Island ~ Lust Demons Must Be Destroyed

“Island” is an adaptation of a manhwa (Korean Comic), later published as a webtoon written by Youn In Wan and Yang Kyung Il.

There are three (3) individuals ~ a demon slayer, a Catholic priest, and a lady who discovered that she has special powers. Together they fight against evil lust demons to protect the island (and the world). These malevolent forces possess humans who have wicked desires. As you can imagine, it’s a fight that never ends.

“Island” was released in 2022/2023, has 12 episodes (2 Seasons with 6 episodes each), and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. It can be categorized as Fantasy, Supernatural, Action, and Horror.

♦ To Kill a Demon You Need a Demon Slayer

“Island” begins as a “once upon a time” tale of ancient Tamra, when two young boys, who were not really given a choice, were turned into demon slayers. Demon slayers were needed to rid the island of the lust demons. There was no other way.

There was a young girl who saw how they had been mistreated and she tried to help them escape but the attempt failed. The boys were whipped and put in chains for trying to escape. The young girl visited them, apologizing for failing, but promising that she would come back and find a way for them to be free. But that never happened. What did happen was that she was killed by one of the demon slayers.

♦ The Demon Slayer Could Use Some Help

Van is a demon slayer. He was one of the two young boys in ancient Tamra. It is now the 21^st century and ancient Tamra is modern Jeju Island. It is a modern island with an ancient problem. There are still lust demons who possess tourists and those who live and work on the island.

Van, the demon slayer, is still hunting and destroying lust demons. He was working alone until he met Won Mi-Ho, the reincarnation of Wonjeong; and Johan, a Catholic priest who performs exorcisms.

Won Mi-Ho is the heiress to the Daehan Group. She doesn’t remember her previous life as Wonjeong and she doesn’t know she has special powers. In her present life, she’s kind of a troublemaker. She caused “trouble” in Seoul, and even though it wasn’t her fault, her father sent her to Jeju Island for a “time out”. She needed to reflect on herself and work as a humble school teacher (who drives a Ferrari).

During her first few days on the island, she was attacked by lust demons. That’s how she met Van. He saved her life, so she hired him as her bodyguard.

Johan or Giovanni is a Korean but he became a Catholic priest and lived in Italy for many years. During that time he exorcised demons on a fairly regular basis. He was sent to Jeju Island on a mission: to protect the “savior”. The savior is a woman and her mission failed the first time because she was killed by a demon slayer. Johan wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

The woman is Won Mi-Ho and without realizing it, she hired the demon slayer who killed her the first time!

Initially, there were a few personality clashes and some trust issues. But eventually, the three (3) combine their efforts and work together to destroy the lust demons.

Main Characters:

• Won Mi-Ho (played by Lee Da-Hee, “L.U.C.A.: The Beginning”)
• Van (played by Kim Nam-Gil, “Song of the Bandits”, “Live Up to Your Name”)
• Priest Johan (played by Cha Eun-Woo, “Rookie Historian” ~ he won for Excellent Actor and Best Couple at the 2019 MBC Drama Awards)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 8.1 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 6.9 out of 10 stars
• NME: 3 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is 8 out of 10 stars for two (2) reasons.

(1) The cast has two (2) of my favorite South Korean actors: Kim Nam-Gil; and Cha Eun-Woo.

(2) Since “Tamra Island” (2009) was one of the first series that addicted me to Korean drama, I appreciated that the setting was Jeju Island.

{NOTE: Jeju Island was once called Tamra Island. It is South Korea’s largest island, a popular tourist destination, and is on my travel bucket list. Since I have yet to physically go there, watching K-drama films and series that were filmed on that island location is almost like being there.}

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• The cast of K-Drama ‘Island’ on their experience filming the fantasy-thriller | The Hindu
• The Best K-Drama Filming Locations In Jeju | Culture Trip
• ‘Island’ review: a breathtaking fantasy-action K-drama | NME

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Prime Video Singapore. “Island | Official Trailer | Amazon Prime.” YouTube Video. YouTube, December 19, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJn21G18Ocs.