I’m sad to see all the negativity in the comments. I have been enjoying this season more than season 1 overall, despite the plot holes. I see people saying how the romance has ‘neutered’ Lee Rang, and that honestly really irritates me. I think that his character arc this season has been just as good as season 1, and this time without the additional emotional damage that Yeon dealt to him in 2020.
Still hoping that Season 2 doesn't end on a big cliffhanger. Didn't LDW recently say in a interview that Season…
One idea for season 3 that I've had is that if Yeo Hee dies (which I really, really don't want to happen, but I don't trust the writers at all), then 1938 Lee Rang agrees to go with Yeon through the time gateway. However, instead of arriving in the present, they appear further in the past.
Yeon & Rang (Rang being half) have Nine Tailed Gumiho's blood which is a more rare special powerful kind of Gumiho.…
Small correction to your explanation - the definition of "gumiho" is "nine-tailed fox", so Shin Ju, Yeon, Rang, and Yuri are all nine-tailed foxes. They all have the ability to hypnotize people (we've seen Yeon, Rang, and Yuri do it), but they seem to each have their own special abilities as well. We know Yeon's special ability is weather manipulation and summoning divine lightning, while Shin Ju's is communicating to animals. As to why Yeon almost never uses his powers, it's honestly just poor writing IMO. I was constantly disappointed in S1 that Yeon really didn't do much "gumiho" stuff. He used lightning ONCE that I remember, and that was on a human shaman.
I'm not super well read on this, but I have read a couple articles and one book over the last few years on the…
I hope that you don't think that by my pointing out that representatives of the Japanese government have denied war crimes perpetrated by their soldiers that I am defending the South Korean government's silence regarding their own war crimes. That's not what I was trying to say at all. I was just trying to say that the dispute between Japan and SK won't be easily solved because it's both a political issue between the two governments and a personal issue for the victims who are still alive and feel that they have not received a sincere apology. And when has any government ever sincerely apologized for anything, ever? I sympathize for the victims, that's all. Politics ruin everything.
From the ep preview, and pictures posted by Kim Bum on Instagram, we can assume that at the very least she gets captured, and Rang does as well (presumably while looking for her). If she dies, we can all send angry letters to the writer and director of the drama.
The preview for ep 11 worries me, because I felt that doom has been looming ever since the romance began in ep 2. All I can say is, Yeo Hee better not die! Rang deserves happiness, and he's finally found it with her and is fighting for her, so the writers better not disappoint me again by killing her off in the finale.
As far as what I liked, they really leaned into the horror aspect this episode! The Yachas reminded me of the clickers from The Last of Us, fast and rabid, and reacting to sound. I am also relieved there was more to the hypnotist conman sidekick than was first apparent in episode 9, because that side plot just seemed so random initially. Really my only complaint is that Episode 10 was the shortest of the series so far, clocking in at just over an hour. Why so short?
I'm surprised to hear Japan apologized and sends money to SK. Do you have a link to more information because I'd…
@ lilili Here's a couple more articles from BBC, one from 2019 and the other from this year, as well as another one from The Diplomat, which is an interesting read.
I wonder if it was needed to put a fantasy story during this specific period, my guess its only to spread hate…
I'm not super well read on this, but I have read a couple articles and one book over the last few years on the reasons for this tension between Korea and Japan, and I did want to mention something. From what I've read, Japanese schools teach their students extremely little about all the horrible stuff that happened during Japanese colonialism (the comfort women, the massacres, forced labor, etc), while the countries that were invaded (I think very reasonably) focus on it a lot, considering they were the victims. Therefore, it's not surprising that young Japanese people are confused and upset by the portrayal of Japanese in Korean and Chinese media - because they were given an extremely watered down version of history.
As for the whole apology thing - as far as I know, the big issue is that South Korea wants the Japanese government to acknowledge that their soldiers kidnapped and r*ped Korean women and girls, while the Japanese government claims that they were already prostitutes. Also, and I'm remembering this relatively vaguely from what I read, but the Japanese government also honors some of the officers who are considered war criminals. It's an issue of deep-seated national resentment that is likely never to go away.
I will also note that individual Koreans and Japanese people typically get along. Like, if a Korean goes to Japan, there typically won't be any hostility. And vice versa if a Japanese person goes to Korea. I think those individuals still living who experienced and remember what happened during the Japanese occupation are the ones who most resist reconciliation. And there aren't many of those people left anymore, which makes it all the more important for current generations to remember the truth of the past, and not let it get buried.
The general populace of South Korea, however, does not hold animosity towards Japanese people. It's just that the Japanese government is trying to downplay what they did by essentially whitewashing their own history, while Korea and China won't let them forget.
I'm not here to say Korea is right or wrong in how they portray Japanese people in their media. I've seen at least a few K-shows where there's a Japanese character (played by a Japanese actor) portrayed in a positive way. I'm just saying that there's two sides to every story, especially when it comes to history.
Edit: I just read the last part of your comment about having grown up in Korea. I guess most of what I said is not really new information, and you're probably more well informed on this than I am.
Edit #2: I changed what I said about just the Korean government disliking the Japanese government. In truth, the SK government is currently trying to mend fences with Japan, but there are still living survivors/victims of the Japanese occupation who protest any sort of "deal" that takes it easy on Japan because they want a full admission of guilt from the Japanese government, which I doubt they will ever receive due to political reasons. Let me tell you, to the people who suffered during those years, there's a huge difference between the Japanese government saying "we are regretful and remorseful", and them admitting specific details about exactly what they are regretful and remorseful for.
True, but they bothered to explain that Moo Young was turned to stone for all those years and was somehow revived in the present. They never explained if Hong Joo was alive in the future or not.
I'm assuming they're saying that because Hong Joo doesn't seem to be around in season 1, but that's not really a reason, since she technically didn't exist until the writers created her for season 2. The same reasoning could be used for Yeo Hee, in that case. I am not going to be at all surprised if the writers kill Yeo Hee. If they are trying to keep continuity with season 1 and not change the future, then Rang is canonically without a first love to protect in 2020, which means she dies. Of course, I would LOVE for this to not be true, but I don't trust the writers at all.
Admittedly, episode 9 was kinda all over the place. A lot of things happened without a lot of inter-connection, and some things like the hypnosis conmen side plot, I feel like they were included to pad runtime and add humor, and while it was funny, the way the episode focused on them I thought they would be more important than they actually were. But I did like every scene with Rang and Yeon, and Rang and Yeo Hee. I wish the writers would show Yeon (and, to a lesser extent, Hong Joo) being more upset about Moo Yeong unleashing a flesh-hungry demon on innocent people, but at this point I've just accepted that the writers will never live up to my expectations.
That scene at the beach was so beautiful and painful at the same time. Rang and Yeo Hee are so happy and making plans for the future, and all I can think about is how the writers are 100% going to take it all away...
Just a thought: Do you think perhaps Moo Young's Brother tried to kill Moo Young because he couldn't become a…
I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever revived Woo Young in the future is going to be the big bad of season 3, because I think Yako is supposed to be the main villain this season.
But more importantly, will Yeon warn Rang about his contract with Imoogi’s servant and what will happen in the future? Rang now knows he will die to resurrect his brother, but he doesn’t know any of the other important details.
did anyone else find it uncomfortable that she wanted to marry him off and even start a family (have kids?) while…
I think part of it is that she's very traditional. Arranged marriages still happen in Korea, most commonly in rural communities like the one she lives in. In her mind, she needs to provide her son with a future, and family is a huge part of that. She wants him to have a family, not just a friend. I can sympathize with her desire, though I can't really totally agree with her.
The car crash in the flashback scene in ep 15 is so over the top I couldn't take it seriously, it actually made me laugh even though I was supposed to feel really sad. But really? The car gets hit by another car with a sleeping driver, then catches on fire, then gets hit by the truck of doom, then BLOWS UP?
I think she didn't met him before like he was a bandit and couldn't have come across the mermaid if Lee Yeon hadn't…
I think the argument of whether or not Yeon's presence changes the future is a bit moot at this point, because everything that's happened in the S2 story so far makes it highly unlikely that past!Rang will change into his season 1 self. At this point Yeon has apologized to Rang and asked for forgiveness, and Rang knows at least part of his own future and his brother's, and seems at peace with it. S1 Rang, full of anger and bitterness at Yeon for abandoning him, doesn't make sense unless he forgets everything that happened while Yeon is in 1938 - which is such a cheap and lazy way for the writers to negate all the character development we've been getting over this season. The only thing they haven't addressed at this point, and I'm not sure that they will even though they really ought to, is Rang's debt to Imoogi's servant. That's still in play in 1938, and Yeon really ought to warn Rang about that.
As to why Yeon almost never uses his powers, it's honestly just poor writing IMO. I was constantly disappointed in S1 that Yeon really didn't do much "gumiho" stuff. He used lightning ONCE that I remember, and that was on a human shaman.
Kim Bum's post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs-xltqSiNu/
As far as what I liked, they really leaned into the horror aspect this episode! The Yachas reminded me of the clickers from The Last of Us, fast and rabid, and reacting to sound. I am also relieved there was more to the hypnotist conman sidekick than was first apparent in episode 9, because that side plot just seemed so random initially. Really my only complaint is that Episode 10 was the shortest of the series so far, clocking in at just over an hour. Why so short?
Obituary: Kim Bok-dong, the South Korean 'comfort woman'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47042684
South Korea to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labour
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64858944
Why Won’t Japan Apologize in a Way That Satisfies South Korea?
https://thediplomat.com/2023/05/why-wont-japan-apologize-in-a-way-that-satisfies-south-korea/
Apology Politics: Japan and South Korea's Dispute Over Comfort Women
https://journals.library.cornell.edu/index.php/tcd/article/view/579/580
As for the whole apology thing - as far as I know, the big issue is that South Korea wants the Japanese government to acknowledge that their soldiers kidnapped and r*ped Korean women and girls, while the Japanese government claims that they were already prostitutes. Also, and I'm remembering this relatively vaguely from what I read, but the Japanese government also honors some of the officers who are considered war criminals. It's an issue of deep-seated national resentment that is likely never to go away.
I will also note that individual Koreans and Japanese people typically get along. Like, if a Korean goes to Japan, there typically won't be any hostility. And vice versa if a Japanese person goes to Korea. I think those individuals still living who experienced and remember what happened during the Japanese occupation are the ones who most resist reconciliation. And there aren't many of those people left anymore, which makes it all the more important for current generations to remember the truth of the past, and not let it get buried.
The general populace of South Korea, however, does not hold animosity towards Japanese people. It's just that the Japanese government is trying to downplay what they did by essentially whitewashing their own history, while Korea and China won't let them forget.
I'm not here to say Korea is right or wrong in how they portray Japanese people in their media. I've seen at least a few K-shows where there's a Japanese character (played by a Japanese actor) portrayed in a positive way. I'm just saying that there's two sides to every story, especially when it comes to history.
Edit: I just read the last part of your comment about having grown up in Korea. I guess most of what I said is not really new information, and you're probably more well informed on this than I am.
Edit #2: I changed what I said about just the Korean government disliking the Japanese government. In truth, the SK government is currently trying to mend fences with Japan, but there are still living survivors/victims of the Japanese occupation who protest any sort of "deal" that takes it easy on Japan because they want a full admission of guilt from the Japanese government, which I doubt they will ever receive due to political reasons. Let me tell you, to the people who suffered during those years, there's a huge difference between the Japanese government saying "we are regretful and remorseful", and them admitting specific details about exactly what they are regretful and remorseful for.
I am not going to be at all surprised if the writers kill Yeo Hee. If they are trying to keep continuity with season 1 and not change the future, then Rang is canonically without a first love to protect in 2020, which means she dies. Of course, I would LOVE for this to not be true, but I don't trust the writers at all.
But more importantly, will Yeon warn Rang about his contract with Imoogi’s servant and what will happen in the future? Rang now knows he will die to resurrect his brother, but he doesn’t know any of the other important details.
The only thing they haven't addressed at this point, and I'm not sure that they will even though they really ought to, is Rang's debt to Imoogi's servant. That's still in play in 1938, and Yeon really ought to warn Rang about that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6FCSvp0YJo