THE SWORD
OF
ARAMUN
EPISODE 9
LEE JOON
GI’S
GROUNDBREAKING
TOUR DE FORCE
ACTING AND
ACTION
PERFORMANCE
IN
THE SWORD
OF
ARAMUN
THE
GROUNDBREAKING
2023
TELEVISION SERIES
|
|
  If a
television production company ever makes a mistake in their casting, it is
irreparable. It is therefore imperative that they cast the right lead actors.
For The Sword of Aramun, a top-quality, ground-breaking and masterpiece
television series, the casting coup of Lee Joon Gi and Shin Sae Kyeong has
impressive and far-reaching impact on the global audiences. The
tale has evolved to become a stirring fantasy of epic proportions based on
the furious, animated and intense discussions on the Internet compared to
those of the previous season. The Kdrama viewers are deliriously happy and
grateful that the previous lead pairing and some supporting actors of the
television series had been replaced. Had it not been, they would not have
been entertained with such awesome acting performances, stunning action
scenes, a beautiful sensual religious dance and many more.  It must
be reiterated that the globally famous and popular actors - the gorgeous,
versatile and talented Lee Joon Gi who portrays the dual roles of Inaishingi
Eun Seom and Saya, and the beautiful and talented Shin Sae Kyeong, who plays Tanya,
are casting coups for the production company. Lee JoonGi has impressed the audiences; it is unsurprising because the
global viewers have an ongoing fascination with Lee whose demonstration of
pure acting talent, good looks and sensual physicality is intriguing. No other actor can rival Lee’s reputation, talent and
global popularity; he has been a real-life hero to the global Kdrama world
since many years ago while Shin, also a great actor, has more than overcome
the criticisms aimed at her.  One thing is certain. Nothing could have prepared the viewers for Lee’s monologue in Episode 9 of The Sword of Aramun. One is pleasantly surprised that the forested mountain is a character in this episode in which Inaishingi delivered an impassioned speech. And, while the global viewers are treated to the moving speech, they can imagine the trees, the forest and the mountain, in response, shout his name and their approval in unison over and over again. One scene that is heart-breaking is Saya's dying scene. Another disheartening scene involves Suhana's betrayal; Inaishingi’s face is marked by anguish, hurt, and sadness as his faith and trust is badly shaken on the cruel confirmation that Suhana is Tagon’s spy for over thirty years. Though the twins are identical, the viewers can easily differentiate the two brothers by their eye energy and intensity, facial expressions and body language. Viewers cannot but be impressed and stirred by Lee Joon Gi’s magnificent portrayal of the dual characters. Many of the wonderful actors, some of whom play Ago leaders, have passionately brought the story to life; they include Lee Hae Woon (Ipsaeng), Shin Ju Hwan (Dalsae), Kang Shin Hyu (Tachukan), Ju Myung (Mirusol), Lee Woo San (Tae Maja), Kwong Dong Ho (Badoru), Eum Moon Suk (Karat), Jung Suk Yong (Yeolson), Kim Jung Young (Suhana) and others. Some likeable actors have also done well.
 This
compelling, action-filled and fiendishly twisty tale about the sweeping
battles of the forests and the plains by the scriptwriters, Kim Young Hyun and
Park Sang Yeon, is enriched by the right attire with authentic pastoral designs
worn by the Ago beasts thanks to the Wardrobe Department. Congratulations are in order for this absolutely suspenseful and nail-biting episode which is brought to life by Director Kim Kwang Sik and Assistant Director, Bae Tae Jong, Cinematographer Choi Chan Ming and other members of the crew. The episode, accompanied by its brutally realistic vision of war, is loaded with treachery, betrayal and brutality. This is a shoutout to Lee Joon Gi, Shin Sae Kyeong, the Director Kim Kwang Sik and Assistant Director, Bae Tae Jong, Cinematographer Choi Chan Ming and other members of the cast and crew. We hope you will win many top local and international prizes, 'You are exceptional! Lee Joon Gi, you are phenomenal!' FAILURE
OF THE REVOLUTION NUNBYEOL
The
failure of Nunbyeol to kill Tagon could be attributed to her hesitation and indecisiveness.
She babbled too much, ‘I am the strongest creature in the world.’ The
sobriquet was useless if she, a Neanthal, couldn’t even defeat Tagon, an
Igutu; it was just an empty boast. She should have saved her breath and gone
straight for the jugular. Though Nunbyeol
defeated the king, she was unable to succeed in her mission. Absorbed in
babbling about her parents’ death at the hands of Tagon, she was not mindful
of Arok, who had woken up. When the young boy knifed her, she was brought
back to her bitter memories of the past murder she dreaded. Chaeeun
ran all the way into the palace to save ‘The strongest creature in the
whole world.’ Though she was captured by Gilseon, she managed to escape, and the sisters successfully leapt over the balcony to safety. THE
QUEEN The
queen was also trapped. Gilseon, who headed the palace guards, revealed that
she had been fooled by the king who had known about the plot all along. But
the confident queen was not distressed. However, she was foolish enough to have
revealed the secret that the assassin, Nunbyeol, had great powers.
Arok insisted
on meeting with his mother. Taealha had already figured out a way to escape
from death. Whispering to him to
remember that she would never die, she whipped out her Mahasin poison to
drink but on seeing it, Mungtae grabbed at it but failed to snatch the bottle
of poison. It fell
to the floor. The king picked it up thinking it was Bichwisan, a dangerous
colourless, odourless and tasteless poison. She accused him of putting on a
grand pretence of being unhinged so as to dispose of her while he explained
he was leading the army in the war against Ago. He left no stones unturned to
ferret out his enemies. He feared that she would ascend to power in his
absence if left to her own devices. Yeolbi,
one of Taealha’s assistants escaped after Hae Tuak and her fought off the
soldiers who had arrested them. YANGCHA ESCAPES TO THE AGO CAMP  Saya, who
had returned from Ago, was also trapped. Chohaja, Tagon’s spy, had hookwinked all the conspirators. Taking
stock of the situation, Tanya instructed Yangcha to escape to avoid Tagon’s
wrath and bring a message to Eun Seom and also, to visit his mother. If he didn’t
escape Tagon would surely tear him from limb to limb in front of her.
Tanya was unafraid
of death; she was confident that whoever killed her lost in the power
struggle. Yangcha stated that he was prepared to die when he decided to side with
her. TAGON
THE VILLIAN There
are heroes and heroines in this splendid tale. And Tagon was certainly not a
hero in the past nor present, even though some naïve admirers may want to
romanticize about him. Tagon was an evil and brutal albeit powerful king, who
was too ready to slaughter anyone who opposed him. He may have been a war
hero in the past to some of the people of Arthdal who
admired his successful exploits, but none in the Arth continent, where he
laid waste to many tribes and cultures, consider him as a war hero. To them, the
butcher was a war villain whose dark, deceitful, and nefarious reputation
preceded him. He had nearly wiped out the Neanthals and was going to annihilate the Momo tribe; he had even slain all those who had seen his purple blood from
young. EUN SEOM
THE HERO Inashingi Eun Seom is a war hero. He possessed a confidence to a sufficient degree to be convinced that his courage and labours would make a difference in the war against Arthdal. Many
bravely and valiantly sacrifice their lives to fight the evil king to bring
peace to the land or stand firm against tyranny to protect the others. They,
full of self-confidence, empathy, self-esteem, and courage, were selfless and took risks
as they felt they could affect the outcome of the situation they were in.
They, too, were heroes. Inaishingi
Eun Seom, who embodies all those traits, is the HERO in this fantasy tale. He
is the benchmark of heroism, by which all heroism should be judged. THE
COURAGEOUS SAYA Saya, a
lost soul, would be a hero if and when he overcame his evil inclinations.
Tagon and Taealha were courageous but they were certainly not heroic; they were
wicked power-hungry villains. Courage
is an important component of heroism; the heroic is always courageous,
be it physical or moral. The threat of physical pain or death tests courage.
But the courageous is not always heroic; courage can be bought for money or
can be generated by self-interest, desire for power and reputation. Though
Saya was proud and egoistic, he was not evil. He may have made some wrong
choices due to his upbringing but he was not a bad person up to this point in
the tale. In fact, he was courageous. The tale captures his complexity as a human being and the forces that shaped his character. In this episode, he was threatened with death. Either he killed Tanya, the High Priestess, or drank the poison offered to him. He did not hesitate. He courageously chose death. Saya was heroic because he would not exchange his life for another life. SAYA REMEMBER
MY FACE
 Tagon in
his search for enemies was able to trick traitors into showing their true
colours. Saya, who had plotted to dethrone him, was brought before Tagon who had
a succulent feast laid out. In one image, Tagon seemed to have grown 2 truncated horns on his head.
Although
in pretty bad shape, the dishevelled Saya was proud and steady in his
footsteps as he stepped forward to face Tagon. The weary and gaunt Saya
seemed to have lost some sleep; he looked haggard and dejected. Failing to
overthrow Tagon, a feeling of gloom had shadowed him.
Seated
in front of the king, a bottle of poison was delivered to him to drink. The
king had snatched the precious poison from the queen. A sword was placed in
front of him.
The bloodthirsty
king assumed that the poison was Bichwisan. He coldly presented two
options to Saya: Death or Kill Tanya, the High Priest. The choice was
his to make. If he consented to kill Tanya with the sword,
the king would allow him to escape to a faraway place. Tagon would not dirty
his hands with the murder of the High Priest who had endorsed him as king.
Saya chose without hesitation.
‘If you
thought that was difficult for me, you really don’t know me.’ With a face full of suppressed anger, he stabbed
the sword into the table and drank the poison not knowing that it was the Mahasin
poison, not the Bichwisan poison. Mahasin had the effect of making the victim
look dead but the victim would recover from the effects not long after.
The
insides of the audience must have lurched. It was a dreadful, wretched,
gloomy scene too horrible to watch. Disheartening. The excruciating pain
twisted Saya's face. He blamed the king for having brought him back to Arthdal
as a baby. The
viewers’ hearts must have sunk to watch tears springing from his eyes. ‘If
you didn’t bring me here …. You’re a fake. No, we’re all fakes. You
are Aramun Haesulla and I wanted to be your heir. We are both fake.’
The
ruthless Tagon agreed that they were all fake. They were all legends. Tagon
was detached and callous. He seemed to to have no feelings. He made no move
to stop Saya as he watched him drink the poison.
‘No,
it’s not a legend.’ Saya
remembered the Lichtenberg Figures on his brother’s hand. ‘The real one is
coming. .. the Real Aramun.’ As he struggled to speak, black liquid
poured forth from his mouth. Collapsing on the floor, he warned, ‘You must
have heard of Inashingi riding Kanmoreu.’ Tagon interjected that it was
not Kanmoreu. ‘I might
die here like this but you will die at my hands.’ He stared at Tagon with hatred in his eyes.
‘Remember my face.’ He choked on the poison with his last breath.
The viewers were aghast and sad; their stomachs must have twisted with nerves that Saya had to die so pitifully at the hands of Tagon, the vengeful gosal. It was
fortunate that Tagon was merciless in forbidding a funeral for Saya. 'His
corpse was to be openly discarded so that wild rats could eat his eyes and
crows could peck at his heart. His body would rot away slowly.' But, Saya would soon be saved from Tagon's cruelty and ruthlessness.
MOLABEOL
CASTLE Lo and
behold. Hae Kkadak had turned blacksmith who supervised his assistants to
produce iron swords. They worked relentless day and night at the huge kiln
melting pieces cut from the huge meteorite. The
Ago members had taken a calculated risk in attacking Molabeol Castle. Their strategy had worked and the successful offensive resulted in the Arthdal general fleeing the
castle. The production
of iron swords had already begun in earnest but Eun Seom was worried. He confided to Dalsae that he was worried
about the length and the strength of the iron swords they were making. Yeolson
made longer swords for Arthdal. Dalsae dismissed his worries; he was already exhilarated that they could manufacture iron swords. AN ENEMY
WITHIN
Deeply
hurt, unhappy and baffled by Suhana’s betrayal, Inaishingi questioned her
while she was attending to Chomo’s wound. He was later joined by Tachukan. Eun Seom
was renowned for his success of overcoming war enemies. The skills as a
leader stood him in good stead. But now, he was faced with a different sort
of enemy - an enemy within the Ago army, not without. He was grievously hurt
by the discovery of Suhana’s betrayal.  He
questioned how the Arthdal army was able to know about the military supplies of Hanchoa
castle. Someone had given military intelligence away. His anger rose with the
next question about their plan to attack Mobon Castle. Staring accusingly
at her, he stated that the Arthdal troops had been moved there. As soon as he
thundered, Chomo moved away. He threw the small piece of leather with the
drawing of the strange knife that he had randomly sketched at the Arthdal court on
the table. Cornered, Suhana predicted that the Ago Union would fall apart if she, the elder of the Tae clan, was punished. Inashingi
signalled for Tae Maja to enter. Tae Maja, the heir of the Tae Clan’s chief,
threw Suhana’s dead messenger bird on the table.
When did
her betrayal begin? They all looked askance at her. Eun Seom was visibly
emotional, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. One can
recognise the evil malice that was swirling behind her eyes. She exploded
into laughter. She derived sadistic pleasure from telling them that she had
deceived the Ago Tribe for thirty years. Her facial expression carried an
undercurrent of darkness. She gloated that she had been a spy for Tagon as
soon as she arrived in the Agoha forest and got married to the chief of the
Tae clan and became an elder. She had always been Tagon’s spy even before the
union was born. Outright betrayal. She had sabotaged many of their plans
without the knowledge of everyone.  Nobody
could imagine the excruciating pain Inaishingi felt upon hearing her confession of
treachery and disloyalty. The face of Inaishingi was too sad to watch. An icy
chill must have swept over him. The hearts of the audience were squeezed by
his ache, hurt, pain, distress, anguish and agony. The disclosure was too
shocking to bear. His emotional pain was more excruciating than a physical
wound. They had been too trusting, gullible, unsuspicious to be so easily tricked
by her. Inaishingi
was beside himself with rage. His wrath was so great that one has to suppress
a shiver. The small wine bottle that he was holding exploded in his hands. Tachukan,
as usual, could not control himself and wanted to cut her down with his
sword. Gritting
his teeth, Inaishingi ordered her to be locked up. TANYA OF COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE The
arrival of the king was announced. Tagon went straight to business. Tanya was
not unprepared, she was ready to face him. In this
scene, the interesting thing about Tanya was her courage and confidence in
herself; she brooked no opposition even from the powerful king. After all,
she was the High Priest, a powerful figure in Arthdal.
Tagon
smirked like a cat which had cornered a mouse. Tanya's eyes
lifted proudly, her mouth was curved up into a knowing smile. In fact, she affixed the forced smile on her face. If the viewers didn’t know her, they would have thought
her smile was saucy which tickles them. ‘I heard there was a big calamity
last night,’ she taunted him. Chuckling, she commented he was safe so Airuju
must have looked out for him. Tagon sneered that she, like the High Priest before her, was shameless. She smiled broadly, saying she considered it to be a compliment. Her eyes sparkled; she was ready to challenge him. ‘Do you
think I can’t harm you?’ With
smiling eyes, she told him that she understood his psychology. If he had
really lost his mind, she would be afraid but since he was in control of his
senses, he as the Reincarnation of Aramun, could not, out of his own
volition, harm her, the Descendant of Asa Sin.
He
stepped forward threateningly. She understood him. Aramun had been Asa Sin’s
messenger for 200 years. The moment he killed her, a god, he was no more the god, Aramun Haesulla.
Looking straight into his eyes, she cautioned, ‘As long as you’re tied to
that grand name of Aramun, you can’t do anything to me’. The
fabricated hero and unprincipled and ruthless ruler told her straight to her
face that he didn’t want to soil his hands so he demanded Saya to kill her in
the Great Shrine. Saya would be given freedom but he did not hesitate to
commit suicide for her. Shocked, Tanya's eyes brimmed with tears when she heard that Saya was dead. Tagon commented
sarcastically that she, with her divine psychic powers, should have known. Catching hold of her head, he forced her to face the image of Airuju on the cave wall. He
threatened to make her a god like Airuju. Tanya was the voice of Airuju. Likewise,
he, Tagon would be her voice while she was kept imprisoned in the Great Shrine.
One
recoils in horror when Tagon gave her a cruel visual picture of what he would
do to Yangcha at the very first opportunity. He would not hesitate to tear
him apart from limb to limb in front of her, killing him slowly. His picture of cruel systematic torture was too brutal for her to bear.
Tanya, with her psychic powers, could not feel Saya’s death. It meant that he was alive. TAGON LEADS THE ARTHDAL ARMY
The fact
that Inaishingi had taken control of Molabeol Castle meant that he was just
right on the doorsteps of Arthdal. If Eun Seom passed the Arth Forest, he would be
able to reach Arthdal in no time at all. The king
declared that he, himself, would lead their army in the impending war. Yeolson
announced that every soldier would be equipped with an iron sword for future
battles. GALMA IN
SARAM LIFE
It
seemed Karat was unwilling to leave the Ago people. Having bonded with Inaishingi, it seemed easy to be part of their world. He was attached to them and wanted to help but instead, he was
making a nuisance of himself in the
iron workshop. Surveying the training of the Ago warriors for war, he
seemed to yearn to join them. Inaishingi
requested him to join them but he refused.  He explained that he was
interested but his own Momo culture
restrained him. Galma. He didn’t want to be entangled by Galma. What he
desired was a newborn baby-like status, owing no favours nor having enemies.
In Momo culture, when babies die, they go to the Land of Light. Inaishingi commented, ‘That Galma in Momo culture is strange. Not receiving favours, not helping anyone, not getting harmed and not harming anyone.’
‘How can
you live like that?’ The Ago leader
wasn’t impressed by Momo culture. He thought life itself is Galma. There was
pain, happiness, and comfort. TAEALHA Taealha
was under house arrest. Locked in her room, she had access only to the kitchen
maid who brought her food and drink. The queen’s mind was working overtime.
She learnt from the maid that Yeobi had escaped but Saya was dead. He drank
the Bishwisan poison that the king had taken from her. Taealha knew there and then that Saya was
still alive in the Gambal Mountain.  Yeolbi, Taealha's assistant, somehow contacted the kitchen maid and with the
information obtained from her, she was able to rescue Saya. GRAFITTI
IN ARTHDAL  In the meantime, Tanya
had also busied herself. Instructions were given to her followers to draw
stick figures depicting the twins and Aramun Haesulla on walls of Arthdal. The grafitti was
drawn to spread the story of Aramun.
WAR
PREPARATIONS A PARALLEL IS DRAWN BETWEEN INAISHINGI AND TAGON  A parallel is drawn between Inaishingi and Tagon as they prepared for war. the Tagon was going to war and he tested his iron sword. Yeolson was packing the iron swords to be transported to the place of war. Inaishingi
was given his new iron sword by Hae Kkadak and he too tested it. EUN SEOM
AND SUHANA THE HERO
AND THE SPY Curious,
Eun seom wanted to understand Suhana. He asked her whether he had any
affection for the Ago members since she had been with them for 30 years. All her
famililies, friends and comrades are in the Ago Union. He was just wasting his
breath. She refused to divulge any information.  Yangcha had
made it out alive and arrived in Ago territory. Inaishingi eyed Suhana’s
reaction to the news. Tanya’s
bodyguard related the news that Saya was dead. Inaishingi was heartbroken. The
news stung his heart. His broad shoulders seemed to have slumped. He was
given a scroll from Tanya. After reading it, he ordered that Yangcha be
locked up with Suhana, his mother, to see if she could be induced to disclose
any secrets.
MOTHER AND SON TAGON’S
SPY AND THE
FORMER BLACK-TONGUED CHILD OF SAHATI Mother
and son were finally reunited. Revealing that he was a rebel against Tagon, he disclosed
that he had somebody he wanted to protect and treasure. Tanya was different
from Tagon. He wanted to be her follower as he believed in the world she
wanted to create. Yangcha
was previously a Child of Sahati and had a black tongue. The black hue in his
tongue had disappeared. All his feelings have been restored, which was a good
sign. He had been healed from the cruel Sahati training. The Sahati trained
young children to be fearless and cold-hearted assassins. Tagon was the one
who had saved him from the Sahati. The young man advised his mother to stop being a yeomari or spy and make choices for
herself. CRUCIAL WAR
INTELLIGENCE Suhana
demanded to see Inaishingi. She would collaborate with them if he let Yangcha
return to Arthdal. She would betray Tagon because of her son.
Suhana revealed that at the upcoming night of the full moon, the Arthdal army would pass through the Arth Forest and raid the south gate of Molabeol Castle. She had been ordered to set the military warehouse on fire and in the chaos of the blaze, open the gates for the Arthdal army. The Ago leaders were incredulous. Ever since Aramun Haesulla lost in the Agoha Forest 200 years ago, Arthdal had never fought the Ago tribe in the forests and mountains because the Ago warriors had never lost in the forests. They had a dominant foothold in those forests. Dalsae
believed it was a lie. Arthdal would only fight them on the plains. Suhana argued
that Kanmoreu, the Horse of the Heavens, changed everything about the war. She
would supply them with crucial intelligence if they released Yangcha, to
which Inaishingi agreed.
The shocking piece of news was Tagon, himself, would not only lead his army, he would be in the forefront of the planned ambush. The intelligence was an unexpected bombshell.  Did they believe her? It was their war of honour and vengeance, pride and reputation. A war to conquer Arthdal. They must not and could not fail. If Suhana
was telling the truth, Tagon would catch them by surprise; they would be completely caught off guard. The Ago
leaders doubted Suhana’s information; it was faulty intelligence. To them, it belonged
to the realm of speculation. Inaishing’s
war successes earned him renown. As a military prodigy, he was intelligent
enough to listen to all arguments and tactics when brainstorming for ideas. He was to view the war from different
perspective. It was not just his war but their war.
He was wise enough to tell his leaders to prepare just in case it was true. They just had
to put in more effort, a critical and calculated effort, and it might prove to
be worth their while. There was no doubt that it was a hard fight to prepare but
they were about to enter upon a perilous war. They could ambush Tagon in the
forest and have the opportunity to end the war by shedding the least amount
of blood. Ipsaeng
agreed with the plan. Even if the Arthdal soldiers might not appear in the
forest, they should, at least, be prepared for them. They would set a trap
and wait. Tachukan boasted he was the best in the forests but was made fun of
by the female warrior. Mirusol added that the Arth Forest would be the grave of the
Arthdal soldiers. YANGCHA IS TRAPPED Yangcha
had returned to the Great Shrine but he was tricked and led into a trap and
was caught by Gilseon. He was lucky that the king had embarked on a new war. THE WAR BETWEEN ARTHDAL
AND AGO  Arthdal was not ignorant that the forests
were dominated by the Ago warriors. Yeonbal had a strategy to defeat Ago at
their own game in the forests where they reigned supreme. Kanmoreu, the divine
horse, was feared so the king would not be using the calvary with the
exception of a few horsemen. It was
night time. The king rode his horse in front across the plains. A small group
of soldiers on horsebacks were accompanied by foot soldiers. They were moving
out in the direction of the north of the Arth Forest, the trap zone of the
Ago tribe. The Ago army lay in wait for their enemies. The reconnoitring
of the movement of the Arthdal troops was done. The method of communication was
through the clinking sounds of their swords and the mimicking of birds. It was
announced by Tae Dachi that the Arthdal army had arrived in the forest. Tagon was riding in
front with the king’s flag.
The Ago warriors
were prepared. The Arth forest, the trap zone of the Ago union, was full of
dried leaves. The hidden warriors were so completely still that they might
have been part of the trees themselves. THE FOUR
MOMO WARRIORS VERSUS THE ARTHDAL
SOLDIERS The four
Momo men were on their way back to their home in Marugin. What Inaishingi
said bothered Karat. Inaishingi said living itself was Galma. No
matter how careful you were, you cannot avoid Galma. If you cannot
avoid it, why should you do? Move forward and don’t be afraid.
Suddenly, they sighted something. Arthdal troops. One of them was shot dead by an arrow. Karat said another Galma had been formed. They then cut a clump of their hair to be kept by Karat for future burial purposes. The Arthdal soldiers and Momo men fought. Outnumbered, the badly injured Karat managed to
escape.
THE
MONSTER OF ARTHDAL THE POLICY OF THE ANNIHILATION OF AN ENTIRE TRIBE When Tagon heard of the news of the fight against the Momo warriors, he spoke of 2 diplomatic principles used in dealing with the Momo tribe. First. Do not lay hands on the Momo tribe. Second, if you do, annihilate them.  After the
war with Ago, Tagon intended to conquer the Marugin Archipelago and the Moshaho
Peninsula and annihilate the entire Momo tribe. It meant wars will be a continual
affair for Arthal. Tagon had not changed over the years. He had nearly
annihilated the Neanthals. He would not only defile but also plunder Momo
land too in the near future. Death and desolation at such barbaric hands was too horrible to
contemplate. He was indeed an evil king.
TAGON HAUNTED
BY SAYA’S WORDS 'REMEMBER
MY FACE' Tagon,
the fake Aramun, was besieged by worries. Haunted by Saya’s final words, ‘Remember
My Face’ made him fearful and vulnerable. He had been warned that the
real Aramun was coming. THE
FOREST IS A
CHARACTER IN THIS
TELEVISION SERIES INAISHINGI’S
SOLILOQUY A SPEECH TO THE FORESTED MOUNTAIN
The pine trees rose tall in the quiet forest. Shafts of the morning light broke through the canopies. Inaishingi went out for a morning walk. Dalsae reported that Arthdal army had passed through Chestnut forest. He had spied Tagon face. The king was in the forefront. Before the battle, in the stillness of the air at daybreak, Inaishingi made an impassioned speech; he spoke to the forested mountain. None could know the sentiments that lurked within him until he poured out his heart and soul. It seemed to him that everything was connected. He was one with the environment - the robust forest and the mountain. He seemed to be marshalling his mind for the moment his Ago forces would meet with the enemies. Inaishingi, who was a legend, a god and a hero and the greatest warrior of all time made a stirring, emotion-charged speech in the forested mountain in which the Ago Coalition reigned supreme. Standing
in the middle of the quiet pine forest, Inaishingi delivered his impressive speech to his audience, the forest and the mountain. None were there except he and
Dalsae but he was talking to the trees and the mountain as if they were his warriors,
his friends and his supporters. He used the pronoun ‘We’.
‘Tagon
is here. It’s a godsent opportunity. We can catch Tagon here. We must catch
him and we can catch him. We must hold him accountable for driving a wedge
among the Ago Tribe by planting a yeomari and for making the ago tribe kill
and sell each other’s brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. This is a
forest and a mountain. Forests and mountains are always on the the side of
the Ago tribe.’ The he
raised his hand, ‘In the name of the waterfall, victory to all!’
WAR IN
THE FOREST
Tagon
had entered the pine forest. There was no trembling among the Ago warriors who communicated
by their tweeting sounds to indicate Tagon
had arrived at the forest.  The king
had an intuition that something was not quite right and commanded the troops to
retreat slowly. Then an arrow was shot at Tagon but narrowly missed him. Tagon
fell from his horse. The keen-witted,
active Ago tribe stormed them. The first line of attack was by arrows. The flurry of arrows came
from nowhere. The primary forest seemed to come alive; the ground opened up. The various places full of vines, tree stumps, piles of leaves on the forest floor hid the warriors. The carefully-laid thatched grass covers everywhere seemed to fly open from which the Ago men sprang. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The battle for Arthdal had begun. The
beasts of Ago and the armoured soldiers of Arthdal fought as swords flew in
the air. The ago warriors wore light clohes while the Arthdal soldiers protected themselves with heavy suits of armour. The
battle in the thick forests was fierce, fast and ferocious. Another shower of arrows had
been discharged on the soldiers. The spirit of the Ago warriors was high;
they were courageous. They had nothing to lose and they had everything to gain.
They would conquer Arthdal. They were determined to win. They had set traps.
The forests were their territory; they knew the forest like the palm of their
hand. The king
knew they would lose in the forest; he would fall prey to the forest beasts
so he ordered a retreat. Did it signal a defeat? Was it actually a withdrawal
from the war or did he have some tricks up his sleeve? They ran off without
their horses and exited the forest and poured into the plains. Another group
of Ago beasts led by Tae Maja and Badoru mowed down the retreating soldiers. Inaishingi
ordered them not to let Tagon escape. A fresh
attack. Tachukan was called upon to block the way of the king’s escape. But
the king managed to flee on foot. Another
line of attack came from the trees. Suddenly. some Ago assailants led by Dalsae
rappelled down from the tall pine trees. A ripple of covers flew open. Dalsae fought the king bravely but the king was strong for him. Although the king was attacked from all sides, he was able to ward off his attackers. Tagon
was nearly pinned down by several Ago men. There was a chance to overcome him
but he was able to free himself from the grip of their swords. At this point, it must be pointed out that though Tagon was no longer young, his strength as an Igutu
was far superior to Saram men. THE PURSUIT OF TAGON ACROSS THE PLAINS
Mirusol, the fierce female warrior was ordered by Inaishingi to chase Tagon. A badly wounded Karat arrived breathlessly
to report to Inaishingi. In his dying breath, he revealed that Tagon was the
bait to lead them into the open plains where the Ago warriors would be
vulnerable without their horses.
The
pursuit across the plain had began. Mirusol and Tachukan had led the chase after Tagon exited the forests
into the plains. The
pursuit of Tagon made an interesting picture. There is a line uncut grass
that acted as a barrier and was bent in the centre like an arrowhead to
indicate where Tagon was heading to.
It can
be seen that Tagon was breathless and exhausted; he was weighed down by his
heavy armoured suit with hundreds of small rectangular panels on it.
Moreover, he was older and less agile than before. In fact, he was
middle-aged and overweight. When he
stopped, they stopped. What was surprising was the Ago warriors did not set
themselves on him all at once.
Tagon
taunted Tachukan who had a tendency to be too loud and talkative. Tagon heckled
the Ago beast proudly and pointed out that they had not realized that they
have exited the forest into the open space when they were chasing him. The
Ago warriors then realised it was a ploy to lure them into the open plains. Their
petty force was in danger of being ploughed down by the soldiers over the
other side of the hill.
The wily king of Arthdal sarcastically pointed out that their heroic leader and his magical horse of the heavens were not around. It was a horrifying ordeal when they realised what they had done. When Tagon
raised his iron sword, there was a clear ringing sound’. KARAT’S
PIECE OF BAD NEWS
Though fatally wounded, Karat was a boon to the Ago tribe.
 He weakly told Inaishingi not to follow Tagon to
Barangggil. They had fallen into a trap. Below the hill on the other side
was the Dalrae Plains where countless of hardy armoured soldiers armed with
gleaming iron swords lay in wait to launch an attack against the Ago
warriors. The Ago beasts would be overrun by mere force of numbers.        Karat asked for a favour, ‘Send my brothers and me to the Land of Light. Win, Inaishingi.’ It was a touching moment. The Momos believe that the spirits
of the dead found no rest till death rituals were performed.   THE CHARGE
OF THE AGO ARMY UNDER INAISHINGI Inaishingi’s
face darkened but his mind cleared. There was fury and determination in his eyes
when he realised the ruse used by Arthdal. With a
look of ferocity and savagery, he commanded all forces to go past Dolgae Hill
and advance towards Baranggil. Everyone was startled by his forcefulness.
Wasn’t it a trap by the crafty Tagon to lure them there? Inaishingi would not desert his men and
leave them to be slain. The risk he was taking accompanied by his determination and empathy showed that Inaishingi was a heroic
leader.  Inaishingi
was not about to be compelled to throw away the cream of his beloved army,
his beloved leaders and leave them helpless at Tagon’s mercy. He didn’t
allow his heart to sink and wasn’t about to squander their lives. If they
didn’t march on, Mirusol and Tachukan would die. Tae Maja agreed. THE ARTHDAL WAR TACTIC Bloodlust.
The treacherous king, holding his sword which was pointed to the sky, was ready
to signal for the armoured soldiers to rush forward to crush the Ago
warriors.   The strategy and tactic of Arthdal had worked. The Ago warriors were now at a disadvantage. There is a flashback showing Yeonbal suggesting a plan to Tagon that he, Yeonbal, would be the bait to lure the Ago warriors into the open plains where they were the most vulnerable. The king had argued that the Ago tribe wasn’t stupid if Yeonbal was the bait. But if Tagon was the decoy, things would be different and the plan would succeed.The cunning Tagon, who had an incurable addiction to winning and glory, would risk his life to lure the enemy to enter the wide, open spaces of the plains.  Excitement rose as the gleaming armoured Arthdal soldiers with helmets and iron swords marched forwards and towards the Ago soldiers.
THE COUNTERATTACK WITH THE AGO CALVARY
Inaishingi was pulling his heavenly horse through
the forest to reach the plains. He was followed by his group of calvary
warriors. Mangled corpses lay on the ground.  The
fighting was frenzied. It was surprising that the booted and battle-ready
armoured Arthdal soldiers did not sink. There was chaos and slaughter
everywhere. The scene of devastation was frightening yet exciting. Tachukan was furious to have been tricked.
Mirusol, the female warrior, was too busy with the fighting to feel fear or anxiety.
Suddenly,
a most welcome voice boomed across the valley calling Tachukan and Mirusol. Inaishingi
was a marvel. The Ago calvary had appeared.  
 Inaishingi
looked amazing on his horse as he emerged from the forest. The leader had a
certain style and charm about him. With an expressive determination on his
face, he let fly his ferocious war cry. Lifting his sword, he roared, ‘In
the name of Ago and the waterfall.’ The roar was fit to wake the dead. Hearing
his loud booming voice gave the Ago warriors fresh hope.
  Inaishingi
and his warriors galloped down in a ferocious rush, leaving a huge cloud of
dust to rise in the air after them. Inaishingi, Tae Maja and the Ago calvary looked
like fiendish horsemen as they galloped towards their destination.
For one
moment the Arthdal soldiers turned pale but their commanders insisted on
fighting. The fight continued as Inaishingi swept across the plains like a
lightning strike, mowing down all the enemy soldiers in his way. The fight
was fast and furious. Barbaric. The slaughter of the battle took its toil.  THE FACE-TO-FACE
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE HERO
AND THE VILLAIN
Inaishingi,
in one continuous movement, was fast in his striking enemies dead. He now
desired to make as great a slaughter as possible; he seemed invincible. Tagon
was desperately watching the slaughter in fascination.   And when his commander pointed Inaishingi out, he suddenly came out of his reverie.  Without
thinking Tagon rushed forward in a straight line towards his rival and nemesis. He
bristled with vengeance; he had waited for this moment to fight Inaishingi. Nothing
stopped or slowed him down. He was unstoppable in his madness to fight Inaishingi who was famed for his war victories.
As Tagon thundered Inaishingi’s name, he turned into a demon. His headlong rush forward
gained momentum and he magically flew into the air. The hero was shocked but he
was no easy prey. He was not unprepared. Inaishingi’s body, which was flexible
and agile, avoided the full impact of the descending body.  Tagon
was like big tree trunk flying in the air as if he was shot like a ball from
a canon. It seemed that he had no control of his movement in the air. What
goes up must ultimately come down. As he
fell downwards, he, brushing against Inashingi, landed heavily on the ground.
Inashingi had a narrow escape. Think of the consequences. Had he not been agile and flexible, the overweight Tagon could have crushed him.  Both got up immediately and they faced each other. Tagon was gaping at Inashingi as if he had seen a ghost. His mind was addled and he was unable to conceal the shock of seeing the face that was identical to that of Saya’s. The dark eyes of Inaishingi narrowed. Tagon
fixed his eyes on the image with intensity – the same handsome face, the
same heroic look and the same intriguing curve at the mouth. The vivid regal image of
Inaishingi had turned Tagon to stone. Suddenly, the ongoing war seemed less
of a challenge to him. 
He
remembered Saya’s words, ‘I might die like this. But you will die at my
hands. Remember my face.’    
THE
ARTISTIC COMPOSITION OF THE
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN INAISHINGI
AND TAGON  The
final image of the confrontation between Inaishingi and Tagon in Episode 9 is
a composition that seems like a stunning ‘Realist Art’ piece frozen in
time. Or perhaps the scene which is frozen in one’s mind looks like inspiration
for a painting. Inaishingi
stood confidently on the left facing Tagon who was standing transfixed on the right. They were standing on LEVEL
ground on the vast FLAT plain which was surrounded by forests and hills. In his eagerness to end the war, Inaishingi is leaning slightly forward, showing his agility and alertness. The young, vibrant Inaishingi is juxtaposed with the older, overweight, rigid Tagon who seemed to have fallen into a stupor. Inaishingi,
the HERO or WAR HERO of the fantasy tale is pictured with a determined regal look
as he confronts the awestruck defeated-looking Tagon, the VILLIAN in this
fantastic tale. Inaishingi is not blocked by any fallen soldiers. The line of sight from the viewer to him is clear. Both the gods, Inaishingi and the fake Aramun stand out very clearly and unobstructed from view. There are collapsed men in the centre foreground but the path towards both leaders is unblocked. The viewers don’t even see the soldiers in the centre foreground nor the soldiers in the background. They only see Inaishingi and Tagon. The composition
of the artistic image, which has balance and harmony, is aesthetically pleasing
to the eye. This impressive image created by the Director and Cinematographer
is a beautiful depiction of the war between Ago and Arthdal. The actors, with
the right expressions and body language, as well as the director and
cinematographer with their skills, tell an amazing story which depicts the
realities of the war. |
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