Post by ajk on Jan 13, 2009 13:39:15 GMT -5
Been meaning to get to this thread. There are a couple of other things that deserve praise in addition to what all of you have mentioned. One is the writing. GREAT job on the writing in this series. The Sejong story isn’t exactly adrenaline-rush exciting like the stories behind some of the more military-oriented dramas, but the writers did an excellent job of creating interesting storylines and keeping the series lively. Also, the characters were complex, interesting people, not just one-dimensional caricatures. (Taejong and Wongyeong in particular were fantastic, I thought.) And the writers also did a good job of being consistent throughout the series and maintaining continuity. By that I mean, we didn’t see situations where a character did something and then ten episodes later did something completely contradictory, and we didn’t have any blown cliffhangers or forgotten storylines (all of which were problems with DJY, I’m sorry to say).
I also have to give a lot of credit to the series for staying as true to history as possible. There are plenty of people who watch these shows strictly as dramas, and that’s fine, but what I especially appreciate about them is being able to learn about history at the same time I’m being entertained. I learned a lot during GKS and appreciate that the series was about as accurate as possible for a TV show. A lot of stuff that didn’t need to be in the series was put in there for the sake of historical accuracy, which was great. And I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching that chuksukhee game! There’s no reason for these series to have to go off into fantasyland when there’s so much interesting stuff in real history, and it was great that GKS stuck to history so strongly.
I only had a few complaints. The pop music, which I’ve already crabbed about. Also the decision in mid-stream to shorten the series, which was a bad decision. The one other thing I didn’t care for (at the risk of getting Nalbal mad at me!) was the guy playing Jang Youngsil. Youngsil is a fascinating historical figure, but the actor was just way out of his league with so many excellent actors around him. The character itself was a good one; I just thought the actor was too stiff. But to each his own; I'm guessing he had many fans.
Anyway, this was a lot of fun and I appreciate everybody who shared their comments during the series. We got some great new members here, too, and I hope you’ll stick around. Also, the rest of us owe a special thanks to candylover, oasis, dyc and everyone else who took the time to post historical information. It made the series much more interesting and enjoyable and I sure do appreciate your time and courtesy.
I also have to give a lot of credit to the series for staying as true to history as possible. There are plenty of people who watch these shows strictly as dramas, and that’s fine, but what I especially appreciate about them is being able to learn about history at the same time I’m being entertained. I learned a lot during GKS and appreciate that the series was about as accurate as possible for a TV show. A lot of stuff that didn’t need to be in the series was put in there for the sake of historical accuracy, which was great. And I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching that chuksukhee game! There’s no reason for these series to have to go off into fantasyland when there’s so much interesting stuff in real history, and it was great that GKS stuck to history so strongly.
I only had a few complaints. The pop music, which I’ve already crabbed about. Also the decision in mid-stream to shorten the series, which was a bad decision. The one other thing I didn’t care for (at the risk of getting Nalbal mad at me!) was the guy playing Jang Youngsil. Youngsil is a fascinating historical figure, but the actor was just way out of his league with so many excellent actors around him. The character itself was a good one; I just thought the actor was too stiff. But to each his own; I'm guessing he had many fans.
Anyway, this was a lot of fun and I appreciate everybody who shared their comments during the series. We got some great new members here, too, and I hope you’ll stick around. Also, the rest of us owe a special thanks to candylover, oasis, dyc and everyone else who took the time to post historical information. It made the series much more interesting and enjoyable and I sure do appreciate your time and courtesy.