‘A fairytale for people’: ‘The Sound of Magic’ cast promises more than fantasy in new series

MANILA, Philippines – With just one look, you know that you’re in for a whimsical ride in The Sound of Magic, but for its cast members and directors, there’s more to it, as the fantasy series aims to mirror the winding reality of fighting for one’s dreams. 

“Sometimes, we lose track of our childhood innocence, our childhood wonders. And there are dreams that we had as a child. I think the show will let you think about those past dreams that you had as a child, and the wonders you had as a child,” Ji Chang-wook said in an online press conference attended by most of the main cast on May 3. 

Ji plays the dubious and mysterious magician Ri-eul who lives in an abandoned amusement park. “He is a grown-up but he loves magic. And while he is all grown-up, he wants to forever stay a child,” he said of his character. 

Ri-eul then meets two high school students, jaded by the hardships they had in their young lives, and reminds them of how they used to believe in magic when they were little. 

Choi Sung-eun plays Ah-yi, whose family’s difficult financial situation makes her want to grow up fast. “She forgets about her dreams, but when she meets this mysterious magician, she wants to have some hope and try to dream again,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Hwang In-youp portrays Na Il-deung. “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,” Hwang explained. 

Despite being successful in their respective fields, the cast members admit that they resonated with their characters’ struggle in pursuing their dreams. 

“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,” Ji said. “I’m a grown-up myself, and I lost my childhood wonders. I had these dreams as a child, but I think I’ve lost them. And I wanted that process of re-finding those dreams, and re-finding my childhood wonders. And when acting out Ri-eul, that was what was most important for me.”

Choi added, “The Sound of Magic, the script itself was so wonderful, and the more I read it, I found myself comforted by that story at a personal level. I felt these nudges in my heart at certain points through certain lines, and it was so comforting.”

For director Kim Sung-youn, the series is a story of personal growth for all the characters. “I think the line, ‘Do you believe in magic?’ means actually ‘Do you believe in miracles?’ [The viewers] have a chance to believe in miracles and believe in magic, and talk amongst themselves.” 

The Sound of Magic is based on the webtoon Annarasumanara. Aside from the huge following of the webtoon, there’s also pressure on the director to pull off the fantasy aspect of the story. 

“[Now that it’s finished], I know and I can say why it was so difficult to bring to a live-action series, but I’m very happy to have kept the promise,” Kim said. The director added that as a fan of the webtoon, he made sure to look  into its details and made sure it came to life. 

Illusionist Lee Eung-yeol helped the series in the scenes that involved magic. “[His] magic isn’t just about the techniques, but he makes sure that he really looks like it’s real. So it’s really magic, it’s not just tricks, it’s really like fantasy,” Kim said. 

Ji remarked that it was a whole new experience for him to act as a magician: “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.”

He added: “It’s a fairytale for people.” The rest of the cast agrees, hoping that the story will give viewers hope. “Maybe some people think, ‘Am I able to dream again?’ I think this show can give you that courage and this show roots for all of you to give it another try,” Choi said. – Rappler.com 

‘The Sound of Magic’ is now available on Netflix.