8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023, South Korean historical, action, suspense, thriller, horror and romance series with 10, 65-73 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Jang Tae-sang (Park seo-joon) runs a very successful Korean business in Japanese occupied Gyeongseong (later renamed Seoul) occupation. He is determined to survive in an environment that is hostile to Koreans by amassing wealth and influence as a form of protection. Known as Master Jang he is perceived as selfish and uncaring if his fellow South Korean’s plight when, in reality, he takes great care of all his friends and family like associates. If you need something in the way of information he probably knows a guy or a girl. That all changes when he is blackmailed to locate a woman who went missing. He is skilled at using his connections to broker information but this time his livelihood is at stake. His mission puts him in contact with Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee) who is part of a team who are experts at finding people. During the spring of 1945, lots if people are going missing after visiting, or being taken to, a Japanese run hospital. Seems more than just medicine is being practiced there, people are being used to run experiments with a violent creature.

Review

It is a great addition to the monster “movie” genre. The monster in this is terrifying and seems invincible. It has exciting action scenes, edge of your seat suspense and fingernail biting horror. If you are a fan either leads, they do an excellent job in their roles. It can be hard, emotionally, to watch realizing the Japanese did occupy South Korea and they did perform horrific medical experiments on the Koreans. It is a lens on how occupation forces dehumanize their “enemy.” The romance is there but it is not what makes the series stand out. It is complex enough I would watch it again to catch things I missed. I would recommend it highly for those wanting great monster, suspense, historical backdrop, and/or action series.

Spoilers

Prepare for a gore fest. I lost count of how many people the creature killed. I was a little disappointed that the Korean prisoners were killed indiscriminately by the monster when, later, we discovered the creature maintained enough of its original humanity to recognize its daughter.

I wonder if they misinterpreted Anthrax because that is what they said they injected the creature with that caused its horrible mutation. Then, the creature emitted bubbles of Anthrax in a “sleeping” state but it wasn’t characteristic of what we know of Anthrax. This “Anthrax” causes acid burns when it hits the skin. It did not seem like Anthrax so I wonder if it was a translation issue.

Several people betrayed their friends under torture and I liked they called it out and Tae-sang and others acknowledged it was not the fault of the victim as they temporarily lose their humanity.

I feel we never got the full back story of what kind of revenge was being exacted on Chae-ok’s mother that she was turned over for medical experimentation. There was mention of betrayal and I suspect it was also jealously on the part of Yukiki Maeda (Soo Hyun) as she mentions their association when they were younger but that situation was only vaguely explained.

The ending was mostly up in the air with the main creature still alive, a second creature having just delivered what appears to be an alien baby and Chae-ok now revived from death but infected with the parasite. It is clear there will be another season and I think there is a confirmed 2024 production date. I do not trust Netflix though so prefer a well tied up ending. WhatI love about South Korean shows is they rarely leave cliffhangers. Netflix is all about profit and leaves the endings open so, if the series does well, they can do additional seasons. A lot of Asian drama fans likely find leaving it open like that annoying.

#GyeongseongCreature

#ParkSeoJoon

#HanSoHee

#SooHyun