Island
- Leah Largaespada
- Jan 19, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 25, 2024
This is a 2022/2023 fantasy action drama with one season that has 12, 44 to 59 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same name.
First I provide a unique synopsis then review
Synopsis
Won Mi-Ho (Lee Da Hee) did not realize, when she was sent to Jeju island to allow a scandal to die down, that her arrival set her on the path of a dark destiny. Her goal was to lay low and teach at the high school but demons, ghosts and other supernatural beings would shift her focus to a much deeper purpose. Her arrival draws a lust demon bent on destroying her and it may have succeeded but Van (Kim Nam-Gil) intervenes in time to save her. At first she does not recall that Ban is one of the young boys she saved from a cruel course of demon slayer training. But her good deed pays huge dividends as he comes to her aid many times. The Island is a central point for demons, ghosts and other supernaturals, and those that seek to stop them. Among the good guys is Johan (Cha Eun Woo), a Catholic priest who performs exorcisms on the unfortunate victims of the Island’s demons. The other boy Mi ho rescued,
Goong-Tan (Sung Joon), who once trained to fight with Van, now fights against him.
Review
It is a good edition to the action, horror and fantasy genre. The story is interesting and compelling. If you are a fan of any of the actors they play their roles well. Do not expect it to closely follow the webtoon and you won’t be disappointed. There is some romantic tension between the leads but it never it never focuses on the romantic elements. The ending is what causes it to fall short. As is the case with so many streaming platforms it ends with a lot of unresolved questions. It is not a bad ending but it is definitely an ending left open for an additional season.
Spoilers
Many who read the Webtoon did not like how far it deviated from the story told in the Webtoon. The writers said they devupiated from the Webtoon deliberately to modernize the thematic elements. I have to agree with them in reading the webtoon.. There were things about tge Webtoon that I would not consider good for a live action format, or for current times. For example, the lust demon in the web tune were truly less demon, and there was a sexual element to it and their pursuit of victims. The lead male character was much more villainess in the web tune than he is in the live action, the lead female character is not very heroic, especially to begin with she’s extremely selfish.
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