Gyeongseong Creature

 

Over the last few months, I decided to move away from watching light and romantic dramas and try to watch something different. It all started with The Penthouse, The Glory and Flower of Evil. The dramas were so great that I decided to delve deeper into "mature" dramas. December 2023 brought Gyeongseong Creature, which I watched with my husband. After Lovestruck in The City he was very negative towards watching any dramas BUT! he really liked this one. So much so that he decided to start watching Marry My Husband after just 1 ask 😆

What is Gyeongseong Creature about?

Jang Tae Sang is a wealthy man. He is known as the the owner of best pawn shop owner aroung and a reliable source of information in the area. His fame went a bit beyond Gyeongseong due to his talents, abilities, keen insight and sociability. One day he meets Yoon Chae Ok who together with her father searches for missing people across Manchuria, China, Shanghai and Korea under Japanese rule. Since her mother went pissing 10 year ago, she didn't live her best life. She had to learn to survive in order to be able to find her. Following the trail of a certain assignment, they reach Gyeongseong and get involved in a series of mysterious missing person cases and they come upon a horrifying reality. 

I'm not a fan of Park Seo Joon. His character in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim is incomprehensibly famous to me. In hindsight, the drama wasn't that great. Comparing it to his performance here, he clearly has matured and mastered acting. I liked him here immensely. This is my 3rd drama with him and it ranks first in his performance history and She Was Pretty right after it. Next up we have Han So Hee, whom I love. She is beautiful and talented. This is my 4th drama with her and I would love to see her on screen again. Every character she played was great, but here she outdid herself. Chae Ok is skillful, smart and knows how to get what she needs. At first I didn't like Park Seo Joon, but over time I liked them more and more. The chemistry between them naturally grew. I don't know how they did it, but it turned out beautifully ❤👌

Totally one of the standout features of this drama is its exceptional cast. Jo Han-Chul and Kang Mal Geum playing Chae-Ok's parents were amazing. Equal to Choi Young-Joon as the Japanese lieutenant was exceptional along with Dr. Ichiro played by Hyun Bong Sik. Once again evil characters were extraordinary and surpasing the good ones in acting. They brought depth to other characters and created a great moral and emotional journey 😌 Wi Ha-Joon should play in such period pieces more often because he fits these times as if he was born in them. A beautiful visual spectacle.

But Gyeongseong Creature is not only about a good cast. Visually, it is on a pedestal. The producers perfectly matched the idea to the period, from costumes to set design. They used every possible detail to elevate the authenticity and transport audience to that era. The times of the Japanese occupation in Korea are a very interesting topic and completely unknown to me as a European. Thanks to such a series or Song of the Bandits, I learned about such a period in Asian history and convinced me to expand my knowledge on this topic 😎

I would never expect that the fusion of fantasy drama and period settlement would bore such a masterpiece. Almost like Indiana Jones serie, Gyeongseong Creature hits the fine line between history and fantasy. It gives a great dose of creativity and surprise to viewers and keeps them on their toes 😋

The plot of the series is captivating and suspenseful from the very first moments until the very last second, leaving viewers frozen due to the open ending. The development of history is neither too fast nor too slow, allows you to draw your own conclusions and put forward your own theories. Each episode we learn more about the historical background and background of each character. The drama is full of twists and turns 🙉

Gyeongseong Creature is more than just a drama, it a long lasting spectacle full of outstanding performances and a captivating setting. It is a total MUST TO WATCH. I understand that the fantasy element - the monster - is not for everyone. However, there is not much of the monster itself here. There is more about people's behavior towards other people than scary monster running around. Personally, I would call them monsters in certain scenes, not the actual "monster in appearance".