...Is what many people seem to think of a much awaited Seo Yea Ji comeback drama "EVE".Not too out there to be considered a spiritual successor to "Penthouse",but not out there ENOUGH to be considered a credible revenge drama.Because those are...typically in good faith?

To start off every review,I like to thank the writers,producers,cast and the staff for their effort on this project,as creating a drama is no joke.Now onto the review.

Truth be told,even I at times couldn`t figure out what this drama was going for.Thought it started off as a steamy revenge story,where sex is to La El(Seo Yea Ji)what fists were to Ji Woo in "My Name".And there were no issues to be found on my part because of that.In revenge,many options are fair game and I`ll say this for people who considered this drama to be `too sexual`:If violence is fine if it`s in the name of revenge,but sex isn`t,does that mean...sex is worse that violence?Anyway,had to get that off my chest,it was REALLY bothering me.

Now,as can be seen from my grade,I liked this drama a FAIR bit more than most folks on here.And for that I have to thank grimey Japanese dramas about revenge.Which "EVE" basically is,only it`s...well,Korean.Seriously,I had to check twice to make sure this wasn`t written by a middle aged Japanese man,who wanted to `tone it down` after "Kenja no Ai".And this might also be where most viewers have the issue of pinpointing this drama.It`s not a makjang,but it`s also not a SERIOUS drama full of fury.No,my friends,it isn`t.It`s your scandal JDrama,masquerading as a KDrama.And when I got that somewhere in Episode 2,I knew the opinions are going to be wild.And I also knew I was going to like it.And I did.For many reasons.Let`s start with positives.

First off,something this team did RIGHT off the bat is casting Seo Yea Ji as a femme fatale.That`s basically half of your work done right there.If anyone can be sensual,sexy enough to make me believe men would FIGHT over her,it`s Seo Yea Ji.And it`s not necessarily her looks either.For a femme fatale character,you have to know how to carry yourself,how to speak and when.You have to charm,but also bring fear into submission.And that`s something most drama actresses don`t know how to do.Whether it`s because being a femme fatale still seems like a scary undertaking or because most writers don`t dare approach such an idea for a character in a drama,I don`t know.But don`t be mistaken,this was Seo Yea Ji`s show through and through.Even I felt like she was touching my soul in earlier episodes.And if Mr.Kang was even important for that I`ll discuss later on.For all her controversies(which in this case seem to help this role quite a bit) and speculations that this was the only script she was offered,Seo Yea Ji as Lee La El can act.And I actually think she had fun with this role.They even had her speak in Spanish,which she does fluently(even better than me and I also can speak it on a fluent level).She`s mild when need be,going from cold to heartbreaking in a matter of seconds.There were so many of her micro expressions I`ve learnt to appreciate throughout the years.I love when I can tell what a character is feeling by only looking into their eyes.And yes,part of that is because I feel like Seo Yea Ji is too talented an actress to become expendable.Even her crazier scenes(very camp) I enjoyed because she brought layers to her performance.Which,many didn`t get that message,it seems...Even during some less interesting bits,if she was on my screen I was invested.And this also has something to do with writing and the symbolism of EVE bumbling under the surface.But it`s more fun to speculate,right?There were quite a few comments about how she(Seo Yea Ji) is far above this material,but after watching six of her projects,I have to ask:Is she?When an actress is wasted on a subpar project,I usually think of a lukewarm romcom or a drama where she can`t show her acting skills because it`d compromise her character.But here she does it all.And does it well,too.Seo Yea Ji never was one to pick an uninteresting doormat of a character.Even when she played a mostly passive character("Save Me"),she injected life and fight into them.

Another positive for me is how they decided to go about the demise of the big bad.In revenge dramas,the stand off is always a SPECTACLE,something to look forward to.But in a surprising twist of that good old Japanese drama realism,the way they meet their end is as insignificant as it would be,because time waits for no one.Revenge can be fulfilled,but YOU won`t be satisfied with it,at the end of the day.And I loved that message.I always prefer that bite of nihilism in my revenge media.Oh,and this drama?It`s FUN.It sticks in your mind.At least for me it did,and after a slew of generic `deep dramas` with a message you SURELY haven`t seen before done better,I like it for every side it has to show me.It`s not sluggish!In fact,I had so much fun with it,I didn`t care if the end was going to be happy,sad or ambiguous,because I was there for the ride.And it gave me everything I wanted.

Of course,it wouldn`t be me if I didn`t offer some negatives as well.These,however were mostly mentioned by previous reviewers already.The romance is probably the biggest con with this drama.It`s...there?Unlike many viewers,I can admit I have a soft spot for Park Byung-eun playing Mr.Kang,La El`s lover and a cold conglomerate.He`s not a risky actor,but what he does,he does okay and I`m glad he found his niche.There were some parts of this I didn`t expect them to go where they did with his character,and I applaud that.But as for the romance,I actually prefer these two leads on their own,because it`s much more fun to explore them individually.Mr.Kang honestly has more to him I wish was explored deeper and with some nuance.He`s already more than just a typical cheating husband pawn I expected to get.As for the romance itself,it served as a plot device for further development and nothing more.There were also some inconsistencies in both cinematography and some characters.These some people found glaring,for me they could be overlooked but they are there.The cinematography is at times great,but overall it`s dated in terms of Korean dramas.I still prefer it over pre 2014 KDrama cinematography.That was glaring if you ask me.There were some cringy moments and the ending was appropriate,albeit a bit abrupt.

But my biggest negative,which for most was a positive it seems,was Yoo Sun`s acting.She acted like she was in a makjang.Thing is,she was the only one.Where most baddies were at the "Save Me" level of theatrics(at times twisted,at times cartoony,but there were layers as well),she was that "Penthouse" level(didn`t see her in anything before this-Edit:I did see her in "Move to Heaven" but I don`t remember her in that at all; but I skimmed over her theater resume and yeah,I can see where she got it from) where she only had two modes:insane and even more insane.I did feel bad for her in some sense,but her overacting really threw me off for most of the runtime.I`d even argue it was her acting that made people think this was going to be that makjang,not the story perse.I buy she`s a spoiled brat and an unfeeling mother,but everything else besides that really falls on her not understanding that this...well,wasn`t "Penthouse".That being said,her scenes with Seo Yea Ji were my favorite,because it was as if she got the hint that she should take a chill pill and give in a more compelling performance.But even that fits in my theory that this is,in fact,a revenge JDrama in disguise.Even there,it`s always that one person that goes over the top.

Finally,whether this project was SYJ`s pity party or not,I liked it a lot.It was cruel,nonsensical at times,sexy,somewhat different yet somewhat familiar,and it was just the type of drama I was missing.I`m well aware this is the kind of drama only a specific niche of watchers would truly appreciate,but I am one of them.And this was an insane journey,"EVE".