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Post by sageuk on Apr 22, 2011 18:19:43 GMT -5
^What about Taejo Wang Guhn? Isn't that one mostly accurate? Yes its sort of like Emperor Of The Sea the early years of Jang Go Bo are unknown save he served in the Tang Army ,so KBS mentioned this and came up with their own variation on Bogo's early years ,trouble was they were so pleased with themselves they recycled much for Dae joyoung and Cheonchu . Rehashing the same backstory is just LAZY. They need to learn how to be more creative
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Ken
Junior Addict
Posts: 197
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Post by Ken on Apr 23, 2011 12:36:45 GMT -5
Man, I didn't expect to get savaged like that. "selfish expectations"? WTF? Look, I read YSS's actual writings and you get a feel for someone's personality when you do that and I stand by my criticisms. I don't agree with the "it's just a story, so it doesn't matter if it's accurate" viewpoint, but I don't expect historical integrity these days. You want an example of historical accuracy in a drama? Conspiracy in the Court is a fictional work, but the historical backdrop is rendered perfectly. It can be done. I've been watching Korean historical dramas for over 10 years. The first ones were EWG, DOTE, AOW and DJG. Those were pretty accurate, except for DJG, but that one had a richness to it because of Lee Young-ae's performance, the concept of the harmony of flavors, the medicinal properties of herbs, etc., but I remember thinking at the time that the extent of the deviation from the historical record set a dangerous precedent and I was right. At least the distortions in DJG added to the story somewhat. The same isn't true of YSS and now, of course, that sort of thing is commonplace. But it wasn't always that way. My "selfish expectations" are never met anymore unless I watch an older drama, which is what I've been driven to. It's sad because the heights of EWG, AOW and Hur Joon will never be reached again. YSS was a great drama in a lot of ways. I'm just saying that it's frustrating because it could easily have been much better.
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Post by MTR on Apr 23, 2011 14:24:45 GMT -5
I would not take it personally Ken we all have our opinions so its cool to debate .
I forgot Dawn yes thats pretty spot on ,EWG i do not know i do know it caused a minor rumble in Korea over its depiction of Goongyae ,Also Kyun Whon was depicted as much nicer than he really was ,they covered up his rape of the Silla Queen but still its pretty spot on .
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Post by sageuk on Apr 24, 2011 2:09:39 GMT -5
Didn't mean to bash you Ken. I just hear inaccuracy this inaccuracy that from alot of people so much it irritates me, but that's more my problem in the end. Truth is stranger than fiction after all, so its reasonable that people like to see accuracy. When I watch dramas, however, I usually accept what I see, and appreciate them for what they are. I will agree that early episodes are not the best parts of the show. Fortunately its one of the few dramas I know that grows the beard, when most dramas tend todecline in quality at some point Even though I seemed to have defended the inaccuracies, I will say the artistic licenses are uncreative. I would have loved to see the cowardly drunk Won Gyun that everybody knows and loves to hate, moreso than the tragic hero depiction we get. As I mentioned before, he comes off as being more a symbol than an actual character. If anything, the drama seems to be more of a metaphorical truth the way I look at it. I also would have liked to see a historically accurate drama as well, I can understand why Koreans would complain about the inaccuracies though. Yi Soon Shin is sacred to them. Question: children's books about Yi Soon Shin depict him as a brave boy in his childhood. Is that part accurate or a exaggeration to glorify him? I remember an excerpt from the admiral's diary, when the Japanese attacked Asan and his son Myun was killed. After that, he took his anger out by torturing a Japanese prisoner to death. That would have been a lovely sight to see. Then again, Koreans probably would have seen this as portraying Yi as a monster (he's like a saint hero to them). I too know my history too, though I don't have as much access. I've read his diary as well, but with the exceptions of a some entries, the drama depiction seemed pretty spot on to me. Then again, the thing about writing about something that happened so far in the past is that it’s hard to get much of a feel for individual characters. People back then—and especially people in East Asia—didn’t lavishly reveal their personal feelings the way that we would come to do in the West in our private letters and our diaries and journals, On to the positives aspect of this show, specially the actors. Casting an unknown actor was a pretty risky move on the director's part, when normally stars are the ones who are cast as famous historical figures. The director's reasoning was that an unknown actor would put more effort to the role; why do I have the feeling that he got into a fight with a star at one point? Kim Myung-min apparently was made fun of by the other actors during production because of this, saying words such as he doesn't look like Yi Sun-shin etc. And what do you know: Kim Myung Min proved to be fantastic in the role of the admiral. After seeing Kim Myung min as the admiral, it's really difficult to see someone else playing it. This may or may not change had I seen older historicals portraying Yil, but even so, he's still awesome. The man is kind towards many in a believable sage like manner. When he yells "BANGPOHARA!!!!", you want to say it along with him...if I was told this guy would be my leader, I'd follow him right away. Its amazing how Kim was able to become a man who was twice his age. That really isn't easy for young actors to do, when its normally just young actors looking like older men. Choi Jae-sung as Won Gyun...oh boy...where do I go with this one. The only thing accurate about Won Gyun in the drama is animosity with Yi in the later episodes, failure at Chilcheonryang, was originally Left Navy Cholla Commander before he was dismissed due to bad actions in the north, and a habit of cutting off the heads of prisoners of war. And Choi's fleshiness may count, though the real Won Kyun maybe a more fatter. I find it a little funny that when there are scenes that show him drinking and partying, its exactly how one imagines the real Won Kyun despite being so different. Another thing I find humorous is how Seonjo describes him in Sonjo sillok: "Won Gyun is brave, but doesn't think much". That fits the drama Won Gyun alot, though its probably misconception on his part. Yi Jae Ryong as Yu Song Ryong gets the job done. Seeing him all alone in the courts, you can't help but feel bad for this guy since you know he's the only good politician there Two actors played Seonjo in fact. Jo Minki in the first four episodes, and Choi Chu Heol for the rest of the series. I'm not sure to say who did the better job, because both actors portray their characters well. A king jealous of his servant because he was able to do what a king could not. I can't help but sympathize with him because of that frustration. I liked the decision to have a focus on the soldiers, whereas in most historicals, they're just cannonfodder. It makes you feel more attached to the navy in general, and makes the loss at Chilcheonryang more poignant. The officers are good too, but my favorite of them all is Kim Wan, whom Koreans like to call monkey man. I friggin love this guy for his way of talking and mannerisms. Fun fact: Kim Wan is actually from Kyongsang, but the drama version speaks in a Jeolla dialect, due to the actor being a Jeolla person Speaking of which, has anyone read this comic book about Yi SOon SHin? www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_yi_soon_shin.htmlHey, mugwump, try give that awards formula you like to do.
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Post by sageuk on Apr 29, 2011 16:55:38 GMT -5
One of My favorite moments in the show is when he encourages his men prior to the Battle of Myeongryang.
Battle of Noryang, when Yi Young-nam is fighting Wakizaka.
Montage ending of the show. Looking at all the footage after the admiral's death makes you feel all sentimental
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Post by MTR on Apr 29, 2011 17:40:55 GMT -5
Yes love that speech it sends chill's down my spine . Funny in the edited version Won Gyun and Yi do not share a history ,when they first meet Gyun says ''I have heard of you ,you are a cowardly man "or something like that ,in fact its made very clear they do not know each other ,maybe this scene was shot and added for the DVD .
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Post by sageuk on Apr 29, 2011 21:07:40 GMT -5
I had always thought it was edited down because of the backlash it received for being inaccurate at the beginning, such as Yi Soon SHin and Won Gyun being childhood friends. I haven't seen the edited version, so it was probably added in. You can see the full versions here, though not all of it: www.youtube.com/user/Koguryeo19#p/uwww.casttv.com/shows/immortal-admiral-yi-sun-shinRegarding the Yi Soon Shin and Won Gyun being childhood friends in the unedited drama, someone named Choko made a post here giving historical backgrounds regarding Yi Soon Shin. deiner.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=userrecentposts&user=chokoSo its possible that they knew each other, but there's no mention of such a thing in Nanjung Ilgi, so it also may not be possible. Funny regarding the Myeongryang speech. In his diary, it went : "According to the principles of strategy, 'he who seeks death shall live, he who seeks death shall die'. Again, the strategy says 'If one defender stands on watch at a strong gateway he may drive deep terror deep into the heart of the enemy coming by ten thousands'. These are the golden sayings for us. You captains are expected to strictly obey my orders. If you do not, even the least error shall not be pardoned, but shall be severely punished by martial law'." ^His motivational speech in real life seems to be more threatening and demanding. I can live with the encouragement angle though I need to get my hands on Jinbirok and the full nanjung ilgi. I'm reading from Samuel Hwaley's Imjin War (great book by the way). Hey, DYC, have you read that Yi SOon Shin comic?
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Post by MTR on Apr 30, 2011 14:30:52 GMT -5
No have not read the comic yet.
BTW the "He Who Seeks Death" speech is from Sun Tzu the Takeda had that on one of their many (Samurai)war banners .
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Post by sageuk on May 4, 2011 18:15:14 GMT -5
Just a curious question DYC. Which samurai do you think gave the best performance?
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Post by MTR on May 5, 2011 13:51:58 GMT -5
Probably Konishi Yukinaga
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Post by sageuk on May 6, 2011 21:54:43 GMT -5
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Post by sageuk on May 8, 2011 20:04:41 GMT -5
Here's a fun historical fact. Won Gyun had a little brother and son, both whose death dates have 1597 on them, probably meaning that they were with killed at Chilcheonryang. Their names were Won Yeon and Won Sang-oong respectively. I remember reading a Korean comic book version of the Yi Soon SHin novel, Song of the Sword, and his son was there.
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Post by MTR on May 8, 2011 22:42:20 GMT -5
Wow !!!!,you know we rely on you and truth to keep us novices up to par with K History.
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Post by sageuk on May 8, 2011 22:58:16 GMT -5
You're too kind. My knowledge of Korean history is still low.
Reaction the old Imjin War drama?
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Post by MTR on May 9, 2011 16:27:54 GMT -5
Is that the old 1986 drama ?. It looks decent ,The Samurai Armour may be outdated but at least its consistent compared with the 04 KBS Drama that depicts a strange hodge podge of Samurai Armour from a 700 year time period with some Chinese added for some strange reason .
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