REVIEW. KOREAN DRAMA - TAMRA THE ISLAND

Title: Tamra the Island

Type: Drama

Country: South Korea

Genre: Romance, Historical, Comedy, Hero, Joseon, Kingdom, 

Airing Date: 2009

Cast: Im Joo Hwan, Seo Woo, Lee Seon Ho 

Rating: 9.5/10.0

Initially apprehensive about picking up this drama, I finally did. Despite the oddities, Tamra the Island was irresistible from the very first episode. Strangely unbelievable yet unpretentious. This manhwa adapted drama fused with Chosun and Western histories could be easily mistaken for some unbelievable films, in the past but not this one. Girls in short beach attires aka sea girls seemed unthinkable and misplaced but it worked out fine at the end.

And guess what!? I found another stalker in this drama..an exile who trails after missing horses, who appears behind bushes ..but like Edward, who could resist Kyu? Right from the start, the stiff-looking noble was unbelievable as a supposedly notorious playboy. And what crime was that supposed to be when this period was noted for the gisaengs...remember Hwang Jini?

Like Joo Yu Rin (Lee Da Dae) in My Girl, Beo Jin was all silly and goofy, over-acting. But it became part of her charm. As our heroine set out to win the Cutie Pie of 2009, she was worth strangling for being totally dense. William...hmm...I must say he had lovelier hair than barbie doll. All golden and soft. Indeed, he is all softie when it comes to Beo Jin. Almost annoying but he's forgivable, afterall it is tough ending up on an alien shore. Yan with his dimpled grin reminds me of my cousin brother who had half the girls in my school admiring him, but oh well, back to Yan, he is super cool and mysterious as the East Indian company Japanese turned Dutch trader. Not used to man weeping, tsk tsk..this scene is absolutely heartbreaking...sob sob. In the entire K-Drama log, I could not recall a more painful scene ...one that came close was Bae Yoon Joon as King of Goguryeo, in a teary-eyed bull cart scene. This scene....i must protest...can't recall any lake interludes like Kyu had with Beo Jin. Totally unfair. Anyhow, not a single scene or line was corny when it comes to Kyu. While not dense or clueless like Beo Jin, our hero was so inept in expressing and yet it was this very trait that kept viewers rooting on for him. Our Kyu is a rare find. He has indeed won himself in the place the place of Top Heroes....gotta squeeze him in, somehow. Rating: 10...minus 0.5 for 16 episodes instead of 20.