Hounds (2023)

Terrible Writing Packaged with Good Action

LIKES:
Action right in first episode
Decent fight scenes
Writing:
No romance thrown in, because it didn’t need it.
The bad guys didn’t upgrade to guns.
The bromance between Gun Woo and Woo Jin was fun and heartwarming.
I liked the young archery character and her dynamic with the two boxers.
Production:
for the most part was good, sometimes zooming camera in too close, but at least shaky camera wasn’t noticeable.
Music:
was fitting, but no song stood out.
Cast:
well selected and I love that Woo Do-Hwan is a main lead. (Both boxers were delightful eye candy!)
FX:
blood and scars were decent.

DISLIKES:
FX:
the stitches looked to be done by a butcher and not a medical professional. Some of the facial damage, like broken noses were omitted. The big facial scars should’ve been a little more raw looking, compared to what was shown.
Directing:
Pro criminals not noticing a car tail gating them on an empty highway and following them every turn they make?
The elite bad guys seem to be able to handle a lot of force on their heads, which throws the realism of the fights out the window.
Writing:
A few characters we need more information on what happened to them, especially at the end. However I understand why they had to get rid of Kim Sae Ron’s character due to the actress’s DUI, but the way it was done made no sense due to the character that was created up until that point.
The whole Marines part about the two boxers: Marines are trained in hand to hand knife fighting and many other weapons. The South Korean military are trained in Teukgong Moosool. Their characters knowledge and skills therefore very lacking.
Criminal element was very unrealistic, especially since the master villain gets defeated by two young boxers. Also all the masters (the brains and brawn) get defeated so simplistically, which made for a disappointing conclusion for their characters.
A lame plot was covered by violence.
Pacing issues:
Ending felt rushed, but they had plenty of extended drinking moments. Time could’ve been used better.

OVERALL: The fitness level that the main actors had to achieve was awesome. This should've been an action movie and not a series. It's fun to watch for the fights, but don't expect anything from plot. I don't need to watch it again, maybe just clips of the 2 boxers (lol), I would recommend it for fight scenes and action only.

Citeste mai mult

Great watch! Will not disappoint

I'm not someone that likes action that much, nor do I like gore, but this series deserves a good review.

Things that especially deserve praise:
First of all, the fighting sequences were top class 💯 amazingly executed, they'll keep you on edge. You just cannot deny how good those scenes were.
Second, the acting. The main leads were amazing, the bromance between them was very natural. The actor that plays Geonhoo has such delicate expressions, you can see the happiness, fear, anger, passion – everything clearly in his eyes. The other actors were good too.

Things that I personally don't like:
1. Quite a lot of gore. Sometimes it even felt like it was too much for no reason lol like they even showed little things like drawing blood during a blood donation very graphically. And obviously everything else was much worse, I couldn't watch. So yeah very graphic display of blood and injuries, be warned.
2. Since this isn't a favoured genre of mine, I was pretty distracted during most of the discussion scenes. I'm not very good at paying attention to those long serious talks and discussion of plans by the good guys and the bad guys. And there's quite a lot of that in this series so I was often lost on the plot and just let myself figure out what's going on as it went on. I actually thought I wouldn't like this series for that reason, but the story and acting kept me hooked later on.

It's not a series that one would re-watch though, although I can see people rewatching just the fighting scenes haha

Citeste mai mult

Bloody brilliant!

A little late to the party, but I'm still glad I watched this drama. For starters, I love action series with a pinch of drama. It was refreshing to see Woo Do Hwan in the role of a boxer who fights for his family and the people he loves. The first series I watched with him was the drama "tempted" or "the great seducer", it depends on how accurate the English translation is. I didn't write a review for that drama because I'm still in doubt whether I liked it or not, but I have to say that I remembered him and his way of acting. In "Bloodhounds" I was really captivated by his innocent look and sensitivity that I had to keep watching. Plus seeing him as a boxer holding his heart in his hands was really emotional and wonderful.

The bromance is real! He and Lee Sang Yi were a pairing that I never expected to love so much and I really hope that I will have the chance to see them together again. If not, I can rewatch the drama all over again haha.

As for the story, it’s a typical story of revenge for one's family, which was wronged by a criminal. I'm not saying it's bad, I love such stories and watch them no matter how many times it’s repeated, but here's what really bothered me. I had the impression that the writers helped the criminals more than the good guys. I know that sometimes there is karma and sometimes something happens that you didn't expect, but it really seemed to me that the criminals had everything delivered on their plate, while the good guys struggled until the end.

But all in all, it was an amazing drama that I watched in one day and I'm saddened that it's so short. I would like more!

Citeste mai mult

Satisfying Action

8,9/10. Baruuu banget ini kelar cui 👫🏻👫🏻👫🏻 bagus bagus bagus bgt! Demi dha gw suka bget action yg begini, satisfying poll 🤌🏻 gw demen bgt sama bromancenya, bikin pgen ada sodara laki2 yg begitu juga WMWKWKW. Actingnya KREN sih, ini woo dohwan cakep bget njrit actingnya kaya different gt from the character he used to do. Gw kira si dohwan bakal jd anak yg bandel + congkak, taunyeee goodboy bget rill apa gk jtuh cinta gwe 🫂👩‍🦯👩‍🦯👩‍🦯 cuma ni drama yg menurut gw gantungnya tuh NAGIH cuk beneran dah tiap akhir eps dibuat deg2 serr ama lanjutannya. Gw sampe KERINGET DINGIN anjing tiap nonton ini karena takut sm the next eps & endingnya jelek + ga sesuai ekspektasi, tp taunya yaa ok aja. Yg kureng dari drama ini adalah endingnya yg dikemas terlalu padet, jadi tau2 udh ending aja gitu kaya banyak yg dilewati T＿T padahal overall udh bagus bgt. Belum lg si hyeonju ancrit tiba2 ngilang gegara irl the actress kena skandal, duh 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ yaa intinya mah bagus deh sebenernya ini tuh di awal, yg kurang endingnya aja di eps 7-8 itu udh mulai kurang sreg gw tp tetep trabas sampe abis. Ibunya si gunwoo juga aduh lovely bget,, drama ini ngajarin gw tuk tetep berbuat baik rill dah. Tersentuh gw ama keluarganya si gunwoo, sifatnya woojin + choi taeho juga bkin luluh vjir 🫂

Citeste mai mult

um bromance com ação

peguei logo que vi na netflix e aquela tipica serie de poucos episódios que você consegue maratona em 2 dias e foi isso que eu fiz ótimas cenas de ação e o bromance está ali bem explicito apesar deu ter certeza que ambos são um casal por que tem insinuação que dá entender isso e bem velado mais está ali nas entre linhas.

não foi nem comenta como eles são gostosos né?! colírio para os olhos total pra quem quer ver só por isso.

ação e luta super em destaque, gosto delas e acho que são o ponto alto de continuar vendo, pontos negativos: algumas coisas acontece e são resolvidas bem simples isso me incomodou.

mas em um geral super vale a pena, LUTA e AÇÃO satisfatória.

Citeste mai mult

Goofy & Cute Male leads, Bromance and Beating tons of gangsters at the same time Still like it!

I like it! If you watch it for entertainment then it is perfect BUT it also has lots of plotholes and You can find faults in the story...

Like some things are really funny and not practical at all... no one is that clumsy or thoughtless the way they show both of the main characters...

BUT overall if you put practical & logical mind aside, it is one of the good action series.

The casting is good, Both of the main leads, Kim Geon Woo & Hong Woo Jin, Mr. Choi's character, and all the supporting characters did a good job with their acting...

The action scenes were not natural or practical... No matter how good Boxer you are you just can't beat tons of fighters who only kill or beat... It's just not practical... some fight scenes remind me of "My Name" BUT not too much.

One more thing the elders teach the kids how to fight with knives in a day... IN A DAY! LOL... they are boxers, not a robot... come on🙄

When you know who you fighting, you only defeat two of his man and NOT kill them... and then you just Chill & celebrate instead of planning your next move... WTF You know he is a loan shark, who has people in his pocket and you are just a boxer... ohh come on!🙄

AND when you are a professional Bloodhound before Lee Doo Young you leave your family photo in that place while your wife is pregnant and Hwang Yang Jung goes to his cafe like a regular Friday.... what do you expect?

I like the main leads friendship the most... They became friends very naturally... The duo has a perfect balance b/w a goofy and cute personality one talks non-stop and the other one listens.

I really really love Woo Do Hwan's character 😍 His innocent & cute character reminds me of his The King: Eternal Monarch Character Jo Eun-seob.

About Kim Hyeon Joo's character... She was like I will fight for people and all then she just RUN AWAY.. that too when his one and only family get murdered?

In starting they show her as a cold personality who wants what she wants but after Mr. Choi's death. She was like I can't handle it... I'm just a lit girl... I want peace... instead of revenge? That doesn't go with the personality she had before.

Overall it is worth watching once, I like it even tho some things were not practical. it's a fictional story so you can also put that aside.

Citeste mai mult

Interesting plot & very engaging

I first watched it when it first came out and I was pretty hooked onto it. The whole cast, the acting & the setting were real nice. The story was somewhat good but I just don't know how I feel about the ending.

I still rewatched the whole show for a second & third time though, after every other while. That's how much I loved the casting, lol.

There isn't any romance; there is a bit of humor & there's definitely somewhat a connection you'll feel throughout the show (according to me).

I do highly recommend watching if you love action, vengeance & a fine cast.

Citeste mai mult

intense & unrelenting

battered and bloody is the heart in Bloodhounds, a truly shocking and grisly crime thriller that never lets up. throats and Achilles tendons are slashed, backs are broken, skin is pierced by knives and arrows, literal salt rubbed into wounds, just an unrelenting display of blood splattered cruelty and violence.

but there is still a heart buried underneath so much carnage. this couldn't possibly be a success if not. it would just be male aggression, a bleak tale of predation and power with no hope in sight. but luckily it has two goobers who are also highly skilled boxers just trying to do good.

I would not watch this again!

Citeste mai mult

Can’t hardly go higher than 8 but it deserves all acknowledgment

I guess for most part of the series, everything is on point. The plot, the cast, the performances, the music (which people disagreed on). And then at some point it is like we are watching a different season. Not a different series but different season.

It was disturbing because we needed that development of characters and all to come to this turning point, even tho I can understand why people and the director would find it unnecessary because… we can imagine it.

But it doesn’t help us to get engaged in the story of our characters anymore. I am not sure if another ending would have been better or if netflix said « well we can’t have a longer season » and they cut it out or if a second whole season woud have been needed.

As well… the ending itself (last 2 mns) are lacking « background storyline »… Fortunately we are only talking about 1 last episode tho which is why we are not giving less than 8 for the plot.

Also what is refreshing is that it is finally a series about brotherhood and only brotherhood. Also, we appreciate a lot the humor which is more subtle than what we usually see on kdramas.

What makes it hardly rewatchable is that we know the end. There is no surprise anymore.

But thanks to the incredible performances and the first plot we enjoyed it a lot.

Citeste mai mult