Visually stunning with a truly poetic story. Insights into the early 16th century art included

"Saimdang, Memoir of Colors" is an excellent KDrama with historically impressive dimensions. The focus here is on the legendary artist Shin Saimdang, whose head is also depicted on the 50,000 won note today. The KDrama pays tribute to the great artist and also pays tribute to her roles as a devoted mother and virtuous, yet uncompromisingly progressive woman. The focus is on a time and space transcending, tragic love story - fictitious... or at least not historically documented. (But why should´t it have happened in this way or another? ... :-)


----------------- SIDE NOTE --- Shin Saimdang (1504 -1551) ---
... was a painter, calligrapher and poet who was valued in her time and far beyond. Since her father had no son, he gave her (rather unorthodox for a girl) an education and training in literature, poetry, calligraphy, embroidery and painting. Her works as a painter are characterized by their particularly sensitive view of nature and its subtle, sensitive representation. Today only about 40 paintings in Indian ink and mineral colors can be directly assigned to Saimdang. However, it is suspected that many more works of art have survived, although they are not clearly signed as her works. Shin Saimdang has also gone down in history as the ideal of the good mother. She had five sons and three daughters, some of whom also inherited their mother's talent. One of her sons is the even more famous Neo-Confucian scholar and politician Yul-gok Yi I.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In addition, as far as the perspective of traditional art is concerned, the special focus of this KDrama is the nature of the world of animals, plants and mountains. Actually, it could be mentioned here, that South Korea is characterized by several mountains and 21 national parks on more than two thirds of the country's surface. This KDrama aesthetically focuses on the spiritually legendary mountain region around the Geumgangsand - The Diamond Mountain. It probably got its name in connection with the Diamond Sutra of Buddhism. It was a center of Korean Buddhism, traces of which can be dated back to the 1st century. At the beginning of the 20th century there were still more than 40 active monasteries in the region. In any case, the mountain world plays in several respects an important role in this gripping historical drama.

Special dynamics arise through the play with intertwining time and space. There are two plots. One is set in 2017, the other in the early 16th century during the Joseon era. One follows a young art historian writing her PhD thesis on artist An Gyeon's work 'Geumgangsando'. The other follows historical Shin Saimdang through the first 3-4 decades of her passionate yet virtuous life. Parallel to the art historian's research and struggle with it, that is at the same time enhanced and endangered by Saimdang´s diary, insights on the artist´s eventful life are revealed. Both storylines are quite exciting in their own way. Particularly charming: people from Saimdang's time-line seem to have reincarnated in Seoul in 2016 and are once more somehow connected to each other... Surprisingly, the fulcrum where the timelines converge is Tuscany in Italy.

This extraordinary and visually stunning KDrama offers a truly poetic, heart-rending story, added with interesting insights into the special aesthetics and sensitivity of contemporary Korean art of the early 16th century, as well as the paper production craftmanship of that time. It is rounded by an atmospheric soundtrack and, last but not least, actors who are as if absorbed in their roles. At last, there is plenty of makjang, too.

Taking everything into account, the story is effortlessly captivating over 28 episodes.
At the end I was left in bewilderment, yet to some extend somehow surprisingly satisfied, too.

Citeste mai mult

Fight for human rights. A story written with the blood of latest Joseon history. Highly valuable.

Definitely worthwile! "Nokdu Flower" offers a historically remarkable epic with a strong performance. The KDrama excels sort of. It almost seems as if the entire team was all too aware of the ambitious challenge to adequately capturing this short but crucial sequence of Korean history.

In the second half of the 19th century, exploitation, famine, a corrupt, incompetent government and weak kings had eroded almost all belief in the existing system, in aristocracy and administration. Then there was the opening of the country to world politics and trades, for which the corrupt Joseon also proved to be profitable. In this historical KDrama it's not so much about the political intrigues around the palace, but about the landowners, administrative offices and Yangban in the provinces as well as the rebellion of the desperate rural people, who simply can't take it anymore.

The struggle for democracy in Korean history, like elsewhere in the world, has been quite bloody. That was last in May 1980 in Gwangju, when the democratic aspirations of the people were brutally crushed by the military. This was so during the student independence movement in 1929 in the fight against Japanese oppression. And that happened in connection with the Donghak movement, too, which had caused quite a stir throughout the country between 1860 and 1894. "Nokdu Flower" is deliberately very close to the front lines of those uprisings for democratic reforms, which then had been for the first time organized on this scale. This forms the perfect background for dramatically intertwined relationship dynamics of two half-brothers, (whose father is one of the particularly exploitative provincial officials who bleed the people dry), as well as the daughter of a merchant, who is used to deal with anybody, even the Japanese, for high profit.

The road to democracy on the Korean Peninsula is definitely rocky. To this day, the reactionary forces are still strong. "Nokdu Flower", however, represents a powerful, unforgettable symbol for the spirited struggle for freedom. The Donghak movement is often seen as the first patriotic Korean movement, since it was also about counteracting the increasing e. g. Japanese influence. But more than a patriotic struggle, initially the Donghak movement was actually about an idea that is bigger than family of origin or nation: It's about ​​basic human rights. (An idea that, not too long before that, had also stirred up the European continent)

Matter follows spirit. And this spirit was shaken up in the rural population of Joseon by a new religious movement: Choe Je-u (1824–1864) created a new faith in 1860: Donghak, which roughly means "Eastern Wisdom". Drawing from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Shamanism, it sees the divine spirit at work in human beings - in ALL human beings, without distinguishing between class or gender. Additionally, it sees the world as moving in cycles - with a whole new world just waiting ahead.

Nevertheless, it is blood that paves the path to a new era. Eventually, the results of the first Donghak peasant rebellion included a treaty. The "Gabo Reform" recognized the new religion, and among other things, the lowest classes were freed, widows were granted the right to remarry, and penalties for corruption and abuse of office were introduced. Unfortunately, there followed a second peasant rebellion...

This is a story written with the blood of latest Joseon history, sort of.
Overall, a highly valuable production.







--------------- BY THE WAY... ----------------------

...the traditional Korean national dish BIBIMBAP is closely linked to Jeonju and to the Donghak uprising. The heart of the rebellion was in Jeolla province with Joenju being the provincial capital. Among farmers who did not have the time to prepare countless side dishes, it was common to simply mix whatever there was with rice and spices. This food proved its worth, especially when it came to feeding the rebels in their brave fight for new values ​​and a more just future.

... the TITLE TRACK is actually a popular folk song that goes straight back to the peasant uprising. "Nokdu Flower" actually means 'blossom of the mung beans', but here it refers to the nickname of Jeon Bong-jun, leader of the peasant rebellion.

"Bird, bird, blue bird,
bird, bird, blue bird,
Don't sit in the mung bean fields.
When the blossom falls
the farmer goes to cry.

Bird, bird, blue bird,
Jeonju Gobu Nokdu bird,
why don't you fly away
The pines and bamboos are green.
We thought it was summer
yet it's bitterly cold and snowy."

The blue bird refers to the Japanese - they shouldn´t have any business in Joseon and should go away. Joenju and Gobu are legendary places of the uprising. Nokdu refers to Jeon Bong-jun´s nickname and the riot. However, Nokdu, the mung bean, also refers to an important agricultural product and food. Falling blossoms indicate a bad harvest. The 'summer' stands for the first uprising, the 'cold winter' for the second. The song was probably born during the execution of the leader Jeon Bong-jun and has since become a nationwide folk song in several different versions.

Citeste mai mult

Sisterhood in a man´s world. Let yourself get both annoyed & inspired by politics behind the scenes

What a wonderful power show inside out politics. Yes, it's ugly and you might want to smash right into it. Often enough and plentifully. But it also has its heart in the right place. Repeatedly. Dealing with politics may make you doubt the meaning and purpose of democracy. But it doesn't get any better without those intrepid heroes willing to stand up for a better world. One may sometimes lose faith in something like a democratic gene in people. But one can always hope and fear. The game is only over when it is over. The election is not over until the votes have all been counted.

Stupendous women. On both sides of the front. And the men? Oh well. So and so. (And if many people complain about Lee Geung-young because of his scandal, he at least prefers to choose the role of the challenging guy, where one can wholeheartedly consider him disgusting...)

Well, I consider the sisterhood thing being the crucial message for me in this story. Yes, there are strong, competent women, who, against better female instincts, cling to old structures and customs - in the wake of the Jaebeol clan. Yet there are those competent, motivated, witty, loyal to higher ideals women, too, who are sharing those ideals with others and walking side by side. Even if tempted and seduced they still sense what is right and wrong and act on that when in doubt. Using and abusing (interchangeable lackeys) for personal gain vs. appreciation and recognition (of brothers and sisters) are very sensitively compared here as common HR strategies and management styles.

With 11 episodes (only), Netflix slips through the story fairly quickly - only the most necessary input about the protagonists are given. However, especially the actresses don't let the story rush past you. Kudos to (in this case in particular) the heart and soul of the Ahjummas and a storytelling that, while strikingly handling the political landscape for its stringency, nevertheless spreads the complex mixture of motives, hopes and fears in a well-sorted manner.

Does the end justify the means? This age-old question apparently never ages. "Queenmaker" makes you think, but also often leaves you terribly annoyed about the way things are. The KDrama makes you angry, demoralizes, and yet: at the same time it gives hope. Strong women, a strong story, an often enough an ugly world in which, however, once again each individual contributes to the fact that it could be one way or another...

Obviously I would recommend it - if you´re in the mood for something like that. And: obviously there are no Idols and no Love Story involved. People may die, but it is no crime story. It isn´t funny, either. Nevertheless, I would say, you should check it out and let yourself get both annoyed and inspired by politics behind the scenes.

Citeste mai mult

It is heavy opera. Nothing light-weight about it. And a rather outrageous (national) affront, too

"The Last Princess" is about Princess Deokhye, the youngest daughter of the 26th and last King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty. The (sad) story is told in haunting images.


----------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Historical context of Princess Deokhye ---
Under pressure from Japan, in 1907 the King had to abdicate in favor of prince Sunjong. Princess Deokhye herself wasn´t born at that time, but five years later, in 1912. The former king was then already 60-year-old. Being the daughter of his concubine, Deokhye initially received no official status as a princess. Yet she was very much loved by her father. However, the still young princess had to leave her parents and country at the age of 13 and grew up as a hostage in Japanese exile...
---------------------------------------


In taking on the princess´ story, the KMovie is simultaneously portraing a truly gloomy chapter in Korean history. Thus the movie itself makes you feel not only sad but even angry at times. One could say, the plot is about ´makjang´, written by history itself.

Although the historical facts are mixed up with a bit of poetic freedom, this (in my opinion) doesn't detract from the authentic circumstances of the Korean people being oppressed by the Japanese at that time. The producers of the KMovie have been accused of portraying the princess (despite her mental instability) in an overly sympathetic attitude towards the Resistance. Additionally her supposed engagement obviously was fictionally romanticized and falsified for the smoothness of the plot - on the other hand historiography doesn't know everything and why not fill the gaps with life by your own imagination und thus get a lively look&feel of almost forgotten times...

In any case, via the horrified eyes of the princess you will experience what colonialization might have felt like. There is plenty of heart and soul, as Son Ye-jin splendidly brings the tragedy of the princess back to life - with all her traumatization by the numerous personal blows of fate and forced by the historical circumstances of her time. Eventually, the movie brings this traumatic past vividly back to memory for those who experienced it themselves, and closer into the consciousness of today's society as well.

In short: It is heavy opera. Nothing light-weight about it. Nowhere. It is confronting the audience with a rather outrageous national affront. The movie want´s you to make a stand. And it actually succeeds in emotionally catching your compassion.

Citeste mai mult

Powerful plot. Solid & unique. Four-dimensional. An enrichment on the KDrama crime thriller market

A solid thriller, laid out across time and space. The fourth dimension has a hand in the investigation. There's a bit of magic involved too.

You can expect an suspenseful, opaque story with edgy characters - in particular a cheeky, blustering, stroppy anti-hero as male protagonist. As a writer he is ambitious but probably rather untalented. However, he is also someone who doesn't easily give in and doesn't like to be fooled. And there is this delicate, gifted, mysterious stranger crossing his path…

The criminal act and the perpetrator as such may seem rather familiar, sort of. But pretty much everything knitted around this crime is off the beaten track! With strong characters and powerful plot. An enrichment on the KDrama crime thriller market! With time and space becoming relative...

Citeste mai mult

In the first half, the KMovie is actually a one-man show. And that, I think, is the strongest part

"#Alive" is a variety on hip zombie stories. First things first: it doesn't have much new to offer in this respect - zombies as a plague that spreads fear and terror, a horde that you want to shake off or destroy, like disgusting, annoying vermin. Well, that's not why I would recommend this KMovie.

I also don't think that you have to overstrain the reference to the Covid pandemic and the sometimes grueling current lockdown experiences that come with it.

Even fans of the horror genre won't be really happy with "#Alive", because "horrifying" can surely be done even better.

So why am I mentioning the KMovie here? The script revolves around surviving in an almost hopeless situation. However, the focus is not mainly on the action, but rather on the quiet moments in which the protagonist is ruthlessly thrown back on himself. There he is alone with himself and his inability, facing his insufficient survival skills, his loneliness and hopelessness ... and finally the desire to leave this world.

Oh Joon-woo isn't a born hero - perhaps he was trying to be in the day-long, night-long computer games, with his joystick in hand. But then the Internet connection is gone, no water supply, no food, no one can be reached. The self-chosen isolation in his room with his virtual game world, which has shaped him to this day, is one thing. Real isolation with real threats and no virtual team is something completely different. It's about that juxtaposition and the painful process of waking up to a NOW that's so different from the gaming world. Ultimately, the impulse comes from outside, which helps him to venture out of his safe cocoon into the real and thus truely threatening world.

However, the movie isn´t anti-technology. On the contrary, in playful creativity technical gimmicks, old and new, give the story new impetus again and again.

In the first half, the KMovie is actually a one-man show. And that, I think, is the strongest part. It's never boring. Actor Yoo Ah-in once again uses the chance to show what he's made of. In this way, the viewers accompany him through his very personal Hall of Pain, and there he hardly omits any physical form of expression. For this he has meanwhile been awarded the Cine 21 Award for best actor. After almost half the distance he gets support from Park Shin-hye, who embodies a character who pursues a completely different survival strategy - namely, she has one, even if she also reaches her limits with it. As is well known, more than one person form a group and a group develops its own dynamics, which can do more than each individual on their own. Here too. Both of them grow together. Heroes are rarely born as such...

Citeste mai mult

With "My Secret, Terrius" the KDrama-World shows what it can do, too: simply entertain.

"Terius Behind Me" playfully and lightheartedly balances between RomCom and spy thriller. The series dates back to 2018, but in view of the global corona pandemic, it is probably more up-to-date than intended. That makes the spy story a bit very serious in retrospect. Otherwise, "My Secret, Terrius" is a bit funny - the investigations and relationship dynamics intertwine in capricious ways. It's a bit cute - with the two twins as well as a second "romance" in the subplot. A bit tart - the legendary star spy undercover as an inexperienced babysitter for two bright six-year-olds. Between the two main leads, it's actually a bit about romance, too. But there is also room for a bit of bromance - male friendships. And there is a little something in it for handbag freaks.

An exclusive highlight in "Terius Behind Me", however, is the Korean style neighborhood watch - the distinctive esprit of the mothers' association of the Kingsman neighborhood, that is characterized by notorious curiosity (by the way, a man is part of that, too). As the Kingsman Information System (KIS), they prove to be several times superior to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) - especially in terms of efficiency when it comes to their high-tech networking and highly motivated investigations.

In passing, you also gather some impressions of life in typical high-rise condominiums in Seoul´s new development areas, the over-committed mothers in such neighborhoods, and (in case I didn´t already mention it before)... handbags... :-)

With "My Secret, Terrius" the KDrama shows what it can do, too: simply entertain.
Enjoy.

Citeste mai mult

About a love that has somehow lost its suitability for everyday life over the years

“Between Him and Her” is an alternative to the tried and tested Cinderella love story, which usually ends with a supposedly “they lived together happily ever after”. Therefore, this story is about 7 years later...

The KDrama is rather down-to-earth. It is set within the world of young creatives of Seoul´s fashion scene and tells about a love that has somehow lost its suitability for everyday life over the years. A love that became a habit.

Eventually, a critical moment causes the barrel of internal, unnamed, silent, consuming dissatisfaction to overflow and thus gives necessary strength to actually question everything. However, questioning everything also means having to ask yourself the unpleasant questions. Unfortunately, the answers are not clearly “yes” or “no”. They´re lurking subtly, are not always logical, nor pragmatic or even negotiable. Sometimes it's a "Yes. But." Sometimes it's a "No. But." The problem is: whether it's "yes" or "no", both are true. Love is not always automatically suitable for a partnership... and even if so, this cannot be considered a given either. Nevertheless, that doesn't make such a love any less true or valuable.

For outsiders, on the other hand, the matter may seem more evident. As a audience, we might want to shake one or the other. But in the end the answer unfolds exclusively from within the very personal, complicated emotional world of him and her. Nobody else can have a say. And the KDrama conveys that quite vividly, rather authentic and painfully realistic, too.

Accordingly, the pacing as the two protagonists are taking stock of their emotional relationship, is rather cautious and introspective. Therefore, subplots are providing some invigorating comedy and a bit of drama on the outside, thus pleasantly topping off this little study on certain facets about love.

Citeste mai mult

Filming standard à la Hollywood meets melodramatic narrative, emotionally firmly rooted in SK soil

“The Moon” could have easily been titled “The Dark Side of the Moon”. At least we as audience learn quite something about it... But it's actually about much more. The KMovie is delivering action within the high-tech world of space travel. On top of that it is touching, thought-provoking and thus gnawing at fundamental, existential and political questions, too. We get a remarkably balanced production between ´international´ filming standards à la Hollywood and a melodramatic narrative with its emotional roots firmly planted in South Korean soil. So eventually, this lunar expedition is neither/nor, as this KMovie offers something in between. For hard-core fans of Hollywood blockbusters it might be offering too much melodrama. For the hard-core KMovie fan it might not be enough. Well, I simply enjoyed it as the lunar expedition as it is.

The focus is on the ambitious national program that South Korea has recently set up in terms of space research (you may check side note below). With its technological innovations, South Korea is starting to present itself as an increasingly self-confident G7 space power. That is where this story is coming from. And it is against this background that the particularly high level of filmmaking effort must be seen, by which the experience of space is brought almost hyper-real within the audience's grasp.

The special ambience is staged first-class thanks to the applied highly developed audiovisual filming technology and expertise. Seemingly, the production team has spared no effort or expense - with 3D rig camera recordings, premium HDR video technology, Dolby Cinema technology (for the first time in a KMovie), innovative spatial audio technology and sophisticated rendering processes for the finest color nuances. The demand was for high-end cinema quality. And it is surely impressive. Everything in this distant, highly technological, alien world, far way within the orbit of the moon, comes as close to the audience as it can get.

Despite the enormous spatial distance, dense emotional intensity is provided, even though the protagonists are located so far away from each other. This delicate emotional bridging, requiring high-end performance skills, has been the big challenge on the actors´ side. In addition to the proven, first-class veterans Sol Kyung-gu and Kim Hee-ae on the ground at the rather clinically clean setting with high-tech computers and screens of both Aerospace Centres Naro and NASA, especially Doh Kyung-soo (D.O.) offered magnificent top performance as an astronaut lost in space. Mainly those three create and maintain an impressively emotional density (in addition to the overall action).

The plot of "The Moon" revolves around South Korea´s international profile as capable space power, while the eyes of the world are set on their (fictive) second trial of a manned lunar mission. Whereas unfortunately it didn't work out the first time... It's also about politics and tons of money. And in the end, it's all about survival... or rather, whether a human's life in the face of groundbreaking missions for humankind is worth ignoring chains of command, nationalities and costs.

Breathless action on unusual terrain. Intense scenes in an isolated space capsule 380,000 km away from earth, surrounded by darkness and severe cold. Desperate helplessness. The struggle for the 'right' decision – what´s actually the measure of what is right? Maybe ultimately just what I can live with in the end?







----------------------------------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE: --- KSpace ---

Korean movie oder drama productions set in space have so far been few, and for good reason. The KMovie “The Moon” from 2023 as well as i.e. the KDramas “The Silent Sea” (from 2021) and “Ask the Stars” (planned for 2023) are, so to speak, a start. They reflect current (or better: hoped for further) developments regarding KSpace.

After rather unsuccessful endeavors at the beginning of the new millennium, South Korea as the 13th country to have its own space center by now, is increasingly well positioned in the KSpace segment. 2021 was marking the first attempt to launch their own test satellites into the orbit by their launch vehicle Nuri, which had been developed over the past ten years. Yet it failed. Nevertheless, in 2022 and 2023 it succeeded at last. Three more Nuri launch vehicles are already scheduled to be launched into orbit by 2027. According to the plans of the country and the Korea Aerospace Research Institut (KARI) at Naro space center, South Korean spacecraft will be collecting data on the moon in 2032 already. Additionally, the country has Mars scheduled for 2045.

Citeste mai mult

It´s comparably less makjang, but more morals – and Schubert's Serenade, again and again

"Summer Scent" is one of those early classical KDramas, marking the emergence of the South Korean TVdrama genre as an export hit with all its quality features. In the early 2000s the Hallyu, the Korean Wave started creating a stir, first in Asia and at last throughout the rest of the world.

Typically, the narration is so richly peppered with sometimes malicious, sometimes tragic twists - ´makjang´ at its best - that for some the emotionalism might be almost unbearable, if you are not ready open up for the deepest dramas of heart and soul. KDrama is in that context also a master of nasty, often enough quite malicious twists and turns. However, "Summer Scent" is comparably less makjang, but more morals. Nevertheless, with their decisions the protagonists truely can put a strain on your nerves. You should to be prepared to sympathy, suffering and compassion - even if you might struggle at times. This KDrama, too, with its twists and turns rocks the boat until the very end...

The plot juggles a heart transplant with the idea of cell memory. The whole story is poetically told, memorably filmed in front of a summery backdrop and played with a lot of heart. On top of that, the soundtrack eats its way mercilessly into the hearts of the audience: Schubert's Serenade, sometimes in German, sometimes in Korean, sometimes instrumental, but: the serenade again and again...

Citeste mai mult

A highlight in KDrama history in terms of the processing of women´s beauty-dilemma

Admittedly, "My Name is Kim Sam-soon" is comparatively old. Here you can experience Hyun Bin very young, almost boyish in his early 20s. Nevertheless, I consider this series to be a highlight in KDrama history in terms of the thematic processing of its content. Yes, there's a lot of nagging going on in Korean style. But the arguments and what is being carried out, it has it all.

It's about women's beauty ideals, especially about being slim. About last-minute panic among women over 30. About romantic ideals and the reality of relationships. About professionally successful women (and those who want to become or thus have big dreams) - not only the protagonist, but also her mother, her potential mother-in-law and the male protagonist's restaurant manager and ultimately also the male protagonist's ex.

The underlying question is whether a woman, who does not define herself by her slimness and beauty, has a chance of 'getting' a handsome, nice man. Is she even perceived as a woman? Taken seriously? From what else can a woman draw her self-esteem beyond 'beauty' to find her place in life - self-confident and happy. Is that even possible? Is attractiveness in the sense of the ideal of beauty a prerequisite for marriage, family and/or for success at work? And is all this the prerequisite for a happy life? Or maybe the question is completely wrong? Shouldn´t it not be a happy, healthy life at the beginning and then you see what else might be added to it? ...love and self-love - the thing with the chicken and the egg...

"My Name is Kim Sam-soon" tells the story about the female flaw without miraculous transformation. At the beginning (and at the end!) there is a self-confident young woman who is overweight (I would say ´normal´ (vs ´ideal´) weight, but obviously not by Korean standards). She has quirks and doubts, talents and visions, hopes and charm. She doesn't let the adverse winds in her life get her down. Her courage sometimes fails her, but she knows exactly what she wants and even better, what she doesn't want. Although her body dimensions do not meet the standards of the fashion industry - she is painfully aware of this, because that is what those around her tirelessly mirror - she does not question herself. As best as she can, she stands by herself and what she thinks is right.

Kim Sun-ah has won multiple awards for her portrayal of Kim Sam-soon. I have the greatest respect for her, because she lives her role to the fullest, just as if she were Sam-soon for real. In a world dominated by the eyes of men, she convincingly fights on behalf of several generations of women for gender-independent self-confidence, for quick-wittedness and for unconditional self love. She had put on quite a few kilos for this role in order to get away from the usual ideal of beauty. So she wins tons of hearts of women (from all over the world), for whom she carries out her inner and outer struggles on their behalf. In 2004, ratings at times reached almost 50 percent. ...The topicality of the subject has not diminished around 20 years later (one could say: "unfortunately").

The original title is: 'My name is Kim Sam-soon'. Internationally, the KDrama is marketed with the title "My Lovely Sam-soon". That's actually an insult (in my opinion). Didn't the 'decision makers' (they must have been men) actually see the series? Why do they focus the narrative perspective on the male protagonist and also emphasize his possessiveness with this possessive pronoun? And why do they only reduce Sam-soon to her appearance again? I do not get it. I assume that these ´decision makers´ probably didn´t understand anything. Even if it's possibly meant to be ironic, I consider that impossible... In any case, I choose the appropriate international title "My Name is Kim Sam-soon".

By the way, "Sam-soon" is an old-fashioned name for the third-born. It has a certain charm that this 'old-fashioned' birth name represents a bigger self-esteem problem for the female protagonist than her looks...

Citeste mai mult

Here it is spectacular not to be spectacular - yet touching and powerful in all simplicity

"The Spring Day of My Life" fulfills the Rom+/-Com concept in a very balanced mix. The humor is not exaggerated, but has an effective, calm charm with its sometimes true-to-life, sometimes intelligent wit. The equipment does NOT want to present the latest from the high-end in terms of fashion & beauty, and the styling is also reserved. Since the KDrama comes along more on the authentic side, the 'Melo' in 'Drama' is also moderate - it doesn't come across as intentionally pathetic, but it goes straight to the heart with all its consequences. This KDrama offers a love story that has a light-hearted side and is giving pleasure while it doesn't strain any fairytale happiness. Yet it rather chooses authentic dramaturgical paths for the development of the story. Optional use for the handkerchief included.

"The Spring Day of My Life" presents itself as a grounded love story about a single widower with two children and a young woman who, after a heart transplant, carries the heart of his deceased wife. The New Heart with Cell Memory theme is not new to KDrama Orbit. In my opinion, however, there is nothing wrong with picking up on it and telling it anew.

In short: the spectacular is nothing spectacular here, but rather the art of telling a touching love story in all simplicity, yet surprisingly vividly. The two leads marvelous performance makes it work, too. For many, they may not be so well known, but they effortlessly take the audience by the hand. This is Cho Soo-young's first lead role (as far as I know). Kam Woo-sung, on the other hand, has been on screen since the early 1990s - his series partner was still in diapers then... He's an unorthodox, pleasantly idiosyncratic figure on the hero/antihero front. His playing comes without perfected beauty, well-placed chocolate sides and enchanting smiles, but he primarily inspires with his presence, intensity and in places minimalistic efficiency. He always embodies his roles forcefully, authentically and to touch. He doesn't have to collect sympathy points, on the contrary - he likes to show his grumpy, nagging, nasty side.

Obviously the producers were quite generous with flashbacks, but other than that, I don't think there's much to complain. If you're not looking for overly superficial, yet not overly sophisticated entertainment - this KDrama offers comforting heart-ache-smile-and-sigh.

Citeste mai mult

Being a single mother in South Korea can be quite hopeless, that´s where this story is coming from

Yes, you should watch it.

As the title suggests, "Mother" deals with the archetypal theme of 'motherhood'. When is a mother a (good) mother? Once a mother = always a mother? Who can become a mother? Who has to be, no matter what? ... So far "Mother" isn't necessarily specific to Korea in terms of its story. (Actually the original is Japanese). But "Mother" is also (and most importantly) about the stigma of single mothers - and for South Korea that is outstandingly detrimental. From this point of view, this KDrama becomes immediately socially critical: if the position of the single mother in South Korea weren't so hopeless, then the whole story wouldn't have developed the emotional drive that it has.

In this context, "Mother" also confronts the viewers with two other socially sensitive issues in their manifold entanglements: child abuse and vigilantism. It is a dramatic fact around the world on the subject of child abuse that dealing with domestic violence is legally difficult. If you go the official route, you can only intervene when it is already too late. In the case of "Mother", essentially almost all mothers featured are to some extend criminals before the law (of one kind or another).

The hearty fare in terms of its sensitive content is, however, in a digestible way illuminated with all the proven stylistic devices of KDrama. The subject is dark and exhausting, but there is still room for light, color, joy and heartwarming in the presentation. Despite all the traumatization, the abused child is primarily a ray of hope (isn´t poetic freedom just wonderful!). It's no surprise that up-and-coming actress Heo Yool was named "Best New Actress" at the 2018 BaekSang Arts Awards... Her play ist simply amazing! (And not just hers...)

"Mother" aired on South Korean television during weekdays at 9:30 p.m. Regarding the scenes about child abuse, the age rating here has been set at 16, as opposed to the more usual 13 years. The KDrama "Mother" was released in 2018. It may it be simple coincidence or even correlation: the KDrama just happened to present a burning topic of society at the time: In 2019 there was a change in law, which means that at least abortion now is legally possible for all women in the first 14 weeks without punishment.


-------------------- Side note: --- Orphanage and Single Motherhood in South Korea ---

If you are unmarried and happen to get pregnant, in South Korea you will have a hard time, still today. Exclusion, hostility, mobbing, unemployment, pressure from all sides are not uncommon.
If you are the child of a single mother, trauma of some sort is almost certain - mobbing, devaluation, child abuse, orphanage and/or adoption, you name it.

Noticeably, the 'orphanage' often plays a role for one of the protagonists in KDrama. That's not because it's such a stirring story hook, but because it's a current influence in the lives of many children (and now adults) of South Korean descent. Since the 1950s, the number of officially and unofficially adopted South Korean children, mainly from abroad, is estimated at 150,000 to 200,000. Another global leading position for South Korea... At first there were many war-orphans among them, otherwise there were also children from poor families. But since the 1980s, the main causes have been that the mothers are single parents. Desperate women - for whatever reason single with a child - often have no choice (to give themselves and the child a promising chance in life) than to give the child away - thus giving them a new chance with the option of being adopted to a solid family sooner or later...

For the children in the orphanage, the parents are not necessarily dead. However, their mothers gave up their parenthood at the door for a good reason: because society with its traditional value system does not accept a concept beyond ´traditional´ family. Single parents are not welcome. However, since abortions were also undesirable - i.e. forbidden for ages, unmarried pregnant women always found themselves in great distress... It was only in 2019 that the ban on abortions - that had been in force up to that point - was declared unconstitutional, so that pregnant women are now at least up to the 14th week without specifying abortion without punishment, in the case of rape up to the 24th week.

--------------------

Citeste mai mult

Jang Kiyong unconvincing as creative, Paris-based, free-spirited, rebellious, footloose photographer

"Now, We are Breaking Up" tries to tell a love story in reverse (e.g. it has been there already). This would be an interesting project in itself, yet...

The plot is emotionally quite complex, the characters are in principle jucily interesting and ambivalent. If a KDrama can't take care of a multi-layered, complex mixture of feelings, then who can? Unfortunately, I have to say that (in my opinion) this project doesn't really work out so well with the casting.

Regarding her emotional intensity, Song Hye-kyeo is (as so often) a major factor for watching. As the heroine, here and there her reservedness, sobered by life, is perhaps a bit much. But in places this cracks open. It is this well dosed mixture and subtleness, that makes her role convincing - the experienced fashion designer in her late 30s has turned away from flirtation and rather concentrates on her work, into which she throws herself completely. Being the talented and experienced professional she is, hardly does she ever get upset by anything. ... until her encounter with the young photographer Yoon Jae-gook, that throws her (emotional) life (supposedly) upside down. Her reservedness so far operated as shelter and imprisonment at the same time. Circumstances don't really offer a chance to free herself from the corset of reason, which is protecting her deeply injured heart - never mind let herself fall and trust emotionally. This inner dynamic is not so nice to look at - or rather endure - for the viewers. But I don't think you can blame Song Hye-kyeo, as she handles this inner tension and the ambivalent moments of her complex role very well.

On the other hand (unfortunately) I don´t buy Jang Ki-yong in his role as a creative, Paris-based, free-spirited, a bit rebellious, footloose, and at the same time successful photographer. For me he behaves way too reserved, well adjusted, well-behaved - a sympathetic, dear, rich, successful boy. So unfortunately, HIS ambivalence doesn't convince me. Perhaps actor Jang Ki-yong lacks the life experience (on the rebellious side)? And since he can´t really fill this side with life, I am not convinced by the chemistry between the two leads. It doesn't get to me how the young man in his supposedly fiery manner, would be able to reignite on an EMOTIONAL level the fire of lust for life and joie de vivre (beyond work) that is still blazing somewhere deep down in Ha Yeong-eun... So the key to all further makjang doesn't really fit into the lock. Too bad. Thus the experiment of telling love in reverse didn't really work out that well.

The KDrama is not bad because of that (...though admittedly disappointing ...). On the pro side: There are freshening subplots, each with actors in good humour, who have actually won awards for their spirited performances. The setting in the creative industries is kind of charming, too. Finally, the Korean family values are (once again, but successfully as always) playing with fire on the drama front...

Citeste mai mult

A vividly told emotional story about the creation of Hangul and its impact. Absorbing. Gripping.

Of course, this historical drama is (as many others) full of intrigues, power struggles and revenge. But King Sejong, the 4th Joseon king, who is the historical subject of this KDrama, was indeed a bright shining star in the Joseon sky. So is this KDrama.

King Sejong created the Korean alphabet. Not just him alone. But this great achievement goes back to his driving force and his vision of a mature people. The story impressively tells of the bumpy road to Hangul. It also tells of how important it is as an identity-creating medium for self-confident citizens. Previously, Hanja - the canon of sheer countless characters of Chinese origin - was the country's binding writing. Not only that, but a whole range of Korean words are loanwords of Chinese origin - to this day. At the same time, this reflects the asymmetrical balance of power between the Korean dynasties and the Chinese dynasties. The use of the Han signs not only symbolizes the hierarchy among the peoples, but also within one's own people. Scribes and scholars were needed, who had the muse and time to learn these characters (more than 100,000 in total). Thus, they had the authority to interpret. It was hardly possible for ordinary people to learn. A scripture that connotes words and meanings in characters is based on a completely different concept than a scripture composed of a compact alphabet. Based on the phonetics of the Korean language, King Sejong developed an alphabet finally consisting of 14 symbols for consonants and 10 for vowels. The writing system to apply those in a way to form words and sentences can be learned comparatively quickly, even by ordinary people. What a progressive concept at the time! What a threat to the elite of scholars and noblemen!

The title "Deep Rooted Tree" refers to verses from the 'Songs of the Dragons That Fly to the Sky' - the Yongbieocheonga. This contemporary document about the Joseon Dynasty and its legacy was the first book that was ALSO written in the new Hangul writing system.

"Deep Rooted Tree" is (among many other truly exciting dramatic events throughout the story) about the impact of scripture for the people of Joseon - a story vividly told in an absorbing manner. A truly fantastic presentation. With gripping protagonists. Multidimensional. With high emotional impact.

The dramaturgical setting introduces the king (from the perspective of the male protagonist) as the bad guy. But the 24 episodes (analogous to the alphabet?) provide an impressive insight into the fascinating life´s work of that great king - embedded in the excitingly increasing momentum of the vendetta of a boy from humble origins who grows up to become an outstanding warrior and finally ends up as royal guard.

Citeste mai mult