I found Clamp’s The Legend of Chun Hyang to be a fascinating representation of a Korean tale about chastity and loyalty. I was unsurprised to find that Chun Hyang had been injected with brimming self confidence and combat ability, because this makes her a classic comic book hero/heroine. However, I was somewhat puzzled by the manner in which the authors dealt with themes of chastity in the traditional telling of Chun Hyang. I was surprised that the authors chose to make Chun Hyang so young (fourteen), because her young age itself justifies her attitude towards sex in the comic book. When Mong Ryong (who is given no age but appears 5-10 years older) flirts with Chun Hyang, she seems perfectly justified in retorting the advances of this older guy. Chun Hyang’s reactions to Mong Ryong in relation to her mother and the bathing sisters make her appear juvenile more than they construct her as a role model. I have to wonder whether the authors consciously made Chun Hyang laughably disgusted with sex in parody of the traditional tale.
By contrast, in Im Kwon Taek’s film about Chun Hyang makes the themes of the tale more heartfelt by fleshing out Chun Hyang’s character. In the movie, Chun Hyang has the life of an ordinary person, and she is not above the actions and emotions of an ordinary person (as displayed by the sex scenes). What makes Chun Hyang a heroine is her ability to stay true to her emotions in spite of what other people try to force her to do. Im Kwon Taek’s film is primarily about loyalty and staying true to one’s values more than it is about sex.
On another note, after watching the movie of Chun Hyang, I noticed that the main character of the movie really seems to be the governor’s son, and that I felt much more in tune with the emotions and thoughts of the governor’s son than with Chun Hyang. I felt like there were more close up shots of the male characters, and that Im Kwon Taek revealed the governor’s son’s thinking and personality more than that of Chun Hyang. Did Im Kwon Taek have a reason to do this?
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I think I'm on the same level with you, ZWingate, when you state that perhaps the Clamp authors decided to make Chun Hyang's character a bit more humorous as a parody of the more traditional tale. Clamp appears to portray Chun Hyang as a naive, innocent tomboy who has no interest for boys, and keeps her mind focused only in striving for justice and self-riteousness. She's extremely showy, and has a bubbly, somewhat hyper personatlity. But of course we have to keep in mind that this is a comic book, (which exaggerates and stretches the truth for dramatic value and entertainment) and also that this comic book is aimed towards an age group of young teens (13+). I don't think the book would sell too well to Clamp's aimed audience if the book involved a more serious relationship between Chun Hyang and Mong Ryong, focusing more romantic scenes than action-filled, crime-fighting scenes.
Personally, I don't think that Chun Hyan was portrayed as an "ordinary person" in Im Kwon Taek's film. She seemed to lead a more complex and difficult life than most. Her mother was a "kiseng", leaving her destined to be just as poor and discriminated against. She was also ranked with the lower class in her society, meaning she wouldn't be allowed to marry her one and only love, Mong Ryong. On top of all this, Mong Ryong leaves Chun Hyang without even a day's notice, leaving her to believe that Mong Ryong has left her for good. She deals with so much abuse throughout the film until the very end, when Mong Ryong finally reveals his true identity. It was a happy ending, but I didn't think Chun Hyang was every "ordinary". If Chun Hyang was ordinary, I wouldn't think the story could have been passed down as a traditional folk tale, and attracted so much interest for such a long span of time.
I also believe that Im Kwon Taek actually spent more time emphasizing the women's roles in the movie, rather than the men's. The only primary male character in the film was Mong Ryong; on the other hand, there were two primary female charaters: Chun Hyang and Wol Mae. I thought the movie focused on how loyal and virtuous Chun Hyang was, rather than on how Mong Ryong was hired by the king.
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