Monday, March 31, 2008 . 10:47 PM

In the third month of 2008, I finished watching 2 Korean dramas that are absolutely fan-ta-bulous.

I started with New Heart first, since it had finished its run by the time I got around to watching it. I wanted to save the hassle of waiting for the episodes to come out and only watched when I had the entire series. Turned out to be a wise decision, especially for the second series, Hong Gil Dong.

I'll try not to make comparisons, but if I really have to, Hong Gil Dong shows a depth that have been lacking in recent series. Let's put aside the fact that this series is by the Hong sisters who gave us My Girl (yet another of my favorite) and Sassy Girl Chun Hyun. I think they actually outdid themselves with the richness of each character, right down to even the supporting roles.

I won't talk about the relationship between the 3 leads because what fascinated me the most was the father-son relationship between Hong and his father. The way Hong's father's character was written, I hadn't expect to empathize with him, but he won me over in the end. I could understand, even if I couldn't forgive his actions.

In another world, he would be lauded for his loyalty.

Actually, I do laud him for his loyalty. He did what he thought was right and left no room for regrets. I think he couldn't allow himself to regret for that would mean that he had lived his life in vain. A man as proud as him would never admit he was wrong... besides, the entire country had suffered for his mistakes, so how could he admit?

But I believed that in his heart, he knew that though his intentions were honorable, things had turned horribly awry. Every step of the way he seeked to redress the wrong, but ended up committing more evil. But in the end, he redeemed himself. How many actually have his courage?

And the King. A tragic figure.

Actually, come to think of it, every single character in the show is a tragic figure twisted around fate's pinkie.

It's been a while since a story touched me this deeply. It reminded me again of the magic of imagination.

The tears may dry and the feelings evaporate, but the emotions Hong Gil Dong has stirred in me did its job - reminding me why I love to create worlds that few people see.

Thank you.