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.
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.