Netflix has been on a roll with churning out some awesome K-drama content recently, but their latest dark high school teen drama Hierarchy might not be what the audience wants. We break down the criticism it has received upon its first 24-hour premiere from Korean and international viewers!
Lee Chae Min's first main lead role is spoiled due to what fans are saying is "a waste of good young talent" in Netflix's highly-anticipated teen romance drama Hierarchy! Coming in as the new good-looking transfer student, Kang Ha (Lee Chae Min), enters South Korea's top 0.01% society at Jooshin High School. Not taking heed to the warnings of fellow scholarship students, Kang Ha believes in making friends the good-fashioned way, stirring up controversy and interrupting the social balance in the school's hallways. If it sounds too much like Gossip Girls or even Netflix's own Elite, you have hit the nail on the head! It's exactly like that and fans aren't happy! Let's take a look at what Korean and international viewers had to say!
"우리나라 고등학생들이보면 열받을 드라마~ ㅋㅋㅋ"
"A drama that Korean high school students will get angry about. LOL"
"재이는 연기좀 배워야할거같아요ㅠㅠ 아.. 발연기 너무 심하다. 그리고 너무 말랐다. 성괴 같아요 ㅠㅠ 살을 왜저렇게 뺀거야 ㅡㅡ 머리만 큰 초딩닽아요. 주연감은 절대 아니다. 주연때문에 망한 드라마일듯!!"
"I think Jae Yi (Roh Jung Eui) needs to learn some acting. Oh, her bad acting is terrible. And she's so skinny. She's like a monster. Why did she lose weight like that? She's like a kid with a big head. She's definitely not the main character. I think it's a drama ruined by the main character!!"
"노정의 얼굴 구경할거 아니면 보지마세요...그냥 아무 의미도 내용도 교훈도 없는 드라마임..."
"Don't watch unless you're going to watch Roh Jung Eui's face... it's just a drama with no meaning, no content, no lessons..."
Here's what international viewers had to say:
"very disappointing I had high expectations for this drama. This did not exceed it. It was a new level of the deepest pits low OK maybe I’m being a little extra, but it wasn’t amazing as a trailer showed but now that we’ll be at the trailer after watching this drama. It was nothing special..."
"This is westernized or Disney version — boys over flowers or heirs or etc , right in the beginning episode three vulgar kissing and relations , drugs , revealing female clothes , , we need to tell Koreans , we the non Koreans who abandon western style dramas once Korean we found the clean , pure k dramas, will soon depart also if they keep the new trend , question , why would we watch imitation if we can see the original?"
"I THOUGHT IM THE ONLY ONE WHO FIND THEIR ACTING LOOKS STIFF ??? The cast is literally PERFECT but the director waste it with give them a poor script writing ???, MY EXPECTATIONS WAS TOO HIGH FOR THIS???? - POOR ACTING - POOR SCRIPT - POOR CAMERA MOVEMENT idk lol"
If you disagree with the comments viewers made, here is a press conference with the staff where Roh Jung Eui admitted that she didn't know how to act and indeed just tried "on the spot". Also, Kim Jae Won who plays Kim Ri An, admitted that he had no idea how to act as the top 0.01% and that his character was his interpretation of that lifestyle. Take a look!
So what did you think about Hierarch? Was it up to your expectations? If not, comment below with your thoughts!