Line #8 Series/IlJiMae


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yong_iljimae.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:This is Korea. They don't have {{ninja}}s; they have really, ''really'' good thieves.]]
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4	->''"Don't worry, I can steal anything. After all, I'm Il Ji-Mae."''
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6	Corruption and oppression in Korea during the time of the Qing Dynasty is SeriousBusiness. The rich and powerful shed the blood of the innocent and just. And that's the ''good'' news. The bad news is that it's all about to get worse. And the family of [[TheWoobie one poor little boy]] is caught smack dab in the middle.
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8	''Il Ji-Mae'' is a Korean drama detailing a boy's growth and maturation into a hero against a spoiled government. Sure, the emperor seems like a nice guy, but his field of vision amounts to diddly squat, and the noblemen do as they please and take what they want. It's a little overacted, but the characters--just about ALL of them--are unique and engaging, and the story has more CharacterDevelopment, plot twists, and Crowning Moments than you can shake a stick at. A very fine project that shows Korea's got chops of its own. Watch out though, some kink in Korean television scheduling puts each episode at over an hour without commercials, and there's a full season of them, so once you get started, fans suggest you get comfy.
9	----
10	This show includes examples of...
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12	* AbusiveParents: Si Hu's noble parents refuse to acknowledge him, even though he outshines their older son with flying colors.
13	* AttemptedRape: And it just goes downhill from there...
14	* BackToBackBadasses: Yong-Jae and Chun in the old days
15	%%* BadassLongRobe: Yong-Jae
16	* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: There's a rebellion brewing under the surface of the noblemen. Anyone who finds out about this rebellion, and isn't on their side, is arrested and murdered on charges of--three guesses--''treason.'']]
17	** Yong gets increasingly good at this, using the noblemen's pride against them.
18	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Emperor Injo is perpetually polite in a sickening way, but man, has he got a ''temper!''
19	* BigScrewedUpFamily: If you follow the lines of biology and match them with behavior, hoo boy.
20	* BreatherEpisode: The first half of of episode [[spoiler: 16]].
21	* CharacterDevelopment: Gyum/Yong and Cha Dol/Si Hu are most notabe (at least as far as I've gotten.)
22	* ColdBloodedTorture: Used on anyone who gets arrested for pissing off a nobleman.
23	* ComingOfAgeStory: coming of age, then coming of badass
24	* CutHimselfShaving: Yong comes up with plenty of these to keep his parents from worrying when he gets beat up. They're never convinced, but at least they don't press him.
25	* DarkestHour: [[spoiler: Yong's father is killed after impersonating Il Ji-Mae, the last man willing to help Gyum find his father's murderer is assassinated, and then Il Ji-Mae is slapped with murder after trying to interrogate the afore-mentioned last man willing to help Gyum.]]
26	* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Il Ji-Mae, at the end of the series.]]
27	* DramaticShattering: When Yong realizes [[spoiler: that the woman he scoffed at in jail was his long-lost sister, and she was set to be hanged.]]
28	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: You killed [[spoiler: Yang-sun!]] You [[KickTheDog BASTARD!!!]]
29	* ForgottenFirstMeeting: One of the love interests figures out who he was by a piece of jewelry the boy who saved her life carried. The other love interest also figures out who he was because he continued a story he never finished when they were children.
30	%%* PhantomThief
31	* HeroicBSOD: poor Yong...
32	* JustifiedCriminal: Swe Dol, eventually Yong, arguably the Castor Oil Gang
33	* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: Yong / Iljimae can't reveal himself to the girl he likes.
34	* MeaningfulName: Yong means ''dogshit.'' Yet, hilariously, people will name their kids that based on the myth that a dragon rises from canine crap like a phoenix from ashes.
35	* OneManArmy: After mastering combat techniques, Il Ji-Mae loves to do this.
36	* PleaseIWillDoAnything: used quite often.
37	* PoliceBrutality: In spades, as well as Police Lechery.
38	%%* RetiredBadass: Yong-Jae
39	* RoofHopping: Taken to a fine art by the main character, which also leads to RooftopConfrontation.
40	* SmugSnake: Minister Byun and, of course, his son.

Context Series / IlJiMae