Hierarchy (2024)

This is actually good, but don't expect greatness

Despite the reviews that do not match their ratings I believe an approximate 7-8 fits well ( MDL users will give it a 7 and call bad )

The show tries to mimic western teen PG16 shows, call it a PG euphoria/Elite while taking aspects from the lately released Revenge of Others and Bitch x Rich.

The plot opens up quite well, your main character is smarter than he appears and the people around him don't see that early. The whole premise of scholarship student in a mega rich school was done in Bitch x Rich but unlike that show here there's a bit more depth to it here, I felt several times that the rich kids are not actually flat when it came to hating scholarship students on the defense that their parent paid riches to enroll them while a group of kids get in through academical grades only and although that doesn't warrant the hatred shown you would have to look through the eyes of the sheltered spoiled kids to understand that their complaints make sense....for them atleast who see the world as money money and money.

The bullying was surprisingly fresh, the antagonist is not evil going around torturing kids like most shows but instead I was sold on the simple concept of the powerful not having to do anything to establish a hierarchy. The kids have so much fear and respect for the antagonist that they become obedient and ready to destroy anyone that annoys him while he just walks away. Most bullying scenes involve his lackeys getting riled up to prove they're powerful while the antagonist shows his lack of care because power is power and does not need evidence at every minor inconvenience. Ri-an's lack of interest is as merciful as it is merciless, by ignoring he spares the kids around him but by ignoring he also lets the bullying continue, a hierarchy is a sharp sword.

The female lead being weak was one of the show's slower points, her trauma and suffering made for a more packed drama but her development took far too long and was not quite fruitful in many areas. I would have loved to see her with the courage to stand up to her family at earlier points in the show, but somehow I believe her maturity shows up well in the show especially in what she deems important to protect and how she protects it...not fit to own a conglomerate but is definitely strong enough to protect what's hers from anyone even the likes of her father as shows in her last couple scenes.

The love triangle DID NOT EXIST for the love of god, people on here might be slow I've noticed. From the beginning the FL was trying to protect the ML and he was trying to get closer to her to figure out the truth as shown many many times, were feelings caught in the process? yes. was there ever an intention of a romance? no they made it obvious they have bigger concerns. Both Leads are so kind-hearted they mistook each other's actions for romance briefly but again the shows us how un-interested both are in moments of clarity. She was not about to dump her 15 years since childhood soulmate for a random kid she just met and he was not gonna go for the girl who was majorly responsible for that major accident that he's put his blood and tears into investigating. Their relationship in the last 3 episodes was one of the best parts of the show, they care for each other as two kids who bonded through trauma but they also let each other know they got important shit to fight for and protect even if it means harming each other. That is just beautiful and for people here to mistake it for a stupid love triangle is sad.

All this rich shit isn't really over the top, if kids like me drank and partied every other week in high school and iam from a middle class family iam pretty sure a girl whos daily allowance can shoulder a family of 10 will get into parties like that, and there'll be alcohol and drugs it really is not that weird. The kids are pretentious though, rightfully....i mean who wouldn't if u showed up to school in a fucking Maybach owned several super cars and had school club activities that costed 30 thousand dollars to take part in AS A KID

All in all everything is done right, but nothing is done great. The acting was mediocre, the plot was decent, the characters were hit or miss, the production/direction/art was absolutely fantastic....the cinematographers were in their BAG.
Extremely appealing show on the eye and the ear, you go in for a fun time but you're not leaving with anything memorable. a perfect 7.5... 8 cause the actors are so beautiful, seriously Roh Jeong Eui I could not stop staring ma'am god bless you., Kim jae won too that's one handsome bastard.

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A life story

First let me say I hate school bullying stories. With that being said, I was somewhat surprised by this one. If you take the time to immerse yourself into the two main characters, you will find a complicated story of love, betrayal and vengeance. The story is really about Jae I and her life. The side stories and even the influence of Kang Ha only help define her story. I found her life poignant and painfully sad. A controlling father, a narcissistic sometimes brutal boyfriend, and a school broken by all moral standards are enough to alter the path of any normal young person. Her tenacity to survive this onslaught of emotions is a tribute her strong character. While I could have written a different ending, I wasn’t disappointed in the one I watched. I think Roh Jeong Eui did an excellent job portraying Jae I.

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I expected more from this drama

This drama promises you a lot: mystery, kissing, sex, scandal, bullying,..... but this kdrama is not that interesting because of the first 3 episodes. the other episodes are really a bit boring.

what I like.

1). Background Music: The background music was catchy and perfectly conveyed the emotions of each scene. Overall the BGMs were very well done.

2) Ending scenes of each episode: Each episode ended on a high note with scenes designed to get viewers excited

3) the clothes that the people were wearing were really beautiful, every scene also looked expensive, I think they worked hard to make this kdrama.

I didn't like this very much.

1) 1 episode is a bit too long. namely 1 hour which is quite long for 1 episode.

2) Was there even a plot? this drama is a bit similar to the Elit series. The love triangle was pointless and the murder mystery, while initially intriguing, ended predictably and unsatisfying. This show is a perfect example of a beautiful outside without an inside.

3) I expected Jung Jae I and Kang Ha to become a couple, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

I do recommend watching this kdrama because it is not necessarily boring or fun.
these are the reasons why i give this drama a 7 out of 10.
byeee :)

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The composition of the story/plot is very messy

Interesting, but not a great drama. The composition of the story/plot is very messy; actually, the conflict you want to highlight in this drama is very confusing. And you shouldn't romanticise two egotistical rich kids who have hurt and victimised many people also I feel like Kang Ha's character was wasted.


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An incredible story.

I loved the drama. I recommend it without hesitation! For what ? Here are the reasons:

1. The scenario: An improbable scenario, full of twists and turns. A story of revenge that compares to bittersweet poison. A cruel game of cat and mouse. A very original story that stands out from other “revenge” dramas. The scenario also talks about the “problems” of everyday life because, yes, even if we are rich, we are all human and history proves it to us. I was very touched that tears came to my eyes. Perfect.

2. Acting: The actors are invested. It is very impressive. The roles were made for them, I don’t see any other explanation… Incredible actors.

3. Camera shots and filming locations: I look at camera shots a lot and I was touched by the beauty of them. The shots where the scenes are shot are magnificent. Beautifully... The aerial shots that are often done are very original and I approve. The places are also very well found. I have no complaints.

4. Music: I fell in love with music. These are perfect. They set the mood straight away. The singers' voices are magnificent. To be honest, I've been listening to the music on repeat since I finished watching the drama! Gorgeous.

The only negative point I can find in this series is the number of episodes. Seven is short, especially when you hook on it. Despite this, the episodes are compact. So we don't realize that there are only seven episodes!

Warning: You also have to watch the episodes until the end (despite the credits) because there are “small endings” (example of the last episode) which can turn everything upside down!

I therefore recommend this series without hesitation. It’s a big favorite and I think it will remain one of my favorite “revenge” series!
Looking forward to a potential season two!

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Unpopular Opinion- This Kdrama deserves more credit!!

This is just my opinion on how this drama is being overlooked.
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I've seen many reviews of this show claiming it was a huge letdown with the same old recycled plot. but- I disagree
somewhat...
Rich elite kids who end up committing crimes and killing the poor kids aren't new to kdramas- or literally any other region of dramas. I believe people see a couple of familiar names and a big-budget company and have too high of expectations for a show. I don't think this show was a letdown- but - I've seen many other people say that this show had no depth and was not interesting. I think that many people are just looking for a show that is a huge think-piece with multiple twists, but honestly, I liked the simplicity of the show. I enjoyed how the plot was easily followable and not confusing along with not too many unnecessary twists with random deaths and betrayals.

I've also seen complaints about the love triangle and how the plot focuses too much on teenage love and not the revenge aspect,
But I think having the characters like each other, shows that they are just teenagers, and even though they come from different backgrounds they are still missing something and crave a sense of belonging and understanding from people who actually care about them. I did also enjoy the entirety of Kang Ha's story. Never got bored of him or his plot the entire show.

I do however have some complaints from the show that I don't see many people go into-
I understand that there were only seven episodes but I do wish we could've seen more of Kang Ha's day-to-day life and like follow him home.
Also Ri An throughout the show did kind of bother me with his lack of emotions- it did get somewhat better towards the end. but i think the other actors were able to reel the viewer back in.
I also dislike the entire plot with the teacher. I guess the viewers forget because the actors- even though they are beautiful- are also visibly not seventeen. But literally, why does nobody have a problem with the teacher being with a student? that was actually disgusting she should have gotten arrested for just that alone. I also think that some of the bullies should have faced more punishments. It's like at the end all of the students forget that the Rich kids literally tormented them. In the end, it just shows them getting along and laughing and taking photos.

FINAL STATEMENT: Overall I do hope there is a second season and I hope we get to see that not much changed in the school- because let's be real, these bullies are not remorseful and will most likely not change. Also, hope that a second season will focus more on Kang Ha's story and possibly more on revenge and villain arc?? more screen time for him honestly, he's too beautiful to not be on screen. Look writers if you need another hand in the writing room im here with big ideas.

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A Different Review

I didn't know this was ongoing when I started watching it, so when I searched it up before starting the last episode, I found a lot of "has potential but wasted" reviews. Personally, it isn't even that bad nor wasted. I really love these types of series/movies. I didn't know why viewers placed a big amount of expectations to this one and expected the crew, casts, and producers to meet those expectations.

Comparisons of this to other K-Dramas — They expected this one to be at "the same level" of The Glory when that series spins off not only to a school, students, but also families which this drama doesn't do. This drama spins off on teacher-student relationships and peer-to-peer relationships at most.

Actors — The actors and their chemistry are actually shocking. Their acting fits each other so well that I forget most of the time that this is a drama. They portrayed what friends are going thru most of the time, and if you've experienced having a fall-out with your friends and talking again, you would relate to this.

Story — Again, I don't think just because this series has a good amount of budget, doesn't mean you should expected the revenge parts to be The Glory "level" since from the beginning, the camera didn't focus on just one character. It showed the point of view of every character that even the viewers didn't know who the female lead would end up with.

Overall, I love it. It really gives off the "Elite" series vibes from Spain but with a 16+ rating rather than 18+ rating. Maybe this is just a transition for the next season? That's why it isn't that heavy? Neither way, I'm excited for the next possible season cause I am sure that the last episode wasn't the last.

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Disappointing, Boring With Useless Love Triangle

I watched it because of the face card of most of the cast members have and with some expectation for a plot twist. But turns out, with the existing love triangle and unsatisfactory cast for murderer, it's just too boring for me.

Kang Ha was the center of the story, who should exposed and taking a revenge for his twin brother's murderer starting with transfer to a prestigious high school. But as the episode goes by, Kang Ha was distracted from his original plan and entangled with a useless love triangle with Jaeyi and Rian.

I hate the way this drama make most of the characters pretending to be adults cuz it's just too dramatic as if they had been living in their 30-40. I hate how arrogant the characters behave too, like how can u act like that with people whose been with u since u were a child? I don't blame Yoon Hera characterization fir acting that way.

Well, besides the lacking, I still love the handsome cast and the stunning cinematography.

I don't regret watching it but if there's season 2, I really hope it can fulfill my expectations.

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an underwhelming attempt at adapting 'elite' for korean audiences

Here's the thing. Different countries are good at portraying different things. I didn't even like Elite, but it knew what it was doing. It knew its audience, it knew its strengths. It didn't shy away from violence, sex, drugs, all that gritty jazz.

It's no surprise that Korean TV is subject to more restrictions -- it's a cultural thing, they're just more conservative, and that's not inherently better or worse. But that doesn't mean Korean TV can't have its own strengths. In the context of thrillers, Koreans sure know how to make revenge thrillers, and they know how to portray bullying and all its horrible ramifications. Look at King of Pigs. Look at The Glory. They knew what they were doing. They knew it very well, they were sure of themselves.

And that's why they were good.

This show tries to emulate Elite, but it's ultimately limited by what it can show on the screen considering its target audience. Instead of trading the Spanish flavor for Korean elements, it simply settles for a washed-out, toned-down adaptation of the original show. There is little to no shock factor in this supposed revenge thriller in a supposedly high-stakes setting. The plot is nonexistent, the characters are caricatures, the cast is miscast, and the pacing is nothing short of atrocious. The camera is always trying to find some angle to showcase the prettiness of the actors, and sure, the production, the lighting, it's all very good, but this is not an advertisement for some high-end brand. This is a TV series, and the audience expects something to actually happen. Thousands of pretty shots featuring pretty people staring into space is not adding to the story in any way whatsoever.

I was hoping to see something along the lines of Cheongdam International High School (Bitch x Rich). While that show definitely had its flaws, it also knew how to properly drive a soap opera. BxR was similarly filled with unlikeable characters, but there was a much clearer plot and all the characters had different motives and personalities. It didn't meander or fill the runtime with scenes of pretentious posturing -- there's only so much grandiose walking and emo staring a viewer can take.

A terrible drama that tries to be a teen soap set in the ultra-rich, but completely squanders its potential and wastes its obviously high production value.

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