An absolute masterpiece
This drama is absolutely phenomenal. Excellent pacing, wonderful world-building, complex characters. Over 76 episodes, this story is brewed to perfection. I usually don't like long dramas but this needed every single one of those episodes.
We meet and get to know the characters, their world, and their patterns, and begin to see things from their point of view. At every point, we are shown and not told: we see love blossom, we see friends become lovers, we see the subtle suspicions that cause cracks in relationships, and the ways people fall out of love. It is, of course, a drama and therefore heavily fictionalised and not historically accurate, yet somehow it all seems very plausible and almost recognisable as the real world because of how well it does this showing without being overly heavy-handed at any one single point.
It's an amazing story of power, love, favour, joy, freedom, obligation, propriety, conflict and pretense that says to us over and over again "official records in history may not always be what they seem." I liked that the leads are normal people and not anime-style heads and shoulders more intelligent/talented than everyone else. They're normal people who find themselves in positions of history and do the best with what they have.
Another thing is that the characters are built for their context and not to satisfy our 21st century sensibilities and although sometimes frustrated by this, ultimately it made me appreciate this drama more.
Of course, the main plot rises and falls, and within it the arcs of the sub-plots rise and fall, and yet despite that it remains engaging and interesting throughout. Every arc is interesting in its self and not just as build-up for something else and that makes this drama really special.
100/10, would recommend.
We meet and get to know the characters, their world, and their patterns, and begin to see things from their point of view. At every point, we are shown and not told: we see love blossom, we see friends become lovers, we see the subtle suspicions that cause cracks in relationships, and the ways people fall out of love. It is, of course, a drama and therefore heavily fictionalised and not historically accurate, yet somehow it all seems very plausible and almost recognisable as the real world because of how well it does this showing without being overly heavy-handed at any one single point.
It's an amazing story of power, love, favour, joy, freedom, obligation, propriety, conflict and pretense that says to us over and over again "official records in history may not always be what they seem." I liked that the leads are normal people and not anime-style heads and shoulders more intelligent/talented than everyone else. They're normal people who find themselves in positions of history and do the best with what they have.
Another thing is that the characters are built for their context and not to satisfy our 21st century sensibilities and although sometimes frustrated by this, ultimately it made me appreciate this drama more.
Of course, the main plot rises and falls, and within it the arcs of the sub-plots rise and fall, and yet despite that it remains engaging and interesting throughout. Every arc is interesting in its self and not just as build-up for something else and that makes this drama really special.
100/10, would recommend.
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