This review may contain spoilers
The ending ruined it for me
I literally stayed up until the next morning watching. It captivated me from the beginning. I wish she had become his concubine from the beginning, and she then the other concubines would be jealous because love trumps everything. But that was not what happened.The King's grandfather irritated me because he never trusted his grandson's choices. He treated him like a child. This was before the dementia. After the dementia, it got worse. Finally he accepted that he couldn't rule.
I loved it. I believed in their love. I could feel the sexual tension each time they looked at each other or touched. It was beautiful until the last episode. What a letdown.
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Not bad for watching ,good acting
Start with very lame behavior, scenes that have a very clear cause but they even wonder about it make me feel annoyed,,in the last 2 or 3 eps, make me feel heartbeaking and sadness,, full of emosional from the castHow can the royal side not know that the secret chamber was made in Courtlady Cho's room? ,, and how can hongdongro not realize that it is very easy to be caught committing a crime in a place like that? Even though he thought the king would forgive him, but he shouldn't have done such a stupid thing
ENDING
In my opinion, the crew might want to end the story of the original history, but they want to give a different ending to this love story, and want to make a happy ending, the best way is to reverse the scene in that way...
What do you expect from a historical story from a true story? Moreover, the story of the 2 drama characters chosen does not have a very satisfying ending,,,
At first I thought it was a happy ending because they (the crew) would end the story (last eps) until the birth of their child, but in the last eps it went straight to 4 years later
Not very bad for watching,i dont like when they talking about the event that JUST mention in this drama because not all people watching know about that event even it's from real history,they should explain a little about that they want to talk about,,
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beautifully shot and acted but loses steam
This is beautifully shot and you can see how high quality the show is. The premise is interesting - it's based off real historical figures (I saw the memoir on my Goodreads). I was curious how this might have been dramatized and adapted. The real lady Ui-bin Seong was only known to history by her role to the king: her pregnancies, her children, her title as harem wife and her death. On the other hand, we have a full story of the king's life in childhood, politics, etc. The king's life is also very messed up and I wondered how they were going to zoom in to this one part of his life story and romanticize it.However, the drama pleasantly surprised me by adding a feminist element. This is a story about love when it is complicated by power. It's about what love means to a man vs a woman.
As much as I enjoyed these themes, I found their back-and-forth "be my concubine / I love you" and "no I'm my own woman" to be quite tedious. The drama started out very strong and it is very well-acted (especially Lee Junho) but the increasing politics started boring me around episode 7/8. Had to drop this.
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It was just that good
This was so good that just when I thought that k-dramas stopped producing masterpieces after writers such as Park Hae-youn, Yoon Ji-ryeon and Lee Woo-jeong set the standard, I watched this and changed my mind. There are good dramas and great dramas. This surely falls in the latter category and now unfortunately the wait begins again, until I find another great drama that leaves me with this much awe. I think the last time I loved a historic drama so much was during Queen Seon Duk, when I was still a kid. The Kingdom series was also amazing and this is definitely in the same category of great cast, great writing, great direction.Was this review helpful to you?
WOULD I COMEBACK HERE TO DECIDE AGAIN ABOUT THE REWATCH VALUE?
For now, I don't think it is worhy to watch since, I just finished watching it. Is it worth to watch? Yes since it is just 16 episode and focused on the story, but sadly, I didn't had the chance to fall in love with the character because for me it was fast paced. I love the plot, I actually love the ending. Beginning excites me, the middle gaved me hope, the ending was mixed but I am sur eit doesn't excite me. Yes the history must be done, still, it hurts to see those. The optimism of the 4 girls friendship is still there yet it brokes my heart, there are times I want characters to act in a certain way cause it frustrates me, but wait, I'm not a director or writer or something, I'm a person who should appreciate the story of what I'm watching. I'm okay, I can't say it is one of the best but we will see, we never know if we actually miss a story.Was this review helpful to you?
Different style
I didn't watch like this story.After watching this drama my ıdeas changed about the palace's life.This drama different the another korean's palace drama.The actors are really good acting their roles.And the writer really have different thinking style .I watched thıs drama after KİNG THE LAND and I really didn't know the main man actors real good acting like this role. I could suggest you must watch this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
The Red Sleeve = Rollercoaster Ride
Reviews for dramas are often super lengthy so I'll keep this one really simple:- emotionally traumatising
- outstanding writing/script
- some of the best acting I've seen in dramas
- the best sageuk drama (in my opinion)
- brilliant acting (extra points to Lee Jun-Ho! he shined throughout!)
- not for everyone (especially if you like fast [romance] storylines)
- beautiful cinematography
- amazing OST
- so much chemistry!
- based on a true story (google it), which explains some of the decisions made for this programme
- if I wasn't really picky it would've been a 10
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I wasn't expecting much when i started watching it. The plot sounded interesting and the based on a real story definitely was an added intriguing factor. But the love I have for Deok Im! That's how you write a female character, one with her own story arc and an active involvement in the story (not just the love story but the larger political mechanism of the show). I am sure some liberties were taken - as most shows do - but they all served to give us one of the best female characters in k-dramas (historical or otherwise). And then there is Yi San. I mean, Jun Ho is amazing in this role and his slow chemistry with Se Young makes the whole thing, like, 10 times better. I highly recommend it!!
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I’m not normally big on watching historical dramas but I’m so glad that I watched this one.
I planned to watch this show because I enjoyed Lee Jun Ho in all of the stuff that I had seen him in before and was looking for a new show to support. I’m not normally big on watching historical dramas but I’m so glad that I watched this one.I’m not going to get into an in-depth description of what this show is about, you can read the blurb above, so I’m just going to jump into my thoughts on the show as a whole. From the casting, to the scenery, the dialogue, and the acting, I enjoyed every aspect of this show. I will say that there were a bit of a slow down in the middle but it didn’t last super long and I was heavily invested in what was going on so that didn’t bother me too much.
The main lead, Lee Jun Ho, did a tremendous job in bringing his character, Yi San to life. I felt his every emotion and though I spent a lot of time frustrated with how he treated the female lead in the beginning, I didn’t hate him because he’s the crown prince and of course, he’d act the way that he did. I cried a lot at different parts of this show and it was mostly with Lee Jun Ho’s delivery of different scenes. My heart hurt for him as he survived assassination attempt after attempt, on top of all of the shit that he had to survive with his abusive ass grandfather, the current King and all of the emotional baggage that came with the death of his father. There was a lot to unpack with his story alone, now add in the female lead, Sung Deok Im, played by Lee Se Young, and the story takes off even more.
I really enjoyed this show. The romance between Yi San and Deok Im was compelling as hell because he’s the Crown Prince and she’s a court maid assigned to work in his house. She’s strong, she’s smart, and though she finds herself falling in love with Yi San, she understands that becoming one of his concubines doesn’t lead to anywhere good for her. So there was struggle in all parts of her life, but also in Yi San’s life. Seeing the way that these two came together in love was a whole lotta, whole lotta. There was a lot of drama, there was a lot of hurt feelings, and worrying over each other so they really had to work for their happy ending and the way that this show came to an end was satisfying as hell.
Overall, this show had it all. A charming cast, a romance that you rooted for, and the backdrop of beautiful Korea that left you breathless. It was a beautiful drama from beginning to end and though there were parts of the show that dragged a bit for me, I still heavily messed with this show. Lee Se Young is a new to me actress but I enjoyed her portrayal of Deok Im, even when she frustrated me with her constant refusal to follow her heart but in the end, alls well that ends well and I was a happy camper. I hella recommend this drama if you’re in the mood for a good historical royal romance with a beautiful cast, setting, and romance. This hits all of those notes and more.
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BEST SAGEUK ROMANCE DRAMA YOU WILL EVER WATCH!
You may not believe me but in case I’m right you should go ahead and watch this drama and see how it compares to others.If by 5 episodes in you believe me then carry on watching it till the end. It’s based on a true story so to avoid losing your sanity I’d suggest reading about the real historical story behind the the two main characters, it will save you a few tears. If you don’t want to cry then please don’t ever become attached to this drama, it’s for your own good. I promise.
They have some of the best chemistry I have EVER seen in screen in a K-Drama and I’ve seen over 200 dramas! And I still say that’s the case. I watched it and asked myself if they were married or dating or just incredible actors.
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A Thing of Beauty
RED SLEEVE is moving historical romantic K-Drama, a thing of beauty, that was very well acted and visually/cinematically stunning. While not perfect, the drama definitely leaves a mark. Red Sleeve is based on a novel of the similar name, The Red Sleeve Cuff, written by Kang Mi-kan, that conveys the story of a court romance between the royal King of Joseon, who believes his duty is to his country first, above love, and a court lady who wants to protect the life she has chosen for herself, and how they come together against all odds. A beautiful tale, excellently told.Red Sleeve is absolutely gorgeous to watch, with some of the highest quality visuals you might see in a K-Drama. It's also a fairly sweet story, well acted, well casted, and with great music to boot. The drama is a great short series that I happened to stumble upon one night while looking for an entertaining watch. And entertaining it was, though it was perhaps a bit on the slower side in terms of pacing.
My main complaint, given that it is a more serious drama, is that I wish that it relied less on cheesy cliches and fairytale-ish tropes. Notably, as well, there were some uncomfortable themes of unconsentual interactions that were not really to my liking, no matter how true the story may be. Be all that as it may, the show is definitely worth a watch. The heroine was pretty awesome and realistic. I really enjoyed her actress, as she portayed her character with a good balance of intelligence, tenderness, and strength. Will definitely watch more that she acts in the future and can's wait to see where she goes. Certainly a star to watch out for. Overall, the series is quite lovely and memorable. It was a great watch.
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Not your usual sageuk
(Quick review: Worth the watch, good chemistry, ok acting, solid drama 7/10 )I am perplexed on how to feel about The Red Sleeve because it was also never clear on what it wanted to show us.
The drama starts as a normal Sageuk love story, bright and opinionated servant girl meets the prince in disguise. They banter , they bond, the first sparks fly.
It seems like there is a genuine connection from both sides but we are quickly introduced to the palace dynamics that would deem their love story doomed from the beginning(?). She realised their relationship would have never been as that of two equals; even if she likes him, at the end of the day, he is just the king with all the power. The logic was also that if the prince (later king) pursued her, she would be unhappy due to his other duties and concubines. FL told us; she will suffer and it's better to not have him at all, she would rather live a simple life with her friends.
But the problem is, they never really showed us her suffering after they got together, we assume she had to follow a protocol that made her feel trapped? They only hinted at those parts and showed us that the king no matter how much he loved the FL he would put his duty first.
Which I get, from our perspective all these people are slaves. Even the royals were prisoners of their own device never truly free. It was pitiful, however if the FL was still a servant what difference would it really make? We saw her being abused under a capricious master, being in immediate danger, being wrongfully accused and unable to gain her independence or build her own family. As a concubine ,the king was loyal to her, still adored her and treated her with dignity.
So being a slave is more free from being trapped in a gold cage? If that's what they wanted to show they should have done a better job to showcase it. Also, during the scene of her death we saw her beg the king to ignore her if they meet in the after life. She showed immense regret. And then what do we see at the end? Them meeting in the after life ( or whatever it was ) ... being all lovey dovey .
So did they want a cautionary tale about the power dynamics and a feminist ode that women would never be free if they do not have independence or a love prevails all romance ?
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