“My Demon” Leaves Viewers Divided Over Similarities With Another Mega-Hit K-Drama
Spoiler Alert
In one of the final episodes of SBS‘s K-Drama My Demon, male lead Song Kang‘s character Jung Gu Won sizzled to his demise…
…as female lead Kim Yoo Jung‘s character Do Do Hee sobbed in despair.
The scene, as beautifully heartbreaking as it was, inevitably made viewers do a double take.
Not too far from how Gong Yoo‘s character Kim Shin faced his fate in the 2016 tvN K-Drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (also known as Goblin)…
은타기를 위해 울음을 억누르고 미소짓다 눈물 떨구고 먼지로 바람으로 無로 사라지는 깨비 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
은탁이의 오열에 모두 오열 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
안돼 가지마 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ pic.twitter.com/Fzwom87bqp— Happy YOO (@monster_1979) January 14, 2017
…Jung Gu Won “combusted” and disappeared into thin air as Do Do Hee begged him not to go.
NOOOOO COME BACK TO ME GUWON#MyDemonep15
pic.twitter.com/JsVi8FZrmV— ً (@minikangie) January 19, 2024
While it should be noted that the two shows come from the same cinematographer, Park Sung Yong, somewhat explaining the parallels…
…Korean viewers are divided regardless—between those calling out “plagiarism” vs. those arguing that it’s a cliché used around the world, across all genres.
- “I re-watched Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, too, and fine. These shows are all the f*cking same. But people will literally bring Guardian: The Lonely and Great God into everything. I still remember how much hate Bulgasal got for even the slightest similarities.”
- “I did not watch either of these shows, but I can tell you right now that the idea of non-human beings vanishing like that is cliché AF. Haven’t you all watched Blade? It’s all over that movie, too.”
- “Y’all… Just stop. Please.”
- “Huh??? Stop creating controversies over nothing. Haha.”
- “Super common, that’s all.”
- “But it’s such a common theme to have someone vanish into flames like that.”
- “Whatever. I liked both, haha.”
- “It’s because My Demon is shot by the same cinematographer who shot Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. I do wish that the director would’ve made things a bit different, though.”
- “I’m so caught off guard by how similar the two scenes are… I guess it’s OK to replicate everything down to a T.”
- “Yeah, TBH… My Demon reminded me a lot of Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. One’s a demon and one’s a god, but they were portrayed about the same.”
- “WTF? These are basically the same…”
- “I’m a huge fan of the fantasy genre, so I watch a lot of international shows, too. And trust me, vanishing like that is such a common theme. It’s used everywhere.”
- “It was shot and edited VERY similarly… Side note, Kim Go Eun’s scene is still so heartbreaking.”
- “What other K-Dramas have scenes like this, though?”
- “It might not be plagiarizing, per se. But the two scenes were directed to be EXTREMELY similar. And that’s fact, LOL. TBH, I’ve never seen this in any other K-Dramas.”
- “Well, the scene from My Demon did immediately remind me of the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. So…”
- “We can’t help that the two shows had the same cinematographer.”
- “Wow, Kim Yoo Jung is so good at acting.”
- “It’s the same cinematographer. What’s the problem?”
International viewers also pointed out the similarities…
I CANT BREATHE WHY THEY DO THIS TO MEEEEE AGAINNNN #MyDemonEp15 #SongKang #KimYooJung
goblin mydemon pic.twitter.com/S3JxrZpArw
— 💫 (@kdramasfangirl) January 19, 2024
…though most were simply busy “getting war flashbacks.”
getting war flashbacks 😭
#MyDemonep15#MyDemon pic.twitter.com/iQsBlMC2Rj
— rishi ☾ (@lee_dohyuns) January 19, 2024
Despite the initial anticipation for the show, My Demon struggled. With only the grand finale episode to air, will the show be able to turn things around and end on a strong note?
Viewer Ratings For SBS K-Drama Plummet To An All-Time Low: Lead Actors Take Blame
