Jang Ok Jung

After LOENENT released a MV for Dream On You I was captivated by those beautiful scenes of cherry blossoms and Korean History so I had to look into the drama! It's based in Joseon, a state in Korea between 1392 and 1897. It's a pinnacle point in Korean History not only for the great technological advancements but   it's traits from this era (etiquette, language, cultural norms, etc.) that have most influenced modern Korea. It is commonly used as the best example of traditional Korean culture and has become a somewhat romanticized time period. Much like the Victorian age for us Britons! Even better, the characters are based off real historical people! My knowledge does not extend far enough to tell you how historically accurate it is, but it does add a whole new level of realism.
Now you're probably wondering when I'm actually going to start reviewing! The answer is: right after this synopsis!
The series follows the dreadfully dramatic life of Jang Ok Jung and the complex life of royalty in the Joseon Dynasty. Jang Ok Jung loses her father and her mother is held as a slave. Jang Ok Jung is devoted to earning enough money to buy her mothers freedom by creating beautiful clothes for ladies to wear. But things to not go strictly to plan and with her mother at risk of being sent as a government slave who can't be bought back Jang Ok Jung has to enter the Palace as a court lady. Meanwhile we are given a thorough education on the political workings of the Joseon Dynasty and a peek at the corruption that comes with power.
There hasn't been many episodes released yet and I feel as though we've only now reached the actual plot and the rest was back story/introduction. I feel like the drama will really heat up now that Jang Ok Jung has entered the palace, or at least I hope so because otherwise this drama is going to turn out pretty boring! It's incredibly melodramatic, it's like watching a soap! However, I feel I can't say anything bad about the plot because it's based on elements of historical truth (even if I don't know what parts are the facts!). But one thing for certain is that the names and politics are hard to get your head around! There are a lot of characters and many of them hold multiple titles through the drama; even worse most are only given quick introductions!! But by episode six I am beginning to wrap my head round it. The only other complaint would be about how poorly paced it is. With flash backs and flash forwards being tossed about with no real note of time change; whole episodes devoted to scenic shots and random action scenes it's no surprise we've only now reached the real drama!!
But watching the first episode in particular I was stunned by the beauty of it all!! Mostly in Jang Ok Jung's fashion show where the outfits were absolutely stunning. The models were so graceful as well just to highlight the beauty, with their extravagant hair and gorgeous make-up! Moreover the whole thing was set during cherry blossom season, easily the most beautiful time of year and captured in stunning cinematography which showed nothing but excellence! Also in this episode were the old Korean instruments beautiful to see and hear. It was just so cultural and beautiful that I wanted to climb through my computer and enter that world! Although I think they used too much of their budget on the first episode because although the clothes stayed at a consistently high standard I have yet to see any more scenes of such brilliant cinematography and extravagance.
Another beautiful thing was the soundtrack. As I said, I was originally enticed by a song for this drama but the instrumentals used through out the show are pure gold! Brilliantly composed to fit era and mood with enough tracks to play around with I think the director made good use of them!
Now I can't JUST talk about the beautiful things! I must tell you about the horrible effects they've used! It's only happened once so far so I'm hoping the directors learnt better but still, it's not something I can ignore. It was during the fight scene in the first episode, they decided to make terrible use of slo-mo and black and white. Slow-motion effects can be incredibly awesome (just look at The Matrix!) but when used so poorly with no real goal as it is here it is nothing but tacky! Also, you can't make it look ANY better by making it black and white, it makes it MORE tacky! But production woes don't end there because a few episodes later there's a fireworks show. Now, maybe I'm missing something but it looked to me like random light orbs or fireflies or SOMETHING that isn't a firework. WHY? Why can't the firework show use fireworks instead of stupid CG things! Yet again: tacky.
This really is a feast for the eyes (ignoring the tacky effects) and it's so fantastically cultural! I can't draw my eyes away! It's lacking in plot, but this is a drama that's plenty enjoyable enough with out all the drama! Most fascinating for me is the clothes they wear, but there is so much you can learn if you pay attention! I enjoy this drama in a way unlike any other but it should be mentioned that if the drama does not pick up, I will end up bored of it! Sorry it's been such a long post today, but just think about how much you learnt today!

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