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CLASSICAL LEGEND SUN GO KONG
I love this drama, a Chinese classical legend Sun Go Kong in Korean modern setting. Rather the regular boring story line, this one here recovering old legend in many different modern twists and turns. 1995 Stephen Chow's movie 'a Chinese Odyssey part 1 & 2: Pandora Box and Cinderella' is a good referral for Sun Go Kong legend, how unruly monkey king refused to take in his fate but has fallen in love with a dainty ZiXia. At the end though, Sun Go Kong realized he couldn't defy his fate and ZiXia died from loving him. Not exactly similar with Stephen's movies which has countless similar remakes...I love the character of Devil King Woo and his faithful dog companion Ms. Ma - they are enrich the character of O Gong and Seon Mi (Samjang). The Zombie girl Richie is a beautiful girl...her character build up overtime...she isn't a rotten smelly zombie but into a devious long hatred ambitious evil spirit priestess Asanyeo to the king 1,000 years ago, and now seeks to marry Son Oh-gong for power and love. I also like the character of brother/sister Summer fiery/Winter General...they are contradiction of sweet and gentle, kind and considerate, sibling love and friendship. I give credit to Lee Han-joo: A real estate employee who works under Jin Seon-mi - he put up alot of s**t from irregularity, Yoon Dae-sik / Sa Oh-jeong: CEO of MSUN, a mobile phone manufacturing company - who would love to take care of all the group - cooking, cleaning, pay the bills, taking care of their worldly businesses.I can understand the doubt Seon Mi has for O Gong's love...as he said casually...it's also Geumganggo, a magical bracelet that will ensure the obedience of anyone who wears it through the power of love, whenever O Gong feels the love it will squeeze his heart out. The original Geumganggo wore as a crown, whenever the feeling of deep love - it will tighten Sun Go Kong head to crucifying pain so he gave up his love to ZiXia. Of course, this drama didn't end up like that...
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Hong Sisters did it again
The pain was worth it. This drama was so good.Story: I loved the story. It was well- written. Especially the romance part. It would have given it 10 but it seemed a bit dragged in the middle so 9.5.
Acting: Lee Seungi's acting really amazed me. This is my first time watching him and I have become his fan. None could play Son Oh Gong better than him. The comedy that the bromance served was awesome. Cha Seung Won's comedic scenes were the best. The supporting characters were all awesome, I especially liked Le Se Young acting. She pulled off two opposite characters in a wonderful way.
I do remember feeling irritated at Oh Yeon Seo's character a couple of times because i wanted to see a more stronger woman but the makers literally turned her into a damsel in distress, which annoyed me a bit.
But the lead's chemistry compensated for that. I am in love with this couple. The romance was beautiful and well acted. I, especially liked the tension between them in the starting episodes and hoped it remained like that for some more episodes. Nevertheless, its a perfect 10/10 from me for the Romance.
Music: the Music was bop. I still listen to "If we were destined" and "when i saw you"
Rewatch Value: i am already planning to re watch it. Its definitely gonna be in my top 10 kdrama list.
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The ending hit me most and without posting a spoiler I'm going to tell you I cried a lot and I think thats why this drama felt so good from my own perspective.
The Plot was great and each episode was interesting and I didn't feel at any point that the drama dragged, with funny and serious scenes and amazing characters and acting this drama as a whole was amazing.
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A wild supernatural ride of a drama
The cast of this drama are varied and interesting. The fantasy is that the majority of main leads are either from heaven (deities) or demons. mix in some humans and ghosts and then the plot takes off at a gallop.There are other sub plots, a snappy bromance, a slow burn romance, a fairy sharing her brothers body in a male female swap, an idol who is actually a demon pig who falls for a zombie and let's not forget the black dragon that could disrupt the world unless the FL sacrifices herself.
It is a fun mish mash of ideas held together by the cunning and charming monkey Son Oh Gong played marvellously br Lee Seung Gi. His romantic feelings for Jin Seon Mi / Sam Jang are triggered by a magic bracelet that binds his heart and weakens him. There are many manipulations that often backfire and evil doers flourish but not too scarily.
I didn't warm too quickly to the FL until the zombie is taken over by an evil spirit who then manages to swap souls with the FL. The transition from a fairly staid person working as a real estate agent into a femme fatal was an eye opener. She transformed her body language and voice and was very believably a dangerous evil woman.
20 episodes packed with plots, back story, great visuals and sometimes weird CGI meant I was never bored and the OST is lovely too.
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the feelings portrayed by the characters especially son o gong
I didn't expect anything at all from this k drama. I've been avoiding it for years mainly because the poster didn't attract me and I thought it was about sorcellerie, exorcism and a priest. Biggest mistake of my life ! Lee seung gi is one of my favorite actors ever since his acting in my gf is a gumiho. I'm a huge fan of the story of the monkey king journey to the west and I've read and seen many adaptations I'll say this one is my favorite.I loved the character son o-gong the most, the way he is witty , a jerk, childish and plays pranks. I saw the real seung gi through his character. The FL is just as a childish as him so they suit each other, perfectly. I don't understand how she is selfish when the man kept pestering her to eat her convincingly , by telling her that her life is worthless anyways. I understood her fear, her desperation to live. She was ostracized since the day she was born, the only person she had in her life who supported her, Grandma died and she had no one to count on other than ghosts and monsters only seeing her as a prey. Son o gong even planned for ma wang to eat her and y'all expect her to act differently ??? Anyhow she suggested to remove the geumganggo later on because she realized that the love bell was actually a death bell. She desperately wished for son o-gong love it be real at first but then she realized that it didn't matter as long as he didn't suffer anymore. I love that development for her she was amazing !!! Everyone of her actions were justified.
I enjoyed the most the chemistry btw our two main and the dialogues especially. They both were expressing their feelings through their words quite well but also through their actions. The spiritual realm toyed with them and ma wang of course there might be misunderstanding btw them but it wasn't to the point of annoyance. The plot flew really well to me and i loved how they were both clingy to each other. Since son o gong is the bad guy i expected him to deny his feelings for samjang but he didn't. I loved how halfway through the show, the way he spoke and his actions seemed more sincère since the geumganggo wasn't causing him to like seon mi anymore, it was all real.
I loved the fantasy storyline. I wish we could have seen more of jaecheondaeseong past life and how he caused troubles in the spiritual realm. Ma Wang storyline was much more sadder than son o-gong but i loved the closure they gave him. The drama became a lot more interesting when asanyeo showed up. Son o gong acted more fierce and his feelings were growing stronger. They way she manipulated most of the characters through their emotions was amazing. A lot of ppl saying it's the weakest part of the story but for me it was the best because it was emotionally driven. Every character wanted to save/help the person that they cherished the most. Asanyeo was portrayed well by lee se young.
The only thing i didn't like was the ending. I know it was to be expected and i normally don't mind open endings but not like this. While typing this i realized he gave seon mi his fire like golden pupils where he could see the true appearance of monsters so that when she goes to the underworld and changes appearance she can recognize him too !! It's not only one sided she will come back to him once he goes there to find her. I wish we could have gotten one or two more episodes to see that. He proposed to her and even gave her a ring but the wedding never happened. We wish we could see all of that if not for a season 2, at least a movie.
The OST was a bomb in here. When I say you was and if we were destined are my favorite songs.
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Fantasy, romance, allegory, silly comedy and the surreal quality of folklore and mythology
This is one of those cases where I feel rather perplexed by popular opinion and question general sanity; the hated flaws in this show do not really diminish the worth of the show. But I'm getting ahead of myself: let me analyse this show component by component and write what made me love the show and rewatch it 4 times already, so that if there's anyone else who looks for similar things in a show as me, they will feel piqued enough to watch.Update: I had initially given the show a full 10 while riding the aftermath of bingeing the series the first time. I have since edited it, not because I loved it less on repeat watches (in fact, it even grew on me), but because I wanted to be more objective (as much as one can be in what is ultimately subjective anyway). Many parts of the show deserve a perfect score, but a few are quite subpar by contrast and have to be scored less.
Let's get the objectively bad stuff out of the way: inconsistent CG. In some places, the CGI was fairly decent and blended well without harming the suspension of disbelief, but often it was evidently substandard. For me, this rarely took away from the story: I tend to abstract out (what I think were) production/budget issues and look at whether I can believe what the CG is trying to convey in the context of the world created. And needless to say, in a world with deities, demons, zombies and priestesses, a badly animated animal would not harm my suspension of disbelief, if the reactions of the characters and story are realistic. And this show certainly does that, and does it well.
Let's move on to the excellent stuff:
Overall, this show gave me the feel that I want and expect from myths and folklore. Mythology and folklore are different from modern fantasy, in that they are much more surreal and allegorical than modern fantasy is. There is an element of magical realism and a dreamlike quality to mythology and folklore that is difficult to pull off with modern fantasy. This show manages to walk that line of allegory and fantasy well, with just a hint of a tantalising deeper subtext at places that makes you ruminate beyond the superficial. At the same time, the show does not take itself too seriously. The comedy is hilarious all the more because it is evident that the cast and crew were rather enjoying themselves while filming it.
Lack of noble idiocy, cringe-induction and cliches:
What I hate from the bottom of my heart in shows is when characters act in ways real people would not, either by noble idiocy or a lack of communication, just because the writer wants the plot to progress in certain ways. This show does not resort to such nonsense to create tension. If a conflict exists, it is not induced by the stupidity of characters, but by events genuinely outside of their control. At times I sensed the impending doom of the arrival of tropes, but the show subverted them tastefully. Even when there were tropes, I was interested to see how characters would react to them, because I trusted in their common sense and personalities.
Which brings me to perhaps the best part of this show: Characters.
This show (and the lore upon which it is based) has wonderful, memorable, hilarious characters with their own goals, motivations, personalities, quirks, and character development. I usually get impatient with side plots and tend to fast forward through them, but I was compelled to watch the stories of every single character in this show.
I will not dwell too long on Son Oh Gong (and Lee Seung Gi's stellar performance of that role): other reviews have already done so ad nauseum. If all the other aspects of this show were terrible, this show would still be worth watching for that character and actor alone.
Sam Jang:
I understand why the character and actress were not well received: the character is, unlike other female leads, poised, somewhat introverted and quiet, stable, resistant to impulses of noble idiocy, compassionate and respectful towards the male lead and other characters, and is not very flawed in general, while still managing to avoid being a 2D plastic figure. She is independent (however much you can be independent against supernatural evils if you don't have powers of your own) and mentally stable, and I think that kind of independence and stability in women often triggers what I think are subtle misogynistic tendencies in viewers. And so, it is for these very reasons that I really loved her character and I think they did justice to how they adapted the original Sam Jang from the lore.
Ma Wang:
Oh, it was such a pleasure whenever he came on screen! He had an excellent storyline, I was always interested to see his reactions to plot elements, his dynamic with Son Oh Gong was electric and hilarious, and there was sometimes a surprising poignancy to his thoughts, actions and dialogues that reflected his long age and complexity. If I have to watch another ten episodes with just him on the screen, I still wouldn't get tired of it.
I can go on and on about the other, equally wonderful, colourful characters (how can a zombie be scary, cute, hilarious and creepy all at once, how can I say the sentence "a pig, a dog and an octopus were at a bar" with a straight face etc), but let's pause here and go to the next component.
Story:
The show did what it wanted to do from the start: a modern spin on a well known tale. Not any story can blend horror, romance, mystery and allegory into one seamless story. And comedy, let's not forget the comedy!
I really liked the romance, contrary to popular opinion. I thought it was neither rushed, nor lacked chemistry. It was a realistic progression founded upon a supernatural beginning, and felt like a warm comforting hug.
Visuals:
The costumes and set were really stunning. Son Oh Gong, especially. They very much contributed to the wonderful fantasy feel of the show.
Music:
Good music, not the most amazing but fairly appropriate. One of the main lead OSTs got stuck in my head for a long time, but my favourite melody was the one played during Ma Wang's love story scenes.
Finale:
The finale seems to be hated almost universally. Again, I am inclined to disagree. The finale fit the arc of the story, and anything else would tend towards a Deus ex machina. It is important to remember the source material for the show: fantastical, whimsical things happen in the lore to Son Oh Gong, and fantastical whimsical things happened (and could happen) in the show and post-finale. I won't give any spoilers, but I think the ending was consistent with the plot. Even if you don't like the ending, I think that hardly takes away from the otherwise wonderful rest of the show.
Overall, this is one of my favourite shows, and I have and will rewatch it again and again.
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I'm not trying to hate on Hwayugi or the Hong sisters; I enjoyed Hwayugi but it was lacking originality. This is my main critique about the drama and the reason why I rated it so poorly compared to Goblin. My other critiques of the show are the ending, the main female lead, and some of the mythical plot elements. First the ending...I hate open endings. They are unsatisfying and leave too much to debate and the imagination. If I invest 20+ hours into a show I want to get an ending, any ending, but an ending nonetheless. Hwayugi did not give me one. Next our female lead...Seon Mi
was frankly boring. She was a stereotypical kdrama heroine in every way (the tragic past, no friends or family, hard working to a fault, and she smiles through it all). I haven't seen Oh Yeon Seo in other dramas but she fell flat here. She simply couldn't keep up with Lee Seung Gi and they had no chemistry. And finally the mythical elements...for the most part I actually quite liked these elements. I loved the characters backgrounds based on the Chinese parable, the powers, and the heavenly realm. What I disliked was the dragon. What was with the stupid dragon plotline??? It made no sense, was unnecessary, and distracted from the better elements of the drama. I don't have anything else to say about it. It was just bad. As for the things I liked I'll quickly summarize those as well. I loved Lee Seung Gi, the bromance between Oh Gong and Ma Wang, the powers and the fight with heaven, One's character, and Pal Gye and Bu Ja's flirting. If the show focused more on these elements the drama may have fared better in my opinion.
Hwayugi had the potential to be a unique and interesting drama with an intricate backstory and historical context but I feel that the Hong sisters wanted to capitalize on Goblin's success and their own drama suffered for it.
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Evil Villain Lover
so I've rewatched this a couple times already awhile ago and only got a chance to write my review now. this drama has:bromance, romance, action, magic (some great CGI), great cinematography, decent acting, a well written plot, friendship, tears
then I guess you can watch this (jk its rlly good & rewatch worthy)
what I liked about this drama was:
- ml is evil but the type of evil where I can destroy this world bc someone hurt you
- bromance & friendship
- grey characters
- stuck w/ the beginning of the plot even with side plot
- great acting from the ml's side
- the little bits of side stories as they captured evil spirits were rlly good & cool
dislikes:
- fl was quite annoying at times for her character bc she pitied herself quite a bit (im more into strong female characters so I cant stand it, but you might be able to)
- most of the time was waiting to be saved (but then again she was fighting w/ supernaturals so like...)
- the other ml's voice was irritating to me sometimes for his high pitch but other times it was funny too
- miscommunication (it got annoying bc the fl just kept GUESSING THINGSJGJDLGJ but I guess it adds to the plot)
characters were rlly diverse & this whole drama was just refreshing bc it was rlly different.
if you want a fantasy drama with an evil male lead that also has bromance than be my guest.
I rewatch this from time to time for that one scene.
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First Episode. I know that first impressions last. At first I find the effects not that impressive but I just continue watching with an open mind and an understanding. I prioritize the plot rather than the effects.
I am just beginning to notice our male lead, although I have delayed watching King 2 hearts. This is the first show/series of Lee Seung Gi that I have watched, so I didn’t know what to expect.
First two to three episodes, kind of slow for me and I am not impressed with the female lead as well. It seems to me, she seemed to be stoic. But I kept an opened mind because I love the plot and the irony of things here especially when it comes to the love story.
This is why I mentioned on my header that this series can grow on you. I didn’t give up and continue to watch. Eventually, I can see that the plot thickens and with the unfolding of the predicament of their love story, I can see that our female lead blossom into something. And I have appreciated her then.
The devil king and the other characters. I love that they have their own back stories to tell. And I love the relationship between the Devil King and the Great Sage.
Ending. And yet again, with an open ending although it is bound to happen, I am kind hoping for a happy and close ending. Nevertheless, I recommend this show, worthy to binge.
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A little boring
It started off well. The first 9 or 10 episodes were good but it became really boring after that character called Ah Sa Nyeo came.It was also a little stretched. They could've finished it off in around 16 episodes or even less. It seemed like they wanted to make it with 20 episodes of 1 hour 20 minutes each. It became a little interesting towards the end though.
I liked Cha Seung Won's acting. He's a great actor. Son Oh Gong and Devil King Woo's bromance is what made me watch this till the end.
It's worth watching if you have a lot of patience. I won't recommend it to anybody.
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