WARNING: CONTAINS LOTS OF SPOILERS!!!
HIGH KICK: REVENGE OF THE SHORT-LEGGED
STORY
Ahn Family consists of Ahn Nae-sang (Ahn Nae-sang), Yoon Yu-seon (Yun Yu-seon), Ahn Jong-suk (Lee Jong-suk) and Ahn Soo-jung (Krystal) who seem to be living the life until Nae-sang's special effects company goes bankrupt and have no money at all to pay their debts. This dilemma results to them living at Yu-seon's little brother's - Yoon Kye-sang (Yoon Kye-sang) and Yoon Ji-suk (So Ji-suk) - house for the meantime to hide from loan sharks until they find a solution to their financial problems. The family also plan an escape route whenever loan sharks unexpectedly trespasses which is an underground cave that is connected to the house of their next door neighbour after an unusual yet hilarious first meeting wherein Ahn Nae-sang literally drilled into the neighbour's toilet bowl during Baek Jin-hee's (Baek Jin-hee) use which resulted to an unfortunate injury into Jin-hee's behind. Haha it's hilarious just remembering it! This underground cave/escape route serves as the primary connection and the origin of strong bonds and relationship of the two families particularly the love line between So Ji-suk and Park Ha-sun (Park Ha-sun), the friendly rivalry of Soo-jung and Kim Ji-won (Kim Ji-won), the strange but sweet romance between Ji-won and Kye-sang, as well as Ji-won and Jong-suk and the hilarious bantering between Jin-hee, Nae-sang and Kye-sang.
COMMENTS
Out of all the versions of High Kick, this is probably the most realistic and relatable one in terms of family relationships and friendships. I absolutely adored the relationship with siblings, Jong-suk and Soo-jung, their constant teasing and arguments and sometimes even some hysterical violence against eachother were pure gold and reminds me of my relationship with my own brother and sister. Its not that they sincerely hate eachother but rather its their way of showing their affection and care towards eachother and that's made pretty obvious in the show's long run. Perfect sibling relationships in this world is very rare and I love that this sitcom didn't sugarcoat the usual sibling relationship with something cheesy like brothers and sisters always by eachothers sides and such to "promote healthy family bonds" or comply with traditional Korean manners and expectations, for example the rather exaggerated belief that the older one must be respected and must be addressed formally. Despite their treatment of eachother, I like how they are given touching moments from time to time to show that they really care for eachother particularly the episode when concerned Soo-jung works at a fast food restaurant to help earn some money for her dad and when Jong-suk visits the restaurant he finds that a customer is mistreating her little sister which angers him and quickly defends her and hits the customer. That scene was really heartfelt and eventhough Soo-jung got fired in the end, she wasn't incredibly mad at her brother, rather was thankful for sticking up to her. I really enjoyed their little scenes together and just adored their chemistry as siblings (No incest connotation whatsoever stupid!).
I was also engrossed in Kye-sang and Ji-won's relationship. As far as I can remember, it wasn't made clear whether the two mutually liked each other or not, or if it was just Ji-won having a one-sided crush on him, but their quiet scenes together, their deep gazes and small gestures were very engaging and made me hungry for more. Maybe its because of my strange obsession with fictional couples with large age gaps or rather the two both had interesting characters that their chemistry just worked like magic. But ultimately they didn't really end up together, with Kye-sang's character emigrating to Africa for world service leaving Ji-won behind. However the fact that he specifically wrote a letter to her must mean something, right? As for Ji-won as an individual, she was probably the most mysterious of the bunch, largely because he was so quiet compared to the rest of the cast. But her decision in the end to drop out of high school, I found strange. I've always thought of her as an intelligent character just that she doesn't work hard, but that final decision of hers was rather unintelligent. The pure reason of school not being her "thing" was stupid - because come on, I doubt any student feels that school or studying is their "thing". I believe it gave a bad message to student viewers. Stay in school, kids!
I won't really write in detail since this will be a 3-part review but I didn't really dislike any characters in the series as far as I remember and I loved how almost every character got to shine some time in the show's run. Park Ha-Sun and Ahn Ji-seok's romantic relationship was cute, but found myself not emotionally invested in their story - not that there was anything wrong, they just weren't my style. As individuals, however, I enjoyed Ha-sun's over the top reactions. The bantering relationship between Nae-sang-Jinhee and Jin-hee-Kye-sang and their arguments and misunderstandings was also one of the show's highlights, as for emotional development between them, I'm not particularly sure since they're not related but it sure was entertaining. Other characters to look out for is Kang Seung-yoon (Kang Seung-yoon) - Jong-suk's friend and you can say, a love interest of Soo-jung, but not really - if that makes sense.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, High Kick: Revenge of the Short-legged is definitely an enjoyable watch and I a great change in your drama-watching lifestyle. Its hilarious but also heart-warming, the characters are surprising complex and drawing and features an engrossing and inspiring slice of life story.
Entertainment-wise: 9/10
Objectively: 8/10
HIGH KICK THROUGH THE ROOF
STORY
Sisters Shin Se-kyung (Shin Se-kyung) and Shin Shin-ae (Shin Shin-ae) grew up in the countryside to hide from loan sharks searching for their father. However they are forced to leave the woods when the loan sharks discover their location after a group of lost Seoul tourists (cameo by Kim Hye-seong) posts a picture of them on the internet. While running away, the two sisters are separated from their father and are forced to make a living for themselves in Seoul. They temporary live at a dorm house owned by Kim Ja-ok (Kim Ja-ok) whose current tenants are Julien (Julien Kang), Hwang Jung-eum (Hwang Jung-eum), Yoo In-na (Yoo In-na) and Lee Kwang-soo (Lee Kwang-soo) until Se-kyung earns a job as a house maid of the Lee and Jeong family consisting of Lee Soon-jae (Lee Soon-jae), Lee Hyun-kyung (Oh Hyun-kyung), Jeong Bo-Seok (Jeong Bo-seok), Lee Ji-hoon (Choi Daniel), Jeong Jun-hyuk (Yoon Shi-yoon) and Jeong Hae-ri (Jin Ji-Hee). Strangely enough, members of the dorm and Lee/Jeong family are actually already connected/ will be connected somehow after the Shin sisters arrival.
COMMENTS
I'll go straight to the point, I disliked this version the most in the franchise and that's not just because of the controversial finale of the sitcom. There were only a few characters and relationships I liked partly because those particular characters where the only ones that were properly developed. For example Hwang Jung-eum - I absolutely adored her character and was probably my most favourite out of the bunch - I liked how on the outside she was presented as a materialistic and superficial girl when on the inside she's really mature and had emotional depth. I liked her strong character but also reveal her weakness at appropriate times, I felt she was the more organic and "real" personality in the sitcom. I loved her development as a character, from being ashamed of her educational background to learning to have some confidence in the end. Her commitment to tutoring Jun-hyuk even if she doesn't get paid was heart warming. I particularly loved how she chose to reveal of her actual educational background herself to Hyun-kyung in the end, an evidence of how her character has truly evolved.
I really liked the tutor-student relationship between Jun-hyuk and Jung-eum and glad that they didn't really have a romantic development. Rather Jun-hyuk was like the little brother Jung-eum never had, vice versa. (Ignoring Jun-hyuk's brat of a sister). I liked how at first Jun-hyuk had no intention of listening to her but learns to after seeing Jung-eum's perseverance and sincerity into teaching him. They're like High Kick 2's version of Jong-suk and Soo-jung - only less violent and hysterical. They still had a lot of hilarious arguments together just not at par with the High Kick 3 siblings.
I also enjoyed In-na and Kwang-soo's little side story and the development of Shin-ae and Hae-ri's relationship - eventhough I hate Hae-ri's bratty personality and violent tendencies - she's no Soo-jung that's for sure. I don't know but I found her character really disturbing especially since she's just a child, but that's just me. What I found the most I howeveinfuriating was Shin Se-kyung's character whose ending I hated. The whole point of her character was to inspire people and give hope that its not too late to dream of a better future - that's why she was studying so hard for the G.E.D exams to get into a university but all that crumbles to pieces over a freakin' (excuse my informal slang) broken heart because of her unreqruited love with Ji-hoon. No, I don't think its purely about her wanting to reunite with her father because she said so herself that its because of Ji-hoon, surely they can delay their flight overseas but noooo, she's so heart broken that the only way to forget it him is to escape. Way to ruin your life and chance for a better future. I'm not sure if its the writers way of saying "don't worry, she won't have a bad future" but her ending made her character even more frustrating and depressing 'cause she f'*ckin died! To make matters worse she doesn't die alone, she dies with her crush, Ji-hoon. Honestly though, were the writers actually rooting for them and Jun-hyuk and Jung-eum to end up together all along so they thought of this kind of finale? Death?! I What kind of a family sitcom does that?!
CONCLUSION
As I've said, this is the version I least liked, not that I hated it with passion because I got to admit I did enjoy it from time to time just that I wasn't emotionally connected to it as the third and first one. There's less family moments in this one and more on the tiring romantic angles.
The finale is a complete train wreck.
Entertainment-wise: 6/10
Objectively: 5/10
UNSTOPPABLE HIGH KICK!
STORY
Lee Yun-ho (Jung Il-woo) and Lee Min-ho (Kim Hye-seong) are brothers but are completely opposite of each other. Yun-ho is the happy go lucky bad boy while Min-ho is smart and the "pride" of the Lee family. Lee family also consists of a unemployed father Lee Jun-ha (Jung Jun-ha), an arrogant doctor mother, Park Hae-mi (Park Hae-mi), a once-skilled doctor grandfather, Lee Soon-jae (Lee Soon-jae), a stay-at-home grandmother, Na Moon-hee (Na Moon-hee) and a recently divorced uncle, Lee Min-yong (Choi Min-yong). The sitcom follows closely on the roller coaster-like lives of each character.
COMMENTS
This sitcom just hit me on all the right notes and is my most favourite High Kick edition, if not my most favourite sitcom ever. It tackled everything I wanted it to, from heart warming family moments and relationships to engrossing and, even an epic love story.
I particularly loved Min-ho and Yu-mi's (Park Min-young) epic romantic tale. Though it may not be the most realistic and relatable high school romance you'd expect to see in a slice-of-life sitcom, it largely helped in the development of various characters most especially Kim Bum (Kim Bum) and even Yun-ho. At first, I did feel, tonally, her mysterious storyline was a bit off at the start and was expecting something hilarious in the end but turns out thst her character is actually from a really dark background, Bit that "dark"-ness grows in you, and I found myself deeply engaged in her story. Who would have thought that a love story in a sitcom can produce as much impact, if not a greater impact, than a drama can. The end of their love story, broke my heart to pieces, but wasn't unsatisfied with it at all, rather thankful for such a great first love for our Min-ho and I love how the writers still kept Yu-mi alive even till the finale so us viewers can imagine for ourselves whether their story continue or not.
I also loved Min-ho and Bum's friendship and bromance, how they always film their own imaginary movies and just absolutely loved how we got to see their friendship grow. They went through all the situations real life bestfriends do, from small arguments and childish way of reconciliation and so on, The jealousy of Bum towards Yu-mi was hysterically, I liked how, the writers decided not to tackle the love triangle between the bestfriend and Yu-mi and chise instead a really cute series of episodes where Bum competes with Yu-mi for Min-ho's attention. Despite not having a solid happy ending for the two friends, I actually liked it as it will give them a chance to grow as individuals that we can imagine for ourselves, its almost certain and evident, however, that they will still remain as friends in the long run so I wasn't really dismayed.
Another storyline I particularly found striking was Yun-ho and Suh Min-jung's (Suh Min-jung) storyline. Though they didn't get much screentime with them actually having a romantic relationship, I found their story more engaging than with Min-jung and Min-yong's relationship. Again, maybe its my obsession with fictional couples with age gaps speaking but I was more than glad that in the end it was hinted that Yun-ho and Min-jung ends up together. Because I was also rooting on Min-yong getting back together with Shin Ji (Shin Ji) because it was evident that they still love each other even after their diverge. Though I did secretly hope that they had given more scenes for the final couples.
Lastly, the family relationships was so heart warming, I cried during the scene where Yun-ho dances with his mother for Parent's day despite Yun-ho embarrased of facing his mother for getting into a fight nevertheless Hae-mi isn't disappointed, says that she understands him; believes him and loves him for who he is. The presentation of their family felt really organic, its not the cheesy and loving kind of family fakely presented in dramas, its the kind you'll see in real life. One that don't openly convey their true feelings but deep down still love and care for each other.
CONCLUSION
Everything about this sitcom is love! From the story, characters even up to the soundrtrack! I guarantee you won't regret watching this.
Entertainment-wise: 10/10
Objectively: 10/10
Evaluation
As if I have to actually say, do the math guys!
For those who can't calculate:
The WINNER is Unstoppable High Kick!
Runner up: High Kick: Revenge of the Short-legged
Deserves a high kick: High Kick Through The Roof
(Cto all pics and gifs)
I don't think you got the reason why Se Kyung decided to leave. She said so herself, that the biggest reason for her to stay was because of him (Ji Hoon)and that would she would deeply miss him. Shin Ae was the reason she left - she noticed shin Ae is becoming more and more liker her, hesitant and fearful.
ReplyDeleteI personally loved Through the Roof a lot, even more than Unstoppable High Kick - and I freaking loved Unstoppable High Kick.