So after the first Ep i was thinking like "ohhhhh the same as goblin!!" no problem, i liked goblin. ^^
But i was a little bit scary that most of the Drama will be like goblin, and i was thinking "god pls no give me something else"...
And time passed and so the epis.....and it was really amazing!!!!!!!
The more i watched the more it good better, no more thinking about goblin or other drama... i was just O_O wow
The Cast is amazing, i really like Lee Seung Gi and its really good too see him back.
I got some new music the osts are amazing i hearing them all the day <3 <3
I hope you could understand me, I can't write so well in English :'( ;-)
Hwayugi is an amazing Drama but this is my opinion and everyone has a different taste
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It had everything I enjoy that comes with a drama: great cast, great OST, bromance, romance, fantasy and comedy. The story itself is a bit meh but I don't expect everything to be perfect. I will also say that the female lead was a little bland for my taste but there were other things happening that manage to make me not pay so much attention.
This drama did make me shed a few tears but it also made me laugh and I will definitely be rewatching this drama but not the final episode. First time I've broken the review rule but I felt like I needed to state my views on this drama.
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STORY -
Let me start off by saying that the premise of this show was so good! I saw a short one minute clip of the intro episode on Facebook when I was scrolling through and became so intrigued I ended up bingeing the rest of the drama until I caught up and then I was anxiously waiting every week for a new episode. It was funny, it was heartwarming and you instantly fall in love with every single character. I think that's what made the drama soooo good because each character had their own quirks that made them feel real and believable, so even when the two main leads weren't on screen, you were still interested in what was going on with the other characters. No moment on the drama felt wasted. And my goodness, the chemistry between all of the characters was so great. I think it rivaled the kind of group chemistry Goblin had on their show. It just felt natural and it really did feel like a large dysfunctional family.
The romance as well was super believable and my heart ached and rejoiced for Son Oh Gong and Jin Seon Mi. I really really loved them together and I flailed every time they had a heartfelt moment. Likewise, I wanted to rip out my heart every time things went badly for the two. They just had incredible and electrifying chemistry together.
However, towards the end, the story started to lose fuel. It started feeling like a cheap imitation of Goblin's plot, but where Goblin's ending was beautiful and bittersweet, this one just felt... rushed and unsatisfying. The choices the characters made didn't make any sense or it was rendered futile by the end. It was like the writers couldn't decide how to end it but had no time to come up with a good ending so they rushed everything and was like, 'ta-da! isn't that neat!'
ACTING/CAST -
Wow, the acting was phenomenal!! As was the cast!! Whoever was the casting director for this drama deserves an award because each character was perfectly cast! Although the story was lacking in ways, I feel like this was an awesome comeback for Lee Seung Gi. He was hilarious, adorable and just so charismatic in this drama. And wow, his bromance with Cha Seong Won was so good that it made me go watch You're All Surrounded for the two of them again. Although, I think the most commendable actor on this drama had to be Lee Se Young. She may have just been a supporting actress but she did soooooo good in her role.
MUSIC -
I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SONG ON THIS DAMN DRAMA!!! I gave this a 10/10 because of it. I honestly couldn't get enough of the music from A Korean Odyssey. Everything was so good and everything fit so so well. Like it just made those scenes so much more poignant and emotional. Beautifully done!
REWATCH? Uhh... I don't know. My disappointment at the end makes it unlikely that I'd rewatch but there were a lot of great scenes that I'd rewatch again on YouTube.
OVERALL... I do think it's worth a watch because 70-80% of the drama was amazing and if you're a fan of any of the actors in this drama, definitely watch because everyone was great in it!
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This is sort of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Buffy — it has the same premise of demons and gods living like humans and a similar humorous/scary tone. It sets up a lot of fun and stylish characters with clear motivations which sets up a great series.
Then...then we get to the love story which is short-changed. Things are assumed and not developed and then the writers didn’t know what to do in the second half of the series. The series starts to chase it’s tail and I lost interest.
Too bad since there was a lot to like, but it just didn’t follow through all the way.
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To be honest, this is my first drama review. EVER. Just that amazing this was.
This drama had it all - great and really interesting plot that keeps you going with every episode because there wasn' t a single episode where i would've thought to myself "this is quite boring and slow" - NONE. Also the character development, back story and just chemistry between the main lead characters was simply beautiful, it made me look up if they are not a couple irl, but sadly-they aren' t haha.
This is one of the dramas that made me laugh, cry, smile and just feel full with emotions with each episode.
If you're still hesitating whether to watch this or not - Just go for it! I am truly happy that i decided to give this a try, definitely one of my favourite dramas (if not the most favourite).
Cheers! ^_^
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This review may contain spoilers
Korean Odyssey had all the ingredients to be this epic fantasy adventure but instead is boring
My Korean Odyssey had all the ingredients to be this epic fantasy adventure, supernatural beings, ill fated lovers, bromance and interesting side characters but surprisingly it was incredibly boring. I am going to be honest it just felt like a cheap copy of Goblin (although I now that this is based on an a classic Chinese story). A supernatural being falling in love with the person who will “kill” him and a bromance between to bickering supernatural beings.I am not sure what went wrong here but this show failed to grab my attention from the very beginning.
First of all I had an issue with the FL. Not sure if it was the actress or the way the character was written but I had a huge problem connecting with her. She was just soulless, absolutely no emotions or expressions. Even when she tried to act cute or funny, she came off as cringy and there was no chemistry between her and the ML, which is hard to do, taking in to account that the ML is Lee Seung Gi who up until now has proven that he is capable to have chemistry even if paired against a rock!
But even him in this drama felt like he was phoning it in! There was no spark or passion in his character. It was like he didn’t want to play this role or lost his interest half way through. Having said that, even an average Lee Seung Gi is better than most.
The couple had small to no development and the bracelet thing just went for too long making it so hard to root for them. Additionally, the lack of chemistry did not help make you swoon over them and anticipate their next scene. I mean the ending was supposed to be heart wrenching and impactful but in contrast it was just meh, thank God this drama is over, on to the next one, type of ending!
The bromance also did not work. With the exception of few moments between the 2 Male Leads that actually made me laugh and like them, everything else just felt flat!
The only characters I liked and cared for in this drama and kept my attention and wanted to see where their arc will go, were the PK, the zombie girl and the Frost General/Summer fairy and somehow the writers managed to completely ruin them as characters by the end which really made it hard for me to not drop this!!
Also, this drama was WAY to long! 20 episodes, with an average of 1h and 10min running time each, with this kind of writing, Oh no!! Even 16 episodes, would have been a stretch if you ask me! I mean I barely paid any attention after the first 5 episodes and when a few scenes/episodes came along that grabbed my attention , I could still follow the story with only a few questions that always got answered along the way. This means that there was no story direction or proper character development here and most of it was filler.
One good thing about this drama is the OST. Let me out is quite the ear worm and found myself hamming it multiple times!
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Thank you for reading!
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Acting/Cast: As far as the actors go, this cast probably has the best performance and chemistry I've seen in a while. Many viewers (myself included) are kept from dropping the show solely to see an exceptional portrayal from the cast. But even then, the lousy story telling cannot be carried by great acting alone.
Music: The OST of this drama is great. As a music enthusiast myself, I'd put it up to my favorite OST's joining (Scarlet Heart, It's Okay That's Love, Cheese in The Trap, Just Between Lovers, to name a few). Song's where on point. I love it.
Rewatch Value: It's not a drama I'd go for a marathon for. I wont even recommend it to friends for first viewing. That's how bad it had been. After the emotional investment I had for this show, that sloppy ending and lazy story narration was a total slap in the fans faces. So, no rewatching for me.
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In the beginning, the story feels like being dragged and I can't find myself to like Sun Mi (I dislike her passive-aggressive nature it makes her lack any backbones). The romance was pretty off in the beginning and forced. I was also disappointed with the drama because I have my OWN expectations, especially the Sun Wo Kong's portrayal. In this drama, LSG did a good job in portraying the angry monkey king but he failed to add the monkey characteristic. (Maybe I'm being harshed because of my love of Journey to the West 1996 which has the best monkey king ever). LSG is too stoic here (even his previous act as Kang Chi in Gu Family Book is more lively). However, I can't put all the blame on LSG. I think the Hong sisters and the directors also have some share of faults here. Sun Wo Kong is strong, troublemaker and really really smart. He always able to find unusual solutions which I can't find here.
Another thing I don't like is the fact they put the usual CEO/Rich/Celebrity sprinkle in the drama. :(
What makes me continue:
After a while, I realize I should approach this drama from a different perspective. The Journey to the West original story is about a journey to go forward from many tribulations and used to teach children about kindness and perseverance. However, this drama is fully intended for romance. ROMANCE. YES>
Second, is my love for all the sides characters. Esp Ma Wang. He truly steals the show, for me. Cha Seung Won performance was brilliant. I can see the bull demon king character from him. His stubbornness especially! I also like Buja and PK story.
Third, Sun Mi finally shows more backbones and become a more loveable character after some character growth.
Last, the story does get more interesting after half of the story. Even if you already know the tale of Journey to the West and you are able to predict most of the story (like I did), you will still be hooked with the story about Sun Wo Kong's and Sun Mi's story end.
Overall, its a good drama. I will recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy romance.
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Lee Seung Gi was AMAZING, especially given who he had to act with as a partner.
The rest of the cast was hit or miss, which is why I gave the overall cast 4.0
The story was phenomenal.
The direction and production value were *meh* at best and it makes me sad because the story and dialogue were amazing.
It's too bad about the director and MFL.
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