If I can say something bad about it, I'd have gone for a shorter version. 20 episodes are too many, since part of the story (expecially from episode 14) was just fillers.
I'd rather watch 10 very good episodes than 20 just for the sake of carrying it on.
The ending it's not that bad, but it's way too predictable: if you're not into open endings, just forget about this drama.
Onto the good stuff:
- Lee Seung Gi is just gold in this series, I cannot think of anybody else for the role of Son Oh Gong. Same goes for Cha Seung Won (Ma Wang) and Sung Hyuk (General Frost).
- Soundtrack is Bomb: "Let me out" is a hit, was stucked in my head for weeks, as well as "If You Were Me" and "When I Saw You".
- I loved the fact that supernatural elements, history and human nature are intertwined in the love story: it makes it really special.
- I don't particularly like Oh Yeon Seo, but i loved the first 5 episodes because of the tension between the two leads.
- Lee El (Secretary Ma) is one of the most underrated character, imho, but I loved her a lot.
I don't think I'd rewatch this, cause it's too painful now (i didn't enjoy the ending) and also because of the dragged out part (13-17), but It was definitely worth my time.
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When a story lacks direction, it’s sure to suffer. What did this drama want to be? An idol drama with tons of romance? A monster-of-the-week romp, or an urban fantasy with cataclysmic consequences? The tone is erratic, especially in the beginning, whiplashing viewers between horror and comedy without prelude. In addition to the copious filler, the plot was pulled in so many directions that very little progress was actually made. Not even the romance between the leads received the attention it required to blossom satisfyingly—it just happens, for no rhyme or reason, and we’re expected to invest in it immediately. Overall, the story promises apocalyptic stakes yet delivers something haphazard and episodic, peppered with hollow romantic scenes (the exemplar of which is an early out-of-character, cat-themed aegyo from the female protagonist).
One of the main issues can be found in the massive cast, populated by multiple big names and actors of varying talent and skill. Despite a valiant effort by Lee Seung Gi as Son Oh Gong, the secondary cast steals the show. Lee Hong Ki (PK) and Lee Se Young (Bu Ja) are a delight in spite of frustrating plot developments, easily drawing focus away from the main storyline. The same goes for Lee El as the dog-demon assistant Ma Ji Yeong, Kim Sung Oh as hapless secretary Lee Han Joo, and Sang Hyuk as General Frost and his warm-hearted sister, with whom he shares a body. Cha Seung Won, however, is completely wasted in his role as Ma Wang, the demon king. The character gives him no room to stretch his dramatic legs, instead relying on the zany comedy he so excels at—but this gets old fast, and it’s frustrating to see him spin his wheels with such a flat character. This leads us to the weakest of the bunch—Oh Yeon Seo’s performance as Jin Sun Mi is uninspired, and I couldn’t tell you if her expression changed even once. Her scenes with Lee Seung Gi are sometimes almost uncomfortable to watch, given how dynamic he is in comparison.
That said, the OST is consistently good. Standouts include the absolute bop “Let Me Out” by NU’EST, the tender ballad “When I Saw You” by Bumkey, and the cheerful “I Will Be By Your Side” by MeloMance.
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Story: The story is actually not as bad as some people say. I loved the story premise, it's different from what you usually get from Korean dramas. It has a lot of backstory but they managed to give it to you bit by bit and not make you bored or hate the overall story. Sure, sometimes the script wasn't the best but the story premise is great!
Acting/Cast/Characters: The acting was definitely great from all the actors and actresses. The chemistry between MaWang and Son Oh Gong, the "bromance", is really enjoyable and brings like 50% of the comedy in the show. Cha Seung Won shined in this drama with the many characteristics MaWang showed and I think it's a great comeback drama for Lee SeungGi. So big compliments to all the main and the supporting actors for showing us so many sides to their characters.
So now to the bad part: The chemistry between LSG and Oh Yeon Seo was well...not good...kinda cold and if this was a normal rom-com I would never have watched 20 episodes with them, definitely not. That's not the fault of OYS though, it was just that her character was really crappy...I mean there has to be a limit to how naive, self-centered and gullible a person can be?! Jin Seon Mi -the character- is the only reason I'm taking some points off here.
Music: The music fit the drama well and I looked up almost all of the songs.
Rewatch: Some scenes definitely but probably not the whole drama...
Overall: Overall this drama had like one main character, Lee Seung Gi and all the others were supporting characters. The drama has a great premise but while it starts off kind of unusual for a Kdrama it turns around at like halftime and goes right into dramaland, which makes it a little bit more boring in the end but bearable. The acting was amazing, character design awesome (except for one) and another thing: it's oh so detailed. I loved it and I would warmly recommend it but let me tell you, if you don't like it after 5-6 episodes drop it. Before that you won't get the right feeling for it and after that you're either into it or you're not.
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I even like it better than other famous top everyone likes dramas like Goblin, for instance.
I see here the right amount of comedy, romance, and a good plot to back it up.
Some shows I watch give relationships the main spot of the history, and something happening around, but with the main focus in the relations itself, usually romances. Those are romance focused, and others have a more twisted complicated histories, main focused, so the romances and relations get a little bit grayed out by it.
I can say, most of the dramas are that way. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. But not this one. This drama had the right amount of everything entangled, a good twisting plot behind a beautiful romance, with the right amount of cliches(not too much, but enough to warm our hearts xD), in a so subtle way, we don't even notice it.
No, no second lead syndrome crap bad written romances have. (I'm second a lead syndrome hater hahaha )
Just pure love, with hints of fantasy, tragedy and comedy . An Odyssey after all.
Soundtrack(i'm getting ready to download it), the cast, the chemistry the leads had, the leads itself, I liked everything about it.
Some reviews I've read said that at some point the history got dragging, like they were filling it, like they were delaying it so they could make it longer. At some point, if I recall I can say that happened, but it wasn't like I wanted to skip it, so I could know what really happens (like I do in crappish dramas, I just go on skipping so I don't lose my time ove it hahaha). It was fun! That's why I can't complain about it. T
I really had fun watching this. I recommend it to everyone who enjoy fiction and fantasy like I do.
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For me this drama started off amazing! It even turned me into a Lee Seung Gi fan, which I NEVER thought I would say. And I really enjoyed the exaggerated performance of Cha Seung Won which after barely making it through Greatest Love, because of his exaggerated performance, came as an extreme surprise. Here his performance and over the top reminded me of Choi Siwon in She Was Pretty. Ridiculous but utterly amazing and hilarious!!
However, around episode 12 this drama started to change. For some, they enjoyed this change of plot/storytelling. For me, I HATED it!!! The storyline for me, lost focus. Added in plot lines, that instead of contributing to the stories development left it scattered and felt as if the drama was taken over by an entirely different writer.
Overall, it had a lot of potential, a great cast, and original story. I loved the supernatural elements, chemistry between the leads, and the love story. However, because of too many hindrances in the final episodes it lost a lot of its potential for a re-watch value and from becoming one of my favorite supernatural dramas. I would recommend for someone to watch (especially if they want a new supernatural drama following Goblin and Master’s Sun), as long as they are prepared for a shift halfway through the series.
Happy drama watching!
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Story: The main story line is a complete convoluted disaster. If it hadn't been for the interesting characters and addictive sub plots this drama would have flopped hard! As with most Hong sisters dramas the main story line is almost completely overshadowed by the romantic sub plots. This usually isn't an issue for a fluffy rom-com lover like myself but considering this is an adaptation it was very poorly executed. There is an abundance of plot holes and over use of prop gimmick instead of actual story and character development. The saving grace are the interesting/entertaining characters and romantic/comedic sub stories, something the Hong sisters do very well. There are also some pretty great ideas and moments scattered through the crazy mess of a story but as a whole the story never delivers in a satisfying way beginning to end!
Acting/Cast: This has to be one of the best cast dramas i've seen in awhile, and that is a complete shame! Instead of making use of the great talent at hand production chose instead to rely heavily on props and an assortment of unnecessary sfx to sell the story. There are probably a lot of people who have negative things to say about the actors based on the poor development of story and character instead of actual ability of the actors. I honestly think they did the very best in a bad situation.
Music: The best thing about this drama is definitely the soundtrack, it's great! I have several songs downloaded to my playlist and listen to them daily now. I highly recommend checking them out even if you decide to skip the show.
Re-watch value: Very low for me. If I do it will be with the help of my trust fast forward button to get to the sweet and fluffy stuff.
Overall: This drama is mostly disappointing for me. It started out plagued by production and broadcasting mishaps and just kept on skirting by week to week from there. I fully believe it has some really great thought behind it which could have made for an epic drama but the execution was just so lackluster. A drama like this truthfully should have been pre-produced instead of filming to broadcast due to the abundant amount of story complexity and special effects needed. I believe that much of the cringe worthy mediocrity of this show can be attributed to a "just to get by" attitude adopted from unrealistic production constraints. It has great characters and very memorable moments I'll not soon forget but the lack of real substance to the sweetness leaves you feeling unsatisfied, what a shame!
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Do not recommend. Not painful, just really boring.
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First thing I imagine when I read the title, is something flashy, magical and colorful. "A Korean Odyssey" definitely scores a hit in that category. Bright colors and places that make the world our characters are living in seem a little extraordinary. On the other hand (and my personal complaints) is the way those elements were executed. You might disagree with me and say that if the story itself is good, one can overlook failed CGI effects. Well, for me it's a really important factor because well done special effects can lift the quality and increase the impact of a certain moment a lot. You can probably imagine how I had to cringe whenever such a scene occurred - most of all in the finale.
Despite that though! When it came down to the really important things which involved feelings, difficult decisions, realizations etc, you can say that the job was done neatly. They were even able to offer some killer minutes of emotional torture.
Looking at the story, yes, the first half didn't feel like having a clear structure or a straight path to follow. It seemed uneven and tortuous. The second half though was more focused on progressing the actual story and preparing for the finale. As you can see, I liked the plot. The cast was great and fun to watch. Lee Seung Gi had great chemistry with all his co-actors, esp with Chae Seung Won (it's a matter of fact that these two are a match made in heaven - literally) and Oh Yeon Seo. I was worried about some awkward kisses between them and they were indeed a little coy at first, but in the end they did really, REALLY well.
What else to like... I became a big fan of the supporting roles in this drama and the one who needs to be mentioned so much is Lee Se Young. In "The Best Hit" she didn't leave a lasting impression, rather the opposite. That's why I was even more surprised when I finally spotted her in this. Yes, it took me a while to even recognize her and if you haven't watched the drama yet, you will get what I'm talking about right then. Let me applaud to that girl, she was a real bombshell.
My second favorite was/were Fairy Ha and Winter General. Two characters, two genders but one actor. Sung Hyuk was incredible. He pulled off these two totally different and yet so similar personalities, made both appear with their own aura and was able to touch my heart with their story.
Lee Hong Ki aka PK. I enjoyed his character the more I saw of him. Just like all the other heavenly creatures he was flawed, self-centered and never left out an advantageous opportunity (even though he was interrupted most times). But he had his heart in the right place and defended that one friend he got impulsively - although not always with the most clever methods.
My happiest moments while watching "Hwayugi" were whenever I noticed certain elements of other mangas. Yes, you did read right. It doesn't sound nice, I know. But believe me, it's not meant in a bad way. It's exactly the opposite because there were so many different things packed in this one drama, that they became a sweet additional ingredient. Some examples are Inuyusha, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Sailor Moon and Naruto. Feel free to search for other ones. It's definitely a fun side game.
I mentioned "striking flaws" earlier and I already noted the most annoying things for me. If I were to add one more thing it would be the music. Don't get me wrong, the songs were a beautiful mood supporter. But whenever they changed scenes, they cut off the tune so brutally, that they ruined my special moments and gave me a hard time getting into the new scene.
This being said... I don't know about others (although I saw that not everyone was satisfied and expectations were shattered cruelly), I for myself had a great time watching "A Korean Odyssey". I was not able to overlook its blunders, but they were not overwhelming enough either and didn't diminish my enjoyment. Call it guilty pleasure or whatever. I had a great time.
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When I first started this drama I was very torn whether to continue or drop this drama. Yes I'm speaking the truth even though my rating might make me look like a liar. Halfway through the first episode I asked myself if I shouldn't watch a drama of which I am sure that I will like it. In the end I watched two episodes of this drama and I don't regret it. In my opinion, that's when the drama started to climb the hill, slowly but surely. (I started to like it after 3rd/4th episode)
First of all, the story: Since you should've read the plot summary already I won't talk as much around the bush as I just did. It's a fantasy story which can be liked even if fantasy usually isn't your type. Because I speak from experience, I just can't stand fantasy because it makes a story so hard to feel realistic, but this oh this drama felt so real. The plot twists were what I liked the most. When you think the situation finally calmed down another event takes place and it's just entertaining to watch this story. Many people said something about fillers and I do agree, but to be honest those fillers were what made the story even better. Otherwise it would've been a short dramatic ride.
The cast did one amazing job! Because this is a fantasy show I had a hard time to get used to the characters but the cast's acting made it really easy! They acted so natural, as if it's the most normal thing to happen that you talk to a god and the next second to a demon or whatever. All, and when I am saying all I mean all roles were played well. Even the most unnecessary ones. And the characters lived through a development that every drama wishes to have. The people from the first/second episode had nothing in common with the ones in the last. I mean, they were both perfect but it was just fascinating how good and realistic the character development was made. And not to mention the chemistry between the main leads. I loved every relationship there was. But Son Oh Gong and Jin Seon Mi aka Sam Jang were really really well played. Both were extremely hard roles but pulled off by pros!
Next is the music. The OSTs are reason enough to watch this drama, I'm not kidding. Every single OST made my heart melt like I don't even know what. I can't find a better word as perfection to describe them. And they also fitted every situation very well. Not only OSTs but also random background melodies were so well produced and fitted perfectly.
All in all this drama was a ride of emotions, it could break your heart in one second but the very next you had to pause the episode because you can't stop laughing.
Maybe this review is so much better than others because I expected nothing from this drama. But maybe you just look into it and find out for yourself if it is wort it. But however you decision might look like, in my opinion it is a must-watch drama. Even though some people didn't like it I'm sure they still were glad that they watched it. But please don't judge the drama by not having seen everything! I was about to drop this drama after about 40 minutes and now look at my ratings.
I hope you will watch this and most important enjoy it at least as much as I did!
Whatever your choice is, have fun!
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.... because I have never experience frustration like this, ever before.
I don't even know where to start, to be honest.......
+ Positives
- Negatives
= Summary
~ I recommend this to...
Let's get this death over with
+++++++ POSITIVES +++++++++
+ The acting was good. I think the whole cast did a good job portraying their roles even though their characters weren't that well made to begin with.
+ The relationships between the characters are amazing. Some supporting characters had a beautiful romance bloom from innocent caring and that's a kind of purity you don't see often in modern day dramas.
+ There were definitely some funny moments in this drama that made me chuckle or smile or sometimes laugh out loud. The comments and the way the characters are interacting with each others, was at times, very entertaining and gave them a very special bond.
+ The story took turns that some other dramas avoid because of the great risk that the audience disapproves. In my opinion, risky moves like killing off characters or confusing the hearth is a good way to capture the audience and make them feel something.
----------------- NEGATIVES -------------------------
- All the characters have a character development except for the, dense, ignorant, clumsy, slow, innocent, annoying, female lead. She doesn't do anything except make things harder for everyone else in this drama and she was the one who needed the development the most. I think the writers got too stuck in victimizing here, there was no space left to make her human.
- The story does not follow it's original so this version has enough plot holes to make cheese with holes in it, feel ashamed of itself.
- The story builds up way too much into something that doesn't even climax. I was severely disappointed with the twists and obstacles that were constantly introduced. I have to admit that some twists were really sweet and really good but for the majority of the time it was dog noise.
- Some of the dialogue didn't make sense.
- The CG was worse than some, early 2000 Japanese horror films, I've seen
- The focus was in the wrong place most of the time. The way the creators proceeded the story made it seem like things were only happening to support their romance, instead of their romance being something that bloomed from the incidents. A bit like those high school movies where something completely illogical happens just to make the main couple share a room and create tension. This drama would have been a lot better if the romance was a part of the story and not the center of it.
- The romance in itself was a never ending tug-of-war which is the result of having it in the spotlight. When you want to focus on something but there isn't enough content, it ends up repeating itself.
okay, enough!
========== SUMMARY ============
For the most part, I was disappointed watching this. Even though it did really well with character interactions and relationships, not to mention the great chemistry provided by the actors, the writers failed at their most crucial points. The plot. Even though this is based on a novel, I think the writers took the opportunity to free style a bit, which was a huge mistake on their part. Their desire for wanting more than they could achieve, resulted in major plot holes and a lot of build up without climax.
~~~~~~~~~ I RECOMMEND THIS TO ~~~~~~~~~~~
People who like romance no matter the quality of the story. Even if this is more of a spicy romance with some action, tragedy and blood, the main focus here is love and it comes in all sorts of varieties. If you're easily scared; there will be some blood but this should not be considered a horror drama. If you've ever seen a bad horror movie and made it through, you'll be fine watching this.
ENJOY!!
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==!! This review contains some pretty big spoilers !!== It has been a while since I’ve been obsessed with a drama as much as I was with Hwayugi and it is with an aching heart that I bid this show farewell.
While at times cheesy, over-the-top, brimmed with questionable fashion choices, and suffering from some terrible CGI work (was there really no better way to portray that dragon?) Hwayugi constantly dished out exactly what I wanted and for that reason I will always love it.
The good:
LEE. SEUNG. GI!! What a comeback! I have seen all of Lee Seung Gi’s dramas and love him more every time. His portrayal of Oh Gong here felt very reminiscent of his performance in The King 2 Hearts which made me all sorts of giddy.
The writing – The Hong Sisters proved that they’ve still got it! As leaders and trend-setters in the Korean drama industry, The Hong Sisters have been pioneers of the modern K-Drama. They’ve always pushed the boundaries and dared to be bold with their writing. Hwayugi is no different and by far one my favorite shows from them thus far (I’ve seen them all except for Warm and Cozy which I have very little ambition to watch). There were moments I didn’t necessarily enjoy but overall I felt like the story and their take on this classic tale was pretty solid. Plus, it was often times hilarious. I love it when writers are able to bring out humor in their shows naturally…like a scene where you are laughing your head off but if someone were to randomly glimpse it they would have no idea why you think it’s so funny. There were so many inside jokes, sidesplitting cameos, meta references, and subtle nudges of humor that remained consistent throughout the entire run of this drama.
The music – I really enjoyed this soundtrack. It was a little repetitive at times but the music fit the mood well and did a good job at wringing my emotions along.
THE KISSES – Hot damn, we got some good kisses *fans face*
I also loved the use of the bracelet as opposed to the headband from the original story. It was a very clever way to keep both the characters and the audience on their toes wondering about Oh Gong's true feelings. And while I really did enjoy how the scene of him taking off the bracelet for the first time was played out (flawlessly) I wish it had happened in the final episode, after he regained his memories. They still could have even done it the exact same way, I just feel like the emotional pay-off would have been higher. As it is, all of the flashbacks in episode 20 felt pointless and like a huge waste of precious screen time because we already knew and I would have much rather been on board with Sun Mi waiting for that big reveal. The emotional punch would have been much more profound.
The luke-warm:
Sun Mi’s character – She was alright (at times cute, at times strong) but overall she kind of paled in comparison to the rest of the cast.
The end to Boo Ja’s story – I won't say here, but if you've seen it you'll know why I'm upset
The inconsistency of the bromance/friendships – I loved the relationship between Oh Gong and Mawang but it felt really inconsistent to me. One minute they would be bromancing and the next Mawang would be contemplating eating Sun Mi. Not cool. Plus, I was holding out hope for Sun Mi to make some real friends during this but in the end it turns out the only one who really cared about her was Oh Gong (and Boo Ja, I suppose). When she lost her "Sam Jang"-ness there for a bit everyone else just deserted her and didn’t seem to care about her, personally, at all—which was really disappointing.
(!!!!!! WARNING HUGE SPOILERS !!!!!!)
The ending – The ending itself has left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, it didn't end how I wanted it to (ie miraculously Happy Ever After) so I feel like whining, complaining, and sniveling. On the other hand, the ending remained true to the trajectory of the story (the Hong Sister's interpretation anyway, definitely not the original) and I realize that it could have been so.much.worse (this is me giving the side-eye to Black and Gu Family Book). I like that they at least gave us that open-ending since we know that Oh Gong is going to turn Heaven and Earth upside down to get Sun Mi back, no doubt about it. I just wanted to see it happen and not have to use my imagination. I feel like as viewers, we deserved that much. Plus, it would have been way more exciting to see a final episode where Oh Gong goes off to save Sun Mi from the underworld or whatever, than having practically an entire episode devoted to flash backs. Just sayin'.
The climax – I also felt very frustrated with the overall Doomsday arch. And this is again where we could have devoted more time to Saving Sun Mi rather than just waiting for her to die. The climax of that felt very anti-climatic and it's my one huge problem with the writing/directing. I felt pretty bored and boggled down in politics when it came to the End of The World plotline and in my option there was just a million other directions they could have gone with that to make it way more interesting, especially since they had endless possibilities given the world that was created for this drama. I think this is the show's weakest link and a huge stain on the last 4 episodes or so that cooled me down from obsessively invested to just wanting them to get it over with already.
Overall there are way more things to love than to hate about this drama and I could still go on and on. It’s not perfect but I know for sure I will definitely be re-watching it in the future and gushing over it just as much.
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