Viewers raise high expectations for “The Sword of Aramoon” with Lee Joon Gi’s portrayal of Eunseom
tvN’s Sat-Sun drama “The Sword of Aramoon” has begun airing. It’s the follow-up drama to “Arthdal Chronicle”, which was released 4 years ago. The two main characters Eunseom/Saya and Tanya played by Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won have been replaced by Lee Joon Gi and Shin Se Kyung. Returning with a new season after changing the cast. One of the reasons for the change was that “Arthdal Chronicle” was not as successful as expected.
In fact, the world depicted by “Arthdal Chronicle” cannot be judged only based on ratings. It tells the story of how civilization was created, the conflicts that took place in the process, and how things, such as countries and religions, arose against the backdrop of ancient times. It was like drawing a historical story directly on an empty paper and creating a virtual world by setting up unfamiliar characters. Therefore, “Arthdal Chronicle” was actually a sketch of this worldview and the main story begins starting from “The Sword of Aramoon”.
This is why “The Sword of Aramoon” explained the world of Season 1 very briefly then immediately started with the confrontation between the twins Eunsom and Saya. Eunseom had already foreseen Saya’s plan of using the union as bait so he successfully escaped while Saya’s soldiers chased after him.
It was only a short battle scene but it already summarized the big picture of the world that “The Sword of Aramoon” will draw in the future. That’s because it explains why Tagon (Jang Dong Gun), the King of Arthdal, and Eunseom, the leader of the Ago tribe, fight each other. Tagon looks strong and seems to be a reliable person, but Eunseom is actually the person who assembled various tribes and proved the power of a union of the weak. Therefore, the worlds they are trying to build are different.
From the first episode, “The Sword of Aramoon” already showed Ago people crossing the Notsan River and occupying Hanchoa castle then facing off against the Arthdal army. Will the Ago people led by Eunseom be able to win against the experienced Arthdal army? The stories of Tagon, who wants to end the conquest war using power, Eunseom, who fights with the union forces, and Tanya, who tries to reduce further sacrifices and end the war, will be unveiled as the war begins.
There were mixed responses regarding the casting of Lee Joon Gi and Shin Se Kyung for the roles of Eunseom and Tanya, respectively, however, the two’s performances in the first episode with high immersion in the characters were enough to ease viewers’ concerns. Will “The Sword of Aramoon” surpass “Arthdal Chronicle” and bring better results with more exciting narratives?
Lee Joon Gi expressed his feelings about appearing in tvN’s “Arthdal Chronicles” as Eunseom instead of Song Joong Ki
On September 5th, Lee Joon Gi attended the online press conference for “Arthdal Chronicles”. At the event, he said, “I’ve always been a fan of the works by writers Kim Young Hyun and Park Sang Yeon. As an actor, I did wonder why they had not called me. Because I really like historical dramas. Being offered a project with such a big worldview made me feel so pressured.”
He continued, “I was extremely happy about finally getting chosen by the writers, but I began to feel a great mental burden and fear during the script reading. I wondered if I could deal with this character well. I barely slept until we completed the shooting for episode 10. I was so pressured that I even thought that it would be better if I put my life aside and just came to the set”.
Scheduled to air episode 1 on the 9th, “Arthdal Chronicles” tells about the myth of Arthdal written by the owner of the divine sword and the fateful stories of Tagon, Eunseom, Tanya, and Tae Alha, who create legends in the ancient land of Arth. Season 1 actors Jang Dong Gun and Kim Ok Vin, who play Tagon and Tae Alha, respectively, will continue to appear in Season 2. Lee Joon Ki and Shin Se Kyung replace Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won as Eunseom/Saya and Tanya.
In this regard, Lee Joon Gi confessed, “I really wanted to discover the relationships between the characters, the dramatic tension of the drama as well as the diverse emotions of Eunseom. I’m happy to be part of such an epic historical drama and have the opportunity to play in such an amazing setting”.
