I watched the Directors cut which has 8 episodes and not the 6 episodes which were shown on TV. There was controversy between the director Lee Joo Young and the production house over the editing of the series, she even asked for her name to be removed as the director and screenplay writer. I was impressed with the direction and screenplay as the main character is seen to make decisions which are wrong but you can empathise why she chooses the path she does. Suzy Bae is very suited to the role as even though her acting has been criticised in the past her muted style suits the character who seems to be selfish initially but is wronged as a child and slowly over time her small lies lead to major deception.
20 Reviews
Great job Suzy Bae!
phd_travel9 April 2023
Tense scary involving and binge worthy. The lovely Suzy Bae does a great job at looking sympathetic and beautiful as the conflicted heroine who borrows an employer's identity to better her life. Her life spirals into a nightmare involving a crooked politician husband. The villains are well played including her husband with political ambitions (Kim Joon Han) and the real Anna played by Jung Eun Chae.
The story is well constructed and doesn't drag since it's only 6 episodes. Liked the way things resolved logically but not predictably. The look of the show is glossy and attractive despite the characters being so dark. There is a moral fable here.
The story is well constructed and doesn't drag since it's only 6 episodes. Liked the way things resolved logically but not predictably. The look of the show is glossy and attractive despite the characters being so dark. There is a moral fable here.
Enjoyed it
jasminn_tan20 July 2022
This show has beautiful cinematography and good pacing. I liked the main character, she was intelligent, knew what she wanted and went for it even though it was wrong. The story follows a clear development, climax and end so everything was wrapped up nicely within 6 episodes. Although some parts may seem underdeveloped, overall, it was written well.
Halfway Review: Interesting themes, excellently executed.
dleetrident-599256 July 2022
What happens when you sell your soul to a lie?..
The overarching theme of this drama portrays how far someone is willing to go to dive into a lie when they are desperate enough, and the consequences of doing so.
Think plot of "Catch Me If You Can" with Leo De Caprio or "Talented Mr Ripley" with Matt Damon, with an injection of the deeper themes of the first two acts of "Parasite".. If you enjoyed those films you'll really enjoy this one, as I am.
The depth of the plot and the realism of the script and the acting are deep, so deep that I have a hard time distinguishing it from what could happen in real life. This gives this drama a mature and serious vibe, underpinned by an underlying sinister tension that the main character Suzy has, and continues to, commit deeper and deeper sins.
Pacing seems perfect so far at the halfway point, and really feels like a very well executed movie, even though the total runtime should come to around 6 hours. No room for filler scenes, and each scene is poignant, important and feels crisp which lends a feeling of overall quality to the experience.
Highly recommend- Surprised this isn't getting more attention as I think this is absolutely S tier and is so far scene for scene in the ballpark for quality and execution to films such as Parasite, Burning and feels similar to when I was watching the first few episodes of Flower of Evil, and COULD end up being the highest quality Korean drama I've ever watched. Although that is a big IF with half the season remaining.
The overarching theme of this drama portrays how far someone is willing to go to dive into a lie when they are desperate enough, and the consequences of doing so.
Think plot of "Catch Me If You Can" with Leo De Caprio or "Talented Mr Ripley" with Matt Damon, with an injection of the deeper themes of the first two acts of "Parasite".. If you enjoyed those films you'll really enjoy this one, as I am.
The depth of the plot and the realism of the script and the acting are deep, so deep that I have a hard time distinguishing it from what could happen in real life. This gives this drama a mature and serious vibe, underpinned by an underlying sinister tension that the main character Suzy has, and continues to, commit deeper and deeper sins.
Pacing seems perfect so far at the halfway point, and really feels like a very well executed movie, even though the total runtime should come to around 6 hours. No room for filler scenes, and each scene is poignant, important and feels crisp which lends a feeling of overall quality to the experience.
Highly recommend- Surprised this isn't getting more attention as I think this is absolutely S tier and is so far scene for scene in the ballpark for quality and execution to films such as Parasite, Burning and feels similar to when I was watching the first few episodes of Flower of Evil, and COULD end up being the highest quality Korean drama I've ever watched. Although that is a big IF with half the season remaining.
Vey good quality K-drama with powerful cast with impressive acting and high-quality directing
albertnaing10 July 2022
The director of Anna shows great character development with an interesting storyline.
Anna's got great characters, a decent storyline, and wonderful aesthetics.
From Anna, what I feel and see is the quality of acting, the quality of directing, and what a quality project it is.
It's a Must Watch Drama if you like high-quality projects.
Anna's got great characters, a decent storyline, and wonderful aesthetics.
From Anna, what I feel and see is the quality of acting, the quality of directing, and what a quality project it is.
It's a Must Watch Drama if you like high-quality projects.
What happened after episode 2?
mbrxsdn4 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
It felt so refreshing watching the first two episodes. It was a different beat and it felt lile a completely different story. After that there is so much that shouldn't belong and the story became tedious.
In deed was fascinating but Anna didn't evolved nor became aware of her power. She could do so much and yet she just stand still watched everything happen. Sadly Anna was a wasted character.
Other characters were useless and did not contribute to the story. I did not expect a plot twist nor a shock value
And finally, why Anna end up in the snow? Did she realized that it's too much work to keep living surrounded by people? Because girl, same.
In deed was fascinating but Anna didn't evolved nor became aware of her power. She could do so much and yet she just stand still watched everything happen. Sadly Anna was a wasted character.
Other characters were useless and did not contribute to the story. I did not expect a plot twist nor a shock value
And finally, why Anna end up in the snow? Did she realized that it's too much work to keep living surrounded by people? Because girl, same.
A breath of fresh air in Korean dramas!!
rasoolyfarhad15 August 2022
Finally a drama not about a guy and a girl falling in love through the course of 16 episodes, not about some funny jokes and funny songs and the same repeatitive vibe but a story of how cruel the world can be and how much it can affect people. I left watching korean dramas because they were becoming some how very predictable and repeatitive but squid game brought me back and now that i have watched this drama, i am getting hopeful. The drama has its weaknesses and can be a little predictable sometimes but it is elevated with a first class acting by Suzy who succeeds in giving soul and complexity to her character, this does not mean the rest of the cast wasn't amazing, cinematography is on point, directing is good, editing could have been better, But overall while i would have given this an 8 on normal circumstance, i will give it a 10 just because i appreciate the change and seriousness in this drama compared to other k dramas.
So much potential marred by subpar acting from main lead
korcomet-414552 September 2022
This series had a lot going for it. The premise was intriguing, quality visuals, not too many episodes to dilute the story. It had a lot of potential.
While there were many positive aspects to the series that have been well covered by other reviews, I will focus instead on the glaring weakness in my opinion. I found the acting from the lead character, played by Suzy Bae, to be so poor it actually became a distraction. Her acting lacked charisma, was robotic, dull, uninspired, and borderline boring. She had one blank expression (eyes were deer caught in headlights, mouth partially open making it seem as if her teeth were too large for her mouth to close fully) for 90% of the series.
When encountered with a scenario which would call for an emotional response or some kind of human reaction, same thing- blank expression, robotic, anticlimactic (see above). Her lack of acting gravitas was especially blatant in light of the strong actors and actresses in the surrounding cast. I couldn't help but think the series would've been so much stronger had the actress who played the character of Lee Hyun Ju, whose name is Eun Chae Jung, had been cast in the main lead role instead of Suzy Bae. Eun Chae Jung displayed the acting chops and charisma that was solely lacking from Suzy Bae. In fact, the series could've worked so much better had the two actresses simply swapped roles.
I was curious as to how such a seemingly weak actress was cast in the lead role. A quick Google search provided answers. Rather than coming from an acting background, Suzy Bae is in fact an extremely popular former K-Pop star and for many fans represents the pinnacle of beauty. After learning of her background, it gave a possible explanation as to why so many reviews gave her acting such high marks. It seems a lot of reviewers who are Suzy Bae fans likely give reviews based on their belief that she births angels and her flatulence consists of Febreze.
All said, for many it is likely a very watchable series. I would recommend to prospective viewers to adjust their expectations to account for the above. I hope many will enjoy the series more than I did.
While there were many positive aspects to the series that have been well covered by other reviews, I will focus instead on the glaring weakness in my opinion. I found the acting from the lead character, played by Suzy Bae, to be so poor it actually became a distraction. Her acting lacked charisma, was robotic, dull, uninspired, and borderline boring. She had one blank expression (eyes were deer caught in headlights, mouth partially open making it seem as if her teeth were too large for her mouth to close fully) for 90% of the series.
When encountered with a scenario which would call for an emotional response or some kind of human reaction, same thing- blank expression, robotic, anticlimactic (see above). Her lack of acting gravitas was especially blatant in light of the strong actors and actresses in the surrounding cast. I couldn't help but think the series would've been so much stronger had the actress who played the character of Lee Hyun Ju, whose name is Eun Chae Jung, had been cast in the main lead role instead of Suzy Bae. Eun Chae Jung displayed the acting chops and charisma that was solely lacking from Suzy Bae. In fact, the series could've worked so much better had the two actresses simply swapped roles.
I was curious as to how such a seemingly weak actress was cast in the lead role. A quick Google search provided answers. Rather than coming from an acting background, Suzy Bae is in fact an extremely popular former K-Pop star and for many fans represents the pinnacle of beauty. After learning of her background, it gave a possible explanation as to why so many reviews gave her acting such high marks. It seems a lot of reviewers who are Suzy Bae fans likely give reviews based on their belief that she births angels and her flatulence consists of Febreze.
All said, for many it is likely a very watchable series. I would recommend to prospective viewers to adjust their expectations to account for the above. I hope many will enjoy the series more than I did.
My Suggestion Anba Director's Cut
joysantillan14 August 2022
I hope u post the Anna Director's Cut because that's more solid the story. The 6 episode coupang edit the important scene.if you share the 8 episode by Director's Cut it's more helping people understand what, why yoomi doing it.
And every character have give a chance to introduce their background.
And every character have give a chance to introduce their background.
Slow paced... main protagonist is a disappointing character
theatriics31 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Part of my disappointment is on me, because I was led to believe the main protagonist had Ripley's Syndrome and that this was going to be a thriller about how she would become delusional to get the life she wants. It even alludes to that kind of plot in the beginning.
Aside from that though, this drama was just okay. It was very slow-paced, and one thing that didn't make sense to me was how she went from a top-tier student to having to retake the exam 3 times. If this was because of her re-schooling, that wasn't clear. It made her seem like she was going to be a clever, cunning character. However, throughout 99% of the show, Yu-mi was easily walked on and pushed around. It never seemed like she did anything intentionally.
Overall, I was hoping for a thrilling show about a woman using her smarts and cleverness to get her way in life. But it turned out to be more of a slow-paced melodrama about a woman who committed identity fraud and got away with it through luck.
Aside from that though, this drama was just okay. It was very slow-paced, and one thing that didn't make sense to me was how she went from a top-tier student to having to retake the exam 3 times. If this was because of her re-schooling, that wasn't clear. It made her seem like she was going to be a clever, cunning character. However, throughout 99% of the show, Yu-mi was easily walked on and pushed around. It never seemed like she did anything intentionally.
Overall, I was hoping for a thrilling show about a woman using her smarts and cleverness to get her way in life. But it turned out to be more of a slow-paced melodrama about a woman who committed identity fraud and got away with it through luck.
FYI "Anna Director's Cut" (1 of 2 versions of this series) Is at least 2 stars better than the "studio" cut version.
tbugera9 August 2023
The subtitles disappear a little too quick for my liking.
The translations sometimes didn't quite make scene. What would help a bunch is to have a few English as 1st language people (in English counties) help with making it more clear.
FYI "Anna Director's Cut" (1 of 2 versions of the series) Is at least 2 stars better than the "studio" cut version. Apparently there was a lawsuit et al after the studio cut the series. DC is a slower paced & provides much better background to the character and the arc of the story
Well shot - well edited (DC) - Great Acting - A very honestly told story about a troubles young girl/lady & TTBOMK it offers a glimpse into S Korean culture.
I will look forward to "Season 2"
Why was the Journalist eating or drinking in almost every scene?
Interesting why so few people have reviewed this series since IMO it is too good!!! (subtitle may have something to do with it.
The translations sometimes didn't quite make scene. What would help a bunch is to have a few English as 1st language people (in English counties) help with making it more clear.
FYI "Anna Director's Cut" (1 of 2 versions of the series) Is at least 2 stars better than the "studio" cut version. Apparently there was a lawsuit et al after the studio cut the series. DC is a slower paced & provides much better background to the character and the arc of the story
Well shot - well edited (DC) - Great Acting - A very honestly told story about a troubles young girl/lady & TTBOMK it offers a glimpse into S Korean culture.
I will look forward to "Season 2"
Why was the Journalist eating or drinking in almost every scene?
Interesting why so few people have reviewed this series since IMO it is too good!!! (subtitle may have something to do with it.
The ending doesn't make sense for me
cherlockhome29 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This is very fresh kind of series from K Drama. And I really like it, however the ending ruined it for me. There's no way that she would get away from the accident scene without highway police helping her or no way she could escape that long long road without any human noticing and no way she could get away with that accident when there's a death man in that car and both of them are famous. Like seriously.. a child would be able to tell that this injured Asian woman is definitely related to that dead asian man in the car accident in USA. I mean Its not believable and not to mention that she ended up as some kind of business owner in Canada??? How??? So -3 stars.. but overall this is very fresh and entertaining.
Not a thriller!
ABC-613989 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Anna Kdrama (2022) is touted as a thriller, the actual product however, is anything but. The trailer actually showed the ending, which doesn't leave much suspense after that. Bae Suzy plays Yumi, a young girl who lies about her university entrance to her parents, presumably she doesn't want to disappoint them. Her lie starts out small, but leads her to live the life of Hyun Joo (aka Anna) played by Jung Eun Chae, her employer's daughter whom she envies for her riches and pedigree. Anna is a Yale graduate and fluent in English.
Yumi perpetuates her lies scamming senior students and her boyfriend that she studies at the university where she visits, eventually telling them she is leaving for USA for further studies. Her whole demeanor is melancholic and pathetic. Anna is alternately downcast and depressed, often appearing disconnected. Her smiles are forced, one wonders why she put herself through this if it's such a torture.
The storyline has lots of holes, poor explanation of why she continues her lies after her dad died and her mother has dementia. As her lies build, she finds it difficult to extricate from them. When she receives a good payout from the sale of her dad's business, she doesn't see fit to start her life as her real self, even with resources at her disposal!
Yumi/Anna dressed like a couture queen to teach art classes in university. She speaks poor English (according to her principal in the school), and yet no one wonders how she survives Yale. It is hard to empathize with her character, nor is her portrayal likable. The story shares little on the character development for Yumi/Anna, Hyun Joo and her husband Ji Hoon. We never learn about Hyun Joo's life, and her character killed off rather abruptly with little back story or follow up afterwards. Maybe because there is only 6 episodes, the story jumps to new information without any warning. For example, all of a sudden, we find Ji Hoon has a mistress and a son.
Bae Suzy is pretty, no one will dispute that. Her acting, however, is lukewarm at best, and at worst unimaginative. She cries a lot in this series - it is not a huge stretch as an artist. Much of the scenes show Yumi/Anna in different outfits looking placid and plastic. Jung Eun Chae shows nice vitality when she is on screen, but her screen time is limited. The show's pacing is slow and pedantic, helped by a wallop of melo music. The score is more suspenseful than the story itself.
The ending is melodramatic although not unexpected i.e., the trailer. Ji Hoon is no saint, in fact, he is corrupt and ruthless, but Yumi shows her true psycho character in the end. And lastly, the closing stereotypical comment from two onlookers, "Is that's the tiny Chinese girl who walked across America", really do all Asian look alike! How ludicrous to "walk across America" and ending scenes in the Canadian wilderness!
I am disappointed in this drama; the hype is not to be believed.
Yumi perpetuates her lies scamming senior students and her boyfriend that she studies at the university where she visits, eventually telling them she is leaving for USA for further studies. Her whole demeanor is melancholic and pathetic. Anna is alternately downcast and depressed, often appearing disconnected. Her smiles are forced, one wonders why she put herself through this if it's such a torture.
The storyline has lots of holes, poor explanation of why she continues her lies after her dad died and her mother has dementia. As her lies build, she finds it difficult to extricate from them. When she receives a good payout from the sale of her dad's business, she doesn't see fit to start her life as her real self, even with resources at her disposal!
Yumi/Anna dressed like a couture queen to teach art classes in university. She speaks poor English (according to her principal in the school), and yet no one wonders how she survives Yale. It is hard to empathize with her character, nor is her portrayal likable. The story shares little on the character development for Yumi/Anna, Hyun Joo and her husband Ji Hoon. We never learn about Hyun Joo's life, and her character killed off rather abruptly with little back story or follow up afterwards. Maybe because there is only 6 episodes, the story jumps to new information without any warning. For example, all of a sudden, we find Ji Hoon has a mistress and a son.
Bae Suzy is pretty, no one will dispute that. Her acting, however, is lukewarm at best, and at worst unimaginative. She cries a lot in this series - it is not a huge stretch as an artist. Much of the scenes show Yumi/Anna in different outfits looking placid and plastic. Jung Eun Chae shows nice vitality when she is on screen, but her screen time is limited. The show's pacing is slow and pedantic, helped by a wallop of melo music. The score is more suspenseful than the story itself.
The ending is melodramatic although not unexpected i.e., the trailer. Ji Hoon is no saint, in fact, he is corrupt and ruthless, but Yumi shows her true psycho character in the end. And lastly, the closing stereotypical comment from two onlookers, "Is that's the tiny Chinese girl who walked across America", really do all Asian look alike! How ludicrous to "walk across America" and ending scenes in the Canadian wilderness!
I am disappointed in this drama; the hype is not to be believed.
Great story, taut direction and a masterclass in underacting by Bae-Suzy
rohitv5925 June 2023
Having seen Bae-Suzy in action and crime thriller shows like Vagabond and Stranger, I was surprisingly pleased to see some lovely restrained acting by her in this show, which airs over 6 episodes on Amazon Prime. Fittingly, she got nominated for the Baek-sang Arts awards this year.
The story is well told, it moves forward from scene to scene without any unnecessary melodrama, which makes for binge watching. I rarely binge watch shows and the fact that this one has impelled me to do so is what makes me give it a 10/10.
I am writing this review after having watched 5 of the 6 episodes. I like the thrillers set among the rich and political class in Korea and this story qualifies as one of them.
Warning: I am a K-drama buff so any review I do is likely to veer towards the positive.
The story is well told, it moves forward from scene to scene without any unnecessary melodrama, which makes for binge watching. I rarely binge watch shows and the fact that this one has impelled me to do so is what makes me give it a 10/10.
I am writing this review after having watched 5 of the 6 episodes. I like the thrillers set among the rich and political class in Korea and this story qualifies as one of them.
Warning: I am a K-drama buff so any review I do is likely to veer towards the positive.
Good Enough
PennyReviews2 August 2022
Korean Drama "Anna" is a short but to the point drama.
It tells the story of a woman who starts with a lie that takes over and, eventually, she starts living under a fake identity. The story feels rushed at times, as the time limit is short and the drama aims, successfully, to wrap up everything by its ending. And true, there were some stories that needed to be further explained, or more naturally presented, but the performances truly steal the spotlight. They help the drama a lot and all of the actors and actresses did a great job with their characters.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
It tells the story of a woman who starts with a lie that takes over and, eventually, she starts living under a fake identity. The story feels rushed at times, as the time limit is short and the drama aims, successfully, to wrap up everything by its ending. And true, there were some stories that needed to be further explained, or more naturally presented, but the performances truly steal the spotlight. They help the drama a lot and all of the actors and actresses did a great job with their characters.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
ANNA: Starts Strong, but Fizzles Out.
Jinxxa_Wolf25 June 2023
ANNA (2022), for me, was a missed target. A real let down, to be honest. It really could have been great, but completely missed the mark. Now the confusing thing is there were things about the show that were actually pretty great, for example an intriguing premise with endless possibilities and a lot of room for suspense, and the cinematography and artistic eye behind the camera made the show eye-catching and great to watch. Quality.
Starting the series I felt for sure it would turn out to be a real gem, a wonderful suspensful and dramatic show, full of twists and turns. Why? Because it just looks so good, like you can feel right off the bat that a lot of care went into it. It's quality and has high production value, great visuals, great music, intriguing premise, a big actress starring in it, strong supporting cast. What could go wrong?
First of all, for me this wasn't actually a suspense, mystery, thriller drama. It ended up being quite unsuspensful. The pacing was almost incredibly slow. And listen, I love a good slow burn mystery drama. Intellectual, political, psychological. Those can be great, some of the greatest really. So I don't even think that the fact the marketing misled me on the genre description as the fault of this show failing in my view...
It's difficult to explain why it missed the mark exactly, except maybe that it was lacking in some key ingredient that make for an excellent drama recipe. Namely character development and character acting. After watching the show, I can honestly say I still didn't really feel any attachment to Lee Yu Mi, the main character, played by Kpop idol Bae Suzy. By no means do I mean to bash on her acting ability, but to me her portrayal of her role felt so bland and dry. Boring, unmemorable and somewhat irritating. Sterile, unemotional, robotic. I don't think this was her best work, though certainly not her worst either.
I felt like the director maybe should have guided her more, encouraged a better performance or at least a different variety of expressions and reactions. Often it felt to me that she was just not invested in her role at all, or maybe she thought the same expression would carry her through the show. And truly that fact itself, that it didn't carry her is saying something too, because she's quite lovely to look at, but that certainly doesn't mean she was suited to the role and in my opinion, she definitely wasn't.
Now, in Bae Suzy's defense, a weak character can also happen in series as short as this one (6-8ep), given much less time to develop onscreen and hence less time to connect with the audience, especially given there are other characters, other moving pieces and plotlines also needing sufficient screen time, so perhaps the short length was partly the reason why. And while I admit, I haven't seen many series with this lead Actress, Bae Suzy, in it, I am certainly well aware of her high status and reknown, especially in Korea. And I'm sure she's great in other shows, and certainly as a singer, which is how she started and gained her popularity and fans. So no hate, truly.
However, this series just didn't endear me to her. I'm not trying to criticize her, personally. I'm sure she's a great actress in other things. I'm thinking the writers here didn't do her character justice or perhaps they encouraged a more subdued, muted performance for whatever reason, which definitely wasn't the course to go. For me, I rarely felt attachment or concern for the characters, but least of all for her, which is definitely not a good thing for a drama. The Main Lead is someone the viewer needs to bond to, connect with, vibe with and root for. The supporting cast made her character appear even weaker, by how strong they all were. Also, another thing of note was that the two younger actors for the same character (both the child and adolescent) were more memorable than she was in their respective roles.
The character of Yoo Mi felt often like a passive doormat and then at random intervals more like a sly manipulator, someone you can pity but not admire or relate to. And there didn't seem to be any given reason for this behavior nor growth from it, no redemptive path. It was a pity, because this could have been a strong feminist character with morally ambiguous motives and vast range of character development. Instead, I felt myself rooting for the moral secondary character, the political journalist, Han Ji Won and more interested in the charasmatic and selfish character of Lee Hyun Joo. At least they both felt more dynamic and more multi dimensional.
I must also add before closing, the premise was indeed quite intriguing and I admire dramas that offer social commentary and make room for deeper intellectual discourse. This series was definitely good in that way. There is much to be said and to analize here about human behavior, human nature, tendancies that can worsen, the evolution of a lie, how ego and hubris can effect identidy, how one lie can turn to many, and eventually spark an all consuming fire that inevitably destroys. The ripple effect, the consequences of that one lie. The reality that sinks in. Really some good ideas to chew on...
Anyway, all this to say this good show felt weighted down by weaker acting, a weak lead character that never had the chance to develope onscreen, perhaps poor casting choices, poor character development/writing and honestly a pretty weak ending. A beautiful face does not equate to a powerful or skillful actor. A great famous singer does not equate to a great actress. Great acting can be hindered by poor direction and writing. A great show or work of art can be hindered by poor editing. Perhaps this show would have been superb with different circumstances. Overall, this was more of a dissapointing watch for me and didn't live up to what I felt it could have been. Very conflicted about this drama.
Starting the series I felt for sure it would turn out to be a real gem, a wonderful suspensful and dramatic show, full of twists and turns. Why? Because it just looks so good, like you can feel right off the bat that a lot of care went into it. It's quality and has high production value, great visuals, great music, intriguing premise, a big actress starring in it, strong supporting cast. What could go wrong?
First of all, for me this wasn't actually a suspense, mystery, thriller drama. It ended up being quite unsuspensful. The pacing was almost incredibly slow. And listen, I love a good slow burn mystery drama. Intellectual, political, psychological. Those can be great, some of the greatest really. So I don't even think that the fact the marketing misled me on the genre description as the fault of this show failing in my view...
It's difficult to explain why it missed the mark exactly, except maybe that it was lacking in some key ingredient that make for an excellent drama recipe. Namely character development and character acting. After watching the show, I can honestly say I still didn't really feel any attachment to Lee Yu Mi, the main character, played by Kpop idol Bae Suzy. By no means do I mean to bash on her acting ability, but to me her portrayal of her role felt so bland and dry. Boring, unmemorable and somewhat irritating. Sterile, unemotional, robotic. I don't think this was her best work, though certainly not her worst either.
I felt like the director maybe should have guided her more, encouraged a better performance or at least a different variety of expressions and reactions. Often it felt to me that she was just not invested in her role at all, or maybe she thought the same expression would carry her through the show. And truly that fact itself, that it didn't carry her is saying something too, because she's quite lovely to look at, but that certainly doesn't mean she was suited to the role and in my opinion, she definitely wasn't.
Now, in Bae Suzy's defense, a weak character can also happen in series as short as this one (6-8ep), given much less time to develop onscreen and hence less time to connect with the audience, especially given there are other characters, other moving pieces and plotlines also needing sufficient screen time, so perhaps the short length was partly the reason why. And while I admit, I haven't seen many series with this lead Actress, Bae Suzy, in it, I am certainly well aware of her high status and reknown, especially in Korea. And I'm sure she's great in other shows, and certainly as a singer, which is how she started and gained her popularity and fans. So no hate, truly.
However, this series just didn't endear me to her. I'm not trying to criticize her, personally. I'm sure she's a great actress in other things. I'm thinking the writers here didn't do her character justice or perhaps they encouraged a more subdued, muted performance for whatever reason, which definitely wasn't the course to go. For me, I rarely felt attachment or concern for the characters, but least of all for her, which is definitely not a good thing for a drama. The Main Lead is someone the viewer needs to bond to, connect with, vibe with and root for. The supporting cast made her character appear even weaker, by how strong they all were. Also, another thing of note was that the two younger actors for the same character (both the child and adolescent) were more memorable than she was in their respective roles.
The character of Yoo Mi felt often like a passive doormat and then at random intervals more like a sly manipulator, someone you can pity but not admire or relate to. And there didn't seem to be any given reason for this behavior nor growth from it, no redemptive path. It was a pity, because this could have been a strong feminist character with morally ambiguous motives and vast range of character development. Instead, I felt myself rooting for the moral secondary character, the political journalist, Han Ji Won and more interested in the charasmatic and selfish character of Lee Hyun Joo. At least they both felt more dynamic and more multi dimensional.
I must also add before closing, the premise was indeed quite intriguing and I admire dramas that offer social commentary and make room for deeper intellectual discourse. This series was definitely good in that way. There is much to be said and to analize here about human behavior, human nature, tendancies that can worsen, the evolution of a lie, how ego and hubris can effect identidy, how one lie can turn to many, and eventually spark an all consuming fire that inevitably destroys. The ripple effect, the consequences of that one lie. The reality that sinks in. Really some good ideas to chew on...
Anyway, all this to say this good show felt weighted down by weaker acting, a weak lead character that never had the chance to develope onscreen, perhaps poor casting choices, poor character development/writing and honestly a pretty weak ending. A beautiful face does not equate to a powerful or skillful actor. A great famous singer does not equate to a great actress. Great acting can be hindered by poor direction and writing. A great show or work of art can be hindered by poor editing. Perhaps this show would have been superb with different circumstances. Overall, this was more of a dissapointing watch for me and didn't live up to what I felt it could have been. Very conflicted about this drama.
best actress suzy
ericadelara-461863 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The acting of Suzy here is superb and deserve to win a daesang this year, this is her first female centered drama and it is so good, the plot was impressive and not boring, it is also great that it only have 6 episodes because this kind of drama really needs a fast phase setting and not too dragging.
Serial episode can be shorten as movie
syzizzati17 September 2023
Anna's character is played so well. From a child, a teenager, to an adult. High praise to be given to the actress. Character performance, facial expressions and emotions are very make sense to the audience.
A 6-episode serial drama seems too long for the plots to be summarized. Actually, this story can still be made into a 2-hour movie. You can imagine how slow this plot is brought, right?
But the ending of getting justice lacks 'oomph'. If the downtrodden saved by Anna, tells all her good deeds and she is accepted back into society, it will make a good ending to the story.
But overall I would say okay.
A 6-episode serial drama seems too long for the plots to be summarized. Actually, this story can still be made into a 2-hour movie. You can imagine how slow this plot is brought, right?
But the ending of getting justice lacks 'oomph'. If the downtrodden saved by Anna, tells all her good deeds and she is accepted back into society, it will make a good ending to the story.
But overall I would say okay.
Watch the Director's Cut!
moneybram5 February 2024
Both the cut down version and the much superior 8 episode version are on PrimeVideo.
I made the mistake of starting the 6 episode version and it felt like stuff was missing. After googling, I found out the Director took her name off of the 6 episode stripped down version.
I've watched the first 3 episodes and wow did they cut important scenes out!
This show is a breath of fresh air for me. I've grown weary of Kdramas that are just there for the ML and FL to fall in love by the end of the show.
Bae Suzy is terrific in this show as are all the younger versions of her as well and acting is top notch.
The story is so rich. I'm glad I found out about this version after only watching 2 episodes of the mediocre stripped down version.
The characters are so much better developed with the extra time per episode. I can't wait to binge the rest!!
I made the mistake of starting the 6 episode version and it felt like stuff was missing. After googling, I found out the Director took her name off of the 6 episode stripped down version.
I've watched the first 3 episodes and wow did they cut important scenes out!
This show is a breath of fresh air for me. I've grown weary of Kdramas that are just there for the ML and FL to fall in love by the end of the show.
Bae Suzy is terrific in this show as are all the younger versions of her as well and acting is top notch.
The story is so rich. I'm glad I found out about this version after only watching 2 episodes of the mediocre stripped down version.
The characters are so much better developed with the extra time per episode. I can't wait to binge the rest!!
Lazy writing and uninteresting characters
TristanSilya25 January 2024
The show doesn't know what it wants to do. It has no real direction or motive. After S1 I'm left wondering, "what's going on? What's the point to any of this?"
Basically it's a story about a bad person but by the power of Unicorns or elves everything just coincidently works out for her. There's a TON of plot armor, and I mean a lot. You'll need near John Wick's level of suspension of disbelief to sort of follow the plot...
Which is that she wants a better life... yup, like everyone else in the world. That's pretty much her only motive. No real problems, issues, passions, or growth. She's not relatable at all.
The characters in the show are quite one-dimensional. Each character, except for the main one, is very extreme and overly exaggerated. They're not a human with a wide range of emotions and complexities. They're just more bad people but they make sure everyone knows that they are.
Some of the few problems that are presented in the show aren't unfortunate or inconveniences. It's all a direct result of the characters choosing for it to happen and then acting surprised when it does. It makes it extremely hard to sympathize with or relate to the characters.
It's like watching a scary movie where the person decides to wander off alone into the woods after hearing a monster roar and seeing body parts along the way but they refuse to get on the SUV and leave. Like what else do you expect to happen?
Basically it's a story about a bad person but by the power of Unicorns or elves everything just coincidently works out for her. There's a TON of plot armor, and I mean a lot. You'll need near John Wick's level of suspension of disbelief to sort of follow the plot...
Which is that she wants a better life... yup, like everyone else in the world. That's pretty much her only motive. No real problems, issues, passions, or growth. She's not relatable at all.
The characters in the show are quite one-dimensional. Each character, except for the main one, is very extreme and overly exaggerated. They're not a human with a wide range of emotions and complexities. They're just more bad people but they make sure everyone knows that they are.
Some of the few problems that are presented in the show aren't unfortunate or inconveniences. It's all a direct result of the characters choosing for it to happen and then acting surprised when it does. It makes it extremely hard to sympathize with or relate to the characters.
It's like watching a scary movie where the person decides to wander off alone into the woods after hearing a monster roar and seeing body parts along the way but they refuse to get on the SUV and leave. Like what else do you expect to happen?
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