Genie, Make a Wish

Entertaining Mess

Having just finished the 13th episode a few minutes ago I am still reeling from how the writer decided to end this story. Realizing that the entire premise was fictional / nonsensical helps explain why the FL could come back as a genie herself...because once reality is tossed aside and pigs fly, then sure, bring her back. Anything goes. I'm reminded a bit of Hotel Del Luna, where at times it seemed that the show was merely dress-up time for IU. Oh, she's so pretty! (I happen to agree, but that's beside the point.) This Genie show might basically be a chance to watch the leads do anything because they are good looking. Go ahead build a story around them because their fans will watch it regardless of how strange the story is. The cast has plenty of experience to draw on and for the most part it was a fun watch. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hadn't already watched 50 or more Kdramas as there are plenty of better shows than this one. I would have rated it higher had the writer come up with a different ending. Amid all the commotion and deaths, rebirths, the leads' eternal bliss, I felt bad for Min-ji. Sure, they grayed her hair and gave her a nod as she stood on the sand at the end, but her best friend left her without a word and goes and dies. Her sorrow seemed to be the most deserved in the show.

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Lost magic in the final episode

"Genie, Make Your Wish" had incredible potential; suspense, beautiful storytelling, and emotional depth that kept me hooked. Up until the end, it held a magical quality that made it stand out.

Unfortunately, the final episode felt unnecessary and diminished the impact of the series. Instead of preserving mystery, it wrapped everything up too neatly, removing the emotional weight and supernatural beauty that had been built throughout the show. That choice left the ending feeling flat, rather than haunting and memorable.

Still, this kdrama remains one of the most beautiful fantasy romances I’ve watched, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys emotionally rich storytelling with a touch of mystery.

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My only wish: take me away from this messy ride.

***Full disclaimer: I will not be mentioning anything religious in my review. There's plenty of those opinions in the comments. I also did not watch this on 2x speed, nor did a skip any scenes, episodes, or fast forward***

The Goblin crew is back for what I think we all hoped would be the next big thing in fantasy storytelling, but unfortunately this wasn't the magic carpet ride we were all waiting for.

Plot/Story: We start with our FL, who everyone calls a "psychopath" because she can't decipher feelings nor feel anything herself. She takes her annual trip to Dubai to meet her birth mother and basically cut ties with her. After taking a tour of the desert she stumbles upon the magic lamp which then begins the wild ride... I think.
Without getting into the weeds, this story is divvied up into many subplots - *deep breath*
the ML and FL's main story, including their past;
the 5 (all separate stories) of people (and 1 dog) that were involved in the FL's first wish;
the story between ML and the angel of death;
the "immortal child";
and the 2FL and grandmother.
.... to name a few.
Whew, that was a lot, right? You feel it while watching this show. It's a mixture of the main story between the leads, and then all this other...stuff. It's hard to keep up, it feels disjointed, and when you take a step back and look at it all you wonder why they decided to go down the story telling path of darkness.

Main Characters: The FL's lack of emotion felt fine throughout the series until the end, when we find out what this drama could have been like had they allowed her to act with emotions and feel - when that happened I felt a heap of disappointment on what could have been. They never shied away from her relentlessness towards the ML and being mean to him all the time which took me out of the romance element by a long shot.

The ML did a decent job with his role while we learned about his past and how he was probably misunderstood. However, they gave him a role that needed to be god-like and ruthless in one scene which he played well, but then the next scene he becomes silly and over the top at times, and I mean really goofy. Was it to play off of the FL's sternness/bluntless? I honestly don't know. One minute he's murdering everyone, the next he's being goofy. It was odd.

While the main leads acting was done well, the direction was too over the top, not allowing for basically any character development. When we think the ML will go from ruthless to understanding, kind, humane - that didn't really happen. He was kind of just always that way. When we think the FL will grow to understand those around her that love her and not feel burdened, well...that doesn't really happen either. She's very one note.

Music: There was very little music played throughout the series. What I heard was fine, but forgettable. I wish they could have incorporated more to add to the emotional elements.

Visuals: I saw a lot of people saying the CGI was poor. I don't feel that way. For a Netflix kdrama the CGI was done well. It was entertaining - it didn't take me out of the experience, and the visuals were quite captivating most of the time.

Final wish: I was hoping this drama could have been more magically captivating romance by really diving into the fact that the ML thought all mortals are corrupt until he meets FL. Their past together could have been the key to them uniting without all the BS of the other characters. I wish the FL wasn't emotionless. I really felt for her in the final episodes, and when I saw that I thought they did us and her a disservice by not having that be a part of this show.

Why 7.5/10? While this show is disjointed in many aspects, it was still entertaining. It had it's really great moments that weren't always overshadowed by the bad direction. The 5 "mini" stories surrounding the 4 people and 1 dog that started out the show felt strong, and I liked where it was going, but it turned dark quickly, and it just reminded me of "the first night with the Duke" and I just got bad joojoo vibes all over again.

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One of my Favorite watch this Year!

I read quite a few negative reviews about this show on MDL, I’m here to refute the claims!

I’m still trying to figure out how this show raked up so many negative reviews on MDL, but then to each, their own. I’m not exactly a huge fan of the “Netflix” format where they drop all episodes on a single day. But I was intrigued by the concept and mostly invested in the main leads. I wanted to watch for myself what kind of chemistry they will bring to the table. And they do, Kim Woo Bin & Bae Suzy have the kind of chemistry that takes eons to establish. It might be because both are veteran actors, and they knew how well to deliver the premise. So, what happens when a socially awkward psychopath meets a quirky Genie who is also the Satan? Chaos ensues and all hell breaks loose, while these two circumnavigate their romance from Dubai to South Korea. Major portions of the show have been filmed in Dubai, so you can enjoy the risqué scenery. I was seated for this unusual love story from the first episode; mainly because the said psychopath doesn’t act like a serial killer. Instead, she spends her day toiling in her garage, trying to act as a normal person because that’s what makes her grandmother happy. Our Satanic Genie is even worse; he loathes humanity and yet keeps falling in love with the same human again & again. These two make a riveting pair and their story drives the narrative in the right direction!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/10/15/genie-make-a-wish-series-review/#more-2098

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Kim Woo Bin carries this drama & brings his A game

Kim Woo Bin has the arduous task of carrying the bulk of this drama as the plotline requires Bae Suzy to be emotionally disconnected throughout. It makes it incredibly hard to like her character & the romance between her &
Kim Woo Bin's character is problematic at best. This is a rewatchable drama that has alot of tragedy and sober plotlines that balance out the quirky amusing parts. [By the way-There is a happy ending, but it's not the kind you think you will get.]
what kept this from being a solid 10/10 is :
1) many times it seemed like a travel commercial for Dubai.
2) they muddied the story with gay characters (only)revealed later in the drama & it presented unspoken speculations that naturally come with such a reveal-such as the motivation of the steadfast loyalty of an important side character,
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Spoilers ahead
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it was also very weird that the grandmother (with no indication of having been dissatisfied in her marriage) seems to be gay once she's made young. The whole dynamic of grandmother to grandchild's best friend changing into an attraction doesn't play out well.

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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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Great Performances, Confusing Storytelling

The actors in “Genie, Make a Wish” were truly outstanding. Each performance felt sincere and full of emotion. The main story itself was also quite strong and had a lot of potential. However, the way it was told often made it hard to follow. Some scenes jumped too quickly from one event to another, and the transitions between fantasy and reality were sometimes unclear.

Even though the concept was interesting, the confusing storytelling made it difficult to stay fully engaged. With better structure and clearer direction, it could have been an amazing series instead of a slightly frustrating one.

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Best Drama Of 2025

I can't say enough good things about this drama. The ML and FL are both fantastic, as is all the actors in this drama. The humor had me LOL in each episode. It is a quirky take on The Bible story about Satan and the story of Aladdin. It is not yet revealed if the ML is truly Shaytan ((Satan) or if the guy with wings will actually be the bad guy. That is purely my thoughts and not the actual facts of this drama. The 3 immortal brothers have been revealed, but Christ, the Archangel and the Genie seem pretty evident. I think surprises will have us all go "aha"! This drama will keep your attention throughout this series. So many fun and funny exchanges between characters without being slapstick that keeps you watching. You can watch this on Netflix in English, but I prefer to hear their actual voices and read subtitles.

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"Good intentions don't always lead to good outcomes"

Genie Make a Wish was a fantastical and chaotic carpet ride that at times required a dose of Dramamine. Yet as weird and wild as it got, I wasn’t able to stop watching. Genies, angels, mythical creatures, immortals, unconventional friendships, greed, love, loss, murder, sacrifice, and forgiveness, Genie Make a Wish ran the bases and the bleachers trying to hit as many plot points as it could. (Seriously mixing my metaphors! Lol)

Ki Ka Young leads a rigidly scheduled life with rules largely set down by her grandmother. Her mother abandoned her because she was “difficult.” “Difficult” in this sense was having “anti-social personality disorder.” Ki’s life is boring to her but she maintains it to keep her grandmother happy. On a trip to Dubai, she visits the desert on a tour and literally stumbles across a lamp. A genie appears saying he will grant her three wishes. Unimpressed she leaves the genie with his mouth agape and his hair flowing about. Ki finds it’s not so easy to be rid of a magical being intent on not only granting her wishes but killing her as well. What the genie doesn’t know is that their connection is deeper than he realizes and other forces are at work against him.

What worked for me:

I loved the female relationships. Though Ki wasn’t able to feel the same way, her bestie-Min Ji, and her grandmother were devoted to her even when she could be trying. She was also devoted to them, her love strong enough as she would say to kill for them. There were villagers ready to accuse her of every crime committed in the area and yet others ready and willing to come to her aid when needed.

Characters were complex, comprising the best and worst of human nature. Some leaning in one direction more than the other. The question was also asked, “Is evil innate or a choice?”

Iblis and Ejlael were not confined to their job descriptions. Iblis, much like the original accuser/adversary from my book was capable of more than just corrupting people. Ejlael had spent too much time on Earth accumulating wealth after having discovered the hell of poverty. Both would learn that winning was not the point and both were in need of redemption.

For a television drama, the CGI and cinematography were unexpectedly good. The night tour of Dubai was especially beautiful.

Writer Kim Eun Sook dropped Easter eggs from her other dramas such as Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, and The Heirs.

I enjoyed the adversarial relationship between Iblis and Ki. It had a slightly different flavor than many Kdrama romances. Sade, the mythical beast was a nice touch as well.

Daniel Henney and Kim Ji Hoon’s microplot was strange and sadly heartwarming.

I enjoyed the comedy and actually laughed out loud several times.

What was more problematic:

I was uncomfortable with Ki’s abuse of Iblis. Had the roles been reversed it would not have been filmed. At the same time my first thought was that there was a lot of feminine repressed rage at the male dominated society being given a safe space to spew out. Kdramas do like their barely in check “psychopaths”.

The story was uneven and as could be as chaotic as Iblis with numerous micro black holes where plot elements disappeared. The whole choice about the grandmother was not well thought out for someone who was supposed to be smart.

This was one of those dramas where the essential story wrapped too early and the last episode dragged on too long.

To sum up:
Humans are unpredictable when offered anything they want, with the exception of raising the dead or going to the future, of course. There are those who make wise choices and those who choose selfishly. Wishes like choices often come with a price and unexpected consequences. Love can involve both growth and sacrifice, joy and heartache. GMaW was addictive and I devoured it easily, though like a third wish I may forget it soon after.

16 November 2025

Trigger warning: A few decapitations

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It's still a good time - Farrr from perfect

I liked the drama. It wasn't 100% in everything but what worked really well for me was the acting. Suzy and Woo Bin had a really good chemistry, I liked their banter. It worked for the drama.
The essence of the drama is good, it's similar to the other dramas the writer has done. It kept reminding me of Goblin, in terms of the mystic aspects and the lore and the way the storyline unfolded.
I understand why a lot of people might not like it. The storyline is quite clunky with the 5 different people's wishes and the implications of them. I understand what they were trying to do but it didn't really work well. It felt like it was very separate from the overall drama.
There were too many characters, too many things happening at the same time. And the writer always does this where the plot is so convoluted, there's too many things going on. First he hates her, then he lost 20 years and in those years he loved her but she died because of so many stupid reasons. I just felt like it didn't need to be so complicated.
Also, the way they fell for each other was also fast for me but whatever.
The big reason why I think a lot of people might not like it is the 'culture appropriation' of it and the whole Satan of it all. To be honest, I don't know if it is the right way of thinking about it but this drama was sponsored by Dubai/Emirates. It's so obvious in the drama so with the way the country is, I don't think they would allow something that put their culture/religion in a bad light. That's why I cannot really think about it.
There are a lot of subtle messages happening in the drama anyways and you can chose to focus on it or just focus on enjoying the drama and moving on.
That ending was actually just poor. It's like they gave up at the end and just said 'let's make it a happy ending'. The reasons for it working out just didn't work for me. Her becoming a genie and then the wishes her friend made - what just confused me.
But ultimately what I really liked about the drama was it gave me that drama feeling. I didn't really know what would happen next, it was intriguing and exciting. It made me laugh and believe in love again. The chemistry honestly saved it, if it was any other main characters, it would not have worked.
What really made the romance work for me was their chemistry. It had that playful banter dynamic I love. Even though he’s a genie with all this power, someone who could technically kill anyone without effort. He’s completely “scared” of her in the funniest way. She 'beats' him up, and instead of defending himself, he just lets her. He looks at her with so much love in his eyes, always protecting and saving her. But she also protects him in her own way. Even with her anti-social personality, you can see how much she feels for him. Together, it gave the drama those sweet, cute romance vibes that kept me hooked.

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