‘Legend of the Blue Sea’ ends strong despite being too familiar
SEOUL: To many viewers, SBS TV’s Legend of the Blue Sea ended up as somewhat of an artistic disappointment.
Famed screenwriter Park Ji- eun’s time- slip tale of starcrossed lovers was criticised by many viewers for being derivative and too familiar.
But that doesn’t mean people tuned out. On the contrary, the happy- ending finale claimed the No. 1 spot among its competitors in the same time slot last week, garnering a 17.9 per cent viewership in South Korea, according to Nielson Korea.
Jun Ji-hyun, best known for her portrayals of wild, mysterious and at the same time quirky characters, played the mermaid Shim Chung from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), who travels to modern day Seoul in search of her love.
The mermaid’s visuals were in many respects natural and “legit.” Using practical and CG effects, the mermaid production, paired with Jun’s trademark lanky, slender yet at times powerful and dramatic performance, was met with overall high praise.
Her opposite Lee Min-ho played Heo Joon-jae, a genius con artist with a knack for magic and hypnosis.
Despite the heavy focus on the mermaid, Lee maintained his turf and stood as equals alongside Jun in weight and screen time throughout the show.
A lot of the key elements – such as a parallel timeline and romance between a human and a supernatural being – were seen as recycled elements from Park’s previous work.