Flirting with the devil: How Western series normalized demon figures and why the Korean approach in Genie, Make a Wish is polarizing

Genie, Make a Wish arrived promising an intoxicating blend of dark fantasy and swoony romance, but it quickly found itself at the center of a global storm. Western audiences are used to devils who flirt, joke, and fall in love. Many Muslim viewers reacted with discomfort and anger, seeing the drama turn a dangerous spiritual being into a trendy romantic lead. The series shows what happens when global streaming lets one culture’s rebellious antihero collide with another culture’s sacred fear.

Genie, Make a Wish follows a mysterious wish-granting figure who tempts humans with deals that carry unseen costs. It borrows the cool, brooding style of Western dark fantasy, such as elegant costumes, candlelit rooms, a tragic past revealed through slow romance, as well as places it in a world where demons remain spiritually charged. For Muslim audiences, though, this figure isn’t an empty symbol. It’s a concept still tied to faith, danger, and caution.

How Western storytelling made devils seductive

Western literature began softening the devil long before television. John Milton’s Paradise Lost reframed Satan as a tragic rebel, eloquent and proud rather than a flat villain. Romantic writers admired that defiance, turning him into a symbol of forbidden curiosity and individual will. By the nineteenth century, the devil had shifted from feared destroyer to alluring outsider.

Modern pop culture built on this foundation. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens gave the world Crowley, a witty demon with taste and self-doubt. Lucifer transformed the fallen angel into a nightclub owner who investigates crime while wrestling with guilt.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer offered vampires and demons who loved, suffered, and changed. Supernatural portrayed infernal pacts with irony and gave its demons layered backstories. By the streaming era, devils were safe territory for romance and existential play.

This cultural change came from centuries of secularization and a growing taste for irony. In much of the West, demons turned into psychological metaphors or stylish villains. Writers felt free to explore desire and rebellion through them without worrying about faith-driven backlash.

A different sensitivity in Muslim cultures

Islamic tradition treats jinn and demons as real spiritual forces created from smokeless fire. They appear in the Qur’an and in everyday cautionary tales. Stories about them often come with prayers, rituals, and warnings. For Muslim viewers, a jinn or devil is still powerful and dangerous. It inspires respect and fear, not playful fantasy.

That background shaped the response to Genie, Make a Wish. Muslim audiences criticized the series for turning a sacredly feared being into a romantic lead. To them, the show took a real spiritual danger and reduced it to stylish angst. Many said the portrayal felt careless, as if the writers ignored the beliefs of millions to fit a trendy dark-romance mold.

These viewers weren’t rejecting fantasy as a genre. Many enjoy supernatural fiction when it engages thoughtfully with belief. Their frustration came from seeing a spiritual concept treated as if it were already hollow and safe.

Genie, Make a Wish follows a Western dark fantasy blueprint

The series borrows heavily from global dark fantasy. Its lead could stand next to Lucifer’s charming antihero or Crowley from Good Omens. Its identity struggle echoes anime like Ao no Exorcist, where a half-demon hero fights for a place in the human world. Its mix of romance and banter recalls Goblin, a beloved hit from the same writer.

What differs is the treatment of the supernatural. Goblin balanced humor with reverence for death and destiny, using folklore and grief to give weight to its immortal hero. Genie, Make a Wish doesn’t anchor its dark figure in similar respect. It presents an elegant stranger who tempts and loves without acknowledging the spiritual fear many viewers feel. Global fans saw an exciting genre mashup; Muslim audiences felt something sacred was being trivialized.

This gap isn’t about restricting creativity. It’s about understanding when a symbol still carries living belief. The series assumed demons had become safe storytelling devices everywhere and misread its audience.

Comedy and romance can deepen cultural tension

Part of Genie, Make a Wish’s appeal is its witty dialogue and romantic build-up. Comedy softens darkness and romance gives emotional stakes. Yet tone matters. Goblin used humor but kept a strong sense of ritual and fate. Its laughs didn’t erase the gravity of the unseen.

Genie, Make a Wish feels lighter and more playful. Jokes arrive without spiritual framing and the love story follows the Western bad-boy mold. For Muslim audiences, that breezy tone felt dismissive. A being they’re taught to treat with caution became a charming crush. The result was fascination for some and offense for others.

Global streaming raises the stakes for fantasy

K-dramas now reach viewers across continents, including deeply religious communities. Fantasy hits like Alchemy of Souls, My Demon, and Goblin proved the global hunger for magical romance. But the speed of streaming means that every creative choice will meet people with different spiritual boundaries.

Genie, Make a Wish shows how a trope that feels natural after Lucifer and Good Omens can cause backlash when it touches living faith. Platforms bring dramas to countries where Islam shapes daily life and where demon lore feels immediate. Ignoring that context can turn one romantic devil into a cultural flashpoint.

Lessons for future dark fantasy dramas

Writers who explore dangerous myths need to make research and exercise humility. Studying how a figure exists in belief and folklore, consulting cultural voices, and respecting boundaries doesn’t stifle imagination. It gives creators power to reimagine boldly without alienating or insulting audiences.

Fantasy survives because it reinvents symbols, but reinvention works when it knows the weight of its material. Genie, Make a Wish turned Western devil tropes into a K-drama and found both love and anger. It pleased fans hungry for moody romance yet offended those who felt their faith was ignored.

Trending

The conversation around Genie, Make a Wish proves myths still breathe and shape identity. Global fantasy can travel anywhere, but it needs cultural awareness to thrive. A romantic devil may thrill, but it can also wound if it steps on beliefs that remain alive. Future dramas can be daring and global, but they need to know which doors they open when they invite the devil into the story.

Stories that play with fire can light the way to bold new worlds but can also burn when they forget the faiths still guarding the dark. The devil makes great drama, yet every culture decides for itself whether he’s a metaphor or a warning. Global fantasy isn’t just about style; it’s about listening before turning sacred fear into entertainment.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback