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I think it's fair to say that this drama was good overall: the story is intriguing, well written for the first 10 episodes and it made me curious.
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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Romanticized story of a kingdom divided cannot stand.
The romance side is the part I fell in love with… the other side of demons/monsters I could do without. That being said I loved the story development of the “monsters” relationship. In reality I know it would never happen but it was fun to humanize them a bit and allow them to grown fond of each other and even love in friendship together.It was rather dragged out around episode 14 onwards - 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 as well as "If You Were Me" and "When I Saw You".
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)
The ending was a bit on the sad side - leaving you wanting to know if he gets her back and how he does it. That being said, as he has to go to the underworld - I think it will definitely be too dark for me liking. Will have to see if they bring our a season 2.
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A new concept of fantasy-horror (with romance) drama!
After the wave of Goblin, Scarlet... I was craving for more series which is somehow likely the same series. Never knew this drama would be that great!Alot of people rated this negative which I can’t understand and wouldn’t be able to understand. But for sure, this is a highly rated drama just like Goblin. & Scarlet (not as same drama, but the quality of story +actors+songs itself)
You might find this confusing because there are alot of twist. So you really have to focus on the story because it wasn’t that straightforward like other series.
It’s a new concept of fantasy-horror (for me, a mystery rather than a horror) with romance. I just love how this drama was well written even it’s a romance between a human (who could see ghosts) & non-human (an evil).
Other than the story, you’d most definitely find yourself hooked with all the OSTs. All songs are amazing and perfectly made for this drama!!!
Tip, you have to finish it once you’ve started. So you won’t lose the momentum and get confuse once you get back to it.
For the ending, you’d definitely ASK FOR SEASON 2. Just like the Scarlet, it’s a CLIFF HANGING ENDING.
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WHY IS IT DIFFERENT?
This was my first kdrama. It will always be my number one suggestion to anyone. It's just too good. Any genre, you name it and this drama has it.The best part was, in every other supernatural drama mostly the one with the super-powers faces the end and the human is left behind (although every time they come back from out of nowhere at all) to struggle alone and there is tons of crying. But this drama was special, because it was something different. The human died which made it far more interesting and senseful than the endings in other dramas.
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Personally I liked the drama in the beginning but kinda grew to dislike it . The acting is on point yes as the actors are skilled but the plot took a serious nosedive . I found the female lead really annoying on my part and kinda selfish plus the male lead was just not it . I fell in love with the zombie though and the devil king though . But overall would not rewatch the drama . THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION . Give it a try though it may be to your liking . I personally expected way better. But I really enjoyed the music ,the OST was definitely on point. Was this review helpful to you?
The acting is amazing, too bad the cgi was REALLY bad, it took away the seriousness and made me laugh.
I love the music.
I'll most likely not rewatch this, but it was nice to have seen it. I recommend watching this drama.
Judging from the ending... perhaps a part two?
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Fun and creative
I'm so glad I finished this after putting it on hold for years! This has to be one of the most creative Hong sisters drama in years. I want to pick up cdramas for some time now because they always have dramas about deities, monsters, and immortal love, while you find this rare in kdramas where it's usually supernatural- lite.
There's even a scene where it looks like it came from a xianxia (cdrama) and I wanted to watch that show! I've heard of the tale of Chinese odyssey for a long time, and I'm amazed by how the Hong sisters made that story into a modern Korean twist complete with a memorable love story.
They made me like and appreciate each of the characters. I'm first also iffy about the love potion aspect of the geumganggo, but in the end it was executed in a satisfying manner. (Slight spoilers:) What is not satisfying is that ending , but oh well kdrama writers do not want us to have nice things. I'm not as mad as others, maybe because I'm already spoiled by it, I hated how they executed the death, but I'm ok with the ending overall.
I wished Lee Seung Gi and Oh Yeon Seo have more of a sizzling chemistry, but they portrayed their characters well, esp. LSG he embodied Son Oh Gong's cranky, playful monkey really well, a twist on the bad boy falling for the good girl trope.
LSG and Cha Seung Won as Ma Wang have great chemistry tho, no wonder this is their 2nd drama. Their love hate bromance is so comical and cannot be missed. Lee Se Yeong playing as dual character really shone here.
The drama does go on a bit too long, but I don't mind hanging out with this special ragtag group of monsters. It was so much fun. When you leave the drama missing all the characters from adorable Oh Jeong to capricious Pal Gye, you know the drama has done its job well.
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Besides the main characters, I really love the story of other side characters, like general winter and his sister summer fairy, the friendship between PK, octopus and zombie.
The casts are awesome and amazing, this is my first time watching Oh Yeon Seo but I love her in this drama. Lee Se Young also did a great job in portraying two different characters.
Although some might be disappointed with the ending, I personally think the ending is so realistic hence I'm okay with it although I did cry a river.
I would totally recommend this drama, but not if you're not into fantasy genre.
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I didn't know how to feel about this drama until the very end!
Let me just start of with saying that this is my favorite drama.The story is so good. But seriously I enjoyed every single bit of the story. The thing that bothered me is that the special effects were so damn bad that they ruined it for me a bit. Also the 19th episode was so much more less than I was expecting it to be.(Maybe because of special effects as well) Every character in this drama is so well made and I fell in love with all of the characters (the human villain is made too dumb and predicting). I can't believe I won't be seing Son O Gong anymore TT
Lee Seung Gi made such a good job and I enjoyed his acting so much. This is the first drama I'm watching of his and I feel like I will watch all of his dramas and he could easily become my favourite actor. The rest of the cast is amazing as well.
I don't evenn have to talk about the music. It's so good, so emotional and everytime I heard speciffic songs my eyes teared up.(but that's just me)
Just as I finished this drama I wanted to start watching it from beginning. I can't wait to rewatch it in future. (and complain about the special effects)
Overall this is my new favourite drama. I saw a lot of bad reviews and people not being happy with this drama and I get it, I really don't like fantasy dramas and this was a suprise for me to watch. But I'm so happy I watched it because I laughed so much and overall trully enjoyed the whole vibe of this drama.
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I will talk about my favorite part of the drama and that is character relationships:
First there is Son Oh Gong and Jin Seon Mi,
What a wonderful relationship that really grows throughout the show, in the end you really feel the love they feel for each other. Watching them grow as a couple was really fun and sometimes very frustrating to watch, it's like just tell each other how you feel damnit lol. Lee Seung Gi is an exceptional actor and was as arrogant and full of himself as the great Monkey king should be and Oh Yeon Seo was so warmhearted and loving through her performance that only she could have tamed O gong's heart. Just beautiful.
Second is the relationship between PK and Richie,
Now this relationship really broke my heart. I won't give anything away but the last time you really see Richie and how PK acts afterwards is just heartbreaking to me. Needless to say Lee Se Young did an excellent job as Richie and even her character afterward. I mean I just fell in love with her, what a wonderful soul she played, you can bet she made a forever fan with this role. Lee Hong Ki did an excellent job as well, you could really feel how much he cared for her and how gentle he was when it came to her. This relationship really made an impact on me.
And last is the Devil King and Ms. Ma,
I really loved this relationship. It was super fun and great to see the loyalty Ms. Ma showed the Devil King. Cha Seung Won was actually quite hilarious but really cool when he wanted to be. He was actually a big softy but it was funny watching him try to hide it. I liked Lee El's character here, it was a refreshing change seeing her as a fun character rather than a dramatic one like in the drama Black. I really enjoyed their interactions.
When all was said and done I will have to say I am sad to see it end. I will definitely miss the characters a lot. I would recommend this for sure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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He’s a powerful god that was released from his imprisonment by a sweet girl that’s plagued by demons that keep attacking her but only she can see. In return for her help he promises to come to her aid whenever she calls his name. But there’s a hidden reason why only she sees these demons and why they are attracted to her. And there’s a deeper reason as to why he’s the one that has to guard her. That’s the basic storyline so you don’t get too confused as the story progresses. It has a lot of twists and turns. And it does get a bit complicated and confusing at times. But the romance is epic with great chemistry between the main leads. There’s real kisses and lots of sweet moments. The male lead was always swooping out of the sky to save the female lead which was pretty touching. There’s lots of interesting side characters that adds to the richness of the story.
Cinematography & Set Design:
There was no choppy or confusing editing. Everything flowed smoothly and seamlessly. When the hero comes swooping out of the sky it’s pretty realistic. And the fight scenes are really good. I loved the elaborate costumes and set design.
Acting:
I enjoyed everyone’s acting here. Some actors made me hate them and others frightened me while some made me pity them. When actors make you feel such a wide range of emotions you know they’re doing their job well. The acting was above average.
My main complaint and what kept this drama from getting a higher rating was the last few episodes and the ending. The last few episodes get very angsty and melodramatic. Then the ending is a bit ambiguous and I’m not a fan of that type of ending. It wasn’t a sad or tragic ending and the romance was great so I’d still recommend it. And I like how they combined comedy, romance, horror, and mystery all into one drama. It made it fast paced and interesting. But the ending isn’t something I’d revisit. So I deducted points for the ambiguous ending and for it having a low rewatch value for me. But overall I’d say it was a good drama that I enjoyed watching.
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