Girl, I am this close to sending you to the nearest gibang.

How can you watch "The Great Ambition" and not have Jang Hyuk on your radar?

@kiara September 25, 2019 at 7:24 PM
cc: @sicarius, @wishfultoki

LOL! Please hold your Magic Horses(TM), Sunbaenim. I'm pretty sure CHUNO was the first show I saw with Jang Hyuk, so that's why it put him on my radar forever after. After that, I started tracking down his earlier productions. I loved him in DAEMANG, too. Hmmm.

*scratches head*

Or did I watch DAEMANG for Jo Hyun-jae because I went bonkers for him as Myongnong Seja in THE KING'S DAUGHTER, SOO BAEK HYANG and started working my way through his filmography, and JH happened to be in it, too? Dang, I can't recall. That was before I kept a Kdrama log.

@kiara,

Aha! I have a dim recollection that I watched DAEMANG because JH mentioned it in his CHUNO interview (above).

@pakalanapikake
Lol you almost got caught two timing our future Yi Bang-won.
I can't blame you. Jo Hyun-jae was gorgeous in GREAT AMBITION aka DAEMANG.

You are forgiven only because you watched CHUNO first.

@kiara,
Or maybe I almost got caught two-timing JHJ, my archetypal Seja, hehehe! He was born to play princes and kings. I wish to heck he'd do another sageuk as he was dynamite in SONG OF THE PRINCE, too.

THE KING'S DAUGHTER, SOO BAEK HYANG will be my next marathon project.

Wait a minute..I haven't seen Daemang, but it aired in 2002 and I didn't start watching dramas yet. Am I missing out? Do I need to watch it?

@Snow Flower
September 26, 2019 at 5:31 AM

I'm so pleased to meet another CHUNO fan, SnowFlower. Not only did it make me a fan of Jang Hyuk, but Kim Ji-suk caught my eye as his randy maknae, along with Han Jung-soo as laconic first mate "General" Choi. It still has one of the best sageuk shower scenes ever.

The cast is chock-full of terrific actors who were already accomplished veterans or well on their way, and younger actors who have since found success in movies as well as dramas. I had no idea I was watching Song Dong-il as the rival chuno. His portrayal of that character still sticks with me, as do Kong Hyung-jin's of the runaway slave, and Lee Jong-hyeok's performance as the cold-blooded killer, Commander Hwang Cheol-woong.
http://asianwiki.com/Chuno

From a martial arts perspective, CHUNO is interesting because it was the first time I saw a woldo moon blade as wielded by General Song Tae-ha (Oh Ji-ho), loyal subordinate of King Injo's son held hostage in Qing, Sohyeon Seja. IIRC, it prompted me to read up on the weaponry of the era, and came in handy when watching other sageuks. It was also my introduction to the disastrous reign of King Injo, which I encountered in greater detail in HWAJUNG / SPLENDID POLITICS.

As for the OST, I was surprised by just how well modern rock and rap fit with the action scenes. Before watching CHUNO, I'd taken a peek at DAMO, but at the time was repulsed by the music used in the wire-fu scenes in the tops of the bamboo grove. It came as a shock to my system. I've since learned that DAMO was the ground-breaking mother of all fusion sageuk dramas, IIRC. It was only after watching CHUNO, FAITH, and ARANG AND THE MAGISTRATE that I gave DAMO another try, within the past year or so, and ended up loving it. (Yay, Ha Ji-won! I loved her in the film version, DUELIST, with Gang Dong-won as Sad Eyes, the enigmatic swordsman.) Normally I prefer traditional music or low-key ballads in sageuks, but CHUNO's music was out of this world. Now you're making me think I should sneak in an episode or two of CHUNO before MY COUNTRY premieres. ;-)

@newso September 27, 2019 at 5:04 AM

Re: DAEMANG / GREAT AMBITION

I didn't start watching Kdramas until 2012 or so. I was so taken by THE KING'S DAUGHTER SOO BAEK HYANG that I delved into the filmographies of various cast members, especially Jo Hyun-jae. Somewhere along the line I caught up with Jang Hyuk, and made a concerted effort to watch his earlier work, too. DAEMANG killed two birds with one stone. Plus it has a cameo by Zo In-sung as young Lee Soo, and Jang Keun-suk as the young Park Si-young, JH's nefarious hyung. Bro's adult version, played by Han Jae-suk, also made an impression on me.

This article can answer your question better than I can because it's been so long since I watched the drama that I've forgotten a lot of it:
https://stuckonhyuk.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/daemang-great-ambition-review/#more-429

If you're on a JH kick, be sure to check out BRIGHT GIRL'S SUCCESS, his first pairing with Jang Na-ra, in which he plays a cosmetic company heir.

@SnowFlower
September 27, 2019 at 8:22 PM

I looked around for DAEMANG / GREAT AMBITION, and came up empty. It's hard to find Kdramas from the early Oughties, let alone with English subtitles. I suspect I watched it on DramaFever, but didn't note it in my Kdrama log back then.

Snow Flower.

Anyone who loves CHUNO should watch the movie WAR OF THE ARROWS (2011). One of my favorite action sageuk beside MUSA THE WARRIOR (2001).
It was also set during King Injo's reign so the political climate would feel familiar to you.

@kiara September 29, 2019 at 9:24 AM,
cc: @Snow Flower

WAR OF THE ARROWS is one of my favorites. I was totally fascinated to learn about the Korean composite bows and the baby arrows fired with a bamboo guide that allows the archer to fully draw the bowstring. The archer's equivalent of a sniper rifle. And the Manchu crossbows were terrifying. Watching those half-pound heads on the bolts shatter trees was shocking.

Around the same time, I watched ROARING CURRENTS, and was fascinated with the turtle ships.

Thanks for the nudge on MUSA THE WARRIOR. It's been on my to-watch list for quite a spell.

@pakalanapikake

THE WARRIOR is epic in every way. It's a rare gem of a film based on the Mongol/Ming/Goryeo era.
I'm expecting the soundtrack to be on your wall after you watch it.
I know you'll love the cast. If you haven't seen Ahn Sung-ki in anything, this would be a good film to remember him by. He's one of Korea's most respected film actors that we won't get to see in dramas.
It's like Park Hae-il in WAR OF THE ARROWS. We have to watch their films because they are not going to be in dramas.

@kiara September 29, 2019 at 9:06 PM

RE: Ahn Sung-ki,

I just looked at his filmography in AsianWiki, and was surprised to realize that I've seen two of his movies that are among my favorites: DUELIST and A BATTLE OF WITS (I tuned in for Choi Si-won, who did a nice job as the prince). I was especially intrigued by the Mohist engineer who came to defend a city under attack, and read up on Mozi and his school of thought, which I found to be a fascinating alternative to Confucianism.

I sort of recall Ahn Sung-ki's performances in both movies, and will look forward to seeing MUSA. Thanks again!

How did I miss this whole conversation? Ok, recapping:
- I have watched CHUNO and it's an all-time favorite of mine. Speaking of memorable secondary characters, don't forget Park Ki Woong's brief turn as a troublemaker with elvish good looks.
- I'm currently on episode 90 of KING'S DAUGHTER SOO BAEK HYANG and I can vouch for @pakalapikake's tastes. I can see myself scouring for more Jo Hyun Jae works when I'm done too.
- Naturally, I'm adding DAEMANG to my never-ending list.
- DAMO is still on my list!
- I recently watched ROARING CURRENTS and am still on a Joseon turtle-ship high.
- I have WAR OF ARROWS downloaded and ready to watch.
- I'm adding WARRIOR to my list. @kiara you just gave me more homework before watching MY COUNTRY!

@wishfultoki

Sorry I can't help myself lol.
OK moment of truth, I did enjoy ROARING CURRENT but I must confess to loving Kim Myung-min's IMMORTAL ADMIRAL YI SUN-SIN (2005) more. If you loved his portrayal of Sambong in SFD, you'll love him more as Admiral Yi.
I sat through 100+ episodes of awesomeness haha. Kim Myung-min will always be Admiral Yi to me.

Sorry to add another long sageuk to your list but it's a must watch Toki.

Thanks @kiara! I enjoyed Kim Myung-min's Sambong though I wasn't a big fan of the character, but I can see him doing splendidly as a charismatic admiral. I might as well resign myself to a life of watching sageuks. ;)

Well Magic Horse died in episode 17, so maybe it's his reincarnation??
Or twin brother.
(I don't think this meme is going to die for a very long time and I am pleased)

You're right, I shouldn't reign you in; my greatest achievement of the year after the Fish Cult, is coining Magic Horse and Carrot Boy. Run free dear friend!!!

@wishfultoki,
He could have 2 earrings. We're only seeing him in profile. ;-)

The Yi clan were pro-Ming so they abandoned the Mongol traditions when Joseon was established.

Ming had to acknowledge Joseon as a legitimate country so maybe that was part of why they had to get rid of it.

@kiara,
I can see how the Yi Dynasty would want to curry favor with Ming, especially when "elder brother" was calling the shots when it came to recognizing sejas.

The adoption of Neo-Confucianism as the state religion to supplant Buddhism in theory rooted out corruption. It also looks like a land-grab to me, akin to Philip IV of France's suppression of the Knights Templar.

@pakalanapikake

Man, I hope this writer is up to the task. I'm not expecting him to top writer Jung's NOKDU FLOWER. I Just hope that his fictional characters are as intriguing as the real historical figures.

What a great choice to have Ahn Nae-sang play a fictional character opposite Jang Hyuk. He sounds a bit like Sambong.
Based on the character chart, he will be on the queen's side and you know what that means.

You are right about the adoption of Neo- Confucianism but it wasn't a state religion like Buddhism.
There is corruption in both but they wrote the history so they have to defend themselves.

@kiara September 25, 2019 at 11:24 PM

NOKDU FLOWER was indeed so thoroughly excellent that I have to rate it a tad above HAECHI, which had a bit of wheel-spinning, but not that much. Jung Il-woo did a great job in his comeback from the service.

I'm looking forward to Ahn Nae-sang, who hopefully will not be channeling the fanatic Song Sabu from REBEL. ;-)

Neo-Confucianism might better be called an ideology or philosophy rather than a religion. As for the corruption allegations leveled at Buddhism, the victors are the ones who write the history books. It was the Buddhists who lost out when Goryeo was overthrown.

@pakalanapikake,sorry that the thread is pushed over so much that we can’t reply directly but,
@kiara, re Ahn Nae-sang,
many (and I think that includes you) raved about his performance as King Jeongjo in the wonderful CONSPIRACY IN THE COURT (2007).
Lol. Looking at my viewing log I note that I watched 100 DAYS MY PRINCE (a fine sageuk) immediately before taking on CITC. That was like jumping from high school to grad school.

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo September 26, 2019 at 4:21 PM

LOL! Yes, that would surely have been sageuk whiplash going from 100 DAYS MY PRINCE to CONSPIRACY IN THE COURT -- complete with Mr. X's inimitable subtitles. What an education it was to read them.

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo and @pakalanapikake.

I think he'd be a bit predictable here unlike Song sabu. He was a bit frustrating. CONSPIRACY Ahn was on another level. There is no way I'm going back to watch that show again no matter how good it was.

Btw. Most of the time when I delete a comment it is because I have messed up a name. The least I can do is get an actor’s name right.

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo,

LOL! I didn't see your page until after I posted my comment.

Just 3 characters in DUEL -- but one impersonated the other, so I counted that as 4 because it was visibly distinct from that character's normal way of being. Talk about nuance and microexpressions.

About that smile: His character in RDTK was inexpressive and not much fun (who would be, with a highly critical father like his?). Late in the show, when he accomplished a difficult surgical feat against a nearly-inhuman time deadline, he flashed a beautiful smile for 1.2 nanoseconds that brought the house down in the recap thread.

I actually thought of his chef character in TEMPERATURE OF LOVE as very tough-minded. While he was tender and solicitous towards the woman he loved (who treated him badly), he didn't shy away from taking the bull by the horns with his abusive parents. And he was a serious business owner.

Thank you!
I was also talking about Song Seung-heon. Somehow Hand-towel is easier to remember haha.

@kiara,
Hand-towel is indeed easier to remember. But SSH has been doing so well since BLACK that I've refrained from referring to him by the old moniker. I've been enjoying his current turn in THE GREAT SHOW.

As for SAIMDANG, I thought SSH looked terrific in hanbok. The entire Joseon timeline was pretty good. I found the papermaking footage very interesting, having worked in a related field. Who knew that wisteria bast was the secret to Joseon paper's durability?!

Our young actors are in good hands!
I'm not worried about them.

@kiara,
He had a lot of pizzaz in MAD DOG, so it will be interesting to see what he does with his charisma because of the character's inferior status in MY COUNTRY.

Enjoy! ;-)

That drama, that shall not be mentioned, was awful. He was wonderful in Mad Dog.

@missjb,

I totally concur with @ndlessjoie mugyuljoie. I refuse to utter its title. Hrmph! (She's absolutely correct about MAD DOG.) Said show was a maladaptation of the much earlier film UNTOLD SCANDAL, which was set in Joseon and featured Bae Yong-joon and Lee Mi-sook as the leads. From the start I couldn't figure out how it could be successfully turned into a TV drama, given the adult subject matter. As is was, it was a waste of the cast, in particular Woo Do-hwan and Kim Min-jae. I watched the whole danged thing for those two, despite my misgivings. Grrr.

Now all we need are recaps *starts praying*

Well, I guess it would make sense to follow the same writers.

In chronological order, QSD (Silla), SFD (Goryeo/Joseon) then TWDR (Joseon).
They were trying to link all 3 dramas together like some kind of trilogy but it makes no sense since there is a huge gap between QSD and SFD.

Speaking of Silla, @captblackdog is in Korea now and just posted some gorgeous photos of the ancient Silla kingdoms on her Facebook blog! https://www.facebook.com/trys.three/