Now as for the actors, Suzy did a good job in making her character as supportive as she could be along with her outreach to a different genre that doesn't seem like it's in her comfort zone. Lee Seung-gi played really well as a character, though his action might need a little more work.
Definitely a drama I would recommend for newbies but pay very close attention. There might be too much details for 24 episodes.
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The story was all over the place, it started out really well and I loved the first couple episodes and then it just seemed to plummet downhill. I found the story got repetitive all the way up till the end and it just wasn't very smooth at all. It makes you lose sight of everything that happened in the first couple episodes and brought on a whole new concept to the story. They really just tried to cram too much into this show and it was not planned out very well....very messy.
The acting was pretty good for the most part, I was not a huge fan Suzy and I wasn't very pleased with her role, but otherwise I think the rest of the cast did great.
The music was OK, it wasn't anything spectacular that would make you want to buy the soundtrack.
And am I the only one who found this extremely similar to the anime Inuyasha? In more ways than one, and it's not a good thing either.
Overall I had to push myself to finish this and I wouldn't recommend it unless you really have nothing better to watch. It just wasn't very satisfying at all.
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This review may contain spoilers
Before picking this up I saw many reviewers mention how they preferred this over Goblin, but unfortunately that comparison does not make any sense. At first I thought that it could be the nostalgia, but GFB is not that old. This drama came out in 2013, 3 years after Secret Garden.. Maybe it could be popular because of Seunggi's fangirls? I like Suzy, she seems to be always typecast to act as the same character she is portraying here. At the time of filming this, she's been 19 years old and to me her acting seemed pretty amateurish compared to her later works, but she is still probably the best thing about this drama. She was pretty cute & had some funny moments. I never liked Seunggi and I especially did not like his character here, nor did he have great chemistry with Suzy. (that could be hugely different in Vagaband, I don't know, yet)
Despite all their issues I guess they had their moments, their romance is the reason why I managed to somehow suffer through these 24 episodes. That's right this is one of the longest kdramas ever.
The main problem here is the absolutely terrible writing. In a cheesy a romcom the terrible writing is excusable, but I have the impression, that this was meant to be some sort of epic Sageuk saga and considering how much effort/cost was spent on the sets & the costumes, calling this an ambitious production should be fair, right?! Frankly the romcom parts are just too infrequent and flawed to carry the rest of the drama along. So yeah the terrible writing, it's just difficult to put into words how many problems the writing has and it's not even just the ubiquitous eyeroll inducing scenes. The pacing is off, it takes far to long for the actual plot to start rolling, considering that the first 2 episodes were the best part of the story, while only being a sort of a prequel is saying something. It's often praiseworthy when writers deviate from the typical kdrama plot progression. (kiss in ep6-8>>happiness till ep13-14>> conflict >>finale) However what we had here is far worse, it took absolutely forever for the romance to get anywhere, but forget happiness, they never even had a shred of hope really.
So much time is spent on the gisaeng house and yes initially I thought those gisaeng related happenings were rather interesting, but ultimately what did those women amount to in this show? It feels like a plot device that was nicely set up, but never used in a meaningful way. Let's not even get me started on Yubi's character, sister crazyeyes. All the scheming & war related subplots were really poorly executed. The fighting scenes are badly choreographed, but that hardly put a dent in my impression of this drama. (hypnosis, illusions, ninjas)
I don't like it, when the main force driving the plot is the main characters wanting to lose their cool magical powers. I also strongly dislike it, when the mundane wins over the magical in general. I really shouldn't have started this..
I could go on and on about the aimless writing, one big thing I noticed is that one moment the drama takes itself very seriously and in another it devolves into some sort of slapstick comedy show. Comedic relief is fine after some tearjerking melo, but this just doesn't work here all that well..
TLDR: Don't bother watching this, it's a mess.
~~
Watch Goblin if you haven't watched it yet.
If you want a cheesy historical drama that's actually good, I can recommend Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Eternal Love instead. That cdrama is nearly as cheesy as this one, but EVERYTHING about it is hugely better.
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Choi Kang Chi and Dam Yeo Wool were soo cool! They brought fun to the story but I was hoping for some depth in their characters or something. The last episode threw me off but the ending at least was a happy one! =3
The acting on Choi Jin Hyuk and Lee Seung Gi parts was AMAZING. And Lee Sung Jae? He was so into his character that I might not like him in any drama again! @.@ T_T
The music was one of the awesome things in this drama! I totally loved all the tunes and songs they played in the background. Not to mention 'Another Heaven by Yisabel'. It was a song for Wol Ryung and Seo Hwa and it was BEAUTIFUL.
Overall it was a great drama =3
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The second most important thing I must mention is that, yes there is a bittersweet ending, which I didn't hate, BUT I HATE THAT THERE IS NOT A SEASON TWO. The ending was wonderful in its own way, but torture with no second season.
Now for the actual review. I have almost seen every drama with LSG in it, and I have to say I'm never disappointed. His acting skills are superb. Of course, that didn't earn an 8 from me alone (although it could). I watched this drama on Viki, and I watch it with comments, meaning all those Suzy fans out there spammed the comment box above. This lead to me wonder what the hell kind of actor she was with the crazy fan base, and I was amazed. Unlike other heroines, I feel as though for a female and for the time period, she showed true bravery, friendship, and was an amazing actress.
This drama had it all from wonderful actors to every sort of genre possible. There was romance, crazy plot twists, and an amusing old haraboji everyone wish they had. Just like the risks LSG takes in this drama to become human, we the audience are taking a risk by watching this due to its so skeptical and bittersweet ending.
If you're a LSG fan or a Suzy fan, hell, if you're really a drama addict, you should task this risk along with us and ME and HATE THAT THERE ISN'T A SECOND SEASON!
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WARNING: the bad guy is really really really really really really really really creepy and the first two episodes r disturbing but important
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Story:
This drama gets you going right from the first two episodes with a beautiful but sad love story which set the tone for the rest of the drama. Its unlike some other Sanguek dramas where there are just plots after plots by the evil guys. This drama also focuses on the unconditional love between the two main leads with their cute and sweet moments (and of course the really sad part where u need to set aside some boxes of tissues).
Cast:
In my opinion, Suzy has improved a lot in her acting since her Dream High debut. Of course, it does help that her character Dam Yeo Wool is a very loveable character. I would really love to see her in more dramas after this. Lee Seung Gi shows us once again what a fantastic actor he is and he was so natural in the Kang Chi's role.
Music:
The OSTs are simply amazing. I played them over and over again in my car and during office hours. Of all the OSTs, I especially love Suzy's "I will never forget you" and Baek Ji Young's "Spring Rain".
Rewatch value:
To be frank, I usually don't rewatch dramas as there are simply too many good dramas to catch up with. But I may rewatch some of the heart warming scenes (and even the sad scenes) in this one.
Overall:
If you like Sanguek with fantasy elements coupled with a great love story, then this drama is for you. Of course, if you are Lee Seung Gi or Suzy's fans, this is a must watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
This show has so much potential until reaching the final episode. Compared to other shows this has only one problem, but unfortunately it is the ending. Let me give a brief explanation. This show started in a tragic setting and circumstances but showed a silver lining for the path of the main characters. The story is simple and cliched but the actors did justice to the show and gives a feeling of anticipation to binge for the next episodes. Everything was going well with the plot, it maybe silly at times but it is tolerable still the hype is great especially for the 2 main leads. After sticking with the show it is damn obvious that this will be light hearted and will eventually wrap up and finish in a nice and predictable way. I just don't understand why the writer opted to suddenly end it tragically and leave a senseless open ending. It could have been good or great but it is what it is. All episodes except the last is 8.5/10. Final episode is 4/10. If you dont mind i will give my advice I say watch the episodes until the first kiss after that end it there that is the ending it deserves. Trust me you'll be a happy for a whole month if you heed my advice. Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best Fantasy series ever.
Gu Family Book is a very enjoyable fantasy- period piece drama. It's actually 'almost' perfect, it's just that I feel like there's something missing-like it's not concluded well.My favorite drama character would be Wol Ryung. He is such a gentle giant who was turned into an evil spirit because of betrayal. I actually hoped that when he turned into a mystical creature again, he would spend more time with Kang Chi, I also thought that he could heal Yeo Wool since he also has the ability to do so. I feel like it wasn't right to eliminate him from the series when he slept in that cave.. I kept looking and waiting for his appearance only to be disappointed. Another thing is the ending, it didn't feel right. The worst episode (for me) was the ending.
Overall, this drama was a great watch. I wasn't able to sleep early because of the thrill, and I loved Gongdal and Commander Yi who guided Kang Chi. Master Park and Steward Choi for raising him right. Seong and Gon for granting him friendship.
I watched this drama late, like 7 years late. So if you are still thinking twice, watch it! Definitely a nice drama despite its imperfections.
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It starts off really well with the parents story that immediately hooks you in and then holds slight plot twists but some of them become predictable and some parts you can figure out before it's explicitly shown.
Acting wise, I think Choi Jin Hyuk's character was done the best. You almost fell in love with his character and started to pity him. Suzy and Seung gi did well too.
Story wise, for the most part they did a good job of wrapping things up, although there would be 1-2 things that I felt like they never explained clearly, but it's fine really.
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This review may contain spoilers
I feel very generous with my rating considering the rage I felt after finishing this drama. I was all set and ready to actually mark Gu Family Book as one of my top favorites before the last two episodes had to come along and ruin it all. My feelings for this drama went through three stages: this blows, this is freaking awesome, and thisistheworstdramaever.
Plot wise, it suffered. There was an initial direction and motive but nothing was ever executed efficiently and the show really went all over the place.
The acting was just okay at best. I love Lee Seung Gi and Suzy both but they have done better. The other actors were similarly awkward for the most part.
Despite these flaws, the relationship between Kang Chi and Yeol Wool was refreshingly sweet and there were many characters who grew on me and made me love them. This was enough for me to be rather forgiving of Gu Family Book's weak points.
Having said that, the ending was unnecessary on so many different levels I cannot even begin to express my disappointment and anger. It was suuuuper out of place and only lead me to the conclusion that this drama did NOT accomplish what it initially set out to do.
In other words: Gu Family Book, you fail. I just wish you hadn't captured my heart and taken me down with you.
Excuse me while I go cry myself to sleep.
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