[Beanie Recs] What’s your favorite revenge drama?
by DB Staff
Ahoy, Beanies! It’s time to gather your collective genius for a recommendation series that features you and your drama knowledge. Each week we’ll drop a drama conundrum and leave it up to you to provide a drama rec, and the appropriate rationale behind it, be it long or short. Respond below!
Totally hooked on revenge stories after finishing The Glory and I was wondering what some of your favorite revenge dramas are? I need MOAR!
Have a very particular drama itch that needs scratching? In need of a Beanie Rec? Email us at hello @ dramabeans.com and we’ll feature your topic in a future post.
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1 Becky
March 16, 2023 at 5:14 AM
Lookout.
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Midnight
March 16, 2023 at 6:41 AM
Lookout 👌👍
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Soyesterday
March 16, 2023 at 7:06 AM
Park Solomon almost stole this entire drama, teenage psychopaths are a cliche storytelling trope at this point, but he absolutely nailed it
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2 Kroy
March 16, 2023 at 5:21 AM
I have to say Itaewon, similar to Glory. High school bully gets what he wants and does what he wants because his father is wealthy and powerful. Just like Glory we see the hero's struggle to get to the top and make the bully and his father pay for their crimes. Bonus really great OST
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3 Blue (@mayhemf)
March 16, 2023 at 5:29 AM
Graceful Family.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
March 16, 2023 at 4:49 PM
Ooh this is a good one despite the odd time skip, separation ending.
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4 jerrykuvira
March 16, 2023 at 5:36 AM
Almost 60% of every kdrama I've seen has the revenge ingredient sprinkled in here and there. For something really revenge based try out...
Penthouse(I loved this one a lot before).
The World of The Married( This one set the bar off at another makjang level for treating douchebag spouses).
Money Flower.
My Country: The New Age.
Whisper (This one is really nice in that it was a realistic takeout)
Reborn Rich.( I haven't had the time to complete it, but the few I watched was a ride).
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5 Britney
March 16, 2023 at 5:47 AM
Taxi Driver. Does that count?
Yeah, The Glory & Reborn Rich have those slow burn, break them psychologically aspects which is cool but there's something very satisfying to me seeing bad guys getting beat up in addition to losing their ill gotten gains.
With The Glory & Reborn Rich, alot of the plans rely on the people sticking to their selfishness and greed and eventually it leads to their downfall. Plus the plans all took yearssssss to pay off. I don't have that kind of patience. More power to the people who do.
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6 Unaspirated
March 16, 2023 at 5:49 AM
Ooh, love a revenge drama! I haven’t watched The Glory yet but I’ve heard so many good things it’s definitely going on my list.
One drama that folks don’t often talk about but that I thought was really fun is Lawless Lawyer. Lee Joon-gi is a gangster-turned-lawyer who goes back to his hometown to get revenge on the powerful people who killed his mother. The crew he gathers to help him is hilarious, the action is entertaining, and Choi Min-soo is an absolute scene-stealer throughout.
I thought Tracer was solid, and I really liked all the major characters and their shifting values and loyalties, but I think Payback was more engaging when it came to the actual financial scenes (that scene at the end of ep 1 notwithstanding - that is just high quality entertainment). Still, both are good for different reasons, and I enjoyed both.
I think my favorite that I’ve watched so far is Reborn Rich. Some folks didn’t like the ending or the romance, but honestly everything about that drama worked for me. Every character was fun and interesting, the family dynamics were breathtaking, and if the entire show was just Song Joong-ki smirking as he won against greedy people I could still watch it all day.
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7 blue
March 16, 2023 at 6:26 AM
Underdogs story, too much optimism, bowl cut ML, Ahn Bi Hyun as SML/morally corrupt guy and Gaho - Itaewon Class.
I understand all the criticism but I really really liked it.
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8 wonhwa
March 16, 2023 at 6:52 AM
My all time favorite is The Devil (Lucifer), although it might not be exactly what you're looking for, as it's a show that uses the conventions of a revenge drama to create something that is ultimately very much not a standard revenge story. It is one of the most nuanced, thoughtful looks at the nature of evil and the possibility of redemption that I've ever seen.
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Soyesterday
March 16, 2023 at 7:03 AM
Count me in as a fan of "The Devil"
I think it did an excellent job of demonstating how destructive the path of revenge can be, without being preachy, heavy handed or betraying the overrall premise of the story.
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Kurama
March 16, 2023 at 7:18 AM
And I loved the use of Rodin's works!
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kiara
March 16, 2023 at 3:46 PM
Did you watch “Resurrection” aka “Rebirth” by the same writer pd duo? That would be my all time favorite.
It’s too bad Uhm Tae-wooing screwed up his career. 😞 I thought he was absolutely amazing in both, “The Devil” and “Rebirth.”
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wonhwa
March 16, 2023 at 4:55 PM
I have seen Resurrection, and I agree that Uhm Tae-woong was amazing in it. I will say I felt that one began to spin its wheels in the final episodes - the set up was great but it felt like Kim Ji Woo wrote herself into a corner and couldn't figure out how resolve things in a way that was both plausible and true to her characters and themes. To me, The Devil felt like a re-do that fixed most of the issues Resurrection struggled with.
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Snow Flower
March 16, 2023 at 5:03 PM
It is on my watch list.
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9 Soyesterday
March 16, 2023 at 6:58 AM
Money flower.
Doctor Prisoner
The Devil Judge
City Hunter
Defendant
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10 Midnight
March 16, 2023 at 7:30 AM
Lookout is at the top.
Defendant
Blind
Devil Judge
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ninidolpin 🐬
March 24, 2023 at 4:31 AM
Blind is a very good and unique example, because it was not only one person 's revenge
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11 vienibenmio
March 16, 2023 at 8:40 AM
Graceful Family. It was so entertaining, the female lead was a total badass, and I loved the romance, even though it was subtle.
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12 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
March 16, 2023 at 8:43 AM
I don't like most pure "revenge" dramas, but there was some revenge in some of my favorites, so...
Master's Sun
You From Another Star
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technicat
March 16, 2023 at 6:32 PM
I thought about nominating Fantasy Couple. Maybe there should be a category for revenge rom-com.
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13 Gikata
March 16, 2023 at 9:49 AM
Every drama led by Lee Joon Gi ever lol. If we're serious, then Time Between Dog And Wolf specifically. It's a retro action melo gangster/cop/spy flick with all the golden makjang tropes presented and up to eleven, so end result is both genius and godawful. If you want not just a revenge drama, but a CRAZY revenge drama, this one slaps. Young Jung Kyung Ho and Nam Sang Mi as a bonus. Be careful not to hurt yourself with endless facepalms and hair pulls)))
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Britney
March 16, 2023 at 11:46 AM
I saw something that said he's always in revenge dramas to the point it's memeable haha
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Gikata
March 16, 2023 at 9:13 PM
That's true. All kdramas where he was ML had strong revenge element to them and often it was a main theme. Hope that meme mentioned he's REALLY good at it though?
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Isa is always time travelling
March 17, 2023 at 1:16 AM
This week I'm watching Flower of Evil (6 out of 16) and it is my first Lee Joon Gi drama. For the moment there is no revenge element but maybe it changes later.
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Gikata
March 17, 2023 at 2:34 AM
There is a bit later on, but it's one of his shows where it's not that prominent. Arang And The Magistrate and Two Weeks are also among his less revenge-y works.
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14 Olivedreams
March 16, 2023 at 11:58 AM
Vincenzo
The Devil Judge
Money Flower
My Name
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15 Snow Flower
March 16, 2023 at 12:09 PM
The one and only Money Flower!
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16 technicat
March 16, 2023 at 1:04 PM
Nice Guy
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17 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
March 16, 2023 at 4:50 PM
Avenger's Social Club, teaching us the best revenge dramas are not actually about revenge at all.
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hacja
March 17, 2023 at 3:05 PM
I have to say that this one was the only truly satisfying "revenge" drama I have seen in that the revengers actually became better people by the end, and really improved their situation in life rather than just getting vengeance.
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18 Isa is always time travelling
March 16, 2023 at 4:52 PM
I don't like revenge dramas, so I try to avoid them. If some drama gets a lot of attention and good reviews, like The Glory (which I have not watched yet), I'll make an effort.
The dramas I have watched that include a revenge plot (or subplot) are:
- Vincenzo.
- King of Baking.
- It's ok to not be ok.
- Pinocchio.
- The Nokdu Flower (my favorite among these).
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Snow Flower
March 16, 2023 at 5:01 PM
Nokdu Flower is a masterpiece!
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Isa is always time travelling
March 16, 2023 at 5:22 PM
It's so good! Everything is almost perfect: acting, script, music, cinematography, setting and atmosphere... However, the director was not able to make me shed a tear, and that's my only regret (but it's not the series fault).
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Snow Flower
March 16, 2023 at 8:46 PM
I got teary-eyed every time I heard "Seya, Seyaaaaaaaa!"
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Isa is always time travelling
March 16, 2023 at 11:50 PM
I never skipped that intro :)
Midnight
March 17, 2023 at 12:06 AM
I don't know about you, but for me it was because the tragedy was too deep, too real. I felt my heart and guts twisted into a thousand knots. I was past shedding tears.
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Isa is always time travelling
March 17, 2023 at 1:03 AM
It was a tragedy filmed in a very realistic and raw style. Maybe it never intended to make the audience cry.
Midnight
March 17, 2023 at 12:04 AM
Nokdu Flower is one of the very rare shows that I count as absolute masterpieces, but can never rewatch. It was too much tragedy to go through twice.
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wonhwa
March 17, 2023 at 5:53 AM
Yes, Nokdu Flower is excellent across the board, but I don't think I could go through that twice (and I got the sense from reading up on the real history that they actually toned down the brutality for the show).
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kiara
March 17, 2023 at 3:41 AM
I love Jung Hyun-min. He is my favorite sageuk writer.
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19 korfan
March 17, 2023 at 1:12 AM
Punch.
From beginning to end, there's just never a dull moment in this one.
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Midnight
March 17, 2023 at 1:20 AM
Seconding this! Love Punch! It has a very untraditional setup which is quite intriguing.
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kiara
March 17, 2023 at 4:25 AM
Oh, "Punch" is one of my favorites from 2014.
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20 redfox
March 17, 2023 at 4:55 AM
there was a revenge drama of our own at work when someone ate another persons´ lent bun and they got even by sprinkling hot chilli in their salad... the tears!!!
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21 TAS-Mania
March 17, 2023 at 9:32 AM
Some Oldies:
Secret with Ji Sung
The Innocent Man with Song Joong Ki
City Hunter with Lee Min Ho
I Hear Your Voice with Lee Jung Suk
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22 klmeri
March 18, 2023 at 8:04 AM
Do I have to pick one? I can name my top 3 as I can't pick between them for a favorite. I love them all!!!
The Devil, Secret,Graceful Family.
I guess my favorite theme in revenge is when the person who wants revenge realizes either it has gone too far/they have lost themselves and/or the person they want revenge against is somehow redeemable (or innocent!). This to me is the best flavor of revenge drama. Bring it on!
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23 ar_arguably romantic
March 18, 2023 at 9:32 AM
Lots of great titles mentioned here!
The Promise with Lee Yuri. One of those 100 episode makjangs with one twin masquerading as the other dead twin to get revenge. It's a slog to get through (start at episode 42 and then just watch the Lee Yuri parts). I think some of the bad guys got off too easy, but it had some great revenge scenes because Lee Yuri is just a force of nature.
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24 Miky
March 18, 2023 at 4:29 PM
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Miky
March 18, 2023 at 4:31 PM
Way too many to stop at just one i guess(ah the bane of not having a edit button)
Vincenzo
Reborn Rich
Secret
Money Flower
The Devil Judge
City Hunter
Lookout
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25 Emperor
March 18, 2023 at 9:59 PM
Oohh this list going to be long! I love revenge dramas, in fact it is one of my favorite Kdrama genre
On the Netflix fronts: My Name, Remarriage & Desires, The Glory
Action-y: Vincenzo, Taxi Driver (1-2)
Penthouse & most of Kim Soon Ok's works
Lawless Lawyer & Military Prosecutor Doberman (both also penned by the same writer I think)
Money Flower
Need to dig into older ones ...
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