Genie, Make a Wish

Finally A Good Deity Romance; Crazy and Fun

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Uncontrollably Fond was the first K-drama I began watching (Not the first I'd completed though). I was stoked to see that Kim Woo Bin [김우빈] and Bae Suzy [배수지] would star together in another drama.

Acting/Cast: Suzy isn't the strongest actor but this role was perfect for her. She and her co-star Kim Woo Bin both did a great job. The side characters were good. I liked the casting all around. I would say that Steve Noh [스티브 노], who played the angel character, had the weakest acting (apart from very minor characters). Suzy and Kim Woo Bin had great chemistry together, as expected. 8/10

Writing: I haven't liked a deity romance since Goblin. Genie, Make A Wish really surprised me. It reminded me of Hwayugi except it was actually good—a unique female lead, well-written characters, and an engaging plot. Both this drama and Hwayugi are very chaotic dramas with random shenanigans happening throughout, but this drama managed to keep it all engaging and fun as well as maintain a solid overall plot. Regarding the romance between the leads, I do think the first kiss happened a little to soon (I prefer slow burns). Although the focus of the drama is mostly on the two leads, there are some side stories. However, they are fairly insignificant and, unfortunately, don't get much screen time. The side romances in particular seem thrown in. Also, the ending is a little strange, but it made far more sense than the ending of Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, so I can’t complain too much. 5.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The pacing is good. The SFX looks nice. I like the music—it has a fitting Arabian vibe to it. There are a couple songs on the OST that I really like. The song GAME by SOYEON and YUQI, in particular, is awesome. It reminds me of the Doona! OST (which is one of my favorites). 7.5/10

Entertainment Value: This drama was just fun. I didn't expect to like it so much. Especially with a lead being a "psychopath"—I usually don't like plots like that, but this drama does it different. I like that this drama didn't take itself too seriously, broke the 4th wall, and made callbacks to older dramas. 7.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 7/10. A score of a 6 or higher is in my ‘would recommend’ zone. This made for a brilliant Bae Suzy and Kim Woo Bin reunion drama. It was zany, unique, and entertaining. However, I wouldn't recommend this drama to those who haven't seen many K-dramas, since it does have a lot of inside jokes. If you do watch, be prepared for some grade A chaos.

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Two Wishes, One Destiny — Suzy and Woo Bin’s Magical Comeback

Okay guys, Genie, Make a Wish brings back one of my all-time favorite on-screen couples — Bae Suzy and Kim Woo Bin! If you’ve loved their chemistry here, please go watch Uncontrollably Fond too (just keep tissues nearby 😭).

Now, about this drama — I absolutely loved how they mixed Arabic culture and language with a Korean storyline. It’s such a refreshing touch because genies do come from Middle Eastern tales, and seeing that represented here was honestly so cool.

The show gives you everything — magical vibes, strong acting, heartwarming friendships, unforgettable cameos, and yes… two love stories from the same couple (you’ll get what I mean when you watch). 💫

On the flip side, I wish the ending (especially episode 12) hit a little harder — it felt slightly rushed for such a beautiful buildup. But still, if you’re a fan of supernatural dramas, magical love stories, and Bae Suzy’s charm, this one is definitely worth your time.

P.S. – I truly admire how Suzy picks her roles — she never shies away from experimenting. And if you want to see her range, check out Vagabond (for the action junkies), While You Were Sleeping (for the romantics), and Start-Up (for the dreamers).

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I don't really know how to rate this ...

Well, first of all, the reason I started this was Woo Bin and Eun Jin, also Steve Noh is a bonus but the story itself and Suzy as the FL made me a little reluctant to start it.

Be that as it may I decided to give it a go, the story is full of tangles and complications, there is a lot happening and too many characters, I don't know if I was bored and just want to end it or I was genuinely entertained and want to keep watching to the end, all I felt is "when will this end?" I wanted to reach the final closure so I kept watching.

The religious reference was the main thing that caused backlash, it's heavily influenced by the Islamic view of Shaitan but it's full of Christians hints too, so you don't even know which religion they wanted to reference which IMO is a really smart move, because it's a work of fiction not a religious adaptation of Satan's story so basically no offence done to neither religions, cause they didn't get the correct story from any of them.

The end of the story was too sugar coated, but it's a Fantasy drama after all, they wanted the illogic happy ending so be it ~~

Acting was fine, Woo Bin was fantastic and I was really happy to see him because i haven't seen him in a drama since forever, my beautiful Eun Jin was great, I think her role was smaller than I expected, I wanted to see more of her and I wish her role was bigger, it was a very insignificant till maybe the last few episodes only, I also wanted to see more interaction with Steve Noh, they literally had 2 scenes together and I loved them more than the leads. I wish to see them in another drama together again.
Suzy was ok-ish... She got better I can notice her improvement in acting but I couldn't help but compare her psychopathic character to Seo Yea-ji in It's ok to not be ok, I mean her acting and chemistry with Woo bin were ok, but I couldn't see her as a psychopath at all, she didn't convince me as a psycho, she doesn't have the look of crazy in her eyes, she just act tough and it doesn't suit her at all, I expected that tbh, and that's why I kept my expectations for her character very low, so I can't say I'm that disappointed.

I would not rewatch it again, not even for Woo Bin or Eun Jin, once was enough, and I won't recommend it because I understand the religious reference may be uncomfortable to some people, and you won't miss much it you skip it tbh ~~

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Shallow Plotline with Quick Pace

Yet another rom com plunged into a pit of downfall. Truthfully, the story of this show ain't really deep and promising from the start. But as things go on, the writer seems to do quite a good job for putting together a Genie and a psychopath. Things are looking better until the story about Khalid kicks in. This part of story is unnecessary, unimpactful and really destroys everything that have been built, especially the storyline about two previous wishes from Ka Young. Everything becomes too makjang-ish, even for a fantasy genre show. The war between Iblis and Elljael is questionable, they fought for years but somehow Iblis able to end it quite easily. The pace of the show is really quick, borderline between enjoyable and confusing. It's not easy to understand a psychopath like Ki Ka Young, but for me it's more difficult to understand how can Ka Young fall for Iblis out of nowhere though she mostly has no emotion.

The visual effect of this show gives an eyesore. It's really awful and I think for a 2025 show, they should've tried harder. On the other hand, the soundtrack is quite great.

The performance of the casts is quite alright, nothing bad but nothing too special. The chemistry between Suzy and Woo Bin is also good. In my opinion, the one who does an impressive job here is Ahn Eun Jin.

Watch this show if you're looking for a quick adventure and when you don't really need to explore some "details".

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"Arabic vibes, killer chemistry, and tears—Genie nailed it ?

It’s been a while since I truly enjoyed a K-drama, but Genie, Make a Wish pulled me right back in. After being surrounded by the usual K-culture themes for so long, this one felt refreshingly different with its unique Arabic-inspired vibes.
At first, I wasn’t too sure about the male lead — I honestly thought he wouldn’t fit the role of a genie. But wow, he completely proved me wrong. His performance was captivating, and the chemistry between him and the female lead was unexpectedly beautiful, even though her character was meant to be emotionless. Somehow, it worked perfectly.
The flashback scene absolutely wrecked me — I didn’t expect to cry that much, but I did. Both leads delivered such raw emotion that I can’t imagine anyone else doing justice to these roles. The ending tied everything together so well; it left me with that warm, satisfied feeling that only a good drama can give.
After wandering for a while without finding something binge-worthy, this drama reignited my spark for K-dramas. Truly, a refreshing and emotional watch.

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OMG SPEECHLESS

THIS IS BEST DRAMA I HAVE WATCHED SOO FAR. This was soo funny and towards the end, it was emotional. Loved the chemistry between genie (Iblis) and psychopath and their interaction- how he was afraid of her, her hittingher everytime they met, their romance, their sacrifice. The side characters like grandma (I cried for that part the way she dies), sayyid (the panther) he was so funny and was full of humour, even FL grandma younger version was so pretty and acted well.

The episode 1-9 are hilarious and full of humour. The plot was amazing and not at all boring. This was my first time I didn't skip the parts of the drama. 9-12 episodes of soo emotional and full of sacrifices. The sacrifice of grandma, sayyid and all others. I felt bad for min ju (FL BFF) she had gone through a lot and lost many people in her life- her ex lover, she fell in love with FL grandma younger version without knowing her identity and MOST IMPORTANT her every wish in end were of ka young happiness- she reunited the main lead even tho she knew she will forget everything about her. TRULY BEST FRIEND OF KA YOUNG

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Charisma, Chaos, and Kim Woo Bin Carrying the Vibes

📝 Review
(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)

I already know this opinion won’t be universal, but here it is anyway: I enjoyed this drama—even if it didn’t fully come together.

Let’s talk about Bae Suzy—because this isn’t a hate take, it’s a typecasting one. She’s excellent at what she does, but she’s often written into emotionally stunted or closed-off roles, and after a while, the pattern becomes noticeable.

That’s exactly why While You Were Sleeping worked so well for me. She wasn’t emotionally distant there—she was expressive, reactive, and fully engaged, even when the premise put her under psychological strain. It felt different. It felt alive.

In Genie, Make a Wish, though, the character leans back into familiar territory. Suzy plays it well—she always does—but at this point, I just want to see her given something that lets her stretch beyond the same emotional framework. She’s clearly capable of it.

Now—Kim Woo Bin.
Chef’s kiss. No notes.

He absolutely understood the assignment. His comedic timing, facial expressions, and overall presence injected energy into every scene he was in. The humor landed because he landed it. Also: yes, I noticed the Heirs easter egg, and yes, I appreciated it. And let’s not ignore the styling—shoulder-length hair Kim Woo Bin? Fire. Completely unfair. Moving on.

As for the story itself… it’s a bit all over the place. The premise is fun, the emotional beats are there, but the execution doesn’t always feel cohesive. Some threads could’ve been tighter, and a few ideas felt like they deserved more focus. That said, it was never boring—it just occasionally felt like it was juggling more than it could comfortably hold.

Bonus points for the soundtrack, especially the Stray Kids track, which instantly elevated the mood whenever it kicked in.

In the end, Genie, Make a Wish is imperfect but enjoyable. Strong performances (especially from Kim Woo Bin), good humor, and enough charm to carry it through its weaker moments.

💭 Final Mood
“Messy but fun, occasionally frustrating, and absolutely carried by one very charismatic genie.”

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A delightful mix of homage, humor, and love.

This drama just made me into writing my first ever review on MDL that’s how much I loved this drama. A story filled with laughter and grief for family, friendship, and love. The emotional intensity between the genie and gayoung is utterly captivating. The plot is compact and impactful. The acting is incredible, SUZY and Kim Woobin never fail to impress me and has just won my heart once again. The ending is truly the best one, one of the most beautiful and satisfying one. I have watched hundreds of dramas but had never seen an ending like this before! BRAVO! it’s truly the kdrama of the year for me!

Antisocial personality disorder, often seen as terrifying, played a key role and became a major source of angst in the drama. A psychopath, who had been ostracized wherever she went. Her ultimate wish, born from her unfulfilled humanity, is to feel humanity and her resolve to die for her beloved’s freedom. An evil genie, who never acknowledged the equal value of all lives, unilaterally regains his past memories and realized his own arrogance created the fatal cycle of his past and present lives, his pain intensified a hundredfold and finally bowing to love, trading immortality to honor his beloved as righteous, has deeply moved me.

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Don’t be fooled with the low ratings!

As someone who’s been watching K-dramas since 2010, I truly feel MDL’s ratings for this series are unjustified. The story is engaging and surprisingly thoughtful, and the pacing keeps you hooked without ever feeling dragged out. The casting is absolutely perfect, and the performances were so strong that I genuinely found myself angry at the antagonists. Suzy’s acting is truly best actress worthy (IMO). Every character feels purposeful, and the chemistry between the leads is natural and believable. It’s a solid, well-made drama that deserves more appreciation, and people should definitely give it a chance instead of relying solely on the ratings. ❤️

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FairyTale unfolding Kdrama style

I find this drama a good combination of typical Kdrama with a magical world combined with age old fairytales. We have a Genie and human being involved with wishes with you die or I die Kdrama situation. As here the mystical being is Genie it brings all the beloved things from the Aladin cartoon. The result of this combination is pure entertainment.
We have a decent magical world with satisfying main characters but the strong point is definitely the main leads played to the perfection by the respective actors. Kim woo bin is made for this role who can showcase the different emotions within a minute only with his eyes. I absolutely loved the Ginie character who is actually a devil and wants to corrupt the human beings with the wishes at the same time he is lovable and gullible himself. This Genie wants to beat one human being which is righteous in all her previous lives and he has failed to corrupt her. Enter our main lead , lump of clay , who is in her current life does not feel any feelings and has been referred to as Psychotic. Their love story unfolds with a pretty strong universe and although lots of complicated wish granting and past life baggage is unfolding the writer does seem to have a plan which unfolds in the final showdown.
Overall the strong point with this drama is comedy with stunning cinematography and this will be a good entertaining one time watch
P.S. Kim woo bin and Suzy look amazing with beautiful chemistry in every frame,whether the background is cherry blossoms, a desert, her workshop where she is actually making coffins for herself or last but not the least inside the genie's lamp

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