O Monstro de Gyeongseong

Gyeongseong Creature was my first big encounter with South Korean series production and after watching the first season I can say that it was certainly not the last. Genre-wise, it is a strange blend of romantic drama and war sci-fi with many horror and comedy elements – an unusual combination that may be a stumbling block for many viewers. For eleven hours, we dive into a world of twisted human experimentation, rescue operations, and lots of slow motion shots that managed to thrill, amuse, and move me. The look of the monster is not that good, here the creators could definitely have invested more. But I praise the musical score – well, except for the k-pop episode closers. Overall, the series could certainly be trimmed in a few places, but I still enjoyed it as a whole and looked forward (thanks to the purposeful cliffhangers) to each new episode. The last episode set the stage for the next season and I'm curious to see what direction the creators will take. (01/02/2024)