Mister Romantic
USA
Historical life of Iljimae
What starts off as an exciting scene in modern Seoul turns into a historical drama and draws you into this unique story. You spend the entire drama waiting for it to switch back to modern times but it doesn’t, until the last minute of the final episode. I felt tricked into watching something that wasn’t there. The story flows well but the plot is a mixture of eternal loneliness and a macabre tragedy. The characters, some of them strange, are the real makeup of this drama. Some of them are annoying. The beggar who found Iljimae as a baby and claims to have raised him got on my nerves midway through the drama. All he did was whine and complain. He overacted but I think it was supposed to be funny, it fell short. The sideways man was amusing at first but his little squeal soon became fingernails across a chalk board. At times he sounded like Chewbacca from Star Wars.
The lieutenant who fell in love, at first sight with Iljimae’s mother, was a main character that spent the entire drama in a state of morose. He was ultimately responsible for getting Dal executed, although the story kind of left that part out. Something about his character never quite rang well with me. Maybe it was his constant state of depression.
Iljimae, played by Jung Il Woo, was a good fit for the part. However, his character was just not quite the big hero they tried to make him out to be. Although he seemed to be on the side of good, he treated every woman around him with distain. Even Wol Hee, his final girlfriend he treated like a piece of furniture. Why she waited for him I will never understand. It didn’t feel like love, ever.
Iljimae’s mother was a breath of fresh air throughout the entire drama. Jung Hye Young was beautiful as Baek Mae and was the foundation of the entire drama in my opinion.
Yoon Jin Seo was great in her portrayal of Wol Hee. She was charming and giving and strong when she had to be. Her loyalty and dedication to Iljimae was beyond amazing. I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between them because he never stayed around long enough to form any real kind of relationship. She waited nine years for him the final time. Who does that? Maybe as a single mother in historical times there are few options. Instead of feeling sweet and heart wrenching the long awaited for meeting felt awkward.
The drama kept me watching because it had a lot of exciting parts. Sadly romance wasn’t one of them.
The lieutenant who fell in love, at first sight with Iljimae’s mother, was a main character that spent the entire drama in a state of morose. He was ultimately responsible for getting Dal executed, although the story kind of left that part out. Something about his character never quite rang well with me. Maybe it was his constant state of depression.
Iljimae, played by Jung Il Woo, was a good fit for the part. However, his character was just not quite the big hero they tried to make him out to be. Although he seemed to be on the side of good, he treated every woman around him with distain. Even Wol Hee, his final girlfriend he treated like a piece of furniture. Why she waited for him I will never understand. It didn’t feel like love, ever.
Iljimae’s mother was a breath of fresh air throughout the entire drama. Jung Hye Young was beautiful as Baek Mae and was the foundation of the entire drama in my opinion.
Yoon Jin Seo was great in her portrayal of Wol Hee. She was charming and giving and strong when she had to be. Her loyalty and dedication to Iljimae was beyond amazing. I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between them because he never stayed around long enough to form any real kind of relationship. She waited nine years for him the final time. Who does that? Maybe as a single mother in historical times there are few options. Instead of feeling sweet and heart wrenching the long awaited for meeting felt awkward.
The drama kept me watching because it had a lot of exciting parts. Sadly romance wasn’t one of them.
Was this review helpful to you?
