If you’re in the mood for a romance mixed with mystery that has quite a few startling moments in it along with some comedy sprinkled here and there, find Let’s Fight Ghost. It might sound like there’s too much packed into one 16 episode show but it all works perfectly together to give viewing audiences a wonderful Kdrama rollercoaster ride.
Park Bong-Pal can see ghosts! He decides to use that ability to earn money so people pay him to fight ghosts and get rid of them. However, he meets his match in a young female ghost named Kim Hyun-Ji. She has no memories of her life on earth, but when a tumble down some stairs ends up with Bong-Pal’s lips touching hers, it somehow triggers a lost memory – she’s lying motionless in the middle of a crosswalk with her head bleeding. Even though it’s not a good memory, it’s at least something and Hyun-Ji is desperate for more. She wants to “move on” to the other world but is stuck in limbo until she can figure out what she has to do in order to leave. Guessing it may be passing the college entrance exam, she begs college junior Bong-Pal to help her study for the test, eventually moving in with him, and the two quickly fall in love. But can a ghost and a human have a normal relationship or will life end up separating the two sweethearts?
Blood Sausage Soup is the name of the ghost hunting club at Bong-Pal’s university. The club is in danger of closing, mainly because there are only two members – Choi Cheon-Sang and Kim In-Rang. When they accidentally discover Bong-Pal’s talent for getting rid of ghosts they realize he can help keep the club from going under so they recruit him, totally ignorant of the fact that Hyun-Ji comes along as his secret sidekick. Together they fight ghosts and send them on to the next world. When there’s somethin’ strange in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Blood Sausage Soup!
Park Bong-Pal has been able to see ghosts since he was a child. At first he was terrified but the ghoulish experiences gradually became normal to him. Sadly, he watched as a ghost killed his mother. He hasn’t seen his father in years and doesn’t even read the letters his dad sends him by way of a rough-around-the-edges monk named Myung-Cheol. Bong-Pal is a dedicated economics major at a nice university.
Kim Hyun-Ji may be feisty but she also has a sweet side. She never got the chance to graduate high school because a car accident cut things short. She has roamed the earth for five years in search of answers to her past, things she can’t recall. Bong-Pal may be of help, or at least his lips might be. Hyun-Ji has a special ability to see what made a ghost the way he/she is and detect its weakness.
Joo Hye-Sung is one of Bong-Pal’s professors. He not only teaches at the university but is a veterinarian with his own animal clinic. He is handsome and charming but if you pay careful attention you’ll see his eyes have a very unsettling look (and the sound effects department plays a tiger growl sound whenever that look appears).
Monk Myung-Cheol has known Bong-Pal and his parents for many years. Since Bong-Pal lives alone, Myung-Cheol takes it upon himself to watch over and protect him. He knows of Bong-Pal’s ability to see ghosts and warns him to stay far away from the creatures. Myung-Cheol is an exorcist.
Senior Choi Cheon-Sang is the president of Blood Sausage Soup. He is a bit of a goof off and has some selfish tendencies but he loves ghost hunting and sincerely wants to turn the club into an honest business. But with as much as he loves being a ghostbuster he’s scared to death of ghosts.
Kim In-Rang is Cheon-Sang’s best buddy. He supports Cheon-Sang in pretty much every way, although he does chastise him when he spends their money foolishly. Because of a bump on the head, In-Rang was able to see Hyun-Ji for a split second and falls in love with her.
Ok Taec-Yeon who plays the staring role of Park Bong-Pal isn’t new to the ghost story scene. He played the lead male in the ghost Kdrama Who Are You? (I came very close to tears at the end of that show.) He is a member and lead rapper of the Kpop group 2PM. He writes music and lyrics, dances, acts and has his own business. He was born in Korea, lived in Boston from the time he was 10 until he was 17 and then went back to Korea to begin his entertainment career. I was very impressed when I read he gave up his American permanent residence visa in order to enlist in the South Korean army. Because of a couple physical problems, he was found fit only for public service. However, he underwent surgery to have those things corrected so he could go into active duty. What a patriotic young man!
Kim So-Hyun who plays Kim Hyun-Ji has been in a ton of Kdramas and feature films, beginning when she was only seven years old, and just keeps getting better and better. Although she has a sweet girl-next-door look about her, So-Hyun learned some action/fighting moves just for her role in this drama and, subsequently, her ghost character really kicks butt.
Kang Ki-Young who plays Choi Cheon-Sang and Lee David whose character is Kim In-Rang (the Blood Sausage Soup founders) without a doubt steal the show. I’ve got my fingers crossed they win the “bromance” award at all the Kdrama award shows this year. The character Cheon-Sang is the show’s comedy relief. I actually laughed out loud a couple times at his silliness. Those two guys are a fantastic addition to the show. It wouldn’t have been the same without them!
If you’ve seen Master’s Sun you’ll be prepared for the way the ghosts look in this drama. If not, good luck. They are definitely creepy thanks to wonderful make-up artists and some very good special effects. I wouldn’t classify this drama as scary, but it has some startling moments, for sure. Not all of the ghosts are bad, though. Some are victims who are having difficulty “going on” to the next life. Pay close attention to the way the ghosts look. They all have something in common except for… SPOILER ALERT: Does anyone remember the Kdrama 49 Days?
I appreciated the way the writer kept the theme of the drama going all the way to the end. I remember watching Blade Man and wondering what happened to the “blade” part of the show once the romance picked up. It just sort of fizzled out. But Let’s Fight Ghost battles spirits from episode one all the way through episode 16!
The more I see Ok Taec-Yeon the more I think he looks like he could be Song Seung-Heon’s younger brother. Take a look at Seung-Heon when he was in Autumn in my Heart (back then he was closer to Taec-Yeon’s age now) and When a Man Loves and compare those looks to Taec-Yeon in this drama. Their facial features are amazingly similar! Two strikingly handsome men.
There’s no way I’m not mentioning a huge stand-out mistake – it takes place by a lake when Blood Sausage Soup is on a club retreat. The club members jump into the water right next to a little pier and begin splashing each other. The water isn’t deep, only about up to their butts. However, a little later on, two girls (separately, on different occasions) who are hanging their feet off the pier are pulled into the lake by a ghost and the water is so deep you can’t see the bottom! Yet, when one girl is rescued the guy carries her in his arms and the water next to the pier, where she was pulled in, is once again just up to his butt. That’s not all, though… the girl that he rescued isn’t soaking wet! There’s no water dropping off her hair at all, in fact, it’s dry! No, no, no, no, no! Who missed the goof up in that scene? The director, the actors, the editor? Well, I caught it. It stands out like a sore thumb!
I wasn’t really thrilled with the songs in this show but the fiery background music is excellent. It heightens the suspense and intensifies the spooky moments.
There’s a wide range of scenery in this drama. Bong-Pal and Hyun-Ji fight ghosts in many, many different places – an abandoned high school, a closed psychiatric hospital, a street, an apartment complex, a fancy home… It’s fresh and exciting with every new ghostly encounter, and I estimate there’s maybe one unique ghost story per episode. That’s high marks for diverse scenery, indeed!
If you’re a fan of ghost stories, mysteries, or romances with a tiny bit of comedy thrown into the mix, Let’s Fight Ghost is definitely the drama to watch.
Score: 7.5
The Good:
Original plot
Good writing
Fine acting
Nice chemistry between Bong-Pal and Hyun-Ji
Superb special effects
Chilling moments
Great ghostly make-up
Decent mystery
The Bad:
There’s a tremendous editing/directing mistake at a lake
Heart and Seoul 