Title: Genie, Make a Wish
Language: Korean
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Objectional Content: Violence, Language, Death
Synopsis: (From MyDramaList): Cold, impassive Ga Yeong has spent her life under her grandmother’s care, whose watchful eye and tough-love approach have helped keep Ga Yeong’s psychopathic tendencies in check. When Ga Yeong unexpectedly stumbles upon a magical lamp, she awakens the mysterious spirit Genie from his thousand-year slumber — and yes, he promises the young woman three life-changing wishes. Unleashed into a new millennium, Genie’s mischievous magic shakes up Ga Yeong’s quiet life, and as he navigates the unfamiliar realities of the modern world, the two find themselves in a surprising whirlwind romance. But just when things couldn’t get any less predictable, Ga Yeong learns her wish-granting sidekick is actually Iblis, better known as Satan, who is hell-bent on proving that humans are corruptible. It’s a whole new twist on the genie-in-a-lamp story, and when Ga Yeong’s intractability and tightly controlled routines meet Genie’s trickster energy and clueless charm, it sets the stage for a romance that will be anything but ordinary.
My Review
Where do I begin with this one? It showed up as a recommendation on Netflix and I saw that Kim Woo Bin was the male lead, who I have very much liked in other dramas/movies. I watched the trailer and decided this series would be worth a watch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting or hoping for. The genie, Iblis, is literally supposed to be Satan, and therefore, evil. Iblis is definitely not evil. Mischievous and kind of a dick sometimes? Yes. Evil? Not by a long shot.
I understand that seeing the modern world after spending nearly a thousand years trapped in a lamp would be very confusing and awe inspiring, but his behaviour borders more on childish than anything. He allows the female lead to literally beat him, despite the fact he can disappear at will, and gets addicted to an arcade game. There are a few times when he does become serious, and almost like an all powerful being that hates humans and wants to corrupt them so they go to hell, but those moments are few and far between.
Bae Suzy as Ki Ga-Yeoung was fantastic. She shows a great deal of range in this show. Ki Ga-Yeong is a psychopath and not once did I disbelieve that. In her past life, she was a sweet and kind person, despite being oppressed and degraded. The supporting characters were also pretty good. I quite liked Sade and Irem. I think they could have a really cute relationship.
My rating for Genie, Make a Wish is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a slightly more serious romance, though with a good amount of comedy thrown in. I think if you start knowing that Iblis isn’t nearly as evil as he should be, this drama is a good series.
Have you watched Genie, Make a Wish? What did you think?