This review may contain spoilers
My Wish? For this show to be longer, more detailed, and less gorey
I’m here to give my first ever review of a supernatural, occult horror k-drama that was recommended to me on Netflix! Keep in mind I am writing this review several weeks after I’ve finished it, it's not completely fresh in my head, so hope you will understand if there are mixups or errors of any kind. As someone who typically goes for the familiar silly lighthearted rom-com or melodramatic tearjerker, I am actually proud to say that I conquered my fears of this genre and gave this one a shot.
At first, I was thinking how glad I was this was a mini series with only 8 episodes because I didn't think my nervous system could’ve handled anything longer. I told myself I needed to power through only 8 and it’ll be over, but by the end, I somehow ended up wishing it was longer and less bingable LOL If you’re anything like me and feel hesitant to explore this genre, I will say give it a try as it's not a bad introductory show. The reason I chose to watch this was because there was something about this drama’s Netflix poster that immediately drew me in when I saw it. Perhaps it was the combo of high school and horror, or the ominous way they're standing in a dark, eerie classroom facing us, the audience. Put a bunch of high school students in a life-threatening situation caused by demonic technology and watch how they fight for their lives (flashbacks to “All of Us Are Dead”). Or perhaps, being a long-term I.O.I fan, it could've been my curiosity about Kang Mina and her new acting career that made me want to check this out (she absolutely killed it in her role as Nari though!).
To summarize, this drama primarily follows a high school friend group in Seorin High School. It all started when Hyeongwook, one of the boys in the group, discovers a mysterious app called Girigo that supposedly grants any wish you make through the app. He excitedly shows it to the rest of his friend group: Seah, Geonwoo, Nari and Hajoon, claiming that all you have to do is a film a video of yourself stating your wish with your “Saju”, essentially your name and birthdate/birthtime, written and it'll come true. The rest of his crew calls it bluff, until the unbelievable happens. The wish he made, to get a perfect score on his upcoming math test, really did come true just as he had wished for it through the app. Suddenly, a 24-hour countdown starts on his app screen. When the timer ends, he dies by a suicide.
His friends are petrified by his shocking fate and set out on a quest to uncover the truth behind the app. A few of them even tries using the app themselves, wondering if there was a way to bypass or stop the timer. Where did this app come from? What is happening to the bodies of those who uses it? Why did Hyeongwook die? This is when the mood of the drama shifts from a chill high school slice of life with light romance to thriller/horror as it starts diving into themes of curses, demonic possession, revenge, alternative spiritual dimension and exorcism. Once you get to episode 6, almost everything becomes clear - why this app exists, how it came to curse people, and how to break the curse. That was my favorite episode among them all because the storytelling was so well done and gripping. The actresses for Siwon and Hyerung did a phenomenal job in the origin story acting. Watching the tension in their friendship driven by Siwon’s broken relationship with her shaman mom get worse and worse and what it ultimately led to was extremely interesting. My other favorite scenes were those with the character Haetsal (Hajoon's sister) interacting with Seah. Seeing how committed she was to saving the lives of the kids touched my heart.
This is not a big issue, but there were some tiny concepts that felt a bit hard to grasp for me personally, like shamanism and exorcism, given my lack of experience with this genre. The ambiguous cliffhanger ending leaves you wondering if a second season will be coming anytime soon. I should also give a trigger warning that there were quite a bit gore and jump scares throughout the show. Unsurprising for a horror drama, but if anyone is sensitive to those visuals, it might be good to avoid or skip past those scenes. Overall, it was a really enjoyable watch. I wish the writers developed certain plot lines more, but I think they did what they can within 8 episodes. I will definitely remember this drama for years to come.
*This review was written without the assistance of AI
At first, I was thinking how glad I was this was a mini series with only 8 episodes because I didn't think my nervous system could’ve handled anything longer. I told myself I needed to power through only 8 and it’ll be over, but by the end, I somehow ended up wishing it was longer and less bingable LOL If you’re anything like me and feel hesitant to explore this genre, I will say give it a try as it's not a bad introductory show. The reason I chose to watch this was because there was something about this drama’s Netflix poster that immediately drew me in when I saw it. Perhaps it was the combo of high school and horror, or the ominous way they're standing in a dark, eerie classroom facing us, the audience. Put a bunch of high school students in a life-threatening situation caused by demonic technology and watch how they fight for their lives (flashbacks to “All of Us Are Dead”). Or perhaps, being a long-term I.O.I fan, it could've been my curiosity about Kang Mina and her new acting career that made me want to check this out (she absolutely killed it in her role as Nari though!).
To summarize, this drama primarily follows a high school friend group in Seorin High School. It all started when Hyeongwook, one of the boys in the group, discovers a mysterious app called Girigo that supposedly grants any wish you make through the app. He excitedly shows it to the rest of his friend group: Seah, Geonwoo, Nari and Hajoon, claiming that all you have to do is a film a video of yourself stating your wish with your “Saju”, essentially your name and birthdate/birthtime, written and it'll come true. The rest of his crew calls it bluff, until the unbelievable happens. The wish he made, to get a perfect score on his upcoming math test, really did come true just as he had wished for it through the app. Suddenly, a 24-hour countdown starts on his app screen. When the timer ends, he dies by a suicide.
His friends are petrified by his shocking fate and set out on a quest to uncover the truth behind the app. A few of them even tries using the app themselves, wondering if there was a way to bypass or stop the timer. Where did this app come from? What is happening to the bodies of those who uses it? Why did Hyeongwook die? This is when the mood of the drama shifts from a chill high school slice of life with light romance to thriller/horror as it starts diving into themes of curses, demonic possession, revenge, alternative spiritual dimension and exorcism. Once you get to episode 6, almost everything becomes clear - why this app exists, how it came to curse people, and how to break the curse. That was my favorite episode among them all because the storytelling was so well done and gripping. The actresses for Siwon and Hyerung did a phenomenal job in the origin story acting. Watching the tension in their friendship driven by Siwon’s broken relationship with her shaman mom get worse and worse and what it ultimately led to was extremely interesting. My other favorite scenes were those with the character Haetsal (Hajoon's sister) interacting with Seah. Seeing how committed she was to saving the lives of the kids touched my heart.
This is not a big issue, but there were some tiny concepts that felt a bit hard to grasp for me personally, like shamanism and exorcism, given my lack of experience with this genre. The ambiguous cliffhanger ending leaves you wondering if a second season will be coming anytime soon. I should also give a trigger warning that there were quite a bit gore and jump scares throughout the show. Unsurprising for a horror drama, but if anyone is sensitive to those visuals, it might be good to avoid or skip past those scenes. Overall, it was a really enjoyable watch. I wish the writers developed certain plot lines more, but I think they did what they can within 8 episodes. I will definitely remember this drama for years to come.
*This review was written without the assistance of AI
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