Vincenzo (2021)

Persevere, people.

I know a lot of people come to this section to evaluate if it's worth it watching based on other's opinions. So I'm gonna give my honest opinion but regardless of that, I think everyone should try to watch at least the first episode, and ideally til the fourth. I'm saying this because I wasn't that excited until episode 4. Also, I'm terrible in giving ratings, so don't trust my grades, just read this. I'll try not to spoil anything.

So let's go.

First, the Story: I'm "relatively" new to the kdrama world, it has been almost a year since I started and even though I've watched over 50 dramas so far, it's mostly from 2016 to 2020, so I haven't watched a lot of classics but based on my experience, this "mafia" related, coming from another country, being essentially and unapologetic on the other side of the law is something new to me. The fact is that Vicenzo is someone who did, does and plans to do illegal things, despite being apparently a good person. I started not that excited because the story didn't caught my attention at first. I guess the whole Babel's Pharmaceuticals issue was not thoroughly explained in the beginning, I had a feeling that they just said "Just know Babel is bad." because the story begins in the middle of the problem, but things became more clear as the story developed (and I got more interested in it). I was surprised by three characters: a death and two revelations. Perhaps I was surprised because as I was not invested, I didn't pay much attention. So even though the first three episodes weren't THAT thrilling, a got really excited in the fourth and I have a really good feeling about it. I know a lot of people are not interested in romance in a drama like this, but I love romance in any kind of drama, so I'm also expecting a good one in this.

Second, the Cast and Acting: starting with Song Joong Ki (Vicenzo), I personally think he is a great actor overall, haven't watch a lot of dramas with him (kind of dropped Descendants of The Sun, though I plan on finishing), but I just finished Arthdal Chronicles, and his acting was amazing in it, so I expected a good job in Vicenzo and I'm not disappointed. I think he's doing an amazing job, even though I guess the writers will make him to be not as ruthless as the first episode led us to believe. I think he's good in portraying emotions, specially in the court flashback scene, we could really see him struggling inside about his mixed emotions; Now on Jun Yeo Bin (Lawyer Hong Cha Young), I not really into those type off exaggerated and loud characters like she is in the beginning, but I do believe she's slowly maturing. I guess she's trying to be someone she's not due something that will later be explained, and has deep unresolved issues to deal with. As I said, I love romance, so I think her personality contrasts with Vicenzo's, therefore I'm expecting a well developed relationship; I guess the whole building squad are there to provide comedy and lightness to the drama, and I always like this type of groups. Extra opinion: I love the Vicenzo and italian Chef interactions and I'm waiting for more.

Third, Music: I didn't really paid attention, so I'm thinking not remarkable? I did notice some italian/opera thing, which I guess fits. Will pay more attention from now on.

Fourth, Rewatch Value: can't say it yet, I'm not really a "rewatch" person, so no opinions on that.

Fifth, Overall: I think it's definitely worth watching, you can ways drop if you don't like it. But I would definitely put in the "worth watching" category. If you trust me and persevere till at least the fourth episode (the best for me so far), I think you won't regret it.

Ps.: I loved the pandemic references, they obviously are not in a pandemic (they just occasionally use masks to hide their faces), but it was mentioned playfully social distancing, quarantine and they checked temperature for a party. I liked that.

Leggi di Più

test test test

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Leggi di Più

Damn son!!!

Okay, so I put it on hold while watching this title because after ep 14, me thinking about waiting for 3 more weeks to get the finale made me anxious. I am a binge-watcher so I told my mom that we are halting at ep 14.
After that, my work got a bit tough and I got a bit late, but I really wanted to give a review. So here it is.

ACTING: Do I really need to say anything about the acting? Like really? This is a star stud....1000000/100 for the acting.
SOUND: Mmmhhh chef's kiss.....no words.
PLOT: The plot is so interesting... this whole thing is so new. Honestly, in my life of watching so many kdramas, I have never watched an MC killing off people like it's no biggie. Like it's normal. It would've been so weird if Vin being a mafia didn't kill people.
Also the comedy....a drama without a bit of comedy is just lifeless to me unless we are doing serial-killer stuff.

Also my baby Kwak Dong Yeon, writer-nim waeee??? Also I hated the fact that none of then gave a damn about my baby after he died while saying "Hyung I did well right?". Nobody had a char. dev. like my babe did.

REWATCH VALUE: Well I don't re-watch mystery thrillers (unless it's Signal or Healer or some other) so the rewatch value is less for me. Because all the mystery is gone. I'll again rewatch it when I am in my 30's maybe(currently in my 20's)


Those who are thinking if they should watch this, I have 3 things to say:
1. Yes
2. Oh YES
3. HELL YESSS

Leggi di Più

WOW, JUST WOW

okay so, I don't know how to start but I've never written a review for any drama but this drama, Vincenzo is just wow. Like, WOW. I'm not "capping" but this drama is just chef kisses, Michelin 10 star. I swear to god, the story, the acting, the plot, etc. is just wow, it's so good to the point that I find no other drama interesting. Legit.

If you're reading this comment, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, watch it. There are no boring parts at all, If you're not a fan of horror or thriller "like me", Vincenzo isn't horrifying, or extreme so, yes. Watch it.

Lmao, this review is kinda dumb but I just want to express how good Vincenzo is lol.

Leggi di Più

Good plot with great execution/acting..

Vincenzo was very good from the start and ended amazingly. The lead actors had the charm and their presence never faded. An Italian gangster in Korea fighting for rights, the story was unique and well executed.

The production was excellent and not to forget, the side characters aptly did their role as well. Although I had a little issue with the Runtime/No. of episodes it had (16 episodes would have been sufficient), it maintained itself till the very end with satisfying result.

I don't write much long reviews, but to summarise, Vincenzo is easily among Top 5 best Drama to have released this year..


My Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Leggi di Più

vincenzo cassano, i will serve you.

i haven't watched any kdrama for months until i watched vincenzo. i was at first curious why was my mom laughing while watching this, given its mafia-law plot but then as i got to the first episode, i understood now why she found it funny.

the comedy balanced out the heavy elements of the drama, considering that it dealt with corruption and LOTS of blood. the geumga-cassano family will always have my heart as they did from the first episode. i love park seokdo and his subordinate's development, went from babel's employees to part of the family. although i will forever laugh at how he was very much afraid of vincenzo in the first episode.

taecyeon. my god ok taecyeon. i've watched him in let's fight ghost before, so him taking on a villain role was a new experience for me and he portrayed it so WELL! the way hanseok's personality changes when he's with chayoung to being the ceo of babel, literally *chef's kiss*. i love how jang hanseok's very unhinged, and he did justice to him.

jang hanseo, my poor baby :( i never paid attention to him because like what the characters in the drama said, he's just stupid with someone backing him up. towards the end of the drama, i felt this sort of fondness toward him, especially when he decided to turn his back on hanseok and start working with vincenzo. his death really devastated me (and my whole family) because he just found himself a brother that takes care of him and then all of a sudden, he's DEAD. i will forever cry at the way he calls vincenzo his 'hyung' and how he copies his moves.

and song joongki, my vincenzo cassano. he's literally perfect for the role LIKE? every time vincenzo shows up with this mafia aura around him, i can't help but swoon over him. he's so SOOOO sexy and the casting director really made a good job casting him as the perfect vincenzo cassano.

all in all, this goes to the list of my favorite kdramas. i never expected to watch a drama with joongki in it but here we are, having brainrot over this drama the moment i finished it. kudos to everyone!

Leggi di Più

mi familia

lo adoro, en plan los personajes, la filmografía, la familia que se forma, las interacciones, las relaciones, los villanos, la comedia, la historia, es increíble; es super interesante y divertido con momento que te rompen un poco el corazón. Tengo opiniones reservas sobre el comienzo y el final tho... el comienzo es un poco lento y es difícil engancharse aunque la manera en la que está grabada es increíble y hace un buen trabajo introduciendo a los personajes.
El final. EL FINAL; lo acepto, no lo odio pero es que me ha dejado descontenta por varias razones:
- es el puto vincenzo cassano, ha conseguido información super importante para la policía, como cojones tiene que ser extraditado tan rápidamente,,,,, el señor se supone que tiene poder
- el trato de junwoo. me dio una rabia que saliera corriendo después de disparar a su hermano lmaooo está tan fuera de charcater... creo que intentaron lidiar demasiado rápidamente con su personaje y simplemente no cuadra, se merece más y mejor
- hong chayoung y su inexistencia en los últimos dos capítulos; su personaje y su desarrollo estaba siendo super interesante, ver como se convertía en una persona que cae también bajo la etiqueta de "morrally grey", pero es que se la quita totalmente de la imagen y pasa a ser nada más que un instrumento del circulo de vincenzo; entiendo que la serie es sobre el pero no se estaba siguiendo esta linea durante la serie.
Song joongki sexy af tho.

Leggi di Più

Perfeitooo

O melhor de 2021 até agora. Final perfeito e sem pontas soltas.

Eu amei que Vincenzo Cassano é vilão e mafioso do começo ao fim não teve essa de que ele conheceu alguém e virou bonzinho, pra mim foi realista.

A atuação foi nota mil, cada personagem teve uma participação importante e foi bem trabalhado.

A química de todo o elenco foi bem notável e tão bem construída que é quase impossível não criar apego pelos personagens logo nos primeiros episódios.

No geral o fim de cada personagem foi bem coerente com o rumo da história, principalmente a punição dos personagens ruins que na minha opinião foi muito boa, eles receberam o que mereciam.

Vincenzo foi um drama que teve um grande equilíbrio entre humor, ação e drama. Me fez contar os dias pra ver episódios novos (já que acompanhei durante o lançamento)

Leggi di Più

Opéra flamboyant, tragique et burlesque, avec un personnage fascinant

L’idée générale, c’est que je l’ai beaucoup aimé !
Le héros est à la fois charismatique et glaçant, car ce que je préfère de ce drama, c’est que le scénariste a clairement choisi de ne pas tomber dans le cycle classique du mauvais garçon repenti qui trouve la rédemption par l’amour !
J’avoue que je le craignais au moment où le couple principal se forme. Eh bien non ! Justement, Vincenzo Cassano est ce qu’il est, ce que la vie a fait de lui (on en sait peu de chose, on glane quelques renseignements au fil du drama : abandonné par sa mère, famille adoptive assassinée, éducation dans la mafia…). Il est lucide sur lui-même et le dira : «  je ne changerai pas et je retournerai d’où je viens » Il fait ce qu’il a à faire, dans la mesure du possible, il le garde pour lui, mais l’opinion d’un autre ne l’arrêtera pas. Du coup on sait clairement que tous les coups seront permis, et qu’ils seront terribles ! Les scènes de violence, de vengeance, d’exécution sont là, et bien là !
Mais elles sont largement entrecoupées de scènes totalement inattendues et drôles (la fête sicilienne…) ou des opérations digne d’Arsène Lupin, ou des Gardiens de la Galaxie, soutenues par des dialogues vifs, parsemés de réflexions pleines d’humour. La rupture de rythme, de ton, est la marque évidente du drama, et heureusement, ce serait difficile de supporter les 20 épisodes sans ça !
Les personnages sont picaresques, oscillant régulièrement pour la plupart entre la loyauté et la trahison, passant facilement de l’une à l’autre par allers-retours, parfois tragiques, mais parfois très drôles !
La distribution est énorme, même les invités pour un seul ou deux épisodes sont excellents et bien choisis. Certains personnages sont de vraies girouettes et leurs hésitations quasiment caricaturales allègent l’atmosphère au bon moment.
Le scénario est très bien construit, les scènes qui ont l’air invraisemblables (mais comment il est arrivé là ?) sont toujours expliquées par un flash-back, ou un dialogue. Les personnages sont très ambivalents, ils ne regardent pas trop aux moyens du moment que ça marche, même si l’avocate demande quand même à Vincenzo de « ne pas faire le mal » !
Je trouvais que ce drama me rappelait Fiery priest, et oh ! surprise, c’est le même scénariste ! Depuis Chief Kim (de lui aussi) il suit la même trajectoire : un anti héros se trouve à son corps défendant à lutter contre la corruption et le pouvoir infini de l’argent. Seulement à chaque drama il va plus loin, (de l’escroc à la petite semaine au consigliere…)et ici il a atteint son maximum dans le personnage de Vincenzo !
La réalisation est très soignée (parfois un peu trop : je n’aime pas trop l’image verticalisée, il y a un usage légèrement excessif du ralenti, et très souvent les plans gagneraient à durer 4 ou 5 secondes de moins.) Certaines scènes de violence auraient gagné à être moins longues, moins précises (on aurait quand même très bien compris) et là on frôle le voyeurisme, et c’est vraiment trop dommage ! Avoir la main un peu moins lourde sur la longueur de ces scènes n’aurait rien changé au sens général du drama et l’aurait rendu encore plus percutant ! Pourtant la réalisation cherche et réussit à rendre supportable ce qui ne le serait pas sans une certaine emphase, sans un côté tragi-comique qui nous éloigne d’une réalité qui serait intolérable. Elle est tout le temps sur le fil du rasoir et parfois, elle penche un peu trop d’un côté, mais parfois seulement !
Donc un défaut pour moi, c’est la longueur, qui vient qu’il ya partout et tout le temps quelques secondes de trop !
Les acteurs : Naturellement Song Jong Ki est admirable dans ce rôle, où sa gueule d’ange et ses costumes sur mesure sont en parfaite opposition avec ses actes. Il sait admirablement assumer la froideur et la dureté du personnage, qui va pourtant de temps en temps se fissurer, et laisser apparaître un semblant de chaleur humaine, un genre d’amour, mais qui ne remet rien en question. L’ennemi terrible, vrai psychopathe en face de lui est un ennemi à sa mesure, et Ok Tae Cyeon, que je découvrais, et dont pourtant la réputation d’acteur ne brillait pas, est tout à fait à la hauteur du personnage ! Jeon Yeo Bin, dans l’avocate qui va se retrouver associée à Vincenzo, a mis du temps à me convaincre ! Pendant plusieurs épisodes j’avais du mal à supporter son élocution bafouillante,(j'avais l'impression de ne rien comprendre, alors que je ne parle pas Coréen ! ) ses gesticulations frisant le ridicule… Peu à peu ça s’est arrangé et il faut bien dire qu’elle est très peu présente dans les 3 ou 4 derniers épisodes ! Une autre actrice m’a impressionnée : Kim Yeo Jin en avocate/procureure dévorée d’ambition, prête à tout pour réussir, froidement cruelle et en même temps adorant danser, et on a là encore une rupture dans le style convenu des dramas !
Un mot sur la bande son, qui est superbe, sachant parfaitement souligner l’histoire, discrète derrière l’émotion, grandiose et cérémonielle sur les ralentis théâtraux, humoristique si nécessaire… Des thèmes classiques très connus viennent de temps en temps donner du style et de la hauteur à l’ensemble en restant quand même populaire, car répétons-le, c’est un drama populaire, au sens général du terme, comme le sont les aventures d’Arsène Lupin, ou de Hong Gil Dong, pour rester en Corée. Et là je repense à « Parasite » où se mêlent également l’humour, la comédie, puis l’horreur jusqu’au gore avec une fin tragiquement banale sans coup de théâtre… Nous avons la même chose ici, tout au long du drama, et la fin elle-même est exactement ce qu’elle devait être à mon goût ! J’essaye de ne pas spoiler, je ne vais pas en dire plus !
Ah! gros plus : pas de romance qui aurait juré affreusement avec la façon dont le personnage central est écrit !
Alors, mon conseil, c’est de le regarder, sachant bien que la morale n’est pas sauve même si les méchants en voient de toutes les couleurs… pour rester dans l’euphémisme. C’est un opéra flamboyant, tragique et burlesque, avec un personnage fascinant et tout à fait hors norme du genre dramatique !

Leggi di Più