Both the parts' review
After watching both parts, I realized that it’s actually a well-written story. In the first part, I was irritated by Kil Chae’s character until the very end. She refused to accept that Yeon Joon loved someone else and kept interfering in his matters while disregarding Lee Jang Hyun’s emotions and sacrifices. In the end, she married another man, which frustrated me a lot.The second part continued in flashback, just like the first. An old man in jail agreed to tell Jang Hyun’s story but wanted to know what had happened to him first. This led to another series of flashbacks, forming the core of the second season. One thing that confused me was whether the old man was actually narrating the story to someone or just recalling it in his mind. Additionally, I wasn’t sure if the events we, as viewers, watched were his narration or simply the director’s way of showing us the past.
The story seemed to have a happy ending, but it still felt incomplete. I expected it to conclude with the old man, bringing full closure to the narrative.
At the end, I want to conclude by appreciating the outstanding performances of Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun Jin, Lee Hak Joo, Lee Da In, Kim Yoon Woo, Park Kang Sub, and Kim Seo An. While the entire cast did well, they were the best. I also want to mention the actor who played the role of the Crown Prince—his performance was remarkable.
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Trigger warning : You won't be able to stop watching!
What better drama to start writing reviews with than to start with My Dearest!There 's something about historical dramas that you just can't find in modern ones.
This is by far, the best historical drama I have watched so far. The ones I watched before like 'Love in the Moonlight ', ' Captivating the King', 'Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryoung ' etc were amazing as well, but nothing comes closer to MY DEAREST!
I have rewatched it not once, not twice, but thrice within the same week. So what if it is a slow burn? *sobs*
The acting, the bgm, the osts, *chef's kiss * Specially the ost ' With my heart' sung by Ahn Yun Ji who plays the female lead ' Gil Chae' had me in awe. The acting of both the leads, Namkoong min who plays ' Jang Hyeon' and Ahn Yun Ji was top tier and gosh, the facial control of NKM! I haven’t watched any dramas of NKM before and gosh he is an absolute gem of an actor. Ahn Yun Ji was also admirable, in her previous dramas like 'Hospital Playlist' , ' The Good Bad Mother' her acting was also amazing but in My Dearest, truly it reached new heights. The other actors and actresses did an wonderful job as well.
The Osts fit perfectly with every scenes and you can tell every scene was thought and implemented with much care. The chemistry of the leads made the drama even more enjoyable! I would suggest watching the behind the scenes after finishing the drama to cure the post drama sadness *sobs*
There were some things I was curious about ke the exact timeline of the events and what happens to ryung yeum in the end, and some other side casts like jong jong but I think it was actually meant for the viewers interpretation, and that's fine by me. This drama was an amazing and curious experince and I don't think I will ever forget this experience.
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This review may contain spoilers
Slow start! Great cast, great setting.
I started this a couple times and dropped it, before I pushed through and watched the whole thing. This review will be for the first half of the show, and I will review the latter half separately. The initial setting features our female lead (Yoo Gil Chae) as a spoiled and shallow young woman growing up in her village community. Our male lead (Lee Jang Hyeon) is a flippant, mysterious and arrogant man who wanders in and falls in love with her.INITIAL PREMISE IS BORING BUT THEMATICALLY INTERESTING
The reason I attempted to watch this show multiple times and kept dropping it was because of the strangeness of this initial premise, combined with the un-likeabiliity of the female lead. I didn’t understand why the male lead would fall so deeply in love with her. I found her love for the other local guy in the village strange (he seems boring and annoying). I couldn’t really connect this childish and fairly innocent setting with the supposed seriousness and tragedy of the rest of the drama. I still feel like this beginning section is the least interesting to me overall.
However, I do think this initial bubbly village setting has its merits. The shallowness of all the village's petty disputes, Gil Chae’s concerns, and the major “love” triangles is thrown into sharp relief as soon as war looms over the drama. Suddenly this summery and naive setting is contrasted with genuine horrors (battlefield massacres of the untrained village men who are conscripted into service, attempted rape of a major female character by enemy soldiers, slaughter of the village elderly, starvation, torture, disease) in a way that is thematically really effective. You see the steeliness and pragmatism of Gil Chae begin to shine through, and you start to understand why Lee Jang Hyeon fell in love with her in the first place.
I found their divergent storylines during this war period very engaging. They are each facing the trails of living in a wartorn country in different ways according to their place in society. Gil Chae is becoming a protector for the group of women and elderly in her community, trying to figure out how to feed them and keep them alive but facing constant threats from enemy soldiers and a terrible economy. Lee Jang Hyeon is becoming a tool for the Korean resistance against the enemy, both as a soldier and spy undergoing horrors to scope out weaknesses among the invaders. I was surprised by how moving and compelling the depiction of historical strife was, and it makes the romance stronger as a backdrop against it.
ON YEARNING & MELODRAMATIC PLOTTING
Now, this is a melodrama. I do think that this drama requires us to put up with some real star-crossed lovers, wrong-place-wrong-time nonsense from the leads and the plotting. But the thing is, Namkoong Min (as Lee Jang Hyeon) is so good at yearning, heroics and quiet sorrow that I ate it up. Ahn Eun Jin (as Yoo Gil Chae) gets progressively better as the show goes on, and I found myself very moved by her performance. Yes, the characters are constantly separated by circumstances and then experience lots of quiet sorrow and lack of communication (just TELL him you LOVE him!!) but I genuinely think nobody is doing yearning like they are. It is rich and it is satisfying. I love the fact that despite all their mistakes, miscommunication and anger for each other, you really feel like they’d die for one another through it all.
SIDEBAR ON NAMKOONG MIN AS LEE JANG HYEON
I have never seen a drama with this actor before, and this drama made me a hardcore fan. He plays the heroic, calculating, profoundly committed and heart-broken lead so well. He has gravitas and presence and feels believable as a mischievous and mysterious warrior. He is an older actor and I think you really need that level of experience to pull off this role. His eye acting is genuinely unparalleled. He doesn’t need to say much for you to really believe that he is in love with Gil Chae and also agonized by her. This guy has a PhD in yearning. I am now prepared to watch any drama that he is in.
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This review may contain spoilers
HATED IT
I went into this not knowing that there were 2 seasons actually, so I thought there were just 10 episodes. The female lead held on to her pride and ego and was cold towards the male lead the entire time until about 15 minutes before the very last episode ended and then she ran away with him from her engagement to another dude.So she decided that she wanted to be with the male lead only to literally leave him waiting for her at a port that she had promised to meet him at after she said a final goodbye to her dad. I've never hated a female lead as much as this .... She was so infuriating! No matter how many times he told her how much he loved her and literally, he said, "I'll be your servant, you have my heart and soul etc", that still wasn't enough to convince her that he really loved her, she literally had no reason to believe that he was fooling around with her, he was always so sincere anyway. It's not even worth watching the second season because of how infuriating she is, and I just am so heartbroken for the male lead like he thought he was finally going to have a future with her, but she turned around and went back to the other guy, I understand that she didn't want to leave her, dad behind but she could've sent for her dad later. It's not like she would've never seen her dad again. That was not a valid enough reason. shes literally such a horrible character, and whoever the writer is honestly the worst writer I've ever seen, and I've watched hundreds of K-dramas, and hundreds of Chinese dramas, I've never seen anything like this show. I don't understand why everybody loved it. Also its freaking sad because their servants were in love too and now they just dont get to be together because of her idiocy??!! And whats with his singer friend who freaking never wanted them to be together since the beginning? Is he freaking secretly in love with the ML or what cuz he was jealous ever since the FIRST time he saw her with the ML and he even gave the ML a dagger that said my beloved or something,that was the dagger he later gave to FL am i right? What a creep...being in love with your super good friend??!! The the FL was in love with her BEST FRIENDS MAN for pretty much all 10 epiosdes!!! Are you kidding me??!! To be honest idk why ML would want her when he knew she was a skank,he saw her trying to steal her best friends dude and just kept chasing her anyway.... Dude if youre in love with your best friends dude and actively try to trick him into kissing you and falling for him etc then you are a horrible human being. Why is no one writing about this in the reviews??!! She had been dreaming about ML for so long but his face was always blurry so she didnt know who it was and when she found out it was ML you would think it would be the turning point like youre litterally dreaming of your soulmate and you found out its the guy chasing you but yet you still dont forget about your BFFs dude??!! WHO WROTE THISSSSS...if you hate misunderstandings,pride,ego,never saying what you really feel,pushing people away even though you are falling for them etc FOR HEAVENS SAKE AVOID THIS SHOW AT ALL COSTS!! Who would want to watch a second season of this chick??!!! Ive never written such a bad review on here you can literally go and check but this was a complete dumpster fire i only kept watching cuz google said it was a happy ending but i didnt know that was at the end of season 2 😭😭 the only reason i dodnt rate it even lower is because of the cinematography,the voice of the singer and the MLs lovely smileWas this review helpful to you?
Can't have the one you love, love the one you are with.
Generally, the so-called romance stories have little if anything that’s considered romance throughout the show. Here I can finally say we get to actually witness the love growing. It has other side stories that contribute to the plot as well, but nothing takes center stage over their growing love. There is action, family, trauma, wars, and much more. However, it still holds its weight as the main plot.Is this the best series to date? No, but it's the best script-turn series I have seen in a very long time. I have been watching these dramas as well, for two decades, and I can honestly say it's a gem. I would give it 4.2/5 on a 5-star scale and anything less than that would not be fitting.
I am a romance buff so I am very particular about my love stories. Their unknowing love faces challenges and setbacks like no other. You wouldn’t want to miss this ride.
The leads are great and so are the support actors. No one is overacting or failing to meet the expectations set by the viewers. It's pleasantly heartwarming even in the midst of a war.
You will definitely enjoy this one.
Happy viewing
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Not all that
Overall I’d rate this drama 6.5/10 .
If you’re not really a big fan of political dramas, you’d rate it even lower but I’m trying to be fair .
I appreciate the work everyone put into making this drama . From the cast to the crew . Well done 👍🏾
Personally I don’t think the drama deserves to win best drama or the actor should win best actor . There truly wasn’t any scene that he was in that I genuinely felt touched .
Funny enough I felt more affection towards the crown prince than anybody else in the drama .
This drama is a one time drama . It’s not something that you watch and then you reminisce and you miss the characters . I’m yet to understand why the TikTok community and others swear by this drama . Perhaps if I followed it weekly like them, I might have shared the same feelings and comradeship .
Personally I think Kim soo Hyun should’ve won that best actor role . He showed more diverse emotions in queen of tears than this actor did in my dearest but that might just be my personal preference.
Most of the political stuff was boring and sounded like I was attending a history class .
Surprisingly I didn’t find the fl to be annoying . Her actions were quite rational and thoughtful. It did feel a tiny bit frustrating to see the push and pull in their love life but if you’re a trained historical cdrama member , you’d see that they were just playing 😂💀.
No serious misunderstandings or whatever .
This drama is the type that after a while, you won’t remember what happened. It’d just be one of the many dramas you’ve seen .
Would I recommend this drama to others ? I’m not sure . Except they say they’re looking for historical drama recommendations.
The first 3 episodes were quite boring but the drama truly picked up from episode 4 . The cliff hangers at the end would always want you to download the next episode. You’re better off dropping the drama in the middle of an episode than waiting for it to finish .
I actually binged watched 1-14 before sleeping around 8am to continue by 7pm . It was that engaging . But if you ask me what I can truly remember from all the episodes, it’s quite hazy.
The entire plot is Joseon getting invaded by foreigners, the foreigners taking the crown prince and others as slaves/ captives . The ml falling in love and creating some bitter/sad love triangles.
The delusional and sick king and conniving concubine .
The palace story was nothing new . Usual fight for the throne and fear of rebellion.
Character I hated : that good for nothing self righteous scholar🙂
Thoughts on the main couple: I take back what I said about the ml being very old . He’s quite mature looking but he honestly just looks his age and he has a nice smile . I’d say he’s quite manly and you’d like him if that’s your spec .
The fl is okay too . She’s pretty .
They have nice chemistry . There were some scenes that I was like to love is nice sha but that’s it .
Completing this drama felt like I completed an assignment that I’ve been postponing for a long time.
As kdrama lovers , do you have to watch this drama?
Honestly speaking ? No
It doesn’t add or remove anything from your life . It doesn’t change your views on anything either . I think it’s okay to let it go and don’t be pressured by others to watch it or feel like you’re missing out on something so amazing because you’re not .
Time to finally end this lengthy review .
If you made it this far, Great job 😗
See you in my next review or not…
Hahahaha
Annyeong chingus!
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Set during the righteous and perfect Qing rule over Korea.
The warning "this story is about fictitious events" always makes me cringe, as it seems like Joseon never existed. Nice respect for history...
Already in the first episode we find something Koreans are very good at, erasing history to make themselves great. The Emperor... historically inaccurate since he was a coward.
Cultural appropriation of Chinese sewing techniques, Chinese hanfu. Phrases said to mock China, its history, its culture and its multi-ethnicity, because Korea is poor.
The story is absolutely ridiculous, out of context and the romance context completely unrelated to the real story. A cast of actors who can't act, the two protagonists too detached and modern compared to the historical context. The story lacks a balance between romance and historical context .
The two protagonists are cringe from episode to episode. Th side characters are ridiculous and lacks depth.
Historical inaccuracies every now and then.
Bad direction and camera, without color balance that make the visuals squalid.
It totally falls after half and the ending is bad and casual
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This review may contain spoilers
A great story from 1936
So here's the thing as an enthusiastic reader, nothing annoys me more than plagiarism and part one is a straight 1 for 1 storyline from Gone with the Wind. The only thing that was not plagiarized was the Palace story line which I believe was completely unnecessary in Part One. I assume this was the writers attempt to humanize the King but it just made me hate him more in part 2.Acting wise, ML was the perfect Rhett Butler and FL was the perfect Scarlett O'Hara and their acting was the most important. Casting director really did their thing for the cast of part 1. It is part 2 where things got funky. I know many people found FL annoying but she is supposed to be. Selfish people survive and Eun Jin was the major reason those ladies survived.
Despite the great story being told, the rewatch value of only part 1 is not as high. it is a very frustrating watch just like Gone with the Wind.
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a review for both part's 1 and 2
"Do you hear that? The sound of flowers blooming"I was sold. I was seated.
——
I devoured this drama in 2 days and lost my sleep for the beautiful narration it truly was. Mind you i have 3 pending kdramas as of 12/29 but i mindlessly put it on hold just to reserve myself to see this drama through...
I initially came across this drama when MBC released its trailer. it caught my attention but i guess it wasn't enough to get me out of the kdrama slump i was at the time😂 THANKS TO TIKTOK it resurfaced on my fyp and gave this a shot!!
Many say it starts off slow and picks up at 3rd-4th episode however i do not feel the same. From the first episode till the last few minutes of episode 21–i loved every bits of it.
I seldom writing reviews and reserve writing allat for dramas deserving. I can confidently say its well within my #10 all time best kdrama and #1 sageuk drama. Easily Nam Goong Min's and Ahn Eun Jin's best roles portrayals out of their filmographies.
Do i recommend?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Though be prepared for the rollercoaster and tearjerker it will be. If you suvived scarlet heart/moon lovers, then you wont have much trouble going through all the episodes. It is depressing. Sad. Dark.
I came for the romance but also stayed for the history of Joseon. I found myself sympathizing for the plight and the women of Joseon endured. This drama portrays all of the character's story so well—so much depth and well thought and written characters.
I miss my JangChae already☹️❤️
I'm in "i wish i could watch it like the first time" moment🥲
WELL my yapping ends now.
It has been awhile since i felt this empty after watching a kdrama. The void left in me will be hard to fill in.🥴
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BEST DRAMA EVER
Μια από τις καλύτερες K Drama σειρές. Εκπληκτικοί ηθοποιοί, υπέροχη σκηνοθεσία. Υπομείνετε τα 2-3 πρώτα επεισόδια (φαίνονται χλιαρά αλλά έχουν τον λόγο τους) ώστε να εξελιχθεί η ιστορία τους που θα σας χτυπήσει την καρδιά. Το έχω τρεις φορές. Θα σας μαγέψει η μουσική, η πλοκή και η απέραντη αγάπη πάθος μεταξύ των πρωταγωνιστών. Κάθε επεισόδιο έχει εξελίξεις ενώ δεν κάνει καθόλου «κοιλιά» μεταξύ των επεισοδίων. Αξέχαστο!Was this review helpful to you?
CANT WAIT PART 2
I'm the type of person who doesn't really understand history but for this drama I can still enjoy it.The acting of the cast makes me speechless again.
Each episode makes my heart scratched to pieces why are they acting but my heart hurts too, anyway I can't wait for part 2 and I also ask why not immediately air 20 episodes in one season why should it be divided into 2 parts ??? Its kinda annoying but that fine
Namkoong min and ahn eun jin make me sick!! Both great actress and actoor no wonder so many people at south korea talking about this drama because so worth it to watch
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Epic romance meets the dumbest b**ch main lead you’ll love to hate
A Beautiful Mess of Passion, Plot Holes, and Questionable Decisions✨ THE GOOD:
Visually stunning — Gorgeous costumes, epic sets, and cinematography that screams “period drama goals.”
Chemistry overload — When the leads actually talk sense, sparks fly like fireworks.
Side characters — Surprisingly decent, giving the show some much-needed balance.
🤦♀️ THE “WHY IS SHE LIKE THIS?!” MOMENTS:
Main lead’s decision-making skills = nonexistent — You’ll spend half the time yelling at the screen.
Plot confusion — Twists pop up like whack-a-moles with zero explanation or payoff.
Dragging pacing — The story trudges on, begging you to stay awake or find snacks.
💔 THE “I’M HERE FOR THE DRAMA, NOT THE IDIOCY” FACTOR:
If you can survive the main lead’s antics, the emotional moments have some weight.
Romance is messy, over-the-top, but occasionally endearing.
🎯 VERDICT:
"Like trying to enjoy fine wine while someone keeps spilling grape juice everywhere."
Watch if: You want epic visuals and drama, and have the patience for a frustrating lead.
Skip if: You hate irrational characters and plot holes big enough to drive a carriage through.
Best paired with: 🍷 A strong drink and zero expectations for common sense.
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