My Demon (2023)

Enjoyable little demon

I was going back and forth on rating this an 7.5 or 8 but I'm going to stick with the 7.5. I enjoyed the romance of this drama so much. I'm a hopeless romantic so I don't mind the cliche cringy stuff but in my opinion, this drama didn't have any cringy behavior between the leads. I wish this story would focus more on the romance and a little less on the psychotic family craziness. The family drama, the multiple deaths, and the light thriller aspect brought this drama down for me. I also didn't like the female lead decisions, in the beginning, she was shown as this badass CEO but once the heat got hot she gave up her inheritance because she wanted a quiet life.????

I don't know why she thought if she gave everything up the threats to her life would stop. I wish I could've seen the demon be more of a demon and make more deals for the benefit of the story but the writers didn't think that far. The writers were extremely lazy toward the end when they had the FL take a bullet for an immortal that would've survived without the serious consequences caused by her actions. However, the writers needed that one last push so all thought went out the window.

The romance and chemistry between the leads are what kept me interested. The ML is also very attractive which also kept my attention lol.

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Goblin feels ??

I am a super fan of Kim Yoo Jung I almost watched all of her dramas and movies because she is very good and effective in everything that she does. I am not a super fan of Song Kang after this drama I kinda like him ( I also like him in Sweet Home).

I love how the story runs, loved the love-hate relationship at first that turns into you against the world relationship. The Gu Won really loves Do Hee that he will do anything to please her I also loved their backstop or their past life that they are really lovers.
I like that Gu Won really never gets old eventhough he is a beyond ages because he is the demon just like goblin.
They have the same pain that we feel when the guy disappears because of the sacrifice in order for the girl to live.

I super loved this drama, they never lose the touch of romantic comedy. You will loved it as much as I did. Both have a good chemistry together ❤️

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Very very catchy Fantasy series with intense interactions within the CL.

PLOT: A demon saves FL, adopted daughter of a large company, from an assassination attempt, but the tattoo to activate his powers is transferred to FL's wrist. They must therefore team up to protect the FL (from the toxic and dangerous family +++) and find a way to restore the ML's tattoo. The CL therefore makes a marriage (contract). They will discover how their fates have been intertwined for a long time.

PROS:
+ Fantastic CL with Song Kang as ML & Kim Yoo Jung as FL.
+ A magnificent cinematography (the producer has a "Goblin" style).
+ Dynamic production, excellent special effects.
+ The story is relatively coherent, for a fantasy series, with “wisdom” or “philosophy” passages.
+ The OSTs are beautiful.

CONS:
- the product placements are too obvious, like in all recent Kdramas!
- The Great Villain, intelligent, perverted, sadistic,... is excessive. He could be a demon, surviving his fall from a building... Seriously?

=> An eye-candy, for CL and cinematography
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Très très accrocheur, avec intenses interactions au sein du CL.

PLOT: Un démon sauve la FL, fille adoptive d'1 gros groupe, d'1 tentative d'assassinat, mais le tatouage pour activer ses pouvoirs est transféré au poignet de la FL. Ils doivent donc s'allier pour protéger la FL (famille toxique et dangereuse +++) et trouver le moyen de restituer le tatouage. Le CL fait donc un mariage (contrat). Ils vont découvrir comment leurs destins sont entremêlés depuis longtemps.

PROS:
+ Fantastic CL with Song Kang as ML & Kim Yoo Jung as FL.
+ A magnificiant cynematography (the producer has a "Goblin" style).
+ Réalis° dynamique, effets spéciaux excellents.
+ La story est relativement cohérente, pour une série fantastique, avec des passages "sagesse" ou "philosophie".
+ Les OST sont belles.

CONS:
- les placements de produits sont trop évidents, comme dans tous les Kdramas récents !
- Le Great Villain smart,pervert, sadique,... est excessif. Il pourrait être un démon, survivant à sa chute d'un building... Sérieux ?

=> An eyecandy, pour le CL et la cinématographie

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This one wasn't it for me.

I liked the premise. But towards the end I found it to be dragging a bit. It felt like too many murderers were involved in the plot line.

I've come to the conclusion I'm not a Song Kang fan. When I see him interviewed he seems like a nice person, but most of his acting roles I'm not drawn to his character. When he's trying to be whimsical, romantic or silly he seemed so stiff and unnatural. When he was trying to portray being arrogant and aloof that also didn't seem to come naturally. The only times that it felt to me like he was really in character was when he was trying to be the most threatening or bad version of his character.

And I know culturally Korean fashion differs from where I am, but I feel like the costume designer had it out for Song Kang, because so many of his outfits the cut, the color, were so unflattering. That turtleneck in the last episode for instance. And there's one early episode where he's wearing a tan jacket that has a spot of blue tape on the back for quite a few scenes and no one caught it.

I hadn't seen two of the supporting characters in roles before - Lee Sang-Yi and Jo Hye-Joo, and I found myself hoping they would be in more dramas, because they both were a little unusual looking in a way that made them interesting to watch.

I'm not sure why he disintegrated when he did, because he didn't kill anybody. Also he didn't come back as human, so he's just going to hang around while she grows old and dies and he doesn't? That's kind of depressing.

I can't see myself ever rewatching this again in the future, and it's not one that I would recommend.

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I don’t have enough words to describe how good this drama is!

One of the most beautiful and unique dramas I have ever watched. It’s insanely good. Unreal visuals. Insane chemistry. Unbelievably good story and original sound track. The OST is in my playlist on repeat.
It’s beyond beautiful, emotional, magical, and powerful. It casts a spell on you. It lingers on your mind for days. It pulls you in from the very first episode and doesn’t let go until the very last one.
This is my opinion (so be kind) - it does not compare to any other k-drama (Goblin, Abyss, Doom at your service; which are all good). It’s beyond good! It sets the bar so high… It’s original. It makes you laugh, cry, gasp, experience heart palpitations and bunch of other sensations and emotions…

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Love Wins .

very good show. suffersxa little from the lack of continuity, but can easily look past those. they are a beautiful and believable couple. when she finds out what the deal was that her father made, she was happy and smiling and tells him you were even saving me then. But I doubt that would really be the reaction. Consider the fact that her Demon lover confirms the existence of Hell and that the father she loved so much is has been and will always for EVER be consumed by the flames of hell. While he was willing to make that sacrifice for his unborn daughter if she had the opportunity to voice her opinion there is no way she would allow him to do so consider not only the Eternal pain and suffering but there is no reincarnation from hell whereas just dying allows for reincarnation. But regardless still outstanding and enjoyable drama

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Eye candy with some splendid visuals but some flaws in writing and pacing (especially in 2nd half)

This drama is about the encounter between strong heroine/chaebol Do Do Hee (who runs her own company among some family dissession regarding the group succession) and very charming, powerful Demon Jung Gu Won who makes dangerous but very tempting deals with humans.

I truly enjoyed the first half of the show but it unfortunately lost a bit of steam in its second half. The writing is full of great ideas, there is a mix of genre which is really well done and the set up and characterization is quite strong for a lot of the protagonists. Unfortunely, the pacing is not good and the series can feel sluggish at time with the central plot not moving very fast and a lot of gimmick being repeated to seemingly "fill" time. Instead of some fillers scenes, I would have preferred some fat to be trimmed from the story: the same story could have been done in less episodes (or shorter episodes) in a more dynamic way. I also regret a bit that the ending did not adress enough certain questions important for the future of some of the characters, after a very strong start and entertaining first half, the latter part of the drama felt a bit weak.

Fortunately, despite some of the flaws in the writing/pacing, there are a lot of very entertaining elements that makes this series an entertaining watch. I love both the female lead and the male lead: their pairing worked very well, they were beautiful together and a lot of their scenes felt very dreamy (and almost like an ad for perfect couple). Song Kang (playing the Demon) is really the king of visual in this !!! Let's be honest, he is a real pleasure to watch, his acting was good and he really elevated by just his presence the eye candy factor !!! Kim Yoo Jung's acting as Do Do Hee was very good and I cannot wait to see her in other works.

The production value was amazing: the clothing, the decors, the style and directing were all top-notch. There was a lot of details that made the fantasy elements feel very real (the office of the demon, the book, the clocks,...so many details helping in the world building). The fight and action scenes were convincing and there was some pretty iconic moment in terms of filmmaking. The OST is pretty great as well with the intro song really beautifully opening each episode.

I would recommend this to people looking for a high production value rom-com with some fantasy elements. Despite some flaws in the writing and pacing (especially in the second half), the casting, directing and filmmaking make it worth it. I was mesmerized by the decors, the clothing and the visuals of both male lead and female lead, they really brought a dreamlike quality to their relationship. If you enjoyed drama as "My Love From The Star", you will likely enjoy this.

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A Fantasy Romance Between a Demon & a Heiress

A dangerous yet spicy romance between a devilishly handsome demon & a strong minded chaebol heiress!

The tagline definitely fits the bill as we talk about SBS’s latest fantastical offering, “My Demon”. Starring Kim Yoo Jung and Song Kang in the lead roles, this was one of the most anticipated romances of the year and rightly so. While the concept of contract marriages is nothing new in Korean dramas, this show strongly hinges on the “Opposite Poles Attract” premise. The settings are beautiful, cinematography is lush while the CGI effects are mindblowing. It has been a long time since I watched a drama that instantly grabs your attention. Being a huge fan of Song Kang, this drama was on my “Must Watchlist” and I’m glad that it lived up to the expectations. There is something exciting about watching an immortal demon butt heads with a cold hearted heiress. They both have unique personalities which merge well and I’m totally enjoying the joyride. Without further ado, let’s dig deeper into the pilot episodes!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2023/11/26/my-demon-first-impressions/

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A Dull Demon Doing What’s Been Done Many Times Before, but with little Flare

The premise of this series was quite cliche. It could practically write itself due to how much this type of story has been done. Unfortunately, the writers could not make this interesting at all. The “demon” (Gu-won) is very good looking, love the actor. But there was nothing interesting about him. He made deals with desperate people and collected on those deals 10 years later by collecting their souls and sending them to hell. Okay. Seen this before. Now what?

It is intriguing that he has a cross tattoo on his wrist that apparently holds all his powers and he did have an encounter 200 years earlier with a little girl which I’m guessing somehow connects to the FL in the present, but the details of that story thread likely won’t be explored for another 10 episodes.

The demon’s first meeting with the FL was fun. And the power struggle going on at Almighty Ju’s company has some spark, but overall the story fails at being interesting. The leads look great together but have lukewarm chemistry. The only relationship that really popped in this was Doo-Hee and Ms. Ju. Really loved their conversations and chemistry.

Again I can already guess where the story is going. Gu-won will of course see the error of his demon ways and in turn find his humanity by giving up his powers for love and eventually becoming mortal. I’m also betting he made a deal with Doo-Hee’s parents (probably to save her life or ensure she has a good life) and that’s why they died in that car accident. This will be a source of angst in their romance. Nothing wrong with a story being predictable but it needs to be interesting. I gave this three episodes and just couldn’t care enough about the story to continue so I stopped watching.

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Great visuals, with nothing else

The short version? Goblin wannabe with worse story, worse setting, worse chemistry, and infinitely worse acting. Go watch Goblin instead.

After failing to bring myself to open the next episode on multiple occasions, even in times of extreme boredom and suffering from a long drama drought, I've decided that this is it. The show is not worth it.

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The trailers and concept photos looked great. The premise looked great (but reliant on execution). The actors looked their part.

So far, 4 episodes in, and that's all this drama has to offer. Every ounce of energy was invested into making the leads look as attractive as possible. Their impeccable outfits, their perfectly coiffed hair -- only the overzealous filtered lens leaves something to be desired. But the story, the pacing, the direction, and last but not least, the ACTING, is nothing short of atrocious.

For rom-coms, you don't necessarily need a novel concept to make a good, enjoyable watch. And this is certainly no original plot. However, when the plot is predictable, a heavier burden is placed on the cast. Business Proposal notably makes a tired story come alive with the superb chemistry amongst its cast. But from what I've seen so far from Song Kang, I'm sorry to say that the man cannot act to save his life, and this drama is no exception. I haven't watched enough from Kim Yoo-Jung to say anything about her acting in general, but she is not good here either. In their defense, the dialogue is stunted, and the story has no flow. Their encounters and interactions are incredibly forced. Certain story elements are nothing short of cringe. Perhaps TOO MUCH of an emphasis was put on their looking absolutely perfect that acting integrity and script delivery was compromised. Either way, I did not feel the chemistry, which is arguably what is supposed to hold up the entire drama.

Aside from the failure to establish a swoonworthy romance and the cringeworthy moments abound, the family power play and serial killer subplots are underwhelming and curiously uncompelling. The company politics in particular are laughably childish and painfully unconvincing. In short, the only reason to watch this drama as of right now is for pure visual enjoyment, because it has nothing else to offer.

Alternative upgrades:
- Park Marriage Contract is a currently airing drama that's also a rom-com that focuses on a contract marriage with fantastical elements. However, it actually has good pacing and a cohesive storyline that isn't hellbent (see what I did there? ha ha ha.) on being purely aesthetic-centric.
- Goblin is the show that this drama is trying and failing to emulate. It has everything this drama doesn't: good acting, a good balance between romance, comedy, and drama; funny but not cringey banter; chemistry between different actors. Also good acting. Wait, did I mention good acting? Yeah, Goblin has good acting.

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