First Impressions - Joseon Gunman

Look at that poster. It's beautiful. If that alone doesn't make you want to watch this, that fact that it stars Lee Min Ki should. I'm also a bit of a sucker for fusion saguks, especially ones that look like they will be extremely visually pleasing, which most of them are. I'm also excited for when Lee Joon Ki ditches his sword and his high born clothes for the outfit above. He is pretty awesome with a sword though.......and a fan, but that's in the past. 

This story takes place right at the time when Joseon is switching from the sword to the gun and there is a lot of backlash from this sudden change in weapons. Because this is a sageuk, there are two conflicting sides in the hierarchy of the society, one that is pro guns (kaehwa) and progression and the side that is no so keen on the idea (sugu). Unfortunately, the sugus have more power and the kaehwa scholars begin to be taken out by a mysterious gunman. I find this ironic since the side that doesn't want the guns are using them to progress their diabolical ways.  

The man that appears to be the head of the sugu operation is this man, Jan Di's dad. 

  

No matter what this man does or has done, he will always be Jan Di's dad to me. The thing is, everything that I have seen him in, he is always this nasty skeeze ball and that gives me conflicted emotions because, as I said, he's Jan Di's dad. He is in a lot of saguk's too so I feel that I should just assume that he is going to be the sucky character in every one I watch.

Even though whenever he's on screen, the plot immediately turns sinister, everything else has been rather light and fun, too bad that isn't going to last forever. Something bad is going to happen that will makes Lee Joon Ki pick up and gun and I think that that thing is going to be the death of his father. That is normally why people go complete 180 isn't it? To avenge something?

What I think is going to happen is his dad get's shot and he knows that he won't be able to defeat his father's murderer with his sword alone so he leaves behind his life as a high born to live in the woods in his sexy rebel outfit in order to hone his skills to avenge his dad. If that is what is going to happen, as you can see, it's nothing new, but that doesn't mean that it can't be done well. Most dramas are recycled stories though, let's be honest. Heck, life is one gigantic recycled story. Audre Lorde did say, "There are no new ideas. Only new ways of making them felt." Are you feeling smarter now with a new quote under your belt? I am because I got to use it.

Let me take off my nerd glasses now and hit on one more thing, our main couple.

The first time we meet our girl she is in secret girl mode and you know how much I love secret girls. I heard that seven years ago these two were in a drama together so the people who have seen that are all excited about this pairing and I am excited to see if for the first time. From the episodes that I have seen so far, they seem to have a good dynamic and they work off each other well.

It also looks like our romance is going to blossom sooner rather than later too. The problem with that could be that instead of an action and revenge plot, it could get dragged down and become some pinning mopey nonsense. That is what kind of happened to The Gu Family Book and while that drama was okay (expect the last ten minute that I refuse to believe ever happened) it could have been better without so much romance.

So, yes! I am enjoying the two episodes I have watched and hope that it continues to be good!

My goal for next week is to finish Gap Dong which is amazing, just for your information. Hopefully the end can tie it all together in a non sucky way. I have faith in you drama writers!

~ Alora