Ah.

I didn't realize it was two different drama's based on the same character. Honestly, of all places, I saw mention of Iljimae on Lee Seunggi's wikipedia page... but noticed that the drama's (sparse) information page listed Lee Junki in the title role.

I'm looking forward to seeing Lee Seunggi in another drama role =D

ooOoo The battle of the Korean Robin Hoody figures. haha
I'm rooting for Junki oppa cuz he's prettiest. :D

ooo... i dunno... i'll probs start with the Il Ji Mae with Lee Jun Ki just because i like him better >.

I will watch both..but for some odd reason, I'm more looking forward to Lee Seung Ki's version. Just because I think he's a fresh face who isn't bad for a newbie in acting. I've seen him act in several game show skits and I thought he quite good..and secondly, I LOVE HIS SINGING!! hahaa..lame reason huh? But I guess bias comes in when preferencing dramas..hehe..

As for Lee Jun Ki, I admit he's popular and cute. But I wasn't really pleased with his acting in TDWAD..everyone said he was excellent but he failed to capture my eye. Or maybe I just wasn't interested in the drama after the first 6 eps (which I thought to be quite dull and boring..hence I chose to stop there)

i'm a big fan of Junki so i'll be supporting him first :)
i also like Seung Gi but i dont know how well he acts. he's a great singer for sure.

As for my expectation in terms of better acting, it would go to Lee Jun Ki. But as to where my curiosity is, it's definitely with Lee Seung Gi. ^^

Uuuuu....I'm slightly excited. haha. Ok, a bit more than that.

And I choose not to take sides.....because I can't. =P

I'll just be greedy and pick both of them. I'm such the compromiser right? ;)

I like to see Seung Gi's version. If not for the fact that it could be a younger and perhaps more modern interpretation, then for the hope that it could be fun and charming (e.g.: Choi Si Won in The Story of Hyang Dan). Lee Junki is definitely a more established actor. I think he'll bring more depth to the character and be more well-suited for the physical aspects of his role. The SBS's version could be the more historically accurate one. No matter, we probably have two different versions that appeal to two different types of audience. I agree that Seung Gi's a good singer. Wonder if he'll be performing some of the songs for the OST (or will Iljimae be a singing bandit?).

I hope that you'll consider doing recaps for either one, javabeans. May i ask which one will WITH S2 consider subbing? Lastly, IMO, Hong Gil Dong is the one that will reign supreme. Yay, KJH.

I have to watch the full castings first or the first few eps before I can comment on the dramas. But if anyone had watch Seung Gi's new muisc drama base on his song 'white lie', you'll find that his acting has already improved.
As for the PDs, I would prefer Hwang PD's works than Lee PD's especially after the really 'horrible' Korea Secret Agency.
And Green snakes's large scale productions are also failing to impress much people lately.

I agreed with yeohweping. I'm not biased to anyone. but i've been follow lee seung gi since his first debut and up till today, he has improved a lot, in singing and also in acting. we should give him a try and chances for him to prove his ability.

and for lee jun ki, there is no doubt in his acting skill. he is the rising stars .. ^^

Like some others, I too am looking forward to Lee Seung Gi's version. Without any biase, im not as into the pretty boy Lee Jun Ki as others. I wouldnt go that far to say his acting is always the best and more superior. I have seen Seung Gi act and its very credible and believeable esp in his latest video. He can make people cry honestly. Talent-wise Id say he has gotten very good, singing and acting. I know these are two giant companies going at it, two PDs who differ in success. I will say this though, i think i can only comment better once I see the first few eppies.

Hmm...well my first choice would be Lee Seung Gi, because I haven't seen him act before (if he has any - not really sure), BUT his vocals are amazing. There's going to be a lot of expectations for Lee Jun Ki if he gets the role, but I'm sure the anticipation for the drama would not be less than his popularity in Asia ahha.

Lee Jun Ki all the way!!!!
And if I have enough time to spare I'll try the MBC version... But did you say this is gonna be aired at the same time than Hong Gil Dong? Oh my this is gonna be exciting!!!
Looking forward to all three dramas, Lee Jun Ki at the top ^^

Biased toward Lee Jun Ki, here... though I have no problem with watching them both! :)

Whoa, I had no idea that these were two separate dramas. When I heard of the two actors names connected to Iljimae, I thought they'd be in it side by side. This should be interesting.

to ripgal: Similar feelings - thought I was gonna die going through the first 6 episodes of TODAW. But after episode 6 it gets much better and developes rather fast pacing. The only major turnoff I can see with TODAW is that if people grew up watching Hong Kong style action dramas/movies it might not feel that new or worth watching. This is a novel aspect of TODAW, I suppose for tv viewers in Korea. It's a style that hasn't been really done on mainstream Korean TV. Also people would seriously be misguided into thinking TODAW is a romance kind of show. So I guess that's another turnoff point too depending on one's taste.

Lots of people are rooting for Lee Junki aren't they?

Me...I personally hope (with all my heart) that Lee Junki's Iljimae will be better. Because I'm a huge fan of him, that's all the reason I'll be needing to watch this drama. XD Hopefully it doesn't get too angsty or serious for me, since I'm a trendy drama fan.......But I can't miss Lee Junki!

This will be really interesting, having 2 dramas go head to head like this. Good luck!

personally, i'm rooting for jun ki's version. why??? this is a hero type of drama right? hopefully with some action as well. in that aspect, i think jun ki will do very well after seeing how he performs his actions in time of dog and wolf. i believe he's got a couple of belts in some martial arts too.

i believe that may actually contribute to his heroic actions in the drama. if i want to watch something just romantic, there are a ton of other kdramas to see. i am hoping this one is another action pack drama from jun ki. i wouldn't mind some romanctic part either.

plus i think jun ki is a very very solid actor and i can't wait to watch this.

I dfinately will go for jun ki's iljimae version coz i'm his big fan... N i'm also looking forward for his new drama after todaw. Hopefuly, his version of iljimae will be better n more succesful than the mbc version..Hehe.. Yea..I'm bias :p
-Junki 4ever-

is it true that hong gil dong a fictional character? i read that in wikipedia
what about iljimae? is he fictional too?

Personally, I'd go for Lee Seung Gi...

But I don't know, Lee Junki has more experience with screentime and whatnot (if that made any sense, hahaha).

Whoever it may be, I hope the drama turns out successful. =]

I'd like to see junki do this one. I have seen him on role of an androgynous being prey to pervs in a period movie for King and .... . I'd like to see him do both period and action movie this time.

I don't know if sbs version is also based on the comic series "Iljimae" by the deceased Wooyoung Goh, and I really hope that it is, since I loved that series. In "Iljimae", Mr. Goh portrayed Iljimae as a boy who's not only blessed with looks prettier than most girls (as you can see from the picture you posted-look at the eyelashes) but can also kick ass and when I first heard that they were making Iljimae into drama, the first actor that came to my mind was Lee Junki. I'm really not into pretty boys so I'm certainly not a Lee Junki fan, but seriously he's the perfect guy that can bring the Iljimae from the comic series to life since he has the right looks and aura (you'll know what I mean if you saw Mr. Goh's version of Iljimae), and he handles actions pretty well (I was quite impressed with his action scenes in TODAW) I'm so excited that he's been cast in Iljimae role and I really really hope that the production team won't end up ruining the whole thing. (I kind of wish he went with MBC since I'm a little weary of the quality of SBS dramas. SBS did come up with some good dramas too and I hope Iljimae will be one of those dramas. ) Gah I have such high expectation on this drama... but I'm probably not gonna start watching it until after the final episode airs (I don't want to go through what I went through while watching Coffee Prince again)

I 'm looking forward to the Lee seung gi 's Ijimae. He is very talented in both singing and acting ( it was proved by his MVs). Lee jun ki may have more experences in acting than seung gi, but seung gi also improved so fast. So why we can't believe him?

Definitely, looking forward to the Junki version. SInce it's an ancient drama, I don't have the same expectation as towards modern dramas. It doesn't really matter if it's very history based, lol I mean it's a ancient drama so it's better to be based more accurately on history right?

I wasn't real into Lee junki before until I watched Time Between Dog & Wolf. Must say, awesome acting and great plot. I grew up watching Hong Kong movies, dramas and watched many police and detective dramas, but I did not find big similarities between TBDAW and HK Dramas. Not sure why some found similarities. The story went through very smoothly and the ending was real meaningful and must I say hopeful (no I'm not waiting for a sequel), but I felt real happy even though the story ended. Junki's acting in there was spectacular. The stroke scenes were reallllly real, kinda scared me at some points.

I'm kinda depressed that Iljimae isn't broadcasting in April, like originally decided. So it's starting in May? or December? Realllly mixed up messages out there.

OMG what on earth? lee junki over lee seung gi? no offense to all the ljk fans... but wtf? T__________T

alright, going to mourn now.. =(((

jk jk, k hopefully this drama turns out good.

wow I'm looking forward in seeing both versions. Just the thought of comparing different actors and PDs will be very interesting and exciting. Thanks for the informations!

Hmmm.... So far I've watched clips of the first ep of the SBS version, and I must say, Lee Jun Ki's doing very well. I mean, I've seen him in TBDAW (or whatever) and his famous movie (I dunno what the translation is; The King's Man?), and he was pretty good. Well, I don't remember him in the movie very well (I think he was more passive than the other guy), but in the drama he dealt VERY well with action and portraying emotion and all that.

So. Definitely, the SBS version is looking hopeful. I think LJK was perfectly cast for the role.

But. I'm also kind of apprehensive about it. I haven't watched a historical drama since Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in Palace?), because none of them caught my eye. Maybe this one will, but for me, it's not sword action and old-fashioned romance that attracts me (in historical dramas, I mean), but rather humor and creativity.

Which I think the MBC version will have. I've heard that LSG's character will be a clumsy, pure (morally, I mean), and lovable character. Now, THAT, to me, is more attractive than the typical perfect guy that LJK's playing.

Also, give some credit to LSG. I've seen him in all the acting he's done, and when he's given a script and directions, he's really GREAT at acting. Watch all his MVs. Watch him perform as a singer; he portrays emotions very well. I never teared at LJK's acting, but I did tear up at LSG's acting during the "Famouse Chil Princesses" drama, TWICE (at the train scene and when he's running down the road--if you've watched the drama, you know what I mean). He was adorable in the Nonstop 5 sitcom AND the Chil Princesses drama.

And his new "huh-dang" character (from 1 Night 2 Days) fits his version of Il Ji Mae perfectly; he's certainly not perfect, but that makes him just more lovable.

Finally, the PD of the MBC version cast Goong, also. I don't know how many people remember this, but EVERYONE was pissed at him for casting a bunch of unknowns for Goong, especially Yoon Eun Hye, who had never acted before and was, like LSG (though LSG's acted before, in a sitcom and a long-running drama, not to mention his own MVs), a singer. But as soon as the drama kicked off, everyone loved the cast!!!

Hopefully, the same thing will happen again; maybe the PD really has a golden eye for casting!! And just knowing LSG, and how much effort he puts into everything, I know he'll give it his best, and overall, it sounds more creative and less angsty than LJK's "must-revenge-my-parents'-death-by-being-a-flawless-perfect-guy-who-lives-a-double-life-that-copies-off-of-Batman" drama (that already looks like it'll end up a grand tragedy)!

Oh, and one more thing; LSG takes kendo/kumdo!!! I take it myself, and I know that people say that 1 Dan in kendo is equal to 3 Dan in the other martial arts, just because so much more skill is required for kendo. So let's not lose hope in LSG's ability to cope with all the sword actions!!

:D

i heard lee jun ki's version came out alrdy, on the 21st May! BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND IT. i know i'm really slow, but i never knew there were going to be two different versions.

personally i would root for junki cos i'm like a bigfan of his :D but i'm hoping against hope that it would not be disappointing cos they do NOT have the licensed to the original books and they're gonna work their own way out ):

but it's alright. i'm really anticipating to watch the two! :D hopefully both would be as good though a comparison would definitely be part of it.

i agree with eugenia! oh junki is so cute. LSG's singing is superb too!!!!

Lee seung gi! lee seung gi! he suits in the movie best ! Because a hero should be manly... but junki... he looks like a girl.. iljimae was a boy right? i mean a man right? And lee seung gi is just perfect for it wish i could see that drama :( Lee seung gi is not almost perfect he is just completely PERFECT and what does hodang mean?

LEE JUN KI(!)

he is better in looks. He is very flexible and awesome in fighting/taekwondo. He is an excellent actor as seen from time between dog and wolf where he had to play two roles, with two different personalities and he did very well in portraying his emotions and making the watchers cry along with him.

as for lee seung ki, his singing is awesome but we are talking about acting.

(but i think that mbc dramas look more promising because all the good dramas seem to come from there plus they got the original comic books.)

Obviously Lee Jung Ki. Personally i had watched iljimae til ep12 and i really feel that as the story develops, the storyline was really attractive as it talks about how Ryung(or Geom) slowly becomes iljimae (it's uber cool to see how ryung tried to steal things). Though i had to admit that it's really clinche and weird (esp the lines) for ep 1 which can totally makes me ROFL.

Well, talk about acting, Lee Jun KI did a great job. All the crying scenes were awsomely touching and it's not exggerated at all, it feels real though. Well, for Lee Seung Ki, i didn't watch his drama, but i suppposed that he's quite good in acting too. But Jun ki VS Seung Ki, Lee Jun Ki obviously had the upper hand.

Well. I do feel that MBC does made alot of good dramas and i was pretty turned off when i saw it's from SBS. But still, as the story moves along, it's really awkardly interesting.

Guess that a better comparison will be made after 2 iljimae is out though.

looooove this drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i've seen up to ep 12.........

This drama is sooooo good and it is NOT 2 slow like all the other dramas i've seen up to ep 17 im KOREAN! >.

GO JUN KI!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I wanted to say... he he h e!!! Iljimae(SBS) is SO good!! Best drama ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this show -- got so mad at the last episode a couple nights ago though >=(

I watch the SBS Version of Il Ji Mae and record it with english subtitle. At first when I saw it I thought how lame this is going to be since I seen alot of SBS lame drama like King and I. Il Ji Mae was sad in the first episode when the boy watch his father be killed. And his mother was in prison for the crime that her husband commit but the truth is he didn't do it. He was frame for the crime and his sister was later killed after she meet her brother again. She was hanged for the crime of running away from assulting the officer. That was only she cause save herself from being rape. After that when revenge is finally in to make the evil government pay by stealing government offical goods that they had their greedy hands on. And there are a lot of joke and it also funny.

i've watched epi 1 and 2 starring junki...i love his acting because it's soo real..he caught my attention in the movie the king and the clown..it was soo realistic and full of emotion...his drama is definitely not slow and draggy..it's reli good...

OMG! I love Iljimae!

Junki's Iljimae's better! He's more handsome! OMFG!!!

I saw the movie :]
And I think LJK did the greatest job in it! ^_____^
Tehehe.., and yeah, he is more attractive x] but I think the other isn't that bad either! =) I recommend this movie SOO MUCH!

Iljimae is a great drama. But I think TBDAW is better. I have watched Iljimae first. Actually I am not a fan of Lee Jun Ki before watching Iljimae. I interested
Lee Jun Ki a little after watching Iljimae. So I watched his another drama Time Between Dog and Wolf. O M G
I become Lee Jun Ki big fan after watching TBDAW. His acting skill is really great in that drama. And his manly style can attract me a lot. As I am not a K drama addict, I don't know the other guy, Lee Seung Gi, But with photo comparison, Lee Jun Ki is more handsome. I don't like people calling him as a pretty boy.
As he is a man, they should call him "A handsome and attractive man". Right

Lee Jun KI is the Best. No one can compare to him. He is the best Iljimae

Anyone who posted here saying that the 2008 version of Iljimae was the best version, even though they've never seen the 1993 version, have embarrassed themselves. For how can they be qualified to say something is better than another thing they know nothing about? That's silly.

Some reviewers have said that the 1993 version is better than the 2008 version.
Although I cannot say which version is better, because I couldn't find the 1993 version with English subtitles, if anyone knows where I can buy the 1993 Iljimae with English subtitles, I would be grateful. And then I would at least be able to post a KNOWLEDGEABLE opinion about it.

For those of you who comprehend Korean language, you can download for free the complete 1993 Iljimae here at:

http://aja-aja.com/regular/iljimae-1993