Iljimae (SBS)

109 May 24, 2008January 24, 2016

by javabeans

SBS’s Iljimae isn’t necessarily BAD… if you don’t mind over-the-top, ham-fisted schlock. Perhaps that’s harsh, but I have a bad feeling about it — it’s like Hong Gil Dong but less realistic, which tells you a lot right there. The series starts off with grown-up Iljimae in an action sequence that is as ridiculously cheesy as it is logically riddled with holes. Then, as many sageuk dramas do, we jump back to childhood to establish our characters in the Tragedy! and Chaos! that informs their adulthoods, and it’s in the past that the series does a borderline decent (though convoluted) job of building the intertwining relationships.

The current-time sequence that starts us off is what bothers me most — because although we spend a mere ten or fifteen minutes in that time period before the story jumps backward and improves, I know we’re going to be returning to the “present” time eventually. And when it does, if things continue in the vein of the series start, I am going to be incapacitated by Howls of Laughter at the Ridiculous.

The acting ranges from acceptable to laughably over-the-top, the directing is okay, the effects are not as good as they could be, the music is pretty good, and Lee Junki is as much a ham as he ever was. (He’s always had a tendency to overact, and his best moments are when he pulls back from his excess. He doesn’t restrain himself much here.) Can I see why the series got off to a quick start and healthy ratings? Yes. Do I agree? Umm… not really.

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Gummy – “따끔” (sting) [ Download ]

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But rather than merely sling words like “cheesy” and “absurd” around and work the Lee Junki fans into a froth, let me describe for you the opening sequence, and you be the judge.

Sitting in their darkened lair, Iljimae and his bandit friends discuss the night’s raid. Everyone is opposed to Iljimae’s target, because it’s too heavily fortified, too impossible. But Iljimae dons his Hannibal Lecter-esque metal-plate mask and says, “There’s no place in this world I can’t rob. Because… I’m Iljimae.” Wait wait, let me try out that logic: There’s no way a million dollars won’t fall out of the sky in to my lap. Because I’m javabeans. Hm, I wonder why that didn’t work.

Iljimae, disguised as a peasant/trader, arrives at their heavily guarded target with a cart of huge ice blocks, the largest of which has been dyed red with berry juice for an event the next day. The guards are on high alert, having heard Iljimae’s intentions to raid, and wave them inside — where Iljimae crushes the ice, dyed red to hide its contents, dons his armor, and retrieves his weapons, which includes an arm-mounted grappling hook. Oh yeah, and he peels off his rubbery facial prosthetics because they’ve already been invented in this parallel universe.

Iljimae crawls through tunnels, then runs along the rooftops — jumping back and forth willy-nilly ’cause it’s cool, not because it makes sense or anything — and arrives at one particular building. He knocks out the guards by throwing what looks like golf balls at their heads and beating them unconscious, and uses his arm-mounted grappling hook to launch the wire and hook to an opposing building, then traverses the divide silently by climbing the wire. What, he couldn’t just jump to that rooftop?

Then Iljimae busts out his invisibility cloak — yup, that’s right, I said INVISIBILITY CLOAK — and hides himself while rigging his PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES to bust a hole in the wall. Dude Iljimae, I’m sure you’re smart and everything, but don’t you think you could’ve saved yourself some trouble by using the invisibility cloak to begin with?

Now he’s inside the chamber containing some kind of valuable artifact. Guards swoop in, dropping down from the ceiling because doors are so passé, y’all, and surround Iljimae. They fight. (Credit where it’s due: this fight scene is filmed pretty well, with nice photography and lighting.) Ilijmae rat-tails a piece of cloth (you know, that obnoxious towel-whipping boys do in locker rooms, erm, not that I’d know personally) and extinguishes the candles, dousing the room in darkness.

When torches are brought in, Iljimae is gone. But they hear the clash of a swordfight, and rush to the room next door — it’s Iljimae versus Guard. They corner Iljimae on the ground, and find that somehow, it’s not Iljimae but a guard who’s been gagged and dressed in Iljimae’s own clothing. Wait, wha-? Exactly.

It’s like how Tom Cruise keeps changing faces in Mission Impossible and the last time he does it, you’re like, “Oh, that’s cool,” before you stop and think, “Wait, how is he making these perfectly designed prosthetic masks of people’s faces in advance?” But logic has no place in a Mission Impossible movie, nor has it a place here.

Anyway, the guards rush to their precious artifact, whatever it is, only to find it’s been stolen — left only with Iljimae’s trademark white handkerchief with his signature plum-blossom detailing. Outside, now dressed in the guard’s clothing, Iljimae walks the rooftop and says: “See? I told you there was nothing in the world I couldn’t do. Because… I’m ILJIMAE!”

So there we have it: Iljimae, a fusion sageuk that obviously misunderstands the word “fusion” to mean “make up whatever the hell you want, even if it doesn’t make sense, because we can call it fusion!” A sageuk that’s as much Jack Bauer meets Bond meets Mission Impossible as it is supposedly a historical.

Well, let’s cover the story of his beginnings now:

In his childhood, Iljimae is a happy boy named LEE KYUM, son of respected nobleman Lee Won Ho. He lives a charmed life with his family of four, and all is cheerfulness, goodness, privilege and plum blossoms floating in the wind. Not only that, but Kyum is a good kid, honest and sympathetic.

When another noble youngster, SHI WAN, targets a local poor boy CHA DOL (below right) with his cruelty, Kyum steps in. Shi Wan is an elitist little shit, to put it nicely, and thinks Cha Dol (whose adult character is played by Park Shi Hoo) deserves a little more misery than being born poor in a rich man’s world, and steals a medallion from Kyum’s father, stuffing it inside Cha Dol’s bag. Then he accuses the boy of being a thief, and the boy is dragged off, begging for mercy.

Kyum (above left) looks at his father’s returned medallion and notices a sticky white confection on it, and plays Encyclopedia Brown. The poor boy’s fingers are clean, and so are Kyum’s father’s. Not so Shi Wan’s.

Shi Wan runs off and Cha Dol (later renamed Shi Hoo) thanks noble father and son for stepping in to prove his innocence. He swears to repay their kindness one day.

When BYUN SHIK, Shi Wan’s powerful father, finds out about his son’s misdeed, he doesn’t necessarily disapprove but fears the wrath of Lee Won Ho. He tries to force his son to apologize, but Shi Wan petulantly refuses, and his good, kind baby sister EUN CHAE (later played by Han Hyo Joo) steps up. She’ll beg for forgiveness.

So when she goes to plead prettily for her brother’s wrong, she meets Kyum, and they look at plum blossoms and marvel at the little bird (a warbler) that flits among the trees. Ah, love at first sight. (I know it’s supposed to be sweet, but who else thinks that finding true love at age 8 is kinda creepy? I mean, if my soulmate were the first snotty boy I had a crush on in second grade… shudder.)

This drama is not without its own convoluted birth secret, and here we have DANI, Cha Dol’s mother and wife to Swe Dol (above right). She’s the long-suffering type who used to be a maidservant in the household of a young Lee Won Ho. She and Lee Won Ho were in love, despite their class differences, and also lovers — and when she found out she was pregnant, do you know what she did? She headed straight for Byun Shik (Shi Wan’s father) and told him that he could have her for a night (he’d been bugging Lee Won Ho to let him have his servant for his concubine). They had sex. Somehow this makes sense in Dani’s mind as the logical thing to do in self-preservation. I don’t know why. Soon after, she married Swe Dol and bore her son Cha Dol, who is actually Lee Won Ho’s son and therefore Kyum’s half-brother. Are you following all this?

Anyway. Swe Dol is a former thief but generally good-hearted (though weak) man, and when he’s contracted to do something for Byun Shik, he balks at the last moment because it feels wrong.

The conspiracy plot: Lee Won Ho’s older brother (above left) is at the helm of the conspiracy, which has to do with a royal coup. The older brother (I’m not positive they’re blood brothers, or if they’re using the term as a sign of respect/closeness), accompanied by his three warriors, orders Byun Shik (above right) to make Lee Won Ho into a traitor. Byun Shik carries this out by hiring Swe Dol to plant a blood-sealed letter on Lee Won Ho’s property — but Swe Dol backs out at the last moment in fear. His refusal causes him to be beaten, and Cha Dol, who has followed his father, cries out not to kill him. He agrees to carry out the task in place of his father if they will spare them, and he does.

However, both are then about to be killed by Byun Shik (to tie off loose ends) when Dani hears and rushes to beg for mercy. She reminds Byun Shik of their night together years ago, and confesses that Cha Dol is HIS son. Thus Cha Dol is sent off to live with Byun Shik’s family, to grow up alongside Shi Wan and Eun Chae and renamed as Shi Hoo. Poor kid’s going to develop an identity complex when he realizes that this second family isn’t the right one, either. (And that his act to save his adoptive father in fact killed his biological one.) What an irritating mother.

When the three warriors infiltrate, Lee Won Ho hides Kyum in a cabinet and locks it before going out to face the men. He fights a good fight, but is killed — all while Kyum watches through a peephole in the cabinet. The death is ruled a suicide and the man declared a traitor. As punishment for high treason, the wife and daughter are sold off. Kyum, however, is spared because Swe Dol arrives on the scene before the authorities, hears the boy in the cabinet, and carries him away. However, Kyum is wanted by authorities as well as Byun Shik’s men, who want to kill him to clean up the mess.

After awakening, Kyum wanders back home and is found by some guards, who chase him through the village, where he runs into an orphaned brother-sister pair. In exchange for their silence, Kyum offers his father’s medallion to the older brother, who pawns it in exchange for medicine and food. The girl, BONG SOON (played later by Lee Young Ah), awaits her brother’s return, while the brother finds himself being followed by assassins who have tracked down the medal he sold.

The boy is killed in front of Kyum’s eyes, and he grabs the girl and runs. When cornered on a cliff, Kyum tells Bong Soon to jump on the count of three to the water below, but just as he jumps, she’s grabbed by the warrior. She begs for mercy and the man readies to kill her — but doesn’t. He reports to his superiors that the girl is dead, however. Guess he has an ounce of heart left.

Kyum is spotted in the village and suspected to be Lee Won Ho’s missing son. He spots his mother being herded away, and almost acknowledges her — but she starts acting crazy and accusing Kyum of hurting her son to deflect suspicion and to save him. The guard tests Kyum by telling him the woman is the wife of a traitor and handing him a stone; Kyum hesitates for a long moment, then takes the rock and hurls it at his mother’s head. Geez, boy, you couldn’t aim for her stomach or something?

Meanwhile, Cha Dol/Shi Hoo is with one of the men, because he met Kyum in person and could confirm his identity. Shi Hoo answers that the boy is NOT Kyum, and thinks back to his promise to repay the boy for his kindness.

Kyum is released, and wanders in a daze, where he’s found by Dani. He collapses, and she takes him home. When he awakens, the trauma has been so severe he has no memory of recent events, and thinks Dani and Swe Dol are his parents. Swe Dol wants to raise the boy (he’s feeling guilty for his part in everything), and renames him Yong.

Meanwhile, now Bong Soon is all alone, and the warrior who’d spared her life now pays a village woman to raise her. But the vulgar village lady just wants money and plans to sell the girl off, prompting Bong Soon to follow the man. He yells at her to go back, but she cries, “I don’t wanna be sold off. I’m scared.” He turns his back on her and continues; Bong Soon continues following him.

And then we’re thirteen years later.

Kyum is now Yong, and believes Dani and Swe Dol to be his parents. He’s also constantly bullied by other young scholars, led by Shi Wan, and is today strung up in a tree. A hunter comes by and cuts him down, and hears Yong muttering in his sleep. He puts the pieces together and realizes that this must be the long-lost Kyum.

Meanwhile, Yong begs his parents not to force him to go to school, and plays hooky, wandering the village in search of amusement. He’s spotted by a peddler who takes him for an easy mark, and Yong is delivered to the man’s daughter — Bong Soon.

In the intervening years, the man has become a sort of peddler of junk, working with his adopted daughter to swindle people for worthless, wacky stuff, much of which is sexually themed, like primitive condoms. This time Bong Soon makes promises of really awesome sexy comics — which turn out to be a book of flower drawings. Yong can’t believe he was cheated, and rushes back to get his money back. Unfortunately, just then he’s caught by his father Swe Dol and dragged back to school

His return isn’t received happily by the other students, particularly Shi Wan, who leads the group in another round of hazing…

Additionally…

Stuff I liked: The pre-Iljimae years where Lee Junki lives as the troublemaking Yong seem interesting, and have more touches of comedy and light-heartedness. I didn’t think I’d like Lee Young Ah’s character, but Bong Soon seems plucky and cheerful, and I’m liking that better than that exemplar of perfection, Eun Chae (although we haven’t seen Han Hyo Joo yet). I don’t know how long we’ll stay in this time range, however, and I’m not particularly eager to speed ahead to the Robin Hood years because it’s so full of nonsense — it aims for cool but I find it campy.

Stuff I didn’t like: The Hong Gil Dong comparisons have already started, and this time they’re totally merited. While the characters’ origins are different, there are a lot of similarities not just in story but also in execution. And while I think Hong Gil Dong was a very flawed drama, in this respect I think it has a leg up over Iljimae, because it did this fusion-comedy-sageuk thing first and Iljimae seems to be echoing it.

Lee Junki as the goofy Yong is amusing, but his grown-up Iljimae is corny as hell. He may do well as the cool dangerous guy in a full-on action thriller like Time of Dog and Wolf, but it doesn’t achieve the same effect when the drama has a comedic overtone as it does in Iljimae. Kang Ji Hwan was similarly goofy as Hong Gil Dong, but his character was aware of the comedy; Lee Junki could take a hint.

I actually thought Iljimae was better than expected, and the drama did get better as it went along, starting off really poorly (I thought) and working its way up. So I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, but I have no problem dropping it at the first sign of boredom. Because I’ve already seen Hong Gil Dong, and I don’t need to see it again dressed in new trimmings.

109

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51 xxx

June 27, 2008 at 3:56 PM

You know what?
Shut the hell up.
iljimae is by far the best drama I've ever seen.
And if you have issues with it, THEN DONT WATCH IT.

I think lee junki acts well as the goofy daytime yong
but at nighttime, when he's iljimae, i think he acts even better.

the mysterious and tension soundtrack
makes things a whole lot better..

So what if its unrealistic? Half the stuff from hongildong was fake too.
Flying people? you got to be kidding me.
At least iljimae doesnt fly.

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52 lynn

June 28, 2008 at 5:00 AM

Some of the negative comment here are so ridiculous
Iljimae are pretty good series and the rating has been top spot ever since its premiere .....yeah LJK overdone in some parts but i think he is not a bad actor......he get better and better just like the series and the supporting cast are excellent as well.

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53 Sophia

July 5, 2008 at 8:25 AM

I'm a big Kang Jihwan fan (I love him) and Hong Gil Dong is one of my favorite drama but I'm currently watching Iljimae a and I think it is great drama.
I like the tangled script, the intrigues and how Young will become the hero Iljimae step by step.

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54 Don’tKnockNewYork

July 12, 2008 at 1:47 PM

i don't know how to say this (cos i didn't watch HGD) but personally i think this drama is cool. Well, i had already watched episode 16 so here's just a few cents(well, no offences):

1. Yes yes, the first episode was too (and overly) absurd to accept. Even a noobie like me feels that "cos i'm iljimae" line abit ridiculous.

2. JK acting was great, and i nearly cried becos of his fantastic skill (ep7)

3. The storyline get's really great as it progresses. I guess here's a small little outline i can give: JK(in the story in Ryung) lost his memories>gaining back his memories>learn the techniques which are uber cool and equip them to be invincible.
well, the reason i feel that the story (the first few parts) was good becos it's reasonable, that's why i would say. Well, no one WILL become a HERO without any reason. As far as i know. And his reason though was typical, but it's understandable. =)

4. Romance a little but i think the kinship that binds in the story attracts my attention more.

What can i say? I feel that everyone's acting in the drama was great. OST was great too(i gotta thing for violins) and well, i think, the plot was good (like i said, i've watch 16 already). Well, i love the twists. It made my heart to stop for a moment thru. =D

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55 ABCD

July 25, 2008 at 6:35 AM

I LOVED THIS DRAMA!!
i think that your review was good but i think that as the drama progressed, LJK's acting really improved (his crying scenes were heart-warming!) and that, although it did refelct HGD, it still had a different air to it.

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56 Gloria

July 25, 2008 at 11:39 PM

Hey! > w < I'm sad that you didn't give Iljimae a chance. The 1st episode is SUPER weird and corny, but I can assure you that if you had continued with it, you would understand what is going on.

As for LJK, I think that sometimes he is overacting, but I really really think he is a talented, solid actor. Regardless, you have to admit he's a good actor. (My goodness.. when he cries.. ) Much better than most of the pretty boys I've seen in korea. Even if he overacts, he really connected with me and made me feel emotions for him. So i think he served his purpose as an actor.

Umm.. Iljimae was really a good drama. I loved it. (: Disappointed a little with the ending, but I really think Yong was a good hero. If you have a chance, or if any of you haven't given it a shot, go look at it! Even if you don't think it's good, it's really entertaining (:

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57 Gloria

July 25, 2008 at 11:42 PM

Also! I watched HGD. I liked Iljimae better, though I really loved the characters from HGD. Iljimae is not over-the-top. In fact, I think it's way more realistic. His schemes are pretty crazy. Even when HGD was stealing stuff with the hwal bin dang, it was a big silly, though I loved the drama. It's much less fusion-sageuk-y. Excellent supporting cast as well in Iljimae.

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58 rose

July 31, 2008 at 1:57 PM

I watched HGD and totally love HGD! So I didn't expect much on Iljimae however to my surprise I'm hooked from the 1st episode ... till the last episode! It's so addictive, seen it non-stop and cry a bucket ..
Now the show already end but I still want more of it .. Can't get enough of Iljimae ...

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59 dorispLOVESkangJiHwan

August 12, 2008 at 5:31 AM

have already finished watching Iljimae and I think it's a must watch....though they say that it's ala Jack Bauer meet Bond meet Mission Impossible, but hey I love all of those three so what more can I ask for if Lee Jun Ki can roll it into one character in Iljimae......have made up my mind to watch this series after watching Lee Jun Ki in Time of Dog and Wolf.....he definitely made me cry buckets there and he didn't dissappoint me in Iljimae, made me acry a bucket more.....he definitely is a good cryer ..... err should I say 'pretty' cryer? coz he definitely is ALWAYS MORE pretty than his leading lady!.... i generally love those romantic-comedy series but if I encounter a drama with 'sad' scenes, it should made me cry buckets for it to like it., pretty confusing hah?! me too! LOL ..... but to summarize it all, despites all those ridiculous costumes and those ridiculous scenes I will still put Iljimae on my keeper shelf!....before, hate those eyes they called 'button-hole eyes', love eyes like Eric Mun with a hint of ' singkit' (as we call them in Tagalog here in the Philippines) but since watching LJK works, start loving them, as long as those eyes belongs to LJK couple with those to-die-for-smiles-with-those-perfect-teeth...sigh...what more can I ask for??

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60 aemi

August 17, 2008 at 2:06 PM

I finished watching this drama a few days ago and I thought it was simply amazing. For me I found each episode exciting to watch. I admit the beginning was a little disappointing. As it first started I couldn't help but think about the similar storyline between Iljimae and Hong Gil Dong. However, I've learned that it's not that similar as the drama progresses. Lee Jun Ki's acting is a little overdramatic but I thought he executed his parts pretty well. There are quite a lot of unrealistic scenes but then again what drama doesn't have unrealistic scenes? The whole time I was cheering for the hero, not being able to take my eyes off the screen. I love the suspense and thrill of it and even the sad parts. I think it's definitely worth watching! Give it a try before you judge it.

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61 Richard

August 23, 2008 at 1:21 AM

Although nosy people have their benefits, the patient ones are truly rewarded.

By reading an early, concisive summary and people making conclusions from it, it has played a role of demeaning the value of the production as a whole. This series is based on a comic, which of course, will have to have fictitious sects. However, there are much more than just the introduction of the story.

The reason I enjoyed Iljimae:
1. The story delves well into the characters emotions and tragedies. In this drama, I loved the characters the most.
This series do a brilliant work on creating sympathy for many characters. It is intensely dramatic on many sections and is heart-throbbing to a good extent. (This drama also adds very amusing comedy as a comical-relief)
2. Although people flame Lee Jun Ki's acting in goofiness and exaggeration, I found it as a beneficial comical-relief from constant suspensions and tragedies and realized that it emerges mysteriousness and cunningness to his personality. This also sometimes gives a shock (His actions), stabilizing focus and adding drama.
3. The adventure as a whole may sound impossible, but it is what raises an unique feeling of suspense. The plot road is tangled with twists yet stretched by jewerly, catching your minds to fall into the next episode. The storyline does a good job not to feel too repetitive by blending many climaxes along the way to the final, true climax.

The downside of Iljimae:
1. Because it is extracted from a comic, it is hard to convey it as very realistic. Some actions/objects/events seem impossible which can be a turn-off. Just think of it as another world where it is possible. The point of drama is not to make it realistic, but to draw you into the plots and emotions.
2. Lee Jun Ki sometimes go over the limit of his cunningness and seems awkward. However, his dramatic side is very appealing.

Conclusion:
Although this isn't one of those top-notch dramas, it is definitely a worthwhile seeing. It is one of those where you cannot price until you learned all about it.

TIP:
1. Do not expect too much from it. It will disappoint you. It is not just for this drama, but it is same for the world.
2. Starting something off in a good mood is very blessing. If you are trying to watch something on a bad day (ex: when you are pissed off), you can actually dislike/hate whatever you watched, when if you had watched it on a normal or delighted day, you could have severely enjoy it.

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62 dave tae

September 1, 2008 at 10:30 PM

i finished the series and it was soooo dam good.....(ONE OF THE BEST DRAMA'S I HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST 3-5 years...and trust me i have seen a lot)

yes i admit in the beginning it gets slow...

but by episode 5....

YOU WILL GROW TO LOVE IT~!!! OMGGGGGG

ITS SOOOO GOOD.

I AM TRULY AND UTTERLY DISAPPOINTED ITS OVER.

IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE, WATCH IT FOR YOURSELF~!! ITS A GREAT DRAMA....

it made me fall in love with korean dramas again.

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63 yen

September 8, 2008 at 9:44 AM

o.o i like the way Dont Knock New York descript the whole drama.its just what i wanted to say.n yayayaya the ost is perfect.

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64 whit3butt3rfly

September 15, 2008 at 2:04 AM

did you seriously not continue watching this?

That's a real shame... I always give a drama a few episodes before dropping it... it seems a trend of kroean series to not be fantastic the first few episodes...

it is a real shame you didnt watch more episodes, because it really was a fantastic series!!

i highly recommend everyone watch this

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65 WHIT3BUTT3RFLY

September 15, 2008 at 4:04 PM

guess everyone is entitled to their own opinions, although, i find that a lot of people do actually read these reviews, so i can imagine a lot of people were turned off, really really unfortunate. missing out on one of the year's best dramas yet!

i must actually say i really got hooked on the first two episodes, and i found iljimae to be very cool in the first episodes. and this is my first ever period korean drama, and i absolutely enjoyed it!

i watched the first episode of hong dil gong, and must say i didn't like it as much as this one! some weirdo hip hop dance moves at the very start? that's even MORE unrealistic.

and yes it does eventually go back to the present, but only in the last like 10 minutes, i did actually expect it to eventually come back to the present, and then iljimae reclaiming his rightful heritage... but it didn't happen that way. it comes back to the first scene, but it doesn't continue from there! BUT I STILL ENJOYED IT... i came looking on your site for pictures and songs etc, such a shame that you judged too early and dropped it... sigh

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66

October 14, 2008 at 6:09 AM

I can't believe that this is what you think about Iljimae. I admit a few scenes Lee Jun Ki over acted, but you got to give him a chance. His acting was pretty good consider that he had so many crying scenes. I thought he did a good job of persuading the audience of the moment. Overall the acting in this is realistic enough. The drama was okay. Could have been better. I respect what you have to say. Everyone has their own opinion. :)

I agree with WHIT3BUTT3RFLY . I got hooked the moment I started watching. I recommend this drama! Best of all time indeed.

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67 Anonymous

October 15, 2008 at 3:15 PM

Complete waste of time. Really, really disappointing ending after a 20 episode time investment. Don't bother unless you're already a fan of the actors, etc. Totally feel cheated.

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68 sylar

October 22, 2008 at 5:47 AM

yeah its similar to HGD but they have unique story

overall this is great drama

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69 person a

December 7, 2008 at 2:02 AM

i agree with WHIT3BUTT3RFLY & anonymous 1, most definitely. I enjoyed Iljimae and I would definitely like to watch it again for Lee Jun Ki if not for a more detailed review of the whole drama. Maybe it's that I have not been watching dramas for awhile now, but Iljimae was definitely less draggy than most usual korean dramas and it being a period drama it wasn't as reserved and constricted as I thought it would be.

Lee Jun Ki's acting definitely deserves a thumbs up... I feel that he has improved so much since I last saw him in My Girl. Although the beginning was truly lame (that part I agree on) and the whole "Because I am Iljimae" totally redundant, it still appealed to me as a drama.

I must say, however, Han Hyo Joo didn't exactly work her thing in this drama. Her acting was kind of bland and didn't show the extent of her emotions - her capture scene had her looking seriously exaggerated and totally nonplussed. I also found Bong Soon a little too loud for a girl, even though she compensated in the later episodes for being nice :x

Also, I being someone who hasn't watched dramas (including that of Hong Gil Dong) for a long time find that your constant comparisons to HGD are a little... overboard. I don't mean to offend, but for people like me who haven't watched HGD a single bit, it is a little unfair the references between Iljimae and the other drama. Maybe it is that in life comparison is inevitable, but... we all have our views, and I do respect yours.

One thing that disturbed me, however, is the all-too-fast and constant changing of personalities within each character. Especially within Yong, (and Bong Soon, sometimes) his quickly toned down character from the chirpy and talkative person i-once-was within a single glance is to me not very realistic. I felt that they needed more time to transit within their different "realms" -if you like- of themself and needed more time for that, maybe more expression through their eyes and facial movements, which is something to work on.

The later episodes definitely did perk up the drama a substantial bit, and I was hopping mad when I couldn't get episode 17 to work properly. Iljimae had me noticing Jun Ki as an actor (apart from his acting in My Girl) and I would still recommend it as a drama to others.

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70 sushi

December 13, 2008 at 6:26 AM

hey ...take it easy!!1
do u have to be so ???
it is a movie sum1 actually put effort on acting....
i think u wod not like if some comment your stuff so badly...
u juz make it so detail.....
i believe your life is also not perfect~
put yourself in his shoe or theirs"
is juz a story....whether is the same wif HGD it does not matter...
we should respect as viewers#

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71 joker

December 18, 2008 at 6:01 PM

that's not invisibility cloak, its a black cloak. it was made invisible so that u can see whats he is doing.

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72 Javabeans

December 18, 2008 at 6:03 PM

The director has said it was an invisibility cloak.

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73 ILJIMAE

December 26, 2008 at 11:41 PM

Iljimae is the best drama i hv seen this far.. i realy love it. the actor, the story, the touching scane.. T T... can't stop to watch and watch again. ILJIMAE FIGHTING. LJK FIGHTING. LOVE U.

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74 ILJIMAE

December 26, 2008 at 11:47 PM

The director has said it was an invisibility cloak???????????

whatever!!!!

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75 Fan

December 27, 2008 at 9:53 AM

First time reading your review and what can I say but Boo! You definitely do not poccess some earlier Asian culture knowledge, even if you may be an Asian (don't know, did not read your bio). And you definitely do not know the different styles of making a show. What you think is over-the-top is really just the way the director had chosen to make the show. This is a story about a legendary hero with seemingly unbeatable prowess. Realistic? Come on, is Star Wars that realistic?

There are many loopholes in the movie but as many in your review (contradictary points even). However, it nevertheless is an enjoyable drama, much better than many Korean dramas I've seen.

Your blog seems to be popular but hey, are your reviews really up to grade or is this just an incidental fluke?

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76 Fan

December 27, 2008 at 9:57 AM

Javabeans,

Sometimes things get lost in translation. He probably meant that the black cloak lends Iljimae some invisibility (camouflage), not that it is actually invisible. Hope you know what I meant.

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77 Javabeans

December 27, 2008 at 10:17 AM

^ Fan, no, he said it was an invisibility cloak as a nod to Harry Potter. Really.

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78 Jia Li

December 29, 2008 at 6:40 AM

I love it :)

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79 XinXin

January 11, 2009 at 10:08 PM

I like so much
Lee jun ki you are the best^^

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80 A2

February 25, 2009 at 6:21 PM

it was a good endeavor..although like the critic says it was taking it too far with the invisible cloak.

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81 theslykit

March 28, 2009 at 7:59 PM

i completely disagree with your comments. i think here is when lee jun ki show his versatility and he pulls it off so brilliantly! the overacting makes yong, yong! that's the kind of character yong is supposed to be! I do agree that about the first two or three episodes didn't do much for me but once past that, I was completely hooked! it is definitely a tragic story and has so many elements that tug at your heartstrings that i find that you did no justice for...the summary you wrote was good but that's not the whole story you know? it really is a must see and i, for one, who has always been tired of the repetitive nonsense of korean dramas enjoyed this one immensely..those who choose not to finish this series are really missing out on something absolutely wicked!

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82 Zapme

April 10, 2009 at 6:46 AM

I really love this movie and will give this movie a big thumbs up. I also think that Lee Jun Ki's acting was great in here and he's definately not overacting. I think he's just really into his role which is great.

I've watched this move twice now already and still am not bored with it. Can probaly go the third time as well.

Love it!!!

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83 noone

April 20, 2009 at 5:35 PM

Okay! First of all, to those people who said that iljimae was boring to them in the first 2 seconds or first ep and will not be watching it, how can you judge the drama just by that, if you didn't watch the whole drama i should suggest you guys all zip it. to the people who said that iljimae is like hgd or said that hgd is better that iljimae, your wrong because iljimae has way better rankings. i truly love iljimae and i don't like people critizing it.

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84 sina

May 11, 2009 at 6:22 AM

hi i come from iran i like this program i want be iljimae for iran
i love koraen and i will go to korea
komapso

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85 Angela

June 4, 2009 at 3:46 PM

A critic's review is so biased. We are looking at a person's view that arn't exactly our point of view. It all depends on your taste in genre. Don't try pointing out the bad points of Iljimae. Try making positive points for us drama-romantic-lovers, will you?

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86 Vic

July 17, 2009 at 10:09 AM

javabeans,

Of course he (the director) said it was an invisibility cloak.It really is!!!
In the last episode IT TURNED OUT THAT THE VERY FIRST SCENE IN THE DRAMA (the same scene that was in the end of the drama) WAS ACTUALLY PART OF A LEGEND TOLD BY THE OLD MAN AND THE KID,4 YEARS LATER,MAN !!!That's how the story was told,to make it more interesting for the clients (those that were listening at that table)! Is it really that hard to understand this subtle little thing?No wonder that the holywood formula to make movies is "1.prepare the audience for what's about to happen, 2.make it happen,3.then tell them what happened". It's for people like you that formula is being used.Because some ppl just can't understand some things if they're not obvious.

correct me if i'm wrong. and don't delete my comment again please.

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87 Javabeans

July 17, 2009 at 10:13 AM

I delete comments that are trollish and YELL AT ME ANGRILY.

Please be civil, that's all I ask.

As to the invisibility cloak, I stand by my stance that it's lame as hell, and that the director stated that it was done on purpose to mimic Harry Potter.

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88 Vic

July 17, 2009 at 11:24 AM

Thank you for your reply.

Ok. If that's true, and the director really said that,then MY BAD.
But to be honest with you,i don't belive you,man ! I think you made it up ;)
you already said that in your earlier comments,yet u didn't attached any link to that info.
How come i can't find on the internet this harry potter thing?
As long as you can't prove the " DIRECTOR STATED THAT IT WAS DONE ON PURPOSE TO MIMIC HARRY POTTER ", i'll stick to my first comment.

"on purpose" ? be serious,man!

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89 Javabeans

July 17, 2009 at 11:33 AM

Sources:
http://news.mk.co.kr/outside/view.php?year=2008&no=335830
http://www.mydaily.co.kr/news/read.html?newsid=200807242146561118&ext=na
http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=200805250900171001

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90 Vic

July 17, 2009 at 1:16 PM

You were right man.
But let's face it : it's a good thing that the director at least explained in the last episode HOW THE HELL was Iljimae capable of doing such an imposbile thing :
- - - because that scene it was a legend told by that old man - - -(or at least that's how i interpreted it).It's true that there are so many interpretations out there,but this one is the only one that could explain that invisibility thing !!

It's also true that if you didn't interpreted the ending like this,the invisibility cloak was totally random and ridiculous.

thank you for your pacience and for your time.

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91 RpGJuNki3

July 26, 2009 at 4:30 PM

Your writing is gorgeous <3
I love the way your able to convey your thoughts, its trips me out :D

Though I don't agree xP
I personally thought iljimae was an amazing series and worth watching
Few holes here and there, granted
but it was still massively entertaining non the less

This type of series cleary isn't ment for people of your taste
And lee jun ki i felt did an amazing job, comparable to a comical anime hero =D
awesome awesome sh*t

His acting not to over the top for me
plus his crying scenes were insane....-_- !! they were dammm real!
No fake beautifully camera worked 1 tear drops....Im talking "my father just died! i got snot running down my nose! i wanna throw a tantrum" REAL! xD

But its saddens me that many people that will read your review and choose not to watch it based on your biased opinions. Ugh that sucks xP

And you can argue that its just your opinion and a review .....but some may not understand that...and clearly...
Majority of the top comments are choosing not to watch this cause of your breakdown of the first episode...that's just horrible -_-

PLEASE DON'T BASE YOUR DECISION TO WATCH THIS SERIES SOLELY ON JAVABEANS REVIEW. WATCH A COUPLE EPISODES AND YOU DECIDE!
YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED!!

- JuNki3

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92 GrannyDiane

August 10, 2009 at 8:15 AM

I agree with Vic when he wrote:

>>In the last episode IT TURNED OUT THAT THE VERY FIRST SCENE IN THE DRAMA (the same scene that was in the end of the drama) WAS ACTUALLY PART OF A LEGEND TOLD BY THE OLD MAN AND THE KID,4 YEARS LATER,MAN !!!That’s how the story was told,to make it more interesting for the clients (those that were listening at that table)!<<

That's the way I took it, it was part of the "legend" or story the people were telling. You know how stories always grow as they are told. It's the same as the begining scene for Hong Gil Dong, it was being shown as part of the legend.

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93 tvintriged

August 25, 2009 at 7:10 PM

Although I think that your blog is very bias, u have done an exceptional job with the review. I love how you critique it but also adds in lines like " Wait wait, let me try out that logic: There’s no way a million dollars won’t fall out of the sky in to my lap. Because I’m javabeans. Hm, I wonder why that didn’t work." which makes the review more interesting.

Thanks for reviewing

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94 souheila

September 7, 2009 at 1:44 PM

i love iljimae lee jun ki drama than the returne of iljimae

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95 seit

September 15, 2009 at 7:06 AM

I started off quite sceptical, after seeing iljimae's quite over the top costume, but after the finishing the show i have to say i enjoyed it very much. The show as a whole wasn't very realistic, as hardly any dramas are, but i still really liked lee junki's overacting, in a way. and this show has me convinced that he is an amaazing actor, not to mention martial artist!
and i looove how all the relationships are built so well throughout! :D

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96 Didi

September 25, 2009 at 9:57 AM

I am loving this drama. The saddest scene was was when he went to save his sister and when he got there, he was helpless. So sad... Lee Junki's acting is great. Not sure what's so bad about it. Can't expect everything to be so hollywood like....

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97 seoul

February 21, 2010 at 4:31 AM

"Lee Junki as the goofy Yong is amusing, but his grown-up Iljimae is corny as hell."

omfg. OK, maybe in episode 1, but it's just the opening scene.

I hope you watched the remaining 19 episodes and ate your words :O lee junki becomes an extremely respectable character.

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98 seoul

February 21, 2010 at 4:38 AM

After reading javabean comments above, I was surprised to see the fixation on the invisibility cloak. Man. Get a grip. You're not watching the drama b/c of a funny nod to Harry Potter? Your loss.

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99 Nanako

January 31, 2011 at 12:32 AM

I'm truly surprised a reviewer of your dedication, popularity and calibre actually stopped watching after 2 episodes and dismissed the show. The beginning of the review already reeked of biasness, really. And that makes it really unfair for people who did not watch and trusted your reviews.

I am no 'fan' of Lee Jun Ki - Iljimae was the first time I know of this actor. So I watched the show not because I am a 'silly' fan. However I have to say his acting is definitely acceptable to me. The drama was good to me. I cried lots in this show.

I like Hong Gil Dong but maybe Iljimae even more. There shouldn't be a comparison of the two in the first place. Why the comparison? Based on? Hong Gil Dong is about idealism, the fight for democracy, hopes. Iljimae is about the story of a man thrown into a world he'd rather not be in but who needs to fight on in secrecy. It is more about feelings. I cried bucket loads in this one.

The cloak shouldn't be the reason you abandoned the show - all TV dramas are not 'realistic'. If you want realistic you'll need to watch the actors go to the loo every day and watch a closed cubicle for 10 minutes. When they sleep it'll take 8 hours before they open their eyes. Did you dismissed any super hero shows when you see they could fly? I personally don't find many 'unrealistic' portions in this show - it's as 'unrealistic' as HGD I guess. What's important is the story-telling, plot, acting and how the show engages the viewer.

My favourite parts are the very subtle feelings of the lead casts. They were in love but not supposed to. Yet their love brings them to the yard with the tree that they met when they were still little. Very sorrowful, very quietly sad, very wistful. It is a very good Korean period drama and it's unfortunate that some missed it because of your 'review'.

Granted, there is a huge disappointing element in this show. Everything's good and well until somewhere near the ending when it gets a little choppy largely I believe due to editing. That portion was hurried and haphazardly done. Otherwise I still remember the drama much better than many.

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100 SL

December 7, 2011 at 6:20 AM

Does the father Lee Won Ho know the mother of the "thief"?

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