kdrama: The Legend, eps 1-2

[meganbmoore]

Two thousand years ago(in the story, almost 4000 for us) the evil Fire Tribe waged war on the world, led by it's powerful priestess, Kajin.  In response, the god Hwan-Woon was sent from the heavens to return peace to the world, and after he healed Kajin of a battlewound, she decided to swear off war.  Her people, however, refused to change, and so she continued to lead them, leading Hwan-Woon to take her fire powers, the power of the Phoenix guardian god, from her.  Meanwhile, Sae-Oh of the Bear(I think it was Bear) Tribe leads her people against Kajin, and in the process, she and Hwan-Woon meet and fall in love.  When the elders of Kajin's tribe decide they have to kill that pesky, meddling god, Kajin kills them and leaves to join Hwan-Woon.  Except, you know, he's gotten Sae-Oh very, very pregnant while she was off killing people.  Kajin turns bad again.  As you can see, Kajin seems to have had trouble keeping her mind made up.  When the baby is born(in battle, they always are) Kajin steals him and says she'll only return him if her powers are returned to him.  When Sae-Oh(who was entrusted with the gem containing Kajin's powers) contronts her, Kajin tosses the baby off a cliff.  Kajin pissed off the mommy with superpowers at her disposal.  It did not go over well.  Hwan-Woon saves his son, but not before Sae-Oh has pretty much set half the world on fire and has been consumed by the Black Phoenix.  When the other three guardian spirits fail to stop Sae-Oh, Hwan-Woon is forced to kill her himself, then, to put out the fire, brings forth a rain that drowns half the world.

Having failed in his mission, Hwan-Woon seals the four guardian gods away until the true king of Joo-Shin, who can bring peace to the land, is born.  (At this point, Megan came out of the squeeful epic fantasy fangirlish daze to go "WAIT?  Why do they always do that?  Don't they know someone might need those spirits in between?)  A lot of this sounds familiar to me from elsewhere, so I'm guessing this much, at least, is based on some sort of legend.

Fast forward 2000 years to 374 A.D., and the sign that the king has been born pretty much sets the entire sky on fire.  ZOMG! Off every sect ever goes to find him, and the four talismans with the quardian spirit.  At this point, I kinda got a bit distracted because my inner fangirl was cackling over all the babies being born and dramatic deaths and the fights and the little girls finding their baby sisters inside barrels to hide them from the bad guys, but being taken herself, and boys getting talismans shoved into their chests by their father to protect the boy, as the bad guys are literally cutting him down(awesome origin!) and whatnot.  The boy getting the talisman shoved in his chest hasn't been seen since, but the little girl, Kiha, who was taken by the descendants of the Tiger Tribe and her baby sister, Sujini, who is being raised by warrior monks(WOOT!) seem to be the reincarnations of Kajin and Sae-Ho, and it's unclear which has the Phoenix's power.  (I'm guessing both.

Fast Forward ANOTHER 11 years, and the king summons his (exiled?) brother, Uh Ji Ji, and Uh Ji Ji's son, Dam-Duk to the capital to name Uh Ji Ji his heir, for the express purpose of eventually placing Dam-Duk on the throne.  This rather annoys the king's sister, who wanted her son, Ho Gae, to be the heir.  Ho Gae, fortunately, doesn't seem to be overly into the whole "grudge" thing at this point, and becomes the sole friend of Dam-Duk, who has to feign being ill and is cut off from all but Commander Go(Ho?  I forget...) and his men, who are essentially raising him in seclusion.  Both boys, meanwhile, seem to be falling for Kiha, who seems to be manipulated into being a spy for the Tiger Tribe.

As you can tell, the first two eps are the backstory and the set-up, and I suspect we'll spend a couple more eps in the set-up phase.  I am perfectly fine with this.  We aren't even to the main story yet, but it's hitting my wuxia/fantasy/period darma kinks all over the place, rather like how Damo and Emperor of the Sea also did from the word "go."  I admit, young Dam-Duk isn't doing much for me right now, but I expect that to change.  Kiha I think I largely sympathize with, at this point.  I mean, lets face it, the bad guys got their claws into her and got to turn her into their tool because she was trying to save her baby sister from them(and she did.)  Young Sujini is just a major scamp.  I don't think those monks raising her are any better.  Sadly, I fear the drama will end up going a bit in the "tomboy good, ladylike bad" direction, but I'll have faith.  Young Ho Gae I adore, even though he's only had the two major scenes.

Ok, I am confused about that mass montage of baby/talisman hunting.  Was all that supposed to be at once?  If so, then Dam-Duk, Ho Gae and Sujini would all have the same birthday, with Kiha 4-5~ years older.  But once they're kids, Dam-Duk and Kiha look to be about the same age, with Ho Gae a few years older, and Sujini a few years younger.

Meanwhile, the show is going to take me to the squeeful "childhood friends turned mortal enemies" place with Dam-Duk and Ho Gae, isn't it?  (Alas, I can already tell that the "you stole my birthright" thing is eventually going to come into play...)

Kiha also seems to have acquired herself a future pet bodyguard/assassin-who-may-be-in-love-with-her in the former of the cute buy with the large facial scar, hasn't she.  (Odd question:  does anything about him make anyone else think of Oguri Shun?)

Also, since I know Dam-Duk/Sujini is the main romance of the series, I'm having to turn off my sageuk/kdrama trained brain on the Dam-Duk/Kiha front, as I am trained to go childhood love/friend=True Love.  I'm also thinking that Dam-Duk isn't a reincarnation like Kiha and Sujini, but rather a descendant of Hwan-Woon and Sae-Oh.  And maybe a reincarnation, too.  ("Hi, you're my true love, but also the reincarnation of my ancestress?"  Oh who cares...2000 years later anyway.)

Sujini is going to grow up to be a complete rascal and fond of her wine, isn't she?

Screencap heavy linkblogging:

alexandral on ep 1 
dangermousie on ep 1 and ep 2

Do not spoil me for any specific events(general theme type stuff I ask about is different...)

Comments

[lostopenwindows.livejournal.com]

Glad you like it so far and it gets even better.

The age thing confused me as well... I think it all happened at once because they sent out people as soon as they saw the sign? I thought Sujini was at least a few months older than Dam-Duk and Ho Gae. The issue was made even worse with a character who appears later.

As for Sujini, you know it's bad when you start drinking at the age of 12.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Hmm...yeah, Sujini being a few months older makes sense as the baby was obviously several months old, but the way the mother was talking, Kiha had never seen her before. And...well...thry never get newborns for newborn babies.

The age thing was really throwing me because Ho Gae is obviously older than the others, yet, from that whole "all the parents die dramatically" sequence, he should be Dan-Duk's age, and they should both be younger than Kiha...

[lostopenwindows.livejournal.com]

I tried to convince myself that Ho Gae had a premature growth spurt. It won't exactly get better with the grown actors, although they look closer to each other in age than the teenage actors. But still not so much close to the character's age though.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEE! I am so glad you like!

Ok, I am confused about that mass montage of baby/talisman hunting. Was all that supposed to be at once? If so, then Dam-Duk, Ho Gae and Sujini would all have the same birthday, with Kiha 4-5~ years older. But once they're kids, Dam-Duk and Kiha look to be about the same age, with Ho Gae a few years older, and Sujini a few years younger.

I had the same thoughts. I thought the boys were born on the same day, for sure. Ho Gae was just bigger/more athletic which fitted the story. Kiha looked 2-3 at the time they were born and Sujini seemed a new born (new borns are always bigger in fiction). At the time they show them all as adolescents (14-15-16-ish, I guess) I took that both Kiha and Sujini were petite (which they both will be when they are older) and it made sense for Kiha to look of the same age as DD and for Sujini to look much yonger. I went through a similar thing myself when I was the second smallest in the class until I was 16 and had a growth spurt. Everyone used to think I am 3 years yonger.

Kiha also seems to have acquired herself a future pet bodyguard/assassin-who-may-be-in-love-with-her in the former of the cute buy with the large facial scar, hasn't she. (Odd question: does anything about him make anyone else think of Oguri Shun?)

The guy is great. :D I never thought of Oguri Shun comparison but I totally get it, he has quite similar quiet presence.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I'm used to being taken as younger than I am(27, but people often think 21-23...) but it was just...odd. If all 4 looked the same age, I don'tthink I'd even notice, but Ho Gae looking older just kinda throws it all off for me. I could buy "Ho Gae is just bigger" (because it does make sense) but it's only been 11 years, an there's just no way that's a 11 year old...

"The guy is great. :D I never thought of Oguri Shun comparison but I totally get it, he has quite similar quiet presence."

There's the quiet presence for sure, but the mouth and jaw also look a little similar to me.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I could buy "Ho Gae is just bigger" (because it does make sense) but it's only been 11 years, an there's just no way that's a 11 year old...

Oh, boys have particular big range. I was just looking at my friend's boy yesterday, who is 12 and about 6ft and looks seriously older, and think "OH my! Children grow so fast!".

I thought that the adolescent actors looked fine, but when we get to the adult stage which is supposed to be 17 ** cough, cough ** none of them really WERE 17. but I quickly forgot this.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean size so much as skill, demeanor, and, well, facial structure...

As far as the 17 bit...talk to me about that once you've watched Choi Soo Jong at 41~ play his character as 20~, and as the same age and Soo Ae(character and actress about 20 atthe time...)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forget the age thing. It will just give you untold headaches.

fear the drama will end up going a bit in the "tomboy good, ladylike bad" direction, but I'll have faith

Not really. I ended up disliking her for various spoilery reasons (nothing to do with shipping, oddly enough :P) but the story itself is very kind to her and I think likes her and feels sorry for her a great deal.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

BUT I OBSESS OVER THINGS LIKE THE AGE THING!!! (Clearly, you did not read my Tin Man posts, where I spent half the time obsessing on the timeline...)

Sageuks in general seem to be very good at not villifying characters, and at showing sympathetic sides to the worst characters, and even major flaws for the main characters, and they do both a lot more than other dramas seem to be willing to do either.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Sageuks in general seem to be very good at not villifying characters, and at showing sympathetic sides to the worst characters, and even major flaws for the main characters, and they do both a lot more than other dramas seem to be willing to do either.

I think it's because they have more time to develop the stories and characters, and also aren't just about romance.

I end up not caring for Kiha not because of DD (who goes on just fine, after a while), but because of general character traits I don't find appealing and because of Ho Gae related stuff. *don't want to spoil so am being vague*

But she is certainly a believable, understandable character.

Re: ages.

OK, DD and Ho Gae are the same age. Sujini a few weeks older. Kiha a few years older. Kid stabbed with dragon through the heart 10 years older.

This works even less when they grow up, however, because Ho Gae and DD look the same age, and so does Kiha, but Sujini looks younger than HG and DD and the Dragon Heart kid looks younger not older.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in the pics I looked at, Sujini and the guy with long hair(who I assume is the dragon heart kid) look the same age, and much younger than Dam-Duk, and Ho Gae looks a bit older than him.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I crack up every time I think DD and Ho Gae, both played by gentlemen well into their thirties, are supposed to be 17. Heh. As if.

I have no complaints because I prefer 30+ in my men, and also because the characters don't act 17, so mentally I just add 10-15 years to their ages.

I am so excited you are watching this!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

A lot of the age thing(when they're playing characters absurdly younger than them) is how well they suit the role. When you first see Choi Soo Jong in EOTS, not only is it absurd to buy him as 20~, not to mention the same age as Soo Ae(and I think Song Il Gook's character was meant to be a bit older than them) but also as a warrior/leader because, as a glance, he doesn't "look" it. But once he starts acting adn playing the part, he's 100 times as convincing as a lot of those who "look"perfect. (He gets the lead in a lot of Sageuks, too...)

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I did think adolescent DD looked a bit too old. BYJ was an excellent for a king though.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Sujini is going to grow up to be a complete rascal and fond of her wine, isn't she?


Um. Yes. *loves Sujini*

Meanwhile, the show is going to take me to the squeeful "childhood friends turned mortal enemies" place with Dam-Duk and Ho Gae, isn't it?

I love Ho Gae entirely too much. He is, hands down, my favorite secondary drama guy ever, and the story does really interesting things with him. Oddly, it's not as much about birthright, as it is about birthright standing in for other issues between the guys.

Kiha also seems to have acquired herself a future pet bodyguard/assassin-who-may-be-in-love-with-her in the former of the cute buy with the large facial scar, hasn't she

Sa Ryang. He is awesome. alexandral referred to him as one of the 'Four Pillars of Hotness' for this, the other three being DD, Ho Gae, and grown up version of the kid who got stabbed through the heart with the symbol.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The dynamic between Ho Gae and Dam-Duk, based on ep 2 and the bits I gleaned while avoiding spoilers, seems to be very similar to that of Song Il Gook and Choi Soo Jong's characters in Emperor of the Sea, and that was one of the main driving forces there.

Ah, kid who got the talisman through the heart...I preemptivel love him just for the origin...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The kid who got stabbed through the heart doesn't appear again until relatively late but from then on, it was pure love for me.

But then, I don't dislike any characters in this. Even the ones I don't like as people (e.g. King's crazy sister), I find cool as characters.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Ho Gae's mother amuses me, actually...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

She is wasted in Gogureyo. She should move to Scotland and marry a promising newcomer named Macbeth.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Iwas actually thinking something along the same lines.

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

Fine. I'm converted. I found a place I should be able to get all 24 eps with convenient subtitles with relatively low frustration.

Of course, I'm eps behind in the two shows I'm actually watching, and working all three days at my part-time job this weekend...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Let me know if you need tech help and I'll be glad to assist!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

And here you've been talking about fantasy stories that don't work for you the last few days. (It's good.)

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

And here you've been talking about fantasy stories that don't work for you the last few days.

Hee, true!

[jacganda.livejournal.com]

Great! You're watching The Legend already. I enjoyed reading your post and am looking forward to reading more. =)
Yes, the age thing was a bit confusing at first, most especially when the kids got older and one looks older than the other. Ho Gae and Damduk are about the same age; while Sujini is a few months older; Kiha, on the other hand, is already 5 years old; and yes, Cheoro is 10 years old.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I don't think it'd confuse me half as much if the actor playing young ho gae weren't obviously older than Dam-Duk, and probably Kiha, too.

[jacganda.livejournal.com]

So true. =)

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Woot! YES. Glad you're liking this so far. Sa Ryang is hot, and will forever continue to be a "good baddie" if that makes any sense. Re: age. My impression was that they were all about the same age, perhaps with only 1-2 years difference. Just an impression, though.

And yeah, young Ho Gae and Kiha are great. I liked them a lot too. Sujini (young and grown up version) totally stole my heart, though. She may be my fave heroine in any dorama, period.

Non-related. I have Damo now :D Haven't started watching except for some brief DVD checks, and it seems pretty good!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

"Good baddie" makes sense, and seems to be a big thing with sageuks.

Watch Damo nnnoooowwww

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Watch Damo nnnoooowwww
Yup, in between War of Money, Magic, Did We Really Love, and Perhaps Love :D

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

Sujini is going to grow up to be a complete rascal and fond of her wine, isn't she?

FOr someone whose always drunk..she's the cutest! Haha..

miss_dian: I am now curious about war of money...well, I already saw a teaser of it on our local channel. It's going to be aired right after TWSSG by the same network.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I was very amused when Sujini's master mentioned wine to her.