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Post by ajk on Mar 9, 2024 13:17:21 GMT -5
...is up on Kocowa with English subs. The usual 24 hours to watch free with ads before the paywall grabs it.
Hoping for a strong weekend to finish with some nonsense-free respectability.
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Post by ajk on Mar 9, 2024 16:44:41 GMT -5
Lots of images to share and I can only put three into a post so I’ll stretch this out over three posts. Mixed feelings about this one. For the most part it was good—parts of it were excellent, especially most of the battle unfolding at the end—and so much better than all of the fictional nonsense that we’ve finally gotten away from. I’ll take this every time. But once again, the characters have become stiff and rather one-dimensional. And there’s information missing, things that we really should be getting for a proper telling of the story. Some of that may be just me being too picky, but you guys can judge that. (click for full size) Can’t get a better start than this. Getting back to the wonderful work in the previous episode, showing the resolve of the common people. Loved it. (click for full size) That was a heck of an image—there were at least sixty mounted riders and that can’t have been an easy location to get to or shoot the scene at. Nice work producers. (click for full size) Well fair enough, that was the Khitan head unit! (Seriously, who doesn’t love a good severed head shot. They always work. Guaranteed.) The opening sequences were good. I would have liked more explanation about how the 100 Goryeo troops moved from place to place and snuffed out the five enemy units, but there may have been some fiction in here so maybe that’s asking too much. One thing I did not like, a more general thing…We learn that the Khitans have a three-day advantage at this point. How is that possible? They had to detour completely around the Goryeo army, go through rough terrain and onto a more indirect route. How did they get three days ahead? If it’s true, fine, I’m not doubting it, but we badly needed a map and an explanation for how things got to this situation. It’s not good storytelling if you don’t lay the groundwork. (continued)
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Post by ajk on Mar 9, 2024 16:59:38 GMT -5
We’re getting the stiff version of Xiao Paiya again. He has no reason to be so sure that there are only 1,000 soldiers left in the capital (And where did he come up with the exactly correct number, of all possible numbers? Oops). We know him to be the thoughtful leader who would never charge into a situation without thinking carefully. This simply is not the same character we’ve gotten to know. Same with Hyeonjong—suddenly he’s taking direct control of all of the military plans and is the creator of the deception idea. This is not the same character. Nice little scene with Wonhwa, remember I was asking about her. And she’s much more subdued now, not the same person she used to be. But with her it makes sense, after her sister’s passing. Character-wise this was the best scene, and very appropriate. Hyeonjong on civilian casualties: “Did you say 10,000? We cannot let such a huge sacrifice happen.” Gee dude, shoulda thought about that BEFORE you decided to hold out. Ugh. “Your majesty! Our people are here to help!” All right, no. Just no. This is where they lost me. The citizens who were all set to fight and die, only NOW do they show up with their torches? No this is manipulation for drama's sake and nothing else. (click for full size) Well we almost made it. Two episodes to go...Hyeonjong gives his officer a bowl to drink...it was empty. Fake drink. He didn’t even swallow. BOOOOOOOO Wait, they said that Kim Jonghyun leads the armored cavalry? Has that been made clear before? This is complete news to me. We’ve only seen him in civil capacities up til now. “We will block all enemy routes to Tongju, and chase them into Kwiju.” That simple little map from my book that I posted for the previous episode, it shows this exactly, the flanking activity on the Khitan retreat. Again they gave us a black map that didn’t work. Khitan officer: “We will be returning empty-handed...His majesty will not forgive us.” Okay let’s stop for a minute, because I’d like to know if I’m the only one who’s wanted an explanation. Why did the Khitans think that this mission was even possible, much less be likely enough to risk attempting? They already tried to capture Hyeonjong once before—and that was with a huge manpower advantage, and with Goryeo not at all properly prepared for a major war. This time the Khitans are outnumbered by 2-to-1 and they’re attacking an enemy who’s much better prepared for war (and they knew both of those things going in). Plus, Hyeonjong fled the capital and evaded them the first time; he’d likely be just as successful doing so a second time, if not better prepared and more successful—and with fewer Khitan troops available to search for him. So why did they even try it? This isn’t a criticism of this individual episode, but it’s bothered me lately. Obviously they did try it, and we really did need some sort of explanation ahead of time to understand the situation. (click for full size) Some big credit is overdue. Hard to tell here but you can see Gamchan’s breath in this scene. Not sure what’s going on but obviously they didn’t film this in a warm studio. We saw XP’s breath in a yurt scene in the previous episode, too, and have seen citizens’ breath while praying outside of temples. Round of applause for the actors and actresses who filmed their scenes in cold temperatures. (click for full size) Probably too picky...but this battle took place on March 10, 1019. I don’t believe that dandelions anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere are bloomed and going to seed by March 10. Especially not on a cold plain in a region where you're seeing people's breath. (continued)
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Post by ajk on Mar 9, 2024 17:19:51 GMT -5
(click for full size) For me the best moment of the episode was the Khitan battle ritual, and the horns sounding before it. We hardly ever see things like this. It was very interesting and expertly staged and shot. Terrific stuff. (click for full size) A nice close-up of the head writer who gave us The Black Assassin. Ba-dum bum (click for full size) All right, stop it. Nobody heard the entire Khitan forward cavalry unit coming until they were right there in front of them? We sure didn’t hear anything, we just heard the wind. Were the horses tip-toeing? Come on. That was ridiculous. Other than that stinker, though, the start of the battle was terrific. Really captured the chaos that must have happened as each side threw its tactics at the other. The dust and the wind, not sure how historically accurate that part of it was but it sure made things interesting. You can believe that the Khitans who fight on open plains all the time would be prepared with tools to throw up dust clouds when it would work in their favor. Enjoyed seeing that. Not to end on a downer, but trying to create all sorts of suspense about how nobody has any idea where the armored cavalry troops are or whether they’ll get there in time, I didn’t buy it. If it’s true, they didn’t make it believable. It seems absurd that Gamchan wouldn’t know where the strategically most important component of his army is. So yeah, mostly good, some issues though. It does feel like there’s a different person writing the final four episodes. A completely different style.
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Post by truth on Mar 10, 2024 8:54:34 GMT -5
The opening sequences were good. I would have liked more explanation about how the 100 Goryeo troops moved from place to place and snuffed out the five enemy units, but there may have been some fiction in here so maybe that’s asking too much. This part is historically accurate. “Your majesty! Our people are here to help!” All right, no. Just no. This is where they lost me. The citizens who were all set to fight and die, only NOW do they show up with their torches? No this is manipulation for drama's sake and nothing else. Using torches is fiction, but Hyeonjong did lead the peasants to trick the Khitans and made 90,000 Khitans to retreat. Wait, they said that Kim Jonghyun leads the armored cavalry? Has that been made clear before? Yes, he was the one leading the armored cavalry in the preview of this battle back in beginning part of Episode 1 as well. Kim Jonghyun leading the armored calvary is historically accurate. Not to end on a downer, but trying to create all sorts of suspense about how nobody has any idea where the armored cavalry troops are or whether they’ll get there in time, I didn’t buy it. If it’s true, they didn’t make it believable. It's 100% legitimate. So yeah, mostly good, some issues though. It does feel like there’s a different person writing the final four episodes. A completely different style. Don't know about entire four episodes, but all battles with CGI(This battle, Yang Gyu's 1st and final battle etc) were both written and directed by Kim Hansol, the director of Imjin War 1592(the short drama where CSJ played YSS).
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Post by ajk on Mar 10, 2024 13:54:43 GMT -5
Good to know about Kim Jonghyun, thank you--they didn't identify anybody in that first bit so I wouldn't have known. Appreciate it. I"ll note that in the roster.
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Post by sageuk on Mar 13, 2024 21:20:06 GMT -5
The green screen behind Choi Soojong is really bad. The perspective and positioning is all wrong, especially considering he is supposed to be on top of a horse
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Post by ajk on Mar 14, 2024 1:59:57 GMT -5
Yeah that did not look good, very phony.
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Post by sageuk on Mar 17, 2024 14:46:36 GMT -5
You complained that Xiao Paiya in these last episodes doesn't have the bite that he had before.
How much of it do you think its because he doesn't have the Khitan emperor and Gang Gamchan physically present with him to bounce off of in their interactions?
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Post by ajk on Mar 18, 2024 3:09:11 GMT -5
Well yes, definitely there was less of an opportunity for him in the final four episodes because mainly he had to be the top guy giving the orders and pushing the invasion forward. Fair enough.
But even with fewer opportunities he still wasn't the same character when he had those opportunities. And it wasn't only him, it was most of the characters. They just weren't weren't written in the same way. It was a much more conservative style that didn't really have a lot of sophistication or try to make the characters more complete.
For instance, this would have been a great chance to explain why the Khitans even tried the third invasion when the odds were so much longer and they failed twice before. But the emperor told XP to invade and it was basically just Sir Yes Sir. The XP we had gotten to know would have pushed back, because he had pushed back in much less difficult situations.
Still way better than what came before it, but XP in particular was such an interesting character so I was disappointed.
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