Doril
A Parable about Children's Journey through Life Cloaked in a Bold, Magical Musical
Kdramas themed around music are not uncommon, but true musicals are rare, and The Sound of Magic is a welcome entry into this realm. This show is constructed as a spectacular audiovisual event, and the aesthetics are so striking: the vibrant colors of the set pieces pair very well with the whimsical theme and musical numbers. I was definitely addicted to this show, watching it all in one sitting. However, ultimately, I still felt that it fell a little short in a couple of areas.
The story is as straightforward as it sounds: a poor, struggling female lead has to overcome the adversities of poverty and happens upon a mysterious magician who tries to help her. I thought that this plot was acceptable, but nothing unusual for a Kdrama setup. In the end, the show seemed like it wanted to try to send a clear message about the meaning of being a child and what it means to forge your own path in life. The story is also carried by the puzzle of the identity of the magician as well as a missing persons' case. All-in-all, I appreciated that the short-form show had a beginning, middle, and end but didn't feel that it did any exceptional trailblazing: it was just OK to me. I did not read the webtoon this is based on, but am told that it is a faithful adaptation, so in a way, any power or shortcomings that come out are probably related to this, for better or worse. In particular, I felt that the ending tied up many of the loose ends, but also felt that it wasn't conclusive enough in explaining exactly what happened to everyone.
The main event, of course, are the songs and the spectacle and I felt that this was definitely executed at an above-average level. Each song takes you on a journey, and I appreciated how the setting changed into amazing locales and sets as they progressed. However, at the same time, I can't say that the songs were memorable to me: I can't hum any of the tunes and I can't even really tell you what the main messaging or name of individual musical pieces were. It's a little strange for me to describe this because I definitely enjoyed them while I was watching the show.
The acting is excellent: Ji Chang Wook apparently spent months learning magic and I can definitely believe it as his performance gave a true aura of a magician's tricks. Out of all the high schoolers, Hwang In Yeop sold his role the most to me, and ironically, he is one of the eldest actors at 31 years old. I can't fault Choi Sung Eun's acting, but I did have a minor criticism, in that she looked too old too me: maybe this was a fault of costuming/makeup, but personally, I couldn't un-see that she was an adult in real life (she's 25) - I think they specifically cut her hair to make her look younger, but it didn't work for me (there is a scene later where she has long hair, and I couldn't help but think to myself, wow, she looks so much more natural this way).
Overall, I found this show very well done. Of importance, it is really unique, which I appreciated. However, I didn't think that it's polish was perfect, so I'd probably categorize this Kdrama as "above-average"
The story is as straightforward as it sounds: a poor, struggling female lead has to overcome the adversities of poverty and happens upon a mysterious magician who tries to help her. I thought that this plot was acceptable, but nothing unusual for a Kdrama setup. In the end, the show seemed like it wanted to try to send a clear message about the meaning of being a child and what it means to forge your own path in life. The story is also carried by the puzzle of the identity of the magician as well as a missing persons' case. All-in-all, I appreciated that the short-form show had a beginning, middle, and end but didn't feel that it did any exceptional trailblazing: it was just OK to me. I did not read the webtoon this is based on, but am told that it is a faithful adaptation, so in a way, any power or shortcomings that come out are probably related to this, for better or worse. In particular, I felt that the ending tied up many of the loose ends, but also felt that it wasn't conclusive enough in explaining exactly what happened to everyone.
The main event, of course, are the songs and the spectacle and I felt that this was definitely executed at an above-average level. Each song takes you on a journey, and I appreciated how the setting changed into amazing locales and sets as they progressed. However, at the same time, I can't say that the songs were memorable to me: I can't hum any of the tunes and I can't even really tell you what the main messaging or name of individual musical pieces were. It's a little strange for me to describe this because I definitely enjoyed them while I was watching the show.
The acting is excellent: Ji Chang Wook apparently spent months learning magic and I can definitely believe it as his performance gave a true aura of a magician's tricks. Out of all the high schoolers, Hwang In Yeop sold his role the most to me, and ironically, he is one of the eldest actors at 31 years old. I can't fault Choi Sung Eun's acting, but I did have a minor criticism, in that she looked too old too me: maybe this was a fault of costuming/makeup, but personally, I couldn't un-see that she was an adult in real life (she's 25) - I think they specifically cut her hair to make her look younger, but it didn't work for me (there is a scene later where she has long hair, and I couldn't help but think to myself, wow, she looks so much more natural this way).
Overall, I found this show very well done. Of importance, it is really unique, which I appreciated. However, I didn't think that it's polish was perfect, so I'd probably categorize this Kdrama as "above-average"
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