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From Wikipedia: “Moving” (Korean: 무빙) is a South Korean television series directed by Park In-jae. It is a Disney+ original starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, Ryoo Seung-bum, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung, and Kim Do-hoon.
The series is a supernatural drama that deals with three teenager high school students and their parents who discover their super powers. It premiered on August 9, 2023 with Eps. 1-7 dropped simultaneously; two new episodes were then dropped every week.
The drama is based on the eponymous webtoon “Moving” by Kang Full. Genre: action, fantasy, supernatural, sci-fi, romance, family drama.
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns. Each episode is less than an hour in duration, and in some cases, I combined two episodes into one summary. For Eps. 1-7, I wrote just one summary because these episodes are world building and depict the backgrounders of the teen main characters.
3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 8, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
4. I followed this structure all throughout, except for Ep. 20 (Finale) where I included spoilers. Reason — most people want to know if the drama has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest the time in watching it.
Episodes 1-7
Kim Bong-seok and his mother Mi-hyun:
Mi-hyun has protected her son Bong-seok since early childhood from the effects of his supernatural ability to fly. She leased a barn with a high ceiling, taught him how to walk without floating up into the sky, and foam-padded his bedroom ceiling. Now that he’s in senior high school, she makes sure everyday that he has heavy weights on his backpack and around his ankles because every time he becomes emotionally agitated, he starts to float.
While tending to her “donkatsu” restaurant, Mi-hyun also monitors regularly on her smartphone mysterious cases of deaths.
Jang Hui-soo, her father Ju-won, and her homeroom teacher Choi Il-hwan:
As her father prepares to open a chicken restaurant, Hui-soo goes to her new school, Jeongwon High School. Before going to her classroom, she meets Choi Il-hwan, who is her homeroom teacher. Choi Il-hwan tells her that based on her grades, she can’t qualify for scholarships in private colleges in Seoul. He encourages her to major in Physical Education in a national college and promises to make all the school’s training facilities and equipment freely available to her so that she can pass the fitness requirements.
In her classroom, Hui-soo meets Bong-seok, Lee Gang-hoon (the class president), Bang Ki-soo (the “alpha juvie”), and Han-byul (the wannabe social media influencer).
Lee Gang-hoon (the class president):
Despite being a by-the-book leader in their classroom, Gang-hoon is a popular figure in school because of his good looks and intelligence. One day, he sees Ki-soo following Hui-soo as she goes to a shower room in the school. He confronts Ki-soo, who then challenges him to a fight in an isolated part of the school.
Jeon Gye-Do:
When his career as an entertainer ends abruptly, Gye-do becomes a bus driver. Among the people who regularly ride his bus is Bong-seok.
Frank versus the ex-agents of Korea’s Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP):
A foreign government agency sends Frank (a “cleaner” aka assassin) to kill several ex-agents of the ANSP. Based on the records given to him and the instructions on his satellite phone, he begins "deleting" these ex-agents.
Concerned about the killings of the ex-agents and the ulterior motive of the foreign government agency, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Deputy Director Min Yong-jun confronts Frank’s control officer and demands that the killings must stop.
Episode 8: "Black"
| Eps. 1-7 recap:
While alone with Hui-soo on a staircase in their school, Bong-seok becomes emotionally agitated because of their physical closeness and floats up against the ceiling. Hui-soo jumps up, grabs on to his leg, and helps him get back down. Later, as she helps him get back home, she meets Mi-hyun. Hui-soo confesses to Bong-seok that she was expelled from her former school when she defended someone from being bullied and then beat up severely seventeen of her classmates, with her mysteriously quickly recovering from her injuries during the fight. Gang-hoon uses his supernatural speed and power to beat Ki-soo to a pulp. He got his power from his father, who’s physically strong but a bit feeble minded. Principal Jo Rae-hyuk is actually a section chief of the NIS (formerly organzied as the ASNP). Under him is Choi Il-hwan, who’s assigned to monitor Gang-hoon and Hui-soo for their supernatural abilities. At the NIS headquarters, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun asks his aide about the progress of the “breeding program.” Frank, the assassin, kills three ex-ANSP agents, among whom is Gye-do’s father. With each fight, he becomes angry when the ex-members mock him by saying that he’s merely a second stringer. He also becomes confused about why the ex-agents are hiding their children. Gye-do’s career as TV’s “Bungaeman” ended because he couldn’t control the electric emissions from his body. While driving his bus one night, he senses that the driver of a medium sized delivery truck is his father’s killer. He catches up with Frank in an isolated field but gets beaten up. At her “donkatsu” restaurant, Mi-hyun realizes through her heightened senses that her customer (Frank) is the assassin. She gets ready to use her gun against Frank to protect herself and Bong-seok. But Frank’s control officer (a guy from the CIA) orders him to stand down after NIS Deputy Director Min Yong-jun threatens that he will turn the killings into a diplomatic issue by contacting China’s Ministry of State Security. Just like Frank, Ju-won (code name “Guryongpo”) has the supernatural ability to regenerate himself, an ability he has passed on to his daughter Hui-soo. Whhile beating up Frank to a pulp, he becomes concerned when Frank says that he knows that Hui-soo is a student at Jeongwon High School. Shin Hye-won, the bullied student who Hui-soo helped, transfers to Jeongwon High School. Someone has sabotaged the backboard; as it hurtles towards Hui-soo, Gang-hoon speeds towards her and saves her. But having recorded everything on her camera, Han-byul uploads the video. The NIS goes into overdrive to delete the video from all social media and to distract people’s attention, but Mi-hyun, Ju-won, and a top North Korean general have already seen the video. Ashamed that he failed to save Hui-soo, Bong-seok goes to an isolated road and tries to learn how to control his flying. He tells his mother Mi-hyun that he will no longer use the weights on his backpack and around his ankles, but Mi-hyun berates him by asking if he wants to end up like his father.  |
Flashback, 1987 ... A terrorist switches on a bomb in a Korean passenger plane flying above the Indian Ocean.
Flashback, 1994, Namsan Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) ...
Despite her supernatural abilities and excellent track record, Lee Mi-hyun has been relegated to a desk job as information analyst because of an injury. But Deputy Director Min Yong-jun gives her a second chance to get back to black ops; he orders her to get close to Kim Doo-sik, who is ANSP’s most elite agent (code name “Moonsan”). He wants her to find out about Doo-sik’s philosophical views and psychological state, his capability to carry out assignments, and his daily activities. When Mi-hyun says that the assignment doesn’t match her job as information analyst, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun smirks and says that “beauty is a weapon” and that field agents use their bodies as well as their brains.
Flashback, 1992, Yanbian, China ... Mi-hyun takes part in ANSP’s “Operation Seagull” to flush out double agents working for North Korea.
Episode 9: "Humanists"
| Ep. 8 recap:
1987 ... Despite using his supernatural ability to fly, Doo-sik fails to prevent the terrorist from detonating the bomb inside the Korean passenger plane and killing everyone on board. 1994 ... When Ju-won (“Guryongpo”) becomes offended that she talks down to him, Mi-hyun corrects him by saying that she was the youngest to graduate from the ANSP and that she outranks him. Doo-sik uncovers Mi-hyun’s ploy to get to him; he warns Mi-hyun that Deputy Director Min Yong-jun is a dangerous man who uses people to get what he wants. Later, after having dinner at a restaurant called “Namsan Donkatsu,” he professes his feelings for her. 1992 ... “Operation Seagull” goes awry when the team leader becomes unhinged and orders his team members, including Mi-hyun, to kill all of the people who have come to the reception. Instead of setting off a tear gas canister, Mi-hyun sets off a flash bang grenade and shoots off the door lock, allowing some of the people to rush out and escape the massacre. 1994 ... Deputy Director Min Yong-jun tells Director Yeo that Doo-sik tried to save the Korean plane and its passengers on his own. He says that as “Eagle” in “Operation Seagull,” Doo-sik disobeyed the team leader’s order to kill the people who ran out of the reception. |
Doo-sik cautions Mi-hyun that she shouldn’t tell Deputy Director Min Yong-jun that her assignment has been blown because he will discard her immediately; it also gives them a chance to continue seeing each other. On the other hand, Director Yeo of the Information Management Division berates Mi-hyun in front of everyone in the office that she has been disrespecting her by going off to see Deputy Director Min Yong-jun without telling her first.
When Deputy Director Min Yong-jun reads in the newspaper that North Korea’s leader Kim Il-sung wants an inter-Korean summit, he orders that Mi-hyun be brought into his office. When Mi-hyun says that she hasn’t found out what Doo-sik’s secret is, he dismisses her, saying that her assignment is now finished.
Director Yeo belittles Mi-hyun’s competence even though she was a field agent. But Deputy Director Min Yong-jun says that, having graduated with the highest scores ever in ANSP’s history, Mi-hyun couldn’t have mistaken a flash bang grenade for a tear gas canister.
Episode 10: "The Monster"
| Ep. 9 recap:
Doo-sik shows Mi-hyun his ability to fly. On the other hand, Mi-hyun reveals that her sense of hearing and sight can span great distances. Warned by Deputy Director Min Yong-jun’s secretary, Mi-hyun finds out that all her words and interactions with Doo-sik in her office and at the coffee vending machine have been secretly recorded. When she confronts Deputy Director Min Yong-jun about it, he says that he wanted Doo-sik to fall in love with her so that he would have a reason to come back after completing his assignments. Deputy Director Min Yong-jun orders Doo-sik to assassinate North Korea’s leader Kim Il-sung in order to disrupt the inter-Korean summit. But several days before the summit, the news explodes that Kim Il-sung has died of a brain infarction. With Doo-sik missing, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun orders the other directors to mobilize their resources to find him and bring him back to ANSP. Doo-sik is captured by the ANSP quick reaction force as he visits Mi-hyun. |
Flashback, 1990 ... Ju-won works as an enforcer for a violent gang composed of his fellow natives from Pohang. In the gang’s latest move, they take over a nightclub in Ulsan.
Living alone in a motel room, Ju-won constantly watches professional wrestling matches and does some scams on the streets to earn money.
One night, his scam goes awry, and as he tries to make sense of the streets and alleyways to get back to his motel, he meets the woman who delivers coffee for a living. The woman tells him to use the lighted cross of a church to guide him back to his motel.
To his disgust, Ju-won finds out that his boss in the Pohang gang has agreed to a merger between their gang and the gang they evicted from the Ulsan nightclub.
Episode 11: "Romanticist"
| Ep. 10 recap:
After Ju-won refuses to work with the Ulsan gang, his former subordinate in the Pohang gang named Minki betrays him and the gang boss to the Ulsan gang by spiking their drinks. The Ulsan gang members tie him and his boss up inside a car and handcuff his hands to the steering wheel; from the barge, they then push the car into the sea. Breaking his thumb, Ju-won gets out of the handcuffs and swims out of the car that has sunk to the bottom of the sea. As he swims up, he sees a vision of a giant fish and the lighted cross; he remembers the night he got lost and meeting again the woman who delivers coffee. As he cries, he tells her that he has always taken the easiest way in life. Ju-won exacts revenge on the Ulsan gang. He doesn’t kill Minki but rips his mouth open with the handcuffs. Through Minki, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun of the ANSP learns about Ju-won’s supernatural ability. |
Ju-won cleans up his room and grooms himself as he spends time with Hwang Ji-hee, the coffee delivery woman. When Ji-hee asks him about her kind of job — prostitution in the guise of delivering coffee — he says that she must have had a reason. When she asks why he reads martial arts novels, he replies that it’s because the good guy always wins and ends up with the woman he loves.
The brother of Incheon’s Nolgae gang boss and three other guys try to assault Ji-hee inside their motel room. Ju-won breaks into the room, beats them up, and locks them up in a small room.
The Nolgae gang boss and dozens of his henchmen attack Ju-won in the motel’s hallway. Ju-won fights them off, but Minki and over a hundred of his henchmen from the Ulsan gang also arrive. As Ju-won runs away, ANSP’s Deputy Director Min Yong-jun orders Minki and his henchmen to pursue and pressure Ju-won to the brink even if he dies.
Episode 12: “Partners”
| Ep. 11 recap:
Despite the police blockade of the area where Ju-won is being pursued by Minki’s henchmen, Ji-hee drives through in her scooter and helps Ju-won escape. When Ju-won says that he has killed people, she replies that he must have had his reason. A van crashes into Ji-hee and Ju-won’s scooter. As they hurtle through the air, Ju-won protects Ji-hee. He rushes the oncoming van and grabs the steering wheel to keep the van from running over Ji-hee. With a whaler’s harpoon gun, Minki approaches Ju-won, who’s crushed beneath the wreckage of the van; he wants to know if Ju-won can survive a big hole in his head. But from high above in the air, Doo-sik shoots him. Six months later, after formally becoming an ANSP agent and being assigned to work with Doo-sik, Ju-won visits Ji-hee at the coffee shop. |
1992, Russia ... Doo-sik and Ju-won rescue a North Korean scientist from a Russian gang.
1994 ... ANSP Deputy Director Min Yong-jun forced Mi-hyun to betray Doo-sik. At the ANSP headquarters, he demands that Doo-sik tell him what really happened in North Korea. But Doo-sik refuses to give a clear answer and threatens to tell the Blue House of his order to assassinate Kim Il-sung. When Deputy Director Min Yong-jun screams that he shouldn’t betray ANSP, Doo-sik retorts that he was the one who was betrayed.
At the coffee vending machine, while cutting out with a knife a bullet from his forearm, Ju-won mulls over what Doo-sik meant by “just like what we used to do.”
Unable to fully explain what happened, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun is demoted by the Blue House and the ANSP is downsized. After her father dies, Mi-hyun transfers to another government agency.
Episode 13: "Jang Ju-won"
| Ep. 12 recap:
At the apartment, Doo-sik knew of the trap set by Deputy Director Min Yong-jun and the ANSP quick reaction force. He whispers to Mi-hyun to take his gun and act as if she’s betraying him. He also tells her to give his knife to Ju-won. Doo-sik hostages Deputy Director Min Yong-jun and, with Ju-won’s help, stages a scenario of shooting Mi-hyun; this way, the ANSP will leave her alone. The security guard at Jeongwon High School is an ANSP agent. After the ANSP is reorganized into the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Min Yong-jun returns to his former position. Less than a year after Bong-seok was born, Mi-hyun and Doo-sik find out that he can fly. One day, while chasing after a butterfly, he floats up high into the sky and has to be rescued by Doo-sik. Mi-Hyun and Doo-sik’s idyllic life at an apple orchard is disrupted when the NIS locates them. After telling Mi-hyun never to let anyone know of Bong-seok’s ability to fly, Doo-sik creates a diversion and fights off the NIS special agents and the SWAT team. When Mi-hyun and Bong-seok escape from the orchard, he allows himself to be captured. Among those in the NIS raiding team are the three ex-agents who Frank killed. Unknown to Mi-hyun, as she and Bong-seok try to find a safe place, they’re being monitored by Jo Rae-hyuk, the future principal of Jeongwon High School. |
After the ANSP is reorganized into the NIS, Ju-won transfers to a desk job in the administrative affairs section. He struggles with the daily grind of the job, not knowing much about computers. He thinks about quitting, but the thought of losing his and Ji-hee’s apartment that’s provided to civil servants forces him to stay.
Tension erupts in South Korea when a wrecked North Korean submarine is discovered and believed to have smuggled armed spies into the country.
Deputy Director Min Yong-jun gives Ju-won a chance to leave his boring desk job and prove his worth by helping capture the North Korean spies.
During the massive manhunt for the spies, Ju-won meets Jo Rae-hyuk, who tells him that Deputy Director Min Yong-jun wants to reorganize the ANSP’s former black ops team of agents with supernatural abilities.
On the 49th day of the search operation against the North Korean spies, Jo Rae-hyuk finds on the icy path the tracks left by the spies. He sends off the special forces soldiers to pursue the spies but holds Ju-won off from joining the pursuit. He tells Ju-won that they should intervene only after the firefight has ensued to impress upon the government officials the urgent need to reactivate the black ops team.
Episode 14: “The Idiot”
| Ep. 13 recap:
Jo Rae-hyuk tells Ju-won that although he doesn’t have any supernatural ability, he has superior tracking skills; he can track anyone down. On the frozen stream while searching for the North Korean spies, he tells Ju-won that one of the Korean spies also has supernatural abilities. During the intense firefight, the spies throw a grenade at the special forces soldiers. Ju-won saves them by smothering the explosion with his body, but the commander of the special forces soldiers is killed by a sniper among the spies. On the mountaintop, Ju-won proves no match against the North Korean spy who has massive strength, amazing speed, and tremendous leaping ability. With the confirmation that North Korea has its own agents with supernatural abilities, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun is allowed to reorganize the black ops team. Ju-won leads the team composed of Jin-cheon, Naju, and Bongpyeong. While on an assignment, Ju-won finds out that Ji-hee died in a car accident. |
Flashback, 2003 ...
Ju-won requests that he be transferred back to a desk job because he has to take care of his daughter Hui-soo, who’s now in kindergarten. Deputy Director Min Yong-jun approves his request tentatively, saying that he will call on him when necessary.
In Cheonggyecheon District, the street vendors ask the slow witted but strong and fast Jae-man to join them in opposing the local government’s plan to redevelop their district. But Jae-man’s wife warns the vendors against enticing Jae-man to join them; she reminds Jae-man to always think of their son Gang-hoon’s welfare.
With riot police backing them up, the men hired for the redevelopment project demolish the street stalls, including the shoe store of Jae-man’s wife.
Leaving Gang-hoon alone in their apartment, Jae-man goes back to the street where the stalls are located. When he sees his wife and the other street vendors being arrested and led onto a bus, he rushes to her, but the riot police block his way.
Episode 15: “N.T.D.P”
| Ep. 14 recap:
Jae-man surprises his fellow street vendors and the riot police with his supernatural strength, speed, and leaping ability. Finding out about it, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun calls up Ju-won and orders him to deal with the monster. Down in the sewers, during their epic fight, Ju-won handcuffs himself to Jae-man, who continues to fight but is soon choked out. After they save the missing boy from drowning in the sewer, Ju-won allows Jae-man to go back to his apartment. Finding out that Jae-man is an idiot, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun orders his men and the SWAT team to stand down. Despite just being four years old, Gang-hoon manhandles the SWAT team members. At that moment, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun realizes that supernatural abilities can be passed on from the parents to their children. He walks away from Ju-won with a smirk on his face. Ju-won goes back to his apartment, bundles up Hui-soo and all their belongings, and escapes, abandoning the NIS. Present times ... After Hui-soo says that her mother died smiling after realizing that, just like him, she can’t be hurt by anything, Ju-won begins to cry. |
Flashback, 2003 ... Jo Rae-hyuk recommends to Deputy Director Min Yong-jun the creation of a “National Talent Development Board” with Ju-won’s daughter, Jae-nam’s son, Doo-sik’s son, and the children of Bongpyeong and Naju as their first subjects. Saying that a change of generation from their current black ops agents is inevitable, he says that after finding Doo-sik’s son, the NIS should establish a base near his school district.
Present times ...
After confronting Ki-soo at the gym, Gang-hoon meets Hui-soo at a convenience store; when Hui-soo asks if he has supernatural powers, he evades directly answering her question. He says that he won’t go to college but instead work for the government.
As the students are given a day off from their academy classes and the school gym is closed, Hui-soo and Bong-seok go to a private gym where she’ll continue her training for the PE college practical exams. But as they ride on the bus, Gye-do senses something wrong with the guy who’s following them.
Based on the video, Mi-hyun becomes suspicious why there’s another student with supernatural ability in the same school and in the same class as Bong-seok. She takes her gun and several clips of ammunition and then goes to Jeongwon High School.
Episode 16: “The Man Between”
| Ep. 15 recap:
Mi-hyun asks Choi Il-hwan why he knows that he’s Bong-seok’s mother when she never told him who she was. She becomes even more suspicious when she spots a CCTV camera hidden in the room’s ceiling. Ju-won has also become suspicious about what happened at the gym. As he wanders around the school, Sung-wook (the temp) monitors his every movement through the banks of CCTV monitors in the principal’s office. Meanwhile, the security guard at the gate reports to someone that Mi-hyun and Guryongpo are in the school. Four North Korean agents target the files of the students with supernatural abilities; when the junior agent asks what they’ll do if they can’t find the files, the senior agent named Kim Deok-yeon says that the students themselves are the files. (One other agent is Chan-il, the North Korean spy who dominated Ju-won in their fight on the mountain back in 1996.) With someone providing them with directions, they proceed to the back gate of Jeongwon High School. Gye-do panics as he sees the man follow Bong-seok and Hui-soo as their bus stop to the private gym approaches. He steps on the gas pedal, sending the bus careening through the streets. |
As Hui-soo, Bong-seok, and the other passengers scream in terror, Gye-do swerves the speeding bus and screeches it to a stop in front of a police station. The police officers help the passengers get off the bus immediately, but the North Korean agent disappears.
Flashback, 2004 to 2015 ...
After serving three years in the Special Forces, Choi Il-hwan applies to the NIS. He’s assigned by Deputy Director Min Yong-jun to become part of the NTDP under Jo Rae-hyuk in Jeongwon High School; among the very first students whom he’s tasked to evaluate is Gye-do.
Through the years, Choi meets and evaluates some promising students; he also becomes close to his students, especially after an incident that traumatizes him and his students.
Principal Jo Rae-hyuk brings in another agent (Sung-wook) to help evaluate the next class, despite Choi Il-hwan’s reluctance. After reminding Choi Il-hwan that he’s an NIS agent, not a real teacher, he orders him to pay close attention to Kim Doo-sik’s son.
Present times ...
After evading the CCTV cameras in Jeongwon High School, Ju-won barges into Choi Il-hwan’s career guidance office. He’s stunned to see Mi-hyun inside the office.
Episode 17: “Awakening”
| Ep. 16 recap:
Choi Il-hwan finds out that former ANSP agent Naju has passed her x-ray vision to her daughter. But the daughter dies of cancer. One student that Choi Il-hwan fails to properly evaluate has the supernatural ability to stop time. Mi-hyun drops her cellphone into a trash bin and pretends not to know Ju-won. But she warns him of the CCTV camera hidden in the ceiling. As the police officers interview Gye-do and the bus passengers, Hui-soo tells Bong-seok that they should sneak out. When she worries about losing his charger, Bong-seok tells her not to worry because he knows Bungaeman. Meanwhile, in Jeongwon High School, as Ki-soo looks for the records of the gifted students, Han-byul tries to climb over the school’s gate. After stabbing Sung-wook on the neck and killing him, the Chinese-Korean lady cleaner uses the bank of CCTV cameras to monitor the conversation between Ju-won and Choi Il-hwan. Then she calls up Kim Deok-yoon, Chan-il, and the other North Korean agents and apprises them of the people and their locations inside the school. When Mi-hyun comes into the principal’s office, the cleaning lady pretends to be merely doing her job in the office. But after noticing the trace of blood on a cabinet, Mi-hyun closes the door to confront her. |
From the private gym’s 2nd floor, the North Korean agent throws Hui-soo to the ground. When Hui-soo tries to fight back, he grabs her and throws her like a rag doll against the wall. Bong-seok hears Hui-soo’s screams but finds the gym door locked.
In Jeongwon High School, as she fights with the cleaning lady, Mi-hyun hears the oncoming footsteps of a North Korean agent. Meanwhile, Kim Deok-Yoon and a giant North Korean agent barge into the career guidance room where Ju-won is asking Choi Il-hwan who he really is. Kim Deok-yoon demands that the files of the gifted students be handed over to him.
The cleaning lady can’t find any trace of Mi-hyun from the bank of CCTV cameras; when she sees Ki-soo rummaging through the records in an office, she orders the North Korean agent with her to kill him and anyone else in the school.
Gang-hoon leaves the school’s computer lab because of the power outage; on a hallway, he meets Chan-il, the North Korean agent.
Episode 18: “South and North”
| Ep. 17 recap:
Remembering what his mother Mi-hyun said about not being afraid of falling when he tries to fly, Bong-seok flies up and through a window to save Hui-soo, who has been dropped from the ceiling by the North Korean agent. Mi-hyun kills the cleaning lady with a single shot to the forehead. After Gang-hoon’s mother hears his screams over her cellphone, she warns Gang-hoon’s father Jae-man that Gang-hoon is in danger. While Ju-won is fighting with the giant North Korean agent, Choi Il-hwan tries to protect Ki-soo. But he proves no match against the North Korean agent who has the supernatural ability of uncanny speed. At the private gym, Hui-soo and Bong-seok decide to fight, but the North Korean agent simply toys with them. As the giant North Korean agent continues to beat up Ju-won, Kim Deok-yoon asks rhetorically why things have come to this point between the two Koreas; as he blames Kim Doo-sik, Mi-hyun hears him. Leaving the power control room where she had just killed the cleaning lady, Mi-hyun tries to call up Bong-seok, but she gets no answer. |
The North Korean agent threatens Choi Il-hwan that he will shoot him and Ki-soo if he doesn’t give him the files of the gifted students. But Mi-hyun arrives and engages him in a firefight. Later, despite being ordered by Choi Il-hwan to leave the school immediately, Ki-soo hesitates; inside a darkened office, he finds Han-byul crying and hiding under a desk.
At the private gym, after trapping Bong-seok inside the climbing net, the North Korean agent tells him that he’s similar to his father Kim Doo-sik.
Flashback, 1994 ... Doo-sik silently attacks the roving guards inside the North Korean presidential palace. He fires a disabling shot against an officer, but the officer manages to alert the rest of the guards. Doo-sik reaches the inner sanctum where President Kim Il-sung is, but he’s blocked from entering the sanctum by Kim Deok-yoon.
Flashback, 1995 ... On top of a mountain, Kim Deok-yoon and Chan-il put to the final test the North Koreans who are being trained to become elite warriors.
Flashback, 2003 ... The ANSP raiding team binds Doo-sik with an iron chain and brings him before Deputy Director Min Yong-jun. Threatening Doo-sik that he’ll be hunted by Interpol and the North Koreans and that Mi-hyun and their son will eventually be found, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun orders him to go back to North Korea for another mission.
Episode 19: "Final Battle"
| Ep. 18 recap:
Flashback, 2003 ... Doo-sik is captured by Deok-yoon, the North Korean presidential guards, and the elite warrior who can fly. Mi-hyun kills the North Korean agent who’s threatening to shoot Choi Il-hwan and Ki-soo. But on the stairway, she meets Kim Deok-yoon and the giant North Korean agent. Kim Deok-yoon tries to distract her by telling her what happened to Doo-sik as he slowly reaches for his gun. But Mi-hyun senses it and starts shooting; she hits the giant North Korean agent on the leg, but she herself is shot on the foot. At the private gym, Bong-seok becomes enraged as the North Korean agent mocks Doo-sik. Learning how to control his flying, he grabs the agent and hurtles towards Hui-soo, who knocks out the agent by smashing his head with a kettle bell. In Jeongwon High School, Gang-hoon proves to be no match against Chan-il. After tending to her injured foot, Mi-hyun calls up Ju-won and tells him that they must protect their children. But Kim Deok-yoon calls the North Korean agent who has been hiding inside the trunk of their car and tells him to come into the school with his sunglasses on. |
Jae-man jumps over houses and buildings to get to Jeongwon High School; unknown to him, however, his movements are being electronically monitored by the probation office. Chan-il forces Choi Il-hwan to reveal where the files are, but Jae-man smashes through a wall and sees him choking Gang-hoon.
Ju-won catches up with the giant North Korean agent on a hallway, and they beat each other to a pulp.
The North Korean agent with sunglasses uses his hands to generate shock waves that demolish the school walls and bring down massive chunks of the roof. Choi Il-hwan tries to shoot him but runs out of bullets; on rhe other hand, Ju-won rushes towards him but gets hit by a shock wave.
After getting a call from Kim Deok-yoon for him to go to Jeongwon High School, the North Korean agent at the private gym shoots Bong-seok.
Episode 20: “Graduation Day” (with spoilers)
| Ep. 19 recap:
Mi-hyun shoots and kills Chan-il. Hui-soo saves Bong-seok from being shot by covering him with her body. After reassuring him that she’s alright, she orders him to go to Jeongwon High School to save his mother. Later, as she runs towards the school, Gye-do sees her and follows her. By playing tag team, Jae-man and Ju-won overcome the North Korean agent who uses his hands to create shock waves. Jae-man grabs hold of the agent and breaks one of his arms. Unable to help his friend (the giant North Korean agent) from being beaten up by Jae-man, the North Korean agent who uses his hands to create shock waves jumps out of the window to take his own life. As he lands on the snowy ground, however, he strikes his hand against the ground, generating a shock wave that collapses the whole building. Despite being impaled by a steel bar, Ju-won saves Jae-man. But as he frees himself and climbs up on top of the collapsed building, somebody shoots him. |
The North Korean agent who flew from the private gym to Jeongwon High School shoots Ju-won. He exchanges gunfire with Mi-hyun, and as she runs out of bullets, he hovers over her and aims his gun to kill her.
Bong-seok arrives and, to Mi-hyun’s horror, he duels the North Korean agent in the air. Not having any martial arts skills, he’s easily subdued by the agent. But when he sees Gye-do who has smashed his bus through the school gate, he flies towards the bus and slams the agent against the side of the bus.
In a standoff, the North Korean agent threatens to shoot Bong-seok, but Mi-hyun bluffs by pointing her empty gun against Kim Deok-yoon. Gye-do steps on the batteries of his bus and generates a humongous bolt of electricity that severs the right hand of the North Korean agent.
As Kim Deok-yoon hesitates in shooting Bong-seok, Mi-hyun strikes his gun away from him. Bong-seok pulls Mi-hyun away from the edge of the roof, but Ju-won hangs on to Kim Deok-yoon and demands to know what happened to Doo-sik. Kim Deok-yoon releases Ju-won’s hold on him and falls to his death.
Citing the authority of the NIS and the police commissioner, the school’s security guard stops the police officers from entering the school.
After their graduation, Hui-soo goes to PE college, while Gang-hoon applies as an agent for the NIS. Using his supernatural flying ability, Bong-seok becomes the Yellow Man” who saves people during emergencies.
Ju-won kills Principal Jo Rae-hyuk.
The North Korean agent who can fly returns to North Korea and kills the general who sent him, Kim Deok-yoon, Chan-il, and the other agents to their fatal mission in South Korea. Later, he releases Doo-sik from a North Korean dungeon.
Doo-sik returns to South Korea; after killing Deputy Director Min Yong-jun, he reunites with Mi-hyun and Bong-seok.
Historical / cultural backgrounders and other information
1. [SayArtㅣK-Drama] Webtoon artist Kang Pul, collaborated Disney+ with “Moving” 강풀작가
2. In the opening scenes of Ep. 8, Doo-sik tries to save the passengers of a Korean airlines jet that’s flying over the Indian Ocean. But he fails, and all the passengers and crew die after a bomb that has been switched on by a terrorist explodes.
These scenes are based on the November 1987 incident where two North Korean agents planted a bomb aboard Korean Air Flight 858 bound for Seoul from Baghdad (via Abu Dhabi). All 115 passengers and crew died in the explosion.
From “The Terrorist Attack That Failed to Derail the 1988 Seoul Olympics”:
On November 29, 1987, two North Korean spies boarded a South Korean plane in Baghdad. The pair had used fake names and forged passports to pose as Japanese tourists. They’d also convinced security to let them keep the batteries in their carry-on “radio,” which they’d turned on to demonstrate to security that it was harmless.
Except it wasn’t. The working “radio” was also a battery-powered bomb.
The spies planted it in an overhead bin, then exited the plane at a layover in Abu Dhabi. Once Korean Air Flight 858 was back in the air, the bomb exploded and killed all 115 people on board, most of them from South Korea. The authorities tracked down the spies, who tried to commit suicide with cyanide cigarettes. One of them died; the other survived and was extradited to South Korea—the same country where the Olympics were set to begin in 10 months.
From “Korean Air Flight 858” (Wikipedia):
Korean Air Flight 858 was a scheduled international passenger flight between Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea. On 29 November 1987, the aircraft flying that route exploded in mid-air upon the detonation of a bomb planted inside an overhead storage bin in the airplane’s passenger cabin by two North Korean agents.
The agents, acting upon orders from the North Korean government, planted the device before disembarking from the aircraft during the first stop-over, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. While the aircraft was flying over the Andaman Sea to its second stop-over, in Bangkok, Thailand, the bomb detonated and destroyed the Korean Air Boeing 707-3B5C. Everyone aboard the airliner was killed, a total of 104 passengers and 11 crew members (almost all were South Koreans). The attack occurred 34 years after the Korean Armistice Agreement that ended the hostilities of the Korean War on 27 July 1953.
The two bombers were traced to Bahrain, where they both took ampules of cyanide hidden in cigarettes when they realized they were about to be taken into custody. The man died, but the woman, Kim Hyon-hui, survived and later confessed to the bombing. She was sentenced to death after being put on trial for the attack, but was later pardoned by the President of South Korea, Roh Tae-woo because it was deemed that she had been brainwashed in North Korea. Kim’s testimony implicated Kim Jong Il, who at that time was the future leader of North Korea, as the person ultimately responsible for the incident. The United States Department of State specifically refers to the bombing of KAL 858 as a "terrorist act" and, except between 2008 and 2017, has included North Korea on its State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
From Woman who bombed South Korean plane before 1988 Olympics wonders whether her ’sins can be pardoned’:
Kim, who has given a handful of interviews about the bombing in recent months as the Winter Olympics approached, spoke expansively about her new life in South Korea. She no longer resembles the spy who was given eight years of physical and ideological training. She is 57 years old. She lives on the outskirts of South Korea’s third-largest city. She wears glasses and keeps her hair short. She no longer practices taekwondo. She no longer has an interest in knife combat or code-cracking.
In 1989, a South Korean judge sentenced her to death. But the next year, South Korean President Roh Tae-woo pardoned her, saying that she had been a mere tool manipulated by the real perpetrators, North Korea’s ruling Kim family. She mostly escaped the wrath of the South Korean public, according to news accounts from the time, helped by a tearful news conference she gave in apologizing for the bombing. After the pardoning, she wrote a book, “Tears of My Soul,” donating the proceeds to family members of KAL Flight 858 victims.
3. Eps. 7 and 8 depict Ju-won’s participation in the violent confrontations between his Pohang gang versus the Ulsan gang. At the end of Ep. 7, we see the gang leader Minki kneeling before ANSP Deputy Director Min Yong-jun.
3-A. Korean government war on crime in the 1990s (Wikipedia):
In 1990 the Korean Government declared a “war on crime” in an effort to crack down on violent and non-violent acts by criminally organized groups. The raids in the fall of 1990 crippled most of the existing criminal groups, but did not destroy them. As one way of better controlling the number of criminal groups, the Korean Government made it illegal to form or join any criminal organization. Statistics from the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office showed that in 1999 there were 11,500 members from 404 organized crimes groups ranging from 10 to 88 members in South Korea.
3-B. “Kkangpae” (Wikipedia)
Kkangpae (Korean: 깡패) is a romanization of the Korean word that is commonly translated to ’gangster’ or ’thug’. The term is commonly used to refer to members of unorganized street gangs. By contrast, members of organized crime gangs are called geondal (건달) or jopok (Korean: 조폭; Hanja: 組暴; Abbreviation of 조직폭력배; 組織暴力輩).
Criminal gangs have featured in South Korean popular culture, including films and television, over the past decades.
3-C. The 2017 movie “The Outlaws” starring Ma Dong-seok depicts this crackdown on criminal gangs.
4. In Eps. 10-11, Ju-won leaves the Pohang gang and becomes romantically involved with Ji-hee, who works in a coffee delivery service that’s actually a front for prostitution. In one scene, Ju-won tells Ji-hee that he wants to buy a “ticket.”
From “The History Of Dabang: The Original Korean Coffee House”:
There were also some cases where dabangs turned into illegal prostitution establishments.
The female owner of a dabang was called “madam” and female employees were called “leh-gee” (레지), which was how Koreans pronounced “lady”.
During the time, “leh-gee” had an image of delivering coffee in thermos bottles on a motorcycle.
This is an example of a dabang that has been transformed into a prostitution business. For an additional fee, you can engage in relations and these dabangs are called “Ticket Dabang”.
From “Ticket Dabang” (Wikipedia): Ticket Dabang (티켓 다방) is a variant of a dabang, where the delivery woman travels directly to the client and then provides a sexual service upon arrival.
From “Ticket” (Wikipedia):
Ticket is a 1985 South Korean film directed by Im Kwon-taek in 1985. It depicts the sometimes brutal life of Korean dabang girls. Dabangs are coffee houses in Korea and many offer outcall services in which the girls deliver coffee to customers, and sometimes extra sexual services for a price termed a "ticket". The price of the ticket is W25,000, which the customer pays to the proprietor of the dabang. The customer and the girl usually negotiate for extra services. Sometimes the customer will take the girl to a noraebang (노래방) just to sing. At other times the customer may just enjoy the company of the young lady at a meal in a restaurant. The extra meal or the noraebang are of course paid for by the customer.
5. Ep. 13 is based on the 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident.
From “In 1996, a Dead North Korean Spy Submarine (Armed with Commandos) Nearly Started a War”:
At 5 a.m. on September 14, 1996, a North Korean spy submarine commanded by Capt. Chong Yong-ku slipped out of its base in Toejo Dong. The thirty-four-meter-long Sang-O (“Shark”) normally had a crew of only fifteen. This time, however, it carried a special cargo, including a team of three special forces operatives from the elite Reconnaissance Bureau, accompanied by Col. Kim Dong-won, director of the unit’s maritime intelligence department.
As fortune would have it, at 1:30 a.m. that morning a passing South Korean taxi driver noticed the silhouette of the stranded submarine in the water—and the nearly two dozen men assembled near the beach. He alerted the South Korean military, which dispatched police and soldiers to investigate. By 5 a.m. the South Korean military had all of Kangwon Province on alert. The abandoned submarine was boarded at 7 o’clock that morning, and soon more than forty-two thousand troops from the Eighth Corps and the Thirty-Sixth Infantry Division were mobilized to hunt down the missing crew, assisted by helicopters and police tracking dogs. The Republic of Korea Navy organized a blockade in case additional submarines were present.
From Wikipedia:
The 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident began on 18 September 1996, near the South Korean city of Gangneung when North Koreans abandoned their grounded submarine, and hid within the city resulting in 49 day long manhunt for the belligerents.
The incident was one of the more serious instances of North Korean espionage involving the Reconnaissance Bureau (reconnaissance team and 22nd Squadron of the Maritime Department of the Reconnaissance Bureau).[3] The raid was launched by North Korean armed spies to assassinate the President of South Korea, Kim Young-sam, during his visit to Chuncheon, on 5 October 1996.
A 49-day-long manhunt ensued, from September 18th to November 5th, resulting in the capture or death of all of the commandos except one,[2] who is believed to have made it back to North Korea.[citation needed]
Four civilians and 12 South Korean soldiers (eight KIA and four in accidents) died; 27 soldiers were wounded. Of the 25 North Korean infiltrators, one was captured, 11 were killed by the other members for failure in responsibility of running aground of the submarine, and 13 were killed in firefights with the South Korean Army.
The infiltrators possessed among their arsenal M16A1 rifles (with accompanying 5.56mm NATO ammunition) and imitation South Korean-style military uniforms.
6. Hui-soo and Mi-hyun meet for the first time in Ep. 4; you’ll notice that as they shake hands, Hui-soo holds her right forearm with her left hand.
From “South Korea - Cultural Etiquette - e Diplomat”: “The bow is the traditional Korean greeting, although it is often accompanied by a handshake among men. To show respect when shaking hands, support your right forearm with your left hand.”
From “Etiquette” (Best of Korea): “Two-hand rule: When giving and receiving items (and handshakes), use two hands to show respect. This includes paying for items in a shop, receiving gifts, and pouring / receiving drinks from anyone. This rule isn’t so strict for younger Koreans or people familiar to you.”
7. Funny scene in Ep. 7 with Hui-soo and Bpng-seok: After some misunderstanding with Bong-seok, Hui-soo visits him the night before the college entrance exams. On a bench on an isolated road, she wants to tell him that she misses him. But knowing that he will float away upon hearing that from her, she looks around and sees a big slab of rock; she picks it up and places it on his legs.
When I saw what Hui-soo did, it made me laugh because during the Joseon Dynasty, placing a heavy piece of wood or a big slab of rock on the legs was a form of torture called “apseul” (knee-pressing). For example, In Ep. 44 of “Empress Ki,” General Baek An tortured Wang Yu using “knee-pressing [apseul]” with slabs of rocks to force him to betray Seung-nyang.
From “The Penal Code in the Joseon Dynasty: Harsh Punishments” (Gwangju News, 2020):
Knee-pressing [apseul, 압슬] was also a form of torture in which an extremely heavy object, such as a stone weight, was used to put pressure on the knees of the sitting or squatting suspect. This punishment could also leave the recipient crippled for life. Due to its harshness, King Yeongjo, the 21st king of Joseon (r. 1724-1776), decreed its abolishment.
Oh, the things Bong-seok has to endure for his love of Hui-soo! Ha ha.
8, Timelines in Ep. 12: “Partners” and their connections to Ep 13: “Jang Ju-won” and Ep 14: “The Idiot”
We know that it was 1994 when Deputy Director Min Yong-jun ordered Doo-sik to go to North Korea and assassinate Kim Il-sung. Several days after returning to South Korea, Doo-sik was captured by the ANSP SWAT team and brought before Deputy Director Min Yong-jun. Sometime later, Doo-sik and Mi-hyun reunite and begin living an idyllic life on an apple orchard with their newly born son Bong-seok.
Ep. 12 does not tell us directly what the years were that Doo-sik, Mi-hyun, and Bong-seok spent in the apple orchard; instead, the drama indirectly tells us what these years are:
(a) At around the 35:48 mark, Doo-sik watches the news on TV about the signing of the “North-South Joint Declaration.” In history, this took place in June 2000.
(b) At around the 43:19 mark, Mi-hyun stuffs the apples into a wooden box using old newspapers; based on the subtitles, one newspaper that she glances at briefly has the headline “Cheonggye Overpass Disappears.” In history, the overpass was demolished in 2003 as part of an urban reclamation project.
In relation to Ep 13: “Jang Ju-won”: The events depicted in Ep. 13 took place in 1997. At around the 26:18 mark, Jo Rae-hyuk tells Ju-won that the ANSP got the intelligence on July 1994 that North Korea was developing its program of elite soldiers with supernatural abilities; Ju-won remembers that July 1994 was when Doo-sik went on a top secret mission to North Korea and North Korea’s leader Kim Il-sung died.
In relation to Ep 14: “The Idiot,” the events depicted in Ep. 14 — Jae-man, his wife, the 4-year old Gang-hoon, and the protests against the Cheonggyecheon District urban reclamation project — took place probably almost contemporaneously with the years that Doo-sik and Mi-hyun spent their idyllic life on the orchard.
From “Cheonggyecheon” (Wikipedia):
Cheonggyecheon (Korean: 청계천, Korean pronunciation: [t͡ɕʰʌ̹ŋ.gje̞.t͡ɕʰʌ̹ːn]) is a 10.9-kilometre-long (6.8 mi) modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. The massive urban renewal project is on the site of a stream that flowed before the rapid post-war economic development caused it to be covered by transportation infrastructure. The US$335 million project initially attracted much public criticism, however, since its opening in 2005, it has become popular among residents and tourists.
In July 2003, Mayor of Seoul Lee Myung-bak, initiated a project to remove the elevated highway and restore the stream. It was a major undertaking since the highway had to be removed and years of neglect and development had left the stream nearly dry. 120,000 tons of water were to be pumped in daily from the Han River, its tributaries, and groundwater from subway stations.
9. Throughout the drama, the government office that’s headed by Deputy Director Min Yong-jun and depicted as controlling the black ops agents and the breeding program is referred to as either the “Agency for National Security Planning” (ANSP) or the “National Intelligence Service” (NIS).
From Wikipedia:
The National Intelligence Service (NIS; Korean: 국가정보원, 국정원) is the chief intelligence agency of South Korea. The agency was officially established in 1961 as the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA; Korean: 중앙정보부), during the rule of President Park Chung-hee’s military Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, which displaced the Second Republic of Korea. The original duties of the KCIA were to supervise and coordinate both international and domestic intelligence activities and criminal investigations by all government intelligence agencies, including that of the military. The agency’s broad powers allowed it to actively intervene in politics. Agents undergo years of training and checks before they are officially inducted and receive their first assignments.
The agency took on the name Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP; Korean: 국가안전기획부, 안기부) in 1981, as part of a series of reforms instituted by the Fifth Republic of Korea under President Chun Doo-hwan. Besides trying to acquire intelligence on North Korea and suppress South Korean activists, the ANSP, like its predecessor, was heavily involved in activities outside its sphere, including domestic politics and promoting the 1988 Summer Olympics. During its existence, the ANSP engaged in numerous cases of human rights abuse such as torture, as well as election tampering.
In 1999, the agency assumed its current name. The more democratic and current Sixth Republic of Korea has seen a significant reduction in the role of the NIS in response to public criticisms about past abuses.
From “Film Shines Light on South Korean Spy Agency’s Fabrication of Enemies” (The New York Times):
Over six decades, scores of people were arrested by the South Korean authorities and accused of spying for North Korea, only to be exonerated, sometimes decades later, long after many of them had served lengthy prison sentences. There has never been an official tally of the exact number of people affected, but a new film has documented almost 100 cases, some of which involved alleged spy rings with multiple people.
The cases have mainly disappeared from public memory, but the new documentary, by the investigative journalist Choi Seung-ho, is lifting a veil on what he sees as one of the most shameful legacies of South Korea’s counterintelligence authorities.
Just before the closing credits of the film, “Spy Nation,” a list of the names of the falsely accused scrolls down the screen. It is an eloquent indictment of the abuse of power engaged in by South Korea’s counterespionage agencies, especially the National Intelligence Service, in the name of fighting the Communist threat from North Korea.
10. In Ep. 8, Mi-hyun (played by Han Hyo-joo) takes part in ANSP’s “Operation Seagull” that’s meant to identify the North Korean double agents; her cover is that of a singer of traditional Korean songs (first picture below).
When I saw this scene and what she was wearing (a green and yellow hanbok), I remembered Han Hyo-joo’s 2015 historical movie “Love, Lies” where she played a singer of “jeongga” (classical Korean songs). Even the hanbok that she wore during her date with Yoon-woo (played by Yoo Yeon-seok) was green and yellow (second picture below).
11. The last scenes in Ep. 7 where Bong Seok tries to control his erratic flying reminds me of a 1980s US TV show titled “The Greatest American Hero” (drama/comedy/fantasy/sci-fi) starring William Katt, Robert Culp, Connie Selecca, Faye Grant, and Michael Paré (“Eddie and the Cruisers”).
12. Ep. 6 gives us the background story of Jeon Gye-do aka “Bungaeman.” In the scenes that depict the low points in Gye-do’s life such as losing his job as Bungaeman, the successive deaths of his mother and father, and starting a new job as a bus driver, the drama uses the 1972 hit song “Alone Again (Naturally)” by singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan as background music.
From Wikipedia:
The single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 between late July and early September 1972 in America. It ranked number two in the year-end chart and sold over two million copies.
The song is notable as it was involved in a 1991 court case [Grand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records Inc.] in which it set a precedent for the music industry in which unauthorised sampling of music can constitute copyright infringement.
13. BTS video: Bong-seok floats up inside the classroom; under the rain, Bong-seok runs after Hui-soo on the way to the bus stop; Hui-soo fights against the bullies, etc.
14. Kdrama Stars recommending what to do in KOREA | Q&A with MOVING Cast
15. Cast of MOVING tries LATO LATO - “THIS IS HARDER THAN I THOUGHT” | JinHo Bae
16. Kim Bong Seok x Jang Hui Soo | Electric Love | Moving [FMV]
Lessons in photography from “Moving” with in-depth analysis of its visuals, cinematography, and editing
(Note: This analysis is a work in progress.)
Index of topics:
A. Ep. 8 homage to “Grave of the Fireflies” (the universally acclaimed 1988 animated anti-war movie from Japan)?; B. Visual theme of rain or thunderstorm during moments of crisis, confusion, emotional or psychological tension; C. Breaking the 180-degree rule or crossing the line: Mi-hyun with Director Min in Ep. 8; Mi-hyun versus the cleaning lady in Ep. 17; Gang-hoon with Director Min in Ep. 20; D. Visual cues, including Dutch angle shots, to depict or reinforce unity or conflict; a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change, danger, or showdown; E. Explanation of Hui-soo’s hatred of color orange, in relation to “Revenant”; transitions In Ep. 5 and other episodes; F. Tracking shots in the Ep. 11 fight scenes and in other episodes; G. Arc shots (to mark transitions, create suspense, add intensity or emotionality to a scene, introduce a new character — and thus a new dynamic — into a scene, etc.); H. Miscellaneous observations: (1) Leading lines: Mi-hyun closes the door of the principal’s office to confront the cleaning lady in Ep. 17; (2) Motion blur: Choi Il-hwan welcomes the students of Jeongwon High School in Ep. 16; hero shot; (3) Ep. 5 scene between Ju-won and the wannabe tough guy: change of accent, dolly zoom, low angle shots, and high angle shots; (4) Most intriguing shot/camera movement in the whole drama: Bong-seok in Ep. 1 sleeping on the ceiling, not on his bed; (5) Did the director and cinematographer of “Moving” use “anamorphic lenses” to shoot this drama?; A technological development that will make Korean movies and dramas even much better
A. Ep. 8 homage to “Grave of the Fireflies” (the universally acclaimed 1988 animated anti-war movie from Japan)?
In the opening scenes of Ep. 8, Doo-sik tries to save the passengers and crew of a Korean airplane that’s flying over the Indian Ocean. But he fails, and all the passengers and crew die after a bomb that has been switched on by a terrorist explodes.
These scenes are based on the November 1987 incident where two North Korean agents planted a bomb aboard Korean Air Flight 858 bound for Seoul from Baghdad (via Abu Dhabi); all 115 passengers and crew died in the explosion. For more information about this incident, please read “The Terrorist Attack That Failed to Derail the 1988 Seoul Olympics” (History).
In a later scene, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun tells his obsequious subordinate Director Yeo Woon-kyu that Doo-sik acted on his own in trying to save the airplane’s passengers and crew. The implication is that he and the other ANSP (NIS) officials knew about the planned bombing but didn’t do anything about it because they wanted war to erupt between North and South Korea.
After the airplane explodes, Doo-sik is surrounded by the burning embers of the plane’s wreckage.
This image seems to be an homage to the 1988 animated movie “Grave of the Fireflies,” which has been universally acclaimed and ranked as one of the greatest [anti] war films of all time and is recognized as a major work of Japanese animation." Directed by Isao Takahata and based on the semi-autobiographical short story “Grave of the Fireflies” by Akiyuki Nosaka, the movie is set in the city of Kobe, Japan in June 1945 and tells the story of two siblings and war orphans, Seita and Setsuko, and their desperate struggle to survive during the final months of the Second World War. (Wikipedia)
From “Visual Homage in Cinema” (Premium Beat):
An homage is an imitation of another work. At first glance, it may seem like an homage is a rip-off or a lesser copy, but it actually pays tribute to and honors the source work. Homage is a great way to use other filmmakers’ styles and content to crystallize your unique voice as a filmmaker.
From “The 10 Best Movie Homages of All Time | Taste Of Cinema”: Even the most influential filmmakers of all time pay tribute to the greats who came before, and on the cycle goes.
From “What is Homage — Definition & Examples in Art and Film” (Studio Binder):
Homage is a dedication and/or “show of respect” for something or someone, often as a reference in a work of art. The work of art can vary (literature, poetry, theater, cinema) as can the type of homage. Coming from a French word representing a declaration of fealty to a feudal lord, the word now tends to just mean whenever an artist refers to another artist in their work. And homage can be as obvious or as subtle as the artist chooses, resulting in examples that are easy to catch or hard to notice.
Homage is an ever present element in cinema, to the point where it’s nearly impossible to keep track of each and every example. That’s no exaggeration; cinema is so full of homages that we could be here for an infinite amount of time listing each and every time it happens.
Among other things, the Studio Binder article cites the yellow tracksuit worn by Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 film “Kill Bill” as an homage to the costume worn by martial arts films superstar Bruce Lee in his unfinished 1978 movie “Game of Death.” The YouTube video “How Kill Bill Was Secretly Tarantino’s Bruce Lee Revenge Film” goes even further by saying that Tarantino’s film was actually all about Bruce Lee.
Notes:
(1) In my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “Kingdom” Season 2, I discussed how the drama in Ep. 4 paid homage to Steven Spielberg’s “girl in red jacket” scene from his Oscar-winning movie “Schindler’s List.”
(2) In my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “The Red Sleeve,” I discussed how the drama paid homage to PD Lee Byung-hoon, who’s known as the “King of sageuks” for having directed such dramas such as the “500 Years of Joseon” series, “Hur Jun,” “A Jewel in the Palace,” “Yi San,” “Dong Yi,” “The King’s Doctor,” and “The Flower in Prison.”
B. Visual theme of rain or thunderstorm during moments of crisis, confusion, emotional or psychological tension
Listed below are some scenes where “Moving” uses rain or thunderstorm as a means of (1) depicting moments of crisis or confusion, or (2) reinforcing emotional or psychological tension:
Ep. 3: Alone at the gym, Hui-soo thinks about what she has seen Bong-seok do such as flying through the air when he helps her do sit ups.
Ep. 3: Hui-soo follows Bong-seok back to the school to try and confirm her suspicions.
Ep. 4: Bong-seok runs after Hui-soo as she heads towards the bus stop.
Ep. 5: Frank kills Naju inside her beauty salon and later meets Ju-won at the building’s lobby.
Ep. 12: Mi-hyun draws Doo-sik’s gun and aims it at him as the ANSP SWAT team members subdue Doo-sik.
From “The Symbolism of Rain – 7 Examples in Movies & Books” by Chris Drew (PhD): Rain may also symbolize foreboding. In fact, this symbolism often parallels the use of rain as a sign of melancholy – because the rain is indicating that there are no good prospects to come.
The article cites (1) the shootout under the heavy rain in the 2002 Tom Hanks movie “Road to Perdition” directed by Sam Mendez and (2) the sword fight scene in Tom Cruise’s film “The Last Samurai.”
From “Storm Symbolism in Literature: Examples and Meanings”: In literature, storm symbolism involves using extreme weather conditions—rain, thunder and lightning, dark clouds, and strong winds—to represent a deeper meaning. Writers may use stormy weather to hint at the turbulent emotional state of the main character or emphasize a theme. When writers indicate that a storm is on the horizon, they are often foreshadowing that a major plot point—often passionate or unpleasant—will soon occur.
The article “Dramatic Thunder” (TV Tropes) discusses:
- The Thunderous Underline
- The Thunderous Confrontation
- A Storm Is Coming (Foreshadowing)
- God Is Displeased (Divine Punishment)
From “Slayin’ in the Rain: John Wick Chapter 3 — Parabellum”:
Picking up moments after the denouement of Chapter 2, Parabellum opens with the titular protagonist (Keanu Reeves), a deadly assassin with a price on his head, racing against the clock and fending off waves of lethal enemies as he attempts to clear his name and make a clean break from his dark past. “After we made Chapter 2,” Laustsen notes, “we discussed how we could make 3 even more visually powerful. The main setting was still New York, but we wanted to bring out the city even more forcefully. We decided to shoot all at night, with rain as much as possible. Rain is fantastic because it gives a third dimension to the picture, but it is a challenge to do it, especially in a city like New York.”
Note:
In Ep. 16, there’s a scene where the effect is similar to flashes of lightning during thunderstorms. After Gye-do slams the brakes of his bus to stop it in front of the police station, the lights flash on and off inside the bus. When the light is on, he can see in his rear view mirror the menacing North Korean agent; when the light is off, he can’t see the agent. Finally, the agent disappears from the bus.
C. Breaking the 180-degree rule or crossing the line: Mi-hyun with Director Min in Ep. 8; Mi-hyun versus the cleaning lady in Ep. 17; Gang-hoon with Director Min in Ep. 20
In my discussion titled How “My Liberation Notes used breaking the 180-degree rule aka crossing the line to create emotional or psychological tension in a brilliant scene from Ep. 8,” I explained what the 180-degree rule is and why directors and cinematographers sometimes break the rule.
(1) Mi-hyun with Director Min in Ep. 8:
Mi-hyun has been relegated to a desk job as information analyst. But Deputy Director Min Yong-jun gives her a second chance to get back to black ops; he orders her to get close to Kim Doo-sik, who is ANSP’s most elite agent. He wants her to find out about Doo-sik’s philosophical views and psychological state, his capability to carry out assignments, and his daily activities. When Mi-hyun says that the assignment doesn’t match her job as information analyst, Deputy Director Min Yong-jun smirks and says that “beauty is a weapon” and that field agents use their bodies as well as their brains.
In an OTS (over the shoulder shot), Deputy Director Min Yong-jun is frame left while Mi-hyun is frame right. The camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right such that Mi-hyun becomes frame left while Deputy Director Min Yong-jun becomes frame right.
(2) Mi-hyun versus the cleaning lady in Ep. 17:
The cleaning lady wields a knife, while Mi-hyun defends herself with the leather strap of her handbag. As the camera arcs counterclockwise around the cleaning lady, she’s frame right while Mi-hyun is frame left. As the camera completes arcing around the cleaning lady, she’s now frame left while Mi-hyun is now frame right.
(3) Gang-hoon with Deputy Director Min Yong-jun in Ep. 20:
After graduating from high school, Gang-hoon applies to be a black ops agents with Deputy Director Min Yong-jun. In an OTS (over the shoulder shot), Deputy Director Min Yong-jun is frame right while Gang-hoon is frame left. The camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left such that Deputy Director Min Yong-jun is now frame left while Gang-hoon is now frame right.
D. Visual cues, including Dutch angle shots, to depict or reinforce unity or conflict; a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change, danger, or showdown
“Visual cues” are explained in an excellent series of articles from “My Drama List” by someone with the username “3GGG”:
“Part 1: visual ways to establish a conflict, division, or fight between two or more characters”
“Part 2: boxing to establish a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change; danger; showdown”
“Part 3: Dutch angle”
“Part 4 Interpersonal cues (using cues simultaneously or one after another)”
The YT video “The Brilliant Cinematography of Parasite” by Thomas Flight (5:04 mark) shows how director Bong Joon-ho used lines as visual cues to depict the division between the social classes, between the rich family and the poor family.
Ep. 4: Mi-hyun meets Hui-soo for the very first time after Hui-soo helps Bong-seok get back home from Jeongwon High School. Mi-hyun’s great surprise with Bong-seok bringing with him his “very pretty girlfriend” is depicted and reinforced by the frame that box her in.
Ep. 3: Hui-soo becomes intrigued by the strange things that she has seen Bong-seok do and secretly follows him into the school under the rain. Her emotional and psychological tension are depicted and reinforced by the way she’s boxed in by the railing. (Notice also the rack focus: As Hui-soo becomes out of focus, Bong-seok’s muddy track on the stairs becomes in focus.)
Ep. 19: Despite having been beaten up by Chan-il (the North Korean agent), Gang-hoon continues to fight on. Notice that the conflict between them is depicted and reinforced by the way they’re boxed in by separate frames of the windows.
Ep. 2: With Bong-seok on her back, Mi-hyun realizes that she misinterpreted the butcher lady's words about Bong-seok. She thought that the butcher lady was mocking Bong-seok; looking inside the bag, she sees that the butcher lady has placed numerous lollipops in it for Bong-seok. Notice how Mi-hyun and Bong-seok are boxed in by the frame created by the posts on the street.
Ep. 2: Gang-hoon confronts Ki-soo about why he followed Hui-soo to the shower room. Notice the lines between them that signify their division or conflict.
Ep. 3: From the 2nd floor of the gym, Gang-hoon watches as Hui-soo walks across the gym for her training; not realizing that someone else is in the gym, Hui-soo takes off her uniform to change into her P.E. uniform. Notice how Hui-soo is framed by the railing.
Ep. 3: Having become suspicious of Bong-seok, Hui-soo secretly follows him back into school. Notice how she's boxed in by the posts.
Ep. 6: Bong-pyeong, Gye-do's father, walks away during his wife's funeral wake. His emotional and psychological agitation are depicted and reinforced by how he's boxed in by the door frame.
Ep. 7: In Iowa, the young Frank looks back at the corn fields where he had killed several other young boys in order to survive and advance in his training. His emotional and psychological agitation are depicted and reinforced by how he's boxed in by the heavy doors.
Ep. 7: Mi-hyun is stunned when she sees on her smartphone the viral video about the accident in Jeongwon High School that involves Bong-seok, Hui-soo, and Gang-hoon. Notice that she's boxed within a tight space by the wall and the refrigerator to depict and reinforce her emotional and psychological agitation.
Ep. 9: Deputy Director Min Yong-jun uses the hospitalization of Mi-hyun's father to pressure her into setting a trap for Doo-sik. Notice how her dilemma is depicted and reinforced by how she's boxed in by the window.
Ep. 10: Ju-won has torn himself away from his Pohang gang and spends his time inside his motel room. His emotional and psychological agitation are depicted and reinforced by how he's boxed in by the mirror.
Ep. 11: Ju-won has torn himself away from his Pohang gang and spends his time inside his motel room reading martial arts novels and watching pro wrestling on TV. His emotional and psychological agitation are depicted and reinforced by how he's boxed in by the window.
Ep. 11: Ju-won's and Ji-hee’s reflections are boxed in by the mirror on the wall. When two or more characters are within a frame, it could mean unity or conflict depending on the context.
Ep. 11: Using her scooter, Ji-hee runs through the police blockade to find and help Ju-won. Notice that her emotional and psychological agitation are depicted and reinforced by how she's boxed in by the frame created by the walls.
Ep. 13: Ji-hee and Ju-won spend time together during their monthly barbecue day. When two or more characters are within a frame, it could mean unity or conflict depending on the context.
Ep. 13. Ju-won mulls over whether to accept Deputy Director Min Yong-jun's offer for him to become a black ops agent again. Notice how his dilemma is depicted and reinforced by the frames that box him in.
Ep. 13: Ju-won wails inside the elevator after leaving Hui-soo on a hospital bed and as he searches for the room where Ji-hee's funeral wake is being held. Notice how his deep despair is depicted and reinforced by the frames that box him in.
Ep. 14: The sadness of Ju-won and Hui-soo's lives after Ji-hee’s death are depicted and reinforced by how they're boxed in by the sliding doors.
Ep. 14: Jae-man's concern for his wife who hasn't come home yet from the street protest is depicted and reinforced by how he's boxed in by the window.
Ep. 16: The sadness and sense of tragedy that engulf Choi Il-hwan and his class after the death of Naju's daughter are depicted and reinforced by how the images below are shot with a Dutch angle.
Ep. 17: Jae-man finds out from his wife that Gang-hoon is in danger. His emotional and psychological agitation are depicted and reinforced by how he's boxed in by the frames crested by the door and post.
Ep. 18: Mi-hyun engages a North Korean agent in a shootout within Jeongwon High School. Notice how she’s boxed in by the railings to depict and reinforce the emotional and psychological tension of the scene.
Ep. 19: Jae-man apologizes to Gang-hoon for failing to protect him from Chan-il, the North Korean agent. When two or more characters are within a frame, it could mean unity or conflict depending on the context.
E. Explanation of Hui-soo’s hatred of color orange, in relation to “Revenant”; transitions in Ep. 5 and in other episodes
In my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “Revenant,” I discussed “Obangsaek” or the traditional Korean color palette consisting of white, black, red, blue, and yellow.
Hui-soo says that she hates orange because it’s neither red nor yellow. She could be expressing her preference for “Obangsaek,” but I believe that her hatred for the color orange originates from the car accident in which her mother died. Her last memory (image) of her mother is that of being engulfed in orange as the car explodes. Because she was so young, she can’t quite remember or understand what her mother wanted to say to her or her mother’s reaction to her. It’s only through Bong-seok’s insights that she comes to view the color orange in a different light.
Also, in the opening credits of Ep. 5, after the camera roll on the young Hui-soo, the yellow colored “무빙” (Korean characters for "Moving") appear; after the characters are splattered with what looks like drops of blood, the characters become orange.
Ep. 5 transitions with color orange and transitions in other episodes
1. Ep. 5: As Hui-soo begins to tell Bong-seok about herself and why she got kicked out of her previous school, she becomes out of focus as the orange cone becomes in focus. The camera pushes in on the orange cone until it becomes out of focus; there’s then a dissolve into the orange colored road signage.
2. Ep. 5: As Hui-soo tries to bear with the bullying done by her classmates against the new student, she pushes her orange marker into the page of the book she’s reading. The ink from her marker spreads across the page, and then there’s a dissolve into her father’s orange work vest.
3. Ep. 5: The leader of the bullies has covered Shin Hye-won’s head with an orange pail. As she strikes the pail with her right hand with full force, the shot transitions to Hui-soo running inside the gym. What makes the transition work is that the directions of the bully’s hand and Hui-soo’s legs and feet as she runs are the same, that is, from left to right.
4. Ep. 9: Mi-hyun finds out that Deputy Director Min Yong-jun has been monitoring her interactions with Doo-sik through a bugging device placed inside the coffee vending machine. After the camera tracks (moves parallel) to the right, there’s a fade to black. The next shot shows her reflection on a video playback monitor as she confronts the smirking Deputy Director Min Yong-jun.
5. Ep. 8: The flash bang grenade explodes in the air and engulfs the whole room in blinding light. The next shot then shows the sunlight through the curtains in Mi-hyun’s darkened room.
Notes:
(1) From “The Colors of Korea: Orange” by Mimsie Ladner (2017): Orange may not be the first color that comes to mind when thinking of Korea. In fact, the more obvious icons that represent the nation exclude orange all together. It isn’t until one looks beyond the surface that the color’s significance in the country’s culture and history becomes apparent.
(2) “Ultimate Guide to Scene Transitions – Every Editing Transition Explained [The Shot List, Ep 9]” (Studio Binder)
(3) “Everything You Need To Know About Film Transitions”
F. Tracking shots in the Ep. 11 fight scenes and in other episodes
From “What is a Tracking Shot — 25 Best Tracking Shot Examples” (Studio Binder):
A tracking shot is any shot that includes a moving camera that follows or tracks one or more moving characters or subjects. In the past, tracking was a term reserved specifically for lateral camera movement that almost exclusively took place on dolly tracks. A camera would “track-right” or “track-left,” while forward movement was referred to a ‘push-in’ or ‘dolly-in’ and backward as a ‘dolly-out.’ These terms are still used, but the vocabulary has changed with the technology.
Tracking shot vs dolly — a dolly shot is now simply any shot that takes place on a dolly, which means a dolly shot can travel in any direction. Furthermore, tracking shots can be captured using any means of camera movement. This includes 3-axis gimbals, vest stabilizers, drones, handheld, or any other tool used to physically move the camera body.
What does a tracking shot do?
- Physically moves through the scene
- Often follows a subject or bounces around
- Usually plays in the edit for an extended amount of time
Resource: “Ultimate Guide to the Tracking Shot — Cinematic Camera Movement Explained” (Studio Binder)
F-1. Ep. 11: Using a broken bottle, Ji-hee fights off the four guys who want to molest her.
F-2. Ep. 11: Ju-won’s fight against the Nolgae gang leader and members takes around 3.5 minutes. I don’t think it’s one take though, because there may have been two or three hidden cuts when the fight goes from the hallway to the room and then back to the hallway again; there may also have been a hidden cut when Ju-won slams a gangster against the wall and his right forearm catches fire. Because of the 60-second limit of the GIF program that I use, I divided this epic fight scene into only two GIFs.
F-3. There are several other tracking shots (with hidden cuts) in Ep. 11 such as when Ju-won is chased by Minki’s gangsters on the road, and he escapes into a house.
F-4. Some tracking shots in other episodes:
(a) Contrast between tracking shots in Ep. 10 when Ju-won strides purposely into the Ulsan nightclub which his gang is forcibly taking over and in Ep. 13 when he struggles to find the room where Ji-hee’s funeral wake is being held; Ryu Seung-ryong stamps these scenes with his excellent acting.
In both the Ep. 10 scene and the Ep. 13 scene, I thought at first that Ju-won was probably shot with a handheld cam. But then after reviewing the shots, I’ve come to think that the cinematographer probably used a Steadicam for these tracking shots.
In the Ep. 13 scene, however, notice that the camera wobbles or shakes a bit more to depict and reinforce Ju-won’s deep emotional and psychological agitation. (I couldn’t find the BTS video of the Ep. 13 scene, but maybe, the cinematographer handheld the camera but is riding a dolly?)
F-5.Throughout the drama, tracking shots that are less complex than the fight scenes are used to liven up the drama’s visuals, instead of hard cuts. Examples:
Ep. 4: The camera tracks Hui-soo as she rushes up the stairs and tries to reach Bong-seok, who has floated up to the ceiling. Failing to reach him, she sees a wooden box and pushes it near the railing. She then braces herself and using the box, jumps up to grab on to Bong-seok’s leg.
Ep. 4: Mi-hyun scolds Bong-seok for letting Hui-soo walk to the bus stop by herself. Bong-seok tries to justify himself that Hui-soo isn’t his girlfriend, but Mi-hyun smacks some sense into him. Notice also how the camera pushes in on Mi-hyun or on Bong-seok. (This scene is about 1.5 minutes long, and so I divided it into two GIFs.)
G. Arc shots (to mark transitions, create suspense, add intensity or emotionality to a scene, introduce a new character — and thus a new dynamic — into a scene, etc.)
The article “Arc Shots and 360-degree Tracking Shots” (Studio Binder) states: The arc shot in film, also called a 360 degrees shot or 360 tracking shot, orbits the camera around a subject in an arc pattern. In an arc shot, the subject is usually stagnant while the camera circles them in at least a semi-circle pattern. The term “arc” derives from mathematics meaning a segment of a complete circumference. This segment in the shot is the orbital path of the camera.
From “Arc Shot, or 360-degree Tracking Shots”:
Arc shots can also be used to mark transitions, create suspense, add intensity or emotionality to a scene and much more.
The use of the arc shot can also be symbolism for shift or a transition, either in the story or within the characters themselves.
The arc shot causes the camera to shift in the physical space and can signal a turning point.
The arc shot can also be used to add suspense to a thrilling scene.
Arc shots can be used to introduce a new character — and thus a new dynamic — into a scene.
An arc shot can be used to establish the scene’s geography and to create a symbolism.
Posted below are some arc shots from this drama:
Ep. 6: Gye-do falls into deep depression when he loses his job as Bungaeman and his mother dies. Unable to find a new job, he gets drunk outside a convenience store. As he struggles to get back onto his chair, the camera arcs around him clockwise to reveal in the background a bus that has stalled because its battery died.
Ep. 18: The camera tracks Kim Deok-yoon as he walks towards the North Korean agent who was shot dead by Mi-hyun. He stops, but the camera continues to move forward and then arcs around the dead agent. The camera then moves up parallel to Kim Deok-yoon and shows him looking down at the agent.
Ep. 17: As Hui-soo stops running in the private gym to rest for a while, the camera arcs counterclockwise around her to reveal the North Korean agent slowly descending behind her. (Rack focus: As Hui-soo becomes out of focus, the North Korean agent becomes in focus.)
H. Miscellaneous observations: (1) Leading lines (to focus the viewer’s eyes to a specific part of the frame or to create depth): Mi-hyun closes the door of the principal’s office to confront the cleaning lady in Ep. 17; (2) Motion blur: Choi Il-hwan welcomes the students of Jeongwon High School in Ep. 16; hero shot; (3) Ep. 5 encounter between Ju-won and the tough guy wannabe: change of accent, dolly zoom low angle shots, and high angle shots; (4) Most intriguing shot/camera movement in the whole drama: Bong-seok in Ep. 1 sleeping on the ceiling, not on his bed; (5) Did the director and cinematographer of “Moving” use “anamorphic lenses” to shoot this drama?; A technological development that will make Korean movies and dramas even much better
H-1. Leading lines (to focus the viewer’s eyes to a specific part of the frame or to create depth): Mi-hyun closes the door of the principal’s office to confront the cleaning lady in Ep. 17.
Studio Binder in its article titled “Rules of Shot Composition in Film: A Definitive Guide” says: “Leading lines are actual lines (or sometimes imaginary ones) in a shot, that lead the eye to key elements in the scene. Artists use this technique to direct the viewer’s eye but they also use it to connect the character to essential objects, situations, or secondary subjects.”
Leading lines may be straight or curved; they may lead directly to the subject or to the subject plane; they may come from either left or right. Considering that we read from left to right, my personal preference is that they come from the left going to the right.
The K-dramas that I’ve watched that feature leading lines prominently are “Vincenzo” and “True Beauty.”
H-2. Motion blur: Choi Il-hwan welcomes the students of Jeongwon High School in Ep. 16; hero shot.
Despite his mission of implementing the NTDP in Jeongwon High School, Choi Il-hwan begins to enjoy teaching and becoming part of his students’ lives. The passing of time from 2011 to 2014 is depicted and reinforced through the use of “motion blur.”
From “What is Motion Blur, Is Motion Blur Good & Why Does it Happen?” (Studio Binder): Motion blur is the visual streaking or smearing captured on camera as a result of movement of the camera, the subject, or a combination of the two. The human eye naturally registers motion blur in real life, so a subtle blur in film often mimics reality better than if it were absent. When applied intentionally, this effect may be referred to as aesthetic blur.
The Studio Binder article explains how to get motion blur:
- Move the camera during exposure
- Move the subject during exposure
- Slow the shutter speed
The Studio Binder YT video “What is Shutter Speed — Camera Shutter and the Exposure Triangle Explained [Ep. 3]” (2:03 up to 3:46) explains what motion blur.
The article “Using Motion Blur for Natural Movement” explains how motion blur can be added during post production.
Choi Il-hwan’s hero shot in Ep. 16: The very first time Choi Il-hwan goes to Jeongwon High School, he stops at the front gate; he’s shot from a low angle and silhouetted against the sun.
Note: I explained what hero shots are in my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow.”
H-3. Ep. 5 scene where Ju-won thoroughly intimidates the wannabe tough guy: change of accent, dolly zoom, low angle shots, and high angle shots
(1) Ju-won goes to the cellphone repair shop with his credit card machine to get the payment for the chicken and pack of cigarettes that the wannabe tough guy ordered from him. The night before, the wannabe tough guy and his friends tried to intimidate him, but he kept his cool. This morning, however, he couldn’t stand it anymore after seeing his business card on the floor, and using his Pohang/Guryongpo accent, he thoroughly intimidates the wannabe tough guy.
Only those who are native Korean speakers or those international fans who are familiar with “satoori” will understand how Ju-won intimidated the wannabe tough guy with his change of accent. But the cinematographer also used a camera movement known as “dolly zoom” and camera angles to show the difference between Ju-won and the wannabe tough guy.
(2) I stand to be corrected, but when Ju-won begins to use his Pohang/Guryongpo accent, the cinematographer (from a low angle point of view) uses a camera movement known as “dolly zoom” to make him look and feel so thoroughly intimidating (to us the viewers and to the wannabe tough guy).
From “How Does the Dolly Zoom Work?”:
Dolly zooms are an overwhelming and unforgettable effect. If you’ve ever seen a shot where a background warps impossibly, expanding or constricting around a character, you’ve seen a dolly zoom. If you’ve ever seen a shot with a sudden distortion of perspective that zeroes in on the subject, you’ve seen a dolly zoom. And if you’ve ever seen Jaws, you’ve seen a dolly zoom.
In all their boldness, dolly zooms can achieve some of cinema’s most powerful moments of visual storytelling.
They can create a sudden sense of unease and disorientation. They can signal powerful and uncanny emotional states such as tension, epiphany, euphoria, and dread. They can make it feel like the floor is dropping out from under you or that the walls are closing in. They can shrink distance or send the background barrelling off into the unknown. When deployed with purpose, like the best effects, they are so much more than a visual flourish.
From “What is a Dolly Zoom — Scene Examples of the Vertigo Effect” (Studio Binder):
A dolly zoom is an in-camera effect where you dolly towards or away from a subject while zooming in the opposite direction. Also known as a zolly, this shot creates a sense of unease in the viewer, simulates a spatial warp, and can either shrink or extend distances based on the choice of direction.
This shot is commonly referred to as a vertigo shot, or vertigo effect thanks to Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo, which used the shot multiple times and to great effect.
I discussed “dolly zoom” in detail in my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “Life on Mars” (2018).
(3) Whenever Juwon is shot (by himself or with the wannabe tough guy facing away from the camera), the cinematographer shoots him from a low angle, thus emphasizing his power and authority.
Whenever the wannabe tough guy is shot by himself (or facing Ju-won, with Ju-won’s back to the camera), the cinematographer shoots him from a high angle, thus depicting and reinforcing how intimidated he is with Ju-won.
Notes:
(1) Dolly zoom from “Jaws”
(2) “Zoom vs. moving camera — what’s the difference [between zoom, push in, and dolly zoom]?”
(3) The background music during this scene reminds me of “spaghetti Westerns” popularized by actor Clint Eastwood and director Sergio Leone.
H-4. Most intriguing shot/camera movement in the whole drama: Bong-seok in Ep. 1 sleeping on the ceiling, not on his bed.
I can’t find the BTS video of this scene, but my best guess is that this scene was shot similarly to the famous hallway fight scene in Christopher Nolan’s film “Inception” (2010). Please surf to “How Christopher Nolan Shot the Iconic Inception Hallway Fight Scene...Without CGI” (Studio Binder).
H-5. Did the director and cinematographer of “Moving” use “anamorphic lenses” to shoot this drama?; A technological development that will make Korean movies and dramas even much better
(1) A YouTuber in his reaction to Ep. 2 of “Moving” says that the drama was shot with anamorphic lenses because of:
(a) the distortion of the vertical lines as the camera pans during the flashback scene when Mi-hyun, carrying Bong-seok on his back, goes to a small restaurant; and
(b) the blue horizontal lens flares as Hui-soo looks from the field at the fully lighted school.
Note: I wrote about anamorphic lenses in my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “Into the Ring.”
I tried looking for the technical specifications of “Moving” on IMDB and the “shotonwhat” website but couldn’t find any. (From MDL, I found out that the cinematographer of “Moving,” Lee Hyeong-deok, also worked on “Squid Game,” “Train to Busan,” “26 Years,” “Sunny,” and “The Housemaid.”)
The reasons I’m not fully convinced that “Moving” was shot with anamorphic lenses is that the horizontal blue lens flares appear only in Ep. 2 (as far as I can recall); in “Into the Ring,” the horizontal blue lens flares almost always appear when the camera shoots against light sources. Also, in the medium shot of Hui-soo looking at the fully lighted school, you can see that the “bokeh” (out of focus highlights) are circular, not oval in shape.
Perhaps, the information on whether “Moving” used anamorphic lenses can be found on Naver. But, sadly, I can’t read Korean.
(2) A technological development that will make Korean movies and dramas even much better
As I dove deep into whether “Moving” was shot with anamorphic lenses, I came across the following resources:
(a) “Anamorphic lenses are becoming the new normal in television drama” by Neil Oseman
While most viewers will not be able to identify these visual characteristics specifically, they will certainly be aware of a more cinematic feel to the show overall. This is because we associate anamorphic images - even if we do not consciously know them as such - with the biggest of Hollywood blockbusters, everything from Die Hard to Star Trek Beyond.
The anamorphic process was invented as a way to get a bigger image from the same area of 35mm negative, but in today’s world of ultra-high-resolution digital sensors, there is no technical need for anamorphic, only an aesthetic one. In fact, they can actually complicate the process, as Downey notes: “We had to shoot 8K on the Red to be able to punch into our Crystal Express to extract 16:9 and still deliver 4K to Amazon.”
(b) Anamorphic lenses are notoriously expensive, but Samyang Optics, the South Korean lens company, has started manufacturing anamorphic lenses.
“New anamorphic lens under development” at Samyang (2018)
“Samyang revealed new XEEN anamorphic and prime lenses” (2021)
With the availability of cheap but quality anamorphic lenses through Samyang Optics, Korean dramas and movies can be expected to have even better visuals.
One film that was reportedly shot with a Samyang-manufactured anamorphic lens is the 2018 “The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion” starring Kim Da-mi (“Itaewon Class”), Choi Woo-shik (“Parasite”), and Park Hee-soon (“My Name” and “Moving.”)
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