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Jirisan: Episode 1

Our protagonist is thrust into a search mission on his first day as a Jirisan park ranger. Faced with the unpredictable nature of the mountain, our park rangers find themselves in a dilemma. With a typhoon raging around them, can they find their missing person–or are they risking their lives for someone who’s already dead?

 
EPISODE 1 RECAP

At the Baekdudaegan Ecological Education Museum, a man holds a presentation on Jirisan (cameo by Ryu Seung-ryong). He describes the ambivalent nature of the mountain–it alternates between bringing hope and death to its visitors. The segment concludes with the presenter describing Jirisan as a “land between this world and the next.”

It’s the year 2018, and KANG HYUN-JO (Joo Ji-hoon) arrives at the ranger station for his first day at work. However, everything is chaotic, with park rangers frantically preparing to leave. He’s able to catch JO DAE-JIN’s (Sung Dong-il) attention, but before he can formally introduce himself, Dae-jin instructs him to follow park ranger JUNG GU-YOUNG (Oh Jung-se) on a mission to find a missing boy.

As the commander of the station, Dae-jin tracks the rangers’ progress and plans their next moves from the control room, replete with aerial maps and CCTV feeds. The missing hiker is a 14-year-old boy by the name of Yeom Seung-hoon. He was last seen wearing a middle school uniform with a sky blue backpack, and it’s known he was bullied at school. Dae-jin has the park rangers search based on where the boy’s phone last had signal. As the boy left without proper hiking gear, Dae-jin estimates that the golden time of safety is around 30 hours. With 23 hours having passed, the situation is dire.

Out in the field, Hyun-jo witnesses firsthand how dangerous climbing Jirisan can be. As several rangers rappel down a cliff, a rock slide sends the rangers scrambling for cover. A ranger gets hit square in the head and he hangs in the air, unconscious and defenseless. Before any rocks can inflict greater damage, a female ranger quickly rappels down and gets him down safely. Their ranger colleagues carry him away to an ambulance.

That skilled female ranger is SEO YI-KANG (Jeon Ji-hyun), and Gu-young splits the group off by having her work with Hyun-jo. Before he leaves, Gu-young warns Hyun-jo to be careful around her as she’s infamous–her nickname is Demon Seo. Yi-kang advises Hyun-jo to stay close as it’s procedure to stay in pairs, but if he can’t keep up, she has no qualms leaving him behind.

Meanwhile, Dae-jin gets more news about an incoming typhoon. Now even the weather isn’t on their side.

Yi-kang quickly moves from one location to the next, with Hyun-jo struggling behind her. Eventually, Hyun-jo finds out that they’ve been searching around well-known suicide spots. When he asks if they’re looking for someone who’s already dead, Yi-kang snaps at him. The boy could still be alive, and their job is to make sure he’s saved before he dies. Hyun-jo is momentarily surprised by her response but then gives the tiniest smile. He calls out for Yi-kang to wait up and hurries after her.

The weather continues to worsen, and in no time at all the rangers look like they’re wading through a river rather than hiking up a mountain. At the station, Dae-jin gets report after report of impassable trails and rangers having to retreat to shelter.

The missing boy’s grandma arrives and, not wanting to worry her further, Dae-jin turns down the volume of his walkie-talkie. They take her to the night duty room so she can rest–and to keep her out of earshot.

Outside, thunder rumbles and flashes of lightning flicker. Hyun-jo loses his balance in the rain and rolls down a slope. When he finds his balance, he notices a blue backpack, the one Seung-hoon was known to carry. Yi-kang reports this to Dae-jin and tells him that the boy isn’t here. Within a notebook inside the bag, Hyun-jo finds a photo of the boy and (presumably) his parents at a wildflower habitat in Jirisan.

Yi-kang concludes that Seung-hoon could be there, so they plan on heading that way. Dae-jin warns them about the dangerous weather conditions, but before he can continue, the chief enters the room and takes over the walkie-talkie. He orders Yi-kang and Hyun-jo to come back, claiming that the boy could have already committed suicide, so the search would be futile. If Hyun-jo and Yi-kang put their lives at stake, the other rangers will need to look for them, putting even more lives in danger. He commands them to return.

Both Hyun-jo and Yi-kang want to continue the search, but Yi-kang ends up yielding to the chief’s orders. Just as Hyun-jo reluctantly follows Yi-kang’s lead, a vision of a location within the national park appears in his mind. Before he can process what he’s seen, he’s knocked out by a fallen branch.

When Hyun-jo awakens, he finds himself back at the ranger station in a room with all the other park rangers. Gu-young now has a cast on one of his arms, and he and Team Leader PARK IL-HAE (Jo Han-chul ) end up arguing. The former complains about the difficulty of their jobs, while the latter chastises him for it. Hyun-jo sits there quietly, concerned about the missing boy.

Meanwhile, Dae-jin and Yi-kang have a discussion about their next move. It’s 2 hours past the golden time, and the odds of finding Seung-hoon alive are growing slimmer by the hour. Dae-jin says they’ll look for him when the weather clears up, and that the chief had a point about searching in the middle of a typhoon. Yi-kang asks how they’ll break the news to the boy’s grandma, and Dae-jin responds that they’ll let her know the truth. He tells Yi-kang to get some rest and exits the room.

Almost immediately, Hyun-jo walks in and insists to Yi-kang that the boy is alive. She doesn’t budge since Hyun-jo doesn’t have any concrete proof, and leaves the room. Hyun-jo looks around, seeing notes on a whiteboard describing that the boy suffered from depression due to being bullied. He flips through the boy’s notebook for clues. Expenses are written down on a few pages, ranging from groceries to his grandma’s medicine.

We flashback to an injured Seung-hoon writing in that very notebook, sniffling quietly while his grandmother sleeps. The words “help me” are on a page, and in the present, Hyun-jo stares intently at the page.

Meanwhile, Yi-kang enters the night duty room to deliver the news to Seung-hoon’s grandma. His grandmother clutches her phone, apologizing through tears. The last message she received was from grandson apologizing to her. Yi-kang looks at her sadly, placing her hand on hers.

The rangers sleep, or attempt to. Outside, Yi-kang continues the search alone despite her words to Hyun-jo. It’s still raining and the wind whips up the floodwaters around her. When she successfully climbs up a peak, she’s surprised to see Hyun-jo. She reprimands him for being crazy enough to come, but he just playfully responds, “At least I’m not lonely since we both are crazy.” LOL.

He then tells her that if he stayed at the station and Seung-hoon was actually alive, he’d regret it. Yi-kang warns him one last time, but Hyun-jo is firm in his decision. She takes him along, linking the two of them with her hook. As they’re now literally connected, if something happens to one of them, the other will meet the same fate.

Back in the station, Dae-jin finds the other rangers sneaking out with their gear and stops them right before they leave. (Even Gu-young is geared up, despite his bluster about rangers needing to put themselves first.) He reprimands them for disobeying orders, only to learn that Yi-kang and Hyun-jo have already left. Before they can continue talking, Dae-jin’s assistant brings over Seung-hoon’s grandma, who has something to tell them. She shows them her phone.

As Yi-kang and Hyun-jo trek the mountain, they hear Dae-jin from their walkie-talkie and reluctantly answer. Dae-jin tells them that they’ve just received more messages from Seung-hoon.

We return to the mountain, before Seung-hoon had been declared missing. He walks through the wildflower habitat, sending his grandma the messages we saw earlier, with a few we haven’t seen before. He recounts the day his family visited the area and suggests that his grandma come with him again next time too. He also apologizes for saddening his grandma. However, some of these messages don’t go through, and Seung-hoon notices that he’s lost signal. The sky darkens above him and a heavy fog settles down, obscuring his surroundings.

Dae-jin concludes that Seung-hoon had left the flower habitat to look for reception. The boy is still alive as they’ve finally received the remaining messages and can track his phone’s movement. They’ve attempted to contact him, but it seems he’s run out of battery. Dae-jin has sent a team over, but they won’t get there fast enough. He urges Yi-kang and Hyun-jo to save Seung-hoon.

With the newfound information about Seung-hoon, the pair shift from scouring common suicide points to survival points. Since they’re past the golden time, even if Seung-hoon is alive, he’s likely in grave condition.

As Yi-kang and Hyun-jo search for the boy, Hyun-jo suddenly has another vision, with an image of upward facing twigs being particularly noticeable. He attempts to piece together what he’s seen by questioning Yi-kang. When he asks about a black rock, Yi-kang mentions Sangsuri Rock. He concludes that’s where the boy is, and though the area doesn’t have reception, he’s bent on checking it out. Yi-kang eventually agrees to the suggestion, and they set off.

As they search the area, Hyun-jo finds the boy unconscious. They relay this to Dae-jin, and then carry the boy down as quickly as possible. Luckily, they’re able to meet up with Gu-young and Il-Hae, who take turns carrying him. When they succeed in getting him to an ambulance in time, and the EMT lets the rangers know that Seung-hoon will be okay.

The message is relayed to Hyun-jo and Yi-kang know. The two of them are sprawled on the ground, exhausted but relieved. As Dae-jin calls them to come back, they both ignore him by turning off their walkie-talkies.

When they finally start heading back, we see Yi-kang leading the way and Hyun-jo once again out of breath. Yi-kang finally stops to wait for him, but also comments on how physically weak he is. She nags him to study up on Jirisan, to which Hyun-jo calls her Demon Seo LOL. As Hyun-jo catches his breath, he sees a passing couple helping each other climb. Yi-kang is annoyed that they’d come to Jirisan for a date instead of somewhere safer, and Hyun-jo jokes about holding hands. She takes it, but purposely pulls hard, ending his short break.

On another day, we see the two back at the spot they found Seung-hoon, now with a cultural resources researcher photographing the area. He asks them how they found out about this place, and Hyun-jo jokingly says the mountain told him. The man believes that’s plausible, as Jirisan has held religious importance since ancient times. Hyun-jo exclaims that the mountain wanted to save the boy, and that must be why he miraculously had cell reception in an area that shouldn’t have any. Yi-kang finds this all bogus, and she proceeds to ask the man what the twigs facing upwards inside are. He explains that they were traditionally used as tools for communication.

After the researcher leaves, Hyun-jo looks at the twigs and exclaims that they could adopt this method for the future. The twigs could be used to form a miniature model of Jirisan, which would make it helpful in communicating in areas with no reception. Yi-kang is unamused and questions him on how he knew the boy was here. With a serious expression, Hyun-jo confesses that he saw it himself. It’s also not the first time this has happened. Yi-kang laughs, not buying it, and hikes back. Hyun-jo follows her.

In the year 2020, a car stops by a ranger station; the sun’s glare obscures the passenger’s face. Inside the station, Dae-jin is holding a meeting to discuss a lost hiker case. He informs the rangers that as of today, the case is officially closed since they were unable to locate the man despite a month-long search.

Gu-young asks about the progress on finding a new hire, preferably an experienced one. He openly disses a new ranger, LEE DA-WON (Go Min-shi) with his comment. Dae-jin tells him they have a new ranger joining them and it’s someone Gu-young knows. Gu-young comes to the realization that it’s Yi-kang. He’s surprised and adamantly against the decision to reinstate her. As Da-won asks who she is, we see Yi-kang enter the office–in a wheelchair. Before Gu-young can continue voicing his disagreement, Dae-jin orders him out on patrol.

Once alone, Dae-jin and Yi-kang discuss the missing hiker case. He asks her the same question Gu-young had: “Why are you back?” Yi-kang carries on without answering him, and asks for them to search around Gaem Falls. Dae-jin doubts they’d find the hiker there since it’s the opposite direction from where he was last seen.

As Gu-young and Da-won patrol, Da-won asks him about Yi-kang. Gu-young answers in a shifty manner, but he reveals that Yi-kang and someone else were stranded in snowy weather. It was so dangerous that he, and the other rangers who went after them, almost died. When Da-won asks who the other ranger was, Dae-jin interrupts them from the walkie-talkie with a request.

Gu-young and Da-won arrive at Gaem Falls, and Gu-young grumbles about being asked to search when there’s nothing there. Da-won spots a hiking staff and Gu-young figures they’ve discovered evidence of illegal hiking, but they’re shocked to find a skull next to the gear. Searching through some of the gear, they find a name tag, revealing that the skull belongs to the missing man they had been searching for.

When Gu-young and Da-won return to the station, Gu-young is full of questions for Yi-kang. Most importantly, how did she know the hiker was there? Gu-young can’t figure out how she figured out the hiker’s location when a giant, month-long search found nothing. Yi-kang taps through an Ipad, showing them photos on the Jirisan volunteer fire department website.

In each photo, she zooms in on a marker of upward-facing twigs. Dae-jin asks if this is the same formation as the one from the incident with Seung-hoon, but she tells him that it’s a bit different. It’s a formation that only she and Hyun-jo know. It was through these marks that she was able to deduce the location of the missing hiker.

Da-won wonders if Hyun-jo is the one who set these up, considering only Yi-kang and Hyun-jo know about them. However, Dae-jin replies that that would be impossible. At a hospital, there’s a comatose patient who was admitted on December 20, 2019. It’s Hyun-jo.

Yi-kang is certain that someone has been mysteriously sending her signals. She explains to the team, “I want to know who. That’s why I returned.”

 
COMMENTS

What a first episode! It was over 70 minutes, but the fast pace had me glued to the screen the entire time. The beautiful, tranquil shots of Jirisan contrasted so well with the more dangerous, foreboding ones. By the end of the episode, I was convinced the mountain was as dangerous as it was beautiful.

As someone who doesn’t know much about hiking and especially the work of park rangers, the first episode did a great job of showing viewers the ropes. It’s clear that decision making and strategic thinking is just as important as having physical capability when it comes to search missions. With each rescue mission a race against time, one wrong assumption could be the difference between life and death. The first episode highlights this, with the switch from searching through suicide spots to survial ones being the key success to finding Seung-hoon (with a psychic assist from Hyun-jo). As our rangers undercover the circumstances behind each lost hiker, I’m expecting some incoming pathos like in the writer’s other work, Signal.

In terms of our main characters, I’m liking both of them as individuals and as a set. Though Hyun-jo still has some catching up to do to match Yi-kang’s pace, he shares the same level of dedication as her–which I’m certain won over Yi-kang. Their relationship had a rocky start, but they eventually developed a trusting partnership that I really got behind. I chuckled when Hyun-jo got comfortable enough to crack jokes around Yi-kang (from calling her Demon Seo to her face, to suggesting they hold hands). Their interactions are going to be fun, and I can’t wait for more.

Speaking of our main characters, their pasts are mostly shrouded in mystery, but this episode might’ve provided some glimpses. I found it interesting that the final push for Hyun-jo and Yi-kang to look for Seung-hoon again was a result of two separate events: Hyun-jo was fixated on the boy’s cry for help, while Yi-kang seemed deeply affected by his grandma’s devastation. It’s unclear if their feelings of empathy were derived from their own past experiences, but I’ll be keeping this in the back of my mind for now.

The supporting cast is also quite likeable so far. Dae-jin’s the gruff but reliable leader. Il-hae is committed to the job, though it’s concerning we don’t get to see him at all in the future. There’s a line he says that came off incredibly self-sacrificial, where he told Hyun-jo that rangers should give their all to protect the mountain, and I dearly hope that wasn’t a foreshadowing of his own fate. As for Gu-young, he occasionally complains about the job, but I think it’s mostly a front. For example, he snuck out for the mission while still dealing with a broken arm and despite telling Hyun-jo to put himself first. I also believe his harsh attitude toward Da-won could be from seeing Hyun-jo in her, the latest newbie. Given where Hyun-jo ends up in 2020, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gu-young’s concerned about Da-won’s safety.

The way the drama plays with time is very interesting, and I have to talk about that 2020 time jump. I didn’t expect Yi-kang to be in a wheelchair and for Hyun-jo to be in a coma, all in the first episode. I know we’ll eventually get to how those events came about, so right now I’m most curious about this mysterious person (or is it an entity?) replicating the location signals. Is it possible they’ve seen the formations before through visions like Hyun-jo? If so, where does this ability even come from? There seems to be a supernatural element at play, and I wonder if Jirisan might even have a mind of its own. I’ve got a lot of questions, and I’m excited to see how it all unravels.

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I think this show may have a lot of Lemons. And I deem that it may be the Lemons that might make me drop. If it isn’t the horrendous directing of adventure sports … shaky cam has no place here, please.

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lemon, lemons:
noun (jargon)

A (only, as far as I know) New Zealand Mountaineering Jargon term for mistakes made that exacerbate a situation in the outdoors.
“spot the lemons”- spotting bad or dodgy decisions someone or a group of someones in the outdoors made causing, leading up to, contributing to, or exacerbating an accident.
An example might be: crossing a New Zealand river “in flood”, or after heavy rain.

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Liminal Space Mountain? Liminal Space Mountain. I like the Liminal Space Mountain. However, I don’t typically like how Kdramas treat dream/coma set ups in terms of the … preternatural/general shenanigans so that concerns me. Along with the Lemons. And the directing.

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And I deem that it may be the Lemons that might make me drop. If it isn’t the horrendous directing of adventure sports … shaky cam has no place here, please.

I can't vouch for the NZ lemons or directing because I'm neither a Kiwi nor a director, but I can for sure say that the shaky cam gave me a horrible headache.

Why? What is the necessity? How is it supposed to enhance viewer's experience?

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I had to sit in a cinema with my eyes closed for the Bourne film. I genuinely thought the shaky cam would make me sick hahaha
Down with shaky cam!!

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I agree! Shaky cam is only good when used sparingly and/or with intent. Shooting an entire conversation or a whole action sequence using shaky cam makes it seem like it is the cameraperson’s first day on the job and they can’t hold that thing steady to save their lives.
It always takes me out of the story as well.

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Hahaha you say this but shaky cam IS the directing!
(cc: @jance and @am1993)
As am1993 says, it may feel like the camera persons first day on the job, but as I go into below it is the *director's* job to direct the camera man. It is the director's decision at the end of the day to pick or confirm (because sometimes a screenwriter will decide it first, although here I doubt it) the final shot type, angle, frame or movement, and how it is finally stitched together as well.

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Thank you for acquainting me with the use of 'spot the lemons' in mountaineering. In economics, lemons refer to poor quality goods particularly in high probability in the second hand market due to asymmetric information between buyers and sellers. I have high hopes for the drama, mostly for the writer's and leads' reputation. I just hope the so-called rangers are as shown to be conscious of safety as they are in NZ, or if there are lapses, the audience would be made aware of and a correction is stated. Anyway, call me shallow but I like the leads' make-up, not like some prehistoric dramas with actors in make-up. Or the drama before this, same time slot, with the lipstick on the male lead. Here's hoping for an enjoyable drama ride once more, beanies.

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Oh my I never knew it was also an economics term! I've never heard it used anywhere else for mountaineering, hence the NZ specific assumption.
Fascinating. We have both learnt something today!

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Ok just for the sake of adding to the lemon convo - Long ago we had a laundry detergant ad that used the term and visual of “thousands of lemons” and somehow over the years we’ve adopted the term to describe something that’s in abundance (weirdly, usually money)

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@parkchuna that's very interesting because I am also reminded of one meaning of the idiom "the answer's a lemon", and that is that the answer is unfavourable or disappointing!
So many usages of the term Lemon! I want to write a small booklet on this now haha

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Another lemon usage refers to cars. Some are malfunctioning right off the assembly line and if not detected before shipment go out into the market. My little town has a for-sale-by-owner used car area called the "Lemon Lot".
Agree about the lead's make-up!

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I think this is related to the economic use of the term "I bought a lemon," and is how we use it in Australia as well. I haven't heard it in terms of mountaineering, although that could be because of my lack of experience in mountaineering generally. However considering the general comments on the quality of the drama, it could in fact be a lemon. Buyer beware.

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I had to watch at least this episode to get in on the 'fun' and the first section was filmed like a commercial for idk energy drinks or beer or possibly deodorant. I can't believe it was in a drama. This is some of the worst production work I think I've seen in a kdrama. It looked like someone's film student assignment.

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Right?
*high school film student assignment maybe. I'm sure there are tertiary film school students who could make a better episode actually... O_O

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Why do I have a vision of a lemon drop in a ninja outfit hanging upside down from a cable off of a rock ledge? And why is there a coyote scratching its chin on the ledge?

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And why was my first thought "there are no coyotes in NZ..."

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And here I thought Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner were ubiquitous! In the traditional ending, the ledge would soon turn into a free falling rock, that flips over placing the coyote between the rock and the ground…

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I stand corrected, there may be ONE coyote in NZ... ;)

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Farther Lamentations On The Directing:

Why isn’t Kim Eun Hee working with the Kingdom Director on this.

You know… someone who knows how to make outdoor location and action, feel and look, creepy and tense? Without throwing their frakking camera down the greenscreen mountain?

DOTS was not good on a directorial (or actually any other) level, and I haven’t seen Goblin, Sweet Home or Mr. Sunshine to comment on that aspect of them, but according to episode 1 alone, this guy can’t shoot outdoor sports thriller to save himself.

The abseil rockfall, the fall down the ridge, the climb in the rain, the run down the mountain, the patrol afterwards!

The overexposed lighting, shooting directly into the sun, why is everything so BRIGHT, is it just me or is the colour grading over saturated? Isn’t this lowkey horror?

Lemons! Lemons everywhere! In directing and outdoor risk management and safety!

And don’t even get me starting on the (too) rapidly decomposed body that was in a famous tourist waterfall pool for a month!!!!!

No! Remind yourself why you’re watching, Sic! Ah yes… the Kingdom writer… who is supposed to be at least watchable even if you always have issues with her work down the track… watchable only with a decent director, apparently…

Liminal Space Mountain, Sic, Liminal Space Mountain. Liminal Space Mountain and JJH2, that’s why you’re watching this.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have to assume this PD and his crew simply have no idea how to shoot *environments* properly. Do you know what I mean? This show requires genre specific environments, and intensive outdoor sports to coincide to tell a very specific tonal story.
This mountain is supposed to be a border land, between life and death. Its shoulders and spaces and veins supposed to feel both benevolent and malevolent. Horror and hope must co-exist.
The way it is shot does not achieve and detracts completely from this.

Sir, you're populist Kdrama director with a pretty extensive resume and working with a renowned writer.
And your cast! You’re killing them! It’s JJH2!
What is going on here!
Sir, are you out of your depth?
Do you not know what you're doing?
Have you bitten off more than you can chew?
Were you thinking you'd go for some kind of shooting style (is this a shooting style?) but you don't know what your story actually needs?
Have you not seen enough adventure sports movies and environmental thrillers?
Have you just never been good in the first place?
I don't understand.
T_T

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Dangit I forgot you have to check superscripts before posting on dB... JJH² looks so much cooler.

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If I were you, @sicarius, I would not question Lee Eung-bok's ability of shooting the environment, but the company who do the CG for this drama. The clue I think you don't know the director because you yourself said this: "I haven’t seen Goblin, Sweet Home or Mr. Sunshine to comment on that aspect of them."

Let me show you a clip in Mr. Sunshine, and you know why I said this: You simply don’t know, or understand, Lee Eung-bok's works.

You said, “The overexposed lighting, shooting directly into the sun, why is everything so BRIGHT …” I didn’t see any of these, but let me borrow a word from you: It may also be just me.

I know quite a lot of people criticize the CG of Jirisan, as well actors/actresses performance (even Baik, the director of movie Beauty Inside criticizes it in his IG), and the OST used, and I agree in some occasions the CG is not that good (one example: the scene where Hyun-jo asks Yi-kang to hold his hand jokingly), but most of the time, I think the story is great as well clear to understand (actually, very Kim Eun-hee: this is not the first time she jump the story in two timelines, she did that in Signal already), and the CG doesn't distract me a lot (other that the scene(s) I've mentioned above). Unlike Mr. Sunshine, all production work of Jirisan have been finished, so they do have tonnes of time to perfect the CG, so the scene I've mentioned above is unforgivable; I doubt, however, if everything else is so bad just like you said.

Let me tell you one of the possibilities: I would rather question the company which do the CG, because sometimes dramas are a work of mass, and Director can only do so much. In Lee Eun-bok's case, although both aired on tvN, Mr. Sunshine is the first K-drama funded (half of the KRW43B budget) by Netflix (and aired simultaneously by Netflix internationally), which give the director a lot more creative freedom (They even build a studio in South Korea to do the production, which you can see from their Squid Game). Jirisan, however, is funded partly (Two-third of their KRW32B budget) by iQiyi, a Mainland Chinese company, and the creative freedom, well, you just need to look at Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, which sold to another Chinese company, Youku, and you probably would have guessed it. Unlike many K-dramas, Jirisan and Moon Lovers finished the production before airing it, partly because it need to pass the censorship (although iQiyi may not air the show in Mainland China, but it is a Chinese company nonetheless, and Chinese government have a tight grip on anything media). Rushing the CG may have been caused by this.

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I admit I don't know the PD's works well, which is why I said "if I didn't know any better", because I've seen screencaps of Sunshine that imply otherwise to what the first few eps of this show portray, and why I expressed, and this is important, ultimately confusion at what is going on here at the end.

But I will just say a few more things perhaps to clarify my complaints.

1. Being unfamiliar with a PD’s work does not mean I cannot critique the work from what I know of and appreciate in the artistic form that is film, be it television or movie. This is an area I am quite passionate about, and have personal interest, and even some experience in.

2. I was not aware of the production team behind this show. Producers absolutely can negatively affect a project and creative freedom/vision, if they have things they want to see that go against the PD or writer. This may indeed be an issue here, and I thank you for bringing that to my attention.

3. However, a PD is ultimately still the main person charge of putting the script to screen, and in charge of overseeing all components that make up that, especially the practical ones, be it CGI, action, editing, photography, and acting. A PD has assistants and sub directors of specific components, but he is the director, the person who directs all these components.
I think it is not unreasonable for me to criticse the PD for these, since that’s his job, without further knowledge as to the Producer’s influence, or who specifically oversaw the CG.

4. The very blatant and tacky CGI was very much a problem, but it was not my sole, or even often my main problem with those shots:
- The first abseiling shot is ultimately just *shot* very badly, from a technical POV. It is difficult to see what is going on, it is messily edited and cut, it is over dramatic, inaccurate to the sport, detracts from the tone of the piece and the scene, the camera is often shaky and it moves too fast.
- The patrol at the end is similarly shot, a vignette of scenes stitched together, with literal lemons, and shots imo that were just badly framed.
- The climb down the ridge also, having JJH1 fall down the hill to no greater effect on his persona. Here, as with the rain climb, the use of CGI definitely is a major component to why these scenes feel off, as they are all green screened and too enclosed for the environment to have full effect.

But I have to ask then, why, including the hand hold at the end of EP1, why they were shot on green screen at all? THAT certainly was a director decision, and all these scenes in turn were shot by his Camera crew, like *THAT*, who were either directed by him or a director of photography, who in turn is still directed by him.
I do not think I can blame solely a CGI company, who’s job is mostly post production in this case, or the Production company, for HOW a scene is shot and stitched together.

5. Which brings me to the overexposed scenes I mention...

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... These are more predominant in Episode 2 (When JJH1 reaches the pine wood, when the young female ranger makes the partisan mark at the dead oak tree, as two examples)
I have, and these may be more personal taste, although that probably wouldn’t stop me from arguing them objectively anyway, heavy issues with the supposed “stylistic” choices made to bring this drama to life, which include these scenes. The atmosphere of this drama is to me a Thriller, with horror undertones. And I’m not saying that you can’t shoot at midday for this genre and make it work, but rather *the way* in which these scenes are shot, is imo, ineffective for what the scenes, and the show specifically are going for.
The shooting into the sun has no purpose, and it just blows out the rest of the shot. The pine wood shots aren’t eerie so much as just confusing.
This also bleeds over into just in general how the mountain, and the forests are shot. They feel in places too bitsy, and in other places not colour graded or not contrasted well enough to really relay the full effect and atmosphere of both the mountain as an entity, but also the horrors of what happens on her shoulders.

Again, this might just be personal taste, and I will admit that EP2 was much better than EP1 in terms of shaky cam and CG, but it’s still a point against the director for me, because I want to be more engaged with the genre of this show, and I’m not.

6. The STORY of this, that is, the script, I can actually still follow just fine. My issues so far are not really with the flitting timelines, which I know is mainly a writer decision here, or with understanding the plot, they’re with the artistic direction of how that plot is put to screen.

I am a picky viewer, I know this, and I readily will confess this. I have high standards. I have specifically high standards I think for this writer, because the past works of hers that I have watched have in my opinion been both better directed (so far) and better produced, so I was definitely expecting more from this than what I got in the first two episodes.

It may seem like nitpicking, but I like all parts of the art to effectively work together, and try to tell the story in the best possible way, and though I will keep watching, for me, this was not a strong start.

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I guess I've answered you in more detail somewhat in my comment in Episode 2 recap (the very first one), @sicarius. Sorry I can't answer sooner, partly because we are in a very different timezones.

A short summary:
1. You can certainly have freedom to comment on certain director's style and ability even you've just watched one of his drama, but I think it is not fair, since you didn't watched his best works.
2. I have no credibility to comment professionalism of certain rangers, I just think the story is good and catch my attention.
3. Since the story, after all, doesn't mean to put rangers daily life in the centre-stage, I think I will put those behind (although some exaggeration about their actions, as well the terrible CG in Episode 1--which I don't think I realize except certain moments--is a concern).

No offense, arts (TV drama included) is something you either love it or hate it. I simply lay out my opinions.

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I don't see why it's unfair: I'm not criticising his best works. I'm criticising THIS work. Which I can do with or without having seen anything else, as it should be able to stand alone.
Having read your Ep 2 comment I am not sure you have understood my point or my issues with the directing, but as I have already said and explained my pov and where I am coming from, about everything, lemons or otherwise, multiple times, I will refrain from doing so again, as it would be counterintuitive.
I am sure the Liminal Space Mountain, which is still the most interesting thing to me, despite what I think of how it is executed, will keep me going for now. Peace.

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You ask, and I give you answers:
Sir, are you out of your depth?. Yes.
Do you not know what you're doing?. Poor thing thinks he does, but you and I know he doesn't. I've seen at least 5 of his dramas and I may had issues with them, but never regarding directing. In this one, I just wish I could see any directing at all.
Have you bitten off more than you can chew?. Yes.
Have you not seen enough adventure sports movies and environmental thrillers?. PD might have seen enough. Has he paid enough attention? I'm afraid he didn't, or maybe he thinks he did but he didn't. To sum it up: No.

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༎ຶ‿༎ຶ

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Why isn’t Kim Eun Hee working with the Kingdom Director on this

This x1000

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My big Lemon (prolly not using the term correctly but i still want to) was the cgi and decomposed body - that does not happen in a month dude. I’m still watching for now though, don’t have anything else on currently airing dramas.

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It's a directorial/writing lemon hehehe.
(I don't know why I haven't used the term lemon metaphorically thus before now, like it's so perfect haha)
I actually doubly checked and looked up the rate of decomposition after this cos I was like "completely clean skeleton? in a MONTH? nooo..." and then doubted myself haha.

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Sic you shud have used Lemontations in your title above 😆

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OH MY GOSH HAHAHA I should've hahaha *claims new term and word* Thank you for the coinage, friend, I will definitely be using this in the future.

(Hmmm the Endosolistration of the Lemontations... kekeke)

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ME:
Looks up endosolemon-whaaat
Finds Sicarius The Queen of Melonia at the top of the search page
Gives up knowing what it means.

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😂😂😂😂😂
It means to throw into the sun.
But yes I coined it lmao

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Why so dramatic? Just drop the drama if you don't like it. No need to write a long dramatic essay about it.

"who is supposed to be at least watchable even if you always have issues with her work down the track… watchable only with a decent director, apparently…"

And I find this pretty offensive. I have watched most of KEH's dramas and I've always been impressed, so I don't like that you're dragging her skills due to an obviously lacking directing/editing which isn't her fault.

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"no need to write a long dramatic essay about it"... Oh man... I wish… I truly wish you could understand the level of irony in that statement, made to me of all people. Truly. *Weeps tears of laughter. *

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I think you misunderstood the KEH comment lol. I'm not insulting her personally. I have issues with her as a writer, even in past works, but I like to watch her anyway because she can be very enjoyable. I have come to expect a high standard of production for her works. And Jirisan hath made me think that this director is not a good match for her writing and as such isn't doing it justice, as it makes even her work suffer. Ofc the directing is not her fault. Read the statement again.
And then maybe read the expansion of my thoughts elsewhere in this thread. Or don't, because it’s another essay and you said there’s no need for those…

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I watched about 30 minutes of the first episode. Despite the intention to make the searching scenes all dangerous and thrilling, i cant feel that at all. Instead i feel they act too excessive in that situation.

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Watching the first half of this episode, I feel my breathe almost stopped.

I aware the criticism on the drama (Link 1, Link 2), and those criticism even cause the stocks of those production companies fall. But as I replied a comment above, I don't see those criticism valid (at least not all of them). Surely some events in this drama is exaggerated, and some CG are not that good, but overall, I think the show is enjoyable (I don't repeat the detail here, as you can always read my comment above, under Comment #2).

Having one of the two leads in wheelchair, and another in a coma is always shocking, but I think it is very Kim Eun-hee: supernatural setting and murder mystery is always something she is good for, like her Signal, or using such setting to mock the reality, like her Kingdom. What we need to do is have some patience, then we would know what she want to talk about.

What I am really shock about, is the show's production companies sought funding (Two third of KRW32B budget) from a Chinese media company, iQiyi. Chinese Government always has a tight grip to anything media. Although the show may not air in Mainland China, Chinese media companies always put reaction of Chinese government into consideration, which is pretty much unavoidable. Will such situation affect the production value? We shall see.

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It was pretty disapointing.

The rangers look so unprofessionnal. Researching someone is not hectic like this, specially if you don't know if there is immediat danger. Their safety is the most important, so no, you don't go and climb under the rain...

The actors look like 2 models for North Face and not rangers in the middle of the forest.

The direction and the music were bad... I found funny that the PD of The Beauty Inside, Baek Jong-Yeol, posted on Instagram about it :p

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The actors look like 2 models for North Face and not rangers in the middle of the forest.

Absolute best summary. I really wanted to enjoy this drama (outside of Seoul, great opportunity for beautiful nature shots, impressive cast), but I was so bored that I'm pretty sure I missed half of the episode while folding laundry and wandering over to the kitchen to stir the soup. Oh, well!

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I'm not a huge stickler for getting the technical parts of the writing accurately (also given there seems to be some supernatural elements) but the "unprofessional" rangers part kinda hit me hard with disappointment. I'm not an expert on mountain rescue, but here in the US, they employ (sometimes exclusively) the helicopters to scout the area and spot survivors, and they wouldn't necessarily scout all the "scary spots" in such vast and treacherous area. Also, if there was even a whiff of a danger to a SAR team, the whole rescue is called off until more favorable conditions are in place. And who crosses the flooding areas willy-nilly like in this series, my god. Every experienced hiker, let alone a park ranger, would know not to try crossing high waters or hike under the lightening, jesus. And for what insane reasons they just rappel down the side of the mountain, endangering rescuers? If you didn't spot a body anywhere on the side of hill, that's a waste of time and resources. Anyway. I'm not an expert in SAR, but am an experienced hiker. A lot of action here looks plain head-scratching. I'm still enjoying the views of the mountains though. I'm not complaining about the music. Just the questionable and "unprofessional" choices the park rangers make.

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Lemons, I tell you, Lemons everywhere.

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Just finished the second episode. The amount of night scenes just bothers me to no end. Hiking is best done by nightfall, unless absolutely, 100% necessary. Why would they do SAR activities past nightfall with like zero visibility under the tree canopy? There must be some amazing cell-phone towers in SK with the amount of cell-phones convos in the second episode, unless cell-phone communication deep in the mountainous area is one of the supernatural elements. The speed with which everyone gets around the mountains seemed kind of unrealistic to me or the time sequence was not well-thought out during the movemaking process. That ghost was like a character that walked off the Kingdom, completely out of place, and it seems more and more like it's "Signal meets Kingdom" type of story. I'm not sure I'm enjoying it but still sticking around.

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Although hilariously, supernatural cell phone coverage IS a thing here (ep1 confirmed that pfft), or at least it is on special occasions, the constant use of cellphones or not being able to reach them on cell phones but ringing them anyway bothers me because *they should all be using radios.* (I guess we should probably blame PPL for this though 😂😂)

The speed/ time sequence is part of my issue with the lack of environmental directing- you need an accurate feel of space, both in terms of time, distance and magnitude, for this setting, which this does not have.

The ghost is like Signal meets Kingdom because that's the writer hahaha, it seems out of place because the visuals of the show don't match the thematic tone or genre. Again; a directing problem.

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i'll just keep my eyes firmly planted on JJ Hoon and pray for me to take me through this with nary a scratch. just focus on the goooooooooooooooooddddddddddd view

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I am so tempted to use the —ade word, but will restrain myself.

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Just to be sure -- lemonade, not accolade? 😂

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I am the least outdoorsy of my family, the rest of my siblings, and siblings-in-law, all being into some adventure sport or another, and all of them at some point for jobs: skiing, rock climbing, kayaking (river and sea), canyoning, alpine and ice climbing, mountain biking, guiding, rafting, etc. In NZ we call hiking tramping and bush craft and orienteering is its own thing too. My father was part of the local Mountain Safety crew and Tramping Club in his youth. NZ has a prolific history in mountaineering and outdoor sports, and is famous for it, but is also famous for being deadly when it comes to it because our weather is so, so interchangeable, and is the cause of many Lemons, and many deaths.
So, surrounded by all this, even I, who hasn't worked in these fields (except for volunteering on youth camps) and does all of them much more casually (still enjoy them a lot) than the rest of my family, and loaded with I would say a good helping of common sense, watch this show and just about have a heart attack every other minute...
Can't wait for the grand reveal of what happened on THAT DAY... it's gonna be a doozy... ಠ_ಠ

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I think the productions suffers from A naive buy-in to Hollywood’s version of Rescue Heroics. Given the supernatural path they’re on, it would Be more interesting to have properly trained and behaving rangers go more and more off track as they develop “faith” in the supernatural development.

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Ugh, yes, the complexity you could explore in themes because of that!!!

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I think I should've expected this Signal wasn't that great either about such details. There too the female detective went in without backup after a suspected serial killer, so I'm not surprised here to see them make reckless decisions.

This writer seems to think that actions against protocol are brave or something, when no they just display a lack of common sense.

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expected this *since Signal 📶

Argh....

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Interesting. I watched only the first two episodes of Signal, and then kinda drifted away. I wonder if the police folk out there were loosing their minds watching Signal as I did watching Jirisan. lol

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I know right. While watching i was constantly asking where is the safety guidelines. Instead of saving one life, they’ll lose another ten that way.

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I thought I was the only one thinking the drama is too BRIGHT. I thought it will be dark, mysterious. But it felt like a walk in a park on a Sunday afternoon.
I agree with the most opinions that the directing is the problem.
I know I'm the super minority here, but I don't understand Jihyun hype. I feel she always speaks the same way in her every drama character. That low, flat, emotionless voice.
Joo Jihoon, well, he's always special for me since Goong days. He can just sit reading newspaper and I would say his acting is fantastic. So I won't bother to comment about him.

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did you watch episode two already? the ending started to get dark..the pace is fast at least

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I took Jayne's comment to mean literally Bright, as in lighting wise, which I agree with them actually on.
The tone and the genre of the drama is thriller/horror, and therefore dark, but how it's shot does not always correlate with that, if that makes sense.

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that makes sense....maybe the opening is brighter then it'll get darker...but i also don't know the actual genre of this drama since kim eunhee said it's also healing drama lol

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A healing drama eh... I can kinda see how we'd get there. But it's a healing drama from KEH, who's default is "supernaturally"* influenced thriller/horror, so... XD
(*as in "beyond the natural", here)

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When I saw this recap (thank you @citrusorangeee) I thought, how odd it was to read recaps/comments before actually being able to watch the show. Then I tuned into VIKI and there it was, hooray (I think). Watched the first minute and visually it looks like the old 35mm film called ektachrome - very cold and blue.
Long ago I realized that any film/drama depiction of the out-of-doors would be rife with howling bloopers because the creative people who construct the make-believe world are indoors people. Hubby and I have to firmly adjust our viewing lenses whenever a "sciencey person" is depicted as I'm sure all medical and legal folks have to do with those types of dramas.
The only expectation I have of this show is getting to see some actual footage of Jirisan and enjoying writer-nim's use of a mountain as a protagonist (antagonist?). Off to watch ep 1!

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Hello Alluvial fan - I’m not sure if your name refers to the formation in Rocky Mountain national park, but I just saw two moose near there! I’ve never seen moose in this particular park before!

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Hola! I live on one in the inter-mountain west. Spotting moose must have been a great joy. We have bear tracks in the arroyo behind our house and stags locking horns in the back yard but we're too dry for moose. Rocky Mtn NP is truly spectacular.

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Sigh. The Rockies must be spectacular yellow-orange-brown-red right now. I wish I were there! Out of 63 NP, there are still 35-ish I need to visit, Rockies is one of them. ❤️

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I watched a few episodes of a similarly themed mountain rescue squad J drama several years ago. A few minutes of this show reminded me why I didn’t finish the J drama.

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Which begs the question: what are the good fictional dramas, centered on the natural beauty of Korea/Japan? I would love to actually watch one.

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Honestly... Kingdom is gorgeously shot lol. Like yeah it's horror, but ... It's so nice to watch haha.
Actually on that note I think sageuks in general have, without me thinking further, the best showcase of Korea's natural beauty... Hah.
Not ideal if you're not a sageuk watcher then I guess 😂

I'm gonna go away and ponder this a bit more though, and try to think of more examples.

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Kingdom wide shot in S1 is breathtaking
I have so many wallpaper out of it ngl

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I want to enjoy this badly, but it is hard.

I wonder where is PD. Actors seem to be running around like headless chickens not really knowing what to do. You have an amazing ensemble of actors and none of them is doing a good job. It can't be them, it is just the awful directing.

My second complain is the music. After JJH2 found the child and they were lying on the top of the mountain... what the frack was that OST? It was the most anticlimatic one they could have used. As awful as the directing, I'm afraid.

I'm giving this drama another week, but... such a waste of talent.

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My favourite wtf ost moment was the Icelandic ballad used in ep2 over top of the sad scene and JJH2's sad flashback pffft

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The music is terrible. All the 'boundary' scenes are accompanied by this awful "mystical" music that then turns to generic "ominous" when it comes back. Aside from anything else, it's super distracting. It sounds like the musical composition I did with my sound engineering class in Uni. Except of course that was a masterpiece.

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I was super happy the puppies were taken off the search as soon as it started raining. A+

Safety? F
Wow, they failed in that department so hard.

Its pretty though.

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I started reading through the comments here and after a bit was only reading the first few sentences to get the feel for the direction the comments were going. I have to shake my head at many of the comments. Jirisan is the first kdrama in months that has grabbed my attention and interest in a whole hearted way. I am totally amazed with the scenes and while I hope the cast and crew are being kept perfectly safe and it is the computer technology that is taking the risks over those steep cliffs, I know that it can't be easy to film. What do I care that the camera shakes a little? It makes it all the more real and intimate of an experience for me. I'm not sure why so many people have become so critical of kdrama these days and nit pick every little detail. What is wrong with just sitting back and being entertained? Must we all have out notebooks and magnifying glasses to make certain that any "error" or inconsistency is detailed and hashed over the social media? I just want to have fun and so far, episode 1 and 2 have been quite entertaining for me. I look forward to the next episodes.

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To each his/her own I guess. I cant understand their views as well as i did find the first eps entertaining, so, let us just enjoy it until we can't. I would normally just read the recap and then skip the comments that I dont agree with.

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"What is wrong with just sitting back and being entertained."

Well, in a lot of cases, nothing.
However, as Tolkien argues (see link below), the issue is not so much the ability to be entertained, so much as it is the ability of a story to retain a viewer's Secondary Belief of the narrative, to be successful at the sub creation of storytelling. Kdrama is just another medium through which to tell a story.

I know for me, it is much easier for this Secondary Belief to be broken, more easily than average.

But also do not think that the sole purpose of storytelling is to be entertaining. It's to tell a story. Thus all the components that go into telling that story are important.

This is where I *personally* stand on the matter, wherever anyone else may, and is why I often "nitpick" the media I consume, which is by no means limited to just kdramas. (Oh no, I'm insufferable across all mediums, don't worry.)

This all being said, I still watch kdramas to unwind, and can definitely enjoy dramas I nitpick too. ^-^

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I thought DB was a safe space where people can share their viewing experience of a drama, whether positive or negative (so long as they're civil), and not be attacked for it. Should everyone like what you like? Are others not allowed to express their negative perspectives? Can't you skip them and just focus on sharing your positive views of the drama? They're not criticizing you for your positive review so why are you going at them for their negative ones? The criticisms you're even sniveling about are mild and respectful compared to some brutal tear-downs I've read on other places. If your self-esteem is so fragile that you're affected by the critical opinions of others on a drama, then that is your problem to work on. Same goes to jingbee and that dramalover person.

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If DB is a safe place then why are you attacking me? I attacked no one.

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LOL!

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speaking as "that dramalover person" I went to bed with this comment ringing in my ears and spent some time laughing to myself and formulating a few responses, as follows. Take your pick:
1. what did I do wrong?
2. what's eating you?
3. Isn't it funny that people who write comments about other comments are doing exactly the thing they are condemning
4. I can't be bothered
5. I wonder who this is
6. They got the tone of the exchange completely wrong
7. I wonder if they are conscious of their tone
8. All or none of the above
9 I won't dignify this with a comment
10. spurred on by @jingbee's lol

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I finished ep2 and though I do head scratch at a lot of scenes in ep1, esp the choices the rangers made during the search I did enjoy it.

My enjoyment also has to do with watching the casts act. I love all the actors xD and though it's still early in the game, let's enjoy the show till the end or when we decide to drop it.

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I'm not going to let anything spoil my enjoyment of this. @sicarius @bomibeans yes, you are probably correct about the cgi and the authenticity of the climbing etc. I'm not a director, a producer, or even an experienced drama watcher, and I'm happy to exercise a willing suspension of disbelief. I'm loving it. I love the "illusion" of scenery and I find the drops terrifying for someone who is afraid of heights and who is not a hiker. I am more than ready to suspend my critical faculties and sit back and take it all in, especially the leads. My goodness, how can they help it that they look so good, it looks like a hiking advert?? They just look good in anything.. One thing about the genre. It seems to be as much a tribute to the rangers and the risks they take as it is or is not a thriller. It makes me admire the people who actually go out and rescue people. Sure, I did question the needless danger that they were exposing themselves to. Health and safety would have a melt down. It's certainly safe to pile on the criticism after a director has had his say, but I'm not for shredding this to bits. While I am recognizing the limitations, I'm going to enjoy it, like @zzthorn. So far, so good. No sharks jumped yet imo.

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Am with you. Dramawatching requires some suspension of disbelief anyways.

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Willingly and happily.

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My intention is never to diminish anyone's viewing experience, but I do share my own intense viewing experience (whether positive or negative) as a way to process it emotionally. I'm not here to be a "watchit/ditchit" influencer or a "critic bully", rather a viewer who comments about something in k-dramas that deeply bothers me (or deeply inspires me). This time around, I was put off by something I wrote in detail above. Regardless, I do enjoy (and find it entertaining) reading a variety of opinions on the subject.

I'm glad you're enjoying the show.

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I appreciate what you pointed out. You are absolutely right about the realism and safety aspects. And I can see why an experienced person would find it frustrating to see. I has similar naggings but not as detailed. But I decided when I first caught wind of the criticism that I'd screen it out because I just wanted to soak the mountain up. My frustration is that I can't see it on a big screen. Also, and I know this has nothing to do with the discussion, but JJH2 can do no wrong in my book.

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This happens to me with costume movies/ dramas set in the European / American 19th century. Whenever I hear anyone praise certain movies I just roll my eyes, I can be totally be taken away from a movie because of inaccurate costume or hairstyle (the reason there’s no way I can watch latest adaptation of War and Peace or Little Women).

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Absolutely. For me it's accents and anachronistic cliches and, forgive me, but modern women with feminist sensibilities in times when women did not have that freedom because that takes away from the truly brave women who were suffering from swimming against the current. (That's why Jane Austen's women are so wonderful). If you get my drift. I cannot watch Bridgerton, for example. It all seems so wrong.

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As Tolkien says, it's not suspension of disbelief, it's Secondary Belief* that matters, and for some of us that is more easily broken than others ;)

*
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/sicarius/activity/1260757/

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It's rare, in fact probably never have I entertained secondary belief, especially with Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. I'm scraping my memory to find something that has achieved that for me. Worlds are places to escape to, but they have edges, just like the mountain.

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I think Tolkien of all people would agree on worlds, especially fantasy, being escapism.

For me also, true SB is rare (partly because of how my brain works) however that doesn't mean I think one shouldn't try one's hardest to achieve it, as one's duty as a storyteller.

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I love Tolkien but I'll stand with Coleridge.

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I know who did that for me. Now I remember. George Elliot.

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And the Brontes.

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Overall, I like it

What I like:
How the story went straight into action without much introduction towards the characters. I like how fast pace it was especially for the first half of the episode. Not much info about the characters especially KHJ who kinda have a vision but how and why he has it, but it will fun when they go into depth about it in later episodes. and this is very much KES style, jumping straight into actions, just like her previous works. But it doesnt mean that it didnt surprised me SYK is in wheelchair and KHJ is in coma in current timeline. That was a huge plot twist for a premier ep imo. I guess the story will jump back and forth between current and past or else JJH is getting easy payment XD

What I didnt like:
The direction and execution is a bit choppy. Some of the scenes make it so obvious that the actors are all shooting in front of green scene tbh. Some of the shot are so overexposed making that scenes look unreal and out of place. I was hoping a good camera works and CGI knowing this drama has a huge budget but it falls below expectation. I wonder why they didnt partner with studio dragon and Netflix tbh. Iqiyi quality is just...

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it seems there will be lot of flashback scenes but current JJH isn't just in coma state, according to tvn official's update he became a ghost haha

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Yeah I figured from ep 1 that in he's basically haunting the mountain in his coma state.
Hence the whole "the Mountain sits between Life and Death"; he's also sitting between life and death.
This also made me think he might die at the end...

We'll see. I'm not confident the show can totally deliver on this element of itself, as much as I like Liminal Space Mountains :P

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that too he might actually trapped in mountain forever..the chance he'll awake is like like 0.1% lol

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I thought that refers to the fact people also die on Jirisan 😂😂

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Wow, the thought never crossed my mind as I was so distracted with all the other things going on in this drama. Now it's actually getting interesting.

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Did you see this week's episodes?

They got a shaman & everything. You'll wander the mountains even if you die.

Dramatic much?

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A bit on the nose, if you ask me. A more subtle (or weirder) approach to this aspect of the story in the writing would be more my taste. Still.

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It's basically the same as LFG when KSH wanders the human realm as a ghost while her body lies in a coma. I believe he'll wake up at some point near the end maybe just like the detective in Signal.

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Although this drama so far might not be better directed compared to Kim Eun Hee’s previous dramas, I find that I’m still enjoying it and believe that she will deliver the story well. I also have zero problems with both JJH and other actors’ actings. All in place I think.

I’m also a bit sad seeing the comment sections for dramas nowadays (not only this one drama and not just in db). If it’s not perfect, it will be criticized in a way that a drama newbie (even veterans) will be turn off to even watching it. So best if you test the water yourselves now. My advise is stick to 4 or 6 episodes until you can decide for yourself whether you want to continue watching it or not.

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I'm no expert about directing or anything in that realm but is it just me who thinks the PD is using the wrong camera equipment? I don't know what exactly it is but it just feels like he's trying to fit a square into a round. I've seen GoPro footage with better image stability and quality (not sure if its supposed to be that way). This is suppose to be an outdoor action mystery thriller I assume but neither the action nor the thriller has any build up or edge to it. Things just happen and cliffhangers get dropped but I feel no payoff when anything happens.

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I really enjoyed the first couple of episodes and was surprised by how quickly things got going. I obviously don't know any better and really have nothing to complain about except for a moment or two of shaky cam. One could make the case that Jeon Ji-hyeon's delivery seems a bit flat at times but everyone else seems to be delivering.

I like the mysterious, ethereal vibe that I'm getting from the use of scenic shots. At times it almost seems like a documentary. Mostly I'm reminded of Signal and a US film that I saw many moons ago called Cliffhanger.

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Why didn't they just put in why JJH was such an old newbie? It wouldn't have taken them more than 5 minutes to remark on oh he changed jobs because if changed passion/interest or midlife crisis whatever!

Also since when do bodies decay in one month? It wasn't extremely hot, even with being in the water there's no way it'd decay to a dry skeleton in 1 month.

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How loaded is JJH? He's admitted on 12 Dec 2019 & When FL returns in wheelchair it's around 9th of September 2020. He's been in a coma for so long, is it health insurance or guilt money or rich background that's keeping him alive?

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Oh & watch how that hand holding moment come full circle, which will probably be how she falls & gets injured!

It was so bright & fake looking it hurt my eyes. Oh & watch how that hand holding moment come full circle, which will probably be how she falls & gets injured!

It was so bright & fake looking it hurt my eyes.

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I don't know what I expected of a show with this cast but it wasn't an overwrought beer commercial with characters swapping deeply melodramatic looks between inexplicable health and safety violations.
It's actually much much worse than I was expecting even from the comments so far.

To be honest, I found the whole overwrought melodrama of it quite hilarious and laughed out loud at several points, usually when we got slow mo of imperilled rescuers who would never in a million years be out on a mountain during a typhoon. Guess they need a big cold beer. Or possibly a thirst-quenching soft drink.
This episode at least was genuine, original recipe trash.

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Or MAYBE it's a cAR AD. It'd be a car ad if it were set in NZ...

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Oh yeah it's a car ad. But I feel like the car should be white water rafting or kayaking or something.

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Nah the car is driving down the cliff face, obviously.

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Like this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUwzWHD3Htg
But they other way :P :P

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In the US, they are all driving around Moab area, for some reason. 😂😂😂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUGOgF4UgsY

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