CharaLiha
USA
This review is written for those hoping this drama is something special. (Only minor spoilers)
CHARACTERS: (8/10)
Vincenzo is hyped up to be a very tactful and vicious mafia consigliere. However, his methods ended up seeming more petty and successful due to luck and not plain skill. The female lead, Hong Cha Young was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the show. She is introduced as a not-so-honest hotshot lawyer. However, for most of the drama, she is on the sidelines letting Vincenzo make all the moves and taking credit for achievements she had no hand in. I was expecting them to be more of an unconventional power couple, but what we ended up seeing was NOT even a mafia consigliere and his damsel-in-distress (albeit there was a DID moment) but a mafia consigliere and a pretty woman that just tags along and solely exists as a love interest. The most frustrating part has to be that it's clear Cha Young had the skills to be a powerful character in the show. She is intelligent, resilient, and had all the tools to really become a woman we all would want to cheer on. It just simply did not happen.
Aside from the two main characters. I have to applaud the villains. Choi Myung Hee was absolutely despicable. She was a good villain that I thoroughly enjoyed hating. I do, however, have to take note that her motive seemed a bit lackluster. I never really figured out why she put so much into helping the main villain. The main villain, [REDACTED], was impeccable on-screen. His reveal had me gasp aloud and he truly became unhinged as the show went on. It was quite entertaining.
The side characters were very enjoyable as well. They lightened the show. I especially have to give credit to Kwak Dong Yeon. I ended up adoring his pathetic character that eventually mustered up the courage to become someone we all cheered on. I will definitely be on the lookout for his future roles.
STORY: (6/10)
The story is quite honestly boring and drags a lot. The plot was essentially about a mafia consigliere versus a greedy business owner and his lawyers. A lot of the conflict happened but to the average watcher such as myself, the business doings were quite boring and hard to follow. This is not to say, that it was accurate to the business world. In fact, even an ignorant person such as myself could tell the plot points were horribly illogical. I pretty much skipped through all those parts.
MUSIC: (8/10)
The OST was nothing memorable that I would save on a playlist but it was quite fitting and enjoyable.
REWATCH VALUE: (5/10)
The drama dragged on too long. 20 episodes that were each about 1.5 hours long. This drama could've easily ended at 16 episodes, but it kept getting sidetracked with unnecessary side plots with so many characters that I couldn't even keep track of after a certain point. I don't think it has much rewatch value. However, it is a good show to use to fulfill a craving for a dark comedy involving a hot anti-hero.
OVERALL: (7/10)
If you're looking for an action-packed drama with morally ambiguous protagonists and a generous handful of humor, this drama will not disappoint. However, many aspects of this drama fell short of the set up in the first episode. I would recommend this show to any SJK fan or someone looking for a slightly above-average dark comedy with a pinch of romance.
Vincenzo is hyped up to be a very tactful and vicious mafia consigliere. However, his methods ended up seeming more petty and successful due to luck and not plain skill. The female lead, Hong Cha Young was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the show. She is introduced as a not-so-honest hotshot lawyer. However, for most of the drama, she is on the sidelines letting Vincenzo make all the moves and taking credit for achievements she had no hand in. I was expecting them to be more of an unconventional power couple, but what we ended up seeing was NOT even a mafia consigliere and his damsel-in-distress (albeit there was a DID moment) but a mafia consigliere and a pretty woman that just tags along and solely exists as a love interest. The most frustrating part has to be that it's clear Cha Young had the skills to be a powerful character in the show. She is intelligent, resilient, and had all the tools to really become a woman we all would want to cheer on. It just simply did not happen.
Aside from the two main characters. I have to applaud the villains. Choi Myung Hee was absolutely despicable. She was a good villain that I thoroughly enjoyed hating. I do, however, have to take note that her motive seemed a bit lackluster. I never really figured out why she put so much into helping the main villain. The main villain, [REDACTED], was impeccable on-screen. His reveal had me gasp aloud and he truly became unhinged as the show went on. It was quite entertaining.
The side characters were very enjoyable as well. They lightened the show. I especially have to give credit to Kwak Dong Yeon. I ended up adoring his pathetic character that eventually mustered up the courage to become someone we all cheered on. I will definitely be on the lookout for his future roles.
STORY: (6/10)
The story is quite honestly boring and drags a lot. The plot was essentially about a mafia consigliere versus a greedy business owner and his lawyers. A lot of the conflict happened but to the average watcher such as myself, the business doings were quite boring and hard to follow. This is not to say, that it was accurate to the business world. In fact, even an ignorant person such as myself could tell the plot points were horribly illogical. I pretty much skipped through all those parts.
MUSIC: (8/10)
The OST was nothing memorable that I would save on a playlist but it was quite fitting and enjoyable.
REWATCH VALUE: (5/10)
The drama dragged on too long. 20 episodes that were each about 1.5 hours long. This drama could've easily ended at 16 episodes, but it kept getting sidetracked with unnecessary side plots with so many characters that I couldn't even keep track of after a certain point. I don't think it has much rewatch value. However, it is a good show to use to fulfill a craving for a dark comedy involving a hot anti-hero.
OVERALL: (7/10)
If you're looking for an action-packed drama with morally ambiguous protagonists and a generous handful of humor, this drama will not disappoint. However, many aspects of this drama fell short of the set up in the first episode. I would recommend this show to any SJK fan or someone looking for a slightly above-average dark comedy with a pinch of romance.
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