The Girl Who Didn't Break (My Name)

 This post wasn't planned and is literally just me freaking out. Because My Name understood the assignment and gave me a badass, female vigilante without all the crap I usually have to contend with and they went above my expectations and did it along with a fantastic story that's perfectly paced over eight episodes and makes use of its entire cast, and gives even the villains of the story solid reasoning for their actions.  

Also, it somehow managed to give us a female character, whose feminity is never a detriment really and is never called attention to. Except for a few scenes where some creeps try to take advantage of that fact. Which just adds a level of gritty realism to it. 

gif created by @nowadayz

I should give a summary here. I mean I told my friend it was about MMA fighting because of the poster. So finding out it wasn't was hilarious.

Following her father's murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss -- and enters the force under his direction.

So this had all the tropes I adore. /father figure mob boss who has no right being a father figure/ girl turning grief into a weapon/ realizing the cost of revenge/ a kinda couple fighting together ala Kylo and Rey style/ girl turning body into a weapon/ messy motivations/ bloody hands/ fantastic fight scenes/ grungey aesthetics/

It's everything I wanted and more. The story itself is just really solid. It had a few good twists that were set up really well. I love how human all of the characters were, I'm not sure if that makes sense or not just that none of them seemed one-dimensional. 

Especially the mob boss, Choi Mu-Jin he was an immediate favorite. His relationship with Yoon Ji-Woo is the crux of the show really and I loved the father/daughter dynamic it created. How you can see how conflicted he is over her, and how he helps her and cares for her, but also can be the catalyst for so many things. He made me conflicted, gosh I love him. 

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He saves her from some guys brings her to his training ground and leaves her with like 60 sweaty, aggressive dudes. Who are all looking at her like she's a piece of meat. He does teach her how to fight, and her surroundings really do toughen her up, I love that the first guy who tries something is met with a punch and her fury-driven attacks. The girl can take a hit.

Then after winning a cage match. The loser Do Gang-tae attempts to take revenge by drugging and raping her. But she fights back enough that he's caught, and Choi Jun gives Gang-tae a scar he'll carry for life. (My friend and I thought he should've killed him because keeping him alive seemed like a bad idea and it is.)

Anyway, I appreciate  Ji-woo so much as a character, she's tough but shows her emotions. She gets hurt a lot. Like beat up, kicked, stabbed, punch. But she's a fighter and always finds her footing. She always gets back up. 

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She's also never sexualized by the camera. All of her outfits are functional, comfortable, and stuff I think I would wear. The camera never lingers where it shouldn't. Even when she's showering or wounded and I appreciated that so much. She just exists and happens to be a woman. There are a few guys who view her in that way, but it was dealt with in a more bearable way than usual. Their all punished in various ways for one.

It does have one kinda lengthy scene I thought was unnecessary but at least it's between two characters who genuinely care about each other. (from the bits I saw even that seemed more toned down)

 Also, it surprisingly had a male director, Kim Jin-min. Thank you, for giving me faith in humanity again. 

gif @nowadayz

Just yes it hits all the right notes. Also, she has a really sweet relationship with Jeon Pil-do I like how they let her trust and be vulnerable with someone. Be soft with them. Like how she gives Choi Mu-jin chamomile tea to help him sleep. It's little scenes like that, they rounded her out. Made her real. She wasn't just blood and gunpowder, she shows the whole spectrum of emotions. She feels things.

She breaks down.

It's also in small things like her using her smaller size to her advantage in fights. And at one point her elbow and I know from my one year of taekwondo that it's the strongest point of your body and fantastic for defense. She didn't fight like a girl, she just happens to be one. And it didn't make her any less effective or ruthless

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She's tough but it's not her one personality trait, and I love it for that. 

She's not loud but she's not mousy either. She's affected when she kills someone, she can't take on anyone. She takes as many hits and stabs as she gives, so when you get to the end you want her to succeed. They find a way to make even that bittersweet. 

It's a dark emotional heavy ride, but one that you enjoy and can't stop watching. 

The cinematography-all grainy, grungy, and bloody really appealed to me. 

The writing- not all K-dramas have good writing but this one does.

The characters- I love them, even Do Gang-tae because the actor did a fantastic job in making me disgusted and repelled by him, and his outfits were insane. 

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(The look is murder honey)

This story just stuck with me, one of revenge, betrayal, and surviving. It's right up there with Vincenzo for me and deserves the same hype that Squid Game is getting. I love both so...

I think the main point of it is.

Revenge costs, it makes monsters of everyone. 

gif @netflixdramas

(I need to draw some fanart now or cry)