“Gyeongseong Creature” is the most anticipated TV blockbuster in South Korea for the end of 2023. Although the series has officially released its first part, it has not generated as much buzz on social media and in the press as expected. In fact, nearly a day after its debut, “Gyeongseong Creature” has not sparked much discussion and seems somewhat overshadowed compared to other ongoing TV series, especially “My Demon.”
On the MyDramaList platform, under the audience comment section, some viewers praise the setting and plot, as well as Han So-hee’s performance that exceeded expectations. However, these praises are overshadowed by viewers expressing dissatisfaction with the writing, claiming that the pilot episode was so boring to the point of being sleep-inducing.
Additionally, even though reviews of “Gyeongseong Creature” stated that subsequent episodes are not as bad, high expectations set for this work, especially as it features 2 A-list superstars, have left the audience majorly disappointed.
Meanwhile, South Korean media iMBC also described the drama as being “disorganized” and unoriginal, complaining that “Gyeongseong Creature” overlaps strongly with previous period dramas set in the 1945, to the point of feeling a “sense of déjà vu”.
Additionally, iMBC chided the selection of EXO’s Suho’s “Forever” as the series’ OST, citing that while the song is great on its own, it fell completely ill-fitted towards the 1945 setting, leading to lack of immersion.
Finally, Korean netizens also leave scathing reviews for “Gyeongseong Creature”, with several topics criticizing the aforementioned OST choice and unoriginal scripts.
Below are some comments from netizens, both in Korean and internationally:
- It’s… not bad, but did not live up to expectations. To be honest, Han So-hee’s acting is decent, while for Park Seo-joon, I won’t consider this to be one of his outstanding work.
- When “Forever” played I felt so perplexed. It just felt completely out of place against the historical background and ruined my mood a little bit.
- I didn’t have high expectations from the beginning, but this is still disappointing. The acting is okay, but I think both Han So-hee and Park Seo-joon could do better. The biggest issue is the poor script. If this were a TV series in the early 2010s, it would be okay. But in today’s era, the scriptwriter needs to do more. Every element just felt straight out of another period K-drama, it gets boring
- I watched episode 1 and dozed off. Isn’t this supposed to be a thriller series?
On the other hand, “Gyeongseong Creature” revolves around Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-joon), the owner of a pawnshop and the best informant in Gyeongseong. Meanwhile, Han So-hee assumes the role of Yoon Chae-ok, a specialist in finding missing people. Together, they delve into the mysterious and chaotic world set in Korea in 1945.
Source: K14, MyDramaList, iMBC, theqoo
