Today we’re checking out a 2013 drama titled ‘Gu Family Book’, otherwise known as ‘Kangchi, the beginning’. Why does it need two titles? Nobody knows! Let’s dive in! This martial-arts/fantasy/romance historical drama has a bit for everybody (even some actual history!).
The ‘Gu Family Book’
In true sageuk fashion, the drama picks up before Kangchi is even conceived; What’s a good drama without some family backstory, amirite?
We start off with the downfall of Yoon Seo-Hwa’s (Lee Yeon-Hee) family because evil Jo Gwan-Woong (Lee Sung-Jae) falsely accuses her father of treason. She gets sold off to the local gisaeng house, ‘cause Gwan-Woong wanted more than just to destroy her family. Yes, he is despicable, that’s kinda his thing.
The friendly (all things considered) neighbouring mountain gumiho, Gu Wol-Ryung (Choi Jin Hyuk), sees her plight and admires her spirit and defiance through it all. He saves her life when she tries to escape, and they fall in love (aw).
For her and their unborn baby’s sake he tries to become mortal, and looks for the ‘Gu family book’ which holds the secret. Among other things, the process entails not harming any humans for 100 days. If he fails, he’s not just in for a retry either; he’ll turn into an evil spirit, unless his lover is cool with the whole gumiho thing. Naturally, a day or so before the deadline, it all goes south. Bad guy tracks them down, and so he has to fight to protect Seo-Hwa. Ungrateful, although understandably shocked, Seo-Hwa rejects him, so yeah… Worst case scenario, Wol-Ryung dies (or does he?).
She dies in childbirth, and a monk takes the child, and plans so that local nobleman Park Mu-Sol will take it in.
Lee Seung-Gi plays the now young adult Choi Kangchi, the half human, half gumiho child living with Mr. Park’s family. Alas, history is set to repeat itself when Gwan-Woong decides the Park family must go down. Yeo-Wool (Suzy) is in town with her attendant Gon (Sung Joon) to investigate some murders. When Gwan-woong’s minions attack the Park residence, Kangchi tries to protect the family but ends up being chased. Instinctively, Yeo-Wool decides to help him, and that’s how their fates cross paths.
She takes him back to her father’s martial arts school, and there, among his new allies and mentors, Kangchi will try to unpack his family history, fall in love, oh, and help save Korea. #keepingbusy
The deep-dive
Let’s get this out of the way first: Lee Seung Gi and Suzy were amazing in this and had fantastic chemistry. While Gon was the perfect heartbroken badass,they were so good together that all you could do was feel bad for him. Their acting reunion was the only reason I even went near ‘Vagabond’, which is far from the kind of drama I’d normally watch.
Hands down, Jo Gwan-Woong qualifies as one of the worst villains in K-drama. You could argue that he’s not a multidimensional character. To that I say no, he is; Just all of his dimensions are simply different ways in which he’s evil, disgusting, and just generally utterly despicable. He might not be as compelling or deep as villains with complicated pasts and motivations, but he’s certainly memorable.
The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed and it’s definitely a highlight for this drama, especially since some of the action is more super than natural. Suzy kicking serious ass was *magnificent*. Prepare for a lot of ‘special effects’ makeup, which can sometimes look a bit… eh, but doesn’t really take away from the enjoyment of the show.
Regarding the plot, where to even start. The romance is solid, if a tad on the nose at times. Soulmate stuff always gets me, so there’s that. The drama is on point, even though you learn to expect Gwan-Woong’s villainy, it still punches you in the gut. Plus the whole thing with Kangchi’s parents is just completely depressing. Now, you might be wondering why a story about a half-gumiho’s family troubles suddenly raises the stakes to “saving the whole country”.
If you are, you’re not alone. Of course, the answer is simple: It’s a sageuk, so duh. I admit I was hilariously shocked when *THE* Admiral Yi Sun Shin made an entrance. He was of course portrayed with the appropriate amount of reverence, but that didn’t help my bewilderment.
In case you don’t know, Admiral Yi, alongside King Sejong the Great (you know, the one who created the Korean alphabet), is one of the most celebrated and admired figures of Korean history. He is mainly known for his strategic brilliance that saved Korea from the Japanese invasion during a decisive naval victory.
This is where the drama inserts Kangchi, aiding the Admiral in *that* battle. It’s an interesting turn the plot takes, and while I was taken aback, I did enjoy watching it play out.
The verdict
‘Gu Family Book’ had everything I generally want in a drama, although I could have lived with a couple fewer episodes – 24 felt long. I like my sageuks with a tad of fluff among all the treason and murder, and legendary creatures are certainly a selling point for me. Finally, I also really enjoyed the OST, particularly this song by Suzy.
You can check out the trailer below, and don’t forget to comment and let us know what you thought of ‘Gu Family Book’.
