Jumong (2006)

Too long

I’ve long admired Korean scriptwriters for their ability to weave intelligent and compelling stories and for a drama of this magnitude to have such minimal fillers is truly a feat. However, as much as I liked the story, it was let down by wooden acting from both lead actors, especially the female lead who, to me, had a limited range of expressions. She pursed her lips in all situations and I could never tell whether she was happy, sad or angry because her expressions were the same.

Another issue that dropped the ratings is the obvious low budget set and costume, in addition, the cinematography shows its age.

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Wow, I did it! I completed all 81 episodes. A daunting task initially but the time really flies by once you begin it. Now other sageuks lengths - 40-50 episode spans - will seem easier. And I suggest that people do the same. Apply it to family dramas as well. Jump right into the deep end if you have apprehensive thoughts about long dramas. It’ll make everything else seem easier. Of course, they will have to be great shows with fantastic, strong storytelling and characterization which Jumong excels at.

I’m not entirely sure when the episode count was extended but the pacing was quicker as a result. Being initially a 60 episode Sageuk, the typical first arc where they lay the foundation of our main character’s beginnings - which in this case was the story of Hae Mo-su (Heo Joon-ho) and his demise - is done in a shorter manner than an 81 episode Sageuk would’ve devoted to it. There were other examples of that shown throughout Jumong. There was something always happening throughout the episodes. There weren’t many “filler” episodes or ones that didn’t move the plot forward in a progressive way. That ultimately made the show more watchable and enjoyable.
The characters and character development is the strongest part of Jumong. There were plenty of rich, deep characters with plenty of history to work with and explore. Jumong is based slightly on the tales of myths and true reality but it blends it well together to portray a historically accurate show while retaining the mythos of some of the characters, such as the Jumong himself (Song Il-gook).

Let’s start with Jumong. The show first shows him as a bitter disappointment compared to his true Father. Jumong starts to harass a Palace Maid, Bu-young, who is very keen to get away from the situation - presenting himself as a bit of a creep. However, after going through several trials of self-discovery, including finding out his ancestry and meeting the right people to guide him along the way, he forms himself into being a true warrior, an almost deity-like figure who leads his people to constant victory. And because of the myth around him, he is presented with little weaknesses for most of the show. This may stun a few people because often vulnerability is the biggest cause for sympathy by viewers but they opt for the opposite instead. I enjoyed the fresh coat of storytelling, honestly. He had strong bonds with several characters including Hae Mo-su, So Seo-no (Han Hye-jin) and King Geum-wa (Jun Kwang-ryul). All of these relationships are very well developed and represent pivotal character moments for the Jumong character. However, there is one relationship that somewhat failed to be represented, and it’s the one with his first wife, Lady Ye So-ya (Song Ji-hyo). Their relationship was supposed to mirror the relationship between Lady Yuh-wa (Oh Yeon-soo) - their initial meeting was the exact same - but everything after seemed to be very hollow. The writing preferred to use it more as a purpose to keep Jumong and So Seo-no apart due to the historical factor and there wasn’t much else afterwards since they were rarely seen together afterwards. And this made the final arc of Jumong not as effective as a result. A stronger foundation would’ve made the conclusion that much more compelling. Not that I didn’t care or hated it. It was a clear inferior aspect of the show, to me.

On to the second big character arc, I wish to explore - King Geum-wa. The King went through very stages of himself. Introduced as a brave prince, friends with Hae Mo-su, then becoming a strong King that was wise before losing himself to hypocrisy, power and jealousy when he essentially showed his true feelings towards his step-child and his old friend’s cause. He was sympathetic and hateful. The story allowed me, as a viewer, to root for him to re-take power away from the Crown Prince Dae-so (Kim Seung-soo), while being frustrated at his downward spiral of emotions towards Jumong and his Mother. I didn’t expect the character progression to go the way it did but it was one of the most compelling stories of Jumong.

And it would be unfair of me to end this review without discussing the main antagonist, Dae-so. He is surprisingly nicer than history would suggest but his role as the unloved older brother made his actions predictable. He would challenge Jumong every step of the way, trying to kill him before he could pose a threat and then become obsessed with beating him in battle throughout. The development of Dae-so isn’t as complex as the first two, but the strong sense of emotion boils through. His turmoil with the power struggle against the King and flirting with becoming a tyrant before finally maturing into a more sensible, prideful King, as his Father had always wished for him to be, was a subtle development that may go under the viewer's eyes. However, I thought it was a good choice for the character.

One of the main themes of Jumong was the sense of going full circle and mirroring each other. I mentioned earlier in the review about one thing mirroring each other but the three prince relationship of Jumong, Dae-so and Young-po (Won Ki-joon) comes back again with the Princes of Goguryeo. Plus on a minor note, the friends of Prince Yuri reminded me of Oh-i (Yeo Ho-min), Ma-ri (Ahn Jeong-hoon) and Hyeop-bo (Im Dae-ho). Perhaps I’m just projecting but that was my first thought.

This is a long review for a long show and I’ve still not really covered the tragic tale of Lady Yuh-wa or the loveable yet detestable Young-po (and how even he grows and matures) and I only really covered the scale of the romance between Jumong and So Seo-no - which covers a lot of the first half of the show - as well as the other supporting characters that we are introduced to.

But that is Jumong. If you like sageuks with strong characters, a lot of battles and politics, that surprisingly wasn’t the usual drab that the sageuks that cover the Joseon era dramas, and a bit of romance. This does that. Fantastical elements are prevalent but not overwhelming as this is down to earth. The acting was key as was the writing. I find it hard to pick at its weaknesses. Watch it.

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عزیزم من اینجام

زهرااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااا

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This movie drew me into the South Korean world

This movie drew me into the South Korean world
It was my first Korean drama, since then I've been intrigued by the Korean people and their way of life, Korea is truly full of talents, I wish to learn the life and culture of the Koreans and hopefully I also hope to visit South Korea one day,
Jumong, Boys before flowers, bridal mask, personal taste, Hometown Cha Cha Cha, I'm not a robot, Emperor owner of the mask, Backstreet Rookie, I think I've lost count ☺️but my love for Korean Entertainment especially Drama and movies will never fade, keep it with love from Nigeria ???

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81 серия пролетели молниеносно. И не скажу, что прям шедевр, но сюжет развернулся так гармонично, что не дает ослабевать вниманию ни на миг. А ведь если посчитать, то начали разговор еще до зачатия главного героя и два раза перепрыгивали "прошло ...лет". И охватили, так сказать. Удачно еще и то, что для этого "предания старины глубокой" авторы выбрали сугубо реалистичный путь, оставив мистику - мифологическому наполнению верования того времени. Поэтому у нас тут политика и народ, пророчицы и цари - и всё очень похоже на человеческую суть, без всяких там небесных схождений и рождения из яйца (© по легенде о Чумоне).
Но сначала краткая историческая справка. Древний Чосон, борьба за возрождение которого и является главным стержнем этого сериала, считается одним из первых государств человеческой цивилизации. Поэтому не надо говорить, как корейцы гордятся этим. Цифры впечатляют - с 2333 году до н. э.- до своего падения в 108 году до н. э. Если вспомнить остальной мир то это время Династического периода - расцвета Древнего Египта, шумерского ренессанса и Вавилонского царства. Конечно, такую давность лет многие историки приписывают сугубо мифу, однако факт остается фактом - упоминание об этом государстве было уже в середине 1 тысячелетия в китайских хрониках. Период поменьше, но тоже впечатляет. Второй вопрос который вызывает спор - было ли это единой государство или просто союз племен - тоже пока никто точного ответа дать не может. В китаско-корейско-японской истории вообще много дискуссионных мест, разрешение которых к сожалению обусловлены политическими ветрами прошлых веков и настоящего времени. Но вернемся к Чосону.
Третий любопытный момент - это его расположение - если сравнить с современной картой, то в основном это земли южного Китая и Северной Кореи. Пуё располагалось вообще сейчас на чисто китайской территории, так что это тоже животрепещущая тема в современной корейской историографии.
В четвертых, 50-е- 40-е годы 1 века до н.э. (В Риме убили Цезаря и появилась Римская Империя), весь остльной мир переживает трудный процесс слияния племен в нации. И в сериале это краеугольный камень почти всех взаимоотношений героев. И их чаяния. И легенда о Древнем Чосоне тот костяк, которые трактуется как основа корейского народа. Так это и подано в сериале. Победил тот кто не прогнулся под Китай. Карта расцвета Когурё (правда уже через 300 лет после смерти Чумона )это и показывает. Больше никогда Корея так далеко не заходила в пределы Китая.
Ладно, слезаю со своего любимого конька и возвращаюсь к сериалу. В картине все ж сосредоточили внимание на эпичной задачей - собирания народа, поэтому батальная составляющая сделана хорошо, а вот драматическая и личная не совсем. Просто не до этого. К концу, правда, все ж додали о семейных ценностях. Довольно интересный образ главной героини - дочери купца, главе племени, а потом и императрицы. Она ковала свою судьбу собственными руками, и ее уход в конце с двумя сыновьями для создания своих империй, очень показателен в этом плане (© по легенде из Самгук саги)
Хорошо прописано противостояние Чумона и двух его "братьев" наследников Пуё. История о потерянном а потом вернувшимся через 15 лет сыне Чумона Ю Ри, тоже вписывается в дорамный штамп, но удивитесь, потому что такое тоже прописано в Самгук саги Жизнь круче кино
Присутствуют такие типичные сцены в сагыках - как молчание на пару минут и устремленный вдаль взгляд, проговаривание очевидных вещей, прятание отряда за парочкой чахлых кустиков, армии в количестве 30 человек и прочие радости сериального бюджета. Бывает.
Сон Иль Гук не герой моего романа, но когда отрастил усики и бородку прям ничего так, жалко мало раздевали

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