This review may contain spoilers
1% brain, 99% brawls. Watch it for the action, not the story.
I will say that if you are someone who absolutely need things to make sense for you before you can move on, you are not going to be able to enjoy this show properly. This is a true mindless action-packed drama that requires you to shut down and enjoy the show as it is. This show shoves plot holes in your face without even trying to hide it and you're not afforded too much time to ponder about it before they hit you with the next sequence of events (some people may hate this). Give this show the Jackie Chan treatment, brawl > brains.Episode 1-6 was intense....and brutal (more about this later)
The action scenes were aplenty and very well crafted. It felt like there were real techniques involved with the boxing and also knife handling later on in the show. My interest in boxing skyrocketed while watching this show- a testament to how well done the action sequences were. Credits to the camerawork too. Bish bish bish!
The bromance between Geon Woo (Woo Do Hwan) and Woo Jin (Lee Sang Yi) was beautiful. It was the perfect marriage of suave and goof. It felt very natural and I wasn't missing the absence of the usual ML/FL romance in this one because of them. They made me want to root for them till the very end which is maybe why this is the first drama in 2023 that I binge-watched.
Kim Myung Gil (Park Sung Woong) as the main villain, as usual, doesn't disappoint. I hated him in the shortest time. Dude is just a legend at delivering the evil role. His 1v1 fight with sushi ahjussi was epic...I was screaming a little internally at the Zoro moment. Both the knifer ahjussi were amazing at their role; pity we only got to see them for so little.
The characters were all well-connected and had proper backstories and personalities. None of them felt redundant to the plot and I love the fact that they did not reduce the female characters to weak damsel in distress characters. The ladies were kicking ass along with the guys. Good blending and timing of comedic light-hearted moments throughout the series as well.
Now here is where it starts to fall off...
Episode 6 was brutal...this level of cruelty was not expected and rarely seen in dramas but movies. It was so hard for me to watch some of the scenes and I had to take time off after that to recalibrate before I could continue the show the next day. But that was not the reason why it was bad, I actually appreciate the art and intention behind it. However, it did feel like some characters didn’t have to die..The director makes you fall in love with the cast only to kill them off next in a very abrupt manner. It was to me kinda cheap tactic to stir the emotions of the viewers. **I swear if they killed off Woo Jin; it sure looked possible at one point, I would have not continued watching anymore. Thank you plot armor. I didn't get time to properly soak in the fact that some of the characters I grew to love were ALL DEAD in ONE EPISODE and episode 7 just begins after a time skip as if nothing happened. Whut.
The annihilation of the good guys and the immediate time skip did cause the pacing of the show to feel all of a sudden, jarring. The defeat of the main antagonist felt anti-climatic and pointless considering how brutal he was, how much resentment the protagonist had for him, and how much they lost in the process. The revenge certainly didn't feel sweet. The late introduction of Da Min (Jung Da Eun) was uninspiring at best tho I don't think she could have done any better personally. It just sums up the last 2 episodes of the series..uninspiring and anti-climatic. Would love to see the boys achieving some of their personal dreams mentioned at the start and what they did with the gold they received...so much potential so many questions..
I am speculating if the Hyeon Joo (Kim Sae Ron) DIU case which happened around the time of filming episode 6 caused her to leave the show being the reason behind the lackluster ending. Could this possibly have been a 10-12 episodes series? Was the ending so drastically different because of the loss of a key character at a late stage? Was the massacre done because they had to close the story? If so then I think they did a reasonable job at recovering the story.
Regardless, I did enjoy most of the series and was glad that I discovered Woo Do Hwan through this show. Dude is a star in the making. Marine Pride!
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This review may contain spoilers
STOP OVER ANALYZING AND JUST WATCH!
I am not a fun of action-related anything but I have watched a few that really changed my mindset. This one falls under that category, I saw alot of negative comments but before I even came in for the comments I went and watched it myself.what I liked:
- The bond/ bromance between the two MLs, I have seen alot of bromance kdramas and this one did a good job at giving a normal feel of a natural friendship.
- The connections between all the characters, k-dramas or just all dramas have always had a way of connecting characters to make the story make sense. This did a good job, they connected each character well and gave a brief background of who they where.
- The fight scenes! Omg, the fight scenes were beautiful. It takes time and alot of effort to get that done, each movement was precise and I just saw perfection in the fights.
- The fact they didn't bring back characters from the dead...this happens alot in action movies..where you think a character has died and they are surprisingly not dead. I am glad they completely killed off characters and just used them as the MLs motivation to get rid of the villian.
-The concept of COVID was also nice, it made the situation of people taking out loans from loan sharks more logical.
what I didn't like:
- Honestly, some things didn't make sense. And instead of me completely bashing them for those errors..I will just say.. 'when tailing a car'...this was the most frustrating thing to watch
-Then after episode 6, it's like they were trying to rush everything so that it could end. They did there best to make sense of how the story should end but the ending was a bit rushed and even though the final battle I was looking forward to was quite bland.. I will just I am okay with the ending...somehow.
So to conclude on this, I will just say the show is worth giving a try but you need to not try and over analyze everything. if you stick with the show for the bromance and fights, then you will enjoy it. So just watch it! And don't over analyze.
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it's really worth watching
it's a bit hard to find action movies that are worth it....it's really worth watching it, it's worth wasting your time to watch it as an action, it's superb at the beginning it was a bit boring but it's getting more and more interestingI really liked that there is also talk about true friendship with the two sacrificing their lives for each other, gorgeous, a little sad, but I really love it
Honestly, I've watched a lot of action series movies, but this is really something to tell us how much action is in this kdrama, I honestly would really like to forget that I watched it and watch it again because it's something great
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"Bloodhounds": Unleashing a Fury of Friendship, Fists, and Feel-Good Thrills!
The chemistry between Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi? Holy smokes! These two as Gun-woo and Woo-jin are like fire and ice, totally different but absolutely explosive when they come together. The way their friendship develops throughout the series is just chef's kiss perfection. Whether they're throwing punches side by side or just chilling and bantering, you can feel the trust and bromance oozing through the screen.And let's not even get started on the fight sequences – but wait, actually, let's DO get started on them because OH. MY. GOD. They were absolutely fire!!! Every single fight scene was like a beautifully choreographed dance of destruction. The raw intensity, the bone-crunching sound effects, the fluid camera work
But here's the thing that really got me – amidst all the chaos and action, the show manages to weave in these incredibly tender moments. Watching the friendship between our main guys grow feels like discovering a heartwarming oasis in the middle of a desert storm. It's these moments that give the show its soul and had me invested in every single character's journey.
But here's the thing that really got me – amidst all the chaos and action, the show manages to weave in these incredibly tender moments. Watching the friendship between our main guys grow feels like discovering a heartwarming oasis in the middle of a desert storm. It's these moments that give the show its soul and had me invested in every single character's journey.
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Hooked from the first episode
I'm not one for particularly violent stories. (Honestly, I had to watch some of the recaps ahead of time so I wouldn't be too scared). But this one had me hooked. Woo DoHwan and Lee Sang-Yi are fantastic together. They have the best bromance and they look the part of professional boxers. Serious eye candy, serious laughter, mixed in with a lot of serious parts. There was a little bit of everything except for the usual romance I look for. But that's OK. The action more than makes up for it; everything was choreographed amazingly. You really got sucked in from the first episode to the last.And yes, I have to admit; I watched the beginning of the finale episode many times.
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Personal opinion
If you love bloody fight scenes, bad language and a plethora of bad guys, you'll probably enjoy this.What I liked:
-The dynamic between the two male leads. I liked watching their friendship/camaraderie build. The scene in the barbeque restaurant when they were just getting acquainted as good, and I laughed at Do Hwan's character switching to honorifics when he realized he was the younger of the two.
-The workout exercising scenes. Superficial, I know.
-Woo Do Hwan. I felt that he did a good job with this part. He was being forced into something to stay alive, to a certain degree. I liked how he never lost that side of gentleness that he had. The last episode when he sees his mom, very touching. And don't get me started on his deep voice!
-Si Won. I enjoy him as an actor, and in this role he wasn't his quirky/odd self.
What I didn't care for:
-I felt that a lot of the fights were very over the top and unrealistic. I mean, you practically get beat to a bloody pulp, but then a couple of scenes later you're fine. And the main bad guy, when he was fighting the ML at the end? The guy was in his 50's to begin with. He's fighting against a trained fighter, but almost gets the better of the ML?
-The disappearing girlfriend. What happened?
-Bloody, bloody, bloody. I know, they're fighting, but wow!
-The cursing. Personal pet peeve of mine.
My bottom line would be that if you are totally into action shows, give this a try.
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Fight scenes lacks precision on martial arts techniques
A fairly simple storyline that doesn't have too much complexity going on, pacing is quite slow at the beginning and it has largely inconsistent tones, jumping back and forth between dead serious and then light drama out of sudden, which is a weird choice of direction.Now when it comes to action sequences and fight scenes, it was acceptable but nothing extraordinary, it lacks precision on martial arts techniques, and even the use of surrounding props is very minimal. For very big amount of fight scenes they're just throwing punches repeatedly and it's really tiresome to watch.
For instance, I was just comparing it to some of the best Korean martial arts film, like Jang Hyuk's "The Swordsman" and "The Killer", Ma Dongseok's "The Roundup" franchise, and even Netflix own originals "My Name" had much better fight scenes than this. To be honest, they could've reduced some of the fight scenes and mainly focus on a few big ones to improve quality not quantity.
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A simple plot wih some good action sequences, ending lost the hold
Netflix delivers a knockout punch with its barnstorming early summer K-drama series Bloodhounds, the tale of two fresh-faced pugilists who go up against the vilest loan shark that Korean screen entertainment has offered us in years.The drama takes place at the height of the pandemic. Characters wear masks in most locales, and check in to buildings with QR codes; sporting events take place before empty stadiums.
The storyline doesn’t delve into much social critique profoundly. The initial backdrop is set up as the launching pad (the pandemic scenes adding relatability) for the action that follows. Therefore, the series is more serious about how the action fleshes out till the end, and it’s not bad either because the show is equally aware of what it’s doing.
The last two episodes take a jarring turn. There’s no denying the fact that the cast adorably wins you over within the first few episodes, but the final ones go a little south. I would’ve definitely given it a higher rating depending on how much I initially enjoyed the series. However, the last two episodes turned out to be a let down in some spaces, especially with a main character suddenly out of the last 2 episodes and letting the antagonist live, even with an aggressive fight that we witnessed at the end.
My Rating : 8/10
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its very good
The show is not as simple as you've seen it from the trailer. It has a little bit more complicated stories and characters, but not too far off. It has brotherhood, bloody fight, mukbang, and above all, it's a fast pace show. The choreography of the fights in this show is also well done. It's just as good as another korean show from Netflix, My name. The martial arts or fight actions scenes in modern korean movies and tv shows are arguably better than any other action movies whether it's from hollywood, or outside of hollywood. They has more realistic fights. It's fast and furious literally. They don't have those showy exaggerated moves that look like choreographed dance. Unfortunately, this show also has those typical cliche moments like My Name especially those tear-jerky ones. That's my biggest pet peeve in korean tv shows and movies. Although there's a sudden change of pace (It was quite a ride until episode 6), and the ending is a bit rushed and shortened, overall, the show is quiet entertaining. The fight scenes are worth visit more than once. I give solid 7.5/10.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Satisfying Action
9/10. Just finished ?????? good good very good! By the way, I really like this kind of action, it's satisfying ?? I really like the bromance, it makes me want to have a brother who is like that HAHAAHAH. The acting is really cool, Woo Dohwan is really cute, his acting is really different from the character he used to do. I think Dohwan will be a naughty + arrogant child. I'm getting cold sweats every time I watch this because I'm afraid of the next ep & the ending will be bad + it won't live up to expectations, but I know it's okay. The bad thing about this drama is that the ending is packed too tightly, so the ending just seems like a lot has been skipped T＿T even though overall it's really good. Not to mention that Hyeonju Ancrit suddenly disappeared because the actress was caught in a scandal irl, duh ??♀️??♀️??♀️??♀️ Well, the point is, it's actually good at the beginning, the only thing lacking in the ending is in the ep s 7- 8 was starting to get a little less exciting for me but I kept going until the end. Gunwoo's mother is also really lovely, this drama taught me to keep doing good things, really. I'm touched by Gunwoo's family, Woojin + Choi Taeho's character is also melting ?Was this review helpful to you?
Top Notch Action and Bromance!
Bloodhounds follows two boxers named Geon-Woo and Woo-Jin as they work together to take down a ruthless evil loan shark and his goons. I have to say that I absolutely loved this show. Woo Do-Hwan and Lee Sang-Yi had fantastic chemistry and truly brought to life and did justice to the bromance and characters. As you can probably sense I'm a sucker for a good bromance. The fight scenes were phenomenally choreographed, and I was on the edge of my seat for every single fight. I also loved the badass female characters in this show they were terrific. The story was pretty good and kept me invested for the most part until the end. There are a lot of side characters I loved to see, and I felt they added a lot to the story. Park Sung-Woong, who played the villain, did a great job of being hateful and frustrating to watch. I don't want to spoil the show too much, and instead will recommend you check it out for yourself!Was this review helpful to you?
mh yes the plot the uh.. so... yeah
OILED MEN YAHOOOO !!! I have arrived at a place in my life where I shamelessly admit that I like watching shows for eye candy will enjoy a show for eye candy only. the plot could've been the most rancid cheesy storyline I've ever seen and I still wouldve enjoyed watching it. I have no standards left.luckily, this show had a good plot as well as good actors that made watching this show even more worth while.
I actually really liked that Geon Woo had this puppy personality and never really lost his innocence throughout the episodes. usually in revenge dramas the character undergoes this huge development and they end up very badass. proud to say they both stayed himbo until the end.
the ending was a bit messy - we all know why so I won't dive into it. but because if it, it felt rushed and it disturbed the natural flow of the show, that's why it fell flat for me towards the end
all in all the show slayed!!! hurray oiled boys!!!! hurray bromance!!!
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