Genie, Make a Wish

Korean Genies from the Middle East Makes for a Strange Fantasy Drama

Seeing as you have Korean genies and angels whose origins are in the Middle East one has to come into this not taking it too seriously. It works to start when Genie is spending most of his time trying to corrupt sociopath Ka-young and wrecking havoc by granting wishes that will inevitably go off the rails for the wisher. However, the story did eventually turn serious. Getting lost in the lies and sins of Genie’s spiritual brothers and sisters, past lives, karma and the obligatory character seeking power. Of course, the love story is thrown into the mix too. At this point, the story just wasn’t all that interesting anymore. So, I ended up dropping it.

I know the series could not go on forever with the Genie granting wishes and causing chaos, but I wish it could’ve kept that premise. The show did have a couple of nice surprises with Song Hye Ko, who looked stunning as a genie, and Kim Ji Hoon, making cameo appearances.

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The Worst Drama Ever – Even a Great Cast Couldn’t Save It

Genie: Make a Wish had all the ingredients for success: a talented cast, fantasy elements, and a romantic premise that could have been engaging. Yet somehow, it managed to fail on almost every level. The drama’s biggest problem isn’t the acting — the cast did their best — it’s the concept itself. It trivializes sacred Islamic beliefs, turning jinn and Iblis into playful, romanticized characters. These are serious theological entities, not props for love stories or whimsical plots, and the carelessness of the writing makes the story feel disrespectful rather than imaginative.

Even with strong performances, the narrative feels hollow. Romantic arcs clash awkwardly with supernatural elements, creating a tone that is confusing, insensitive, and ultimately frustrating. What makes it worse is seeing people rate this drama 10s and 9s, praising it as if everything is fine. The problem isn’t just the drama — it’s that standards and taste have sunk so low that careless, disrespectful storytelling is being celebrated. Talent can’t save a story that is built on a foundation of ignorance and insensitivity.

Conclusion:
Genie: Make a Wish proves that even a skilled cast cannot save a story that disregards its subject matter. A good cast can perform, but writing and concept define whether a drama resonates or offends — and here, it missed the mark entirely, despite what inflated ratings might suggest.

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The K-Drama that dragged me out of my K-Drama slump

My Rating: 9

Ep 1: interesting…
Ep 2 - 4: pfft HAHAHAHA 😂
Ep 5: I fainted 😂😅

What I liked about GMAW:
- Psychopath FL 😎
- OST sung by stray kids😆
- The chemistry arghhh my heart 🤣
- New concept!
- CGI (Compared to other fantasy K-Dramas)


The Dislikes:
- Story/Character setting kinda weird? (A Korean genie? Why?)
- Ibilis seems to be scared of everything and is too oblivious…

Reason for 9/10: the chemistry was so great, and it’s my first kdrama of 2025 as there weren’t any fun ones that caught my attention.

(To be edited for more review)

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Because of a few negative reviews I came across, I was about to drop the drama—but I’m glad I didn’t, because I actually had fun. Sure, there were moments that needed a bit more polishing, but overall, it was an entertaining ride.

The moment I found out that Bae Suzy and Kim Woo Bin were teaming up for another drama, I couldn’t wait to watch it. Especially after the emotional trauma they caused me with their first project, *Uncontrollably Fond*, which didn’t exactly end on a happy note. This new one felt like a breath of fresh air.

There’s nothing much to say about the acting—it was solid. But the plot...? Well... I had mixed feelings. Compared to most K-dramas I’ve seen, it was original—strange, chaotic, but still enjoyable.

Ki Ga-yeong doesn’t show empathy and is often described as a sociopath. That’s exactly what sets her apart from the typical damsel in distress waiting for a prince on a white horse. In fact, she’d probably beat up the prince just for fun. 😂

Iblis—better known as the genie in the bottle—might be all-powerful, but he’s also hilariously ridiculous at times. And that’s mostly because he met his match in Ki Ga-yeong. Instead of running the show, he ended up like Wi-Fi with a mind of its own—always present, but never working the way you expect.

The dynamic between them had a great mix of comedy and drama. A genie who expects to manipulate wishes, only to find out his new master doesn’t play by the rules.

Ki Ga-yeong’s grandmother and best friend accepted everything way too calmly. Anyone else would’ve freaked out, but their shock lasted about three seconds. As if meeting a genie and all the other weird stuff happening around it was just another ordinary day.

I didn’t really get the role of the boy (Khalid). Sorry, but I couldn’t take him seriously as a villain—he was in a child’s body. And aside from wanting to possess Iblis, his motives were kind of vague. Maybe the point was that he wasn’t supposed to be a real villain? I don’t know.

The final episode felt rushed. Things escalated way too quickly. Some events definitely needed more development, and because of that, I just can’t give it a full 5 stars.

The drama isn’t perfect—it has its quirks, rough edges, and characters who sometimes act in ways that make no sense. But despite all that, it manages to be fun, different, and even touching at times. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for something offbeat and slightly chaotic, it might surprise you in a good way. And if you’re looking for deep meaning... you might want to look elsewhere.

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“‘Genie, Make a Wish" — drive-thru inside, Michelin outside.

These days, Korean shows feel like abstract art — you experience them, but don’t always know why. I’ve learned to just watch for what they are, without overthinking. The old “it” factor in them that kept people talking for years seems gone; now it’s more like, “Let’s watch this today, maybe something else tomorrow.” I approached "Genie, Make a Wish" with that same mindset. The show is “okay” — nothing extraordinary, but it doesn’t leave a bad taste either.

For me, the writing was poor — especially since it came from a renowned writer. The quality felt below average, and the unnecessary fillers kept breaking the flow to the point I ended up skipping parts. The dialogues were either childish or way too dramatic. Personally, I take dialogues very seriously, and here, that was a major letdown. Another thing that threw me off was the weird jumps between scenes and some really questionable camera angles. The CGI and VFX were just okay (that last fight scene was decent), but the sets… some of them looked so cheap and out of place, like school projects done by elementary kids. I kept wondering where all that funding from the Dubai government and advertisers went.

As for acting:
Kim Woo Bin was a joy to watch. The last time I saw him on screen was in Twenty (2015).I hadn’t kept track of him after that — so seeing him healthy and acting again felt genuinely hearty and a little emotional🥹. I honestly forgot to judge his acting properly, but I believe he did well for his role.

Now to Suzy, did she convince me that her character had that disorder? Not really. Did she make the watching experience bad?- Not at all. She did fine — and *extra* fine with her fashion. In her case her fashion stole the show, atleast for me.

As for the chemistry, personally, I didn’t feel any spark between the leads. Also, her beating him felt very off to me. (violence should never be appreciated, whether as part of comedy or in terms of gender dynamics)

Noh Sang Hyuk was another pleasant surprise. I was skeptical since he’s mostly done serious roles, but he handled comedy really well.

And Ahn Eun Jin — she didn’t have much to do here, yet she owned every scene she got. That’s the mark of a truly skilled actor: they don’t need 13 hours of screen time to make an impact 👍 (a skill some seem to miss even with longer careers and endless lead roles)

Honorable mention: the kids in this drama were such gems — absolute naturals! 😍

Now, a lot of people seem upset about the religious aspect in this drama. I have no knowledge in that area, so I won’t comment on it. What "did" bothered me though was how they portrayed “ASPD.” The creators completely conflated antisocial personality disorder with psychopathy, as if they were the same thing. How could anyone think that’s accurate? Did they even bother to research this? These are two entirely different conditions. Yet, as usual, K-drama writers didn’t care — they turned an ASPD character into an outright psychopathic caricature. It was careless, misleading, and frankly, shameless.

Overall, "Genie, Make a Wish" isn’t a must-watch. If you just need something to pass time, it’s a decent pick. This review is just one viewer’s perspective — a small glimpse of what you might expect. At the end of the day, it’s one's call whether to watch it or not.

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Great Cast, Promising Premise, Disappointing Delivery

I really wanted this drama to be good. The premise has potential, the cast lineup is strong, and I went in genuinely excited to see where the story would go. But honestly… it’s sad to say this one’s a flop.

Five episodes in, and I still couldn’t tell what direction the story was heading. The pacing drags on and on without any real emotional or narrative depth to keep you hooked. It’s like the plot is wandering aimlessly, leaving the viewers wondering “okay, where is this going?” And four/five episodes didn’t provide solid and interesting answers.

The “I should keep watching this show” factor is what I’ll say is missing.

Also, some of the scenes felt very low-grade, especially the VFX. Instead of adding magic or charm, they made the whole production feel cheap. And that’s the most disappointing part: there are great actors here, people you’d expect to shine in a fantasy drama…but the writing and execution just didn’t give them the material they deserved.

The story has so much potential, but the execution completely missed the mark. Sadly, I have to drop it.

Oh, but one thing I did like about the show is the child Ka-Young, she’s a good actress. And I like the grandmother-granddaughter relationship too.

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Not bad for one time watch but not good as well

The start of the show was really good. At first I didn’t like it but after few episodes it actually became interesting
Unfortunately what I didn’t like about the show was how they ended up the story
The show start with a funny, romance story. Goes into some mystery and more romance scenes. But right before the end they add some drama, and finish it with happy ending. To me it feels like they wanted to force that drama and happy ending together at a same time which I really didn’t like
The show is fun to watch but also super forgettable. Didn’t found anything in the show worth remembering or rewatching
P.S: I enjoyed my time watching the show but didn’t like that last 3 episodes. They could finish it better

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A drama with an identity crisis

Finished this tonight and it was definitely one of the weirdest dramas I have ever watched! It was not terrible. There were some scenes and episodes that were fine and actually the side characters literally saved this show (old and young grandma, and the bestie Minji). There was also some hugeeeee character development towards the end. Especially Suzy crying in the dessert was pretty sad and showed topnotch acting. As well as the genie from the past when he was holding her dead body. Also very heartbreaking. The very end was a bit strange tho. Also the unnecessary violence felt a bit off and added to the identity crisis this drama had been having since the beginning: is it Fantasy? Comedy? Drama? Romance? Action? Historical? Crime thriller? It was trying to be all of that at once!!! It was too much!

Some messages of the drama were really nice tho: being greedy is sth that will come and bite you back, being helpful and kind but not to put other before yourself was kind of the message to live by that this drama was trying to convey.
I liked the different themes of mental illness and lgbtq+ visibility. It was very refreshing and sth that is rarely shown openly in KDrama like this.

For me the drama was a bit of a rollercoaster.
The first episode was quite messy. I didn’t know what to think of the main leads at the beginning. Genie’s hair freaked me out a bit as well 😅 Also, the grandma slicing up Ka-young’s hand to teach her a lesson was a bit too much imo. Luckily their relationship has improved over the years and Ka-young has grown into a good person.
After the first episode it gradually got better. Some things that happened on the way towards the end were a bit too much like the unnecessary use of violence and gory got me questioning whether that was needed for the style and genre this drama was going for 🤔
The old guy reflected in the mirror in khalid’s body also creeped me out a lot!!! Again, what is this drama trying to be???

One of the highlights was Song Hye Kyo as Jinniya 😍😍😍How frigging gorgeous can someone be??? She is my absolute favorite actress!!!

All in all I can recommend this drama only if you dont mind messy concepts and are in for sth on the lighter side that is easy to watch.

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