K-Drama Rewind: Let’s Fight Ghost

This drama was somewhat familiar yet different.

Adapted from a webtoon, Let’s Fight Ghost tells the story of Park Bong-pal (Ok Taec-yeon) who’s a smart loner college boy by day and a part-time exorcist by night. In one of his exorcism jobs, he encounters wandering spirit Kim Hyun-ji (Kim So-hyun). From there forward, they start ‘fighting ghosts’ and soon discover that their past is actually connected.

I didn’t watch this drama back in 2016 because I thought Ok Taec-yeon and Kim So-hyun didn’t match at all. And yes, I was so wrong. First episode in and I fell in love with their tandem already. Their chemistry, in my opinion, was the strongest part of this series. It’s what kept me going and finished this drama in almost a day.

Ok Taec-yeon, for his part, was effective in his portrayal of an outcast who longed for companion and acceptance. He managed to deliver the right emotion during his scenes. He was at his best during action sequences and I thought he could easily pull off any roles in that genre. What he needed to polish though was his acting style on dramatic scenes. He definitely could punch and kicked ghosts away but he still felt raw during parts that require less movement and more emotions.

Kim So-hyun, as expected, was good in her role. She could be bubbly in one scene and could easily turn on her tear-ducts in the next. She knew how to be a leading lady since she had a lot of practice. Her expressions though were just similar to those we’ve already seen in her past dramas. She has proven in her follow-up dramas that her range as an actress was getting wider and wider in each role she plays.  Nevertheless, she’s central in Let’s Fight Ghost’s charms.

Speaking of charming characters, Choi Chun-sang (Kang Ki-young) and Kim In-rang (David Lee) were the best comic duo that happened in K-dramaland (or at least compared to old series I’ve watched during this quarantine). They were hilarious in most part but their characters weren’t there just for some jokes and humor relief. These characters were also integral in changing Bong Pal from the lonesome-ghost-seeing-dude to a normal college dude with weird pals. It might not sound that great (I know haha) but trust me he’s better off with them. Their solid friendship was what Bong Pal’s character really needed to make himself feel he belonged somewhere.

While the Sundae Soup gang ghost-busted spirits one episode at a time, the possessed villain Joo Hye-sung (Kwon Yul) remained the constant reminder of the series’ main plot. I have to be honest that there were moments in this drama when I thought the main conflict was a bit weak and the episodic dilemmas the two leads faced were much more interesting. Fortunately enough, the latter episodes refocused the series to resolve this conflict they’ve been hinting since the first episode.

The resolution was what I was anticipating – action-filled and satisfying. Monk Myung-chul (Kim Sang-ho) came as a surprise for me. His role was bigger than what I was expected to be. Bong-pal gave the last punch but it was Monk Myung-chul that put on an all-out battle against this evil spirit. Anyway, the series ended well for me with everything and everyone getting some closure with their life hang-ups.

Maknae’s Verdict

Let’s Fight Ghost was predictable but was still a delight to watch. I have an inkling of Hyun-ji’s ‘true identity’ from the get-go and it kind of spoiled the fun for me during the actual reveal. What I enjoyed the most in this series was Bong-pal and Hyun-ji themselves. Their chemistry whether as a ghost-fighting duo or romantic partners was clearly strong. I also like how they were fleshed out as individual characters and despite the predictableness of their pasts, they were still a strong K-drama pair. And that would be the sole and convincing reason why one should watch (or re-watch) this drama.