Interesting Until....

Disclaimer: My review comes from watching mango tv subs which often don't make sense and additional interpretation from visual cues.

An unrealistic but cute idea of a guy who avoids his high school crush by impersonating his twin. What follows is a very cute and funny ride until FL finds out the truth. Things I liked in this drama are, The fish metaphor, the interactions of ML and FL's moms, ML and FL's cohabitation scenes, and the escape rooms scenes.

It was really interesting to watch ML switch between two roles of cold guy and cute guy. Sometimes, his acting looks plastic but since it is miniseries and he is cute and hot, it is reasonable. I wanted more of seeing FL in dilemma with two guys because it was hilarious to see her use weird methods to investigate. Things go bad after she finds out the truth.

From ep 13, things don't make sense as there are character inconsistencies with both ML and FL. FL's tantrum-like fight scene felt overdramatic as by this time ML has already made his twin's identity his alter ego. And the 180-degree turn she does when she finds out about the ML mom and the monologue she gives was full-fledged hypocrisy. Whereas for ML, his character becomes a weird amalgamation of his twin's character and his character which makes me wonder "can he smile normally now?" "why is his hair set even in his house?"

Further to this character chaos, there were other issues, like why did ML abandon his company and was working in FL's workplace, what was with the author segment? etc

Honestly, I don't wanna exhaust myself with finding the clarifications for these because it was worth it to watch till ep 13 and forget about whatever happens later.

The production quality was good, and the acting was decent too. When ML's mom was crying, I thought she was laughing, hehe. As for rewatching, romance scenes alone suffice.

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Bonus: cdrama rants
1. ML is a CEO (not surprising) of an escape room-type game company. As always I can't understand the obsession for a Ceo by media, he is not even a Ceo of a big conglomerate.
2. What was the need for ML to personally go and save his staff from fire when he could have been on-site and he is not a firefighter professional.
3. ML's connections are amazing. How come he gets an instantaneous appointment of the author or is the author his...nevermind I can't with these subs.

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I liked it despite...

Bulgasal was the fantasy kdrama I hoped would end up on my fave list. It had everything, a never explored mythical monster, it was immortal with limited strength, not ridiculously invincible and no additional superpowers like tracking down your enemy with psychic powers or something, I loved the explanation for immortality. There were several motives for revenge for several characters. Also, there were additional monsters like Yeongno, Gapsangoe, Teoreokson, etc.

I watch all my shows with some speed acceleration be it 1.15X or 2X, I didn't do it for this one. That much I was drawn by this show. I couldn't drop it either because of getting myself invested in the badly written but likable characters along with ML's and SML's amazing dynamics. I have rated low for the story not because it was that bad, but I had so much higher expectations. I don't regret watching the show and on a second chance, I wouldn't stop my past-me from watching this.

Story: I would have just watched the first 4 episodes and the last 4 episodes and be done with it. Aside from these great start and ending, the show was badly written in the middle and I was constantly expecting it to give me answers till they kept dragging it until the penultimate episode.
This had the style of soap rather than a series with its pacing and can easily drag for 20 more episodes. There will be new tiny twists and revelations for each episode just to heighten the emotional impact and (un)necessary hurts, kidnaps, and deaths just for the cliffhanger effect. Maybe, I would have liked this style, had I not binged in a week.
The house hopping didn't help either. I mean if you are planning to hide from someone, then hide and stay hidden until matter subsides but, no, they will be going from A house to B house and back to A house. They ran out of budget to shoot in B house and/or was sort of vacation-type filler content.
This was the only time in a fantasy show I saw people relaxedly eating and doing laundry more than actually fighting and making up decent plans. Heck, now whenever I'll dry laundry, I'll remember bulgasal getting lectured on drying laundry. (Sigh)

Predictability: After watching some 300 plus shows, and all kinds of fantasy shows, the predictability factor becomes moot. That being said, this show was decent with its twists, I wasn't surprised nor disappointed. I saw the twists coming but it wasn't bad.

Characters: I felt they were certain logical inconsistencies in why someone behaves in some way. There is a character who got bored and couldn't watch tv while being in hiding from the bad guys so says let's go and be with others. And one thing leads to another and she ends up straight in the devil's lair and dead. That just sums up all the character rational moves. Every death of any character was utter stupidity of themselves or others. So I could barely sympathize with any of the characters' death. In retrospection, I would call this show more in a lighter mood than angsty. (Coping mechanism, to not cry?!)

Cinematography: I liked the wallpaper-worthy scenic locations and camera shots especially the flower shots in the background and the top view shot of bulgasal having his drink by the waterside, the birthing scene and the beautifully shot 600-year segment. Even if half of the effort given for the locations and cinematography, had been given to actual story writing, then it would have been so much better.

Music: I loved the intro title theme music and the intro credits montage was so good. Ost was good. My top three would be Janet Suhh's Beyond The Time, Minseo's Can't Forget You, and 4Men's One Day. They all made me feel the eternal vibe of the drama which it was exuding. The only downside was the grunting roar sounds felt random. They don't seem to make any lip/body action syncing to it.

Fight scenes: they had decent camera work, older kdramas had shaky cameras for fight scenes, and boy, they have come a long way. The fight scenes of ML were pretty decent and others' fights were not so. Action isn't the show's main focus. I liked the color of fake blood and how realistic it looked, and eye color change, with long nails, skin darkening it was nice.

Revenge: 90% of the time I was like where's the revenge? Where is it? If it was the 2 episode arc of each monster then it was okayish. The writer wanted to include the monsters even in the 16th episode. Then least give them a better backstory and good past scenes instead of a one-line description of what they specialize in. I was very invested in these monsters and their nature. Though they could have been gruesome and not some simpleton psychopaths. (Intended to be light-hearted?!)
As for main revenge? who is the baddie? That search itself gets draggy and even if they find it, this has hardly the revenge drama I expected it to be. Nevertheless, I liked the ending fight scene and prophecy coming true part, and whole bloodthirstiness, and the take on humanity. It is sad and bittersweet that despite being immortal, nobody wants to be immortal again.

Acting: I liked the acting of all the actors especially Lee Jin Wook, he was so perfect for the role, he had a mysterious aura, a good guy vibe, demonic vibes all rolled into one. In my opinion, his present-day hairstyle was so out of trend and he has a similar hairstyle for the 1000 year flashback as well. But he looked great in the 600-year segment.
As for Kwon Nara, first time seeing her in the main role after Itaewon Class and Suspicious Partner. She has often played annoying characters, I initially hated her character here as well, but she becomes likable after time progresses, her character was the softest of all. She falls badly whenever she gets slapped was so awful to watch. She looks so amazing in past scenes with the long flowing dress and hair but her present-day look feels like she will fly away with the wind. Her face looks weird in the present-day segment or is that her neck is elongated.
About Lee Joon, first time seeing him, but wow, so smitten by his acting especially, his dejected look for getting rejected, and the pained scenes. Man, I can't hate his character with the way he portrayed it.

Romance: I so didn't want this to be romance. Because this was touted to be a revenge drama. The posters and other things didn't give any romantic vibe at all. Even if it existed it would be with the wife, I had expected. I had a hard time adapting to seeing FL in that way as she is introduced to antagonize even though she is attracted to ML very early on. Maybe the writer changed their mind halfway through drama or it wouldn't be a kdrama if the ML doesn't romance with FL. They could have given hints from early on that there will be romance. I kept wondering where is all this strong love coming from? And the only kiss was CPR kiss, what was that? Despite this, I kinda liked the romance because it felt unconventional. In my perspective, I wouldn't think of this as forced romance as it becomes essential to understand Bulgasal and its obsession. Bromance was written better. With SML actor pained looks and ML saying sorry, woah amazing.

Ending: I was infinitely happy with the ending which wasn't bittersweet, in my opinion. Usually, I hate time jump ending but this was so perfect. I couldn't calm myself down all night.

Euphoria-like happiness sort of emotion is rare for me as the only reason I watch dramas are to feel happy and this show did it for me despite not having good writing, smart characters, and great romance. And I'm still wondering why I like this show and why it made me happy.

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls - but it will be immortal in my heart.

~~~
Extras: (Can contain spoilers)

Lore: Personally, I didn't feel the need to know more about the origins of bulgasal, as it would miss that folklore-y feel. Also, about the ending reincarnations, it is a gray zone. Hwal's words aren't surety, as he wasn't talking from his experiences or other extinct bulgasals. No one knows what happened to extinct bulgasals. As for Min Sang Un, she was an anomaly as the eighth reincarnation gets split into two souls likely resetting her cycle.

Characters portrayal:

Almost all characters have a certain level of slow-wittedness inherent in them. In this sense, I would not be criticizing them harshly and taking the drama lightly.

Dan Hwal was constantly driven by his prejudices and pre-conceived notions, but easy to understand others' views when given an opportunity. He is easily the most complex character and difficult to judge, I kinda understand him without judgments, why he was in a certain way in the 1000 years, in 600 years, and present day. I feel mixed emotions of love and disdain for him. Also, he was easily driven by others' views. It must suck to realize that you had been working for the wrong goals for so many years.

Min Sang Un was truly the saintess of kindness in a world of psychopaths hunting for her. As a child, she was not at all trusting her twin which felt weird. As she grows, she has better sense and she wasn't completely trusting everyone, but sometimes, she still did take stupid decisions. I kinda understand why she is the way she is as the story progresses and the 1000 year flashback made it clearer. I won't criticize her for falling for ML as it was more of an instinctive choice in retrospection.

Ok Eul Tae was the meatier character of three main roles. He was more humanly sometimes and I liked his principle of not hurting until necessary. I couldn't hate him at all maybe except when he was a human. He was the smartest of all, given how he becomes bulgasal, smartly handles every situation, and even adapted well to the present day. He was truly the guy who won't go down without putting up a fight. Also, his dynamics with Hwal were such a treat to watch.
Min Shi Ho was initially don't care attitude, but later on, she cares for others, but she still loved her sister the most. I liked that she was most skeptical of Hwal.
Nam Do Yoon was the eye candy. He was the best of the squad. He could have had a better ending in the time jump scenes. His scenes were just too hearty and funny to watch his interactions with Hwal.

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Magic Number 7

Majority of the popular kdramas are a 7 for me. That's how I feel about OBS as well. It is good but not great and perfect. It is likable but not special and close to my heart.

It started great with a very compelling theme of documenting two high schoolers and an interesting screenplay going back and forth between past and present. The characters were flawed and relatable and so were their actions. I liked the comparisons of lifestyles of the two leads.

Oddly, I wonder what are the odds that all three leads have issues in the family. It was with a few unpredictable twists but I wasn't particularly thrilled to know about their family issues as I only came in for the documentary part. I was eager for glimpses of the final cut of their adulthood documentary but that didn't happen. Had they even spent like 15 mins showing that instead of all the family issues then I would have willing watched it. Guess, my expectations were different.

I expected a bit of comedy and a nice breezy romance with a slice-of-life setting. The initial comedy with a coworker and drunk scenes were hardly comical. I found this to be very minimal on comedy. Romance is more about feelings, talking, and bickering. But it was hardly breezy. There are many moments I felt "just open up and talk about what you are feeling or what went wrong". I didn't like how they got into a relationship without proactively discussing what went wrong. Yes, they were constantly pinning for each other, but getting back with an ex without resolving past issues is low-key problematic.

Character-wise, I can see what they were trying to portray: toppers don't necessarily become achievers and last rankers don't necessarily end up as mediocre. But I felt ML had more luck than most of all would have, to get rich and good parents and to have talent and to actually put that talent to succeed whereas FL was poor, had no parents, was hardworking, and got some job. I think this characterization felt forced and it more made me feel that ML was very lucky and despite his issues, I couldn't feel empathy for him. Also, there are these moments where ML gives up on something very easily whereas FL had been working very hard for a similar thing. For instances like these, I couldn't look past their jarringly different notions on life, money, and stuff. But of course, I'm looking into too much but on the superficial level, they are interesting characters. Likewise, FL opening up about her issues could have done better. She rarely got her cathartic "baring it all" moment of showing her vulnerable side in the relationship and if at all done, was hurried through. Ji Ung deserved so much more than the closure he was given. Rarely was anything shown about his mother's actual reason, and his occasional rudeness to Ung felt quite random.

The pacing felt good up to episodes 10 or 11 after which I was constantly skipping scenes and 2Xing. Similar to most of the kdramas losing their charm around 10 -12 episodes, OBS ran out of stuff to talk about. Maybe they could have added nice flirty scenes but their chemistry felt cute and okayish for me.

I really wanted to see CWS in a nice rom-com as a nice guy so that wish has come true. As for KDM, she felt reminiscent of her Itaewon Class character sometimes. I will be rooting for KSC henceforth. RJE's voice is really nice.

Would I rewatch the scenes during their school days? Likely. Would I rewatch adult life or romance scenes? Meh.

As for music, it was good and suited to the theme of the drama. But I won't bother about adding it to my playlist.

OBS feels intriguing as the Youthood but immemorable as time passes by.

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Need a bigger bite of this!

I really liked the concept of this drama which is about three vampire sisters adapting to current times. FL is bored so she creates sns profile and becomes viral. From then on her life changed, and, the social commentary about social media was interesting. FL doesn't want to make her lover a vampire which was an interesting take from conventions *wink*. Also, it was obvious to understand why ML left her in past. But I really loved the way their relationship turns out for the present times. About the older sister, I wanted to know more about her story of why she is isolated and cold. The other sister story was also nice, she was an interesting character. But I think 10 episodes are too short to tell their story. I wish this was a full fledged show.

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Subjectively 10, objectively 8

Okay, my two fave actors made comeback with this one. I liked the idea of making a zombiesque disease an epidemic. It started so well. I liked the vibe of it with fake marriage and school mates connections and character detailing. I also got jumpscares and goosebumps in the initial episodes. I loved how serious the disease was portrayed. But second-half become less of a thriller vibe and more of logistics issues. If the motive of the drama was to make the viewer find it relatable and happy then that was achieved greatly. But it failed to express itself wholly with a bunch of blank spots like how they resolve everything in such a short time, why were some people able to control the thirst, etc. Maybe I wanted to see more zombies and bloodiness in the latter half but oddly the leads were "lucky". I felt sad and irony for the hazmat suit guy. I wasn't much interested in the other characters like the lawyer or doctor or the cleaners as they felt filler content but the actors did an insane job especially the representative lady and doctor. The intro theme music was so good. I thought of saving it and rewatching later but the second half changed my mind.
Happiness indeed, but lacks something to make the feeling stronger.

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A Misnomer

Judging from the title, I expected a king who was ambitious and selfless willing to sacrifice personal desires. But no, the MC can't even protect herself even after training several years, falls down by just a poke, nor she is caring for public and the people who sacrificed themselves for her. It's okay if MC didn't care about her position but how wonderful this story would have been if she actually did. How cool it would have been if she had been like Zhan Duoduo of Joy of Life or Queen Rudrama Devi.
Had I been warned that this is not about a king but a person with identity crisis then I might have skipped on this one.

The Affection part is an eyesore as well. Imagine forbidden love but no my heart didn't flutter. Childhood connection is so overused now. Except for the hunting ground intro scene, much of the romance was so-so.

About the storyline, much time is wasted in childhood storyline and palace schemes part is nothing special either. It was so draggy, predictable and cliched. There are better political dramas to watch than this.

But then the drama was so perfect it had good cast, good production, good music which was an earworm but without tighter plotline nothing can save this mess.

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Interesting and different

In a sea of identical cdramas, I'm glad I found this one. Although FL is a pushover and timid, it was interesting to see her navigate school life and her relationship with uncle. Initially, I thought it would be a lowkey pedo or forbidden but I was so wrong. Their relationship was never in a bad sense and I loved how they portrayed the characters. I liked the vibe of uncle being a protector and looking out for her. Also, the comedy was so good what with the accidental kiss between her and her classmate, gangster scenes, and the twist in the last episode. The ending was open but I don't mind it as the manhua seems to be ongoing.

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Nice one time watch

Okay, the story is pretty much normal romantic comedy where leads breakup due to misunderstanding and end up working together. Later how they face some issues and how they overcome it. It was sort of disappointing how lightly their company handles the issue and it could have done better. It's okay as ML steps in and handled better. Much of enjoyment comes from the bickering of leads, and their chemistry. The story sort of reminded me of Kakafukaka. Second ML pretty much went wasted. Production is okay, and acting is good too. Will have to watch sequel to know about more about the ML and his troubles.

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Usual Netflix stuff

This drama took a weird thought very seriously and conceptualized it into a drama. As much as interesting and bizarre the idea of a high schooler being a pimp, some things didn't quite add up. But it's all fictional so okay. It did keep me on edge of my seat, with all its violence especially the climax violence scene was just for the hype and chills. The first half was very interesting with discovering each character and the second half went high voltage with its brutalities. The ending pretty much was usual Netflix style. One time binge but I didn't binge it so the effect wasn't rewarding. FL's character was quite complex and I liked how she was portrayed. As for actors, it was nice to see the actress in this type of role. I liked the music and intro title track of this drama. I won't be rewatching this one.

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Slow but Steady Success Stride

SSS is the most calming Wuxia/strategy/adventure drama I have watched so far. ML is a smart, lucky, and entitled young master who is the son of a powerful military lord. Much of the story is about how he is forced to succeed his father, giving closure to his companion's death and investigating his mother's death.

ML is very lucky that he hardly fights and someone keeps saving him and even if he fights, it is mostly an easy win. ML is very smart to have massive chess pieces hidden in unexpected places but sometimes his reactions seem weird and he gets caught off-guard which was contradictory. Maybe it was genuine or maybe it was for the bigger plan. As I'm sick of watching dramas where ML is constantly outwitted, I didn't mind watching villains getting outwitted instead this time. Zhang Ruo Yun is one of my favorite actors and he didn't fail to charm here as well. His weight seems to fluctuate or something was wrong with his costumes. Sometimes he looked thin and sometimes with some weight.

I liked the different cultivation theories and techniques like the Open the heaven's gate(I loved this scene so much and it felt very realistic especially the dragon), Snakes in Sleeves, 12 Flying swords (the swords were so cute), etc. The CGI for these scenes was pretty decent though sometimes hazy. Also, the cute beast cubs were fun to watch.

FL is smart but I would have preferred if their relationship had started on equal status. FL's character is very strong and has a good backstory. The romance is not the main focus and it is just some bickering conversations and nothing flirty or serious.

The story is simple but has so many characters that you never know who is gonna pop out next. That is why it sometimes feels unpredictable and kept me surprised. After a point, it is easy to see this drama through. Scheming was pretty ruthless and dark. I was honestly baffled at how they did the scholar dirty. I know he was in the wrong but the punishment was overkill. In this context, even the so-called "kindness" pep talk was hypocritical. The leading characters are nearly grey so I didn't invest myself emotionally with their character inconsistencies and their hypocrisies.

My favorite characters were obviously the god of sword (I really liked his attitude towards life and other people's schemes), ML's brother (he is so cute), and Xuanyuan Jing Cheng ( I really love the entire segment of this character). And the dumbest character award goes to Zhao Kai. I loved the actor's character in JOL but here he is simply a comedy piece and I can't even take him seriously. I don't know why he speaks slowly and his actions were oddly brazen. Also, the kid from JOL plays a unique character and excels in it tremendously. At this rate, his career is set.

The vibe of the entire is drama is very slice-of-life and not fast-paced or edgy. I liked the muted color palette of the drama's cinematography. Though the production looks sometimes cheap, the costumes of the characters are rarely posh either, but it is compensated with good locations, decent camera work, veteran actors, and good music. I really loved the opening and ending theme music and the gong style bgm.


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If you think this is your Joy of Life substitute, then the answer is yes and no. (I have read JOL but not this drama's book)
Yes, because there are similar tropes like entitled young master ML who happens to be always lucky, smart FL, Pseudo Harem vibe, various cultivation techniques, the revenge plot, assassination attempts, traveling missions, a lot of people saving ML just cause they owed his parents.
No, the vibe is totally different. This drama is slower and humbly produced with less emotional impact than JOL.

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Memoir and not a drama

The screenplay and the drama style pretty much felt like a memoir rather than a drama. A memoir of two people, the king and his court maid. The pacing was good, for me, I didn't mind the squeezing of too much plot in last 2 episodes. As the anticipation of MC getting the girl made the pace of narration go slow but when he gets the girl, time flies by.

I really liked the king's character and how he develops and adapts over the years. As for the courtmaid, she was not your usual heroine but strong and smart. There are one or two disappointing moments I had. One, when the MC strangles the FL, maybe he was crown prince and maybe she had no authority but it was sad to see her do nothing about it. Two, she was indecisive for so long about committing to MC, maybe that part could have been explained better and not dragged on.

Story wise, sometimes it did feel what was writernim trying tell, some moments were there just for filler and scene building. But I'm not complaining because this was good story which didn't sugarcoat the king and courtmaid's love and their consequences.

Overall, sometimes bitter and sometimes sweet but that's the way with life too, isn't?

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Most anxiety inducing drama I have ever watched...

Seriously, what was with that intro, I thought I had started the horror/thriller genre, and what's with those dim lighting and even full-screen brightness wasn't even enough. FL pretty much felt creepy initially but I appreciate the actress for nailing the role. With so much drama and constant bullying, I thought I was watching the "Big brother" type show. As much it took itself seriously with some serious issues, I didn't like the flowery ending it was given. I felt betrayed as if all the pending issues have been resolved in just one episode. Like why wasn't the FL smart enough to lock her phone securely, why didn't she delete the convo when she made a truce with idol trainee, etc. Even the FL's friend with all the things she had to FL gets a poorer redemption arc. But I get it, Fl grows up to accept herself so that is great.

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Wasted

The fact I was smart enough to drop this in 2 episodes has saved me 14 hours of my life. I don't know what happened in rest of 14 episodes but I can tell from 2 episodes...
FL seems to be successful but still can't make smart decisions and lets her subordinates act on their own and doesn't reprimand them. She is 30s but still hasn't moved on from some relationship of 20s for so many years and lets her mom control her. ML seems to be obsessed over some one night stand and constantly chases FL for what reason(??). FL's friend just immature for her age. The business-fashion vibe of drama felt shallow and preachy. I have not been a fan of SHK but I can surely tell at this point she is getting typecast as a cold careerwoman. Sometimes I felt I was watching encounter all over again. Fan of JKY but this one..meh. Music is nothing special either. Pacing was slow too.
NWABU, Not suitable for contemporary times.

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