Very strong first half, weak and predictable second half
I binged this on Netflix recently and I did really enjoy it, but this is not without its flaws.What I liked:
- really high production value - every scene looks as though it came from a movie, and not a TV series. The colors! The quality of the footage, the shots used!
- very strong opening, I binged the first three episodes immediately
- really interesting premise, drawing on Korean myths and folklore
- Lee Yeon and Lee Rang's relationship as brothers is just so good; Lee Rang kind of stole the show, honestly. I actually wanted to see more of the brothers than the main couple lol
- loved the parallels and themes between the different characters, and how this story was about community, and resolving the past
- heartwarming characters: I pretty much like all of the characters. Lee Yeon was a really fun character, Ji-ah was awesome (for the first five episodes), Granny's arc!!, Lee Rang, Ki Yu-ri, the little kid...
What I didn't like:
- a lot of plotholes. Some of the episodes baited you with an intriguing mystery that actually makes no sense in retrospect (car crash at start, Ji-ah's parents going to the cave when her mom was pregnant with her) although it makes for really good TV coz it's dramatic and suspenseful
- the two leads kind of had very little chemistry. They were cute, and I did like them, but you kind of look at them and think that the two of them are friends and not in love?
- Ji-ah had the same fate as Feng Zhiwei from The Rise of Phoenixes: really likeable, strong, had her own story and personality in the first half of the show, and then devolved into an accessory to the male lead/damsel in distress/only there for the romance in the last half. It was really a pity. She was so likeable and awesome in the first half
- cast for the villain (Imoogi) was really weird; he seemed like an emotionally awkward high-school boy. It was hard to buy into him as the final villain
TLDR: I grew really fond of the characters by the end, although the plot and logic of the show is really spotty at best
Was this review helpful to you?
Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-Wook) kept this show alive.
This was a great show. I love supernatural k-dramas, they fill my heart. However, what I found lacking was the strength of the other actors compared to that of the MC. Don’t get me wrong, I believe everyone casted had a strong performance, but it was unmatched in my opinion. The chemistry between the MC and Ji-ah was rather strange, and I also didnt vibe with the fact that he has known her her whole life? Aaaand watched her grow up.. however i can get passed that. (It wasnt as intense as in Goblin). Fight scenes were TERRIBLE. Gosh I wanted to love them but they were so overdone and too crazy to be considered good. If we completely discard the fight scenes, we are left with a pretty decent show. If there were to be a reason for me to rewatch this show, it would be for the way Lee Yeon looked at Ji-Ah and how he conveyed that emotion of love towards her. Beyond stunning.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best kdrama of 2020
Here's a thing, reincarnation plots aren't my very favourites but this one definitely comes in my list of favourite shows I have ever watch. You will get to see the best of Lee Dong Wook and Kim Beom in this particular show and their chemistry as brothers. There are a lot of twists and turns and the show is not what it shows itself to be, believe me, it is one of the shows that would pleasantly surprise you ...!Although the story is a little slow in the beginning but the writer takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions in the next ones, it's just you will feel each and every bond the show has made, specially the ones of the family. No character of the show is perfect and neither does the show promises perfect characters, but their journey is brilliantly explored throughout
Was this review helpful to you?
Potential obliterated
This drama should have been so good. It's an interesting concept, based on a fascinating mythology. The cast was great, the OST perfect. There were beautifully shot scenes at incredible locales.So why only (a generous) 7.5 stars? The writing was abysmal. So much squandered potential wasted on plot holes, unexplained events, and clunky dialogue. The problems continued to accumulate until the very end. I really wasn't sure how to rate it - the story itself is beautiful, the problem was entirely in the execution. Sometimes I was sure the actors were inwardly cringing while delivering their lines. I'd really like to see is a remake done by a competent writer; this story deserves to be done properly.
Was this review helpful to you?
Legend with a Twist
Although I am not particulary into myths, this drama offers a different portrayal of the story. Old meets new kind of tale. It tackled many themes relating to relationship, value of life, family, death, life, and humanity. I think it is highly fictitious in many aspects of the story and theme. There was a balance of comic relief and sobriety that makes it easy to watch even though it is in conflict of one's personal belief or preference. Most part of the plot is too dark to my liking. The male and female lead actors complement each other in their portrayal of the character. The emotional ride while watching this drama is quite thrilling and far from boring. Each scene is unpredictable and makes you look forward to the next. Having said that, I am not sure to make out of the ending. I won't be surprised if there would be a sequel.Was this review helpful to you?
Mixed Emotions
I had dropped this midway but came back to watch it due to the great clips and comedic scenes scattered on YT.STORY - Interesting and some were unexpected twists. There were some things I was getting hyped about but ended up disappointed. Like, it was the topic for a few episodes, then, the climactic scene for it lasted just a few seconds. I'm talking about the son that isn't even in the main cast. Some may say this was a happy ending, some find that it has a confusing ending. They just wanted to end it without explanation and some things were just so illogical! Slightly happy, disappointed, sad, irritated, angry, confused. This left me with mixed emotions.
CAST - Lack of chemistry with the lead actor and actress but their acting skills are on point. I'm more interested in the supporting casts' chemistry. The bromance was the best chemistry here.
ML was stunning and perfect for this role. I wasn't a fan but I am now. I first saw him in Goblin and I just found him so-so. His makeup here made him strikingly stunning. And the red hair is to die for!
MUSIC - Tone-deaf, so no comment.
REWATCH - I'd rather watch clips on YT instead of rewatching the whole drama. I hardly rewatch any drama anyway but I keep on rewatching their clips.
Was this review helpful to you?
Don’t sleep on the Nine-Tailed Fox ♥️.♥️
I loved it; especially the way they made us fall in love with “the fox” Lee Dong Wook just the same way we loved The Goblin. I loved the whole cast except for Jo Bo Ah; her expression was cold and scary! She’s fit for a villain role much more than a heroine.The coffee ads were so cringy >.< I get the show is sponsored but… ew. Same goes for their smart phones that we know no body uses in Korea but whatever.
I also hated some of the BGMs because it was so similar to the movie Twilight. Other than what I mentioned I really loved it and waiting for the next chapter ❤️
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Lee Dong Wook still rocks the supernatural kind of dramas
I hope and I think everyone can agree that the fantasy drama fits him the most. He's rocking it and no one can do better fantasy dramas than Lee Dong Wook. The acting is great, the story is also great but the chemistry is not so great especially in the times that the girl is struggling, I think there are just a few music in there but the whole drama itself gave me the chills. It was absolutely one of the best. LEE DONG WOOK ALWAYS IS THE PERFECT FOR FANTASY DRAMAS. I repeat LEE DONG WOOK IS ALWAYS THE PERFECT FOR FANTASY DRAMAS.Was this review helpful to you?
Not too bad
How to describe this show... it's not bad, but it's not something that I would recommend to anyone.In the beginning it was interesting but around the middle it became a little boring and it was a chore to continue to watch it.
The story was a bid of a mess, in the beginning it was OK but by the end it was crammed with useless ideas and plots that by the end seemed very stupid or rushed.
Some of the acting was a little bit of questionable... at times it felt a little bit awkward to watch and left a bit more to be desired.
All and all it wasn't so bad that you should skip it by all mean, there is probably a audience for this kind of a show, but maybe don't start watching this one when you are looking for something "interesting" because your previous title wasn't very good.
To say it simple it's one of those shows you watch and forget about.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
promising premise, but plot falls apart
The name, premise, and look of this drama were very promising. At first. I don’t really go for horror or fantasy type dramas, so I really went out of my way to watch this. And the first few episodes were really going somewhere. But towards the middle I found it extremely hard to keep track of wtf was going on. Like what even was the plot? The characters were likeable, but their motivations felt lost towards the end and there seemed to be action just for the sake of action.LDW was charming and cheeky. Pretty good with his acting, but throughout the show I feel like he was just Goblin 2.0 but Fox version. I was getting major Grim Reaper vibes and given his success from his role in Goblin, I feel that was intentional. His mysterious backstory was intriguing, but once I found out what happened to his first love I was kinda creeped out. He fell in love with a child?! Very odd choice for storytelling. After discovering that it was extremely hard to get on board with his mission. Ah Eum was okay. I don't know if this will make sense but she looked the role but couldn’t play it. I liked her character’s motivations but her lack of chemistry with the male lead took me out of the romance aspect of the show. They had cute moments for sure but I never fully bought them as a couple. The first few episodes did her character justice, but then it was downhill from there. She just became a damsel-in-distress and unrootable. My favorite character was Lee Ram hands down. He’s kind of the I-wanna-hate-him-but-I-just-cant type character of this show. I found the scenes between him and LDW the most compelling in the show. They gave me Stefan/Damon(Vampire Diaries) vibes and I was here for it. I didn’t think his character would have an arc but he did. A bit rushed, but he was my favorite person in this show.
This show had the potential to be something more but it just became a confusing shit show towards the end. I wanted so badly to like it but the jumbled plot and inconsistent characters made it impossible. Ultimately a waste of time. 6/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Oh thank you Kim Bum for giving us the best character
Gonna use this review to adress things on a trope regularly used in dramas and series that is starting to get on my nerves. I named it the unnecessary brother sacrifice.I need to say i often side with the "bad guy". First, because antagonists or second lead characters are usually the most interesting ones in term of development and psychology. Then, because i relate a lot with their emotional struggles, backstory and complexed feelings.
I'll take Rang character as an example. He has everything that i love in a fiction: charisma, sarcasm, deep and difficult feelings and a solid traumatic backstory. He's a character "forced" to be the villain but actually so soft he would cry for an animal or would save anyone too weak to fight for himself . His anger towards human and feelings come from the fact he was wronged and failed by the closest persons he had.
On the contrary, we have tragic lead characters who only exist through unnecessary melodrama. they lack nuances and are quite bland to me. I don't really like romance and every time i kinda root for the other characters and doesn't care much on the main storyline. It's also a reason why i mainly watch thrillers or dramas with no relationships. Still, as fans root for the romance, writers have to make everything to please them.
The role of the bad guy becomes some kind of redemption journey where the final act of service will be his death (or close). I hate that Rang has to sacrifice himself for the main couple to have a happy ending.
It doesn't make sense at all and it is in my opinion super cruel. Why bother give him a family , salvation and peace just to make him face death ? I always suffer a lot with those closures because it doesn't serve their evolution, especially when the character starts to live his own life, free from traumatic bounds.
I also find lead characters (not only in this drama) super self centred when it comes to their lovestory. They don't care much about other people life's and feelings. Here, Yeon expected Rang to be his "final weapon" to serve the purpose of his live story. I feel like the male lead often uses the love and dependency of the other character for his own sake. (Another example is in my Dearest)
And you'll tell me yes but he made mistakes, this way he can repair it. But i disagree. I think they bare and suffered enough. And i'd rather have a tragic sad ending for the couple than another sacrifice that the lead won't bother to stop. Why no one tries to bring him back ? Why writers consider the story ends once the lovers have reunited? I hate this one side thing so much.
Was this review helpful to you?
