Bloodhounds

I mean, if koreans want to do quality you get quality.

This was such a ride. The story and characters hook you from the very beginning and it is so thrilling and upbeat you never get your eyes of the screen ( literally binged it for the whole 8 episodes)

The fighting choreographies are AWESOME and you can tell the immensely amount of work the main leads have put into not only to get in shape but to completely get into the mindset of a boxer and a fighter, they make the characters so believable and genuine.

I have followed Woo Do-hwan for a long time and I just cant get enough of his acting, loved his tender, caring yet fierce character here.

I absolutely loved the two main leads personalities and how well one compensates the other. They have such a strong and beautiful bond and friendship.

If i have to find some faults ( even when this was almost perfect) is maybe the length ( probably 2 episodes too long) and the dragging of the main plot, when the bad guys keep getting away with everything and the good guys make mistakes a bit too obvious, which it gets frustrating at times.

Also I loved the Tempted mini reunion with his old co start and friend Kim Min-jae, shame that they didn't have any scenes together!

Heo Joon Ho needs a special mention as well, as the good guy ( for once!) I love his acting and he manages for me to hate him with passion or love him depending on his role. This guy is absolutely chamaleonic.

Other than that, what an amazing series!!! I really hope it has a second season!

There is nothing in this series that could take away from the 10 star rating, nothing I would think should be changed as it would take away from the plot and the story. It really shows what the power of friendship and determination can do to change the world for good, whilst also showing the economic reality and hardship people went through during the COVID pandemic.

If you are looking for something to watch with some old fashioned street fighting, a bit of drama and a compelling story, look no further.

It's good to see South Korean getting out of their comfort zone and making stories and shows like this one.

I have a love-hate relationship with k-dramas. I like them in general but most times I'm left disappointed.

Usually they start very good. The initial, first second, episodes are really good. Great cinematography, good writing, lots of production value and most of the time a nice concept to build upon. You can always tell that about half or more of the production money went to that one - two episodes. And then....

It all goes downhill. Whatever the initial concept was it will always end up a group of people going against some type of villain. They will sit and talk and eat and plan various unintelligent ways to attack the villain. They will attack but for some reason the villain will escape their grasp. Then the villain will attack and probably kill one or two of them. This back and forth will continue depending on how many episodes the season has and at the end the good guys finally will do what they should have done a dozen episodes back. All the above while the tone of the series will flactuate between very moving scenes and cringy slapstick humor.

This show unfortunately does not escape this pattern. It has its ups and it has its downs.

Special mention to the last two episodes that were awful. It probably would have gotten another star if that wasn't the last taste the show had left me with.

The series is good until the 7th episode, however, some parts of the storytelling are trivial enough. Some examples:

the boys are running away without asking help in a scene;

one of the means of the boys goes faulty and the other protagonist makes nothing to approach the others in order to simplify their escape;

However the plot in general has a strong structure and a good narration at least until 7th episode.

There are many fights which are cruel enough. Some kind of excessive kindness inexplicable in cruel moments which degrades in servility also against villains. In this case the characters seem too much stereotyped unable to change their attitude.

Last episode is sufficient if not mediocre. Just as example: a villain could kill a kidnapped person although wounded but escapes suddenly albeit has the time to kill him. This example highlights a poor script. Indeed, it seems that the story is based on forced circumstances and forced happy moments. Also the involvement of a minor character in the fight seems out of context.

Moreover, last episode suffers a storytelling rather simplified such as the introduction of some sporadic funny moments and funny character as well, which contrast with the brutal context.

I believe that this series deserves a sequel but improving the quality.

I've been watching kdramas daily for ten years now and there are some incredible kdramas which typically fall apart at the end, or sometimes in the middle. But Bloodhounds is consistently thrilling and gripping throughout. With a simple premise but incredible characters, direction, good action, exciting performances all round, Bloodhounds has everything you could want from an action thriller.

Following two boxers as they form a strong friendship whilst they overcome their struggles against an evil loan shark and his gang. Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-Yi carry this kdrama on their strong backs as they team up to overthrow the villainous loan sharks and get vengeance.