Arthdal Chronicles (Season 1, Spoiler review)
The review contains spoilers!
This show was already widely reviewed, mostly to mixed reviews, so I figured I’ll write a spoiler review and comment on some worldbuilding issues.
This is a show in a historical fantasy genre (or just a regular fantasy, depending how you define those things), very loosely based on the story of Dangun (Tangun), a legendary founder of the oldest Korean kingdom, Gojoseon. Dangun most likely had never existed, he is literally the child of the gods, founded his kingdom in 2333 BCE, and ruled for more than thousand years. So yeah, don’t expect much historical realism here. Most historians agree that Gojoseon was founded much later, even around the 7th century BCE, so the whole legend of Dangun doesn’t match the historical reality (the earliest version of the legend comes from the 13 c. CE anyway, so most likely isn’t based on actual events).
The creators of the show preserved some of the historical/legendary names though: Dangun is Ta-gon here (in this role Jang Dong-gun), his city or/and the state is called Asŭdal (like Asadal, the capital of Dangun). But the similarities with the legend of Dangun end here. (For some inexplicable reason in the English version it was translated to Arthdal, instead of Asŭdal or Asadal, hence, Arthdal Chronicles. Arthdal is actually more difficult to pronounce, so I don’t understand the reasoning here).
The world of Arthdal Chronicles is different from ours. The main difference is the existence of two human species, the regular one, and so-called Neanthals. I suppose they are based on Neanderthals (who died out 40 thousand years ago, not ~4300 years ago during the times of legendary Dangun) and were named in the 19th c. after the valley in Germany (so the name couldn’t have been used by ancient Koreans). Unlike Neanderthals (or homo sapiens), Neanthals of Arthdal Chronicles are tall and are supposed to be stronger and more beautiful than humans (real Neanderthals were rather short, and they had a very pronounced foreheads with large brows, so they wouldn’t be classified as handsome according to modern standards) and have blue blood (unlike most animal species on Earth). So, essentially, Neanthals are superhumans. There are also children of mixed blood, human and Neanthal, called Igutu: they have purple blood (hence also purple lips), are somewhat stronger than humans but not as strong as Neanthals (which, again, might be loosely based on actual Neanderthals who were able to procreate with humans, and supposedly died out partially because of that, so we all have some Neanderthal genes right now). Also, Neanthals might be considered as Arthdal Chronicles’ version of fantasy elves (who often are also taller, stronger, and more beautiful than humans), but, unfortunately, Neanthals do not have elven ears though.
The show was often criticized because of the similarities to Game of Thrones, but the main similarity is multi-arc narrative, where we jump through several independent arcs which apparently happen at the same time in different areas. I don’t see any more apparent similarities. The world of Arthdal Chronicles is distinctly based on Asian and Korean legends, unlike the world of Game of Thrones, and, in my opinion, it actually resembles more Chinese fantasy dramas (with exception that we don’t have wuxia fights here). Also, unlike Game of Thrones, we clearly have two main protagonists here Eun-seom (Song Joong-ki) and Tan-ya (Kim Ji-won), and similarly to most K-Dramas, Arthdal Chronicles are pretty good with keeping our focus on these two. (Unlike many recent Western shows or movies, K-Dramas understand that it is very difficult to make a good show with an ensemble cast, so they always select one or two characters as a main focus).
Song Joong-ki is one of the main attractors of the show, and he doesn’t disappoint. He portrays two identical Igutu twins, Eun-seom and Saya. He does a very good job of differentiating between both. Eun-seom was raised among Wahan Tribe in semi-paradise like Iark. Initially, he was very naive and simple. He also doesn’t realize being an Igutu is something somebody can be killed for outside idyllic Iark. When most of his Wahan Tribe is captured by Arthdal soldiers under Ta-gon, he promises to free them up. Due to the circumstances, he is also captured and enslaved, forced to work in inhumane conditions in the mine. His story arc reminds me a lot of Kaladin, the main protagonist of Brandon Sanderson’s book The Way of Kings. Like Kaladin, Eun-seom loses hope, but after some time he is able to stage a mutiny in the mine, and frees up his fellow prisoners. The final stage of his character development happens during his stay with Ago Tribe. The Ago Tribe was divided by Ta-gon, they hunt each other for slaves whom they sell to Arthdal. Eun-seom is able to reunite the Ago Tribe again, and becomes their chieftain, progressing from a simple lone adventurer to the leader of the people. The story of Eun-seom is perhaps the most significant character development in the whole Arthdal Chronicles, contrasting with the story of Ta-gon: while Ta-gon acquires more power through deceit and betrayal, Eun-seom does that through honor and courage, while Ta-gon gains power for his own benefit, Eun-seom steps up to unite people and stop the internal strife.
Another role portrayed by Song Joong-ki, that of Saya, a secret Igutu adopted son of Ta-gon, is a different one. His arc is closely related to that of Tan-ya, thanks to that the show avoids fragmenting viewers’ focus into too many characters. Saya is more thoughtful and cunning than Eun-seom, but also more fragile. As opposed to Eun-seom, he starts as his adopted father, Ta-gon, as egocentric and cold-blooded, slowly gaining more kind and humane traits thanks to Tan-ya’s influence. But until the very end he remains the character we don’t trust, especially because he constantly sides with Ta-gon, the antagonist of the show. As I mentioned, Song Joong-ki does a very good job portraying both characters, believably playing two radically different personalities. Unfortunately, they never met each other in Season 1, so we couldn’t see Song Joong-ki facing himself (and they already announced that Eun-seom and Saya will be portrayed by different actor in Season 2).
Also, it is impossible not to sympathize with Tan-ya portrayed by Kim Ji-won. Like Eun-seom, she is torn out from her homeland, but she is enslaved by Ta-gon’s people. She remains the only one among the Wahan Tribe who didn’t succumb to the anguish and remains hopeful. And the only one who can stand up to her tormentors. Her character development focuses on her growth as a priestess. She is first taught by Cho-seol (Kim Ho-jung), a Great Spiritual Mother of the Wahan Tribe, to become her successor. But Tan-ya is not a good student, unable to learn and perform the dance of Spiritual Mother. Her difficult time and suffering in Arthdal helps her grow and become who she was always destined to be. She finds an unexpected ally in Saya, and thanks to that she is finally able to free up her people (although they remain hostages ensuring that Tan-ya will be obedient to Ta-gon). The culmination of her story happens in one of the most moving scenes of the show, when she is performing the dance of Great Spiritual Mother in front of Ta-gon and all leaders of Arthdal, showing that she is indeed a successor of Great Spiritual Mother and rightful religious leader of all Arthdal.
The main adversaries of the show, Ta-gon and his partner, Tae Al-ha (Kim Ok-bin) while do not undergo much of the character development throughout the show, have an interesting dynamic between them. Ta-gon with the help of Tae Al-ha becomes the king of Arthdal in the course of the show through deceit, betrayal, and cunning. It is therefore understandable that he and Tae Al-ha do not trust each other, and they’re constantly testing if they can rely on each other. Tae Al-ha has an especially difficult task: she has to navigate between her loyalty to Ta-gon and her duties towards her Hae Tribe. The main contention here is the knowledge how to make bronze: a secret of Hae Tribe Ta-gon wants to learn. In the crucial moment, when Ta-gon was betrayed by the leaders of Arthdal and forced to fight for his life, Tae Al-ha stands beside him and risks her life for him. Nevertheless, when Ta-gon is close to learning the secret of the bronze, Tae Al-ha outsmarts him making sure she is the only one who knows this secret.
While much of the criticism of the show is justified, I still think that it is a very interesting project (also, apparently popular among Western audiences). K-Dramas in a fantasy genre are rather rare, and Arthdal Chronicles are very close to the classic version of that genre: placed in a magical, ancient world, where heroes and villains battle each other. Some of the themes, like encroachment of the civilization and destruction of semi-paradise of Iark (and general contrast between idyllic Iark and cruel Arthdal) are very close to the classic scouring of the Shire in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. In that sense, Arthdal Chronicles should be applauded as an attempt to make live action fantasy saga based on Korean culture and legends.
Now, it is expected that more than three years after Season 1, Season 2 of the show will premiere sometime in 2023. While the long break is explained by the Covid-caused delays, there might be more to it. Main roles of Eun-seom/Saya and Tan-ya will be performed by new actors and the show will be set more than ten years after the events of Season 1.
Arthdal Chronicles on Wikipedia and MyDramaList
