The King of Pigs (2022)

Wow.. This drama is the only one I've watched so far where at the end I was speechless and empty. Heavy trigger warning for bullying, sa, death, etc that comes with crime kdramas.

The acting in this show was absolutely incredible. The way that the two ML's played their characters was insane from facial expressions to just their eyes or voice. They did an incredible job playing these two characters and portraying this tragic story. I personally loved Kim Dong Wook. He played a really good killer and by the end had me feeling so many emotions for Hwang Kyung Min. Also a huge shout out to the younger actors who played the past versions of the leads, they did incredible. Especially the acting of Cheolie.

I think the one thing that I personally didn't like was that I could guess where things were going (especially the big twist) before they happened. I wish that it could've been a bit more of a mystery, but the writing and overall plot starts to become very obvious around the middle part of the drama. It was still good to watch how everything truly played out and get every side of it, but it was too predictable for me. I also felt as though we didn't get full answers with Jung Jong Suk.. his background was so crazy and he seemed the most unhinged, but we never get anything more than just that..

The ending and the entire show just make you feel empty and helpless... a tragic story that portrays high school bullying, life and trying to just get through it.

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A separation between predators and weaklings in this hopeless world

It reminds me on some of the great tvN and OCN hardcore crime dramas back in the day, though it now becomes more of a rare genre these days. This drama going digital on TVING is actually a wise decision, there's no more limits on the level of gore and psychotic scenes, which makes it intensely sick. The concept is extremely terrifying yet it feels so convincing because the sentiment is so strong in here. A technical reasoning on the separation between predators and weaklings, how some are able to gloss over their sins so easily and how some will be suffering for the rest of their life in this completely hopeless world, this drama will be able to speak for losers out there, fictionally at least.

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Absolutely brutal, a series you cannot ignore

Just finished watching and I have to say, this was very well written. Amazing acting with perfect ending. I don’t think this series was very populair but to me it deserves world wide recognition.

I often predict what can happen next in almost every K drama, but this show gave me unexpected revelations with every episode. The satisfaction after completing the series is unexplainable… wow.
Much appreciation for the team that worked hard to fulfill this. Strongly recommended!

The flashback scenes about bullying in school gave me chills, it was rough to watch but panoramic and comprehensive. It showed everyone in everyone’s perspective. When you watch this you can’t help but long for payback and righteousness, and feel sympathy and understanding for why one of the friends is doing what he is doing(revenge).

The perspectives subtly change from scene to scene until in the end of the series your whole perception of what you though was going on shifted. In the beginning you have two main characters, the one a cop the other a serial killer. You come to think you understand clearly who the bad and the good guy is but after several episodes you will see it is not that simple.

The acting was perfect, the actors did not need to say much, it was shown. The word “ crazy” came on in itself. Kim Dong-wook acts with his eyes. When I watched him I was almost out of breath. I liked the series because it felt so dark and distinctive, but deep and compendious.

I also feel like this show is criminally underrated and do not understand why?
This show is absolutely a thrill.
The ending was such a masterpiece, I cried a lot. One of the best I have ever watched this year. I was so impressed with the ending, it was by far the most touching feeling.
Kim Cheol (Choi Hyun Jin) carried the show. The scene where he stands up for jung jong-suk and hwang kyung-min is brilliant. When Cheol was fighting he looked so cool. Much commendation to the child actor who played him. Cheols roof fight, I was moved by his determination to win and how he would not give up for his friends.

The character Cheoli inspired me so much, as a christian he had likeness to Christ, but ofcourse he is not. It seemed symbolic to how in the christian faith, Jesus was willing to sacrifice himself and fight for us when we fail to overcome the trouble that comes in our way.
But at the same time He also motivates us to stand up ourselves and follow in His footsteps for righteousness and victory. Now Cheol’s character is a human student who cannot save anyone, but this was the symbolism that I recognized. It was beautiful.

Overall, this show is a masterpiece. It shows the frightful effects of severe bullying and class discrimination. And how it can make a child feel hopeless and give up. You always have a choice to stand up for righteousness or to just stand by and do nothing about it, or even accept it and join in. It made me reflect to my own life and the bullying in my past. It shows that victims can bear the emotional scars for a lifetime and the psychological effects are so severe, that it could drive a person to insanity and hallucinations. It is a clear warning sign what carelessness can do for the future. Where some lose hope and give up, others keep on fighting and go forward to what they want to do and want to become.

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Brutally good

One of the best things I have seen in quite some time.
Raw, devastating, complex, beautiful, unflinching, a masterpiece.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Less action-oriented than Weak Hero, more character-driven, slower, more real. Exudes a darkness so substantial, an edgy gloom, a tone so deeply depressing it almost equals "No Longer Human". For mature audiences or those who can handle the trauma inflicted in the drama as well as on the viewer. Adults are notably absent here, in a way adults are absent in Stephen King's "It".

A clear-eyed look at school bullying, its consequences and all the harsh realities that come with it even into adult age. There are a lot of revenge dramas out there but this is one of the few where the revenge feels justified. Deeply wounded, flawed, complicated main characters looking for a way to cope in circumstances that leave seemingly no way out.

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This is a tragedy

Disguised as revenge against bullying, this is a tragedy in full form. This review is coming to you with teary eyes that mourn what is lost, but also a satisfaction of having watched a really good drama. Excellent storytelling. This is how to weave in a flashback story. A screenplay that reveals a layer in every episode, acting that does justice to the story.
I started out thinking I was in a dark mood but I actually realized maybe I wasn't, half way through ep 1 or 2, but the story was too interesting and I was just boiling with anger, eager to see retribution at the world. Before I knew it, the anger turned to sadness and by the end, it was a mixture of both. Some knots cannot be undone. They will remain knots forever. That is the price to be paid.

Giving it a 10/10 as it was well-executed in my opinion.

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"No Master No King, When The Ritual Begins"

King of Pigs, is breathtakingly brutal, violent, aggressive and graphic representation of what a bullying and money looks like.

East Asian countries are full of high-school bullying, where impact on victims has ruined so many lives throughout the history. And it is one of the crimes of this unjust world that goes unpunished in the court of law.

So, what happens when the weak, timid who has been oppressed to death suddenly wakes up to this whole new person to avenge those who has destroyed him, wronged him and hurt the people around him – death, yes death follows.

King of Pigs holds a plot of school extreme violence against two poor souls who is described by their savior as Pigs and those of perpetrators, he names them Dogs. A story that follows a man who traces the events of 20-years back in time to his high school days – the most miserable time of his life which opened the doors of hell on him and his friend – to the present, avenging those perpetrators one by one with a hidden plot of their savior who died on the hands of those whose time has come to an end.

I feel sorry for watching this for a mere entertainment, while there are many stories in real life as well. I just hope the show doesn’t give any salvation to criminal, as this not usually happens in reality.

I know perfect ending doesn’t exist, but I wish to see a justified ending as real world is cruel and real enough already.

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It deserves to be an Underrated Drama!

I finally finished this drama, and now I understand why it is underrated. What makes a Korean drama different is its direction, beauty, aesthetics, and acting. But TKOP lacks three out of four things.

1) Direction: I think the direction was poor in comparison to others. It's still good, but the Koreans raised the bar so high that mediocre direction comes under poor direction.

2) Beauty: There's not much beauty in the drama, nor is any rich lifestyle glorified. Also, I'm going to be controversial here, but the actors were pretty pale by beauty standards. The guys were ok-looking, average-height guys with no style, which is great; it looks realistic, but it's a k-drama; you have to add eye candy. It's a must.

3) Aesthetics: Korean vibrant colours were missing. Colour schemes were not black or white. But Grey and Muddy are constantly. Pretty dull as it should be considering MC is depressed and schizophrenic, but still, it's one of the subtle reasons people don't watch this drama or put it on hold.

4) Acting: Acting was great. They did a great job. It doesn't feel like acting was bad or acting was good. The guys were so immersed in their characters that it felt like they were them. The female cop was dull, not gonna lie. Even the kids were incredible.

Apart from that, this was a good drama, and I rate it an 8.5 overall because of it's story and concept.

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too many twists to hold up together

I dont wanna spoil it for the viewers, but i definitely feel like this series played with the SHOCKING factor too much. Like, did the audience rating drop? No probs, we add something new that no one expects!
It starts pretty boring and clumsy, i fast-forwarded through the 1st episode, then it all became quite clear, with a lot of remarkable graphic violent but still cinematographic scenes and a lot of interesting problematic characters... Then the tension kept building to the point of exploding... Then? The action took a weird course, like - let's give the viewers a scare so they keep watching!! For me, the screenwriter and the director pushed their luck too far, to the point it became incredulous.
Otherwise, i do appreciate the original plot, the acting skills of the cast, the detail-orientated cinematography etc.
Still i think it could've been way more rounded.

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Heavy watch - Enjoyable Ride (animated movie going balistic)

I waited to watch this as I remembered that the animated movie left a strong impression in my mind. I don’t think I was ready for the series at the time it came out. It is portrayed by real-life actors makes for a more realistic impression. Although I approached the series as a different entity than the movie, it is interesting to compare. Some parts of the animated movie felt more real than the real-life series.

The story is about the impact of school violence, bullies, and the incomprehension of adults, on those who went through that violence but also on those around them. There are a lot of themes, packed inside a good series.

Back to the animated source :
If you have seen the animated movie of 2011, you know that the story is contained inside the meeting of two middle school friends 15 years later. Discussing the past as the movie moves forward. The story is taking place on a single night.

The series :
Is it the same as the movie ? = no

I would describe the series as the characters of the original movie going ballistic. Like an alternate universe of ‘’what if’’, where the main character Hwang Kyung Min takes revenge on the bullies. You won’t wait long as the first two episodes set the mood for the entire series.

So how well was the translation of a 2 hours movie into a 12 hours series? You bet it is astounding on how they managed to grab my attention for the whole 12 hours. The writing is stellar, and the characterization is great.
Overall, the acting is also something to note. Especially, the kids playing Hwang Kyung Min (Lee Chan Yoo) nailed the acting on every scene.

The show is fast-paced, I really like the 12 episodes format.
Every episode has its own song, depending on the tone of the episode, I thought it was a nice touch.

Note:
In 2011 when I watched the animated movie, I had already finished high school, but being myself a victim of school violence, it made a big impression. Fast forward 11 years later, the scenes are still shocking, but I felt less connected on an emotional level.

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Best revenge story I'm telling you absolute masterpiece!!

Best revenge story I'm telling you absolute masterpiece!! like the visulas, production, music and actors especially the kids ngl the adults too 1000000/10

The only reason it's not 10 its because of minor things like Kyung min and Jong Suk watching Cheolie fight like he's not getting ganged up on wtf, he is literally saving you why don't y'all come fight ur own fight!! but I can forgive that cause it's realistic there are gonna be bits of people that I won't like but there are also some things that don't get fully explained like why did Cheolie dad leave and never come back?? because of debt ?? really... and why did Cheolie blame the fathers friend?? and the teacher being with Cheolies mom like she works there is the teacher meant to avoid her what?? maybe I need to know more korean culture. The teacher humiliating them is another thing I don't really get fully, yh its meant to be this REALLY HUGE thing and I understand that but why?! you're already getting beaten the fuck up why does it matter that your mom sells fish?? why did none of the detectives help much, halfway through it seemed like Jong suk and Miss Kang where the only ones finding clues also Jong suk, though he's meant to be mentally unstable, some of the things he did were just straight up unlikeable and hateful which I guess was the aim but it didn't make me thing oh its because he is ill and requires help but just make me dislike him as a person wish they portrayed that better, less with his image/look cause that was spot on.

Watching these make me sadistic because I want all of them to die but Cheolie scared me I couldn't get past the fact that he got his friends to kill a cat, love you tho babes!! but this is why I thought you were a 'dog' at the beginning, you were creepy as fuck and laughed when they got bullied, love tho <3

Young Chan being this 'dog/pig' hybrid literally made the story I love the metaphors and people like him are scum and I love to see it!!! idk what was he's problem literally Kang min only won when he physically glued people down before beating them up or when he got other people to do it for him but Cheolie still beat them all SOLO!! should've been team Cheolie.

If I were in this show I would not want to be Cheolie or his mom and I dont say this often the only other was Historia/Christa from AOT like your life SUCKS like you don't understand your life is utter shit, flaming G A R B A R G E. How can the dad suffer, mom suffer then kid suffer then mom suffer some more what the actual fuck!?!?

The begining is like a test of how much you can handle with the multilation and sexual harrasement plus the bullying after that its toned down a little also there is a 2011 animation one that I want to watch as it seems different but can't find it anywhere,so curious as that (besides the manga) is the original.

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Blood Boiling

The name alone caught me off guard so I dove into this series thinking I knew what I was getting into... I was wrong! This series is INCREDIBLY detailed about everything from the bullying to the blood. It's so sad that this is real situations (not based on TS I hope) but everyday people are bullied for every tiny thing you can imagine and even though I felt negative feelings through most of this series I couldn't stop watching, The acting was on point with all the right emotions for this disaster stricken festival. Not for the faint heart and obviously not family friendly.
I was never a victim but as a parent this just makes me even more fearful to continue to have my child in school. I highly recommend just for the thrill of what you think will happen. The ending had me in my feels legit
Enjoy...

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