Evilive (2023)

Wow, the finale!!

A struggling lawyer with a secret dark side gets pulled into the dark world of a notorious criminal. But what leads him to the line of evil and will he survive the ordeal of events?

Evilive is a noir-themed kdrama with a dark vibe, focuses on the advent of online gambling. Those who love watching ambiguous characters dive deep into crime, with suspenseful and thrilling events will love watching it. I was rushing in head first without watching any trailer/teaser because I already know these men have proven themselves from their previous roles. Anyone who've watched them know how ‘good’ Shin Ha Kyun, Shin Jae Ha and Kim Young Kwang are when they are bad.

Evilive does not disappoint. The first scene bait is intriguing and you discover what really happen sooner than you think. They set up its character well: their inner struggle and what are at stakes, such as their family, marriage and most importantly... their moral values.

I was having a big fun with the friendships and bromance among our leads. Ha Kyun and Jae Ha's characters are supporting each other like siblings, while Ha Kyun's and Young Kwang's characters are like enemies to bromance relationships, they both don’t trust each other but they stick together throughout. My only nitpick is that cinematography and action are of mediocre quality, but it doesn't matter much as the premise is very strong, the plot has rarely any dull moment, the characters are peculiar, the storytelling takes you deep into the world of law, crime suspects and unexpected twists and turns, none of it disappoints... To enjoy the drama to the fullest, I recommend you to binge this.

-Nov 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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L : The mirror of live and evil

Started this drama without any prior knowledge about the plot so I did not know what to expect. Mostly, trusted Shin Hakyun's acting as he always delivers the characters and so far, I really enjoyed watching his dramas ─ ‍and Evilive was not an exception. So, I'm glad to not miss it as not only I enjoyed watching how the storyline and characters' developments unfold but also discovered new talented acting people.

While I must admit the story is not completely new or unique, it surely delivered its own twists and perspectives. For me, what made it really good drama to watch was acting. Not only main roles but also side characters showed good acting skills and pulled you into the story. The portrayal of dynamics was phenomenal. However, I have to admit Shin Hakyun and Kim Youngkwang truly stole the spotlights with their portrayals of their characters.

Throughout the 10 episodes, we saw how human greed works through characters, how they change and how someone can welcome their inner demons with a tempting whisper from a criminal and suppressed anger. The shift in personality was too realistic and it was nice to watch the constant moving between the grey and dark area throughout character development.

Also wanted to point out how it took me a while to notice there is only one L in Evilive because the letter is acting as a mirror. Evil and Live spell each other backwards, and L is both the door and mirror ─ ‍which is such a witty name. It perfectly represents the story and characters.

I'm glad I didn't miss this drama and gave it a chance ─ ‍and I definitely recommend it.


link to edits : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-LyvxxdMxBNqLLTk8JVKUiUzliCJ-L8&si=lF0H-wuQGbwB7Lpg

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