MURIM SCHOOL - EPISODE 1

"A new school opens its doors."

That's what we read in one of the trailers for 'Murim School,' a new drama airing on KBS 2TV. The trailers promise teen drama, martial arts, some sweet mystical special effects, and a hot cast. But does it deliver?

Bear with me, and we'll find out. But first, the characters:

Si Woo (Lee Hyun Woo) is an idol star, frontman for the boy band Mobius. He's possibly going deaf and is aced out of his contract by President Choi, the head of the company he signed with. He has some kind of power that narrowly stopped a falling light fixture from crushing him. �Now an idol without a group, he has little choice but to head to Murim School for a cure.



Shim Soon Duk (Seo Ye Ji) helps her mom out with a restaurant. She already attends Murim School, unknown to her father. Soon Duk is quite athletic; she has some mad martial arts skills and she saves Chi Ang from drowning. After his rescue,�Chi Ang becomes quite taken with her.



Wang Chi Ang (Hongbin of VIXX) is an illegitimate child and a bad boy. He's the ostensible heir of a powerful conglomerate in China, the Shanghai Group. His father engineers his kidnapping to send him to Murim School�because he's been expelled 20 times since middle school. He escapes, but when he finds out Soon Duk goes there, he capitulates.



Hwang Sun Ah (Jung Yoo Jin) - We don't know too much about her, other than she's a student at Murim, is a fan of Mobius, and knows that Si Woo has a hearing problem. Sun Ah tells him the headmaster at Murim can cure it.



Ultimately, their trials in the real world lead Chi Ang, Soon Duk, and Si Woo to the school. Chi Ang and Si Woo end up fighting and falling headlong down a hill, revealing the school that was mystically hidden. They walk toward the school, and the students and staff meet them in the courtyard. We hear narration saying "the barrier is broken..."

This looks to be South Korea's 'Harry Potter.' We have a magically-hidden school, an opening sequence where the principal protects himself and his daughter from unknown assailants by hiding behind a mystic barrier, and a young idol with some kind of supernatural power. There are some who've expressed concern about the premise, but I'm not too worried about the otherworldly elements in the series. There are several successful dramas that have included sci-fi/the supernatural and those get lots of love ('You Who Came From the Stars,' anyone?).


Si Woo, preternaturally holding the light fixture aloft

We still don't know what they teach at the school, other than what the press materials tell us: Communication, creativity, honesty, integrity, and selflessness. That's a tall order for a school, since parents are supposed to teach that to their kids, but I think there's something else there, given that martial arts (and likely magic) are also part of the curriculum. The action is intense, and they set up lots of high-octane martial arts scenes.

I'm pretty well drawn in. I like the characters, as each of them has something he or she wants out of this. I have a feeling that this will change as the series goes on, and I'm curious to see what kind of romances bud here. I'm sure Chi Ang is going to make a play for Soon Duk, and I can see Sun Ah and Si Woo pairing up, although being tongue-tied and clumsy in front of your bias will be obvious barriers here. I'm also curious about the enemy; who were those well-dressed men, and why were they chasing the headmaster and his daughter? Are they still after them? What do they want?


The boys walk toward the school in the mists

I'm guessing we'll have to wait for the next episode to find out. I don't know about you, but I'm on the edge of my seat.��

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