BONG SANG
PIL
THE
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL
GENIUS
LAWYER
PORTRAYED
BY
LEE JOON
GI
AND
THE
UNIQUE
ANIMAL
METAPHOR SYSTEM
IN
LAWLESS
LAWYER
THE
2018
GROUNDBREAKING
TVN
LEGAL
ACTION
THRILLER
TELEVISION
MASTERPIECE
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   Lawless Lawyer, the 2018 groundbreaking TVN Legal-Action-Thriller television series masterpiece which stars Lee Joon Gi, is written by first-rate screenwriter par excellance, Yoon Hyun Ho and directed by the visionary and innovative filmmaker Kim Jin Min. The cast also includes exceptionally talented actors, Seo Yea Ji as Ha Jae Yi, Lee Hye Young as Judge Cha Moon Sook and Choi Min Soo as Ahn Oh Joo. Lawless Lawyer has taken a bold leap forward, completely breaking the mould and influencing the television industry. Its status as a landmark television series has led to an unprecedented happening - not only the emergence of a television show which copycated certain scenes, ideas and camera techniques but also the shocking illegal wholesale duplication of the show by a domestic television series. All three are streamed on Netflix. The almost fully duplicated or plagiarized version was streamed on Netflix first in many, many countries but when Lawless Lawyer was streamed after that, it was only available in about 5 or 6 countries. It is shocking that Lawless Lawyer was withdrawn not long after in certain countries but the duplicated version has remained on Netflix.       
Why is it groundbreaking? The titular Lawless Lawyer, portrayed
by Lee Joon Gi, as the name suggests, is not your conventional lawyer. Bong
Sang Pil, a morally complex hybrid lawyer and a multi-dimensional genius fuses
legal knowledge, tactical improvision, manipulation, and risk-taking in ways
that traditional or modern smart lawyers never do. A hybrid protagonist, Bong
Sang Pil blends physical prowess, legal cunning and moral ambiguity. Action and
strategy are integrated. Legal manoeuvres and courtroom drama are intertwined
with tactical, physical action unlike conventional dramas. Genre fusion, which
blends action, legal intrigue, psychological thriller, is showcased in a way
that television has never attempted before.
The cinematography is stunning and memorable. It combines dynamic
combat angles, startling night scenes, beautiful seaside scenes and visual
motifs that emphasize predator-prey dynamics. There are also startling overlapping reflections to showcase similarities.
 What’s also extraordinary about Lawless Lawyer is the astonishing plethora of imagery used including
visual and verbal imagery. The hilariously funny television series has a unique Animal Metaphor
System. Every character, who is cast as an animal archetype, suddenly gains prominence in the legal
environment which is reminiscent of an Animal World. There are references to
animals in every episode of the television series. This gives the narrative a
moral and psychologist lens.
The television series equates the main and supporting characters
with specific animals, focusing on traits that are observed in their behaviour.
The tone is usually cynical or critical, highlighting selfishness, deceit,
cowardice, or aggression. This functions like a modern ‘Animal World’ where
humans are stripped of societal pretenses and reduced to their raw instincts.
 What is Bong Sang Pil’s position in the Animal Kingdom? He is
cast as the apex predator, the eagle – the Legal Eagle, who can also leap like a
Puma. The visual imagery of the lawless lawyer, is that of an Eagle-cum-Puma. Bong
Sang Pil is a predator. Predatory camera angles show his leaps which are
aligned with ‘Predator vs. Prey’ framing. His Puma leaps are agile, explosive and precise. In fights or sudden courtroom confrontations, he strikes instantly,
using speed and power that seems almost predatory. His Eagle flight is like his
surveys of the court battlefield from above. He moves with grace and vision,
landing exactly where he can exploit a weakness. The combination makes him both
a hunter and a tactician. His physical ability, including his acrobatics,
mirrors his legal cunning. Just as he could leap from the staircase of a tall
building or a nightclub stage, he leaps through legal loopholes and navigates
legal obstacles. He ‘flies’ over conventional limits - crossing boundaries that
others fear to tread and landing victories that none expects.
        Other than imagery, Lawless Lawyer, a TV defining series, offers interesting insights through its quotes, legal or business concepts and observations of human behaviour. Viewers are invited to think, anticipate and interpret.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
              
                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
               
              
         
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