo Hyun-ah was a perfect actor for Pildo. Unfortunately, the plot was dragged on despite being 8 episodes. It's a shame because had the plot been up to par with the acting and cinematography, then this show could've been a masterpiece.

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I went into the drama not realizing there were only 8 episodes, so it was a very quick watch for me. I also like to watch everything on 1.5x speed so it went by super quickly. The acting of the drama was great and the main leads did such a wonderful job. It was action-packed and exciting, but was also able to bring out the tears (and honestly, I don't cry much, if ever!). However, don't go into it thinking too much because, after I finished it, I started thinking and then realized that there were so many things that didn't make sense. If you don't mind blood and want to watch something quick and predictable, then would definitely recommend.

Below are my --spoilers-- and the things that I really didn't understand / like about the show:

1) the romance -- okay, I guess almost every k-drama out there has to have a romance line, and while I liked the chemistry between our ML and FL, there was a lot of development that was lacking. considering our FL's backstory, i would assume that she hasn't experienced much romantic love growing up, and so for her to initiate a kiss and then jumping so quickly into sex didn't really make a lot of sense to me. maybe i am overthinking how someone in her situation would react, but i definitely think there were better ways to go about this. also not very happy with the fact that han sohee wasn't even aware of the fact that there was a bed scene before signing on. feel like they added it in to get extra views but it was pretty unnecessary and if determined to be necessary, could have spent a bit more time developing their loveline.
2) the undercover cop storyline -- they spent so much of their time making you hate our FL's father only for us to learn later that this whole time, he was just an undercover gangster. even if FL might have been young when her father went undercover, you would think that she would have been aware of the fact that her dad was a cop. or maybe i just have the timeline wrong? not entirely sure but seems like a lot of things could have been dealt with differently if she had known. i guess then the story wouldn't have come about but it just doesn't really make sense is all.

Anyway, there's probably more but I'll stop for now. I think the drama was short enough that you can get through it without thinking too much about it and still enjoy it but if you're expecting something out of this world and unpredictable, perhaps something else would be better.

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"Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold" In One of the Best Mystery-Thrillers Ever Made!

I have been watching movies and show for over 45 years, and I MUST start off this review by stating that Han So-Hee’s performance as Ji Woo Yoon is one of the best I have ever seen from any actor or actress. If she hasn’t literally won every single acting accolade and award, then something is seriously wrong. Yes, her performance is that good, and it’s also a big reason why this series is so good, aside from the stellar writing, directing, cinematography, editing, and pretty much everything else. This is one of the best series I have ever had the privilege to watch.

After watching mostly light-hearted K-Dramas over the past four or five years, this series is entirely different. It takes us deep inside the dank and dark underworld of Korean organized crime. A place ruled with an iron fist in Moo Jin Choi (another exceptional performance by Park See Soon). As with exceptional storytelling and one of the best thrillers ever made, we know the players, but we don’t know who is who and what is what. It plays like “24,” “The Departed” and a “Bronx Tale” all rolled into one with a bit of “The Professional” thrown in. The series is, indeed bigger than the sum of any of these parts. It is its own intriguing identity. And the writers do a terrific job keeping us on our toes. Just when you think you have figured something out, and another curveball is thrown our way to make think, “Okay, maybe that’s not it at all!”

Ji Woo Yoon devotes her life to seeking revenge upon the person who killed her father when she was in high school. Throwing herself into hand-to-hand combat training and learning how to use her wits, Ji Woo Yoon becomes what happens when someone is laser-focused on achieving their goal. She doesn’t smile. Her apartment is empty, except for her weight equipment, and her life is basically as empty and dark as the streets she patrols. She doesn’t engage in anything that takes her mind away from her ultimate job: to find and kill the killer. However, things are seldom as they seem, and despite her incredible tenacity—borderline obsession—smarts, and abilities, she’s not invincible or infallible. What is it like to watch someone with that kind of determination? I think of people like Bruce Lee or Kobe Bryant; people who will do whatever it takes to achieve a goal and not apologize for it. This is part of the intrigue of this series and also why Han So-Hee so deftly is able to give us this character and bring Ji Woo Yoon to life. I would be extremely curious about the training she must have had to go through. I have seen some amazing performances by Korean actors and actresses, but this one by Han So-Hee, just blew me away. When I looked at her profile on Mydramalist, I was like, “Wait, is that the same girl?!” A transformation from a beautiful model to a person you wouldn’t want to cross on your best day is something on par with Jodie Foster, Doona Bae, Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett or Meryl Streep. Yes, I’m putting this performance of Han So-Hee on that kind of a level. I think it takes tremendous courage and dedication to turn in this kind of performance.

At only eight episodes, this series will make you feel like you’ve sat through sixteen or even twenty. You can’t help but watch the next episode after you’ve finished one, and by the time it’s all over, you might feel like you need a vacation or, at the very least, a few days to catch your breath.

I love movies that showcase strong female characters, and this one certainly achieves that. We need more characters like this one. Ji Woo Yoon is definitely not someone you’ve ever seen in most K-Dramas, and man, am I thrilled to death that they pulled no punches in this hardcore series. The violence is extreme, but there is no scene that doesn’t belong, no act that is out of place. It plays like a meticulous hard rock song that always pulls you in. I’m so glad that Netflix collaborated to bring this series to light as well as keep every element of the story intact. As far as mystery-thrillers go, you’ll be as hard-pressed as I am to find one that’s better. I can only think of two off the top of my head: The movies “Seven” and “Silence of the Lambs.” And, yes, “My Name” belongs in that company.

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"To take revenge is to become a monster."

"A monster is what you are."

I'm not really into the whole gang/mafia thing, but I do like the revenge trope, especially if it's a woman carrying it out. This drama was probably one of the biggest surprises for me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Although it is quite short, I thought that 8 episodes were perfect. There were twists and unexpectedly likable characters that I fell in love with. The cast was amazing, I loved all of them!! Fight scenes deserve to be highlighted because they were very well choreographed. I watched many dramas where the fighting scenes were kinda lame and not very exciting but this is not one of those.

Spoiler for the ending but: I felt like this Jiwoo did not really achieve anything at the end. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that she did what she did but... What did she gain? She was totally alone by the end. The thought of that made me quite sad. I wanted a happy ending for her or at least something close to it. It didn't feel like a good ending. Maybe if they didn't kill [redacted], it'd have been different:(( My heart just breaks for her. I guess people could say that "this is more realistic" or that "revenge is a bad thing that's why it can't lead to happiness" and to that, I say: no. Bad things happening to bad people is the best concept and it should not cancel out others' happiness.

All in all, this is a great drama. If you are searching for something that is more serious and bloody, this could be a great choice! 9/10<3

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