On paper Gyeongseong Creature should be a surefire hit. Based on the premise alone it has all the elements of a classic monster story with the added advantage of being underpinned by historical heft. Furthermore at its core is a story worth telling to the world. Of course it could potentially open old wounds but facts are facts. Korea was occupied by the imperial Japanese army prior to and during the second world war. To add insult to injury, they not only oppressed the locals but also conducted experiments on them. While that was all happening, there was a fledgling independence movement waiting in the wings to have their day. All perfectly placed ingredients for a truly memorable horror show that tug at the heartstrings. Afterall, South Koreans have developed a reputation of making memorable monster shows.
hi Lily! I am reading this post of yours and thinking, "ah yes, she nailed it regarding 'Gyeongsong Creature' (GS)... totally all my thoughts." I probably will come back as more thoughts come to mine, but I really struggled "GS" on so many levels too, and I think mostly the characterizations were so blaring in a weird way. As a fan of Park Seo Joon, he pulled the role off fine, but it was not memorable, and I honestly think anyone else could have played this role too. That's sad to me because there's always a win in a drama when one watches something and walks away no one else could have nailed the role. PSJ's character of Jang Tae Sang (JTS) felt a bit all over the place. There was one scene I remember where JTS's mother-figure character told everyone that the rescue was JTS's idea all along. It felt cheap to me because there really wasn't much character development because all they did was show us that JTS just has a facade, but he really has a great heart underneath all that. Because the character, Na Wol Daek said that anyone who came to JTS for a favor would always be helped...so then that now undermines the part where they tried to play it off as someone who doesn't care about anything but his wealth initially. All this cheapened the possibility of his character growth to me. And then Han Soo Hee, whom I have no issues with, but her character here had me rolling my eyes as Yoon Chae Ok (YCO). She is supposed to be this really intelligent sleuth, and yet the first moments we see her tailing JTS and becoming hostile, when she's the one who needs help, made no sense to me. Throw in their romance together, even more lack of sense to me. It's as you mentioned, suddenly the show wants to use love that is the catalyst that changes JTS? So is he or is he not someone who cared from the start because of his own backstory? And why the heck would the show just reveal everythingggg at the start? Makes me wonder if they thought they'd have their budget cut, but that is not an excuse for lack of great storytelling. This drama had potential, but I was so disappointed ultimately how things were executed.
hi Lily! I am reading this post of yours and thinking, "ah yes, she nailed it regarding 'Gyeongsong Creature' (GS)... totally all my thoughts." I probably will come back as more thoughts come to mine, but I really struggled "GS" on so many levels too, and I think mostly the characterizations were so blaring in a weird way. As a fan of Park Seo Joon, he pulled the role off fine, but it was not memorable, and I honestly think anyone else could have played this role too. That's sad to me because there's always a win in a drama when one watches something and walks away no one else could have nailed the role. PSJ's character of Jang Tae Sang (JTS) felt a bit all over the place. There was one scene I remember where JTS's mother-figure character told everyone that the rescue was JTS's idea all along. It felt cheap to me because there really wasn't much character development because all they did was show us that JTS just has a facade, but he really has a great heart underneath all that. Because the character, Na Wol Daek said that anyone who came to JTS for a favor would always be helped...so then that now undermines the part where they tried to play it off as someone who doesn't care about anything but his wealth initially. All this cheapened the possibility of his character growth to me. And then Han Soo Hee, whom I have no issues with, but her character here had me rolling my eyes as Yoon Chae Ok (YCO). She is supposed to be this really intelligent sleuth, and yet the first moments we see her tailing JTS and becoming hostile, when she's the one who needs help, made no sense to me. Throw in their romance together, even more lack of sense to me. It's as you mentioned, suddenly the show wants to use love that is the catalyst that changes JTS? So is he or is he not someone who cared from the start because of his own backstory? And why the heck would the show just reveal everythingggg at the start? Makes me wonder if they thought they'd have their budget cut, but that is not an excuse for lack of great storytelling. This drama had potential, but I was so disappointed ultimately how things were executed.