Do You Believe in Magic?
What could be better than to have this mere question capturing the essence of this series? Sound of Magic, starring the all rounder Ji Changwook is one amazing masterpiece with a pinch of twists but tons of pixie dusts, that's fantasy. If you're a fantasy lover, this drama calls your name. The Sound of Magic plays with this idea constantly, combining elements of The Miracle on 34th Street, Goblin and Extracurricular, blending them together into a beautifully surreal and incredibly thought provoking series. What begins as a fantastic journey into the world of magic soon takes a dark turn as we’re left to question exactly what we’ve seen >•<I’m being careful not to go into spoilers here but suffice to say, The Sound of Magic is a magical series; a wonderful, hedonistic ride boasting strong themes at the heart of this one that gives it a good amount of depth.
Magic tricks aside, The Sound of Magic also has a smattering of dream sequences, interesting choreography and some breath-taking shots of Korea too.
The Sound of Magic won’t be for everyone but the series does a fantastic job fleshing out all of its characters, delivering a simple but effective story and layering all of that with thought provoking and relevant themes about society and our place in the world. The rest is upon your verdict! I could go hours for how perfect this show was and how massive potentials it holds for season2!
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This review may contain spoilers
Annarasumanara: Do you believe in magic? ✨
🎩 Review: The Sound of Magic (Annarasumanara)My Rating: 10/10 (A Masterpiece of the Soul)
The Heart of the Story
The Sound of Magic is a breathtaking musical drama that asks one central question: "Do you believe in magic?" But the magic it speaks of isn’t just about disappearing acts—it’s about the magic of believing in oneself in a world that demands we grow up too fast. It follows a girl forced into adulthood by poverty, a boy suffocating under his parents' expectations, and a mysterious magician living in an abandoned theme park who refuses to become the "villainous" adult society expects him to be.
The Emotional Core: A Rebellion Against the "Adult" Algorithm
The most profound message of this drama is its critique of the "Asphalt Road"—the rigid, grey path of fame, jobs, and parental expectations.
The Magician (Ri-eul): He is a "pure soul" who was treated as a mental patient simply because he didn't fit into the society's box. My heart broke for him; he became the person for these kids that he needed ten years ago—someone to hear his "shouts for help."
The Girl (Ah-yi): A girl who grew up before her age, taking care of her sister while waiting for parents who never showed up. She had stopped believing in magic because her reality was too cold.
The Boy (Il-deung): A victim of the "standard." His mother’s comment—that she wished he had passed out so he could retake an exam—was absolutely heart-wrenching. It showed how some parents value results over the very existence of their children.
What Stood Out
Symbolism: The butterfly and the necklace were beautiful markers of when "real" magic happens—which I believe only activates when Ri-eul helps someone truly smile.
The Bond: I loved that the bond between the magician and Ah-yi stayed pure. It wasn't a "rom-com"; it was a guardian-and-protégé relationship. They recognized each other’s sadness, and that was enough.
The Music: As my first musical drama, the OST is hauntingly beautiful. “Magic in You” and “A Curse of Asphalt” perfectly capture the darkness under the light.
The Lingering Questions (The Bittersweet Ending)
While the ending gave me goosebumps, it left me with a heavy heart. I am disappointed by the lack of closure regarding the magician's family—why were they never there for him, even at the hospital?
The ending is a "disappearing act" in itself. We see letters being sent, but we don't know if they are being read. We see the boy choosing his own path, but we worry about how he survives his strict environment. It’s an ending that forces us to believe in the magic of their survival, even if we don't see it.
Final Verdict
This is a story for anyone who feels like they are running a race they didn't sign up for. It teaches us that "thinking out of the box" is normal and that there is no standard for being us.
Favorite Quote: "You should do whatever it is you want to do just as much as the things you don't want to do."
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The moral of story is what makes this worthwhile
This is not the best but it's not the worst either. The production/story reminded me a bit of Willy Wonka. The acting was satisfactory but I was not blown away. But of course JCW's visuals did blow me away haha. What really stuck to me was the message it imparted. I think it is important to realize that following one's heart matters, even if that makes u different from everyone else. We don't have to conform to society's standard of what is acceptable and respectable. We should allow ourselves to be who and what we want to be, regardless of what anyone thinks.Was this review helpful to you?
Two things...
kept this drama from being 10 stars.One, I was disappointed with the ending. I know that it mostly faithfully follows the webtoon (and I think it's a great thing when TV or film adaptations do this), but I also found the ending of the webtoon a wee bit disappointing. I don't like that the magician disappears. Symbolism, and all that, but still, as a voracious eater of media, I like my endings satisfying. It's the same reason I don't watch dramas where my favorite characters die. It's just not my thing, and it's a very personal feeling.
Two, there were just a few small things that didn't add up. Who were the kids that were beating up Il Deung toward the end? He just all of a sudden started getting bullied when it had been happening to Ah Yi all show long? And then we never saw them again. This is just lazy writing, when characters appear out of nowhere to fill in the plot with no foreshadowing. And the way the murder was solved also just came off a little toooooo convenient for me. But that sometimes happen when you are literally writing with magic in your story.
Overall though, there was a lot I loved in The Sound of Magic. The length was exceptional. Often I feel dramas are too draggy with a lot of filler, and it causes me to drop them. Sidenote: I drop a lot of dramas. With the sound of magic, 6 episodes kept the plot moving at a quick pace, and it didn't feel like anything was rushed. The acting was impressive, with Ji Chang Wook blowing me away as always. The other two main actors were talented as well, and I am fast becoming a fan of Hwang In Youp.
Music and singing were blow me away fantastic, yet not inaccessible. I like that I could sing any of the songs if I wanted to because singers weren't trying to reach the highest notes or singing with too much vibrato. I've always been a fan of Wookie's voice, and I loved him here.
Special effects were well done as well. I loved the butterfly symbolism.
Spoiler Alert:
I didn't love the way Bella was treated by the writers. It's not that she died that I have a problem with (though I do feel it was entirely unnecessary and cheap), it's that Ri Eul specifically asked Ah Yi to take care of Bella while he was away, and then we never saw her again until she had passed. There was no scene of them caring for her, and I found it strange, but I know that in Korea, domesticated animals are not revered as much ad they are where I am from, so maybe that was it.
I do feel this drama is worth watching, but maybe my expectations were a little too high. It's definitely short enough to give it a watch and see how you feel.
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Magical Kdrama
Sound of magic was an fantsay genre and it was my first Korean fantasy with magic. Brillisnt acting, beautiful songs and the setting was gorgeous. one flaw wsd the profanities in the final episode. Had it been without it, it could have been an all age entertainment. Ji Chan Wook stoke the spotlight.Was this review helpful to you?
Definitely worth the watch!!
I went into watching this drama with the thought that it wouldn't have much substance and it would be a quick watch without much thought put into it, seeing as its only 6 episodes. Boy was I wrong! The casting was perfect for this drama! Ji Chang Wook did such an amazing job and I really enjoyed watching him act with Hwang In Yeop. This drama was surprisingly impactful for only having 6 episodes that are only an hour long. It had the perfect background music to make sad parts truly sad and the actors did such a good job portraying their feelings and thoughts with their facial expressions! This drama made me actually feel for the characters. And clearly some of the actors did a fantastic job because they made me so angry!The only thing I didn't LOVE about this drama was the music. I really liked the songs (although by the end it felt like they were just reusing songs) and the singing was lovely and I liked to hear it all but the songs just felt so out of place! It was a good musical though. Maybe the songs just felt so out of place because I was expecting just a normal k-drama but then it turned out to be a musical. Other than the songs feeling completely random and as if they weren't really a part of the drama they were really good. I had no idea that Ji Chang Wook could sing! Overall this drama was amazing and definitely worth the watch! It may only be 6 episodes, but they are jam packed with substance that you wouldn't normally get with such a short drama! Don't miss this one!
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This review may contain spoilers
Lovely Watch!
I really enjoyed this mini-series. It was 6 episodes and it was long enough for me. I know there are some negative comments about unanswered questions and so on...but I don't feel the same way. everything wrapped up nicely to me with just enough mystery left. I don't care to know where the musician is and I know that the magic isn't real, and I also get where the story was going. I loved that he swooped in and save these two teens from their miserable lives, by helping them to change their mindset. I'm a big believer and doing things that make you happy and enjoying the happy moments even while you struggle. life is too short to just follow the routines and as cliche as it sounds 'life is what you make it'.The show does give that broadway feel to it which Wookie nailed, ofcourse. It did add a heartwarming feel to what started out as a very depressing drama. I am not sure that there is proper character development or that the writer showed the changes in the ML properly. Yes, it showed him dropping out of school and so on, but the main people were his parents.
All in all, I really enjoyed it! Do I need to rewatch? Probably not.
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journey of healing in a musical
I think this is the only kdrama of its kind that’s set in musical standard. It was such a refreshing watch because I LOVE musicals.To think JCW can still get better. The haircut in this was just on another scale of handsomeness, and his singing was so captivating.
The story is a good story. It’s not great, but the music really made it stand out. Personally, I’m not a fan of Hwang In-Yeop’s character. He did grow throughout this story, but I feel like he was useless to the plot. His plot line was kind of weird too because I wanna know what happened to him… If he wasn’t in it, the story would’ve been find.
I know it’s not a romance but there was definitely some chemistry between JCW and the main girl. Sorry, Hwang In Yeop, you had no chance. Zero sparks there.
Main girl had a wonderful voice. Angelic I might say.
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Great cast and...
First of all, I want to point out that the cast was great. Really perfect. This is a musical drama, so it should contain good music that fits the theme. And it had it all.Magic in this drama symbolizes joy, even the small one. When we are children, we have something we dream about, but over time we stop thinking about it and we often become ordinary adults who adapt to the expectations of society and are afraid to be original. We forget about these seemingly small things that give us joy.
But each of us needs some magic in life, which will make us feel better at least for a moment. So let's keep at least a little of this childish joy in us to the end. Even if the public finds us weird, it's worth it.
This drama is really good and it covers an important topic.
I have to subtract one point, however, because especially in the first episodes the relationship between the magician and the high school student was shown in a strange way at times. And I didn't like it. Fortunately, this was changed later. But don't get me wrong, there was no romantic relationship between an adult and a student.
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It was clearly a ten for me
I had my preservations, when I first started watching it, especially when the first song hit off. I said to myself, 'nahhh', there was no way I was going to watch a musical, so I dropped it mid half the 1st episode for about two months, I think. And then, its' time was up! I tried to rewatch it (in the meanwhile I'd forgotten all about it) and it swept me away! I was even wondering, why on earth had I dropped it then, but there's a saying 'everything has its' proper time' and I guess that series was made for that saying.It was one of these musicals that give meaning to the songs and the songs did indeed came on the right time with the right follow up. The lyrics were on the spot, the actors were amazing as they interprete the songs with their facial expressions and emotions; and that's something one does not easily find in musicals. I applaud for the hard work of everyone.
The ML, Ji Chang Wook, I'd seen in other series and I was pleasantly surprised with his singing and dancing talent. The same goes for the FL, Choi Sung Yun.
I was afraid I was going to be disappointed as the end approached, but thank goodness, no. It was delivered with a rational explanation that did not destroy the whole essence of the story, so congrats to everybody that helped in making 'The sound of magic'.
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Absolutely amazing
i LOVED this so much, i watched it in one go as it only has 6 episodes, it felt like a whole fever dream. I laughed, cried, hated and loved throughout this show. Even if you dont normally watch this type of genre i definitely suggest you watch this as it was just amazing. Its definitely a gem and the concept was SO unique, definitely stands out from other kdramas.And yes it is a musical but i honestly just skipped the parts where they started to sing and i still loved it so it doesn't really matter if you watch the singing parts or not.
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Wow ok! But what?
Overall, I liked this drama! I'm not usually one for musicals, so i expected to get a little impatient with the volume of characters bursting out into song. But the enchanting visual effects and character's plot lines had me captivated and kept me watching.Visually the show is vibrant and stunning to watch. Full of creative magic and good old fashioned dance numbers. The magical, child-like element to this show creates an interesting contrast with its darker tones and the mystery that shrouds the magician. And of course, its all wrapped into a classic high school setting (love, love, love).
We follow the two main characters, Ah-Yi, and Il-Deung (both very appropriately named), as they navigate their own issues of growing up and the pressures put on them by adults. We are meant to pity both of them and cheer them on as they go against societal restrictions and the ones fighting to keep it in place. Despite the repercussions, we as the audience, constantly wish for each of their respected successes.
The only downfall of this drama, in my opinion, was in the writing the last 3rd of the episodes. Suddenly, an intriguing introduction is met with vague plot devices and relies on the audience to guess it's direction. As the story kept going, I found it hard to concentrate on the beautiful effects and cinematography while I had so many questions about the plot. It was distracting to say the least.
Buuuuuuut...
I think this is definitely worth a rewatch! Not only after getting enough context for those last episodes by the first watch, but also simply because of the music. I definitely will be adding them to my Spotify for the best sing-along rewatch in the next little while.
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