The Red Sleeve (2021)

HEAVY IS THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN

This is one of those classics that I never got around to watching when it first aired and after watching I realise it’s a classic for a reason. It’s perhaps the best romance k-drama I’ve ever seen. It has all the feels of the genre but the craftsmanship of the more serious k-drama offerings.

I’m one to avoid sad endings typically as they are rarely done enough justice and are usually used for shock value or angst. I’ve seen few dramas with a sad ending that I thought were beautifully done or that left me feeling like that was the only possible outcome. Although the ending of The Red Sleeve made me cry buckets, I do think it was a well done ending and overall the drama was near immaculate in execution.

That said; so many scenes broke my heart. I’d never felt the weight of the crown of a king in a k-drama quite like I felt it in this one. The scene with the old king’s heart breaking explaining to the prince how much he loved him was so emotional because it was tinged with the feeling of suspicion, paranoia, betrayal and guilt he had for his own son that was heightened by his confused dementia state. What a performance! So much hurt, so much pain, so much regret, wrapped up in so much disappointment. The vulnerability he showed in that scene highlights how being the King comes with a toll. It foreshadow how the crown too will change the young prince.

This series was not at all what I expected and it is so much better for it. When his grandfather died and he begged him to come back, my heart broke. The complicated feelings he had for his grandfather amidst his turmoil of sadness was too much to bear. He was like a child again and in that one scene you could see how much his grandfather meant to him. Not the king but the man who was his father figure and the man who was also responsible for taking his own father away from him. Just wow.

Still, by far the crowing grace of this series was how it portrayed the struggles and powerlessness of the women of that period. They weren't afraid to show the harsh realities and to balance the romantic fantasy of the romance genre with the very real historical story.
Yes it’s true the FL lead a tragic life to say the least. Many decisions were made for her and she struggled to maintain autonomy of her own life. In many ways her outcome was a sad one but I’d also like to think that she lead a rich life. She found love and happiness and was lucky enough to experience true friendship. The bond between the four female friends was so wonderfully illustrated, it served as the second great love story in this drama. This may be Lee Se Young’s best role. She commanded the screen and gave the character so much life.

The story is perhaps too sweet to be bitter and too bitter to be sweet. It will have you smiling in the first half and bawling in the second half. It's really a well written and well acted piece of drama.

On a final note: Episode 17 was made just to rip your heart out. Some people only watch up until episode 16 and consider that the ending. Honestly, I understand why they would do that. It’s a very sad episode. However, I’m glad I watched the entire thing because it completes the story and I found some beauty in that tragic ending. This is another drama that will stay with me for a long time.

Read More

The Red Sleeve (2021) - one of the best dramas I watched this year. Maybe this year is the year of historical dramas because I really enjoyed this drama. Though at first I felt weirded out with the effects and I think it was fast paced in the first episodes but as it goes, it becomes better. I like that the chilhood parts was not drag out too much.

What I really like the most is that it talks about Deok-Im the female lead rather than the king which with other dramas, it's always the king who is the center of the story especially historical dramas. I really like Deok-Im as a character and the friendship between the court ladies is really really well portrayed.

I also like that the storyline really does connect with how history is stated but then also has given a chance to the watchers to have their own interpretation of the ending. I really cried a lot watching this drama. Recommended.

Read More

Don’t Expect Historical Romance

Want to preface and say this was my first historical drama, so maybe it’s on me for expecting satisfying romance. I knew they have a tendency to be tragic, but I wasn’t ready.

I came into this for Lee Junho because I watched King the Land and he’s a cutie patootie.

Notes:
PREPARE FOR THE SLOWEST, MOST FRUSTRATING BURN OF YOUR LIFE, WITH NOT EVEN SATISFYING PAYOFF.

The good:
- Acting: the characters didn’t feel shallow, and the villains made me want to strangle them, so I know they did their job. As I said, the ML carried the relationship with his acting

The wack:
- The FL’s pride: she had me yelling at my screen I was so frustrated by her. JUST SAY YOU LOVE HIM & STOP PUSHING HIM AWAY. I get her inner struggle, but literally (spoiler) on her DEATH BED she STILL couldn’t say “I love you.”

- The ending: save yourself the trauma and live in blissful ignorance by ending it on episode 16. I was in physical pain watching the last episode. Their child dies, she dies, he’s miserable, etc.

I still get pissed off when I think about what this show did to me.

Read More

Amazing acting and chemistry

This was a well-written story and the acting was amazing. The only reason I did not give this a 10/10 is because of the ending. I didn't like how in her 'heaven' she didn't get to meet her friends like she promised. She spent most of her life devoted to the King and had to spend her afterlife that way too which to me was sad especially because she asked him not to 'find her' again. For most people, this won't be an issue or something that made them sad as them being together in the afterlife is an ideal ending but for me it was sad because it signified her never being able to have the freedom she truly desired. Anyways, this is a great watch.

Read More

This is after all, my own take after watching the drama.

Basically the first part of this drama is excellent.
The actor are amazing and the action is well mixed with other moments so you never get bored.

Now the second part, I dislike how they throw away in 5 minutes at least 2 plot points that were really interesting.

But Ok, maybe they needed more episodes to solve the final plot point which is, after refusing to become the royal concubine for ages, why did Duk Im say yes?

The second part is not as good, as it turns grimmer and grimmer. But it presents a very modern idea that I did not expect to find in a historical drama: power imbalance will never lead to love.
Duk Im has to let go of who she is, and what she believes, and therefore she becomes unhappy. So for almost all of the last part, Duk Im as a character is a melancholic, except for a few happy moments, queen.

The drama takes a really brave moment deciding not to give them a happy ever after, but a "I loved you, but I should have loved myself more". The writers didn't let Duk Im relent, she, until the end, was clear. She may have loved San, but she wasn't happy.

And then we arrive to one thing I really didn't like, what I want to call "The producers ending". The ending for me kind of contradicts the whole tone the drama took.
I would have loved it more if at the end we are transported to the first time they both meet in the palace grounds or somewhere else, but when San is about to call her, he remembers her last words, and she lets her walk away. I think this would have shown a better character evolution of San that the ending of this drama.

Read More

if i wanted this much emotional hurt, i would call up my mother

I wanted to like this show.

I really really did. And part of me does, the part that is trying to separate my own personal feelings from the objective opinion i hold towards this show.

I'm going to just dive right in here to my objective opinion regarding the show.

OBJECTIVE OPINION:
It's a good show, nay a GREAT show even. I love sageuks and it takes a lot for me to not like a sageuk. This show did have me under the impression that it would be a rom-com-dram, but the comedy was dropped pretty quickly after the first 2-3 episodes. Not a problem, just an observation. i would much rather they drop the comedy than to try and keep it up when the tone of the show has completely changed.

The show does not hold back on its characters and it really hammers in the idea: a good king does not make a good man. Yi San is proud, he is arrogant and he is stubborn. Born to privilege and with it coming certain obligations, Yi San is not under any impressions that he wouldn't make a good king. He has good intentions, and you know his actions stem from a good place within his heart, but time goes on and you think: how can a man be a good leader if he's not a good man? Perhaps the two are not so interconnected as one would think, but you see YS as a man who wants to help the people, but he is selfish, he is greedy and wanting and perhaps it is as a result of his upbringing - denied a father, abandoned by a grandmother, all but ignored by a mother and abused by a grandfather, there is little love in his life and he would be starved for it if he knew what it tasted like.

Enter stage left: Deok-im.

I loved the plotline of her not knowing he is actually the crown prince and was very disappointed when they abandoned that very early into the show because it would have been a way to establish a foundation for friendship the way Love in the Moonlight had. But she has this information pretty early so whatever was placed down as a foundation for friendship is too weak to withstand the weight of knowing so it cracks and crumbles to nothing. Where Deok-im used to call him out and stand up to Yi San, now she is meek and obedient like all other palace maids. She does not talk back, she does not stand up to him or call him out on his behaviour. She exists only to serve and she does so because there's nothing else in her life she can control.

And this is what drives Deok-im: she will control whatever she can, what no one else can, be it her heart or her thoughts or the way she reads and writes, they will not take these from her. She will obey in every other single aspect of her life, but she will control what little she can because if she can't, then she may as well not even be alive. But as time goes on, that list of what she can control grows smaller and smaller until there is nothing else left except her heart because YS wants every single part of her, parts of her Deok-im cannot bear to part with.

Deok-im is the mirror image of almost every young girl in the world at this time: she is subject to the control of others. She cannot marry because she serves the royal family, her body doesn't even belong to her as court ladies all belong to the king, she cannot leave the palace whenever she wants, and she cannot even speak her mind for fear of punishment or death. But the one thing Deok-im can control is her feelings and she will always control her heart even if it means hurting herself or others. She calls it a small act of rebellion, to never tell YS she loves him in return even knowing that it hurts him, even knowing that it hurts her. Because YS has effectively taken all other aspects of freedom from her - his love is suffocating and he doesn't see it. He is unable to understand DI and why she does not want to be with him, he believes that her choosing her freedom over him means she does not love him at all, not seeing it just means she cannot give up herself to give to him.

Despite this, YS still makes her give every part of herself to him and he selfishly holds onto her even after her death. His love is shown as possessive, as controlling and greedy and smothering - he wants DI all to himself, to deny her to even be free because to be free means to not be with him.

I put off watching the last episode for a long time and it was like a bitter pill watching it. I don't even think i can say it was bitter sweet, nor can I say that it made me feel that the emotional constipation was worth all these episodes.

Which leads us into:

PERSONAL OPINION:
I didn't like it. I really didn't like it. I normally don't care about shows being, how you say, emotionally nihilistic but this show really took the cake. As I said, the show completely abandoned the comedy in favour of the more serious tone which I commented on being a good choice, but now we're left with constant plotting and scheming and emotional conflicts left, right and centre. It's exhausting and frustrating, I don't even have the energy to explain it.

The romance I felt was poorly executed because they did not take advantage of the plotline of DI not knowing YS was the crown prince. They should have held onto it a bit longer to establish a realistic friendship because what we were left with was not a friendship - it was a servant obeying the whims of a master and that master desperately trying to chase after that earlier friendship they had but knowing it was gone. I could never fathom WHY DI fell in love with YS; he wasn't funny, he wasn't kind, he wasn't exactly oozing with charisma. He certainly wasn't boring, that's not what I'm saying at all, but how he acted towards her made him just... there wasn't nothing to like about him. It's even shown that she still sees him as the man he was before she found out he was the crown prince, and perhaps she continues to hold onto that because the real YS is unlikeable at best, and detestable at worst.

At least on YS's end it's evident why he loves DI so much, even if he portrays it poorly. Because YS is a great Crown Prince and becomes a greater King. He's just not a good man to DI. He's a selfish lover and he dismisses her own agency because he wants her all to himself, he is physically incapable of understanding why she cannot love or be with him and ultimately the only reason they do end up together is because he gives her a harsh ultimatum.

Deok-im just felt like a side character in her own story most of the time. Maybe it's to reflect the fact she isn't even the main character in her own life, let alone a side character in the lives of others. But it seems that even despite wanting to live as herself and have freedom, every single thing she does is for the Crown Prince. Every major action is done to aid the Crown Prince, the only thing she really does for herself is deny saying that she loves him.

God, and let's talk about that shall we? Because as I said, I really could not buy that DI loved YS, like at all. There were times i even doubted she did until another character was like "you love him, don't you?" and she would nod and say yes but I would be sitting there like "??? You do?? Since, uh, when?" The best I can describe DI is that she is passive, she doesn't go and kick ass or cross dress or get up to shenanigans. She just doesn't really do much besides help the Crown Prince and... well that's it. It feels as if she exists only for him and it feeds into YS's feeling that he deserves her, that he almost /owns/ her.

And by all intents and purposes, he did own DI. But he never could own her completely. And I can't help but think: would he have felt that he needed to resort to force if DI had simply tried to explain to him her feelings? Because there is NO communication between these two. Perhaps it's the show trying to say "ohhh look he loves her so much he's desperate to have her in any way he can" but it just doesn't work. DI can't even articulate her feelings to the man she loves apart from one instance that I'm trying hard to recall. I believe it was her saying that she did not love him and that her life as his concubine wouldn't be happy because she would deny him his """right""" as the king and she would be sent away to live the rest of her life alone and in humiliation. But the two can't even TALK to one another about this because DI never bothers to corrects YS's assumptions about her feelings, thus leaving YS to believe he's right and he just bulldozes over DI with his assumptions.

There's no common ground, there's no equality. YS can take whatever he wants from DI and she is helpless to stop it. DI's love for him feels shallow and at time non-existent and for half of the show, i genuinely thought she didn't have any feelings for him at all.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I trudged through 17 episodes and I came out feeling absolutely nothing. I didn't cry at the ending because I knew the show has based on history. I didn't laugh or cry for like the last 10 episodes at all. The show was exhausting, that's the only way to put it - it would have been better if it abandoned the romance altogether because it was the source for all of my frustration. There are times the romance felt forced or out of place, and it's no fault on the actors, they did the best they could with what they had.

It really felt like the show almost forgot about the romance for the first half of the show and then realised they had another 5 episodes with no bad guys or plotting so they needed something to keep the show moving along, in that the romance in the beginning existed as plot for the second half of the show but because they were too focused on the first half of the show, they forgot about the romance until they needed it.

All I can think of to round this up is: Scarlet Heart did the tragic romance better and if that is what you're looking for, pick that show instead of this one instead.

Read More

A one in a lifetime experience

TRS has it all; amazing chemistry, a sensible and lovely female lead, a hot and possessive junho, an amazing soundtrack, and the angst I live for *inserts heart eye emoji*

I remember watching this drama while it was airing and absolutely losing it every week while waiting for the next episode.

From the historical background threads on twitter to the comment section in MDL I used to camp in, I had so much fun while watching it, truly a one in a lifetime experience.

It has become a Jade classic, I still listen to its soundtrack and rewatch it every now and then. Despite knowing all the lines, I never seem to get sick of it :)

I got into a 2 year kdrama slump after it ended lol

Read More

Bittersweet

It took me several days to be able to write this review. I kept starting and stopping, writing and rewriting, and even thinking I was finished and then deleting it all. This story is an incredible combination of beauty and tragedy, and is a love story that really makes you think about the high price that can come with power and how it affects evrything, even how you love. At one point Deok Im asks King Jeongjo if he had ever thought about what it would have been like had he been a commoner and she not a palace maid - and the thought was so alien to him that he could scarcely reply - for him this tragically lonely life was the norm. He was betrayed and lied to by his best friend, the woman he loved (and who loved him back) tried her best to not be with him to avoid losing her freedom, and he had to be wary even of family members. Not an easy or happy life, despite the power and comforts a king had. As their love story unfolded and finally came to it's eventual consummation I was ripped in half - the sweetness of their love is marred by how much she doesn't want all that comes with it - being tied to the palace and unable to leave for the rest of her life is the worst thing that could happen to such a free spirit. As she said goodbye to her younger self I bawled.
I really appreciated how much of the lives of court ladies this drama portrayed. Seeing them having fun together, working together, being friends, and even the gossiping, scheming, and organizing into a cult gave them a lot more depth than is usually shown to the people who work in the palace.
The fact that this story is a fictionalized version of actual people and an actual love story makes it even more beautiful and heartbreaking to me.
This is definitely a drama worth watching, and a story that will linger in my mind.

Read More

this nearly destroyed my mental health ?

In Korea during the second half of the 1700s, Yi San is an aloof and perfection-loving young prince. His father’s killing haunts him, although it leaves him in the position to take the throne once his grandfather – the cruel and ruthless current king responsible for Yi San’s father’s death – dies. He has resolved to become a benevolent monarch who will reform the law when he eventually takes the throne, but the way his father was killed has scarred him emotionally.

At court, he meets a young woman named Sung Deok Im. Yi San falls in love with her and tries to convince her to become his official concubine. But Sung Deok Im is strong-willed and free-spirited. She is also intelligent enough to understand that becoming a royal consort to the future king is a prestigious role, but one that would restrict her freedom and likely bring her little in the way of joy. But Yi San’s love for Sung Deok Im is true, and she starts to understand that forming a union with him could ultimately benefit his troubled realm.

(Source: Viki)

Read More

My Biggest Heartbreaking ?

Sebelum gue bisa move on, gue akan ngomongin drama ini keseluruh penjuru dunia ??? Coz i do really LOVE this drama, the acting and chemistry is amazing, and each episodes always keeps you anticipating karena dari posternya udah keliatan cuy mc nya kaga tatap-tatapan???? LIKE CMON, btw I love how they focused on the patriarchal society that existed in the time rather than focusing solely in the romance aspect. The characters are so well written ❣️this is my biggest heartbreaking kdrama setelah Moon Lover ? The soundtracks are beautiful to hear, salah satu favku Duk-im Bubbly Girl and im still listening to it now ☺️? i hate to say it but i dont recommend to rewatch this bcause, THIS IS HURTING ME A LOT

Read More

I'm not a fan of historical dramas and I watch this just because of Junho BUT...

Yeah... I'm a Hottest (a fan of 2PM) and I started watching this just because of Junho without expecting much. I know it's too early to write a review when just 2 episodes were aired but I want to express that those 2 episodes preceeded my expectations. Firstly, I was amazed by the cinematography in episode 1 where the two child actors walking through a stream and a road lit by a series of laterns on the way to the house of the noble court lady. Those two child actors did great jobs. I'm glad that their childhood scenes are shown at a fast pace without much complications and cruelty. The acting of Lee Junho and Lee Se Young and their chemistry is great. I definitely didn't expect comedy in this drama but the two leads are effortlessly funny and adorable. I feel episode 2 is at a little bit slow pace but still I enjoyed it. The storyline itself is interesting so I hope more interesting plots in coming episodes.

Read More

The first 9 episodes are worthy of a 10!

The first 9 episodes are worthy of a 10! However, starting with episode 10, the story becomes unrealistic and starts to drag.

What I do like, is the first 9 episodes of this drama; the female lead is not a damsel in distress, but is rather quick-witted, outgoing, and smart. I like the chemistry between the male lead and female lead characters. I also, think the supporting actors and actresses did an outstanding job acting.

I'm currently watching episode 11 (the 50 minute mark), and I'm debating whether or not, I want to continue to watch this drama. What were the writers thinking, when they wrote episode 11?

Read More