I like the story in general, but there is something missing in the story and it feels draggy and boring. I did fast forward some scenes however it's not all bad, I am enjoying it.
I did guess about Princess Kate being the true perpetrator as she was the only one who was portrayed as a good two shoes, while all other characters have their good things and their flaws. So I kind of suspected that it is Princess Kate.
Like Princess Alice in the beginning was arrogant, does not trust anyone, likes to do things on her own, was too proud and selfish. Ok, she still is arrogant, but she is honest, loves justice, kind, helps others at the expense of her own safety, loves her family even if she suspected that they want to kill her and knows that they hate her, learned to trust others, learned to yield to some things, learned not to be too prideful, learned to be more humble, etc.
Moreover, I also love how they made Alice knows how to fight, knows how to shoot a gun, knives, arrows, etc. It made her more awesome :D
Anyway, my point is that Princess Kate was too quiet and did not do or say anything when injustice was done towards her. I was like what the heck is she not saying anything?
If I was her I would ask my grandpa why he does not consider me as the next heir when I am the eldest among his nephews? I would put my mother-in-law in place and tell her to shut up. I would fight my father and ask him why he ignores me. I would also ask my father why I have to apologize when I speak up about my brother Prince Alan's behaviour or his wife Princess Mona's behaviour or do something wrong?
In my country we have an idiom ' Mutu mutu qrunu f'butu' and in English I think that the closest idiom is 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' Everyone does not suspect her. Petra, Alice's bodyguard came close, as Kate is becoming more impatient and is leaving clues and suspicions, but Petra was killed because of it.
At the end, it was Princess Kate who did the bad things and it was kind of obvious. I was more sure when Prince Andre and Princess Mona died in the car bomb, I was like who is left? And it's definitely her. I did consider Mona but at the end she was more all talk and no action.
For the soldier Haedeth working for Princess Kate was a surprise, as I thought he was working for Prince Andre. When I asked why he is working for Princess Kate to become a Queen, the answer immediately came to my mind, Love.
He loves her and I was more sure of it, the more encounters they had, how he looks at her, how he touches her, etc. I pity him because she does not love him and is using him. When he tried to kiss her, she pulled away and compensated for it, by kissing his cheek.
If Princess Kate loves Prince Will, maybe. But not enough to trust him and tell him of her plans. Or she is using him as well as a scapegoat.
I don't know she is too cold and evil. She tried to kill her grandfather, tried to kill Alice many times, tried to kill Alan and killed her father and Mona. These are her family members. She also killed Alice's lady-in-waiting who disguised as her, Petra and other people who were involved. She may have gotten others to do it, but she still is the one.
Anyway, the story became more interesting when Princess Kate finally revealed her true self, plans and her actions. I love this actress, she should get more main roles, I mostly see her in supporting roles or as second lead. Only once I saw her as a main character in 'Kularb Fai.'
Putting the story aside, I love the main leads, their chemistry and their interactions, they are cute together :D I loved how they argued, tried to compromise, protected each other, cared for each other, etc. They were like a married couple, even if their marriage was fake. But now, they are kind of apart since Dawin pushed her away because she's a princess. They will definitely end up together anyway :)
Also, I Iove the other potential couples or the hints they gave us. But since the main leads are not together yet, the other couples are not going to be together any time soon + we will get a brief romance, uhh. I wanted to see more, but that's not the focus of this lakorn.
Also, awesome acting of all actors + awesome action scenes + beautiful places were shown :D
SPOILERS:currently watching.....and on episode 8The story is nothing special or out of this world and it seems…
SPOILERS:
currently watching and on ep 11....
Ok, I loved that the main leads resolved their misunderstanding in one episode and I love that they are together + awesome chemistry + awesome kisses :D They are so cute together <3 <3
However, the story is getting a bit draggy or should I say boring. Ok, I loved it when the leads appear and have romantic scenes, but the rest of the story is getting boring.
Ok, we have another plot ongoing about the bubbles paintings + that the idol Si An and Ryan Gold are both obsessed with collecting them. It's nothing special but I am kind of curious of how that will turn out.
I think that the painter is Ryan's real mother or someone who used to be close to him. But I also think that Sung Duk Mi's mother is also involved in this + I think the main leads knew each other when they were younger.
How the idol Si An is involved in this I have no idea. But my theory is that maybe Si An turns out to be the younger brother of Ryan as Sung Duk Mi did say that Ryan looks similar to Si An when they met at the auction in the beginning of the drama and later on her friend also said that he looks like Si An.
Anyway, I'll see what happens next.......
EDIT: On ep 15....
I guessed as Si An turned out to be Ryan's brother and Lee Sol is Ryan's mother.
Also, the reason why she left him was because his mother was in an accident. Ok, I get that she was in an accident, but how could she not look for her son more or post pictures or put his face in the news, or whatever after she healed. It's looks like she gave up too quickly and ran away to America or what ever place she went to. I don't know what to think or say.
Anyway, on the positive note, I'm glad that he found his real mother.
Also, Sung Duk Mi's mother and father took him in and feed him and at first decided to wait for his mother. Then, apparently a month passed, they had money problems and took him to the orphanage as they could not keep him.
I was like she should have called the police immediately after she found him wondering alone and at least keep him for a day, but not for a month! If I know correctly police work immediately when dealing with children and do not wait for 24 hrs, so she could have called the police and told them that she found a child.
And if Ryan's real mother asked the police as well for help, she could have found him. The police are not stupid, and if they were given enough details, 1+1=2 and they could have know right away that details from Ryan's real mother and Sung Duk Mi's mother matched. Also, Ryan as a young child did remember his Korean name, so there couldn't have been problems!
But apparently, both Ryan's real mother and Sung Duk Mi's mother decided to do what they wanted, gave up quickly and threw Ryan away. What the heck! This does not make any sense at all!
If I was Ryan, I don't think I would forgive them, but since this is a light drama, with a definite happy ending + his girlfriend is also involved in this = let's forgive everyone, be merry and happy.
Ok, since this drama is aimed for that way, I'll just ignore what happened, calm down and focus on the relationship of the main leads.
Also, I'm glad that Ryan's back to painting after 3 years, as his trauma healed.
Moreover, all of a sudden, Sung Duk Mi had a little brother who died when they were in a car accident and she forgot about it and her little brother when she woke up. I was like, where did this come from? They never mentioned her little brother, and I was like what the heck!! It was like it was included to fill in the episode, uhh!
Btw, I agree with some comments below, that the plot is meh, especially from episode 13 onwards + for me it does not make any sense in this last few episode, my reasons is what I mentioned above.
EDIT 2: Conclusion:
Anyway, despite all the flaws the story had, I enjoyed it :) I loved the main leads, the characters and great acting as well + happy ending for everyone <3
The story is nothing special or out of this world and it seems like the usual office drama, but what I like from this drama is that the setting is based on an Art Gallery.
I rarely watch dramas about curators, the work they do, how they prepare for an exhibitions, how they contact artists, etc. So even though it seems the usual office drama, the focus on art, paintings, photographs, artists, etc, this one got my interest. I think it's my first time watching a k-drama about what I mentioned above.
Also, another thing that got my interest is the behind-the-scenes work, Sung Duk Mi does. It's definitely my first time seeing a k-drama about a fan girl. Usually fan girls are mostly portraited as obsessive, as stalkers, etc, and kept in the background. It's usually the negative side, however in this drama we also see their positive side.
Ok, the drama shows their negative side, like they go as far as assaulting Sung Duk Mi because they think that she is dating the idol, Si An. The irony is that she is a fan of this idol as well. However, I definitely do not agree of this, that's a crime!
However, through Sung Duk Mi we see the positive side of it, why they find it enjoyable, the words and terms they use as fan girls, the pilgrimage (they follow the same places an idol goes), etc. I found that really interesting and enjoyable. Also, at times hilarious, as the Sung Duk Mi and her best friend do anything for their idol.
Although, I do not understand why Sung Duk Mi and other people get obsessed with idols, actors, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like actors for their awesome acting, singers for their awesome voices and songs or I like their looks or their style for fashion, etc, but I never get obsessed with a person I don't personally know. Ok, I can know them as public figures, but I don't personally know them. Also, I can be their fan, but they won't know me.
However, what I can understand is that people have hobbies, work they get obsessed of and also ways how to escape the pain of every day life or ways how to get yourself happy, etc. For example, I am obsessed with stories, movies, dramas, series, cartoons, animations, books, etc. I love stories and I can get pretty obsessed with it, so I can understand that part. I get really excited when I watch something new or original :D
So, my main focus on watching in this case Asian dramas are stories. However to be honest, I do watch dramas based on actors who have awesome acting skills, or have awesome chemistry with other actors. Sometimes, I am content with the story but sometimes I regret it, since the story does not get my interest even with awesome actors.
To stop blabbering about myself, and continue on this drama. Ok, so those are the interesting parts I found in this drama, however, these are not the main focus of this drama, as it is mostly focusing on the romance of the main leads. I'm not complaining though, the leads are cute together and have awesome chemistry <3
And currently they are in a fake relationships because of many reasons. Also, the leads finally are certain that they love each other, but because of the second leads, Sung Duk Mi decided to end their fake relationship and are now further apart, uhh! This is the usual plot. Anyway, I hope they resolve their misunderstanding soon.
Btw, I also like that the story is enjoyable, hilarious, fun, has good characters and has good actors :) It is also light, fluffy and cute <3
Finished! Loved it :D It was beautiful and made me go through a roller coaster ride of emotions. It made me feel happy, sad, angry, made me hate some characters, made me love characters, made me feel pity, made me cry a lot, etc.
I admit it wasn't perfect though, as I did fast forward some episodes as at times it made me feel frustrated. I also took many breaks when watching it, like one time I stopped for 5 days, however I also went back to continue it, I was curious to see what will happen next. Anyway, I loved it :D
I also loved all the actors, their characters and their awesome acting :D I loved how their crying was so realistic, most of them got red eyes in the crying scenes, I rarely see that.
Also, I really wanted a happy ending for the main characters, and even after all the pain, torture, etc they went through, the main leads yes, they got together finally :D And for the second leads, yes they were the villains but they repented so they kind of got a happy ending.
You can say this story was light from the usual historical dramas. Yes ok, there were many deaths, many bad stuff, etc. But from the usual historical k-dramas I watched, this one was pretty light, and I was glad as I expected a tragic ending.
For the main characters:
-I loved Solnan. She reminded me of Mulan. She did everything for her family, literally, especially for her sister Solhi. She vowed to kill her, but I knew she wouldn't. Solnan valued blood a lot like her real father, the King.
Also, even finding out Kuchon wasn't her real father, she still vowed to get revenge after his death. So, she also valued people who she saw as her family, even if they really weren't.
We got to see Solnan change from an innocent child to a mature woman. She went through a lot. I mostly remember vividly those scenes when she wanted to get into the Band and they put her in a fighting arena with men and they hit her like she was nothing. And she after she got hit multiple times, slept outside in the rain, not eat for days, etc, she turned into a ferocious tiger.
It wasn't pretty, but it was necessary for her survival and at that time to find her sister. That moment I was like wow she did it, she's so mentally strong and witty. Yeah, she could not match a man's strength (at least at that time, she still was not trained or not taught how to fight well yet) and so she used her brain.
I mostly loved her wit, her keen sight to things, her strong mind, etc and how she was able to keep sane, caring and loving even after all the things she went through and how she found out that her beloved sister actually lied to her, took her place as a sister, tried to kill her, killed other people and harm the King and the Crown Prince (whom Solnan loved as well).
Even in the beginning, she was more carefree, more trustful, more happy, but as time went by, complicated stuff reveled, she become more serious, more polite, more suspicious, etc. Even though I missed her old self, I loved her new one. Deep down she kept her old self, but she improved to the better, especially at the end she accepted the Crown Prince (now King) and we assume she becomes the Queen,
-For Kuchon, he wasn't perfect and he was an assassin, but I loved how much he cared and loved Lady Chaewea, Solnan and Solhi. He did everything for them. I loved how he smiled. I kind of wanted him to live, and when he did, they killed him again, that part was so sad. I also loved the part when he helped a small boy and freed him, it shows that he has feelings, compassion and love.
-For the King Mu Ryeong. It was the first time I saw a King like this. Actually, he is one of the best Kings I ever saw. For once, he is not greedy or crazy, but truly wants the best for his people and for his country at the expense of hurting himself and his family.
Also, he was humble, knew his strengths, his weaknesses, his sins, his rights, his wrong doings, etc. Ok he wasn't perfect, but I loved how he knew that but did his best to rule in a good way. Also, at the end he died of an illness, and he impressed me when he said that all his killings in battles finally caught up to him. That shows that even though he fought for his country, he felt guilty in killing soldiers of his country's enemies.
-For the Crown Prince. He was a jerk to Solnan in the beginning and hated him when he used her as an object. However, as time when by, thanks to Solnan, he softened and began to cherish people. Ok he did that to please the King, but still he was too cold in the beginning. Anyway, when he finally saw Solnan as a woman, he changed a lot and I liked how he cared and treated Solnan well.
For the romance part between the leads, they were cute and we saw some cute kiss scenes and their chemistry was not out of this world, but it was ok. I found them cute togther :)
-For Solhi, I hated her. She was really ugly, greedy, selfish, murderer, jealous, etc. She did everything to get what she wanted, to keep her position as princess, especially killing people and attempting to murder her sister multiple times. She even collaborated with Paeche's enemies to keep her position, what the heck! She had no form of loyalty at all!
The sisters were different as day and night. I wished her to die multiple times, but I did pity her many times, and I'm glad she did not die. She should live while remembering what she did and pay for her sins somehow.
-For Jinmu, he was evil sometimes, but he wasn't truly that evil. Yeah he did lots of gave mistakes, but most of the time, he did not mean them. I really pitied him. He was actually the King's son, but was lead to believe he was another King's son. He was just mixed into a really complicated mess. I still say that the King was wrong of him to switch his son with his cousin's (ex-King) son. He made everything worse.
-Other characters, I liked were Sudo and Chaun. -The people in the Band.
Anyway, I do not remember all the names, but all characters were important to the story.
Conclusion:
Definitely worth watching it :) It is long and I did fast forward some parts, but I loved it :D It took me a lot time to watch this drama, but I'm glad I finally did ^_^
I'm currently watching The King's Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang. King Mu Ryeong is one of the best Kings I ever saw. For once, he is not greedy or crazy, but truly wants the best for his people and for his country at the expense of hurting himself and his family. Not mentioning more details as to avoid spoiling the story. I think it is worth a watch :)
Interesting article btw :) Also, thank you for the recommendations, I haven't watched any of these dramas yet.
It was light and hilarious, however at times it was idiotic and the CGI effects looked fake. But it was not bad on general, it was an interesting story. Also, I really liked the guardian spirit plot, it reminded me of Pokemon or Bagukan :) Also, I liked the characters and the costumes when they were in the spirit world :)
It was not perfect and I fast forward some scenes, but it is not bad either. I think it is worth a watch :)
Also, it has an ending but the leads need to continue their mission to protect from the 12 sacred trees from being destroyed and prevent the human world getting sucked by the spirit world. So it kind of does not have an ending.
I don't know if they will continue it or not as it has been 2 years, but if they decide to continue it, I would watch it :)
I enjoyed reading this article :) I like cliche moments, but I admit at times it does get boring and repetitive. It depends on the drama. However, at least for me, I do not get to see them in real life so most of the time I do enjoy them :D
SPOILERS:currently watching and on ep 9....In the beginning, I did not like it that much. Maybe it was because…
SPOILERS:
currently on ep 14.....
Ok I guessed that Popeye was the Prosecutor, yay me :D But for the other boys, apparently one was dead and the other one, I don't remember, but it was definitely not Joseph. So, I did not guess on that one.
However, Joseph is one of the priest's trusted and loyal man and who knows about this Book of Revelation aka financial book and who definitely won't reveal anything.
And so, they targeted the Town Mayor from the island who also knew about this book. It was a great plan to get into jail. They fooled me well, at first I thought the politician and the priest who framed Chun Jae In, but it was all a plan :D I loved how they recreated the 10 plagues of Egypt from the bible.
Also, Kim Dam's powers leveled up and became more awesome, I love how she embraced her gift :D I wish she did it earlier before her father (who adopted her) died. Her mother called it an illness, but it is part of her and you cannot remove it. Yeah, it is difficult and painful, but running away from it won't get you anywhere, I'm glad she's using it to fight the villains, I hope they succeed.
For the prosecutor, I wished that he switched to the good side. He kind of wants to, but he is afraid or maybe it is too late. I don't know, I really want him to have a happy ending somehow, but I have a feeling that he won't. I really pity him, but as Kim Dam said he choose the bad side.
Yes, it wasn't his fault about the poisoned wine that killed those 31 people on the island as he did not know. Also, he was a child so maybe he did not exactly have a choice at that age, but he was intelligent and he could have tried to get them to jail or tell the police or get evidence after he grew up. I don't know, I cannot blame him or hate him completely. But still, he did many bad things like corruption, murders, etc, so I'm hoping that he makes amends, says the truth and admits all his and the priests' and the politician's sins.
EDIT: Finished! :D
I'm so glad that the prosecutor decided to switch sides! He got inspired by Kim Dam/Byul. Also, I'm so relief that the prosecutor lived! I thought that he died, but Chun Jae In made it look like he died.
It is a bitter sweet ending, as like Chun Jae In said it may look like a happy ending, but lots of people died for it to come at this point. At least, I'm glad that they prevent the second attempt of a 'mass suicide'. Also, the bad guys and those who did wrong got what they deserved. Anyway, I see it as a happy ending :)
Anyway, I loved this drama :D It may have started as boring, bu after episode 5, it really got interesting, addicting and awesome to watch. Definitely worth a watch ^_^ Also, I loved all the casts, they've all done well and awesome acting :D
1 
currently watching and on episode 10......
I like the story in general, but there is something missing in the story and it feels draggy and boring. I did fast forward some scenes however it's not all bad, I am enjoying it.
I did guess about Princess Kate being the true perpetrator as she was the only one who was portrayed as a good two shoes, while all other characters have their good things and their flaws. So I kind of suspected that it is Princess Kate.
Like Princess Alice in the beginning was arrogant, does not trust anyone, likes to do things on her own, was too proud and selfish. Ok, she still is arrogant, but she is honest, loves justice, kind, helps others at the expense of her own safety, loves her family even if she suspected that they want to kill her and knows that they hate her, learned to trust others, learned to yield to some things, learned not to be too prideful, learned to be more humble, etc.
Moreover, I also love how they made Alice knows how to fight, knows how to shoot a gun, knives, arrows, etc. It made her more awesome :D
Anyway, my point is that Princess Kate was too quiet and did not do or say anything when injustice was done towards her. I was like what the heck is she not saying anything?
If I was her I would ask my grandpa why he does not consider me as the next heir when I am the eldest among his nephews? I would put my mother-in-law in place and tell her to shut up. I would fight my father and ask him why he ignores me. I would also ask my father why I have to apologize when I speak up about my brother Prince Alan's behaviour or his wife Princess Mona's behaviour or do something wrong?
In my country we have an idiom ' Mutu mutu qrunu f'butu' and in English I think that the closest idiom is 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' Everyone does not suspect her. Petra, Alice's bodyguard came close, as Kate is becoming more impatient and is leaving clues and suspicions, but Petra was killed because of it.
At the end, it was Princess Kate who did the bad things and it was kind of obvious. I was more sure when Prince Andre and Princess Mona died in the car bomb, I was like who is left? And it's definitely her. I did consider Mona but at the end she was more all talk and no action.
For the soldier Haedeth working for Princess Kate was a surprise, as I thought he was working for Prince Andre. When I asked why he is working for Princess Kate to become a Queen, the answer immediately came to my mind, Love.
He loves her and I was more sure of it, the more encounters they had, how he looks at her, how he touches her, etc. I pity him because she does not love him and is using him. When he tried to kiss her, she pulled away and compensated for it, by kissing his cheek.
If Princess Kate loves Prince Will, maybe. But not enough to trust him and tell him of her plans. Or she is using him as well as a scapegoat.
I don't know she is too cold and evil. She tried to kill her grandfather, tried to kill Alice many times, tried to kill Alan and killed her father and Mona. These are her family members. She also killed Alice's lady-in-waiting who disguised as her, Petra and other people who were involved. She may have gotten others to do it, but she still is the one.
Anyway, the story became more interesting when Princess Kate finally revealed her true self, plans and her actions. I love this actress, she should get more main roles, I mostly see her in supporting roles or as second lead. Only once I saw her as a main character in 'Kularb Fai.'
Putting the story aside, I love the main leads, their chemistry and their interactions, they are cute together :D I loved how they argued, tried to compromise, protected each other, cared for each other, etc. They were like a married couple, even if their marriage was fake. But now, they are kind of apart since Dawin pushed her away because she's a princess. They will definitely end up together anyway :)
Also, I Iove the other potential couples or the hints they gave us. But since the main leads are not together yet, the other couples are not going to be together any time soon + we will get a brief romance, uhh. I wanted to see more, but that's not the focus of this lakorn.
Also, awesome acting of all actors + awesome action scenes + beautiful places were shown :D
I continue watching......
currently watching and on ep 11....
Ok, I loved that the main leads resolved their misunderstanding in one episode and I love that they are together + awesome chemistry + awesome kisses :D They are so cute together <3 <3
However, the story is getting a bit draggy or should I say boring. Ok, I loved it when the leads appear and have romantic scenes, but the rest of the story is getting boring.
Ok, we have another plot ongoing about the bubbles paintings + that the idol Si An and Ryan Gold are both obsessed with collecting them. It's nothing special but I am kind of curious of how that will turn out.
I think that the painter is Ryan's real mother or someone who used to be close to him. But I also think that Sung Duk Mi's mother is also involved in this + I think the main leads knew each other when they were younger.
How the idol Si An is involved in this I have no idea. But my theory is that maybe Si An turns out to be the younger brother of Ryan as Sung Duk Mi did say that Ryan looks similar to Si An when they met at the auction in the beginning of the drama and later on her friend also said that he looks like Si An.
Anyway, I'll see what happens next.......
EDIT: On ep 15....
I guessed as Si An turned out to be Ryan's brother and Lee Sol is Ryan's mother.
Also, the reason why she left him was because his mother was in an accident. Ok, I get that she was in an accident, but how could she not look for her son more or post pictures or put his face in the news, or whatever after she healed. It's looks like she gave up too quickly and ran away to America or what ever place she went to. I don't know what to think or say.
Anyway, on the positive note, I'm glad that he found his real mother.
Also, Sung Duk Mi's mother and father took him in and feed him and at first decided to wait for his mother. Then, apparently a month passed, they had money problems and took him to the orphanage as they could not keep him.
I was like she should have called the police immediately after she found him wondering alone and at least keep him for a day, but not for a month! If I know correctly police work immediately when dealing with children and do not wait for 24 hrs, so she could have called the police and told them that she found a child.
And if Ryan's real mother asked the police as well for help, she could have found him. The police are not stupid, and if they were given enough details, 1+1=2 and they could have know right away that details from Ryan's real mother and Sung Duk Mi's mother matched. Also, Ryan as a young child did remember his Korean name, so there couldn't have been problems!
But apparently, both Ryan's real mother and Sung Duk Mi's mother decided to do what they wanted, gave up quickly and threw Ryan away. What the heck! This does not make any sense at all!
If I was Ryan, I don't think I would forgive them, but since this is a light drama, with a definite happy ending + his girlfriend is also involved in this = let's forgive everyone, be merry and happy.
Ok, since this drama is aimed for that way, I'll just ignore what happened, calm down and focus on the relationship of the main leads.
Also, I'm glad that Ryan's back to painting after 3 years, as his trauma healed.
Moreover, all of a sudden, Sung Duk Mi had a little brother who died when they were in a car accident and she forgot about it and her little brother when she woke up. I was like, where did this come from? They never mentioned her little brother, and I was like what the heck!! It was like it was included to fill in the episode, uhh!
Btw, I agree with some comments below, that the plot is meh, especially from episode 13 onwards + for me it does not make any sense in this last few episode, my reasons is what I mentioned above.
EDIT 2: Conclusion:
Anyway, despite all the flaws the story had, I enjoyed it :) I loved the main leads, the characters and great acting as well + happy ending for everyone <3
currently watching.....and on episode 8
The story is nothing special or out of this world and it seems like the usual office drama, but what I like from this drama is that the setting is based on an Art Gallery.
I rarely watch dramas about curators, the work they do, how they prepare for an exhibitions, how they contact artists, etc. So even though it seems the usual office drama, the focus on art, paintings, photographs, artists, etc, this one got my interest. I think it's my first time watching a k-drama about what I mentioned above.
Also, another thing that got my interest is the behind-the-scenes work, Sung Duk Mi does. It's definitely my first time seeing a k-drama about a fan girl. Usually fan girls are mostly portraited as obsessive, as stalkers, etc, and kept in the background. It's usually the negative side, however in this drama we also see their positive side.
Ok, the drama shows their negative side, like they go as far as assaulting Sung Duk Mi because they think that she is dating the idol, Si An. The irony is that she is a fan of this idol as well. However, I definitely do not agree of this, that's a crime!
However, through Sung Duk Mi we see the positive side of it, why they find it enjoyable, the words and terms they use as fan girls, the pilgrimage (they follow the same places an idol goes), etc. I found that really interesting and enjoyable. Also, at times hilarious, as the Sung Duk Mi and her best friend do anything for their idol.
Although, I do not understand why Sung Duk Mi and other people get obsessed with idols, actors, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like actors for their awesome acting, singers for their awesome voices and songs or I like their looks or their style for fashion, etc, but I never get obsessed with a person I don't personally know. Ok, I can know them as public figures, but I don't personally know them. Also, I can be their fan, but they won't know me.
However, what I can understand is that people have hobbies, work they get obsessed of and also ways how to escape the pain of every day life or ways how to get yourself happy, etc. For example, I am obsessed with stories, movies, dramas, series, cartoons, animations, books, etc. I love stories and I can get pretty obsessed with it, so I can understand that part. I get really excited when I watch something new or original :D
So, my main focus on watching in this case Asian dramas are stories. However to be honest, I do watch dramas based on actors who have awesome acting skills, or have awesome chemistry with other actors. Sometimes, I am content with the story but sometimes I regret it, since the story does not get my interest even with awesome actors.
To stop blabbering about myself, and continue on this drama. Ok, so those are the interesting parts I found in this drama, however, these are not the main focus of this drama, as it is mostly focusing on the romance of the main leads. I'm not complaining though, the leads are cute together and have awesome chemistry <3
And currently they are in a fake relationships because of many reasons. Also, the leads finally are certain that they love each other, but because of the second leads, Sung Duk Mi decided to end their fake relationship and are now further apart, uhh! This is the usual plot. Anyway, I hope they resolve their misunderstanding soon.
Btw, I also like that the story is enjoyable, hilarious, fun, has good characters and has good actors :) It is also light, fluffy and cute <3
I admit it wasn't perfect though, as I did fast forward some episodes as at times it made me feel frustrated. I also took many breaks when watching it, like one time I stopped for 5 days, however I also went back to continue it, I was curious to see what will happen next. Anyway, I loved it :D
I also loved all the actors, their characters and their awesome acting :D I loved how their crying was so realistic, most of them got red eyes in the crying scenes, I rarely see that.
Also, I really wanted a happy ending for the main characters, and even after all the pain, torture, etc they went through, the main leads yes, they got together finally :D And for the second leads, yes they were the villains but they repented so they kind of got a happy ending.
You can say this story was light from the usual historical dramas. Yes ok, there were many deaths, many bad stuff, etc. But from the usual historical k-dramas I watched, this one was pretty light, and I was glad as I expected a tragic ending.
For the main characters:
-I loved Solnan. She reminded me of Mulan. She did everything for her family, literally, especially for her sister Solhi. She vowed to kill her, but I knew she wouldn't. Solnan valued blood a lot like her real father, the King.
Also, even finding out Kuchon wasn't her real father, she still vowed to get revenge after his death. So, she also valued people who she saw as her family, even if they really weren't.
We got to see Solnan change from an innocent child to a mature woman. She went through a lot. I mostly remember vividly those scenes when she wanted to get into the Band and they put her in a fighting arena with men and they hit her like she was nothing. And she after she got hit multiple times, slept outside in the rain, not eat for days, etc, she turned into a ferocious tiger.
It wasn't pretty, but it was necessary for her survival and at that time to find her sister. That moment I was like wow she did it, she's so mentally strong and witty. Yeah, she could not match a man's strength (at least at that time, she still was not trained or not taught how to fight well yet) and so she used her brain.
I mostly loved her wit, her keen sight to things, her strong mind, etc and how she was able to keep sane, caring and loving even after all the things she went through and how she found out that her beloved sister actually lied to her, took her place as a sister, tried to kill her, killed other people and harm the King and the Crown Prince (whom Solnan loved as well).
Even in the beginning, she was more carefree, more trustful, more happy, but as time went by, complicated stuff reveled, she become more serious, more polite, more suspicious, etc. Even though I missed her old self, I loved her new one. Deep down she kept her old self, but she improved to the better, especially at the end she accepted the Crown Prince (now King) and we assume she becomes the Queen,
-For Kuchon, he wasn't perfect and he was an assassin, but I loved how much he cared and loved Lady Chaewea, Solnan and Solhi. He did everything for them. I loved how he smiled. I kind of wanted him to live, and when he did, they killed him again, that part was so sad. I also loved the part when he helped a small boy and freed him, it shows that he has feelings, compassion and love.
-For the King Mu Ryeong. It was the first time I saw a King like this. Actually, he is one of the best Kings I ever saw. For once, he is not greedy or crazy, but truly wants the best for his people and for his country at the expense of hurting himself and his family.
Also, he was humble, knew his strengths, his weaknesses, his sins, his rights, his wrong doings, etc. Ok he wasn't perfect, but I loved how he knew that but did his best to rule in a good way. Also, at the end he died of an illness, and he impressed me when he said that all his killings in battles finally caught up to him. That shows that even though he fought for his country, he felt guilty in killing soldiers of his country's enemies.
-For the Crown Prince. He was a jerk to Solnan in the beginning and hated him when he used her as an object. However, as time when by, thanks to Solnan, he softened and began to cherish people. Ok he did that to please the King, but still he was too cold in the beginning. Anyway, when he finally saw Solnan as a woman, he changed a lot and I liked how he cared and treated Solnan well.
For the romance part between the leads, they were cute and we saw some cute kiss scenes and their chemistry was not out of this world, but it was ok. I found them cute togther :)
-For Solhi, I hated her. She was really ugly, greedy, selfish, murderer, jealous, etc. She did everything to get what she wanted, to keep her position as princess, especially killing people and attempting to murder her sister multiple times. She even collaborated with Paeche's enemies to keep her position, what the heck! She had no form of loyalty at all!
The sisters were different as day and night. I wished her to die multiple times, but I did pity her many times, and I'm glad she did not die. She should live while remembering what she did and pay for her sins somehow.
-For Jinmu, he was evil sometimes, but he wasn't truly that evil. Yeah he did lots of gave mistakes, but most of the time, he did not mean them. I really pitied him. He was actually the King's son, but was lead to believe he was another King's son. He was just mixed into a really complicated mess. I still say that the King was wrong of him to switch his son with his cousin's (ex-King) son. He made everything worse.
-Other characters, I liked were Sudo and Chaun.
-The people in the Band.
Anyway, I do not remember all the names, but all characters were important to the story.
Conclusion:
Definitely worth watching it :) It is long and I did fast forward some parts, but I loved it :D It took me a lot time to watch this drama, but I'm glad I finally did ^_^
Interesting article btw :) Also, thank you for the recommendations, I haven't watched any of these dramas yet.
It was not perfect and I fast forward some scenes, but it is not bad either. I think it is worth a watch :)
Also, it has an ending but the leads need to continue their mission to protect from the 12 sacred trees from being destroyed and prevent the human world getting sucked by the spirit world. So it kind of does not have an ending.
I don't know if they will continue it or not as it has been 2 years, but if they decide to continue it, I would watch it :)
currently on ep 14.....
Ok I guessed that Popeye was the Prosecutor, yay me :D But for the other boys, apparently one was dead and the other one, I don't remember, but it was definitely not Joseph. So, I did not guess on that one.
However, Joseph is one of the priest's trusted and loyal man and who knows about this Book of Revelation aka financial book and who definitely won't reveal anything.
And so, they targeted the Town Mayor from the island who also knew about this book. It was a great plan to get into jail. They fooled me well, at first I thought the politician and the priest who framed Chun Jae In, but it was all a plan :D I loved how they recreated the 10 plagues of Egypt from the bible.
Also, Kim Dam's powers leveled up and became more awesome, I love how she embraced her gift :D I wish she did it earlier before her father (who adopted her) died. Her mother called it an illness, but it is part of her and you cannot remove it. Yeah, it is difficult and painful, but running away from it won't get you anywhere, I'm glad she's using it to fight the villains, I hope they succeed.
For the prosecutor, I wished that he switched to the good side. He kind of wants to, but he is afraid or maybe it is too late. I don't know, I really want him to have a happy ending somehow, but I have a feeling that he won't. I really pity him, but as Kim Dam said he choose the bad side.
Yes, it wasn't his fault about the poisoned wine that killed those 31 people on the island as he did not know. Also, he was a child so maybe he did not exactly have a choice at that age, but he was intelligent and he could have tried to get them to jail or tell the police or get evidence after he grew up. I don't know, I cannot blame him or hate him completely. But still, he did many bad things like corruption, murders, etc, so I'm hoping that he makes amends, says the truth and admits all his and the priests' and the politician's sins.
EDIT: Finished! :D
I'm so glad that the prosecutor decided to switch sides! He got inspired by Kim Dam/Byul.
Also, I'm so relief that the prosecutor lived! I thought that he died, but Chun Jae In made it look like he died.
It is a bitter sweet ending, as like Chun Jae In said it may look like a happy ending, but lots of people died for it to come at this point. At least, I'm glad that they prevent the second attempt of a 'mass suicide'. Also, the bad guys and those who did wrong got what they deserved. Anyway, I see it as a happy ending :)
Anyway, I loved this drama :D It may have started as boring, bu after episode 5, it really got interesting, addicting and awesome to watch. Definitely worth a watch ^_^ Also, I loved all the casts, they've all done well and awesome acting :D