Almael

Type: history

Genre: pseudo historic drama

Year: 2015-Jan-19 to 2015-Apr-07

Summary:

While pursuing assassins, (beggar) Wang So is kidnapped by Yang Shin Yool. She’s in danger of having to marry an old Chinese general and plans to fake a marriage with So. It’s a one-night marriage with both hiding their face (lady’s honor) or identity (man’s honor).

They go separate ways, afterwards, and return to their recently founded country of Goryeo (seed state for Korea). Upon returning, So is forced to marry princess Yeo Won. Five years later they meet each other again as the country’s power struggle unfold.

Unbeknown (various reasons) to them their unsanctioned “marriage” is in danger of being discovered. The breach of Royal marriage command is punishable by death! But worse of all Jool is fatally sick since birth.

Critique:

As Korea doesn’t have mush of noteworthy history or many good stories most history shows are more madeup/fictional than based on real fact. No wonder considering it having its first unification not so long ago (a long with Japan) at least in asian terms. I started watching the show with lots of preconceptions and didn’t plan to watch beyond the first episode, though.

This show is frankly no exception but so far it’s the one with the most real facts even if only counted on one hand. The show is about the unification nation and its reformation King Gwang Jong (949 AD…) and his rise to power. That said it has less focus on the struggle like “Legend” and slightly more about growing up as a prince, facing reality and romance. Both do show different paths…they are equal in covering all types of paths.

Frankly, the show is fictional as many others. Its plot and stories are composed of well known concepts and ideas. I still like Legend more for its myths/legends, fantasy parts and strategies.

Unlike Legend the show is very modernized, too. For example, the dates or the rings of marriage. The public visible sign of a wife is her hair pin. This also applies to Japan btw. Too bad, the related scene was made too unnoticeable while focusing on other matters. On the other hand the reverse scene was done a lot nicer.

The show’s cast is average with some good actors. Jang Hyuk plays the cursed, and banished beggar prince Wang So quite well. However, his idiot’s appearance & acting can be annoying. Don’t misunderstand, his character is not that of a perfect prince but rather a combination of Forest Gump and Irresponsible Captain Tyler. He’s only smart when it’s convenient. Him trying to sell his body was fun as well as his shacken emotional troubles over male Jool (reminds a lot of Hana Kimi).

Oh Yeon Seo plays Yang Shin Yool, the quinta-lingual (old indish, latin, chinese, arabic, korean) merchant, the last & lost princess Shin Jool of the now fallen Balhae. This portrayal may look exagerated but not so uncommon historically at least for some people. Yet, she wears clothing from only 4 countries/people. I guess roman wasn’t refined enough or too plain to be considered but if you are looking for old dressing variety this show is it. But for some reason they reused Jeo Won’s wedding dress for Jool’s marriage with Wang Wook…especially she shouldn’t be allowed to wear the royal emblem. Her acting is good but far from the main actress(es) in Legend who played more than one character types, too. Like modern korean TV women her drinking is extreme…for many useful scenes.

Lee Ha Nui as princess Hwang Bo Yeo Won was more interesting and impressive yet she didn’t get as much screen time and love. It may not seem so but imho it’s much more of an imbalance than Legend. And despite appearances, this is not a triangle relationship, at least not this one. This poor woman has to go through the embarrassment of being the 2nd wife, other hardships to survive, and despite sacrificing everything for her family she fails. And then there’s her forbidden love.

But all these allowed perhaps more actors to show subtile expressions then in Legend where only a handful got the opportunities. Something imho hard to find in western shows/movies etc. The colors chosen aren’t random and obviously applied for various fields of meanings.

And for some reason, Yeo Won’s star mark is never shown or even mentioned, yet, her destiny is accepted as a fact.

Overall the show lives on the romance(s) of So and Jool and the typical court intrigues stories.

You might be confused by the princes from the different clans, yet being the sons of the same King. They just belong to their maternal side’s or relative’s clan.

In asia the importance of the paternal or maternal side can depend on each family’s status but generally they are equal. Hence, it’s equally common for the maternal family to be important. For example, in Japan men may take on their wife’s family name. Or in Vietnam, both keep their original names. It’s only in (sexistic) western/oriental cultures that woman give up their names (or have less/no rights). It’s also very common for the (elderly) women to have power over everything other than direct “command” power.

Sometimes, I feel it’s a bit dragging on the self pitying scenes. The show definitely appeals more to the romance leaning audience. The show has average decent actions and virtually no war scenes like Legend. No war at all to be precise.

There are more intricate dog & cat fights yet is less …dedicated and cruel than Legend. Jool was completely crushed too quick and after only one fight. In the end, imho, Yeo Won suffered the most. In Legend they all die several times over for real.

The show deals a lot with economic issues similar to later european middle age economy. And most money used being silver not gold. Silver was what brought the house of Hapsburg to power all over Europe until someone else found a larger mine…

It’s a bit more complicated but still not as cruel as Legend, maybe. It seems rather tuned down, yet, it’s not good for the faint hearted. This show doesn’t spill a lot of blood but lots of tears. In contrast, Legend was full of intense conflict & fighting and spilled most blood during the birth of the first child & little sister. That was shocking. Se Won, the best fighter & Jool’s lost brother, was wasted for nothing…just to spare from burdening her with his sins.

The final showdown was kind of unreal, hence, disappointing. Or simply said nothing happened. Although, the main villain claimed to have done it for sake of the country, too, this reason was given as reclaiming deserved respect. But mostly it was about ruling in the background. There’s some mentioning about the Khitan but without any further detail.

The show left out the stories about King Hyejong, Yeo Won’s half-brother. This is a source for confusion as it’s only mentioned once, even though it’s obvious. As well as the deadly fights forced onto the 34 princes & princesses … obviously after So’s banishment. The traitor’s right hand men are never given even tough their assassination was supposedly the cause of it all.

In the end, the intro scene is shown again. It’s about 20+ years later and, obviously, Jool is no more. The final scene is a dream, fiction or “perfect ending”. Or everything was fiction to begin with. 😆 It’s about 5-10 years later, Jool has returned and is united with So. In reality, Jool never existed and the reforms took 17 years to be put into law.

This show…it will be one of only two or three korean “feudal/sword” show I will ever recommend, probably. On a side note Legend-Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi takes place 500 years earlier. Goryeo being Goguryeo’s self-claimed successor state in name and Balhae, a direct child state of Goguryeo. Pyongyang was Goguryeo’s later capital, hence, the reason for trying to move back. Like Goguryeo, Goryeo lasted slightly over 500 years instead of the 1000 years wish. There are no other historic relationship between the two shows.

Verdict: 8.3

Cast: 9

Cast performance: 8

Script/Directing: 8