Perfect Marriage Revenge (2023)

mixed feelings

i have mixed feelings about this drama. On one hand it was a rollacoaster of emotions with an amazing plot, incredible actors' performances and unimaginable plost twists but on the other side... I don't know I can't understand if I got attached to the characters or not... for some reason I feel like at the start I was very fond of them while towards the last 3-4 episodes I want forward only to see the plot unfolding cause the story was so addicting. Props to the female actresses, from the main to the villains, they all did an amazing job the acting level was phenomenal that's for sure. Overall I liked it even though I feel the last three episodes lacked of something the first ten had ..

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Forget what you think you know about makjangs and give this a chance

If Kingdom is the pinnacle of the zombie kdrama, I'd say Perfect Marriage Revenge is the pinnacle of the makjang kdrama and I mean that sincerely. I had absolutely no intentions of watching this but I kept seeing rave reviews after the final episode and you know what, they were right and I had an absolute blast. The writing is excellent, with dialogue that's fresh and snappy, and the pacing is pretty much perfect, without any of the usual filler you get in 16-episode dramas but also without the rushed ending you might get from an 8-episode drama. The characters are so fun - the good guys are easy to root for and the bad guys are even easier to hate - and the relationship between Ji Yoo and Do Gook is so compelling that they just might be one of my favorite kdrama couples of the year. I really hope other drama writers are taking notes because this show took a bunch of overused tropes and elevated them with a well-written and well-paced script and the end result was pretty much magic.

I know this wasn't a Netflix original, but it feels like it could've been, and I'll still consider it part of my holy trinity of revenge dramas: there's The Glory, if you want a dark, difficult melo centered around school bullying; My Name, if you want an action crime thriller with devastating emotional stakes; and now Perfect Marriage Revenge, if you want a near-perfect execution of a contract marriage makjang.

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THE DARK HORSE OF K-DRAMA IN 2023 !!!!

Well hello look what we have here.....the wild dark horse of the kdrama world in the year 2023 !! I don't hold bias against makjang shows but I can be picky. After reading so many rave reviews, my curiosity got the best of me and man was I not disappointed.

What a fun, fast paced, satisfying guilty pleasure of a show. So much plot squeazed in each ep, constant twist & turns, excellent romance & great ending. Definitely worth watching if you don't mind k soap operas. There's nothing new in this show which hasn't been seen in other dramas of this genre....family, revenge, toxic relations, betrayal, fury, psychopathic characters, twisted bonds & love. However the execution of the story was top notch and the production was appropriate for the times we are in....unlike the usual case when makjang shows are produced with 2010s aesthetic.

Both the leads were great & had brilliant chemistry. They are the perfect glue that brings the whole story together. I highly recommend everyone to give it a watch if you're bored watching fluff shows with zero plots or slow slice of life dramas. This is the perfect in transition drama.

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A Captivating Mix of Drama and Growth

Perfect Marriage Revenge turns the concept of revenge into a compelling narrative by weaving it with elements of love, mystery, and justice. From the start, it captures your interest with its rich storyline and multifaceted characters, which you can't help but become invested in. The plot's core is about someone seeking vengeance, yet as the series progresses, it beautifully showcases its characters' evolution and personal development.

The blend of intense revenge plots with moments of humour sets this drama apart, making it entertaining while maintaining a light-hearted feel when needed. The lead actors deliver strong performances, bringing authenticity and dynamism to their roles and significantly enhancing the storytelling. However, having watched Marry My Husband before this, my expectations were exceptionally high, somewhat influencing my viewing experience of Perfect Marriage Revenge.

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dreadful come back

the story is about the come back of an orphan who suffered many kind of mistreatment in her adoptive family, and ended up being the scapegoat of all their wrongdoing.

what I loved: the pace of the story is dense. lot of things happened during every episode. I was very surprised too about the multiple layers of this story, it's almost like every time you discover something, there is something else under this story too.

what I didn't like: I could tell almost everything from the first episodes. I guessed the way the story would end. but it didn't spoil my pleasure because the actors were good and having them in my living room was pleasant. if you are used to mystery solving, perhaps you'll have the same issue I had.

not suitable for under 15 because of violent scenes (accident, attempt murder, and so on).
watch it with friends on week-end to relax. have fun!

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I hate melodramas but...

from my point of view this melodrama didn't take itself too seriously and I enjoyed the ride! I made me think of the Mexican Telenovela soap operas, a progressive revelation of deeply buried secrets, plans, and schemes. I can't remember when I watched a show with more unlikeable/evil characters, and boy were they fun to watch! The evil stepmother, hungry with power, seemed unhinged to me from the beginning. The stepsister - she inherited that from her mother, and watching her throw tantrum after tantrum - shrieking, throwing things, breaking things, stomping her feet - how could you NOT enjoy something so over the top? The plotline required a flow chart - who was related to who, who THOUGHT they were related to who, who hated who, who had the power, who wanted the power, etc. Every time some new secret was revealed, I heard that three note DUM-DUM-DUM from old movies in my head.

2023 was the year of time travel, and this one jumped on the bandwagon. I was surprised, however, that she had a date on her wrist and didn't seem too overly concerned about it. Plus, he was able to see it, did he just ignore it? Then, they get to the date in question, decide to stay home to stay safe, yet he leaves to talk to someone? You couldn't say these things over the phone? I know, it drove the plot, but it was an obvious "duh" moment.

I thought all the acting was good. I've seen some of the seasoned actors in other things and found them to be overacting, but it absolutely worked here. Sung Hoon as Do Guk - for me, in things I've seen him in previously, he plays a one note character. Stoic, he never smiles (is he supposed to be mysterious?), yells at and/or mistreats the person he supposedly likes. He was excellent in this, he got to smile more and be a more realistic character. And he was all sorts of "green flag". Jung Yoo Min as Yi Joo - I've only seen her in support roles in the past. She was excellent here. She is stunning to look at, she cries beautifully, and I liked how her characters became stronger without resorting to becoming a mean girl. i liked how she was able to get people to like her by just being herself. I don't know if it was his acting or his character, but Byun Jun Seo as Jung Hye's secretary was great. As you watched him watch everything around him, was he a good guy or a bad guy? You never quite knew which side of the fence he was on.

Music - the song about the halo at the beginning of every episode. Didn't like it or hate it. I didn't notice the music throughout the rest of the show.

Rewatch value - since I know the story, probably not. I can see a mashup of all the great main couple scenes on YouTube.

My only complaint - The stylist put Sung Hoon in the WORST outfits! He always looked like he was wearing oversized clothing, and that's just criminal as far as I'm concerned.

So, for me, this was an escape from realism for me, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

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This cured my drama slump!

I’ve been in a drama slump lately after watching a number of disappointing dramas. Back in 2010 when I started watching Asian dramas there were so many great dramas to choose from that I didn’t know where to start. It was a veritable feast of top notch dramas and I stuffed myself near to bursting. Since then dramas have dramatically changed. Some changes were good and some were bad. But lately it’s been bad, or maybe I’ve just chosen the wrong dramas to watch. But I’ve especially disliked the trend to have ambiguous endings making you scratch your head in confusion wondering what exactly happened. Or having a sweet simple romantic comedy turn into an angst filled melodrama in the last few episodes. So I reluctantly started this drama with low expectations. I’d watched numerous dramas with glowing reviews like this one only to be sorely disappointed so I was prepared to be letdown yet again. So I was quite surprised to find myself binge watching this drama. It’s simply refreshing and quite entertaining.

The storyline:
The storyline has depth with a few unexpected twists and turns. I expected the whole going back in time plot to be predictable and unrealistic. But it was presented in a very interesting way that kept you hooked and coming back for more. There was angst but it wasn’t overdone or annoying. There were no plot holes and no questions were left unanswered either. I liked that each character, even the side characters, were well fleshed out with depth and their own unique backgrounds. I have no complaints about the storyline except that I wish the drama had been longer so they could go into more depth but they did well with just 12 episodes to work with.

The acting:
The acting was above average straight across the board for everyone. There weren’t any stiff actors that seemed unnatural nor were there any actors that overdid it and came across cheesy. I don’t understand why they keep giving Sung Hoon short dramas like this when he has such good acting skills. And his kisses in the romantic scenes were fire, but we’ll get to that later. But overall the acting in this drama was very good.

The Cinematography:
The special effects and camera angles were quite good. The lighting, music, and settings were all well done. The wardrobe and set locations were perfect. I have no complaints here.

The romance:
This drama has a number of good kissing scenes that will make you blush. When Sung Hoon told the female lead that he couldn’t wait any longer then devoured her I blushed. This isn’t a sweet cutesy drama with piggyback rides and princess carrying or anything like that so if that’s your vibe you may be disappointed. It’s more of an adult romance with some sweet moments but mostly a more mature more realistic romantic vibe. The romance was very touching and definitely worth the watch.

In the end I liked everything about this drama and was pleasantly surprised at how well written and how well acted it was. It had angst but not too much, it had an interesting storyline that made sense, there were no plot holes, it had a balanced and even flow, and the romance was swoonworthy. The only reason I took off one point and gave it a 9 was because of its length. More time was needed for such a deep complex storyline. But it’s definitely a drama worth watching so I highly recommend it.

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Perfect Little Mini Makjang / Wattpad Story

If you are familiar with the makjang drama, you would know that there are times when makjang can get so ridiculous that it get hard to watch but this really is the perfect little mini makjang. It's makjang so there has to be batsh*t crazy villians but thankful no conflicts or misunderstandings get dragged out. For every conflict there is a quick resolution and it is oh so satisfying. I also say this is like a wattpad story because our ML is the biggest walking green flag who is always at the right place at the right time as if it were a fan fic written by a romance daydreaming teenage girl in a goodest way possible. Truly the epitome of the early 2000s kdrama era vibe condensed into 12 episodes so that it is a palatable drama-filled feel good mini makjang.

Don't expect any substance and don't expect any thinking!

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The story could have done without the jealous stepmother angle

I loved the cast and romance bit of the story. Seo Do Guk is another green flag of a character we got to see this year. He was always looking out for Yi Joo even when she didn't really notice his actions and was drowning in grief. His support through it all made her pull through all the horrible things she went through.

Yi Joo's adopted mother was in a class herself. In the beginning, she was psychopath who decided to toy with her adopted daughter's feelings and later took her life. That was enough, they didn't need to make Yi Joo biological daughter of Jeon Noh Min (adopted father), it was too cliche. That guy got an redemption arc, he purposefully neglected the abuse Yi Joo was put through all these years and then had the guts to deny that Yi Joo was his daughter even when she brought him the proof. The point is he stood by, the bystanders of the abuse make it harder for the victim to trust anyone, a point they failed to focus on.

Yoo Se Hyeok, the ex husband was garbage, like Yi Joo rightfully said. His wife was lying in the hospital bed about to die and he couldn't muster up an ounce of feeling. At the time, all he cared about was his crush on a women who had zero morals. His character was honestly very disgusting . Him begging Yi Joo to forgive him on knees was not even that deep because it lacked sincerity and someone who only apologizes because they are in deep shit.

Saying that, all of these actors did a great job in portraying the characters. I had expected a bit more from Do Guk's grandma ad sister since the cousin made them out to be such difficult characters but his mother made up for that personality. I'm just glad that Yi Joo got her happy ending, she deserved it.

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A throwback to the era of Stairway to Heaven

A total throwback to the era of Stairway to Heaven and early Korean dramas, which makes it a deliciously guilty pleasure. Everything about this revenge drama is way over the top. The bad guys are so bad you want to strangle them and the good guys are so adorable you want to pinch their cheeks. There are orphans, lost memories, murders, return from the dead, fake relatives, 2nd wives, step sibling rivalries, chaebols, bad guys who ultimately redeem themselves, bad guys who get what they deserve, and lots of other craziness that is only found in kdramas. This is not great literature come to life. This is ridiculousness in its full kdrama glory. Thumbs up!

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