My Country: The New Age (2019)

Deux âmes, un pays… et une guerre qui les déchire...

Franchement, "My Country: The New Age", c’est un vrai ascenseur émotionnel 😅. On plonge direct dans une Corée déchirée par la guerre de succession, où la loyauté, le pouvoir et la trahison s’entremêlent à chaque pas. Mais derrière les batailles et les intrigues politiques, c’est surtout une amitié qui s’effondre au cœur de ce chaos… deux hommes, deux visions du monde, et un pays en train de basculer entre deux ères ⚔️

Seo Hwi, le guerrier droit et loyal, m’a souvent retourné le cœur 😮‍💨. Ce gars transpire la sincérité et la douleur, il veut faire ce qu’il faut, même quand tout le monde le trahit. En face, Nam Seon-ho… ah lui, quel personnage 😵‍💫... Intelligent, imprévisible, tiraillé entre sa soif de reconnaissance et son amitié brisée. Leur relation, c’est clairement le cœur du drama : entre rancune, respect et ce lien indestructible qu’ils refusent d’avouer 🥹

Han Hee-jae, c’est la touche féminine de l'histoire 👸 elle est forte et lucide, elle garde la tête froide là où tout le monde perd pied. Et un petit mot pour Lee Bang-won… que jai trouvé charismatique au possible 👑. Sa montée en puissance, était fascinante à regarder... Il bouffe l’écran à chaque apparition 🔥

Ensuite, là où le drama m’a bluffée, c’est dans ses scènes d’action. Les combats sont magnifiques, intenses, chorégraphiés avec une énergie de dingue 🗡️. J'ai ressenti le poids de chaque coup, la fatigue, la rage, la fierté… Et puis il y a ces moments de silence entre deux batailles... avec ces regards échangés où tout est dit sans un mot 😮‍💨

Mais… (parce qu’il y a un “mais” 😬)
À force de jouer sur la "bromance" tragique, le drama finit un peu par tourner en rond... On se déteste, on se sauve, on se re-déteste, on se re-sauve… 😩 J’ai adoré leur dynamique au début, mais à un moment, j’ai eu envie que ça évolue vraiment... dans un sens où dans l'autre. L’émotion reste forte, mais la répétition finit un peu par l'user. Et puis les intrigues politiques… parfois j’étais en mode “attends, qui manipule qui là ?!?” 😵‍💫. Il faut vraiment rester concentré, sinon tu te perds vite.

Et cette fin… aïe 😭. Dure, brutale, sans fioritures. Pas de miracle ni de douceur, juste une conclusion froide, cohérente mais amère. C’est beau, c’est noble, mais qu’est-ce que ça fait mal 🥹. Je suis sortie de là vidée, un peu sonnée, mais avec ce sentiment d’avoir vraiment vécu une tragédie...

Au final, le drama n’est pas parfait, il est parfois brouillon, parfois trop répétitif... mais il reste un sageuk fort, sombre, et chargé d’émotion. J’ai pas eu de coup de foudre, mais j’ai apprécié ✌🏻

Lire davantage

So there are some mixed opinions about My Country that I would like to give my two-cents on:

First, if you are choosing to watch this drama due to historical context reenactments, you might be disappointed because it is fictitious rendition of the historical events, so creative liberties have been taken. Personally, I didn't mind the changes and/or omissions of history to suit the drama because I was more interested in the fiction of the story rather than the history being presented.

Second, there have been some people who have said that they really didn't find the music to be fitting for the tone of the drama. I completely and wholeheartedly disagree. I think ALL of the music was exceptionally fitting and helped really build the scenes. Even though there was some EDM, rock, and bagpipes in the OST's, they all blended well, and none of them took away from the drama.


Now that I got those out of the way...
____________________________________________________________________________________________
What was amazing:
The friendship felt between Hwi and Seon-Ho was impeccably powerful. Their friendship lasted through the good times and the horrific times. There was a brotherly love they hold for each other that motivated them to fight and die for each other. I loved every moment of it. Especially when they only had bad and worse options to choose from - it was hard to watch, but you can't help but keep watching it happen.

Writers did a great job blurring the lines between "good" and "bad." A lot of times in historical dramas, all the main characters are "good guys" and the opposing party is clearly the "bad guys" - there are no blurred lines. But this drama is deeper than that. It very powerfully demonstrates that when you believe that what you're doing is best for those you love, it's not "wrong" or "bad" just the best option out of the choices you have. The plot in regards to good vs. evil was so well crafted. There were only some characters that I truly thought were bastards (such as Seon-Ho's father), but for the most part, I could see where they were coming from and couldn't hate them for it. Which leads me to my next point...

I ADORE Seon-Ho. Yes, he made some really awful decisions that put Hwi through some really horrible things, but they were the best decisions be could make in trying to protect Hwi and Yeon. AND he tortured himself every day knowing what he did to his best friend and sister. So no, I couldn't hate him, not once. He was actually my favorite character.

I think the writers also did a really good job of writing a story that WASN'T about people fighting over the throne for themselves. The main characters are trying to protect what they view as "their country" but they go about it in vastly different ways. And they do indeed have very different ideas as to what their "country" is too. The writers did a great job writing about historical figures that got mixed up with royalty, but it wasn't about them being king and instead about them surviving in their respective worlds.

_______________________________________________________________________________
While I really enjoyed this drama, I do need to address some issues:
Unnecessary romance - I am usually ALL about the romance, but honestly, the romance between Hwi and Hui Jae was unnecessary (it reminded me of Hwarang's romance, to give comparison). I don't think it was very well developed at all (we were just meant to acknowledge that they love each other and fight to the death for one another after only 3 or 4 encounters). Personally, the story would have still been just as great without the added romance.

Battle wounds - Simply put, characters recovered really quickly and easily from mortal blows during battle. Some characters would be stabbed through-and-through and would be able to fight within a couple of days with little issue or ride a horse for hours without issue. *shrugs* It's a plot convenience, I know, but highly unrealistic. It didn't distract me much from the drama, but I feel like, either make the battle wounds more realistic to fit the intended plot or have the characters suffer the actual battle wounds given.

Hwi's character development (specifically in comparison to Seon-Ho) - Seon-Ho was extremely well-written with lots of gray areas - he had to make a lot of horrible decisions, live with his choices, and fight for what he thought was right, constantly evolving. Hwi felt like the weaker written main character, lacking the same amount of depth that Seon-Ho was given. I know that they are different characters, but I would have really liked to witness Hwi experience the same amount of depth in plot realizations that Seon-Ho had even though their experiences were obviously different.
______________________________________________________________________________


I would like to sincerely compliment all the actors in the drama - they were all wonderful and powerful in their roles. But I would like to say that Woo Do-Hwan stood out exceptionally to me. He is exceptionally handsome, especially in historical attire (LOVED the long hair on him). And he simply did the most amazing portrayal of his character. Again, all actors were amazing, but he stood out to me the most. Do you realize how hard it is to have a man cry and truly portray the emotion without the audience giggling at the silliness of it on screen? Woo Do-Hwan portrayed Seon-Ho's emotions on all fronts with expert precision - you could truly feel his character's pain, turmoil, grief, and sincere love for not only Hwi, but Yeon even after her death. I will definitely be seeking out the dramas I've yet to see with him.

Ending: I don't like tragedies in general and typically avoid them. I started this drama before it was complete and got hooked before the drama was tagged as a "tragedy." Nonetheless, I really liked this drama. The ending makes sense and I'm not upset about it being a tragedy. I say this to hopefully give courage to those people reading this who are unsure about the "tragedy" tag.

Rewatch Value: Yes! I will definitely rewatch! I don't watch too many historical dramas, but this one is incredibly fast-paced and the story is worth witnessing again (tragedy or not).

This drama is not for everyone and definitely more targeted for more seasoned K-drama watchers. It's got some heavy plot and turmoil, bloody battles, little-to-no romance, and a tragic ending - all of which aren't usually mainstreamed. But, if the trailer intrigues you, perhaps give the first episode a shot - that's all it took for me to get hooked!

Lire davantage