“Gyeongseong Creature” Receives Its First Round of Scathing Reviews

The first part of K-Drama Gyeongseong Creature, featuring top stars Han So Hee and Park Seo Joon, premiered via Netflix on December 22, 2023…

…and while the anticipation ran high, the online reviews among Korean viewers indicate that some of the released episodes have fallen short of their expectations.

Most of the immediate disappointment stemmed from the K-Drama’s original soundtrack.

In particular, the final moments of “Episode 2” garnered some scathing reviews from viewers who found the ending theme song to be “completely out of place.”

경크 2화 엔딩곡 이게 맞냐고…나 내가 뭐 실수로 노래 잘못튼줄알았음 pic.twitter.com/ZnRbhVyc0G

— 비니 (@imyourfan_k) December 22, 2023

Is this the best that Gyeongseong Creature could do for the ending theme song of Episode 2…? I honestly thought I started playing something totally unrelated in the background by accident.

— @imyourfan_k/Twitter

The song “Forever” by EXO‘s Suho was deemed “good on its own…”

…but not for a K-Drama based in the historic city of Gyeongseong of 1945.

• “TBH, ever since ‘Sweet Home’ featured BewhY for its soundtrack, I don’t even get mad now.”
• “I mean, it’s new… for sure.”
• “I think it’s OK. Does it really sound that out of place? It does feel like a song that plays at the end of a movie, when the credits are rolling up. But I don’t find it too weird.”
• “Is the music director usually good at what he does? I wonder what his intention was, haha.”
• “At least the song’s good. LOL.”
• “Glad I’m not the only one who thought so.”
• “It’s a good song. It’d be perfect for a Netflix teeange rom-com or something, haha. But [for ‘Gyeongseong Creature,’] it does sound super random.”

• “Yo… This soundtrack is a bit too trendy for the show. LOL. If you don’t get why this sounds weird… Think of it as, like, that one ‘Korea–Khitan War’ show using ‘ETA’ by NewJeans. That’d be way out of place, too.”
• “The song throws you off even more if you hear it right after you get through watching the whole Episode 2.”
• “This is f*cking hilarious, LOL.”
• “Seriously. I was so thrown off. It started playing so randomly, too. Haha.”
• “Looks like the music director lost his touch… Overall, the whole show was a bit disappointing to me.”
• “This is funny AF. I mean, the song’s good. But… LOL. And now I can’t stop thinking about hearing ‘ETA’ mid-‘Korea-Khitan War.'”
• “LOL. How silly. I wonder if it’s trying to go with how Gyeongseong 1945 was starting to see the influences of Western culture.”
• “WTF? Haha. The whole show is a bit awkward. I think it might be the editing? I don’t know. I watched up to Episode 3 and stopped because I couldn’t get over how awkward it was. I love Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee… but the show’s a miss.”
• “What the… The song is so out of place, haha.”
• “LOL. What even is this? It sounds like a dating show soundtrack… in the middle of a Gyeongseong period show. And I thought it sounded very K-Pop male idol-y. I was right!”

In addition to the viewer reviews, Gyeongseong Creature received some of its first critic reviews as well. Likewise, the critics shared dissatisfaction, too…

It’s a shame that ‘Gyeongseong Creature’ failed to make the most out of its impressive Gyeongseong setting. The show boils down to a hide-and-seek in the limited space within Ongseong Hospital, which, then makes it not too different from the first season of ‘Sweet Home.’ And those who have watched will understand; The original soundtrack was subpar. Will ‘Part 2’ make up for the underwhelming ‘Part 1’?

— MBC Reporter Kim Kyung Hee

…though, both the viewers and the critics remained hopeful and left room for the show to turn things around in “Part 2.”

Watch the trailer for Gyeongseong Creature here.