Set in the Joseon dynasty (1609 A.D. to be exact), this series blends historical drama with the investigation of unexplained phenomena by a detective and his two assistants. The first two episodes concern the sightings of unidentified flying objects, but the topics subsequently branch out into different phenomena (e.g., bizarre diseases, the Noguhwaho monster legend, mystical cult rituals, etc.) that contribute little pieces to an overarching puzzle. The infusion of science fiction with ancient Korea is very interesting. Much shorter than most K-drama series (12 episodes, 45 minutes each) and makes efficient use of each and every episode. Everything here (acting, production values, scriptwriting) is top notch as it masterfully crafts each individual subplot. Some mysteries are solved neatly, while others go largely unexplained – all of them are thought-provoking in how they contribute to the grand scheme of events. But the positives don't stop there. It almost completely avoids every cliché of the K-drama playbook and seemingly gets stronger with each episode. I also liked the characters and the dreamy mood.
6 Reviews
Nifty sci-fi cum historical romance
Miles-1026 March 2012
Set in a time nearly contemporary with the first publication of the King James Bible in the West, this story of early modern Korea during the time of the Josean Kingdom suggests a land in some degree of social turmoil and an emperor who is afraid that new ideas or exposure to new phenomenon will undermine his rule. Nevertheless, his royal secretary realizes that to control the very real phenomenon affecting the kingdom requires gathering as much information about it as possible; and so, with or without the permission of the emperor--and probably with, the royal secretary tasks a government inspector to investigate and write reports about the strange phenomena he finds even though no one will read those reports in his lifetime--or perhaps ever.
All of the phenomena familiar to X-Files fans are there: conspiracies, lost time, unidentified craft hovering over lonely locations, whole villages caught up in mysterious goings on, legendary monsters and mysterious locations. The inspector is a kind of Mulder in that he is dedicated to pursuing the truth wherever it leads.
All of the phenomena familiar to X-Files fans are there: conspiracies, lost time, unidentified craft hovering over lonely locations, whole villages caught up in mysterious goings on, legendary monsters and mysterious locations. The inspector is a kind of Mulder in that he is dedicated to pursuing the truth wherever it leads.
Absolutely brilliant !
lupu100121 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This show was occasionally hard to find, and it was as mind bending as Twin Peaks or the best seasons of X Files.Those of us who were pulled in to it were captured and left begging for our next dose of this drama.It was truly absorbing, and wonderful on as many levels as it could be funny or horrifying on others.What could have been a disaster mashup of genres became a unique show that managed to combine genres without betraying any of them.I can't think of one real misstep this show made in acting, casting, writing or production.It drew me in immediately and once I was done with episode 12,I immediately started to watch it all over again knowing that there were pieces of information I had missed either visually or in the dialogue that might explain more of the mystery.The quality of the production was outstanding. The direction was theatrical and very striking but not overdone.It's beautifully shot and edited.There were vistas and landscapes of truly striking beauty,and the lighting in particular was outstanding. The soundtrack was scored as a motion picture would be.The music and sound effects were mood setting and enhancing.There was a lovely balance in all of the elements so that one particular thing never annoyed or overwhelmed the whole.
This is an onion of a show – when you peel back one layer, there are more layers to go.There are several mysteries going on in JXF at the same time.Some of the events are explained completely, some partially, some not at all.Some events have multiple possible explanations.It is mind-twisting and absolutely genius. The central story of JXF is Hyung Do's entry and assimilation into Shinmuhwe.In the course of 12 episodes, they are sent out looking for several UFO sightings, a couple of monsters and mysterious illnesses, ghosts, a psychic and legendary village. The episodes each run the gamut from mysterious to horror,while maintaining the ability to shade in lighter humor along with the dark.Often the humor has to do with teasing or making light of each other,helping to build a picture of their working dynamic.
I have seen a few comments complaining that perhaps the show was repetitive. Many of the later episodes do refer back to previous ones, which does help keep the story arc flowing. But I found that rather than being repetitive, the series purposely mirrors themes across the episodes in a way that shows a depth of planning and thought in the writing that is impressive. Episodes 1 and 2 mirror episodes 11 and 12. Episodes 7 and 8 are 2 sides of the same story.Episodes 4 and 9 are thematic mirrors. The difference is in the points of view, experience and reactions of Hyung Do and his team. The show starts by the sea with the execution of a man who has been disturbing the populace with his story of the coming of the gods of the sea (a story revisited in episode 10 with the dragon king).Episodes 1 and 2 set up Kim Hyung Do and introduce him to Shinmuhwe via the arrest and torture of his former mentor who is accused of treason for reporting a paranormal event. Episodes 11 and 12 end the show with the kidnapping and torture of his current boss/mentor Ji Seung by a cult whose leader had been executed for treason. In both cases he ignores the pleas of his mentor to let things go, he makes similar journeys and, ironically, ends up dealing with the same artifact.
It's a rare television show that invites closer inspection for clues and Deep Hidden Meaning. Because JXF is essentially a set of mysteries,there are clues and hints strung like a treasure map throughout the series.Some clues help to explain mysteries, others make things more difficult to explain, some clues are dangled in front of you and are never explained. The first episode has a moment where Hyung Do and Jang Man are set back in their own timeline by a few minutes. Artifacts from what is clearly the present era(radiation warning signs,a modern revolver,etc)also are collected and even used by characters in the show.A Foucault's pendulum is working 250 years before it is invented. A 400 year old painting on a scroll shows up and yet it looks like Yoon Yi.A painting of Kali is featured in episode 6.Kali is the Hindu goddess of several things that could be seen as pertaining to the show: eternal energy; death; and being beyond time.It is a lovely touch that the show went to the extent to use a painting with meaning, and then have it become part of the mystery. The date of the show is 1609, but records of the group date back 200 years,and at least some of the artifacts they find go back farther than that.Time travel by someone is being implied in some of the events. The fact that supernatural, alien or anachronistic things actually appear rather than just being implied or described take the show beyond just myth telling well into the area of science fiction.
The theme of water is strung through the show.Metaphorically the moon is used as lanterns and as the opening to wells.The real secret of the show was that it was a truly great drama hidden away on a cable channel like a gem. Each episode was fascinating and well done. The overall story arc was beautifully done.It was beautifully shot and edited, and effectively scored.Most importantly, the story and characters drew you in and made you want to know what was going to happen next. The show was so fascinating, absorbing and detailed that I went back and watched again. And again.That was the true circular nature of the show. (REVIEW WRITTEN BY MOMOSAN)
This is an onion of a show – when you peel back one layer, there are more layers to go.There are several mysteries going on in JXF at the same time.Some of the events are explained completely, some partially, some not at all.Some events have multiple possible explanations.It is mind-twisting and absolutely genius. The central story of JXF is Hyung Do's entry and assimilation into Shinmuhwe.In the course of 12 episodes, they are sent out looking for several UFO sightings, a couple of monsters and mysterious illnesses, ghosts, a psychic and legendary village. The episodes each run the gamut from mysterious to horror,while maintaining the ability to shade in lighter humor along with the dark.Often the humor has to do with teasing or making light of each other,helping to build a picture of their working dynamic.
I have seen a few comments complaining that perhaps the show was repetitive. Many of the later episodes do refer back to previous ones, which does help keep the story arc flowing. But I found that rather than being repetitive, the series purposely mirrors themes across the episodes in a way that shows a depth of planning and thought in the writing that is impressive. Episodes 1 and 2 mirror episodes 11 and 12. Episodes 7 and 8 are 2 sides of the same story.Episodes 4 and 9 are thematic mirrors. The difference is in the points of view, experience and reactions of Hyung Do and his team. The show starts by the sea with the execution of a man who has been disturbing the populace with his story of the coming of the gods of the sea (a story revisited in episode 10 with the dragon king).Episodes 1 and 2 set up Kim Hyung Do and introduce him to Shinmuhwe via the arrest and torture of his former mentor who is accused of treason for reporting a paranormal event. Episodes 11 and 12 end the show with the kidnapping and torture of his current boss/mentor Ji Seung by a cult whose leader had been executed for treason. In both cases he ignores the pleas of his mentor to let things go, he makes similar journeys and, ironically, ends up dealing with the same artifact.
It's a rare television show that invites closer inspection for clues and Deep Hidden Meaning. Because JXF is essentially a set of mysteries,there are clues and hints strung like a treasure map throughout the series.Some clues help to explain mysteries, others make things more difficult to explain, some clues are dangled in front of you and are never explained. The first episode has a moment where Hyung Do and Jang Man are set back in their own timeline by a few minutes. Artifacts from what is clearly the present era(radiation warning signs,a modern revolver,etc)also are collected and even used by characters in the show.A Foucault's pendulum is working 250 years before it is invented. A 400 year old painting on a scroll shows up and yet it looks like Yoon Yi.A painting of Kali is featured in episode 6.Kali is the Hindu goddess of several things that could be seen as pertaining to the show: eternal energy; death; and being beyond time.It is a lovely touch that the show went to the extent to use a painting with meaning, and then have it become part of the mystery. The date of the show is 1609, but records of the group date back 200 years,and at least some of the artifacts they find go back farther than that.Time travel by someone is being implied in some of the events. The fact that supernatural, alien or anachronistic things actually appear rather than just being implied or described take the show beyond just myth telling well into the area of science fiction.
The theme of water is strung through the show.Metaphorically the moon is used as lanterns and as the opening to wells.The real secret of the show was that it was a truly great drama hidden away on a cable channel like a gem. Each episode was fascinating and well done. The overall story arc was beautifully done.It was beautifully shot and edited, and effectively scored.Most importantly, the story and characters drew you in and made you want to know what was going to happen next. The show was so fascinating, absorbing and detailed that I went back and watched again. And again.That was the true circular nature of the show. (REVIEW WRITTEN BY MOMOSAN)
Must watch 10/10
footloosegypsytrail3 June 2020
Absolutely incredible... beyond my imagination... this mysterious sci fi drama will blow your mind (i bet..).. episode 6 will chill you to the bone especially if you watch it after midnight (because i watched it....)
This series just have 12 episodes...so don't think whether you should watch this or not just give this a try, you won't be disappointed...
It's something...
Park_Min27 September 2023
Back then when they dared to try something different to varying degrees of success. It's not fair to compare this to The X-Files, they have nothing in common other than sharing a similar genre. Anyway, the drama was a mixed bag, some cases were better and more interesting than others. The main story that was progressing in the background wasn't well fleshed out to tie everything together and the ending was just okay. The performance of the cast was alright, nothing major but some scenes lacked the effort. The performance of the cast was alright, nothing major but some scenes lacked the effort.
unwatchable couldb't even finish episaode 1... the camerawork the shaliness and poor video quality
imdbmoviereviews12 December 2020
This looks like a series made by a bunch of 15 yearold which never held a camera before...
it is unbreable and while i do care more about such things as the acting and storylne and.... the cinematography still matters
and u know what i stand corrected... arond 2-3 months a go i reviewed a series made by actuall teenagers with low budget and..... it was shoot better then this snit!
how is it that a low budget couple of teenagers can hold a camera normally...
and obviously i'm not saying that it's just the shaking and.... some producers may use such effects for a reason but this..... this is just.... oh boy.... i don't have the words to just how pooor and bad this is.... poor light work poor EVERYTHING fix the contrast is it so dmn hard? get a cheap mice and at least try making sure the sound's clear i mean........
if i had to describe this series with one wor it'll be unprofessionalisem....
now the series is from around 10 years a go and only in recent years they say the korean film industry sky rocketed but still... 20 30 even 60 years a go they had wores technology but people who at least knew what they were doing
this is painful to watch
and that's a shame i hear it's an interesting series but i can't go on listening to a good story with such pain in my eyes
how is it that a low budget couple of teenagers can hold a camera normally...
and obviously i'm not saying that it's just the shaking and.... some producers may use such effects for a reason but this..... this is just.... oh boy.... i don't have the words to just how pooor and bad this is.... poor light work poor EVERYTHING fix the contrast is it so dmn hard? get a cheap mice and at least try making sure the sound's clear i mean........
if i had to describe this series with one wor it'll be unprofessionalisem....
now the series is from around 10 years a go and only in recent years they say the korean film industry sky rocketed but still... 20 30 even 60 years a go they had wores technology but people who at least knew what they were doing
this is painful to watch
and that's a shame i hear it's an interesting series but i can't go on listening to a good story with such pain in my eyes
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