After inspiring an anime series, hit TV dramas in Taiwan and Japan, and a blockbuster movie, Kamio Yoko’s immensely popular romance manga Hana Yori Dango comes to Korean television! KBS’s highly anticipated Boys Over Flowers spins the modern-day Cinderella tale of a poor, but spunky schoolgirl at an exclusive academy who attracts the interests of the four ultra-rich and ultra-handsome princes of the school known as F4. Ku Hye Sun from The Strongest Chil Woo and The King and I stars as the tough-cookie heroine of the drama. As for the male leads, meet Korea’s F4: breakout star Lee Min Ho from school dramas I Am Sam and Mackerel Run, idol heartthrob Kim Hyun Joong from boy band SS501, rising star Kim Bum (East of Eden), and Kim Jun of pop group T-max.
Five years after blockbuster drama Winter Sonata, Bae Yong Joon returns in the lavish historical fantasy The Legend (a.k.a. Four Gods). The Hallyu star portrays Korea’s legendary Gwanggaeto the Great, the 19th king of the Goguryeo Dynasty whose legacy of territorial expansion extended well beyond Manchuria. Created by the famous writer/director team behind 1995 blockbuster series Sandglass, this mythological historical fusion epic caused a major uproar in the media from the very start with its high-caliber cast that includes Moon So Ri (Oasis), Choi Min Soo (Sandglass), and Park Sang Won (Sandglass). The drama’s staggering $40 billion won production costs are rumored to have even exceeded the budget benchmark of sci-fi blockbuster D-War. After numerous postponements, The Legend finally exploded onto small screens nationwide on September 2007. With some critics and viewers placing the drama’s CG work in the same league as that of Hollywood film Lord of the Rings, The Legend boldly raised the bar of standards for Korean dramas. Bathed in mysterical splendor, the 24-episode series chronicles King Gwanggaeto’s entire life from his youth to his turmultous ascent to the throne and territorial conquests.
From the director of Strange Woman, Strange Man comes the family melodrama Likable or Not (a.k.a. I Hate You, But It’s Fine) starring a new generation of rising stars like Han Ji Hye (Sweet 18), Kim Ji Suk ( The Vineyard Man), and Cho Dong Hyuk (Mr. Goodbye). Like its predecessors, this daily drama has a firm foothold in the ratings chart. In 2005, Strange Woman, Strange Man came second only to the blockbuster drama Jumong in overall ratings, and Love in Heaven (a.k.a. Dear Heaven and Sky) dominated the national ratings for a number of weeks in early 2007. I Hate You, But It’s Fine has recently been enjoying the #1 spot in viewership, even beating out the two primetime heavyweights Four Gods and Dae Jo Young. Its mass appeal lies in the tried-and-true formula, presenting a warm family classic that revolves around everyday antics filled with lighthearted humor and occasional social messages to mix things up.
I’ve long looked for a worthy successor to the great Korean tv epic Dae Jang Geum and found it in Ju Mong.
The story starts around 50BC in the Korean peninsula dominated by a economically large and technologically advance China. At that time Korea was divided into many small kingdoms at odds with each other.
A princeling of the state of Buyeo was trying to rescue citizens from Buyeo and other Korean states from the grasp of a Chinese-allied kingdom which had annexed some of their territories. The princeling was assisted by an able and skilled tactician by the name of Hae Mosu who led his own elite soldiers.
Both the princeling and Hae Mosu fell in love with the same woman but she chose to return the affection of the tactician and became pregnant with his child. Before the child is born, the father was ambushed and taken prisoner by the enemy. He was tortured and blinded.
His child, Jumong and his wife, Yuhwa, was taken in by the princeling as his family. Soon, the princeling became king of Buyeo and Jumong as raised as a prince.
As Jumong was the favoured of the king, his step brothers plotted his “accidental” deaths many times. Unwilling and unable to step up against these elder princelings due to his lack of martial skills and his more pacifistic mindset.
Jumong was left to die by the princelings on one mission and he was saved by the daughter of a commercial house.
Jumong met his biological father and was taught swordsmanship and archery by him who’d suspected Jumong’s true identity early on. Jumong was unaware of his father’s identity until it was too late and his father was ambushed and killed by the princelings.
Realising his true identity at last, Jumong was determined to leave Buyeo and found his own kingdom, Goguryeo. This sets the stage for conflict with his adopted father who viewed Jumong and his new kingdom as a direct threat to him.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 I chose not to watch Song of the Prince nor Goong as they are nothing more than soap operas appealing to the fanboyz and fangirls. I prefer something more substantial and meaty like Dae Jang Geum. This Jumong is a very long series of 82 chapters but I can assure you that each chapter is not boring as it has good storyline as well as action.
“Jewel in the Palace” is based on a true story about a legendary girl (Jang-Geum) who became the first woman to be the supreme royal physician of her times. Despite her poor condition as a low class girl in the male dominated society, Jang-Geum overcame a series of social discrimination and landed herself as a royal cook, later becoming the royal physician, then ultimately the physician in charge of the king. She was even given by the king the title “The Great Jang-Geum” / The story of her checkered life on her success and breakdown as well as her love story beautifully unfold. “Jewel in The Palace” is sure to touch your heart.
This is a truly epic Korean production that took Asia by storm conquering every country and making everyone sit through the story of a young apprentice palace cook, Jang Guem, who worked her way up to the never heard of position of a female personal physician to the emporer of Korea.
“Dae” was the special personal title that the emporer conferred on her.
Told in 70 chapters was the story of her mother who rose to become a supervisor in the imperial kitchen who had witnessed an act of high treason committed in the kitchen itself and whom told the wrong person. As a result she was poisoned to keep the scandal from being revealed.
Surviving the attempt she started a new life with a palace guardman who, unfortunately, was a party to a power struggle between courtiers and a young emporer which ended in the poisoning of the young emporer’s mother. After coming into power, he was determined to punish everyone who was involved in causing his mother’s death. As a result, young Jang Geum and her family was forced to uproot constantly to escape from his pursuers.
Losing her father and then her mother’s last breathe urging her to attain the position of Matron of the Imperial kitchen, young Jang Geum”s story unfold. We are treated to spectacular and colourful images of an ancient imperial Korean court, the sumptuous food and the detailed preparation of each dish.
Young Jang Geum showed an incredible inner source of strength that helped her overcome great adversities and near tragic encounters. Along the way, her determination enabled her to master not only the art of good cooking but married it with the understanding of how to use various food and herbs to nourish the body. She mastered the arts of cookery and healing.
There is a sweet love story woven into this epic story between her and a senior guardsman who stood by her side constantly.
There is simply too much to put into words here in this short synopsis. All I can say is, “get this show“. You simply can’t go wrong with it. You will laugh and you will cry as you follow the story of Dae Jang Geum.
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After inspiring an anime series, hit TV dramas in Taiwan and Japan, and a blockbuster movie, Kamio Yoko’s immensely popular romance manga Hana Yori Dango comes to Korean television! KBS’s highly anticipated Boys Over Flowers spins the modern-day Cinderella tale of a poor, but spunky schoolgirl at an exclusive academy who attracts the interests of the four ultra-rich and ultra-handsome princes of the school known as F4. Ku Hye Sun from The Strongest Chil Woo and The King and I stars as the tough-cookie heroine of the drama. As for the male leads, meet Korea’s F4: breakout star Lee Min Ho from school dramas I Am Sam and Mackerel Run, idol heartthrob Kim Hyun Joong from boy band SS501, rising star Kim Bum (East of Eden), and Kim Jun of pop group T-max.
