Then I just played the second one, because I was curious how will this one play out.
Then I convinced myself that it’ll probably have like six episodes (somehow I forgot and didn’t check later), so oookay, I can binge watch it till evening.
... and then it was 3pm in the next day and I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest and I just need to see the first episode again, because I don’t want to leave the world and characters just yet.
A few days later I showed the drama to my mom and we ended up watching it all in just three days.
And now I enjoy my flashbacks whenever I listen to “If you were me” in instrumental version. Music in the drama is very good!
In the beginning I enjoyed the humor and really could feel the main character. I laughed at small silinesses (ultimate kabedon to name one), but I couldn’t help being dragged more and more into the characters.
I get it, it’s my flaw - I crazily enjoy urban fantasy / adventure plots with bits of romance spreader here and there, like Noragami. I just enjoy watching characters slowly getting to know and like each other better.
And that is what Hwayugi is for me. It doesn’t revolve (too much at least) around oh so complicated feelings of the main characters, and when it does, it works it naturally into the plot. I really liked the fact that I never thought “WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID, JUST TELL X TO Y AND EVERYTHING WILL BE RESOLVED” (since this trope always makes me gesticulate angrily towards the monitor). If a character was hiding something important, it was always understandable and I couldn’t just overlook their feelings or point of view.
And I think that this “groundness” of the show is what really made me watch it all in one sitting, spending friggin 25-26 hours looking at the screen. I never once felt that characters are irrational, that they are doing stuff not because this is something they believe in, but because plot needs it. I feel that their actions always had a logical explanation.
I also feel obliged to mention that I don’t cry on any dramas, animes or whatever. Even when characters face awful endings, lovers get separated and this cute character sacrifices so someone else can live (I’m not talking about any particular show, don’t worry) I watch it with poker face. I can sometimes get a bit emotional, but crying? Meh, they are actors anyway.
Not with Hwayugi, though. I was really surprised when I realized I’m crying over piece of fiction, and believe me, I cried a river there. What it worse, when I was rewatching it, I would start tearing up whenever I saw something leading to what I knew was a sad ending. Even my mom was surprised that I actually can feel so sad because of a drama.
I really loved the characters. As I mentioned twice, I could really understand their reasoning and didn’t feel like anything was “for the sake of the plot”.
Lie Seung Gi’s character was a perfect “bad boyfriend”, switching between caring for Sun Mi (main lead) and trying to kill her.
Oh Yeon So’s character, on the other side, was a perfect mix of care, independence and low(ish) self esteem. I felt like her fatal flaw was dreaming of true love, what greatly impacted her relation with Oh Gong.
I know though that my opinion is separated. This show is very similar to Goblin in many aspects and when I talked about both dramas with my friends who have seen both, everyone agreed that Goblin was better and made them feel more. In my case it is the opposite. Nevertheless, I do not know what I missed in either of these shows to have this opinion.
Anyway, if you like watching an adventurous drama that fiddles with quite a few genres, if you enjoy kind of a “push and pull” romance and you appreciate when fantasy is a bit more grounded in reality, I couldn’t recommend “A Korean Odyssey” more. Just prepare to deal with bits of cringy CGI.
I know that this show will stay with me for a while.
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This review may contain spoilers
what did we have ??
So what did we have in this fantasy drama, there was a promising fantasy plot in the first ten episodes, funny with hints of a developing romance. A promising casting of talented actors, but at the same time, as the episodes continued, there was also an expectation of the development of the characters. Jin Sun Mi, remained melancholic throughout the drama, all she seemed to care about was whether Son Oh Kong would continue to love her after he took off the bracelet.In my opinion, the drama could have been shortened, there was no justification for making 20 episodes. (It gives the impression that the writer wanted to emphasize the characters of the women, as weak women who depend on men
I agree on one thing and it is also sad, and that is that humans bring about the destruction of the world because of a desire for power and control.
**** The effects were at a very moderate level.
A drama worth watching mainly because of the casting of the actors, the potential, and the funny parts
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It is you have to fix my problems. To become friends
I love it was amazing you did so good thee acting was great i loved the story it was instring thank you for making this you are amazing❤❤❤😍❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🥰🥰🥰👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😘😘🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💔👍👍👍😍😍😍😍😍❤❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍❤❤❤❤❤😄😄😄😄😄😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😘😘😘Was this review helpful to you?
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What I liked about the drama is the initial plot, it's super interesting and there are times where you don't always know where it's going. Personally though my favourite part were the characters. Son Oh Gong is not only hilarious but he really grows throughout the show. I thought that Jin Sun Mi was such a relatable character, she's been on her own for so long (and because of that she is able to deal with most of the problems by herself) that when Son Oh Gong comes she falls for him but also she's aware that she shouldn't feel that way. Overall the characters have such a fun relationship with each other and Son Oh Gong and Jin Sun Mi have great chemistry and are a super cute couple and I could not praise the actors enough especially Lee Seung Gi for there performance. Even the sound track is amazing.
However there are a couple things that I didn't like. I did think that the drama dragged in areas and could have been finished in 18 episodes instead of 20. this in turns makes me less likely to re-watch it. it also has (potential small spoiler) an open ending which I'm not a huge fan of. But other than that I find it hard to fault.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have to say this drama was one of those dramas that have an ending that you would have to use your imagination of what happens next. I loved all the actors and the humor was entertaining. However, the ending did break my heart. I wish they could've gotten married, but I'm just gonna have to believe he gets her out of the netherworld and they have a happy ending. Korean dramas with these types of genres really like to have an ending where you would have to use your imagination. First Memories of Alhambra now this, my poor heart. Was this review helpful to you?
CAST: The cast was a plus to me because I love Lee Seung Gi ever since My girlfriend is a Gumiho and Gu Family Book and it was the first time for me to see this Oh Yeon Soo acting and she did really well and plus she's pretty too! The chemistry was great as well (you can see it in their kissing scene), also I liked the supporting characters especially Ma Wang, I think he was the one with the best character development in this show.
MUSIC: Well, I really love their songs and everytime I remember Hwayugi the songs keeps on replaying on my head over and over again, I even had all of the song on my phone! hahahha whenever I go on a trip it was one of my go to songs LOL!
REWATCH VALUE: Yeah, for me I would rewatch this just because I love the interaction of Ma Wang and Son Oh Gong!! HAHA (sometimes I even root for the BROMANCE rather than their leading ladies, HAHAHAHA - sorry I have this thing for yaoi lol even in Goblin too the bromance is strong on that one as well)
OVERALL: 9/10 - I was a bit conflicted on what overall score to give, I would have rated it higher had it had a better ending than that... it would have been lower if not for Ma Wang and Oh Gong LOL
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Proming plot, Great acting by Lee Seung-Gi with a few minor issues
This series falls into the well-known k-drama category of fantasy with elements of religious myths and tales, so if this is your thing you will probably quite enjoy the ride. Starring established actor Lee Seung Gi, it was actually the first work of his that I ever watched and his acting was a revelation for me, as well as, I feel like, one of the main selling points of the drama. The plotline starts off very promising and develops quite naturally as the episodes pass, keeping you invested and guessing 'till the very end, which is something I quite appreciate in dramas like this. The main romance doesn't feel forced and the relationships between the characters actually seem realistic, despite them actually belonging in a fantasy realm.The only problem I had, really, with this drama is the length of it. I feel like 20 episodes is a lot, considering the story felt like it was dragging a little after the first half and featured a few unnecessary parts, in my opinion. Also, I have to say that the main actress, though quite looking the part, felt a bit stiff to me, especially when unavoidably comparing her acting to Lee Seung Gi's.
Overall, I quite liked the series, the production was very well done and the plot is worth a watch, though I wouldn't include it to my list of favourites ever.
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This review may contain spoilers
What I liked:•Son oh gong (the character), I really loved his character- strong, troublemaker, "I won't fear for anyone" attitude.
And Li seung gi portrayed that character really well.
•Bromance between Son Oh Gong and Ma Wang.
What I hated:
•Jin seon mi (the character):
She had seen ghosts her entire life so, She could have learned martial arts or other supernatural things to survive from them.
She had only dialogues in the entire drama. Always calling "Son oh gong" and demad him to protect her and also feeling guilt.
Dumb, Naive, innocent. Her character doesn't really suited this drama.
Either She shouldn't had to give guemggango or she should be acted tough without feeling guilty. It's for her survival so it's not selfish.
It can be better if her character was cold, arrogant and strong enough to protect herself.
•Soo many sub-plots:
They could have focused more on real villainess and the sub-plots could have just used to fill some remaining holes.
Half a drama focused only on killing ghosts, then after some episodes, Ah Sa Nyeo and Kang dae sung were introduced.
•The Ending:
Jin Seon Mi's death was totally a suicide. She either didn't kill the black dragon or did something useful. She rushed and get killed. Her death was useless.
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Watching the drama was an enjoyable journey. The various genres mixed in the drama gave a new way of thinking about various elements. It was scary right to the point, it was sweet right to the point, fantasy on the right amount. So there is no other thing to say. Everything was pleasant.
For the casting, in the beginning, I was afraid that the woman main lead was Oh Yeon Seo, but the story and her acting made me overcome my prejudice on her from other projects and programs. For Lee Seung Gi I had no suspicion on how he would be representing and delivering the character and story to the viewers. He confirmed one more time how capable he is.
I suggest to everyone that is interested in fantasy and horror dramas without forgetting romance on the way.
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Go on and try it !
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This review may contain spoilers
All It Needed Was Better Chemistry Between the Leads
I have updated my review after watching all 20 episodes. What I found out in the last three episodes is that there is nothing wrong with the acting of the two leads: they finally showed the palpable love and romance that I was waiting for. So it must have been the direction or script that didn't allow them to go to this place sooner. This is a serious flaw in the story. Often shows have the couple achieve "love" 50-60% of the way through a show, then there is a misunderstanding which is resolved in the end and "true love" prevails. This is so that viewers are not waiting past their patience tolerance for the romance. Because this romance was strung out so long, with a very, very slow burn in the first 60% of the show, it difficult, but ultimately satisfying.==========================
I am enjoying this program. It is filled with great actors and it has a great storyline. The writers are top-notch. I see many parallels between this storyline and Alchemy of Souls, which blew most viewers away. Overall, it is entertaining and fun. As another reviewer mentioned, the costumer for the men went all out to have them looking AMAZING. The costumer for the women was asleep at the wheel. Even if the women were not as dramatic as the men, they still deserved more. After all, the female lead is rich and can wear almost anything she wants.
As so many reviewers have mentioned, the main problem with KO is that there is no spark between the leads and no emotional depth in their portrayal of their love. By the time the FL started to show a tiny bit of softness when she looked at the ML, it was so far into the show as to not matter. The FL has a tough job, to make an emotionally and socially isolated, lonely career woman come to life through love and her power over her situation. Unfortunately, I don't think she was able to meet the challenge here, for whatever reasons. I can speculate: maybe she was sick during filming; maybe she knew that there was no chemistry with the ML and gave up; maybe she didn't gel with the ML because in the first few episodes, he wasn't a jerk who can be redeemed through love, he was just a pure, remorseless bastard with no redeeming qualities. It is hard to start developing loving feelings for a man like that. Perhaps the ML is a method actor and put the FL so out of sorts that they couldn't develop the "secret spark" needed for such a romance. Who knows. It is easier to have a romance bloom when the woman is hard on the man, because men tend to like Alpha Dog women (no comments, please) versus having the man be hard on the woman. It happens, but the man has to be seen as having some charm somewhere. Unfortunately, here neither of the ML's nor FL's faces or voices came alive when they were together in most of this show. In the show "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" FL Seo Yea Ji was able to present a standoffish FL with deep emotional depths just under the surface, but here we couldn't really see it. As for the ML, he seems to act in more action comedies than romances; maybe romance just isn't his strong suit. I don't know, since I haven't seen him in anything else. Being a jerk-with-a-redeeming-side is hard to play, unless there are some scenes early on where the character can demonstrate those redeeming qualities/softness that will allow both the FL and the audience to fall for him.
It could have been the direction. When actors veer off the mark, the directors are supposed to save them and help them realize the characters appropriately. I don't see evidence that the FL and ML got that guidance. OR.... maybe this is supposed the be a reflection of the title "Korean Odyssey." Maybe the script writers are conveying that Korean couples, for most of history, have been thrown together by circumstance just to survive, and are more similar to those in arranged marriages than are couples who are truly "lovey dovey." I do see many exemplars in dramas of loving Korean couples crabbing and yelling at each other and showing no or minimal traces of warmth or affection. Maybe, this is what they were aiming for?
And, the story does let the couple down in that there is no real reason for them to fall for each other. She is falling for the first person/monster to be "nice" to her (the ML), and he is falling for her "beauty" only because he is magic-ed into it (No other positive traits are mentioned about her, so I guess that is an FL's only requirement, to be beautiful.). The script doesn't really have them working together, learning together, appreciating each other's good qualities, and so forth. Even when the ML is saving the FL, it is supposedly because he has to. Somewhere along the line we ideally see on what basis he is truly falling for her. Usually, when we have a couple who are not sure if the other loves them, we, the viewers know that they do. Here, we really don't and are left as uncomfortable as the ML and FL are; it is not the "good" edge-of-your seat feeling a viewer should have.
Even so, with the other characters bringing the "heart" (shout out to Lee Hong Ki, Lee Se Young, and Cha Seung Won) it is pretty darned good.
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