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

[Liting1]

This really sums up some of us fans after the finale! Lol! 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf6OhaPjQIC/

 

 

 

 

[haymochi]

Sunmi ended up living an unfar life till the end. 

every part of her life was so painful and with he kindness and pure soul, she didn't get rewarded by the heaven? She died without any family member too

 

i thought she will get her own family in the end but this is just too painful

[VanillaSalt]

17 hours ago, VanillaSalt said:

oof hong sisters please don't pull a reincarnation plot on us! like they always have a separation period towrds the end, but like separated by death?? like wtf is gonna happen to kang dae sang? fool just stabbed someone and bolted! I hope Oh gong goes to seek revenge or something. 

listen, i just don't want an reincarnation ending, ok? I just want them to get legit married and have a little family bc seon mi never had that or real friends. She  should either come back a goddess or like son oh gong become mortal for her to return back to earth or something. *sigh* i really don't know what's going to happen  in the final episode, i just want a happy ending for them!

WELL EVERYTHING WENT TO Richard Simmons AND NONE OF THIS CAME TRUE WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ENDING OMG

Edited March 4, 2018 by Jillia
Please do not circumvent swearing, thanks!

[natsuu]

Wow this really is reminiscent of Orpheus and Eurydice. I don't know anything about the real JTTW so hearing that the ending is like it, I feel better. I have not watched the episode yet but read through posts here and thanks @stroppyse for always being so kind to translate for us. After some thinking, I am not too upset. Nothing will ever compare to Scarlet Heart's ending, that utterly broke me and I couldn't watch dramas for a while because of it. I feel a sense of comfort with knowing OG is going to get SM, and with him being so powerful we have that assurance that he will get her from the underworld. We may not see it ourselves but we have that assurance and also for a happy ever after for them. The baby we saw may not have explicitly said it was theirs, but we can read through that and make the assumption that it's theirs (saying the baby looks like him is more than enough info). Like I've said before, this drama has shown that we can't always trust what's shown to us, also some things are unspoken and it's in our position to analyze it. Some may not like dramas that make you have to think, but I really enjoy ones like this. Theorizing is one of my favorite things. Also, I will take this ending over SM dying and never returning back to OG. I'm happy to know that OG got to fully express his love to SM and she saw it was real. That enough was good for me. Is it the worst ending? In my opinion, no. Is it valid to be disappointed? Of course. I think it's up individually for how we process the ending.

 

LSG did such a good job and OYS, I applaud them for how hard they worked on this and the emotional rollercoaster they had to be on. I liked the ending with MW and OG, I found it really fitting and I enjoyed their relationship a lot.

 

Well, it is the end, thanks so much for all of your posts and theories. I've watched dramas since 2005 and through all that I've seen this comes out on top. I will cherish this drama a lot, as well as the OTP. Have a great upcoming week everyone.

[Guest]

 

Our Relationship Is Bonded Not By Wire Or A Magical Cuff...  Cannot Be Forgotten By Separation Whether We Are Here, Below Or Above...  For It Is Rooted, Timeless And Protected Within Our Hearts Because of Love...

 

It wasn't the ending I was hoping for or expected and with so much potential I guess I feel sorriest for them.  It reminds me of those words "You could have had it all"  it was right there just waiting for them.  It's like we could see it, taste it and almost feel it lingering on the tips of their fingers that happy ending.   That would have sky rocketed this drama and placed it on so many viewers FAVORITE DRAMA LIST.   But to my disappointment and a little shock it would never come...

 

For most of us this isn't the first time nor will it be our last but still it doesn't make it any easier somehow.  But then again it's the writers story and privilege to follow their own ideas they created.  Just as it is our freedom to create within our minds and hearts an ending of our own.   And I often do LOL

 

Still instead of being angry I think I will remember the tender moments our OTP gave us and I am thankful that she won't be haunted by wondering if the love they shared was REAL or NOT she not only got her answer she got a part of him forever and ever. I don't think he is going to have a problem finding her in the future.  Lets just say he will keep his eyes open and be able to recognize her even in a crowd.  This time without a doubt it will be him loving her at first sight...

 

Everyone loves a Happy Ending...  OR A PART 2

Spoiler

              Marriage                                                         Honeymoon                                             Family

 

A grateful heart to all those here who made it special... usafarmgirl 

[reglest]

4 hours ago, PororoQueen said:

WOW The Ending is beautiful and logical JSM is a human (Sam Jang) and is destined to die since the beginning. The promise of SOG to find and meet her again somewhere is so satisfying. I don't expect extra fantasy ending. Thank you Writer-nim and PD-nim. All my chingus here, you are awesome! We had fun!

 

 

 

Despite that..... I'm:

 

Credit: TheOffice. Giphy.com

 

Hi dear all soompiers, I've always been a lurker before and I decide to write sth for this OTP

As PororoQueen says, the ending is logical, and though I still feel bitter about the ending (and killing JSM is pointless), The ending is a perfect portrayal of OhGong's character. Actually, it's a clever moves, Oh Gong the temperamental one will not wait for reincarnation, he'll meet her by himself. And I hope Seon Mi is already a deity after all, so both of them could ascend to the sky together

 

To imagine oh Gong's character made a ruckus over there already make me chuckle

Edited March 4, 2018 by Jillia
Please do not quote pics! Thanks! :)

[haymochi]

31 minutes ago, reglest said:

 

Hi dear all soompiers, I've always been a lurker before and I decide to write sth for this OTP

As PororoQueen says, the ending is logical, and though I still feel bitter about the ending (and killing JSM is pointless), The ending is a perfect portrayal of OhGong's character. Actually, it's a clever moves, Oh Gong the temperamental one will not wait for reincarnation, he'll meet her by himself. And I hope Seon Mi is already a deity after all, so both of them could ascend to the sky together

 

To imagine oh Gong's character made a ruckus over there already make me chuckle

 

" Oi give me back my bride"  in his poop talking manner way 

 

 

 

despite my pain for Sunmi's ending, Buja's ending is more tragic( her soul is gone so she has no chance of reincarnation) . At least we can highly assumed that powerful OG will get his bride no matter what. He even gave his precious eyes to her... she may not be a human anymore or forget about him in the underworld but our monkey will chase her around, kiss her, and do whatever to get his Sunmi.

 

i wish we were given one more ep to finish this 

 

i'm in so much oain but ep 1-19 have given me so much feels from  this amazing otp. The best chemistry i've ever witnessed among all dramas. I will take ep 19 as the ending 

 

 

[amiedelachimie]

1 hour ago, ShannonK said:

It's not the ending I wanted but I am curious... How does the Korean audience feel about the conclusion of EP 20??  Since the script is an adaptation of the classic 400 year old novel Journey Into West. There has to be a preset expectation on the ending for the general audience who already know the original well.
How did it conclude...was the completely open?   Did they meet again?

As a westerner... I need an example so I can relate to how on the expectations I would have if someone changed a 500 year old work like....Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. In those dramas/plays I would expect a tragic ending where everyone of importance dies, no matter the adaptation. If a writer changed the ending to a happy one, it would undoubtedly suprise or even shock me a bit...Changing the ending of the story, would change the entire story as a whole. 
 I have to ask myself...  Is my frustration with the Hong sisters a bit unreasonable. If I had a cultural and historical exposure to the story growing up in Asia instead of the west, would I see the ending with different eyes?

In the original, at least the story I grew up with,  I believe the monkey and the monk are rewarded with Buddhahood. Everyone gets some kind of heavenly position. Definitely a happier ending in comparison to this drama.

In this adaptation, SJ doesn't even really get rewarded  If she becomes immortal and gets out of the underworld, it's because of OG, not because heaven recognizes what she did. 

[DontEatMyKimchi]

I might have been happier if it ended with SJ AND SOG dead during the fight with the black dragon and meet up in the underworld then THIS. 

EP 20 is like a cake gone bitter. You are expecting something sweet but all you get is a bad aftertaste. 

 

[annie1234]

Aaww.. It's good to see LSG and OYS sat next to each other at wrap up party  

but why were there no photos of Cha Seung Won, Lee El, ONE, and even Sec HanJoo? I didn't see General Frost too. Weren't they not coming? 

[amiedelachimie]

19 minutes ago, haymochi said:

 

" Oi give me back my bride"  in his poop talking manner way 

 

 

 

despite my pain for Sunmi's ending, Buja's ending is more tragic( her soul is gone so she has no chance of reincarnation) . At least we can highly assumed that powerful OG will get his bride no matter what. He even gave his precious eyes to her... she may not be a human anymore or forget about him in the underworld but our monkey will chase her around, kiss her, and do whatever to get his Sunmi.

 

i wish we were given one more ep to finish this 

 

i'm in so much oain but ep 1-19 have given me so much feels from  this amazing otp. The best chemistry i've ever witnessed among all dramas. I will take ep 19 as the ending 

 

 

Wait... Buja's soul is gone? She didn't just leave her body and die?

I didn't watch with subs yet and I am still a little confused about what happens in this drama after death... but that just made everything so much sadder

 

I agree. The chemistry was so amazing. I really didn't want to commit to this drama in the beginning (I had sworn off dramas for awhile) but they got me with the acting. I wish they maximized their potential by showing them together one last time at the end... rather than SOG alone. Predictable, happy endings are GOOD when you have that kind of acting and chemistry.

[briseis]

10 minutes ago, annie1234 said:

Aaww.. It's good to see LSG and OYS sat next to each other at wrap up party  

but why were there no photos of Cha Seung Won, Lee El, ONE, and even Sec HanJoo? I didn't see General Frost too. Weren't they not coming? 

It seems that CSW, LE and ONE weren't there but "Han Joo", "General Frost" and even "Jonathan" made it 

source: as tagged

[DontEatMyKimchi]

Spoiler

 

 

cr. belladonna2018

[briseis]

Final episode ratings: 

Nationwide - 6.881 %

Seoul - 6.924 %

[haymochi]

Nice rating but i'm still upset

my Lee Seung Gi and Oh Yeon seo 

[40somethingahjumma]

*Wakes up to a storm of outcry*

That bad, eh?

Ah well... I'll wait until Netflix brings out the subs on Saturday then. My enthusiasm for the show was already waning anyway.

 

Are they planning a second series? Just a thought. Maybe there's method to the madness.

 

 

[chunkyung_8690]

37 minutes ago, annie1234 said:

Aaww.. It's good to see LSG and OYS sat next to each other at wrap up party  

but why were there no photos of Cha Seung Won, Lee El, ONE, and even Sec HanJoo? I didn't see General Frost too. Weren't they not coming? 

 

 

in the video where lsg and oys are seen seated together, actualy there were CSW and Jaewon (mw's son) ( both eyes to the tv)  infront of them .

[briseis]

13 minutes ago, haymochi said:

Nice rating but i'm still upset

my Lee Seung Gi and Oh Yeon seo 

I counted the average rating and Hwayugi is with 5.4544 % the 9th best rated tvN drama, if it weren't for the Olympics it might have been on the 7th place. Still, a successful run in the ratings department 

[haymochi]

29 minutes ago, amiedelachimie said:

Wait... Buja's soul is gone? She didn't just leave her body and die?

I didn't watch with subs yet and I am still a little confused about what happens in this drama after death... but that just made everything so much sadder

 

I agree. The chemistry was so amazing. I really didn't want to commit to this drama in the beginning (I had sworn off dramas for awhile) but they got me with the acting. I wish they maximized their potential by showing them together one last time at the end... rather than SOG alone. Predictable, happy endings are GOOD when you have that kind of acting and chemistry.

Yes when ASN took her body her soul is perished 

she can't even meet her mum and her last wish to be burned when she was still beautiful was not fulfilled. She became an evil spirit that she is most scared off ( she ate so many people with bloods on her hands)

she will be punished and with the soul gone ahe has no chance of reincarnation at all

my two poor beautiful heart girls Sunmi and Buja. At least Sunmi still have her crazy god boyfriend who will wreck heaven to get her back no matter what

[ShannonK]

1 hour ago, amiedelachimie said:

In the original, at least the story I grew up with,  I believe the monkey and the monk are rewarded with Buddhahood. Everyone gets some kind of heavenly position. Definitely a happier ending in comparison to this drama.

In this adaptation, SJ doesn't even really get rewarded  If she becomes immortal and gets out of the underworld, it's because of OG, not because heaven recognizes what she did. 

Thank you ... I was looking at wikipedia. 
 

"chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Tang Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveller receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sun Wukong (Monkey) and Tang Sanzang (monk) achieve Buddhahood, Sha Wujing (Sandy) becomes an arhat  (worthy of nirvana), the dragon horse is made a nāga, and Zhu Bajie (Pig), whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars)."

This ending really did take a different direction...Ugh...why the "sad love" theme. Goblin was the same, not only a sad love but the God's seem to behave  no different the as devil...Playing tricks, manipulating, controling, handing out harsh punishments for extremely long periods of time, and an unfair balance of justice.... 
My understanding of the buddhist  "underworld" in China is no playground, 18 level maze of torturous hell.
I wonder if it is the same when it comes to Korea.