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

[haymochi]

6 hours ago, briseis said:

 

Give Oh Gong and Sunmi kids of their own and we will see

*please i need to see this hilarity writer-nim

Edited January 31, 2018 by stroppyse
Please do not quote images. Thanks.

[astrobooy]

Im kinda behind/catching up in watching lol i just finish ep 10 and im happy that JSM realize the responsibility that she left (buja) i dont want that to drag the show lul . Can we get some cute couple interaction now lol its 20 ep drama come on  hong sisters . 

[dvrels]

 

Looks like next episode we gonna see the throwback story of SOG, the filming location seem like in the volcano area but some said it is the heaven setting 

[aprilx]

15 hours ago, realistic2280 said:

 

We are half-way thought the show and hopefully no more push and pull love line between our main leads - i wonder what stories to fill in the next 10 episodes -

 

a. Ma Wang's love story

b. SOG's betrayal story (him caged for 500 years)

c. Buja's reincarnation if possible?

d. SM's world saviour

e. Ma Wang becoming Deity while SOG and SM will have a happy ending chasing ghosts on earth... ha

 

So that's about 10 episodes, any other theories?...

 

My wish list of loose threads to tighten:

f. How did MW & SOG end up living in the same house? 

g. Why does SM have the special abiliity? Who gave her the umbrella?

h. Does she have any other ability other than being able to see ghosts? I totally respect the red beans but I’m hoping to see more action from her..

i. Why is it that Frost and Summer have to share the same body?

 

[Zelda]

On 1/29/2018 at 2:31 AM, darr said:

Just started this drama. Peeped at episode 9 and was carried away. When I saw demons I was actually put off but this drama is a gem! Will take my time and watch from 1 to 10. I don't know I can like demons. 

Sorry guys but for those who are religious especially Christianity, does this drama remind anybody of the church of Satan? I hope I didn't cross the line as that was what came to my mind as I peeped at episode 9.

@darr I know what you mean. That word always makes me balk too. Especially because they decided to call the entertainment company “Lucifer Entertainment”. And indeed, Ma Wang’s “Ma” Hanja character (魔) does mean “demon”, but despite that, in this drama they are really not dealing with the evil figures of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

I think it is helpful to be aware of two things when watching/reading any Asian fantasy dealing with supernatural beings.
1. The difficulty with translating religious, mythological, and folkloric terms.
2. The mythology that is part of the story’s basic building blocks.

 

Translating choices:
It is difficult to translate religious, mythological, and folkloric terms, because, when the cultural difference is large enough, there is often no “one to one”/“equivalent meaning” translation and people have to use an approximate instead.

 

Personally, whenever I am reading the subtitles for any Korean/Japanese/Chinese fantasy drama, I almost always mentally edit out the words “demon” and “devil” and replace them with the native word they are speaking, because in my opinion “demon” is hardly ever the best translating choice. Lets take a look at the vocabulary that is being used in Hwayugi, shall we?

 

So far I have noticed the following terms (My knowledge of Korean is still small, so I would be grateful for correction, if I have made an error somewhere.)(All screenshots from VIKI):

 

요괴 (妖怪) yogwe ; monster, goblin:

Supernatural creatures such as a gumiho, dokkaebi, or imugi. (Pretty much the same as Japanese “youkai” since they are close (enough) cultures -and they use the same hanja/kanji (妖怪) for it too-). The Korean Naver dictionary’s foremost English translations for the term are “monster” or “goblin”.

 

In ep7, when discussing whether Oh Gong was still under the influence of the bracelet when he said that he loved Sun Mi while the Winter General tried to freeze the bracelet. The Summer Fairy cautions Sun Mi against hanging out with “yogwe”. When Sun Mi says that she would have liked a human if there were humans who would hang out with her, Summer Fairy asks, “Still, is that a reason to like a yogwe?”

          

In ep8, while speaking to the Winter General, Soo Bo Ri says “Oh Gong is a yogwe after all.”

 

 

 요정 (妖精) yojeong ; fairy: is what Sun Mi called Oh Gong as a child. This term seems to be commonly used when describing western fairies, such as fairies, pixies, elves, and nymphs.(Naver)

 

 

 악귀 (惡鬼) akgwi ; evil spirit: This is the term used by all characters when referring to those black specters that flock to Sun Mi’s blood, the ones that cause car crashes, and the other malevolent acting beings that have been the weekly target for our OTP to get rid of. 

In the same conversation in ep8, where Soo Bo Ri called Oh Gong a “yogwe”, they also talked about the cursing evil spirit:

 

Spoiler

 

 

          

Soo Bo Ri and the Winter General actually both use the same word.
SBR: “She’s in the midst of catching a cursing akgwi.”
WG: “Isn’t Son Oh Gong going to catch the akgwi with her?”

 

In ep 10, all of the characters were calling the bookseller an “akgwi”.

 

Spoiler

 

          

Soo Bo Ri says that she is an “akgwi” born of the evil energy/“akgi” (악기 惡氣) of humans.

 

An “akgwi” is also what various characters keep saying that Bu Ja is in danger of becoming if she degenerates too much as a zombie.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 괴물 (怪物) gwemul ; monster: This is another thing that Oh Gong called the bookseller in ep10, and you will see it used in other media where the genre is truly horror.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 귀신 (鬼神) gwishin ; ghost/spirit, (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwisin for more): is used in the show to refer to beings like the little girl who escaped the book and the unfortunate mermaid. 

 

 

As a side note, Korean has a different set of words for demons/the devil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
악마 (惡魔) agma; devil/demon/Satan
It’s similar to other words like 악령 (惡靈) aglyeong evil spirits and 마귀 (魔鬼) magwi, devil, evil spirit, Satan (Naver)

 

As opposed to King Yama in Buddhism and other Asian religions, called 염마 (閻魔) Yeomma in Korean. Who, if I were to draw a comparison, has some similarities to Hades from Greek mythology.

 

 

Some more thoughts on folklore:
The lines in a lot of Asian folklore are blurred between the pantheon of deities, yogwe, and the humans. Yogwe and humans are able to earn divinity, and conversely, deities can be cast out as mortals in punishment.

 

So rather than Christianity, if you wish to draw on Western examples to compare the mythology of this show to, I would say that the set up has more similarities to a mixture between the dangerous Fae Folk of Celtic, Scottish, Irish and Bretagne lore (vacillating between the Seelie and Unseelie courts) and the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome.

 

Edited: The yogwe -and in some stories even some deities- mess around with and influence the human world, but often place their own interests above humans, quite like the Grecian gods. However, the very “grayness” of the yogwe characters, being neither wholly black nor white, capable of both kindness and harm, is what distinguishes the yogwe as being a different type of force than a wholly malevolent one.

 

If you are reading this old post, please, read @Ruique's reply for a good summary of the deities, their duties, and what causes them to fall (Link).

Edited February 2, 2018 by Zelda
Edited in response to a great correction. Thank you!

[larus]

Watch: Cha Seung Won Is The Best Pianist, Lee Seung Gi Can’t Stop Laughing, And More On Set Of “Hwayugi”

E. Kang January 30, 2018

In the newest behind-the-scenes clip revealed from the set of “Hwayugi,” the cast members can’t help but laugh as they tease each other.

 

One of the scenes explored was the memorable “wedding” scene in episode nine, and Cha Seung Won’s passionate acting while sitting in front of the piano. While he practiced for his scene, Lee Seung Gi looked on, and at one point added, “And your hand should come up once.” Satisfied with his own acting, Cha Seung Won jokingly commented, “Wow, this is really amazing. It looks like I’m really playing. To my ears, it feels like I can hear myself really playing.”

He then went into filming, and as soon as the director yelled cut, the entire set started laughing. Lee Seung Gi gave his co-star a high-five, saying, “You look crazy. It was crazy.” While reciting his own lines in the same scene, Lee Seung Gi kept laughing at his own mistakes as well.

In another scene, FTISLAND’s Lee Hong Ki and Bora are all smiles while waiting for their turn. While the actual scene that appeared in episode nine was tense, the two stars were much more playful off-camera. Bora questioned Lee Hong Ki about his character’s feelings for Buja (Lee Se Young), to which he said, “Wouldn’t it be love?” When asked who he would choose between Buja and Alice, Lee Hong Ki joked, “All of a sudden? In the drama, I would probably go with Buja. But in reality, I’ll just live alone.”

https://www.soompi.com/2018/01/30/watch-cha-seung-won-best-pianist-lee-seung-gi-cant-stop-laughing-set-hwayugi/

 

[Ruique]

3 hours ago, Ldy Gmerm said:

I think one key point here is (not sure if anyone else mentioned this.. sorry if it has already been said.) SM would always have a problem with finding a man to love her and get married given she could see ghost before she released OG and was made SJ.  Even her own family treated her badly before the loss of her grandmother and after All because of her gifts... AT least in becoming SJ she gained people who though powerful or different (and can eat her . lol) still become a sort of family and friends to her.

 

I think SM feels lonely and sad when she was young not only due to the ability to see ghosts, but also because she had no friends that accepted her for who she is. I'm glad that as an adult at least she had a friend in Jonathan who know that she had something special and accept her. Pretty sure that if she tell Jonathan the truth he will still love her.

 Her situation is similar to the Ghost Whisperer portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt, except Jennifer Love Hewitt accepted her gift as a way to help others ( dead and the living) and found a man who loves her despite her gift.

 

This is why Ep 10's my favourite Hwayugi episode so far. Instead of the usual SM-WG push and pull relationship, we get to see character development in SM herself. She stopped resenting her power and was able to see the good in her power, and see that she has grown strong enough to not let the ability to see ghost stop her from finding happiness.

 

59 minutes ago, Zelda said:

Both the yogwe and the deities mess around with and influence the human world, but place their own interests above humans, quite like the Grecian gods. And the very “greyness” of the characters, being neither wholly black nor white, capable of both kindness and harm, is what distinguishes the yogwe as being a different type of force than a wholly malevolent one.

Yogwe yess, but deities are supposed to make sure the mundane world function as it is, and care about the overall wellbeing of mankind. Guanyin, Earth Deity, and God of fortune are all examples of deities. They are supposed to be wholly white given their status as deities, but since some of them came from humans who died, they got influenced by their formerly human emotions. Deities who commit harm are sentenced down from heavens to suffer as humans in the mundane world, and can only go back up when they have finished their punishment. 

[darr]

CSW is an outstanding actor.  He is actually the ace of this drama.

[aprilx]

@Zelda Thanks for that comprehensive explaination! 

 

Just to point out tho, there was one ep where Secretary Dog said that SOG is a deity that’s kicked out of spiritual realm. 

 

So while he kept calling himself a monster, I thought that’s only because he’s unable to return to the spiritual realm (for now). 

[kjesin]

FINALLY THE PREVIEW FOR NEXT EPISODE

Title- Lee Seung Gi <3 Oh Yeon Seo appearing before them 'The Love Intruder' is Lee Se Young(BJ)?
 

 

SM: Death Bell?

OG: Did you, by chance, ring it?

MW: One will kill and one will die.

SM: Is he hurt because of me?

OG: Be careful. SJ's blood can awaken something very annoying.

BJ: If I take up SJ, will he become mine? (She meant consume or possess, I don't know which but none is good...)

MW: Love? That kind of thing definitely can't win him over.

 

OMG BJ is NOT BJ ANYMORE??? Maybe SJ's blood awakened something evil inside her??? OR She got possessed??? OMG, IF BJ became evil and wants OG, WHAT WILL PK DO?? AND SM?? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT ANOTHER 3 DAYS AFTER THIS????  IT'S JUST GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

[candiilicious]

It seems like Buja is becoming evil? 

[haymochi]

Omg... this drama is getting better and better

Buja is starting to become an evil demon?

 

Sunmi yaaaa why are you playing with roses? Why can't you play with Lilies instead? You know you are blood prone...

 

why is Oh Gong in pain? But the way he hugs her uurgh so many feels for this otp

[annie1234]

OMG writer-nim can't you just give them a break for awhile? Maybe just for 1 or 2 episodes.  And what is wrong with BuJa???? PK stoooppp heeerr!! And that damn bell again.. 

 

[DontEatMyKimchi]

SJ's blood falls on a rose, Bj ends up picking it up, OG holds up a rose which BJ happens to be in front of him, and in turn we see BJ get tangle in a love spell/"how do i make him mine?" ? WHAT IS THIS? Im grad that BJ is given more character than just 'im sitting here waiting to rot to death". However, BJ-SJ-SG love triangle? THAT CANT BE! SJ is the mom, SG is the father and BJ is the daughter. YOU MUST NOT TWIST THE PLOT THIS DIRECTION. 

 

Now the death bell, I was expecting the bell plot to bloom over the next few eps, but no no no not right after the kiss! Don't take out the sweetness so fast. 

 

OG's desperate hug seems like he protecting her from something/one? Or he is trying to hide her? 

 

I am so excited for this coming episode. 

 

[chunkyung_8690]

17 minutes ago, ImEatingUrCookies said:

SJ's blood falls on a rose, Bj ends up picking it up, OG holds up a rose which BJ happens to be in front of him, and in turn we see BJ get tangle in a love spell/"how do i make him mine?" ? WHAT IS THIS? Im grad that BJ is given more character than just 'im sitting here waiting to rot to death". However, BJ-SJ-SG love triangle? THAT CANT BE! SJ is the mom, SG is the father and BJ is the daughter. YOU MUST NOT TWIST THE PLOT THIS DIRECTION. 

 

Now the death bell, I was expecting the bell plot to bloom over the next few eps, but no no no not right after the kiss! Don't take out the sweetness so fast. 

 

OG's desperate hug seems like he protecting her from something/one? Or he is trying to hide her? 

 

I am so excited for this coming episode. 

 

I agree with you..If they make the plot in this direction, it has a similarity with chibiusa (sailor moon) who became black lady (lol i connect this drama to a japanese manga)..chibiusa was indeed usagi and mamoru daughter but she wanted mamoru to be hers. 

And that was indeed one of the very angsty chapters of sailor moon . 

Will they make hwayugi in the same direction? Because judging from the preview it seems that buja is plotting something really evil :/..

 

this drama never ceased to amaze me ..so great! 

[yanlit_stv]

It's been a very long time since I commented here, may be since Yong Pal. 

And until now, I have only been a silent reader. But Hwayugi (esp, because of this too early preview) confronted me. 

 

The preview looks so intense. Here, may I have another opinion. I am most interested with the developmemt of the story line, especially from Mawang line in the preview.

It is like MW know about the death bell between SOG & JSM and pity them. And said something like love cannot win "who" over??? Is the fate that cannot actually be changed is what he means? 

The line appear when MW see them hold hand. 

 

[Ria Diao]

Hi... I have been silent reader here, because it is feels good to read your analysis all... 

 

But because of the early preview, I just can't hold my hands to type that "I can't wait for Saturday to come faster" 

What will happen to our OTP? I will really love if they have sweet moments even just for 1 episode. But the preview was so intense. So many conflicts that will happen either between SOG, SM, BJ and MW...  I hope they can handle it well... 

[haymochi]

PK what are you doing???!!!!! Protect Buja and confess to her already..

 

I know Buja will become evil sooner or later because they explain it alot earlier how she will become one if not burnt faster. I hope she is just possesed by the evil demon from the rose 

 

But i never expect her to be the intruder btw Oh Gong and Samjang love? Come on she is really like their daughter, their sweet little supporter.... 

[YourHighness .]

Did JSM get hurt in the hospital? When SOG hugged her he looks normal but scared/worried. His lips are normal. Then he's wearing the same leather fur black coat when he clutches his heart and spit blood. And in the end of the preview when he is looking angry, his lips are still red, so he faces the demons after spitting blood. I am so intrigued. This show just gets better and better.

[mufalo]

Oh, no. No. How can the writers turn our cute zombie into evil zombie???

But what if our prince change its guise from Alice to BJ? I hope so.

And why the writers are so cruel. It was so fluffy and happy last Sunday (I mean kiss scene) and now we come back to angst. 

But it seems like something terrible is here. Maybe the main evil character will finally show up because we see OG who hugged SM with a fear on his face and OG who ready to fight.

Actually preview brought questions than answers ahaha