❈ Korean Drama ❈ Ballad of Seodong/ Seodongyo

-
Title: Ballad of Seodong/ Seodongyo / Ballad of Suh Dong
# Episode: 55 Genre: Historical Romance
Director: Lee Byung Hoon  
Writer: Kim Young Hyun (also wrote Dae Jang Geum, Queen Seondeok)
Release: September 2005
Broadcasting Company: SBS
Cast: Jo Hyun Jae as Jang/Seodong, Lee Bo Young as Princess Sunhwa of Shilla,Ryu Jin as Kim Do Han/SaTaek Giroo, Koo Hye Sun as Eun Jin

Introduction:
Set during the Korea's Three Kingdoms period, this drama is loosely based on one of Korea's oldest folk songs. Jang was the illegitimate son of a Baekje king and a court dancer. He spent his childhood days selling sweet potatoes in the streets to help his mother earn a living and consequently earned the nickname Seodong or "potato boy." With the help of Princess Sunhwa, the youngest daughter of the King of the Shilla Kingdom, he went on to become the King of Baekje against all odds. (Partial credit to dramawiki)

This story isn't your typical poor boy falls in love with beautiful princess. It's actually the assertive princess who pursues the poor boy. The rational boy, however, tries to reject their growing feelings because he is keenly aware of the tragic consequences of their union. Jang isn't a lovesick boy who will do anything for love. He's actually very calm, albeit too idealistic, and quite subtly stoney in his approach to love. But once he makes a decision to love a woman, he ignores all temptations, remains adamantly devoted, and never wavers his heart.
Comment:
I think I'm undergoing some nostalgic phase in my drama watching career because I've been revisiting old dramas/movies I watched years ago instead of watching new ones. Ballad of Seodong remains one of my favorite Korean dramas even though production was rather budgeted. There is nothing fancy and no new plot devices to stimulate your brains. I love this drama solely for the purity of the love it depicted between Jang and Princess Sunhwa.  The first six episodes are dedicated to the childhood setup, but I personally didn't find the writing of the childhood "love" very convincing. Unlike Queen Seondeok and The Moon Embracing the Sun, which have an excellent child cast, the child actors and sometimes even the adult actors for Ballad of Seodong aren't cringe-proof. Despite its flaws and various historical inaccuracies that still bug me today, this drama manages to hold enough "odd magic" to make me rewatch it again and again.

Official MV "Joy" (sorry about the poor video quality. Couldn't find a better version)

Official MV of subtheme song "Hae-mil"
Download:
Resolution  640x352
Episode 1 || English Subtitles 
Episode 2 || English Subtitles
Episode 3 || English Subtitles
Episode 4 || English Subtitles
Episode 5 || English Subtitles
Episode 6 || English Subtitles
Episode 13 || English Subtitles
Episode 14 || English Subtitles
Episode 19 || English Subtitles

Total of 55 episodes for me to upload. I don't remember who put together the English subtitles, but if you find any errors, please let me know and I'll try to fix the subtitles.

Pretty screencaps attack!

Popular Posts

Understanding the final episode of Sealed with a Kiss

-
Image
Are you unsatisfied and frustrated with the final episode? Expected a happily ever after? Apparently, the scriptwriter succeeded in getting us all hooked onto this series for 28 episodes and suddenly bombarded us with a really CRAPPY open ending. My reaction when I first finished watching the final shot of Mo Shaoqian  walking lonely toward the police station was like this...   I so expected the last scene to be the novel's ending where Tong Xue cried at the airport, and not Shaoqian at the police station!  At minimum, I think they should have put Shaoqian's police station scene before Tong Xue's airport scene. Then show us Shaoqian at the airport watching Tong Xue's cries from a distance, as described in the epilogue. To cure my poorly frustrated mood, I rushed to reread the dreamily happy epilogue that the author wrote for Sealed with a Kiss novel. After reading various analyses by different viewers online and the scriptwriter's comments about the endin
Read more

Character Guide to Nirvana in Fire 2: Wind Blows in Changlin

-
Image
Like Nirvana in Fire I, Nirvana in Fire 2: Winds Blow in Changlin has a plethora of characters that are not strictly good or evil. In terms of story execution, the sequel can be split into three phases, each driven by one of the three leading male characters. The central figure of the first phase is Huang Xiaoming's Xiao Xiaozhang whose intelligence and political shrewdness are well exhibited from Episode 1 to 25. The second phase is led by Liu Haorang's Xiao Pingjing. Although Xiao Pingjing also figures prominently in the first phase, his moment to shine is actually from Episode 28 onward. The focal character of the last phase is undoubtedly the antihero, Wu Haochen's Xiao Yuanqi. His slow progression into darkness and moral conflict bring the story into a new climate. This drama is officially being subtitled by DramaFever and Viki. You should go check out the series if you want to watch something that is not cheesy and has substance. Xiao Pingjing 萧平旌 - Second Yo
Read more

Ru Yi: The drama that brought Hawick Lau and Yang Mi together

-
Image
I'm sure many of you have heard the surprised announcement on January 8th about Yang Mi and Hawick Lau admitting to their romantic relationship on Sina weibo.  Personally, I always wanted Yang Mi to hook up with her Gong co-star, Feng Shaofeng, but that's wishful thinking. Real life is totally different from onscreen pairing. Trivia : Yang Mi was actually the producers' first choice to play Tong Xue in Sealed with a Kiss. I think she was offered the role, but she turned it down to accept another project, Beijing Love Story. I remember during the casting phase, the casting decision for Tong Xue was announced last while it was publicized pretty early that Hawick Lau would play Mo Shaoqian. Thus, many fans speculated for a long time that Yang Mi was cast as Tong Xue. Before Sealed with a Kiss ever started shooting, fans actually created a MV with Hawick as Mo Shaoqian and Yang Mi as Tong Xue, using previous existing materials from their individual series. Now I come to think
Read more

Nirvana in Fire Character Profiles

-
Image
The political plotting and myrid of characters in Nirvana in Fire or Lang Ya Bang may get a little overwhelming for non-Chinese speakers. When I was first exposed to the story, I got drowned in the many names and relationships of the characters. I hope the character profiles will give you a better understanding of the story as well as the trailer. 
Read more

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel

-
Image
Title: Sealed with a Kiss Miniseries Sequel / Qian Shan Mu Xue / 千山暮雪续集 # Episode : 7 (~10 minute each) Release Date : 2/14/2012 Broadcasting Company : Sohu TV Cast :　Hawick Lau as Mo Shaoqian, Ying'er as Tong Xue, Li Zhinan as Song Yi, Zheng Zhenglong as Wen Hao, Wen Mengyang as Liu Yueying, Liu Kenan as Zhao Gaoxiang, Angelina Ma Wei as Lisa
Read more