Thoughts on all the Korean costume dramas I've watched

Rereading some old notes I wrote from back when I watched this (2017-2018) made me realize I really didn't enjoy it very much. I can definitely understand how people loved this tuning into 2 episodes a week in 2006, but it's very dated and I think there are other 2000s dramas that have aged much better. Part of the problem is that this drama is very long, so when I was annoyed with a certain plot line, well, chances were that plot line would get dragged out for another 30 episodes. Even though I really like power struggles, they felt rather bland to me in this drama. The plot points were rather repetitive, and it didn't help that the characters often seemed to be lacking common sense (this drama is definitely not going to win any awards for most clever scheming). There were so many tearful, inspirational moments that they began to lose their impact, and the romance didn't work for me at all. 
While the first half of the drama was quite slow, the last few episodes felt rather rushed, which meant the ending wasn't entirely satisfying to me either. I didn't particularly like any of the characters. I was annoyed with the villains for being annoying villains, I was annoyed with the well-meaning characters for being useless, I was annoyed with the supposedly sympathetic not-quite-good-guy for being so disgustingly self-righteous (I hated him more than the villains), and I guess I was annoyed at everyone else for being ridiculously merciful when it was clearly stupid (it's interesting because I had a very different reaction to a similar thing in The Legend). Still, this drama did have its epic moments. I've remembered it more fondly than I felt while watching it, because the overarching story is good, it just goes in circles forever to get from point A to point B. It's probably still worth watching to see a classic. I don't regret watching it. Just take this as a warning to adjust expectations.

I should make a few disclaimers before recommending this drama: 1) The CGI is terrible, though only the first episode relies heavily on it. 2) The main villain puts your average cartoonish mustache-twirler to shame and outdoes them on both cartoonishness and mustache twirling. 3) There are battles, but some happen off-screen, so you only get to see a couple of them (I assume budget limitations). 4) The ending is abrupt and not very satisfying (apparently it was supposed to be longer, but Bae Yong Joon was injured). 5) There are some really bizarre anachronisms in this one, like a mini-skirt and maybe some 15th century European plate armor?

Having gotten that out of the way, I can say that I really enjoyed this. Despite the production limitations, it managed to feel epic to me, which is pretty rare among Asian dramas. Though I can't remember any details, I think the plot was interesting and generally well-paced, but it was a bit anticlimactic on the fantasy aspects, so it might be better to watch this as a drama about the exploits of a great conqueror and his lovable bunch of warrior side-kicks. I enjoyed the dynamic between the protagonist and the secondary villains (who, unlike main villain, really weren't mustache-twirlers at all). The romance was very understated, but I do think there was a strong connection there. However, I was actually never fully convinced it was distinct from friendship. I’m curious whether I would feel differently if I rewatched. I was initially disappointed when Yoo Seung Ho (who was the child actor) was replaced by Bae Yong Joon, but he really won me over (this was the first drama I saw him in, I mean imagine being disappointed to see Bae Yong Joon!). I found his soft-spokenness to be very charismatic, perhaps not what one would typically expect from a warrior king, but ultimately compelling. That character is probably the main reason I liked this drama so much. Maybe I just loved him because he seemed a bit Aragorn-like to me, haha.

So I think this drama was decent. I remember being very excited about the story in the beginning, but then it slowed down for a while and there wasn't much real progress on the plot. I think the ending was pretty good, but I watched this a long time ago, so don't quote me on that ...

In progress ...

(I watched two episodes WAY back. Rewatched the first episode, which flashes forward to the middle before going back to the beginning, then put it on-hold until I forget the spoilers.)

Though I consider this to be among the better sageuks I've watched, personally, I found that it took some perseverance to get into this drama. There are dated stylistic elements that were a bit annoying to me even watching this years ago. I also wasn't a big fan of the backstory they invented for the title character. Looking back, I feel it was completely unnecessary. At the time, I thought it was stretching the bounds of credulity and just rather tedious, because many of the plot lines didn't seem to result in any real progression. However, after the cross-dressing was done, things gradually started to pick up and the second half had more momentum. I liked some of the supporting characters, but I had some complaints about the characterization of the leads. Seondeok could be quite a compelling at certain moments, however I felt she developed her abilities as a strategist too quickly, and she sometimes made stupid decisions, which definitely caused me some frustration. Kim Yushin needed more personality. Contrary to popular opinion, I was not very enamored with Mishil. I found it hard to buy into her power and the way so many important men seemed to follow her around like puppies. Overall, I think I did enjoy the politics in this drama (though not everything totally made sense) and the clashes of ideology could be interesting. This isn't necessarily a drama I would recommend to everyone, because it takes a lot of commitment and it is old, but it's a story that is moving and exciting in its best moments. If you like political intrigue, wars, and coup d'états, this is probably your cup of tea, and if you're looking to watch some classics, this definitely should be on the list.

This drama has exciting action, tough guys who are really big softies, nice scenery, heroes resolutely fighting to the death, an angsty love triangle (that’s a proper triangle, including a developed relationship between the men, not duo with a third wheel), brotherhood between Jang Hyuk and his sidekicks, and a fair amount of snow. It even has some pretty well-written dialogues (sometimes all the talk of “changing the world” felt a bit cheesy and the egalitarian impulse seemed a bit modern, but overall I don’t think the drama was overly idealistic and different characters presented different views). So why didn’t I like this more? 

Although the plot wove together the stories of the many different characters in the show well, it ultimately didn't really amount to much. Because I felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere, I lost my interest and investment in the drama. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more had I gone in with the expectation that I should watch it more like a procedural (the plot definitely is more continuous than that, but it’s also rehashing the same sorts of things—lots of chases and sword fights—over and over), not expecting to see the overall plot develop, just waiting for the next big sword fight and watching to spend time with the characters. Even then, I’m not sure I would have loved the characters enough to make me love the drama, but I think I might have enjoyed it more (then again I’m generally not a huge fan of procedurals). Stylistically this drama is now rather dated, which won’t appeal to some, though that didn’t bother me much, personally.

I watched 3 episodes of this a long time ago. More recently, I gave it another chance. It was a bit slow and didn't have the most interesting plot (too much focus on schoolboy antics for my taste, plus I'm not a huge fan of cross-dressing premises), however there were aspects I enjoyed, like Yoo Ah In and, especially, Song Joong Ki's characters. Ultimately, I ended up dropping this drama after episode 7, because I just didn't like either or the leads and felt no chemistry between them. I definitely lay the blame more on Park Yoo Chun than Park Min Young, who actually had decent chemistry with both Yoo Ah In and Song Joong Ki. Honestly, it would have been hard enough to make me like the male lead, who was a rather self-righteous stick-in-the-mud, had the actor been good, but Park Yoo Chun's acting has never worked for me in any other role I've seen him in and this time I found him and his character to be quite annoying. Since I didn't feel like putting up with that for another 13 episodes, and after 7 episodes there still wasn't really anything to make me invested in the story, I decided it just wasn't worth it.

This is really a warriors vs. assassins martial arts fest. In other words, it’s all bromance and sword fights with noble white knights on one side and bleeding-heart badasses on the other. That of course means I was predisposed to like this drama, but I admit that it’s far from perfect. While I absolutely loved the leads’ heart-wrenching friendship, the romance was incredibly bland. I can mostly forgive that, since it was a minor aspect and the aforementioned bromance is the true focus, but considering how much better the older generation’s love triangle was, you wonder how they managed to mess up so much with their leads. The answer is probably that the female lead is just so boring and lacking in any sort of depth or appeal that succeeding in making us root for the romance was nigh impossible. At least the second female lead’s relationships with her parents hit the right notes. Overall, (aside from the main love triangle) the story is certainly strongest when focusing on the relationships rather than the plot. Even if he’s a baddie, it’s hard not to feel for Chun’s broken heart (really Choi Min Soo and Yoo Seung Ho stole the show from the good guys) and I was always significantly more invested in Dong Soo and Woon’s characters in their scenes together rather than when they were off playing their separate roles in the political stuff. That's coming from someone who generally loves political scheming, but these politics were nearly as bland as the romance. I felt that they never really built to anything and the pace was often draggy. This drama also had an amazing soundtrack that really added to the tone and atmosphere. The main theme (야뇌) is just epic and 고여 is one of my favorite angsty ballads. All in all, though I clearly have significant criticisms of this drama, I think it does come across as a beautiful story about brotherhood, betrayal, and devotion.

I had a rather strange experience watching this drama that I don’t think I’ve had with any other drama. I was completely hooked by the end of episode 1. But then, starting in episode 3, I became disappointed in aspects of the romantic development and gradually began to lose interest in the plot. Then somehow, after a good 10-15 episodes that I felt rather indifferent to and even a bit bored by, it won me back over. With episode 16, the story began to improve for me and my emotional investment in it increased until I was crying by the end. So I can’t say I 100% loved this drama, but I do understand why it is beloved.

My really long post about this drama: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/feeds/102ARDTb

This drama had very solid execution all around. And I think it's rare to see a historical drama with such a consistent and cohesive plot that also has some degree of complexity. That said, I never really got very invested and it hasn't been a particularly memorable drama to me. So while I can't criticize that many things about it, I didn't love it either. I think it's probably worth trying for most people,  because it is so solid and might grab someone else more than it did me.

A long post with some more elaborated thoughts: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/feeds/LOKoowc9

 A note I wrote about this drama when I rewatched it in 2017, "I know this is really popular, but did it even have a plot? I mean it did, but it was so dull, and unlike some dramas that get around a lack of excitement in the plot by focusing on the emotional core of the relationship, this didn’t even have an awesome romance. It is unfortunately completely reliant on the backstory portrayed by the child actors …" The thing is, I remember really enjoying this drama the first time I watched it. Still, I don't think my 2017 thoughts were wrong ... Kim Soo Hyun was good and probably deserves most of the credit for this drama's success, though I think Yeo Jin Goo and Kim Yoo Jung also deserve a fair amount of credit for establishing pretty much the entirety of the connection the romance was founded on. I did enjoy the backstory, even upon rewatching. Maybe I'll have to do another rewatch at some point to break the tie ...

Is this time travel thing even a sageuk? In any case, I dropped this. I don't remember liking any aspect of it, so I guess it wasn't working for me as a romcom either.

I really don't remember this at all, but I guess I wasn't a fan, because I dropped it.

I think this was the first historical drama I ever watched. Though I can’t entirely remember what I thought 7+ years ago, I don't think I liked it that much. But then I rewatched it and enjoyed it more the second time around. The execution fell short in many ways, but I could definitely see the potential this drama had. Somewhere in there was a story about trust, honor, duty, and loyalty centered around the relationship between a king and his general. The male lead starts the story worldweary, disillusioned, borderline-suicidal, and has to find a way to go on with life, and find meaning again. The romance is a slow-burn about two people finding companionship in each other. There’s something really nice about how the king and queen’s relationship develops as well. I loved a number of pieces on the soundtrack, definitely a memorable one to me. Yet somehow there’s something lackluster about the drama as a whole. Perhaps they were trying to do too many things at once and couldn’t quite decide whether this was a story about fantasy warriors, politics, or time travel. The plot also gets repetitive, especially in the second half. I think they could have dropped a few rounds of scheming in favor of giving us a touch of the epic fantasy they seemed to be setting up, or even just spent a little more time to resolve everything at the end, because the last episode was very rushed. A few other things that could be a turn-off: 1) the production feels REALLY cheesy, to the extent that it really made me cringe even when I watched this back in 2014; 2) the female lead was very annoying at first (she almost made be drop the drama), but she got better, and I actually liked her by the end. Anyway, I have a soft spot for this drama, because it was my first and I think it had a lot of potential. 

This drama is part romcom, part supernatural mystery, set in Joseon. Until quite recently I never expected good special effects in a K-drama, so I did kinda appreciate that it decided to roll with the cheesiness rather than take itself too seriously. There are ghosts, gods, and grim reapers, but rather than being dark, it humorous and silly. The cast is definitely a draw, Lee Joon Ki and Shin Min Ah (+ Yoo Seung Ho)! I found it really fun and charming at first, but I became bored in the second half when it turned to the more serious plot. I think I was just never very interested in the mystery plot line (I'm pretty sure it was a mystery, I can hardly remember now).

So I watched this back when I was very new to historical dramas, and I don't think I knew much about the clothing styles back then, so it actually took me a little while to realize that people thought Suzy was a man ... needless to say, she really would not have passed as a man if it weren't for drama blindness. Because it's been such a long time since I've watched this, I can't really say how good it is, but I do remember enjoying it and that my favorite part was daddy gumiho.

So I think there was actually a good story here that had the potential to be something I loved, but I really struggled to finish this drama. I think the problem is that it just never managed to get me invested in the characters and romance from the beginning. It started out with all sorts of ridiculousness (anachronisms galore). The romance was developed quite quickly in the early episodes and wasn't done in a way that I found convincing. I know this woman hasn’t exactly gone down in history as a beloved figure, but it felt like they were overcompensating with romantic clichés before the story even started. However, as the drama went on, the ridiculous aspects mostly disappeared, and it became a pretty serious, traditional-style sageuk (though still fictionalized). Around episode 8, things actually started looking up a bit, and I almost started to care about the lead couple, but then the drama got really boring, and I remained bored throughout most of it, even through the last part of the drama, which I thought was the best part of the story. I think the politics were actually pretty well-written (though I’ve already forgotten a lot of the details, since it didn’t hold my interest enough), just not very exciting. Perhaps I would have cared more had I been invested in other elements of the drama. The male lead was a good character. Though he’s benevolent towards his people, he’s a crafty politician, not one to be easily manipulated by the schemes of those around him or allow his ministers to push him around. I appreciated these qualities, yet unfortunately I never became particularly attached to the character. The female lead was somewhat of an interesting character, but there were definitely points when I found her unlikable, annoying, and unsympathetic. I think I just didn’t feel that I actually saw her struggle as much as the drama seemed to be telling me she struggled. I found it hard to root for her at times.

I really have to give this one props for keeping me completely invested all the way through 51 episodes (I don't always do well with long dramas and I've managed to binge this straight through twice). I would call this a melodrama (maybe even a historical makjang), so be prepared for copious angst, and it also has a pretty polarizing love triangle. The plot mainly centers around court intrigue and concubine scheming (I don't remember well enough to really say how clever all the plotting was), but there are a couple battles too for the action lovers. The main reason I loved this was the characters. I was very attached to a number of supporting characters (I loved Tal Tal so much). If you like smart, badass female leads, Nyang is one of the few who never disappoints in that respect, and Ha Ji Won actually looks convincing in the action scenes. Wang Yu was the most lacking of the leads to me. He's one of those very ideal characters, who could have used a couple more dimensions to give him some spark. Ta Hwan, on the other hand, is one of my favorite characters from any drama and also my favorite performance from Ji Chang Wook, who managed to be endearing to me despite his character's preponderance of flaws. I can understand why some people might have disliked him, but somehow he managed to continually disappoint me, and yet for some reason I just kept rooting for him and cried for him more than anyone else. I used to really dislike the direction the story took in the last quarter of the drama, because many of the characters I loved became extremely frustrating. However, I now think there's a sort of perverse realism (albeit presented in very dramatic, rather than down-to-earth fashion) in how everything did not progress how I wanted it to, which perhaps makes the story more interesting than had everything been tied up without the same frustration. There are certainly things I wish this drama had done differently, still it definitely makes my favorites list.

Set against an interesting political backdrop, this is a revenge story with a sprinkling of an Iljimae-esqe outlaw hero (personally I think that aspect could have gotten more focus). The politics were pretty prevalent but almost didn't seem to fit with the rest, perhaps because our protagonist was not a central figure in them. The revenge plot dragged, especially in the first half. Everyone was suspecting each other’s identities, and trying to keep things a secret, when it was all really obvious. I also spent a long time anticipating the arrival of a certain character only to find it anticlimactic when he didn’t stick around for long. I didn’t find the ending particularly satisfying either. The romance seemed to have potential at first. It wasn’t exactly something new or interesting, but I was mildly invested. Unfortunately it continually got more bland, until I felt like I was watching them have the same boring conversations over and over again, and just couldn’t make myself care anymore. I felt similarly about the female lead. In the beginning, she was sort of fun, but by the second half she had really lost all personality and had stopped feeling necessary. Mostly she just worried a lot. I think there male lead did have ideological conflicts and growth over the course of the story, but it was hard to really follow his progression, since it wasn’t presented in a clear or cohesive way. Basically, this drama had a lot of potential, but ended up being a bit more of a boring mess than it really had any right to be. It wasn’t terrible, but it could have been so much more.

To me vampires are good for two things: 1) stories about moody, immortal beings (like that movie Only Lovers Left Alive), and 2) gothic romance. This drama had a vampire male lead, an innocent female lead, and a historical setting, so they really could have given me some sort of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights type of thing, but instead … Well, I'm really not sure what they did. It's definitely a romance, but a very bland one. The plot isn't really political, but it's not really vampire horror either. Regardless, I didn't care much about the vampire battles (not my type of action to begin with), and I didn't really have a clue what was going on, because I was constantly zoning out (I'm kidding, but it did kinda feel that way). Unfortunately, after 6 episodes, there was really no aspect of the story that I was at all invested in, so I dropped it.

Though it's not without flaws, there are so many great aspects of this drama, that I definitely count it among the best I've seen. Initially, I actually didn't feel that emotionally invested in the characters or relationships and was watching it more for the plot, but by the end I was crying my eyes out for 5 episodes straight. It has an unmatched combination of well-written politics, momentous historical events, exciting martial arts face-offs, complex characters, memorable music, strong performances, and compelling ideological conflicts. It can be both epic and moving, and it had a number of brilliant moments that I will never forget. One other thing I appreciate about this drama is that, while it certainly does take liberties, it actually follows the history more closely than many. As much as I think this drama has great characters, there are a few I think the writers could have handled a little differently. There's also one plot line that doesn't hold up to the quality of the rest. These are my main criticisms. While I did feel there were moments when it was too heavy-handed with some of the themes, of all the historical dramas I've seen, I definitely think this one has the most depth in its exploration of its themes: with whom should the power of governance be vested, the relationship between leaders and their people, loyalty, conviction, idealism, ruthlessness, corruption, ambition, the sincere desire to bring about positive change. Can the world really be changed? The drama is committed to approaching these ideas throughout and returns to them in a variety of different ways as the story develops.

I enjoyed the soundtrack and the cinematography. I also think the action scenes were well-done. It really grabbed me in the beginning, but the plot began feeling repetitive and draggy after a while, which is why I dropped it. However, among the sageuks I've dropped, this is the one I am most inclined to give a second chance too. Also, Choi Min Soo was great as the king.

It’s what you get if you throw a bit of Coffee Prince in with The Moon Embracing the Sun. I was pleasantly surprised by the first few episodes, which were very charming, but after a while it began to feel like same old same old. As much as I liked Park Bo Gum’s amusing mannerisms as the male lead, a crown prince fighting corrupt officials is the sageuk equivalent of the cold chaebol, i.e. really isn’t that new or interesting. Kim Yoo Jung is lovely as always, and her character is easy to like, but again, there’s not much more you can say about her. Likewise, the romance is adorable, but really it's nothing more than fluffy fun. I went back and forth on the plot but ultimately decided it was rather boring, certainly nothing memorable. So I have to say that while there’s nothing bad about this drama, it failed to really leave a mark. At the end, the only things that stood out when I thought back on it were the cinematography (which will likely stand out less watching now than when I watched this in early 2017) and Park Bo Gum’s smile. Still, if you're looking for a fluffy sageuk, this is my recommendation. There might not have been anything great about it, but at least everything was mostly done right and the main couple's adorableness is hard to match. Plus, it was the hit that set off the dominance of the romcom sageuk trend.

This isn't a perfect drama. The first few episodes have more silliness than necessary. The last few episodes have rushed pacing and under-explained developments. The acting is mixed (though I'd say it's worth watching for Lee Joon Gi and Kang Ha Neul alone). There are some pretty baffling soundtrack choices (along with some really good ones). The politics could have been fleshed out further. Still there are few dramas that have grabbed me more emotionally than this one. At some point in the story I cried for pretty much every character who wasn’t a straight up villain and had a knot in my chest not only while watching but also for a while after it ended. The romantic melodrama was compelling as were the characters. Despite many fans bemoaning the lack of a second season, I actually think the ending was very well suited to the story. And though the production and cinematography might not stand out that much these days, when I first watched this back in 2016, it was by far the most beautiful drama I had seen. So overall, I really loved this drama.

A long post with some more elaborated thoughts: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/feeds/km8lYHJ

I finished this for Park Hyung Sik, and Park Hyung Sik alone. (Ok, that's not entirely fair, because the supporting cast of flower boys was really quite charming.) I had never seen him before, and I really enjoyed his performance (I'd be curious to see how he does in a more serious sageuk). In any case, don't try to take this drama seriously. If you try to think about the political plot, character development, etc., you'll realize that the writing is pretty much terrible. However, if you just want to watch a fluffy flower boy drama, this could be fun. Thankfully, I noted the smiley, bright-colored poster before watching, so I really wasn't expecting much, which means it wasn't really a disappointment, even if I was constantly frustrated with all the stupid parts. If you want a serious historical drama, definitely give this one a pass.

My full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/review/103199

It's not often that I get to the end of a Joseon sageuk without having felt it got draggy or tedious at some point along the way. Actually, this may be a first. Apparently, Joseon can be exciting if you have a good enough plot and a well-paced story. Though this drama didn't immediately hook me at episode one, I enjoyed it all the way through, and certain aspects that I was lukewarm to in the beginning (e.g. the main romance) gradually grew on me until I loved them by the end. Yoon Kyun Sang's Hong Gil Dong totally won me over as did Hong Gil Dong's band of outlaws. This drama has fun, loyalty, friendship, rousing action scenes, moving emotional moments, romance, really everything you can want. It finds a great balance between the serious politics and the lively root-for-the-underdog story. The ideological aspects of the politics actually raise some philosophical questions, but while they did bring out a number of interesting ideas, I don't think the themes were explored that deeply or presented in a particularly coherent way. That's ok, because I don't think this drama was really meant to be an exploration of the merits of Neo-Confucian political philosophy, but I do think this is one area that could have been improved. Anyway, If you haven't figured it out by now, I totally loved this drama. And the soundtrack was amazing too.

Unfortunately, this is just a mediocre Joseon sageuk with the typical conspiracy-and-corruption stuff and the typical idealistic-prince-or-king protagonist. Even though the male lead could be likable and smart at times (mostly when he wasn't worrying about the female lead) and some aspects of the story had potential, there were quite a few little annoyances like semi-repetitive plot lines and characters just being frustrating or stupid. I wanted to like the female lead, but I think she ended up being one of the main elements to drag this drama down. I preferred the second female lead, because at least she was a bit interesting and actually did things that moved the plot forward. Heo Joon Ho's performance gave the villain some gravitas that's often lacking from these types of characters, but even he and Yoo Seung Ho couldn't save this drama from being a very forgettable entry in the genre. Enjoyable enough if you really have nothing else to watch, otherwise, you're not missing much.

I didn't really have any reason for dropping this one. I was enjoying it well enough, then got busy and just never went back to it. I really can hardly remember anything about it (characters, romance, plot, really zero recollection), and the fact that it's so unmemorable doesn't really make me inclined to return to it ... but you never know, maybe one day I will.

There were a few great moments of this drama, but somehow on the whole it fell a bit flat. I think they were on the right track with the Yuan-Goryeo politics. The culturally isolated mother and father who fears his son’s powerful maternal family were interesting elements that we haven’t seen a dozen times before in other sageuks. Unfortunately, the plot was a bit disappointing, given the potential there (it's really a fascinating time). While I don't remember them being ostentatiously bad, the politics did seem rather lackluster. This drama also sets itself apart by having a love triangle that doesn't feel like a forgone conclusion and that was actually a true triangle (with a bromance on the third side). That being said, I don't think I cared that much about it. The main issue might have been that I never felt very invested in two of the three leads, even though they had plenty of likable qualities. Wang Won on the other hand, I loved. He was complex and compellingly portrayed by Im Si Wan (this is the first leading role I saw him in and I definitely became a fan). I'm honestly a bit ambivalent toward this drama. I wanted to love it, but I think it kinda missed its mark on a lot of things and had the potential to be much, much better than it was. I do kinda want to rewatch it, since I feel a certain fondness for it that doesn't quite match my critical thoughts about it.

I feel like the style and atmosphere of this drama can be imagined by thinking of a classic Korean melodrama combined with a British period drama (the sort that's an adaptation of some 19th century novel), set against the political backdrop of a tragic historical period. It's one of my favorite dramas. Costumes, music, scenery, cinematography ... lovely, stunning, gorgeous. All the performances were excellent. The characters, especially the three male leads, found their way deep into my heart. It's emotionally poignant and has beautiful storytelling. The various aspects of the story, from the side characters to the voiceover letters to the symbolic motifs, seemed woven together with care. I don't ever really know what else to say about it. My main criticism is that as much as I loved many of the OSTs, a couple felt jarringly contemporary.

It’s definitely a good drama, though I also think it could have been a lot better. There’s nothing really wrong with it, except for maybe some of the costume design (in particular, the men’s suits look too contemporary for the period). It’s more that the story had the potential to be a truly stunning period piece, but was just a good one. When I watch films about famous artists, often the story is rather disappointing, because it’s the art, not the artist’s life that is interesting. However, in this case, the story is a poignant romance, and even beyond the romance they both have interesting conflicts in their lives, related to their art, the historical backdrop, and their families. It’s definitely a great story, and a moving one. I only wish that the style had been more similar to that of a period film. It’s not that it failed to communicate the story as it was; I guess I just like my stories about artists to be crafted with a little more art. I also think it maybe could have been a bit longer, certainly not full drama length, but maybe a few more episodes to take a little more time on the development of certain aspects (perhaps I just like lingering, slow-paced period dramas). I do think it’s worth watching if you like period romances.

This is a pretty typical Joseon sageuk. You have conspiracies, hidden identities, villainous ministers, villainous queen dowagers, etc. However, the execution is definitely better than most. The plot is evenly-paced. The politics are actually well-written. The production was good. Despite the Schubert *exasperated sigh*, and its tendency to be overdramatic (is there any sageuk that isn’t in love with overdramatic music?), the soundtrack is one of my favorites. Though none of the performances were particularly compelling and memorable, the acting was generally good. I did find Yeo Jin Goo a bit more charismatic as the evil king than the clown at times, still I think they did quite a good job with the male lead’s character development. Lee Gyu was probably my favorite of the leads, but the female lead was quite lovely and her words and behavior were mostly in line with the values of the time and what would be expected of a woman of her status, which I appreciate. The romance … meh. There were some nice moments and some romantic dialogues that sounded rather poetic rather than cheesy, but honestly I saw more sparks in the handful of scenes the queen had with her evil husband than those with the main character. I can’t say this was the most engrossing drama for me. Even though I enjoyed it, I did get distracted a lot. I never got very invested in the characters or the romance, so despite being well-done, like with most Joseon sageuks, by the end I was tired of the politics and just didn’t care much about the climax. I think this drama had all the necessary components, but it just didn’t capture me emotionally. Anyway, I would recommend it, because it is well-made and it might grab you more than it grabbed me.

In progress ...

(I'm writing about all 3 parts here.)

Though not set in any real historical time period, it's clearly meant to be much earlier than the sorts of periods we see in most historical drama—we're in the process of state formation here. As such the drama walks the line between elements grounded in real historical phenomena (control of technology or religious knowledge as a forms of power, centralization and transformation from tribal confederation to kingdom, monuments designed to display an ability to command and impressive labor force) with fantasy elements (after all founding legends generally do have mythic elements). There are some bizarre choices here and there plus one arc where it felt a bit slow, but overall I think there are a lot of strong ideas in the writing along. There are interesting character contrasts, and (slow parts aside) it was quite engaging and culminated in a pretty great set up for the next season ... then the question is will the next season deliver on that set up? What really didn't work here was the terrible production design (it's just so far off from what would have existed in early Korea and looked cheesy too). Also the directing and staging sometimes made it feel like I was watching theater rather than having the more realistic immersion that you generally get in tv/movies (it's mind-boggling to me that this was the same director as My Mister).

This is the drama that is truly responsible for my strong dislike of the "romcom in period dress," though this one is also part workplace drama. I was never the biggest fan of fluffy historicals to begin with, but watching this was really the last straw. I think it actually put me off watching sageuks for about a year. I honestly enjoyed it somewhat at first, despite the anachronisms and mediocre acting from Cha Eun Woo (he was quite likable at least), because it was rather cute and charming. However, as it went on, my frustrations continued to build until I was just thoroughly put out. I'm actually still rather put out with it. One of the first things I did after joining MDL was write a rather rant-y review for this one. :P If you like fluffy historicals and don't mind anachronisms, you might enjoy it, though I still think it's rather mediocre in terms of plot and romance.

My full review (like I said, kinda more of a rant): https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/review/102893

I kinda had an inkling I wasn't going to be a fan of this, even before I started it. After all, the tag line reads "Joseon romcom," however I was intrigued enough by the premise of the male lead, rather than the female lead, cross-dressing, plus it got voted to the top of my "sageuk watch project" list, so I gave it a try. As expected, I didn't really enjoy it. Neither the plot nor the characters were very interesting, and the worst part is that it didn't even work for me as a romcom, so it wasn't succeeding at what it was meant to be. The action scenes were the best part, but there weren't enough of them. I will say that this one gets an A+ for eye candy. Jang Dong Yoon looks beautiful in women's hanbok, and as if that wasn't enough, there were also way more shirtless scenes in the episodes I watched (before I dropped it) than one would typically find in an entire drama (a bit too fanservice-y for my taste, but I'm sure some would appreciate it).

I can’t comment on the drama as a whole, because I don’t really remember the first 10 episodes, so take this as my opinion on the last 6 episodes only. This drama had pretty much everything I would want from a sageuk: exciting sword-fights, powerful speeches, epic music, poignant music, semi-poetic metaphor-filled dialogues, etc. While I can’t speak for the development over the course of the drama, the characters did seem pretty interesting, though I sometimes questioned whether the motives for their actions were strong enough. It also had me wondering how much being stabbed really hurts, because they would get sliced up and then a few minutes later be running around again as if it was nothing. The plot was ok, but I’d say it was one of the weaker aspects. Considering the events it covered, I felt it could have been more interesting. The excitement of the drama came from the action scenes, soundtrack, and compelling performances (though I thought Yang Se Jong and especially Seolhyun were below the standard set by the rest of the cast), rather than the plot itself. The romance was the other weak point. Perhaps it would have been better if I remembered the parts where they fell in love, but the blandness was giving Warrior Baek Dong Soo a run for its money. The bromance worked better, as did the various secondary relationships based on loyalty and service. I’m rather impressed this drama managed to make me cry, considering I was missing much of the story, but I think they just did a good job constructing certain scenes. The music was great and had quite unique orchestration (though, as with many sageuks, there might have been a couple questionable pieces). The sound mixing, though, needed improvement. Anyway, even if the beginning left little impression, I enjoyed the end. And you’ll always score brownie points with me for the riding-through-fields + bromance combo. I really did get a couple Warrior Baek Dong Soo flashbacks.

This is the drama that really got me back into sageuks after taking a break from them for a while (I really have this drama to thank for my "sageuk watch project"), and for that, I will always have some affection to it. Why did it rekindle my sageuk love? Well, for one, it's isn't fluffy, and secondly, it really wanted to be Queen Seondeok 2.0 (but with more romance), so it reminded me of the the old sageuks I used to love, even if it wasn't as good. This drama had great production. The cinematography was gorgeous as were the sets, costumes, and natural scenery. The music was good too. The problem was the writing, which really just wasn't that good (if you want more detail on my complaints about it, read my very, very long review). I'm actually in the minority of people who didn't enjoy Kim So Hyun's performance much in this, but I should thank this drama for introducing me to Na In Woo. He was a major upgrade from Ji Soo and actually turned out to be one of the best parts of the drama.

My full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/review/135143

An amazing, angsty romance with phenomenal chemistry. I could nitpick the political plot all day, but honestly, I don't really care that much, because this was never really trying to be a political drama in the first place and it did succeed in winning over my emotions. Also, Lee Jun Ho's Yi San is now my standard for idealistic Joseon royal males that all future depictions of this character type will have to live up to or be somewhat of a disappointment.

My full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/review/183689

To give a general sense of this drama, I would describe it as something that falls between Six Flying Dragons and Empress Ki in terms of tone, themes, characters, and storylines. However, it’s much shorter, probably to the drama’s detriment. It did have quite a few interesting characters (plus Jang Hyuk is always charismatic), and because they made the effort to give each character unique motivations, it never felt like watching a bunch stock Joseon court characters. However, it also had some significant shortcomings in how a couple major characters were presented and developed. At the beginning, the politics this drama were great, but the main plot arc in the second half was pretty poorly done and really rather laughable at points. Perhaps the best thing about this drama was the way it re-explored the themes that dominate sageuk politics. So while the initial set-up of a weak monarch fighting back against a minister whose power eclipses that of the throne might seem very familiar, this is not a repeat of the standard storyline. Despite some major missteps, I’d still say it’s one of the better political historical dramas I’ve seen for the parts it did well and for the way it casts a familiar subject in a different light.

My full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/review/216027

(I'm writing about both parts 1 and 2 here.)

It didn't immediately hook me, but thankfully it was just interesting enough to keep me going until I began enjoying it more. As a fantasy story, it's rather meh ... mostly fine, but no element is particularly great and there are aspects that don't make much sense. It could have toned down the over-the-top humor and there were some very questionable costume/styling choices to say the least. That said, I became very invested in the lead characters was interested in the story because I was rooting for them. Though I was initially underwhelmed by the romance, at some point I started to really care. Jung So Min and Lee Jae Wook make this drama work. Really, despite the fact that I'm mostly complaining here, I actually liked this drama quite a lot. The second part didn't seem particularly necessary (I don't think it added anything really and I enjoyed it less, though it was still engaging). Despite trying to up the stakes, the plot felt like a watered down repeat of the first part (they could have just wrapped up loose ends after the first part and forgone this last arc). The one thing I think it did quite well was the angst, but angst aside, I didn't particularly like the romance storyline of the second part. 

Despite pretty much being a fluffy-fusion-contemporary-romcom-in-period-dress hater, I actually had a blast with the first 3 or so episodes. I mean, sure it’s was a super inaccurate portrayal of the period, but the drama wasn’t taking itself seriously at all, it was hilarious, and the anachronisms were actually rather clever. Then it started focusing more on the serious political stuff (which made zero sense) and kinda lost its charm. There were still enjoyable parts, but even the humor didn’t always land as well with me and the anachronisms became less clever. That said, at only 12 episodes it didn’t have time to get terribly tedious + the couple had chemistry, so overall … meh. Decent mediocre entertainment?

(I'm writing about both parts 1 and 2 here.)

This induced an all-consuming obsession for me when it was airing. I absolutely loved the first 10 episodes (I had a few small nitpicks, but nothing that could really dampen my enjoyment). It combined classic romantic melodrama with momentous historical events, managing to balance realism in the portrayal of the impacts of war with old-fashioned romanticism in the swoon-worthy and angsty relationship between the leads. And these elements were facilitated through the development of two contrasting, but equally interesting and well-rounded main characters. Unfortunately, some of the writing choices in the second half made me really mad (part of it might be my personal preference, but I think the writing was objectively weaker). There were still some good aspects, but it was very disappointing and severely dampened my love for the drama (obsession cured). Cinematography, costumes, etc. all excellent. Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun Jin are both incredible in these roles. 

Because of the aforementioned obsession, I wrote A LOT of really long posts about this drama. This is a longer summary of my final thoughts without spoilers: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/feeds/p5gbviP And an even longer spoiler-y post that details some of my specific criticisms with the second half: https://kisskh.at/profile/xinya/feeds/dlWVXiB There are so, so many other posts, but no need to put them all here ...

I was expecting cheesy production and little concern for any sort of historical authenticity, but a crown prince who moonlights as a seamstress??? The moment that was revealed, I decided to drop; I only continued through episode 2 out of some vague curiosity for how she would become his concubine and what the real crown prince’s reaction would be.

In progress ...

Costumes, sets, scenery, music, cinematography, action scenes—all strong. The plot was well-paced. I just didn’t find the story that interesting. This brand of mystery and business politics really isn’t my thing, and I don’t think this drama brought anything particularly special to the table even for those who do love these sorts of stories. The romance was had some good aspects and some not so good aspects (the development might have been more convincing given more time, but the actors at least sold it pretty well). The ending did make an emotional impression and I think it was quite fitting. This drama also made my stomach turn at a few points (not for the squeamish!). Overall, I think it was worth watching but not amazing.

This is not a good historical show. To be fair to it, it really isn’t trying to be. Because it’s actually set in a historical novel rather than a historical period, I thought I wouldn’t be annoyed at the very inaccurate portrayal of the period, but sometimes I still was (they were really taking the liberties to the extreme). I’m not sure whether it’s the character or Seolhyun’s portrayal, but FL was kinda annoying too. The comedy was rather hit-or-miss. And the romance was pretty bland. This may not have been trying to be a historical show, but it was trying to be a rom com, and was a pretty meh one at that. That said, although I constantly thought I should drop because there were surely better things I could spend my time watching, it was entertaining enough that it held onto me for three weeks and 7 episodes. I genuinely did have fun watching this at times, so I don’t think there’s much to recommend it, but this isn’t an entirely dismal review.