Ohhh, this is such a good episode. I freaking love it.

It’s intense, and plot-twisty, and suspenseful. What more could you ask for, really? Well, maybe ONE thing…

SONG OF THE DAY

Mot – “11 Over 8″ [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Return of Iljimae: Episode 22 (2,627 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Jung Hye-young, Jung Il-woo, Kim Min-jong, Return of Iljimae, Yoon Jin-seo

This episode really gets the action going, which is welcome because, as I mentioned in the previous recap, I prefer more personal storylines to politics. Not that politics is bad — it adds depth and historical context, certainly — but I like both in a nice balance.

SONG OF THE DAY

Return of Iljimae OST – “남자는 똑같다” (Men are all the same) by Park Jung-eun [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Return of Iljimae: Episode 21 (2,920 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Jung Hye-young, Jung Il-woo, Kim Min-jong, Return of Iljimae, Yoon Jin-seo

Return of Iljimae is back! I know, I know, it’s been ages since I started this drama. I’ve been determined to finish it for a long time, but time kept slipping away from me. I figured that having a goal to shoot for would help move things along, so in honor of Jung Il-woo’s upcoming new drama My Fair Lady, I will be wrapping up Return of Iljimae just in time to welcome him in his new series, which premieres next Wednesday.

SONG OF THE DAY

No Reply – “오래전 그 멜로디” (Melody from long ago) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Return of Iljimae: Episode 20 (2,292 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Jung Hye-young, Jung Il-woo, Kim Min-jong, Return of Iljimae, Yoon Jin-seo

I love this shot.

The camera sharpens just a moment after this to focus on the couple in the background, but I like the imagery of leaving them blurred. It’s a rather effective way to create the illusion of intimacy in an understated way.

SONG OF THE DAY

My Aunt Mary – “Goodbye Day” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Return of Iljimae: Episode 19 (2,848 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Jung Hye-young, Jung Il-woo, Kim Min-jong, Return of Iljimae, Yoon Jin-seo

It’s nostalgia day!

Old ’90s vocal duo The Blue is back with comeback activities, which means its two actor-singer members (Kim Min-jong and Sohn Ji-chang) are back in action and promoting their reunion.

Thus the two old friends recently appeared on Sang Sang Plus 2 and shared old stories about their earlier days, namely the hit 1994 youth trendy drama Feelings [느낌], which I LOVED.

Kim and Sohn played twin brothers in the drama (Sohn was the “elder” of the two), which was also the launching pad for a then-unknown young actor who would become a top movie star, (my!) Lee Jung-jae (of Typhoon, Air City, and soon to be seen in Triple). But according to Sohn Ji-chang, Lee Jung-jae was only cast at the last minute through a fateful chance encounter.

Drama brothers Sohn Ji-chang, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Min-jong

SONG OF THE DAY

Feelings OST – “너의뒤에서” (Behind You) by JYP. This was one of the main love themes of the series, sung by Park Jin-young — yes, that Park Jin-young — and featured on his first solo album.
[ Download ]

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Read the rest of The Blue reunite, reminisce on Sang Sang Plus (370 words)

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Post tags: comebacks, Feelings, Kim Min-jong, Lee Jung-jae, old-school, Sohn Ji-chang, variety shows

Ha, can I just say how odd it is to have a conversation with my mother about how adorable Jung Il-woo is? She knows him mostly from High Kick, although I told her he is so very much improved here. Case in point: there are a few key scenes in this episode where he is particularly good.

This drama is also one of those where I don’t see the actors so much as the characters, which is to everyone’s credit for doing such a nice job integrating themselves not only into their characters, but with each other’s characters and the overall narrative.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jang Yoon-ju – “오늘, 고마운 하루” (Today, a thankful day) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Return of Iljimae: Episode 18 (3,126 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Jung Hye-young, Jung Il-woo, Kim Min-jong, Return of Iljimae, Yoon Jin-seo

After such a beautiful, refined depiction of Iljimae’s maturation, it’s interesting to see him — and the series — take a darker turn. While I wouldn’t say that the series itself is “realistic” — in that it’s based on a hero comic — the characterizations are absolutely realistic, and that’s quite compelling. I love that this is almost a reversal of what I’ve seen in other heroic tales, where you have a nondescript young man changed into a righteous defender of innocents. That change is usually mono-directional, traveling in a straight path from “ordinary” to “hero.”

What’s different here is that Iljimae grows up a very decent young man, and has a pure sort of early upbringing. Even after he makes the transition into a noble thief and crusader against corrupt noblemen, he struggles and makes errors in judgment, and comes up against some complex moral dilemmas. It’s not a straight line to becoming a hero, and I appreciate that this drama shows us his ups and downs — not just in terms of external antagonists, but within Iljimae himself. It’s almost like becoming a hero has introduced darkness into his life of sweet and light, rather than helping clear it away. That’s kinda profound, isn’t it?

SONG OF THE DAY

Park Sae-byul – “우린 날 수 있어요” (We Can Fly) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Return of Iljimae: Episode 17 (2,994 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: episode recaps, Jung Hye-young, Jung Il-woo, Kim Min-jong, Return of Iljimae, Yoon Jin-seo