Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    HITMAN World of Assassination - Signature Edition

    ‘HITMAN World Of Assassination’ Struggles On Switch 2

    06/16/2025
    One Piece But Why Tho 5

    Fathers of ‘One Piece’: Powerful Bonds, Legacy, and Found Family

    06/13/2025
    Elena Street Fighter 6 But Why Tho

    Elena Brings Style And Versatility To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    06/06/2025
    Lune and Sciel from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    Lune, Sciel, And The Romance Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Fails To Realize

    06/05/2025
    Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro

    Everything To Know About Eve Macarro In ‘Ballerina’

    06/05/2025
  • Star Wars
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Connect’ is Genre-Blending Perfection

REVIEW: ‘Connect’ is Genre-Blending Perfection

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez12/08/20225 Mins Read
Connect - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Connect - But Why Tho

Hulu has been expanding its library of South Korean content this year, and now, it’s bringing a Studio Dragon production with teeth to the United States. Takashi Miike is a genre genius. His ability to capture body horror, hyperviolence, action, and thrillers is unmatched, as is the sheer number of films he’s directed and written. Now, with Connect, a South Korean series from Studio Dragon, viewers get lowered into a thrilling body horror story about an immortal and his eye. The six-episode series stars Jung Hae-in, Ko Gyung-Pyo, and Kim Hyejun and is also written by Masaru Nakamura, Heo-dam and is adapted based on the webcomic of the same name by Shin Dae-Sung.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Connect would make Cronenberg proud with its exploration of bodies, autonomy, and the pleasure and capitalism involved in it all. The series follows Ha Dong-Soo (Jung Hae-In), a new immortal mankind called ‘Connect,’ who is kidnapped by a gang of organ harvesters determined to take his eyes. After suddenly waking on an operating table following the surgery, Dongsoo can escape without one eye and later discovers that he can still see out of his missing eye, which is now being used by a serial killer, Oh Jin-Seob (Ko Gyung-Pyo),  who has been terrorizing the residents of Seoul. Determined to get back what was taken, Dongsoo pursues the serial killer, taking whatever steps necessary to make himself whole again and maybe stop a killer in the process.

Actor Ko’s work as Oh Jin-Seob is phenomenal. He’s polite, sexy, and a competent employee at work, but underneath it all, he has a bodily obsession that manifests in his killings. An artist, Jin-Seob, is actually a cold-blooded serial killer whose particular sense of superiority feeds his need to make art and to do it by controlling the human body. The easiest way for me to recommend Connect is to like its brutal murders to those depicted in Hannibal. 

They’re violent but methodical. They’re horrific but also portrayed as art by the killer, as statues are frozen in time. It’s a terrifying balance of grotesque and beautiful, and Miike and his team know this. Each murder scene is shot as an art exhibit, the camera panning up across the body and moving across the entire scene. It’s consistently unsettling and, when paired with the body horror as Dong-Soo’s body is cut, ripped, and torn apart, is perfect. The clean, artistic killing of Jin-Seob against how Dong-soo’s body is maimed repeatedly creates a tension that builds moment after moment.

Connect’s focus on a body that will continually heal itself and mend its broken parts allows Miike’s excessively gory style to shine brightly. Cut off an arm, and the blood pours as veins like tentacles reach to reconnect the severed limb. It’s all a lot, and visually, most of the effects are spot on, but even when they waver in their fidelity, they’re over the top in a way that fits everything that we know Miike for. In fact, given the series’ takes on body horror and violence, Miike is the only director I could see tackling this webcomic adaptation. In fact, while the story isn’t entirely faithful to every event in the webcomic, the visuals don’t hold back. Additionally, the way the series uses the same horror visuals from a romantic angle in the penultimate episode showcases the depth of what sci-fi body horror can create.

That said, a series is only as good as its characters, and the constant push and pull between Jin-Seob and Dong-Soo is excellent. Dong-Soo holds no power in life, consistently on the bottom rung of the societal ladder and abused for it. Jin-Seob, on the other hand, has it all, a job, a girl, and a fancy house to show his wealth. He has power, and his serial murders are an extension of maintaining it. When Dong-Soo crashes Jin-Seob’s world, the tension is thick. For Jin-Seob, it’s a violation of the power that he’s carefully crafted. Someone can look into his life, see his evil, and he can not look back the other way. For Dong-Soo, he has to witness the violence and ultimately be powerless to stop it. It’s a dance between who has power and who doesn’t, with a tempo that ebbs and flows as the story develops.

Actor Jung has always brought emotion and vulnerability to roles as a romantic lead. Here, he explores personal grief and pain in a way that stretches his already dynamic acting range. As Dong-Soo, he’s a fantastic leading man. He carries loneliness and fear that transforms throughout the series as he grows close to another connect and tries to stop Jin-Seob.

Connect is a sci-fi horror crime thriller that succeeds in every way. A genre-blending series that only Takashi Miike could bring to life, it should top your list of television this year, and at only six episodes, there is no excuse not to hit play.

Connect is streaming now exclusively on Hulu. 

Connect
  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

TL;DR

Connect is a sci-fi horror crime thriller that succeeds in every way. A genre-blending series that only Takashi Miike could bring to life, it should top your list of television this year, and at only six episodes, there is no excuse to not hit play.

  • Watch Now with Our Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleAnime Awards Reveal 2023 Categories Celebrating Excellence in Anime
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Daredevil,’ Issue #6
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Eric McCormack in Hell Motel
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Hell Motel’ Takes A Stab At True Crime

06/17/2025
The Survivors promotional image from Netflix
7.5

REVIEW: ‘The Survivors’ Tackles Crime Fiction With Empathy

06/15/2025
Mercy For None But Why Tho 11 1
10.0

REVIEW: ‘Mercy For None’ Ups The Action Ante For Netflix

06/15/2025
Rebecca Romijn as Una, Melanie Scrofano as Batel, Anson Mount as Capt. Pike and Christina Chong as Laían in Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 3
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Balances Horror, Heart, And Trek Legacy

06/14/2025
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night with the Duke Episodes 1-2
8.5

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 1-2

06/12/2025
FUBAR Season 2 promo image from Netflix
8.5

REVIEW: ‘FUBAR’ Season 2 Is Still Hilarious

06/12/2025
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night with the Duke Episodes 1-2
8.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 1-2

By Sarah Musnicky06/12/2025

The bar is set pretty high with The First Night With The Duke Episodes 1-2. While exposition-heavy, it is a delightfully silly watch.

Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered promotional art from Bandai Namco
6.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered’

By Matthew Glenn06/14/2025

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered is runs on nostalgia and great Gundam piloting, but there is more left to be desired.

Y'shtola in the FFXIV Commander Deck - Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy Interviews

Magic Designer Explains The Challenge Of Picking A Face For The FFXIV Commander Deck

By Kate Sánchez06/11/2025Updated:06/11/2025

FFXIV Commander Deck pulls highlights core characters and mechanics, with Y’shtola as its Commander. But building the deck, wasn’t easy.

Eric McCormack in Hell Motel
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Hell Motel’ Takes A Stab At True Crime

By Sarah Musnicky06/17/2025Updated:06/17/2025

Hell Motel blurs genres with this murder mystery, true crime slasherfest. While it’s not the team’s best work, it’s still fun.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here