The Red Sleeve

Watch it only for good acting and beautiful screenplay

This may be a non-conventional review , but I dint like this series at all , even though I am a hard core Junho fan !

I am not going to comment on the acting , as its the only thing that kept me going ! Not only the leads the supporting cast was beautiful and competent too ! Also the background score and screenplay is beautiful ! -- Thats the only good !

People are talking about the story being good and real ! Yes it is , but that story is worth only 4-5 episodes ! The rest of the series is draggy and full of longing ! Agree that the real story was sad , and the writers stick to it , but that doesn't means that their entire life was filled with sadness ! There are very less romance or happy moments for that matter ! The FL is highly annoying and confused and filled with self pity , which makes her own as well as the kings life miserable ! Now this isn't mentioned anywhere is history , is it ? Her characterisation is very poor , she is spoken to be humble and free-spirited , but shown to be selfish and impudent and manipulative ! She is comparing herself with the king at all times ! I know patriarchy exists but so does roles and responsibilities ! U cant compare people having diff roles ! Dialogues are intense but too draggy and repetitive ! The leads are only fighting and hurting each other ! one cant really feel their love accept in the beginning when they are saving each other ! Also they havent shown his first queen at all , more than that his accomplishments as a benevolent king are only talked about ! Not shown at all !

If the writers ought to make the love story this sad , they could have made the palace drama more interesting !

I love emotional dramas , but this was a tough watch for me , took me forever to complete !

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Mixed feelings

I gave this a higher review because gosh the romance was so believable, the tension palpable, and I loved the level of yearning. The premise is so amazing and had me excited. However, pretty much everything else about this series falls a bit flat for me.

There are multiple, overall pointless, conflicts in the plotline. For example, the incidence with the tiger within the first couple of episodes. This was wasted space that could have been better spent on the relationship or we could have focused on Yi San's reign. The conflicts should have helped develop the characters more or made us more invested in them.

This brings me into my next point. For a while, I couldn't tell if the writers were bad at scriptwriting by making the grandfather have unbelievable mood swings or if the grandfather was meant to be realistically temperamental. The writers later got better at writing the grandfather character and made it apparent he was meant to be temperamental, but at the beginning of the series, it was very, very poorly executed.

My biggest gripe is that Deok Im lost pretty much all of her personality and any speaking time after the Yi San becomes king (even before she is meant to lose herself to the palace). Whenever they had romantic scenes together, I would be immersed but be pulled out because it almost seems like Yi San is just talking at a thing. Deok Im rarely speaks again or has her personality shine through in other scenes. As a result, when she's supposed to lose herself to the palace after becoming a concubine, it doesn't feel as poignant because it feels like we lost the character already a while ago.

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A novel-based romance Kdrama inspired by actual historical accounts

I rarely rate a drama a 10, but after watching, I honestly think this drama deserves it. The story is deeper and can be interpreted in so many ways than I thought!

I've been reading some comments and reviews saying that the ending is bad or Deok Im's character became irrational and she made the King look pitiful in the end. I felt the need to say some things to spare this drama from their disappointments (although we are still inclined to choose what we believe in).

• This drama was inspired by actual historical accounts.
It's not like we can change what already happened in history. As we know, historical distortion is causing quite a stir nowadays. I, too, am not a fan of tragic endings. But knowing that this drama was based on real events, I became quite accepting/prepared on how it will wrap up. Good thing, the production team gave us a fairly sweet ending instead. I think if a viewer will bear this in mind, they'll be able to watch this from a different perspective. Also, if you're quite the history buff, might as well check out some historical records about King Jeongjo and Royal Noble Consort Seong Uibin. They're super interesting! I did this while watching the drama, and it added fun to the ride. :)

• People who didn't understand why Deok Im doesn't want to be a concubine really cracks me up.
I am surprised by this, especially knowing that majority of Kdrama viewers are women haha! I'm quite dismayed whenever I see a viewer saying that Deok Im's being illogical for constantly rejecting the King when she eventually ​gave in in the end. Like... What? I happen to read Lee Seyoung's post-drama interview a few days ago and couldn't help myself from clapping because that's what I was actually thinking too, and I was thinking about that from a woman's perspective. She's clearly immersed with Deok Im's character to fathom her sentiments and the rationale behind her decisions. Seyoung indeed understood her assignment.

• King loved Deok Im, but did he love her right? I'm not sure about that.
Well, the King isn't in the position to adore her like a normal man would. We know this. We are with him on this. Deok Im knows this too, but by human instinct (I'm sure everyone feels this), like most of us, she wants to keep her pride. Her pride is the only thing she has left for herself, and so she decided to seal her heart until the end by not telling the King her true feelings. Cruel? Yes, but saying I'm it again, her pride is the only thing she has left. She already gave her everything to the King. Pondering about this makes me pity her so much. As I was rewatching the drama, I saw again those scenes wherein people were encouraging the King to take on the path to happiness (i.e., be with Deok Im). But have they asked if Deok Im will be likewise happy? Do they even care? Hmmm...? The King's happiness is the top priority, isn't it? I won't choose to be a concubine either if I were in Deok Im's position (luckily I'm not haha!)

• Deok Im was already happy merely seeing him. But what was that last-minute change of mind to be a concubine?
Well, personally I think, she was cornered upon hearing she won't see him ever again should she push him away that night. I think Lee Seyoung mentioned this as well in an interview. That very statement pulled the trigger. It's not like she was asking more from him; being by his side as a court lady is already enough. Yes, she loves him, but the cons of taking the path to be a concubine outweigh the pros. Those cons were already explained well by her in the course of the drama. It's the King who wants more from her, and I mean, you know haha! Don't you feel bad for Deok Im? I do. :(

Although I rated this drama 10 stars, there are still some things I wished the production team could've shown us:

* They should've proceeded with making this drama 20 eps. PD said they were initially planning this, but after further discussions, they decided to make the eps into 16 only (then 17). Perhaps, they were not expecting this to become so popular.

* We were robbed of San and Deok Im's family moments, especially with Crown Prince Munhyo! I read these moments were covered in the novel and showed how affectionate of a mother Deok Im is. What a pity we never got to see this!

* The last 2 episodes feel quite rushed. Based on the actual history, King Jeongjo and Uibin were together for 5 years before she died. So those 5 years of togetherness were compressed in just 2 episodes (1.5 actually, because Deok Im died mid-ep 17 and we were just presented with several flashbacks of their happy moments after that).

I've said a lot of things already. I don't know what I'm fighting for in this review haha! But one thing's for sure - this drama is insane and I love it! :)

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If you are looking for a heart-wrenching angsty long-drawn-out melodrama you will love this

The Red Sleeve has a promising premise. My favorite moment is Deok Im's childhood when she is so full of life! I also love the friendships between her and other palace maids last throughout the episodes. The casting is really fitting, I loved the couple's chemistry together, and I thought they were incredibly swoony. I loved that they're both adults and yet can be so innocent and giddy together, it makes me smile. The visuals are gorgeous, and the OST is so wonderful and gives me all the feels.

But around the midpoint way I kind of lost a little bit of interest because it started to veer into heavy melodrama territory, and that aspect lasted too long because they're constantly faced with inconvenient circumstances, misunderstandings, miscommunications, the male lead is sometimes really harsh and showing off his power. I know that is part of his character and part of his growth, but I found it annoying. And the slow pacing just stretched for the rest of the entire series and I just got so tired. The final episode is too jarring, there’s no build-up towards the ending. I couldn't fully enjoy it anymore. For me, It would have been perfect if this drama is 8 episodes.

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So painfully beautiful...

I'm gonna begin this review with what I told to my partner while watching the show: This story is a cruel mix of bitter and sweet, sadness and joy. Which actually was something that Deok Im affirms during one of her soliloquies. And I would add of laughs and tears, and of hilarity and heartbreaking pain. That's the story as it is: it is fictionalized for sure, but it is also well outlined by what actually happened more than 220 years ago in the real life of the Joseon Kingdom. The leads of the story actually existed, actually did share an intense love story, which is still witnessed by the words written down by King Jeongjo to honor her beloved, and the more than 26,000 trees planted to surround her grave and the one of the unlucky little crown prince Yi Sun, which today are the Hyochang Park in Seoul. All this premise to say that who criticized the plot, maybe should first learn facts and then deliberately speak...
After having removed this pebble from my shoe, let me say what I think about this show. Definitely a very well done show, beginning from the story which is coherent and maintaining its genuineness even with the parts which were added as fictionalization. This is a story, as said above, which is tremendously cruel, but definitely beautiful. The relationship between the two leads, the way they shared feelings and they tried hardly to find a way for them within the obnoxious court of Joseon world, made of conventionalities, conformism, bigotry, is amazingly nice but hard to see and to accept. Some of the hugest critics I read about this story were about her (Deok Im) not expressing clearly her feelings. Welcome to Joseon! She simply was a court lady, thus a servant, considered as a sort of inferior being in the court life, who could not freely express anything of her feelings. Imagine then if the subject of her feelings was the king himself (a sort of omnipotent semi-god). I liked a lot their path toward their union made of a lot of reconsiderations and second thoughts, doubts and hard and cruel decisions. I cried a lot while empathizing with this very strong female figure of Deok Im when she painfully had to decide what to do of her life, choosing between the freedom and the chance to live a life without huge restrictions because she was born as a free soul, on a side, and the love for his beloved man, well knowing that the rest of her life would have been inside a golden jail, having to give up to any kind of freedom, on the other side. I found this part the most heartbreaking, together with the loss of the little crown prince. Till the very last second I felt completely immersed in the tragic beauty of the story, and the emotions were sometimes strong to deal with. Even more thinking about the fact that it really happened.
The leads are performed by the two outstanding Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young: their acting is superb. Kang Hoon on his side exceptionally renders the enigmatic and tormented character of Deok Ro. And I wish mentioning also Lee Deok Hwa: his performance as king Yeongjo is perfect. All of them are supported by a well selected and well performing cast.
The OST music is very nice and well paired with the story. Special mention to I'll leave you by Lee Sun Hee, which still moves me to tears thinking about the scenes it was associated with.
The direction was very nice too, together with the photography and the costumes.
This show can be defined a masterpiece to be honest: I could not believe that a story like this could actually having been happened in real life. Simply epic.
It undoubtfully deserves being watched, but be prepared to very emotionally painful scenes.

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I genuinely want to like this series. I found myself forcing myself to keep watching, hoping it would improve and hopefully explain some of the questions that still lingered. However, the ending left many of those questions unresolved, and I'm still trying to understand my feelings.

First, I believe this series is more symbolic than it initially appears. For someone who hasn’t read the book, this could lead to confusion and even frustration, making it hard to enjoy the series as much as I had hoped. The storyline is captivating, but I struggled to understand why the FL was holding back in her relationship with the ML.

What I Liked:

• The Cast: I adore the cast! I was pleasantly surprised by the FL’s performance, as I haven’t seen much of her work before. And who doesn’t love Junho?

• Symbolic Scenes: One scene that stood out was when the FL said goodbye to her free spirit upon becoming a concubine. Given her nature, losing that freedom was deeply emotional for me and made me teared up a bit.

What I Found Uncertain:

I was told their chemistry was off the charts, but I felt more like he was chasing her while she was a tease and “played hard to get,” despite clearly adoring him. Did I miss something about her personality in the early episodes? It wasn’t until the end that her friend mentioned she likes to bluff, which helped me understand her behavior better. I appreciate the sexual tension Junho brought, but the FL seemed to keep everything in check.

The Open Ending:

The open ending. Was it a dream? A nightmare he woke up from? Did he pass away? Was this him and her in their afterlife? The ending really upset me because of the buildup I felt along the way. I felt there was not enough information as time passed or the transition of how things went. For example, when three years passed after the death of the former king, we are suddenly switching to the marketplace. Why did their friend leave the court maid life? Was there really a marriage alliance with ML right man’s younger sister? Again, I think there were some symbolic things that happened that probably weren’t properly explained in the series or the director just couldn’t transition those scenes as smoothly for viewers like me to understand.

The ending felt rushed. I didn’t like how FL and ML suddenly came together after such a rapid sequence of happy moments in the last few episodes, especially given the weird transition surrounding the crown prince’s death. I longed for a smoother transition and a deeper emotional connection between the ML and FL.

As I’m writing this, one thing I do appreciate about the symbolic ending is all the hints and everything that happened in the “nightmare”. FL knew that ML loves his people as a king, he would be a great king just not a great husband because of the duties he has to shoulder. She even hinted that she wishes they were commoner and she often imagined it. He didn’t get the hint and just stated you’re a good court maid and he can’t imagine not being where he is at. This doubt weighed on her, yet she accepted that this was the path she chose. This is why when she visits her friend in prison, you can see the connection and the understanding she feels when her friend states she doesn’t regret making the decision for the man she loves.

The direction and potential of this film were strong, but I wish the execution had been smoother. Certain scenes and transitions created confusion, leading to my lower rating. I reiterate my initial sentiment: I truly want to like or even love this series, but the unanswered questions and editing left me feeling dissatisfied.

Rating: 4/10

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Why 'The Red Sleeves' is an Unforgettable Masterpiece: A Fan's Heartfelt Review

I've been hesitant to write a review for "The Red Sleeves" because I fear my words won't do justice to this epic historical drama. I've lost count of how many times I've rewatched it. This show not only turned me into a fan of Junho but also introduced me to 2PM. To this day, it remains my all-time favorite K-drama, unmatched by any other.

The primary reason this drama is so cherished is its exceptional writing. The script is masterfully crafted, keeping viewers captivated from start to finish. While the story is based on a real, tragic tale, it skillfully incorporates light-hearted moments in the beginning to balance the overall narrative. And that ending—what a brilliant way to transform a tragic conclusion into something so poetic.

Additionally, the production quality is outstanding. It is beautifully filmed, capturing every detail not only with artistic finesse but also with meaningful precision. The music and original soundtrack perfectly match the mood and storyline.

Lastly, the acting from both leads is simply phenomenal. Lee Junho and Lee Se Young fully embodied their characters, delivering every emotion in a deeply believable way. Especially Junho—his quiet tears were not only beautiful but also conveyed the pain and internal turmoil his character was experiencing. No wonder he became the first idol to bag the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards.

It would probably take forever for me to cover all the things I love about this drama, but these highlights capture why "The Red Sleeves" holds a special place in my heart. If you haven't watched it yet, you're missing out on a masterpiece.

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one of best sageuk

Episode 1 made me fall in love with this drama. the story was one that could hook me in and made me want more. I didn't want this story to finish. The scenery and locations were good for the story.

The actor playing jeongjo of joseon was really good and was able to draw my emotions out. I loved the love story between yi san and sung deok im and feel all the actors had chemistry and bought the story to life. Lee Se-young was perfect for the role of sung deok im and same for lee jun ho as yi san.

The OST made me feel like I couldn't wait for the next episode, I feel that the music was a fantastic addition to the drama. i loved how they added 1 ep for the fans.

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The Fate of a Court Lady tied to A King

The drama includes the Romance tag, but I think The Romance Tag alone isn't enough to describe this drama.

I say it because where the first half of the drama is indeed filled with cuteness , fluffiness and swoony romance , the latter half is all about the bitter realism of women's lives in a 18th century Palace Building.
And the viewers who come to see the fluffy romance in usual fusion sageuks may be disappointed by this.

It's more like a tragic union of two people from different social classes, who need to fullfill their respective roles,and chained to their respective roles in a patriarchal based society, so that their destined romance becomes a tragedy in spite of their love.



-----*------Spoilers Ahead

YiSan's life was tragic from the start.
He was born into the Royal Family in the Royal successor line as a Royal Grandson.
His life might be the one everyone wanted to live in, but actually not an easy one for himself.

His father( Crown Prince Sado ) accused him of robbing fatherly love from Yeongjo before his death.
His Grandfather ( King Yeongjo ) saw his unobedient son ,Sado in his grandson ( San ).
Noron Faction was afraid of him and against his rise to power, so they attacked him every chance they got.

He needed to look out for enemies and be mindful of his grandfather 24/7 for his whole life.

But San was still the dutiful and loyal Grandson of the Royal Family , strict on himself and groomed to become a capable ruler of his nation.

On his road to become a King, he unexpectedly met a court lady who was intelligent enough to help him .
She was loyal to him and cared him as a human being .
San 's hard shell around court ladies and determination to create a perfect family with a wife from a noble family : all of his beliefs were shaken by this woman.San had fallen in love with the woman who was devoted to him and used her life to protect him.

.......

As for Deok Im , I will describe her as a woman who was too intelligent for an 18th Century one.

As she read a lot of books since her childhood, she was knowledgeable even as a young court maid.

While other court's maids were dreaming of receiving the King's Grace(slept with the King & living the luxurious life as one of the king's wives ), she was the one who understood the burden of being a King's concubine since her young age.
( Fragile life depending on the King's favor, constant power struggles , her title and status wouldn't belong to her anymore, but to the Royal family ,etc )

She was a free spirited woman who wanted to enjoy her life despite her limited freedom as a court maid.

But the Fate didn't allow her even to be a simple court maid and tied hers to that of Tiger Prince, Yi San.

When she met him for the first time, I think she had a crush on him as the Crown Prince 's lecturer ,as most girls of her age would, though she knew she couldn't marry him because of her status as a court maid.

After his hints of confession in the market, she was swayed .
But her feelings were immediately contained after Hong Deok Ro's speech about how unimportant a court's maid feelings were ,apart from herself and after hearing San's determination not to fall for a mere court maid and to take a woman of noble status as his wife during her Coming of Age ceremony.

****Here we need to note is
unlike San, Deok Im was constantly reminded of their Social Status here and there.******

But San was still her master , she needed to help him when he was in trouble cause San's demise would mean her expulsion from the Palace,her Home at least( if unfortunate, death ).

While helping him, their feelings were interwined and she had fallen in love with her master as a man.

------*------

After San got on the throne, everything became complicated.
Their power differences became more apparent cause he was not a powerless heir who needed her help anymore.
The only thing he wanted from her was the comfort and family given by her as his woman.

He was the man with the highest authority in Joseon , everything was entitled to him.

As the word ' lonely at the top ' ,San became more lonely as the King because he couldn't believe his own mother anymore. ( His mom 'Hong' clan is from Noron faction ).

As he felt lonelier, San's desire to take Deok Im as his partner became stronger.
So when she refused his confessions and his marriage proposal, he became disappointed and angry.

****While everyone's having problems with San's behaviors in later episodes, I have no problems with these.

San was groomed to behave like a king since he was young and taught that the court maids were the King's Women and entitled to him.
This was part of his nature and this was the realistic portrayal of what an 18th Century King would be.
( As much as Real life Jeongjo was a benevolent patriarch, he did punish Uibin's maid after her 2nd rejection )

I don't consider his behaviors as romantic either . Only as his nature and not disturbing enough to ruin my viewing of this drama.

*****

On Deok Im's side, as the woman who got the King's affections, she was not only pressured to become his woman but also in danger of being used as a leverage in court politics.

The harder thing for her was her own dilemma.
She was not the young court maid in the library who didn't have much desires anymore.
She loved San and wanted to have him as a man.

Her own dilemma of what to choose ;
Her own precious freedom or the man she dearly held in her heart .

At last, she accepted San's will because she loved him more than her freedom and partly because her freedom was not like it was before and limited by those in the court.
She became a concubine mainly because of her love for San ,but partly it was also because of court politics.

....

Despite becoming partners in marriage ,San was not the ideal partner or hers alone like she always wanted him to be, while she gave up everything just to be with him.

As the one with higher authority in relationship, San failed to see Deok Im 's sacrificial love as a whole picture.
(She might not say 'I love You ' out loud, but she showed it with her choices and behaviours ,but San failed to recognize it because his attention was not on Deok Im alone, but the whole nation .)

On the other hand, he prioritized his role as a King over the role as a husband and
made some choices as a King though he clearly knew these would hurt Deok Im.

Deok Im's Sadness and Resentment slowly built up in this unbalanced relationship ,but moment of happiness with San comforted her.
Her life as a concubine was a mixed bag of disappointment and happiness.

But after the death of her son and her best friend , her husband was busy playing the King for his nation . Her already fragile body was burdened with much emotional baggage and she needed to face that alone.
And well , the tragedy striked at the last moment.


.....
San and Deok Im were clearly in love with each other.

But in the era they lived in, they could never fully embrace each other .

Deok Im wanted San as hers , but he was a king so it would never be a thing.

San was the King ,yet he couldn't give his woman the thing she wanted most , namely 'Her freedom' because the system didn't allow that for the women of the Harem and he needed to live as an example since he was a ruler of the nation .

Unlike Romeo and Juliet, San and DI might not have two families who were enemies with each other.
But the system itself and the Palace became huge obstacles in their love story.

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An Ambivalent Sageuk Carousel

I went into this with high expectations with other reviews toting this as the Sageuk of 2021 and even all time. Some seem to absolutely love it while others completely hate it. I fall somewhere along the middle. I think this drama evokes such strong reactions because this drama itself is unsure of what it wants to be. Usually, that means it's trying to do too much, oddly it actually does too little.

So let's begin with the beginning - I almost quit on the first episode. The entire episode is a prologue of the main characters played by children. The children are... well, children. Their acting abilities are limited because they are so young. So maybe giving them tons of heavy dialogue that must fill an entire episode and set up the entire plot of the drama, might not be setting up these young actors, or your drama to succeed. This should have been used as short clips and flashbacks. A strange choice, one of many questionable decisions this drama makes. Yet the greatest flaw in this drama is its inability to make decisive decisions.

But before I get into it, let me just gush about some of the things I really liked. The overall production value is of high caliber. From the set design, the locations, the clothing, and even the small details are highly immersive. The premise of exploring the underbelly of the royal court and its maids is intriguing and novel. The cast is exemplary in pulling us in and making us love and hate them. But the true standout of this drama is the cinematography. It's maybe the best I've ever seen in a drama. The camera work is stunning. Without spoiling, there is a scene where a character stands in front of a window and the sunlight shines through to highlight the window's design to resemble prison bars, with the next shot a closeup of that same design reflected in the eyes of the character. Simply stunning and communicates what a mile of dialogue could not. There are times, particularly towards the end, when the cinematography is like poetry. SO breathtaking!

With all that said, let's get into some of the major issues I had with this drama. I could tell from the onset that this drama wanted to predominately be 1) a forbidden romance sageuk and 2) a more serious sageuk exploring the realities of royal court life. These are reasonable goals, as I've seen many sageuks juggle more and succeed. The problem lies in its inability to yield in either direction at any injunction, ultimately tying the hands of the plot. The romance constantly undercuts any credibility to any attempt at real court struggles, and the realities tie down the romance from soaring. So instead of making decisions, the plot just circles itself like a carousel. Characters just keep having the same conversations because no decisions are being made on which way they want this drama to go. Any conflicts are quickly resolved with little complexity and even less consequence. Characters come and go with the ease of getting on and off a carousel. Not to mention character development or lack thereof. No one changes. No one learns anything. They even explicitly and intentionally say that they do not change.

Ultimately I think this drama had some interesting things to say but didn't bother to explore the very questions it raises. It refuses to risk taking any chances, thereby rendering its potential impotent. It's as if the writer themself couldn't decide the fate of its protagonist so they decided not to decide. So in the end you have a beautiful and intricate carousel that lacks any real thrill or destination, questioning itself with every rotation.

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WHAT A MASTERPIECE!! HISTORICALLY ACCURATE AND PERFECTION INCARNATE

Full Review To Come Soon.

This Saeguk was incredibly fascinating, the dialogues were intricate and intense but very well constructed and actually they weren’t the typical dumb dialogues you find in most romance dramas.
The story develops in steady pace throughout all the drama except the last two episodes were there are a few timeslips. The story follows to the T the historical facts and real story between Yi San and his Concubine, without sugar-coating anything. Straight up twisted and painful story but beautiful and heart warming.
The actors Junho and Lee Seyoung did an excellent job, their interpretation of theirs characters is top notch and one of their best works. They easily transmitted the audience the feelings and thoughts they were interpreting... or trying to relay to us. They really have worked hard for this and it shows in how well it has ended, they both deserve an ovation for their portrayals of Yi San and Duk Im, their chemistry on screen and off screen really benefitted the show and made they story look more real and intense.
Congratulations for their respective wins in the MBC 2021 Drama Awards To All the crew, this drama does really deserve it.
You all did an amazing job with this one.

Highly recommended!!

10/10

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One of the Best Korean Historical Dramas of All Time

This drama became my favorite drama of 2021. Initially, I didn't have much expectation because I didn't read the novel and did not really know too much about the leads (I've seen them in some dramas); however, after the drama, I became a fan of both Lee Junho and Lee Seyoung! I think the leads had amazing chemistry both on-screen and off-screen. I think they are my favorite drama couple after Hyun Bin and Son Yejin from CLOY. This drama was supposed to be a heart-throbbing palace romance drama and it fulfilled its purpose because I was sobbing so much by the end. While watching this drama, I found out that the love story between Sung Deokim and King Jeongjo was actually based on a true story, which led me to research more about them. I was intrigued by Jeongjo's love for Deokim, which was quite uncommon during that time period and Deokim's bravery of rejecting a king's proposal twice (she was the only royal concubine during Joseon Dynasty to reject a king). It was fascinating to learn that a king waited 15 years for a court lady to accept his proposal of becoming his consort. Although the drama did not include all the details of King Jeongjo's love for Deokim, it still did a good job in portraying the king's love because there were some moments when I was frustrated with Deokim for her continued rejection (I understood her though). I think all the actors: main and supporting, were amazing. Everyone played their part so well. All of the ost and background music were phenomenal. The drama had beautiful cinematography and so much symbolism. Although the drama was about the romance between Jeongjo and Deokim, I think the drama focused more on the lives of the court ladies and women of the palace. The drama explained that no women living in the palace were free, whether a court lady or the Queen Dowager (the most powerful women in the palace). Although Deokim knew that she had limited freedom as a court lady, she still wanted to make choices for herself. However, as her love for the king grew, her desire of wanting to make choices was hindered because her only choice was to become his royal consort and she definitely did not want to be one of the king's women. Even as she dies, she does not reveal her love towards the king because that was the only choice she was able to make, which left many viewers wonder whether Deokim actually loved the king. I think the writer and director did a good job in leading viewers wonder about Deokim's love for the king because the actual history according to the records we have right now and the original novel, the question that we, audience, had to figure out was "did Deokim love the king?" I think many people, including myself, watches kdramas to see the heart fluttering romance between the two main leads; however, this drama does stick to the reality of that time period (18th century Joseon when there was such a huge power imbalance between men and women, especially between the king and court lady), which might turn off some viewers. There will be frustrating and confusing moments, but the overall plot, acting, music, and cinematography grabbed my attention for all 17 episodes and "The Red Sleeve" will remain one of my favorite sageuks and definitely my favorite kdrama of 2021. I definitely recommend this drama!

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