Maybe its just me but I didn't understand who the woman was i think in the last episode. She played Ae Suns mother and she was also at the end with a picture of a family and it showed a girl picking Ae Suns ring I think. If anyone can explain that whole part it would be great. The rest of the drama was amazing especially young Ae Sun and Gwan Sik and their son was hilarious.
It's basically a glossier, slicker and modern version of BOF with a bigger and now some very famous (well known) cast members. Both of Lee Min Ho's dramas were OTT and had cringy lines, similar tropes, but BOF is iconic and Lee Min Ho's character in that as the ultimate original rich arrogant bad boy was unforgettable and even though he was playing a similar rich boy role here, it just lacked something...that oomph! - in other words if another actor had played this role it would have had the same impact for me, neither good or bad, just blah. I have a soft spot for Lee Min Ho and like Kim Ji Won so they were my main motivation for watching this and I'll say it passed the time but that's about it for me.
I did a rewatch recently and tbh it does bring back nostalgia and the storyline is quite addictive with no boring parts as it always introduces new plots and twists, but I still am not convinced with the fl and wish she fought more for her love and not just make blank faces constantly.
The story is heart-warming and it has it's charm. There are all the tropes you see nowadays, the OST was and is still addictive. I can overlook or ignore some of the OTT acting, outdated fashion, the visuals, clichés because of when it came out-its an older drama. However, the fl was just unwatchable at times. As pointed out its not that she's unattractive or not cute (she wasn't supposed to be a beauty anyway in the story), but I will admit when she smiled it was sweet and endearing (just wished she did it more). Maybe if she did that more instead of yelling and doing wierd expressions constantly then it would be easier to like her. She had a lack of awareness at all times. I wish sometimes she would say loving words or show affection, it was always GJO initiating whilst she stood blank and stiff in intimate scenes or was just unresponsive. To me GJP's fiance portrayed her love for him better and probably deserved him more at the end. Alot of their problems could also have been solved if they had communicated better instead of running away or yelling or acting on impulse. Jandi was also unfaithful to the male lead which didn't sit right with me. She just came across as a cheat and gold digger in the earlier episodes. She never should have accepted to be his girlfriend and his gifts if she liked another guy. GJO wasn't perfect by any means but he was actually trying to change, lavished gifts on her, whisked her away on his private plane to an island. He wasn't her first choice or first love. Lee Min Ho played the handsome rich arrogant jerk perfectly. He was the best part of the drama and this drama was the first to introduce me to the world of kdramas.
An unforgettable and truly magnificent drama with an amazing cast and mesmerising performances by HJW and JCW.…
Found out there was an advertising campaign which included a short modern day love story with the leads together (Nyang and Tawhan) around the same time empress ki was running which meant Tawhan was already forecasted to be the main romantic lead and with empress ki till the end. He must have been a hit with the viewers as it's their love story that continued.... I only wish it had been made into a series.
A great fast paced action drama! Lots of violence but still had soul. The story was engaging and kept my attention throughout. There were conflicts and character developments. The leads all had strong solid storylines which were convincing and believable and the best part, is that it was a female-driven story. The actress was spectacular in the action scenes and suited this role well.
Oh my! What a special and bittersweet drama. Just wished the main couple had more time together. This was my first time watching the main lead (BWS) and I was immediately struck by his looks and onscreen presence. I instantly became a fan so I wanted to watch another of his more recent dramas but made the unfortunate mistake of watching Strong girl Nam soon (thinking he would be the male lead). Turns out he wasn't, however on the up side he was the only thing worth watching for (aesthetically and acting wise) as the rest was a complete mess. Back to 20th CG KYJ is amazing as usual. She always comes across so natural in her acting - it doesn't feel like she's acting (if that makes sense). Anyway yes, this was a unique drama that delivers emotionally and no I wasn't prepared for the ending but loved the drama ❤️
A lovely slow paced slice of real life drama that tells a beautiful story of a simple hard working family. There are no thrills or passionate scenes or OTT charcters. I love this type of story telling and if the cast can portray the characters well then its a bonus. The fl hardly spoke in the earlier episodes, she used her expressions to convey her emotions which were done brilliantly and the male lead was perfect as the antihero. It was nuanced performances. This wasn't a romance but the moments between the main couple were tingling and I felt she had better chemistry with him than with the ml in Queen of Tears which is supposed to be her best work and couple pairing.
Amazing Amazing Amazing! Loved the intrictate details in the plot and all the layers of emotions the characters displayed, especially from the 3 main leads. They were phenomenal and the main leads had one of the best chemistry I've seen in a drama. This is probably in my top 5, it was that good 👍
Had potential to be a great drama considering who the main casts were regardless of their age difference (which wasn't even noticeable). The drama wasted them on stupid characters like the (controversial) best friends and the unnecessarily dragged out girlfriend story. The main couple hardly got any screen time as a romantic couple as they ended up together very late in the drama and by the time the main lead finally acknowledged his feelings for the female lead it just felt underwhelming and a rebound relationship. I wonder if the girlfriend hadn't broken up with him in the first place, or if GSB wasn't completely lovestruck by CDH; would he actually have chosen her over YYJ?? It sometimes felt he was forced to like her or they seemed better as freinds rather than as a couple. This drama was also the first time I had second lead syndrome because CDH took soooo long to like GSB. He was clueless and passive towards her most of the time, whilst KJW was always thinking about her, waiting for her and more dedicated to her till the end. I felt he was more deserving of her than CDH by the end of the show. The only time I really saw CDH stand up or show any strong emotion for GSB was when he shouted at his mum to stop talking about his ex girlfriend infront of GSB. All in all the drama had some funny moments here and there and good OST but I wanted more of GSB and CDH as a couple.
Loved this drama. I liked s1 and the fl but I was always thinking she's not the real Naksu. I also really like the actress GYJ, watched 'Moving' so I was excited to see her in s1, but was disappointed when after a couple of episodes she was never shown again.
S2 felt complete with all the romance and deeper love and connection between them, the story was as it should be with Jang Uk and the real Naksu finally together (the person he fell in love with).
An unforgettable and truly magnificent drama with an amazing cast and mesmerising performances by HJW and JCW.
I think the reason I ended up loving this so much was because I wasn't expecting the man I preferred to get the girl at the end. Usually in kdramas the second lead never ends up with the female lead, so I assumed in this love triangle the emperor would have a one sided love for Nyang or perhaps remain freinds or enemies. However, the story quite early on started to focus on the emperor and centered on him and Nyang's relationship whilst the kings presence began to diminish drastically. I noticed there was a role reversal between the male leads once the storyline shifted to the palace and China. I've never seen this happen before in kdramas where leads change and I've watched plenty, especially dramas involving love triangles. I can understand the viewers disappoinment if they preferred or had a biased towards the king and watched this expecting he would end up with Nyang because that's how the story was set up at the start. My thoughts on why there was a switch in the male leads could be because the emperor's character connected with viewers and so the emperor gained more popularity or JCW's acting outshone the original male lead's acting. Tbh, it could be any reason, but regarding the acting; I will say that JCW was exceptional in this role. He was at his finest 👌
This is one of his best performances (another being The Worst of Evil). He plays complex and three-dimensional characters unbelievably well. I didn't expect the emperor to be such a fascinating character and I was immediately drawn to him when he showed up on-screen fearful and innocent. The emperor was a flawed hero, but he was so captivating and a pleasure to watch; he poured every emotion out of the character, the same can be said about the beautiful and strong Nyang. A beautiful couple! The emperor was also the reason for Nyang becoming the empress, the title of the drama.
Have written a detailed review above in the review section about the main characters' relationship dynamics and indepth analysis.
I have a soft spot for Lee Min Ho and like Kim Ji Won so they were my main motivation for watching this and I'll say it passed the time but that's about it for me.
However, the fl was just unwatchable at times. As pointed out its not that she's unattractive or not cute (she wasn't supposed to be a beauty anyway in the story), but I will admit when she smiled it was sweet and endearing (just wished she did it more). Maybe if she did that more instead of yelling and doing wierd expressions constantly then it would be easier to like her. She had a lack of awareness at all times. I wish sometimes she would say loving words or show affection, it was always GJO initiating whilst she stood blank and stiff in intimate scenes or was just unresponsive. To me GJP's fiance portrayed her love for him better and probably deserved him more at the end.
Alot of their problems could also have been solved if they had communicated better instead of running away or yelling or acting on impulse.
Jandi was also unfaithful to the male lead which didn't sit right with me. She just came across as a cheat and gold digger in the earlier episodes. She never should have accepted to be his girlfriend and his gifts if she liked another guy. GJO wasn't perfect by any means but he was actually trying to change, lavished gifts on her, whisked her away on his private plane to an island. He wasn't her first choice or first love.
Lee Min Ho played the handsome rich arrogant jerk perfectly. He was the best part of the drama and this drama was the first to introduce me to the world of kdramas.
Anyway yes, this was a unique drama that delivers emotionally and no I wasn't prepared for the ending but loved the drama ❤️
Loved the intrictate details in the plot and all the layers of emotions the characters displayed, especially from the 3 main leads. They were phenomenal and the main leads had one of the best chemistry I've seen in a drama. This is probably in my top 5, it was that good 👍
It sometimes felt he was forced to like her or they seemed better as freinds rather than as a couple. This drama was also the first time I had second lead syndrome because CDH took soooo long to like GSB. He was clueless and passive towards her most of the time, whilst KJW was always thinking about her, waiting for her and more dedicated to her till the end. I felt he was more deserving of her than CDH by the end of the show. The only time I really saw CDH stand up or show any strong emotion for GSB was when he shouted at his mum to stop talking about his ex girlfriend infront of GSB. All in all the drama had some funny moments here and there and good OST but I wanted more of GSB and CDH as a couple.
S2 felt complete with all the romance and deeper love and connection between them, the story was as it should be with Jang Uk and the real Naksu finally together (the person he fell in love with).
I think the reason I ended up loving this so much was because I wasn't expecting the man I preferred to get the girl at the end. Usually in kdramas the second lead never ends up with the female lead, so I assumed in this love triangle the emperor would have a one sided love for Nyang or perhaps remain freinds or enemies. However, the story quite early on started to focus on the emperor and centered on him and Nyang's relationship whilst the kings presence began to diminish drastically. I noticed there was a role reversal between the male leads once the storyline shifted to the palace and China. I've never seen this happen before in kdramas where leads change and I've watched plenty, especially dramas involving love triangles.
I can understand the viewers disappoinment if they preferred or had a biased towards the king and watched this expecting he would end up with Nyang because that's how the story was set up at the start. My thoughts on why there was a switch in the male leads could be because the emperor's character connected with viewers and so the emperor gained more popularity or JCW's acting outshone the original male lead's acting. Tbh, it could be any reason, but regarding the acting; I will say that JCW was exceptional in this role. He was at his finest 👌
This is one of his best performances (another being The Worst of Evil). He plays complex and three-dimensional characters unbelievably well. I didn't expect the emperor to be such a fascinating character and I was immediately drawn to him when he showed up on-screen fearful and innocent. The emperor was a flawed hero, but he was so captivating and a pleasure to watch; he poured every emotion out of the character, the same can be said about the beautiful and strong Nyang. A beautiful couple! The emperor was also the reason for Nyang becoming the empress, the title of the drama.
Have written a detailed review above in the review section about the main characters' relationship dynamics and indepth analysis.