A Korean Odyssey: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Title: | A Korean Odyssey (2017) (Also Known as: Hwayugi) |
Platform: | Apple, Viki, Tubi, Roku, Netflix |
MDL & IMBD Rating: | |
Genre: | Contemporary Fantasy Romance |
Episode Count: | 20 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | MA: (It was TV-14 when I first watched... Language, violence, an intimate scene (nothing explicit shown) |
Starring: | Lee Seung Gi (Mouse) Cha Seung Won (Our Blues) Oh Yeon Seo (Cafe Minamdang) Lee Hong Gi (I Hate you, Juliet!) Jang Gwang (Bon Appetit, Your Majesty) Lee El (My Liberation Notes) Lee Se Young (The Red Sleeve) |
RBTS Rating: | 2.7/5 Stars (A modern day Journey to the West with a lifeless human FL and immortal characters with (thankfully) a lot of charm. The story suffered from choppy pacing, directionless narrative, and the impressive lack of chemistry between the main couple. It was an Odyssey alright, just Odysseus's. I joke, it wasn't THAT bad.)  |
Cast From Left to Right: #LeeSeungGi, #ChaSeungWon, #OhYeonSeo, #LeeHongGi
Synopsis:
In 2017, Son Oh Gong and Ma Wang are in conflict with each other as they look for a true light in a dark world where evil thrives. Having made a contract with Seon Mi 25 years ago, entitling her to seek help from Son Oh Gong whenever she calls him in exchange for letting him free, the two meet again in a fateful encounter. From there, Son Oh Gong is bound to his protective role towards Seon Mi, the little girl he had met years ago. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
A Korean Odyssey is thusly named as it is based on the Chinese classic, Journey to the West, which is equivalent to the Western World's prolific journeyman's mythology, The Odyssey. The drama was penned by our modern day Homers, the Hong Sisters, who take the mythology and plop it in Modern Day South Korea in a Contemporary Romantic Fantasy that (sadly) didn't live up to the source material.
The drama had a promising start and I thought Lee Seung Gi (ML Actor) was made for the role of the micheivous monkey king, Son Oh Kong. Cha Seung Won (2ML Actor) also did a great job as Woo Ma Wang. The real hiccup comes from the Female Lead, played by Oh Yeon Seo, because where was the acting? Dua, you were falsey accused of giving us nothing, because in comparision Oh Yeon Seo was taking away!
She is so seriously so pretty, but she was always crying! And yet her tears were nothing but moisture in her eyes, because I didn't feel anything, nor did I believe she did either due to the utter lack of life brought to the character. I wanted Yeon Seo to be stronger and cooler as she had interesting abilities and years worth of experience, but she fell into the damsel role hard. The side characters were pretty good, but they weren't so amazing that it made up for the FL and the non-existent chemistry between the lead couple.
The drama didn't have any business being so long, but the length is due to the popularity at the time of release. It was filmed in a live shoot production system which meant the episodes were actively being filmed and edited while the drama was already airing on TV. I think this is why the writing wasn't that great, and accounts for the inflated number of episodes. I mean, I get it. If people like it, why not give them more of what they like? And I get why it was so popular at the time. The production process could also explain the ABRUPT ending, but that's giving too many passes!
The plot had so much potential, especially with such rich source material, but the modern day additions are where things really went wrong. The heart of the drama should have been Son Oh Kong coming to value someone else over his freedom and defying fate, but the connection wasn't there. The drama did have good performances, but was tragically overshadowed by the bad.
Story=3, Acting=2.5, Production Quality=3, Ending=2.75, Enjoyability= 3, Would I rewatch= No
Trailer:
Director: #ParkHongKyun (Red Swan)
Screenwriter: #HongSisters #HongJeongEun & #HonMiRan (Hong Sister) (Alchemy of Souls, Hotel Del Luna)
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