O Abismo Mágico (2019)

Messy

In theory this had a lot going for it — but execution was super messy. It felt like characters were introduced haphazardly and it was hard to link all the subplots and backstories together. A lot of things just made no sense and I hated that the rules of the Abyss kept changing. It just felt too convenient and really made for a lot of plotholes. The same really goes for the ending, which is my biggest issue because a lot of the resolution just makes no sense.

A plus is that the main leads are really cute together, even though there's some parts of their relationship that is just really confusing.

Leia Mais

It was nice :) haha interesting concept. not the best for me though lol
Story is interesting had a lot of potential but I think they didn't use the whole potential of it. Better watch it without huge expectations. It turns into a mystery/detective with a bit of comedy and a tiny bit of fantasy. At first i didn't like it because they were too fixed on korean norms of beauty and ugly. However later they do say that all the people liked the guy before too who was ugly at the time. And the girl was beautiful but a bit annoying lol. Well Park bo Yeong is not ugly at all so idk why they consider her ugly but i guess they made her a haircut that doesn't suit her well.
Anyway the concept of abyss was nice, the cameo while giving out the abyss was also nice haha. idk why they call them aliens. They could have made the whole story much better with that concept but they failed to do it. As a mystery it wasn't bad. not the Best, but not the Worst either. They could have explained it more, much more... but they left everything unexplained.
the side character couple was cute. i liked that detective-mido couple the most haha.
i didn't like that they made the ending like that so i skipped most of it. But still it was happy ending so all good. wish they could explain more about the homeless person and what happened during the gap. it felt rushed in that way. or rather... felt like they had nothing to say so they made se yeon fall asleep in the middle lol
actually i skipped a lot of scenes as they were all lovely bubbly when there is a killer walking around. lol

What i liked:
- ahn hyo seob (but i think he is still too green for a lead)
- a hilarious scenes when abyss was with killer (they could have made it even funnier, but i think i just thought all the funny stuff to myself that's why found it hilarious)
- Male Lead Cha Min's mother! lol (would have thought she is that cliche mean rich mother but they made all those things very funny lol she was great, i loved when she said "bring Food!!!")

What i didn't like:
- Plot (which i liked it it was not made well, i think the writers themselves didnt get how to use it)
- Acting (well idk... i dint like it much)
- Too much romance in the later part of the drama which should have been intense
- Ending (it was a happy ending!!! but it had many things not explained, i'd say VERY not explained. but kinda a DOTS like ending again)
- Beauty/Ugly norms lol

Overall:

I can't say i liked this drama, but i can't say i hated it either. I'd say you can try it to see for yourself, because I didn't like it mostly cause i like different genres.... well i do like mystery the most, but for me this was more romance than mystery. So it was ok, not bad, but not very good for me.

Leia Mais

So this is going to be a fairly short review as I agree with so many of the criticisms already displayed by frustrated watchers about how this had potential to be amazing but ended up as a bit of an incoherent mess... (honestly it started off as a 9 for me then became a 6 after the messy ending).

THE STORY
So one thing I absolutely adore in fantasy stories is excellent world building. Or if there is a messy world, that there is enough information and good writing to make a suspension of disbelief bearable. I was unfortunately disappointed. From the beginning, it was called Abyss, so I wished that they'd explain more. Unlike what other people may have said, I actually really liked how the beginning started off running- with a death about a minute within. I liked how there was a thriller/mystery aspect that could keep me engaged, but it, unfortunately, turned into a bit of a W + Goblin plothole mess combined for me. I really wanted to love this, honestly. I love both the main actors but I just didn't feel this as much as I wished. The mystery started off strong but it felt like the writer ran out of ideas to make the villains smart so just dumbed down the characters. I also wish I saw more of the black coat people (were they a sort of grim reaper?) Like I said, so much potential but the writer focused on the wrong parts.

I think one of the biggest mistakes the writer made was focusing on the characters "doing this and this" for the plot to go on and just using the characters as a device to push the plot forward, without clear thoughts on the characters themselves and their growth.

One more thing: WHAT IS THE MISMATCH OF SCENES. Like there was so much seriousness going on in the latter half and the mains would go off alone on romantic dates like- okay unrealistic and it was jarring to have the scene shift from thriller to fluff right away.

THE CAST
So many people had a myriad of different things to say about the cast, so these are just my few pointers.

Ahn Hyo Seop is one of my newer favourite actors ( I loved him in Dr. Romantic) and I thought he did a pretty good job with what he was given. I was actually appreciating how he acted despite the weakly written character. I have not seen a protagonist this conflicting in character and kind of dumb in a while. Cha Min confused me a lot. He was smart that one time he had to talk to the board of directors in Lan Cosmetics, but then somehow jumped into trouble immediately looking for his ex fiancee. Where did his sanity go? Lots of people would say Hyo Seop was a little green- honestly, he did a good job for what he was given. If I was given the same character I would be so lost because there is zero consistency nor character development for me to build a coherent character off of. Perhaps with more experience he could have saved some scenes but I thought he did well for what he was given. It was a waste of potential.

Park Bo Young did pretty good in her portrayal of her character. Compared to Cha Min, Se Yun was actually more fleshed out in the script and her personality was more clear. I think Bo Young was a good choice (though I would not agree that she is a "plain jane" sort. I think she's really pretty and cute). I don't have much to say because her character was written with less problematic inconsistencies than Cha Min so it was a good portrayal.

The rest of the cast did well in their portrayals as well, and for once, I felt like a lot of the supporting characters actually were written better than the mains. The chemistry of the mains was really cute though and honestly their relationship moments saved some parts.

MUSIC
The music was good, the ost for their kisses was unique and had a wistful feel but honestly the script didn't set the mood. I loved the "Into the Abyss" OST though.

REWATCH VALUE
It's a 7 for me because of the ease of the plot and would be something I'd play in the background if I have time. It's easy access on Netflix and fairly chill so it's fine to kill time with.

CONCLUSION
Like I said, I think the major flaw here was the world building and script. There's another drama that Bo Young was in that I had similar views of (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon) but the cast was so loveable and the characters were not as conflicting so I ended up liking it a lot despite the plot holes. I think Abyss was a little over hyped by the production companies which lead to a lot of disappointment. The couple portions I think saved it but overall it's just a drama that I will just let pass by me with an "eh it was okay" moment.

Leia Mais

This is my very first rewiew and I'm writing just because I think it's really unfair the low ratings this series is getting. I've seen less original, lower quality and poorly written dramas get better ratings, and many of them just by fangirling alone.... Ok this is not the best drama ever but it is really good.

The story, even into the 2nd chance cliché, has many interesting plot twists and, ones more original than others, keeps you interested until the last episode. It's true that the first 10 episodes were better conceived, and specially the 2 first ones, but it still has a logic development of events and a very appropriate ending. There are a few things they leave unexplained (for example why some people change apearences and other don't) but nothing that lets you down.

The characters are well played, nothing out of ordinary, the protagonists have good chemistry, dialogues are not predictable, the male lead actor is really beautiful and sweet and shares very well the protagonist role with the female lead who is a strong and well defined character. The secondary chararters are charming and have their own growing and development, which is also a good trait.

The action and romance are very balanced and feels very naturally developed, if you like the thrill this one has many good scenes, and if you love romance and fluffy couples with healthy relationships this one has very sweet moments too.

I understand the people that love romance but doesn't like seeing blood or cruel characters, but it's not my case, the supernatural things are not that deep or with many special effects but the explanations are efficient and enough to make it logic and plausible.

It was an enjoyable watch and I would recommend it to anyone that likes action, thrill, romance and supernatural convination of elements.

Leia Mais

Let me just tell you what is the single thing that i liked about this drama? Its Park Bo Young and nothing else. The first episode was okay towards the end of it something was really off with the plot, characters and all. WTH! Its park bo young! Shes my favorite. So i watched ep 2 and i keep telling myself thats its just the beginning...it'll pull through. Its park bo young! Until i reached ep 12 or 13 i noticed they stretched out the story it " i thought thats the end of it" before finishing this drama i finished 4 to 5 dramas in between. I just really got bored with it. The plot is unique it has a very promising story. This drama is very disappointing. There are times i want to jump in to the series finale on how the story would end. Awww but its park bo young geez! So i finished other dramas 4 to 5 dramas before i got to finish this. Reason why i think this drama flopped?
1. The plot -stretched out without giving "spice" or mystery on it. Unlike in the drama Black the twists and turns really are worty it.
2. They are dead but really they aren't. -i mean whats with the same fingerprints and same DNA after dying and coming back from the dead with a different face? Come on..am i the only one who finds this thing silly? Seriously weird, right?
3. The LEADS LACK CHEMISTRY! compared to park bo youngs past male leads this is faaaaar from it. Its really disappointing.

Leia Mais

Good plot, poor delivery

I feel like this drama has 6 extra episodes that could've been easily deleted. Overall the plot is interesting and original but through out the second half of the drama the storyline stars dragging and the ridiculousness starts.

What angers me the most is that this drama had the potential to do so much but the development was too poor. Around ep 10 I started to feel that the plot was getting ridiculous and it was dragging itself. The same situations kept on happening and always with the same characters.

What I liked the most about it was the main couple. The chemistry was lovely, their scenes and actions were natural and beautiful. I've seen another drama with Bo Young (Strong woman) and I feel like she always has good chemistry with her co-protagonists. Hyoseop stole my heart, I feel like he did a good job with his character. Both of them, actually. But the problem is that I feel like their characters were poorly written. The shift between their two personalities (the old one in their old bodies, and the new ones) are too abrupt and don't have coherence with their past selves.

Hee Jin is the worst character. I feel like half of the problems the characters had in the story, they are all Hee Jin's fault. The same situation repeated itself at least three times with this character. Couldn't stand her at all. And the police officers... god, just get another job, you clearly are not capable of doing simple tasks and just, I don't know, do the MINIMUM. How can you be so incompetent ????? I truly can't understand.

The ending. GOD THAT ENDING, WHAT THE FUCK WAS TAHT ????? I'm really disappointed. I don't want to spoil it so I won't do that but god... why. Just why. I feel like they could've written a better explanation for all of the things that happened thorught the drama but instead went for a happy ending with poorly explained plot.

Overall, the two things I liked the most were the main couple and one of the songs, Fallin'. The rest was just poorly written and delivered.

Leia Mais

The cast did well, the characters were entertaining, villains not that bad, production value was obviously high... so why didn't it work out? Not enough brain power was used in writing the plot.

Fantasy set in modern times should explore the unexplained, but never go against what we actually know and contradict the reality. When they dropped the "I got resurrected in a new body, but my DNA stayed the same" I was extremely close to dropping it again. Honestly, I did not think it could go any more illogical.

Sadly, the lack of logic was a prominent part of the plot. Characters, depending on the given situation, turned either smart or dumb. The show used exactly the same plot lines over and over again. How many times can I watch Hee Jin's mom being kidnapped? Or Se Yun being in the same type of danger?

The ridiculousness of the script made it entertaining though. There is one secret child, and then there is another... and third. Cross-dressing Cha Min DEAD BODY and putting a wig on it, so the killer can bring him back to life... And the weird plot twist in the end with god (?) showing up, just to give us that sweet forced happy ending.

I'm sorry, but when Cha Min started disappearing Thanos style I laughed like crazy. How nice of the Abyss to start from the bottom to the top, so he had these few seconds to say goodbye. The rules of Abyss make no sense; that's the conclusion.

Also, at some point I wanted to (┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻━┻ after hearing all the "Se Yun is not as pretty now, she looks average" jokes and comments. It was laughable with how beautiful Park Bo Young is.

So, did I like anything? Yes. I'd say the cast did an amazing job portraying the characters and the chemistry between the leads was truly great. The thing that caught my attention was how natural the skinship was.

Overall, I kind of enjoyed the experience of watching, simply because my expectations were as low as possible. My forehead hurts from facepalming.

Leia Mais

out of all the 2019 dramas i’ve watched this year... this is by far the worst one. messy writing, repetitive, unsatisfying. i skipped a lot of scenes too. this drama had so much potential, and it got me hooked from the first episode, but it just went downhill from there... it’s not like i have regrets watching it but at the same time it was a waste of time. the characters made poor and unreasonable choices. i didn’t feel the leads chemistry in this, so definitely don’t watch this only for the romance if you are planning to. on the positive side, the music & ost was great. the acting was great. the cast was great. this wasn’t really all that enjoyable and i don’t think i will ever watch this again. i also forced myself to watch until the end, so idk what else to tell you. cha min turned into a whole different person after the abyss and it seemed like seyeon only wanted things to become official with cha min only right after their physical change. also idk how they could call seyeon ugly when she clearly wasn’t. but again, nothing bad about the actors. they portrayed the characters very well and they were really into character.

Leia Mais

Already at the beginning we can see if you want to try to enjoy the watching, this drama is not to be seen as critics but as someone who tries to look for the comic side of the drama or spend time without holding on to the story.
I didn't even think the plot was that bad, it's not the most original but in my opinion if the drama had been written / directed in a different way it would have a minimally good concept to consider the series also minimally good.
The drama could have been smaller, 12 eps would have been enough, if we remove the several unnecessary repetitive scenes that even made the series drag on too much. Not to mention that when referring to the same story of certain characters several times, the relationship of others became quite confused as for example the relationship between Se-Yeon and Ji-Wook.

Leia Mais

I was expecting better story... But it's completely waste of time... From beginning to end there is nothing in the story... Lol... A child can right better story than this... This Drama had very good cast but without good story and poor explanation of paranormal events ruined it. Very disappointing... Too many loopholes...

A serial killer was caught after so many years... I don't know how Korean police can't keep him behind the bar and lose him?... Is Korean police that weak? Criminals can escape that easily? Lol... Completely poor imagination...

I suggest not to watch this drama...

Leia Mais

Abyss starring Ahn Hyo-Seop & Park Bo-Young: A wasted potential

The story starts with an ugly man named Cha Min, whose fiancee dumps him, he has a friend with whom he had a crush for the past twenty years but never got accepted, and the friend Go Suyeon gets murdered. Min gets revived by a marble called Abyss and later uses the marble on Suyeon, but the catch is that they both have different faces now.

From the very start, I didn't like Cha Min's character and so of Suyeon, they added a serial killer subplot to the story but never really told us why, why was the Oh Yeong-Cheol killing everyone? Why did Seo-JI-Uk become his accomplice when he hated him so much?

There were too many plotholes, like how did the people around the real Mi-do react when they found out that she had plastic surgery but there was another woman who looked exactly like her? How did Suyeon (PBY) go to live her life when Go Suyeon was declared dead?

Killing Cha Min in the last episode was unnecessary, instead of that plot they could have concluded on Seo Ji-Uk, maybe giving Go Suyeona another face.

Would not recommend watching.

Leia Mais