It’s character driven with complex and well portrayed characters and compelling relationships between them, amazing actors, lots of angst, good fighting scenes and interesting political game set in the past. Even though I could feel what’s going to happen in the end because so many things throughout the whole show led to it, I still went into every episode feeling anxious and excited.
What I loved the most about this drama were its characters: Nam Sun Ho, Seo Hwi and Bang Won. I felt their pain throughout the whole show, and even when they did horrible things I couldn’t hate or fault them for it because I could understand their reasoning. This drama does a great job at showing how things are never black and white but always grey, how people tend to do bad things with good intentions, how good deeds aren’t always followed with gratitude, and how circumstances and environment change good people into someone we view as monsters.
I strongly believe these three characters were inherently good people who were forced to do bad things in the turbulent times by the environment that allowed only the strongest to survive. I could write a whole essay about them, but I’ll only say that you’ll see a lot of conflicting emotions, bad decisions, pain, regrets and great displays of strong friendship and loyalty. Sun Ho and Seo Hwi’s friendship (bromance) is probably my favourite relationship ever. The drama started and ended with it. They faced impossible odds and tried to break their bond numerous times but were always pulled back together. They hurt and backstabbed each other as much as they risked their own lives to save each other. Watching them was heartbreaking, but seeing the good sides of their friendship was so satisfying.
Woo Do Hwan, Yang Se Jong and Jang Hyuk were incredible. They brought these characters to life with their acting and I can’t imagine anyone else in these roles. Woo Do Hwan was especially good and his portrayal of Sun Ho made him one of my favourite actors.
Kim Seol Hyun as Han Hee Jae & Ahn Nae Sang as Nam Jun (Sun Ho’s father and villain of this story) were also good. I liked Nam Jun as a character, but hated him as a person.
One thing I didn’t like about this drama was romance between Hee Jae and Seo Hwi. Hee Jae on her own wasn’t a bad character, but their relationship felt rushed and I couldn’t feel it at all. It felt like they knew each other only for a few days before they were separated, but somehow their love lasted for years and they were ready to die for each other despite them barely knowing each other. I couldn’t buy it. However, their relationship isn’t the focus of this drama and there weren’t many dramatic, over the top, scenes so it didn’t really affect my score.
Other thing I didn’t like is how the plot in the beginning felt convoluted (?). I couldn’t really understand what was happening with the king (who is never shown but only talked about) and his generals, who fought whom, why and where, but to someone who is more familiar with the end of the Goryeo period it probably wasn’t that confusing.
OST was, in my opinion, amazing (even though I’ve seen people saying they didn’t like it). Different genres fit different types of scenes and I really can’t complain about the song choices. Many of them are part of my regular playlist now (Wild Road and River Flower deserve to be mentioned separately).
Camera work and fighting sequences were exceptional. Can’t complain about that either.
This review is already too long so I’ll stop here. I recommend My Country: The New Age to everyone who likes period dramas & doesn’t mind angst. If you’re like me and you like angst, morally grey characters and character driven plots this drama is definitely for you.
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Sunho was loyal, everything he did was to protect his friend and his sister, and I kinda hated Hwi for not seeing it..
and so I'll stop talking about Sunho and go to my next point. Hwi was such an inconsistent character.. it was like the writers changed him throughout the story just to fit their vision, and that took away my interest for the character.
Hwi from the start, Hwi from the middle and Hwi from the end were different people driven by different objectives. maybe it'd have been better if they added a 3rd friend?
as a "younger" audience I found myself really captivated by the idea of two young friends fighting for their vision of "my country". I'm not not a fan of historical genres, but I am slightly bored of the "fight over the crown" story every drama needs to have, even if it's based on a real story.. maybe my point is, it doesn't have to always be about real events to make a dark intriguing historical drama.
overall I was not happy with the script, and I think the writers/producers hit the jackpot only because of the great cast (and they were ALL great).
I did also dislike the forced romance between the two mains, those 2 side characters, and even Hwi's sister, I feel like they added them just to appeal to the "younger" audience, but it'd have been better off without it..
and the ending could've been better too...
the whole OST was great too, I liked how each kinda had their own background music, like the "main" teams fighting scenes ;)
my rewatch values are either a 1 or 10, and I might just look at WDH's photos so ;p
Edit: I actually did end up rewatching it in 2022 and I appreciated it more, dark historicals are rare
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•Love for the family
•Love for the one that is special in your heart
•Love for friendship
•Love for your countrymen
•Love for the Country.
It has full of bloody action that is executed so well I really get excited watching all the sword fights and bow and arrow fights. It is also my first time seeing Yang Se-Jong & Woo Do-Hwan in a traditional and action drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Loving the series "My Country: New Age"! Yang Se-jong (as Seo Hwi) is amazing. The interaction, friendship & emotion portrayed by him & Woo Do-hwan (as Seon-ho) in the series feels authentic, sincere and fun. Seo Hwi's disappointment, the moment he takes to control his emotion when facing his sister, was so tangible-real. I can relate so much to him in that painful moment. Yang Se Jong is a very talented actor and seeing his performance as well as the rest of the cast in this series, is just amazing. I'm also loving Ji Seung-Hyun as Park Chi-do, I like the mysteriousness, serious expression he always has & the loyalty he conveys well as this character. He is amazing, and handsome too! They are doing a beautiful job and I was hooked by episodes 1 & 2! I'm looking forward to how the series ends. Thank you so much! Was this review helpful to you?
A MUST WATCH!
I LOVED THIS KDRAMA!! It's not your typical historical kdrama. Easily one of my top favorites!Everything about this drama was amazing. I can't rave about this drama enough. The quality of the acting by the cast was just top-notch. I felt every single emotion they gave out. My eyes would automatically tear when it was an emotional scene, I laughed when they laughed and felt extremely moved constantly throughout. The action scenes were all captivating, there was never a moment when I was bored. There are tons of moments where your mouth will drop open and you feel that urge that makes you feel like you have to keep watching.
I loved how the drama revolved around strong deep-rooted relationships and friendships, it constantly emphasizes how being there for someone when it really counts prevails anything else. It also shows how not having a choice in where you are born into doesn't mean you don't have the power to becomes something great.
The only thing I would say is that I wish the ending was different, but I get why it ended the way that it did.
I would truly recommend this kdrama to anyone and everyone, even those who usually don't like historical.
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Even from the starting , you're pushed into this emotional whirlwind of characters . It'll make you feel sad, angry, betrayed and yet hopeful at time.
The character development for the main lead was nothing less than a spectacle. With every episode you'll be rooting for him everytime he goes down. You'll feel his pain and frustrations. I think, yang se jong did a terrific job.
Even the female lead is portrayed as strong character who helps in shaping the storyline and seolhyun (who I was bit doubtful about) made it look more badass !!. I'm happy that she took on this role so well
The second male lead , is a bit perplexing character. He'll make you feel angry and yet sad for him at time which shows the capability of the actor .
Even the other supporting characters were amazing especially Jang Hyuk and Ahn Nae Sang as protagonist .
The story is good if you're okay with watching period Korean drama, music is up there too but real kudos to the actors and casting.
PS: if you're sucker for happy endings, don't watch it .
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Amazing, but a little too much at points
My Country: The New Age provides some sensational acting, bromance, and chemistry through a perfectly selected cast that is sure to leave viewers on the edge of their seats, as long as they don't mind a story that can be confusing at times, contains a plot hole or two, and is also far-fetched at times, also. Now, when I mean confusing, I'm not on about the whole duration of the drama - however the first few start and final episodes is where I am pointing to the confusion. Also (spoiler warning) I know the ML's are strong individuals, but a sword that penetrates their bodies, and they are pretty much fine after a little amount of time? At least show the recovery process even if it's only a few minutes of air time! (Note: If I have missed something regarding this, it wasn't well shown or explained for that matter, so my feelings will stay intact no matter what).OST was pure perfection, re-watch value is a little low as I consider this to be quite a "heavy" drama - the ending was pretty shocking too, and really made me appreciate the drama as whole, especially the cast and characters, like I pretty much mentioned above previously.
All in all, I highly suggest watching this drama. I hope you find some enjoyment in watching this!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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also the actors did a spectacular job performing their characters perfectly ,, the young main leads actors were just breathtaking with their acting ,, they showed so much devotion to their characters
the swordsmanship was on point ,, all the choreographed acting sequences were just amazing to watch
the Archery level was excellent but my only complaint was the injuries that were severe yet not very realistic to deal with it medically properly ,, characters tend to appear insensible sometimes but that didn't ruin the experience of watching this amazing drama
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IT'S ONE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS , SAD AND BEAUTIFUL DRAMAS I EVER SAW !
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ ••• I loved the story, very well built and the scenery was very beautiful and well done, the OSTs were touching and they played at the right time !!! I loved the friendship of the protagonists, they gave it all, and they gave one of the best bromances I've ever seen !!! The script and the plots were very well developed. And the relations in the court were portrayed in a faithful and impactful way !! I would watch everything again !! This drama made me feel a mixture of emotions during the time I watched, I could feel joy, sadness, anger and several others. Who ever watched, knows how that cut can make us angry, aff !!! Anyway, I loved it very much !!!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
ten/ten cannot give less cannot give more.story: Hwi's sister and Nam are secretly in love but unfortunately she dies and he is in pain it hurts my heart. but finally he goes to her..:( if you know what i mean.
Hwi and Nam friendship: even if they hurt each other gave blade cuts maan they help a to heal each other as well. in the end they die together,
acting cast' the best, blood sweat and tears A LOT OF TEARS and BLOOD.
music: beautiful
rewatch value: it has the proper and when the main characters die.
overall: i cried so many times, bye :(
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