Enter the magical and musical world of “The Sound Of Magic.” As the series premiered today on Netflix, here are 7 reasons to watch the series—according to Ji Chang Wook (as Lee Eul), Hwang In Youp (as Na Il Deung), Choi Sung Eun (as Yoon Ah Yi), and director Kim Sung Young, as said during their interview for the at the press conference for Netflix’s “The Sound Of Magic.”
1.) Ji Chang Wook, Hwang In Youp, and Choi Sung Eun all sang in the series
Ji Chang Wook talked about his experience in recording songs for the series. He said, “Well, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t burdensome to some extent, but I had such wonderful help from the music team. And when I was on set, I feel like the pressure was a little lighter.” He also talked about his favorite song in the series, “I really love the opening song. I like the duet song with Ah Yi in the amusement park.”
For Choi Sung Eun, her favorite was the merry-go-round scene. She explained, “It makes me feel joyful. So even after I was done filming, I listened to this song. And personally, the one that I really liked when I was shooting was when Ah Yi is at the amusement park by herself and she sings a song and the lyrics really touched my heart. So I still really like that song.”
Hwang In Yeop named the guitar scene as the most memorable. He said, “There’s a scene where I play the guitar and sing a song. I love that song and I think it is an adorable song and an adorable number. So when people listen to that number, maybe they can listen to it when they drive, and anytime, it will really cheer them up.”
The actor also added, “I’m sure you can tell through short clips that the music is so great. And it’s not just the music that’s amazing, the space, the set was so fantastic as well. And the fact that I was given the opportunity to perform with such great music in such an amazing set, I told the director, this is a first for me, and the director replied, it’s a first for me too. So I felt like we all felt this was something new, something we were able to create together for the first time. We were left with such great memories.”
2.) The combination of music and magic
Ji Chang Wook talked about doing a full performance for the series. He expounded, “Yes, it was truly a new experience. Of course, there were very challenging parts, but I also would think to myself, this is the chance of a lifetime, when would I have this kind of opportunity where I have to act, sing, dance, and on top of that, do magic? There was a lot of preparation involved, but I felt like it was such a rewarding experience and because it was so challenging and difficult, there was so much time spent together as a team, with everyone’s heads put together to create something. And now that it’s actually going to be out there, showcased to the world, I feel very strange.”
He also added, “It was a gift for myself, too. It was a new challenge and it was a very joyful experience.”
Director Kim Sung Youn also sought the guidance of Illusionist Lee Eungyeol. He said, “Lee Eungyeol really liked the original webtoon so he told us that he could be of help to all of us. And just everything about magic is all about design, I think. So what’s important is how we’re going to execute the magic and how we’re going to execute these scenes, and that really plays into convey the message. So illusionist Lee Eungyeol’s magic isn’t just about the techniques, but he makes sure that it really looks like it’s real. So it’s really magical, it’s not just tricks, it’s really like fantasy, it’s like magic. So we wanted to have this whole design and Lee Eungyeol really helped us out with that design. And thanks to that design, magician Ri Eul could seem more fantastical. And people can wonder about whether he’s just a trick magician or actually a real magician.”
Ji Chang Wook then chimed in, “Yes, that’s true. It was really really difficult. You saw from the featurette, but you know, there’s no shortcut to doing magic. So I saw a lot of the videos by illusionist Lee Eungyeol but I had to be much more expressive when doing magic. He’s like an artist. He’s not just a magician, he is an illusionist and an artist. So I felt a lot of pressure. But the good news was that there was the great design and he came up with the design, so I could rely on the design when doing magic. But still, it was very very challenging.”
The director added, “Not just Lee Eungyeol, but also the music director, the choreographer, everyone worked so hard. This is really a full package. And everyone, in their professional regard, did their best and really poured their hearts and soul into the show, and I think people can really see that that’s what happy.”
3.) Uncovering the mystery around magician Lee Eul—played by Ji Chang Wook
Ji Chang Wook describes the show as “a fantasy music drama that starts when a mysterious magician who wants to remain as a kid forever appears in front of a child who’s forced to grow up too fast and the other child whose dreams are imposed upon him by his parents.”
“Ri Eul lives in an abandoned amusement park, he is a very mysterious magician. He is a grown-up but he loves magic. And while he is all grown up, he wants to forever stay a child. He is a very dubious, mysterious magician.”
4.) Hwang In Youp’s comeback project as Il Deung
After garnering attention for his past projects “True Beauty” and “18 Again,” Hwang In Youp is back as Il Deung in “The Sound Of Magic.”
The actor described his character, “Il Deung means “number one” in Korean, so he always wants to live up to his name and his parents force upon him a dream. So he kind of loses track of what he really wants and what he really likes. He never really knows about himself well, and one day, he also encounters this mysterious magician Ri Eul, and he gets to ponder on what he really wants and what he really likes.”
He added, “Il Deung doesn’t really know about his own emotions, doesn’t really know what he really wants. So he could come off as maybe rude, and he finds it difficult to express his emotions. So I tried my best to understand and get to know Il Deung. How he expressed his feelings and what he really wants are some of the points that I wanted to dig into. So my most important thing when acting him out was really getting to know him and getting to understand him.”
4.) Rookie actress Choi Sung Eun in her first major role as Ah Yi
Choi Sung Eun’s drama debut was in the award-winning series “Beyond Evil.” This time she stars as Ah Yi in “The Sound Of Magic.”
She said, “Ah Yi is a high school student who is in a very difficult financial situation, so struggles to get by, and she wants to grow up fast so that she can get rid of this poverty. So she forgets about her dreams, but when she meets this mysterious magician Ri Eul, maybe she wants to have some hope and try to dream again.” She added, “Ah Yi is in a tough financial situation so unable to eat, and I began to think about how this was going to resonate with the people of today. A child who lost her dream, literally, because of poverty. And I was very curious to see how that would resonate with the context of today.”
The actress then elaborated, “For example, for the character Il Deung, he has a scene where he asks, “do you really need to dream? Is a dream necessary to have?” And you know how in the past, we often emphasized needing to have a dream, to children. I feel like that’s what we lived
through. But I remember watching a variety show where a superstar in Korea, Lee Hyori, came out and she mentioned to a child there, “you don’t have to try to be anything when you grow up, just be whatever you want.” And that came to a very pleasant shock, and that got me to think, “what would really happen when we don’t want to be something? What if children grew up without having a specific dream? Is that so bad?” So those were some of the questions and messages that I tried to hone into, and different perspectives on what it means to be financially struggling. And based on those questions, in the original webtoon series, there are a lot of monologues from the character Ah Yi, but I wanted to – I really spent a lot of time thinking about how we can bring that to something that fits today’s context. How do I let the audience know what I was feeling, without giving her too many monologues? So those were some points I tried to think long and hard on, and that’s what brought us to the music element.
5.) The three stars are perfect for their roles
Director Kim Sung Youn explained why he picked the three to portray the characters. He said, “At first sight, from just their appearance, I mean, look at them – they’re so great-looking. And
when you meet them for the first time, it’s not so much about are they a good fit for this
particular role, but it’s more about do they have a certain something in them that will bring
something to the character. I really tried to focus on those elements.”
He elaborated, “For example, for Chang Wook, he has a boyish look about him, as well as a mysteriousness that he has. When he is really able to go to those dark ambiences as well, and I felt like that would really bring something really appealing and charming to the character Ri Eul. And for Sungeun, in front of a camera, there’s a sense of sadness that she carries, that she is able to carry on the screen. So I felt like she’s the perfect fit for someone to bring out something, some of the layers that Ah Yi has. And In Youp, he’s such a playful actor. The character Na Il Deung, he bluffs a lot, and he secretly has a crush on this character Ah Yi, but having In Youp play that role has brought another layer of charm to the character Il Deung. Lastly, the chemistry I saw between them was really stellar.”
6.) Even with its fantasy set-up, the series is still relatable
Despite the drama’s superb magical set-up, the series is actually expected to be relatable. As the director explained, “Well, it wasn’t a fancy or ambitious message I wanted to portray – well, when I meet childhood friends or school friends, we often talk about “are we really adults?” “can we confidently say we’re truly grown-ups? Can we say that to our children?” And I think that’s sort of the message that I would like to convey naturally. What does it mean to be a grown-up? What do we want our children to grow up to be? And what is a life that is more happy? I want anyone who watches the series to be able to talk about these things along with not just adults but with children as well.”
Ji Chang Wook also added, “First of all, the two characters, Ah Yi and Il Deung, I felt like their stories were my stories. And I also felt that this is a story for all of us. I thought it was very relatable, and I wanted to really root for the characters Ah Yi and Il Deung. So I think I was drawn to that the most.”
Choi Sung Eun also replied, “I wanted to make sure that the audience can really relate to Ah Yi. That was what I pondered upon the most, I talked with the director a lot about this. I wanted to make sure that people could really understand and resonate with Ah-yi, because only when that happens, they can really follow through Ah Yi’s growth and how she changes after she meets Ri Eul. So I think all that has to come together. so that is why I made sure the audience could really understand and put themselves in Ah Yi’s shoes.
7.) The series will make you believe in ~*~magic~*~ (and it lives in all of us)
The series is an eye-opener for adults, and a fun show to watch with kids. As the director explained,”I think the line, “do you believe in magic?” means actually, “do you believe in miracles?” People are all grown up, they don’t believe in Santa Claus anymore, but they can watch the show together with their kids and their children and have a chance to believe in miracles and believe in magic, and talk amongst themselves.
“I hope you could have fun watching the show, thank you so much,” he then concluded.
Annarasumanara!