Hong Gil Dong – R

My apologies. I actually wrote this way before my self-imposed deadline, but wasn’t able to “round all the edges” so to speak. The reason being I really liked it at the beginning, but was kinda let down near the end when everything just kinda go crazy with the plot. Well, here it is.

Broadcasted in 2008
24 Episodes
Overall Rating: B

Main Cast:
Kang Ji Hwan – Hong Gil Dong
Sung Yu Ri – Heo Yi Nok / Ryu Yi Nok
Jang Geun Suk – Lee Chang Hwi
Kim Ri Na – Seo Eun Hye

This drama has a good start by giving each character an immediate identity. Gil Dong is a brute but honest person, Yi Nok is stupidly innocent, and so on. Viewers might also feel an immediate connnection to the main characters through their struggles, pains, and stories. Hong Gil Dong was able to grab my attention because it was actually very funny. Couple this with very natural acting from the likes of Kang Ji Hwan and the show gets even better. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. While Kang Ji Hwan acts very naturally as a rash but great hero, Jang Geun Suk portrayal of a determined king fails miserably. Everytime Jang Geun Suk is required to put on a “determined” face to show his desire to be king, he instead looks a little demented and pissed off. Otherwise, he looks fine looking sad/happy/basic emotions. Other things that bring down this show are the spontaneous storyline. The plot doesn’t seem to have any structure. Simply, it is loosely strung together by having different bad-guys show up and is beaten down. So it’s a show with both good and bad. However, it’s a big step (in my opinion) in popularizing ancient Korean series or sageuk.

The lovely pair, Gil Dong and Yi Nok, playing around.

As I mentioned before, most Asian countries produce and is continuing to produce drama about the ancient world. While modern drama shows are becoming more popular, there is still interest in the past. Korean ancient series is easily identified with the female character’s extravagent hanbok (the traditional Korean dress), and tall black hats for the male officials. Other traits include lots of talking, and very long close-up of a person’s head. Hong Gil Dong is the first sageuk series that I’ve seen to have a lot of action, character interaction, and finally…full body shots! Of course there’s a few close-up scenes, but it wasn’t as frevalent. The comedy of the series also add a special quirk to the show. Like most ancient shows, the story is based on a work of literature and/or a particular event of the past. This show is based on an ancient Korean story very much similiar to that of Robin Hood. Altogether, it’s a very good show with lots of things to laugh and learn about. Unfortunately, it is not a great show due to an irregular plot line which weakens the story.