I discovered this web drama because of Sehun (EXO) and was then pleasantly surprised to find it also included Ahn Bo Hyun (My name) and Jo Byeong Gyu (The Uncanny Counter).
Truthfully, I had zero expectations and was prepared for some toe curling acting, especially after reading the 1 star review left by another user. Nevertheless, I committed to give it at least ten minutes before making my mind up. I only needed five before I was sucked into the story.
Yes, the series is low budget, but it's a web drama, so it's not going to be on a par with slicker productions with bigger budgets. After that initial first ten minutes, the cheaper nature of the series was completely forgotten.
The story is not original. Bullies take over a couple of schools, terrorise the students, use violence indiscriminately and the leaders are all typically one dimensional bad guys. The protagonist (Sehun) along with a small group of good guys decide to take on the bullies in the name of justice and to get revenge following a tragic event. If you like David vs Goliath type stories, then you'll probably enjoy this since the good guys are very much outnumbered. In fact, I've never seen so many bullies in one series before. It's all quite unrealistic, especially some of the fight scenes were one good guy seems to beat a battalion of bad guys - but this web drama is based on a popular webtoon and webtoons are not renown for their realism, right?
The fight scenes are overlong and I did press the FF button a couple of times, but that was mostly because I was so engaged in the story that I wanted to see what happened next and the fight scenes were getting in the way. The story is simple and doesn't require a lot of thought, but therein lies its charm - there is no moral ambiguity to trouble the viewer. The bad guys are clearly bad, the good guys are more complex, but clearly good - it's not difficult to know who to root for.
One of the really surprising features of this series is how well it is acted by the leads (Sehun, Ahn Bo Hyun, Jo Byeong Gyu). Sehun in particular says little, but seems to convey much with his eyes. He plays the role of the cool tough guy, so he holds in his emotions most of the time, but it's a credit to him that he seems to convey this inner restraint with minimal expressions. Ahn Bo Hyun is very convincing as the muscly wrestler who is strong and tough, but shy around girls. I can't deny that I found his wrestling scenes very enjoyable! And Jo Byeong Guy draws attention every time he's on screen as the kick-ass fighter with a strong moral compass. He has a compelling presence (and reminded me of Do Kyung Soo). Mention should also be made to one of the bad guys: Lee Je Yeon. He is mesmerising when he's being evil. He comes across as dangerous and psychotic. He too has a presence that draws the eyes to him whenever he's on screen - I look forward to seeing more of his work.
Ultimately, I judge a series by whether it keeps me hooked or whether I struggle to keep watching it (or give up). I watched all four episodes in two days and wished there had been more. For sure there are better series out there, with greater production values - but some of these "better" series have bored me rigid and I've given up half way. Since a series must first and foremost be engaging, I'd say Dokgo Rewind gets full marks for keeping me engaged to the end.
If you don't know anything about the original webtoon "Dokgo", then be prepared for an unexpected ending. I'm still thinking about that even now several days later.
I'm glad that I ignored the way too harsh and simplistic 1 star review posted for this series back in March 2022. I urge potential viewers to make up their own minds about this series and give it a chance.
