"Jumong" (2006) TV series 2006-2007

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Geun-hong Kim
Ju-hwan Lee

Writers:

Wan-Gyu Choi (writer)
Hyung-su Jung (writer)

Release Date:

15 May 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Biography

Plot Keywords:

Goguryeo | Historical | Korea | 10th Century B.c. | Ancient Korea

Cast

Il-guk Song	...	Jumong
Hye-jin Han	...	So-suh-no
Seung-su Kim	...	Prince Tae-so
Kwang-leol Jeon	...	Kum-wa
Yeon-su Oh	...	Lady Yu-hwa
Mi-ri Gyeon	...	Wan-hu
Hee-kyung Jin	...	Yeo Mi-eul
Jae-yong Lee	...	Bu Deuk-bul
Ho-bin Jeong	...	Woo-tae
Ji-hyo Song	...	Ye Soya
Gye-in Lee	...	Mo Pal-mo
Wok-suk Song
Jun-ho Heo	...	Hae Mo-su

Runtime:

South Korea:60 min (81 episodes)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Certification:

South Korea:12 (original rating) | South Korea:15 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Company:

Olive Nine

Fine Korean Costume Drama

I became addicted to this fine Korean drama series in the late spring of 2007, when I got sick of paying my cable company over $50 a month for premium service and switched back to the Limited Basic package for less than $20/month. As a result I was forced to look through some of the foreign-language-network offerings, and lo and behold, found this gem of a quasi-historical Korean epic costume drama on AZN.

Now admittedly, there is a fair bit of pretty silly stuff going on in this series (see the Minuses section below), but the good far outweighs the bad. I especially like the humorous character vignettes, for instance the Iron Chamber master Mo Palmo always cracks me up. :)

**Pluses:**

- Gorgeous costumes;

- Good acting, especially from the actors who play the following characters:

* Emperor Kumwa - The MacBeth of Jumong; carries much of the first 50 episodes of the show. Watching the actor who plays him, I can't help being reminded a little bit of Toshiro Mifune.

* Prime Minister Unavoidable - with a name like that, how can you not like this guy?

* Sorceress Yeo Mieul (I admit she took a while to grow on me)

* Sosuhno - Love those take-charge gals who can do it without being nasty

* Prince Taeso - Every great drama needs a quality bad guy, and the conflicted Taeso is a worthy foil to Jumong.

* Prince Youngpo - The feckless prince #2. I love it when he does his "evil scheming" face. :D

* Keru Troop Chief Yuntabal - Like the name says, this guy has major, um, guts, I love it when he (literally) laughs in the face of the bad guys. Also just plain a fine dramatic actor.

* Oi, Mari, Hyoppo: Jumong's 3 Musketeers. Especially like the "forbidden love" subplot involving tough-guy Hyoppo and someone from Sosuhno's Keru troop. The later addition of the reformed bandits as their 3 counterparts and oft-times rivals makes for a great ongoing source of tension and humor.

* Mo Palmo and his friend, the chief of the Guards - absolutely hilarious pair, they're like the Laurel and Hardy of Korean Costume drama.

- Gorgeous Women (I'm a guy, so I admit I was looking more at the ladies ;): Sosuhno, Ye Soya, Buyong and Lady Yuhwa are all major hotties. Even the bad girls have their moments. :) And did I mention the costumes?

**Minuses:**

- Jumong: I know I'm probably going to catch a lot of flak for his, but Song Il-Guk's portrayal just lacks something. Perhaps this is partly the fault of the series writers, but it's just not as convincing as it should be.

- Too many royal people sitting at fancy carved tables doing nothing at the start of scenes - I mean, don't these people read, or do needlework, or paint, or play board games? A missed opportunity for adding depth and texture to the series.

- Fight scenes way too unrealistic (at least for my taste) - OK, I realize you probably can't have severed heads, limbs and guts flying around without alienating a large part of the audience, but could we maybe occasionally have a little *blood*? (And not just a dab on the tip of some guy's sword). And, all these good guys fighting brutal battles and coming out without a scratch? (except for "designated manly upper arm wound guy".) Or even breaking a sweat...

But as I said, the negatives are far outweighed by the good stuff - unless you're the kind of person who insists on "realism" (whatever that means) in all aspects of a show.

All in all, excellent entertainment for the whole family - highly recommended. 8/10