Now the issue I have, the plot twists are predictable due to the narrator will spoil or tell you in advance example what will happen to the character in the future after the introduction to the character. Next the main character of the show, Wang Gun I wished this character was written as well as the antagonists, I don't know what is the character's motivation, he is a passenger in his own story, while the side/supporting characters are the driver.
The acting of the show is quite good all around. The characters are being portrayed on screen rather than actors acting.
The sound mixing, music/soundtrack and cinematography doesn't really hold up that well considering it was almost 20 years ago (it was year 2020 at the time I write this review), the aspect ratio is those old TV square shaped and sound effect used are quite bad in today's standard to a point that it is hilarious but what makes it watchable is the story telling, the acting and the production, the war sequences and they even have ship that is from that period that sail.
Because of the lengthy episodes, in my opinion the interesting episodes are from episode 1 to 120 and the last quarter of the show which is episode 150 onward to end while in between episodes 121 to 149 are where I find is where the drama drag.
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It is the best historical drama!
It is the best historical drama in terms of historical accuracy and accountability. It's not just another historical drama or another eye-candy drama made with a bunch of pretty boys in costume who can't act to save their lives. On the contrary, it has great acting, fighting scenes, and great pacing. Choi Soo Jong's acting in this drama is top-notch as usual in this drama. He is the true master of this genre. Now here are two major flaws of this drama Wang Gun's reluctance does get annoying and was becoming beyond unrealistic at a point. Secondly, the last 1/3 of the drama pace changed dramatically and the storytelling began to go all over the place with little direction. The ending felt like a race against a clock. The ending somewhat saved the last 3rd of the drama had not been for that great ending trust me my opinion on the drama would have changed. Lastly, as a Christian, I hated the force of the Buddhist narrative throughout the story. Nevertheless, this is still one of the best dramas I have ever seen.Was this review helpful to you?
Disconnected and scattered
Just another historical drama confirming, yet again, how much I don't like seeing 'Choi Soo Jong' in a historical setting. You would be dreaming if you thought the drama will utilize the 200-episodes runtime wisely. Expect a lot of useless scenes/chapters/arcs/stories/characters. I really wish they didn't waste too much time with the childhood period, the first +20 episodes were too much for an introduction. A quick introduction of max 2-3 episodes would have been way more than enough to establish what needed to be established.When zooming out, the drama is split into 3 major parts. The first 1/3 consisted of the back story and the personal relationships. The second 1/3 consisted of forming the religion then turning it into a cult and watching madness ensues. The last 1/3 is was just generic wars and battles. The last 1/3 had a major tone shift and turned the drama into something different. It was a bit too disconnected to associate it with the first 2/3 after what had been already established. It should have been its own thing and the drama should have ended after the second 1/3. I feel for those who had to watch it serializing for 2 years, the shifts were too unpleasant as if they were jumping different shows.
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