Bloodhounds is an action-packed Korean Series. Set during the COVID-19 pandemic period in South Korea, this has money-lenders and their money-lending world as the backdrop.
Not only in South Korea but in many countries around the world, this informal money-lending business is growing from strength to strength. Notably, many of these notorious money-lenders use all kinds of illegal means to mint money. Thus, this morality fable weaves an interesting tale around the prevalent socio-economic situation in South Korea.
Synopsis (summary) of this 2023 Heroic Action Packed Korean-Drama
Two young boxers Kim Geon-woo (played by Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (played by Lee Sang-yi) band together with a benevolent moneylender Choi Tae-ho (played by Heo Joon-ho) to take down a ruthless loan shark Kim Myeong-gil (played by Park Sung-woong) who preys on the financially desperate, during the coronavirus pandemic period.
Spoilers Free review of the Bloodhounds (S1/2023) Series
Some greedy businesses made money during pandemic
When the majority of commoners were going through tough times worldwide during the Coronavirus pandemic, some selfish rich money-lending folks were acting greedy. Furthermore, they were taking undue advantage of the precarious financial positions of the small business owners. At that time, they were charging exorbitant rates of interest on the private loans being extended to them. This was a grim and harsh reality of that time. And those were desperate times for the financially weaker people, around the world.
Story of this K-drama
Kim Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) – the two young guys decide to join hands and fight against the criminal mastermind and villain Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong), as this evil loan shark threatens not only their lives but also those of their loved ones. In their endeavour, both brave heroes are supported by another generous businessman Choi Tae-ho (Heo Joon-ho) and his small team.
In the brutal battles between the protagonist Kim Geon-woo and the antagonist Kim Myeong-gil, some of the family members and friends end up paying a very steep price – their reputations, businesses, lives, etc.
Very well-choreographed action scenes
We enjoyed these adrenaline-pumping fight scenes in this Korean series. This K-drama show has some stylish shot sequences displaying the imaginative fighting styles of two young boxers, who are more often than not involved in duels against more than ten people. Sometimes these two boxers are joined by their friends and associates in a fight against the goons of the antagonist Kim Myeong-gil.
There are lots of fistfights and physical clashes in it, and sometimes, its immersive experience makes you cringe and duck.
Has a good ensemble cast and the conclusion
The ensemble cast of this show – Woo Do-hwan (Kim Geon-woo), Lee Sang-yi (Hong Woo-jin), Kim Sae-Ron (Cha Hyeon-Ju), Park Sung-Woong (Kim Myeong-Gil), Heo Joon-Ho (Choi Tae-Ho), Lee Hae-young (Hwang Yang-Jung), Yoon Yoo-Sun (Yoon So-Yeon), etc. have done a good job in bringing alive an engaging story set during the pandemic time.
In India, we celebrate festivals to commemorate those events when the Good people win against the Bad people, overcoming all sorts of obstacles in the pursuit of fairness and justice. This Korean series celebrates the success of good over evil. To conclude, this thrilling show is a perfect K-drama to watch on any given holiday.
Rating of this 2023 Heroic Action Packed Korean-Drama
| FM’s rating | 4.00/5 |
Key details of this 2023 Heroic Action Packed Korean-Drama
| Genre | Drama, Action, Mystery, Thriller |
| Original language | Korean {The series title 사냥개들 (sanyang-gaedeul) means Hounds} |
| Age-restrictions | UA (16+) |
| Released | June, 2023 |
| Season & Episodes | Season (1) One Episodes (8) Eight |
| Creator | Jason Kim (aka Joo-hwan Kim) |
| Cast | Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Kim Sae-ron, Park Sung-woong, Heo Joon-ho, Lee Hae-young, Yoon Yoo-sun, etc. |
| Taglines | Their Biggest Fight is Not in The Ring |
| Network | Netflix |
Spoilers Alert – bonus info. about this 2023 Heroic Action Packed K-drama
Let’s peek into the eight episodes of this K-drama series
1st Episode
After a thrilling boxing match, boxer Kim Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan – left one in the featured image) befriends another boxer Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi – right one in the featured image). Ambitious and cruel loan shark Kim Myeong-gil’s (Park Sung-woong) business ambitions come into focus, with dangerous tactics at play.
2nd Episode
Kim Gun-woo meets with Choi Tae-ho (Heo Joon-ho) to remedy his mother’s debt. Kim Myeong-gil endures a humiliating meeting with Hong Min-beom (Choi Si Won) and grows revengeful.
3rd Episode
Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin figure out how to take down the loan scam ring. Kim Myeong-gil gains the upper hand on Hong Min-Beom in a lucrative business deal.
4th Episode
(Action scene YT link – Can two boxers take down an underpass full of thugs?)
After the group faces a close call, President Choi Tae-ho plans his operation. But as their plans fall into place, the enemies stand in their way.
5th Episode
After narrowly escaping a threat, the group trains for what’s coming — and President Choi Tae-ho and his men look to extract valuable information.
6th Episode
The group celebrates as they get ready for their next move. More exposed than ever before, Kim Myeong-gil goes after President Choi Tae-ho and his guards.
7th Episode
After an unthinkable setback, Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin resolve to come back with a vengeance — later partnering with an unlikely figure.
8th Episode
Galvanized by their duty to their loved ones, Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin tread forward to take down Myeong-gil — once and for all.
Why does Bloodhounds’ title suit this action-filled K-Drama?
If we look back in history, then we find that bloodhound dogs were in America. In those times, these Bloodhounds, along with other scenthounds, were sometimes used to trail escaped slaves. These dogs continue to be used to trail humans. Well, the name bloodhound comes from “blooded hound,” about the pure blood in a particular dog breed.
Now, in the context of Korea, the bloodhounds are specialist people (specifically the trained fighters), who are engaged by their paying clients to search for someone (like loan sharks) who runs away after ruining the lives of people. These bloodhounds not only hunt but also kill. This Bloodhounds title exactly describes Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin, the two friends who take down a ruthless loan shark Kim Myeong-gil in the end.
The ending of the series – Bloodhounds season one is explained briefly.
In the last two episodes of this series, the stories of the characters seemed rushed, especially, the tale of Cha Hyeon-ju (played by Kim Sae-Ron) in this series, so we decided to look for the reasons.
And this is what we found out, the unfortunate set of events.
Now getting back to the ending of the Bloodhounds series.
The good guys – Kim Gun-woo and Hong Woo-jin win at the end. They not only help to destroy the financial empire of the bad guy Kim Myeong-gil but also take him down personally.
Then in the closing scenes, we see the family reunions. Finally, Kim Gun-woo manages to reunite with his mother. Kidnapped Oh In-mook is also rescued in time, to be reunited with his granddaughter. It has a happy ending for the good people. However, for the bad people, the ending is an unhappy one, as they either end up dead or in prison.
A peaceful and satisfactory ending for the people who fought so hard to get justice against the bunch of crooks, and somehow, they won and prevailed in the end. This is karma, perhaps. Thankfully, there are no cliffhangers at the end. So, the viewers get closure in the end. On the other hand, it indicates that there may not be a second season, anytime soon. Even Netflix has not announced the second season of the same, so far.
Poster of this 2023 Heroic Action Packed Korean-Drama
Bonus info. about the controversy involving actress Kim Sae Ron
Kim Sae Ron (could) would not be completely edited out of the (Bloodhounds) show because her character, Cha Hyun Joo, was essential to the narrative, and filming was complete. Therefore, the staff had to rewrite the whole script.
Actress Kim Sae Ron’s DUI Made The Cast Of Netflix’s “Bloodhounds” Suffer | Koreaboo
Trailer of this 2023 Heroic Action Packed Korean-Drama
If you like watching K-drama action series like Bloodhounds, then go ahead and check out Kill Boksoon movie, too.
Featured & Other Images courtesy of Bloodhound (S1) show | Netflix.