OCN, 2020, 16 episodes
Genres: action, science-fiction
Written by Do Hyun, based on the webtoon of the same name by Rel.mae
Directed by Kang Cheol-woo, Lee Jung-soo
More information: Wikipédia, HanCinema
Rugal:
When Tears Dry Up, a Monster is Born
I don’t think there would be any viewer who wouldn't be immediately swept away by the momentum of Rugal. Roughly twenty minutes in, two guys face off. By then, we’ve already learned that one of them is an elite cop—hard to control, a troublemaker, but the "badass" kind. In his finest uniform, he marches into the lion's den to provoke a powerful man who is clearly preparing to become a representative. Then, an unexpectedly strong opponent appears and, without any hesitation, slams our cocky hero to the ground.
While not in strict chronological order, the starting playing field has already emerged: the wedding bliss of an idyllic couple in the opening frames is actually a video recording playing on a TV screen at a bloody crime scene, where the victims are the happy couple. Then, the news reports claim that a police officer killed his wife and, crushed under the weight of self-reproach, put out his own eyes. However, the recovering man, who has lost his sight, insists that an organization called Argos attacked them. Since they don’t believe him, the question erupts from him: "Am I a lunatic if dead, and a killer if alive?" A flashback reveals masked attackers kidnapping crown witnesses from an ongoing trial, whom the man who outclassed our cop executes in cold blood—even with relish. With no witnesses, the defendant—the head of the massive Korean conglomerate Argos—is acquitted. This is the man our cop charged at.
An interesting connection must be noted here, which could provide a symbolic explanation for why the young officer was blinded so bizarrely. Argos is the name of a hundred-eyed giant from Greek mythology, meaning "all-seeing"—he is the one from whom the phrase "watching with Argus eyes" originates, and after his death, peacock feathers preserve his eyes. The company suspected by the detective is also named Argos, and according to him, they took his sight as punishment for his investigative work against them.
An interesting twist ensures that, moving forward, we won't be seeing a hundred-eyed monster fighting a lone, blind warrior. Our hero, in a hopeless situation, is offered a way out: his identity is erased from the real world if he undergoes a risky surgery to replace his original eyes with bionic eyeballs. Beyond mere sight, these will possess numerous functions, as Artificial Intelligence serves their operation through an implanted chip. Consequently, our hero can become a warrior of extraordinary abilities, tasked with fighting Argos as part of a covert police unit. Naturally, he accepts the challenge, which allows him to seek revenge on his wife’s killers. He soon meets his comrades, all of whom possess superpowers through internal organs enhanced by various biotechnological developments.
The name of the covert police unit and experimental laboratory is Rugal, which is a compound word meaning "dried tears." Its deeper meaning can be read on the series poster: "If your tears dry up, you turn into a monster."
From here, we dive into the fierce battle between the two organizations. Mirroring the opening scenes, the leader of Argos also holds a wedding, which leads to a bloody outcome, igniting an internal struggle among the conglomerate's leaders. It’s everyone against everyone, yet it seems the most villainous figure is playing with the others at his whim.
While none of the company’s activities can be called legal (including organ trafficking), in the background, this satanic figure carries out dealings hidden even from the others: biotechnological experiments. In this field, he is not winning against Rugal, whose members—becoming increasingly cohesive—fight an committed battle against Argos. Each of them believes their mission was worth the sacrifice; this is an essential element of their self-esteem. Since they have partially become like cyborgs, they are vulnerable to Rugal's technical infrastructure and its controlling leader.
"Each of us has our own story," say the warriors of Rugal, who get to know and commit to one another more deeply during their common missions. While discord defines Argos, unity is the greatest strength at Rugal.
The series is based on a webtoon of the same name, and as is characteristic of superhero genres, certain elements are quite stylized. While the mountain of corpses grows as a result of Argos's operations and the main villain appears as a purely diabolic figure, we don't quite grasp the proportion of these terror-like actions relative to the overall reality. It seems Argos has taken control in every area; society lives in fear of them, and only remnant forces—who also provide protection for Rugal—fight against them. This lends the series an almost apocalyptic atmosphere, which is well-matched by the proliferation of zombie-like figures.
While Rugal carries out an increasingly desperate struggle against Argos, it also faces an unexpected internal problem: human nature. The warriors don't miss their targets, but the question arises more strongly within them: have they also fallen victim to some kind of deception? Behind the obvious evil, an even darker manipulation looms, revolving once again around whether the end justifies the means. What finally happens to our warriors shall remain the secret of the series.
But until we reach the conclusion, we witness numerous spectacular actions—sometimes woven with humor, sometimes with thrills—whether it's hand-to-hand combat or car and motorcycle chases. The visual effects are good, making the high-tech living weapons' operations sufficiently believable.
This drama also scratches the surface of moral questions raised by technical progress. It doesn't dive deep, but it poses them at the right points to prompt further thought in the audience. Particularly interesting is the question that most excites science fiction fans: can the Artificial Intelligence serving the bionic eye take over human thought? We see it undergo surprising development through use.
Interestingly, many experienced the end of the drama as a disappointment, while I found it to be a perfect, redemptive conclusion. It’s true that it’s not entirely adequate for a superhero genre, but it provides justice for our beloved characters, leading them back to everyday reality—and the courage of this choice is to be commended. At the same time, it teeters on a horror-style ending where evil lives on, as the establishment of a new organization is suggested.
The characters could be analyzed at length again; I would highlight three figures among them. One, of course, is the positive hero, Kang Gibeom, portrayed by Choi Jin-hyuk. He is a very interesting character because while he effortlessly carries all the attributes of the "pretty boys" common in Korean series, there is an unusual ruggedness to him that fits this masculine figure remarkably well. The actor's deep, unique tone makes the portrayal of a man who evolves into a super-warrior—without losing his sensitivity—perfect.
His opposite is Hwang Deukgu, the film’s dark villain, who is a one-dimensional figure compared to our protagonist. He doesn't really change; he is just as evil at the end of the series as he was at the beginning. However, his store of ideas for entertaining himself is inexhaustible. Park Sung-woong, who plays him, exploits every possibility of the character, and though he is an elegant bastard throughout, he never portrays it monotonously.
Finally, a supporting character, because I always enjoy the interesting performances good actors can provide even in the smallest roles. Although Bradley is present throughout almost the entire story, he remains a character meant to color the drama. Jang In-sub shapes the figure into a humorous one with restraint; whenever he appears, a fresh breeze blows through a story that often feels suffocating.
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