A KOREAN ODYSSEY SERIES

With well over three thousand islands to choose from, there was no shortage of destinations, all connected by the indomitable ferries that ply these choppy waters. Standouts include the absolute bop “Let Me Out” by NU’EST, the tender ballad “When I Saw You” by Bumkey, and the cheerful “I Will Be By Your Side” by MeloMance.Michael Gibb embarks on an eccentric odyssey around the wind-swept islands off the coast of South Korea in search of life beyond K-pop, high-tech gadgetry and nuclear missile tests.

Her scenes with Lee Seung Gi are sometimes almost uncomfortable to watch, given how dynamic he is in comparison. This leads us to the weakest of the bunch-Oh Yeon Seo’s performance as Jin Sun Mi is uninspired, and I couldn’t tell you if her expression changed even once. The character gives him no room to stretch his dramatic legs, instead relying on the zany comedy he so excels at-but this gets old fast, and it’s frustrating to see him spin his wheels with such a flat character. Cha Seung Won, however, is completely wasted in his role as Ma Wang, the demon king. The same goes for Lee El as the dog-demon assistant Ma Ji Yeong, Kim Sung Oh as hapless secretary Lee Han Joo, and Sang Hyuk as General Frost and his warm-hearted sister, with whom he shares a body. Lee Hong Ki (PK) and Lee Se Young (Bu Ja) are a delight in spite of frustrating plot developments, easily drawing focus away from the main storyline.

Despite a valiant effort by Lee Seung Gi as Son Oh Gong, the secondary cast steals the show. One of the main issues can be found in the massive cast, populated by multiple big names and actors of varying talent and skill. Overall, the story promises apocalyptic stakes yet delivers something haphazard and episodic, peppered with hollow romantic scenes (the exemplar of which is an early out-of-character, cat-themed aegyo from the female protagonist). Not even the romance between the leads received the attention it required to blossom satisfyingly-it just happens, for no rhyme or reason, and we’re expected to invest in it immediately. In addition to the copious filler, the plot was pulled in so many directions that very little progress was actually made. What did this drama want to be? An idol drama with tons of romance? A monster-of-the-week romp, or an urban fantasy with cataclysmic consequences? The tone is erratic, especially in the beginning, whiplashing viewers between horror and comedy without prelude. When a story lacks direction, it’s sure to suffer. What begins as an intriguing-if fraught, production-wise-modern spin on the classic Journey to the West, ends as a jumbled mess with an identity crisis.

A KOREAN ODYSSEY SERIES

Rewatch Value 3.0 Hwayugi, a much-anticipated offering from The Hong Sisters, is an ambitious attempt at a prestige fantasy series with middling results. I don't think I'd rewatch this, cause it's too painful now (i didn't enjoy the ending) and also because of the dragged out part (13-17), but It was definitely worth my time. Lee El (Secretary Ma) is one of the most underrated character, imho, but I loved her a lot. I don't particularly like Oh Yeon Seo, but i loved the first 5 episodes because of the tension between the two leads. I loved the fact that supernatural elements, history and human nature are intertwined in the love story: it makes it really special. Soundtrack is Bomb: 'Let me out' is a hit, was stucked in my head for weeks, as well as 'If You Were Me' and 'When I Saw You'. Same goes for Cha Seung Won (Ma Wang) and Sung Hyuk (General Frost). Lee Seung Gi is just gold in this series, I cannot think of anybody else for the role of Son Oh Gong. The ending it's not that bad, but it's way too predictable: if you're not into open endings, just forget about this drama. I'd rather watch 10 very good episodes than 20 just for the sake of carrying it on. 20 episodes are too many, since part of the story (expecially from episode 14) was just fillers. If I can say something bad about it, I'd have gone for a shorter version. Rewatch Value 4.5 I think it's fair to say that this drama was good overall: the story is intriguing, well written for the first 10 episodes and it made me curious.

A korean odyssey