In defence of the Fox

"Except for 'Forbidden Love', Jo Hyun-Jae has not made a single mistake in his career."

I saw the above comment on my favourite JHJ Chinese website the other day, and it really ruffled my feathers.

Just because "Forbidden Love" (Legend of the 9-tailed fox) is the most under-rated of Jo Hyun-Jae's dramas does not mean it is inferior.

The reason it is, arguably, the least popular of JHJ's dramas is because it is the most unusual, the most daring, the most challenging, and, as such, may not appeal to the taste of the masses.

It is certainly not your usual run-of-the-mill Korean drama -- boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl gets incurable disease, girl dies, boy cries.

Or maybe it is, but with a twist! For one thing, the girl isn't human: she is a vixen, as it turned out. The plot is based on the myth of the 9-tailed fox. This legend may be common knowledge in Korea but I am not familiar with it, so it is refreshing to me. The plot is certainly not the rehashed-to-death storyline of typical Korean drama. It takes a little imagination, though, to follow the twists and turns, jolts and jerks. The foxes in human form are all very attractive (at least the 5 young leads), and they all have supernatural powers, rather like Hollywood's X-men. The myth, however, only provides the platform for this drama. The plot's development follows a logical pattern, and it is science fiction with human elements.

Jo Hyun-Jae stars in his first action drama and presents a hitherto unsuspected macho side of himself. Coming off "Sunshine" in which he plays a rather spoilt young man (but so sweet!), this is a bold attempt in a new direction. JHJ is not content to rest on his laurels of perfecting the role of the poor little rich kid. His role in "Forbidden Love" is a venture into uncharted territory, an experimentation with a new genre that pays off. It is a very physical role: he punches and kicks like a pro. And it paves the way for his role in "G.P.506" four years later.

JHJ looks older than his actual age of 24 when this drama was made. In his four preceding roles in "Great Ambition", "Love Letter", "First Love", and "Sunshine", he looks boyish and immature. But here in "Forbidden Love" he looks every inch the man. His character Min-Woo is a member of the SCIS Special Squad whose mission is to destroy the 9-tailed fox clan. He is one of the few characters in Korean drama who has a real job, who has to work for a living. This makes the character more realistic and anchors the drama in the real world. Instead of just walking and talking, Min-Woo goes about his business with professional panache. And JHJ in a crew-cut looks very smart and clean-cut.

I like the pairing of Jo Hyun-Jae and Kim Tae-Hee, whatever some people say -- they look good together. The trouble for JHJ's female co-stars is: he looks better than they! This happens time and again. I really feel sorry for JHJ's co-stars -- so often they are totally eclipsed in their scenes with him. And there is chemistry between JHJ and KTH. Their relationship in this drama arouses our sympathy-- two star-crossed lovers striving against all odds, trying to overcome insurmountable obstacles. I like the JHJ charcter Min-Woo's persistence and conviction: he knows what he wants and he knows how to go about it. There is no such nonsense of "To be or not to be" about him. This contributes to the fast pace of the drama.

The love story is set against the larger (macro) plot of the fight between men and beasts, essentially a struggle for survival. The foxes are trying to find a niche on this earth dominated by men, and the men are bent on destroying the foxes whom they see as threats to the human race. Torn between these two worlds, there is no possibility of a happy ending for our doomed lovers. The drama poses the philosophical question -- who has the right to exist? The survival of the fittest? Majority rules? The drama also challenges the basic assumption that only two of a kind can relate. Min-Woo and Shi-Yeon try to bridge the gap between the species, but of course their efforts are futile. The title says it all -- Forbidden Love. "Forbidden Love" is perhaps the most thought-provoking of JHJ's dramas.

The ending is to be expected (though it's another one of those in which JHJ doesn't get the girl. Scream!) The 1000-year-old fox has to be sacrificed -- this makes more sense than the staple diet of Korean drama in which the perfectly healthy heroine suddenly develops an unexplained fatal illness and dies a protracted, excruciating death (squeezing every tear out of the captive viewers.) The vixen-heroine dies, leaving our hero with a handful of dust, literally. The anguished look on Min-Woo's face stays in my mind for a long time afterwards. JHJ masters this role with complete ease and with a new-found maturity.

One last (trivial) point: JHJ in this drama changes my prejudice against men who wear sleeveless shirts/T-shirts. I've always found men who wear tops with no sleeves lacking in something. What are they trying to show off? But our action hero here in "Forbidden Love" redefines men's fashion. Men who go sleeveless can look good (but they have to look good in the first place; otherwise this fashion guru's advice is: wear sleeves!)

"Forbidden Love" is the first Jo Hyun-Jae drama that I watched and it will always have a special place in my heart.