yoons_fuse
This review may contain spoilers
I heard a lot of good things about this drama so i thought id give it a go. Usually i watch thrillers and action dramas so this was a bit of a change!Story:
I loved the first 4 or 5 episodes, the story felt very heartwarming. I enjoyed the diversity of characters, especially the transgender character (Hyun Yi), i feel the show handled her so well and i really appreciated it as someone from the LGBT community. Another favourite character of mine was Geun Soo, at least to begin with. I liked his sweet relationship with Yeo So and how he wanted to fight against his father. Unfortunately from about ep 6 onwards the show lots the warm feeling it had built. Everything became very serious, i really didnt like Geun Soo's complete change in personality (felt really forced) , Yeo So became incredibly annoying and clingy, Saroyi became unrealistically 'perfect'. I also wasnt a fan of the huge 10 and 4 year gaps, did really nothing significant happen in that time at all? The romance sub-plot also took a turn for the worse, the sudden change in Saroyi's relationship was a shock and not particularly satisfying! The ending wasnt great, we didnt really get full closure for a lot of the characters and i think the fight scenes were a bit unnecessary, like a last minute addition.
Acting/Cast:
The acting was fine, the cast did well with what they had. I have to praise Joo Young as Hyun Yi again, she was perfect for the role! Kim Da Mi and Seo Joon were also really good. Dong Hee was perfect as the lighthearted friend, but i feel as he had to become more of a villain he didnt fit the role as much, but as other people has said he's a young actor and has time to develop his skills.
Music:
I loved the ost! great songs and all matched the scenes well
Rewatch value:
Im not one to rewatch dramas anyway, but i wont be rewatching Itaewon Class anytime soon. I might give the first few episodes another go, but because i really wasnt a fan of the drama's progression id have to stop there
It was a bit of a shame as i had such high expectations from the first few episodes, however the plot was a bit weak and i guess to stretch that out for 16 episodes wouldve been a challenge! maybe if this drama had less episodes the story wouldve developed at a slower, more manageable pace.
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We have the average setting of a high school, your typical social groups, exam struggles and all that. But this is far more than the school... we delve into the lives of the down right criminals and get taken on a perilous journey that all originates from a kids dream to live a normal life. I really found myself questioning who i should sympathise with, how such a spiral could occur. This was so much more than your casual high school drama.
I am so so happy for the cast! Woah! talk about acting!
Honestly i was a bit worried, even though i love Dong Hee, after his performance in Itaewon Class i wasnt sure if he would pull this off... damn was i wrong. He absolutely killed it, he's really come a long way in a short time, i cant wait to see his next drama
Yes the female lead was annoying to begin, but i get the feeling thats the vibe they were going for, so Joo Hyun obviously played her well. Further into the drama she develops and matures a lot.
The whole cast was just great, whoever chose them did a great job and i couldnt have asked for more!
I would definitely watch again, i wish it couldve been longer but with such a short, impactful story dragging it out longer probably wouldve been a mistake.
I wasnt too keen on the ending, its very open for interpretation. i get the feeling Netflix are setting up for a second season, which could be great, or could also be a problem. While Extracurricular worked so well in the 10 episode format, i feel possibly expanding to a second season could be stretching it too far. i would be intrigued to see where the plot could go next!
But apart from that i 100% recommend Extracurricular, only 10 hours of perfection!
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Story: We see the formation of the team of criminals, who's job it is to hunt down other criminals. But they are so much more than just emotionless murderers, only there to blindly throw punches and laugh in the face of danger. I have never felt such a connection to characters who have done such bad things! Lee Jung Moon (played fantastically by Park Hae Jin) was my absolute favourite character, he initially comes across as a evil killer but over time as his story develops you see he isn't the cruel psychopath that he seems to be. Honestly i cried more times for him than anyone else, his story is in my opinion the most gripping , you'll have to watch to see why! Jung Tae Soo was also one of my favourites, you see so clearly the guilt he feels for his actions, he's badass and skilled but under all that he really wants what's best. Park Woong Cheol is also a cool guy, alway able to fight his way out of a bad situation and he too is deeply rooted in the criminal world, at one point you see how desperate he is to be normal and that really broke my heart. And finally Oh Goo Tak, always seems drunk and is only set on revenge for his daughter. We really get to see how much his daughter has effected him and even though he does some bad things you cant help but feel sympathetic.
The female officer was annoying at times, but she wasn't so bad that she ruined the whole thing.
Really there are so many twists and turns, every episode builds on the previous events and just when you think you understand something else is thrown in! The characters are built almost perfectly, i cant really flaw them and even if there was a hole it wasn't too detrimental to the overall plot. There were some great action scenes, emotional moments and great chemistry between the whole team (especially Jung Moon, Woong Cheol and Tae Soo, their protectiveness for him was so heartwarming!) , i couldn't ask for more.
Acting/cast: As you probably will guess, i cant say a single bad thing. The cast is picked perfectly, each character feels so real and its all down to the fantastic acting. Park Hae Jin completely embodies the psychopath character, his expressions are perfect, the more i watched him the more pity i felt, he puts across so much with so little words. Ive never watched Hae Jin before but after this i will definitely be watching his other dramas.
The other two criminals are so well played, Ma Dong Seok is super good in his role like usual, ive also never seen Jo Dong Hyuk (well currently in 'Rugal' but nothing else), ill take a look at his work too.
Really kudos to whoever put together the cast, they really found the perfect actors/actresses for the job!
Music: Suited the scenes and really helped add suspense, great!
Rewatch value: like all dramas they're not the same after the first watch. I think i will probably come back to this, simply because of how invested i became in the main 4 characters and their stories.
I really cannot recommend Bad Guys enough, i don't think i can put into words how much i enjoyed it! I will be telling as many people about it as possible, and as its on Netflix i really hope people will give it a chance. I must thank everyone involved with this drama, it was absolutely thrilling start to finish, and so so hard to stop watching. This is my first drama in a while after taking a break and i'm in awe, i feel like i'm mourning having to finish Bad Guys.
Im a bit disappointed we haven't got a second season with the original cast seeing as this was so good, heres hoping they'll do one soon! Thank you, this really was a masterpiece :)
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