Despite rocky start, ‘Genie, Make a Wish’ finally hits its stride

“Genie, Make a Wish” stepped onto Netflix’s global stage in October as one of the most buzzed-about Korean dramas of 2025. Penned by genre-defying screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, best known for a series of megahits including “The Glory” (2022), “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (2016) and “Mr. Sunshine” (2018), and featuring K-drama icons Kim Woo-bin and Suzy, the series is a glittering cocktail of mythology, moral dilemmas and rom-com chaos. Actor Kim transforms into Genie, a mythical being also known as Iblis, who has long abandoned his magic — until fate entangles him with Ka-young (Suzy), a woman with an antisocial disorder, incapable of ordinary human emotions. However, even before its release, the drama had already been embroiled in controversy among Muslim viewers over its use of Iblis — a pivotal figure in Islamic tradition representing ultimate evil — who is romanticized as the series’ central character. Setting aside the religious controversy, the question remains: Is Kim Eun-sook’s latest fable a dazzling wish come true or an experiment that loses itsWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times