[Drama 2017-2018] A Korean Odyssey/Hwayugi 화유기

[haymochi]

9 minutes ago, anipanch said:

Not sure about what the article is saying, but what's up with this drama's production? are they trying to make things faster? Did the production start later than it was intended? It's only been 2 episodes and there have been so much problems, I hope it won't affect the overall performance of the drama. Also hope the cgi effects will be better like it was in other tvN dramas

The drama obviously shot till ep 6 or so but maybe just like the articles said? The pd keeps on repeating and repeating or he wasn't satisfied with what's shot...

 

the only tvn drama with good cg is Goblin.

and Hwayugi is next i guess? Haebaek

was pretty bad too

5 minutes ago, Cedric Ong said:

I can only use google translate to do loose translation.

I think it is just some call out by either viewers and some union vip.

But morr details are revealed. The injured person did say he was tired but was threaten to go up. There is no safety tool. And the area where he climbed up to or on...is made of fragile material.

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&nv=1&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ko&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://m.entertain.naver.com/ranking/read%3Foid%3D109%26aid%3D0003687505%26rankingType%3Ddefault%26rankingDate%3D20171227&usg=ALkJrhgLiMo0FIKshRXjBBzW6AU248U9Lg

Hmm so it 's a call out...

the PD is def in fault. I can't believe he did that to the man 

they should have just postpone the broadcast

 

but it's the actors+crews+writer  hard work... how can they just stop

[Kasmic]

Im not sure if this is related but since last week TVn has announced a cancellation of their Wed and Thurs drama. This drama is doing really well esp in terms of the ratings. Tonight will have a BTS commentary of the drama with tomor something non-related to the drama. Next week the drama will continue. Im not sure what is TVn doing. 

Source - http://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1110803125

 

Filming is still going ahead as per IG updates

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

HongKi BTS poster shooting is released. 

Spoiler

 

 

see more -http://entertain.naver.com/starcast/read?oid=420&aid=0000015418&lfrom=twitter&spi_ref=m_entertain_twitter

 

CSW fashion brand - Salotto 

Spoiler

 

 

[haymochi]

Even the hit drama "Golden life" took 2 weeks break.. they should have taken a break before causing all these problems occur with reason like "it's holiday, new year,etc"

 

people will just complain a bit but anticipate more

i know the following ep will still gain interest but such a pity that a drama that started with such positivity now was tagged with some problems

 

[incoty]

A big part of what sells dramas & films to me, is mostly the music/soundtrack, and the music & sound effects in Hwayugi are top notch.

[jinsunmi]

 

 

 

[larus]

First Impressions: “Hwayugi” Brings Sharp Wit, Fantastic Performances, And Thrilling Fantasy

mizwest December 27, 2017

 

The classic tale of “Journey to the West” is retold as a Korean drama with Lee Seung Gi in his first role since leaving the army and an exciting combination of CGI and special effects. The latest addition to your list of favorite dramas, “Hwayugi” combines sharp wit, fantastic performances, and thrilling fantasy to keep you in front of the television this holiday season and beyond.

Plot

An unfortunate little girl with the power to see ghosts, Jin Sun Mi makes a deal with a conniving spirit (Son Oh Gong) to release him from a magical prison in exchange for his protection. She wisely makes him pledge a contract with her, but he wiggles out of his obligation as soon as he is free. Twenty-five years later, she’s still plagued by spirits, and when she coincidentally sees him passing in the street, she’s keen to collect on her contract.

Through the help of Woo Whee (another spirit keen to return to the heavenly world, played by Cha Seung Won), the use of a Geum Gang Go (essentially a magical handcuff), and Sun Mi’s quick thinking, Son Oh Gong’s got his work cut out for him if he is to remain free and continue his path of self-gain.

Characters

Oh Yeon Seo as Jin Sun Mi

We first meet Jin Sun Mi (Oh Yeon Seo) as a friendless little girl being bullied at school. Despite being quite isolated, she presents herself as socially adept, well-spoken, and confident, brokering deals with strangers, first to exchange umbrellas with a magical man who rescues her with the use of his powerful umbrella, and then with a mysterious spirit whose strength she sees as a solution for her unearthly problems.

read more https://www.soompi.com/2017/12/27/first-impressions-hwayugi-brings-sharp-wit-fantastic-performances-thrilling-fantasy/

[blairbex]

omg that pd sounds crazy if the queen seondeok cast stories are true . if he is such a perfectionist he should have pree produced it or made sure he had enough time to make the drama ''perfect''. about the new pd gu famly book was such a long time ago , what did he do after that?  hopefully he's good and give a good support for the crew. 

 

and hwayugi have been trending almost daily basis there's a lot of buzz and interest , so episode 3 have to be really good . if ep 3 is solid they'l forget and forgive  the issues . 

 

2 more days , hopefully nothing else will blow up till saturday night . 

[blueclueblue]

Finally watched this with sub and I really enjoyed it.  It's a refreshing to see a different approach to a classic that I wished c-ent had thought about and that they didn’t release so many versions that are out there right now.  I think I saw may be 5 version of Journey of the west in this year alone or something.   

Anyone feel like Son Oh Gong is falling in love too fast based on the preview?

[lindas55]

love love what I have seen so far.  I will say again I think it is pointless to compare this drama to any that came before.  If people want it to be a rehash of Journey of the West I think they will be disappointed. The Hong sisters have their own style of writing and if you love their quirky, funny, dramatic style then I predict we will be in for quite a ride.  They tend to give their plots a lot of twist and turns. Master Sun had me laughing and then crying. The

 way they are setting up this story will be the same I think.  Lee Hongki' PK (pig) character is cute and just the right mix of sexy silly to give us a break from the scary stuff.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that the romance between Son Oh-gong and  Jin Sun-mi is not a done deal.  I think that Son Oh-gong will fight his growing feelings especially if he gets that bracelet off and while Jin Sun-mi may feel interested she does not trust him, after all, she has had 25 years to remember how he ticked her.  There is also a few demons standing in their way as well as a determined Bull demon king who will cause problems.  As for the previews, I can't wait for another of my to die for idol actors to do a cameo in Ep 3.  Jang Geun Seok is such a hottie and he is sure to stir things up when he guest in the next episode.  I am just going to sit back and enjoy what is to come and leave all the comparisons aside

[melleri]

5 hours ago, blueclueblue said:

Finally watched this with sub and I really enjoyed it.  It's a refreshing to see a different approach to a classic that I wished c-ent had thought about and that they didn’t release so many versions that are out there right now.  I think I saw may be 5 version of Journey of the west in this year alone or something.   

Anyone feel like Son Oh Gong is falling in love too fast based on the preview?

 No, since Son Oh Gong is probably playing tricks again. That monkey won't be tamed for awhile.   I do not believe a guy who was just making sauce to eat someone is suddenly in love with that person after they just got fooled into being their servant. 

[RobinM]

Yeah. It’s to early for him to be in love. He probably thinks he can trick the foolish human  by playing on her need for love and protection and she is going to shoot him down PDQ. It’s going be great

[jinsunmi]

 

 

 

 

 

 

credit: LSG_MX 

[DontEatMyKimchi]

In case anyone wants to know the background of Journey to the West. Please dont quote me on my descriptions, because it's all from childhood memory + movie/drama adaptions. Never read the book, and never will plan to. 

 

SUN WU KONG/ SON O GONG

Spoiler

 

• BIRTH: exploded from a spiritual rock that absorbed energy for x years.
• Takes the form of a monkey.

 

• Lived on "Flower Fruit" Mountain for 500 years, gain the title “MONKEY KING” from his fellow monkey tribe.
• Later on became an apprentice of some Great Sage. Named ‘Sun Wu Kong’ by his teacher, meaning emptiness. Learned 72 transformation and teleporting with a cloud.

The Search for a Weapon- golden pole.

• The pole was a pillar in the East Sea used for calming waves,  I believe.
• A mystic treasure of the Dragon King of the East Sea. And Wu Kong stole it from the sea palace.
• expandable and shrinkable on command
• he carries it in his ears, where it takes the form & size of a needle

•  At this point Wu Kong was not an immortal, but just some long lived monkey with death date in the near future.
• To change this, he stormed into the underworld and deleted/fixed his name on the living and the dead book.

• Jade Emperor thought putting him up for a job/rank would make him more tameable. Hence he became a deity.
• Wu Kong was assigned to guard the peach forest, a place for peach elixir making.
• These peaches are extremely valuable since it takes X thousands of years to ripe.
• Who puts a monkey in charged for guarding the fruits….
• Guess what he ate them all, all those juicy thousand year peaches.  Haha
• Somewhere in this part of the story, he named himself “greats sage, equal to jade emperor/heaven”

 

• Realizing this guy is impossible to control/manage. Buddha, basically faced palm him and trapped him under his hand, which became the 5 finger mountain.
• The idea is  “I got you wrapped around my fingertips”
• Buddha foretold Wu Kong that after 500 years a monk will pass and set you free
• It varies from adaption to adaption, but its usually of the 2 routes.
•        A) as a gratitude for setting him free, Wu kong became the first discipline of SanZang
•       Wu Kong had no choice but to become the discipline of SanZang if he wants freedom
• Either way, the gold crown was secured on to his head.
• Whenever Wu Kong got too naughty,  Tang Sanzang would chant sutras  -> the crown tightens -> brings a massive headache to Wu Kong -> Wu Kong would give in before long.

 

• WU KONG’s fights are usually VERY EPIC on movie screens!

 

 

TANG SAN ZANG

Spoiler

 

• This is not his real name, it’s a title of a monk from Tang dynasty.
• Appointed by the royal family (?) to retrieve scriptures from India.
• Combat useless,  always a target for demons

 

• Being a man of virtue and mortals, his soul is pure and his flesh is sin-pollution free.
• Monsters are sinners, creatures of immortality … hence Sanzang was the perfect ingredient to replenish their virtue
• I guess you can think of it this way: sanzang is equivalent to an epic, legendary piece of armor that can increase one’s attack power by tenfold, making a player invincible.
• Without the need to practice one’s gaming skill, the player automatically becomes the top, #1 player.
• That’s what Son O Gong was saying, he doesn’t need to put in effort for the point system. Instead, eating Sanzang would boost him up to where he wants to be.

 

Sanzang + wu kong relationship

• Sanzang is a member of the mankind with a normal human capacity.
• He cant see through monsters disguising as ordinary human beings. But Wu kong can.
• The monsters usually approach Sanzang as elderlies, widows, Mom + kid package, and all the other vulnerable characters.
• Thinking only about the good in people and believing that monsters can also be harmless, our monk ALWAYS ignores what Wu Kong has to say about them
• Results: gets wrapped around a spider's web.
• Its not even once or twice that this happens, it’s the entire plot of the story.
• Monk gets into trouble, then Wu Kong comes and saves him.
• Monk ignores Wu Kong’s warnings, punishes Wu Kong for being meaning to other 'humans', dives into the trap, Wu Kong comes saves him.
• Monk gets kidnapped by some creature, Wu Kong flies over to save him.

You get the moral of the story

 

 

 

ZHU BA JIE

Spoiler

 

• Former naval general for the Heavenly Kingdom, commander of 10 000 (?) or 100 000(?)
• If I were to describe him using the seven sins, he would be lust and gluttony
• One day he tried to drunk flirted a fairy, got punished and fell from the immortal world to moral realm.

 

• WuKong defeated BaJie while traveling with SanZang and the monk took this pig as his 2^nd discipline.
• Capable of 36 transformation while Wukong is able to perform 72 transformation.

 

• If Wu kong is mischievous, this guy is troublesome.
• Scared of Wu Kong
• HABITUALLY argues with Wu Kong, but never wins since Wu Kong can just beat him up. LOL
• In Journey to the West, these 2 characters are the source of humor.

 

 

SHA WU JING

Spoiler

 

• A low ranked general in Heavenly Kingdom.
• Accidently broke a glass vase, another character that got exiled from the immortal world
• Became a sea creature in the moral realm 
• Later was defeated by Wu Kong, and was accepted as the 3^rd discipline.
• He is the quiet and obedient one. The pacemaker for whenever a Wukong + ba jie fight breaks out
• While his 2 sunbae chases off the monsters, its wu jing that stays behind and protects the monk.
• Often is since carrying the luggage. (because the other 2 disciplines are too arrogant, and the monk is too flimsy)

 

 

THE FOURTH CHARACTER: WHITE HORSE

Spoiler

• Not a lot of people mention him because there's not much action from this character 
• The monk only had 3 disciples. So its always in this way "the monk + 3 disciples + the white horse"
• The monk is always seen riding a white horse, and yes it's another demon
• A sea dragon transform into a white horse so the monk doesn’t have to walk. 

 

 

BULL DEMON KING

Spoiler

• Married to Metal Fan Princess,
• Son- Red KId/Boy
• Is a DEMON in the moral realm, not a deity of the immortal world
• It takes a lot of virtue for a demon to become a deity.  He has to 'cleanse' his former sins.

• At some point of the journey, Monk & Co comes across a flaming sprouting mountain
• The only way to pass is by dispelling the fire with Metal Fan Princess' treasured 'banana leaf fan' (?).
• Wu kong asked to borrow the fan, but that didnt work
• so he transformed into a fly and flew into her stomach, and beat her up from the insides until she finally agrees
• very gentleman of him to do so

 

• Bull demon's son: The RED KID
• red, because he is a fire elemental demon
• If I'm corrected, RED BOY tried to eat SANXUANG so he can increase his power as a result he became Wu Kong's enemy
• IS ALWAYS SHOWN fighting with WU KONG, btw they can both spit out fire.
• rides a flaming wheel on each foot
• another mischievous character but since he was quite young (unlike WUKONG) he was disciplined by Guanyin Buddha, to serve under for a couple hundred years

 

Spoiler

Journey to the West is not about climbing to the peak of a mountains. It's about climbing one after another for a duration of 14 years.

All I know in regards to the ending is that they were each granted a title. 

It would makes sense if San Zang, a mortal, stayed on Earth. While the other 3 disciplines were able to ascend back to the heavenly palace. Maybe San Zang died of old age and became a deity, in that sense the master and his disciplines can reunite in heaven. 

 

Now that I think about it Wu Kong was unfailingly protecting and being there for San Zang. No matter how many times the monk yelled at him for being mean to others humans/masked demons, mistrusting his words, or punishing him, Wu Kong never left. At first because he had to, due the gold crown, but later it became he wanted to. Ba Jie and Wu Jing were too weak to ward out the strong demons, it was only Wu Kong that had the ability to. 

[Dramanoona]

6 hours ago, melleri said:

 No, since Son Oh Gong is probably playing tricks again. That monkey won't be tamed for awhile.   I do not believe a guy who was just making sauce to eat someone is suddenly in love with that person after they just got fooled into being their servant. 

I agree. I think he is being his tricky monkey self.

He is probably trying to get her to remove his bracelet.

 

[Cedric Ong]

They added 2 directors. The 1st one wasn't mentioned in previous post here.

1) Shin Woo Chul (Gu Family Book, A Gentleman's Dignity, Secret Garden, City Hall, On Air, Lovers, Lovers in Prague, Lovers in Paris)

2) Kim Jung Hyun 

Can't find accurate info on him...complicated by the fact he got same name as an actor. The only possible info is this but there is no mention of Gu family book...so maybe not him.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Jung_Hyun_(producer)

 

Mmm....i wonder if they will go over budget with the extra pds.

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2017/12/new-directors-added-to-hwayugi-team-to-aid-in-production

 

*updated...think they only add PD kim. Soompi and wiki article only mention him.

 

Just sidetrack abit...one personal thought on the original Journey to the West.

Spoiler

It is a well-liked original fantasy story....but to be frank, i dont like a few points in it. One being though buddhism-related....there is really no mercy when it comes to the numerous demons being crushed to death by Wukong's pole. Some are just passing by only.

2ndly no of female demons killed are almost 100%....except i think the jade rabbit....which come to the 3rd point...demons are that spared alive are always beasts of some gods or buddhas. 

So some readers have felt that the novel is reflective of some hypocritical social behaviour...male vs female, powerful rich vs poor without backing etc.

 

[haymochi]

Shin woo chul has lots of famous works . He mainly worked with Kim Eun Sook

 

I read Kim Jung hyun info on Naver he works on special dramas a lot and his most famous one is "Secret" , other ones include Spy, The Full Sun, etc 

 

they should have done this from the start but i'm still worried... hope for the best

 

Tricky Oh Gong must be trying to get his bracelet off but i see Sunmi rejecting him lol. And there is a musical actor cast as her first love.. we will see some jealousy for sure...

[blairbex]

@i'meatingurcookies thnank you for your summary about njtw . so there will be back story with bull demon king and oh gong . mawang need some depth to his charactor arc asap . 

 

they added 2 pd's instead of 1 , and he is shin woo chill , wonder why it was not mentioned or highlighted . so they have the option of removing the original pd if it's required or unavoidable 

[melleri]

Adding more PD's is an interesting choice, especially one so famous.  I hope there is no head butting along the ways.  All of them are used to directing their own way and now they have to work together. I do like how they are being extra cautious so not to screw up again.

 

And on second thought, reading everything I think allkpop just mistranslated it and it's only the one director. 

[haymochi]

Yes Seunggi said he really wants tovwork with Queen Seondeok PD and now Shin Woo Chul.. wow 

 

TVN already got cursed so bad by the casts fandoms because of ep 2 accident. I think they won't want anymore screw up... you know.. ruining Lee seung Gi come back drama?!!!! Prepare for the wrath of hell

 

 

Just some questions,  child Sunmi was asked by mawang to take the fan for him right but she released Oh Gong instead and that fan was with him.

Does that fan belong to Mawang's wife?

[blairbex]

only in allkpop it says anything about two pd's and one being woo chill. are we sure it's not allkpop mistraslating things?