This review may contain spoilers
Suspense-packed. Elusive. Tough - KDrama shows us a poker face in several ways
"Insider" grabbed me from the first minute. It was exciting and unpredictable, fascinating regarding the world of card gambling and convincing with a consistently top-class cast. The story is knitted around the ever topical issue of corrupt South Korean society. You will not find good and bad in the classic sense. Dark shades of gray on the gloomy side dominate the picture. The focus is on the sobering practice of substituting compromises for morale. And those who are not willing to compromise may experience violence. In this context, the KDrama is also brutal on a high level.Can one person change the predicament of a corrupt society? In recent years, the KDrama has conspicuously often asked this question. Here the son tries to do the same as the father and at least tries... because: if you don't at least try, then nothing can change. So he wants to go to court and do his part there to ensure justice. Also undercover, if it may help. The question remains: Can one person change something about corrupt social structures? Does it help when illegal activities are uncovered? Or will everything in the end remain as it was, since new characters simply fill the vacant roles?
"Insider" focuses on the networking of politics, criminal prosecution and specifically institutionalized criminal organizations. Democracy has practically no chance in the face of these almost overwhelming networks that decide in the background and create facts. It's bitter to see. In particular, the handling of the law, which appears to be swung almost like a sword in the interests of the powerful, thus relentlessly destroying any hope of justice for honest people.
In this respect, "Insider" is more of a pessimistic story. I admit that I'm ambivalent about this overall quite brutal KDrama. It's repulsive but fascinating at the same time. The story ruthlessly unfolds its impenetrably entangled threads. It tells of outrageous machinations of the powerful and infernal manners in prison. Also about being mercilessly dependent on oneself. It tells of the desperate attempt to avenge injustice.
The dramaturgical leitmotif running through all of the 16 episodes is quite concrete and also symbolic: the impenetrable poker face. Illegal gambling with cards dominates "Insider" from the first minute to the end. Especially at the beginning, the card game itself is in the foreground. As the series progresses, the viewer's perspective shifts to the meta level of casino management and what may be attached to it. But who is up to something here and who is on the side of the protagonist remains unclear until the end. Who or what should you bet on? KDrama also shows us its poker face and simply plays its cards unperturbed - one episode after the other, until the end.
In my opinion, the permanent increase in tension during the first 8-10 episodes, which are mainly focused around prison-life, is like a permanently increasing climax - and the most impressive (yet challenging) part. After that, the actual revenge campaign can only lose. Not because it is not also based on a high level of quality, but simply because this permanent increase in tension cannot be continued forever. In the meantime, the audience has so many open plot threads in their hands that they now want to be resolved before they completely lose track (and interest).
Kang Ha-neul as main lead is incredible. He embodies the difficult process of change in the personality of a highly motivated young trainee at court who involuntarily has to get to know the dark end of society up close. If he doesn't conform and play by their rule, he won't survive. However, if he survives in this dark parallel world, he can never be who he was.
But everyone else around him also keeps up the intensive field and contributes to the convincing overall performance. I was particularly drawn to Kang Young-seok, who practically excelled alongside Kang Ha-neul in the first half. It's unbelievable how he manages to embody the worst merciless willingness to use violence on the one hand and yet still somehow is able to win sympathy on the other. A strong, unforgettable performance!
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Scriptwriter is Mad, Crazy Good
This scriptwriter is mad, crazy good -- they say a mark of a remarkable script writer can draw in the audience despite the story’s complexity. To slowly but swiftly and persistently keep an audience engaged, guessing, and wholly invested in each character, the heroes and villains, takes a lot of talent. This writer’s ability to spin the web of the story extends further and more profound than what’s visible on the surface, and that’s why despite being confused at times, I remain engaged without judgment for the haze of confusion to clear away that effectively happens at the opening of each episode. I love this writing style. But as good as this writer is, the actors, director, and editing team interpreting the script are even better. Kang Ha Neul and his cast of friends and foes leave me wanting for more each time. One of the better thrillers out there that is deliberate with the choices it makes, heightening and amplifying the cohesive and focused story goal with a consistent and escalating related conflict that is exciting as it is complex.I I truly enjoyed this intensely complicated yet surprisingly fulfilling journey that Insider laid out. I want to give a massive shout-out to Lee Yoo Young for how well she plays Oh Soo Yeon. I never truly appreciated her acting until this one. Given the right part, I believed she could deliver even better, and she's proved me right. Every character plays a key role, especially the villains in Heo Dong Won as Yang Jun and Jung Man Shik as Yang Hwa, they are worthy of praise. It's easy to be slighted when playing against Kang Ha Neul, who is golden as the very complicated yet brilliant Yo Han. Still, Kang Young Seok in the role of Jang Seon Oh and the ever-so-engaging Choi Dae Hoon as No Seung Hwan definitely held their own and deserve to be recognized for their brilliant acting. Insider must not have been an easy drama to write. Kudos to the writer, the director, and the production team. I hope this drama gets awards as it's up there with some of the best of 2022.
One of the better written, directed, acted, and edited dramas I have seen since My Mister. Undoubtedly one of the best of 2022. I loved how complicated yet engaging this drama was; the writer threw a lot at us, and sometimes I felt like I was drowning but not once was I bored. On the contrary, I couldn't wait for the next episode, especially the first three to five minutes that connected all the missing dots. I will miss the whole cast; everybody played a crucial role in making this drama the success it became. As I wrote yesterday, everyone is deserving of an award. But especially the writer for penning such an intricately complex story that, in its complexity, made all the sense possible, Kang Ha Neul, Lee Yoo Young, Kang Young Seok, and Choi Dae Hoon, who has a special place in my heart.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good
This is quite an interesting drama. I liked the actors and the story was good. Unfortunately, this drama couldn't quite grab me. At first it was fun to watch the drama, especially because of the relationship between Kim Yo Han and Jang Seon Oh . I loved the gamble scenes. It was so interesting how people cheat and gamble.Once Kim Yo Han got out of prison, the story went downhill a little bit. Way too hectic and something is happening all the time. Of course, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it just wasn't interesting enough anymore.
The ending was ok, but I would have liked more scenes with Jang Seon Oh . He was the reason I stuck with this drama. I wanted to know what was going to happen to him and what he was going to do next. Unfortunately, he didn't appear as much as I would have liked.
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Very complicated. Amazing drama but underrated.
It's a very complicated drama. It's high class politics. There are always surprising facts in every episode. Each character has their own motives and interests and can switch sides at any time. It is not clear who is friend and which is foe. somehow this drama is underrated. maybe because the viewing platform is less numerous and wide.The acting of the casts is also very brilliant. There are many veteran actors who play a role in this drama where their acting skills are unquestionable
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Confusing but worthwhile
I really enjoyed the first half of this series as it was easy for me to pick up what was going on. Someone imprisoned on purpose to pick up intel for a case. The twists and turns are really good and this show is very suspenseful. It’s really too bad it got too confusing for me to be fully immersed.Kang Ha Neul is an excellent actor. This drama really couldn’t showcased that more, but when it did it was amazing. It’s a good thing he’s a scene stealer because he’s the main character. But as for his character Yo Han? I didn’t know whether to like him or not. At the beginning I liked him as some sort of underdog, with his grandma dying I sympathized with him. But his character started to fall flat when he got out of prison- and that’s when the show started to really get confusing for me.
It’s not the genre of suspense/thriller that makes things hard for me. Flower of Evil does an amazing job at having plot twists and tense situations and mystery but I understood all of it. Insider has too many things going on for me to understand. It started getting really dicey when the little boy Minhowas introduced (and sadly died).. it’s like all the most intriguing characters get the shaft here. The show focuses on the bad guys too much.. there’s a lot so I can’t even remember the names.. but they all jumble together for me. I watch and go - oh this guy is bad so that’s why the main characters are doing this. I had to do that a lot, just accept things without understanding. And I hated that. But to the shows credit, when you do understand the show is really really good.
As I said earlier, everything that goes down in the prison is phenomenal. The gambling and hierarchy is amazing. The cinematography is really good. This show has so many good things but I think it just needed to ground itself. Instead of showing the bad guys so much, just show a few moments of their plotting to add to the suspense and twists. It was hard trying to find their motivations and what they were planning the same time as Yo Han.
My favorite character was Seon Oh, coming from the whole prison arc he was a wild card. I loved him and was disappointed how his character arc ended up.. in sort of no where. He had the main character energy for me. Yo Han’s character was all over the place with the revenge.. I didn’t know where he drew the line- like killing or letting someone die. It’s not bad when a main character is an anti hero- but Yo Han didn’t explain.. you don’t know much about his childhood (unliked Seon Oh). You just know he has a grandmother that was murdered and have to fill in the gaps of his life from there. So Seon Oh was better. He had the experiences that we know about so I sympathized with him more, and even thought he wasn’t doing the best things I still rooted for him. His dad was murdered and he was forced to do bad things with the impression that if he didn’t he would be alone again. I understand why Yo Han is the main character, but I wish the writers would’ve picked up on Seon Oh’s potential. Yo Han isn’t the cookie cutter good guy, so that’s good- but Seon Oh is better. To me.. I could go on and on about why but this is just my opinion.
Lastly I’ll recommend to very smart people. I’m not dumb, it’s just hard for me to understand more than several plot lines at once. This show is thrilling but gets tangled up after the prison arc. That is my review 8/10
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So far,The Best Kdrama of 2022!
This must apply as a rule :"You know a drama is good when the very first scene of it,takes your breath away!"
Or at least this is what happened to me.I had the feeling is going to be realy good.I paused it exactly at the first 40 seconds of the very first episode.That long took me to fall inlove with Insider!I was already captivated by the direction,cinematography and music. The sound of the footsteps.the roulette..the chips.The slow-motion scene plus that thrilling music!Wow! All these,i repeat it-within 40 secs.Iam very serious.After that there was no way i would stop watching it. So even if you don't plan to watch this,please do me a favor and just watch those 40 secs.I bet you will change your mind!
I want to start with...
Music:♬ Howling ♬ and ♬You've Got Me Wrong ♬ the 2 main OSTs are to die for!So dark and moody songs,stuck in my head and i just loved them!I can't say more,go and listen them!All the other music themes were perfect too.You could feel the vibe of any scene just by listening to the music!
Production/Direction/Cinematography:This is a very expensive production.Ridiculously expensive!I was satisfied with everything!Every detail,every choise from props to costumes.Everything was perfect.Special mention to the make-up team.Our ML is beaten like crazy almost in the whole drama!Lol.His wounds,his bruises,his cuts,the blood,his swollen face.You think they were beating him for real!So realistic!Direction was smart and smooth.Cinematography at its best!Everything was well planned and well executed.Nothing was too much.Nothing seemed fake or "staged"Producers,director and cinematographers did an amazing job to bring to our screens the best visuals.
Cast/Acting: Most of the cast are Veterans,Skilled actors,noone can doubt their talent.Producers chose among the elite!So because i was familiar with almost all of them i already knew the acting would be phenomenal!
As for Kang Ha Neul,he was always the Prince Charming to me from Moon Lovers.I had to experience his performance in this drama to truly appreciate his talent!Amazing and Top notch acting.I felt his physical and emotional pain.I was suffering with him.I could feel his sorrow,his anger and his desperation.He delivered all the emotions!
With Insider he hit the jackpot,by choosing this role!And he totally nailed it.He shines here as the brightest star!
Characters: How exciting characters were they!Every char should be praised.Noone was a filler.Noone was a wasted screen-time.Everyone ,from main to supporting, played their part to the story.And i mean everyone.I can't analyze all the chars,i wish i could but it will take me hours because all left me with the best impressions.Even the chars with smaller roles,were well written and with depth.The writer devoted some serious time to develop them.
I have to say though that i haven't seen so many "dirty" characters gathered in one drama.Lol.Usually there is the main villain and 2 or 3 sub-villains!Here every char is dark,shady and rotten!Even the allies of our ML are all bad guys.The best among them at least killed once!The writer has a brilliant and twisted mind!Kudos!
Story/Plot:
The story is not quite original or unique,as the outline is Revenge.But still gets a 10 because is so well-structured.Even if sometimes is a bit confusing mostly cause there are many bad guys you have to memorize and categorize them and their alliances.As the episodes passing by it gets easier though.
I loved the Poker concept.All starts with a game.I play Poker-especially Hold'em-for many years,so this part of the drama wasn't confusing at all to me.The Poker scenes were the relaxing and fun part.The light break from the suspenseful,engaging and stressful story!
The way the story is build-up keeps all the suspense in high levels.The idea of an illegal casino inside a prison was indeed unique.That was something new!Part of the story is the "unfolding" of the characters,layer by layer.Another "trick" to keep our interest high.
The twists and turns are insane.There is a crazy good plot development.Absolutely mind-blowing.Always something keeps you at the edge of your seat.The moment you think you have all figured out,is the moment something big happens and turns all the tables!So you are back to square One,keeping your brain in motion!And that is what i loved the most about this drama.I never get bored.Never get tired of thinking the alternatives,the possibilities,the facts and all the infos i was given.On top of that it was entertaining too!
I can describe the story as a matryoshka doll.
Our ML always has a plan-B.A backup to his plan-B too.Or better say he uses almost the whole alphabet for his plans!!
His plots,his plans,his tricks and his traps!A true Mastermind.Just wow.As i said mind-blowing.
The phrase "Ace up his sleeve" suits perfectly here.Literally and figuratively!
This drama is made of gold.The good stuff.No joke.I haven't found one single flaw.Iam sure there are few but even so,i don't care.This series was a thrilling ride.Gave me fun.Excitement.Brain work-out.Great Visuals.Fine OST.Amazing acting.16 hours well-spent.What else should i ask from a drama?Oh!And don't forget to say.NO Romance at all!The best part was the lack of it!!
So do not ask me if i recommend this one.All i have to say is 'DON'T MISS IT!"
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Stellar acting with plot that can feel like advanced calculus
This is not Korean drama for beginners. In fact, the labyrinthine story is painfully difficult to follow and the narration goes to incredible lengths to keep the viewer off-balance and in the dark. Throughout the multitudes of characters, rarely is anyone portrayed as strictly good or purely evil. But the rewards for enduring this demanding watch are plentiful. There's no comedy. There's no snappy theme song. There's no happy hangouts at the tent bar drinking soju.Kang Ha Neul plays Kim Yo Han, a young judicial trainee who is conscripted to help locate a valuable piece of intel for Kim Sang Ho's senior prosecutor. Things go wrong. Kim Yo Han ends up in prison where he's a pawn. Who are the real players pulling the strings? What are their plans for him? Neither question has a simple answer and even when it appears that a layer of illusion has been pealed back to reveal the reality of the situation, chances are that only a very small bit of truth has been unveiled. Kim Yo Han makes allies. And enemies. And sometimes the enemies later becomes allies only later to revert to enemies. And the allies are often only merely being used to further the revenge Kim Yo Han seeks.
Watching Kang Ha Neul play such a serious role is an enormous treat. He is easily among the most talented actors in the industry, with incredible range and a gift for delivering lines to maximize impact. Simply seeing him as Kim Yo Han is worth the mental fatigue from the brain-bending plot twists.
But to see Kang He Neul with a fellow lead that can match his talent? [chef's kiss] And Lee Yoo Young is exactly that. Her portrayal of Oh Soo Yeon, a fellow revenge seeker but one with a network of illicit connections, is both powerful and heartbreaking.
And there's more. Jung Man Shik is tremendous as a gang leader. Kang Yeong Seok is a mercurial gambler/prisoner that is both mentor and tormentor and a beguiling and simultaneously monstrous figure.
While the acting is as good as it gets, the writing and directing simply go too far to make "Insider" unnecessarily complex. Too many characters. Too many twists. Too many villains. Too many shady behind-the-scenes figures. Too many flashbacks to reveal the setup to what is about to happen. And as a result, Heo Sung Tae spends most of the show on the sidelines while pyramids of lower levels of setup gradually build to the point that he enters. And all of this excess means extra mental gymnastics when all that's needed is adding just enough color to the canvas behind Kang Ha Neul and Lee Yoo Young.
Put the spotlight on the talent. And then let them take over.
Highly recommended but with a warning that it's neither a casual watch nor for the faint of heart.
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Are you willing to immerse yourself fully?
This is the question you should be asking yourself when you start watching this drama. If you're going to watch it half-heartedly without paying attention too much to the details, you might find yourself getting lost which is exactly what I didn't like about this drama. Below, I've listed the following reasons which made it seem like a drawn-out experience for me.1. There is too much information with little to no time to process what is happening.
From the very first episode, it was quite evident that this would be a problem that I would be encountering throughout the drama. If you've watched it, I trust that you fully understand why I am saying this. They give you the general gist of the situation with not much clarification, they tell you one thing without explaining much of it.
This would've been a lot better if they didn't force you to process so much information in such a short time span.
2. They make it seem so complicated when in fact, it is not.
Finishing the drama, and understanding its general gist makes me realize how simple the entire situation is. It took me through so much when it shouldn't have.
3. The second half of the drama was just, too much.
Everything comes out of nowhere, suddenly, the male lead is doing so much when he came from such an incapable background.
Again, this drama is totally dependent on you. If you can keep up with the force-feeding of information, then maybe you should watch it. I'm only describing it from my point of view.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Better Hand
How is this drama so good? The tension buildup from this drama was remarkable and how one storyline was able to last 16 episodes without losing a step. Usually with these kind of thriller/crime dramas they would have multiple cases with 1 last case to tie it altogether. But this drama was able to tie up everything back to 1 major case that it began with. Every new addition that was revealed was a perfect puzzle piece to the beginning.The main character was also the main reason why I loved this drama. His capability to be able to plan several steps ahead of others was remarkable. In most dramas they claim the main character is some genius but they always tend to make a silly mistake or get caught over something small that you think to yourself "how smart are they really?". However, that isn't the case with him at all. He was several steps ahead of everyone at every decision he made. No one was able to get the best of him regardless of how much weaker he was in terms of the power dynamic.
This drama isn't a "who did it" type of drama because we already have the basis of who are the criminals and the tier at which they are on the totem pole - minion, corrupt politicians, etc. It is almost like playing poker in real life. The ML has to in a way bluff or get the best hand compared to the others that are at the same table as him. And they make that comparison in the drama - which fit it perfectly because that is exactly how the ML was playing everyone. He didn't have money or power compared to his opponents but he used tactics and wit to be able to overpower them and get them to "fold".
Overall, it was a great drama and definitely worth a rewatch. And the ending was really satisfying. It tends to be that they rush the ending and u don't really see the bad guys get their just desserts but in this case we are able to witness their fall back to earth and get what they deserved.
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The main drawback of this drama is that there are so many supporting characters, so it's hard to figure out who is who for a long time. It took me several episodes to differentiate the various roles of the characters because there are too many to keep up with.
The first eight episodes or so were uneventful, mainly focusing on how Yo Han tries to adapt to life in prison, but things start getting interesting when the action scenes come into play, around the second half of the drama.
The plus point is that all the many supporting characters are also veteran actors, which is like an extra cherry on top of the flawless plot. So obviously the acting is top-notch.
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Four of a kind but not quite a straight flush
This one is not for the faint hearted, but if you can stomach some relentless violence it’s definitely worth watching. I’m someone who doesn’t like violence much but I was prepared to watch because it was honest and presented realistically without glorification. It was straightforwardly nasty and brutish and the after effects were carefully and realistically created and maintained. However I did find it pretty tough going in places.Initially set in a dog-eat-dog world of the prison, the character Kim Yo Han does what he has to do to survive. There are no cool heroics, he is at the mercy of vicious overlords and is accordingly vulnerable. This is a stellar performance by Kang Ha Neul whom I last saw in “When the Camelia Blooms”, where his performance also shone like a diamond (even though his character annoyed the hell out of me).
I really liked the writing for this show, whilst maintaining the style of the revenge thriller, it dug deeper into the underbelly of how that anger and pressure both shapes your strengths gnaws away at your integrity. Kang beautifully portrays the anxiety levels and edginess that is an ever present factor in his character’s life. He flinches when doors open and spins to face anyone who approaches him. It draws you into his vulnerability, raising the stakes and the tension and gives insight into the overwhelming pressure to survive.
What this production does in spades is to build and sustain tension. Along with the main character, for a lot of the time you are in the dark, but the threats keep coming from all sides. There was a great balance between the viewer experiencing suspense because they didn’t know what was going to happen, and the viewer creating the tension all by themselves because they did know what was going to happen. This is a writer who knows how to exploit all the angles and does so with a confident touch.
The writer layers character and plot in stages, the emphasis shifting and with it the whole focus and tone. The pace is slow enough for character exploration, but fast enough to keep the interest. Most of the time my hold on the plot was tenuous, but thanks to clever writing, I was keeping up sufficiently to be carried along. Some of the plot twists were obvious but the motivation behind them was obscure and built into a web of hidden connections. At one point Oh Soo Yeon (Lee Yoo Young) says “All of our plans are entangled. If one thing goes wrong then the rest will falter.”
However, the plot can be criticised for over-complication. In order to help the viewer keep abreast of events there is a necessity for frequent use of infill flashbacks to conversations previously seen as well as totally new ones that reveal missing pieces of the jigsaw essential to understand the immediate action. This can feel somewhat clumsy and explainy and interrupts the flow. Also, I did get wearied about three quarters of the way through when the only thing to expect was twist after twist which in itself makes things predictable. As a viewer I was in need of some plain sailing and somewhere stable to lay my allegiance.
There is good characterisation all round, with plenty of ambiguity about good and bad. Along with a stunning performance by Kang Ha Neul other standouts in the cast were Kang Young Seok, Lee Yoo Young and Heo Dong Won. But the standard of acting from everyone was very good as they were given a quality script to work with and a director who didn’t overplay his hand and allowed the dynamics of the story to flourish.
The cinematography is unobtrusive but skilful with a good use of angles and minimal light sources which creates an effective and moody interplay of shadow. It enhances the action without distracting your attention, which in such a complex thriller is essential. Nicely done.
Nothing in the soundtrack stood out for me, but it was sufficiently good to blend into this excellent production without jarring.
Overall, the script, direction, acting, cinematography and editing align to create gut clenching tension in abundance. Even if you don’t know how to play poker, don’t worry it still works.
What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.
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This review may contain spoilers
I can't on good conscience give this a good review. It was so all over the place that I forgot what this drama was all about. There was too much stuff going on. I was so confused on the betrayals as well. If you betray someone, how could you be friends with them? At some point I just gave up. Too many names doing different things that made it even more confusing. Plus as I mentioned before I'm not good with names so that made it even worse for me. There were too many times when the enemies was for and against the main character. I'm thinking where was the writer going with this? It was like different ideas hit them and they just included every idea they could think of and put it in this drama.My main question was this: why would you agree to go into a prison where you can't protect yourself? It seems like anybody can walk into a prison and stay there if you live in Korea.
Once the main character realized he couldn't get what he needed he should've left but it went on to another plot and then another, and then another. By the time the episodes progressed the main plot was forgotten until the 15th episode.
I was going to drop this but I don't have anything lined up. I caught up on all my regular shows which are in hiatus until the fall. There are several Kdrama sequels that will be coming out that I'm waiting for: Fiery Priest, Uncanny Counter, First Responders, to name a few. I've been looking for something to fill the void until then.
I already dropped two dramas but I stuck this one out.
I will give the revenge factor a 10 though. A lot of bad guys got what they deserved which made me happy. There was some unfinished business though. With the way each episode dragged you would think all the loopholes that happened within the 16 episodes would be covered but they weren't.
It look like a sequel will come out but I doubt it. If it does I know I won't be watching it.
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