Hierarchy plunges into the dazzling yet dangerous world of Jooshin Academy, where the elite rule through wealth, legacy, and carefully maintained façades. In this review, we explore how the series balances its high-gloss aesthetic with themes of class divide, revenge, and social power—while questioning whether its storytelling ever truly rises above the surface.
Review
Hierarchy unfolds within the opulent walls of Jooshin Academy, an elite South Korean high school where power, privilege, and family name dictate the social order. When scholarship student Kang Ha arrives, he disrupts the school’s carefully preserved hierarchy, setting off a series of events marked by revenge, scandal, and secrets buried under a veneer of perfection.
At its core, the series tackles familiar territory—wealthy students behaving badly under the guise of “Noblesse Oblige.” Visually, it’s a spectacle: supercars in school parking lots, couture-clad students, and Olympic-level fencing teams form a striking backdrop. However, the glittering aesthetic often overshadows narrative depth. The initial mystery—the suspicious death of Kang Ha’s twin brother—promises an emotionally charged revenge arc, but this intrigue quickly dilutes into romantic subplots and standard teen drama tropes.
Lee Chae-min portrays Kang Ha with conviction, yet the character remains underwritten. His motivations, beyond vague allusions to justice, lack the complexity expected of a lead in a revenge thriller. The same can be said of the school’s elite clique—Jung Jae-i (Roh Jeong-eui), Kim Ri-an (Kim Jae-won), and others—who are styled for impact but emotionally one-dimensional. Attempts to explore their inner conflicts, especially regarding family expectations and hidden traumas, are introduced but never fully developed.
Narratively, Hierarchy suffers from uneven pacing and over-reliance on clichés. The series introduces compelling elements—teacher-student relationships, secret pregnancies, and the toxic weight of reputation—but often fails to push these themes beyond surface-level drama. The nonlinear structure and suspense-driven editing are initially effective but lose momentum as the plot veers into melodrama. Even the climax, which resolves the central mystery, leaves the school’s inequitable power dynamics intact—offering no real subversion of its initial themes.
Where the series excels is in production value and cast chemistry. The cinematography is sleek and purposeful, capturing the lavishness of the Jooshin world while underscoring its inherent artificiality. The interactions between Lee Chae-min and Roh Jeong-eui add a spark of emotional authenticity that helps keep viewers invested, even when the story falters.
Critical reception has been mixed. While some viewers enjoy the series for its high-stakes glamor and visual flair, many have pointed out its lack of emotional and thematic substance. Descriptions such as “style over substance” and “a frustrating waste of potential” reflect broader concerns about the series’ missed opportunities to engage in deeper social commentary.
Hierarchy is an aesthetically rich teen drama that begins with ambition but ultimately delivers a familiar, formulaic story. It may satisfy fans of visually driven, high-school intrigue, but those seeking meaningful character development or a layered critique of class and privilege will find it wanting.
Information
Hierarchy (Korean title: 하이라키) is a South Korean teen drama-mystery series directed by Bae Hyun-jin and written by Chu Hye-mi, based on themes of elite privilege and corruption at Jooshin High School. It premiered globally on Netflix on June 7, 2024, spanning one season of 7 episodes, each around 58–75 minutes. The series stars Roh Jeong-eui, Lee Chae-min, Kim Jae-won, Ji Hye-won, and Lee Won-jung
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