KBS Sword and Flower (2013)

[truth]

I just watched YGSM's coup and I have to say this YGSM is the best YGSM in sageuk history.

YGSM by personal ranking

1. Choi Minsoo (KBS Sword and Flower) - Most charismatic. Patriotic yet bloodthirsty for power. Makes me feel that this is how exactly real YGSM would have looked like.

2. Kim Jintae (KBS Dae Jo Young) - Powerful. Raises patriotism to the viewers.

3. Choi Dong Joon (KBS Great King's Dream) - Goguryeo was supposed to be the bad guys, but his acting made it seem like Shilla was the bad guys and Goguryeo was the good guys.

4. Yu Dong Geun (SBS Yeon Gae So Moon) - Your average sageuk hero, but Yu Dong Geun's acting made up for the bland character.

5. Lee Tae Gon (SBS Yeon Gae So Moon) - Worst acting ever

[MTR]

Not crazy about Lee Tae Gon at all .

[Knov1]

I watched ep 8. Only ep I plan on watching. I wanted to see the coup.

[truth]

Episode 9

Great... Cliff Jumping again lol

[MTR]

I watched episode 5 and some guy was being hanged western style ,like a hangman's noose ,i doubt this method was even used ?.

[mugwump]

Aug 2, 2013 7:38:36 GMT -5 MTR said:

I watched episode 5 and some guy was being hanged western style ,like a hangman's noose ,i doubt this method was even used ?.

Didn't somebody get hanged in God of War? Or are you referring to the kind of noose that was used?

Nice running leap from Choong. Still, that's cliché #2.
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Has he really gone over to the Dark Side?

[MTR]

Sorry i meant a western styled noose ,to be honest though Hanging seems to be a western style of execution ,it was not used in China or Japan .

[truth]

Noh Min Woo(Full House 2, My Girlfriend is Gumiho) has been casted as Yeon Namseng.

One historical figure(King Young Ryu) out, another historical figure in.

[mugwump]

Oh, goodie! Another name to add to MuYoung's hit list.  I wonder if his other son will show up as well.

[truth]

Aug 6, 2013 19:21:12 GMT -5 mugwump said:

Oh, goodie! Another name to add to MuYoung's hit list.  I wonder if his other son will show up as well.

I hope so. This show needs more historical characters.

[truth]

Episode 11


Great... We have another same old cliche : Crossdressed girl who obviously looks and talks like a girl but no one can tell she is a girl! lol

They skipped the Tang-Goguryeo War just as I predicted and only mentioned it in a dialogue.

Two thing that I found interesting in this episode :

1. The relationship between King Bojang and YGSM in this drama is different from the past sageuks. King Bojang is scared of YGSM and pretends to be crazy and lazy in order to survive. YGSM doesn't treat Bojang like a king and it is almost as if he is the king. YGSM doesn't bow to Bojang, Bojang bows to YGSM.

In the past sageuks : King Bojang considers YGSM a great hero and trusts him with all the matters of the country and King Bojang isn't necessarily a powerless puppet. YGSM respects King Bojang as his king.(KBS Dae Jo Young, SBS YGSM)


King Bojang is a powerless puppet who can't do anything without YGSM and he almost looks like a child who can't do anything without his daddy. YGSM also treats Bojang like his son as he shows caring and protective attitude towards Bojang. YGSM is not shown as a hero but he is neither a brutal dictator like YGSM of Sword and Flower (KBS Great King's Dream).




2. Park Sujin made her first appearance and I love it! She should have been the main character rather than Kim Oak Bin in my opinion.








Noh Min Woo also made appearance today. He looks nothing like the Yeon Namsengs from the past sageuks. This is a guy who later becomes a guide for the Tang army to destroy his own country just because he was butthurt that his brothers turned on him, but he looks just like your regular goody goody flower boy right now lol.

[mugwump]

Episodes 11 and 12
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I am liking this show more and more. The pace has picked up and the game seems to change with each couple of episodes. Of course, since this is only 24 episodes, they shouldn't be stuffing any episodes with filler. The dialogue is well-written and I'm finding it unpredictable, which is great.

The girl passing for boy cliché - I'm not sure how relevant it's going to be here, because it looks like Mu Young's cover is about to be blown and I'm not sure she was planning to make this a long term stay anyhow. She just went in to get information. But the whole thing with Choong not recognizing her, especially after hearing her speak - that's very difficult to swallow.

Then we have the introduction of Nam Seung, who looks like a guy in drag. If there were men walking around Koguryo looking like him, then we shouldn't be too surprised that no one was suspicious of Mu Young's pretty face. At least he's not sporting King Gwanggaeto-like eyeliner.

King Bojangles - definitely different from in DJY. I loved how YGS so casually got himself appointed as dictator and the expressions on Jang's face as he realized how powerless he was. But he's clearly taking the long view on how to wrest control back from him. I don't see him as being afraid of YGS so much as being wary now.

I liked seeing how the ministers are starting to think twice about the consequences of fighting with Tang. I enjoyed seeing the smarmy smirky ministers start squirming as they realize how easily they can fall out of favor. I hope they all come to a miserable end. Serve them right. I like the way Choong stands up to his father.

So now we have lots of people considering their options. Who will flip over to whom?

Let's see, the Hat of Invisibility was Cliche #1, the Cliff Jump was Cliché #2 - we'll award the Cross-Dressing Girl Cliché #3.

Oh, and happily, we seem to have finished with the sappy love songs.

[truth]

Aug 11, 2013 19:09:41 GMT -5 mugwump said:

Episodes 11 and 12
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.

I am liking this show more and more. The pace has picked up and the game seems to change with each couple of episodes. Of course, since this is only 24 episodes, they shouldn't be stuffing any episodes with filler. The dialogue is well-written and I'm finding it unpredictable, which is great.

The girl passing for boy cliché - I'm not sure how relevant it's going to be here, because it looks like Mu Young's cover is about to be blown and I'm not sure she was planning to make this a long term stay anyhow. She just went in to get information. But the whole thing with Choong not recognizing her, especially after hearing her speak - that's very difficult to swallow.

Then we have the introduction of Nam Seung, who looks like a guy in drag. If there were men walking around Koguryo looking like him, then we shouldn't be too surprised that no one was suspicious of Mu Young's pretty face. At least he's not sporting King Gwanggaeto-like eyeliner.

King Bojangles - definitely different from in DJY. I loved how YGS so casually got himself appointed as dictator and the expressions on Jang's face as he realized how powerless he was. But he's clearly taking the long view on how to wrest control back from him. I don't see him as being afraid of YGS so much as being wary now.

I liked seeing how the ministers are starting to think twice about the consequences of fighting with Tang. I enjoyed seeing the smarmy smirky ministers start squirming as they realize how easily they can fall out of favor. I hope they all come to a miserable end. Serve them right. I like the way Choong stands up to his father.

So now we have lots of people considering their options. Who will flip over to whom?

Let's see, the Hat of Invisibility was Cliche #1, the Cliff Jump was Cliché #2 - we'll award the Cross-Dressing Girl Cliché #3.

Oh, and happily, we seem to have finished with the sappy love songs.

I just hate how On Samun is described to be an ass-kisser who only cares about his political power, when he was actually a hero for the Goguryeans as he led an army against Tang's Xui Rengui during the Tang-Goguryeo War.

[mugwump]

Which character is On Samun? I'm so bad with names.

[Knov1]

Aug 13, 2013 18:26:31 GMT -5 mugwump said:

Which character is On Samun? I'm so bad with names.

This is On Samun.