City Hunter: Episode 20 (Final)

1,123 July 28, 2011January 24, 2016

by javabeans

Am I dead? I think I might be dead. City Hunter may have gone killed me dead.

This finale hits all the right notes for me, wrapping up the plot and giving us some emotional payoffs along with the narrative resolutions, and doing it with suspense, tension (my blood pressure is still spiked, I swear), and satisfaction. The ending leaves me feeling wistful and bittersweet at the cost it took to get to this point of resolution, but the series signs off with enough openness that I can imagine my own continuation of the story from here.

Or, you know, they could give us a Season 2.* JUST SAYIN’.

*Seriously! We have such ideas for another season! Really good ones. Auuuuugh, Season 2 aja!

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Let me just take a moment to talk about Young-ju’s death, which I freaking love and yet totally am shattered about. He was the one person — aside from Yoon-sung — whose death would have really meant something to me, which would’ve knifed me in the gut and then twisted the blade, and I’m totally in awe that the drama went there. Even if I’m also feeling a little raw and upset about it.

Just when we thought they weren’t going to actually get dark and serious and kill anybody to add that bit of gravitas you can’t fake with near-misses, the drama went and knocked one off that really, really counts. Nana and Shik-joong had their moments, and if they’d been killed at this stage, I would have been dissatisfied — it would’ve been too late to have impact, and lost its shock factor, and I would have argued that both characters would have been more effectively killed earlier.

I may be one of a minority who loved the Young-ju character the whole way through — so determined, so passionate, so upright and fair — but even more than that, his death has such resonance because it makes a difference on an ideological level. As was pointed out in the previous recap, these two men were capable of doing what the other couldn’t, and therefore they both needed each other to mete justice. Now with Young-ju gone, he practically mandates that Yoon-sung do the right thing, without distractions or wavering or letting personal feelings interfere with the truth. It sets us up for a pretty dramatic conclusion in this episode, for sure.

They way he dies is so thematically perfect, and consistent with character. Of course Young-ju would choose to face the bad guy over his own safety; he always has the greater good in his sights, even if he’s sacrificing his own health to ensure it would be protected. When he took out his phone to ward Yoon-sung away from him, gaaaaahhh that just about killed me.

So I was already half-dead when starting this episode, which killed me all over again.

FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Beaten to a bloody pulp by Chun Jae-man’s minions, Young-ju dies, hand clasped in Yoon-sung’s.

And then…Kim Jong-shik wakes up in his hospital bed. Oof. What timing.

You know what? Now I’m glad Kim Yong-shik is alive, because waking up to find that his cohort-in-crime killed his son? It’s the perfect way to make him regret his actions for the rest of his life, in a way that his suicide attempt would never have achieved.

(I’m sorry for doubting you, City Hunter. I should have had more faith. *sobs*)

Yoon-sung takes Young-ju’s phone, and sees the text message supposedly sent from the City Hunter that directed him to the junkyard.

He asks Jin-pyo why he did it, and Jin-pyo replies that all he was doing was sending the prosecutor to find the truth. Yeah, if you put the truth in the middle of a lion’s den and strapped a bloody steak to his chest.

Yoon-sung says that Jin-pyo essentially killed the innocent prosecutor, to which Jin-pyo says that his comrades were innocent men who died, too: “Now Chun Jae-man will die at my hands.”

Chun arrives at the port for his getaway, only to be stopped by Jin-pyo, who takes out the two minions swiftly with his cane. He doesn’t even break his stride, much less a sweat.

Chun stutters, “What do you want?” Jin-pyo: “Your life.”

Chun makes feeble excuses for the 1983 massacre, saying he had no choice. Jin-pyo turns that right back on him, saying there’s no choice now, either: He’s gotta die.

Chun dashes for the boat, scrambling away from the slowly advancing Jin-pyo, who at one point is beautifully framed by the Korean flag behind him and the ship’s light casting him in shadow — now there’s an avenging angel of death if ever there was one.

As Chun kneels and begs for mercy, the camera shifts focus to their two shadows. We hear Jin-pyo drawing his sword-cane, then striking.

Yoon-sung arrives at the dock and makes his way to the boat, finally finding the bodies of the minions unconscious, and Chun Jae-man lying in a pool of blood. He shouts in frustration.

Yoon-sung flips through the secret book, reading about Operation Clean Sweep’s origins and the five men who orchestrated the affair: now-dead Senator Lee Kyung-wan, former presidential candidate Seo Yong-hak, recently comatose Kim Jong-shik, freshly killed Chun Jae-man…and President Choi Eung-chan.

The last name is the surprise, and Yoon-sung understands now: “This is what it all comes down to?”

In the morning, he goes to his father to tell him he’s responsible for Young-ju’s blood as well as Chun’s. Jin-pyo says calmly that Chun was the one who killed Young-ju, but Yoon-sung counters, “You’re no different from Chun Jae-man. He didn’t kill those special agents himself, either. He merely borrowed the hands of others.”

That pushes a button, and Jin-pyo whips his blade around to point at Yoon-sung’s throat: “You dare put me in the same category as Chun Jae-man?!”

Surprising Jin-pyo with his knowledge of the full truth, Yoon-sung asks if the final step in Jin-pyo’s cruel revenge was to have President Choi Eung-chan die at his son’s hands: “You’ve had quite a lot of fun these past 28 years, stealing me from my mother, making me believe a different man was my biological father, and telling me to take revenge against my real biological father. That revenge — I don’t think I’ll be able to do it.”

Jin-pyo asks if it’s because of their blood tie, but Yoon-sung says no, and that he’s seen up close what a good president Choi is. Jin-pyo counters that he didn’t get to his current position with clean hands, and says, like the sadistic bastard that he is, “I look forward to seeing your expression when you find out what he’s really like.” Yoon-sung says, “Don’t look forward to seeing my expression, period. Things won’t happen the way you want.”

Seo Yong-hak — ironically, he’s the safest of the targets in prison — sees the impending shitstorm and tries to pre-emptively strike to protect himself. Calling the press, he announces that the fifth City Hunter target will be the president, and that the five targets had been involved in Operation Clean Sweep together — but that the first four were “scapegoats of revenge.” The actual leader, he declares, was the president.

This forces the president to also speak to the media, and he calls an emergency press conference. He plays the “I know nothing about this” angle, though — and why do I feel like you’re reliving your childhood regret of refusing to cop up to the stolen lunch? The harder you insist now, the more disgraceful this is going to be later…

The president ends the press conference having stated nothing of relevance, but is stopped by one last question: Was he aware that the Seoul district prosecutor who was in search of the confidential records has died? Judging from his reaction, this is a surprise.

When Sang-gook hears the latest news, things finally click into place for him. He’d wondered all this time why Jin-pyo was wasting his time talking up senators and high-ranking officials when he had the book in his possession, but now he guesses that Jin-pyo was purposely bribing the people around the president, to feed the corruption before taking him down for it.

Sang-gook pleads for Jin-pyo to end this now, to restore honor to the dead and stop there. Jin-pyo ignores him, as usual.

The mood is heartbreaking at Young-ju’s funeral. Sae-hee collapses in tears, his father weeps quietly, and his co-workers mourn his loss. Surprisingly, more than the tears or apologies, I’m moved by his boss’s reaction; he says in a shell-shocked voice, “Dead or alive, you’re one of my boys. What you couldn’t finish, I’ll do it for you. I’ll catch all the bastards who did this to you and feed them prison rice, and that society of justice that you so wanted to see realized… As long as I’m wearing my prosecutor’s robes, I’ll do everything to preserve it.”

Oh, that breaks my heart. Why does this make me cry even more than his actual death? It must be that painful understanding that Young-ju’s death carries narrative purpose, and that makes it particularly poignant to see that people are spurred by it. When you live a life so passionately and unwaveringly, your conviction moves people, even if it’s belatedly in death.

The president arrives and pays his respects, and a few moments later Yoon-sung steps through the doors. Young-ju’s assistant Pil-jae gets in his face belligerently, asking why he’s here: “This happened to our prosecutor because he was chasing you. The City Hunter! That’s you!”

He calls Yoon-sung a murderer and screams his vow to catch him.

(Aggggggh, this is such a perfect setup for Season 2, it’s kills me. No really, there are little bits of my sanity dying right now, so aggrieved are they that such a fantastic setup won’t get to see fruition — ’cause this means we have the dumber, slower, but now incredibly impassioned second prosecutor taking the place of the first, but operating under an incomplete understanding of the truth, vowing with all the best of intentions to capture the City Hunter…)

Without confirming or denying the City Hunter accusations, Yoon-sung tells the president quietly, “I came because of the loss of a worthy prosecutor, but I’ll go.”

Sang-gook joins Team City Hunter to share what he’s found regarding the connection between the president and Chun Jae-man. There are signs of deals and favors being made between them, such as the large amount of Haewon Group money that funded Choi’s presidential campaign.

President Choi mulls over the accusation of Yoon-sung being the City Hunter. Not happy news for him. He looks over immigrations records that place Yoon-sung’s entrance into the country just months ago, and puts together the facts that have been there all along, such as Yoon-sung’s proximity when the City Hunter routed his incriminating videos through the Blue House’s network.

Those suspicions are confirmed when prosecutor Pil-jae drops by to fill him in on the City Hunter investigation. He explains that Young-ju had been chasing Jin-pyo and Yoon-sung, the former of whom is linked to the 1983 incident. Yoon-sung, on the other hand, was born to former Secret Service agent Park Mu-yeol…and Lee Kyung-hee.

This comes as news to the president, who clenches his hand as he registers the implication.

Nana warns Yoon-sung that the president may have caught on to his identity, and has requested his personnel file. Yoon-sung is called in to his office, and for a moment both father and son look at each other, both knowing the truth but pretending not to.

President Choi asks if he’d seen the press conference. Yoon-sung asks the loaded question about whether his statements (denying knowledge of Operation Clean Sweep) were true — will he cop to the truth, or deny it? He waits tensely for the answer.

Choi says, “It’s true.”

Aw, that’s disappointing. Choi explains that being president requires him to make decisions, too many in number for one person to handle alone, so he’s chosen to concentrate on two causes: the health and education of the people, which he will do his utmost to protect. It’s why he was against Chun’s bill to privatize health care, and against Kim’s methods of denying university students tuition. In a few days’ time, an amendment regarding these social issues will be up for a vote, and he’s determined to pass it.

Yoon-sung asks if he’d still stand by those causes even if the methods he uses are unjust.

Nana hears the truth of Yoon-sung’s paternity from Kyung-hee and asks Yoon-sung about it. She understands the dilemma he faces of going up against his father, and doesn’t want him to continue.

He tells her that Targets 1 through 4 all had corrupt skeletons in their closet: “If they hadn’t, I would have forgiven them.” When Nana asks if he’ll act against the president, too, he hesitates a moment before replying, “If he’s corrupt.”

Nana tries to argue that he doesn’t have to be the one to punish the president, but Yoon-sung cuts her off to say that that’s the dilemma faced by Young-ju, who didn’t act and covered up his father’s misdeed: “But was that really to his father’s benefit?”

In strategizing their next move, Team City Hunter focus their attention on Senator Lee Young-taek, who is under investigation for taking bribes regarding Chun’s privatized medical care bill. He’s a necessary figure in passing the president’s amendment.

True to expectation, the president meets with Lee Young-taek in a restaurant, asking for privacy. Lee asks what he’ll get in return for backing the bill, and President Choi offers to get the police to back off their investigation. Oh no, you just gave the City Hunter reason to go after you…

Choi isn’t happy with the deal — he clenches his fist tellingly — but sees it as a necessary evil. Lee accepts the deal and leaves, at which point Choi’s expression darkens.

And then, the sliding door to the adjoining room opens, and there stands Yoon-sung: “I had no idea you were so skilled in striking deals, Mr. President.”

Choi stands by his choice, though: He doesn’t regret the compromise made because it will enable countless students’ educations. People want this amendment to pass because tuitions are too high, but the people with power are the politicians and rich fat cats. He says that in politics you have causes that require you to make deals, and there’s no other way to effect change.

Yoon-sung asks the Jean Valjean question of whether it’s okay for orphans to steal in order to eat. I’m guessing he didn’t see Les Mis, because the whole tenor of that story runs counter to his point. But he argues that you can’t sacrifice things along the way when brokering your backdoor deals, and use them to cover up corruption.

He informs the president that he has the confidential book: “That decision you don’t regret — I’ll make you regret it.” Phew. Badass son.

Nana has been keeping watch with the bodyguards outside, but picks up on a strange noise and heads off in search of the potential trouble. She bursts into the president’s dining room moments after Yoon-sung’s departure, but the whole point of the distraction was to allow Yoon-sung this confrontation without Nana in the mix.

Posing as a reporter, Yoon-sung tracks down a man involved in President Choi’s presidential campaign and asks about the funding source. The man has his own suspicions, but suggests that Choi kept record of it somewhere, since he’s scrupulous about keeping ledgers.

The man then warns the president that a man had sought him out asking for information, and Choi guesses that Yoon-sung will seek him out soon.

Yoon-sung goes to the presidential quarters and cites tutoring for Da-hae as his reason for gaining entrée, but hides himself in a separate room. He goes through the study looking for that ledger, but finds nothing.

President Choi senses Yoon-sung is around and retrieves the ledger from its hiding place inside his pillow, and finds Yoon-sung mid-search. Holding out the book, he asks if this is what he came for, and wonders at Yoon-sung’s motivation for doing this.

Yoon-sung: “Because of faith. The faith that citizens have that the politicians they elect will act in good conscience. The faith that soldiers who enlist to protect their country have that their country will protect them. The faith that universities will turn out talented people, for the sake of our next generation. The faith that businesses will both suffer with and grow alongside their workers. And the faith of twenty-one men who were promised by their country to be met off the shores of Nampo. Protecting that faith is my cause.”

Goddamn that is a good speech. Young-ju is deeply principled in his belief in the law and the quest for justice, but despite their differences, Yoon-sung is just as principled in his own cause, even if that requires him to break some laws.

The president says, “In the past 28 years, I never for one day forgot Operation Clean Sweep. I understand well how much pain Jin-pyo felt.” Uh, unless you were shot in the chest by the bullet that pierced your best friend’s heart, I’m gonna say you don’t. But okay, we’re being figurative here.

President Choi gives Yoon-sung the book, calling this the record of the illegal funds “I had no choice but to receive.” Dude, I get that you’re a decent guy with a moral compass that’s relatively normal — not like the skewed megalomania of your Council-mates — but your tendency to frame everything as though you’re a victim of your own choices is starting to piss me off.

But at least he’s a man who understands that his actions will have consequences: He tells Yoon-sung that he’ll be grateful if he’s the one to handle this. Yoon-sung takes the book and heads out silently, stopped when President Choi calls out, “Yoon-sung-ah. The father who made you live this way is sorry.”

Ack! Yoon-sung is stunned at this admission, but not swayed from his own cause. He walks out quietly, determinedly, with tears in his eyes.

Nana asks if he means to continue to the end, saying that the longer this goes on, the person most hurt is himself. Yoon-sung says he must, as there’s nobody else to do it.

He’s disheartened as he swoops into action, but doesn’t stray from his path; he sends copies of the confidential 1983 file to media outlets, as well as the ledger pages detailing the illegal campaign contributions.

Voting begins on the amendment, just as the packages arrive at the papers. The amendment passes, to the president’s relief, but that elation is cut short by the breaking of the news of his two scandals. Calls are made for impeachment.

Choi tells an aide ruefully, “It’s okay. I feel a weight has been lifted. This is how it should have been from the start.”

The next delivery to the front of the prosecutor’s office is a six-parter, with the bribed senators roped together and delivered with photographic evidence of their misdeeds.

After monitoring the news, Yoon-sung gets up to prepare for the inevitable confrontation: “Father will be coming.”

Meanwhile, Jin-pyo readies his handgun and puts on the remaining dog tags.

Nana is entered into the system as being off-duty tomorrow, to her surprise. Aw, Yoon-sung, trying to take her out of harm’s way — and consequently putting her right in the thick of it, because what are the odds Nana is going to sit this out knowing that he’s planning to move? Thinking of the possible conflict, Nana contemplates her own gun.

Yoon-sung prepares his gun, too, and can I say that I do not care for this elegiac background score? I care for it NOT AT ALL. It’s making me crazy nervous. Also, there are too many guns for this to end well, I’m thinking… Damn you Chekhov and your gun rules!

Jin-pyo calls President Choi to give him the warning: He’s due for his judgment, and not from the people but from Jin-pyo. Choi is resigned to his future, and tells the lead bodyguard that he’ll be expecting an important guest, who should be led to him politely without being frisked. He asks for time alone and gets it, while Nana peers into the room to check — she didn’t take her day off after all.

Jin-pyo arrives and is told the president is waiting for him, and is led inside. Yet when he steps inside the hall, it’s Yoon-sung who meets him instead.

Jin-pyo will not be thwarted from his final target and tells Yoon-sung there’s nothing for him to do anymore: “You can’t stop a revenge 28 years in the making.”

Yoon-sung counters that he’ll take care of this, leading to a standoff as they stare each other down…and then both grab for their guns. Ohhh, fuck.

Jin-pyo and Yoon-sung pull their guns out at the same time and level them at each other. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. This is just like that damned dream, only a hundred times worse ’cause it’s REAL.

Yoon-sung: “The cruel revenge that requires me to shoot my biological father — do you think I could carry that out and live well? Having to point a gun at the woman I love — do you think I could do that without a care? Having to fight the father who lost his leg for me — how do you think I’d feel? I wanted you to think just once of me, and stop. I…just want to live an ordinary life…happily with you. But…that was all a dream.”

And then he points the gun at his own head.

WHAT THE—?!?!

And for one moment, finally, Jin-pyo looks surprised. Yoon-sung vows: “If this is my fate, then I will end it by my own hand.”

NOOOOOOO!

Yoon-sung’s finger tightens on the trigger…hand shaking…Jin-pyo looking on in shock…

A voice shouts, “No!” It’s the president, standing with Nana, who points the gun at Jin-pyo.

Nana tells Jin-pyo to stop, and then pleads with Yoon-sung to lower his gun.

President Choi tells Jin-pyo he’s been waiting for him. Jin-pyo returns, “I’ve come for that life I promised to take.”

President Choi tells Nana he’s sorry, then shoves her out of his way. He closes his eyes, having accepted his fate, and awaits Jin-pyo’s bullet.

Jin-pyo turns his gun from Yoon-sung to President Choi — and there Yoon-sung is, with the choice to let one of his fathers die. He can let Jin-pyo shoot Choi, or shoot Jin-pyo first.

But no, he’s got to be a goddamned hero, because he jumps in front of Choi instead — and takes the bullet through the heart.

Nana recovers her bearings, turns to see Yoon-sung shot, and shoots Jin-pyo.

HOLY SHIT. They’re going all Hamlet on us. Blood, blood, everywhere. It happens so quickly that it’s almost over before anyone’s fully taken in what’s happened.

The bodyguards rush in and escort a thunderstruck President Choi away, while Yoon-sung collapses to the ground, wheezing in pain. Nana rushes to his side.

Jin-pyo is bloody and badly injured but still able to hold his gun up. Ordering the bodyguards surrounding them to stay still, he points his gun at Yoon-sung on the ground.

With effort, Jin-pyo addresses the room (not unlike Young-ju in his dying moments as he declares himself):

Jin-pyo: “I am the sole survivor of 1983’s Operation Clean Sweep, Lee Jin-pyo. To avenge my comrades who were betrayed by our country, I killed Lee Kyung-wan and Chun Jae-man with my own hands, dropped Kim Jong-shik from the overpass, and sent Seo Yong-hak to the prosecutors. Now I will kill the last, President Choi Eung-chan. I am the City Hunter.”

Oh god, he’s taking the fall for his son. He’s exchanging their lives, and now he drops the clip out of his gun. He whirls to face the bodyguards with an impotent gun, and they fire away reflexively.

Jin-pyo is hit with several bullets and collapses slowly, with Yoon-sung watching in horror, too injured to do anything but lie there in pain.

Yoon-sung reaches out his arm toward his fallen father, and with difficulty, father and son inch their fingers toward each other until they can clasp their hands together, both lying amid their own blood.

Oh god oh god. This is just like Yoon-sung’s nightmare, except waaay worse. At least his Nana fears were realized happily when they reached toward each other with his blood infusing hers, but this time it’s a literal death-dream come true.

Heartbreakingly, Jin-pyo looks at Yoon-sung with a faint smile.

And then, we rejoin our characters an unspecified time later.

Da-hae works in a small cafe — perhaps one she runs, or at least manages. Nana visits her, her usual upbeat attitude in place although her father has recently passed away.

Ki-joon and Eun-ah are finally an official couple, and come bearing wedding invitations. Eun-ah complains that the Blue House is a lot less interesting now that Nana has quit and Yoon-sung is “gone” (deliberately vague to keep us on the edge of our seats).

At Yoon-sung’s apartment, a wreath of flowers has been sent by now-former President Choi Eung-chan, wishing someone a healthy and happy recovery. They’re for Mom, telling her that he’s thankful and sorry, and that he wishes her happiness. Kyung-hee and Shik-joong have packed their bags and are ready to embark on new lives in the U.S.

Nana walks through the airport with her own packed suitcase in tow. Spotting a familiar silhouette in the distance, she hurries toward it — but to her disappointment, she doesn’t see him.

But the camera whirls around, revealing Yoon-sung standing behind her, alive and well after all. Not that we doubted. But still! Phew, relief. You can start breathing again.

She turns around and sees him…she smiles…and he smiles.

At the military cemetery, a large memorial has been erected to honor the memories of the 21 valiant soldiers who died for their country, the first two names being Lee Jin-pyo and Park Mu-yeol.

And later, Yoon-sung drives along in the night.

JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

What a satisfying way to wrap up this story arc, yet leave the story open-ended enough that we can imagine Yoon-sung continuing on to become the City Hunter for hire that characterized the original manga story. Even if we never get more of this City Hunter, the setup works in creating an origin story with its own, complete wrap-up that still points to more in Yoon-sung’s life in the road ahead, whether or not we get to see it unfold onscreen. (Although, we really should see it unfold onscreen. Really.)

I think the idea of Jin-pyo’s death was pretty much a possibility from Day 1, so it’s not a surprise. But what it did was achieve a lovely sense of closure for this story, and while I think Jin-pyo wouldn’t have given up his quest for the fifth target on his own — I don’t really think he got to acceptance or forgiveness — if pushed to choose between that and saving Yoon-sung, he had no qualms in making his choice. *Tear*

The cruel irony of the sacrifice is that Yoon-sung now knows that Dad did love him after all, but it needed Dad’s sacrifice to prove it. And Jin-pyo gives not only his life to Yoon-sung but takes the blame, so that Yoon-sung could in fact have a happy life after all this darkness and revenge. That’s been the big question all series long, hasn’t it? Not whether City Hunter would survive, but how he would be able to live as a normal person as he so desperately wanted. And until ten minutes before the end, there didn’t seem to be much hope of that for him. It’s a pretty damn satisfying resolution, in my book.

As I said in the podcast, this drama isn’t perfect, and it has plenty of flaws along the way. But it had a special magic about the way it stirred my emotions, got me invested in these characters, kept me on the edge of my seat, and surprised me at multiple turns. It’s beautiful to look at, scored with music that fit every mood, and boasts a gorgeous melancholy ambiance; it would have made me a fan even before we got to the tight plot. (It wasn’t airtight, but it was well-thought-out and developed well.) But then you add in heaps of thematic and emotional resonance to the mix, and you’ve basically owned me for the past two months.

GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

Not a perfect finale or a perfect show by any means, but damn was it gripping all the way till the end. I love that the final episode’s central conflict was the showdown between Jin-pyo and Yoon-sung. To me that was always the heart of the show — the father-son relationship that was so fraught with pain and misplaced love. It was the central love story to me, above Yoon-sung’s relationship with Nana.

One thing I absolutely love about this show’s treatment of the paternal conflict is that Jin-pyo IS the real dad, in the only way that matters. The fact that the president is the biological father does not somehow transfer nineteen episodes of daddy-angst onto someone new because of blood. Yoon-sung remains, from beginning to end, Jin-pyo’s son. Not by blood, obligation, or anything else but unconditional love. And Jin-pyo’s sacrifice in the end proves that Yoon-sung’s love for Dad wasn’t unrequited. Finally, a story that acknowledges that blood is NOT the end all be all! Welcome to kdramaland!

Jin-pyo was the most tragic character in this drama, and I knew from the start he would never survive. (A character that extreme can only end in epic death; it’s like a law of the universe.) But no matter how totally screwed up his worldview was, his all-too-late realization that Yoon-sung was the only thing that mattered, and his final resting place alongside Mu-yeol as a soldier finally put his vengeance to rest and his soul at peace in a satisfying way.

I’m good with the open-ended relationship with Nana (and prefer it in fact to a candy-coated version), because no matter which way you slice it, their relationship will always be an open-ended one. I would’ve liked more interaction, more words, more time, even if the end result were just as open-ended. But I got the sense that it was a casualty of the live-shoot, which is too bad.

As a series, City Hunter gave me that perfect combination of action and heart – what began as a quest to avenge a death became a young man’s journey to becoming a hero. It tapped into the core of what I love about hero fiction, in illustrating the cost of being an idealist in a corrupt world.

That’s why the death of Young-ju is so fitting in an ideological sense, because he was the most upright defender of justice, who paid the gravest price. To me that death is what seals Yoon-sung’s fate as the City Hunter. What came before are the stirrings of a hero; in taking up the mantle after Young-ju’s death, he becomes the hero both men were meant to be.

My biggest disappointment with the finale is the drama’s failure to nail this in a concrete way onscreen, at the end. It’s there thematically, and Young-ju’s death resonates with all the characters, but if I were writing this show, the last scene would’ve been Yoon-sung at Young-ju’s grave, overlooking the city he’s sworn to protect.

No words necessary; just that image alone would’ve satisfied the promise of the City Hunter’s future, spurred by the sacrifice of his brother in arms, the perfect mirror to the opening brotherhood between Jin-pyo and Mu-yeol, also separated by death. The moment was there in his death in Episode 19, and their relationship is the perfect bookend, but that tiny push of thematic resonance and closure would’ve been my ideal send-off for the City Hunter.

I loved City Hunter for a million reasons, but the biggest is this: it gets me right there, that place in my heart where my six-year old self refuses to give up on the idea that heroes fight evil and good prevails. It ran the gamut from hilarious and cheeky to kickass and epic, and though the finale’s delivery wasn’t pitch-perfect, as a whole the show swept me up in its world and made me want to live there.

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401 Olivia

August 28, 2011 at 8:51 AM

Can someone explain to me the 'take it back' thing when Eun Ah and Ki Joon deliver the invitations? I feel like it's a cultural thing, but I'm just wondering.

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olsen

August 29, 2011 at 1:26 PM

@olivia

You should probably ask this question to belle and blue from Electric Ground (from the blogroll)

This thread is not frequented anymore so, I guess you'll get a better answer there as they are both Korean Americans.

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Saddy

August 20, 2012 at 10:58 AM

Yes, I was puzzled about this too.....?

I also felt that Eun-ah (the actress is so pretty, btw!) could do better and shouldn't settle for marrying that bungling oaf. Their flirting was cute and all, but I didn't expect them to go so far.

And poor Ajusshi wasn't even in the running. But that was more creepy anyway!

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402 sm

August 29, 2011 at 2:27 PM

crazy LMH fingerling going on here:

http://thundiesprattle.com/mine-hot/

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sm

August 29, 2011 at 2:28 PM

oops "fan girling"

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Maymay

August 29, 2011 at 5:50 PM

Haha!

Is that a Freudian slip @sm?
Do you want to 'fingered' LMH so much? ;)

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Maymay

August 29, 2011 at 5:33 PM

OMG!

Thank you for this!

Min(e) Ho(t) is so HOT and he is so MINE!

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smashingalou

August 30, 2011 at 4:56 PM

hahaha! Sm, fingerling...pervy thought entered my mind when I read that...

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olsen

August 30, 2011 at 9:15 PM

@sm

Ummm...two words...dirty thoughts :)

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403 Maymay

August 29, 2011 at 5:37 PM

OMG!
It's been exactly a month since CH ended.
Show! I miss you like crazy!
Please return to us soon with another season.

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404 Lizzie_wwjd

August 31, 2011 at 3:18 AM

I loved City Hunter heaps, the ending was fast but I loved every minute of it :D The story made me laugh, cry and scream (i got a little scared for Lee Yoon Sung).

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405 Amie

August 31, 2011 at 4:57 AM

HIIII!!
I SOOOO LOVE THIS SERIES. IT IS SOOOOO COOOOOOOL!

But can u further explain the ending??
Did Yoon-sung and Nana left together for the States or was Yoon-Sung left to continue being the City Hunter????

What really happened?? PLEASE EXPLAIN. :))

Thank u very much!!

Now I want an iphone, and A GUN. AND LEE MIN HO. :))

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Maymay

August 31, 2011 at 9:19 AM

The ending was a little ambiguous.

All we know for sure is that YS is still alive. He and Nana got back together. YS continues to be City Hunter. His mother and Ajusshi left for the U.S. for her treatment.

We are hoping for a season 2 to further explain everything. :)

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thameryst

August 31, 2011 at 6:13 PM

"Now I want an iphone, and A GUN. AND LEE MIN HO."

my thoughts exactly after finishing watching CH!

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Shikka

September 13, 2011 at 11:59 AM

may be...in second season .. last episode was bit confusing..but good enough

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406 thameryst

August 31, 2011 at 6:16 PM

well, i finally got some time to get back to writing my CH fanfic since school started about 3 weeks ago. only problem is i can't publish the two parts i wrote cause i couldn't find out the name of young ju's assistant! anybody know?

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thameryst

August 31, 2011 at 6:17 PM

oh and also the name of kim na na's aunt?

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Maymay

August 31, 2011 at 9:28 PM

Yay! Part 4!

You are so awesome.

I don't remember Nana's aunt name, not sure if her name was ever mentioned in the show. I'll go back and check.

Thank you.
Good luck in school.
:)

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407 thameryst

August 31, 2011 at 6:26 PM

oh what the heck i'll go ahead and publish it on my blog. i used the abbreviations PJ for young ju's assistant and AL for nana's aunt. PJ = pil jae (which is what I THINK is the assistant's name) and AL stands for Aunt Lady...which is just dumb, but there you go!

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thameryst

August 31, 2011 at 6:37 PM

http://banjjukbanjjuk.blogspot.com/2011/08/city-hunter-season-2-fanfiction-part-4.html

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thameryst

August 31, 2011 at 6:38 PM

so i found out pil-jae really IS the assistant's name...but still no clue with the aunt's name. Help?

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smashingalou

September 3, 2011 at 3:40 AM

thameryst, it's Kim Mei Yu..Prosecutor Hyun Joo said it on Episode 3 after he investigated Lee Kyung Wan just right after the fountain scene.... :)

(OMAGAWD, so this is how many times I've rewatched CH?!)

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olsen

September 3, 2011 at 10:42 AM

thank u Thameryst

:* :*

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408 esjpx

September 7, 2011 at 12:50 PM

Thank you! You guys did an AMAZING job recapping :)

I really enjoyed watching City Hunter and I'd rec it to people... but IDK, the latest episodes were a little boring to me :/ From the beginning, I thought the President conflict would be the most epic one out of the 5 Evil guys but it just felt so rushed, which is weird considering the stalling in the plot from episode 14ish on. And I wasn't fan of the whole The President is the Real Dad thing either. IDK, idk, I didn't like the final episodes (although the open ended finale was perfect.) But ovarall yeah, it's a fun show :)

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409 Linda

September 9, 2011 at 10:10 PM

the best !!! :)

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410 Shikka

September 13, 2011 at 11:57 AM

In the whole drama i was hating Jin-pyo for his revengeful act and crushing yoong sung lyf...but the in the end i luved the only character so badly and that was Jin-pyo..Aaahh the way he sacrificed himself at the end for his son..i was crying badly..

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411 Mochiko

September 13, 2011 at 6:53 PM

HOLY FREAKIN CRAP was this drama good...i am SOO glad Netflix posted it, otherwise i may have missed out.

anyway, i totally agree with what Girlfriday said about the last scene--having him at young-ju's grave looking out at Seoul's skyline would've been an amazing way to end this, but i would be pissed if they did that and didn't somehow continue the story. i'm already disappointed that there is no buzz about season 2 (YET!!!), but if Girlfriday's version of the last scene had been what they did, that disappointment would've been sheer fangirl fury.

anyway, thank you for keeping me sane throughout this series--reading about the episodes after the fact has really helped me process it and not drive myself to a heart attack from the awesomeness. reading recaps is going to become part of my kdrama-watching routine, now :)

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412 cottonbloom

September 30, 2011 at 4:55 AM

I really loved this series, I never thought action would appeal to me but then again it had handfuls of love and friendship and family thrown into it making it somewhat perfect from every angle.

I did enjoy yun seong and nana's relationship, I think it was something just playful and adorable to see and how both made eachother happy when the other was sad. Their chemistry on-screen was amazing and the characters they played definitely meshed well. It was a shame to not see it FURTHER develop after the whole ordeal ended.

My favourite episode would be 11 only because of Nana's badass-ness when she got herself shot. I'm just a major sucker for those kind of events. When the girl saves the guy..AHHH. I hope they do another season. They have so many potential plotlines and arches! Guys, let's all pray that they choose to do another season.

AND thank you dramabeans so much. You're my #1 always and your comments are so thoughtful and clever. Very grateful for the recaps XXXXXXXX

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413 Dream

October 8, 2011 at 10:51 AM

For those who are still searching, the epic instrumental that many of us were looking for is out... check

http://www.am-addiction.com/forum/

Cheers!!

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olsen

October 9, 2011 at 4:33 AM

thank you!

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Maymay

October 9, 2011 at 9:00 PM

Thank you!
Happy it is release at last. :)

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414 Goradde

October 13, 2011 at 2:39 AM

c'mon sbs, we want season 2.

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415 olsen

October 26, 2011 at 11:30 AM

I still miss you Show

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416 Dream

October 27, 2011 at 10:28 PM

Me too. There is nothing lately that get me addicted as CH.

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417 koreanaddict

October 28, 2011 at 11:13 AM

Because of academics, I only finished the series tonight, while I'm on my semestral break. How I wish I had watched this while it was still airing for me to experience and feel the anticipation and anxiety of waiting for the episodes to air.

I just want to say my views about this drama. For me, the ending's enough. The epilogue might be a little rushed, but I think justice to the deaths of the 21 soldiers have already been given so I think it was enough. I agree with GF's version of the ending wherein YS would visit YJ's grave. It would be give the ending more impact.

Also, Just like what GF said, the center of the story is Yoon Sung's relationship with his foster father, Jin-Pyo and how he would carry out the revenge Jin-Pyo instilled upon him ever since he got his leg injured. For me that was the core of the story. Yoon Sung's love for Na Na for me was just a supplement. Just a spice of a meal, not really the main ingredient. I've been reading from other sites that they were disappointed because they didn't know whether YS gave Nana the ring or who let Chun Jae Man escape? I think in different kinds of stories, there are lots of things that are better to be left unsaid. And I think it was absolutely better for these things to be unknown and a mystery to everyone.

I cried during the last 2 episodes. First because YJ died. I knew it would happen with his slow-motion walk and his wife's bye bye gesture to him at the end of the episode. The part when he looked at her once again full of hope of what will happen to them after everything accompanied by his tender smile to her made me cry. My first thought was this man deserves his own happiness. He dedicated his life in pursuit of justice, he lived his life hating his father, he even had his marriage fail. But this time, he was given a second chance; a chance he would never experience. That part caught me. Others might hate YJ for pestering YS but from the very start, I liked him. For being so smart and true to his job. That's why his death made me sad and cry. There are 2 reasons why his death caused a lot of pain for me. 1. He was already bloody and weak but he recited CJW crimes and sentence as if arresting him. That was noble. Being true to your job while you are in danger of dying. 2. The part when he asked YS to forgive his father. That also broke my heart. It was sad to see him die.. But I guess he already served his role. It was just sad, he never had a happy ending.

For Episode 20. I bawled when Jin Pyo took all the blame in the end. Despite his cruel acts and plans, he really loved YS. And that tear me apart. That in a man who's evil and cruel, there's this being who knows how to care and love. That part was totally epic. And that part had me in tears.

I didn't really hate Jin Pyo in the story. Yes, I do not really agree with his advocacy (haha) of killing his enemies but I guess he didn't really have a choice. Seeing his comrades die one by one would really make him forget what is fairness and humane. And in order to revenge their deaths, a blood must also be spilled. I can his view that's why I didn't really hate him that much. There were times that I did (when he interferes with YS's plans) but in the end the people I hated the most were the first 4 of the Council of Five and that evil Mr. McCreepy.

If there would be a 2nd season, I couldn't really say whether I'm into it or not. I have lots of reasons why I like or don't like it. I like to have one because I want to see a BAMF Lee Min Ho again.. But I also I don't like one because Kim Young Joo won't be there anymore. I really liked him (of course, I liked Yoon Sung too) HAHA.

I think what I wrote is already enough. Sorry if it's long. I still couldn't get over the fact that I already finished this awesome drama.

*Sorry for the typo/grammatical errors, wasn't able to proofread. It's already 2:15am here in my country :)

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olsen

October 30, 2011 at 3:00 AM

hey there!

U missed out a lot sister(I'm assuming)!

The emotional journey called City Hunter drama was really unique and something I never quite experienced before.

It would have been great to have you with us-the CH sisters.

Episode after episode, I was wonderstruck by the acting, story, directing and the gorgeouness of LMH :)

I feel that this drama was designed especially to seal itself in our hearts forever.

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zani

November 10, 2011 at 7:16 PM

Wow what a well written thought. I felt exactly the same!

I loved the way YJ and Jin Pyo died. It made me cry because of the reason they were fighting for and how beautifully executed it was.

I also loved the ending scene in the cemetery. It was just sad and beautiful because finally the honor that was denied of them was restored.

Although I did hope for closure for two things: 1) Nana and Yoon Sung's relationship 2)President's punishment and if he'll find out if Yoon Sung was his son (but I did feel he kinda knew when he heard Kyung Hee was the mother).

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418 EvelynW~OL

November 4, 2011 at 5:21 AM

I doubt there will be a 2nd season of City Hunter with its unfulfilled plot and devastatingly open ending. I felt that nearly every single character other than Young Joo had overly exaggerated destinies that is hardly even touched upon even by the end of the series.

There's not much for City Hunter to run on anymore. Whether he changed location or otherwise, there is no actual 'purpose' for City Hunter to exist. Yoon Sung didn't exactly go around being all super-hero like with no assistance (or even financing) and motive from his adoptive father (Jin-Pyo). If he went around everywhere doing the exact same thing, I doubt there would be as a devoted Prosecutor as Young Joo would ever be.
Although a sequel would clear up matters on many of the other minor characters... there wouldn't be enough content to actually make up 'a season'. Maybe a MOVIE? xD

My fandom for Lee Min Ho has increased a ton since BOF now! :) Saw him in another drama too... Can't remember what it was...

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419 linda

November 8, 2011 at 6:51 PM

Show...I miss you...Lee minho come back!

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420 Jesslyn Lee

November 27, 2011 at 3:40 AM

Thanks Javabeans and GirlFriday! And in my opinion,definitely the way Jin-Pyo had pain-stakingly sacrificed his reputation (whether or not he has in the first place) and also the fact the he was forgiven by Yoon-Sung is the best way to end the whole drama.Not only is it realistic and touching,Jin-Pyo is able to rest in peace and finally bury his grievance together with his fellow comrades,Yoon-Sung is freed too,from the whole ironic life he were in.Thumbs up!!! and that's preciesly what made everybody appreciate Jin-Pyo more rather than think he's the all-time evil guy :-) and.Yong-Ju's death is just devastating,he deserved to be alive though!!! :'(

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421 Maymay

December 8, 2011 at 6:10 PM

Definitely one of the best show of the year.
Come vote for it in the Beanie Award.

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olsen

December 10, 2011 at 10:04 AM

So true

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cindy

December 18, 2011 at 3:34 AM

absolutely. the most intriguing drama of the year alongside with 49 days and the princess' man. i wonder how lee min ho could improve so well in his acting in this drama.

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422 Sojuboy

December 24, 2011 at 4:14 AM

1000+ posts, WOW! I can't go through it all, but, I just want to explain the ambiguous epilogue since most of you gals seem a tab bit confused.

The ending seems to borrow from "Death & Resurrection" of Jesus Christ. ('Not surprising, since most Koreans are incoherently nutty Christians to begin with.) Kim Nana was, in essence, playing the part of Mary Magdalene witnessing the Resurrection of Christ (=YS) after his death. In essence, you have to have "faith" in order to believe he's still alive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus

P.S.,

I'm sure the producers would love a second season but will Minho be back?

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423 dzareth

December 24, 2011 at 10:57 PM

i've only recently heard about CH and finished watching it 2 days ago. CH has it's strong & weak points, but it's engaging enough that i watched from start to finish.

now here are my 2 cents:

first, i find it ironic that YS's idea of revenge is "honourable" than JP's - where blood should not be spilled unnecessarily and that the people should be allowed to draw judgement. sure, a cold-blooded death will cause grief to the deceased loved ones, but for a guy who was raised by a drug lord, does he not know the long term effects of drugs, not just to an individual but to the society as well?

now, that aside...

initially i could not understand why must YS be the one to finish off CJM? when we finally found out the biological link between YS and CJM, it started to make sense. but wouldn't revenge be sweeter if CJM accidentally killed YS rather than the other way around? after all, CJM was the source of grief to JP, not YS.

after thinking about this, i realized YS's actual role in JP's plan doesn't end with CJM's death: ultimately, YS is supposed to kill JP, because that will be JP's redemtion.

just imagine a guy robbed you from the cradle, trained you to be an assassin of sorts, lied about your birth mother, threatened/harmed your loved ones and forced you to put a bullet into your biological father - he is clearly doing things to make you hate him.

let's assume YS did not find out his relations with CJM and the truth about his birth mom, and revenge on the 5 guys is completed. can YS and JP really start anew? i hardly believe that.

if JP's revenge on the 5 is successfully carried out as such, i'm willing to bet my life that afterwards JP will confess to YS that CJM is YS's biological dad and that JP kidnapped YS from his mom. why? because all the misery that JP has done to YS, JP allows YS to take his life as payback, thus the circle of revenge will end with JP's death at the hands of YS. and to JP, that will be his redemption. for causing YS to murder his biological dad, JP is willing to surrender his life to YS.

with the burden that he carried out for 28 years, and his evil methods of achieving vengeance, peaceful life is impossible to JP and i'm sure he knew this since the beginning. thus death is expected. i guess YS only realized tht too late.

all in all, what a ride! and the music is really great!

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424 KimKas

December 26, 2011 at 6:15 AM

A bit late but I'll add my 2 cents to the thread.

City Hunter is my favorite KDrama for this year (and probably will be for a long time) in terms of action and thrill. The plot was magnificent, flawed at various points but still magnificent because the story just grips you right from the start and never lets you go.

Then, deep down my 7-year old-self can't help but admire the courage and will of Yoon Sung to fight against the corrupt world he lives in, and Young Joo's unwavering and iron-like belief in righteousness and justice. Both characters were very well interpreted and came across as credible. Young Joo's death was epic and it's both frighteningly epic and deeply saddening that he died fighting for his cause. But that coincided with his father waking from his coma, which is the punishment he actually deserved : to carry on living, knowing his sins were the reason his son died (my mother made the point while watching the drama that Young Joo symbolically gave his life to his father, which is also a way to see it).

My personal favorite is Lee Jin Pyo, perhaps because he was such an extreme character throughout the story. The pain of betrayal after you put your life on the line for someone (like your "motherland") is not something that can be erased or washed away, not even after a lifetime. I'm that way : I can't forgive any form of betrayal, whatever the reason, so I guess it makes it easier for me to understand him. Jin Pyo loved Yoon-Sung as his son but never really showed him that, his sacrifice by taking the blame right at the end engraved this in Yoon Sung's heart, that's heroic and f****** epic.

My gripe is that Yoon Sung ultimately prevented his father from getting the vengeance that consumed him since 28 years and he might just feel some degree of guilt because that normal and peaceful life Jin Pyo gave him was through his own death. The flip-side to that coin is also that eventually it resolved the father-son conflict as both showed how they cared for each-other in their own ways : you don't have to share the same blood to be family.

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425 vg

December 30, 2011 at 4:57 AM

I love city hunter ! Btw, does anyone know where to buy Minyoung's white dress which she wore on the last episode ? :) Please tell me if you do, thanks.

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426 I am the city hunter

January 12, 2012 at 3:04 PM

For me the ending was already complete

1 Maybe it was the soul of YS thats why he coudnt touch nana and hes driving to the otherworld
or
Remember Ys ddnt answer nana when she ask that he will return to her thats why nana stays to her promise

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427 gingerale

January 17, 2012 at 5:28 AM

Thank you so much for a wonderful review. i admit i'm a hopeless romantic. that is why I would have wanted to know i city hunter was able to give Nana the ring :)

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428 skiee_hyun

January 30, 2012 at 6:47 PM

i'm really disapointed about the ending but when i read this..i've open my mind about the possibilities that the story may lead..

thanks♥

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429 mrsasli

January 31, 2012 at 8:15 AM

I really dıdnt understand anything about the final episode . why is yoon sung alone in his car.he has smiled nana but at that scene she wasnt there what happenned to nana and yoon sung ? are we gonna sea the next season or that was the first and last?I really love korean tv series but they have not ability to make the final episode enough.the romanticiyszm is really makes me feel like them but they still dont know how to finish such a good series as city hunter!

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430 olsen

February 10, 2012 at 9:46 AM

OMG!

I just found out that Evil Daddy was the guy from The Bath House (or Gender Wars in Arirang TV)!

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431 danny

February 27, 2012 at 10:38 PM

I didnt watch this drama, I READ IT, here at DRAMAMBEANS with java and girlfriday. But I still get the same effect, was thrilled, emotionally rocked back n forth. You two bloggers are amazing, your writing skills are so good. I will not wonder if someday you will be the writer of a blockbuster drama shown someday. Thank u so much dramabeans!

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432 Eliza Bennet

February 29, 2012 at 3:16 AM

Thank you for these wonderful recaps. Your efforts, information and wit are highly appreciated.

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433 Tomodaiche

March 8, 2012 at 3:05 AM

I really wish for the season 2 T_T
I don't really like the ending. Why is it only tells that Yoon Sung drives along in the night and- that's it, no informartion about di he married Kim Nana or not or did anybody knows that he still alives? Arrrgh it makes me wondering of all the time. Anyway thank you Javabeans and Girlfriday for recaping this drama. BEST DRAMA EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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434 Dyah Putriawan

March 10, 2012 at 4:41 AM

city hunter is the best Korean drama of all dramas I watch
lee min ho looks very handsome.... :) :) :)

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435 aznative

June 19, 2012 at 11:24 AM

Well, I finally watched this series, a well-acted, heart-pounding, "yes" shouting experience.

Forgive me for being nit-picky, but in the gun scene in the last episode, even though Lee Jin-Pyo dropped the clip out of his gun a round would've already been chambered after the last shot, so the gun wasn't unloaded, or impotent as Javabeans says "He whirls to face the bodyguards with an impotent gun, and they fire away reflexively".

Thanks for the recaps. I skimmed them hoping for a good series review before committing myself to watch the series.

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436 krizza

July 2, 2012 at 1:16 PM

I would like to know whatever happened to the ring?...and who was the one who helped Chun Jae-Man escape from the police?

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Saddy

August 20, 2012 at 10:51 AM

ooh yes! very good point. I guess we'll never know?

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437 bubble_tea

July 5, 2012 at 3:10 AM

Girlfriday's overall review is spot on!
"To me that was always the heart of the show — the father-son relationship"

It's great to watch a kdrama centered around a platonic relationship rather than soley focusing on a love story between a man and woman.

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438 Saddy

August 20, 2012 at 10:44 AM

Wow...so "that's all she wrote", huh? This has been quite a journey and I fully expected an explosive ending, but it was more whimper than bang for me, but still solid in execution, so I won't gripe too much.

It broke my heart to see Sae-hee grieve for hero #2 YJ - as we know, she was still completely in love with him, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.... But it gave me a lot of satisfaction to see his dad grieve, because he knows he is partially responsible for his son's death, and will now start to repent his evil deeds? We can only hope.

It wasn't meant for Jin-pyo to survive either - not after all he did, and how strongly he felt about killing people and such. At least his last action was to wipe the slate clean for his son to have a better life....but it still felt too little too late for me. After how he twisted the guy's life and manipulated him for 28 years.....yeesh!

Pres. Choi was a very interesting character. The line to the effect of "your father is sorry to make you live this way" was so poignant and weighty....I want to cry for my poor baby all over again. I'm glad he just got impeached and not killed in the end.

Of course our Yoon-sung couldn't die, but way to scare us anyway, Show! Him turning the gun on himself was completely within his character - brave, noble, self-sacrificing for the greater good, etc....but I was still like "omfg what are you doing?!?!"

And I didn't read all the previous comments, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one that wanted MORE from YS and Nana's last scene? First of all, throughout the entire episode, I screamed at her to HUG him whenever they were together (I wanted to do it, but she was closer)....and then in the end, we just get smiles?!?! I wanted a hug and a kiss, or at least some hand-holding! Their romance was the second big storyline/appeal of the entire show; we were dying for them to be together and be happy... so that wrap-up felt very weak and quite unsatisfying.

Which brings me to: Mom and Ajusshi (and I assume Nana) are moving to America....but Yoon-sung is not, as per the last driving-alone scene?? He's gonna stay in Korea, presumably to do more city hunting? Are they really setting up for a second season sometime in the future?? Hmmm.

Final thoughts: This is the best kdrama I've seen so far (out of 4). Lee Min-ho is my new favorite for his swoon-worthy looks AND considerable acting talent! I can't wait to see him again...

A big THANK YOU to JB and GF for the recaps. You guys do such a fantastic job - reading this blog is just as fun as watching the show, and makes it all the more enjoyable. Keep up the good work!!!

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439 JUST-CURIOUS

September 9, 2012 at 4:12 AM

sad demise of the epic jin pyo *tear* (blood is thicker than water)
the piercing look of eyes *soul shattering*

disappointed at Yoon Sung choosing to save his biological father.........

Whatever hppened to LOYALTY

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440 LoveIt

September 9, 2012 at 3:05 PM

It is soooo nice to see that people are still commenting on this drama. Can you guys believe that this was my first K Drama ever? Yes City Hunter and Lee Min Ho took my Kdrama virginity! No other drama has matched it yet, and I have watched about 10 or so.

City Hunter was a roller coaster ride of tears, excitement, heart stopping goodness. Even though the ending could have been better, I still love this series because it was just that good.

LMH's acting was perfect for this role, some people complained about his acting skills, but I am sitting here like what are y'all talking about? I mean when his ahjussi got hit in the car accident and he was crying and yelling for him to not die, I was balling and it was so heart wrenching, yet when LJH's character's father died, I didn't cry at his portrayal at all. I like them both though, but LMH clearly carried this show well, and to say otherwise is just.... The supporting cast did a great job too. TBH I wouldn't see the show the same, if they didn't cast the actors that they did, and for that I must say well done.

City Hunter is an example of good acting, good writing, and good directing all in one series.

Bravo!

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441 rachel mbanje

September 11, 2012 at 5:46 AM

city hunter you just got my five star lik

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442 minjae han

December 19, 2012 at 5:17 PM

wait so in the end lee yun seong and na na doesnt get together they just smile and then he drives off?

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443 Winson Lim

January 5, 2013 at 5:55 PM

I have read all the comments and this is the truth about City Hunter ending.

Nana and YS were reunited at the airport but she didn't expect him to appear.

It seems that YS needs some time to get over it during the lapse of time after his recovery from the gunshot.

Nana was preparing to take a vacation trip to breathe some air and planning to come back to reunite with YS and I believe they have already hugged and kiss after his recovery.

The ring is already on NaNa hand, just that the director wants to leave that to our imagination.

They are only smiled at each other at the airport as YS will be waiting for NaNa return and settle down together at Seoul.

After sending off NaNa at the airport, he went back home, taking the time to wrap everything up and settle some business at Seoul. Visiting YJ grave, promising to uphold justice in the right way by being a prosecutor instead of being City Hunter.

After 2 years later, Nana, Mom and Ajussi came back to reunite with YS and live happily after.

By then, YS has become a righteous prosecutor in Seoul and lives a new life with his loved ones.

So that means there's no Season 2.

Sorry guys, we should stopped being greedy here as it brings us to nowhere.

It was a perfect open ending and a perfect one.

If we are a talented script writer, then what I have wrote is closed to a perfect ending.

Required fields are marked *

444 Winson Lim

January 6, 2013 at 5:11 AM

CORRECTION!!!

I watched the last episode one more time and realized one HUGE clue that I missed that lead to a really happy ending.

The Director should have included the hug and kiss scene when they met at the airport as it's the show main theme, Nana and YS reunited finally and got a good ending.

Most often times, Korean dramas has a weak ending, I am used to the super weak and disappointing endings.

However, there's one thing for sure Nana is not leaving Seoul as the ORANGE LUGGAGE that she was pulling belongs to the MOM.

The evidence was shown in the last episode scene at TIME: 03:50 left on the SCREEN whereby it cast Ahjussi and MOM received the wedding invitation cards and the TWO LUGGAGE, One BLUE and the other ORANGE.

Meaning both LUGGAGE belongs to MOM and Ahjussi preparing to take the flight to the US and MOM and Ahjussi is not sad neither they cried.

And when Nana pulls the ORANGE LUGGAGE, it shows that she's sending MOM off to the US and YS also went to the airport at the same time to send them off.

The reason why YS went back home first driving along the highway towards the city with his smiling expressing and looking forward expression in the car just represents that everything has ended and waiting for Nana to come back from the airport and he has other business to take care off while waiting for Nana.

He might have planned a BIG Surprise for Nana and prepared to propose to her with the wedding ring before going to the US together with her.

After his proposal, both went to JS grave and pay respect to his righteousness and promised to uphold justice in the US to start over a new life there as Seoul has too much bad memories.

After Nana and YS have pay respects to JS and congrats both EA and Dumbguy, both in return congrats them and finally console HS for the loss of JS and wish her future happiness.

And then both Nana and YS went to US with MOM and Ahjussi living together happily ever after.

And the commotion that YS is a ghost and it was Nana imagination is totally unacceptable.

The camera is clear that YS is alive. Come On!! You should have seen clearly people!!

I have taken a clear look again and rewind it at TIME: 02:43 left and Nana is pulling the EXACT SAME ORANGE LUGGAGE that MOM have in TIME: 03:50 left.

Mystery SOLVED!!

Ending is clear.

Just that the Director didn't include the hug and kiss in the airport as to let us do an investigation what happen between them.

It is clear isn't it people?

YS The City Hunter has ended the CRUEL FATE and decided to start over again and lead a normal life with Nana.

The suspense that the ending gave was abit misleading as where YS drive to.

It is a simple yet profound scene which makes it a CLASSIC MASTERPIECE.

It represents how confident YS is to pursue his own happiness and decided to buried his past as The City Hunter once and for all.

Happy Ending.

Required fields are marked *

445 Winson Lim

January 6, 2013 at 6:24 AM

Addon!!

HIS BIG Proposal Surprise will be at the water fountain where they first didn't met each other and each
walk separate ways.

He told Nana at the airport to find him at the place where they first met and he will give her an answer.

Nana went there and YS was not there.

And when the camera turns around and YS catch her by the hand and hold on to her shoulders and hold close
to him.

Then he looked into her eyes and kiss her.

After the kiss, he kneeled down and proposed to Nana to marry him with the ring that MOM gave him.

Nana was happy into tears and YS slowly put the ring on her hand.

In the beginning, when he was driving, he maintain the same eye expression and then he opened wide his eyes showing that he's determined to propose to Nana and decided to forgive her for shooting his foster dad as everyone know YS is a kind and forgiving Character and he loves Nana.

So I am confident that there will be no season 2.

Sorry guys. I work hard to uncover the whole truth about what it meant and I finally got it when I put the pieces together when I looked at the poster whereby YS is wearing black and Nana is wearing white holding close together, I notice the background is like the place when they first met.

It's FATE that brings them together.

Required fields are marked *

446 Winson Lim

January 6, 2013 at 6:27 AM

Correction!!!

Sorry guys, here's the full ending.

I watched the last episode one more time and realized one HUGE clue that I missed that lead to a really happy

ending.

The Director should have included the hug and kiss scene when they met at the airport as it's the show main

theme, Nana and YS reunited finally and got a good ending.

Most often times, Korean dramas has a weak ending, I am used to the super weak and disappointing endings.

However, there's one thing for sure Nana is not leaving Seoul as the ORANGE LUGGAGE that she was pulling

belongs to the MOM.

The evidence was shown in the last episode scene at TIME: 03:50 left on the SCREEN whereby it cast Ahjussi and

MOM received the wedding invitation cards and the TWO LUGGAGE, One BLUE and the other ORANGE.

Meaning both LUGGAGE belongs to MOM and Ahjussi preparing to take the flight to the US and MOM and Ahjussi is

not sad neither they cried.

And when Nana pulls the ORANGE LUGGAGE, it shows that she's sending MOM off to the US and YS also went to the

airport at the same time to send them off.

The reason why YS went back home first driving along the highway towards the city with his smiling expressing

and looking forward expression in the car just represents that everything has ended and waiting for Nana to

come back from the airport and he has other business to take care off while waiting for Nana.

He might have planned a BIG Surprise for Nana and prepared to propose to her with the wedding ring before going

to the US together with her.

HIS BIG Proposal Surprise will be at the first place where they first met each other.

He told Nana at the airport to find him at the first place where they met and he will give her an answer.

Nana went there and YS was not there.

And when the camera turns around and YS catch her by the hand and hold on to her shoulders and hold close
to him.

Then he looked into her eyes and kiss her.

After the kiss, he kneeled down and proposed to Nana to marry him with the ring that MOM gave him.

Nana was happy into tears and YS slowly put the ring on her hand.

After his proposal, both went to JS grave and pay respect to his righteousness and promised to uphold justice

in the US to start over a new life there as Seoul has too much bad memories.

After Nana and YS have pay respects to JS and congrats both EA and Dumbguy, both in return congrats them and

finally console HS for the loss of JS and wish her future happiness.

And then both Nana and YS went to US with MOM and Ahjussi living together happily ever after.

And the commotion that YS is a ghost and it was Nana imagination is totally unacceptable.

The camera is clear that YS is alive. Come On!! You should have seen clearly people!!

I have taken a clear look again and rewind it at TIME: 02:43 left and Nana is pulling the EXACT SAME ORANGE

LUGGAGE that MOM have in TIME: 03:50 left.

Mystery SOLVED!!

Ending is clear.

Just that the Director didn't include the hug and kiss in the airport as to let us do an investigation what

happen between them.

It is clear isn't it people?

YS The City Hunter has ended the CRUEL FATE and decided to start over again and lead a normal life with Nana.

The suspense that the ending gave was abit misleading as where YS drive to.

It is a simple yet profound scene which makes it a CLASSIC MASTERPIECE.

It represents how confident YS is to pursue his own happiness and decided to buried his past as The City Hunter

once and for all.

In the beginning, when he was driving, he maintain the same eye expression and then he opened wide his eyes

showing that he's determined to propose to Nana and decided to forgive her for shooting his foster dad as

everyone know YS is a kind and forgiving Character and he loves Nana.

Sorry guys. I work hard to uncover the whole truth about what it meant and I finally got it when I put the

pieces together when I looked at the poster whereby YS is wearing black and Nana is wearing white holding close

together, I notice the background is like the place when they first met.

It's FATE that brings them together.

Happy Ending.

Required fields are marked *

447 Winson Lim

January 6, 2013 at 6:32 AM

CORRECTION!!!

So sorry, Last Editing I promised. Pls delete all the previous posts. Thank you.