First Impression: The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim

Calling all Nam Da Reum fans!!! The Fangirls couldn’t get enough of his latest character in Doom and we were all super excited to see that his next choice was as the main lead. Add in Kim Sae Ron, a little ghost hunting, and you have a recipe for a fun time.

If you’re a fan of the recently-aired Sell Your Haunted House, this show might be right up your alley. Ga Doo Shim comes from a long line of shamans and is tasked to take over for her grandmother at a pretty young age. A fairly powerful ghost likes to possess students with horrible grades. It is her grandmother’s last exorcism and the first one Doo Shim helps with. Sadly, the evil spirit gets away and leaves the poor girl with a dead grandma and the ghost of the student that while possessed committed suicide. Fast forward several years and Ga Doo Shim transfers to Na Woo Soo’s (Nam Da Reum) school right when the student who is ranked last commits suicide.

Ghost Busting Teams

Who doesn’t love a good ghost hunting team? Na Woo Soo doesn’t seem to believe in ghosts before Ga Doo Shim shows up, but eventually joins her side to take down the evil spirit. We get a glimpse of their teamwork at the top of the first episode and they seem to make a nice pair.

Drama Geek: I like their first meeting and felt some weird shaman vibes coming off both of them, so it’ll be interesting to see what powers he posses or if it’s just her bouncing off of him. I also think they make a very pleasing pair.

Karie the Maknae: I’m liking the setup between Woo Soo and Doo Shim. It’s not insta-love or insta-hate, but just two strong people circling each other, trying to figure out how they both fit in the big picture. It’s also a good foundation for the team that we see in the introductory scene — he’s open to seeing her world, and she’s open to including him in it, because there aren’t strong emotions from the beginning.

Kim Sae Ron’s All Grown Up

It’s been a bit since she’s been in a drama we’ve all watched. She’s older now but fits the almost 18-year-old high school character perfectly. She’s properly tough and throws a good punch.

Drama Geek: The first drama I watched her in was an idol drama and there were supernatural elements, but I’m blanking on what they were. She was very talented at that young age, and she’s only grown since then. I find her easy to relate to and fun to watch.

Karie the Maknae: I don’t think I’ve seen Kim Sae Ron in anything, but her character makes a pretty powerful impression from the very beginning. Since we’re working with shorter episodes, there isn’t a lot of time for her to warm up to her role, and I can tell that’s she’s an experienced actress by how quickly she establishes her character. Same for Nam Da Reum — he’s handsome and smart and not too full of himself, and he’s able to establish that FAST. I’ve watched three episodes so far, and I’ve been completely immersed in the story partly due to their incredible acting skill.

Ghosts!

We love a good ghost story, and so far they’ve had the evil spirt and the ghost of the first dead student. One is a black cloud create with red shining in it that goes into someone else’s body and possess them.

Drama Geek: I’ve always felt that if ghosts exist there are probably different types and I really enjoy those types of stories. I’ve only watched through episode 2 so I have not been introduced to all of the ghosts, but I’m looking forward to it.

Karie the Maknae: I’m loving the wide use of ghosts here. We have the evil ghosts, the ghosts who are ready to leave, and the good ghosts who stick around to deliver loving advice or comic relief (these are NOT the same ghosts, FYI). I can’t wait to see how the larger ghost population will affect the story, and how Woo Soo and Doo Shim will deal with them all.

Final Thoughts

Drama Geek: My life went a bit sideways after watching the first two episodes and started writing this post. My intention was to watch 3 and then finish the impression, but thankfully the Maknae was able to watch a little more. I think we’re both excited to see where it goes.

Karie the Maknae: I am ALL IN, and it’s killing me that there’s only one 20-minute episode being released per week. AND IT’S ONLY 12 EPISODES! The story is too good for it to be this short, but I’ll take what I can get!

Until the Next Nam Da Reum Sighting,

Drama Geek & Karie The Maknae

Dramas with a Side of Kimchi

One thought on “First Impression: The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim

  1. Glad to see this first impression post! I watched the first episode, and plan to come back to it when it’s all aired. I just can’t take waiting a week for a 20 minute episode, but other than that, it seems like a fun drama.

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