Reviews

On a dangerous path as a choice

A young woman, sold from the “Flower House” to the prime minister to become his concubine, turns out to be a strong and independent personality with her own goals. She also has a mysterious connection to the prime ministers son-in-law, which makes her endeavour even more risky, while at the same time yields an advantage, as it enables her to involve him into her scheme. Being well prepared she turns dangerous situations into opportunities, so she is not afraid, to provoke such situations, despite being already almost killed by the prime minister, before even entering the mansion. There the story unfolds, as she works on settling old scores and retrieving something important, that had been stolen from her.


Maybe give it a try, if you are looking for something with more tension and passion between the main characters, than the average cdrama and if you can bear enemies/lovers stabbing and hurting each other in plenty of ways repeatedly… Also, if you are tired of the innocent, always nice and kind female lead characters, but also don't want her to be unemotional or a stereotypical physically strong woman/warrior type.

I would not recommend this to people, who only want to see sweet/innocent romance. This surely isn't a wholesome love story, since the main characters are set up to be “enemies and lovers” at the same time. Problematic behaviour occurs, but in my opinion, its framed as problematic, not as something to aim for.

I appreciated about the drama:
-that the female lead has agency. She is resourceful, confident and willing to take matters into her own hands. Additionally she has political aspirations besides her personal motivations, giving her purpose beyond romance.
-that the second female lead plays a role beyond being an antagonist to the main leads, not simply being a character to be exclusively hated by the audience, like in many similar dramas.
-that the acting is decent and the plot moves along quickly (there are more flashback scenes in the beginning, but its not excessive throughout the drama)

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Introvert heaven

This drama is not only about introverts and highly sensitive people, it also feels like it is directly made to calm the exhausted nerves and overwhelmed minds of those. Liberation Notes is about acceptance of yourself just the way you are in a world that isn't always too kind to people straying from the herd. It is healing and soothing, inspiring and encouraging.

One thing I got from almost all of the storylines: to find someone you can talk to about your deepest feelings and thoughts and they don't run screaming is all you actually need. Whether you are that person for yourself or someone else is.

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Filler romcom? Yeah. Compelling Demon-human fantasy? Nope.

So the "RECIPE FOR MY DEMON" goes like –
(Take your Goblin, doom at your service, tale of the nine tailed, Strong woman do bong soon, destined with you and some other dramas) — handpick elements you like in a container, sprinkle some Song Kang and Yoo Jung visuals and shake the jar twice with spice nd sauce (jealous/psycho/ctuesy side kicks) , garnish it with some special OST and ta-da!! Your My demon is ready to serve xD

I wasn't expecting much and I didn't recive much either. My demon was enjoyable if you go to see it for the eye candy cast, their chemistry but if you expect a logical fantasy story, take a step back, especially if you've seen other dramas from this genre before.

What I enjoyed is the comedy that popped up here and there, Song Kang should try more Comedies (enough of sending out butterflies lol)... his quirky, childish demon was fun to watch but tbh I would've enjoyed more if Jeong Gu Won was more of a morally grey savage demon becoz we're talking about a demon, not angels. Or are you telling me he changed into an "upright demon" for her? His character arc was just so imbalanced.

On the other hand Do Do Hee being the CEO of Mirae F & B was relatively better since its Kim Yoo Jung acting there who carried some emotional scenes gracefully too when her character solely felt like a damsel in distress always about to die until our demon arrives. What a flat, lazly written character for a FL who is shown as an strong independent individual, smart enough to own a company lol.

Although their romance worked greatly but in some emotional scenes I still felt Song Kang a little bit out of place. It still seemed like one of his better performances from previous though... then these two being cuddly love birds was kinda cute xD. That being said you'll be enjoying this drama if you were looking for a romcom with moderate ups and downs.

Now don't come at me for why I'm comparing this to any old dramas of similar genre because I highly object to the creater's creativity. Just where is the story lol... Looking at the budget and all the hype around it, this certainly could have been far, far better only if they thought of an actual story, something unique, non-cliche. After all the promotions and teasers almost promised us a compelling fantasy.

So this is how my demon was. Unfortunately not recommending it to anyone.

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Average, Over-Hyped Drama: Recycling Fantasy/Makjang Storylines

Being a Netflix production, this drama already had created a buzz even before airing. Now at the end, the only thing that worked for it were the stunning visuals, addicting main OST & chemistry of the main leads. It had created a great build-up of the mystical element but loses it with the lackluster revenge plot, unnecessary past life stories and conclusion that was just there cause happy ending is needed. Had already posted about it but this drama should have just kept with the modern story and wrapped up in 10-12 episodes. But alas - they stretched it so much that what was initially exciting became super boring & you just fast forward to finish it out of frustration than eagerness.

What Worked:
• Stunning visuals & chemistry of the main leads
• Initial, good build up of mystery around Demon & FL (power-exchange) and family fighting for power
• Cha Chung Hwa as Noh Sook Nyeo- just because she is a fantastic actress!

What Did Not Work:
• Unnecessary inclusion of past lives (the historical era of the main leads).
• Antagonists were not written well. Felt they cropped up randomly only to be beaten up by an OP character & just lost with no conclusion.
• What was the SML doing? What was his need - unnecessary love triangle to be written off easily?
• Comedic elements that just don't work & were not needed (the office workers, the gangsters, the secretaries & ML/FL's futile attempt at it)

The show borrowed a lot from fantasy and makjang dramas given it was centered around a mystical character & family fighting for power. But rather than taking it to another level or giving its own flavor/twist, it fails to bring anything unique and becomes dragged+ boring. What initially excited me: Love story of Demon & Human amidst Family Feud, gets stretched to a point that it breaks and is not digestible. It would have been better to end in the modern setting with his powers returning & discovering the identity of the antagonist(s). Extremely disappointing - especially since I had high hopes with the premise & this is my first drama of Song Kang.

My verdict to Binge or Skip? SKIP IT!
It is an average drama - so my advice is to skip it and use your time to rewatch your favorite fantasy dramas or something else with a better story.

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Excellent

I absolutely loved this drama ... I had to look it up and ask others as to the true name of this series as it was being called something else on YouTube and I wanted to know the actors in it. Thankfully many kind people on here replied and told me it's real series name. This story has great romance, action, many good characters and storylines and held my interest right up to the final episode. I really felt all the actors were very good and the ML and FL really kept it strong and interesting. It s one of my faves and I will watch it again . I think it kept a real sense of love and family in it through out. Kudos to all involved in this series!!

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Quite nice....until one scene.

I am new member, and I am as well new to korean dramas world and maybe I am not as forgiving as rest of K-drama fans...but.
The scene where FL makes ML feel guilty and sorry about his disability and he apologized her for that...made me drop the show. Disability is something we don't need to apologize for and feel sorry for especially towards partner.

And just like that, with just one scene, I lost all interest in the story. And that is a pity, because JWS is superb in his role. The soundtrack is wonderful, the work of cameras just great. Just pity, to destroy superb drama with lack of sensitivity.

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A Worthwhile Watch

My demon is a fantasy kdrama centered around a demon, Jeong Gu Won who looses his power to a young heiress, Do Do Hee (transfer of tattoo). In his quest to get back his tattoo, Gu Won becomes Do Hee's bodyguard and eventually marries her. The marriage is contract based and mutually beneficial. As he safeguards and protects Do Hee from life threatening attacks, Gu Won could monitor her and keep an eye on his tattoo which was on her wrist. Gradually, they develop romantic feelings for each other.

The storyline is thorough and interesting. The drama captures the reality of being adopted into a powerful family. It is not all lovely and rosy especially when it has to do with properties. Also, the drama gives insight into the fact that Gu Won's encounter with Do Hee was fated. They actually had a past life together as YiSun and Wolshim and were lovers. Additionally, I liked how the drama provided a back story on the series of events that led into Gu Won becoming a demon. It was impressive.

The drama has powerful and engaging scenes that would keep you hooked. The highlight and centerpiece of the drama is the tango scene. That iconic dance scene will surely go down in kdrama history. Everything about the scene was just pleasant to watch.

One of the distinct features of this drama is its wonderful cast, whose performances keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Each actor nailed their respective roles.

The chemistry between the leads, Jeong Gu Won (Song Kang) and Do Do Hee (Kim Yoo Jung) was sizzling. They showcased a convincing act of young love that is passionate and beautiful. This makes viewers' hearts flutter.

The OSTs were great and I loved all of them especially the introduction song; True by Yoari.

A point of criticism for me has to do with the love triangle. For a couple who were already doomed due to their piteous fate, the love triangle wasn't necessary. It was great that it ended quickly giving DoHee and GuWon the chance to love themselves as much as time would allow.

Another point of criticism has to do with the scene where Gu Won disappeared. That scene looked so much like a scene in Goblin. There are a lot of creative and artistic choices she could have made use of but she chose to do the exact same thing to the extent that it was the same clothing color. It looked as though she copied the scene vividly from the other drama. That was really disappointing.

Nonetheless, I found the drama interesting and worthwhile.

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Interesting storyline

I think this drama overall is pretty good. It's well acted and the story moves along but the love interests don't and this bothers me. I hate seeing Feng spinning out if control which makes no sense as he becomes undefined, and that creepy woman hanging onto him is so icky. Lol. But I love BinBin so I hope for a good ending. I m not crazy about Xie as he keeps acting desparate, lies to Ge'er and does really dumb things to push the relationship. I identify w his behavior as only being selfish in what he wants. All 3 men in Ge 'ers life are jaded. Even the Prince eventually. But at least he tries. I'm trying to hold interest to finish the series at around ep35 and hope that if Ge 'er doesn't love any of them she will just get Flame back for herself... will see. I think she could bring Feng back to reality and be a better match though as he just needs to find his true purpose. Eh maybe they will kill him off too. Who knows. Lol. I did like the elders in this series. What a fine cast of older men playing fathers and heads of state etc. Very fine casting there. When you watch this many episodes in you become part of the 'family' and begin to hope for good outcomes so I hope the bad guy gets his due in the end. Lol. He is a creepy looking one. Anyway overall it's a pretty good drama, I would recommend it if you can stand BinBin in a 'bad guy' role. I m not liking that though. Ge'er is very good and I think she is well worth watching and enjoying in this drama.

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The cliche trope rides high on the strong chemistry between the leads

The show won't bring you something out of the box or something that you haven't seen before but what makes the show a good watch is the strong chemistry of the leads. The show has many cliche moments but won't feel cringey . Another good thing was that the entire past life trope not dragged which many shows often do.

Song Kang as a charming and narcissistic demon was the perfect cast and so was the Kim Yoo Jung as the feisty nutjob Do Do Hee. The chemistry between them was top notch since the first episode. Their relationship arcs was quite fun too watch and was the strongest point of the show.

Kim Tae Hoon as Noh Sok Min did one phenomenal job as one ruthless and cold businessman. Kim Seung Ho as one psychotic teen did just a good job. Even though it was his first time main stream acting, he did total justice to his character. He impresses me the most and was the dark horse of the show.

The show is a good time one time watch if you are looking for some Human - Entity relationship dramas.

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A Romcom worth the while

Firstly I would like to say that all the cast members did a great job in their respective roles. To me, no one felt lacking in any way.
Song Kang seems to be the perfect fit for the role. The charisma needed to be shown by the character Gu Won was perfectly depicted by him. His acting seemed great and emotions could be felt to the audience. Looking at him playing the character was really a delight.
Kim Yoo Jung proved how experienced actor she is. Couldn't have had a better female lead to accompany Song Kang. Do Hee's character was perfectly played by Kim Yoo Jung. All emotions she portrayed could be felt by heart.
Starting my review from the first 4 episodes: I was personally hooked on to the show from the first episode, the encounters between the leads and the later tragedies were perfectly fit in the episodes. The plot was made perfectly understandable from the start and the episodes and their storyline always made me want to know more about the story. All characters were shown in these starting episodes and had some screen time to each of them. The episodes had great comic lines and equal amount of other things going around to make the audience hooked upon the show. Most important thing that dramas should have is the power to keep the audience engaged in the starting episodes and this drama hit that note well.
Episodes 4-8: The main plot started to take place here. All the conspiracy in the drama can be seen unfolding in these episodes in the perfect pace. Each episode ending was made so perfect that would keep you on your toes for the whole week waiting for the next episodes. Gu Won characters develops quite a bit in this stage and shows different emotions in him. Both leads share a great chemistry in this part especially the comic timings in these episodes. Focus also starts mainly to finding the culprit and keeping Do Hee safe. The scenes were always some what predictable but the way they were shown and portrayed by the characters was what made a difference.
Episodes 8-12: The chemistry between the leads is best shown in this part. A perfect honeymoon phase starts that everyone would love to watch. The leads slowly get closer to finding the culprits step by step. Some parts of the past also start unfolding which makes the story interesting making one wonder how Gu Won ended up like this. Many questions remain unanswered during these episodes but the way the main leads carry the story was just great.
Episodes 12-16: The climax part of the drama was expected yet was able to bring some unexpected twists. All questions are answered well in these episodes. Unlike some dramas where everything is hurried up in the last episode, this drama did it well in maintaining an appropriate pace in unfolding the story. Nothing felt too fast or slow. The last episode will also leave one satisfied since nothing was left to be completed at the very end. All moments that a viewer would want are shown.

There were scenes in every episode that felt heart touching, gave you a smile and kept you wondering.
Madam Ju had a good impact till the end of the story even though one might feel in the early parts of the drama that she had less screen time.
Noh Suk Min was as expected and one could predict everything about him yet his portrayal kept me engaged.
Seok Hoon showed clear feelings since the start yet he was not predictable and one would question his intentions till quite some time throughout the drama. It was good to see his character was never made over clingy or interfering and was just perfect as a supporting person. His comic scenes with Gu Won were quite enjoyable.
Ga Young might have seemed a bit irritable at first but to be honest till the end she become a great person. Even her actions in the first half of the show were understandable after watching the whole show. Ga Young actually was a very determined person and I personally loved her character.
Do Hee's secretary and Park Bok Gyu were a gem considering the amount of laughter they gave to the audience. Their scenes with each other and their respective superiors were very cute and funny. Both showed equal love for their superiors. Bok Gyu's back story was quite some fun to watch. Both these characters played and important role in helping the main leads throughout their whole journey.
All office characters were prefect and a joy to watch. I could easily watch more of them on screen.
Do Hee's family had many issues yet their roles were portrayed well. Knowing more about them would have made the audience connect more to them, although I have no complains since the characters which got more screen time were actually the ones that should've been given in the first place.

The production of the drama seems great. The scenes and scenery shown are beautiful. Some scenes were edited so perfect that you would fall in love with the scene. The water scene on the small rocky beach type area was just perfect and I could've kept watching it.
The OST was just perfect. Can't get enough of 'Our night is more beautiful than day'. One of the best OST's of 2023 for me. The background music be it in the fight scenes or romantic scenes was on point and enhanced the beauty of the scenes.

In some parts it did feel like they are taking some time to show the obvious and felt that there could be some more story added to the show. Last episode might feel like a filler episode with cute scenes. The story was predictable at many points which made the cast the biggest reason to be hooked on to the show. The back story was shown twice at a point in the show which dragged an episode. Some characters could have been explained better.

I can honestly not find many shortcomings since I really liked the show although I do know it wasn't a perfect 10. Overall I would highly recommend it people who love to watch a cute bubbly romcom with a mystery storyline.

P.S. Feel free to tag me or message me if you want spoilers as I tend to avoid giving spoilers in my reviews.

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Stunning Visuals and Perfect Blend of Comedy and Romance

My Demon is an amazing show that really impressed me. The performances by Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung were outstanding. They brought their characters to life in a way that was really believable and engaging. Their acting was a big part of what made the show so good. Another thing that stood out to me were the visuals. The show looked beautiful, with really stunning scenes and special effects. It was clear that a lot of effort went into making the show look as good as it does.

The balance of comedy and romance was perfect. The funny moments were really well done, and they made me laugh without taking away from the story. The romantic parts were sweet and heartwarming, adding a nice depth to the show. The way the show mixed these two elements together made it really enjoyable to watch. It's a great show if you like a mix of laughter and love, and it's also just a visually stunning series to watch.

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So Much Wasted Potential

Anyone who thinks this was going to be a Not Me 2.0 is going to be very disappointed. I mistakenly thought this was from the same director because someone said so but this isn’t true. This is a dollar store discount version at best.

I really wanted to like this series because it had
1) twins
2) volleyball sports theme
3) a plethora of hot guys

What they got right
Casting Frame as Zee/Sprite
Pairing Frame with Ryan
Pairing Tan with Sam
Having a friends with benefits with Jack/Mike
The bad guys were the most convincing characters in the series until they were caught. Then it went downhill in sloppy writing.

What they got wrong
Salmon had potential but due to 1) poor character development 2) poor acting she became annoying
Namkning and her mean girl friends were a waste of time in this whole story. Taking the, out would’ve made no difference. How they ended up was beyond stupid.
The volleyball training was a bit of a hot mess. Original Zee would not be a star being so self center. How Sprite became good with half ass training dumb.
The scholarship kids on the volleyball team was bandaid together to have a semi happy ending that left me with WTF dumbfounded
The chemistry of Ryan with Frame was there but the storyline was a hot mess due to pacing and awkward editing. Some part was due to underacting and others were overacting. This director clearly cannot lead his actors to give any convincing performance. Neither actor seemed in sync with each other.
The baddies became so lame once they were caught. The acting was cringey to watch.
I don’t understand why the dude with the baseball cap showed up in last episode for Dedeuw
Mike and Jack was the messy relationship that made no sense. It was leading to friends to lovers then we come to the end of them being friends with benefits. What they lots the plot of the story.
How Zee was an asshole who all of a sudden became a functional human being with no arc left me confounded.
The mom who was a tiger mom to Zee seemed to become normal too without rhyme or reason.
Why did First ex come back. Only to disappear without rhyme or reason.
Everything with the editing was a mess. The pacing and sequence is just all over the place which made the story hard to follow. I spent so much time trying to connect the dots

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