Story Structure Extremely Unbalanced
This really could've been a good fantasy/supernatural/romance drama. The overall story, its background and the creatures were more or less fairly interesting, original and entertaining. The elements were all there, the actors are talented and well-picked for their roles, and the production value was quality. There was only one thing that really made all that hard work and effort veer sideways and that's the structure, pacing and plot points of the story itself. How it was written, the timing on revealing important information, etc.The only thing that I think is something that should be said to anyone who is thinking about watching this drama, beware, you'll only get your answers to all your questions and pondering until the very last episode. Typically, you'd think this would be ok because, most of the time, that's how stories are structured, more or less. But the writer of this drama, did not organize or plan their drama out very well. Here's why....
Unfortunately, the writer to this drama thought that keeping all the important information of the 'how' and 'why' to the characters actions, their motivation, and basically their entire history until the very very end, was a good idea. Spoiler, it wasn't. Every question that the audience asks, every theory the audience ever theorizes, every thought about the characters they've had are all abolished in one jammed packed episode which shows the revealing history and why of it all. This will often leave a very bad and unsatisfied taste in the audience's mouth because the payoff is too short-lived. The reveal is too sudden. The emotions are left to stir without giving enough time to feel a sense of resolution after the high.
Another mistake the writer made was the way they left clues in the episodes leading up to it. When you leave clues, it should be like building blocks. One stacked on top of the other. Clues should give more information but leave with a question. Expanding upon one another, creating a path and leading towards a direction but just not knowing where its leading to or what's at the end.
Unfortunately, this writer decided that they should leave their audience confused and grasping at straws to connect two dots. All the clues in this drama felt like random puzzle pieces that were all different colors, different shapes and different sizes. Never feeling like any of them fit together or would fit together. Every clue that was left just left more questions and felt like you weren't making any progress in trying to figure out or understanding what had happened and what was happening. When you continue to make the audience struggle to figure things out, then you leave them pretty exasperated and annoyed towards the end until they come to the big reveal and then they are left feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.
The decisions this writer made were all the wrong ones and this severely diminished the overall drama itself and really dropped the quality of it after the fact. Honestly, its a shame because this had good promise until the story started dragging its feet and then info-dumping until the very last episode to reveal everything.
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An absolute must watch for viewers who like Historical, Fantasy & Murder Mystery genre.
I started watching this show due to boredom and with little to no expectations as there was not much about it on social medias. Let me tell you how glad I am that I watched this. I finished it in less than two days (is that healthy? definitely not) and I'd recommend u to watch it too.The story starts a bit scary. Trust me, I was totally spooked. the start may seem a bit dragged but it captures your attention again quickly. The mysteries wont let you sleep at night and u'll want to finish it as soon as you can ( i slept at 5 the day i started this).
The acting, storyline, characters everything was absolutely top notch and u know its a good story when you even start feeling bad for the villain.
Go ahead and give this show a try as you for sure wont regret it.
(This is my first time giving a review. Hope u found it helpful)
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Emotional ride of 1,000 years
I love supernatural, fantasy and folk lore, so together with a dream cast, I was waiting very impatiently for this drama.Overall, I really enjoyed it a lot. I thought the acting was very good, with neither Lee Jin Wook nor Lee Joon overplaying their roles. Lee Joon gave wonderful facial expressions and could make me feel such sympathy and sorrow for him, just with his eyes. He had great presence in this role and really made OK Eul Tae come to life.
LJW lent very subtle humour to his role, when called for, again with facial expressions alone.
A lonely, bitter, vengeance-led character whose childhood scenes really pulled at my heart strings.
Gong Seung Yeon was also excellent and a character who possessed great strength, I thought, even though she couldn't exercise it in the earlier time lines.
I didn't have a problem with Kwon Na Ra's acting at all, but found her character a little too 'goody-goody' in the present day. She could be quite naive and at times just didn't seem to grasp aspects of the Bulgasal's history or dynamic (and that had nothing to do with memory loss). She did display guts on many occasions though. In fact that's one thing this drama didn't do... present weak, inferior female characters.
The only character that infuriated me (in all his lives), was Jung Jin Young's. He was a total idiot, especially in the present day. His reasons for hating the Bulgasal were just ridiculous and his inept actions constantly put everyone at risk ~ really irritating!
A lot about this story is very sad and tragic, spanning timelines ~ the most important events happening 1,000 and 600 years ago, and the the main story taking place in the present day.
This obviously means there are flashbacks and that is one of my few criticisms.... the same ones were used far too much. In the final few episodes these were thankfully enlarged on, as the true events emerged of the Bulgasal's origin and curse.
The reincarnation of characters I found quite fascinating.
It was not always obvious who was telling the truth and who was lying, either; especially when one character made me feel sorrow for how he ended up the way he was.
The ending didn't really surprise me, but I found it slightly confusing in some respects... hard to explain without any spoilers!
There were some scenes where I felt like the drama was written as the story went along. If less time had been devoted to playing the same flashbacks multiple times and more to developing the ending, I think it would have been an even better watch.
The cast and their acting definitely propped up the less than perfect script, but I would watch it again one day, just for that.
OST was pretty good too and suited the drama well.
I'd recommend giving it a watch and deciding for yourself whether it's a love, hate or indifference vote.
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This review may contain spoilers
Best Drama of 2022 So Far
The drama was one heck of a roller coaster ride. I watched this while it was ongoing and having to guess the real backstory every week was so much fun. One of the things that made my weekends exciting. It really kept me hooked till the finale.I really loved everything in the drama. The actors and actresses really suit their roles. The chemistry between Jinwook and Nara is fire! The charge of these enemies to lovers is so exciting to see. My pillows are my victims every time these two would just stare at each other, or even be at each other's throats, choking, stabbing, fixing each other up, telling each other how they could not live without each other. Gahhh, they had me dying inside. This is the real enemies to lovers, people!. Too bad there was not one love scene for such an epic tragic love story as theirs.
The cinematography is the best. What a feast for the eyes, even the bloody gory scenes are made to look aesthetic. With such a complicated story in different lifetimes, the pacing was just right. Some people say that the story was being dragged and repetitive in the middle. But that's exactly how karma and retribution works. Unless the characters learn their lessons and make better choices, history will keep repeating itself. And the story showed it so beautifully and seamlessly apt for the particular timeline it was told. I'm super satisfied with how it all unfolded and the ending. They were able to properly close the main story which was that of Dan Hwal and Min Sang-Un at the finale. And them meeting again in their next life 50 years after, when we thought was impossible, was so beautiful.
Although there were some lose ends, but that did not take away from the main essence of the story which is redemption. Those lose ends only kept the door open for another season or a spin-off movie or prequel or sequel or something. To which I truly hope would happen because I would 100% watch and replay the heck out of it.
My only complaint are the 10+ minutes that were cut out or edited out starting from Episode 9 onwards. I hope Netflix or TVing would show the full 70+ minutes of every episode. Or maybe release a blu ray uncut version.
Rewatch value, a BIG FAT YES. I watched this series while it was ongoing and I've watch it at least 4 times while it was ongoing. 1st while live via TVN without subtitles, 2nd with english subtitles the next day, 3rd during weekdays while waiting for the behind the scenes etc and discussing theories online with others, 4th fast forwarding towards the scenes that I love mostly of the OTP, or during those scenes which had crumbs of new plot reveals.
Then when it was finished and we finally knew of the whole backstory, I watched the series all over again this time with new appreciation for how and why the characters behaved the way they did. Especially during that mountain scene in Episode 1 where Nara or the Red Bulgasal Lady looked at the human Dan Hwal with such sad eyes, and then gutted the heck out of him. It was such an Aha moment. So that was why.
And yes the OST is the best. It's been months and the 39 tracks are still on repeat on my playlist. Minseo's Can't Forget You is my favorite. The song really captured all of Min Sang-Un's feelings for her foolish Dan Hwal. The best drama in 2022 I've seen so far ?
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Tragic tale disguised as a romance.
*The title is not a spoiler. The tragedy came from the journey the characters took, not necessarily the conclusion we as viewers received. To see the conclusion, you need to watch for yourself.Visually stunning with mediocre main characters, a villain that stole the show and side characters that saved the production. That’s how I would sum up the whole experience.
Honestly speaking, the plot was truly interesting and investing. Every character was connected to the story and had an impact on it. There were many different motivations, expectations and goals the characters wanted to achieve. The lore was surprisingly rich and well explained, compared to other Korean fantasy romance dramas. And yet, Hwal and Sang Un were so boring and poorly written, they drained all the energy out of me, no matter how exciting the events themselves might have been.
On paper, it was a gripping revenge story, showing the dark and twisted sides of fate. How far can you go to avenge the death of people you love? What if the past you thought you knew was just a shred of the whole story? Sadly, thinking and discussing these topics was more interesting than watching it on screen, because the main characters just did not deliver the emotional impact the story carries. (On that note though, I want to thank Poia for the chats that made me appreciate that aspect of the plot more).
Dan Hwal started as an interesting gray character. Nothing outstanding, not too much depth, but I could easily see him lead the story and make it believable. Sadly, each “plot twist” and explanation of past events slowly stripped away all interesting aspects of his existence. Lee Jin Wook did what he could, but the character was just a walking stone with no emotional depth, so there was not much acting needed in the first place. The complexity we saw in the past storylines was completely lost in the present one.
Sang Un was simply a saint with Stockholm Syndrome. How to describe this character? Nice, good, protective, impossibly dumb? There is “being a good person” and there is “completely disregarding your own safety, because you see the good in a person who hunts you, kidnaps you and wants to kill you”. There was nothing novel about her. She was there to be good and pure. Her priorities were often misguided - while they were supposed to present her as a kind and empathetic person, often they revealed her total lack of comprehension of any given situation. Kwon Na Ra did well acting wise, but not even an Oscar worthy performance could have saved that character.
For the romance, there was close to no chemistry between the leads. The love story we’ve got just made no sense. Why did they like each other? I can rationalize it from Hwal’s perspective. He was desperately clinging to his humanity, so Sang Un being kind to him, not treating him as the monster he was, made him care for her. What did Sang Un like about him though? The girl has some massive issues, rock bottom standards for men, or both. While the love story might not be THE focus of the show, it was a leading story between the female and male lead, and for me, it was a waste of time. It was not enough for people who want an epic romance fantasy, and too much for people who wished to watch a revenge tale.
Then we get to Ok Eul Tae, who was the most vibrant and interesting character from the whole show. The only one whose motivations made sense from the beginning till the end. I want to congratulate the writers for writing such a compelling villain, I ended up actually rooting for him and not the main duo. Lee Joon was born to take this role. The emotional rage he showed was just amazing. Whenever it was confidence, anger, fear, disappointment, desperation or hesitation - I bought it and believed it all.
The whole cast did such a good job with portraying all the supporting characters. The duality they had to present between the past and present reincarnations was not an easy job. The reincarnations had to be different enough to incorporate the external circumstances that shaped them, but also similar to each other for viewers to believe these are in fact reincarnations of the same people.
The chemistry between the cast (with the exception of the romantic aspects between the main leads) made me truly invested in the found family trope this drama presents. Watching them slowly learn how to trust each other was truly the heart of the show. I’m a sucker for the found family trope, so this was a delight to witness.
The writing was sadly not daring enough for me. The show opened with an amazing conflict for the main couple and novel perspective for the villain, but with each new revelation, new flashbacks and plot twist, they removed every refreshing element of the story, making it into the tale we already heard many times in a similar fashion. Luckily, some revelations in the last episode saved the script for me at least a little bit.
While the conclusion was disappointing, the journey itself was quite enjoyable. The writers used the trope of reincarnation to the fullest potential, giving the story many layers that were slowly discovered and explored in the episodes. They were revealing enough information for the audience to build up their own theories, without exposing the whole plot from the start. It made me as a viewer engaged, trying to puzzle the background of the character together myself.
It’s not a show that serves all the answers on the plate. They don’t give you narration with heavy expositions and explanations. The characters don’t always say out loud why they do what they do, what motivated them to behave in such a manner. The storytelling is not linear. They show glimpses of what happened in different timelines, and we need to put the whole story together ourselves. For some it will be one of the strengths of the show, for some it will cause confusion and frustration.
That said, I wish we got to see more flashbacks of the past time lines and reincarnations. Cutting down the screen time of the different monsters and using it to explore the past a little bit more would not only make the plot more digestible, but also allowed me as a viewer to understand and empathize with the characters more. It would also enhance the emotional impact the story had.
There were a few plot lines that for me became either plot holes or dead ends, but that was the result of me usually overanalyzing the plots and dramas I watch. I’m confident in saying most viewers won’t be bothered by them, maybe won’t even notice them. While they caused me a little bit of frustration, overall, they don’t take away much from the quality of the show.
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls served me a visual feast. I have to admit, the first two episodes were a little bit too much though. Most scenes had this painting quality to them, but at the same time felt visually empty and too staged - often they lacked dynamics. They became beautiful screenshots, but they were less appealing in motion. The more modern approach in later episodes fits my taste better.
While the soundtrack was not memorable, all the songs did match the scenes they were played in, elevating the mood and creating the fitting atmosphere. 4MEN’ “Leave” became my favorite song from the show, thanks to the amazing vocals.
Overall, it’s a high quality production with decent writing and good acting. It could have been an amazing tale with truly interesting and tragic conflicts, but fell into the clichés and safe storytelling in the 2nd half, trying to bring all the novelty in the last episode. It’s a show that improves from discussions and chats with other viewers, as it introduces many interesting topics that are worth taking a deeper dive into.
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Great potential ruined by terrible writing
Update after the ep. 11.All I can say is that this is such a terribly written show. Plots are all over the place. Like I said before, story gets made up as the show continues on. The fight scene between two Bulgasals at the well was so ridiculous and it proves my point. There were some cringey dialogues leading up to the fight which was expected and I actually liked the way Hwal tricked Eul-Tae so he could stab him in the chest to disable him. AND THEN!!! As Eul-Tae is basically crawling away, Hwal just stood there watching him instead of putting him in the well. He just stands there and the next scene somehow takes place way outside the enclosure. Let me remind you that Eul-Tae was basically disabled and crawling at that point. Sure enough, Eul-Tae gets away with a new revelation about their past that’s more convoluted than before. Infuriating!
Also, it’s like the show forgot that Si-Ho was Hwal’s wife and Hwal had feelings for her earlier. Maybe something else will come out of it but not likely since they’re pushing the romance between ML and FL. And why the hell are they pushing this romance?!?! It makes no freaking sense. The only thing that came out of it was the weird relationship between Si-Ho and Do-yun. Is it mother- son attachment? Bro-sis? There’s a weird tension there that seems inappropriate considering their past lives. Maybe that’s why they made her “pregnant”.
I was hoping the show will get better but it’s going the other way.
Original review after ep. 5.
I love Asian ghost/monster hunt genre so I was intrigued and excited. The first couple of episodes were pretty decent but between terrible and robotic dialogues and clumsy way the plot progressed, I started to get concerned.
Once the story fast forwarded to the present, the concern became real. The twist about the twin souls was pretty good at first but it was basically just a convenient plot device. In fact, to me, most of settings and characters seemed to have been made up along the way when the writer ran into any logical deadlocks. I’m not sure if the writer put a lot of thoughts into characters’ conversations and how people would react in certain situations and what impact those actions/reactions would have later. As if whatever sounded good at the time was just written without much thoughts and some other plot device was invented to cover up the logic gap later. Well, you get the point.
What my wife said about the show perfectly sums it up. She said “this show depends too much on people’s stupid actions to move the story forward, especially, the female lead.” I’m really hoping it will get better so I can give it a better score.
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Wasted potential
Overall it is a good storyThey lacked on so many things and they can do better.
Cons
1. Writting
They fell to a dip whenever it comes to building up of charecter they could have just made it easier for us but they didn't
And at some point it felt it was repeating it self ,it can make potential viewers bored and they can drop this drama
Especially the inconsistency between the charecters and sudden change in their personality can't be explained if u don't show their past
2. Editing
Hwal can be a very powerful hero if you showed his certain pros he felt dumb in certain moments when he suddenly changed if they showed us certain parts of their pasts they can build a chemistry between them
But they didn't i rather felt that chemistry between Lee Joon and lee jin wook
Lack in proper charecterization of his family members especially seung Yeon and wook seok they did their best with that shitty writing
At some point I lost interest in them
3.unrelatable charecters
Especially sang un i would rather see her as someone who can beat someone's ass as she have to protect her sister but they didn't do that
They made her a whiny charecter and unattainable humanity
And unrealistic goals like just give me a break
4. MLS costumes
Especially min sang un like why are they doing this to her
Worst costumes like why ...
Pros
Actors are the main stay for me i watched this because of Lee joon and lee jin wook acting they carried this show
Lee jin wook is swoon worthy he looked so good
Lee Joon is the only charecter that deserves a proper applause he is the only well written charecter
Ost
They nailed in ost even during shitty scenes they are the only light for this drama
Cinematography
Is quite good
They were quite realistic and i loved it so much
Cgi
Didn't looked that bad for a k drama
Overall i think would miss this drama Mainly because i would be bored of watching nothing during their airing slots
Lee jin wook I miss him
He was so good at acting even with shitty writing
Lee Joon i would look forward to his future projects
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Good Enough
One cannot argue that Korean Drama "Bulgasal: Immortal Souls" is close to "Goblin" whether it has to do with an immortal, or that he is in need of a woman to save him of his curse. The creation of a small, unexpected family was another common factor that was a plus for this one.However, that is where the similarities stop. The drama has a plethora of short cases with mythical creatures that add plenty of entertainment to the main plot. The romance was subtle, in addition, with the focus being more on the conclusion of the curse and the answer to the mystery when it came to Bulgasals and how to solve the curse. Therefore, the final episode wasn't unexpected, but the proper ending to the story. The soundtrack and the cinematography were pretty impressive as well.
However, the drama did have many episodes that were slow and boring. It also felt like the story was going in circles, repeating itself. Furthermore, the reincarnation part was awkward at times. The edits with the time passing were a bit over-the-top as well. Finally, the main villain had potential but was toned down by the plot.
As for the performances, they were all great and enjoyable.
So, overall, 6 out of 10.
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Family drama mixed with supernatural and reincarnations really good but needs patience
Where do I start ?? At the beginning I was going to drop it first two or three episodes ,, it wasn't my type of drama with all the blood and monsters but then they went to modern era and it began to interest me more and moreit dragged a bit in few episodes trying to build the connections between the characters ,, to be honest the casting of the female lead wasn't the best choice ,, I love her in other dramas but in this one she made me feel detached and not rooting for her at all
with her messy style and weird colored cloths ,, her clinging to the male lead ,,it was really odd and annoying to be honest
the writers filled the drama with family moments really good connections that I loved very much
I fell in love with Do Yoon the kid he gave so much feelings for his character and made me cry every time he got hurt like he was a lost puppy ,, he looked like a lost puppy most of the time to be honest LOL
the other characters were okey
the most interesting character of them all was the evil Eul Tae WOW !!!!! he got the best style ,, the best script ,,, the best acting skills and the best evil vibe ,, he did an amazing job the whole drama may be more than the male lead
The drama didn't disappoint in matter of keeping me intrigued to watch more ,, I was waiting every week for it's episodes but it underwhelmed me at the ending a little ,, I expected that ending half way through the drama and they copied a scene from Goblin drama at the ending ,, the ending it self ,, I hoped they would give them a chance in this life time but no
The ending was a forced happy ending ,, it was rushed and so many un answered questions were there
Over all I recommend the drama because it was really good and enjoyable watch ,, I may binge watch it again in the summer to see how I feel about it as a whole not waiting every week with anticipation
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Lee Joon: The villain
Horror is the last genre I pick for entertainment, I get scared easily with all the blood and ghostly immortal creatures. It had a dark aesthetic world full of monsters and Bulgasal (Immortal Creatures) which haunts, reincarnations, and curses that runs from ancient to the present.Bulgasal has an interesting plot, full of fantasy thrillers with the unpredictable story. The history is written pretty nicely with all the characters intertwined with each other but the present story writing is quite stretched and lacking. Every episode is interesting and has a twist but sometimes the questions that arise with the twist remain unanswered in the Plot loops and I watched the next episode expecting to find those answers.
Every scene of the drama is cinematic with the color palette and lights in perfect proportion. Every episode has flashbacks, monsters, and immortal confrontations with humans. Many of them feel having the same expression with all the makeup.
Bulgasal (Kwon Na Ra) is like a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. She has unconventional beauty which resembles immortality. Her role matches that of a solemn, optimist, and resentful lady of the past. She does a very good job.
Well, Lee Joon villain saves the day for me. He literally is my show-stealer. His villain characterization with bold wardrobe is exemplary. I picked this drama solely for LEE JOON, for I had started admiring him for a few months after watching his extensive range of acting in My Father is Strange. He is an excellent ick for the antagonist character and for the first time I am more into villain than Leads.
music is fine with my favorite is "If You Cant Forget". I really like the intricate BGM.
I would rewatch the drama to watch of course Lee Joon.
If you are a fan of fantasy, mystery, and thriller dramas, BULGASAL is a must-watch.
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MAGNIFICENT AND UNIQUE SUPERNATURAL STORY!! POWER PACKED PLOT BUILD UP!! GREAT LEADS CHEMISTRY
wow!!! this plot is supernatural at its best, it is a fabulous build-up of twists and turns, and the entire cast is magnificent. lee jin wook and kwon na ra are perfect together, they have great real chemistry!! Bulgasal is a definite must-watch!!! Amazing job done by script writer, director and the cast!!GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
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GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
GO WATCH IT
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A MASTERPIECE
I loved every second of this kdrama. Unquestionably worth watching. The acting, the plot, the flashbacks from the past, they were all beyond perfect. I absolutely loved how they blended the past with the future. AND THE CINEMATOGRAPHY *chef's kiss*!!!!Many are comparing this to Goblin, I can see the resemblance, but Bulgasal was in my honest opinion 10x better. Goblin was more of a romantic kdrama, whilst this was much more intense and focused on family dynamics. But It definitely surpassed Goblin.
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