The Sound Of Magic Review: Ji Chang Wook’s Magical Charm Is The Only Lifting Trick Of This Musical Show

Netflix’s latest K-Drama original, “The Sound of Magic” is the adaptation of the webtoon, “Annarasumanara” by Ha Il Kwon. It is the story of a high school girl who is abandoned by her parents and is left to fend for herself and her younger sister. Trudging through school and part-time jobs, she wishes for a miracle to save her from this pathetic existence when a magician appears before her and truly changes the course of her life.

This musical, fantasy (almost) drama has a decent start but a wobbly middle and a crash ending. The attempt is to make one believe in oneself and in the magic of self-belief. But the message is somewhere lost in undeveloped storylines and obscure characters. Even with a good cast, the show did not hit the mark for me.

The Sound Of Magic (2022) (6 Episodes)

Yoon Ah Yi (Choi Sung Eun) is a high school student who lives by herself after her mother abandoned her in childhood while her father is on the run from loan sharks. During the day, she studies hard at school while the rest of the day she juggles part-time jobs to feed herself and her younger sister.

Ah Yi’s parent’s irresponsible attitude and her extremely difficult circumstances make her wish to become an adult soon so she can have better control of her life.

One day, she meets a man at a defunct amusement park who calls himself a magician and asks her if she ‘believes in magic’. At first, Ah Yi is terrified of the strange man but then later returns to him and develops a bond of trust and friendship. 

I enjoyed watching “The Sound Of Magic” because…

…the story seemed like an honest attempt to make viewers understand the confusion and pain of teenagers who are burdened with the expectations of their families.

“The Sound of Magic” starts with a song about the insane magician who lives in an abandoned amusement park. The magician has a reputation for sawing a girl in half and making people disappear for real. He is an enigma for many especially those who have never met him.

 

Yoon Ah Yi is a class topper who loves Maths. However, she is unable to give much time to her favorite subject because she is busy trying to make ends meet. She has to not only look after herself but also her younger sister.

Her mother left her family when she was very young while her father is constantly on the run after defaulting on loans taken for his business that never took off.

One evening, as Ah Yi is done with her work at the supermarket her boss gives her 50,000 won for her good work. She cheerfully leaves the supermarket with the note in hand when suddenly the note slips from her hand and flies up the hill leading her to a defunct and deserted amusement park. When she steps in to fetch the money she is confronted by a man holding the currency note asking her if she ‘believes in magic?’.

Scared out of her wits, she sprints out of the gate without sparing a glance at the magician who looks baffled at her reaction.

But Ah Yi desperately needs that money so she plucks up courage and returns to the amusement park the next evening. This time she asks the magician upfront for her money. Happy to have an audience, the magician shows her a trick hoping she will feel amazed by it.

Sadly, Ah Yi is anything but impressed by him. She retrieves her money from the magician and leaves quickly. The next day, after she is done with her work at the supermarket she stops to chat with the boss who seems like a nice man. She tells him how her father isn’t around and that she has to look after herself.

The boss, however, is a pervert who tries to molest Ah Yi when the magician appears from nowhere and saves Ah Yi by uttering the spell ‘annara sumanara’ and making the pervert magically disappear behind his cape.

Grateful Ah Yi now returns to the amusement park to find the magician and this time he breaks into a song showing Ah Yi his magical world at the park and telling her to be brave and not live in fear. By the end of the song, the magician offers to teach Ah Yi magic and she willingly agrees to meet him again. And from here she embarks on a journey toward her dream and loads of revelations regarding the mysterious magician.

What I liked about the show are the three main leads. Let’s start with my favorite Ji Chang Wook. I found the show to be a letdown but Ji Chang Wook did not disappoint me one bit. I’m glad he is experimenting with roles and he did great as the whimsical magician.

Being a theatre actor, Ji Chang Wook is not new to musicals. He has had his fair share of experience dancing and singing on stage so he looked comfortable tapping his feet to music and taking the magician’s stance. 

Ji Chang Wook adds his personal charm to the goofy magician who desperately wants to showcase his talent to someone who is interested in magic.

He excels in emotional scenes which have always been his forte. There are times when the magician looks vulnerable and Chang Wook has this genuinely pained expression that makes you want to protect him. Ah!!  

I don’t like the character of Ri Eul (minor spoiler >> that’s not really his name) but I simply loved Ji Chang Wook in the show. Right from his interesting attires to his smooth sleight-of-hand techniques, he clearly did his best and I appreciate that.

 

Next, we have the female lead character Yoon Ah Yi. Actress Choi Sung Eun played the role of lonely Ah Yi who lacks a good family and has no one but herself to rely on. I liked Sung Eun’s portrayal of Ah Yi. Her body language was that of a nervous and despondent teen.

She shines in scenes when in the company of her sunbae Ji Chang Wook. Too bad her sad eyes are often covered behind her bangs which at times held back her emotions from touching the viewer.  

Then there is the third main character Na Il Deung played by actor Hwang In Youp. Since his character was the most disappointing in the show, I’ll talk about him in detail below.   

I did NOT LIKE “The Sound Of Magic” because…

…of the patchy and meandering writing. There seems to be a message that the writer wants to send across to the viewers, but with the haphazard conclusion, you are only left grasping for whatever little you can to make some sense of the show.

Let’s start with the character of Na Il Deung who has a crush on Ah Yi and tries to help her by offering money in exchange for notes. Il Deung is a school topper so he does not really need Ah Yi’s help with anything. But the guy is sensitive and notices that Ah Yi probably struggles financially so he finds ways to help her with money and study material.

When he learns that she visits the magician at the amusement park, he follows her to ensure her safety. He confronts the magician for her sake but ends up befriending him just like Ah Yi.

The magician has a huge impact on Il Deung who feels the pressure to excel in his studies to fulfill his parents’ expectations. The boy never thought about his own ambition in life before meeting the magician. The magician gives him a fresh new perspective and a hope to live a beautiful life the way he wants to.

On paper, this idea of the magician helping Il Deung realize his dreams sounds fine. But in the drama, the message not only falls flat but also looks wrong in every sense.

<<Spoiler>> Il Deung comes from a wealthy family and is an excellent student. On the outside, he does not seem to be lacking in anything. But internally he feels bogged down by the pressure to keep doing better in his studies. When he meets the magician, he starts dreaming of finally breaking free and being able to do what he wants to do.

And what does he truly want to do? We don’t know and neither does he. In the show, Il Deung loses focus on his studies and starts taking interest in magic tricks. He even quits school to pursue something which again we don’t know because we are never told about it.

I personally hate it when dramas belittle academic excellence. Il Deung throws away everything that he worked so hard for in the quest for something that doesn’t even exist. Imagine an actual student quitting studies for a dream that they don’t even have and then wandering aimlessly trying to make something of their life.

Il Deung’s parents love him and give him a good life. So, is it wrong for them to expect him to focus on his studies and make a good life for himself? I’m not saying that he should have his nose dug between the pages of his books all the time. But what’s wrong with taking the safe path in life? Not everyone is cut out for the struggles of an unconventional field of work.

My biggest gripe was how Il Deung’s character was dealt with. He was such a sweet boy but the conclusion to his storyline was just plain ********.

In fact, I was wondering why Hwang In Yeop took up such a minor role after the success of “True Beauty”. I later go to know that he signed up for this show a little before “True Beauty” was telecast. Since this happened before “True Beauty” he probably was signing whatever decent role he got at that time. <<Spoiler>>

…the entire concept of Ah Yi’s selfish parents seems inherently wrong. What kind of parents leave their two minor daughters to look for themselves? What kind of father steals money from his daughter and leaves her at the mercy of dangerous loan sharks?

Then comes the biggest problem, which is Ah Yi’s involvement with a shady magician who clearly is not a normal person. She gets so deeply involved with the magician that she goes against everyone else to support him.  

<<Spoiler>> Ah Yi is in her teens living all by herself. She is extremely vulnerable both physically and emotionally. In such a situation, she should be on guard as much as possible to ensure the safety of herself and her younger sister. But here we see that she trusts the magician a little too easily.

We see that the magician stalks her and even reaches her house, which is highly alarming for any girl.

The magician saves her on two occasions so she pledges her loyalty to him. So loyal she is that she even helps him against the police. It feels wrong when cautious Il Deung warns her about the magician and she still won’t stop meeting him. She even disregards the police’s warning about the magician being mentally unstable and defends him fiercely.

Her conviction in the magician would be justified had she been an adult. But being a minor, her rebellion feels wrong. Very wrong!

What is funny is that she seeks her younger sister’s opinion on the magician and pays no heed to anyone else who probably understands the magician better. <<Spoiler>>

 

“The Sound of Magic” gives you gaping holes instead of character development and well-rounded story arcs. The three main actors are all sincere in their efforts but their respective characters let them down with zero support.

I give “The Sound Of Magic” 2.5 out of 5 rating. The show is watchable only for Ji Chang Wook’s magical charm.

 

Image Courtesy: Netflix

 

Also Read: