My first foray into Asian Dramas
My youngest sister started watching Asian shows so many years ago. Whenever we saw her watching them, she would be so engrossed and I for one couldn’t understand what she was enjoying from it, it left me baffled. I vehemently refused to join her in watching any of them.2021 was the fateful year I entered into the Asian Drama world and I can never forget it.
I kept seeing Vincenzo (my absolute favorite genre is revenge) and it looked like it was up my alley and I decided to test out the Asian drama waters with this series, honestly after 2eps I almost dropped it (if I had that probably would have been the beginning and end of my foray into watching Asian dramas) but for some reason I decided to continue and boy oh boy was I glad I did.
To say I have falling completely in love with Asian dramas since 2021 and have watched so many since then and rewatched so many is an understatement, and it’s all thanks to Vincenzo. So obviously Vincenzo has a very very very special place in my heart.
Now to the review itself. OMG did I say I liked revenge dramas, I was in revenge heaven with this drama. The highs I got from this drama is better than any drugs out there (I haven’t done any drugs).
The way Cha Young and Vincenzo were on the same page after they teamed up together was a thing of beauty. They trusted each other completely and worked in sync. The thing I loved the most was that none of them was boggled down by foolish self righteous morality, they both knew the evil people needed to be punished severely after several warnings were issued and ignored, and boy oh boy did they plan and execute their revenge with incredible aplomb. They are the revenge dynamic duo, they are my revenge dynamic duo. The love I have for Vincenzo and the cast is beyond belief. I don’t know if the reason I love it so much was because it was my first or because it was revenge but whatever the reason is, I really don’t care but I am completely and irrevocably in love with the series and cast.
The blend of comedy, drama and revenge was so well done, like I said I was in tv heaven with this series.
Thank you so much Vincenzo for opening my eyes and heart to the world of Asian dramas. You have a reserved and special place in my heart for all times.
Rewatch value is 10/10, that should be very obvious (I have rewatched so many times and will keep rewatching)
Overall is obviously 10/10.
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Inzagi
Violência? Sim, temos, mas as cenas ficam tão legais dentro da história que dá até vontade de andar com isqueiro por aí... Mas não faremos isso, lógico! Agora, se você quer um vilão com V maiúsculo, temos também! Que atuação impecável, não tem vilão melhor em nenhum outro Dorama!Vicenzo Casanova com 100 colheres é super carismático, nem os monges resistem a seu charme. Temos comédia, suspense e romance também, tudo na medida certa, entrega pra todos os gostos!
Revelação? Inzagi! Que pombo ligeiro.
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good BUT
Good show, but you can't mix so dramatic moments with pretty fun and exciting, but repetitive and predictable action comedy. Despite flaws there are many cool moments and characters.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Glad I Watched It
I'm glad I watched it. I probably won't watch it again. I thought the light hearted humor mixed in with the heavy hitting story line was well done. I know others felt like it cheapened the plot but I appreciated the laughs. The acting was excellent because I really disliked the bad guys and rooted for the good guys and only good acting can suck you into the story like that.I don't like endings that aren't clean so the ending left a LOT to be desired. What happened with the gold? Do the leads end up together? What about the rest of the building residents?
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Speaking Italian
Most memorable for me: Song Joong Ki’s wonderfully deep voice speaking Italian (yum!); Ok Teac Yeon’s interspersing perfectly spoken American slang into his Korean dialogue ( wonder how much was his adlib); Jeon Yeo Been’s imitation of her boss’s dance moves (LOL); and Jeon’s high heeled skip and strut (gotta try that!). This series was very violent and needed the ridiculous humor to offset the darkness. There are plenty of off the scale premises and characters that I had to accept but no more than most of ‘Wuxian’ dramas I’ve seen. I enjoyed this series very much in that it was different. I can’t watch CEO/Cinderella or High School romances 100% of the time.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Clever Dark and Funny Show that is Occasionally Uneven
This show is difficult to cleanly categorize into a fixed genre which makes it very unique. It is a blend of a serious, revenge story and a comedy that isn't shy to draw on different strategies, including meta references to other Korean dramas. I feel the series' main strength is how clever the writing is: there are some very, very funny little moments and there are some very, very, tightly written storylines that have clear setups and payoffs -- I never felt that anything didn't make sense within the constraints of the Vincenzo world nor did I feel like a particular plot ending was overly contrived and random, as is unfortunately the case with some other Kdrama shows.The symbolism and meta commentary of this show is next level. It's impossible to get into specifics without talking about spoilers, so I won't, but the way that certain things play out show a mastery of fiction writing that I think belongs in a novel.
However, because the drama doesn't consider itself 100% serious nor 100% funny, it does create some unintentional ridiculousness and pacing issues. For example, episode 1 establishes Vincenzo as a serious Italian mafioso to be reckoned with, but does so in kind of a semi-ridiculous Godfather kind of way that makes you wonder whether it is supposed to be funny or serious -- having finished the series, I still don't quite know, so my conclusion is "kind of both" which weakens the seriousness of the Vincenzo character, which is important because his expertise as a criminal is leaned on heavily as a plot device throughout the show. Furthermore, the most jarring sin related to this pacing issue is when you are watching a very serious plot line and show decides to throw in a scene that is only humorous -- in that moment, it's sort of like "I don't really care" because I REALLY need to know what happens with X or character Y.
Speaking of pacing, I think the first three episodes are the weakest point. You don't really know what the show is about until the first major event happens which takes place at the end of episode 3/beginning of episode 4. This is a short time but I think it's an important for a show to show you "what it's all about" right off the bat. However, this series opts for more world building and backstory instead. I also felt the conclusion of the story to be slightly hollow after it resolved everything -- it gave me the feeling of "everything as expected" without anything particularly pithy or unique if that makes sense.
Regarding actors, we have to give Song Joong Ki a lot of accolades. He clearly spent a LOT of effort to prepare for his role -- his Italian has been commented by native speakers to have flaws and word choice occasionally unnatural, but understandable without subtitles. This is an amazing feat considering how little time he has had to learn Italian. The other actors are very good too and I especially wonder why Jeon Yeo Bin has been such a well kept secret in the drama world (maybe because she has been working with movies all this time?). Her scenes playing "ridiculous mode" Hong Cha Young were easily the highlight of this show for me.
Overall, I think this series was a positive and enjoyable watch. You may think that review is overly critical for such a positive score, but I think there is a LOT of hype surrounding this show and I don't believe it is without flaws, so it is intentional to show a contrast to all the praise showing that I'm sure is everywhere. At the end of the day, give it a watch and decide for yourself.
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Overrated BUT a good drama!
pros:- the acting: wow. the whole cast did an AMAZING job. I can't fault their acting at all. They all had brilliant chemistry with one another and I felt every emotion they wanted to portray. Bravo to the whole cast!
- the comedy next to the gore: on the contrary to what most have said about the comedy being out of place with the violence, I actually really enjoyed the stark contrast. Big fan of dark comedy lol kept things light enough to make the series not to feel too draining and gave everyone some depth in their personalities.
- fun villains! and I fell in love with some of the side characters because they were so charming.
- wowee, the ROMANCE!!!: Vincenzo did best was the romance. SJK and JYB have sizzling insane chemistry. Their romance reminded me of my fave anime, City Hunter, where they fall in love while working together and then becoming the cutest dream team ever. It was a mature romance where they mutually supported each other in healthy ways. If it weren't for the romance, I would have dropped this episode 4.
- a snazzy FL!
cons:
- plot was weak: with the rating and raging reviews, I was expecting an explosive plot but instead, the backseat romance storyline saved the drama imo. The plot was typical, predictable and overall meh.
- draggy: should have been a 16 episode drama. skipped loadsssssss from episode 10-19. I finished it so quickly bc i skipped so much lol i i get that it was meant to be slow-paced, slow burn or whatever but with a drama about mafia, it would have been better if it was punchy and to the point.
- ik this was not meant to be a romance drama, but it should have been. i would have rated this a 10 if they let the romance develop a bit more. they had two strong characters and actors with such chemistry and plenty leeway to make something more happen than what did. I don't think it would have taken away from the plot which i already lost interest in episode 4, but would have gave it more stability and would have made the ML seem more... human lol instead, a lot of screentime was wasted on god knows what on random characters (loved the side characters but didn't need to see them THAT much). idm the ML being super OP and perfect, but felt it was too extreme bc they didnt flesh out the more 'human' side of him, like loving others. which would have been interesting since ppl in the mafia are meant to be heartless.
- the ending was disappointing. they could have wrapped up the story so much better, like seeing the FL actually on his island. it just felt wishy washy that they threw in a kiss to a romance they hadn't even bothered to develop.
overall, 7.5/10. it was a good drama, no doubt. but not as good as it was hyped up to be. haven't watched kdramas in a while so this was nice first one in a while. do i recommend? a tentative yes. just go in with lower expectations. looking forward to the casts' future projects!
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One of my Favorites!
Loved loved loooooooooooved this drama!!I enjoyed this drama SO much, that I became sad when it was time for me to say goodbye to it. Even though there was a 'taaad bit' of dragging here and there, the acting, and story itself, made up for it.
The chemistry between the two main characters was just lovely.
One thing I must also say is.... I just LOVE the name Vincenzo! Well chosen name for such character!! BRAVO!!
I don't believe that there's a better name out there to match this character! None!
Will definitely watch this again Gsl!
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Han Seo's character development
The movie was great to watch especially Han Seo's character development. Even though he was evil at the beginning as the story progressed you get to understand how he was the way he is. Deep down he just wanted a family (which i think he never experienced because of his psychopath brother), friends, someone to deepened on and care about him. In conclusion I think he was just a child force to grow up and abused by his family to take up responsibility he did not like. I think some people might relate to his character. Even though it was almost certain he will die i hoped he would have lived the life he wanted. People saying Han Seo was evil, just no, NO one in the story was innocent. Each character had something to achieve leading them to use any means and ways to achieve them. The story i personally love was Han Seo and Vincenzo's bromance even though it was short. The story was good, actors great and everything else was good. I will definitely recommend you to watch it.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
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Every bite. Same taste.
Food analogy: Well garnished Jajjangmyeon, where every slurp is equal. From start to end, (might not like the first bite due to improper mixing, thats upto ur taste)I have a problem within myself, i tend to be
disappointed with endings. If we notice the flow of energy, they didn't leave us on high...showing Vincenzo n Hong cha young's kids or leave us on low, showing the yearning to meet Vincenzo.. It left us on a neutral note, Showing his life will go on and we can't guess how it will be. So, I couldn't ask for more.
Despite having first 3 slow episode, this drama will keep you hooked and at the edge of your seat. Bored in lockdown? Watch Vincenzo. Now that it is complete you can binge and forget about ur problems for a day or two.
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VINCENZO or Un diavolo scaccia l'altro
"Un diavolo scaccia l'altro"This is the best way to describe this amazing dark anti hero drama with writer Park Jae Bum emblematic dark humor that makes it so deliciously good and witty....
Start by saying that this became my favorite drama of Song Joong Ki and that he really gave life and soul to Vincenzo, that i can see no other than him play him...
Now into the story,it doesn't shy from the ugly and evil side of humans and shows us what greed does to one...Also doesn't shy from great villians in this case Prosecutor turned Lawyer Choi Myung Hee (Kim Yeo Jin) who we could very much say was the true evil of this story and Jang Jun Woo (Taec) who is a more typical villain that still has it's layers...Like mentioned,i truly consider Choi Myung Hee as the true villain of our story as every action were of her own free will and i like that the writer didn't try to excuse her behaviour with the usual tragic past ,she was evil because she choosed it.
This show gave us a anti hero who was smart,elegant,creative,who had his own principales and beliefs and abided by them while he also was a lonely soul who was tormented by his own demons and actions. You will still root for Vincenzo from start to end and even love him as you could laugh a minute and be scared the next.But be aware,Vincenzo already has a lot of fans and a fanclub "Oh My Consigliere" so do join in, the President aka Ahn Ki Seok more than sure will welcome you!
This is why I like Vincenzo. It is funny but dark, it is full of satire & sarcasm, it is full of reality and poetic justice. It is heavy at times, light on the other. The writing is very clever. The cast has been superb.
The BGM's and Italian/opera-inspired music mixed well in each scene meant to elevate it.
This is a story from the get go about morally grey people were some are worse than others yet still sprinkled with kindness even among it showing the effect of one fighting in what he believes and for those he cares.
Must say that the Director really knows how to keep one on the edge and wanting more with it's clifhangers
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