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The 2008 Korean television series starring Lee Joon-Ki as Na Yong/Yi Gyeom/Iljimae, Park Si-Hoo as Na Cha-Dol/Byun Si-Hoo, Han Hyo-Joo as Byun Eun-Chae, and Lee Young-Ah as Bong-Soon. Also known as “Iljimae: The Phantom Thief.”
Brief summary: Yi Gyeom’s world is turned upside down when his father is framed for treason by unknown foes. He loses his family, but in an accident also loses his memories. A petty thief and his wife adopt the boy out of pity, but he is destined to become a people’s hero.
This drama was great! I have a lot of good things to say.
It’s easy to like this drama because the cast is obviously so involved with the story (I really believe that nearly ALL the characters can be considered main characters because they are all so influential) and the story is one that gives you a feeling of victory whenever Iljimae succeeds. The first part of the drama sets up his tragic backstory, but the majority of the drama is centered around Iljimae’s triumphs, secret, and overall mission.
As the public in the drama becomes fans of Iljimae, we find ourselves fanning over his tactics too! Lee Joon-Ki played this role very well. As for the character, he surprised me. I’m not sure what I was expecting out of Yong, but it sure wasn’t the goofy boy that the screen entertained. This became one the elements of the plot progression that I really liked. As Iljimae’s work escalates and time passes, Yong turns from the lighthearted delinquent into a seasoned hero. It starts to hurt, watching him behave happy and careless by day but then become the broken-hearted yet vicious Iljimae by night. To be so emotionally scarred but keep up such a charade...
This plot was so full of oh-snap and oh-no-he-didn’t moments that it was on fire!
But a couple things I noticed:
1. The romance line in this drama really isn’t strong. I was expecting more because we were introduced to Byun Eun-Chae from the very beginning. She proved useful to the story sometimes, but I didn’t ship her and Yong. Bong-Soon was much more useful to him. But neither ship seemed to sail by the end, anyway.
2. Iljimae learned how to get over a lot of stupid decisions, but I think giving himself armor was one of the worst that he never really learned from. Especially because he made the armor after he’d been robbing for a while. I should think that anyone, even Yong, would realize that armor makes noise! It’s not exactly complimentary to the occupation of a PHANTOM THIEF. I can understand the desire for protection doing a dangerous job wherein a lot of people want to stab you with swords, but really.
3. The production and effects are a little dated. Although this did not affect what I thought of the drama, it is noticeable.
This drama is also the earliest co-starring of Yeo Jin-Goo and Kim Yoo-Jung that I’ve seen yet! These kids were so cute!
If there was one couple I shipped in this drama, it would definitely be Na Swe-Dol and Dan-Yi. I rooted for them to the very end! Swe-Dol seemed to be the perfect family man, although maybe we took him for granted at the beginning (he made my heart cry a little). Dan-Yi is probably the character of whom my perspective changed the most. She seemed so cold that anyone could freeze from sitting next to her, but the more we watch her the more we understand and like her. She really did care for her children, adopted or otherwise. She loved the man who called himself her husband, too. Dan-Yi had just been injured by her own feelings too often to handle them carelessly. I think it’s interesting, though, that by the finale of the drama I considered HER Yong’s mother, although his biological mother was never far away.
The ending both pleased and disappointed. I was pleased that most of the characters seemed happily situation; Slick settled down, Si-Hoo found a happy country-side job teaching martial arts, Gong-Gal and Bong-Soon live, and Yong’s biological mother is no longer wandering. There were some things, though, that I felt should have been addressed before the final episode made its final scene. 1) We don’t know how Yong survived. I really thought he was going to die! 2) There is no cliche heart-rending reunion scene between Yong and his biological mother other than what we saw when Yong was headed into the palace. 3) The fate of the king. Although the kind appears rightfully paranoid after a year, I think I’d have liked the ending better if he was disposed of. 4) I liked how the beginning scene of episode 1 was reintroduced at the end of the drama, but what was Iljimae doing there anyways? Was it really just to scare the king further? No loot or anything? 4) Eun-Chae’s influence is too weak for that OTP to happen by the end.
And yet, I really liked this one! Classic, fun, and an overall great drama! 5/5 stars.
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