Iljimae (2008)

I avoided this show for a long time hearing out the issues people had with the ending but kept coming back to it as it stars 3 of my fave Kdrama stars ,Lee Jun Ki,Park Si Hoo and Han Hyo Joo..Also,the story of a Korean robin hood was interesting. So,decided to give it a go.

Story :

The titular Iljimae becomes a ray of hope for oppressed Koreans as he robs rich noblemen and distributes wealth to the citizens and comes to their aid in various forms, a la robin hood Who is he and why is he doing this and what will happen once he comes face to face with his adversaries forms the crux of the show.in the meantime,he falls in love with the daughter of a corrupt nobleman.

1. The show is one of the best saeguk ever made,in my opinion
2. Action pieces are thrilling and LJK and PSH really blew this one out of the park in terms of their face offs .Great experience overall
3. I was slightly wary of the show till some episodes as we got the backstory of our hero transforming into Iljimae but the drama really takes off when he becomes Iljimae-his cunning plots and outsmarting strong rivals was a joy to watch.Very well written and executed stuff
4.Emotions flew in this one really (it is a saeguk!) and I ended up enjoying all of of the stuff about familial love, bonding and sacrifices made.
5. Romance : Beautiful and understated and fitting to the story.One of the strong OTPs

if you are a LJK or PSH fan or if you like swashbuckling romantic adventures you cannot miss this one. Yes,the ending has issues but if you think about it, the ending is still a good one

Leia Mais

I recommend this drama to all and sundry. I watched the entire thing in one go, and was scarcely disappointed.



Although far from perfect, Lee Jun Ki does a brilliant job of a vengeful ninja out to get the bad guys. Of course he has an ulteriour motive (finding the man who murdered his dad) but the way he switches personalities is just..!



Whenever he's around the villagefolk, he keeps up the image of an unsuspecting simpleton. But what highly impressed me, was the gritty resolve in his eyes, when he let the mask slip in private.



Every death is likely to make you shed a tear, depending how emotionally invested you are. But within minutes, you'll be laughing or on the edge of your seat as the drama unfolds.



I also like how Iljimae isn't automatically good at martial arts. You see him struggling a lot, so by the time he IS good at it, you're cheering him on every step of the way.



I found Eun Chae (his romantic interest) a little wet around the ears and was glad the drama wasn't more romance based. She was too...perfect, if you get what I mean. Never a hair out of place. When she gets angry, she still manages to look serene. I dunno...



Watch it, if you haven't already. NOW.

Leia Mais

The story more than amazing . I liked the story's plot , not bouring at all , it's that type of stories that makes u facing difficulty with stoping of watch it and gives u the excite to watch more and more.........BuT
1- The directing is sooo bAd , no, it's more than Bad.
2- There r many loopholes.
3- I think that the director, writer and the crew forgot or messed up on something important ,it's with the
type of relationships exist in this drama, i won't determines exactly what i mean but when u watch
u'll find out ,, it's a horrible mistake that i didn't expect. i couldn't understand what they want to
deliveres us because they didn't justify or even try to explain to us what happening but they
continued as it was a normal.
4- Rapid and sudden development, for me i didn't find it a gradual.
5- There r some dispersion and distractions in some scenes.
6- The End .........I'll let you comment

Note: without those mistakes i'll give it 10/10 .

Leia Mais

I had the highest possible expectations for this show and got the biggest disappointment of my life.

Three things:
1. I love Lee Jun Ki
2. I love Robin Hood stories.
3. I hated this drama.

To put it simply: Painfully slow beginning, fairly interesting middle, boredom, decent ending.

Well, I don't know how many times I hit my head into the wall while watching this show and how easily I could think of the better ways of implementing the plot. The writer ruined it all for me, everything of it. I'm not saying the plot sucked that much but hey, it could have been so much better. I'm dying all over again while thinking how easily it could have been so much better T__T

Acting was good, I don't have much to complain about it but the story was just boring, everything about this show was painfully boring and the comedy relief was only temporary. Even the love part was disappointing, all of it. I feel like everything happened in slow motion.

If given a chance I would rather watch something else.

Leia Mais

I was watching W and Moon Lovers and thought that Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jun-ki should be in a sageuk together. I had no idea that they already had a project together before. So, I picked up Iljimae and finished it during the weekend.

The Story
A Robin Hood story will always be an awesome sight specially when set as a historical drama. When I watch historical dramas, I have this feeling that it is bound for a doomed ending. Iljimae is a character that I like really slowly during the drama. Well, it is difficult to like a hero who is a bum and as worse as thugs. The drama manage to make every single obstacle and heartbreak matter on how to turn Ryung into the Iljimae everyone admire. The hero is imperfect but his cause is for the people.

Sometimes, I do get confused with the flow of the story because I feel like I've been missing out on a few things caused by some inconsistencies. There were scenes that should have been during the night but suddenly becomes morning. That's just a small thing I noticed but I did get confused. Other than that, everything works for me.

The Cast
Lee Jun-ki will always be good in a sageuk. He really knows where he excels and totally loks good. It breaks my heart everytime I see him agonized. What a way to steal hearts. Though I like Jun-ki, I sometimes do hate how his character remain to be the easygoing and selfish. But that is his mask to protect his identity that I am painfully watching him act stupid.

The supporting cast is amazing because I get to care for each of them, though I really don't remember their names. Hehe. I mind how their fates are tied to Iljimae and keep on rooting for them to have a happy ending.

And, I wouldn't miss to mention how adorable Yoo Jin-goo and Kim Yoo-jung is as the young version of our leads. They are so cute that I'm pinching their cheeks while watching it. :) I want to watch Han Yoo-joo and Lee Jun-ki together again to live an alternate life that is sweet and breezy.

Rewatch Value
I don't mind watching it again. Though sageuks really are a bit of a challenge.

Overall
I'm not really fond of historical dramas but I always tune in to Lee Jun-ki's. This one did not magically enchant me to love it but I felt compelled to watch every single episode and invested on how he will achieve his goals as Iljimae while keeping the people he loves safe.

Leia Mais

If you are looking for a romantic series, then look elsewhere because this series is not it. But though there's not much story about love on this series it was covered by the love of family and the action scenes.

I already watched The Return of Iljimae by Jung Il-woo (who I also admire so much), though the story is different, I still love both.

This series melts my heart and really made me much more in love with Joon Gi! Though there are scenes that are kind'a dragging, I still love every thing about this series.

I love it that the young Joon Gi and young Hyu Joo are played by Jin-goo and Yoo-jung which played the young antagonists in Moon Embracing the Sun (a series the I also loved so much - and they are so much younger here!), and the way the young and the adults acted are superb!

Leia Mais

Iljimae (2008) - Lee Jun Ki, Park Shi Hoo and HAN HYO JOO - ok the cast itself speakes volume already of what is to come.

My time and effort in watching this drama was not wasted. I didn't like historical dramas before and for sure I just watch this one because of the cast. But I did started opening my heart for historical dramas because of this one as well. The story is well written considering that it's not really romance-centric but more on the Melo plus thriller/action genre which I also like. Iljimae may be a 2008 drama, but one of the best historical dramas that is still worth watching even up this time.

Leia Mais