This review may contain spoilers
QUITE AVERAGE UNFORTUNATELY
I am going to keep this short and to the point.If you're searching for a good fantasy drama with good acting, good pacing and a good plot then look no further into this review and let me save you some time...don't choose this drama. It's simply not worth it. You do not want to spend an average of 3 hours every weekend watching this drama. Trust me on this.
****FINAL UPDATE****
I finally finished this drama and I'm adamant in sticking with my initial opinion. This drama is simply not it. From the plot-holes to the bad scripts to subpar acting (from the main male lead). It has done nothing but tested my patience till the end. The story was nothing but drag after drag. Every scene that was supposed to be emotional was just emotionally traumatising. The ending was nothing special.
Furthermore, there are some issues I would like to address:
1. The villian was building up to be a great character but the backstory did not do him justice. There was no logical explanation for his obsession with main leads and there was no good explanation for the "dark hole" he had.
2. If the main lead can reincarnate, so can the villian. The ending did not make any sense. He had no soul.
3. The action scenes were simply not it. It was like watching a parody version of Vampire Sucks (which FYI was a parody of Twilight). The scenes looked awkward and forceful in an unpleasant way. You would think that immortal monsters with long black perfectly filed nails that can move at superhuman speed and have superhuman strength would put up a better fight right?
4. The ending was just a loosely-strung together montage of scenes that had little to no clarity and gave me the impression that everyone was just happy to be done with the drama. Again, little to no effort.
The only thing I acknowledge is Kwon Na-ra supreme acting. She did an amazing job imo. (her character again is quite weak but she did her best ig)
****OLD REVIEW****
Still hesitant on whether to take this drama up or not? Understandable.
Let me list down the things that simply did not sit well with me at all.
Make your decision after, if that is what you want.
Here we go:
Story
Quite a high rating you might think. Why am I criticizing it so harshly you ask?
The only good thing about the whole drama is the story. Why have I stuck around till ep 12? Because of the story. It has been 12 eps yet they have managed to hide a whole 1000years and that is why I'm still here.
Good strategy on their part I agree. However the downsides are large.
What's wrong with a little mystery? Nothing.
Nothing when you know how to keep it alive.
You have to know how to give enough without giving it all away. IMO this drama is stretching the mystery past a little too thin. It's starting to become irritating. If it weren't for the past story I don't think this drama would have anything. The present storyline is repetitive, boring and utterly tedious and cringe to get through.
Acting
Oh my God just take some workshops or something lee jin wook. His acting makes me feel nothing at all. Wait can I even call that acting? He looks like me when I zone out in class. Does he just forget to move his facial muscles when the cameras are rolling or??? bro you got to let something out at least man.
AND WHERE IS THE CHEMISTRY? I have more chemistry with math and believe me, I absolutely hate the subject. Maybe that's the secret??? hmmm
Y'all the only reason I'm still here is LEE JOON. My man showing his skills and playing his character like a pro. The only person I'm loving is this man right here who has my heart. He has done so well to flesh out his character.
Kwon Nara is okay. She hasn't really made a lasting impression but there is still time to change that so lets see. With the right script I believe she could do so much better.
Music
Yes. music I like.
Not so noteworthy but okay.
Would I re-watch it again? I'm telling y'all once the huge mystery is revealed I am never ever coming back cuz nothing got me staying longer than I want to.
Overall
Skip it if you can. Starting is quite weak and imo the story ain't that strong. There is zero chemistry between the cast and nothing special.
Was this review helpful to you?
Fantasy drama done right
Bulgasal honestly has such a great, AND ORIGINAL, story that will hook you in instantly! If anyone has watched Inuyasha before, it kind of gave off that feeling at times (if you know you know). The genre is a perfect blend of supernatural, mystery and romance. It’s not romance heavy if that’s what you’re looking for, but it’s really wholesome in so many aspects! The acting is really great from the whole cast, they will have you emotional throughout the whole thing. The OST is just sooooo beautiful like I can’t praise it enough. They played the right songs for the right moments and it made the scenes so much more meaningful. The only reason the plot isn’t getting a perfect 10 is for the loose end they left about what transpired 600 years prior. They did a good job with not leaving you completely confused in the end, but there were still some things that needed explaining or clarifying regarding the drama that transpired 600 years ago. I had so many theories so it’s a little frustrating that some things weren’t super clear in that aspect. Overall though, I really can’t stress enough how great this show is and highly recommend giving it a try!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Not perfect but perfectly addictive
I wasn't sure about starting this drama or not, from the poster it was for me but comments were mixed. I watched it anyway and the first episodes cinematography was amazing. And as a romance watcher, I was shipping Sung Un and Hwal from their encounter. The show dragged yes but that made me more willing to know. The villain attachment to Hwal was what made him crazy but I couldn't hate him neither. I loved the family, the Ost was gorgeous, Ifelt their pain, was worried for the, and the FL ML moments, I just wanted to have more of those, so I'm just a little not satisfied of the end. I wanted a happy ending, a long one, not a four last minutes one, and I would have been fully grateful. Loved you little show and cast, I think I'm going to watch cast's previous dramas but it won't be the same, my little drama is over ?Was this review helpful to you?
If you're hesitating to watch it then I suggest don't hesitate just go for it.
For me it wasn't that slow people ought it to be. If you are a fantasy and thriller lover than you must watch it. For me the best part was Lee Jin Wook's acting, the ost and the bgm. Fully top notch I say.For me the only draw back will the fml's continuous crying but you will get used to it at some point. Lee Joon fully slayed the role as a villain, honesty I was terrified every time he appeared on screen, that is the proof how impactful he's acting was.
So overall I would give it a 9.5/10 ( Happy watching ?)
It's my first review so pls forgive me if I make any mistakes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Nearly dropped it so many times!
Finished this kdrama last night and i got to say this was a sticky one, ESPECIALLY at the beginning of this drama. On the first ep I was fine with it and everything was going well. Until I watched ep2 and 3 and so on and felt like this drama was just being dragged and that I knew what was gonna happen by the end. Like the plot was good and but things were getting boring and it felt like they were taking too long to introduce 1 character after the other. Also I felt like both the lead male and female were not doing a good job with the acting. I felt like I was forcing myself to watch it and just left it at ep6 thinking ill come back to it after a few days with a fresh mind. After a couple of weeks I wasn't bothered to watch it so I even asked on MDL feeds if I should bother going back or just dropping it. Many were agreeing with me and said they already dropped it and some said to decide after watching 1 more ep. Anyways I went back to it and let me tell you it got better from ep7. Not better as in a 10/10, but just better. Anyways I finished it and it was okay. It had a lot of potentials though. If it had better male and female lead then I think it would have done way better. I gave it an 8.5/10. Have a watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Watch first 2 and last 2 episodes, skip the rest
Some supernatural thingy called Bulgasal has been affecting Korea for 1,000 years. Its identity and the genesis of Bulgasal is shown at the very end after the series goes for a reiteration of failed attempts involving the three leading roles to sort out what's going on. It's boring beyond belief, but at the time was the only new Korean stuff on netflix (Bulgasal enticed me to check out shows from other countries, and I found decent movies/series from the Hispanophone world, e.g. Toc toc, Tell me when, Outlaws, So much love to give, ...).A lot of the stuff in Bulgasal actually makes no sense.
The writer and producer (and whoever approved and financed the project) should have made a 4-episode mini-series, paying close attention to stuff making sense, and highlighting the scenes in ancient Korea (the costumes are well made and very different from the standard Joseon stuff).
Was this review helpful to you?
First, let me say i'm very disappointed in the MDL users' judgement. They will trash some excellent dramas but then rate highly the very average ones. I'm sorry, but i have to say, i'm glad that the MDL doesn't set a standard for the Korean dramas, and the MDL users' takes are not being considered when making the dramas, not to mention that what many people here seem to think the "Westernization" means is actually a creative freedom and a less conservative approach to the m/f dynamics which is ridiculous. If i see one more comment saying that they don't want the international streaming services to make Kdramas less "pure", i will explode. But then the same people will demand that Kdramas have less romance which is exactly what the Western series are lacking. This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with this particular drama, but i just had to say this somewhere.
Moving on, i have lots of complaints regarding this drama. If i were to summarize my point, i'd say that this drama is too focused on telling its' audiences that it is good, without actually trying to be good. It takes itself too seriously but never takes any risks or makes any bold choices. Which is a pity, because this drama had a great potential but it got wasted because approach was bad and i fully blame the director.
The first episode felt very "grand" and larger than life but then it continued like your regular Goblin knock-off fantasy drama. The pacing was bad, not because it was slow, but because it felt like the storyline was going nowhere. It felt tiring (you know how HBO's Euphoria is very exhausting, but it's intentional, because we are supposed to be exhausted by these characters, the intentionality matters). There were too many flashbacks. I'm usually against the usage of them because just like the laugh tracks, they look down on the audiences' intelligence and mostly feel out of place.
The story felt empty and unsubstantial. I love a good enemies to lovers story, this is my favorite trope ever, but in this case, the range and hostility felt too one sided. Initially, i mostly felt protectiveness over the FL against ML because she felt too helpless. She didn't reciprocate his energy in a satisfying way. The director did not manage to communicate their special bond to me. And in my opinion, it would have been a lot bolder and more interesting if FL's past life actually was a bad guy who had a grudge against ML's past life (which is what i thought was going on).
The standard for the famale characters of Kdramas is higher than it has ever been, but unfortunately, this FL felt like she belonged to the older dramas. There was nothing distinguishing about her. Yes, the same goes with ML. I believe both Lee Jin Wook and Kwon Na Ra are the good actors (Lee Jin Wook was great in Sweet Home), but they did not bring the characters to life and again, i mostly blame the director and the writer.
Overall, no character was truly well-rounded and no dynamic had a truly captivating chemistry.
Okay, moving on to the good parts. Man, oh man. There are the average actors and there are the good actors, but then there are the great actors and Lee Joon is one of them. Believe me when i tell you i had a wide grin each time he came on screen because his acting was something redeeming about this drama. Not just redeeming but great. Even his voice acting alone felt more masterful and skilled than the acting of the rest of the cast and i'd say it takes a great talent to be this good when your director and the script are "meh". I really hope he will take up the great roles from now on, in more well-made projects where his talent could be fully utilized. Lee Joon is great in the roles of psychos so i wouldn't mind if he keeps being cast in these roles, since all his villains feel different.
Yeah, i rate this drama - 7, all of its' aspects being somewhere in between the 5-7,5 rating, aside from Lee Joon's acting which is a solid 10.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Bit Disappointing…
‘ Bulgasal’ is one of those dramas that should’ve been really, really, really good . It had a decent cast, an intriguing setup and the fact that this was written by the same writers as ‘’The Guest’’ should’ve spoken volumes.But instead we got sixteen episodes of moping, cheesy interactions and a dragging plot which could’ve easily been wrapped up in six episodes max. Don’t doubt me when I say that I did like certain elements of the series. I really liked the idea surrounding the monsters, the bulgasal and the concept of reincarnation.
My biggest problem was that it just wasn’t carried forward. There was no real sense of threat or obstacles, and even when there were multiple opportunities to do so, there really wasn’t anything added to explain these key concepts.
Perhaps my one saving grace for the show was Lee Joon. I’m familiar with his work and whilst I’m not a fan, Lee Joon and Lee Jin Wook were good onscreen. Apart from a few decent performances and a mystical concept, I’m not sure whether I’d watch this again.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Affection || Family || Love || Regrets || Vengeance || Redemption
Story:1000 years ago, there was a pair of Bulgasal, a monster without souls who cannot die unless both pairs are killed concurrently, living in the mountain and promising each other to always stay together. However, female Bulgasal developed feelings for human children because she couldn't have her own, compelling her to abandon the male Bulgasal couple (other-self) temporarily. As the children grow up together with the female Bulgasal and their human adopted mother, they lived happily even when they find out about the female Bulgasal true identity until they witness a murder happening.
Ok Eul Tae killed his younger brother because his father had lost all confidence in him as he was dying and was attempting to make his younger brother his heir. Ok Eul Tae then discovers the already grown-up human children and attempts to murder them, only to be stopped by female Bulgasal. He realizes she is a Bulgasal and puts the blame on her causing all sorts of misunderstandings to take place. Ok Eul Ta's father and his soldiers try to slay the female Bulgasal, but they are unsuccessful since she is immortal. They intended to decapitate her and imprison her until the male Bulgasal arrived and slaughtered everyone. This led to misunderstandings between the two Bulgasal pairs. The guy intended to protect her from harm, but she despises him for murdering and cursing the ones she holds dear. To stop him, she stabbed her own heart in an attempt to kill herself and her pair but she fails when Ok Eul Tae takes him away to gain similar powers.
The male curse Ok Eul Tae with a dark hole in his chest, and steal his soul in a promise to free him from the curse if he turns his reincarnated human self into Bulgasal. 600 years later, The male Bulgasal is born as a human called Hwal with the Bulgasal curse. As a result, his mother dies and his father abandons him, and he is later adopted by Dan Geuk, a general and Dan Sol's father (Ok Eul's father in the past). Hwal marries Dan Sol after a few years (one of the human child female Bulgalsal raised). Hwal had two children, one of whom was born blind (the other kid raised by Female Bulgasal) and the other of whom died prematurely due to his curse. Therefore, Hwal avoids growing close to his blind son in order to show him love and affection, as his father had done to him. He eventually regrets it. Hwal embarks on a mission to break his curse, slaying all monsters along the way until he finally meets the female Bulgasal who has survived the event that occur 1,000 years ago. Hwal does not kill her the right way because he remembers that she had saved him in the past when he was a kid. However, due to Ok Eul Tae killing everyone to convert Hwal back into a Bulgasal in order for him to keep his pledge and be free of his curse. Hwal believes it was the female Bulgasal who did it, so he sets out to find her to avenge his dead wife and children. Little did Hwal know that the female Bulgasal would steal his soul and turn him into a Bulgasal but she tells with that she will be born again as a human. So the cycle of revenge begins again.
Fast forward to the present time, Hwal meets Sang Min (a female Bulgasal who has reincarnated as a human) to seek revenge but discovers the existence of another Bulgasal (Ok Eul Tae). He also encounters other humans, including Shi Ho Min (his reincarnated wife), Nam Do Yoon (his reincarnated blind son), Detective Kwon (his reincarnated adoption father), Miss Lee (shaman), and others. Then, it's just the process of finding the truth of the past. While they are doing so, we learn that Ok Eul Tae has developed into a true monster who is willing to go to any length to stay immortal and relieve himself of his curse. WE also find out that he has joined hands with another human (monsters in a past life) to kill the female Bulgasal reincarnation so he can stay alive. When Hwal realizes Nam Dong is secretly assisting Ok Eul Tae, he warns him to leave before harming him. He later discovers that Nam Dong is his reincarnated son and that Ok Eul Tae is using him, so he saves him from being killed.
Despite the fact that Hwal has turned into a monster, we get to see a more human side of him. Even though he has avoided being close to Miss Lee because of her past life as a shaman who led others around him to harm him, their relationship is comparable to that of a father and a daughter. When Miss Lee is murdered, Hwal realizes Lee Hye Su is like his daughter and regrets not becoming close to her, just like with his blind son in the past. The cycle of abandonment and regrets continues. There is more to it than resentment and grudge, there is a deeper meaning behind those causes, such as family, love, and regrets. After the past is revealed (this is in the very end but there are a lot of things happening before it's revealed), Hwal makes the decision to assassinate Ok Eul Tea and himself. Many people, including Detective Kwon and Sang Min, die in the process. Then we flashed forward to the future (8 months, 6 years, 30 years, and 50 years) to find that the survivors, Shi Ho min and Nam Yoon, have their own big families. We also see Hwal and Sang Min reuniting in the future, 50 years later, in the old house they lived in with others while searching for the truth. ......my summary ending is rushed just like how this show ends. XD
The actors did a great job executing their roles, and the directors and music director did a fantastic job as well, but the script was rather weak. It started out great and had a lot of potential, but then it got too draggy out, and boom. Suddenly, we get a rushed ending. Overall, Brilliant performances, amazing cinematography, compelling OST, an amazing concept of Bulgasal (curse and reincarnations), and a great blend of genres.
Was this review helpful to you?
An amazing story and concept bogged down by pacing issues
I will say right off the back that this is one of the most beautifully shot show i have watched this year.The cinematography and set design is unparalleled. The CGI and special effects were great too.
The acting, music, background score, Ost.... Everything was amazing and showed that people have clearly put effort in all those areas.
In acting, I was blown away by Lee Joon. You bet, I wil be watching everything he stars in the future and will be rooting for him. The guy has serious acting chops.
However, the show heavily suffered throughout because of its pacing issue.
They mindlessly dragged a few storylines for it to go no where.
Regardless, I believe the core concept of the show was amazing and had potential to me explores more properly.
All in all... I loved and enjoyed Bulgasal Immortal Souls even if it did drag on in the mid section.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
left feeling happy but incomplete...
So if I am going to be honest. This is the first time in like forever I was able to watch a drama wait for episode to come out every week. It was like a slow burn. Did it drag on at points, Yes. but most kdramas have episode that feel that way, but that doesn't make them any more or less important for the overall appeal. And Boy did this appeal to my family web immortal soul reincarnation part of my spirit. I will say the last 2 episodes left me feeling incomplete; I feel as though I need an epilouge cause it just ended to soon. Like are we just going to by pass the who reincarnate, can't be reincarnate part, really want to know how that was possible. Also would love for them all to have met again and recognized each other like immediately, I know literally impossible but what really makes sense anyways. I just felt like it was overall a great tale with a nice, wrapped up end but it did leave me wanting more. I still would recommend cause it felt different. but them flashbacks were immaculate, gave very much twighlight flash scenes.Was this review helpful to you?
Worth watch.....
Underrated.... it's truly underrated that's what i feeling now,, tvn - Netflix sat&sun dramas doesn't disappoint you that easily, all the tvn-nf masterpiece till date were aired on the same slot, the only reason for me watching this drama was the plot. Its looks super exciting, also am a fan of kwon Nara so these are the two things, am very happy and satisfied, because overall it was fantastic.Am Not going into the plot, you can read that from Mydramalist or Google, let's go back to the pilot episode of the drama, the past, the place where all the mysterious things happened, the immortal soul Bulgasal, the Bulgasal curse, superstitious people, scary monsters and everything... that first two episodes was enough to built your curiosity, from there on every single questions you had in your minds will slowly unfold. Episode by episode its started getting more and more interesting. Some twists and turns, so many emotional moments, family bonding everything takes place at the right time. Nothing much of dragging, story telling itself was very interesting.
it was an excellent story, no doubt for that, even though it is Fantasy, the whole theories of the reincarnation and the Bulgasal curse makes so sensible. The last 2 episodes was too good, the perfect blend of emotions and a very good finale and the background music played a big part to make this more enjoyable.Every actors were excellent, super fit to the character.
Finally, Bulgasal is definitely a worth watch drama experience. Making wise also they invested a lot for a better quality output, you can see that while watching it, if you interested, then try it
Was this review helpful to you?
