I went into this, not knowing what to expect. There are many sageuks that sound promising but disappoint you utterly. And then there are those who start slow but grow to be one of your dearest gems. Rebel definitely belongs to the latter. (At this point I also have to admit that I still haven't watched Six Flying Dragons. But I will definitely catch up with that one soon.)
Many people know of the story about Hong Gil Dong and there's already another drama addressing this character. But I had no idea. That's why it's even more funny that while I was watching this, it constantly reminded me of Robin Hood. Thanks to my comparison someone told me that it's indeed based on that legend - or rather it's basically the Korean version.
So, why did I like this drama so much?
1. First of all the story combined with its characters.
I always have to mention that together because one part doesn't work without the other. I do think the story is pure gold. Well, nothing new, of course, but the way it's written and the way its characters are acting and growing, left me speechless so many times while following every new turn of events. What I also really loved was that you will never be left in too much agony. Of course, this drama has its sad, its heartbreaking moments, too. But despite their misery, I never felt uncomfortable or frustrated about it. Why? Because every event had its reasoning. It was such a well thought-out net of actions and inevitable consequences that made me unable to be angry at somebody or something. I did hate a bunch of people, but the writing managed to make even those bastards palpable and well-founded. The best part though was the close follow-up of injustice and justice. You might feel angry at some point but right the next minute you feel relieved and satisfied. It's rewarding (for you and its characters equally).
2. Camera. The way it was shot. Cinematography.
There are so many beautiful scenes, not only of the people but also of landscapes and important scenes that just underline the impression of each and every moment.
3. Love for details.
That's one point I cherish deeply because many dramas don't care about those things. If I find a show that does, it immediately rises alot in my favor. Rebel does those beautiful details. And what I'm talking about are not those things that are pointed out by the camera to be sure the viewers get the meaning. No, I'm talking about those things that are not pointed out and that you only notice if you pay enough attention to the story.
4. Acting.
Magnificent through and through. From leads to supports to guest appearances. The first one to mention here is Kim Sang Joong. His portrayal of Ah Mo Gae is perfection. You see him loyal, you see him weak, you see him angry, you see him desperate and you see him loving. And! You see him strong and determined, rising from the bottom. He's smart, he knows how to talk to the people and be a leader. KSJ's Ah Mo Gae paves a large path for this drama and is the first step to be sucked into this story and not being able to leave again.
After him, of course, Yoon Gyun Sang who plays Hong Gil Dong. As I said before I haven't watched SFD yet, so I didn't know what his acting is like. But man, this guy can act! It is such a pleasure to see a well written character and an actor who can pull off such a role. Showing the character's different stages, his struggles and growing of mind. What amazed me the most was how he was able to make me believe that Hong Gil Dong is indeed Ah Mo Gae's son. There's this special thing he does with his voice (again one of those details)... The way he starts talking after awhile - like father like son.
Kim Ji Suk. Maybe his best role so far. Playing such a complex character as the king and doing such a stunning job with that task, is definitely something not everybody can manage.
Shim Hee Seop aka Gil Dong's hyung. The hidden treasure and such a surprise. Haven't seen him before but he nailed this performance. Never loved a side character more.
Chae Soo Bin, Lee Ha Nui... Two great actresses playing two completely different yet marvelous women. I don't want to let out any actor/actress, but it would be too boring to list them all. I still have to mention how visible their efforts were and how they added to a more perfect overall picture.
5. The romance.
Slowly, slowly................................. and then deeply satisfying and vigorous.
6. Music.
Isn't it rewarding to watch something interesting and then the music starts and within seconds captures you and never lets you go again? Rebel has such a haunting score and soundtrack. It fits in every scene, strengthens or lessens every respective moment and mood.
If you want to enjoy a well written drama with outstanding actors and characters, you should definitely go for this one. Highly recommended.
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The plot mechanics, on the other hand, are less effective. There are tons of intriguing set-ups that never pay off in meaningful ways, and the story takes an awfully long time to build to anything approaching actual rebellion. It also introduces a supernatural element that’s too literal to be read as symbolic but too underdeveloped to serve as a unifying mythology. It ends up feeling like a distraction from the very real issues that the characters confront – an easy way to get the characters out of trouble (hey look, super powers!) without serving any broader thematic purpose. In the end, the show is solid, but I wish its dramatic revelations were as engaging as its revolutionary ideas.
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This review may contain spoilers
If I could I would have given this drama 100.First of all I want to notice the period of time when this drama was aired. Yes, it was during that controversy with South Korean president we all heard. All the stars going to election and posting photo-proofs, that they went there. The time, when the whole nation stood to remove the old president and choose a new one. This perfectly correlated with this dramas story! That is one of the reasons it was so loved in Korea. Actually the ending also shows that. All the lines in the ending scene are all related to the president issue, as it was aired right after elections. I will not give spoilers, so find out what was told at the end of this drama, after watching it till the end :P
So why did I give such scores?
1. Music (OST) - 10
This drama in my opinion has one of the best ost’s I have ever heard. Especially among historical dramas. My favorite has been Six Flying Dragons (for everything), the songs Muiiya, and song of a blue mountain were the best! Here, the whole ost compliments the drama very well, and the lyrics suit the situations. Moreover all of them have this traditional Korean feeling, using the language one usually hears in sageuks. The music was phenomenal in this drama. I’m gonna download it as soon as possible. I want to give this drama The Best OST Award! The epic-ness of the music just can’t be described in words. In totally gave me SFD feels. It is also a nice delight to listen to k-pop star participant Ahn Ye Eun's songs!
2. Acting/Cast/ Characters - 10
To be honest I was both worried and excited that Yoon Kyun Sang will be playing this role. Worried, because, as Moo Hyul in SFD he was amazing, and this role was quite similar to it. Excited, because this would have been his first leading role, and I really wanted a Hong Gil Dong drama. However he was PERFECT for this role. His height and big built, sometimes stupid expressions made me think that this is Hong Gil Dong. Every time there was a scene were we could see many characters it was so funny to see the height difference.
The whole cast did an amazing job, so I want to address some of the characters.
Women:
Yes, women in this drama where fantastic. Honestly I totally hate those whiny woman characters that only cry during the whole drama, wait for their lovers and, more importantly, get in the way!! However this drama was filled with strong-willed women who knew what they want. An ambitious Guiseng who was an artist, an all smiley, talkative strong girl. Gil Dong ‘s mother was also great. These kind of women I also saw in Shine or Go Crazy, they were really smart there. I also want to give a separate credit to extra women in the town. While men were scared to act, women offered their help first!
Villains:
Extra credit for villains, because they did an amazing job portraying them. I loved how the writer showed us the villains from different perspectives. Here I would like to say that the king was the most complex of them all. Historically this king is knows as the most brutal and tyrannical king of Jeoseon. This drama also portraits his inner conflicts. We get to see how he started, how he was like an angry child, but then the drama shows us that all of his traumas, all of his thoughts in the end can’t justify his cruelty.
Hong clan:
Yup! Hong clan was amazing. The 7 generals did great portraying memorable characters, cute thugs that later became heroes. But not only the main people of the Hong clan were great. Extra characters that joined along the way, all the people that got help from them, they all did an amazing job.
Main Characters:
As I said Hong Gil Dong was played perfectly and character development was no joke. However we need to give credit to other main characters than the lead boy. I already wrote about villains, ladies, Hong clan. But I cannot leave out our hero’s father - Amogae! Kim San Joong this year received Daesang ( the biggest/highest award) during the award ceremony for portraying Amogae. I think he also needs to receive the Father Of The Year award. As the drama says, we cannot start the story of Hong Gil Dong without telling his father’s story first. I liked his story so much that it was even difficult to let go of the young versions of all the characters. Even the stars chose as their best scene the scene with Amogae. The scene were even during the reading the whole cast and stuff was moved. Amogae’s way of talking was also so melodic that it was another reason to like him. I loved how Gil Dong later also sometimes talks like him. Slave Amogae was a big pillar in this drama. The other main characters are older brother and sister of Gil Dong who also did a great job. And of course Mori xD haha. After this drama he landed a lead role in School 2017 and later in Laughter in Waikiki. Why? Because he was such a memorable character in this drama that remained in the memories of viewers. Good job.
An amazing character development can also keep one captivated. All the characters changed over time.
3. Story - 10
This writer received the best script award this year. I think this already tells a lot. The interesting part was that it seems she combined two Korean Folk stories that synchronized very well with each other. The story of Hong Gil Dong bandit and thief that helped poor and scolded rich in the 15th century. The equivalent of English Robin Hood. A nice surprise was another Korean folk tale, this time not so based on a real hero but still, appears in old books. Legend of the Mighty Child. Born into a lowly family, such as slaves, a child with wings under his arms, that possesses a mighty strength. In the legend every time a mighty child was born his parents killed him, or made authorities kill him. People say that the wings symbolize Heaven, which in Joeseon was considered something to do with the King ( a son of heaven). However here, it symbolized that the child, born to a slave was actually sent by heaven and do its will. This was unacceptable in Jeoseon, so it is told that, the parents and authorities symbolize the people afraid of changes, afraid of the rebel. However the child is born again and again, even if the stories end tragically, people said that, the legend shows that the child is immortal. And that the desire of a hero, a savior is always there. The writer of this drama, who studied Korean history, combined this two legends into one. Therefore this story depicts the life of a mighty child who has actually survived. Born into a slave family, raisen higher than anyone else.
So the nice thing is that, this drama breaks the historical drama cliches about secret of birth. :D
The other part I love about story is that it tells us about equality. This kind of thoughts were pretty rare in old Jeoseon and Hong Gil Dong had them! He totally expressed that thought in the same way I was always thinking, haha.
Well the story had some great messages in it too. Very interesting and nice quotes, so listening to the is another part of the story that is very cool.
Many tell that this drama is slow at first and starts to roll after about 18th episode. Well in some cases that might be true. The main fight starts in the second half of the drama. However!! I didn’t think of the first half as slow. It was very well written, so many things happened, and it kept you on the edge the whole time. So don’t be afraid if people say it’s slow, as I was. The well written plot keeps you going and going.
The ending was the most perfect ending I have ever seen. Lol and I have seen a lot. Well I’ll correct myself. This was the most perfect ending for me. Because I personally like this kind of endings and they are rare. Especially in historicals. As I said in the beginning it also addresses issue with the president which has even bigger impact.
The story also doesn’t give us any loose ends. However! This part was a tiny bit disappointing because there were actually two little loose ends (that I can explain by my own imagination) but still I would have liked if the drama showed us a little about tiger and the uncle. But! This does not lower the rating of 10, because as I said those two little things can actually be explained by our own imagination.
Romance:
For those who look for romance. There is actually romance here! It shows such a deep, cute, sweet love between leads that I totally loved!!
4. The title - 10
I want to give a credit for the title. Rebel, thief who stole the people!!! Just how epic does it sound!! Amazing! I also love that in the drama they actually use this too!!
5. Rewatch value - 9
This one is low because i don’t usually like re-watching dramas. Actually I don’t rewatch them at all. So this score is pretty high, because the drama didn’t have any annoying and boring parts that I wanted to skip.
Overall I really recommend this drama. If you have liked SFD you will differently like this one! And visa versa.
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I love all the leading roles & supporting roles. They have shown an amazing talent.
What I love the most was the relationship between the Hongs family. I would love to have that kind of relationship; how they take care of each other & being a loyal brothers-sisters. A wonderful drama thus I gave a perfect 10.
If you kinda hesitate to watch this. Please DON'T! you would love it. Highly recommended.
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I´m not kidding, it´s amazing.
The plot, the characters, the actors... it´s all incredible. I can't find anything to complain about.
I cried, I laughed and really enjoyed every minute of it.
The history behind the plot is also very rich, and I recommend you to look into it before and after you watch this drama.
Anyway, don´t miss it... the first 7 episodes can be a little slow (even though I like it a lot, is considered as kinde of a prelude), but don´t let this discourage you!
You will find romance, adventure, friendship, mistery, war and an amazing journey.
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Rebel is a story about taking the reins of life itself. It begins in an intense way, and shows how a slave tries to break free in order to protect his family. But unfortunately, some things go wrong and the family falls into cycles of suffering. One revenge leads to another, and tragedies continue to happen. Fortunately, this does not leave a difficult story to watch. It is light on many times, intense on others, and all the time we see ourselves being captivated by the characters.
--- Action
The action scenes are very well done, even to almost have supernatural elements. The cinematography is beautiful, but despite that sometimes have such beautiful scenes that disclose the rest of the style of the drama. But that does not count as a negative point at all.
--- Performance
PERFECT. Nothing to complain about the actors. They all played the roles brilliantly. However, I detest the Gil Dong child. But it's just my opinion and how it did not last long, irrelevsi it and I followed the show.
Yoon Gyun Sang demonstrates all his acting power as Gil Dong. He is so innocent and strong at the same time. Your character emanates a warmth and dignified maturity. And because he's so tall and big (the broadest shoulders I've ever seen in my life) he looks like a big bear brother or like I said to my brother, a wardrobe haha. Yoon Gyu Sang seems to have been born for this role (as well as Mo Hyul in Six Flying Dragons.) He simply COMBINES a warrior who fights for a cause! And especially now as Gil Dong, he had a chance to show off a man's strength! Ahaha
I do not consider Ga Ryung as the protagonist. Unlike other fans, I think she existed there just to be Gil Dong's romantic couple. She was not annoying, she was a good character. A strong woman for her time as well as a good wife and cause partner. But that's all. Whether she was there or not, had no strong influence on the plot. But the Importance of it is not for the story, it is for our hero, Gil Dong. If it had not been for Ga Ryung, he probably would have had a solitary existence. His love for her is remarkable. It is perceptible that it is she who allows him to live as a human being as well as a fighter. And that's what makes the novel beautiful. A firm, supportive, strong-willed woman. She also fights her own war later, on the scene with the King. Honestly, a woman strong in many ways and who matured very cruelly.
It simply hurt in me to hear her call for her husband, and Gil Dong call for her. The way the name "Ga Ryung" came from Gil Dong's mouth, seriously, it caused me tears! And how she screamed for "Husband" ... A lot of chemistry! And a beautiful novel! It seemed like everything was going to fall apart!
The king is a character full of conflicts. He has a distorted moral sense and believes that he does the right thing all the time. Unlike the other fans, I did not find him such a brilliant character.
The female light of this show was Lee Honey as Nook So. What was that, gentlemen? What bright woman is that? What a formidable character is this? She definitely shone. Rebel would not be the same without this actress. All that she lived, being an imperfect woman, and also ahead of her time; being a Gisaeng and an "artist," she conquered the power in the only way she could get, and did not regret it to an end. A mature woman, full, feminine, strong, and full of defects. This was Nook So. The villain who was never a real villain. Palms for her! She, unlike Ga Ryung, did not need a man to make her shine any more. Nook So shone so bright that it made the men who were by his side still stronger. This is the presence that the character played by Lee Honey had.
Nook So and Gil Dong were the ones who brought this drama to its zenith. It is interesting to see the form that links with the other.
This was a memorable drama. Although I have the feeling that they have not taken advantage of all the premises they put into the plot, I have nothing to complain about. All very good.
One of the best epic soundtracks, side by side with The Princess Man and Six Flying Dragons. I can not stop listening to the Music and to be touched by remembering excerpts from this drama.
Yoo Gyun Sang, you're an incredible actor and born for epics!
I will rewatch soon !
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I think those who rate it 8 and above, is due to their lack of experience in Historical dramas, or they didn't watch enough of Historical drama to compare to, I watched 50 + History drama and movies, so I can say that compare to the rest its an above average drama.
1. The polish : unfortunately a lot of unrealistic cut out scenes that doesn't make sense, a lot of loopholes and naive errors in direction that prevented then drama to be an epic one.
2. The acting :The cast is a sprawling one, as befits the scale of the story, and from the principal characters to the secondary characters, to even the small, incidental characters, every single one is well-acted with his/her unique character, character development and plot twists adds a lot to the story and each character. which is one of few strong points of this drama that make u keep watching engaged laugh and cry in a lot of scenes.
3. The Romance : Average childish immature romance, Average chemistry between the two main leads, with some cute scenes.
4. Story : the weakest point in the drama , very childish not creative enough and lacks a lot of important factors of history drama, comparing it to other Gil Dong stories or rebel themed history drama, its the weakest of them.
5. The villains : with their acting forced to hate them more and more with every passing episode.. they did great job.
6. cinematography and direction : below average.
7.Music : strongest point in the drama, played at right times, memorable and keep playing in your mind
good history drama to pass time nothing more .
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While the themes and performances are engaging, the actual execution and plot progression are lacking. It felt like there was an intended story arc from Point A to Point C, and key points to be made along the way. But they forgot they had to get to Point B, too. The result is, effectively, a long series of build ups interspersed with "info dumps" of specific scenarios and character insights that sometimes give the drama a very scripted or manufactured feel. The awkward pacing and tone made it difficult to get emotionally invested in and enjoy the show.
Rebel is definitely worth a look, especially for a saguek lover; but for me, it was a miss.
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Yoon Gyun Sang is really good as the Gil Dong. He is believable as the Mighty Child with superhuman strength that evolves into a rebel, but is equally believable when his character is beaten down and vulnerable. Kim Sang Joong is commanding as Amogae - Gil Dong's father- who lived most his life as a slave but realizes his strength and spirit. Watching him at times gave me goosebumps. I particularly loved the father-son relationship between him and both the adult Gil Dong and the young Gil Dong.
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Often there is also a very specific atmosphere surrounding sageuks and other period shows. For me they tend to much more about heroism than modern shows, which I enjoy. But I felt like Rebel did manage to do much more than that.
The drama talks a lot about the ideology of the Joseon era, about these different social classes and some have even pointed out that it was critiquing some things that are happening in politics today. But while I did appreciate and enjoy that, that wasn’t really what I took, liked the most about the drama. I was more intrigued by these character-journeys that the drama took us on.
I really enjoyed how almost all of these characters got to be very layered individuals. They were not just the hero, or just the evil gisaeng, or the old lady that is just there to cause the hero some trouble. They got to be more than that. And Hong Gil Dong didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be the hero of the people.
Sure, a lot of the side-characters didn’t go through much personal development and kinda just went with the flow of the story, but all of the main characters, who the story revolves around, get to have some say in the story and have some meat on their bones.
Even the women, which usually get the short end of the stick in these shows, got to be ambitions and not always nice, but the drama did a very good job in explaining why they were doing the things that they did. As well as what had led to that. And they weren’t just good or just evil.
Having the bad guys in these shows sort off simple really works, sometimes. Like in Marvel movies, where the story really isn’t about them. But that wasn’t the case with Rebel. Like I mentioned before; these people have ambitions and flaws, and all sorts of things, and I feel like the shows does a good job explaining that and not really shame them for it.
Some of the characters show up and you think that they are rather nice, but then it turns out that they aren’t as nice as they seem. I really liked that in Six Flying Dragons, and I really liked that here.
Since Rebel is a very character-driven story, it can get a bit slow at times. Since the characters are moving the story along, appose to the story moving the characters along.
The first part of the story is more about Hong Gil Dong’s father and it setting up a lot of things. He was a very interesting, gray-like, character. And when the narrative shifts to the main hero, Hong Gil Dong, the show changed a bit. It became a little slow at first, before picking up the pace again.
I would say that the middle part of the drama was probably the weakest part of the show, for me. I felt like it was a bit too slow. It lost me a bit, or I wasn’t as invested as I was at the beginning. But around ep. 20 (I want to say) the story really hooked me again.
And looking back, I can appreciate the slow-build of the middle a lot more. There was a lot of great buildup going on there that just exploded in the most exciting way toward the end. It constantly kept me on my toes. It was great.
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Story: The flow of this drama is just perfectly right. Not slow-paced not fast-paced. It's enough to make you sympathize with the characters root for them, understand them, hate them, love them. It allows you to feel all these spectrum of emotions: sad, laugh, getting angry, excited, smile, tear up, cry, make your heart tighten and all with the right speed.
Acting: I will mention a few actors here but almost everyone delivered and made their character feel alive. Yoon Gyun Sang our protagonist, knew him from playing the older brother in pinocchio, I'm happy he got this role he did amazing! I must admit his height made some of the fighting scenes seem a bit awkward : he really seems like a big bear compare to everyone else xD But at the same time I think his height fitted his role perfectly. Kim Ji Suk aka the king, oh man you could just tell from his eyes if he felt disgusted, twisted, betrayed, satisfied and his voice was such a king's voice; deep and trembling. I recognized that he played a funny comical character in 'Another miss oh' after a few episodes that's how good his transforming was. Kim Sang Joong our hero's dad: if you've ever watched a drama casting this actor it's hard to forget his presence or character. He's captivating and roots in your soul in everything that he does simply breathtaking acting abilities. Chae Soo Bin our female protagonist, she was good, her character wasn't that special at the beginning but she made me like her and not find her annoying (I usually find female leads annoying they cry and whine a lot, I'm happy she had a strong vibe and wasn't a weakling). A small mention to the bad old lady, a character whom I despised the moment she appeared on screen. I wanted to get inside my monitor and kill, she made me hate her so much I cant even begin to describe, good job there xD
OST: Havent heard such music before. It felt like traditional korean songs travelling from a thousand years ago. And that's how it should be right? A historical drama needs historical music not sounds that feel out of the ordinary or their surroundings. Meaningful music, it was like this show was created for this music and not the other way around.
This show is not a masterpiece, which drama is? But has a solid story with great actors that will draw you in. Give it a chance^^
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