grandblue

When Realism Outshines the Drama

I never thought I'd ever write a review on this platform but this drama has forced me to write one because I truly believe more people should watch the series which is a masterpiece in it's own right. Especially when I see the number of viewers for some of the most highly rated cdramas of this year on this platform which I've mostly had not that high of an opinion of and thought were full of plot holes and illogical choices and scenarios which really tested the tolerance of viewers for letting things go and just "trying to enjoy it". but this was so good that it even made me reevaluate my opinion on some other dramas that I've enjoyed very much such as love like galaxy, on many aspects which I won't go into here.

I'll try not go into anything specific and just give the overall thoughts on what makes this drama so special in my opinion.

Right after the first episode I instantly thought "this might be the best first episode of a cdrama I've ever seen" since so much happens and sets the tone and premise of the series perfectly. at the same time I was worried that it might struggle to keep the same quality till the end but the further in the story went I only saw improvements which is very rare in my experience with cdramas. Right after watching every episode I felt a desire to rewatch some scenes, many including the interactions between the fl and ml, before moving on to the next one. There are literally perhaps 10-20 minute long scenes in the series where you could watch many times and not feel bored.

I struggle with most cdramas when the the latter half of the story starts and often find myself watching them and 2x speed or more the closer we get to the end but this drama is truly different and keeps the quality of story telling and character development to the very end.

The story telling is detailed and masterful to the point where mostly every scene seems to have a specific purpose whereas in many cdramas we're often shown scenes seemingly important but never to be mentioned again. The story is very good and engaging without relying on repetition of viewer pleasing "tropes". Every character including the ones with least screen time is well thought out and developed, complex characters who are not one dimensional and bound to one specific characterization, a hero is not a saint, a saint is not perfect, a naive character need not stay naive and smart character is not bound to be always right..., point is that there is actual character development and characters are consistent as in for the choices they make, we can understand their reasoning within the character they've shown us.

The casting for the drama, starting from the leads to minor characters are on point and all do a wonderful job of the bringing the characters to life, especially our leads whose every micro expressions were perfect. It's amazing that I could watch some supporting characters and think they really can have a whole cdrama as leads for their characters and it will still be amazing.

The drama is heavily and I dare say mainly about conveying the hardships and difficulties of women in ancient time (or even in general) which I have to commend the director and writers for this since in many dramas I just find myself for lack of better word "annoyed" or just not convinced with how they would depict it! but in this drama it's truly masterfully done and makes viewers easily sympathize with what our characters go through and even the hardships of women in general.

Also I should say I heavily admire the the way this drama is directed and the stylistic choices that are made, especially when it comes to handling the time skips which some may think there is a lot of them but considering the scope of the story and the sense of realism I mentioned it actually makes perfect sense and it is in fact necessary!

In conclusion I truly believe this is one of a kind cdrama and a must watch for anyone who enjoys cdrama. In addition I have hope that this drama would be another turning point for future cdramas the way Joy of Life was, and elevate future cedrama projects in terms of quality and the care put into the story and characters.

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