Showing posts with label My Name (Kdrama) 4.8 || 4.7. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Name (Kdrama) 4.8 || 4.7. Show all posts

21 October 2021

K Drama Review: My Name (2021) 4.8 || 4.7

After watching a number of romantic dramas, it was time to watch something a bit different. And we found the perfect show for this break - an action drama with our favorite girl, Han So Hee. 

This is another Netflix series. Netflix has been churning out really good and interesting shows this year like D.P. and Squid Game. These originals are great because apart from having unique plots, the series and the episodes are short (6-9 episodes with 45 minutes to 1 hour per show). They're all so easy and fun to watch and digest. 

Plot

My Name tells the story of Yoon Ji Woo (Han So Hee), the daughter of Yoon Dong Hoon (Yoon Kyung Ho of Juror 8, Vincenzo, Itaewon Class, and Guardian), a policeman turned undercover agent in a big drug ring in Korea. When Dong Hoon was murdered, Ji Woo vowed to avenge her father's death at all costs. She asks the Dongcheon drug ring's boss Choi Mu Jin (Park Hee Soon of 1987: When the Day Comes) to train her. Subsequently, Mu Jin used Ji Woo, now known as Oh Hye Jin, to infiltrate the Narcotics department. The drama takes us through Ji Woo's quest in finding her dad's killer and how she deals with all the betrayal she uncovers along the way. 

Han So Hee as Ji Woo / Hye Jin

Prior to this show, we've only seen Han So Hee once in Nevertheless. We were already impressed with her beauty and acting skills there. And it was surprising to know that she has so much more to offer. 

I love how versatile Han So Hee is. She can appear coy, daring, and sexy. And now she's added badass to her skills as well. She was very credible as Ji Woo, the fighter who wouldn't allow anyone to bully her. 

Ji Woo was amazing. She had such strong willpower to avenge her dad. And she had such wit to find ways to catch her dad's killer like getting into the Narcotics department and using the gun that killed her dad in one of her team's operations so she can find out who owned the gun. 

Ji Woo / Hye Jin kicked ass a lot in this show. My favorites would be her fight scenes with Do Gang Jae (Chang Ryul of Something in the Rain and My Mister), her former gang mate who tried to rape her. She was great as well in that final fight scene with Mu Jin. 

Apart from kicking ass, Han So Hee also showed us that she's great in drama too.  She was spectacular in Hye Jin's breakdown scene after she found out about Mu Jin's betrayal. I loved the muffled rage she showed where you can feel both her anger and her pain from trusting the wrong person. 

I also loved her intensity during her confrontation scene with her partner Pil Do (Ahn Bo Hyun of Itaewon Class and Descendants of the Sun) where the latter was dissuading her from taking matters into her own hands. 

Han So Hee was so great here that even if she were the most junior among the leads, she kept up with and even outshone both Park Hee Soon and Ahn Bo Hyun. I love her so much that I'm now seriously contemplating if my heart and blood pressure can stand watching World of the Married. 

Ahn Bo Hyun as Pil Do

Ahn Bo Hyun was a revelation for me in this show. He super annoyed me in Itaewon Class. And I was surprised to discover that he can actually be endearing. I guess it also helped that he looked more buff here. And yes, it was refreshing to see him with the good guys catching the bad guys this time. 

I loved how right from the get go, Pil Do already showed that he cared for Hye Jin when he reprimanded her for attacking a drug den without wearing any protective gear. I also liked how he chose to trust Hye Jin even if his captain Cha Gi Ho (Kim Sang Ho of Wonderful Days) already doubted her. 

I loved the delicate balance Pil Do had in treating Hye Jin. Nopes, he didn't give her any special treatment just because she's a girl. Yet, he had this subtle softness and gentleness towards her. It was so great of him to not give up on persuading her to take the legal route in solving her father's death. And he was sweetest when he told Hye Jin that she can always rely on him. For someone who's been alone most of her life, I'm sure that meant so much to Hye Jin. 

It was super heartbreaking to see Pil Do's horrible ending and even more painful to see Ji Woo lose the only person she could trust. 

I credit this show for my new found appreciation for Ahn Bo Hyun. 

Park Hee Soon as Mu Jin

Park Hee Soon really looked the part of a drug lord / gang leader. His demeanor really commanded respect. He was not bad in his fight scenes either although he tended to have just one look for all of them. I guess it didn't help that Han So Hee did a splendid job so she tended to overpower him. 

Mu Jin was truly a monster as Ji Woo called him. I can't imagine how twisted one can be to manipulate the daughter of a man he killed.  

Execution

I like how bold these Netflix originals are in tackling difficult topics. Like bullying. It was devastating to see Ji Woo being bullied in school due to unfounded rumors that her dad was a gangster. The school or the teacher is supposed to provide a safe haven for students. Unfortunately, Ji Woo's teacher was part of the problem. I couldn't understand why she was making Ji Woo transfer because of a baseless rumor. And I didn't even see any effort on her part to reprimand the bullies. 

I loved the fight scenes in this show. They were all well-executed. Yes, the show tended to be gory, violent, and bloody, especially the finale, but I was able to tolerate it. 

I liked the twist about Mu Jin's betrayal. I liked how both Ji Woo and her dad were used as pawns to infiltrate the enemy. How Ji Woo doubted her dad and her misplaced loyalty to Mu Jin where she risked her life and career by leaking information to him. And the pain and confusion of finding out that Mu Jin was using her all along, the captain whom she suspected was actually an ally, and the man who vowed to protect her was actually her father's killer. That's a lot to take in but the show managed to fit in everything in eight episodes. 

I also liked how the show had the right pacing especially for the high points. Time was used wisely to build things up, highlight the climax, and wrap things up. 

I loved the ending even if Pil Do had to die. At least Gi Ho survived to clear Ji Woo's name. Although I feel like Gi Ho was partly responsible for failing to protect Dong Hoon and Ji Woo after her dad died. 

The fight scene between Ji Woo and Mu Jin during the finale was the perfect way to close this thrilling series. 

Oppa says...4.8.

Noona says...4.7.