I have watched a number of fantasy Korean dramas and while they can be repetitive in a negative way, this one keeps you coming back for more. It's beautifully filmed, emotional, and fast-paced. It's a story about light and darkness, gritty folklore, revenge, and learning to love those around you. I was deeply moved by it. Oh, and the soundtrack is a masterpiece.
This drama starts out with a revenge story but turns more enemies-to-lovers by the end.
The characters were the gold of this series. They were well developed, had emotionally rousing personal relationships with one another, and all fit into the story in a unique way.
As always, I was impressed by Lee Jinwook's ability to portray emotion (or lack thereof) and his control as an actor. He captures his character and the life-altering dilemma of his character in this series perfectly. His development as Dan Hwal was also impressive, as the viewer gets to walk alongside him as he softens and struggles with morality, immortality, and humanity throughout the show. Kwon Nara's character was well developed, and her acting was brilliant. Her relationships with the people around her added depth to the series as well. Nara played a convincing "older sister" and if the point of her character was to seem selfless then I would say she portrayed that well. Her character has a sadness that compliments that of her co-star, causing an immense amount of chemistry between the two of them.
Lee Joon plays the main villain and mixes the right amount of immature and scary to fit his particular character. He seems dumb at times but in the context of the story, it made sense. Both Lee Jinwook and Lee Joon play off of each other well in terms of opposition. The tension, passion, emotion, and love between the characters carries the storyline along. While you will be invested in the storyline, the characters are the major selling point. You basically don't care what's happening at some points, just as long as everyone lives and gets to be together again.
The cinematography, the sets, and the costume design are also worth mentioning. The shots were beautifully done, the locations fit the overall atmosphere, and the costumes & props were all aesthetically pleasing, especially the ones from the historical eras of the show.
It's obvious that the creators of the show put a great deal of work into creating an aesthetic for the show that combined the modern world with historical Korea, all while not forgetting the folklore and fantasy that is the foundation of the story along the way.
An area I did feel was lacking was the actual progression of the conflict. If I had made this show, I would have kept it at 12 episodes at the most. The last 4 episodes drew out the conflict a bit too long in my opinion, but this doesn't take away from it too much.
Before you watch, please know that this isn't a
"romance" drama. There is romantic attraction, no doubt, but the relationship between the male and female lead develops in a deeper way in my opinion. They are two individuals who learn to heal together, not college crushes who bumped into each other at a coffee shop. But for this show, the relationship between the two of them is perfect. It adds enough to keep you interested in where their relationship will go, but it doesn't cross into the "romance" genre of Korean dramas that many people are familiar with. Basically, don't expect a storyline akin to Crash Landing On You or Goblin in terms of romance from Bulgasal.
It's a definitely a must watch if you love aesthetic dramas with a gorgeous cast, well developed characters, folklore, and a good soundtrack to set the tone of it all.
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