daunte29

March 6, 2012

There is ONE thing missing in GTGC that 90% of other current and past sageuks MUST have and this missing factor is what perhaps draws in the older, mature viewers, & senior citizens to become regular viewers every weekend.

Now I DO sometimes watch the other two 'direct weekend saguek rivals' to GTGC - MBC Soldier/God of War & jTBC Queen Insoo. Both these sageuks do have this vital missing ingredient week after week. MBC Soldier airs at 8.40pm, Queen Insoo at 9.00pm & GTGC at 9.40pm.

The broadcast times are decided by each network and therefore folks, Korean homeviewers do not have to scratch their heads as to which sageuk show they want to damage their brain cells.

This missing ingredient is also perhaps the main reason why our two writers for Gwanggaeto are unable to maintain the standards they set right at the beginning of the series..... I too have said before and agree that the early stories of pre-king Gwanggaeto, when LTG was still playing a teenaged Damdeok, had more plot 'substance' and (dare I say it) some suspense.

This missing ingredient present in 90% of k-dramas including sagueks is the love triangle or romance that drives 90% or more of k-dramas. One of our two writers for GTGC is an old-hand at writing soppy love stories in her previous drama & film projects but so far, she has not reverted to her tried and tested templates.

Part of the reason why our writers were unable to sustain their momentum was when Doyoung was 'separated' from Damdeok and then they wrote in a replacement in the form of Yakyeon. Since then the 'female' factor hasn't featured prominently as all the women in this series are reduced to supporting cast and have no MAJOR impact on the main character, or the plot. We expect Yakyeon will eventually produce DD's son but the writers are in no hurry to even make her belly bigger.

What's most funny is that ALL the women in this show NOW work for (or should I say 'serve') Damdeok ever since Seol Ji changed her passport to a Goguryeo one. Other than Damjoo at the Houyan palace, just look at the absence of any 'significant' female characters on the side of Baekje, Biryeo, Silla, etc.

For sure, nobody expects Damjoo & Murong Bao to be sharing the same bed so in fact the writers could easily create a Houyan-born woman for Murong Bao, and hence a love triangle. Haheha!!!

Personally I think it's good that the writers have not focussed on any lovey-dovey scenes that requires close-mouth kissing by Lee Tae Gon, to jack up the ratings although the writers could still insert that before ep100. Both God of War/Soldier & Queen Insoo already have love issues in their plots and if you like emo-type men crying ever so often, and I do mean often, then both dramas do not disappoint.

Then again any woman wanting to kiss 1.85m tall LTG might have to stand on a box or ladder just to reach his sexy thin lips; otherwise she'll only end up rubbing her lips against his false beard. Of course she could jump upwards and wrap her legs tightly against his torso but all that heavy headgear and wig might make jumping a tad difficult, and her long sharp pointed hairpins could poke an eye out.

Ahh... and that's why kissing in bed scenes are much easier for the cameras because when both are lying down, even a female smurf would have no difficulty reaching his teeth.... but then again not even one bed scene has been inserted in this series so far ..... either the writers want to emphasize Damdeok doesn't sleep in a bed for anti-assassination precautions or LTG has a 'no-kissing clause' in his contract.

Can you recall when was the last time any "we're in trouble' messengers come running in when Damdeok and his posse are in their beds having sweet dreams? Hmm... I wonder if bodyguard Seol Ji sleeps in her pajamas with her weapons by her side, ready to leap into action at the first shouts of trouble.

Actually the real Asin in fact has an eldest son (and future successor) Jeonji which Asin later despatches to Japan as a hostage but as we can see, our Asin in this drama has no time to date, has no girlfriend since he's always snarling and screaming DD's name.

Doesn't King Asin have any concubines from his Baekje harem who can advise him on anger management techniques and give him pressure point massages to lessen his fury?

Since we know Doyoung is going to die next week, she's not going to be mother of any royal offspring either. So where's Asin's offspring gonna come from, if he doesn't start sowing some seeds here and there?

If you've already seen the raw episodes, then you'll know that there's going to be a major foreign policy reversal by Asin immediately after Doyoung joins her daddy up in La-La Land next week.... and thereafter that should give our man some 'free time' to mate and reproduce. Any volunteers or candidates to become Mrs Asin? Just make sure her name doesn't contain any words that sound like "Dam", "Dumb" or "Duk" - hell hath no fury as Asin defeated time and time again.

Actually the sparse historical records do say that it was actually Asin's uncle, General Jin Mu who expired last week, who led and fought against Goguryeo for many years and he lost 99.9% of the time. Factually this would leave Asin (the REAL one) 'free' in his own Baekje palace to find a wife or two or three and produce multiple offspring the way most ancient kings in Northeast Asia did - a single king those ancient times could, using his sons and daughters from his official wife and consorts, easily form a soccer team with reserve players and some kings who lived longer can even make two soccer teams.

Isn't it therefore ironical that in our modern times today, South Korea is one of those countries in the world with alarming low birth rates? Those ancient Korean kings in their tombs must be wondering what on earth is happening. 'Didn't we set a good example?'

March 5, 2012

Travis Walter.... You're absolutely correct about pole-arms being more important than the swords used in ancient warfare (real ancient polearms & swords are displayed at military museums in Korea & Beijing and they come in many varieties).

Indeed the primary weapon in ancient warfare in Northeast Asia (I"m not very familiar with western ancient military history) was the arrow, and that's why archers were the first line of offensive (& defensive) troops because arrows had the range to cut down the swift advancing cavalry.

The long range and penetration power on both humans and horses make arrows the deadliest weapon of those days. And that's why arrows also necessitated that infantry carry shields, something which sageuks nowadays almost never pay attention to.

At close ranges archers just aim straight-on and fire volley after volley, and what you won't ever see in movies and dramas is that arrows are mostly re-usable. If the archers run out of arrows they merely go to the the slain troops and just yank out those arrows which are not too deeply embedded in bone or tissue.

Mounted archers were the shock troops of those days (which the Mongols later perfected) because their mobility enabled commanders to quickly mount counter-attacks or to quickly shift battle-formations because mounted archers can easily lure the enemy away and/or to break enemy ranks.

Because arrows can become miserably useless during strong winds and adverse weather conditions, that's why the next line of offensive troops was developed - infantry with pole-arms e.g. long spears or long handle broadswords (which Damdeok's attack dog Seok Jae uses). These long spears and long broadswords were used to cut down the mounted troopers and broadswords were used to chop down the horses - and this is something which Korean films & dramas avoid depicting thus far.

Goguryeo's heavily armored horses were precisely to counter these two anti-cavalry weapons plus arrows and to counter these heavy cavalry, infantry would use long handle battle-axes and sledgehammers that could penetrate armor during close-quarter combat. Short handle axes were also thrown, tomahawk-style, during close-quarter fights with mounted troops.

Although the thick armor could still protect the mounted soldier initially, repeated blows by axes, sledgehammers and swords will dent and eventually rupture the armor's integrity, and when that happens, it's up to the heavens if you live to fight another day or go enjoy dinner with your ancestors.

Since I couldn't find any movie clips of ancient Korean battle scenes using some of the above-mentioned weapons (Hwangsaebul (2003) and its sequel Pyongyang Castle aka Battlefield Heroes (2010) do give accurate depictions of the weapons and armor used during the ancient Korean 3 Kingdoms era but they don't have systematic battle formation scenes). So I'll just use these two clips below to show you how the Chinese armies in the same era used battle formations..... not forgetting that these are still just movie versions but you'd be surprised (if you've not seen them yet) at just how far the Chinese/Hongkong filmmakers would go in giving entertaining epic battle scenes, with help from CGI.

The first clip below here is from Hua Mulan (NOT THAT Disney version) where you'll see the ancient Wei army led by who-else go up against the Rouran war tribes (Wei & Rouran did exist btw about the same time as Goguryeo) - the attention-to-detail is evident in the way troops are given instructions by sounds of instruments, and the laying down of range marking arrows. As for the horses being viciously chopped down, rest assured the producers used a combination of CGI & real stunt horses to produce the illusion - no animals except insects, were hurt or harmed during the making of these films.

Hua Mulan 'realistic' battle formations is my main intention here and I'm not 'promoting' the merits of the movie or its storyline. The rain of arrows that fell Mulan herself proves the point that without shields, even mounted cavalry can be sitting ducks for archers, and in her case, mounted archers. Only her armor saved her from being killed outright.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4ZciY49pIk it's eng-subbed but you may need to punch up the volume

This next clip below (no subs) shows you the effective use of first, the archers,then troopers with pole-arms as THE frontline force against a charging enemy cavalry. A while later in the forest scene, you can also notice actress Kelly Chen's horse is 'partially-armored' and when she goes one-on-one, you can see the sparks fly, courtesy of some CGI but that would be what happens when two swords clang against each other.

how we wish KBS action directors would make Damdeok fight like Donnie Yen here....

The last clip below is a segment from a National Geographic feature on ancient Chinese weapons and they even use martial artists-stuntmen to show us how pole-arms and swords were actually used during battle.

March 5, 2012

Just as some of us here have been saying, the PDs of this drama are really taking production notes too lightly .... for example when Asin's uncle Jin Mu sacrifices himself so the rest could escape, that scene indeed took place in pitch black surroundings, if not for the KBS floodlights illuminating the site for the cameras.

That's why realistically the Goguryeo archers atop the cliffs (in the first frame) could not have seen diddly-squat or aim at anything....

why didn't they place a few soldiers carrying fire torches like they usually do....

or are we to assume during those ancient days, the night air was much much cleaner so that sheer starlight was sufficient to do battle at night?

March 4, 2012

KBSW ep 70.... when Dumb-deok too never learns from his past errors....

In the incompetent hands of our two writers, the Great King again makes a serious tactical error..... he knew Mo Duru was under daily attacks from the Baekje forces assembled there in advance of Asin. But what does DD do? Dilly-dally and even join in as spectator to watch General Hwang despatch Asin's uncle to La-La Land.

Why didn't DD just leave the fight (instead of standing there to watch) and go chase Asin down and finish them once and for all?

To make matters more ridiculous, the writers even made DD despatch a message to Mo Duru in effect saying - DON'T WORRY MO, DUMBDEOK IS COMING SO YOU JUST HANG IN THERE AND KEEP EXTERMINATING ANY BAEKJE WORM THAT CLIMBS OVER THE WALL.

Did DD ever show any attempt to help Mo Duru? (S I L E N C E I S GOLDEN).

Did DD send any of his generals to reinforce Mo Duru? (Err... Houston Control, we have a problem, it seems the Baekje soldiers have multiplied exponentially in the past day and worse, they are immune to our insect spray. Please send the Navy Seals ASAP or better yet, John Rambo).

Instead the writers gave us this scenario that the entire general staff of DD disguised themselves as Silla military rations handlers so that they could retake back their rations storage facility from the Baekje. The writers want us to know that DD and his entire army were too busy with that mission and that's why Gwanmiseong fell back into Baekje's hands.

To lend credence to that notion, the writers even made HMJ say that the rations fortress is well-defended and therefore if they don't recapture it fast, the Baekje defenders might torch the place. Talk about putting your chickens and eggs in one single basket.

A more acceptable military tactic for DD should be to send reinforcements under Ha Muji to Mo Duru at Gwanmiseong while also preparing to retake the rations storage facility. Why HMJ? Because the previous time when Mo Duru was also under attack at Gwanmiseong, HMJ was right there by his side, praying for bad weather and for a few kpop female stars to hold a concert within Gwanmiseong.

Now here's the biggest JOKE about ep 70... in ep 69, Asin had lost most of his navy and barely was able to crawl onto land. In order for Asin & MU to escape, his uncle sacrificed himself at the hands of General Hwang. While it is true that Asin was down but not out (as usual), in ep 70 Asin uses a trick learnt from the movie Troy - making it seem that his attacking forces were retreating from Gwanmiseong so that Mo Duru and his merry men could let their guard, pants and Calvin Kleins down by getting drunk and being overtaken by Baekje spidermen.

The JOKE is that Asin retook Gwanmiseong with less than half (maybe even fewer) of the remainder of his forces while DD & his entire Goguryeo force wasted precious time and energy retaking their rations facility, which was defended by a lowly Baekje general, as a result of which Mo and his merry men ended up as Asin's playmates - to be used as human shields when DD next comes to visit Gwanmiseong.

Speaking of playmate, didn't you folks love the end scene when sweet Doyoung lifted up her black mosquito net and DD went - Queen No. 1, I know you are still alive and yes, you still make my loins vibrate but why are you here? Didn't you tell my bodyguard Seol Ji that you didn't ever want to see my drop-dead gorgeous chiselled features again? Or did you change your mind after you saw Asin's skinny abs and bony thighs?

Brace yourself for next week's most ridiculous death scene involving Queen No. 1. But I bet you folks already knew that, right?

March 4, 2012

mzeiya .... if only the monolingual Korean writers could read what we write here. **sighs**

KBSW Ep 69..... military rations are nothing more than words...

Those of you who have served in the military would know that to a soldier, having hot food and drinks in the middle of the battlefield while risking your life for your country on training manouvres, is by far the most powerful morale booster.

Therefore the capture of Goguryeo's main military rations by Asin & Baekje, is about as important as cutting off the food supply chain to the entire Goguryeon forces defending the frontier, including the occupied Gwanmiseong. So does Asin use this tactical victory to his advantage?

Yes & No..... Yes, because he now decides to commit more forces to re-capturing Gwanmiseong , which in fact is already fighting for its survival from Baekje's forces already swarming on it.

But alas, no, because the writers gave Damdeok & Goguryeo their much needed military rations which they obtained from a nearby Goguryeon fortress (DD had sent Seok Jae galloping there to instruct the fort commander to give everything and everyone he could spare) . So even though Asin controlled Goguryeo's frozen meats, fruits, veggies, grains and potato chips in their main supertmart, the writers had cancelled out this advantage faster than you can say "Kim-CHEE".

But why is DD & his posse running around at night in the countryside without their horses?

DD & his posse are again running at night in total darkness (except for the powerful spotlights put there by KBS) around the countryside in their non-spiked shoes.... Oi, oi, whatever happened to his famed cavalry? Are they sleeping in their stables or do the horses have a 'no night shooting' clause in their contracts?

Disguising oneself as your enemy soldier.... you remember Murong Un's 'clever' suggestion to Asin to disguise Baekje soldiers as Goguryeon soldiers and then after gaining entry into the military rations fortress, chop down everyone in sight, including the toilet cleaners? So the writers gave us a scene where a group of Baekje soldiers ambush and slaughter a group of unsuspecting Goguryeo soldiers on their morning jog... then they undress the corpses & wear their uniforms, which was not shown for health reasons.

This is another bull crap invention by K-drama writers.... they themselves should try wearing FOR REAL a slain soldier's blood-soaked uniform with holes caused by sword slashes/arrows and then see why it WILL NEVER DECEIVE the fortress gate commanders; other than the fact the slain soldier's uniform might not even fit your body frame.... don't you think it's a dead giveaway to be seen wearing a military uniform 2 sizes bigger (MC Hammer fashion is back, izzit?) or worse, 2 sizes smaller (so you can sing and sound like Michael Bolton?)

If this method of deception - wearing your enemy's uniforms - were so effective, surely it would be used more often, right up to this day even?

And what did all the above silliness culminate in? Yup yet another actor (playing Asin's uncle-general) copping out from this crappy drama so he could, like Doyoung (yer'all be sure to tune in to Doyoung's comical death scene next week), find better drama projects elsewhere.

To give the Baekje general a dignified exit, the writers made the guy go one-on-one with General Hwang. So why place Goguryeo archers atop the cliffs overlooking these Baekje soldiers? Even before Asin & MU made their escape, these archers could have just rain their arrows down on the hapless Baekje troops and end the battle right then & there....HEY HANG ON A SECOND....didn't we just see this same ambush setup last week when Seol Ji & Mohe rescued DD's richard simmons from the Houyans?

If you pause that end scene, you'll see that the valley and the overlooking cliffs look eeriely familiar.... actually it's the same location site where they shot the previous scene but now filmed at night to fool unsuspecting viewers.

Morevoer since it's pitch black darkness, unless the Goguryeo archers were wearing night-vision goggles, they're in one word.... useless. You wouldn't want to be the archer who accidentally put an arrow or two up General Hwang's wide butt, would you? Because of friendly fire, your good general might have to sleep facing downwards for a few months.

March 2, 2012

Agree with you there, mzeiya

Though the writers decided to use real historical persons like Murong Un & Fengba, I don't think there is enough historical evidence to suggest they were as so deeply involved as they are in Damdeok's affairs as portrayed in this drama.

The PD for GTGC here also made historical distortions with key historical characters when he made "Dae Jo Young".... he got away with that so he's making a repeat attempt.

Being in the same business as these PDs, backroom wise, I'm actually more than ok with slight or major historical distortions in making a film or drama, all in the name of artistic license and generating entertaining value.

My beef is in the depictment of human logic .... granted Damdeok didn't graduate from a prestigious high school in Goguryeo but even as a normal man driven by hormones and ambition, I don't think he's that stupid or emotionally driven to keep MU alive, just because he gave MU's dad a big hole in his stomach.

As the first portion of this clip from ep 53 shows, MU had already begun inciting discord (treason in fact) externally by conspiring with Goguryeo's enemies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s219fojpQQ

In those early days even DD's posse already felt fear like icy cold richard simmons creeping down their baggy pants because MU knows A LOT about anything Goguryeo, including who among them sleeps in the buff and likes wearing women's lingerie to work, and ep 53 also correctly shows a 'very upset' Damdeok over first discovery of MU's turncoating.

Now simple basic logic would dictate by the time DD AGAIN discovers MU's continued treachery by stealing military secrets and still tweeting with the Houyans & with Baekje, DD still makes every effort to keep MU alive?

And Ha-ha Muji doesn't even have any 'suggestions' regarding punishing MU? Remember HMJ & ministers were so quick in punishing Seok Jae after that debacle and Seok Jae's 'crime' didn't even amount to anything so serious as stealing military secrets for the enemy.... so what happened to Ha Muji penchant for executing war prisoners & criminals?

Not only Ha Muji but DD's posse also seems to be suffering brain-rot. Even if DD is having guilt pains about killing MU's father, the posse should still have enough "combined reasoning powers' to see MU as an ENEMY and no longer as the son of a dead prime minister.

The writers are really deluding themselves more and more by continuing to use MU as the chief firestoker and self-appointed leader of anti-Damdeok club. And what about the Houyan & Baekje leaders who listened to MU, gave him a chance and wroked with him against DD and so far, they've only had horse poop in their faces all because MU's brainpower of strategizing destruction of Goguryeo is about as strong as mosquito fart.

Speaking of brainpower, how many of you folks remember Damdeok's first encounter with Ha Muji? Remember how he 'expertly' revealed Factor 3 and warned DD that the greatest threat to his power would come from inside his court?

Let's pretend we don't know that the writers knew exactly what they AWE-READY had in mind for Ko/Murong Un when they put those words into Ha Muji's mouth but if you're A REAL HMJ, wouldn't you take your own warning to DD more seriously and take action against that threat?

Before HMJ started working for DD, he was able to foretell events that would happen to DD better than our KBS writers. But after he started wearing palace robes, eat palace cuisine and karaoke with the palace maids, what's happened to his sharp foresight? Did HMJ lose his crystal ball along with his virginity after he became a palace regular?

Not convinced? Just look back at all the things that has happened since DD successfully conquered Baekje's Gwanmiseong? Since then has HMJ been able to offer any of his forward-looking radar advice? Has he given DD any strategic political & military advantages?

When HMJ was still 'new' & mysterious, he stood out from DD in his foresighting powers; nowadays HMJ & DD have become the same lame numbnuts only able to REACT to situations rather than plan and anticipate.

In the oft-repeated words of General Hwang, DD's chief general, "I have a bad feeling" things will get worser but then again, it's quite fun to see MU's small eyes brimming with confidence before embarking on his latest escapade only to see everything fall apart like an imploding building.

March 2, 2012

"Are you OK, Sagal Hyeon? How do you feel?"

"Whaddaya mean how do I feel? How am I ever going to face my mom again with this stick in my chest?"

"It could have been worse, you know. Asin could have aimed that thing below your waist, and you'd have that stiff sharp pole sticking out from your you-know-where."

the lovely king's bodyguard ... just look at that gorgeous profile

When Damdeok met Seol Ji .... and the dumb idiot wanted to kill her .....

Without realising it, he himself had saved Seol Ji fron ending up exactly like Sagal above...

Fast forward to latest 2 episodes on KBSW.... the first clip above shows you Damdeok was willing to chop off his future bodyguard's head just because his posse insists she's a spy (of course she was) but actually he had no definitive proof that she told any secrets to anyone (of course she didn't because she was spying for herself).

Now compare that incident to how he handled Murong Un's stealing and giving away Goguryeo's military secrets.... DD even had definitive proof that MU was behind the plot but the writers instead had the lackey official beheaded but spared MU's life because DD wants to 'convert' his hatred into brotherly love.

Does that make any sense to you? Without any proof or investigation, DD was ready to kill a lowly soldier spy (Seol Ji), but even with proof and the loss of precious military secrets that are very damaging to the national security of his nation, DD spares MU. This is just one of the few examples of the writers' black-hole plot.

February 28, 2012

watchumlots..... funny how you mentioned Gou because J-dramas are in fact my main mental stimulation after the handful of K-dramas that I currently follow. Can't be helped because my day work requires it - I'm part of a J-drama production unit.

Every day I watch some of the latest J-dramas on offer because it's also part of my DNA. But I'm very selective and if the chosen J-drama doesn't quite keep my interest, I'll drop it.

The good thing about J-dramas (not counting morning dramas and taigas) is that they come in batches, according to the seasons - winter, spring, summer, autumn. So unlike K-dramas which can run for 18-24 episodes or way up to 100 eps.

J -dramas follow no such pre-determined patterns. Some J-dramas can last for 4 eps, 5-10 eps, 11, 13, etc and each drama WILL END by the time the next season arrives. And then the J-networks will launch a whole new batch of dramas that will run (and end) for the duration of that season.

The advantage of J -dramas is therefore they're 'story-driven'; the series will end when the story has nothing new to offer. So if it's short, it's short. If it's a bit longer, then the drama will run over the course of 4 months max. J-dramas do not unnecessarily prolong or extend the episodes, like K-dramas frequently do.

It's like when you reach the last word on the last page of the book. That's it and that's all, folks.

Also, J-dramas are NOT disguised love stories (love triangles), of which 90% (maybe higher?) of K-dramas typically follow. J-dramas offer diverse types of stories, and they are not written for the 'specific pairing' of say, actor A-actress B-actor C and deliberate prolonging of the drama plot. Those of you who watch J-dramas will know what I mean.

What's common for both K- & J-dramas is the selling and drawing power of the stars involved, and sometimes the director and/or the writer. But once the drama begins, then ratings (and critics' reviews) are determined more by the drama's plot and sustainable interest. Japanese viewers by and large do not like predictable storylines, or main plots that require lowering one's IQ to understand, no matter how handsome or beautiful the actor.

Needless to say, showing off male abs in a shower scene or kissing scenes between Actor A & actress B never generates much interest in Japanese media as much as it does for K-dramas in Korean media.

Anyway Gou being a NHK taiga (historical fiction, with emphasis on fiction) had lots of criticisms bombarded at it from Japanese as well as international viewers: miscasting of Ueno Juri, uneven plot development and significant omissions from historical records.

Somehow the younger people both in Japan & overseas viewers forgot or more likely are unaware, that taigas use real people & events but the story is part-fiction, part-real. NHK taigas are not meant to be blow-by-blow recreation of the real people and events - that's why we have National Geographic, History & Discovery channels although not many Japanese folks can speak or write English.

The advisory is even stated at the beginning of each taiga but I suppose non-Japanese viewers might not know it - my own paraphrase - BASED ON A TRUE STORY, ONLY THE FACTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED. SLIGHTLY. FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT. NOT FOR YOUR EDUCATION.

You're certainly correct about the costumes in Gou and the deliberate Japanese attention-to-detail in the way they speak, walk and the degree and angle of eye contact. Every slight gesture, posture and head movement requires high degree of controlled body language.

In that regard, NHK taigas and Korean sageuks do share close similarities - all the actors/actresses have to rise one level higher in their speech patterns and range of mannerisms in order to portray the historical figures and generate a sense of reality that is very different from our 21st century. I suppose this is what partly draws fans to watch historical dramas, other than the beautiful OST music, the costumes and the sets.

I cracked up how you brought The 3 Stooges into the fray .... certainly brings back fond memories for me.... the original black & white series should be made part of UNESCO"s cultural heritage because everything those 3 talented guys did to make us laugh didn't require understanding of English.

So I'm glad they're making a movie version and from the looks of the trailer, it will require leaving your brains outside the cineplex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1R4b04mxOs

My apologies for going a bit off-topic so let me make amends by showing you this clip on Goguryeo's (the real McCoy) fearsome military technology which outclassed even the Romans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4z5wAf_tm4

February 28, 2012

Totally agree with you mzeiya

Several weeks ago I said this Gwanggaeto character seems to be 'reacting' to situations rather than seizing the initiative.

Wasn't it only some episodes ago, we saw him lay down his grand plan for a PAX GOGURYEO, that is, to make Goguryeo the 'centre' of the world (what he's able to see on his table map) and look what the writers have done since then?

For one, they brought back the dull and tired-looking Ko/Murong Un and make him steal military secrets for Houyan, then get backstabbed by Houyan but he still goes back to Houyan to have another go at Damdeok, fails yet again and then he moseys over to Baekje and again find himself in sewage up to his ears.

Instead of the chance to develop Gwanggaeto's character both from the big picture (i.e I'm Great Conqueror So Tremble When You Hear Me Yell) as well as weave in the minor subplots and develop (fictionally) aspects of Gwanggaeto's personal life, our writers still focus on the minor suplots, fearing perhaps they won't have enough material and/or 'shock' factor to sustain the (unnecessarily long) series.

Those of you who watched Dae Wang Sejong (not that I'm saying it was a superb production either but comparatively more engaging) would know that DWS writers made the series interesting because they seamlessly weaved in both the larger picture (what History can substantiate) and extended the minor events (what History can partly substantiate) and it was this blending that gave flesh and sweat to King Sejong as an unrivalled historical figure.

Sadly for us, the writers of Gwanggaeto blew it. One can imagine the real Gwanggaeto rolling about in his heavenly abode somewhere up there, utterly dismayed at how KBS portrays him from week to week. I'm reasonably sure he would be cursing and swearing using the most disgusting foul words and obscenities of his day, the kind that would make even hardcore criminals and gangsters blush.

We all know the the real chap died at age 39 and he became King at 17 - so right from the ep 1, when we first saw LTG playing Gwanggaeto, LTG would be assuming his role as a teenaged Gwanggaeto, wouldn't you agree?

Those early episodes saw Houyan already warring with Goguryeo and a very spritely energetic LTG playing a teenager, chopping down enemies and shooting two arrows simultaneously, mind you, from his horse (if you've forgotten he was a super-archer, here's the scene, slide your playing cusor to around 1:30 where Damdeok arrives to save his uncle Ko Chang from losing his head

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqj1B8_TTis)

When I look at those early Damdeok before he became king at 17, and when I look at the present Damdeok, I get this feeling that LTG is under-playing the Damdeok - by that I mean that LTG should now be playing a Damdeok who is in his early-20s to mid-20s at most but I get the feeling watching his facial expressions and mannerisms that he comes across more like a man in his mid-30s (which is his real age btw). What happened to his verve and his mojo? Did Doyoung take them away with her?

The result is that Damdeok is acting just like all the other kings you see in this drama and others. DD hasn't set himself apart as THE GREAT, and one wonders just when the KBS writers will wake up from watching too many dramas.

In this drama before he became king, LTG RIGHTLY plays DD as impetuous, immensely strong and excellent fighter, and had a sense of I-don't-care bravado. I cannot pin it down when it started but more and more LTG's acting as DD is like a lazy 'couch potato' - sitting at his table with his ministers and commanders, always wearing thick elaborate robes, and 'looking' kingly, but let's not forget he's a hormonally driven young man in his 20s: a typical man of action, in his prime and more so because the real Damdeok knew Goguryeo was surrounded by enemies whose only intent was to conquer.

I would have liked to see scenes of Damdeok doing physical things as a young 20-something man when he's not out on the battlefield and spare me the long table scenes where he's over-dressed and just sitting there. For example, hunting, practising his swordfights and archery, talking with his lovely Queen in bed before they... go under the covers, walking around his capital shopping malls and feeling proud to see happy Goguryeo faces and even the street dogs and cats come up to him to be stroked & patted, making surprise checks on his fort commanders lying on the frontier borders and rallying them with DD's sudden flair for UN Sec-Gen style of world peace & human rights - I think you folks get the picture I'm trying to paint.

Looking at LTG play Damdeok like a much-wiser, more-cautious thinker-doer just doesn't cut it for me. Not for a Damdeok whose only education was to fight and kill. But our writers seem to want to make him out to be 'more learned', and more compassionate both to his own people and to his enemies, and that's pushing it too far, in my opinion.

An example of pushing it too far was in the recent ep 68 when the writers made DD buy prime Biryeo horses at the highest price and DD even gave the Biryeo people a tax holiday for 5 years. This is pure poppycock from the writers because Goguryeo is at war with both Baekje & Houyan and a real DD needs all available resources, not to mention more conscripts to maintain his army, so a more 'acceptable' gesture could have been reduced taxation.

All I know is that in any future projects that involve this PD & the two writers, I'll avoid them entirely.

February 27, 2012

Yup, agree this is tiresome.

My complaints are many: scenes that consist of the camera moving from one head shot to another head shot. Dialogue that is S H O U T E D! The plot consists of people running back/forth into/out of camera shots yelling "Pey-ha, we have a problem!" and the reply is always "What do you mean?" And then a battle scene ensues. Seriously, I could write dialogue for this series with a few simple cut/paste strokes of the keyboard. Oh well, at the end, bet Damdoek dies and becomes part of history.

watchumlots.... thanks for your comments.

For a nice change, you made me laugh & laugh, and so now you know why I cannot let go of this drama, at least not yet.

Cheers!!

now here's a clip from King Geunchogo, also from our folks at KBS but different production team....

gotta hand it to these guys for wearing more realistic armor as Travis Walter correctly pointed out but look what happens when the nice people with arrows arrive....

"Protect The Boss" is shouted out and the poor obedient soldiers stand in front and obediently become target practice... at the very least they could have all lay down on the floor or dart about and become moving targets... but hell no... the PDs just want them to stand still and DIE.

didn't it occur to anyone that real soldiers would have jumped out through the back way and perhaps crouch down and lure the archers to come closer to the pavilion?

well at least this hero dodged an arrow or two instead of deflecting them with a sword.

If you're among those good people who still believe humans with quick reflexes can swipe arrows with their swords, imagine and try swiping these feathered flying beauties with your sword http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4muBipy9-Q

Oh, and don't be too quick to show me those few youtube videos that show swords can deflect arrows... they're repeatedly staged so they don't show you the times they failed... secondly the master knows where his assistant is aiming at.... thirdly the bowstring isn't even fully drawn backwards so the maximum velocity is thus not achieved.

Anyway on a real battlefield in those days, which kind enemy fires only one arrow at you, eh?

For any 'master' to definitively prove swords can deflect arrows, do the following: don't ask his pretty or handsome assistant to shoot the arrows, instead ask someone like me and I'll bring along 4 more members of my archery team; there won't be any countdown because each archer will shoot at the 'master' without warning (just like in a real battle); lastly arrows will be fired from different trajectories but still facing him (again simulaing real conditions).

Archery is both a sport and hobby to me since elementary school (in Japan) so I should know if it is at all possible to deflect an arrow like how they show in dramas and movies. The ONLY way you have a chance of deflecting an arrow is if the arrow was fired from a long distance and by the time perchance you see it heading towards you, it would have lost much of its velocity and so you can actually hit it with your sword or arm.

But like the saying goes, why stick around and deflect arrows when you can zig zag & run away like hell in the opposite direction, yeah?

February 27, 2012

KBSW Ep 68.... who izzit who never fails to save Dumb-deok in the battlefield?

Both Eps 67 & 68 really feel like it was written by high school drama students (I hope it's high school and not lower) because Dumb-deok attacks by running into Biryeo enemy camp without any archers, cavalry and only a couple of shields. Did he watch one too many John Rambo classics back in his palace cineplex? And his escape from 2 ambushes in ep 68 is just too lame for words.

HINT: During the night ambush/battle, if you look carefully in the background, one banner is (again) running randomly back & forth, and on two separate occasions, you can clearly see the soldiers in full view casually just weakly swiping each other's swords (just like fending off buzzing flies) without even 'pretending' to fight.

The answer as to who saves DD's big richard simmons everytime he makes an richard simmons of himself is lovely Seol Ji. Of course brother Seol Doan & his long hair tribe were also in the thick of it since in ep 67, he kowtowed to DD declaring I WILL SERVE YOU FOR THE REST OF MY POOR UNHAPPY LIFE.

Now here's the 1st scene that insults our intelligence: We clearly see Seol Ji fire an arrow and it strikes Fengba in the chest. BUT Why pause AFTER THAT? Normally anyone of us would fire a second and a third arrow AT Fengba in quick succession, right? Again, the K-drama device of p r o l o n g i n g the series by keeping Gen Fengba alive.

DD asks Seol Doan: HOW DID YOU KNOW TO COME HERE?

SD: WE SENT SCOUTS.

Obviously the Mohe leader is still using his military brains and training while the writers made DD forget that he's supposed to be the GREAT GENERAL of generals.

Earlier during the ambush, after DD deflects a few arrows with his sword, Gen Hwang & Yeon Salta screams the usual 'PROTECT THE BOSS' and what happens? Miraculously 3 or 4 shields magically appear to cover DD and instantly the Houyan suddenly stops firing arrows. Did the Houyan archers stop for their lunch break?

Here's the second scene that defies logic: DD & His posse returns to their aircon studios at KBS (Seol Doan's tent) and Ha Muji says:

WE CAN REORGANIZE AND THEN ATTACK BIRYEO.

25 seconds later, Agban (Biryeo's new leader) comes in and asks DD for joint ops against the Houyan, and of course the enemy of your enemy becomes your bunkmate.

So what's wrong with HMJ's analysis? Didn't the Goguryeons rush into the Biryeo encampment to attack the Biryeos but instead were surrounded and ambushed by Houyans? Indeed DD ended up saving and helping the Biryeos, Agban in particular, and here HMJ says, LET'S WAR WITH THE BIRYEO(?)....

I should think DD and his posse would & should first ask themselves what the heck were the Houyans occupying the Biryeo's HQ in the first place? They were supposed to kill Biryeos but ended up killing Houyans who were occupying Biryeo's HQ.

Now some of you curious folks may be wondering vart happened to our Biryeo's rastafarian leader, Batar? Batar and others were captured by the Houyans and Murong Un strikes a deal with Batar - Help me help you get back Biryeo by becoming my sidekick and companion 24/7.

For Batar, this was an offer he couldn't refuse - either be a POW eating prison food and being gang banged every night by fellow inmates, OR eating palace food, wearing Houyan designer robes and doing Brokeback Mountain with Murong Un.

Speaking of MU, he was appointed by Murong Bao to reorganize and plan strategies for a Houyan counter-attack, perhaps since Gen Fengba that time still has a cupid arrow stuck in his chest sent by lovely Seol Ji (Is that why she fired only once?) .... unfortunately for MU, his nightime ambush plan on DD failed miserably because Seok Jae & other tribal reinforcements arrived to save DD yet again.

So what does our Murong Un who wears 2-3 flags stitched to his underwear do? Together with Mr Balta, MU travels to Baekje, meets Asin and passes Asin the USB thumbdrive that contains Goguryeo's military secrets. MU wants Asin to attack Goguryeo asap since DD is not in his capital but still enjoying the fresh air in Biryeo.

But the ever-snarling, suspicious and cautious Asin of course wants some assurance from MU b4 proceeding with the plan, and so MU lays a bombshell which shrunk the testicles of his 3 companions including Batar - MU WILL REMAIN AS A HOSTAGE UNTIL BAEKJE WINS THE BATTLE.

Unluckily for MU, Asin still was not convinced about MU's loyalties, and so MU ups the ante:

GIVE ME 1000 SOLDIERS & I WILL GIVE YOU BAENGMASANSEONG, GOGURYEO'S LARGEST MILITARY RATIONS STORAGE.

Asin modifies the demand: Asin's general will lead the 1000 troops to attack DD's largest supermarket and tells MU to join in the fun as a common soldier.

CUTSCENE to DD & his posse at the long table in Biryeo's tent: Seol Ji runs in and tells everyone BAEKJE IS PREPARING TO ATTACK GWANMISEONG.

Upon that piece of news, everyone at the table BANGS THE TABLE ALL AT THE SAME TIME....yeah well, it's better than loudly uttering expletives in unison, huh?

Of course it was up to Ha-ha Muji to say ''SOMETHING IS SUSPICIOUS'".

In response and in typical Rambo fashion, DD slams the table twice (bcos the king must make more noise than his underlings): I AM GOING TO BAEKJE (meaning Gwanmiseong).

General Hwang then found his voice and tells DD the bad news: THE SOLDIERS ARE EXHAUSTED FROM BATTLE- in other words, DD can go to Baekje all by himself because his soldiers are still licking their wounds and soaking in the herbal massage offered by the finest Biryeo people.

The good news was Biryeo can contribute 50,000 troops to follow DD to Gwanmiseong (but DD accepts only 20,000) and HMJ tells DD the fastest route to said location. DD them tells his posse: PACK YOUR BAGS & BRING YOUR SWIMSUITS. WE GO NOW!!

It sure looks like DD was actually yet again falling for another Baekje ruse but was he?

CUTSCENE TO BAENGMASANSEONG under heavy night attack from Baekje's troops: the supermarket falls and Asin & MU happily goes into the office hoping for some fresh fruit juices and spicy fried chicken.... only to be told that 3 of the 4 storage buildings were empty!!

All Baekje eyes including a few ceiling lizards', quickly swung over to MU, Batar & two soldiers who were all forced down to their knees, and for the end scene, who else but Asin starts snarling, yelling with spittle at MU and giving him the maniacal looks of a unfortunate man who's been serially embarrassed by Goguryeo time and time again.

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This episode appears like it wants to make Murong Un a laughing stock.... he was appointed by Houyan to plan a revenge attack against Damdeok and that failed miserably. Then he goes to Baekje and tells them to attack the Goguryeo's largest military rations storage facility, only to find out they are running low on supplies.

In short MU has used both Houyan & Baekje to fulfill his goal of destroying DD and so far he's failed twice bigtime. MU thinks he still has Biryeo & Batar on his team but actually he doesn't (see last paragraph below).

Maybe MU needs to start taking Japanese and Chinese language lessons if he wants to look for future conspiracy partners.

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This episode also saw MU reconciling with sister Doyoung while he was in Baekje and from this meeting, we are left with two clear facts:

1. MU wants to end DD's life & end the Goguryeo state, in that order.

2. MU wants Doyoung to come with him and live in Houyan but Doyoung in typical fashion keeps quiet.

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Meanwhile what Batar & MU don't know is that Damdeok has officially accepted Biryeo as an ally of Goguryeo, promoted Agban to a Goguryeon general and appointed another fresh-faced actor called Kasar as the new Biryeo chief.

In effect, Batar has already lost his previous status as Biryeo chief and the longer he becomes MU's playmate, methinks it's only matter of time before Biryeo themselves expels Batar for a major felony - prostituting himself to Murong Un and gross misconduct for a Biryeo chief.

February 25, 2012

Yes, I like the fact that MBC's 'Soldier" or 'Mushin' did not give a sanitized version of slavery or nude inspection of female slaves, as was depicted in Ep 2. But Spartacus it ain't gonna be and after zipping through the first 2 episodes - out of curiosity & wondering if Kim Kyu Ri was hawt enough to change my mind - the story suffered from everyone looking like they're underpaid by MBC and having bouts of chronic constipation.

And I would have picked it up and migrated over if not for the fact that the lead actor whose name I won't even mention and Hong Ah Reum both absolutely are in my blacklist of actors who can make my day go from blue to black. I can say one good thing about these two - both can cry buckets and do it so well, even your cat will cry, and all your fishes in the tank will stop swimming to take a look.

I wasn't too wrong in my judgement because even the 'controversial' ep 2 which showed monks being tortured and topless examination of women (more fun if the process was reversed) couldn't help but make the ratings go down south and drop faster than the women's garments.

The women were whipped before being ordered by a female Gestapo to "Take off everything including the underwear. This is for us to check that you can do your job if by any chance they were to ask for one of you from upstairs. You are their property now. You are like animals. You have the right to die but not to get sick".

Yup this kind of realism is exactly what's missing in GTGC but Mushin went on to give close-ups of Hong Ah Reum crying and crying, and I had promised myself after watching two of her previous projects that I would never watch her ever again. Mind you, the severe crying came even though she hadn't even been violated, or touched on the shoulder, by a pair of depraved one-eyed twin brothers, with oily beards and sweaty wet armpits. Or maybe she was crying because she wasn't selected as first choice to go upstairs and pleasure the men - you know, kinda like the early ones to be eliminated from the Miss Korea beauty pageant.

Or I could be wrong and Mushin may well surprise us later but I just know GTGC has more 'fun' characters every weekend plus 3 beauties (not counting Batar & Asin) and since K-Dramas offer no sitcom-type pure comedies, GTGC is my closest weekend comedy.

February 25, 2012

KBSW Ep 67.... fetched high ratings in Korea but we need to lower our IQ to understand the nonsense. Better yet, just leave behind your IQ for 45 minutes.

How ludicrous was this episode? Let me clue you in: the end scene yet again shows our Great Damdeok being played by the Houyan and being ambushed within the Biryeo's encampment?

Say what? DD's tricked by Houyan again and ended up in the Biryeo's encampment??

Seconds earlier, the Biryeo came back from their unsuccessful raid into Mohe's camp only to find their HQ tent has been taken over by Houyan's crown prince who simply waltzed in and planted himself on Batar's chair. Without even having to kill a mosquito.

See what I mean when I used the term 'musical chair wargames' in my previous post?

So to punish the Biryeo for bullying Mohe, DD and a few (yes, that many) soldiers run into Biryeo's camp, kills 4 guards (yes, only 4) and then suddenly find out there's no more enemy to kill, not even a bird.

What a briliiant general to go charging into the enemy main camp without sending scouts, or even having a battleplan? And DD was running into the camp - whatever happened to his horse and his famed cavalry? And his archers? Were they on sick leave?

And of course when enemy arrows were raining in and piercing into his Goguryeosn infantry, in true k-drama cliche, DD & generals merely used their swords to deflect the arrows.

When will these stupid KBS writers and PDs stop promoting this fallacy that generals and heroes are the ONLY people on earth able to deflect EVERY arrow simply with their swords? That's like catching flies with your fingers every single time.

Just before this comedy, DD had saved Mohe's richard simmons because Seol Dan SUDDENLY became careless, stupid and senile ALL at the same time. Only the lovely Seol Ji realised well before that her brother made the monumental mistake of trusting Batar.

So since Mohe is just about 2 clicks away, from DD's HQ, she gallops there to warn DD. Then DD realises it's MK Un's treacherous plan with Biryeo to attack Mohe and so our Seol Ji again gallops all the way (It's ok because she arrives within minutes) to stop Mohe who were on their way to attack Houyan, and they turn back to camp.

REALITY CHECK: even if Seol Ji drives a turbo-charged Land Rover, it would take hours to travel from Mohe to Goguryeo's capital and then back to chase down her brother who was on his merry way to Houyan. Remember in those days, horses have to gallop through undulating rough terrain and not the flat superhighways we have today, and at full gallop, horse will tire and expire in a matter of minutes.

Come on... don't you folks think it's highly unlikely that even in an ideal situation, no tribal nation like Mohe and Biryeo combined would SO HASTILY even dare launch an invasion on Houyan, and for what political or economic gains?

You see, the trouble with these two female writers is that they make ALL battles and wars in this series look easy and oversimplified. For example, battles usually last only one day or a few hours., 2 days tops. Attacking troops are seen marching out and when they arrive at said location, immediately runs towards the castle wall, yelling and getting chopped.

In real wars of those ancient days, and even present day, troops need to march to assembly points, setup base camps, get rested and fed, before heading out to fight. And fights don't last in mere minutes and end when DD comes charging in.... real battles will take hours, days and sometimes weeks before one side decides to retreat or is overwhelmed.

Then the victorious will loot, plunder and rape because that's the meaning of war (even happening now in parts of Africa & Mideast) and when all that is done, hundreds, maybe thousands of slaves would be force-marched back to the land of the victors to serve their new masters.

These are documented in ancient literature, ancient historical records, and wall paintings and tomb murals and very clearly was recorded by chinese historians so I'm not suggesting anything that didn't happen in ancient wars in Northeast Asia. You can even read about when exactly slavery was finally outlawed in korean dynastic period.

K-dramas over the years of course sanitized all these realities and in so doing, many viewers unfamiliar or uninterested with korean history tend to associate all ancient wars as a BIG fight only between soldiers. In real wars when the castle or city walls are breached, every man, woman and child within is at the mercy of the invaders.

OK... now back to our disney-version of DD.... after Mohe kowtows to DD for saving their lives, DD says:

I AM GOING TO ATTACK BIRYEO FOR THREATENING GOGURYEO. I WILL SHOW THEM HOW POWERFUL GOGURYEO IS.

ERR...I do think in his haste to make such grand speeches for the KBS cameras in his deep sore-throaty voice, he forgot to include the word 'stupid' after 'powerful', since he ran blindly into an enemy camp without any plan whatsoever just like a bunch of mafia with swords.

The next comedy skit was Seok Jae who, because of his boo-boo in the previous episode, was sentenced to death by poison by Messrs Ha Mu Ji, and some ministers while chief general Hwang just kept quiet and DD also going with the flow.

Now folks....tell me how can general Hwang say nothing and allow one of his best generals (let's temporarily forget Seokjae has no brains) to be executed? Ok.... if you're also wondering why he's supposed to die not by beheading but by serving himself poison, the reason is because it was all a ruse by DD who gave him imported tequila instead of cyanide juice.

Seok Jae had thought he'd wake up surrounded by naked females or naked dudes in heaven so imagine the shock and disappointment when he discovered he had only passed out and not poisoned.

The last comedian for this episode was Murong/Ko Un. You know this weasel can't be trusted, and the previous episode already showed our good people at Houyan already knew MK Un is one troublemaker and that's why MK Un was disowned and disavowed by Murong Chui himself BUT.... horrors to horrors, our writers make our GREAT KING show misguided sympathy (yet again).

Perhaps we could give credit to our writers for making MK Un the residential chameleon with flashing LED PANEL on his forehead that says, I WILL CHANGE SIDES ACCORDING TO WHAT THE WRITERS WANT. THAT'S WHY I HAVE 2 FLAGS STITCHED TO MY DESIGNER BRAND UNDERWEAR, ONE ON EACH BUTTCHEEK.

MK Un leaves Goguryeo and where's the first place he goes to? Yup, Houyan country palace resort.

And guess what MK Un does there? First he goes to the Houyan crown prince Murong Bao, his 'ex-sugar daddy' and says something like AS PER YOUR INSTRUCTIONS, I'M BACK AS A GOGURYEO SERVANT BUT I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY.

Turning to the wily General Fengba, MK Un says something like - THANKS TO YOU GUYS, I'M NO LONGER A HOUYAN PRINCE BUT A WANDERING MAN.

Then MK Un bumps into the only beauty in Houyan's palace - Damju - and after exchanging pleasantries, MK Un tells Damju:

GOGURYEO IS MY HOMELAND. NO PARENT ABANDONS THEIR CHILD.

Puzzled by MK Un's sudden flair for ambiguous language, Damju asks:

HAVE YOU BECOME GOGURYEO'S SERVANT AGAIN?

MK UN'S REPLY? Try to pay attention because this is what he told her:

WELL, PARENTS CAN'T CONTROL CHILDREN. WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT HIS MAJESTY HELPED ME REALIZE A NEW PATH.

Damju, looking increasingly puzzled but still beautiful: A NEW PATH?

MK UN: YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON..... (what he means is that KBS has given him many more extra episodes so that he can impress viewers with his flair for answering questions by beating around the bushes and shrubs using bombastic metaphors).

The ding-dong look on pretty Damju's face was absolutely priceless - 'remind me not to ask that douchebag any future questions longer than 3 words'

Murong Xi was the last person on MK Un's list of Houyan royal people to insult:

MK UN: I KNOW YOU TRIED TO HAVE MU GAP KILL ME. ..... I KNOW MG STOLE THE SECRETS. ... I WAS STRIPPED OF ALL POSITIONS. I'M A FREE MAN NOW. I COULD BE ANYONE'S SERVANT AT ANY TIME.

This attempt by the writers to make MK Un seem more threatening to the Houyan clan now that he's no longer a Houyan just doesn't add up.... in fact it's plain stupid.

Has MK Un suddenly forgotten that precisely because he's an ordinary free man and no longer Houyan PLUS he's not an envoy of DD, that anyone in the Houyan court can spit on him and just rip his intestines out?

The disavowed guy (mind you until Murong Chui himslef reverses that decision, MK Un is not Houyan and is therefore an enemy) is in enemy palace, surrounded by Houyans and yet he dares to speak in that manner in that tone?

If any of those Houyans were REAL, Fengba and Murong Xi, they would have just sliced off MK UN's head, and feed it to the palace cats and dogs. What's to stop them, right?

Hands up, anyone who thinks DD would launch a revenge attack for MK Un should he be summarily executed by the Houyans?

The plot and the script for this episode really is amateurish and plain juvenile. All for the sake of P R O L O N G I N G the series. Sigh... I hope I have funnier things to say after tomorrow's episode.

February 24, 2012

Long before there ever was the Korean wave phenomenon, as a teenager, I have already been watching weekend Korean historical dramas, and in those bygone days, entire families and usually the older folks would gather round the cathode-ray TV set at weekends awaiting eagerly to see the latest shenanigans.

In any historical drama, the choice of writers plays a huge part - not only do they need to do the necessary historical research, they also need the requisite creative skills to flesh out the characters.

GTGC has two writers, the senior one being a woman and the other a newbie. The senior writer's past dramas included ONE MOM & 3 DADS 2008, THE VINEYARD MAN 2006, AUTUMN SHOWER 2005, THE BEAN CHAFF OF MY LIFE 2003, MAN OF AUTUMN 2001, GOODBYE MY LOVE 1999. Her movie screenplays include OVER THE RAINBOW 2002, LOVE WIND LOVE SONG 1999, THE CONTACT 1997, KILL THE LOVE 1996, OPENING THE CLOSED DOOR 1992.

As you can clearly see, none of her projects included any drama or movie involving historical figures or period setting. Her entire portfolio do suggest she's strong in stories and plots that deal with 3 things: love, crying, more crying.

During the drama's pre-production publicity blitz, I had hoped the PD (or production director) for King Gwanggaeto being KIM JONG SUN would prove to be a suitable choice because this PD has done nothing but period dramas in his career, DAE JO YOUNG 2008, EMPEROR WANG GUN 2000, KING & QUEEN 1998.

Thanks to him, the early days of this drama gave us some flavor of traditional sageuks but look how fast the plot development has tapered and flatlined.

As you all know, Korea's history has only two kings who were given the title "THE GREAT'" but this drama doesn't quite SEEM give us that innate sense of Gwanggaeto's MIGHT & CONQUERING POWER. Height & royal robes aside, this Gwanggaeto doesn't, to me, inspire 'greatness' as a great conqueror because the writers made him out to be such a nice guy with loads of emotion and humanity thrown in (for a while) - we are made to believe that his conquering (mass killing in fact) ambitions was for the sake of his people but in the world history of great conquerors, a conqueror's only aim was to satisfy his own belligerence.

The REAL Damdeok grew up in an era of fight or be killed, and his own grandfather was killed by the enemy and that's why it's unlikely to me that Damdeok could develop such 'strong' sense of humanity & 'value life' mindset that our KBS writers want us to believe.

Unlike today's generals who direct battles and watch live action through cameras mounted on soldiers helmets and beamed via satellite feeds, we have on record that DD himself led many of his battles - in other words, he has blood, both human and horse, on his hands, his face, splattered on his body armor. In short he killed dozens and dozens with his own hands, something that our modern generals cannot claim for fame.

So for ex-military persons like myself, it's very hard to imagine an efficient killer-general to switch persona at will and become the KBS version of Gwanggaeto - I'm not saying it's impossible; I just think it's unlikely for a man who started leading armies at 17, living in those ancient times of war and killing on a daily basis, and having no benefit of all-round modern structured education the likes of which we have today.

What Damdeok DID DO was train a 50,000 strong heavy cavalry that was the vanguard of his military force - now military historians in North & South Korea will tell us that although heavy cavalry (where the horses were armored and their riders carried long spears, and long axes, with the sword as their sidearm) was commonplace at that time, what Damdeok's enemies lacked was perhaps a well-trained coordinated fighting cavalry force that used effective battlefield tactics in tandem with Damdeok's light cavalry division, archers - both standing and mounted, and the infantry. Sadly you won't see this in GTGC.

By comparison the other GREAT KING SEJONG drama, also produced by KBS in 2008, was ALSO written not one but by two female writers, one of whom later wrote the KBS drama SUNGKYUNKWAN SCANDAL but the senior female writer's previous dramas b4 Dae Wang Sejong were: HWANGJINI 2006, IMMORTAL ADMIRAL YI SHUN SHIN 2004.

DAE WANG SEJONG drama has a few things that made its mark:

1. a great OST with sweeping orchestral music, a few songs and the usual scene-specific suites to provide the mood music; in GTGC, we might as well be tone deaf because the only identifiable music is the theme.

2. the sense of Sejong's regal power & might conveyed not just through the colorful ornate regal robes but more through the dialogue and the thought-processes involved in the palace intrigues. There were quite a few scenes showing that his people actually feared and revered the king even though the king himself never had any sadistic intentions.

In GTGC, LTG looks the part but the words he's given to speak by the writers severely limits his ability to BE THE BOSS. The KING was the last word in law and every word he utters is FINAL but in GTGC he's made to be somewhat 'democratic' in his approach listening to all views, and worse, he even listens to a fictional advisor (HMJ) whom the writers suddenly chucked in for reasons known only to them.

3. Rather than just eye candy and window dressing, the queen and other female characters in Sejong contributed (plot-wise) to the drama's ins and outs and more importantly allowed viewers to also admire the acting skills of the small group of female characters, in particular then-24 yr old Lee Yunji, who impressed many because in the later parts, she had to speak, move and act way beyond her years.

4. Suspense factors came in several parts of Sejong's evolving plot - for example stealing the chinese astronomical device, the untimely death of his longtime friend/advisor that shifted Sejong's psyche, and Sejong fighting his gradual blindness even as he was struggling to finish inventing the hangul script.

In GTGC, the suspense factor is about as gripping as watching lame battle scenes repeatedly, repeated scenes of kings and commanders sitting around the long table either being told of enemy attacks or discussing plans, crying over dead comrades, etc.

Isn't there anything NEW that GTGC can give us, besides the 'musical chair wargames' between the main powers? Since there aren't any historical writings about the REAL Damdeok other than his military career, the writers could still give us some artistic license and weave in some peculiar habits of the GREAT KING like his hobbies (mud-wrestling?) or a special talent (dismounting from a horse at full gallop) or playing the drums while eating spicy fried chicken drumsticks.

When you fast rewind GTGC, you'll notice that LTG's character usually speaks in the same few locations: his palace office with the long table; his office in the battlefield tent, on the battlefield chit-chatting with Asin/Murong Chui and then fighting and after a few episodes later, more chit-chatting before they fight yet again, standing on his ship, etc.

Nowadays the scenes (and sets) involving the main characters are just so similar - office long table, battlefield, castle entrance, on the horse/ship - that it just becomes plain boring. Different actors playing different kings and generals but their expressions are all remarkably similar EXCEPT Mr Asin, who goes a wee bit over the top.

Why izzit we never ever get to see LTG in other locations like his bedrooom/hot bathouse talking with Yakyeon. walking the palace grounds like he used to, e.g. the scene when he had just married Yakyeon and Doyoung also in the right place at the right time 'conveniently' overhearing everything while Yakyeon's female bodyguard was nearby standing guard (duh), or how about a bare-bodied Damdeok working out/practising swordplay with his generals or his bodyguard Seol Ji or Damdeok walking/riding around his capital inspecting the good sweet happy life of his Goguryeon citizens, etc.

Anyway the upcoming episode on KBSW - ep 67 - when it was first broadcast on 4 Feb 2012 shot up to No. 2 position in ratings, both in Seoul & nationwide. So it should be interesting to watch the next episode on KBSW as to what caused the sudden spike.

Footnote: As always, these are just my views AND I do know many of you have your own views which are vastly different. And so they should be different from mine because GTGC offers entertainment joy, satisfaction and contemplation in different ways to different viewers.

February 23, 2012

This MV link below isn't exactly relevant to our great King Gwanggaeto so don't bother clicking it if you're not interested.

It's just that I'm just too tickled by the recent screencaps that show SO MANY sad faces in particular the always-sad Doyoung (it's like smiling is totally banned forever from her life), Asin crying again and again, and the Great King himself looking overly serious and sad all at the same time.

Since this drama also seriously lack a sad love theme song, so just for fun, I thought one or two of you fun-loving folks might want to check out Paul Potts latest rendition - a remake of a 2003 K-Drama OST classic, whose lyrics if you listen carefully enough, somewhat convey the depressing facial emotions of these drama characters. Sports fans might also enjoy our Claudia Mueller appearing in this MV.

February 20, 2012

Ep 66 KBSW.... When royalty on both sides of the border, including Damdeok himself, cannot decide whether to call him Ko Un or Murong Un and they all keep tripping over this name

Ko-nfusion, not once but twice.

To be honest, eps 65-66 were fun-filled time-fillers where the plot is just to P R O L O N G the series and it's about the dastardly act of the man formerly known as Ko Un.

To cut to the chase, Murong Un's mission was to conspire with one Goguryeon government official Gye Song to steal Goguryeon military secrets, which for convenience, were fully contained in just a few parchments.

Unfortunately the Houyans became turncoats themselves because after getting those state secrets, their plan was to kill Murong Un and leave Gye Song to be captured by Goguryeo. So our writers plot-arc is "Treachery + CounterTreachery = Good Plot".

Now how come state military secrets can so easily be 'stolen' from the Goguryeo's vault and why these military secrets are contained in only a few rolled-up parchments beats me .... maybe they're written in micro-small fonts?

How vital were these stolen military secrets? According to General Hwang:

THE DOCUMENTS STATE NOT ONLY THEIR TROOPS BATHING TIMES AND THE BRAND OF SOAP AND SHAMPOO THEY USE, BUT FORTRESS LOCATIONS & MAIN ADVANCE BASES; DETAILS OF THEIR MAIN AND RESERVES FORCES INCLUDING SENIOR CITIZENS & MARINE MAMMALS TRAINED TO CARRY OUT COMMANDO RAIDS.

Before losing his head literally, poor Gye Song was tortured using the hot iron branding rods hair removal and deep skin exfoliation technique, free of charge by Goguryeo's Ministry of Information Extraction & Pain Enhancement.

They even brought the man formerly known as Ko Un into the Goguryeo Underground Torture Complex where only the privileged few could enter but not necessarily exit - to watch upclose the torture, and so in between the screaming and the smoky sizzling crackle of human tissue and subcutaneous fat, in walks Damdeok and his usual posse.

Reason for the torture? So that Gye Song could tell DD face-2-face the man he sold the military secrets to were right in front of them - Murong/Ko Un. In fact GS also said he sold ONLY HALF the secrets knowing the possibility he might be betrayed by the Houyans.

The unfazed Murong/Ko Un still maintains his innocence in spite of Gye Song's testimony and then changes the friendly conversation to the fact that Damdeok's attack dog, Seok Jae, tried to kill him, a Houyan envoy and prince of thieves.

CUT-SCENE to Gungnaeseong's execution grounds where on this day when KBS brought their cameras and crew, admission was free for those aged 18 and above: Ha Mu Ji himself read out the decree that Gye Song and 'many others' (accused of abusing their power, falsifying documents, selling state secrets, stealing land, reading erotic literature, spraying anti-DD graffiti on palace walls, etc) were promptly assembled in the palace execution grounds and two gleeful executioners with oversized meat cleavers did their job by.... note this because it actually happened ..... first dancing around their hapless victims and 'playing' by putting their blades against their necks before delivering the death blow.

Camera then zooms in on Ha Muji's closed eyes, probably brimming with hidden dee-light at the multiple beheading which probably sent delicious tingling sensations to his nutsack and/or nether regions.

And here's the biggest blackhole in the writers' logic.... Murong Un/Ko Un was 'spared' from execution or punishment possibly because Damdeok couldn't get proof of his crime.

Since when did Goguryeo practise the notion of innocent unless proven otherwise? Weren't Gye Song's words proof enough?

Furthermore if Gye Song sold only half the military secrets, shouldn't he lose only half his head?

So one should seriously ask.... what happened to Damdeok's humane policy of sparing lives? Okay, I get it that these overpaid officials committed high treason but how about those officials who were supposed to guard those secrets? Shouldn't they too be punished for lax security?

Instead of beheading them, DD could have ordered 100 lashes on each of their buttcheeks (200 in all) and ordered the same for Murong/Ko Un.... hey folks, DD is the king, absolute ruler, and he doesn't need to follow any laws; his word is law.

But our kind & compassionate writers first made Murong/Ko Un tell DD:

I COULD EVEN SELL MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL. I AM GOING TO CAUSE YOUR DOWNFALL..... I WILL NEVER BOW TO YOU.

DD: DO YOU HATE ME THAT MUCH? .... I AM GOING TO TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO THE END. I AM GOING TO HAVE YOU AS MY FRIEND ONCE AGAIN..... THAT'S WHAT MY HEART WANTS.

Listening to Damdeok say all those scripted words to MK Un was like listening to the lyrics of Celine Dion's theme song from TITANIC.

Indeed ep 66 end scene was MK Un bowing down to Damdeok in his office and saying what all unfaithful husbands and boyfriends say to their wives/girlfriends: PLEASE GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE...... I WILL BE A LOYAL GOOD BOY FROM NOW ON.

As a bonus from ep 66, we get to see close-ups of Princess Damju who helps her hubby deliver a secret tweet to MK Un..... and then Queen Yakyeon who tells MK Un "BTW Doyoung is alive and she's having a rockin' good time eating healthy Baekje cuisine and maxing out her credit cards at shopping malls in Baekje."

Then Asin spots Doyoung in a village working rough in the outdoors and looking sweaty and by royal standards, also a bit dirty (in other words, she looks damn hot & sexy) and he goes up to her and gives her an offer she couldn't refuse:

COME BACK TO THE PALACE WITH ME OR ELSE I WILL COME VISIT YOU HERE EVERY DAY. (my paraphrase).

So ladies.... what would you have Doyoung say to Asin? Such hanbok-shattering questions should not be thrown at our demure ex-queen whose only wish is to work outdoors, get a bit messy so that she could use the money earned to do more shopping and also go for beauty treatments at Baekje beauty & spa salons.

Maybe King Asin knows too well Doyoung possesses special charms that thus far only King Damdeok knows about.... or maybe they've been sleeping separately all the while.

Warning: actress Oh Ji Eun a.k.a Doyoung is showing unusual amount of exposure in the links below, so readers who cannot stomach exposed tongue & belly button should not click on those links. Don't say I didn't warn you.

http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=locallkw&logNo=10096922832

just scroll down...

http://www.nemopan.com/5026626

OK... some thoughts about these 2 episodes since they were filled with treachery & betrayals, the kind and amount which only exists in dramas .... let's forget the fact that Damdeok and the writers will never want to kill off Ko Un just because he's going to serve a very important purpose later, OTHER than go search and bring back Doyoung. His role will keep plenty of korean viewers in the countryside guessing: Is he really back to Damdeok or is it a continuation of his treachery?

Will Ko Un live up to his promise to DD that he will cause DD's downfall? Or even his death?

Let's also forget the fact that the Houyans do not yet realize they only have HALF of Goguryeo's military secrets but in reality, half is still better than nothing. Will Murong Chui attack and where?

Or will Murong Chui attack the Mohe first as punishment? And use it as bait to lure the Goguryeo reinforcements?

And once Batar stops banging the tables and chairs and using his generals as punching bags, who will the Biryeo align themselves with?

How soon can Asin rebuild his forces and with the help of Spartan military advisors, retrain them to fight effectively on land? Actually with the hind-sight of history, we already know Asin's going to lose and lose bigtime, assuming our writers do not veer off and rewrite Baekje's history.

And when will Yakyeon tell DD to start building a nursery and begin auditioning nannies and wet nurses who can also double up as bodyguards? He can even name his nursery wing, DREAM HIGH, and the chosen sage from the Goguryeon mountains who will tutor his child will be none other than JYP.

February 20, 2012

Ep 65..... when Ha Muji cannot decide whether to call the dude Murong Un or Ko Un.

Not once but twice Ha Muji, our learned strategist tripped verbally over Murong/Ko Un's name confusion.

Indeed MK Un was in Goguryeo to cause more than just name confusion and there were a couple of hilarious moments in episode 65...

..... the first one being our dreadlocks-Korean rastafarian called Batar of the Biryeo clan (not to be confused with rapper Miryo from the Brown Eyed Girls clan) ) who tells Seol Doan,

YOU COME TO ENEMY TERRITORY AND TRY TO LECTURE ME? (Wah.... see how advanced the Biryeo people already were in those days.... they already have lectures in those ancient days)

Seol Doan: I'M NOT LECTURING YOU. I'M MOCKING YOU.

and then suddenly SD becomes a poet-philosopher & World History expert: A GENERAL'S WRONG DECISION ONLY RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF SOLDIERS, BUT A RULER'S WRONG DECISION RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF A COUNTRY. I HAD TO SHED A LOT OF BLOOD TO REALIZE THAT.

As if that wasn't deep enough, SD TELLS Batar: I CAME TO MOCK YOU BUT I'M GIVING YOU ADVICE BECAUSE I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU.

**APPLAUSE** Seol Doan came to insult Batar but instead chose the nobler option of sharing some words of wisdom, no doubt passed on from Mohe's tribal professors of the past.

Going by Seol Doan's logic, a man can become definitely become wiser not by reading or by copying homework but by bleeding from sword fights.

The second comedian was Asin IN HIS EUREKA MOMENT telling his ministers and military commanders: THAT IS WHY WE LOST EVERY TIME. WE ARE ADVANCED WITH MARITIME WAR BUT WE'RE ALWAYS FIGHTING ON LAND.

Our marines and amphibious forces of today should thank Asin's military hind-sight (or back sight?) because the only two things he can order his ministers to do is find more money and order his generals to strengthen the army. Oh yes, he also wants the Baekje noblemen with private armies to send some of their soldiers to Asin's national army.

Asin: WHAT GOOD CAN A PRIVATE ARMY DO IF BAEKJE THE COUNTRY FALLS INTO ENEMY HANDS? ....Wah, Asin is so clever here....Hmmm, it certainly looks like Seol Dan's logic of man becoming wiser through repeated cases of bleeding from sword fights holds true.... I've forgotten how many times Asin has been cut by Damdeok in their swordfights.

And before Asin goes home for the day, our PD did a close-up shot of Asin with his usual teeth-baring grimacing snarl.... you know, the same expression your boss shows when you take 2 hour long lunch breaks.

February 15, 2012

Ep 64.... director's boo-boo: film extras simply running around in the background during battle.

When you re-watch the beginning part where Damdeok & his Power Rangers reveal themselves to a shocked (how else would you want the man to look, right?) Murong Chui & his Houyan buddies, and both sides start doing battle, take a closer look at the background..... in some parts of the footage in the background, you can clearly see the 'extras' or in this case, the Houyan infantry, carrying their colorful banners and simply running around in circles.

Think I'm joking? As usual? You can take a look at the link below in the spoiler tags.

And when you think about it, wouldn't a real battle hardened general like Murong Chui have spotted Damdeok and his posse disguised as Houyan soldiers when he, like us viewers, can clearly see that ALL those soldiers kneeling down in front of him - reporting that their base camp was being invaded from the left and from the right by unknown numbers of Goguryeon party crashers - were indeed trying overly hard to hide their faces? And some of them were wearing green harem pants instead of the Houyan red ones?

Also, why were there so many messengers leaving their base camp just to gallop to MC and give him the bad news? Shouldn't only one or two messengers be sent? Especially since your camp is being attacked by the uninvited guests who came all the way from faraway Goguryeo, every Houyan man at the base camp should stand and die, right? (KBS style of mass swordfighting scenes).

Tsk, Tsk.... Murong Chui.... after having experienced a few similar 'surprise' attacks from DD in the past, don't you think you need to re-write your military defense training manuals, re-train your men (those who are still alive with two arms and two legs and head still attched) to stay awake and stand guard, and never send 10 messengers at once to report when only two are necessary?

Murong Chui & Asin should also realize by now that our Great Conqueror has the knack of covering vast distances of territory, on land and at sea, across undulating hills and steep valleys and strong ocean currents and SOMEHOW arrive at your battlesite when all the while, you thought he's back in his palace sipping Goguryeon martinis and catching up on his suntan?

What's more, if DD & his posse were kneeling no less than 2 meters away from Murong Chui, what's to stop or prevent him or any of his storm troopers from just lunging at MC himself? He IS THE PRIME ENEMY, is he not?

OK... perhaps you think I'm too harsh on the director..... for only by rewatching the scene, if you choose, you'd be so much the wiser.

http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/king-gwanggaeto-the-great-episode-64/

February 12, 2012

Ep 64.....the episode of crying aplenty, mainly by Goguryeon men.

The good news is Seol Ji's back in action, fresh as a daisy. She was actively involved with DD and his usual suspects as they snuck up on Houyan but arrived too late to save Ko Moo from spitting out more crimson red sauce from his mouth. The bad news? Another senior citizen general bites the dust and is now having korean green tea together with an ever-growing alumni of dead Goguryeon heroes, somewhere up there.

Man, the deathmatch between Ko Moo & Murong Chui was about as exciting as watching two old men playing beach volleyball - you know it's only a matter of time before the one with lung disease is going to run out of gas, collapse on his knees dramatically and start sputtering red bodily fluids. A spent force indeed.

Do catch the look on Murong Chui's face as he suddenly realises his longtime opponent is not in the pink of health and so it's not honorable for a seasoned warrior like him to kill an opponent who clearly is in need of a fresh pair of healthy lungs.

Speaking of lungs, in ep63, DD had to rush south doubly quick to save Gwanmiseong from falling back into the hands of Asin and Baekje - DD cuts Asin's belly but Asin will live to scream DD'a name again.

Here in ep64, DD rushes north doubly quick to save Yodongseong from being captured by Houyan and Murong Chui and the Biryeo men with rastafarian hairstyles... DD cuts Murong Chui belly but Murong Chui too will live to scream DD's name yet again.

Folks, do you see a pattern emerging here? You'd expect our two KBS writers to have more creativity than to have two principal enemies of DD being wounded anatomically in the same spot!!

And for those viewers who love watching grown men wail and cry.... this episode is right up your kleenex box. It's perhaps I'm tired of watching every sageuk drama that has funerals involving dead generals or super-warriors, because I know only too well, they're just a bunch of actors pretending to cry..... mind you, Korean actors make crying their own art-form.... they are so darn good at crying and wailing with spittle mixing with tears. There's no fun in watching generals cry over another general especially since they're all over-faking it.

Anyway Ko Eun (remember him?) has taken the path of the artiste formerly known as PRINCE....Ko Eun's new callsign is Murong Eun, and he leads the Houyan condolence delegation to Goguryeo (since King Murong Chui is temporarily suffering from acute belly-aches caused by a deep cut from DD's sword) - the writers would have us think that surely nothing would happen to turncoat Ko Eun as he makes his appearance at DD's office, surrounded by Goguryeon military commanders and court officials who would love to rip Ko Eun's clothes off, castrate the chap and send him back to Houyan - with a higher pitch falsetto voice.

Actually I'm being kind because castrating Ko Eun was furthest away from the minds of those Goguryeon officials - they would have preferred to shorten Ko Eun's height by at least one head-length, if you know what I mean.

Ko Eun & his condolence delegation may have come in peace but Goguryeon officials would have wanted to send him back in pieces.

But by now viewers already can predict DD's excellent human rights record - all enemies and alien beings from other galaxies are welcomed in his office because after he conquers all other territories, all former enemies will all become friendly Goguryeons, living peacefully under one ruler - namely DD.

Cue song..... "HEAL THE WORLD, MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE, FOR ME AND FOR YOU AND THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE"....

Anyway the man formerly known Ko Eun seems to be quickly hatching his own agenda now that he is right in the thick of DD's court so we'll have to wait until next week.

Interesting sidenote: As we all know, the South Korean government under President Lee Myung Bak refused to send a condolence delegation to North Korea to attend the state funeral of Kim Jong Il, and this diplomatic slap-in-the-face has even prompted the present dictator Kim Jong Eun to demand that the South send an official ROK condolence delegation to visit his late father's tomb. A case of KBS drama fiction parodying current political reality perhaps, eh?

February 12, 2012

Ep 63....Royal female bodyguard takes a flying dagger for Damdeok

Say What! Miss Seol Ji actually first saves Damdeok's sorry richard simmons by launching a dagger at Asin's general who was about to sink his sword into Damdeok's sexy back (literally! I'm not kidding) and Seol Ji's dagger-throwing skills are laser-accurate..... but later this same general pulls out the dagger embedded in his wrist armor and lets it fly directly towards DD whereupon Seol Ji had to jump and put herself right in its path and let the dagger sink into her sexier back. Ouch!

Seol Ji was lucky the Asin's general didn't launch a spear at DD (remember how Sagal Hyeon was sent to the afterlife?) and so I'm thinking royal bodyguards of Damdeok must have very short life expectancies (luckier chaps those US Secret Service Presidential bodyguards) because they seem to be required to jump into the path of all sorts of missiles hurled at DD.

Then what are those armadillo armor they wear so proudly for? Can't they improve their anti-penetration stopping power? The ordinary soldiers in sageuks still keep getting chopped down or pierced by arrows even though they're wearing some razor-thin armor.

Unlike Sagal Hyeon who had ample time to make a grand speech before he croaked, our LUCKIER LOVELY Seol Ji had only this to say with a dagger embedded in her back:

Seol Ji: YOUR MAJESTY. YOU SHOULD GO AFTER THEM.

Damdeok while bracing wounded Seol Ji in his strong masculine arms: AN ENEMY WHO FLEES CAN BE CAPTURED ANY TIME. YOU COME FIRST RIGHT NOW.

AWW....what a sweetie to say such poetic tender words when his bodyguard was nearly killed protecting him, eh?

And that part about fleeing enemies being captured would prove prophetic later in this same episode.

OK..... so the writers have done justice to actress Kim Jung Hwa and made her do her job as Royal bodyguard and perhaps that's why DD immediately stopped his fight against Asin (who btw had his belly cut by DD) so that Seol Ji could be sent for immediate trauma treatment at Goguryeo's combat hospital... a few stitches to patch her up and I'm sure Seol Ji will be good as new very soon.

On the other hand, King Asin's gonna have a a very painful stomach for days to come and it's almost like every single time he gets a 1-on-1 swordplay with DD, Asin's always the one to leave with painful scars and reminders on his body.

Meanwhile Ha-Ha Muji gets a dressing down from his boss - HMJ had suggested KILLING ALL Baekje prisoners - but instead Mr Sweetheart-Braveheart Damdeok orders ALL POWs to be released. His logic?

IF I CONQUER BAEKJE, THEY WILL ALL BECOME GOGURYEO CITIZENS.

When you think about it, Damdeok's release of all POWs means the Goguryeons do not have to bother feeding extra mouths and his interrogators can rest rather than torture the prisoners to extract information. Geneva Convention? Eat your heart out.

But before some of you think DD has gone soft, this is what he said to Ha Mu Ji:

IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN MY MILITARY ADVISOR, DISTINGUISH A COOL HEAD FROM CRUELTY. NO LIFE CAN BE TREATED RECKLESSLY.

HMJ: IF YOU LET PETTY EMOTIONS GET IN YOUR WAY, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RULE THE WORLD.

DD: IT WOULD BE MEANINGLESS WITHOUT PEOPLE. VALUE EVERY CITIZEN & SOLDIER. DON'T FORGET IT IS THEIR SWEAT & BLOOD THAT WILL ACHIEVE OUR DREAM & FUTURE.

KUDOS to our 2 writers for making Damdeok sound like he's running to become the next United Nations Secretary General. A conqueror AND a humanitarian at the same time. WoW!

Perhaps DD should order all his generals and soldiers IN FUTURE to avoid slashing enemy soldiers to death and just cut them enough to wound them but not kill? Don't kill but AIM TO MAIM.

The rest of the episode dealt with political trickery between Houyan, Mohe, Biryeo, Goguryeo, Klingons, Vulcans, Romulans, etc which resulted in the capture of General Ko Chang and his band of merry men based on the brilliant plan by (who else) Ko Mu & the Houyans who used a net (literally) to catch Ko Chang and his posse.

Come Again! A Goguryeon general falling into a Houyan ambush and being netted (literally) by his enemies? This is what Ko Chang actually said after he was netted:

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FELL FOR SUCH A CHEAP TRICK..... truth was he and his men DID FALL INTO the net.

Of course there are other ways to capture an enemy general alive but our KBS writers chose this net option which has been used to death in past historical dramas.

Now KC's capture was to set-up his rescue by KC's daddy, Ko Mu, who for good measure, continues to remind us his unnamed lung disease is so bad he has no choice but to spit out crimson red sauce from his mouth whenever the KBS cameras zoom in on his small eyes, thick eyebrows and grimy face.

He even says, I WANT MY END TO BE AS A FATHER, NOT A COMMANDER OF GOGURYEO ..... in other words, he wants to die fighting and not from his lung disease.

A grand state funeral is assured when a general dies valiantly on the battlefield but if he dies at home from lung disease, he'll get nothing more than a quick burial in his backyard.

Now while daddy Ko Mu makes a grand pre-death speech, his son KC meanwhile just melts into a wimpy crybaby as soon as he realised his daddy was going to sacrifice himself for his sake.

Now I don't know about you but a GENERAL KC crying like a baby because his daddy has come and is going to give up his life in exchange for him is way too sissy. It may make for good 'dramatic' acting to see a grown man (do not forget he's DD's general) cry buckets - and mind you, the old geezer dad isn't even dead yet because the fight hasn't even begun!! Duh!

My Alternate Scene: Now a real Houyan King Murong Chui would just simply show Ko Chang to Ko Moo and then after Daddy Ko Moo gives a speech about dying in valor etc.... promptly KILLs KC in front of his father - imagine the huge roar and loud cheers of approval from his hundreds of Houyan soldiers with ringside view of the action.

Always a great morale booster to see an enemy general being beheaded or garroted to death. And imagine how this sight of his son being killed would enrage Ko Moo and this is good because in the war teachings of great Chinese tacticians - ANGER ALWAYS MAKES YOU STUPID.

But nooo.... this is a KBS drama..... so KC is allowed to cry buckets while Ko Moo & MYS have their final battle.

If only modern day disputes can be settled KBS sageuk-style by having the top general go 1-on-1 with the other top general, while the rest of their armies just gather round with their fries, chips and beer, and cheer loudly from the sides.

Come to think of it, DD will be furious later when he finds out Ko Moo had a deathmatch with Murong Chui and he didn't wait for DD to arrive so he could watch and enjoy also the halftime show by Madonna...... or maybe Girls Generation?

On second thought, with his only royal bodyguard temporarily out of action due to injuries sustained in the course of protecting his majesty, DD might have to think of a temporary bodyguard, right? So how about this cutie below ... now imagine being protected by 50 of these guys who can latch their jaws anywhere from the groin downwards, eh?

If captured by the enemy, rest assured these fellas won't spill state secrets unless you understand dog-speak?

February 8, 2012

One of the most-underused characters in this drama shows what she's hiding beneath her royal robes

In the early days of this series, Princess Damjoo (actress Jo An) charmed us with her wit and grace but ever since Damjoo (Damdeok's sister) as a hostage princess was married off to the Houyan, she's practically a 'forgotten" out-of-sight out-of-mind character and the writers only use actress Jo An very occasionally nowadays as Damdeok's de facto spy - her eyes and ears on Houyan's present and future activities may prove invaluable to our writers (her covert letters to Damdeok are taken as irrefutable & reliable) and to Damdeok but in a real situation, she's putting herself in great mortal danger should her Houyan husband or any of the Houyan court servants and officials squeal on her espionage activities.

Other than his own sister, here's Damdeok's other weapon when it comes to secret speedy diplomacy and black ops commander, Seol Ji.

But you folks do remember Seol Ji's earlier role as one of Mohe's fearsome warriors, then she even went rogue against her own brother and tribe and now happily acts as part-time envoy and fulltime bodyguard for Damdeok, not forgetting that Damdeok's present queen Yakyeon was also herself once a female warrior... no wonder poor Doyoung keeps crying because she suddenly realizes she cannot ride a horse, shoot arrows accurately, swing a sword to chop down enemy soldiers left, right, center and sometimes from behind, possess eagle-eye day & night vision capabilities, and do ALL THAT while looking immaculate in sweat-proof make-up.

just look at Kim Jung Hwa's eyebrows....

imagine having to go to the washroom in these costumes, eh?

February 8, 2012

Some BTS photos....

the last one in this set really cracks me up.... Jang Kun, smile and say 'kimchee'

just look at them modern footwear...

Looking good isn't everything...it's THE ONLY THING...

The replacement queen has never looked so...... err exposed before.... Taken at an event just days ago...now where're those scissors?

February 6, 2012

KBSW Ep 61 & 62....how did our line of defenses crumble so quickly?

If that wasn't enough, Damdeok added, I SHOULD HAVE SENT A GENERAL TO TAKE COMMAND IN THE NORTH.

Obviously, after so many previous attacks either by Baekje, Khitan, Houyan and other all-male tribes with wild hair, Mr Dumb-Deuk's learning curve is still flat because he still prefers his generals all sitting around at the long table waiting for instructions or debating what to eat for dinner.

Suddenly the oldest senior citizen among his generals, Ko Moo, knelt down and begged to be sent to defend Yodongseong against Houyan... Ko Moo even started to cry as he told DD about his grudge against Houyan's king.

Now I wonder what the Houyan king did to Ko Moo in their younger days to have a deep grudge? Did the Houyan geezer steal Ko Moo's prom night date or did he poison Ko Moo's pet chihuahua?

Not to be outdone, generals Ko Chang & Mo Doo Young also got down on their knees and begged DD to be released from total boredom at DD's HQ & follow Ko Moo.... then in front of Miss Mohe & royal bodyguard Seol Ji, DD commands the now-happy 3 amigos to make use of Seol Dan.... when the time comes.

Then after sending off the 3 amigos off in a grand ceremony, the fashionably late MIss YakYeon hurries over to DD and tells him in between tears that her old daddy was in fact suffering from a lung disease (the type that spits crimson red sauce) and that he's in no condition to play G I Joe, or should it be G I Ko?

But of course our writers already knew Ko Moo was suffering from an old age disease but who else can they stage a death-fight with Houyan's King, yeah? The worst death for a general those days was to die of a disease at home but if the same general were to die in a grudge match on the battlefield watched by hundreds of soldiers, man...that would most certainly guarantee a state funeral and a stairway to heaven.... assuming the enemy doesn't chop off his head and take it back home to decorate their fortress entrance.

..... Episodes 61 & 62 just went by with lots of the usual table banging, soldiers being chopped down left, right and centre and again the comical chain reaction looks of shock & awe (like a line of dogs being startled) upon hearing 'unexpected' news from messengers and yet nothing much happened in terms of plot or major developments, another usual splendid tactic employed by K-drama writers to prolong the series.

For starters, Damdeok bangs his table and essentially tells us that Goguryeo is surrounded by ABC enemies - A for Asin, B for Baekje, C for Combined Houyan & Khitan forces. - and he would eliminate each one in that same order....so KBS just needs to add-on extra episodes for DD to complete his mission.

So if you're the great Damdeok, what else can you do to ensure your 3-headed enemy do not overwhelm you? Of course, you make friends (form an alliance) and apparently the only one left shaking hands with is Mohe. It's also a no-brainer that DD's royal bodyguard who can win any beauty pageant then and now, Miss Seol Ji, is the sister of Mohe's leader. Duh!

Now that the chess pieces and alliances were all in place, it was up to our writers to play wargames among the opposing sides, and as expected our writers for the most part, used stereotypical and cliched notions of warfare.

For example, to create the fact (yes, drama writers are good at creating facts from fiction and vice-versa) that Ko Moo's forces are totally besieged at Yodongseong, the writers made ALL available horses inside collapse due to diarrhoea. This MEANS that they cannot send any messenger out from the fortress to get help or large orders of extra fries from the nearest McDonald's.

Reality check 1: one would think that the fortress garrison would have a few hundred horses, and not just the 10 or so we usually see the generals riding on. But for convenience sake, ALL horses are intensely purging their insides and stablehands would need to pile up the horse manure several metres high.

Reality check 2: We saw how the Yodongseong fortress was heavily besieged by at least 100,000 Houyan troops so how in blazes did Ko Moo and his reinforcements get into the fortress? Did the Goguryeons possess stealth mode technology or just borrowed Star Trek's transporter beam? Secret tunnels are a possibility but the enemy archers would have those covered certainly.

Our historical drama writers just love to stage 'epic' battle scenes that involve soldiers who seem to be wearing similar uniforms..... have anyone ever wonder about 'friendly fire' in ancient warfare? Accidental death by being cut by a comrade's sword because the uniforms are just so similar? Perhaps we should use the more apt term 'friendly slash', eh?

Our two writers also just couldn't resist making Asin's two best generals behave like morons - they launched night attacks on Gwanmiseong but were instead distracted and mesmerized when they saw fire coming from their storage huts, courtesy of Yeon Salta and his team of archers.

And...their first reaction was to stop, go back to camp and save their rations. 2nd reaction? send some of attacking force back to help save the rations.

Now common sense would tell the writers there's no way on earth sending some of your attackers back would change anything because by the time they get back, they'll only find charred rations. Besides.... the handful of soldiers guarding the camp should be able to do something and if they cannot, due to the strength of the fire, additional troops cannot do much but smell the roasted rations.

I would also like to know out of the scores of unmarked huts, how did Yeon Salta know which hut to set on fire? Was there a big TARGET sign that says RATIONS or FOOD? Yes, we even saw Yeon take out a map and in the black of night, he could read the map and pick out the target hut. So where did that map come from? Recon scouts? Friendly Baekje soldier?

Of course this bungling by Asin's two most senior generals was just an excuse for Asin to get himself involved in attacking his beloved Gwanmiseong instead of sitting around in his Baekje HQ, eating delicious foods served by palace maidens and keeping ABREAST of things via messengers.

And so that's why you have the end scene of ep62 where DD having reached Gwanmiseong and yet again catching Asin off-guard, charges at Asin at full gallop in his menacing snarl and seething raging pearly-white teeth while Asin also reacts similarly snarling and baring teeth whiter than white.

I've already lost count how many times this scene of Asin & DD charging at each other has been used as an end scene.... don't forget, they also shout each other's names much louder than you would shout your own darh-ling's name... and as in past one-on-one encounters between these two, I wonder what excuse the writers will use yet again to stop the fight and prevent either one from being killed?

In case some folks still doubt that our two writers actually have a comic streak in them....remember the scene where Do Roo (or wazzit Do Young) saw the Baekje armada approaching Gwanmiseong at night and the Goguryeons were about to happily unleash their hundreds of their spectacular fire arrows at the enemy ships when all of a sudden it rains? Now if that doesn't tickle you, what else can?

After any battle is over in K-dramas, you'd usually know the victorious king is a 'bad' guy because he'd be laughing heartily, boisterously, acting supremely confident and smiling from earlobe to earlobe - the Houyan king Mo Young Soo does this routine right down to a pat.

On the other hand, the 'good' guy a.k.a. DD usually displays understated & controlled exuberance with only his attack dogs like Suk Gae & others spouting over-praise and acting over-confident, and ordering free beer and lots of grilled pork bellies.

Talking about beer, in a few episodes now we keep seeing 3 (Houyan? Baekje?) spies at the Goguryeo town's watering hole where Suk Gae and some generals usually drop by for alcoholic drinks and oily food, and since these Goguryeon soldiers usually speak louder than barking dogs, these 3 spies pick up juicy bits of information including, as we saw last weekend, disinformation deliberately sown by DD himself to mislead both Houyan & Baekje - dis-information that would prove costly for both.

I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of those spies the next time they get summoned back to HQ - if they were real, those days they'd probably not be able to taste delicious korean fried chicken ever as their tongues would be cut off as punishment.

January 31, 2012

Im sure if Damdeok conquered the "world" Goguryeo would definitely not be its center. Just for geometric reasons alone. It would be, as always, in China.

I know what you're saying.... from the geo-political axis of that time.

But my quotes were exactly what the KBS subtitles were.....based on what was said in Korean. They're not mine but was what scripted.

January 31, 2012

KBSW Ep 60 - cue song by Freddie Mercury....I WANT TO BREAK FREE, sings both Doyeong & Asin.

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED EP 60.

From the moment the episode began, we are reminded that

1. Doyeong's in enemy territory (which to me means she's there not as a hostage but really, she's been reduced to a state-less queen.)

2. she's the daughter of a traitor (which the narrow-minded writers want us to sustain the delusion that sons/daughters of criminals are no better than their parents)

Then even when Damdeok says READ MY SEXY LIPS - I WANT HER BACK...guess who was the first to protest? Yup...Ha-Ha Muji who insists DY's return would destabilize the court.... oh really? the poor girl is not an avian-flu virus, you know.

But what can we expect from HMJ whose sole soul companion is another guy? Funny how strategists in sageuks are usually never happily married with 4-6 kids and a portly wife waiting for them at the end of the day but rather strategists are portrayed as being 'married' to their job, the state, their ruler and their encyclopedias but not necessarily in that order.

The scene suddenly shifts to Yakyeon who together with her eunuchs & escorts numbering about 30 standing outside Damdeok's office, ALL quietly holding their collective breath when tears start dripping down her left cheek as she hears everything we viewers just heard - Doyeong is alive but not necessarily kicking in the enemy state.

For added 'shocked' effect, she even stumbles a bit in a dazed fashion - but really, any queen wearing that gigantic wig on her head weighed down by adornments which are bigger than what you'd put on a Xmas tree, would find it tricky to tiptoe away with springy steps.

Nonetheless Yakyeon knows DY's still alive but DD doesn't yet know that she knows - it only confirms once again that even palace doors (& walls) in Korean dramas are so paper thin you could even hear lizards singing, WITHOUT even having to put your ear to the door.

Anyway in the face of even more protests (next was Yeon Salta), DD then gives a brilliant excuse why DY should come back to Goguryeo - yes. he knows she' s a traitor's daughter but before that SHE WAS HIS WIFE - BRING HER BACK FIRST, then he'll think about what to do. NOBODY WILL STOP ME.

Put simply. PLAN A is bring her back. PLAN B is bring her back....err quickly. PLAN C is after she's back, then we figure out. And that's why DD's plan as simple as ABC. It's those court officials who over-complicate matters with their pesky questions.

So after both HMJ & Yeon put on sad puppy-dog faces upon hearing Damdeok's doggedness, luckily for us viewers, the writers gave the job of locating and bringing DY back: to Miss Seol Ji - actually she volunteered to parachute into enemy territory, then search from house to house, and do what she has to do accompanied by a team of Goguryeo's Special Forces, specially trained to sniff out Doyeong.

OK...now you try looking for your long lost pet dog somewhere in your neighborhood and you'd know it's never an easy task but our writers made Seol Ji & her female bodyguard find Doyeong within the blink of an eye - just so happens they saw DY at the market place where DY was shopping for the latest Spring Collection of made-in-China fabrics. Hmm...is Baekje giving DY a monthly clothes allowance or is DY trying to max out Damdeok's credit card?

Then mirroring DD's top-class language skills, Doyeong told Seol Ji everything that that was mentioned previously by the 'Anti-Doyeong" club but in different words, and spoken by a teary damsel-in-permanent-distress, slowly crying with tears rolling down only her left cheek AND with soft mushy emotional violin music in the background. I'm not kidding....

I WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT GOGURYEO IF I WAS GOING TO RETURN.

I AM NO LONGER HIS WIFE. HE WILL BE IN A BIND IF I RETURN TO GOGURYEO.

I AM THE DAUGHTER OF A TRAITOR. I CAN'T FACE HIM KNOWING THAT.

THE HEAVENS SPLIT US UP. TELL HIM TO FORGET ABOUT ME.

TIME WE CAN'T TURN BACK REMAINS AS PAIN. THE PAIN IS FOR THE SURVIVORS TO BEAR. HIS MAJESTY & ME.

I'M SURE YOU KNOW THAT I DON'T WANT TO GET IN THE WAY OF HIS AMBITIONS.

I'M GOING TO LEAVE AND GO SOMEWHERE NOBODY CAN FIND ME. I'M GOING TO CUT OFF ALL MY TIES FROM THE PAST.

OK...these emo-babble were to be expected from Doyeong but what a bummer-day for our Seol Ji who had to travel for miles and miles on horseback (her bum must be hurting from all that bouncing on that hard saddle)....but of course we also cannot expect Doyeong to just stop shopping in Baekje and then jump on a horse and follow Seol Ji back to her darh-ling and then everyday face her replacement queen Yakyeon. Three's a crowd, even for palace folks - KBS won't be the one to promote kinky threesomes in the royal household.

Two other developments also grabbed our attention in ep 60... first Asin kills King Jinsa & his pet general and now starts wearing more colorful and thicker royal robes right after the Baekje ministers and other generals threw their support behind Asin and supported the removal of the incompetent King Jinsa.

Evidently the loss of Gwanmiseong to Damdeok was deemed by the Baekje citizenry a national disaster & mega loss of national pride but King Jinsa insisted he did no wrong and instead blamed Asin for the defeat and so to console himself from the stinging humiliating defeat, King Jinsa called for a royal hunt.

Officially Jinsa fell off his horse while hunting; unofficially after being ambushed, Jinsa had his belly sliced open by Asin after Jinsa decided NOT to surrender peacefully. Indeed the hunter became the hunted and had his expiry date quickened by Asin.

So by the end of the ep, the realm now knows Baekje's new king Asin will probably go to war and probably try to recapture Gwanmiseong.

Correction: strike out 'probably try' ... and replace it with "will recapture" Gwanmiseong.

Remember I've always felt let down that our writers didn't give DD a sharper learning curve, because he usually reacts to situations rather than anticipate them? If you're DD and you know Asin is CIC (Commander in Chief) of Baekje, wouldn't you send reinforcemenrts to your fortresses that are closest to Gwanmiseong? Or at the very least order General Hwang to raise the alert level of your troops?

Which brings us to the 2nd development of this ep - in his very crowded office, Damdeok tells his ministers and generals in a speech that's very typical of any US Presidential candidate - declaring his 3-policies Grand Plan to make Goguryeo the center of the world and that DD intends to bring peace and prosperity for his people. In other words, everyone sitting in DD's office listening to this 3-parts Master Plan must work doubly hard, be prepared to die for your king if need be and put in overtime but with same pay. This is the time to write your will just in case. DD's grand plan for Goguryeo hegemony:

I'M GOING TO MAKE ALL THE LAND IN THE WORLD GOGURYEO LAND. THERE WILL BE MANY BATTLES TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

I WILL NOT ONLY EXPAND TERRITORY BUT RULE OVER THE PEOPLE AND SOLDIERS THERE. GOGURYEO WILL BE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD.

Ain't DD lucky there wasn't any UN Security Council those days that might veto his grand plan. Not that he needed UNSC intervention because our writers conveniently told us at the end scene that Asin & Baekje has indeed launched the first strike and taken Gwanmiseong's surrounding fortresses resulting in many Goguryeo's second- and third-rate troops being killed and the resumption of hostilities. Now this news must be like beautiful music for any warring king.... It's time to hop on the horses and ride out.... Goguryeo fighting!

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[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

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[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

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[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

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