The Bride of Habaek (2017)

Entertaining but not enough

I think this is the second manhwa adaptation that I've watched after the Cheese in the Trap. While I enjoyed and liked the latter, I can't say the same thing about the Bride of Habaek. I haven't read the original manhwa, so I will only talk about the pros and cons of the drama.

First of all, the story was bland and tedious. As some other users said, it could've been a great storyline, but it fell short, unfortunately. Like I've said, I don't know the source of this drama, but what I've watched was not satisfying enough. The premise looked interesting, and maybe the first couple of episodes held that interest, but after some time, it got pointless and repetitive. There were no gripping events except for some unexciting cliffhangers. And in my opinion, 16 episodes were too much. They could've gone with 12 episodes or less. Probably it would be sufficient considering the story was not diverse. The ending was also unsatisfying. I couldn't understand how Habaek's relationship with So Ah was different than the one with Nak Bin. He is immortal, which means he will never die, but So Ah will get old and die eventually. In the end, he will suffer more than before because he will experience the loss of a loved one twice. I can't say that it is a satisfactory ending. I expected a different ending, to be honest. Hoo Ye and his story was better and had more depth. Also, he looked more interested in So Ah than Habaek. Plus, he was nicer than Habaek as a person. I wish he had more scenes because he and So Ah never had decent scenes. Their scenes together looked strained and lacked any type of compassion. However, there is one aspect of the story that affected me. It was the story of So Ah's father. The way he died was very tragic, I think, considering that his daughter is the one that got him killed, even though it was a mistake and she did not know it. It was the most powerful scene of the drama.

Secondly, the acting was not that bad, but it wasn't good either. Nam Joo Hyuk was better in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Who Are You: School 2015, other dramas of his I've watched. I think he didn't fit the role, Habaek is thousands of years old yet he acts like a spoiled schoolboy. The other deities were the same. I don't know whether that was the intention of the scriptwriters or not, but the childish aura did not fit a God, in my opinion. The female protagonist is like Kristen Stewart of South Korea. All of her facial features looked the same, and it was not genuine either when she cried or laughed.

The soundtrack was fine and remarkable. Some songs stick in your mind. I will probably listen to them for a while on loop.

Overall, I would rewatch this drama only if I run out of dramas to watch, which I don't think is possible.

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Great romance with lots of humorous moments

This is a 2017 South Korean fantasy romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

So-ahs’ (Shin Se-kyung) life isn't quite going to her plan. She is a struggling psychiatrist with a mountain of debt. Just when it seems things cannot get much worse her path crosses with the narcissistic water god Ha-baek (Nam Joo-hyuk). Ha-baek is visiting the mortal world to claim stones from other Gods that will secure his royal throne. So-ah is the descendant of a person who promised to serve the Gods in perpetuity and since Ha-baek has lost his power he intends to cash in on her ancestor’s promise. So-ah is a psychiatrist and has seen more than one patient with delusional beliefs and thinks Ha-baek is the same that is until events unfold that temporarily restore Ha-baek’s power and she is unable to deny the truth of who he is. Her destiny is to be Ha-baek’s bride and this sets her in the path of other gods who have come to Earth. The wind god Bi-ryeom (Gong Myung), the water goddess Mu-ra (Krystal), and the semi-god Hu-ye (Lim Ju-hwan) have no intention of simply giving the stones to Ha-baek and do not hesitate to put So-ah in the middle of their games.

Spoiler ? I really liked how narcissistic and arrogant the water god was and how So-ah is not all that impressed and, in fact, thinks he might have some mental health issues (delusions of grandeur and all that). Seeing this God turned human struggle through the many issues humans must overcome (such as food and shelter) is very amusing. There is a loneliness to So-ah and, as her relationship develops with Have-Baek you can see how each compliments the other. He simply cares about her and while she has some other people that care about her he goes that extra step and takes care of her not in a monetary sense but in a feeling protected sort of way. I liked the Demi god too and actually felt really angry at the Gods at times for the way they treated him. The side romance between the other Gods was really cute too. This kept my interest the whole way through as I wanted to see all of the characters have good outcomes. There were a few scenes where the special effects were actually a bit horrible. In this one So-ah is thrown off a building and winds up passing a window but rather than flailing and twisting and turning she is sort of going straight down like an arrow. It makes it almost comical. In another scene, So-ah and Ha-baek are swimming underwater in what is supposed to be an emotional scene but it is so obvious the they are pretending to swim against a green screen because their clothing and hair is not swishing and swaying like it would be in water and the water is not throwing streams and bubbles like it is when you see people actually swimming. It turned what could have been a touching scene into a bit of a silly moment. I was a bit disappointed that So-ah got this wish and it seemed she could have wished for anything but her wish was really very minimal. I would have wished for something like being a Goddess so I could enter the God realm and be with him indefinitely. Or wish that you could be with him until he ceased to exist. To only wish to be together as long as you, the human, lived was a bit disappointing. And it made me feel sad for Ha-baek who would have to see her age and die and then live forever without her. But, they do end up together and I would have been really disappointed if they had not. Overall this is a good supernatural type romance with a lot of compelling elements.

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Fell flat

Had potential but alas didn’t quite hit the mark!

Cons:
- Weak plot. Way too many plot holes. Like why could she hear plants then all of a sudden not? Why did that guy just choose not to talk? These are the generic ones that come to mind without spoilers. I won’t go deep into the main story because there’s a lot to unpack. But here’s the gist- Essentially, a lot of nonsensical things happen to support the progression but there’s absolutely no rhyme or reason to any of it! Lazy writing IMO. The constant teasing was annoying too. They hinted at major plot reveals a gazillion times to the point where when it was actually revealed, I was left with nothing more than disappointment. This affected the next topic…
- Side characters are not likable, like at all. The hints mentioned earlier also have to do with the context/reasons for the characters actions. So by the time the reveals happened, I already hated the second leads. The timing was off and therefore it was just too hard to sympathize and understand their motivations. Overall made for very poor character development…. And that’s why Yongyong was my favorite side character.
- chemistry/romance was mediocre. The build up just wasn’t there for me.
- Acting - ugh the overacting is so cringe. The lip quivers in the beginning almost made me drop it. It does get better but the first several episodes are rough.
- product placement: it’s there, it’s in your face. I’ve seen worst but one scene in particular felt like a Hyundai commercial

Pros: (if these appear like a desperate grasp at straws, it’s because it is!)
- God realm had a nice set design if you can look past the awful wigs which I can only assume were purchased from Shein.
- In general, romance was not that great BUT there were some cute scenes with the ML and FL
- Shirtless Nam Joo-hyuk (minus the cringe water can scene >.<
- nice cinematography, the “first kiss” scene comes to mind. The colors and atmosphere are absolutely beautiful
- I really liked the Glass Bridge song. Rest of the OST is forgettable, also much like this drama

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Okay Show But Needed More Fleshing Out

What I Liked About It

I liked the supernatural aspect. I always like when supernatural beings come to earth and have trouble understanding the ways of life as a human. It was funny to see Ha-baek learning about money, getting a license, and navigating a cellphone.

When his power was shown, which wasn’t often, I liked how it was presented and wished there had been more times where he got to use them. I suppose that wasn’t the moral of the story. He needed to be without his power so he could understand the process of not relying on it and also see humanity in a different light. Not having his powers helped to curb his arrogance.

A lot of the music was memorable and set the mood for certain scenes, which I felt was well-done. I thought the storyline with So-ah’s past and her torn relationship with her father had depth and when you find out what truly happened, it’s actually really heartbreaking. That storyline was very well-done and well-acted.

I liked most of the characters, but the one who stood out to me was Shin Hoo-ye. I felt Ju-hwan’s performance was gripping. He made us feel for his character, who I never hated. I wasn’t sure if the writers wanted us to dislike him simply because the gods did, but I felt more for him than the gods even after their reason for hating him was revealed. His character actually understood what it felt like to be human, to make mistakes and have to live with them. I just felt for his character and perhaps that had everything to do with the way Ju-hwan portrayed him. I would like to see what other dramas he’s acted in.

I liked Ha-baek and So-ah’s relationship. They were funny and cute together and I was rooting for their love the whole time. I really enjoyed watching their romance unfold and liked their performances together and apart.


What I Didn’t Like

I didn’t like that all the gods looked like models. I understand that they’re gods and are arrogant and want to be praised, but it seemed kind of blatant to have Ha-baek be tall, slim, and sought after because of his looks while his servant, Nam soo-ri, is overweight with glasses and pursued by So-ah’s friend, who was painted as weird (though I liked her). I know So-ah was a god’s servant too, but in the end, she was Ha-baek’s bride, so she had a higher purpose than just serving some god. Soo-ri didn’t seem to mind working day and night for his god because he was brought up as a servant. The whole obvious opposition of his and Ha-baek’s appearance was a little annoying to me. It was representing the gods’ appearance as the only appearance that is worthy, but I guess I’m looking too deeply for representation that you don’t see often. I just like a non-offensive, diverse selection of characters. Nam soo-ri was there to be a servant, he had no other purpose but to serve Ha-baek, the beautiful, tall slim god. Just sayin’.

I didn’t quite know what the overarching storyline was for a while. I knew Ha-baek came looking for his servant/bride and was looking for the stones, but there was also Hoo-ye’s character, who I thought was painted as the overall villain. For a while, I didn’t understand Bi Ryeom and his anger toward Hoo-ye and even after the reason was revealed the storytelling still felt vague to me. The flashback scenes of the gods’ world felt disconnected from the rest of the story. The real storyline was So-ah’s story. Everything else felt a little extra. To be honest, when I reached episode 13, I took a break because I was annoyed at the repetition with Bi-ryeom hating Hoo-ye and not understanding why.

I wanted to see more Ha-baek’s powers, but that’s just because I love seeing supernatural magic. I didn’t like the build-up to the revelation of powers he ultimately never showed. But I can forgive this if it was done for the sake of the moral of the story.

I did not understand Shin Ja-ya’s character until the end and even then, her character still felt meaningless. It seemed that her scenes were there to fill up space that could have been used to flesh out the vagueness of the main storyline. I didn’t like Moo-ra except when she was with Bi-ryeom. Their scenes were interesting because Bi-ryeom was more caring with her than he was with anyone else and Moo-ra was more soft-hearted and uncertain when she was with him. Apart, they both seemed kind of callous and a little obnoxious. I got to understand their characters better when they were together, and I saw that there was more to them than just the surface face they revealed to everyone else.

Would I Rewatch It?

For the most part, yes. There was humor, supernatural elements, nice music, and a deep storyline with So-ah’s character. I also really liked Hoo-ye’s character and performance, so I would rewatch for this, but it’s not the best drama and could have benefited from more fleshing out in the storyline and the characters.

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Good to Watch

I had some disappointment. But it's ok. I really enjoyed the drama. Male lead first very good selection. I love the way he express his feelings. Female lead good in acting.


I had some disappointment. But it's ok. I really enjoyed the drama. Male lead first very good selection. I love the way he express his feelings. Female lead good in acting.


I had some disappointment. But it's ok. I really enjoyed the drama. Male lead first very good selection. I love the way he express his feelings. Female lead good in acting.

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Disappointing, definitely won't rewatch

I am pretty disappointed by this series. It took me forever to finish it, I was not at all invested.
I like Shin Se Kyung but her character was so boring and depressing. I hated all the other characters, they were sooo annoying, especially Biryeom and Mura. I also hated the personality of Habeak, what an unlovable character. The only character I liked was Mr. Shin. Everybody was on his case, poor guy.
The love story was boring, I cannot imagine how So-a fell in love with Habaek. He was always rude and haughty and arrogant, what a jerk. And she just accepted everything and fell in love I guess.
The storyline was actually not that bad, just poorly developed, and the characters' personalities ruined everything for me.
I definitely won't be rewatching this, it took everything just to finish it.

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I was pleasantly surprised by this K-Drama and feel like it gets a little worse than it deserves. I have read the Mahwah a couple times over the years and in my opinion, it is a classic in its own right. That being said there are not many similarities between the two from what I recall. I believe this to be a good thing and actually raises the score I've given it. I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much if it was a faithful recreation of the manga. By switching things around we have a wonderful little man out of time kind of story which creates fun story opportunities. I felt like the chemistry between the two main actors was solid and absolutely adorable at times. The story can be a bit confusing but that does seem to be mostly intentional. It unravels as you go, and you get more and more info on things that the characters have mentioned or hidden from each other. This may not be for everyone, but I actually found it more interesting because of this. Now I did enjoy this drama, but I do have an issue with it that did lower the score from what I did want to give it. The ending was not anything spectacular, and now that doesn't mean there is anything bad about but it's just boring and almost felt like the big thing, they were worried about the whole time didn't really amount to much. This isn't out of the norm for most dramas I mean of course you have expectations of what should happen with the relationship, but you want the ending to be entertaining at the least no matter what does happen.

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I had higher hopes...

Despite the rating I had higher hopes for this one. Fantasy genre plus Nam Joo Hyuk in the main role.

Regarding plot it was pretty descent for the first half, it had charm and elements of comedy. But by the end they twisted it in an absolutely ridiculous way. The last episode is probably the biggest disappointment as they plot actually made no sense.

Another negative point is dialogues, mostly between main characters. Sometimes there was like a gap between what the actors where saying and what the scene was actually about

Overall, I would have enjoyed the series if not for it's second half. Because of this I would not recommend it to anyone.

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Slow Story and frustrating characters

Hmm tsk tsk tsk...
?‍??‍? I didn't like it. We are all titled to our own opinions this is mine: I didn't like this drama because Not only was the Plot dragged out, It felt boring. I think the viewer Are so blinded by the good looks of the main character who was in weightlifting fairy and the actress, You automatically trash the supporting characters. I did not watch this drama with the comments on but occasionally when I notice something and wanted to See what other people were thinking I would turn it on and then I notice how trashwd the CEO character was in the comments.

I think Sin Hoo,( Im Joon Hwang) would have been a better person for her to end up with, he wasn't the villain. From when he was an egg in his mother's womb he wasn't going to have a normal life- because of him being a Demi-God he was abused physically and emotionally and he tried to escape, which he did, he went on to a "better world" And was Doing fine for himself until she came along. Don't even get me started on her character, I did not like her at all. I gotta say the only point, the only time where I thought she was smart was in episode 14. And why is she ALWAYS rude to her assistant? . I did not like her in this drama But I am a fan of hers.

The "gods" were useless.
the "music"? have u stopped and listened.

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