Ensnared by Jumong...again
Feb. 27th, 2008 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI have restarted my watch of Jumong, the ur-period epic kdrama I started months and months ago.
It has the typical epic period kdrama flaws: long, a little slow, a lot of politics which might not be your thing (and even with my love of fictional politics, lengthy discussions on smelting and salt trade get a bit dull after a while). However, despite these flaws it's excellent excellent, excellent. It is incredibly awesome (was before, as well, it's just it's 81 eps and I got sidetracked), with incredible production values, cool story, strong women, and the hero who is the reason a lot girls have a thing for a sword-and-armor hero. Jumong would never knock Legend off my favorite period kdrama spot (as The Legend is my fave drama ever, hands down, with its driven pace, tormentedly complex characters etc etc), but it is very very good.
The thing I am impressed most with, in Jumong, the the progression of the titular character. He starts out as a snivelling, weak waste of space and slowly and painfully grows into this incredible, larger-than-life legendary warrior leader and King. And you believe every bit. Huge credit to Song Il-Gook for pulling it off. Watch him in the beginning, you are going to doubt he could even walk by himself, let alone lift a sword. I've seen scenes from the end, and you want to step ten feet back when he even looks at you.
Here is a really cool Jumong/Seosono-centric MV from the first half of the drama:
It has the typical epic period kdrama flaws: long, a little slow, a lot of politics which might not be your thing (and even with my love of fictional politics, lengthy discussions on smelting and salt trade get a bit dull after a while). However, despite these flaws it's excellent excellent, excellent. It is incredibly awesome (was before, as well, it's just it's 81 eps and I got sidetracked), with incredible production values, cool story, strong women, and the hero who is the reason a lot girls have a thing for a sword-and-armor hero. Jumong would never knock Legend off my favorite period kdrama spot (as The Legend is my fave drama ever, hands down, with its driven pace, tormentedly complex characters etc etc), but it is very very good.
The thing I am impressed most with, in Jumong, the the progression of the titular character. He starts out as a snivelling, weak waste of space and slowly and painfully grows into this incredible, larger-than-life legendary warrior leader and King. And you believe every bit. Huge credit to Song Il-Gook for pulling it off. Watch him in the beginning, you are going to doubt he could even walk by himself, let alone lift a sword. I've seen scenes from the end, and you want to step ten feet back when he even looks at you.
Here is a really cool Jumong/Seosono-centric MV from the first half of the drama:
