Perfect Marriage Revenge (2023)

Un drame revanchard qui s'assume

Voilà un drame de revanche qui va jusqu'au bout des choses sans prendre la route du pardon. Plutôt que de montrer patte blanche (comme ce serait habituellement le cas), Perfect Marriage Revenge garde sa cape vengeresse jusqu'à son dernier épisode.

Dans un drame comme celui-ci, j'attends toujours le moment où le karma viendra faire son travail. Tout au long de l'histoire, on me fait ressentir des émotions négatives envers les antagonistes au point que je n'attends qu'une chose, une punition. Et c'est toujours incroyable lorsque ça arrive.
La mère (Lee Jung Hye) et la fille (Han Yoo Ra) sont des purges qu'on déteste, qu'on méprise et qu'on imagine plus d'une fois dans un broyeur. Elles sont méchantes et cruelles dans le seul but de pourrir la vie de Han Yi Joo et d'être supérieures à tout et tout le monde. Leur chute est aussi exquise qu'un nounours en guimauve (et j'aime vraiment les nounours en guimauve). Si elles sont assez caricaturales (tout comme une majorité des personnages), cela n'enlève en rien la haine qu'on alimente envers elles, ni le plaisir quant à leur destin.
Le seul envers lequel j'ai eu un élan de sympathique à un moment donné n'est autre que Yoo Se Hyeok. Le type est juste amoureux de la mauvaise personne. Si cela n'enlève en rien ses agissements à l'encontre de Han Yi Joo, c'est bien le seul que je peux voir comme victime de manipulation affective.

Le couple est très agréable à suivre. Leur évolution semble un peu rapide, mais le rythme permet de rendre l'ensemble entraînant. D'ailleurs, le rythme est bon sur toute la durée du drama. Il se passe toujours quelque chose au point qu'on a pas le temps de s'ennuyer. Bien sûr, certains éléments ne sont pas nouveaux, cela dit l'ensemble fonctionne par son rythme, son ambiance et ses acteurs/actrices qui sont tous très bons.

En bref, un drame de vengeance et quelques griffures ici et là. Si certains points sont sans surprises et avec des personnages un peu stéréotypés, il n'en est pas moins un drame plaisant avec cette pointe de satisfaction quant à sa ligne vengeresse qui s'assume jusqu'à son final.

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Un drama convenu mais très solide

Si ce drama n'invente rien, il est, par contre, très bien scénarisé et réalisé. Alors, certes, les ficelles sont un peu grosses mais on ne pourra pas lui reprocher cela, puisqu'elles sont inhérentes au genre. De plus, je trouve que la multitude de rebondissements est amenée avec douceur et certaines interrogations des débuts trouvent leur explication "logiques" ou astucieuses dans les derniers épisodes. Certes, ce drama n'est pas dénué défauts, mais ils restent mineurs. Ce qui explique, aussi en partie, ma note est un dernier épisode particulièrement réussi, qui prend son temps, là où d'autres dramas ne savent pas éviter l'écueil du bâclage. Une mention toute particulière pour l'excellent jeu d'actrice de Jin Ji Hee.

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Un bon dosage de vengeance et de romance

Après le très décevant "Boss & Me" (version chinoise) que je venais d'abandonner en cours de route tellement l'héroïne enjouée et neuneu m'agaçait à force de ne jamais s'affirmer (à sa décharge, ce drama a presque 10 ans donc bon...), la série coréenne "Perfect Mariage Revenge" a été un parfait remède ainsi qu'une excellente surprise.

Bien qu'elle n'évite pas les clichés habituels (une Cendrillon abusée par tous se voyant offrir une seconde chance et décidée à se venger, l'habituelle romance avec le PDG beau gosse d'une grande entreprise, secrets de famille et luttes de pouvoir, une mère & une sœur adoptives machiavéliques cherchant à pourrir la vie de la FL...), cette histoire sait les agencer de manière logique, efficace et sans temps morts. Ainsi, malgré certains rebondissements qu'on voit parfois venir à l'avance, il se passe toujours quelque chose et à aucun moment je ne me suis ennuyée. Ajoutez à cela des dialogues pertinents, des jeux d'acteurs relativement bons, des personnages consistants, le tout relativement bien dosé, et vous obtenez un drama coréen parfait pour occuper un week-end cocooning. Par ailleurs, la série sait aborder avec justesse les conséquences d'abus psychologiques et la difficulté de se libérer d'une famille toxique alors qu'on a désespérément besoin d'être aimé. Il faut souvent un déclic radical avant d'ouvrir les yeux et de s'autoriser à choisir une nouvelle route, et si le procédé n'est pas nouveau (après sa mort dans un 1er épisode où elle s'en est pris plein la gueule, l'héroïne a l'occasion de retourner une année en arrière et de changer le cours des choses), en tout cas il est pertinent et efficace.

Vengeance et romance s'imbriquent relativement bien, et même s'il est évident que le côté vengeance est surtout un prétexte à l'installation de la romance, le dosage reste assez bon. Une fois qu'elle a enfin ouvert les yeux et cela de la manière la plus douloureuse qui soit, notre héroïne apprend à s'affirmer et rend tous les coups qu'elle a reçus. En cela, le drama est plutôt jouissif et fait office de bonne catharsis quand on vient de se taper une énième daube présentant de manière romantique les abus de pouvoir d'un patron froid et tyrannique sur la pauvre employée au bon cœur qui affiche une moue puérile et boudeuse au lieu de voler dans les plumes de ceux qui profitent d'elle. D'ailleurs, même si nous avons droit au beau PDG, l'histoire parvient à s'écarter de ce schéma traditionnel en développant une romance saine malgré un point de départ téléphoné (un mariage à durée déterminée conclu comme un contrat où chacun y trouve son compte). Dès le début le ML se révèle comme un partenaire respectueux des traumatismes de la FL et le parfait soutien dont elle a besoin pour reprendre confiance dans les autres, et à aucun moment il ne cherche à abuser de la situation. Quant à l'héroïne, elle est loin de la classique demoiselle en détresse. Il est vrai que le support du héros est crucial au début, néanmoins cela découle de ses décisions à elle sitôt qu'elle a choisi de prendre sa vie en main et de chercher les ressources nécessaires là où elles se trouvent. Après avoir expérimenté une dépendance affective avec son ex, elle se montre désormais plus indépendante et sa nouvelle histoire d'amour est beaucoup plus équilibrée. Certains ont pu s'étonner dans les commentaires que l'amour du ML pour l'héroïne est un peu rapide voire facile, pour ma part son affection m'a semblée logique et compréhensible au vu du déroulement de l'histoire et des révélations ultérieures, d'autant qu'il a également vécu un traumatisme familial. Sachant cela, il est normal qu'il s'identifie en partie à elle et que cela favorise le lien qui les unit. Et même si j'ignore si c'était intentionnel - en tout cas ça m'a sauté aux yeux et j'ai trouvé ça plutôt futé - la série réussit à mettre en parallèle deux situations où cette notion d'identification est présente, mais dans le premier cas (le 1er époux reconnaît son propre côté pitoyable dans l'image que lui renvoie la FL) cela ne peut aboutir qu'à l'échec alors que dans le second, ça devient constructif grâce au soutien qu'ils s'apportent mutuellement pour atteindre un objectif commun.

En conclusion, si on passe sur ses rebondissements parfois attendus et ses méchantes un peu caricaturales, on profite pleinement de cette histoire rythmée, bien agencée et construite intelligemment. Un drama qui ne renouvelle peut-être pas le genre, mais qui fait du bien au moral.

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Vengeance au féminin

Ce drama est vraiment bien fait! Le premier épisode nous met directement dans le contexte et je peux vous dire que j'ai failli en casser mon écran! Les "méchants" sont vite repérés et il me tardait de voir comment elle allait s'y prendre. Chaque épisode nous apprend quelques chose et sa vengeance évolue en fonction des personnes concernées. Je trouve qu'elle aurait put aller encore plus loin par moment mais c'est tout pardonné tant ce drama est devenu addictif.
Les deux acteurs principaux ont une alchimie imposante, dés qu'ils sont ensemble ils écrasent tout à l'écran.

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A MEMORABLE MINI MAKJANG!

***DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion. We don’t have to agree and I’m not here to argue with anyone.***

I'm gonna keep this brief because I don't have the time to say everything I want to say.

Main Takeaway: "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

IDK IF THEY PUT CRACK IN THIS OR WHAT BUT FROM THE VERY FIRST EPISODE THIS DRAMA HOOKED ME AND I’VE NEVER LOOKED BACK. IT IS SOOOO ADDICTING!

First things first, "What’s better than a contractual time travel romance with mystery, revenge and lots and lots of drama?!" This show legit has it all. They said spicy makjang in 12 episodes and thats exactly what they meant!

When I tell you the pacing feels just right and no episode feels like a filler, just know I’m being so serious. I have never been bored for even one second. This drama starts out confusing in episode one but by the end of the episode and onwards you understand everything perfectly.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED the chemistry between Do Guk and Yi Joo!!!! These two are masterful performers and you can literally feel the tension, angst and passion dripping from them anytime they have a really intense scene together. The chemistry between these two is to die for and I feel like they truly fed us with the development of their relationship. They have definitely made top 5 best kdrama couples of 2023 for me.

AHHHH I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS DRAMA. Even the characters I hated… you must know they’re doing an amazing job for me to want them to die, rot in jail or be hit down by the infamous big white truck. I know I keep saying it but drama is just so so so so good!

Like many others I do believe it is one of the best webtoon to drama adaptations. They kept the major plot points and original webtoon readers seemed to be satisfied with the outcome. So there aren't much complaints here!

One of the main things I disliked about this drama was the 3rd act conflict breakup. It was cliche and unnecessary to say the least. I also feel like Yi Joo struggled and endured so much even when she set out to get her revenge. It was heartbreaking watching her be in constant pain and agony as she uncovered all the secrets as the story unfolded.

Another minor thing I disliked was Do Guk's wardrobe. It was evident the production team went ham and spent all the money on the women's wardrobe leaving very little for the men. They definitely could have budgeted better and put more of an effort into our leading man's fashion. To be honest I just ovelooked it because Sung Hoon's visuals and performance made up for all of that.

Additionally there are some plot holes and aspects that could have been more properly developed but I feel like they did the best they could with the 12 episodes.

In my opinion, more makjang's should take a leaf out of this one. Unlike others it did not need 100+ episodes to make a good and convincing story. I feel like had the drama been any longer then people would have started to lose interest.

Perfect Marriage Revenge is definitely one of the most enjoyable dramas I've watched in 2023 and I would rewatch it in a heartbeat!

If you are on the fence about starting it I suggest you do so immediately! It’s seriously such a treat and you do not want to miss out.

With all of that said I gave this an 8.5 rounded up to a 9/10.

Tysm for reading!

❤️

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Another Cinderella, all-out, taking her sudden chance for revenge

"Perfect Marriage Revenge" is based on a webtoon and tells the story of a second chance in life, set in the top percentile of society. Another Cinderella story. And as is the case with fairy tales, you can hear them over and over again...

This version is particularly enjoyable, being peppered with gratifying moments of retribution. Cinderella wants to get one over on the mean stepmother and her nasty daughter! She doesn't want to be nice and well behaved anymore. Splendid! Of course the others obviously attempt to push back on her new self. This ultimately leads to a lively exchange of blows between two of the country's rich business families.

"Perfect Marriage Revenge" delivers intrigue and makjang, cleverly mixed with emotional complications and well-placed retaliation, which is, however, repeatedly and tirelessly parried. It´s like ping-pong - reckoning here, malice there, self-respect here, nefariousness there. What a delight, if you´re in the mood for just that.

A campaign of revenge with an open visor. With an explicit protagonist who allows herself to act impulsively, intuitively and cleverly at the same time. In her authenticity, she is able to win the hearts of allies as she is fighting her battle not out of greed, but out of self-love for her self-respect.

As I said, with plenty of gratifying moments...
And as a fairy tale it surely delivers...
No more, no less.

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Dramatic in the way that webtoons always are

The premise of this show is interesting: mistreated girl gets a second chance at life and revenge. Even if I hadn’t already found out this was based on a webtoon, I would’ve figured it out eventually. The plot twists and hard to believe coincidences would’ve spelled it out for me.

The acting is pretty good. There are a few points where the adoptive mother and daughter dipped into melodrama. There were also a few times where people just behaved strangely like slapping others or throwing drinks which felt more like children throwing tantrums more than adult behavior.

There were a ton of plot points that were just impossible to believe. Also many points where the bad guys used the press to villainize others and I couldn’t understand why the public opinion was so nonsensical. Also, there were some pretty dramatic accusations and a general lack of reaction to them. So, I’m a little confused at the directional choices.

Also, the end of the revenge plot was a little anticlimactic in my opinion. I just wanted it to hit a little bit harder.

Simply put, this is a melodramatic soapy show and if you like revenge shows, you’ll probably get something out of it. If you’re expecting something closer to Penthouse or The Glory where the plot seemed a lot more intricately planned (at least, s1 &2 of Penthouse), you’re going to be a little disappointed. However, it’s the best Viki original I’ve seen thus far.

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Damsel in distress who apparently knows revenge

"My whole life was put in front of me like an album and I did not have even one memory I wanted to hold on to. I am going to change that ! "

I am writing this review without watching the end because I wanted it to be about how I enjoyed and not about how it ended.
To me this genre is not one I frequently visit. I just started it because my curiosity got the better of me and then oppa being oppa you just start with one and then - just one more ep and I'll sleep ...just one more and here we are.

Let me first brief you about the not so unique revenge plot - so we have a damsel in distress who gets a chance to turn back into time and redefine who she is to not just herself but the world. She is aided by our prince who apparently is head over heels for her- for no good reason but I guess we'll all just nevermind that. lol

So the plot is pretty simple our FL is the ideal for all the wives who have been cheated on - with a fantasy twist.
(to spoil the fantasy twist is ML's role model ... epitome of goodness "chaebol family" lol)

what I like about this show is that it has a pace and quite bravely answers all the questions it puts forward and a great cast that performs steadily well throughout the journey.

There's a lot this show offers - A FL willing to change. Yes this good girl all her life now wants revenge and she knows what it means.
A chaebol family that you wish to be a part of . - I just love how ML'S mother reacts to the news everytime - watch out if you are yet to visit the show.
A paced revenge with all the answers. And a couple that shine on the screen with no annoying or screen time wasting side characters.!

OVERALL THIS WAS A VERY ENGAGING WATCH !
I love how everything is crafted between small moments and how everything is given a reason. I know that this show is not a new storyline but it has a new execution a great one. The chemistry stands out and so do the dialogues. The relations stand out and so does the drama. I hope you all try it once...to me this was a worth watch even tho the production is small it does not have a lot of runtime but the show does well in terms of what it has to offer. It does not mean to stand apart in terms of bringing something new to dramaland. IT JUST WANTS TO BE A GREAT ORDINARY DRAMA and it did try it's best!

since this was the first time I went through this type of a drama I made notes of how I felt after every ep.
@1 - The FL SUCKS ! - get her a brain!
@2 and @3- I like how this is going! She's been hurt and now she will lead the hunt. THE CHEMISTRYYYY UFFF!
This is a dreamy revenge in all aspects possible lol.
Could the ML be anymore sweet ? omfg they both just ..awww ufff oh yay !
@4 - We know what is going on but do we...this is going predictable is it really just this.
@5- I love how she tries to be an example and in the process gets herself destroyed as i may put due to lack of words... she looks like a brave warrior paving a new way of looking at things !
@6 and @7 - I knew no one dies in dramaland lol ...eps were just sweet and heart warming !
@8 and @9 - At least listen to her ...omfg you all be literally trusting the wrong people blindly ...like wtf !
@10 - it's not time yet ...so we don't have to worry lol ....idk i am just guessing ..the 2 eps won't be ml plotting revenge they can't be right !
@11- She lied as well come on ...but i get it she's been lied all her life I don't want to blame her but she lied as well ...you both just sort it out. A relationship takes two !!!!
oh hello why can't you come ..why call him ....aaaaa not this pls this is too cliche !!!
@12 - They have it too easy. I am happy with how the drama went. But the climax ...I would have preferred more intense!

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER -
I wasn't enraged anytime throughout ...I'd have liked that !
the character development arc for FL could have been better.- she still has a long way to go
the villains could have had brain. it was too one sided!
the ex bf arc....like legit ...the hell .
the romance could have been a side plot, here it seems like the main plot.
IDK why he loves her ....but I hope i did.

MY FAV SECTION - DIALOGUES !!!
This show has some amazing writing - i love a lot of lines ...imma drop a few here -

"I had to go through all of that for no reason ! "
"What kind of home one grows up in determines who they are. "
"This is unlike you .
- you don't get to decide what being myself is."
" you look like this is the last time, like someone trying to get the most out of it. "
"you work hard at everything. When I see you I want to cheer you on. "
"Being normal is the hardest thing for me.
I've never lived like that before. I never will."
"use me as much as you want. coming from you I'll take it all. "

To conclude I loved my time feeling everything around this drama and liked all it had to offer. It does deserve a spot in your watchlist for it is exactly what it claims to be - an extraordinary everyday watch!

thank you for reading !

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Boring

I found this drama really boring and uninspiring. Things keep on happening all the time, new drama and new revelations, but theres no substance to them or the reactions that follow because its so constant that it leaves no breathing room for getting to know the characters. I have seen some people praising this aspect of the drama because it cuts out the fluff, but theres really no reason to root for anyone in this drama without the fluff or buildup.

Besides that, the acting is just not good. I would say two people, thankfully including the fl, Jung Yoo Min does a good job acting-wise. Almost everyone else either overacts (Its supposed to be dramatic, I know, but it was too much even then) or underacts and speak like they are just straight up reading off the script with 0 conviction.

Overall, not a good watch, would not recommend it.

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Binge it if you can

I’ve never read the webtoon so this is based off this show as a standalone drama and not as an adaptation. I started watching this 4 episodes were out because I saw that hair-tying scene on my Twitter/X timeline and it completely convinced me. And the show proved me right — I binged all the released and couldn’t wait for next week. The main leads had amazing chemistry, the antagonists felt like actual threats, and I couldn’t wait to see how the revenge would play out.

As the weeks came around, I still enjoyed the episodes, but I did feel like the show started losing steam.

First, the main leads’ screentime dwindled and we got more and more scenes of our antagonists (of which there were many). It added good tension to see things from their perspective, but it also added frustration. The leads had so much chemistry and tension and we only got to see a few minutes of that every week.

And as more episodes went on, we ran into a different issue: we did get screentime for our leads, but it didn’t necessarily feel like they were progressing. We’d get the same hugs and conversations where they talked about being there for each other and fighting together against the bad guys. These scenes were cute but it felt got sort of repetitive, especially now that we’d gotten all the tension-filled conversations out of the way earlier and it seemed like the next plot development wasn’t happening anytime soon. I still really enjoyed scenes where they cared for each other, but all the stakes felt a little lower by this point, and I started to feel like the revenge was almost too easy. Sides had been chosen, secrets were already revealed, and most importantly, the main antagonists had stayed quiet or had lost too many battles in a row.

Honestly, I was pretty lukewarm on the entire plot by then. Looking back, I don’t remember a singular satisfying moment where our main female lead got to face off against her mother in a moment where I felt like they were on equal footing, where the stakes were high and I truly didn’t know who was going to win. The revenge plot seemed to delve into smaller moments where they would address this one thing first and then that other thing, and I wasn’t sure there was a climax. Even the build-up to some other reveals and to the ML’s perspective felt overdue and a little underwhelming.

Episode 11 was a turning point. Things that needed to be revealed had been revealed, it felt like the revenge had been finished, and the antagonists had been out of the picture — most of which was off-screen, I might add, which made the story feel somewhat incomplete — long enough for The Time Jump to happen. Yes, the dreaded time jump. I’ve never been a fan of the time jump. It’s fine as an epilogue but I’ve never once enjoyed it done in the middle of the story and this was no different. It just felt kind of…weird. Like they didn’t know what to do after all the villains were put away, so they had to bring them back, but had to wait some time for them to be able to. Story-wise, it was a bit confusing to have it happen after everything was seemingly over, but ultimately I don’t think it was blown out of proportion, which was good.

I think part of the plot simmering down also had to do with the female lead, who was really proactive in the first half and then started being more aimless in the second half. Still, I liked the message the drama left us with — that the best revenge for her was having a happy marriage, a healthy family, and a good life. Despite the slowdown, I think this drama had a really good finale episode.

Overall, it was still a pretty good watch — this was my second favorite watch behind Castaway Diva during its runtime, but if I were to recommend it to someone I would suggest binging it rather than watching it slowly. You might be able to retain more momentum that way.

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I really like the drama especially at the start. I have read the manhwa version of it, and I like that there are parts that they retain and most of the parts that is added is well executed to me as a watcher. The major difference I see is that Yi Joo is more human here than in the manhwa. Maybe others would argue that she should be as ruthless in the manhwa as is in the drama, but I prefer her emotionally vulnerable here.

The female lead is so good as Yi Joo, she is perfect for the role. I was in awe with her acting her, I don't know if it is her first main role, but applaud, she really did well. The male lead is fine with me, he delivered his role perfectly.

I was a bit sad that it is just 12 episodes, I thought it would be 14 episodes, and I would have liked it more if the male lead's POV was given, but the 12th episode was there, so happy for that. The antagonists of the story especially for the brother was not really given the chance to be explored, which is sad for me since it was deep in the manhwa. It would have been great if it was shown much more but I have no complaints since the main leads were given the priority and I like that.

Overall, really great revenge drama.

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