#Jeong Seon

[huariqueje]

Forest of Nut Pines   -   Jeong Seon

Korean ,  1676 - 1759

Light colour on silk , 24.9 x 32 cm.

[k-star-holic]

Come on, Doona! ⁇

[commajade]

금강 전도 - 정선 / Geumgang Jeondo by Jeong Seon / General View of Mt. Geumgang (1734)

[artesplorando]

Jeong Seon - Veduta completa delle montagne dei diamanti | storia dell'a...

[ryoun]

how much do you like me?

[dangermousie]

Pre-Joseon Sageuks: a Biased and Incomplete List

So, as promised way earlier, a post on pre-Joseon sageuks that I’ve either watched or plan to watch so am aware of them. I am sure there are others but here is what I got. Obviously my takes on them are subjective blah blah blah.

Jumong - arguably the Daddy of all Traditional Sageuks, this one ran for over 80 episodes and had insane ratings. It follows the rise of the mythical founder of Gogureyo tho it takes fantastical elements of his story and changes them for historically plausible ones. It’s very long and very meaty and politics/battle heavy and has a large cast of complex characters (including pretty nifty women and a LGBTQ supporting OTP) but it is anchored by the incredible performance of Song Il Gook as the titular character as he slowly but believably grows from nothing to a hero if at the cost of losing his marriage.

The King of Tears Lee Bang Won - this is basically a half and half beast as (you can tell by the title), it’s set in the last days of Goryeo and early days of Joseon. The time period covered is the same as in My Country and Six Flying Dragons, but this is the most traditional take of them all, even more so than 6FD. Not a single pretty face in the cast (tho Joo Sang Wook is a mighty fine man, emphasis on “man”), this is for the real fans of traditional sageuks. I enjoyed it a lot but if you want to check out pre-Joseon sageuks but have mainly watched youth sageuk stuff before, you should probably start with another drama on this list.

The Great Seer - set in the reign of King Gongmin, the last proper king of Goryeo (his son King U is technically the very last but there are questions as to his status), this is for those of you who want to watch Ji Sang in a sageuk. It’s centered around seers but don’t expect mysticism, this knuckles down to politics.

Shin Don - hi there, another story set in the reign of King Gongmin! From the title, you can tel it centers heavily on the powerful monk who ruled for the King at one point. This has been on my to-watch list forever because this appears to devote a decent chunk of its time to Gongmin X Noguk and I am dying for a proper drama for those two. This is from 2005 so if you do watch, keep that in mind in terms of visuals etc. That cast is lit!

Bicheonmu - this is sort of cheating because it’s pretty much set in China but it involves Koreans so. It’s a drama take on the same story told in a pretty awesome movie. Tragic love, battles, young Joo Jin Moo etc. i am very fond of it. This said, find and watch the Chinese version, Korean one was shredded.

The Iron Empress/Empress Cheon Chu - set in Goryeo, this was another of women ruler centric dramas that had a mini popularity peak in late 00s/early 10s (a trend I wish continued.) it got overshadowed by Queen Seonduk but by all accounts is a solid drama. It’s on my list but I haven’t watched it yet.

The King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang - by the writer of The Rebel and My Dearest. Have I got your attention? Another woman centric ruler tale set in Baekje. Yes, there is a love story. That cast is great, to boot. I have started and liked what I’ve seen but got sidetracked. Need to get back to it. Before you look at the ep number and faint seeing the number 108, keep in mind that the eps are half an hour long so it’s an equivalent of a normal 54 ep sageuk so if you can watch eg Empress Ki, you are good with this.

My Country: The New Age - Lee Bang Won but make it gay. OK, I kid, sort of (not really) but this is smart and passionate and heartbreaking. If you want a wide scope or lots of politics, probably not a take for you (Six Flying Dragons is RIGHT there), but if you want an intense, emotional tale, come right in!

Six Flying Dragons - to me, this is THE drama about Lee Bang Won. It’s smart and emotional, deals with politics and has heart. It has a large cast of characters I got invested in, OTPs that will blow your mind etc etc.

Faith/The Great Doctor - if you are a fan of old school shoujo like Red River, Basara or Fushigi Yuugi, this or Moon Lovers are your best bet on this list. A time traveling tale with other fantasy elements about a modern day plastic surgeon who ends up being kidnapped into Goryeo during the early days of King Gongmin’s (hi!) reign by a tormented, oath bound warrior played by Lee Min Ho at his hottest (and playing historical General Choi Young. Do RPS at your pleasure), this one is one of my all time favorites.

Seodonyo/Ballad of Seo Dong - I am actually currently watching this one tho I haven’t been posting about it. Set in both Baekje and Silla, this is an angsty love story with a side of politics. It’s filmed in 2005 and looks accordingly but if you don’t mind dated visuals, this is pretty great!

Emperor of the Sea - set in Silla and Tang, this was a huge hit and deservedly so. Our protag is a slave and gladiator and a great naval hero. This is grim and smart and epic. It’s from 2004 so once again, if dated visuals are no-go, skip, but if you want a great story and performances, this has your name on it.

The Kingdom of the Winds - an epic cursed prince narrative, our ML (Song Il Gook at his sexiest) rises from abandoned prince and slave and abused assassin to general, royal and king, sparing time for an angsty delicious love story with an enemy princess. This has serious sageuk bits AND the best shoujo tropes in the business, plus enough whump to keep anyone happy.

Gye Baek - Lee Seo Jin, another sageuk stalwart, stars as the title character in this tale of a Baekje commoner, war slave and general. This is grim but glorious.

Soldier/God of War - this is a traditional war-centric sageuk and grim as hell. Another slave to general tale.

King Geun Chu Go - this is on my watch list; it’s about a warrior king of Baekje. Haven’t seen it but heard good things.

Ja Myung Go - smart and unrelentingly tragic, featuring Jang Ryeo Won and Jung Kyung Ho as doomed lovers and Park Min Young in an evil role, this is great and has deeply flawed characters in the very definition of doomed by the narrative tale.

Arthdal Chronicles - this is obviously a fantasy but the tale of prophesied twins, magical priestess, wars and mysticism is clearly set in a pre-Joseon in terms of aesthetics world.

Alchemy of Souls - like Arthdal this is pure fantasy but also like Arthdal, a lot of its styling is pre-Joseon so on this list it goes.

Moon Lovers/Scarlet Heart Ryeo - ok I think if people have heard of only one drama on this very long list, it’s probably this one. Modern time traveling heroine ending up during the reign of Goryeo’s King Taejo, in the middle of his sons’ fight for the throne, having an epic but doomed romance with shoujo catnip tortured bad boy Lee Jun Ki.

Shine or Go Crazy - if you want a more historical take on Moon Lovers succession fight but still with plenty of hotness, angst and doomed romance, come right in. This baby stars Jang Hyuk, so you know it’s bound to be good. I actually started it and enjoyed it but got sidetracked. Need to get back to it. Fun fact: while Moon Lovers was hugely popular internationally, domestically Shine or Go Crazy (they aired around the same time), did much better.

The Legend/The First King’s Four Gods - for a long time this was my favorite kdrama of all time and is still probably in my top 10. Ignore the odd first episode, the rest is perfection. Expensive and wonderfully written, this was Bae Yong Joon’s last drama before he retired to rest on his pile of money (if you are young, you probably don’t remember what a big deal he was, bigger than all the Hallyu stars nowadays put together. He basically was singlehandedly supporting the kdrama industry at one point), but what a worthy way to go out. It’s an epic Goguryeo fantasy tale of a prophesied prince coming into his own, with such amazing characters and relationships and OTPs and battles and points about destiny versus free will. It is everything and I kinda want to rewatch now.

The Blade and The Petal/Sword and Flower - ostensibly a star-crossed Gogureyo love story, this really is more about politics. It’s a mixed bag. The visuals are insane but Uhm Tae Woong, while always solid in modern dramas, is out of place in a sageuk (in QSD Kim Nam Gil stole his thunder; there is nobody to do so here but that doesn’t help him.)

Queen Seon Duk - probably the most famous entrant into female power sageuks, this was a mad hit and centered on the titular character’s rise to power and fight for the same with her female nemesis Mishil. If you want love stories, angsty fighter Bidam propelled Kim Nam Gil to stardom as he stole the leading man mantle from Uhm Tae Woong.

Empress Ki - currently rewatching this. It’s set in the waning days of Goryeo but takes place mainly in Yuan. Still, the FL is Korean and a lot of the story revolves around one of her suitors’, a deposed Korean king, attempts to get his land back. As you can tell by my rabid posts, this is a great drama - politics, romance (I ship FL and the Yuan emperor like mad), murder, dysfunction and everything good.

Hwarang - it’s so brain dead it might as well be a brain-eating amoeba in drama form but it did give us both Park Hyung Sik and Park Seo Joon before they made it big in drama world. It’s terrible tho, stay away.

River where the Moon Rises - I have such a love/hate relationship with this drama - I loved the beginning, with our tormented assassin heroine slowly being warmed by the loyal rustic ML with his own trauma. And then Ji Soo’s bullying scandal happened and he was replaced by Na In Woo, aka the actor I like least from any country in all my close to two decades of watching dramas. I tried but I simply couldn’t and I am still mad. This said, if you don’t share my NIW allergy, it’s probably worth a watch.

The Great King’s Dream - if you liked QSD and can’t get enough of the period but want an even more traditional tale, you can do worse than this drama. I liked what I saw but this baby is 70 eps and lacks Bidam so I peaced out. Maybe I will get back to it sometime, but probably not.

Jeong Do Jeon - as you can tell by the title, centers on JDJ and the last days of Goryeo. Not really my bag (time period been done plenty in other dramas and I don’t have that much interest in JDJ) but supposed to be solid.

My Only Love Song - a short silly mess but still probably better than River (which tells the same story) because it doesn’t have NIW.

King Gwanggaeto the Great - 92 eps. I can’t!

The King Loves - delicious love triangle (that goes ALL ways), angst, prettiness, a side of bodyguard romance. What’s not to love in this Goryeo tale?

ETA: this post was so long that when I tried to tag every drama I mentioned, tumblr told me you hit the tag limit of 30 tags no more tags for you. Oh well, sorry dramas that ended up I tagged!

[stuff-diary]

Hierarchy

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2024

Hierarchy (2024, South Korea)

Director: Bae Hyeon Jin

Writer: Chu Hye Mi

Mini-review:

Oof, what a disappointment. I feel like this wanted to be one of those transgressive teen shows we get in the West, but then it didn't have the guts to go all the way and ended up being like any other kdrama about the rich and the poor. And even then, it's just not good at that either. The writing leaves a lot to be desired, and it gets more boring with every episode. The acting is also all over the place; some of the actors do a solid job, but most of them are mediocre or downright terrible. Tbh, there are two things that save this drama from disaster: firstly, the director adds a lot of style and flair to the proceedings; secondly, sometimes it's fun to see a bunch of super pretty people all together in one place. But still, there are a lot of shows where you can find those things with much better quality. I wouldn't recommend Hierarchy, unless you really love someone in the cast...

[owl-at-home-28]

Just read Traces of Sun and wanted to come here say that I love it !!

It's so good especially the way it handles relationships, trauma and character developments like damn I genuinely cried in like nearly a year , not many books can make me tear up but this one really played with the feels . It's just a really good read ! Very well written and love the way characters develop and the author works with mental health subjects , it's just done well and it has a hopeful happy ending !!

This book was just something I need right now !!

Just an age warning:

this manhwa deals with dark and heavy, just mainly mature stuff , please be over at least 17 while reading it ! Things get pretty heavy there's also a scene of an attempt so yah take care of your mental health !!

Trigger Warning:

depression, suicide ideation, suicidal thoughts , self injury , child abuse , c-ptsd and trauma things including panic attacks , flashbacks , problems with relationships (platonic and romantic) etc . there's a lot .. it's pretty heavy in the that aspect

Plot summary by a unprofessional:

it's a dungeon type manhwa with bl or shonen ai as canon , very cute relationship, even when ml feels like a red flag I insist keep going this emotionally repressed and traumatized man turns out to be a big BIG Green flag .

The MC is just amazing his journey with mental health, suicide ideation and thoughts , survival guilt (with loosing loving amazing friends) and c-ptsd are beautifully depicted with the story progression .

I think I personally love the end where it's " I'm not better yet but I will get there someday with this amazing new friends/family I have found ".

Though I wouldn't recommend it for people who only read dungeon , hunter type manhwa for action alone .. it definitely has its badass moments but not something the plot focuses on it's main focus is around its people and their journey focusing a lot on mental health aspects , also has suspense and cliffhanger moments . Would definitely recommend it if you like manhwa like :

S class that I raised , trash of count family, regressor instructions manual , etc though there's way less occurrence of mc plotting things , and no time travel or regression going on , but the characters hold similar complexities in nature and development, it's different but good ! Also a good and small read for people who like mdzs and tgcf .

Trigger Warning again I guess and plot point : just a reminder this deals heavily around suicide, thoughts and ideation .

If you're looking for Bl, angst with happy ending, especially around the suicidal thoughts, ideation , attempt(albeit a little doubtful one) with hopeful end !

I would highly recommend

P.S specially wanted mention to these amazing friends who die. cause there's a chapter that had a choke hold on my feels for a while ! This chapter was definitely something I didn't know I needed in my life until I found it !!

[greysasquatchhh]

final week of tjfh & these are my predictions for the ending:

1. bitna is under satan’s illusion… or she goes in and out of reality and illusion. that scene of bael is definitely satan in disguise.

2. the one who wants to kill justitia is the spirit of og kang bitna who escaped hell as shown in the earlier episodes.

3. maybe her dying as shown in the preview is also a part of her elaborate nightmare.

4. justitia keeps a condition in front of bael that she would go back to hell only if he revives kim so yeong & og kang bitna as they both were unfairly killed (how things were before she came to earth minus the existence of jeong taegyu & jeong seonho). maybe a manipulated reality where they are able to punish the killer without those two dying. that would also mean justitia’s memories are erased from daon’s mind (& every human she interacted with). This would be a bittersweet ending.

5. pls let them share a final passionate and teary goodbye kiss 😭

[faraige]

Forever grateful at Doctor Slump for having a character like Ba-da not letting the main characters beat around the bush and just being a lil shit gremlin overall, barreling into Yeo Jeong-woo's like "look, we both know my sister is a loser, so much of a loser that she asked all our family how to know if you were dating, but still, please date my loser sister and sign a document to make sure you're not going back on your word" and to his mother "Ha-neul not only was the one to steal your iron but she must be the woman you saw in Mr. Rooftop's bed. Also I'm gonna try to extort everyone for money to take the girl I like on dates." I'm in awe at his chaotic energy.

[huariqueje]

Overview of Mt. Geumgang in Autumn   -   Jeong Seon , 1740.

Korean ,  1676 - 1759

Ink and light colors on paper,   100 × 73.8 cm     39 × 29.1 in

[k-star-holic]

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938' Lee Dong-wook recovers body taken...Jung Sun-chul dies

[frances-and-the-moon]

"Seonsaengnim?" "Yes" "I think he hasn't been tamed enough".

[somedayillbepeterpan]

well, that was that

And Chiyeol’s signature kick came in handy.

[nofatclips]

Chukje (Festival) - dir. Im Kwon-taek (1996)

Full movie available on Korean Classic Films YouTube channel

[dreamsandstars24]

The uncanny counter season 2

WHEN I TELL YOU THAT I GASPED WHEN I SAW KANG KI-YOUNG I AM NOT JOKING 

HE WENT FROM “Excuse me, can you please kneel?”

To “Kneel. Now.”

I feel offended that they kept this from me. I do. Another man who is older than me and already has my heart. 

AND HIS EVIL ERA!!!!! I AM HERE FOR IT!!!!

But honestly, it should be illegal for all of them to look this good. 

I need a lot of hobi water in order to continue watching this.