Featuring a somewhat historical biography of Yi San (aka King Jeongjo) of Joseon, this drama was more heavily…
Yeah , I agree with you on Red Sleeve being a drama , all about romance.
I am already familiar with King Jeongjo from the dramas, YiSan (2007) and Sungkyunkwan scandal (2010)(aka love story evolved around intense fight bet Noron and Soron )
I also have basic knowledge about Joseon political system which was based on Jeong Do-Jeon foundation of the king being monitored by nobles ( aka scholars ). That's why Joseon monarchs were less powerful than the Chinese emperors who wielded absolute monarchy. ( Hence YiSan's favorism and duty towards his other consorts who were from powerful Noron & Soron Noble Factions ).
I have already watched Dong Yi and The Throne and so I know enough things about YiSan's grandpa,King Yeongjo and his father,CP Sado.
That's why I can enjoy TRS as great love story (Like a Shakespeare tragedy )as it was presented.
A lot of historical details are not covered in TRS. MBC being the same production station behind megahit ,YiSan ( 2007 ) and their targeted audience mainly being Koreans who have known these facts, this is intentional. But it will be difficult for I viewers, who don't know Korean history ,to enjoy the TRS.
It is just a melodrama about the epic love tale of the King Jeongjo and Lady Uibin Seong. Well , considering King Jeongjo did all the things in the name of his love for lady Uibin Seong , if this is not an epic love tale , what would it be ?
But like the theme heavily featured in TRS 'Their difference in social patriachy '; he was the king ,so he could leave the records of his epic love while nobody can know the exact reasons of Uibin's rejections even to this day.
The rejections may be due to exactly what she said about Queen Hyoui and her humble origin ( She was friends with YiSan's Queen and well , sleeping with the friend's husband is strange if you are the good one ).
They could be due to the fact she simply didn't like King Jeongjo (Well, I doubt King Jeongjo was as hot and swoon worthy as Jun Ho )
Or may be others.
TRS was told from one of the possible reasons of her being a free spirited court lady ,so she wouldn't accept proposal.
Cause you know, being married to the King in those days of Joseon are not Cindrella-ish as naive people think , especially you came from the humble background.
Featuring a somewhat historical biography of Yi San (aka King Jeongjo) of Joseon, this drama was more heavily…
For those who wanna watch the proper biography of King Jeongjo , I suggest to watch 'YiSan ( 2007 ) , which I still love very much .
YiSan (2007 ) focus on life and achievements of King Jeongjo while romance with Lady Uibin Seong is an integral part, but not the main focus.
Though the biography of Lady Uibin is less historically accurate than in Red Sleeve ( Her being a damo , Lady Hyegyeong didn't agree to their union ,etc ) , it will be a great watch for those, who are curious about the life of one of the greatest kings of Joseon, King Jeongjo , the great.
Also , on a superficial note, Lee Seojin was still young and hot in that role and Han Jimin is pretty to look at . Their chemistry is pretty strong in that drama.
Although everyone is tired of the childhood connection trope in sageuks, I think Yi San and Deok Im indeed were…
I may be an avid fan today. But to tell you the truth, it was my least expected sageuk last year cause I love YiSan ( 2007 ) so much and I doubted RS could surpass it.
It seemed like a high risk remake for everyone, but I am glad it is so well received.
It is not only a rating hit but also a sensation on OTT platform too.(Korean Wavve and Taiwan Friday) A popular one among both younger and older audience.
No wonder both of our leads are still busy with CF.
Although everyone is tired of the childhood connection trope in sageuks, I think Yi San and Deok Im indeed were childhood playmates.
They were thought to have first meeting during the mourning period of CP Sado and DI consoled YiSan. That's why DI was like first love to YiSan.
They changed it to the San's grandmom, Yeongbin in RS because they wanted it to be different from the first meeting in YiSan ( 2007 ).
Like said in Knowing bros with Seyoung as a guest, shooting a drama that has the same plot as mega rating hit ( YiSan 2007 was ) ,is the hurdle to everyone.
Yeah, every Korean loves King Jeongjo , so if the plot is well made, they may watch it. But it is not a sure thing.
Although in the same era, Sado ( The Throne ) was well received , but Secret Door was not.
He is hilarious in A Business Proposal with that face mask. Someone posted it on Twitter.
Hehe, I adore LDH as a grandpa now. The concerned grandpa roles suit him better than those rigid chaebol chairman roles he played before.
When they were on RS talk show ; Junho actually act like a lovesick boy and lost to Seyoung in Chamchamcham battle, Lee Deok Hwa scolded 'Are you crazy ' like a real grandpa . This is the most adorable thing in my memory.
It is my first time seeing such a detail heavy drama. Even the things in the scenes have some meanings of symbolic importance. The drama doesn't explain everything in heavy dialogues , the inner feelings of our beloved couple are told in fine detailed scenes and it lets the viewers do their own interpretation ( like the art of a poem or painting ).
Ah i finished this Drama and IT was super depressing.. can Somebody explain the ending? I really don't understand…
As per novel and also what the actors said in BTS and Special episode ( Holding onto Red Sleeve ), the last scene is when San is on the verge of death.
When he is on the verge of death, his mind remembers and wanders to the time when he is the happiest .
If he opens that door, he will wake up in real life. ( He will continue his life as the King ).
But this time , he chooses to stay with Deok Im , knowing this is a choice he can make .
Like San's dialogue , this may be the dream he has on his verge of death or the afterlife after his death, but whatever it is, he chooses his Beloved Deok Im this time ,like Deok Im did for him when she was alive.
(We dream when we sleep, sometimes we get a dream too good that we don't wanna wake up from that dream . It may be that kind of feeling )
This is a lot coming from San, because he wants to be a king in next life too , per his discussions with his lecturers in episode 1 and also confirmed in ep 16 .
But this time , he gives it up for Deok Im .
This means there is no social patriachy ( the biggest villain of their love story ) between them anymore, so Deok Im can love him as a man starting from that moment.
***** Some audience want the happy ending , so the director make it seem like a premonition dream San gets in his sleep ,too. Rather than being busy, San gives more time to be with Deok Im before her death .
≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥
But as my fav blogger said on her blog , is there really a happy or sad ending for the Red Sleeve? It's based on Real History and the tragic events will eventually happen anyway. Both of them died 300 years ago and this was their love story .
So I prefer the Sappy ( Sad and Happy ) ending described above. It is more aligned with what actors said ,too.
****** San and Deok Im can never understand their love for each other because they never see eye to eye due to their social patriachy.
As the audience, we see how much King Jeongjo loves Lady Uibin Seong ( the Park in which he grew trees as a rememberance of her name , the letters of how much he missed her. Mostly , he personally wrote 'I love You ' on her epitaph which was never done by a King before.
But for Uibin Seong, he is not only her husband but also her master . As a woman who is intelligent and reads a lot, she knows the fate of the Kings' women before her . As much as she wants it to be, she will never be a normal wife to San. She will be cautious around him all the time. She would be afraid of being abandoned like a low concubine when San becomes tired of her because San has the power to do so ( remember the 10 days after their first night ) ; her son can't even call her as mother ( because her son CP Munhyo is the first born of King and adopted by the queen per Royal customs ).
San, too , will never understand the full picture of Deok Im's love either because her sacrifices will be invisible to him .
( For example , DI makes money by transcribing books but as a concubine, she doesn't need to worry about money anymore ,so in the eyes of San's and most people, it is better for her anyway. But 'Transcribing books' is her hobby and her pride though it does make little money, and she can't do that anymore in her concubine position.)
This is confirmed by the scene he casts away the yellow pouch without understanding its meanings among Deok Im belongings .
Tropey , but actually poking fun at its own tropes. It reminds me of 'Extraordinary You' at the start of that drama. **** Still don't know about romance ( no groundbreaking chemistry yet ), but comedy is quite good, I actually laughed out loud while watching the first 2 episodes.
Come for Lee Deok Hwa , whom I adored him as grandpa Yeongjo ,has a good role here again.
But I do wish the writer showed more of Yisan's affectionate side, especially when he finds out that Deokim was…
Well, even in 2007 version, there is a similar scene Jeongjo needs to prioritize his duty as a King over the role as her husband; Jeongjo must be a model king.
Considering his queen and concubine Yoon were from powerful Noble Noron and Soron factions, he needed to balance his favorism to some degree.
But that aside, I wish it has extended at least one episode more. The novel version has more lovey dovey scenes ( as well as more cruel sides of YiSan as the King and gives the clear reasons why Deok Im becomes disappointed with San) If not for the MBC budget , we might see them in the drama.
I can't help ,but still following JLML 718 novel translation and 'Unlock the red sleeve ' chats . Comparison of Real Life Jeongjo , Novel YiSan Vs Drama version , reading is very fun.
As an avid fan of Yi San ( 2007 ) and still loving that version, that kind and gentle version of Jeongjo is my textbook imagination of a benevolent king.
Both Novel and Drama versions of Red Sleeve YiSan are bolder & more arrogant than Yi San (2007) version. ( Should I say Younger person vibe of energy 'Bold and Confident ') .
But considering Jeongjo punished Deok Im's maid after her second rejection per historical texts, real life Yi San had his own emotional outbursts like a true privileged Royal when he didn't get what he wanted , though he was thought to be a kind and gentle king. I feel connected with the Red Sleeve version .
Still the novel version of YiSan has the most alpha male vibes among all ,so I am glad the screenwriter toned down the arrogance of his character to create the drama version .
As fusion sageuks portray the Royal characters with modern sensibilities lately, even the Drama YiSan came out too strong and arrogant for some sensitive audience with strong sense of feminism.
At what point in history does this story end? Aka does it end before the events of 1786?
No , the event in 1786 still happened in last episode.
Some said you can skip ep 17 if you want happy ending, but in my opinion , I don't agree with it because the whole plot won't be perfect without the actual ending. Very emotional , but a satisfying conclusion for both of them.
One of my most favorite genres is historical romance. While I tend to read reviews first even before watching my most favorite genre ( thriller modern dramas ), I blindly watch 1st or 2nd episode of sageuks to know whether it is my show or not. Chinese ones have too many episodes and there are a lot of shows per year, so I read reviews first.
Coincidentally, I rarely ship onscreen pairing in my 20 +years of drama watching;but the two ships I love are from historical romance.
One pair is Deng Lun and Yang Zhi from Ashes of Love while the other pair is from recently finished Red Sleeve Cuff, Junho and Lee Seyoung. The highly captivated romance in dramas plus their BTS make me interested in both dramas. Of course, the first ship never sails though. But I am a light shipper , not a hardcore one because shipping can be annoying to both actors if they only have business type of relationship. ( Pardon me for my insane mumblings. )
But I agree with you , for the reasons written by you, I find historical dramas very romantic.
My rating 3/ 10..it doesn’t deserve 8, 9 don’t be fooled with by the high rating and watch rather sth cheerful…
By your logic, Titanic or Romeo and Juliet story would never become a classic. I understand we can't do anything with your personal taste or rating. But there are different people and among them, there will be some who love a heart touching love story even though it ends with tragic ending. It doesn't mean the drama deserves a bad rating just because it's a melodrama.
K-Drama 
2 
I am already familiar with King Jeongjo from the dramas, YiSan (2007) and Sungkyunkwan scandal (2010)(aka love story evolved around intense fight bet Noron and Soron )
I also have basic knowledge about Joseon political system which was based on Jeong Do-Jeon foundation of
the king being monitored by nobles ( aka scholars ).
That's why Joseon monarchs were less powerful than the Chinese emperors who wielded absolute monarchy. ( Hence YiSan's favorism and duty towards his other consorts who were from powerful Noron & Soron Noble Factions ).
I have already watched Dong Yi and The Throne and so I know enough things about YiSan's grandpa,King Yeongjo and his father,CP Sado.
That's why I can enjoy TRS as great love story (Like a Shakespeare tragedy )as it was presented.
A lot of historical details are not covered in TRS.
MBC being the same production station behind megahit ,YiSan ( 2007 ) and their targeted audience mainly being Koreans who have known these facts, this is intentional.
But it will be difficult for I viewers, who don't know Korean history ,to enjoy the TRS.
It is just a melodrama about the epic love tale of the King Jeongjo and Lady Uibin Seong.
Well , considering King Jeongjo did all the things in the name of his love for lady Uibin Seong , if this is not an epic love tale , what would it be ?
But like the theme heavily featured in TRS 'Their difference in social patriachy '; he was the king ,so he could leave the records of his epic love while nobody can know the exact reasons of Uibin's rejections even to this day.
The rejections may be due to exactly what she said about Queen Hyoui and her humble origin ( She was friends with YiSan's Queen and well , sleeping with the friend's husband is strange if you are the good one ).
They could be due to the fact she simply didn't like King Jeongjo (Well, I doubt King Jeongjo was as hot and swoon worthy as Jun Ho )
Or may be others.
TRS was told from one of the possible reasons of her being a free spirited court lady ,so she wouldn't accept proposal.
Cause you know, being married to the King in those days of Joseon are not Cindrella-ish as naive people think , especially you came from the humble background.
YiSan (2007 ) focus on life and achievements of King Jeongjo while romance with Lady Uibin Seong is an integral part, but not the main focus.
Though the biography of Lady Uibin is less historically accurate than in Red Sleeve
( Her being a damo , Lady Hyegyeong didn't agree to their union ,etc ) , it will be a great watch for those, who are curious about the life of one of the greatest kings of Joseon, King Jeongjo , the great.
Also , on a superficial note, Lee Seojin was still young and hot in that role and Han Jimin is pretty to look at .
Their chemistry is pretty strong in that drama.
Some said the plot was boring while some said LJH didn't suit the role of CP Sado.
You might find some opinions on dramabeans.
But to tell you the truth, it was my least expected sageuk last year cause I love YiSan ( 2007 ) so much and I doubted RS could surpass it.
It seemed like a high risk remake for everyone, but I am glad it is so well received.
It is not only a rating hit but also a sensation on OTT platform too.(Korean Wavve and Taiwan Friday)
A popular one among both younger and older audience.
No wonder both of our leads are still busy with CF.
They were thought to have first meeting during the mourning period of CP Sado and DI consoled YiSan.
That's why DI was like first love to YiSan.
They changed it to the San's grandmom, Yeongbin in RS because they wanted it to be different from the first meeting in YiSan ( 2007 ).
Like said in Knowing bros with Seyoung as a guest, shooting a drama that has the same plot as mega rating hit ( YiSan 2007 was ) ,is the hurdle to everyone.
Yeah, every Korean loves King Jeongjo , so if the plot is well made, they may watch it.
But it is not a sure thing.
Although in the same era, Sado ( The Throne ) was well received , but Secret Door was not.
Go to novel translation section
The couple is worth it though.
The concerned grandpa roles suit him better than those rigid chaebol chairman roles he played before.
When they were on RS talk show ; Junho actually act like a lovesick boy and lost to Seyoung in Chamchamcham battle, Lee Deok Hwa scolded 'Are you crazy ' like a real grandpa .
This is the most adorable thing in my memory.
It is my first time seeing such a detail heavy drama.
Even the things in the scenes have some meanings of symbolic importance.
The drama doesn't explain everything in heavy dialogues , the inner feelings of our beloved couple are told in fine detailed scenes and it lets the viewers do their own interpretation ( like the art of a poem or painting ).
When he is on the verge of death, his mind remembers and wanders to the time when he is the happiest .
If he opens that door, he will wake up in real life. ( He will continue his life as the King ).
But this time , he chooses to stay with Deok Im , knowing this is a choice he can make .
Like San's dialogue , this may be the dream he has on his verge of death or the afterlife after his death, but whatever it is, he chooses his Beloved Deok Im this time ,like Deok Im did for him when she was alive.
(We dream when we sleep, sometimes we get a dream too good that we don't wanna wake up from that dream . It may be that kind of feeling )
This is a lot coming from San, because he wants to be a king in next life too , per his discussions with his lecturers in episode 1 and also confirmed in ep 16 .
But this time , he gives it up for Deok Im .
This means there is no social patriachy ( the biggest villain of their love story ) between them anymore, so Deok Im can love him as a man starting from that moment.
*****
Some audience want the happy ending , so the director make it seem like a premonition dream San gets in his sleep ,too.
Rather than being busy, San gives more time to be with Deok Im before her death .
≤≥≤≥≤≥≤≥
But as my fav blogger said on her blog , is there really a happy or sad ending for the Red Sleeve?
It's based on Real History and the tragic events will eventually happen anyway. Both of them died 300 years ago and this was their love story .
So I prefer the Sappy ( Sad and Happy ) ending described above.
It is more aligned with what actors said ,too.
******
San and Deok Im can never understand their love for each other because they never see eye to eye due to their social patriachy.
As the audience, we see how much King Jeongjo loves Lady Uibin Seong ( the Park in which he grew trees as a rememberance of her name , the letters of how much he missed her. Mostly , he personally wrote 'I love You ' on her epitaph which was never done by a King before.
But for Uibin Seong, he is not only her husband but also her master . As a woman who is intelligent and reads a lot, she knows the fate of the Kings' women before her . As much as she wants it to be, she will never be a normal wife to San.
She will be cautious around him all the time.
She would be afraid of being abandoned like a low concubine when San becomes tired of her because San has the power to do so ( remember the 10 days after their first night ) ; her son can't even call her as mother ( because her son CP Munhyo is the first born of King and adopted by the queen per Royal customs ).
San, too , will never understand the full picture of Deok Im's love either because her sacrifices will be invisible to him .
( For example , DI makes money by transcribing books but as a concubine, she doesn't need to worry about money anymore ,so in the eyes of San's and most people, it is better for her anyway.
But 'Transcribing books' is her hobby and her pride though it does make little money, and she can't do that anymore in her concubine position.)
This is confirmed by the scene he casts away the yellow pouch without understanding its meanings among Deok Im belongings .
It reminds me of 'Extraordinary You' at the start of that drama.
****
Still don't know about romance
( no groundbreaking chemistry yet ), but comedy is quite good, I actually laughed out loud while watching the first 2 episodes.
Come for Lee Deok Hwa , whom I adored him as grandpa Yeongjo ,has a good role here again.
because of Lee Deok Hwa.
😅I need some connection with Red Sleeve.
Considering his queen and concubine Yoon were from powerful Noble Noron and Soron factions, he needed to balance his favorism to some degree.
But that aside, I wish it has extended at least one episode more.
The novel version has more lovey dovey scenes ( as well as more cruel sides of YiSan as the King and gives the clear reasons why Deok Im becomes disappointed with San)
If not for the MBC budget , we might see them in the drama.
Comparison of Real Life Jeongjo , Novel YiSan Vs Drama version , reading is very fun.
As an avid fan of Yi San ( 2007 ) and still loving that version, that kind and gentle version of Jeongjo is my textbook imagination of a benevolent king.
Both Novel and Drama versions of Red Sleeve YiSan are bolder & more arrogant than Yi San (2007) version.
( Should I say Younger person vibe of energy
'Bold and Confident ') .
But considering Jeongjo punished Deok Im's maid after her second rejection per historical texts, real life Yi San had his own emotional outbursts like a true privileged Royal when he didn't get what he wanted , though he was thought to be a kind and gentle king.
I feel connected with the Red Sleeve version .
Still the novel version of YiSan has the most alpha male vibes among all ,so I am glad the screenwriter toned down the arrogance of his character to create the drama version .
As fusion sageuks portray the Royal characters with modern sensibilities lately, even the Drama YiSan came out too strong and arrogant for some sensitive audience with strong sense of feminism.
Some said you can skip ep 17 if you want happy ending, but in my opinion , I don't agree with it because the whole plot won't be perfect without the actual ending.
Very emotional , but a satisfying conclusion for both of them.
While I tend to read reviews first even before watching my most favorite genre ( thriller modern dramas ), I blindly watch 1st or 2nd episode of sageuks to know whether it is my show or not.
Chinese ones have too many episodes and there are a lot of shows per year, so I read reviews first.
Coincidentally, I rarely ship onscreen pairing in my 20 +years of drama watching;but the two ships I love are from historical romance.
One pair is Deng Lun and Yang Zhi from Ashes of Love while the other pair is from recently finished Red Sleeve Cuff, Junho and Lee Seyoung.
The highly captivated romance in dramas plus their BTS make me interested in both dramas.
Of course, the first ship never sails though.
But I am a light shipper , not a hardcore one because shipping can be annoying to both actors if they only have business type of relationship.
( Pardon me for my insane mumblings. )
But I agree with you , for the reasons written by you, I find historical dramas very romantic.
I understand we can't do anything with your personal taste or rating.
But there are different people and among them, there will be some who love a heart touching love story even though it ends with tragic ending.
It doesn't mean the drama deserves a bad rating just because it's a melodrama.