From Now On, Showtime! (2022)

How this drama got me so hooked is magical!

It took me a while to finish this drama because I really didn't want it to end. "From Now On, Showtime!" is a hilariously silly comedy but there's also the perfect balance of romance, suspense, and heartwarming emotion. I genuinely laughed and ugly cried and truly felt connected to the cast at the end. Yes, the story is pretty well written but it's honestly the cast that makes this drama work so well. At the start of the first episode, I was not impressed and thought it would be too cheesy for me to get into. The arrogant magician meets the stubborn lady cop plot didn't have any appeal. It turns out that these characters would become way more interesting and endearing than they initially seemed, and Cha Cha Woong's "assistants" would soon steal the show, and keep me watching! This isn't just a romance with great chemistry, it's the bond between characters that got me! I won't say too much about the supernatural aspect, since the reveal is so well done, but that's also a major hilarious highlight!

Park Hae Jin as Cha Cha Woong is a cold and conceited loner who is the unlikely match for Jin Ki Joo as emotional and impulsive Go Seul Hae. These characters are extreme in order to play up the comedy, and at first, it felt like too much, but soon I grew to love their banter and they seemed perfect together. You can expect some standard romance tropes like denying their attraction, melodramatic destiny, and past life connections, but the ghost aspect of the story made this drama still feel very original. Go Gyu Pil, Jung Suk Yong, and Park Seo Yeon, much like the characters they play, are the glue that holds this story together. Their chemistry with each other and the leads are what makes this drama magical. Their comedic mystery-solving antics (later including Jung Joon Ho) are the plot of the majority of the episodes, and that was enough to keep me addicted.
They were all so good at conveying emotion too, as well as comedy, making the characters also feel memorable and real.

The entire supporting cast is great as well. Sure, some of the characters are cartoonishly evil (like Detective Seo) or overly sweet (like Officer Lee), but because this is mainly a comedy having over-the-top characters made sense. The guest star ghosts were also great. I'm not the biggest fan of dramas with random stories introduced each episode, but the writers did a great job of connecting most of the ghost stories seamlessly to the main plot. I should also shout out Kim Jong Hoon as Seo Hee Soo for giving big second lead energy! For those who hate love triangles, yes this drama has one as a major factor in the plot, but it is also a well-written aspect of the plot not just thrown in as a contrived conflict for the main couple to face.

Would I watch this again? Definitely. It's super fun and I never got tired of watching the main characters work together. The cast seemed like they had a lot of fun making this drama too. I could have done with fewer past life scenes, but they did feel important to telling the story. I also had no interest in the officer vs shaman side romance storyline, but it wasn't bad enough to skip. Watching this whole cast just put me in a good mood, and that's a good enough reason to watch this again.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama if you want to laugh, which I know is weird since this drama also deals with a lot of death. I think this drama being well balanced is why it works so well. I LOLed and wiped tears through so many episodes, especially near the end. I think romance fans will love the awkwardly cute leads, but it was the loner learning to depend on his "employees" & "partner" theme that got me right in the feels! If the idea of ghosts makes you nervous, just know that this isn't scary. It has more of a kid-friendly haunted house vibe than actual horror. I also thought the ending was very satisfying. I don't think this drama is perfect, but it's definitely a new favorite of mine. Even the opening theme song started to get me hyped!

If you're looking for a different kind of feel-good drama, you found it.
Grab some snacks and tissues and get ready to laugh a lot... It's show time!

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A very nice and entertaining drama

1/ STORY

The story is well written. The beginning sets up the plot, installs the characters, make them discover each other and interact. They go through sub plots and sub stories which are cute and emotional. Then, the main story develops with the two leads and the evil. There is also the ghost employees’ stories which needs closure before the final showdown, between good and evil. All this is fast paced and fun.

Romance is developing in a very natural way. At the beginning FL is stuck with her one-sided love. Then the main leads develop feelings, under the table for one of them and unknowingly for the other. The events and truths unveiled slowly help them to grow more confident about their feelings...

2/ ACTORS/CHARACTER:

- Go Seul Hae: Nice unsophisticated young woman enthusiast cop dedicated to serve. She has a sad background but remains cheerful. Then she meets ML and his employees and everything changes. She fights villains, spirits, falls in love and become a pretty girlfriend etc... I only watched Jin Ki Joo in Come and Hug me that I dropped. She is doing great here. A very compelling performance.

- Cha Chawoon: A magician who employs ghosts he lives with, to enhance his magical shows. Soon, they are dragged into the civilian police to "serve and protect". From a selfish money grubber nagging boss, Cha Chawoon becomes a real savior and shows his goodhearted side. Park Hae Jin in a very good performance since Forest.

- Choi Gum: 2000 years spirit of the Cha house with a mysterious past who behaves like a silly guy but he has his importance at the key moments.

- Three ghost employees: They are the most fun part of the drama despite their individual sad story which stuck them in their ghost condition. They are fun and good employees. Even if they often complain they truly like their boss.

- Hee Soo: Seul Hae childhood friend and first crush. He is a decent man and a good cop but his timing for love is bad. The actor Kim Jong Hoon did very well in this double-faced role.

- Hae Chun Moo: Super bad guy became super evil spirit and a serial murderer. Scary and convincing enough.

- Ye Ji: young shaman apprentice who is less materialistic than she thought and a worthy pupil.

3/ OST

Good. Nothing cringe or annoying.

4/ REWATCH VALUE:

Very fun and emotional. It is rewatchable

5/ OVERALL:

One of the most fun and entertaining kdrama of this half year. This drama is a great mix of romance, action, fantasy, comedy. The ending is epic and delivers more than expected. Totally recommended. 10/10.

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An old concept portrayed in a creative way

The story is centred around CCW, a magician by profession. He is also predestined steward of great 2000 years old spirit. Endowed with ability to see spirits, he has become quite famous. He has learned to use ghosts (which obviously only he can see) in creative and ingenious ways to perform his acts.

GSH is a hard-working, high empathy cop working to correct wrong done to people. In my opinion, Jin Ki Joo has improved her acting a lot compared to last KDrama I saw of her (Secret Life of my Secretary). I wish she goes on to become top league actress.

OST wise, it's nice. Just not noteworthy till now. Cinematography is quite good. As it's shows about magicians, of course, they would some eye-catching sequences.

Overall, a fun enjoyable drama. If you are fan of Park Have Jin, of course, you have to see. If you are looking for something moderate serious tone, please go ahead and watch.

It was a stellar show till episode 10. Post that it has become victim of predictability. The historical arc, I thought there would be more substance to it. But alas, it doesn't.

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Combination of all genres with creative and fresh concept

Don't drop this drama if you still thinking about it. I don't know why you want to drop this. This drama surprised me in every episode. Don't listen to others, give it a try. Even if you have not familiar with the ML or the FL, or the other casts, it does not matter. But i doubt you have not familiar with them since they are a familiar face the industry.
My honest review, the writer did it beautifully in all aspect including the back story. It was taken so beautifully and explain in brief way just enough to tell the back story of the couple, the general and the devil.
There is no force love between the couple, unlike some drama. The comedy is on point. The things i like most:
1. The chemistry between the leads
2. The ability of the ML to change characters
3. The funny ghosts worker
4. The actors that played the villains are good
5. The cinematography in the historical scenes
6. Pong Baek (he is hot)

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I wasted my time so badly!

my feelings after watching this are frustration and exhaustion.
I just don't understand the 8.4 score on the MDL community. the story was so good in the beginning and ended up so badly that it hurts. the characters make bad decisions after bad decisions, I mean, who is that stupid? how can someone loose a dangerous artifact countless times and what kind of shaman lock down the wrong spirit? it's like the writer didn't know how to create a smart story with smart moves, so he/she described stupid people constantly making up for their mistakes. watching the last 4 episode was just so painful. I don't recommend.

when watch this? never. don't begin it because you will be searching for the high quality of the beginning and will end up watching all the show in an angry state of mind.

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A Must See Masterpiece!

With all that happen in the world right now, I really need an escape from reality pill. This show gave me just that. What a joy! I never get this excited about a show since forever. Crazy-comedy, romance, historical, supernatural, crime solving and magic show; all gel and blended well to an amazing show. Full of treats. It's crazy to think how on earth can this writer pull so many genres that ever existed in kdrama land and put it in one show. I'm up for it. Bring it on.

I may not an expert on evaluate things, what I do is just sharing my experience as a normal viewer. I feel bad and pity for those who feel otherwise; who is so stuck to their preferences; their 'standard' perhaps way high-up-over-the-cloud above mine (though I'm not that easy to be pleased either). I gave my review in respect of what the writer/ director/ casts/ production crew had done in making the show a success and wouldn't want their hardwork to not be given a chance or to be left unnoticed.

STORY/ PLOT/ CLICHE
A work of genius in my opinion. It's a familiar story with recycled plots and cliches, BUT as I continue on, I lost track of time. Each new episode will trump the previous ones, although some can be a bit predictable, but I still enjoy all of it. It keep surprises me to the point that I didn't even bother to skip/ fastforward/ predict of what next to come (believe me coz I'm an impatient type and FF button is my BFF). But not for this show. I just let the story takes me. It is undeniably refreshing and full of fun, crazy, thrilling, scary, mystical, fluttering, cringy, sad and sense of fulfillment moments. It succesfully tackles the theme of a feel-good joyride. The writer/ director excel in drawing me in, bring me to this familiar setting yet somehow is uniquely different; so yes, all I need to do is just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. No need to over-analyzed-of-nitpicking-every-single-thing. No need to dive in and dissect each details. Just have fun and experience it all as face value; laugh if it's funny, close your eyes if it's scary, shake your head if you're in disbelief, scream if you get angry or cringy, and cry if it's too sad. Yes, call me a big fool for loving every bit of it.

In a nutshell, it's about an unordinary man's journey of discovery about himself, his true love, family, friends and foes, in the most unconventional way. With so many genres that came into play, it's a neverending fun but interestingly light. His unexpected journey unravels in many ways, with twists and turns; Ups and downs; Intertwind wayback from his past life to his present-self. It also takes us to one event after another and another, that transpire into many unimaginable yet satisfying outcomes. That is to cherish the ones you love unconditionally, hold them tight and be grateful for what you have. Yes, it's a recycled life-altering lessons but told in a magnificent or perhaps in the most absurd way. Hehe I love every seconds of it.

CASTING
Overall casts are just amazing (including guests and extras) and their chemistry are great. Hands down; it's one of the best ever ensemble in a kdrama could ask for.

Park Hae-jin as Cha-woong/Poong-baek
What a performance! Or should I say two coz his portrayals of the two characters are excellent. Both really differ from one another in incredible ways. PB has this calm-reserved persona whilst CW is more of eccentric-confident one. And when the two combined, CW is upgraded into this charming-beyond-help being. He is killing it. The show won't be the same without him. Call me bias, but I don't care coz its the truth >__< hehe.

Jin Ki-joo as Seul-hae/ Chun-hwa
She is wonderful in her both portrayals. Although it may not seem much of a difference but it sufficient enough to deliver me a graciously lovely princess aura and a vivaciously passionate police officer vibes. She really shines in both times.

Jung Joon-ho as Bodyguard/General/Adviser Choi
He is lovable and annoying at the same time. His portrayal is convincing as someone that has seen it all. He seems animated and childlike as much as he was being adamantly serious, particularly in fangirling >__< hehe

The Ghost Squad
All 3 carried different traits of an employee. Chief Nam (Jung Sook-yoon) as the ever-want-to-please-the-boss one; Director Ma (Go Gyu-pil) as the rebel-but-still-have-to-obey one; and A-reum (Park Seo-yeon) as the smart-yet clueless-that-can-be-manipulated one. With all 3 traits combined you get explosive results. The dynamic is an endless chaos as the energy of each characters are delivered differently. It's brilliant.

The supporting casts also really did a marvellous job, from the villains, police squad, SH besties to Granny Ok; BUT Ye-ji (Jang Ha-eun) girl, you surprised me the most.

OST/ MUSICAL SCORE
I love all of it. It started with a wacky-funky-electric vibes of FREAK SHOW. Then fuelled with 2 slow ballads of I'LL BE THERE and TIME. Then a funky song of EHERADIYA and followed by a powerful yet beautiful ballad of FALLIN'. And lastly with 2 sweet melody of YOU YOU YOU and DANDELION SEEDS. I LOVE the latter song so much I could hum it all day. The musical score was done beautifully in every scenes whether if its tragic, dramatic, romantic or comedic. I really love it all especially the percussions.

Kudos to the writer of MPUB and also the director of SWDBS. It's a HUGE improvement from their previous work in my book. I will be enjoying this drama for so many times. So thank you.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD. I strongly suggest you read this after you have completed the show. Anyway...

MAGIC FACTORY CREW :
I LOVE them. Chief Nam, Director Ma, A-reum and Adviser Choi are just awesome. It cracks me up whenever they get irked by CW or when they get to roast him over. Even better when the dynamics are being shifted/switched here and there, left and right. It's just chaos. The ad-libs feel real and are all over the place. How they reacted to their ever-changing-charismatic-over-demanding boss is brilliantly executed. Their relationship really hits home; Like a real family. And with SH in the picture, the ensemble is complete. What a gang of chaos! My favourite moment is when the 3 ghosts save CW from SH arrest. I kept a mental picture of how stoic Chief Nam's face is; How he selflessly flew by infront of CW; and A-reum's quick and powerful vacuum moment. There are so many more to name a few.

OTP ROMANCE/ CHA-SEUL :
Cha-seul romance is a pretty classic OTP trope. They annoyed and push each other's button, as much as they are subconsciously care and curious about each other. When CW was forced to expose his ultimate secret to SH, they were bind into this mutual trust. Hence we can see how naturally SH clung onto CW whenever she got spook by the ghost's presence. Their constant bickerings are delightful and with the resolution of their big misunderstanding somehow catapult their unconventional trust into a mutual affection. Yes, they both have different views and values; but when they found their common ground, sparks fly everywhere. This kind of romance speaks more than the usually fast-shallow-cheesy ones; It involved character's growth and how these two strong-independent individuals discover that first impression doesn't always right and to love someone purely for who they are, not for what they have.

I do concern with SH a bit since she has Hee-soo, her longtime-childhood-crush. On impulse she strongly denies her attraction to CW and seems clueless at times, but when she can't reciprocate to HS's bold-but-too-late confession, I'm convinced. Her discovery about her feelings for HS; and how it actually resonates differently from her feelings for CW, was the turning point! And she never look back. Although she didn't fully have her past memory unlike CW, she truly loves him wholeheartedly. Her definition of love is what really captivated CW in the end.

As for CW, having those past memory really solidify his existing love for SH, BUT deep down he is shackled by guilt. And with danger looms ahead of them, his remorse of his failure to protect the ones that he loved before, wrapped him in this selfless mode, causing him to think that he is the root of everything (it's true though as the evil spirit was from PB's doing) and that SH shouldn't suffer anymore in this lifetime and would be better without him. It's a classic noble-idiot trope however, it's understandable. Only with the unforeseen-out-of this-world encounter in the end that finally set him free. It made him realized that she loves him nonetheless. Knowing that she still make that same hard choice, he finally let go of his guilt and do what he was meant to do. To just love her. To trust her. This is how/ what a classy noble-idiot should be written. Everybody, take note y'all.

And I got to say, the cringy-over-the-top-cute-but-please-stop-or-I-slap-you CW moments are super hillarious, and there are a lot of them (Idk how PHJ managed to pull it off. The cast and crew must've been hectic). There are so many Cha-seul moments but if I have to choose; It is when he confesses. It's not done in a slow-passionate way (opposite PB), but it is a lot sweeter, cuter, smoother and at ease with comforting and subtle fluttering vibes; kinda like your first love. It gives me butterfly everytime I hear that DANDELION SEEDS song in the background.

HISTORICAL/ PAST LIVES MEMORY
I'm so sick and tired of this blatant-stupid claim that this historical plot as being unnecessary-no-good-need-to-be-omitted. Grrr. I strongly disagree. Why? Because it's the core/ root for the whole story. This is where it all started, and it was done beautifully (not draggy at all). For it to be taken out, it completely ruin the final outcome (Do they really watch the show or not? Sorry for ranting, need to let it out coz the amount of 'intellect' baffles me).

Princess Chun-hwa and Chief Priest Poong-baek were just dream-like-angelic duo; a blessing from the heavens for their kingdom. Both were pure, kind, lovely and beautiful souls thus making their tragic love story heartreaking. From PB's denial/ hidden feelings to his falter/ confession; from the big betrayal to their narrow escape; from their swift defiance to their fateful demise. What a ride.

That cave-confession sequence is forever imprint as one of the most beautiful love revelations ever, its like a poem; but my most favourite part is when PB faced off with the villains. Although it was short, the cinematic value of that fight sequence is uber satisfying, especially the part where PB grabbed the villain by the neck and lifted him up in the air. It is so damn-satisfying and freakingly-awesome (so good that you wish for more). Everything then tied smoothly from the past to the present; with CW waking up to a clueless but grateful SH, followed by an abrupt yet subtle eruption of mix emotional weep (I cried too coz PHJ is soooo good).

GENERAL/ ADVISER CHOI
He is unexpectedly a thorn in the roses. I do love him at first but his true self was hidden behind a virtuous mask. His drive to achieve nirvana although its understandable, speaks in variable to me, particularly over his reactions after CW becomes aware of his sin. The little hints dropped by CW, the exchanged stare at the dinner table, their tensions that build up to their inevitable-confrontation; All are well executed to further deepen his guilt (and at the same time making him intolerable). The lines, although felt familiar really hits hard (I found myself saying those very lines with CW haha). And for Adviser Choi to just knelt down, break into tears of regret, begging for forgiveness, and to finally bare himself and own up to his cowardness, is really disheartening. It's raw. The very nature of what human is. I can understand why he did what he did. Of course I hated it and some may find it a bit insincere; but it is what it is. Adviser Choi was like any normal being, not perfect, forgetful, make mistakes and afraid to be left alone. I think the end result for him to be sent down again to retribute himself is pretty irony and satisfactory; No bad deed go unpunish.

EVIL SPIRIT/FULL MOON MURDERER/HS :
The evil spirit, Haechun-moo is written off as this one dimensional villain; Evil beyond redemption. I think it was done intentionally to amplify the eeriness of a good villain. Not great, but enough to make us despise him (and we don't have to feel bad about it). HCM was a ruthless-black-sheep prince from the powerful neighbouring kingdom. His thirst of being accepted somehow corrupted into this huge greed of unsatisfied quest of self-fulfillment, but nothing could ever fill that void. That hunger further magnified when Princess CH strongly rejected him. He is a classic narcisstic; Always blame everyone else but himself. Eventually he was punished by PB and become the evil spirit, the vital nemesis for CW/ Adviser Choi.

As for Full Moon Murderer, although Tae-chun was indeed a bad person, I think he is incapable of killings, he just got unlucky to be possessed by the evil HCM and became the FMM. He was unaware of it at first but later just succumbed to his fear for his life; I mean, who wouldn't?

At first I do have a tiny issue with HS arc; Yes, I predicted it too but that wasn't the case; I find it to be a bit unjust since HS is fairly a good person. He didn't deserved it, and I guess Karma play its role here. I hate it though; The idea that the son has to carry the burden for his father's sin. BUT then thankfully HS is different, due to his strong bond with SH. It proves to me that evil will not always win. And that annoying Police Chief is a lost cause. He is so wickedly vile and despicable. So when he ended up being possesed, I somehow like this unison (haha, guilt-free as charged).

OKHWA HOUSE/ 2ND COUPLE
Although it may seems insignificant to rest, I thought that the story of Granny Ok's sacrifice, her grand-daughter and her love story can't be overlook. At first, their story wasn't that interesting, served as a plot filler, but as it unfold and explored further, it really made me care. The arc although it was predicted left me a sense of gratitude. Ye-ji in particular really shines through in the end. Yes, she is somewhat a pain at the beginning, but I truly adore her now. Her uncontrollable outcry in the end really wins me over.

FINAL BATTLE/ FINALE :
OMG! What the hell did I just watch there? The long awaited battle; The miracle; How the past and the present are actually connected in ways that I could never imagine. They came in full circle beyond my wildest expectation. At first it is a bit weird and out of place but as it unfold, it totally made sense. Literally I was crying and screaming in uber-satisfaction of how epic it was. The realisation of what was tanspired before hits me like a bullet. Why she was risking it all to save him? Why she said those things? It totally changes my views about that particular scene coz it amplify my feelings like 1000 times. God! That is soooooo freaking GOOD. I don't want to spoil much further coz it just.... No enough words to described how well it was written. I'm just blown away. The amount of emotions I felt are just unbelievable. My brain was having a hard time processing each events that transpire one after another. BEST experience ever. Thank you writer-nim, I totally get you.

SACRED MIRROR MIRACLES
Whoever got confused with how SM miracle works, this is how I perceived it, I may be wrong >__<
1. Princess Chun Hwa's Prayer
- Princess CH offer her life to the heavens to clear PB's name and for her to love again in another lifetime. So both SH and CW are being protected by the sacred mirror power, granted that they have love for one another.
2. When SH and CW enclosed in a force field
- The sacred mirror power was activated by the act of SH protecting CW (her love). It mirrored PB's ability and memory onto CW. Hence the blue eyes and the ability to seal the spirit and his past lives memory. It also mirrored CW's see-ghost-ability onto SH. That's why SH can see ghost after the incident.
3. When CW impaled himself over Adviser Choi
- The sacred mirror power again was activated by the act of CW sacrificing himself (his love). It mirrored to brought CW to encounter with you know who, and it also act as a deflection for whatever spiritual/ internal injury that CW sustained and saved him from dying.

Since both SH and CW have used up the sacred mirror power, the ability that they have subsided naturally. Similar to Cha-family-inherited-shaman's ability, as mentioned by Adviser Choi previously. Hope this help.

As always; Will I watch it all again? Hell yeah!!! without FF hehe

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I was gonna drop this drama

So you might be surprised after seeing how my ratings and the title differ from each other. How come I have rated this drama a 10/10 when at one point I was thinking of dropping this drama.

So there are dramas that you know are going to be great just after seeing the first episode. From now on, Showtime! is definitely not one of them. I was even thinking of dropping the drama after seeing the first 2 -3 episodes. As I was just not feeling any spark from the drama and Choi Gun was getting on my nerves for some reason. But thankfully I decided to continue the drama. And I gotta say that it is one of the most underrated dramas out there. I never came expecting anything from this drama. The story gets quite entertaining after the first few episodes and the main couple have a great chemistry in between them. And the chemistry between the boss Cha Cha Woong, the employees Ma Dong Cheol, Nam Sung Gun, Kang Ah Reum and the advisor Choi Gum is a sight to behold. Although I hated the characters of Seo Chang Ho and Seo Hee Soo(the father and the son). I found Seo Chang Ho's character quite funny at the start of the drama. But he was just too bad and evil of a person to consider it funny at the later episodes of the drama. But this doesn't makes the drama any less watchable.

A huge round of applause to the cast of this drama who have worked hard on and off the screen to provide us fans with a great drama. The actors brought their character to life. This drama gave me Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Sell your Haunted house vibes. Which are two of my personal favorite dramas out there. Do give this drama a watch as I assure you won't be wasting your time. It has everything in it. From romance to a great couple to a good past story to an excellent team who works together and the supernatural element which makes the drama a treat to watch.

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Isn’t very magical X(

Created by ‘Viu’ and produced by ‘Samhwa Networks’, “From Now On, Showtime!” is fantasy plus romcom Kdrama which bases on horror comedy. Written by Ha Yoon Ah and jointly directed by Lee Hyung Min and Jung Sang Hee, the drama was originally broadcasted on MBC.

Cha Cha Woong (Park Hae Jin) is a handsome and popular magician who has been able to create a name for himself in the industry with the spectacular magic tricks he does. But little do the public knows about his secrets about being helped by a group of employed ghosts in performing. Upon meeting Ko Seul Hae (Jin Ki Joo), a passionate police officer, he joins the civil police unit to gain some attention but soon they fall in love. Together they try to solve a 10 years old case that involved their family members and meanwhile discovers stories of their past lives that connected them for eternity.

Choi Geum (Jung Joon Ho), Nam Sang Gun (Jung Suk Yong), Ma Dong Chul (Go Gyu Pil) and Kang Ah Reum (Park Seo Yeon) are the employees of the magic factory. Lee Yong Ryul (Kim Hee Jae) is a junior cop and Chun Ye Ji (Jang Ha Eun) is a young shaman. Other familiar actors in various supporting roles are Kim Won Hae, Lee Dong Ha, Cha Mi Kyung, Kim Jong Hoon, Ahn Chang Hwan, Jung Jae Sung and Yang Joo Ho. There are also other known faces in guest roles.

Plot development wasn’t steady though it remains constant for quite a while. Pilot episode wasn’t impressive at all and the furtherance from there didn’t improve at all. Many elements and technical aspects bugged me from the very beginning and there seemed no effort to rectify them on the maker’s part. So, I did struggle for a long time to digest whatever was happening. As a story, it wasn’t really going forward in the same acceleration, because from character introduction to establishing the base of the story, everything made sense. From 3rd, I had already decided to watch at 1.5x, but unexpectedly, I started to like the way things were turning up, midway from the 5th episode, which made me bring back the speed to normal. Honestly, it kept growing on me and I almost fell for it because of smooth and consistent growth, which which which, lasted only till the 11th episode. Introduction of typical Seora-era past life connection trope and painting it with a lousy and funny plotline, is what again ruined the show. The execution of it wasn’t really bad but then the way the current story was plotted it made the entire thing shoddy. The show becomes dragged and exaggerated a lot from 12th episode, albeit its not entirely unbearable. The finale was too rushed. The ending sequence was quite not impressive at all and the "last episode break-up followed by rushed patch-up" trope was so unnecessary, lmao. The stupidest fanatsy was the retrogressive time travel by Hae Jin.

Han Yoo Ah jakkanim had hit the spot with her debuting script “Mystic Pop-up Bar”, which wasn’t really great but had lived up to expectations and was qualitatively acknowledged. However, this show, as her 2nd work failed to keep up in the graph of consistency. I agree the low budget and poor promotion took a toll on the outcomes, but judging from the story, execution and everything else, this isn’t really worth of high results, so whatever hype it has received, it has earned it well. The plot development is average, the character arcs are unexceptional with ordinary growth curves and the elements were randomly choosen; adding to it, the 2000 yo choppy plotline.

Lee Hyung Min PDnim, who’s been working over 2 decades have created many hits and popular dramas and have also seen some of his works getting flopped. While I can’t say it’s one of his worst works, it wasn’t really anything memorable or even a decent piece, given the fact that half of it couldn’t even reach the average expectations. In FACT, It’s the direction that made the drama worse, which is very unlikely and idk what exactly went wrong. The camera work wasn’t very good and to add to the pile was the job of screen and sound editing, which was of substandard quality. The frequent face close-ups and unsuitable sound incorporation was the biggest offs.

There are 7 OSTs in total and I like 3 of them and don’t like the others. They are: “FALLIN’” by Kim Hee Jae, “DANDELION” by Zitten and “YOU YOU YOU” by Floody. The other 4 are “FREAK SHOW” by Jeon So Yeon (I like its instrumental though), “I’LL BE THERE” by An Da Eun, “TIME” by paulkyte and “EHERADIYA” by Bae Gi Sung.

What I liked…

# The way of utilizing shamanism as a tool and incorporating magic in was interesting the idea couldn’t be properly executed and presented; simply, it fell short.

# Park Hae Jin always aces the comedy roles in Kdramas and is essentially one of the best when it comes to playing a comic male lead character. Such was the case here; he simply was wonderful as Cha Cha Woong, though the name is unattractive. His real sense of humor did really reflected in his comic scenes.

# The ghosts working together during the magic showcase scenes were extremely funny. Similarly, their way of helping the leads in various face-offs or dire situations was wisely sketched. They were actually cute.

# The General’s obsession for the idol Aris was very funny and the scenes involving that were entertaining though it lasted very short.

# The casting of an actual trot star Kim Hee Jae as debutant and having scenes where he sings a trot song was very delightful for me as a fan of K-trot music.

What I didn’t like…

# Except for the concept, there is not really anything fresh. I wasn’t gonna complain about it but the fact that they forgot their own theme, turning the show into something else, made it an absolute mess. So, this is just another ghost-relieving drama with intertwined past.

# The comedy is bland for most of the parts, as the editing doesn’t contribute to the overall humor. Also, the pacing of individual scenes are inconsistent, sometimes slow and sometimes fast, though the plot progression speed is okay.

# The romance line started earlier than expected and then turned into cringey fillers which is something I hate a lot in Kdramas. It wasn’t maturely handled.

# The 2000yo old mystery plot wasn’t required in the first place, but they couldn’t even write or execute it well. This is more of personal preference, and I believe that without it, the drama could have been smoothly wrapped up within 12 episodes, or even 10.

# It seemed like the writer themselves was confused about what the direction of the story should be; for first few episodes it was only supernatural, then it turned into only romance and then to only comedy, finally tuning into some history shit and then fantasy.

Final Remarks… I won’t really recommend the drama to anyone, not even who watches everything. For me, it was below the level you call decent. I would have rated it lower if not for the things that I really liked and thought would be foolish not taking into consideration. While Park Hae Jin and the comedy elements remaina source of inspiration to watch this, all other things aren’t that noteworthy. I have loved the FL and her acting the past but she didn’t seem to be able adjust to the role even so her performance was good. Overally, the drama is moderately average, nevertheless entertaining to a limited extent. If you have time and patience, then go ahead.

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This PROVES ya'll will do anything for a check.

I have so many issues with this show, but its not the worst thing ever.

Main couple had no real chemistry, and I keep wondering if PHJ is even really suited to these regular romcoms.

I felt nothing by the end but I didn't feel as if my time was completely wasted.

Whole thing REEKS of weekly production. Nothing feels linear or cohesive. Character plotlines are either nonexistant or get tied up SUPER quick. I kept thinking about little things. Hyejin's dynamic with her BF's mom would have been more intresting with earlier and frequent scenes. If she had been offending her BF's mom slowly and consistantly for the length of the show think of how much funnier it would have been.

Such an obvious lack of planning.

Does have a traditional HEA tho. Its alright. Won't ever watch it again tho.

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The bang became a whimper

This show started as promising as you'd expect. Decent actors, interesting plot premises and genre hopping opportunities.

The Show has potential, to be sure. Different ideas worked for a few episodes and then fade away. Just when you thought this is getting interesting, it’d change tack. Case in point, the idea that magic acts were done by ghosts manipulating the props was cute and clever. That soon changed to talking about magic tricks rather than doing the deed. Similarly, several crimes were solved by communicating directly with the recently deceased. That is not new but the potential is there to create some engaging subplots and it did work for a while but that too petered out. The idea that the ghosts have their own set of rules was intriguing but towards the end, the ghost just behave like normal people. Probably the most disappointing aspect is the overarching Big Evil Spirit revenge plot which was so diminished by the end that it was more like little evil.

The Show also suffers from tonal shifts. I get that it is a rom-com at heart but it also tried to include fantasy, sageuk, crime/corruption and other social issues. A lot of the time, the impact of these themes is diminished because the show would suddenly switch to slapstick comedy or a sweet romantic scene just after a poignant moment. It does make you wonder what’s the point of the transition.

Speaking of romantic scenes, the leads do have decent chemistry but the Show swings from heavy push-pull to aegyo overload in record speed. You want it to happen but you also feel that it was not very natural. The 2OTP was a done deal and they are cute together.

The last couple of episodes were largely fan service. Most threads were closed with pink bows. I like the way they provided the ghosts closure and reward them justly. It was as sweet an ending as you could ask for but it got messy towards the end and added more plot holes. Some scenes are shoehorned in with scant logic. While some closures are heartfelt, others are farcical. The final demise of the Big Evil Spirit was a cop out.

To be fair, it is a decent, enjoyable show but it could have been better. IMHO, it felt like the writer has good ideas and they tried some out but whether it was budget constraint or difficulties in tying the various threads together, the show decided to play it safe, watered it down and fall back onto the standard rom-com tropes in the end. Am I being harsh on this Show? In a sense, yes, but not because I hated the Show. Quite to the contrary, I really liked the Show and the beginning hooked me straight away but I can also see where and how it changed over the course of the run and it wasn't for the better. The Show could have ended with a bang but, in the end, it was a sugar coated whimper.

It is not a rewatch for me. I’ll let those ghosts RIP.

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Welcome to the freak show!

From Now On, Showtime! is a tale of urban fantasy with traditional shamanistic undertones, slapstick comedy, romantic themes and a touch of sageuk fiction. Some might even consider this primarily a rom-com but personally I feel it’s more comedic with elements of an overarching mystery, some action with a side of romance between multiple couples and a love triangle that develops in the later half of the show.

The drama explores the mysterious origins of magician Cha Cha Woong and his “supernatural stage assistants”, whilst delving into his burgeoning relationship with beat cop Go Seul Hae as they team up to unravel unsolvable crimes.

Initially thinking that the inspiration for the story is drawn from a webtoon, this drama is actually based on the original screenplay written by Ha Yoon Ah who wrote the adaptation for Mystic Pop-Up Bar. Helmed by director Lee Hyung Min (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, My Dangerous Wife and the hugely popular Winter Sonata) while Jeong Ye Kyung serves as music director of a drama for the first time, having previously been involved in feature films.

A total of 7 songs are listed as part of the official soundtrack, as follows:

Freak Show - Jeon So-yeon
I'll Be There - Andaun
Time - Paulkyte
Eheradiya - Bae Giseong
Fallin - Kim Hee-jae
You You You - Floody
Dandelion Seed - Zitten

What I Liked

This is a wild ride that’s filled with outrageous humour, larger-than-life characters and an unbelievably convoluted yet absurd storyline that spans two lifetimes with approximately 2000 years between them. Showtime! is the kind of show where logic is absolutely not a prerequisite for watching and viewers are best advised to leave their brain cells at the door before embarking on this rather insane adventure.

Park Hae Jin as the magician Cha Cha Woong and the shaman Poong Baek in the earlier lifetime. I’ve always been a fan of his deadpan style of acting and despite delivering the usual, he injects some range here with his depiction of two vastly contrasting characters as well as blending a mixture of adorable quirkiness and endearing charm as part of his eventual evolution in the story. PHJ is quite versatile but I do believe he should participate in more comedic roles because he has a great sense of comedic timing.

My first time seeing Jin Ki Joo in a lead role, she plays the hyper-enthusiastic but naive patrol officer Go Seul Hae. Despite the rather simplistic characterization, she breathes life and a whole lot of fun into the role. Both she and PHJ are great together as crime-fighting partners and subsequently as a romantic couple. We even get to see them in a more dramatic story arc set during their previous lifetime that represents a complete juxtaposition of their present day iteration.

This show wouldn’t be complete without the hardworking “Ghost Crew” aka the secret stage helpers. Together with the spirit general Choi Gum, portrayed by the evergreen Jung Joon Ho, these band of lovable misfits are a joy to watch especially with their numerous antics and interactions.

Around the midway mark and for nearly two episodes, the plot transports viewers back to the ancient “pseudo-Samguk” era that serves up an astonishingly different production - a sageuk. The production values, design and storytelling tone would give most regular sageuk dramas a run for their money because the technical execution and stylistics are truly well on point.

Although not a major component, I do enjoy the brief depictions of horror whenever they appear on screen. It’s one aspect that enriches the supernatural-fantasy themes as well as heightens the ghoulish vibes of the production.

What Could've Been Better

The love triangle is somewhat redundant but not before drawing a bit of ire through the SML, whom I find somewhat irksome. This is the typical alpha male-cum-jock who lacks personality yet possesses a relentless zeal for upstaging others. I seriously do not like this character at all.

I also find that most, if not all, the police personnel written in this drama to be rather eccentric in one way or another. Some of them turn out to have larger roles in the overall plot development but I think as far as supporting characters are concerned, all of them are upstaged by the non-humans of the show.

Final Thoughts

All things considered, I had fun. This show being what it is, it’s hard to be overly critical of the concept and execution. Love it or hate it, it does have its place in the genre. It may not appeal to the sensible as well as those who have neither the patience nor preference for slapstick but if you’re in the mood for some nonsensical entertainment and unabashed humour, this one’s quite worth checking out.

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