Review on Korean Drama: The King and I (2007 to 2008)

Title: The King and I (2007 to 2008)

Genre:  Romance, Period drama

Duration:  63 episodes

Cast:

Oh Man-seok as Kim Chuh-sun/Chun Dong

Ku Hye Sun as Yoon So-hwa

Go Joo-won as King Sungjong

Jeon Gwang-ryul as Jo Chi-gyum

Ahn Jae-mo as Jung Han-soo

Jeon In-Hwa as Queen Insoo

Jung Tae-woo as Prince Yunsan

“You will become a hero or a traitor.  It’s a very thin line...”

Synopsis:  Where should loyalty and sacrifices for the greater good end and loving oneself begin?  How much should we give-up for love and for one’s country?  Plotting and scheming for the betterment of the nation, is it all worth it in the end? 

This drama focuses on the political struggles, sacrifices, loyalty and the pain behind the desire to maintain control of the throne.  It strived to show how one’s love could drive a man to castrate himself and become a eunuch in wanting to be close to the woman he loves.

Chun Dong/Kim Chuh-sun, Oh Man-Seok, was a man who was destined to become a eunuch and achieve the greatest feat in the history of eunuchs.  His foster mother refused to believe his son’s destiny and tried everything possible to make sure he does not become a eunuch.  However, Chun Dong decided to do his own castration when the love of his life, Sohwa (Ku Hye Sun), decided to become a concubine and enter the palace.  In order to stay by her side, he decided to become a eunuch notwithstanding death in becoming one. 

After becoming a eunuch though, he was filled with the zeal of maintaining moral fortitude and eradicating corruption.  He led his fellow eunuchs in making a stand to force the corrupt eunuchs admit their guilt and change their ways.  His childhood friend who is now the king lauded his achievement but sent him on exile after the ministers and royalty pressured him to punish the leader of the eunuch’s reform calling it mutiny. 

The queen eventually dies and King Sunjong decided that he would make the love of his life, Sohwa, his queen specially after she gave birth to his first son.  Amidst heavy objections from almost everyone, he triumphantly makes her a queen.  However, her personality is just too strong, too straight and too frank that she made an enemy against the king’s mother, the concubines and court maids and servants.  The only person who did not go against her was Kim Chuh-sun, more so because he is secretly in love with her than anything else.  Because she has successfully alienated herself from everyone, she became an easy target for a frame-up to depose her and eventually kill her specially after the king had an affair with Ulwoodong which drove her to jealousy.  It was during the king’s affair that she realized that the king’s love has waned and that she could not find the reason to stay in the court anymore except to be with her son. 

Because she stood alone against everyone, she failed to prove her innocence, was deposed and eventually ordered to drink poison to maintain peace and control in the court. 

Many years later, when her son became the king, he was driven to insanity when he realized that his mother was framed and mercilessly killed by the people whose desire was to gain power.  He started a bloodbath in the name of pursuing justice for his dead mother.  He also rebelled against all the court rules and laws and was haunted to maintain his complete control of his court officials and ministers that he became a tyrant while drinking all day and night and sleeping with various women.  He also brought in a slave and declared her to be his concubine. 

Chuh-sun believed that his obligation and duty was to protect the king.  He refused his foster father’s suggestion to change the man on the throne and decided instead to confront the king to make him change his ways knowing full well that it may lead to his death.  It was during this confrontation that he first openly admitted his love for Sohwa and the reason why he became a eunuch.  The king hearing this confession and the reproach against his behaviour in court, in a blind fury, killed Chuh-sun with his own hands. 

The death of Chuh-sun led other eunuchs to make a stand that eventually led them to their deaths as well.  Court officials and minister seeing the slaughter decided to put an end to the tyranny and revolted to put another king on the throne and exiling King Yunsan.

Review:  Watching Oh Man-seok was painful specially when he is using a pained expression.  I understood how some people would like to tear their eye sockets out because I felt the same when I see him in this show.  I could not understand why in the duration of the drama, instead of becoming better in his role, he actually turned bad to worst.  Although he is the main protagonist in the drama, I could not sympathize with the character because I never felt the sincerity of his character.  His character was pitiful at all times because his acting sucked big time.  I could not understand how his character could have been the hero in the story when everything he does is actuality pursuing his unrequited love but shrouding it under the guise of his upright moral principles.  His struggle to provide justice becomes ridiculous at times it even became painful to watch after some time. 

Ku Hye Sun was alright but there were moments when I felt she was overdoing it specially when she became queen and she was standing up against Queen Insoo.  Her stare would just be of defiance but no elegance or depth.  It looked more of a rebellious teenager against her mother who is scolding her that even when I knew she was right, it made it hard for me to sympathize. 

Queen Insoo made me mad a couple of times when she was trying to control the court and even scheming with the ministers to pressure her son to do her bidding.  I could not understand why she had a hard time dealing with Queen Sohwa when she originally planned her son to marry her before he actually became king.  I do not understand how she could have wanted to kill the woman her son supposedly loves and the mother of the prince.

The one thing that competed with my frustration with Oh Man-seok’s mind-numbing acting is King Sungjong.  He promised his unending love for Sohwa and yet maintained 10 concubines and having an affair with a loose, married woman.  He was ready to leave everything behind him just to spend a moment with her.   I actually had the impression that he loved her more deeply than Sohwa because he was going against everything he believed in and against everyone, not withstand the slander to his image as the king.  All this while maintaining that Sohwa is and always will be the love of his life yet throwing her down, knowing that she is heavily pregnant with his child.  I just don’t understand it. 

I also do not believe that Sohwa was just merely protecting and worrying about the king when she went out the first time and met with Ulwoodong.  It was obvious that she was insanely jealous of her and at the same time worried about the impact of their relationship to the monarchy.  But maintaining that she did it out of her desire to solely protect the king is ridiculous.  I also don’t understand why she had to be so antagonistic towards her servants when she could have used more benevolence and understanding.  She was just pure mean.  It made me think that she might actually be guilty of all the cases thrown at her but the story made me think that it was a frame-up.  I think she was really a witch that’s why her son turned out the way he did.  I do not believe that a bad apple could have come from a good orange tree.   If she was as good as they wanted to project of her, her son could not have turned out so badly specially not when he is so bright and intelligent to begin with.  He did not become insane just because he discovered that his mother was innocently killed leaving him with no mother but enjoying the attention of everyone while growing up.

What made me watch this show until the end is actually his foster father, Jeong Gwang Ryul and his loyal bodyguard. Jo Chi-gyum character being complicated in the sense that he is more in the grey area and not just being good or bad.  When he is struggling with himself, it reflected in his eyes and his actions.  His actions always reflected the true meaning of his words although he might say otherwise.  I thought he was very regal and his presence commanded respect and attention although he was a mere eunuch.

I was frustrated with so many aspects of this show specially when they were flinging accusations and punishing people without even proving the guilt.  There were some scenes when they were stretching the human emotion and yet failing to gain the sympathy from the viewer.  I specially hated the part when the king developed a relationship with Ulwoodong proving that he goes for the look more than the character.  It also proved that he actually plays around a lot and not what was initially shown of him sleeping around in defying his mother who refused to marry him to his first love.

I give this show 7 out of 10 stars because my biggest frustration is the main male protagonist who made it painful for me to watch the show.

Review on Korean Drama: Jumong (2007)

Title: Jumong aka Book of Three Han (2006 to 2007)

Genre: Period Drama, Action, Romance

Duration:  81 episodes

Cast:

Song Il Gook as Jumong

Han Hye Jin as Soh Suh No

Kim Seung Woo as Prince Daisu

Hu Joon Ho as Gen Hae Mo Su

Oh Yun Soo as Lady Yoo Hwa

Jun Kwang Ryul as King Geumwa

Kyun Mi Ri as Queen Wan Ho

Song Ji Hyo as Ye So Ya(Jumong’s wife)

Kim Byeong-Ki as Yeontabal

Synopsis: Hae Mo Su (Hu Joon Ho), a legendary fighter of freedom, joins forces with Geumwa, the crowned prince of Buyeo, to fight against Han.  Together, they formed the Damul army, a band of soldiers dedicated to defend Gojoseon refugees.

As fate would have it, both men fell in love with the same woman, Lady Yoohwa (Oh Yun Soo) but she fell in love with General Hae Mo Su despite him causing her whole trible to be killed and their huts burned to the ground. 

Prince Geumwa (Jun Kwang Ryul) decides to take her in but his wife got jealous of Lady Yeohwa and sends her to the Damul army camp where the love between Hae Mo Su and Lady Yoohwa flourishes and he promised to marry her as soon as the war is over. 

Unfortunately, he was sent to his death by the Buyeo’s Prime Minister and High Priestess believing he would bring destruction to the kingdom.  Hae Mo Su thought he was rescuing refugees but unbeknownst to him, the soldiers were only posing as refugees and he was caught by the ironclad cavalry of Han, tortured and his eyes taken out to serve as an example to the people.  Prince Geumwa witnessed how he was killed by the soldiers feeling helpless and frustrated.

Learning of the treachery of everyone around him, Prince Geumwa decides to take Lady Yoohwa back to his kingdom as his most favoured concubine and adopts Hae Mo Su’s son making the two other princes jealous of Hae Mo Su’s son Jumong.

Jumong grew up to be a carefree, weak, and cowardly prince who loves to womanize.  He only grew to realize the danger he poses when his two brothers tried to kill him on their way to see the legendary Damul bow.  Fortunately, he was saved by Soh Su No(Han Hye Jin) and lied to the king when he said he did not see the bow when in fact he broke the bow.  Because of the plot to his life, Lady Yoohwa decided that Jumong should learn to defend himself and hires a jail guard to teach him secretly.  During this time, the king declares a competition amongst the three princes on who deserves to become the crowned prince and this earned the ire of the queen and the two princes and they plotted to kill Jumong again.  Their plot fails but Jumong was stripped of his title and sent away from the kingdom.

It was during this time that he learned the values of humility and perseverance.  He begun to take his life seriously and slowly strategized to pursue his goal.  It was also then that he met three thieves, Oi, Mari and Hyobbo who will later on become his loyal companions in his noble quest.  It was also during this time that he encountered Soh Su No again and begins to develop deep feelings for each other.

Through the chief guard, Jumong was able to meet his real father, General Hae Mo Su in jail and he was able to train Jumong in martial arts.  It was apparent that Jumong had the skills and talent of his father that he was able to master the art of archery as well as become an excellent swordsman.

Unfortunately, Jumong only learned that his master was actually his real father but at the time that he learned the truth, his two brothers had already plotted to kill General Hae Mo Su at the prodding of the Prime Minister.

Jumong strives to fulfil his father’s lifelong wish and in his journey, he encountered pain, sacrificed his own happiness, but decides to move on in pursuit of his noble quest.

Review:

I only have three major complaints about this show.  First, the colours of the costumes stood out too much that it distracted me from enjoying the show. Second, Song Ji Hyo’s acting was so dead and dull that I never was able to sympathize with her character to the end.  Third, with all the sacrifices and support Soh Suh No  gave Jumong, it is frustrating that she had to leave him behind after the first family was brought back to the palace.  Being that what they had was their one, great love, it was heart-wrenching that the two lovers parted.  How can Soh Suh No be that noble?  She could have just stayed with him (deep sigh) or Song Ji Hyo could have just died (teehee).

But that being said, I enjoyed the show a lot specially the fight scene, how Jumong improved with his archery and swordsmanship and how Soh Suh No appears so brave and wise in all her undertakings.  She relentlessly supported Jumong never minding her circumstances.  She was forever putting Jumong’s life before hers that she was willing to give up on him and the throne just so they could avoid conflict in the palace...so sad.

I give this 9 out of 10 stars.

Review on Korean Drama: Swallow the Sun (2009)

Title: Swallow the Sun (2009)

Genre: Drama, Action, Romance

Duration: 25 episodes

Cast:

Ji Sung as Kim Jung Woo

Jun Kwang Ryul as Jang Min Ho/Il Hwan

Sung Yu Ri as Lee Soo Hyun

Lee Wan as Jang Tae Hyeok

Yoo Oh-seong as Jaek Seun-ri

Im Jung Eun as Mi Yeon

Synopsis:

Considered to be the most notorious convict, Il Hwan (Jin Goo), escapes prison when the worst of criminals were brought to the Jeju Island to construct the highway. He meets a kind-hearted, naive Mi Yeon(Im Jung Eun) who saves him from death and helps him recuperate after sustaining a gun wound and jumping from a cliff trying to escape the pursuing military officers. 

Il Hwan was used to people's reaction of dread and disgust when they initially meet him but he was surprised that the girl didn't fear him but instead pitied him and wanted to help him despite the danger he poses for her. The attraction was instant but the girl was in denial since she knew her mother would never accept him.  When he asked her to run away with him, she turned him down and decided it would be the last time she'll meet with him.  Unfortunately, her mother thought she was kidnapped and called for help from the same soldiers that were hunting for him. He was brought back to camp and she went home with her mother not knowing she actually got pregnant.  Her mother decided to give the baby away as soon as he was born and told her that he died in childbirth.

The baby is Kim Jung Woo and the story fast-forwards to when he's all grown up to be a man who is engaged in petty crimes with his local gangster buddies, has no idea about his identity, has no ambitions and could not understand why his family would abandon him.

One day, he accidentally saves Jang Min Ho who is the richest man on the island and also the most notorious and the most dreaded.  Nobody seems to know about his past and why he is on the island but every businessman in the island knows the manner on which he conducts his business.  He decides to hire Kim Jung Woo to guard his wayward son, who is more than happy just to party and spend his father's money.  Jang Min Ho was hoping that Jung Woo would somehow influence his son, Jang Tae Hyeok who is on his opinion as useless as his mother.  He hoped that Jung Woo would be able to influence him with the same fighting spirit he saw in the guy's eyes.  Jung Woo agrees to stay with him and was charmed by the way the rich lead their lives. Jung Woo considered the working for Jang Min Ho as an opportunity of a lifetime and was determined to be loyal to him to the extent he tried everything to win the heart of the woman he had loved for a long time for Tae Hyeok and even took the fall for the crime that Jang Woo commits. 

All get involved in a story of passionate pursuit of revenge, love, sacrifice, forgiveness and blind faith in love and friendship.

Review:

Absolutely disappointing after reading so many good reviews, I found myself skipping a lot of the episodes because I just felt that I was about to die of boredom.  The story was ambitious however, the execution was poor specially the casting.  The acting felt wooden specially the female leads.  I felt they were too conscious of the camera and I felt distracted that Soo Hyun always wear either very short skirt or shorty shorts even on occasions I felt she shouldn’t have.  The love story was boring and I felt it was a waste of good money that could have been spent on a good production. The only ones that saved me from skipping it altogether was Jun Kwang Ryul and Ji Sung although Ji Sung also made me yawn a couple of times.

I give this 6 out of 10 stars because the male lead is hot...hehehe