Early Access: The Sound Of Magic E1

E1. I came into this without a clue of what to expect, really, because there are a number of unfamiliar elements to this, which are foundational to this story.

For one thing, it's about magic, and not magic that's faked with trickery, or magic that's powered by ghosts that the human eye can't see. It's actual, legit magic, and I wasn't sure how that was going to be handled.

The other thing is the musical aspect of this show. I've seen a couple of shows that featured a musical number or two (Dream High 2 comes to mind, with that 8-minute number that just would. not. end. 😅), but I can't recall ever watching a drama that incorporated musical numbers consistently, as part of its fabric.

I wasn't sure how well that would blend into the non-musical parts of our story.

And so far, after this first episode, I do feel like Show knows what it's doing, and both of these foundational elements seem to be working nicely, in our larger story.

The music is woven into our story very much the way it's used in stage musicals.

Sometimes, it's a big ol' Broadway-esque number, with a large cast singing and dancing together, while the story pauses.

Sometimes, it's a single character who sings their thoughts, as an organic part of the storytelling.

Show uses music in both of these ways, and from what I can see so far, both work equally well - as long as you keep that stage musical lens on.

I do think I need a bit of time to get used to this, because each time a character sang their thoughts, I found myself a bit distracted, trying to pay attention to their emoting, their singing, and the lyrics, all at the same time.

This could well be a very personal thing, because I'm genuinely interested in singing, and therefore my brain automatically pays attention to their technique, and whether they're crossing those vocal bridges effortlessly, or using vibrato nicely, or using their chest voices, or straining in any way, as they sing. 🤪

Because I couldn't quite stop my brain from going over all these things, I did find it a bit hard to also stay on top of what the lyrics were saying, and what the actors' expressions were communicating, and how well. 😅

I do think that given a bit of time, I'll get the hang of it.

I just wanted to put it out there, that this isn't Show's fault. It's my noobness with musical dramas, and my overactive curious brain, that's getting in the way. 😝

The magic really does seem very real so far, particularly when our resident magician, listed as Lee Eul, uses it in practical ways - like making Ah Yi's lecherous boss disappear, literally.

At this point in the story, at least, I'm more taken with these practical applications of the magic, than with the whimsical display of "See, magic is real," which Lee Eul gives Ah Yi, at the end of the episode.

Speaking of whom, Choi Sung Eun is doing an excellent job of delivering Ah Yi, in all of her different facets.

Frankly, it was kinda hard for me to watch Ah Yi suffer, this episode. We see her go through so much, in just this first hour.

She's trying to make rent, while taking care of her little sister, because her dad's on the run from creditors; she's trying to put food on the table, but doesn't have any money; she's on the verge of being evicted from her home, because the landlady is running out of goodwill and patience.

She's trying to keep up her grades at school, on top it all, but gets looked down on by her teacher, and bullied by her classmates.

It's too much, really. I had to grit my teeth to keep going, because it all felt quite heavy-handed. I had to remind myself that Show had to do this, because it needs to get our set-up done efficiently, in order to maximize its short 6 hours of screen time.

To that end, I do think that Show is effective and efficient about it, because I got the idea very quickly, that Ah Yi is good-hearted and earnest, and also, dealing with a heckuva lot of trying, stressful stuff.

I think Choi Sung Eun deserves a bunch of credit, for not making Ah Yi come across as a cliché, particularly in a drama landscape where we've seen way too many long-suffering heroines go through the wringer.

In Choi Sung Eun's hands, Ah Yi gives off an interesting mix of fragility and steeliness, which I think works really well.

She's working hard to be strong - and she is strong - but she's also very much affected by everything that she's going through. She's just trying to not let it get to her, as hard as she's trying not to show how much she's struggling.

Kudos to Choi Sung Eun; all of that comes through, even though Ah Yi often doesn't say very much.

As for Ji Chang Wook, well, I'm finally finding him interesting in a role again, after Healer, which makes me wonder if he's just better suited for loner types in possession of some kind of superpower-esque skill, ha. 😅

So far, to my eyes, it feels like Healer went and got a second career as a magician, and now likes hanging out at abandoned amusement parks, instead of rooftops. 😂

Not that I'm complaining, mind you, because (so far, anyway) I like Ji Chang Wook best, as Healer.

And, even though the whispered rumors about Lee Eul are of the creepy, scary variety, it makes sense to me, that the rumor might be blown out of proportion, and Lee Eul's much more approachable than one might expect.

So far, it feels to me that you should be perfectly safe with Lee Eul, unless you're actively trying to do something bad - like Ah Yi's boss was, trying to take advantage of her.

As for Hwang In Yeop's character, I'm amused at his name Na Il Deung, which basically sounds exactly like "I'm Number One" - ha.

Il Deung doesn't do very much this first episode, except look studious and smart, which Hwang In Yeop's managing nicely.

The fact that Il Deung suddenly feels drawn to Ah Yi, at the sight of her napping at her desk, is quite tropey, but I'll give it to Show, that this is likely a decision that was made to maximize limited screen time.

The sooner we can establish that Il Deung is drawn to Ah Yi, the more Show gets to play with the possible hijinks and other developments that come out of it, yes?

All in all, I found this to be a pretty strong opening episode, despite some of the narrative shorthand employed to get our story efficiently set up, and I'm curious to see how Ah Yi's life might change, as a result of her connection with Lee Eul and his magic.

Next episode notes will be out on: Friday, 13 May 2022!

*This show will be covered on the Early Access Plus (US$10) Tier*