“Bridal Mask” is a 2012 Korean drama series, set during the Japanese colonial period, with 28 episodes, and categorized as historical fiction, action, and romance.
SUMMARY: Some from Joseon chose to betray their homeland in order to be treated as equals to the Japanese and live a good life. There were other people of Joseon who chose to fight for independence from the Japanese. In the fight for freedom and independence, the people always need a legendary hero to give them hope. The Bridal Mask was that hero.
♦ The Bridal Mask Doesn’t Use a Gun
“Bridal Mask” is set in the Japanese colonial era (1910 to 1945). Lee Kang-To is a lieutenant who was awarded a medal for capturing a notorious criminal. Although he is a Joseon man he “converted” so that he could be accepted as an equal and treated the same as the members of the Japanese forces who are loyal to the emperor. Did he have a choice? His father died, his mother struggles to earn a living, and his brother who is mentally challenged is unable to work. He had a choice; and he chose to pledge allegiance to the Empire of Japan, integrate into Japanese society, and fight against the Korean Independence fighters.
Proving his loyalty, Lee Kang-To continued his work and successfully captured a group of freedom fighters led by a man called Damsari. Mok Dan is the daughter of the group leader and she has been searching for her father. When she found out he had been captured and was being tried in court, she found a way to get inside the courtroom hoping she could at least get a glimpse of him. She had not seen her father’s face in years.
Mok Dan was not the only one who managed to get inside the courtroom. The hero known to all as Bridal Mask was also there and he helped the freedom fighters escape. Lee Kang-To tried to recapture them, intending to also capture Mok Dan and bring her in. Lee Kang-To and Mok Dan have had a few encounters but she always manages to get away from him. This time was no different in that she got away from him again! But this time was different because during the commotion a prominent judge was killed. The Bridal Mask did it!
When Lee Kang-To started investigating the judge’s death, he discovered that there was a questionable connection between the judge and another high-ranking official. Rather than allow him to lead the investigation, that high-ranking official put his own son in charge. Lee Kang-To brought his finding to the attention of an even higher-ranking official who quickly deduced that the reason the son was put in charge was to cover up his father’s corrupt activities. The father, the son, and others were members of a secret organization with a nefarious purpose.
To prevent Lee Kang-To from exposing the secret organization, the son tried to frame the Bridal Mask. The thing about wearing a mask that hides your identity is that anybody can put on a mask and just pretend to be you. A person pretending to be the Bridal Mask was about to shoot and kill Lee Kang-To. But the assassination attempt by the fake Bridal Mask failed because the real Bridal Mask appeared and stopped him.
Both, the man pretending to be the Bridal Mask and the real Bridal Mask got away from Lee Kang-To. Since that plan did not work, the son of the high-ranking official came up with another plan. Because the real Bridal Mask saved his life, the son falsely accused Lee Kang-To of secretly working along with the Bridal Mask. The initial plan was to kill Lee Kang-To and blame it on the Bridal Mask. But since that plan didn’t work, the son made up a story about him “collaborating with The Enemy”.
Lee Kang-To was a decorated officer known for being loyal, valiant, and dutiful. They needed to paint a very ugly picture of him to justify his arrest and subsequent execution for being a traitor. Getting rid of him would prevent him from exposing the secret organization and the members carry on as usual with their dark dastardly deeds. Except … Lee Kang-To told the arresting officer (the son of the high-ranking official) that a person wearing a Bridal Mask pointed a German gun at his head. But the real Bridal Mask doesn’t use a gun.
He asked the son what were they trying to hide that they needed to resort to using such dirty tricks. The son was visibly angry and frustrated. His first plan to kill Lee Kang-To and blame the Bridal Mask for the killing didn’t work. His second plan to frame Lee Kang-To as a traitor who worked with the Bridal Mask had obvious flaws that could lead to further and more thorough investigation by officials who were of a higher rank than his father.
Being framed by his fellow officers was a wake-up call for Lee Kang-To. The Bridal Mask whom he considered The Enemy had saved his life. It made him stop and think: Had he made the right life choice when he decided to serve the Japanese emperor? Maybe he should secretly work along with the real Bridal Mask OR … maybe he should wear the Bridal Mask and fight the real Enemy.
Main Characters:
- Lee Kang-To (played by Joo Won, “Midnight Photo Studio”, “Carter”, “Stealer: The Treasure Keeper”, “Alice”, “My Sassy Girl” )
- Mok Dan (played by Jin Se-Yun, “The Item”, “Bad Memory Eraser”, “Queen: Love and War”, “Grand Prince”, “The Flower in Prison”, “The Duo”)
- Shunji Kimura (played by Park Ki-Woong, “Secretly Greatly”, “My Man is Cupid”, “Pandora: Beneath the Paradise”, “Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung”)
- Chae Hong-Joo (played by Han Chae-Ah, “The Merchant: Gaekju”)
- Lee Kang-San (played by Shin Hyun-Joon, “Moorim School”, “Night of the Assassin”)
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 8.5 out of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 8.1 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is 8 out of 10 stars.
“Bridal Mask” has a stellar cast. K-drama lovers will recognize most of the actors and actresses as they are veterans in the industry. Needless to say, not all reviewers were pleased. Per OtogeMeow: “The plot turned sloppy, full of plot holes, full of plot conveniences, only for two main reasons: fanservice and melodrama.” Ouch!
But other reviewers like DryedMangoez thought: “A brave, slickly produced and excellently performed series that barreled its way through and never looked back.”
The stark contrast in the reviews makes you wonder if they watched the same series. (O.o)
My rating is because it’s a legendary hero tale and it lived up to my expectations. Everybody knows in real life people can’t fly through the air. If you know Korean history you know what the Japanese did to the people of Joseon. But don’t we all like to use our imagination to rewrite tragic historical events? It happened like this. But it would have been better if it happened like this!
LINKS OF INTEREST:
Bridal Mask (2012 KBS) Korean Drama Review and Synopsis, Pictures | Kdrama Love
[KDrama Review] Bridal Mask [From Hero to legit Zero] | OtogeMeow
Hindsight Review: KBS’ Bridal Mask is Simply Incredible | DryedMangoez.com
8 Historical K-Dramas Set During The Japanese Occupation Of Korea | SreenRant
10 Best Historical K-Dramas Set During The Japanese Occupation | The Collider
TRAILER/TEASER:
KBS WORLD TV. “[Trailer] Bridal Mask (각시탈).” YouTube, Video, 19 June 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI-g1EXuK_c.
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Other K-Drama Reviews PopGeeks set during the Japanese colonial era:
- Assassination (2015)
- Love, Lies (2016)
- Battleship Island (2017)
- Mr. Sunshine (2018)
- Gyeongseong Creature (2023)
- Song of the Bandits (2023)
- Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 (2023)
- The Vertex
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