Breaking away from her usual roles, Coupang Play’s thriller-drama series paraded a new side of Bae Suzy’s acting prowess.
Anna is a story brewing deception and revenge. This series has six episodes, and in detail, Bae Suzy pretends to be someone else to escape the harsh reality of her dull and tragic life.
- Main Leads: Bae Suzy
- Supporting Casts: Jung Eun Chae | Kim Jun Han | Park Hye Young | Heo Hyung Kyu
- Overall Ratings:
- Thrill/Addictive meter:
- Rewatch Value:
- Dramas of Similar Vibes: | The One And Only | Mine | The Penthouse | Eve |
Nathan Llantos watched Anna on Coupang Play
Anna Quick Plot Recap (Finale Spoilers!)
For the last two episodes of Anna, the story continues with Yoo Mi processing the death of Hyun-Joo. She concludes that she was too strong-willed to have committed suicide. All the while, Ji-hoon had begun being aggressive toward her. He seemingly treats her like how he treats his employees. Weary of the power he might have if he becomes mayor, Yoo Mi decides she must stop him.
Subsequently, Yoo Mi went to all previous employees of Ji-hoon that were unjustly fired. There she managed to get information on him, such as tax fraud and a son from his previous marriage. She also decided that for her plan to work, she must expose herself as a fraud. Despite her best efforts, Ji-Hoon’s campaign team was ready for any issues that might arise.
Shedding Snake Skin
As news broke out, Ji-Hoon confronts Yoo Mi for trying to sabotage him, revealing that he now knew Yoo Mi’s true identity. On top of this, he had to kill Hyun-joo as she threatened his campaign. Desperate to get out of her life, Yoo Mi goes to Ji-Won for help. Knowing Yoo Mi’s real identity, Ji-Won decides to help her expose the truth about Ji-Hoon.
Moreover, as she sets up a meeting with a prosecutor, she is blocked off from their meeting. Unable to escape her life with Ji-Hoon, Yoo Mi was brought to America, where she would stay in a remote location indefinitely. Yoo Mi received a call on the plane about her mother’s passing. Now, Yoo Mi truly had nothing to lose in her life.
Escaping, At Last
On the drive to America, their car began to swerve and crashed into a steel pole. As Yoo Mi escaped the crash with only minor injuries, Ji-hoon was stuck in the car. Upon receiving news that Ji-Won couldn’t meet with the prosecutor, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
With her scarf and lighter, she set the car ablaze, leaving Ji-hoon to die. The story concludes by revealing that, after the accident, Yoo Mi began walking to cross Canada. There, she lived in a snowy secluded region in a small cottage in peace.
Anna Series Highlights
Bae Suzy’s Acting
Although the storyline is predictable and bland, Bae Suzy exhibited superb acting skills! Her acting was compelling. The way she transformed as both Yoo Mi and Anna entices viewers to connect with both characters. In fact, it felt natural to watch her deliver her emotions both as Anna and Yoo Mi.
Likewise, she is very effective in triggering the viewers. There were a lot of nerve-wracking scenes, like when she is in trouble or is about to do something illegal. During these sequences, she is very immersed in her character that viewers cannot see a hint or glimpse of her past roles in her other dramas.
She has shown maturity as an actress in this role, drifting away for a bit from her usual “Nation’s First Love” image. The way she internalized her character was so effective that viewers would feel a plethora of emotions watching her, including anger, tension, frustration, and sadness.
At the same time, viewers would still fall for her charms. Although this time, she exudes sly and appealing visuals rather than a lovely charisma.
Impeccable Production & Design
The series only had six episodes. Nevertheless, they did not underperform in the production design aspect. Just like the strength of most Korean dramas, Anna served good set designs, locations for the scenes and a stunning wardrobe for the casts.
Moreover, the settings of the sequences are befitting to the story’s premise. Additionally, the creative team did well in striking the balance when they brought Yoo Mi’s gloomy life and Anna’s grandiose lifestyle to life.
Anna Series Musings
Magnifying the Loopholes
Unfortunately, in terms of screenplay, there are a lot of concerning matters in the series. Loopholes such as faulty executions of plot twists and illogical sequences are evident. In particular, her college friend Ji-Won saw Yoo Mi’s parents before when they were still in college. However, she seemingly forgot about them and was convinced of the fake parents Yoo Mi hired for her wedding.
Not only that but there was a lot of media present during her wedding as Lee Anna. There are probably a lot of reports and articles published not long after, which is not surprising given that she married a CEO. Not to mention that they got married at the time when the value of her husband’s company skyrocketed on the stock market.
With that in mind, (given that this happened in 2015 when the internet and social media are already prevalent) it is ironic how it took so long for everyone to uncover her identity. Technically it is easy to find out that she is not affiliated with any rich family because there is no old news on television, radio, or newspaper about her existence.
On top of that, it felt as if to close the gap on the loopholes existing in the first four episodes, the last two episodes were hurriedly sandwiched with resolutions. Hence, the ending felt both anti-climactic and cliché.
Redeeming Factors
If you are a fan of series centered on revenge plots, you might surprisingly like this one. That is if you are not too critical while watching it. But suppose you are someone who scrutinizes the nitty-gritty of the storyline. In that case, you might have to focus on the cast’s splendid performances and the good cinematography of other series to appreciate it.
See where Bae Suzy’s web of lies will take her character in the thriller drama, Anna. All 6 episodes are streaming on Coupang Play.
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Photos & Videos: Coupang Play
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