Mask Girl Review: This Korean dark comedy thriller series, directed by Kim Young-hoon, is based on the webcomic Mask Girl by Mae Mi and stars Go Hyun-jung, Ahn Jae-hong, Yeom Hye-ran, Nana, Lee Han-byul, Yum Hye-ran and others. The series (마스크걸) has 7 episodes, each with a runtime of around 60 minutes.
Mask Girl Plot
Kim Mo-mi doesn’t have an easy life; her dream of being loved and adored by the masses went nowhere thanks to her subpar looks not meeting the standard which she has taken with her all her life. However, to make up for the lost adoration, she works at a regular 9 to 5 by day and is Mask Girl by night, doing racy live streams secretly in order to live her fantasy life. However, an unfortunate night of debauchery ends in her life changing forever.
Mask Girl Review
Mask Girl, clearly, is about deeper issues that normal human beings go through when they are pushed down for long enough to find themselves lost under the rubble. The series, going on an insanely wild ride from its first episode, will leave you rather heartbroken for every character that you see. They are broken individuals who just want to be seen and heard, but the world is a cruel place and isn’t forgiving of our flaws as human beings.
I wouldn’t say pitiful is the word, but it really does make you feel some sort of way. You feel relatable to them. These imperfect, broken individuals, with their inner turmoil and deep-seated issues, are a good watch, especially if you are also someone who has problems expressing themselves. That being said, the series rightfully also points out that even the “good-looking” humans out there have their own issues that they need to work through, and things aren’t always as good as they seem.
The series also tells us how things can get extremely dangerous for people with low self-esteem. Mo-mi only wants to be accepted for who she is, and for the first few episodes, you are pulled towards her as she craves attention from literally everyone. It’s a very common scenario if you’ve ever been through anything remotely similar, and it’s also a sad existence for anyone to suffer through. Mo-mi’s self-esteem is a constant theme in the series, and it’s made really well, so much so that it distorts her as a person to an extreme degree.
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Anyway, Mask Girl takes a dark turn after a while and through the shocking lack of self-respect from all parties involved, the thriller uses its dark comedy to its advantage really well. It’s entertaining as heck, and you can’t help but chuckle uncomfortably as the most insane things take place on-screen. The series is extremely well-done, and the way the episodes are made makes you more confused and invested the deeper you go into this thriller.
I must say that sometimes you can lose interest in certain scenes, and some episodes seem less important than others. I am not going to spoil anything, of course, but there are moments in which you’d feel why you are following someone’s story so deeply at important and thrilling moments. Of course, none of the characters are without purpose, and everyone takes the story forward in one way or another – it helps the story in a unique way as you come in and out of Mo-mi’s life and try to figure out her whereabouts along with the side characters.
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The parts of Mo-mi’s life that are showcased by Nana are the most interesting. The singer-actress-model is delightful as Kim Mo-mi and is menacing to look at. She’s mesmerisingly scary when she wants to be and has a screen presence like no other. The prison sequences were the most entertaining, as it’s both funny and horrifying.
Mask Girl gets a bit slow-paced after the initial few episodes, wherein you are asked to wait to get to the actual action in lieu of getting to know all the other players in the game. It’s fine for the most part and gives us a rundown of how one incident can have a ripple effect on everyone in our lives. But that being said, these slow-paced moments really tested my patience sometimes, and you would be skipping forward in some episodes. However, these moments help to flesh out all the characters, and while it doesn’t have your heart go vroom, it does help out during the later part of the series.
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Thus, Mask Girl definitely can get on your nerves a bit. The start is brilliant, and although the latter half of the show is a bit different than what we started with, it’s entertaining. There still are things that happen that are sort of far-fetched, but it covers those parts well enough for you not to be too bothered by them. The best part about the show, however, is the wonderful social commentaries that it brings forth, with the social interpretations of beauty and how it can change a person being the biggest. And although you aren’t supposed to feel sympathetic towards anyone here, you do end up feeling some sort of way towards Mo-mi by the end.
Mask Girl Review: Final Thoughts
In the end, Mask Girl is a frustrating watch – the animosity and the betrayals will keep you wanting more, but the series, although paced extremely well, is sluggish sometimes. However, what this thriller series gets completely right is its discussions surrounding beauty standards, the importance of self-worth and how it’s probably for the best not to have all of our dreams answered. The series features some captivating performances, and although it’s not as dark as I would’ve preferred towards the end, it holds on to the insanity that it starts with fairly well, just in a very different way than you’d imagine.
Mask Girl isn’t like anything I have watched in a while, and its confusing storytelling works to its benefit. Although none of the people stick around for long enough, they create a really wonderful and magnetic impact that will stay with you long after the series is over. And yes, I do wish that we focused just a bit more on episodes 1-2 Mo-mi for a bit longer, but then again, we see what happens when you get what you want!
Mask Girl, thus, is a series that will stay with you. Its fantastic performances, beautiful cinematography, heavy social commentary and insane plot are a sure-fire recipe for entertainment.
Mask Girl is streaming on Netflix.