where's the hero?

[eyego]

I enjoy watching Age of the Warriors, but one thing that's missing is a truly "noble or virtuous" character.

In the Dawn of the Empire Prince Yo (or was it So? - the "good" younger brother) could always be counted on to do the right thing- until he went crazy and started killing people.

In Wang Gun, King Goonyea (spelling?- the one with the eye patch) was a humble, virtuous man- until he went crazy and started killing people.

Of course Wang Gun himself was the ultimate in virtue - until he.....wait, he was the only one that didn't go crazy.

Anyway, I miss that in Warriors. Everyone is out for themselves. Maybe Lt. Yi ( the one with the pet hawk) could be considered a hero-- but then again, he is kind of a yes man for Ui-Bang. Or maybe the character with the bow and arrow... He seems to want to do what is right for the country.

(sorry for any misspelled names.....including my own!)

[JP Paulus]

i think that's part of the story of Age of Warriors -- that was[/i] what life was like back then...that's part of the reason why the Wang clan lost their power!


This show is a tragedy, and we will continue to see why over the next episodes!

Does anyone have any history books, to shed mor elight on the subject?

[mikey]

I agree with JP -- those were ruthless times, with pretty pretty darn ruthless people.

But I too am curious about that bow-and-arrow guy (can't recall his name). He seems VERY principled, and rather out of place considering the ambitions of everyone else. Sorry to say that I think his true loyalty to the emperor will probably get him killed -- but I'll bet he really goes down swinging when the time comes!

[Knov1]

I agree with JP too. You can also look at it as 'The Age of Warriors' has several people trying to be the 'hero' of their time and killing off anyone they think stands in their way. Being the most powerful man of that time may have been what they believed to be worthy of being called a 'hero'.

[mikey]

On further reflection, I thought I’d add a few thoughts . . .

I *loved* Emperor Wang Guhn, primarily, I think, because I developed an interest in so many of the main characters. Wang Guhn, of course, was the prototype of the virtuous, honorable leader. And his nemesis, Bekjae King Kyun-whatever (the name completely escapes me right now) was a guy who was almost impossible not to like. He, too, was more-or-less decent and honorable (okay, for a dictator) and this made the conflict between the two lead characters the centerpiece of the series. And some of the minor characters (the Bekjae king’s Advisor Choi comes to mind) were nearly as fascinating as the principals. Wang Guhn, I think, was a really terrific series.

As noted by eyego, Dawn of the Empire had its Prince So, a virtuous leader until he went off the rails and started with the mass executions. I thought Dawn was okay but not great.

But now, in Age of the Warriors, we’ve really got NOBODY we can consider virtuous – which, frankly, limits the series appeal to me. It’s hard for me to get attached to a series unless there’s a character there I can root for – and in Age of the Warriors, they all seem to go from the bad (Yi Ui-bang) to the REALLY bad (Muby). Everybody there seems to be corrupt, greedy, violent, or sadistic. Just who am I supposed to root for??

I’m not saying I’m going to quit watching Age of the Warriors (and I realize that you can’t monkey with the historical facts just to make the series more to your liking) but it’s just that, for me, this series just hasn’t grabbed me (at least, not yet) the way Emperor Wang Guhn did.

[Imoogie]

i agree, the show really could use a "good" guy in it, but then again, this isn't the age of virtue, it's the age of warriors and it seems like the moment somebody shows the slightest bit of compassion towards another character, that character stabs them in the back (or in the abdomen in Sir Yi's case). The true problem in Koryo is a lack of leadership on the emporrer's part, he needs to assume command of the kingdom, but I'm affraid he's simply not strong enough. It's a compelling story, and I for one, will stay tuned

[mikey]

Well, there's two guys I see with solid character that haven't been knocked off yet: the bow-and-arrow guy (can't remember his name, but he's a straight arrow if there ever was one) and maybe the new Chief Convoy (can't remember his name right now either).

Of course, now that I've brought their names up as virtuous people, they're surely gonna get killed any episode now . . .

[Dragon]

The guy with the bow and arrow is called Commander Du. ;D