Teen Spirit With A Shaman Twist…
Let’s be honest. The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim’ is a verbatim title. ( As there’s not a lot left to the imagination to work out what this drama is about.) Admittedly Park Ho Jin’s drama doesn’t try to brand itself as “ the next Goblin ” or a “ new fantasy phenomenon”. It is a teen “ cutesy” fantasy tale about the supernatural, but often leans more into the realm of “teen angst” with main leads Ga Doo Shim ( Kim Sae Ron) and fellow classmate Na Woo Soo( Nam Da Reum) ‘s journey through high school also. (At the time of writing director Park’s wish for a sequel season to explore more about the characters was confirmed also .)
As a consequence the drama featured an array of intriguing characters. However their ultimate contribution to the storyline and depth admittedly does vary dependent on screen time and the screenwriting also. Kim Sae Ron was fairly dynamic as quiet and mysterious high-schooler Ga Doo Shim. The former child actress carried an ambience of perfect angst, suaveness and longing which was perfectly matched for her role . As a character it was evident that Doo Shim could’ve gone down two possible routes; one-dimensional and unlikeable by being egotistical , or a more well-rounded heroine who has a likeable charm by struggling with her emotions and carrying empathy. ( Fortunately with our female lead it was the former case. )
Doo Shim’s character development was arguably the most pivotal from begrudgingly accepting that she can see ghosts and trying to be “ normal” , to opening up to new friends ( particularly Na Woo Soo) , feelings and understanding that she can use her powers for the greater good. Yet whilst her setbacks do help to make her feel realistically flawed, there are moments surrounding Doo Shim which felt like more of an excuse to “ heighten dramatic tension ” rather develop her character gradually or focus more time upon making Doo Shim feel realistic.
For example whilst Doo Shim’s relationship with her mother Hyo Shim( Bae Hae Seon) did see the typical rocky road between a parent and a daughter, there was a lot of missed opportunities to explore more about their complex bond . It was evident how much Hyo Shim genuinely cared for her daughter, however, Doo Shim and Hyo Shim rarely had opportunities outside of necessary plot to talk about their shared bereavement , feelings or emotions without queuing into comic relief or angst. Perhaps with a sequel season it is wrong to condemn a final verdict over this relationship as “ poorly-written” overall, however, hopefully season two will give more chances to covering this relationship rather than putting it on the back burner.
Then of course there’s our main male lead Na Woo Soo. Nam Da Reum did a great job as the plucky prodigy with a heart of gold . Initially starting off as a plot device in order to awaken Doo Shim’s “ character growth and feelings”, it was refreshing to see Woo Soo leave the realm as the prosaic potential “love interest” and the “ sidekick who is new to this world” to having more complex depth . One particular focal point to exploring Da Reum’s greater sense of altruism as a character came through his unusual friendship with underdog and best friend Kim Il Nam ( Yoon Jung Hoon). However this is also where we hit a major rut with Woo Soo as a character; he displays emotions, but he rarely acts out upon them unless they’re necessary to the storyline.
There was brimming potential to explore a lot more about Woo Soo’s darker side which he did display at points in the drama such as his silent threat to Jo Soo Jung ( Lee Ji Won) after her potential blackmail, as well as his anger at Kim II Nam during the main events of the storyline. When the story covered the major events surrounding Kim II Nam it seemed odd the drama switched Woo Soo’s personality towards being “ mopey yet calm” rather than using this as a golden opportunity to explore more about Woo Soo’s own negative feelings or hero complex, as well as heal the wound between Woo Soo and Doo Shim helping one another through these events.
Yoo Sun Ho’s performance as witty dead high schooler Hyun Soo was pretty delightful. As a character Hyun Soo serves both as an example of surprising comical foil as well as wasted potential also. On one side whilst Hyun Soo does have his more brief yet bittersweet moments surrounding his death and his search for his mother, he did often cool down more heavy scenes with deadpan expressions or annoying Doo Shim. However there was a lot of unexplored ground with Hyun Soo’s sentience in the series such as being a ghost, never being able to physically age( unlike Doo Shim or Woo Soo), his search for his mother as well as a lack of deep connection between himself and Doo Shim ( who she seems to have grown up with pretty much ) which were never explored and left anticlimactic with the way the drama abruptly ended l his character arc early on .
This moves us onto the antagonistic force of the drama. Now officially there are two antagonists in the drama; the malevolent sprit, and of course an “ unforeseen” antagonist ( until they were revealed after a major incident). Positively this did present more multi-layered complexity than the entity merely being the “ big bad”, as well as pointing out a clear sociocultural criticism towards the cruel “ dog eat dog” hierarchy in the South-Korean education system . On the other whilst their motive was clear and had the potential to be realistically intriguing , their actual reason covered textbook moustache-villainy rather than being given more intrinsic depth. The ending was ( unsurprisingly) fairly anti climatic- not bad per say and certainly helping to add a more conclusive ending for our antagonists, as well as a. interpretative finale for our main leads but nevertheless slightly rushed with the climax coming to a halt early on, rather than being built up or allowing time for rising tension.
So is ‘ The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim’ actually worth watching? Park Ho Jin does a good job at building up our main characters as endearing and likeable leads which are further sold by dynamic performances with Kim Sae Ron and of course Hyun Soo, as well as the mystical and supernatural lore of the drama. On the other hand whilst Ho Jin’s potential sequel season could give room for tying up loose ends and problems ( including exploring character depth and relationships which sometimes felt disregarded), there were several inconclusive screenwriting moments which often felt rushed, cliche, one-dimensional or anticlimactic . Overall ‘ The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim’ certainly remains one of the stronger fantasy drama contenders for 2021 - it is not flawless from a screenwriting perspective and there’s a lot of ground that Ho Jin needs to cover going on forward, but a fairly easygoing watch.
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The Teenage Shaman
The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim is a KakaoTV original production and is the first ever fantasy mystery series produced by the South Korean streaming television. It is also the ninth original program overall created by the online streaming platform since it was officially launched in 2015. KakaoTV’s primary focus is on developing short format productions including original dramas, films and entertainment programs that range from 15 to 40 minutes in length per episode and some of which are delivered in vertical form for mobile users.In-line with that focus, The Great Shaman is produced as a short web-series of 12 episodes at 20 minutes each, that airs one episode weekly.
In a nutshell, the drama tells the story of 18-year old Ga Doo Shim, who hails from a family with shamanistic abilities, as she navigates the vagaries of life complete with teen angst, real life complications and, of course, evil spirits. All this occurs when she transfers to Songyeong High School, one of the most prestigious schools in South Korea. The premise isn’t far off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for those familiar with the US show.
On the whole, I find this drama rather fun and enjoyable. It is generally lighthearted and easy to watch with elements of mysticism-based thrills and suspense that are not too horrifying or complex to grasp. In addition, it provides brief glimpses into slice-of-life aspects concerning school life, family dynamics, friendships and a budding romance. With a total running time of only 240 minutes, none of the themes are explored in great depth but the narrative is well paced and executed to convey the key plot points in an engaging and entertaining manner. As a low-budget web series, the production values and technical details are not significant factors to write home about. However, for the most part, the quality of the visual effects rendered and the minimalist action sequences appear to be presented well enough which come as a pleasant surprise.
The main emphasis of the storytelling is on the relationship between the two leads, Ga Doo Shim and her classmate, Na Woo Soo. This partnership largely works because of the charisma of the two leads and the rather charming chemistry that they share. Popular and much-loved former child actors, Kim Sae Ron and Nam Da Reum portray the titular role and Na Woo Soo respectively in what has been a delightful and captivating performance headlining this production. The rest of the supporting cast generally give a decent account of themselves. Special mentions go to the veterans Yoon Seok Hwa, Bae Hae Seon and Moon Sung Geung as the halmeoni, mother and principal respectively.
The soundtrack features 3 OSTs, the upbeat Run To You by Kwon Jin Ah, the evocative Dear My Nights by Seung Hee and the “couple theme” Forever Smile by Yoo Seonho. BGM comprises ominous stock music and on a side note, the voice of the evil spirit is provided by the villain from LUCA: The Brginning, Kim Sung Oh.
If you’re planning to start this, lucky you because you get to binge all episodes in one sitting compared to the rest of us who watched it while it was airing - the pain of waiting for new episodes is indeed real! Although unconfirmed at the time of writing, there is a possibility for a sequel which means we may get to see more of Ga Doo Shim and Na Woo Soo in the near future.
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Ghosts can’t match humans even when it comes down to being evil !!
So great shaman Ga Doo Shim ...presents you a ride in the world of a teenager shaman...set in a highschool ( free of serious bullies ….and full of ghosts) is a decent attempt at being a horror drama …okay if you are in for scary stuff ...then pls expect disappointment ….but if you get scared even at the slightest ...well then why in the world choose to watch this ….A perfect binge watch material with 12 eps and 20 mins run time ...compact writing and great cast ...this show is all in to be a worth watch which I can say it is .
Few illogical stuff scattered here and there ( I am gonna mention at the end for people who finished cuz it could be a potential spoiler ...but I got to rant for sake of my mental peace)
The story in a nutshell ...is about a high school student Doo Shim with shaman abilities but no interest in shamanism and her potential husband or love interest at present Woo Soo (this romance angle I tell you ...they got to drop it everywhere as if dramas can’t exist on friendship ..but it’s not the time to complain) and their fight against evil.
Character development was given quite less time overall and most of it was just about the FL ….which I appreciate ...at least someone got it to an extent ...than having all of them failing together just for the sake of equal division ( good decision)
ML was just a typical romance driven character (in my opinion)...he did not have much character depth or development ...but to be honest that does dwell well with the drama because it was obviously supposed to be more about FL.
The side characters were just doing their jobs without being out of the place …(much appreciated)
The small but important roles like that of grandmother, mother, principal, good ghost(Hyun Soo) all were really good ofcourse the respective actors nailed it ...as expected from them.
The whole point of grades and pressure on the students even after being the main point sadly felt underdeveloped ...and that’s what I assume is the result of less runtime. Can’t really blame anyone for that cuz they did do the best possible with what was given.
Overall the things presented were worth it ...no plot holes, great pacing ...an okay reason for a villain to be evil ( if you need me to play a critic here ...then it wasn’t really creative but then the rest of the thing put together makes it work. )
With moments that make your heart flutter ( you saw me complaining about romance now what’s with this ...I wish romance wasn’t there but who said I did not enjoy it), this one definitely makes a mark because of the leads.
As always ...time for my fav dialogues …(this time it’s -meaningful lines with reference to the drama and life in general)
I had forgotten that, I have to deal with more than just evil spirits. (told yaa humans are more scary)
I had forgotten that there's someone on my side.
I can’t see the future no shaman can ..if they claim they do it’s a lie but I trust you ...I believe you, will live a long and happy life.
Don’t worry, all is well ...everything will be fine. (repeat it for yourself every time there's trouble)
if you are wondering whether to try it or not....then I'd say go for it ...it's worth your time !!
Here spoiler and rant alert …
ref to ep 10 ......
come on seriously she worked hard to get the lowest score and failed in doing that ....like if you want to get the lowest score then you don't make guesses that are likely to be right ...you make guesses that are sure to be wrong ....it's a simple option elimination game ....
dramaland problems ...they are failing in failing ....wow ....and here we are ...working our ass off to pass but still fail
now that's actually something I can't get over ...dropping the rating by half star for this illogical stuff ...that's written just to make things work and they call it a twist ...sorry but that’s quite impractical and something to laugh at !!
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Splendid work by young lead actors, not much else to it
Plenty of dramas could be improved measurably by shortening the number of episodes and episode lengths, tightening the focus and jettisoning secondary storylines and their cast. It isn’t often that a production could have used the opposite. But with only twelve episodes of less than half hour run times, there isn’t much to “Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim” and it has a rather full narrative to build up and a sizable roster of victims and villains. With those and no shortage of tussles between the good guys and bad guys, that leaves little time for backstory or secondary romances or other time fillers.What it does have are solid efforts by Kim Sae Ron and Nam Da Reum as the leads in a rather generic setup for the ghost genre that would be easily overlooked if it had not been so surprisingly well acted. Kim Sae Ron is the title character, a granddaughter of a shaman possessing a natural talent for the supernatural. When she transfers to a new high school, she quickly catches the attention of Nam Da Reum’s Na Woo Soo, the school’s most popular guy and biggest brain. It’s not a pair that would seem to mesh but it’s mirror-imaged “My Fair Lady” theme works. Instead of the rich, refined male incorporating the outcast female into his world, she guides him to become a paranormal pugilist. As Doo Shim gets to be more of the tight-lipped, stoic character that normally fits the male lead, Kim Sae Ron has to play it relatively tight but she deftly exudes a combination of the typical teenage angst with atypical unwanted powers and their associated responsibilities. It’s not a dynamic role but KSR still infuses the character with enough warmth to make Doo Shim a worthy heroine. Nam Da Reum has a less complex character. Woo Soo is a puppy, more or less. Nam Da Reum nails the bright-eyed earnestness and incessant curiosity to set Woo Soo apart from the standard high school male main character.
Beyond these two, there isn’t much to note. The fx are the usual stock ghost makeup and black smoketrails. The high school students and administration are the generic varieties. Characters beyond the school scarcely appear at all. And this might be the easiest show ever to wardrobe - school uniforms and business suits and a couple of shaman robes.
This isn’t a groundbreaking show nor is it a particularly memorable one either. It’s frankly a show that without two well cast leads, would be rather dull. But the charms of Kim Sae Ron and Nam Da Reum are enough to make this an entertaining watch.
Recommended.
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The strengths of this drama is the acting from our leads and side characters. Every character perform well overall. Also the OSTs of this drama, for me, are an easy add to my music playlist. I enjoy listening to every song that was played in this drama.
Story plot wise, it's average but somewhat lacking. A lot of plot holes, unanswered questions, certain characters don't have their conclusion and left open ended. It's to the point where I started to lose interest in what actually was going on story wise. I mean there were even a few episodes towards the second half of the drama, where I felt like nothing significant happened and it was just a waste of episodes. So much potential to give us a full understanding on why issues were occurring and maybe for us viewers connect with other characters that this drama gave screen time to, but at last, none of this happened due to the short time length per episode for this web drama.
It's a one time watch kind of drama for me. I mean if you don't have anything to watch, go for it. It's short, has great OST music, & best of all, a great male lead and female lead, who both show their great acting talent.
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A supernatural ride thats is worth watching
I watched because of the cast. The story line wasn't bad, it gave a sight into the highschool life of teenagers and what studies mean to a teenager.. You may find some teamwork here as the drama shows that teamwork is way more better than doing it alone. Romance can be seen between both the leads but that starts from hate.This drama depicts that education is not the only thing that is important. I personally like it. It taught me not to stress a lot because of the studies you need to do.
Its a good drama, It has 12 episodes which is just 20 mins so you can watch it in a day or two. Do watch it if you have time!
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A drama carried by great actor.
I started watching this drama only because I was curious to see Nam Da Reum in his first main role. Lets talk about the story first : Lets be honest, it is a web drama for teenager, it is easy to watch and doesn't require 16 hours of your time to be watch. The drama is mainly aboutthe stressof korean high schooler and their pressure about grades mixed with evil spirit. The story lack some character personal development but in 12 episodes of 20 minutes. I am sure they did they best. As for the actors, they all did an amazing job and really show amazing skills. The music is amazing and reaally help you feel some emotions. I personnally won't rewatched it but who knows? Nam Da Reum might take me there once more.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Teens, Ghost and Evil Spirits
This was a cute little drama about a Shamans daughter, who has the power to see ghosts, and goes to a prestige's high school where she meets another student that starts to see ghosts. The problem with the school is the student with the lowest grades dies. Can they prevent one of their friends with the lowest score from dying? Is there something causing the lowest grade student to die? This is a short drama that you would have to watch to find out, and to see what happens!I enjoyed the story, and the cast, the ghost, and the friendships that were made. The only issue is I think it could of been longer!
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a cute little drama. At first, I wished it was longer, both the episodes and the drama itself - 12 eps, each 20 minutes long, didn't feel like enough - but now that it ended, I think it was just right for the story, which was very simple and kinda thin for anything longer.What really kept me watching was the relationship that developed between Doo Shim & Woo Soo. The way he became so smitten with her and the way she slowly returned his feelings, her relief that she wasn't alone in this shaman business anymore. That was really great. And also the fact that Woo Soo wasn't just an innocent bystander but that he got powers of his own. That was really cool.
So, yeah, a nice little series. And I do hope that there will be S2, this time with a deeper plot. Then I would wholeheartedly welcome 16 eps, an hour each!
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Short but packs a Punch
The episodes are short but the writers never let that interrupt the flow of the story. The plot is well paced with no moment that felt like a waste of time. At the end of each episode I kept wanting to see more.The shining stars of this drama are our two main protagonists.
Doo Shim's character grows through out the story from a pessimist who wants nothing to do with her powers to slowly realising her responsibilities and it's beautifully executed.
And Na Woo So - In the first two episodes it feels like he would be the average rich jerk ML we are used to seeing in Kdramas but he defies all my presumptions. He is the perfect partner for our FL, always there to support her but never overshadowing her.
And when these two opposites attract we get the most heartwarming romance. Though it feels a bit rushed in the starting owing to the short episodes, it took no time to grow on me. I couldn't resist their charm and chemistry.
However, as well written as the two main characters are, all the side characters fall short. Maybe it was the length of the episodes or maybe just bad writing but I think the side characters were not really fleshed out and were only there to further the plot.
And the worst thing here is the villain. His motivations are laughable at best. There is no point in finding any logic there.
The writers did a good enough job (as much as they could in a fantasy teen romance at least) in exploring the theme of what the students go through and the kind of pressure societ puts on them when it comes to academics.
While I was not familiar with KSR and NDR before, their long list of filmography is enough to show that they know what they are doing and it was clearly evident. With low budget dramas you expect to see somewhat cringey acting and production but that was so not the case here.
Although I watched it while it was airing, this drama is perfect for binge watching in a single setting.
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Not Good Enough
Korean Mini Series 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim' started nicely but ended up being a rushed, predictable drama.Probably what doesn't help the drama at all was the ending. It was rushed, with bad CGI and a predictable conclusion. The progress of the story was messy as well and one doesn't get to see the characters' background stories, their personalities, dreams, and ambitions. You only get to see them as a superficial role that they just have to take. Even the love story felt forced and didn't proceed naturally, even though the leads did have chemistry.
On that note, the performances were all great, even from the side characters, who were, unfortunately, pushed aside due to the short length of the drama, as did the progression and presentation of the universe of the story.
So, overall, four out of ten.
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Nice cast, with Nam Da-reum and Kim Sae-ron working so well together in their lead roles. Their chemistry was just right for these characters.
Supporting cast were very watchable too and the show is a great platform for its young actors to shine, as they have the majority of roles and screen time.
Should carry a trigger warning for references to suicide really, I feel though.
The stresses of high school exams and grades are taken to a whole new level in this.
I found some of the adults scarier than any ghosts or demons!
Nicely done and an enjoyable watch.
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