I'm probably in the minority with my rating since I saw a lot of people complain about the story. So, let me explain why I gave 8 points despite the drama's striking flaws.

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.