Kdrama Review: Celebrity (2023)

Celebrity is one of the newest kdrama released for 2023 and one of the top series on Netflix Philippines today. I was intrigued because it has not been a week since it was released but it easily become a hit. It is a South Korean thriller series that tackles one big issue in our society nowadays, especially in the digital world and social media.

Title: Celebrity

Genre: Thriller

Country of origin: South Korea

Original language: Korean

No. of seasons: 1

No. of episodes: 12

Original network: Netflix

Original release: June 30, 2023

** SPOILERS AHEAD **

* Trigger warning: It tackles bullying and death *

SYNOPSIS

Celebrity shows the life of an influencer or e-celebrity like how they make money and how their society works with their ranking and followers. They make people think that they have it all and also make them believe what they post online. 

CASTS

This is another kdrama series that has the perfect casting. At first, it doesn't sink in me because most of the casts are new to me while the ones I am familiar with have a different vibe here. 

Park Gyu-Young as Seo A-Ri

Seo A-Ri is the protagonist in the story. She was an ordinary woman who was dragged into the world of influencers or e-celebrities when she met Oh Min-Hye, her high school bestfriend, who is now a famous influencer. 

I can't imagine another actress portraying Seo A-Ri better than Park Gyu-Young. This just means she portrayed it really well. This s is just my opinion though. The kdrama started with her looking ordinary and not bothered by the people around her. Then as the story progresses, her character changed dramatically and she's really good at it. She's versatile, sophisticated, and beautiful! She nailed her role as an e-celebrity being a protagonist with a revenge role. She has a different vibe when dressed for revenge. I love it! 

I'm not sure if it's just me but I also want to mention that she resembles her mother Lee Hyeon-Ok (Nam Gi-Ae) on the livestream. If you're a fan of kdramas, you'll know Nam Gi-Ae as an antagonist and you'll understand what I mean. She's like the younger version of her. 

Jun Hyo-Seong as Oh Min-Hye

I also appreciate Jun Hyo-Seong as Oh Min-Hye. She did well getting on my nerves and she's effective as a villain in this story. Haha! I'm not kidding tho! I can see she's versatile too.

Kang Min-Hyuk as Han Jun-Kyung

Since this is a thriller, I didn't think Seo A-ri will have a love life in the story or I thought the love interest won't push through. I thought Han Jun-Kyung and Seo A-ri are just using each other for work and fame. Also, Jun-Kyung is Yoon Si-Hyeon's ex-boyfriend. But there's something about them! I really hope they are really in love with each other. They have potential! 

Park Gyu-Young and Kang Min-Hyuk's chemistry was on a different level though! I'm glad they had intimate scenes that prove this. 

Lee Chung-Ah as Yoon Si-Hyeon

I didn't expect Seo A-ri and Yoon Si-Hyeon's friendship at the end of the series. I had my doubts about Si-Hyeon because she's Jun-Kyung's ex-girlfriend and she got the old money vibe. You will really question her intention and personality because of her husband too. But she got the innocent look you know. She got the vibe of Shim Su-ryeon (Lee Ji-ah) of Penthouse. 

The other cast also did a great job portraying their roles. I think it just fits them perfectly. Most of the casts are just new in the industry and I hope everyone will be given more projects as this is a breakthrough success. 

REVIEW

To be honest, the title was simple and not that catchy to me. I only read reviews online and got curious that's why I watched it. But as soon as I started it, I was hooked. The intro itself is catchy especially the "Come catch me" whisper making you curious about what's gonna happen.

As I've been saying, the casts are just perfect for their roles and portrayed their characters really well. The cameos of Seol In-A, Jung Eugene, Yuqi, and Lee Joon-Ho made a great impact too. 

The story was well written. As a blogger who's gone a few times to events and met fellow bloggers and influences, I can say the story is somehow relatable. Not to this extent though. But the social ranking based on your followers is true and how it defines their status and earnings. People will be good to you and praise you when you are famous. On the other hand, as you get more followers, there will always be people who will try to bring you down. There will always be haters and people who think it is okay to comment even if it's negative.

Not everything you see online is true. A lot of people do fake it. Haha! But nowadays, people like it realistic and authentic. The game actually has changed. Thankfully. 

The dark scenes make it a thriller series. I always hate the part where the rich gets away with their crimes because we all know they will bury it until they die. It's a good thing the truth prevailed.

I thought Yoon Si-Hyeon, Jin Tae-Jeon, and Oh Min-Hye are the antagonists here. It's actually bbbfamous. Aside from making them angry at each other, she's a total psycho! Sad reality, there are people who will go to that extent just to take someone down. 

The ending was unpredictable! This makes the whole series really good! I never guessed who bbbfamous was. The ending was a smart move from Seo A-Ri. I didn't see any loopholes in the story, or maybe because I am too invested in it? Haha. 

The ending might be open-ended with Jun Ho being on the last part. There might be a possibility of Season 2 which I am looking forward if ever. 

CELEBRITY KDRAMA SERIES IS A HIT!! 

You can watch it on Netflix and it is now the second top series here in the Philippines! 

Disclaimer: Credits to the owners of the photos. They are not mine. Thank you!