Lee Seung Gi In Tragic Versions Of "Beauty And The Beast"

It's time for a bit of throwback of K-Drama legend Lee Seung Gi. Although the first time I saw him was just the generic bum in Shining Inheritance and would later go to jail (again) in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (which makes you wonder what's up with jailing him since he also went to jail in Vagabond) - he did end up in action roles later. I wonder did he have not much experience back in Shining Inheritance when he punched actor Baek Sung Hyun who probably had complied with mandatory military training back then? Two action roles landed him into the supernatural world of Gu Family Book which was obviously based on the Japanese Inuyasha and Journey to the West inspired The Korean Odyssey.

Both stories had the supernatural romance and tragedy told. Gu Family Book had Lee Seung Gi act as Kang Chi - a man born half-Gumiho and half-human. In Japanese, he would be a Hanyo or a Nagare Bouma (Wandering Violent Demon). In fact, Kang Chi ended up wandering the Earth trying to find his place and getting over his lost love - only to meet her reincarnation who has no memories of him. Why Gu Family Book didn't have a second season is beyond me. Did Inuyasha's creator Rumiko Takahashi get involved or did the Korean side of the fence Samwha Networks decide to drop the project altogether? I wish it had a second season where they could've had a happy ending. Just seeing him and Yeo Wool get cursed to their fate was just very sad.

Seung Gi wasn't spared for a moment from another tragic Beauty and the Beast story when he entered the world of tvN's Korean Odyssey. The story has him as Sun Ohgong (based on Sun Wukong) where it took place in modern times. The new Samzang (Sanzou) is actually a woman named Jin Seon Mi with whom he has a love/hate relationship. As expected, he falls in love with the beauty but again, spoilers, he and the woman don't have a happy ending. The sad story was already destined to happen. As if watching Yeo Wool die wasn't enough - the bloody death of Seom Mi at the hands of Dae Sung (a corrupt politician) was just not enough. Also, the fact that either one of them will end each other's life wasn't helping the tensions either.

For me, the two tragic tales were probably a response to the rather light My Girlfriend is a Gumiho which I'm planning to watch. However, I've been recently more interested in newer Korean drama so taking a step backward can be a challenge. Then again, what's the harm if I'll watch some K-Drama back in the 2000s if they had an interesting plot?

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