Vincenzo (2021)

A gem in all the korean dramas in 2021!

First of all, this drama deserves a round of applause for not following the typical mafia storyline (where the female lead tries to change the mafia male lead into becoming a better person). Nope, it's a far cry from that! This drama has 20 1 hour and 30 minutes episodes that make you laugh, cry, shout, and awed with!

Plotline:
The story is really interesting, it started off grand, showing you the main lead - Vincenzo's background, what he does for a living, his interactions with the people around him. The first episode got me invested in the character that Song Joong Ki played, and the episodes went on to show how he dealt with the Italian Mafia before he went on to his home country, Korea. The story genre is never the same as soon as he lands in Korea. it changed from mystery/action to a dark comedy which I found amusing. It really highlighted how different Korea and Italy were and are in our day-to-day life for the main lead. For me, the story starts to pick up around the 10th episode where there are so many pieces that start to come together and the characters really are the ones that were moving the story.

Characters:
Vincenzo chose the right casts for the characters, I cannot think of anyone else except for Song Joong Ki to play Vincenzo. The villains in this drama were incredible actors, they made me want to punch my screen because of how bad they are HAHA. The back-to-back interactions between the female lead - Hong Cha Young and Vincenzo are just refreshing to watch. We don't normally see this kind of female leads in a lot of dramas, so it's a really nice change of pace to see. The side characters have my heart in this show, they made the whole drama filled with laughter and I seriously can't get enough of them!

Rewatch Value:
8/10 for me. I think this drama is one that I will only watch once but it will stay in my heart as one of the gems I found in Korean dramas. There are many elements in the drama that only works when you watch it for the first time!

Thank you for reading this long review HAHA, if you do decide to watch it, I wish you enjoy it as much as I did!

Lire davantage

I knew this drama was super hyped but, for whatever reason, couldn't bring myself to watch it. However, after struggling to find something to watch (and also hearing from friends personally about how amazing it was), I decided to give it a go. Honestly, cannot complain when you have such beautiful leads on your screen. As this is no rom-com, each episode left me on edge as to what was going to happen next or how things would work out. Also, I could have sworn I read somewhere that people didn't think Taecyeon was a good actor, but watch this drama and you will 100% change your mind!

The one thing I didn't like about the drama was that things always seemed to work out for the protagonists even when they didn't make sense.

-- SPOILER --

The scene I hated the most was when Vincenzo was cornered by a group of men trying to kill him but somehow, he was miraculously saved because the pigeon that normally sits outside his window sent a swarm of other pigeons to attack those who were going against him. That literally ... makes no sense. If it was going to take such an impossible scenario to get our ML out of a bad situation, then perhaps it should have just been left out entirely.

-- END SPOILER --

There is also an element of comedy that may not be everyone's cup of tea, particularly around the residents of Geumga Plaza who give off the typical 'odd neighbors' kind of vibe. Personally, I did not mind it as it eased the tension of each episode, but my dad found it to be odd and he didn't really understand the necessity of it being included.

All in all, I found this to be an intriguing watch with a beautiful and talented cast as well as just overall gorgeous graphics. There's no mushy gushy romance but a plot that keeps you wondering what's next. For me personally, I rated the rewatch value lower since the drama is quite lengthy and knowing how things end, I'm not as inclined to watch it through once again.

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Unexpected

Before I started watching I had no idea the plot. From the trailers I was looking to watch an all-out mafia war series. However, this was not that and after the first couple of episodes and I wrapped my head around the fact that it was a comedy of errors and absurdity with the brutality of mob justice I just went with it.

Things I loved:

Song Joon Ki - Didn't who he was and this was the first thing I've seen him in. Excellent as Vincenzo. By now anyone whose read my reviews know I love a pretty man and he is gorgeous but it wasn't just his looks he really did pull off the oh so cool mafia consigliere type.

Ok Taec Yoen - Didn't know who he was either and this is the first thing I saw him in. Really good as the psycho villain and his cruelty knew no bounds. I was impressed.

Kwak Dong Yeon - Very good young actor. You really did start to feel for him.

There was some really great lines uttered by Vincenzo and there were some really great scenes.

The OST was excellent. One of the best I've heard and listened too in a long time.

Things I hated:

Jeon Yeo Bin - The character just really got on my nerves. Super annoying FL and all the bouncing around and jerky actions too much!! I never wanted her with Vincenzo even though that's were the series was going.

Kim Yeo Jin - I don't know if this woman was suited for the role but I hated her face, her eating scenes and never hated a character so much. Never wished for someone's death as much as I wished for her characters death. It was very satisfying in the end.

I don't really hate the tenants of Guegma Plaza but they really were extremely annoying. Way too many side characters and I did not find them endearing. I also hated the fact that knew too much and were in on a lot the plans. I did however enjoy episode 19 when they explained each tenants past life. It was just a great scene for what its worth.

Overall: I gave the show an 8. It was almost a 10 b/c I was really enjoying the emotional roller coaster and the out right ridiculousness of it all but the last 2 episodes left much to be desired.

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A Great Anti-Hero Drama!

I was doubtful about trying this despite its popularity but I eventually gave it a try a month ago. It was hard for me to get used to the drama at first because the first few episodes have a lot of humorous scenes which felt a bit too much for me. So, I ended up watching up to episode 2 and putting it on hold for some time until a few weeks ago when I gave it another chance. And, boy was I surprised. After around episode 3 or 4, the storyline picked up and it got so interesting to watch. I was captivated by the characters and the story and I was intrigued about how it would end. I am so glad I did not give up on this drama because it would have been regretful to not have watched this drama. I love that it is a battle of evil against evil, as a paraphrased quote from the drama, because this is a theme I love to watch in dramas. So, if you enjoy seeing bad guys take down bad guys in a satisfying way, that is one reason to give this drama a try! Other reasons to watch this drama are the amazing chemistry of the cast members, the hateful villains, the superb acting, and great bgm/OST. The acting is one the biggest reasons to try this besides the plot! SO MANY TALENTED ACTORS IN THIS DRAMA! So many of the actors in this drama can act with their eyes and they each pulled off their characters amazingly. I suggest that you should not judge this drama by other people's reviews and the synopsis, but actually give it a try first before making your decision about continuing it or not. It may take you three episodes to get into Vincenzo as I did, but it will be worth it in the end so I hope you at least watch up to episode 3 if you are not hooked from the beginning. The only thing that bothered me was that the humor sometimes felt pushed BUT even though the humor may be a bit too much sometimes, overall, the drama was such a great watch. SO PLEASE TRY THIS DRAMA!! You will not regret it once you finish. I am already missing Vincenzo now :(( I wish there are more dramas like this..

More details on why I liked this drama but may spoil.....
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1. I grew to love Vincenzo's relationship with the Geumga Plaza residents and Jang Han Seo. It was cool to see the hidden skills of the residents and their willingness and loyalty to Vincenzo despite not liking him in the beginning. I became attached to them and some moments were very touching.
2. Vincenzo is so cute with Hwang Min Seong and Jang Han Seo. The unexpected friendship between Vincenzo and Han Seo was adorable to watch and it made me really sad that Han Seo's ending was what it was because I wished to see more interactions. Hwang Min Seong is also cute with Vincenzo even though he is a terrible person, because he is willing to change for love lol. I hope to see the actors who played Min Seong and Han Seo is more projects and hopefully as the male leads because they are super talented!
3. The emotional scenes were a bit unexpected but they were carried out nicely. I did not cry but I did tear up when Cha Young's dad died. It was actually his death that pushed forward the plot and made it more interesting to watch because it pushed Vincenzo and Cha Young to team up against Babel.
4. THE ACTING WAS OVERALL JUST AMAZING! I haven't ever fully watched one of Song JoongKi's dramas but he showed me why he is a top actor in this drama. His drama was just amazing and I don't even have the words to describe how well he did as Vincenzo. His acting was top notch and I loved how he pulled off the emotions with only his eyes. The other main and supporting actors were also amazing as well. Taecyeon and Yeo Been were great for my first time watching them. It was also nice seeing some Crash Landing On YOu actors in this drama with a humorous role again.
5. The cinematography was amazing too. I love how they ended each episode with a cliffhanger with dramatic music and a zoom in on Song Joongki if he's in the scene. It just blew me away and made me want to quickly go to the next episode.

Lire davantage

All my information and comments about the Vincenzo series (very honestly and without any prejudice). Using genres? Are these really genres ??

--- Crime and Action: From the beginning, we have had more than 20 murders in the series, and cut off the sub-genre of the crime series, but some people mixed the suspense and mystery genres with crime. Most of these two genres are associated with crime, but each criminal genre definitely does not have these two. Anyway, it is not great in this genre, but some crime scenes are not without merit to be remembered.
Comedy: The main genre of the series and with an almost irrational but entertaining process, the sub-branches of this genre are slapstick, dark comedy, Farce and parody, which can be said to have been used almost well. In this section, the author of his ideas is relatively good (at least for me with a long history in watching movies)
—Romance: This lack of love has caused us to be attracted to him. If it had been like any other series, we would have been beaten. Not having these words and looking like a couple at all, only they did not know. Lately, they have been flirting with each other indirectly.

Predictable or unpredictable?

Both — to be honest, the characters are very, very predictable, and we predict all their movements But how something is going to happen in the series is very, very unpredictable. It can be said that the movements and ideas of the author are unexpected. Let me give you an example: no one could have guessed how Vincenzo wanted to turn the court in his favor by coming to court as a witness. Or even this rescue of Vincenzo in episode 15 of those 3 assassins, no one has any definite idea about it yet, and we all know that it is going to be more unexpected than we expected.

Excellent" series or just a "Do it well" series or "Medium" series?

None — the newest and weirdest Korean TV series I've seen in years. I choose the adjectives "cluttered", "comic and irrational", "strange" and "scary". This series respects its audience a lot and does not hurt their heads with ridiculous and sophisticated complexities, but it makes the audience laugh and keeps them satisfied.

Logical" or "irrational"?

A series that is completely irrational, but of the most attractive kind of irrationality - being irrational is not a strange thing in the series, and it seems that the author has got used to the series completely intentionally and intentionally mixed it up with the series.


What is the script and story like?

It looks very mediocre, but I liked it. In some places, a series of small details are mentioned that I was cutting. The script does not have a lot of sentences, but I think it has a good depth. Zero percent (neither characters nor story) is not complicated. The script is very personal. New story, especially the use of the "Italy" theme.

Consecutively, Netflix is among the top 10 in the world. Knowing this fact, the soul left my body. Hey I was saying to myself really ??? at the world level ??? This is great

Lire davantage

A drama that just gets better and better

Dont let the opening scene mislead you, this wont be a mafia drama full of action and guns and whatever else you imagined. If this doesnt turn you off, then by all means keep watching this trainwreck of a show! The first 4 episodes are slow, but set the foundations for whats to come, still, very enjoyable. The whole show has a nice pacing, managing to keep you on edge every second. The story might not be the most elaboarte ever, but its elevated by its Characters. HYC, who seems unlikable at first is such a joy to watch, especially her dynamics with our ML, Vincenzo. Superb acting from them, as well as the 2nd lead and supporting cast (shotout to our main villains) is what makes this show amazing. It has some great writing at times, with hilarious jokes and situational comedy.
Amazing, yes, but not perfect. The tenants are honestly so unlikable sometimes, I know they are comic relief, but they get on my nerves. The plot does get a bit repetitive, but its a 20 episode drama so thats to be expected.
Overall, a great watch if you enjoy dark comedy, the slowest of slow burns and amazing main characters. You might want to wait untill all episodes have aired, since the constant cliffhangers make the 1 week waiting unbearable
Best ep - 10, funniest one yet.
Worst ep - 8, it made me feel uncortable how they handled some things.

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O que aconteceu nos últimos episódios?

Vincenzo é uma produção peculiar. No mesmo episódio em que te faz morrer de rir, destrói toda a sua esperança de um mundo melhor na base da violência e indignação. É um drama cujo tema principal é o crime e a impunidade, e o empoderamento do "cidadão comum" diante de um sistema injusto e que só favorece aqueles de moral duvidosa – algo que para nós, brasileiros, é comum em tramas de novela das nove ou das onze, principalmente da década de 2000, que geralmente têm tramas mais pesadas envolvendo crimes e nas quais o vilão sai impune. Só que ao mesmo tempo, Vincenzo entrega um núcleo cômico à altura das novelas das sete mais icônicas que já tivemos na TV brasileira.

O ritmo da narrativa é bem interessante porque dosa bem a comédia, a ação e o drama. O começo é lento, talvez até um pouco confuso e a trama principal demora pelo menos quatro episódios para engatar. Ainda assim, vale a pena a espera. Os personagens são bem construídos e evoluem, cada um à sua medida, e a trama te envolve profundamente. Sem sombra de dúvida, a química e o entrosamento do elenco explicam em grande parte porque Vincenzo nos prende tanto – bom, pelo menos até o episódio 17, e no máximo até ele.

O que aconteceu a partir do episódio 18??? Mais especificamente, nos dois últimos episódios? É uma quebra nítida no ritmo da narrativa e, principalmente, na qualidade do texto. Arcos inteiros de desenvolvimento de personagem jogados no lixo, sem mais nem menos! Cito alguns dos problemas mais graves, a meu ver:

1) O drama entregou resoluções fracas para a maior parte dos arcos. Simplesmente matar todo mundo? Faltou a explosividade e a intensidade que vigorou em momentos chaves do drama. Foi broxante ver o que fizeram com o vilão, ficou bobo e genérico, sem motivação a não ser um mal puro e simples. Cadê os jogos mentais, as trapaças, as reviravoltas? E o irmão do vilão? Literalmente o personagem que mais cresceu ao longo do drama, morreu e foi esquecido na cena seguinte, como se nunca tivesse existido. Patético e desnecessário. Um potencial desperdiçado de se desenvolver uma história na linha Abel e Caim, e aqui tanto a morte do vilão quanto a do irmão ganhariam mais significados e tonalidades.

2) O que foram esses inúmeros furos de roteiro??? Como a esposa do sr. Lee da loja de penhores se envolveu numa briga estando grávida??? No final, todos os moradores do prédio se esqueceram do ouro do dia pra noite???? Além disso, a primeira cena do drama foi o prédio sendo demolido, os roteiristas resolveram fingir que isso não aconteceu????

3) Por favor, alguém me explica o que fizeram com a Chayoung???? De personagem principal forte e empoderada, virou coadjuvante à espera de um resgate. Toda aquela cena do sequestro, que clichê horroroso! Chayoung sem nenhuma agência, apenas aceitando o que fazem com ela (tanto o vilão quanto Vincenzo)... Terrível e decepcionante! Fiquei muito triste com o total apagamento da personagem nos últimos episódios, tanto em tempo de cena quanto em qualidade de diálogos.

4) Esse ponto na verdade se aplica a todo o drama: o fato de Vincenzo ser da máfia italiana é muito mal explorado. A máfia acaba sendo muito estereotipada e até mesmo caricaturizada. Vincenzo está longe de ser um drama problemático com relação à uso de elementos de outra cultura como ocorreu em outras produções recentes, mas há algumas escolhas questionáveis. Eu prefiro enxergar esse drama mais como uma homenagem aos filmes de máfia do que como uma referência à máfia em si; inclusive, isso casa mais com o tom de comédia "politicamente incorreta" em alguns momentos.

Mesmo assim, foi um drama que valeu a pena. Me diverti e me envolvi bastante. Fico triste apenas com esse final que, a meu ver, foi bem destoante do restante da produção. Acredito que 20 episódios foi coisa demais, em 16 tudo poderia ser resolvido sem colocar em risco a destruição de pontos de narrativa e arcos de personagens.

Lire davantage

not for everyone

i lit love this drama so much and i tried rewatching it 4 times bc i js nvr finished it i always dropped it on like ep 3-5 not because it was boring or because i wasnt interested in the plot but because idk i just didnt feel it ykk? this time i watched it till ep 13 (currently on hold) and broooo im so mad they cant open the safe anymore to the golddd i wanna throw a tantrum rn sb anyways that was a bit off topic, so i lit love vincenzo omgg ? id kill to meet him lmfao and the relationship between him and female lead AHH I LOVE IT not much romance but who cares man vigilante doesnt have any romance at all and i still love it so maybe just maybe ill rewatch vincenzo again and finish it but so far imo ig it has too much eps? i think they could make it a bit shorter (BRO WTHS WRONG W ME I WANT SHORT DRAMAS TO BE LONG AND LONG DRAMAS SHORT? i need help bsfr) sooooo I recommend 100% try watching it ul love it but u might get a bit ermm idk the word but like bored bc its long not bc of the plot tho frs! SO WATCH IT ASAP (man im a huge simp for vincenzooo AHHK)

Lire davantage

Goddamn AMAZING

Wow. Just wow. I have never waited every week for a drama to come or this excited to know what happens next. Every episode is it's own masterpiece. The plot and storyline are very well balanced and thought out. The chemistry is just on another level. All the characters are enjoyable, they're complex in a unique way, they make you want to know more, they keep you engaged all the time. The comedy is gold, the characters make you fall in love, the story and plotline is addicting, the acting is off the charts, this drama has been one of the few 10/10 in my list. Though I like to rate dramas after they're finished. As for now its a absolute 10/10 for me

Lire davantage

Loved this!

I saw a trailer for this on Netflix, and the minute I saw Song Joong Ki! I was ready to watch it.

I literally watched it from the start to the beginning every week in came out! I loved it and thought it was sooo funny, and the storyline was really interesting,

I’ll admit the start I really didn’t like the main girl Hong Cha(Jean Yeo Been) at the start, but near the end she did grow on me and I loved the mafia crew <3 just the whole building gang were hilarious and the secretary too! -

All the actors and the way the show was so cinematic like every episode! I would definitely rewatch this again. One of my top dramas to watch!

Lire davantage

An amazing, memorable drama.

An amazing drama that is definitely worth giving a try!

STORY:
From start to finish, the drama managed to capture and keep my attention throughout the hours worth of episodes, and kept me on the edge of my seat with each scene.
The cliffhangers were just perfect, and had me counting down the days and hours until the next episode would be released.
The mixture of action, crime, drama, comedy and law was amazing, and I've never seen a plot be so well paced as Vincenzo.
The story was well thought out and well written, nearly every character shown ended up having a role to play and they weren't forgotten so easily.
Vincenzo was a rollercoaster ride that managed to have me going from laughing, to cheering, to crying and back to laughing all in a matter of minutes.
I liked how the corruption is kept on a realistic scale in this drama.
Best running joke will be both the Corn Salad joke and the countless mispronunciation of Vincenzo's name.
I will say, which is currently a popular opinion, that the drama could have been better off with maybe 16 or 18 episodes instead of 20. There was a lot of filler in the later episodes, which messed up the pacing a lot.

CHARACTERS & ACTING:
The monks, Mr. Cho, the Pawnshop couple, Mr. Tak, the crazy mother with her son, Chef Toto, the zombie dancer and even the gangsters had so much more backstory then I initially thought. Geumga plaza gang / Vincenzo family was truly the best.
Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin's chemistry was just fantastic, and while I disliked Cha-young's character at first, her development was just amazing and I was absolutely in love with her character.
The villains were just fantastic, and I've genuinely never hated villains more than in this drama. Absolute kudos to the writers, and the extremely talented cast who portrayed these characters so well.
Ok Taec-yeon's duality absolutely baffled me, and although sadly I already got spoiled before watching the show, I still found myself in awe at his amazing acting.
I loved that Vincenzo remained set on his mafia-self until the end, that Cha-young never tried to make him change his ways and accepted him for who he was. A lot of dramas tend to change the character for the sake of love, but thank goodness that this drama decided to do it right for a change.
I will say that they missed out on fleshing out Vincenzo's character a little more, we get flashbacks, but never really understand the meaning of them.
The character development of Jang Han-seo was just tear jerking, and he deserved so much better. I really hope Kwak Dong-yeon finally gets a leading role after this. He did such an amazing job at playing Han-seo.
Loved Mr. Nam with his little lighter when imitating Vincenzo, and his polite hands.

MUSIC:
The music was well used and memorable, Adrenaline by Solar is chef's kiss.
In other situations, the lack of music made the emotions of the scenes just that much more impactful.
The music always matches well with the ongoing scene.

REWATCH:
I would rewatch this show purely for the comedy, it was truly one of the best I've ever seen.
Though rewatching it would lose a bit of the impact it had on the first watch.
(I don't think my heart can handle rewatching the finale.)

OVERALL:
I truly did love this show, and it will definitely be an all-time favourite of mine.
It was well structured and written, and it's very clear that a lot of thought and time went into this story.
Exceptional work from the entire cast, and it's definitely a cast to be remembered for a long time.
Though my critique is that the finale was messily written, which all comes back to the fact that this drama would have been better off with a few episodes less.

Lire davantage

SR. VINCENZO CASSANO.

O que falar do melhor drama de 2021?
Com toda certeza afirmo que este drama merece o título, e ainda estamos no "meio" do ano. Uma obra de arte, super intenso e interessante, atores incrives, história magnifica, cinematográfia impecável.

Não tenho nem palavras para descrever bem como esse drama é bom. Então, vou comentar um pouco dos personagens e pode ter alguns spoilers leves.

VINCENZO CASSANO: Vulgo, meu marido. Não preciso nem dizer que o principal é o melhor personagem, né?
Lindo, carismático, às vezes engraçado, meio doido, mal (o que deixa ele mais lindo ainda). Super passei pano pra todas as maldades dele (é ficção, lembre-se).
Song Jong Ki, se entregou de um jeito maravilhoso a esse papel e eu me surpreendi em ver a mudança dele já que tinha uma imagem dele sempre interpretar personagens mais leves e brincalhões como em DOTS. Porém, tenho apenas elogios e ele conseguiu ir pro meu top 3 de melhores atores com esse drama.

HONG CHA YEON - No começo eu peguei uma implicância com ela, pelo jeito que ela estava sempre brigando com o pai mas depois percebi que todos são assim, até que a culpa consome a gente.
Gostei bastante em como não colocaram ela como a vítima ou aquela situação onde eles colocam uma femme fatale e é só ela se apaixonar, que vira chorona e tal. Ela a forte, do início ao fim.

Jeong Yeo Bin, foi uma atriz incrível que atuou perfeitamente. Até hoje não entendo o por que dela ser atacada por isso, se ela é uma atriz boa pra caramba.

PRESIDENTE DA BABEL E SUA CORJA: Passei o drama inteiro querendo voar neles, quanta raiva eu passei assistindo por que parecia que eles sempre saiammm impunes. Só queria que todos os podres deles fossem jogados a público antes de terem sido mortos, principalmente a da advogada e do presidente. Odiava olhar pra cara deles.
Os atores foram completamente incríveis, senti tanta raiva dos personagens mas sei que os atores são uns amores, principalmente o Taeceon ♡

Um grande shout out pra ele, pelo ad-lib de "Can you feel my heartbeat (música do 2PM)?", só faltou a coreógrafia mesmo hahahahaha

GEUMGA PLAZA: Uma grande família amorosa, que eu queria que tivesse sido mais explorada e mostrada. Pelo menos um pouco mais da vida deles. Se eu morasse perto de pessoas assim, nunca me mudaria. Eu me sentiria junto a uma enorme família.
Chorei muito quando o mestre de artes marciais leviu aquela facada, nossa.

JIPURAGI: Quatro advogados e um oficial da inteligência, incríveis. Amei todos os momentos de fangirl que o Sr. Nam e Ki Seok tiveram por causa do Sr. Cassano.

Recomendo assistir esse drama pelo menos 3 episódios por dia, por que é tanta informação que pode confundir. Eu assisti 10 de uma vezes e até troquei umas coisas no início kkkk

Se for assistir, espero que aproveite bastante toda ação do drama.
E se já assistiu, espero que tenha empatizado com a minha review, por que vamos ser sinceros, o drama é maravilhoso né?

Lire davantage