Along With the Gods | K-Drama | Only 49 Days to Prove Your Worth
Along With the Gods is a K-drama that explores the various heavenly courts where a soul is judged after death to prove their worth. Did they live a life where they are worthy to be reincarnated?
Based on the webtoon series by Joo Ho-min, there are two (2) films currently streaming on Viki: Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017); and Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018). (NOTE: In order to understand these movies, you need to know that Tibetan Buddhists believe that there is an in-between stage known as the bardo which can take up to 49 days.)
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RECAP of Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds
In the first film, Kim Ja Hong (played by Cha Tae Hyun, “Brain Works”) is a courageous firefighter who died in the line of duty. When he enters the afterlife he finds himself being escorted by a team of guardians. They inform him that he died and that he must go through seven (7) otherworldly courts. In each court, there are specific things that he has done in his life and he will either be judged innocent or guilty.
The Three Guardians are:
- Hae Won Maek (played by Joo Ji Hoon),
- Gang Rim (played by Ha Jung Woo), and
- Lee Deok Choon (played by Kim Hyang Gi, “Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist”).
They must attend each of his heavenly court trials, sort of as his team of defenders, and present proof that he has lived a virtuous life and therfore he should be reincarnated to live once again in the mortal realm. However, a problem has arisen that is making it difficult to prove his worth. It seems that his brother, Su Hong (played by Kim Dong Wook) has died a wrongful death, and has turned into a vengeful spirit. His brother’s ghost is roaming around the earth venting his anger. Some of that anger is directed at Kim Ja Hong. He and his brother need to resolve their difference and reconcile with each other, so the trials can be completed.
Of course, since Kim Ja Hong is dead and no longer on Earth, it might be hard to get in touch with his brother’s spirit which has not left the earth. No worries. The guardians will find a way to bridge the two worlds.
RECAP of Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days
In the sequel film, Su Hong (played by Kim Dong Wook), the vengeful spirit has now been taken into the afterlife. Like his brother, he too must pass the series of trials. He must prove that he has lived a virtuous life (not counting the time when he was misbehaving as a vengeful spirit). Only … he does not want to be reincarnated.
But? What will happen if he does not get reincarnated?
That causes a problem for the trio of guardians. Assisting souls and helping them get reincarnated are acts, “good deeds”, that are credited on their records. If they can help a certain number of souls get reincarnated they will also be allowed to reincarnate. They were once human and evidently, because of what they did in their past life, they were unable to prove their worth. So the gods in charge promised they could return to earth as mortals IF …
Su Hong’s insistence that he does not want to be reincarnated is complicating matters for them.
But what did they do in their past life? Their memories were wiped. So they don’t exactly know. In the sequel film, the life story of each guardians is revealed. It turns out there are some differences they need to resolve with each other. Su Hong’s heavenly trials and the reconciliation of the relationships between guardians all take place in 49 days.
Viewership and Rating
The Viki viewing audience rated both of these films 9.6 out of 10 stars. I agree; although I personally liked the sequel, better than the first film. The first film did not develop the characters enough. The sequel tied together the life stories of the main charcters and made the plot much more interesting. Both films either won or were nominated for various awards including the prestigious Baek Sang Art Awards.
These two (2) movies are not only being streamed on Viki. They are available are other streaming sites.
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