Hierarchy (2024)

TOO ALL OVER THE PLACE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

(alt title: "ri an is the fucking prince and everybody except him knows it")
I have been waiting for this ever since it was announced (before they even decided a release date) and to say it was underwhelming would be an understatement.
The story lacks any substance and there's just too many loops that my logical af brain just cannot ignore. Like obviously it's a drama so u do expect far fetched and not so practical stuff to happen but there's a limit to it.
The plot is basically set in the background of "Elite", the ml from "Boys over flowers" and everything else is just "Crazy rich asians", and not in a good way.
It's just such a cliche story of poor kid comes to rich kid school, gets bullied, wants to take revenge and then succeeds, except there's a (supposed) murder plot here. A normal person would expect solving the murder and finding clues is the main plot but no it is discussed in the first and last 2 episodes making it a side plot. Now you may think what's the main plot then? I don't think even the writers know the answer cuz they took some ideas from different places and then jumbled them to make *drumroll* - HIERARCHY!!!
Looking at everything u can tell there was quite a bit of money put into this and u r gonna find all the chaebol stuff like mansions, expensive hobbies, cars, millions of caretakers (duh) and a wardrobe change for each hour of the day. Speaking of the wardrobe, please get a better stylist. In what universe do all high schoolers wear tailored suits and formals no matter the occasion or the time of the day. The outfit choices were honestly unaccounted for. It seems like they picked up the prettiest fit, included as many different pieces as they could and called it a day. The writers, directors and costume designers just couldn't decide if the characters are adults or kids smh.
ABOUT THE ACTING: When a person watches something, they're expecting to feel emotions they don't usually have the chance to feel, but here I literally felt zero emotions and trust me I'm pretty emotional. I didn't cry when they cried or when they told their sob story, I didn't laugh either cuz there was nothing funny, I didn't even feel frustrated or angry at hera cuz she just wasn't worth it or important to the plot. The acting wasn't as good as I had expected, mainly because there weren't a lot of emotions being shown throughout. Like legit all of them were smug, cold and aloof at least half the time! There wasn't much to act out so no point in judging the acting, really. The actors are all good tho as we have seen in their other works.
THE CHARACTERS: If u love shitty characters with no depth then this is definitely for u. First off, they couldn't decide on one main lead and then they couldn't give everyone a proper storyline. Woo jin and He ra were literal errand runners here. They had no background no personal storyline or any depth to the character. They wouldn't even qualify as second leads imo. Like just put them in supporting role rather than giving them nothing except the title. Even with the 3 other leads, there wasn't necessarily any growth or depth to them. Half the time we legit didn't know what they were thinking (like there was no "voice in their heads" kinda things) which again pulls down the plot.
THE PRODUCTION: As I said they did put in a lot of money into this with the sets and everything so no wonder it turned out pretty. I did like the camera work, cinematography and sets but I have seen better ngl.
CONCLUSION: All in all this does make an okay one time watch but just go into it with no expectations cuz you'll probably not be shocked with any 'plot twists'. Basically just go watch the rich kids be rich kids.

PS: I really hated how they made it look like those 'rich kids' have all the pressure and problems in the world, like yeah, we get it, everyone has issues in their life but there's no need to overlook their privileges.

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I ACTUALLY LIKED IT??

Ngl I read the reviews before watching and dare I say I almost didn't watch it.
But here I am, just finished watching the 7 eps and I guess I'm one of the 1% people who liked it lol
I know the storyline was quite circles but besides that, THE BUDGET, THE STYLING, AND THEIR ACTING!!!
The kids wore proper school uniforms which i liked and thank god there were no unnecessary N/C scenes.
I would suggest watch ep 1 and then decide whether to watch it or not. Don't search for answers in reviews as you might have diff opinions about the drama based on your interest.
Lee Chae Min was way too HOT in this. BYE.

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it's not so bad, it's not groundbreaking either

I recently finished watching "Hierarchy" on Netflix, diving in without even seeing the trailer. Just from the poster, I had a feeling it would be the Korean answer to shows like "Gossip Girl," "Elite," and "Pretty Little Liars." After watching, my initial impression held true. The plot was fairly predictable, and the twists didn’t really surprise me.

Set in Jooshin High School, the most prestigious institution in South Korea, the series revolves around students chosen from birth to attend. These students include Jeong Jae Yi, the eldest daughter of the Jaeyool Group, Kim Ri An, the heir to the Jooshin Group, Yoon He Ra, the youngest daughter of an international trading company, and Lee Woo Jin, the second son of a powerful politician. In stark contrast, the poor students, though wise and cheerful, face a different reality.

The story kicks off with Kang Ha transferring to Jooshin High School, bringing with him a secret that threatens to unravel the entire establishment. As expected in high school/teen suspense dramas, the rich students bully the poorer ones, with the administration turning a blind eye to their misdeeds. We also see the pressures these privileged kids face: maintaining family reputations, inheriting businesses, and dealing with envy.

While the storyline wasn't disappointing, it wasn't particularly outstanding either. The series felt like it was trying too hard at times, and the storytelling wasn’t as seamless as it could have been.

On the positive side, the production quality was top-notch. The show looked incredibly expensive, with meticulously designed sets and costumes. The cinematography was stunning, with each shot looking cinematic and the colour grading flawless. The background music was catchy and perfectly conveyed the emotions of each scene.

Overall, "Hierarchy" is a decent watch. It’s a good time-pass drama that’s bearable but somewhat below average. If you’re a fan of western teen dramas like "Elite," you might enjoy it—just don’t go in with high expectations.

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NOT EVERY HIERARCHY IS EASILY TOPPLED.

I must confess that when I started watching the drama, I saw the terrible rating of the last episode and thought it had been awful, but I found it consistent with how it began and how we got to this point. I noticed several insights for a second season. Some considerations:

• Finally, Jae-I realised how toxic, obsessive, and abusive her relationship with Ri An was. It was a relief for her to understand that the two of them together, directly or indirectly, brought misery to everyone around them.
• I noticed an interesting insight left by the writer. Did you notice she rode a bicycle, stopped to sit on the bench near the street stall, and bought that snack with Ri An? Clearly, it was her subconscious showing that the moment she was happiest in all the hell she went through was with Kang Ha. In other words…
• I firmly believe that, in the hypothetical second season, the writer will develop the relationship between Jae-I and Kang Ha.
• I also believe that Kang’s smile and the exchange of messages were not him sending messages to Ri An. I think we will have someone violent who wants something. Kang Ha showed throughout the drama that he was a naive and kind young man.

That said, it is a drama with mediocre performances, but I liked the actress who played He Ra and found the actor who played U-Jin stunningly handsome.

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Very mid but I liked it

I'm kinda gonna go against the grain here, even tho I agree with the outstanding majority. The general consenses is spot on--The show has tons of wasted potential. The most redeeming qualities are the pretty cast and cinematography.

That being said...I still enjoyed this, at least the first 4 eps. But even after that I cared enough to see it to the end. Let me be honest: As someone who loved Penthouse and Sky Castle I came into this for rich people mess and high school shenanigans. As crazy as they get, you gotta have a high tolerance for bs and throw logic out the window with makjangs. Compared to those dramas this pales, especially in the mess department. Still, I have to think a drama is really bad or boring in order to drop it. Eps 4-5 is when things started downhill. And it did go downhill. But...I want a S2. I found it likeable enough to want to see more. The finale was open ended enough and the premiere was successful so it'll prob happen.

The biggest reason why this wasn't impactful is there simply wasn't enough time to flesh out anything. 7 eps isn't long enough to bake the cake. The outside is delicious but the inside is underdone. I don't call for this as much anymore but 16 eps seemed better this instance. That way we could've had more room for the plot to cook.

Characters were ok overall. Unpopular opinion: Lee Chaemin carried. Losing sight of his motivation was what ultimately brought him down. It would've been more interesting if he led Jae-I on as part of his revenge plan despite actually liking her. Only then would I have gotten behind them as endgame.

To sum it up this was a good example of presentation >> substance. Its true we got a half baked cake but I still ate it up. Maybe folks should lower their expectations next time?

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The Great Promise of an Empty Series.

The premise is simple, and really repetitive these days where there is the murder of a student, the sibling or friend show up at school afterwards and try to find out what happened and who is responsible.

After that, it really comes down to details, like the characters, the twists, the suspense, etc. The problem here is after big K-drama successes that tackle bullying to various degrees, like "The Glory" or "Weak Class Hero", can this drama really afford to acknowledge the violence that the protagonists have initiated against other characters and make them get away with it in way ? This was not satisfactory one bit.

In general, injustice in society is a hot topic, the disgust for those whose social class is so high that they have no repercussions for their actions is very present, and again it's tackled in many k-dramas these days.

With the premise that strangely resembles "Elite", this series has offered us a nerfed version, full of rainbows and inconsistencies. Which is a shame, many series try to make themselves on formulas that work, which is okay, but why do it so lightly ?

The production is not questioned, but the characters and plot are. The series does not make sense, Kang Ha in particular has so many good moments that prop him up to be a decisive character, but somehow he caved in at the end ? The only thing that redeems his arc a little is the last scene at the end, when he seems to send a message of threat to Ri An. His crush on Jae Yi blinded him more than once, and he would have let them get away with it if Jae Yi did not play the 'voice of reason' by encouraging others to take their responsibilities.
Also, it should be mentioned how someone as despicable as Ri An is romanticized ? Not only does he orchestrate bullying and violence, but his toxicity and sense of ownership towards Jae Yi has no limits. It's more of a codependent relationship than anything else. It's not romantic, and he deserves to be punished with more than a slap on the wrist. Oddly enough, He Ra stands out as a character that we can relate to. She has her flaws, but she's relatable. Woo Jin is a discreet character, that we haven't really discovered, it's obvious that he can be cunning and even dangerous, but overall his character is overlooked and doesn't even get punished for being an accomplice.

The series was filled with scenes full of ostentation without real meaning, the plot is empty, it's just about characters provoking each other for attention, jealousy and power, nothing leaves space to breathe. Everyone watches these series to satisfy their inner sense of being petty and righteous, somehow, this series failed at that and just gave more frustration. I hope season 2 will live up to expectations, because honestly, do we really need a second empty season ? Like what is even the plot now that they've all 'paid' for their mistakes ? A murder ? Can't it get more cliché, sigh. It's their last year, I have low expectations.

I just hope this series will help Lee Chae Min land more series in the future.

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JUST MY OPINION

I love this, why everyone hate it
it's so freaking good
I love the cast
my biggest fav in the cast it's hera love her so much
I saw so many people that doesn't like this kdrama maybe this type of genre isn't something you like
guys don't bother other that says this is the worst
just watch it

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