I have recently been binge watching television shows from
South Korea. In the last month, I have watched The Ex-Girlfriends Club,
Bring It on, Ghost, Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective, The K2, and checked
out a few Korean variety shows; Running Man, Knowing Brothers, and Hello, Baby. These are all fascinating shows, but for brevity’s sake, I am going to
focus on Bring It On, Ghost and Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective. On the surface, they are very similar shows - they both feature a lead
protagonist who can see ghosts, and the ghost of a teenage girl (virgin ghost),
who has lost her memories. The crucial difference
between the two shows is that Cheo
Yong is a police procedural drama
with a supernatural slant while Bring
It On, Ghost is supernatural
romance with horror and comedy thrown into the mix.
However, before I
dive into the two shows, I am going to take a short detour to go over Korean
Ghost Lore (this information comes courtesy of two websites, korelimited and
Creatrip). In Korea, the main type of ghost is called the Gwishin. They are
spirits that have not fulfilled their life’s purposes and are cursed to roam
the earth as a result. They are
different types of Gwishin:
Cheonyo gwishin– the ghost of a virgin girl who could not serve her purpose in
life – in early Korean times, this meant serving her father, husband, and
children. The male equivalent is called the
Mongdal gwishin.
Mul gwishin – the
ghost of who drowned. They live in the cold water and will often pull their
victims underwater.
Dalygal gwishin – an
egg-shaped ghost with no discernible ghosts
Baby ghosts –
Babies who passed away before their third birthday.
A boy ghost
is called a taejoo.
A girl
ghost is called a myeongdo.
Child ghosts –
Children who passed away between the ages of five to fifteen. Usually benevolent.
Boys are called dongja
Girls are
called dongnyeo
Kong Kong ghost – The ghost of someone who fell off a building. It normally
appears standing on its head.
House ghosts – Ghosts
who inhabit certain houses and buildings. They are usually benevolent unless
you try to chase them away.
Lovesick ghost: Ghosts
that come back longing for the love they felt was unfulfilled while they were
still alive. If they were in a relationship before they passed away, they can
come back to haunt their lovers or even take them away with them.
Spirits of Good-Hearted Women – The spirits of good-hearted young women who passed on. They
possess strong spiritual power and can possess shamans who acts as a medium for
them.
Gwishin are
specifically ghosts of people who have died. They are other spiritual entities
in Korean lore, as well. The Dokkaebi is
a demonic, or goblin-like, spirit with horns and a distorted face. They are known to be pranksters and are often
of games. They are also the Robin Hood of Korean monsters – they rob from the
greedy and reward those they deem worthy.
The Gumiho is a shape shifting nine tailed fox (that usually takes the form
of a beautiful woman) and is known to eat the hearts, and souls, of men.
Now that I got the
folklore out of the way, it is time to delve into character analysis (YAY)!
1. Park
Bong-pal (Bring It on, Ghost)/ Cheo-yong (Cheo Yong)
The main
protagonist in Bring It on, Ghost is Park Bong-pal – a full-time college
student (majoring in Economics) who also makes money on the side as an
exorcist. Ever since he was a child, Bong-pal has been able to see ghosts. However,
not only can he see ghosts, but he can also physically interact with them (an
ability he inherited from his late mother). He beats up ghosts and sends them
to the afterlife. The secret to his
success it that he picks the battles he knows he can win; in the first episode,
he encounters a ghost twice his size and, without hesitation, runs away.
He is emotionally distant from his classmates (he prefers to work alone instead of in a group) and the closest thing he has to family is the monk, Myung-cheol. He is estranged from his father and his mother was murdered by a ghost when he was a kid. He initially harbors a crush towards his fellow student, Seo-yeon, but doesn’t know how to talk to her; even when she is the one who is breaking the ice. He is far more comfortable interacting with ghosts than he is with the living. Yet, he is very suspicious of most ghosts – when he first meets Kim Hyun-ji he immediately assumes the worst intentions.
Cheo-yong, like
Bong-pal, can see ghosts but he can’t physically interact with them. He does,
however, possess a knife that can send them to the afterlife. Cheo-yong is a
detective who prefers to work alone, much to the chagrin of his partner, Sun-woo,
and the other members of his team. It is also revealed that he has a personal
connection with the main antagonist of the first season. He is a man who is
drowned in guilt and doesn’t want to get too close to anyone, because he
doesn’t want to experience the pain of losing someone close to him. His secret nature also proves to be
detrimental at times - to the point that he, inadvertently, puts people at risk
because he didn’t bother to share vital information with them.
The emotionally
distant main character, with a secret to hide, has been a recurring trope in
all the Koren shows I have watched so far (which I admit aren't many). It pops
up in Tell Me What You Saw, The
K2, and even in The Ex-Girlfriends Club. The main characters in each show (except Tell Me What You Saw) all have the same character arc: they start
off as loners but eventually loosen up and allow themselves to open up to the
people around them. By the series end, they have created a surrogate
family. It is not exactly mind-blowing
television, but it is effective.
In a way, the two
lead actors, Ok Taec-yeon (Bong-pal) and Oh Ji-ho (Cheo-yong) have the more
thankless job in their respective series; they are both essentially the
straight man. Both characters often wear a mask of indifference, but on
occasions the mask will slip, and they reveal their true personalities.
Taec-yeon is especially good at this – there are moments throughout the first half of Bring It On, Ghost where Hyun-ji does something silly and
Bong-pal has a hard time suppressing his smile; he wants to be a stern
taskmaster, but he even he struggles to resist Hyun-ji’s charms. Oh Ji-ho, on the other hand, does a great job
of portraying a man hiding a dark secret. There are moments where he it looks
like he will pour his soul out to either Sun-woo or Na-young, but then stops
himself. He finds being a miserable loner preferable to potentially losing
someone close to him. Oh Ji-ho manages to bring humanity to what could have
easily been a one-dimensional, bad ass character.
2.
Kim
Hyun-ji (Bring It On, Ghost)/Han Na-Young (Cheo Yong)
Kim Hyun-ji and Han
Na-young are two virgin ghosts whom the male protagonists, in both shows, form
a bond with. Initially, both male protagonists are act very suspiciously
towards these two female spirits – the first time Bong-pal meets Hyun-ji, they
get into a physical altercation, with him walking away the loser. Cheo-Yong encounters Na-young at the precinct
he works at; she haunts this building and cannot leave it. When she discovers that Cheo-yong can see
her, she is elated. She desperately
wants to help, but everyone has been oblivious to her existence. The other thing that two virgin ghosts have in
common, neither one of them can remember their time on earth. For some reason, Han Na-young is drawn to Sun-woo,
but she can’t figure out why that it. Hyun-ji occasionally has glimpses of her
previous life, but she can’t make sense of them.
Kim Hyun-ji,
initially, doesn’t have any real purpose – her main goal is trying to figure
out the circumstances surrounding her untimely death. While fighting with Bong-pal,
the two of them accidentally lock lips and this ends up triggering a brief
memory of Hyun-ji’s past life. She begins to follow Bong -pal around because
she is convinced that he can help her remember.
Throughout the series, we are slowly given information
about the “accident” that ended her life – she was the victim of a hit and run
accident.
The mystery surrounding Na-young’s death is revealed midway through season one – she was Sun-woo’s best friend and was murdered while trying to protect her friend. It also turns out that Cheo-yong was the detective on that case and was literally a few feet away from potentially saving Na-young. Sun-woo and Na-young owned a set of friendship rings; Sun-woo wears both to honor her fallen friend. It is also this sentimental link that allows Na-young to possess her friend on certain occasions; normally when she has discovered important information and needs to get it to Cheo-yong. The only time Na-young can leave the police station is when she has possessed Sun-woo’s body. Though, she does it one time to get out and have dinner and drinks with Sun-woo’s co-workers. This often results in a scolding from Cheo-yong, but even he acknowledges that her intentions (for the most part) are good.
Hyun-ji, despite
being a ghost, has still held onto her earthly vices – she likes to eat
(especially meat); is still obsessed with fashion (she asks Bong-pal to buy her
a dress) and even drinks alcohol. The
only time Na-Young can experience any of these worldly pleasures is,
vicariously, through Sun-Woo’s body. The
main differences between the two characters are that Hyun-ji is the main
character in Bring It On, Ghost while Na-young is a supporting character in Cheo Yong. Hyun-j is a proactive character throughout the series – she helps Bong-pal
fight ghosts and even puts his life in danger at times. As the series
progresses, Hyun-ji’s and Bong-pal’s feeling towards one another become
increasingly more complex – they fall in love.
Na-young’s relationship with Cheo-yong is never that complex – they start
off as business acquaintances and gradually become friends. However, because Na-young is limited to the
police station, she gets sidelines for a good chunk of the series.
It should be noted
that both actresses, Kim So-hyun (Kim Hyun-ji) and Jun Hyo-seong (Han Na-young)
are exceptionally good and are the heart of their series. They are both
extremely funny at times and tragic, as well – both play characters who were
killed in their teens and are trying to make the most of their purgatory
existence. Even though they are surrounded by people, they are both still
alone. There is poignant scene in Bring It on, Ghost where the members of the ghost hunting club are
playing a guessing game and Hyun-ji, at
first, plays along until she realizes that no one can hear her (except
Bong-Pal, who chooses to ignore her) and she walks away, depressed.
There are similar moments like that throughout Cheo Yong, where Na-young
tries to give the investigating team crucial information, but it falls on deaf
ears.
3.
Supporting
characters
Bring It on, Ghost features four supporting characters: the
monk, Myung-cheol, the two founding members of the ghost hunting club, Ghost
Net, Choi Cheon-sang and Kim In-rang, and Bong-pal’s classmate, and initial
crush, Li Seo-yeon. The major supporting characters (of season one) in Cheo-Yong are: Ha Sun-woo (Cheo-yong’s partner and Na-young’s best friend), and
the other members of the investigation team; Lee Jung-hyun, Park Min-jae, and
Byun Gook-jin.
In Bring It on, Ghost,
after having witnessed Bong-pal’s
abilities firsthand, Cheon-sang and In-rang desperately want him to join their
club. Bong-pal initially rejects their
offer but changes his mind after they have successfully pressured Seo-yeon into
joining their club. Bong-pal is a huge introvert and, while he harbors a crush
on Seo-yeon, he doesn’t know how to break the ice with her. He hopes that by joining Ghost Net this will
give him the opportunity to get close to her, much to the annoyance of Hyun-ji.
Seo-yeon is a sweet natured girl, who doesn’t have a malicious bone her in
body, but she is not interested in Bong-pal, romantically. She likes him as a friend but her heart
belongs to the college professor, and veterinarian, Joo Hye-sung. If I have one
gripe about Bring It on, Ghost it is how the series completely
forgets about Se-yeon in the second half of the season; after she pours her
heart out to the professor and he rejects her, she is thrown to the wayside.
The main function of Cheon-sang and In-rang is to provide
comedy relief (especially in the second half of the season). They spend most of
the series coming up with various schemes and dodging their landlord (because
they are months behind on the rent). In
one of the series funniest concepts, In-rang has an accident and he, briefly, sees
Hyun-ji, looking at him and asking him if he is okay. He is instantly smitten
with her and believes that she is an angel.
It is also after In-rang begins to show interest in Hyun-ji that Bong-pal
behaves in a jealous manner; when In-rang buys her a new pair of shoes, Bong-pal
lies and says that she hates them.
There is also some good writing in this section: Bong-pal
tells his Ghost Net partners that In-rang’s angel is, in fact, a ghost
(Hyun-ji) and she is helping him fight ghosts. While they are now are of her
existence, they still can’t see her, but that doesn’t prevent In-rang from
trying to touch her. He extends his arms and begins to feel around the space
next to Bong-pal, hoping that he can touch Hyun-ji. Bong-pal objects to this and lectures In-rang
about how he “shouldn’t touch a girl like that.” This is a huge turning point
in the Bong-pal/Hyun-ji relationship because prior to this moment Bong-pal has
been dismissive towards Hyun-ji and only thinks of her as a ghost. However, the
fact that, in this scene, Bong-pal specifically refers to her as “a girl,”
shows how much his attitude has changed towards Hyun-ji. She is no longer a
bothersome ghost but a genuine human being in his eyes.
Monk Myung-cheol, initially, disapproves of Bong-pal’s relationship
with Hyun-ji. He pleads with both, separately, to break it off because he is
convinced that it only can only lead to misery. It is to the writer’s credit
that Myung-cheol is a sympathetic character, instead of a strict authoritarian
trying to control Bong-pal’s life. He genuinely believes he is acting in Bong-pal’s
best interest and, more importantly, doesn’t want to see his ward get hurt. He
wants Bong-pal to be happy and believes the best thing for Bong-pal is to move
on from Hyun-ji.
In contrast to Cheon-sang and In-rang, Cheo-yong’s
co-workers are apprehensive towards him. They don’t approve of his method – he
is too much of a wild card for them and he tends to disappear for long stretches
at a time. However, it is also revealed
that their hostilities toward him are rooted in jealousy, especially with the
character of Lee Jung-hyun, who resents how successful Cheo-yong is at
solving cases. He tries to copy Cheo-yong’s methods, so that he can beat his
rival and solve a few cases, and he nearly gets killed in the process. He
mistakenly believes he is dealing with a common criminal, while Cheo-yong understands
they are up against a more sinister force.
Sun-woo is more sympathetic to Cheo-yong, and is a potential
love interest, largely because they share a history – he helped her escape the
clutches of the serial killer who took Na-Young’s life. Her main reason for joining the police force
was to avenge the death of her best friend.
Like Cheo-yong, her job is her life. She is so single minded in her
determination to find the killer that she has no time for a social life – when
her fellow detectives invite her out for dinner and drinks, she declines their
offer. Oh Ji-eun, the actress who plays Sun-woo, has the toughest acting job of
the entire cast, because she, essentially must play two roles: Sun-woo in her
normal form and Sun-woo when she is possessed by Na-young’s ghost. She does an exceptional job; when the
character is possessed, her entire demeanor changes – she eerily adopts the
same mannerisms as Jun Hyo-seong (the actress who play Na-young) and even talks with the same inflections.
4.
Villains
Bring It on, Ghost and Cheo Yong have two
different set of villains. In Cheo Yong, the series’ main villain is set
up in episode one (in a precredit sequence) and doesn’t reappear until the
second last episode (where his origins, and his grudge towards Cheo-yong is fully
explained). The main villain is an evil spirit, who has possessed the body of
Cheo-yong’s former partner.
Otherwise, the series is more episodic in nature. In each episode there is a murder that needs to be solved, and we are shown a full police procedural – Cheo-yong and company interview witnesses and gather up evidence until they finally catch the culprit. While Cheo-yong can see ghosts, the murderer is usually a living human being (who covers up their crimes by making it look supernatural in nature). If there is a flaw to the police procedural format, it is that it often means sidelining Na-young for a good chunk of the show. This is unfortunate as Na-young is easily the most interesting character in the series.
Bring It on, Ghost has a more compelling villain in
the form of Joo Hye-sung, a veterinarian who also teaches veterinarian science
at the campus Bong-pal is attending. He wears the mask of benevolence – he is
first seen rescuing a puppy from a storm drain. He is also extremely popular
among the student body and has his share of female admirers (the female
students in his class and the two nurses who work with at the clinic). Hell, even Hyun-ji is initially attracted to
him. Hyun-ji’s lovesick ghost pal, Oh Kyung-ja, also develops a crush on
Hye-sung; to the point where she leaves her current crush so she can cling to,
in a literal sense, Hye-sung. This, unfortunately, does not end up working
to her benefit.
Joo Hye-sung’s sinister nature slowly begins to emerge as
the show progresses. He murders a stray cat, which is witnessed by a female
student. He accidentally leaves his pen at the scene of the killing and the female
student picks it up. She then gives it to Seo-yeon, who in turn gives it back
to Hye-sung. When he asks Seo-yeon how she got the pen, she tells him she got
it from the female students and, inadvertently, seals the girl’s fate in the
process. It is revealed that when
Hye-sung was a child, he was possessed by an evil spirit (the same spirit that
murdered Bong-pal’s mother). Hye-sung was also the driver who ran down Hyun-ji at the intersection.
Kwon Yul is perfectly cast as Joo Hye-sung; he has such a
pleasant demeanor that you would never suspect that he is a psychopathic
killer.
Out of the two shows, I prefer Bring It on, Ghost. Cheo Yong is an entertaining show with
a great cast, but Bring It on, Ghost gets a huge boast from the terrific
chemistry between its two appealing leads, Ok Taec-yeon and Kim So-hyun. There
is a wonderful give and take between these two and its extremely easy to care
about their plights. It’s also interesting to note that in the show the two of
them play characters who are the same age, but in real life Ok Taec-yeon is ten
years older than Kim So-hyun; you would never know.
Bring It on, Ghost is also the more unpredictable of the two
shows – it takes all sorts of twists and turns; without giving away spoilers,
in episode eleven, there is a revelation that completely changes the dynamic of
the show. Cheo Yong is a
supernatural police procedural, but it is really hard to define what Bring It on, Ghost is. It’s often labelled as a comedy, but
that is a huge oversimplification. The
first few episodes have a more comedic tone; most of Bong-pal’s and Hyun-ji’s
fights with ghosts are played for laughs. However, as the show progresses it
becomes more serious, and darker, in tone.
Bring It on, Ghost is simultaneously a comedy, romance, horror,
and police procedural all rolled into one. The fact that it manages to hit as
these beats with absolute perfection is a credit to all the artists involved
with production.
Afterwords – Oh My Ghost
It was while
writing this article that I watched the series Oh My Ghost, starring Park
Bo-young, Jo Jung-suck, Kim Seul-gi, and Lim Ju-hwan. This show shares a lot of similarities with Cheo Yong and Bring It On, Ghost. Just like these two shows, it features a
virgin ghost, Shin Soon-ae, who can’t remember the circumstances surrounding
her death. She possesses young women and
uses them to seduce men in hopes of settling her virgin grudge. There is a time
element involved here: if she doesn’t settle her grudge before the third
anniversary of her death, she will turn into an evil spirit. While trying to
escape the shaman, Seobingo, she possesses the body of Na Bong-sun, a timid
woman whose aspiration is to be a chef and is currently working for famous
chef, Kang Sun-woo, as a dishwasher.
Kang Sun-woo is an
arrogant, and distant, employer who has little patience for Bong-sun. The thing
he dislikes about her is not that fact she is mistake prone but how much of a
pushover she is – she constantly says, “I’m sorry,” even when she is not the
one at fault. The other chefs often take advantage of her gullible nature by
having her do their jobs for them. Though, the main reason Sun-woo resents her
is that she reminds him of his younger self – he was bullied in high school.
Our initial impression of Sun-woo is negative one, yet we sense that despite
his disagreeable personality, he is a decent guy. This is first hinted at by the way he looks
after his sister, Eun-hee, who was crippled in a hit and run accident. There is a telling scene where an obnoxious
food critic (who writes on a blog) allows her hyper son to run around Sun-woo’s
restaurant, and it nearly results in Bong-sun, spilling the woman’s food all over
the place. Sun-woo gives the brat a talking to and this immediately offends the
woman, who criticizes Sun-woo for trying to “discipline her son.” Sun-woo takes her criticism in stride (it is to be expected, after all), but when the woman makes a disparaging remark about
Eun-hee, this hits a nerve, and he kicks the food critic out of his restaurant.
It doesn’t matter to Sun-woo that it might hurt his reputation (the woman later
sues him for assault), no one insults his younger sister.
Bong-sun, like
Cheo-yong and Bong-pal, has been able to see ghosts ever since she was a child.
This ability made her an outcast among her peers. When she gets possessed by
Soon-ae, there is a huge shift in her personality, and this baffles Sun-woo and
the staff at the restaurant. Overnight,
this shy, timid girl has turned into a loud, confident woman who also behaves
in a sexually aggressive manner. Sun-woo
takes her to see a psychologist and he concludes that she musts be manic depressive
and suggests that Sun-woo keep an eye on her.
Oh My Ghost is a highly entertaining show that gets a
huge boost from its charming lead actress, Park Bo-young. It’s interesting to
note that both her and Kim So-hyun have been labelled “The Nation’s Litle
Sister.” In fact, with their similar looks (moon-shaped face, wide eyes) one
could easily mistake them for sisters. The success of the series
really hinges on Park Bo-Young’s performance; one false note on her part and it
would all fall apart. Like Oh Ji-eun in Cheo Young, Bo-young gives two very distinct performances: when she is playing
Bong-sun in her normal state she slouches, never makes eye contact, lacks
confidence, has a slight stammer, and talks in a near whisper so that it
is often hard to hear her. When Bong-sun
is possessed by Soon-ae’s spirit, her entire demeanor changes: she is loud,
talkative, extremely confident, and always walks in an upright manner. These
performances are so unique that it often feels like you are watching two
different actresses.
My initial fear was that Bong-sun would spend most of the series possessed by Soon-ae that there would be little room for any character development – Soon-ae possesses Bong-sun at the end of episode one and I worried it wouldn’t be until the final episode that the two finally separate. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and, in fact, the two of them separate midway through the series. Bong-sun is, at first, frightened of Soon-ae, but eventually warms to her and gives Soon-ae permission to possess her body – she believes that it will, ultimately, benefit both of them – Soon-ae can settle her grudge and Bong-sun will get to be with Sun-woo. However, the downside to all of this is that Bong-sun doesn’t remember anything that happens while possessed. Sun-woo will often bring up something Bong-sun did while she was possessed, and Bong-sun has no idea what he is talking about. This creates an existential crisis - who is Sun-woo in love with: Bong-sun or Soon-ae? To further complicate matters, Soon-ae falls in love with Sun-woo and becomes jealous of Bong-sun. When Sun-woo is about to kiss Bong-sun, Soon-ae is overtaken by jealousy and pushes Bong-sun out of the way. She is appalled by her behavior and runs away, but it also apparent that she is dangerously close to turning into an evil spirit.
With Soon-ae out of the picture and doing her own thing, it is now up to Bong-sun to discover her inner strength and begin to do things for herself. Sun-woo gives her the task of making an eggplant soup for the main dish; she is nervous at first and spends the entire night preparing the dish. It takes her multiple attempts to get it right, but finally she perseveres, and the dish is a success. She has finally achieved a personal victory, and this gives her a much-needed boost to her confidence. One of the show’s cleverest ideas is that Bong-sun and Sun-woo are already kindred spirits without even realizing it – Bong-sun has a blog where she, anonymously, shares recipes (one is for cabbage soup) and it turns out that Sun-woo regularly reads this blog. He even writes an encouraging comment. Later, when Bong-sun is feeling sick, he makes her the very same cabbage soup.
Jo Jung-suk is also
good as Sun-woo. His character often behaves in an arrogant and rude manner,
but this is an act to cover up his own insecurities. He was bullied when he was
a kid and had his heart broken when his college crush, Lee So-Hyeong, wound up
dating his best friend. It also doesn’t help that he still sees her on a
regular basis; she is a television producer, and she wants Sun-woo at appear on
a cooking competition. After Sun-woo’s
best friend passed away, Lee So-Hyeong has been single for some time, and she
realizes that she has feelings for Sun-woo. Unfortunately for her, Sun-woo has already developed
feelings for Bong-sun, so this is just another wrench in the works. Soon-ae
doesn’t appreciate So-Hyeong budding in and acts extremely catty around her.
Bong-sun, on the other hand, is not the least bit intimidated by Seo-Hyeong and
the two of them hit it off.
Sun-woo is also at odds with his superstitious mother, Jo Hye-young. She had
him at a very young age (nineteen) and was rarely around (she was working
towards her degree). He, essentially, raised himself and Eun-hee. Hye-young
genuinely feels bad for not being around for him and tries to make it up for it
by playing matchmaker to Sun-wo – she tries to hook him up with a few of her
students and, then finally, So-Hyeong.
She doesn’t like Bong-sun because of a reading given to her by Seobingo.
Oh My Ghost has a similar villain as Bring It On, Ghost – a respected authority figure possessed by
an evil spirit. In Oh My Ghost, it comes in the form of Choi Sung-jae, a
seemingly benevolent figure who is also marred to Eun-hee. This is also another
piece of inspired casting - Lim Ju-hwan (as Choi Sung-jae) has a boyish charm to
him to him that it’s difficult to believe he is a psychopathic murderer. Choi Sung-jae is an interesting villain,
because it is implied there is a decent side to him. He does terrible things
throughout the show, but it was his intervention that stopped Eun-hee from
committing suicide. He is a torn soul – there is constantly battle between his
inner demons and angels; a man who is simultaneously capable of great good and
great evil.
I would also be
remiss if I didn’t mention Kim Seul-gi’s performance as Shin Soon-ae. It is
easy to overlook her performance because she is offscreen for a good chunk of
the series, yet she manages to really hold her own in the second half of the
series when she is giving more screentime. At first, her performance is, by
design, a bit one note – it often feels like a throwback from an early 2000s
teen sex comedy. Soon-ae desperately
wants to get laid so she can settle her virgin grudge; she is baffled when Sun-woo rejects her advances.
She initially scoffs at how old-fashioned Sun-woo is regarding sex; but
it is also this very quality that she eventually learns to appreciate. Indeed, Sun-woo could easily have anyone
woman he wants, but he is not interested in a one-night stand. He wants a
meaningful, long-term relationship. Yet,
the series (and Seul-gi’s performance) rapidly shift gears once Soon-ae starts
to remember the circumstances surrounding her death and becomes more focused on
solving that mystery. It turns out that maybe her grudge isn’t a virgin one but rather finding the culprit responsible for her death. Kim Seul-gi does remarkably well in the second half of the series and turns in a tear-jerking performance.
One of the show’s subplots is that Seul-gi, in
her amnesiac state, stumbles upon her father, Shin Myung-ho, and her lazy
younger brother, Gyeong-mo, and their failing restaurant. Myung-ho has never gotten over his daughter’s
death and has taken to drink to drown his sorrows. Shin Soon-ae is drawn to him but, at first,
doesn’t know why. In the form of Bong-sun, she does everything she can to help
her father get back on his feet. She also constantly berates Gyeong-mo for
being a burden on their father. One of
the more remarkable things about Oh
My Ghost is how well drawn most of
the characters are; hell, even Gyeong-mo, who could have easily been a throw
away character, is given an arc.
The other
surprising thing about Oh My Ghost
is that, given its premise, is how
poignant it is. The show’s two underlying themes are love and forgiveness. There is a rather moving scene where Sun-woo runs
into a former classmate and offers to host a high school reunion at this
restaurant. One of the attendees is Chul-min, the guy who bullied Sun-woo in
high school. Sun-woo initially wants to
use this reunion as an opportunity to lord over and humiliate his one-time
tormentor. This is a moment he has looked
forward to in a long time. However, when
Sun-woo sees the state Chul-min is in (he is an unsuccessful vacuum salesman),
he feels sympathy towards Chul-min and even offers to help him out. Later,
Sun-woo buys a vacuum from Chul-min for his new restaurant.
The point is Sun-woo could have chosen to remain bitter and use the reunion to
embarrass Chul-min, but he chose to be the bigger man. It would have, briefly,
given him satisfaction to rub his success in the face of his one-time bully,
but he would still be a bitter soul. Instead, by choosing to face and forgive his former bully, it allows him to close the door on his past and gives him a peace of
mind.
I highly recommend
these three shows. If you are not averse to reading subtitles and want to
watch something different, then check them out, they are infinitely better
than those godawful Marvel and Star Wars shows that have infected Disney+.
Bring It On, Ghost credit
Cast: Kim So-hyun (Kim Hyun-ji), Ok Taec-yeon (Park
Bong-pal), Kwon Yul (Joo Hye-sung),Kim Sang-ho (Myung-cheol), Kang Ki-Young (Choi Cheon-sang), Lee David (Kim
In-rang), Baek Seo-yi (Lim Seo-yeon), Yoon Seo-hyun (Detective Yang), Jung
Ji-soon (Detective Kim), Lee De-yeon (Oh Kyung-ja), Kim Min-sang (Park Ji-hoon
– Bong-pal’s father), Son Eun-seo (Hong Myung-hee – Bong-pal’s mother), Lee
Seung-woo (young Bong-pal), Jang Ho-joon (young Hye-sung), Nam Kyung-min (Nurse
Jung), Yeon Ji-hae (Nurse Kim), Choi Ji-na (Seo Jeong-geum – Hyun-ji’s mother).
Directors: Park Joon-hwa, Myung Hyun-woo
Writers: Lee Dae-il . Based off Let’s
Fight, Ghost by Im In-seu
16 episodes (~60 minutes)
Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective (season one) credits
Cast: Oh Ji-ho (Yoon Cheo-yong), Oh Ji-eun (Ha Sun-woo), Jun
Hyo-seong (Han Na-young), Yu Seung-mok
(Byun Gook-jin), Yeon Je-wook (Lee Jong-hyun), Han Sung-yun (Kim
Yeon-jin), Yoo Min-kyu (Park Min-jae), Choi Deok-moon (Yang Soo-hyuk), Kim
Jin-ui (Dong-mi’s friend), Baek Sung-hyun (Jang Dae-seok), Lee Sang-in (Lee
Dong-mi).
Director: Kang Chul-woo
Writer: Hong Seung-hyun|
10 episodes (season one) ~ 60 minutes
Oh My Ghost
Cast: Park Bo-young
(Na Bong-sun), Jo Jung-suk (Kang Sun-woo), Kim Seul-gi (Shin Soon-ae), Lim
Ju-hwan (Choi Sung-jae), Shin Hye-sun (Kang Eun-hee), Shin Eun-kyung (Jo
Hye-young), Park Jung-ah (Lee So-Hyeong), Lee Dae-yeon (Shin Myung-ho), Lee
Hak-joo (Shin Gyeong-mo), Kang Ki-young (Heo Min Soo), Kwak Si-yang (Seo Joon),
Seo In-guk (Edward), Lee Jung-eun (Seobingo), Oh Eui-shik (Choi Ji Woong), Choi
Min-chul (Jo Dong-chul), Ryu Hyun-kyung (Officer Kang).
Director: Yoo Je-won
Writers: Yang Hee-seung, Yang Seo-yoon
|16 episodes ~ 60 minutes.