It starts slow...
... but then the story really run fast. I loved the chemistry between the two main protagonists but still, it lacks in something. I enjoyed it but still.. As already said, something is missing here. The plot sometimes is messy, the side roles are not developed enough. I still have a lot of unanswered questions about the story. And sometimes I asked myself: what was that again? Why they are doing that?Side note: he’s really hot and his voice so deep you’ll fall in love.. so I think that just by that, its worth the view.
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Thoughtful story
This story has some different twists that kept me guessing. Finding lost loved ones, betrayal, hidden identities, and complicated histories make this tale complex and satisfying.There are a couple “extra” characters that we could have done without. FL’s rich and bratty school friend seemed to have purpose initially but continued to fail to advance the plot and just wasted time.
The second male lead was a sympathetic character and I appreciated the message his character illustrated which is that you are not your past and whether you are a good person is because of the choices you’ve made.
I wish the lore and rules for the supernatural were more clearly laid out. It was hard to follow the various tools that were needed, lost and found, as well as the relationships between characters and their histories and abilities.
Overall, it was a satisfying drama that was enjoyable to watch from beginning to end. I didn’t know how it would end until the last episode, which is always a nice surprise. Highly recommend you give it a try.
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Misses:
- NJH's acting just didn't have enough gravitas to portray a thousand+ year old water god. Although he did try.
- Actually, non of the gods were given reasonable interpretations as beings that have been around for thousands of years. Kind of like watching the American "Supernatural"'s minor gods (immature and powerless)
- Did not fully explore the cool fantasy aspects (use of godly power on earth)
- Habaek's quest was either poorly written or poorly executed, because no satisfaction to viewer whatsoever (in other words, I was not invested in what Habaek was on earth to do, like, at all)
- loveline lacked chemistry (which has already been criticized by many)
Gave the music a higher rating because I enjoyed the music at the opening of every ep, haha.
It's a pity this show is compared to Goblin a lot because to me they are two completely different shows. Goblin asks more existential questions, while BOTWG is more about human love, both family and romantic. Well, theoretically, if BOTWG was better executed, could have been about human love.
Overall, a show that had a lot of wasted potential.
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It was just so bad
I usually never leave reviews, but I feel like I should save your time.If you're new to kdrama, maybe just go for it and watch it (then afterwards when you watch something that's actually good, it will enhance your experience and show you new horizons for quality content possibilities)
This drama was bad, just go watch another Nam JooHyuk drama instead. Or watch something like "Run On", a good Shin Se-kyung drama. The actors aren't bad, but it's the writing that doesn't do them justice--because of bad writing, inevitably characters, therefore, characterisation was frustrating to watch
The plot and pace were boring asf, unnecessary angst, things that just didnt make sense too.
that being said, because of this being one of my first kdramas I didn't realise how bad it was so I just finished it, not knowing the standard for quality at all , if this is one of your first just go for it
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This review may contain spoilers
I never read the comic so I came in fresh. The acting I thought was really good. The actors portrayed their emotions very well. There were certain points where the characters weren't speaking but all of the emotions were expressed through their eyes and face. It can get super intense at times and it's great. Nam Joo Hyuk did a great job expressing his emotions. Super hot and adorable at the same time. Shin Se Kyung also did a wonderful job. The chemistry between the two could've been stronger but still good. Im Joo Hwan did a great job. Something I wish the show would've done was to make the relationship between Shin Hoo Ye and Yun So Ah stronger for more tension.
Plot- Wasn't the best plot. People mention that they didn't really give you a full backstory but fed bits and pieces here and there and I thought that was what made it fun to watch. You learn new information as you progress through the show. Sure, I could def use more background on Shin Hoo Ye and why the gods hate him or why he used to be the God of fire. But the best thing was it didn't really drag out a lot. Some dramas tend to have long periods where a lot of episodes were boring and I didn't think this had it.
Music- The OST Glass bridge is BEAUTIFUL. Amazing song and fits sooo well.
It's a great show, great drama, I love fantasy, magic, and rom com so this was perfect for me. Super intense emotional moments. Super cute adorable moments. Could've used more magic. But wouldn't rewatch it.
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The Bride of the Water God, loosely base of the manhwa of the same name. I remember reading there will be a live action of this manhwa I have so ever admired due to the amazing artwork, but I have been distracted and thus forgot about it.
I love watch Live actions of manga's or manhwa's I have read to compare the two. Although, this time it might be a bit of a challenge, because I have yet to finish reading the manhwa and it was a long time I go that I read it. Yet I still had high expectations because it is suched a loved Manhwa...
With this version I was intrigued to see how they would set it in modern Korea... For the drama, the setting worked out well, even the outfits that Habaek wore suited him well (well he is a God, he would look amazing in anything... including shirtless, which happens a lot in this drama). Putting the fan service aside, I felt the main actor was chosen well in my opinion. Although, I loved the God side more than the Human side. The clothes and hairstyles look sooooo sexy!
I remember in the manhwa that it was set more in the realm of the Gods, but in the drama, its the opposite, this was a little disappointing. I would have loved to have seen many different costumes, but I guess they were on a budget and would not have been able to afford it all *Internally cries*. It would have been nice to see more of an artistic style of clothing that fashionable. But that is my own personal opinion, especially as a huge fan of the original art work.
Through the drama, there was moments where I felt things really worked and things didn't. The romance between Sooya and Habaek... I am torn between it working and not working. I understand that Habaek is still plagued by his past love Nakbin, I felt that Habaek needed to show more conflicting emotions about what he should do but Habaek and Sooya's really, really, intense kiss (probably the longest kissing scene I have seen in Kdrama) was what I was waiting for, yet, was it really needed to be that long? was that all there would be?
I loved the drama and there was so much to follow, but maybe it was a little too hectic at times. They did introduce the other characters well, and although, it might have been only a slight touch of their stories and connection, it felt like it worked. Any more and it would have been confusing for those watching or it would have been longer than only 16 episodes, which I would not have minded.
This is probably one of the first drama's where I didn't hate the supporting cast, they were really well chosen, I am not just saying that I am an f(x) fan, but Krystal played Mu-ra really well. I am sure she loved wearing all the dresses too. Also Gong Myung played his character really and also added to the fan service moments in many episodes. It was definitely a great cast.
Overall, if you bare in mind, that live action dramas mostly don't stick to the manhwa/manga's, then its still great to watch. I really enjoyed watching it but now I want to re-read the manhwa to remind myself of why the love story between a God and Human interested me so much at first. Maybe its because its a fairy-tale, one that will never exist in real life, but the fleeting dream is one that I can still admire as only a dream. Well we want to escape from reality at some point in time, why not image a totally attractive God will sweep you off your feet?!
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Entertaining but not enough
I think this is the second manhwa adaptation that I've watched after the Cheese in the Trap. While I enjoyed and liked the latter, I can't say the same thing about the Bride of Habaek. I haven't read the original manhwa, so I will only talk about the pros and cons of the drama.First of all, the story was bland and tedious. As some other users said, it could've been a great storyline, but it fell short, unfortunately. Like I've said, I don't know the source of this drama, but what I've watched was not satisfying enough. The premise looked interesting, and maybe the first couple of episodes held that interest, but after some time, it got pointless and repetitive. There were no gripping events except for some unexciting cliffhangers. And in my opinion, 16 episodes were too much. They could've gone with 12 episodes or less. Probably it would be sufficient considering the story was not diverse. The ending was also unsatisfying. I couldn't understand how Habaek's relationship with So Ah was different than the one with Nak Bin. He is immortal, which means he will never die, but So Ah will get old and die eventually. In the end, he will suffer more than before because he will experience the loss of a loved one twice. I can't say that it is a satisfactory ending. I expected a different ending, to be honest. Hoo Ye and his story was better and had more depth. Also, he looked more interested in So Ah than Habaek. Plus, he was nicer than Habaek as a person. I wish he had more scenes because he and So Ah never had decent scenes. Their scenes together looked strained and lacked any type of compassion. However, there is one aspect of the story that affected me. It was the story of So Ah's father. The way he died was very tragic, I think, considering that his daughter is the one that got him killed, even though it was a mistake and she did not know it. It was the most powerful scene of the drama.
Secondly, the acting was not that bad, but it wasn't good either. Nam Joo Hyuk was better in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Who Are You: School 2015, other dramas of his I've watched. I think he didn't fit the role, Habaek is thousands of years old yet he acts like a spoiled schoolboy. The other deities were the same. I don't know whether that was the intention of the scriptwriters or not, but the childish aura did not fit a God, in my opinion. The female protagonist is like Kristen Stewart of South Korea. All of her facial features looked the same, and it was not genuine either when she cried or laughed.
The soundtrack was fine and remarkable. Some songs stick in your mind. I will probably listen to them for a while on loop.
Overall, I would rewatch this drama only if I run out of dramas to watch, which I don't think is possible.
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Great romance with lots of humorous moments
This is a 2017 South Korean fantasy romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.So-ahs’ (Shin Se-kyung) life isn't quite going to her plan. She is a struggling psychiatrist with a mountain of debt. Just when it seems things cannot get much worse her path crosses with the narcissistic water god Ha-baek (Nam Joo-hyuk). Ha-baek is visiting the mortal world to claim stones from other Gods that will secure his royal throne. So-ah is the descendant of a person who promised to serve the Gods in perpetuity and since Ha-baek has lost his power he intends to cash in on her ancestor’s promise. So-ah is a psychiatrist and has seen more than one patient with delusional beliefs and thinks Ha-baek is the same that is until events unfold that temporarily restore Ha-baek’s power and she is unable to deny the truth of who he is. Her destiny is to be Ha-baek’s bride and this sets her in the path of other gods who have come to Earth. The wind god Bi-ryeom (Gong Myung), the water goddess Mu-ra (Krystal), and the semi-god Hu-ye (Lim Ju-hwan) have no intention of simply giving the stones to Ha-baek and do not hesitate to put So-ah in the middle of their games.
Spoiler ? I really liked how narcissistic and arrogant the water god was and how So-ah is not all that impressed and, in fact, thinks he might have some mental health issues (delusions of grandeur and all that). Seeing this God turned human struggle through the many issues humans must overcome (such as food and shelter) is very amusing. There is a loneliness to So-ah and, as her relationship develops with Have-Baek you can see how each compliments the other. He simply cares about her and while she has some other people that care about her he goes that extra step and takes care of her not in a monetary sense but in a feeling protected sort of way. I liked the Demi god too and actually felt really angry at the Gods at times for the way they treated him. The side romance between the other Gods was really cute too. This kept my interest the whole way through as I wanted to see all of the characters have good outcomes. There were a few scenes where the special effects were actually a bit horrible. In this one So-ah is thrown off a building and winds up passing a window but rather than flailing and twisting and turning she is sort of going straight down like an arrow. It makes it almost comical. In another scene, So-ah and Ha-baek are swimming underwater in what is supposed to be an emotional scene but it is so obvious the they are pretending to swim against a green screen because their clothing and hair is not swishing and swaying like it would be in water and the water is not throwing streams and bubbles like it is when you see people actually swimming. It turned what could have been a touching scene into a bit of a silly moment. I was a bit disappointed that So-ah got this wish and it seemed she could have wished for anything but her wish was really very minimal. I would have wished for something like being a Goddess so I could enter the God realm and be with him indefinitely. Or wish that you could be with him until he ceased to exist. To only wish to be together as long as you, the human, lived was a bit disappointing. And it made me feel sad for Ha-baek who would have to see her age and die and then live forever without her. But, they do end up together and I would have been really disappointed if they had not. Overall this is a good supernatural type romance with a lot of compelling elements.
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Fell flat
Had potential but alas didn’t quite hit the mark!Cons:
- Weak plot. Way too many plot holes. Like why could she hear plants then all of a sudden not? Why did that guy just choose not to talk? These are the generic ones that come to mind without spoilers. I won’t go deep into the main story because there’s a lot to unpack. But here’s the gist- Essentially, a lot of nonsensical things happen to support the progression but there’s absolutely no rhyme or reason to any of it! Lazy writing IMO. The constant teasing was annoying too. They hinted at major plot reveals a gazillion times to the point where when it was actually revealed, I was left with nothing more than disappointment. This affected the next topic…
- Side characters are not likable, like at all. The hints mentioned earlier also have to do with the context/reasons for the characters actions. So by the time the reveals happened, I already hated the second leads. The timing was off and therefore it was just too hard to sympathize and understand their motivations. Overall made for very poor character development…. And that’s why Yongyong was my favorite side character.
- chemistry/romance was mediocre. The build up just wasn’t there for me.
- Acting - ugh the overacting is so cringe. The lip quivers in the beginning almost made me drop it. It does get better but the first several episodes are rough.
- product placement: it’s there, it’s in your face. I’ve seen worst but one scene in particular felt like a Hyundai commercial
Pros: (if these appear like a desperate grasp at straws, it’s because it is!)
- God realm had a nice set design if you can look past the awful wigs which I can only assume were purchased from Shein.
- In general, romance was not that great BUT there were some cute scenes with the ML and FL
- Shirtless Nam Joo-hyuk (minus the cringe water can scene >.<
- nice cinematography, the “first kiss” scene comes to mind. The colors and atmosphere are absolutely beautiful
- I really liked the Glass Bridge song. Rest of the OST is forgettable, also much like this drama
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Okay Show But Needed More Fleshing Out
What I Liked About ItI liked the supernatural aspect. I always like when supernatural beings come to earth and have trouble understanding the ways of life as a human. It was funny to see Ha-baek learning about money, getting a license, and navigating a cellphone.
When his power was shown, which wasn’t often, I liked how it was presented and wished there had been more times where he got to use them. I suppose that wasn’t the moral of the story. He needed to be without his power so he could understand the process of not relying on it and also see humanity in a different light. Not having his powers helped to curb his arrogance.
A lot of the music was memorable and set the mood for certain scenes, which I felt was well-done. I thought the storyline with So-ah’s past and her torn relationship with her father had depth and when you find out what truly happened, it’s actually really heartbreaking. That storyline was very well-done and well-acted.
I liked most of the characters, but the one who stood out to me was Shin Hoo-ye. I felt Ju-hwan’s performance was gripping. He made us feel for his character, who I never hated. I wasn’t sure if the writers wanted us to dislike him simply because the gods did, but I felt more for him than the gods even after their reason for hating him was revealed. His character actually understood what it felt like to be human, to make mistakes and have to live with them. I just felt for his character and perhaps that had everything to do with the way Ju-hwan portrayed him. I would like to see what other dramas he’s acted in.
I liked Ha-baek and So-ah’s relationship. They were funny and cute together and I was rooting for their love the whole time. I really enjoyed watching their romance unfold and liked their performances together and apart.
What I Didn’t Like
I didn’t like that all the gods looked like models. I understand that they’re gods and are arrogant and want to be praised, but it seemed kind of blatant to have Ha-baek be tall, slim, and sought after because of his looks while his servant, Nam soo-ri, is overweight with glasses and pursued by So-ah’s friend, who was painted as weird (though I liked her). I know So-ah was a god’s servant too, but in the end, she was Ha-baek’s bride, so she had a higher purpose than just serving some god. Soo-ri didn’t seem to mind working day and night for his god because he was brought up as a servant. The whole obvious opposition of his and Ha-baek’s appearance was a little annoying to me. It was representing the gods’ appearance as the only appearance that is worthy, but I guess I’m looking too deeply for representation that you don’t see often. I just like a non-offensive, diverse selection of characters. Nam soo-ri was there to be a servant, he had no other purpose but to serve Ha-baek, the beautiful, tall slim god. Just sayin’.
I didn’t quite know what the overarching storyline was for a while. I knew Ha-baek came looking for his servant/bride and was looking for the stones, but there was also Hoo-ye’s character, who I thought was painted as the overall villain. For a while, I didn’t understand Bi Ryeom and his anger toward Hoo-ye and even after the reason was revealed the storytelling still felt vague to me. The flashback scenes of the gods’ world felt disconnected from the rest of the story. The real storyline was So-ah’s story. Everything else felt a little extra. To be honest, when I reached episode 13, I took a break because I was annoyed at the repetition with Bi-ryeom hating Hoo-ye and not understanding why.
I wanted to see more Ha-baek’s powers, but that’s just because I love seeing supernatural magic. I didn’t like the build-up to the revelation of powers he ultimately never showed. But I can forgive this if it was done for the sake of the moral of the story.
I did not understand Shin Ja-ya’s character until the end and even then, her character still felt meaningless. It seemed that her scenes were there to fill up space that could have been used to flesh out the vagueness of the main storyline. I didn’t like Moo-ra except when she was with Bi-ryeom. Their scenes were interesting because Bi-ryeom was more caring with her than he was with anyone else and Moo-ra was more soft-hearted and uncertain when she was with him. Apart, they both seemed kind of callous and a little obnoxious. I got to understand their characters better when they were together, and I saw that there was more to them than just the surface face they revealed to everyone else.
Would I Rewatch It?
For the most part, yes. There was humor, supernatural elements, nice music, and a deep storyline with So-ah’s character. I also really liked Hoo-ye’s character and performance, so I would rewatch for this, but it’s not the best drama and could have benefited from more fleshing out in the storyline and the characters.
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Not what I expected
When I read the summary, I thought the series would be full of magic and special effects and stuff like that. Maybe I expected too much. The story too doesn't have much to keep you glued.The romance factor isn't much. The lead actors lacked the chemistry and the romance somehow seemed forced. I was rooting for the other hero (the halfie) to be with the female lead ?I fast-forwarded this one to complete the 16 episodes series within a day. It was just OK.
Watch if you are a fan of any of the lead actors otherwise this one can be skipped
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