XX (2020)

Satisfying & Beautifully Shot

I'll be honest, I started watching purely because Hani was in it and I like her. However, it's a solid drama and definitely can stand on its own, all bias aside. The plot is simple to follow but entertaining and really rewarding—it's a nice, compact little story that doesn't have many huge twists, and everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

It's short (10 episodes of ~25 minutes each), but I feel it does as much as it can with such a limited run. The characters aren't super fleshed out, but this doesn't detract much from the plot. The little we know about the characters is all we really need to be invested in them/their stories, and that works for me. I honestly did not care about the romance whatsoever, but it was sweet. Hands down the best part was the female leads and their volatile dynamic—Hani and Hwang SeungEon have great chemistry together, and it made for a lot of intense scenes. For me, they were really what made this drama worth watching.

All in all, the acting is great, the costuming is good, the music is decent (Sunmi's OST really sets a "revenge" mood, though I felt some of the background music was odd at times), and the cinematography is surprisingly fantastic. Visually, it's a beautifully shot and produced drama, especially considering its budget and scale. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and probably will watch it again. Though it can feel rushed (particularly near the end), it's a great length for casual viewing and has a story that's easy to get into each time.

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