A Total Letdown

Honestly, this show started pretty well and it was ruined from the middle to the ending. First of all, for a season dedicated to Mark and Kit, we saw them very little. Instead, we got stuck with the unnecessary scenes and storyline of the kids and the unresolved truth about Pha.

I get that the actor who originally played Pha withdrew from the show but did we really need that storyline? I know that changing the actors for a character might be bad but I would definitely prefer if they had gone with a different actor. Who really cares? We saw a different actor as Pha at the end but he's not what I expected to be honest. I'm not saying he's not attractive or anything but it seemed like he was too old to be Pha. And the big reveal wasn't even shocking. I guessed that Pha will come back eventually since he was neither dead nor in a bloody coma. (I would prefer the coma thing btw at least we would have an explanation about him)

The fantasy element was just outrageous. Did we even need it? The scenes of Mark and Kit were the best. I wish they had been longer. I felt like they had really good chemistry, but, IMO, it was wasted with unnecessary sub-plots. Wayu and Thanu were just a bad match I think. It would be better if we saw a heartbroken Wayu dumped by Pha and just tries to overcome his sadness. But instead, he went on to be with someone who is obviously a horrible person, considering his treatment of Phai and how he changed his mind so quickly about whom he liked.

Overall, the nonsensical fantasy thing and Pha's story made a very negative impact on me, so I gave the story 5 ratings. The acting and music were good and maybe I would rewatch but only Mark and Kit's scenes, they saved the show. Apart from that, nothing else is worth remembering.

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Entertaining but not enough

I think this is the second manhwa adaptation that I've watched after the Cheese in the Trap. While I enjoyed and liked the latter, I can't say the same thing about the Bride of Habaek. I haven't read the original manhwa, so I will only talk about the pros and cons of the drama.

First of all, the story was bland and tedious. As some other users said, it could've been a great storyline, but it fell short, unfortunately. Like I've said, I don't know the source of this drama, but what I've watched was not satisfying enough. The premise looked interesting, and maybe the first couple of episodes held that interest, but after some time, it got pointless and repetitive. There were no gripping events except for some unexciting cliffhangers. And in my opinion, 16 episodes were too much. They could've gone with 12 episodes or less. Probably it would be sufficient considering the story was not diverse. The ending was also unsatisfying. I couldn't understand how Habaek's relationship with So Ah was different than the one with Nak Bin. He is immortal, which means he will never die, but So Ah will get old and die eventually. In the end, he will suffer more than before because he will experience the loss of a loved one twice. I can't say that it is a satisfactory ending. I expected a different ending, to be honest. Hoo Ye and his story was better and had more depth. Also, he looked more interested in So Ah than Habaek. Plus, he was nicer than Habaek as a person. I wish he had more scenes because he and So Ah never had decent scenes. Their scenes together looked strained and lacked any type of compassion. However, there is one aspect of the story that affected me. It was the story of So Ah's father. The way he died was very tragic, I think, considering that his daughter is the one that got him killed, even though it was a mistake and she did not know it. It was the most powerful scene of the drama.

Secondly, the acting was not that bad, but it wasn't good either. Nam Joo Hyuk was better in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Who Are You: School 2015, other dramas of his I've watched. I think he didn't fit the role, Habaek is thousands of years old yet he acts like a spoiled schoolboy. The other deities were the same. I don't know whether that was the intention of the scriptwriters or not, but the childish aura did not fit a God, in my opinion. The female protagonist is like Kristen Stewart of South Korea. All of her facial features looked the same, and it was not genuine either when she cried or laughed.

The soundtrack was fine and remarkable. Some songs stick in your mind. I will probably listen to them for a while on loop.

Overall, I would rewatch this drama only if I run out of dramas to watch, which I don't think is possible.

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