“Jirisan” is a mystery-thriller-drama Korean series, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon.
It was broadcast in October 2021 through TVN with the highest nationwide viewership rating of 10.6% on its 2nd episode. Although the show was highly anticipated due to its star-studded casting, the drama received mixed reactions from the audience.
On IMDb, it garnered a low average score of 7.6/10 with 520 votes. But it has a good rating of 8.2/10 on My Drama List from 2,928 users. Google reviews show a 4.8/5 rating with 881 votes.
Here’s a compilation of what the viewers liked and disliked about “Jirisan”:
1. Likes:
- “I really really like how each episode shows the dedication, devotion and ‘love’ of the rangers for the mountain and the people that visits it. It also did a great job in portraying the struggles of the rangers in doing their job and it really did make me appreciate the job that they’re doing. In addition, it really made me appreciate the history and nature of the mountain more.” – Ronalyn Aguirre
- “Powerful storyline. Beautiful story of unsung heroes. Recommended.” – nur athirah
- “Breathtaking views. Moving storyline. Every week after watching this drama I wanna lace up my hikers, strap on my backpack and head out to the nearest forest for some camping.” – Calexico454
- “Jirisan is that mystery drama that holds you, you always want to see more episodes. Drama that knew how to captivate its audience, in addition to being important, showing the side of the forest guards and how important the preservation of the hill is.” – nammonteiroo
- “This drama shows a glimpse of the daily life of park and forest rangers who face great dangers just to keep Mother Nature and the people around, safe.” – P M
- “The series really depicts the beauty of Mount Jiri. Even I, from foreign country is in awe of the mountain. The writer and directors did really great job on guiding the actors and representing the different struggles that a ranger encounters during their duties.” – star1000 song
- “Very interesting plot! Exciting, intriguing, and very informative. From the first episode you can already see how intense the scenes so viewers will really look forward for more in the next ep. The efforts and hard work of the whole crew is very visible. The plot is so intriguing and interesting, you will wonder how will they keep the interest of the viewers.” – shanayacasabella
- “I like the story a lot! It’s unique and it kept me guessing who the killer was and what’s the motive. It kept me at the edge of my seat! It’s thrilling, action-packed and the storyline is the best. The acting is believable and the songs are good as well especially at the end scene where it gave me goosebumps and it’s just hauntingly beautiful!” – lsanlisa
- “The cinematography and acting is top notch. Yes the pace is a bit slow but it’s totally worth watching. The storyline is totally different and it met my all the expectations I had from this. The ost will heal and sooth your soul.” – 54_Tanvi Thakur
- “Dramas sometimes always screwed up the ending but this ending exceeds my expectations. Somehow all seems right at its place and basically a perfect ending. Pretty soothing story honestly about the mountains. Makes me wanna start trying hiking.” – Tela L
- “It has the best of curiosity and thriller theme to impress the whole audience. I admire how they speak another side of risky jobs don’t speak commonly. You’ll see Cinematography is doing a great job. Those views are so stunning.” – Naduni Saubhagya
- “A mystery drama with added extras of seeing natural beauty of Jirisan.” – anthonychow-76815
- “It is good to see wildlife parks and mountain ranges in Korea. Heart pumping scenes and action loaded, it was truly a series worth watching.” – mariveliza ramos
- “The location will make u sit and watch it till the end and u gonna enjoy it for sure.” – humayraashrafraisa
- “The beginning was so interesting and suspense never fade way till the last episode of this drama ! Really enjoyed it! The acting of every cast was so top notch! ” – humayraashrafraisa
- “Chemistry between leads is amazing! Sound editing so good! Always at the edge of my seat!” – gdsarabillo
- “Love that it has a little bit of everything; drama, thriller, mystery, romance, friendship, tragedy. I can’t speak enough about the cinematography…those views are to die for!!” – Azlina Idris
- “Such a good cast.” – michelleeichu
- “The plot, casts, all the beautiful Jirisan scenes are wonderful, and the ending is perfect. It’s different, new, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and exciting. I think I will remember this drama for a long time.” – Hopes and Dreams
- “Actors are good.” – appunair15
- “For someone who studied at the foot of a mountain reserve and volunteered for ecological activities hosted there, Jirisan is my kind of watch. Right now, it makes me want to go hiking again and join the rangers in their mission.” – Jiyuu
- “The cinematography is nice and the ost is beautiful. I have a newfound respect and appreciation for the mountain rangers. The ending scene is amazing too.” – Joyce N
- “We can see all actors hard working…they are great in acting..and the plot is very interesting.” – k-22793
- “What I loved the most about Jirisan is the portrayal of the life of rangers through picturization. Their dedication towards the well-being of the mountain, while helping the people who visit the mountain for different purposes as well as preserving the natural resources that belong to it. They have accurately addressed all kinds of problems that the rangers face during work.” – the_sapio_nerd
2. Dislikes
- “A little bit of action adventure, with a little bit of supernatural, and history, and comedy, and melodrama and ghosts, and folklore -you name it – all mixed and mashed up without any particular reason or purpose. It is a bunch of surreal events that happen randomly here and there without having/ making any sense or adding something to the plot or character development.” – gatalito
- “I think there was just no clear direction where it was going.” – michelleeichu
- “The series is way too much suspense just to create too much curiosity. I like the plot but just by too much suspense and mountain climbing and only two main character aren’t enough for a 16 episode series it feels unnecessarily.” – appunair15
- “Very disjointed. Too many back and forth in timeline. It’s very hard to follow. Who is who and what.” – Steven Seah
- “Overall, I feel like Jirisan ended on a disappointing note. It did not mix well the realistic approach of the rangers’ experience with a serial killer on the loose supernatural plot.” – Kate
- “The plot seems promising at first but later bringing paranormal activity was a little bit off but still suspense in every episode did make up for it!!” – humayraashrafraisa
- “As a big Jun ji Hyun fan, I have to say that this drama falls wayyyy below expectations. Yes, it tries to be different but i it sways too much away from what made K dramas a global phenomena. First and the most annoying factor is the jump between present and past. It jumps so rapidly, that we got confused up to a point that it made the drama boring.” – ragadish-59978
- “Giving few mountain views doesn’t mean excellent cinematography, the drama scenes are stiff and lacks energy. The story portrayal is slower than expected.” – Anjali Singh
- “Overall, I would say it’s good. But there are a lot of scenes that are not essential to the story — shots of Jirisan, sceneries, aerial shots of roads — adding these doesn’t automatically make a good cinematography. The overall plot is exciting but there’s too much back and forth in the timeline that the story isn’t fluid anymore.” – Rizu Chan
- “The filming of every episode almost made me ill. Drone shots, zooming, panning, sideways shooting, the director tries to check off every cinematic shot he could think of. Sure, some of it works but most of it is overkill.” – pakalolo
- “Sadly, this anticipated drama does not live up to expectations! The transition between past and future can be confusing. There is the present, mid past and past. Some might find this a refreshing change but its terribly confusing. The drama tries to peel away from the ‘common’ k-drama plots and arrangement but at the same time, it run away too much from the formula and tried to he a western drama.” – Ray Man
- “Jirisan had so much unsignificant scenes.” – RhopalocerA
- “The suspense and thrilling scenes kept me on the edge of my seat! However episodes 5 on, I feel like I’m watching a time traveling movie! So much going back to the past and present that it’s now just a hot mess. Nothing really is connecting nor does it make sense. Story line jumps around way too much! I’m just watching because Im a huge fan of Gianna!” – Meena Thao
- “It’s not that “Jirisan” is an hopeless, ugly mess that doesn’t merit a meal, but it needed a skilled chef at the helm to blend all of the elements together in to something that comes close to approximating the sum of its exceptional parts.” – SKITC
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of towering views of Mount Jiri, it depicts the story of rangers and other employees of the Jirisan National Park who climb through the mysterious and unexplored regions of the mountain, trying to rescue the survivors and lost trekkers. The drama is centered around a mystery surrounding the mountain’s many visitors; those who come to kill, and those who come to end their lives.
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy
No. of episodes: 16
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon
Written by: Kim Eun-hee
Directed by: Lee Eung-bok
Date: October 23 – December 12, 2021
Network: TVN and iQIY
KORB 