The Red Sleeve (2021)

Hauntingly Beautiful

What a great historical drama. I was looking forward to other sageuks at the beginning of 2021 but this one hands down is just so beautifully done. This drama is such a work of art.
Acting: Everyone in the cast is superb. It may be hard for me to remove my bias against idol actors, but Lee Jun Ho's acting here is so good it made me rethink of that bias. In historical dramas, I usually demand strong presence and Jun Ho did not disappoint in that. He has such a wonderful tone and diction. Had he been in the historical dramas as a lead from the late 2000s to the early 2010s, I believe he would be a really lauded and popular actor today. Lee Se Young, I also love her clear diction. She was able to depict the different versions of Deok Im very well, from the young and carefree court lady to the concubine who is limited in her choices. I am so glad that the girl who played the young version of the rival in my first historical drama Jewel in the Palace is rocking her role here as a female lead in her own sageuk drama. The supporting casts all did well to. Special mention to Kang Hoon, Lee Deok Hwa, Jang Hee Jin, Jang Hye Jin, and Park Jin Young. (9.5)
Music: I think the BGM of this drama will go down as one of my favorite BGM's ever. They are so hauntingly beautiful and it serves the purpose well of capturing this great love story. The songs themselves are not so memorable (except Lee Sun Hee's OST) but it really doesn't matter since the BGM's did it's job really well. Plus kudos to not putting any songs that might not befit the theme of this drama (looking at you Moon Lovers). (9.5)
Story: Yi San is one of my favorite historical dramas. I've also seen various actors play King Jeongjo in various dramas (Yi San, Painter of the Wind, Sungkyunkwan Scandal). There's a lot of historical romance dramas I've seen as well. So at first I thought this drama is not unique. Glad to have seen the trailers that made me watch this drama. However this drama's take on the usual sageuk stories is so fresh. It's easy for most to think that becoming a beloved of the king (for a woman of low class position) is something she would want, but kudos to this drama for showing how a woman might not want that kind of life for her (even though she loves the king herself). I also appreciate how they show in this drama that all kinds of women (from high Queen Jeongsun who couldn't even visit her brother's grave to ordinary court lady Myung Hee who died simply because of loving a man) have very limitied choices in the past. This makes us appreciate how we live in the 21st century where a woman is more free. This drama also screams Pride and Prejudice (depicting a woman who tries to have modern sensibilities in a period that does not allow her to) and Titanic (the wonderfully done ending scene) to me. Last thing, even though the drama focuses more on the love story, I still love how this drama portrays well the impact of Yi San being the son of the controversial Sado.
Bonus: I appreciate the level of detail in this drama. The cinematography, the symbolisms (flowers, water, etc). Just so beautiful.

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" The palace is nothing... but a luxurious prison."

First of all ,I need to remind you all that my review is incoherent at best and if you want a proper or perfect english grammar review you won't find it here. This is just me rambling in an unnecessarily long post so that one day I can look back and reminiscing on all the feeling I had for this drama. If you want a proper review I suggest you to read the-sapio-nerd 's review on top of drama's page which best captured every essence of what made The Red Sleeve a great historical kdrama of 2021.

Before going further I need to warn you all , there are spoilers ahead soyou may stop reading now if you intend to watch/ not finished watching this drama yet .

Let me start by saying TRS messed with my feelings and I am still reeling with the after effect this drama gave me post-watching. I can hardly sleep last night thinking about this drama.

TRS made me remember one of the reason why I don't like to watch historical drama especially based on real figures like this one. What is the point of watching if you know or can guess how it will turned out at the end? My real life is already sad enough and I don't need historical drama to add more misery into the mix. That is why I only watch historical drama WITH fantasy and comedic elements. I need some fluffy & humor in my drama to forget the chaos that is my rl at the moment. However, I did not regret watching TRS. For I learned alot from this drama .

I understand now why historical drama usually have more than 50 episodes but I am so thankful that The Red Sleeve have less than 20 episodes . Because I don't think I can handle TRS with 50 or 60 or 70 episodes. I don't think I will ever watch it no matter how good the drama is. God.. with only 17 episodes , I am completely wrecked,depressed and my eyes were puffy from all the crying from the pains the last 6 episodes gave me. I felt like I just lost the love of my life which did not even exist.

The strength of this drama IMO:

1) Spectacular acting from all casts and impressive development of their characters from beginning to end . My most favourite characters: Yi San , Sung Deok Im and King Yeongjo.

Lee Jun Ho. Wow he impressed me with his acting as Yi San. His acting really improved alot since Chief Kim days. I am sure now he will become one of sought after actor by many production in melodrama after TRS. I could feel all his agonies and trauma after losing his father and suffered by ill treatment from his grandfather for the sake of love. Tough love or cruel love you choose. I was surprised his mental was still intact after all that happened. Fortunately, after meeting FL ,our precious Crown Prince found the light of his life. I salute his relentless efforts in pursuing FL and never shy away from his feeling toward her.

Meanwhile, Lee Se Young was excelled in her performance as a court lady, Sung Deok Im . I think all woman would resonate well with her character. Definitely one of a strong FL in dramaland. She bravely turned down Yi San's proposal from time to time again and I was fascinated with her resolution each time. She understand deeply what she will lose by accepting Yi San. She shows that ''To love is not to possess, To own or imprison, Nor to lose one's self in another.'' -James Cavanaught. She shows we woman own ourselves, no one can own us . Not even the man that we love. She shows the true meaning of love yourself more than you love other.

Love usually associated with reckless/ irrational behaviour and full of lust but I loved the fact that in TRS , we can see love can be rational and full of chastity too. TRS had one of a refreshing romance I've seen in dramaland.

Surprisingly, I had a love-hate relationship with Lee Deok Hwa's character. I find myself understand the purpose of his action toward Yi San. Like it was needed to prepare Yi San for what were to come. But believe it, there are better ways to show love than what he did to YS... Nevertheless, he was beyond perfect in his role as King Yeongjo. Never doubt from a veteran actor like him.

I also could empathize with Court Lady Jo's reason for doing what she did. 'Hell has no fury like a woman scorned' -The Mourning Bride. I felt her pains too and I can't 100% fault her for doing what she thinks best for her. She was one pitiful woman.


2) Alluring storyline. Heartfelt script. Top notch cinematography. 1 hour 20++ minutes of each episode won't scared you here. I don't remember myself ever felt bored while watching this drama . Each scene regardless of their importance ,minute or big were needed to build depth in the story and better character development even if it was just a scene of our ML gazing deeply into the pond. And that ending. I could'nt find a better ending than what was shown in that last episode. It was well fitted the story.

My long, messy rambling review will conclude here. Let me cry under my blanket for the last time for Yi San and for Deok Im...

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"Who confined us here? "

I really enjoyed how the drama mostly focused on the women within the palace, shedding light on the fact that the women in the palace are essentially trapped there, without much say in their own decisions. I believe this aspect often goes overlooked in historical series, where being in the palace and close to the King is usually portrayed as the ultimate goal for women. At least that seemed to be the case in the ones I've watched.

So, it was refreshing to see the female lead, Deok Im, challenging these conventional norms for women. Despite her feelings for the king, she consistently put herself first and strived to have choices of her own. And, the finale of the show proved just how right she was in this insistence. As Queen Dowager said "The palace is a dazzling prison" especially for women...

Another aspect that I enjoyed so much was the bond between Deok Im and her friends. Their support and love for each other were truly moving.

Even though there were a few moments where the plot seemed to drag on, like the former king's constant suspicion of Yi San's loyalty, the drama was impactful both for its message and the top-notch acting from all the actors-especially Junho and Lee Se Young were impressive.

Last but not least, the OSTs by Wheein and Lee Sun Hee fit the show so well and complemented the storyline for me. Even after the show had ended, I found myself still humming them.

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One word: Magnificent.

“No words can describe how magnificent this drama was. It has been ages that I have watched such a brilliant piece of a historical drama.”

I adored the entire cast and their brilliant acting and it pains my heart that the drama has ended. The soundtracks were brilliant too and suited every scene in the drama.

I started the drama for Lee Jun Ho but in the end I was blown away by Lee Se Young and her portrayal of Seon Deok Im and Royal Noble Consort Ui.

On the other hand, Lee Jun Ho’s acting was outstanding as well. His expressions were so immense that I could even feel his pain when I watched the drama.

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Mixed feelings

I gave this a higher review because gosh the romance was so believable, the tension palpable, and I loved the level of yearning. The premise is so amazing and had me excited. However, pretty much everything else about this series falls a bit flat for me.

There are multiple, overall pointless, conflicts in the plotline. For example, the incidence with the tiger within the first couple of episodes. This was wasted space that could have been better spent on the relationship or we could have focused on Yi San's reign. The conflicts should have helped develop the characters more or made us more invested in them.

This brings me into my next point. For a while, I couldn't tell if the writers were bad at scriptwriting by making the grandfather have unbelievable mood swings or if the grandfather was meant to be realistically temperamental. The writers later got better at writing the grandfather character and made it apparent he was meant to be temperamental, but at the beginning of the series, it was very, very poorly executed.

My biggest gripe is that Deok Im lost pretty much all of her personality and any speaking time after the Yi San becomes king (even before she is meant to lose herself to the palace). Whenever they had romantic scenes together, I would be immersed but be pulled out because it almost seems like Yi San is just talking at a thing. Deok Im rarely speaks again or has her personality shine through in other scenes. As a result, when she's supposed to lose herself to the palace after becoming a concubine, it doesn't feel as poignant because it feels like we lost the character already a while ago.

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Unexpectedly interesting

When I started this show, I had thought to myself, "Not another romance sageuk" and "Not another show about King Jeongjo." I was wrong on both accounts. Although I traditionally watch sageuks for court intrigue, which this drama lacked, but I didn't miss it. I traditionally also don't like romances and this was the only place I felt that the drama was let down. Will they be together or not? It was a long a tedious question that I couldn't bother whether they answered or not. However, something about the pacing made this drama work, and the actor who played Lee Deok Hwa as King Yeongjo did a fantastic job, as did Lee Joon Ho as Yi San. Not bad for a former boy band member in his first sageuk outing.

For me, the highlight of the show was seeing the relationship between Yi San and his grandfather, whom he concurrently feared for himself and his loved ones, yet was also in awe of. No other rendition of Yi San (in my memory) has showed this fragile side of the man rather than the master who had to constantly juggle and negotiate Noron and Soron politics.

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I really wanted to like this drama, but..

I am really surprised, shocked and disappointed at the level of unanimous approval this drama has. The drama is fantastic for a lot of reasons - a traditional historic drama with no major twists or gimmicks, fantastic acting from every single cast member and powerful screenplay/dialogues. Junho's acting will probably get a baeksang.

However, I can't rate it high due to the extreme misogyny and forced behaviour shown. It's okay to call some of the toxic, mysoginistic behaviour a 'sign of the times' and accept it as part of history, but it's a different matter liking and enjoying it and giving it a high rating.

The FL's behaviour is annoying quite often (though I like her independent personality) and is shown as a manipulator and egoist. The writing doesn't make sense after Ep 15 and becomes extremely slow and draggy. I have never seen a drama with more rejections from the FL and more forceful behaviour from the ML - do they really need to get together? She cringes every time she sees him!

I also have to warn about the amount of tragedy in the series. I know we are all inundated with countless stressful news and media every day, and this series will definitely add more stress/anxiety due to the nature of the story. There are dramas with a mix of tragedy and comedy which I rate highly, but this one is quite straight-to-the-heart. If anyone's looking to avoid stress, probably best to skip this drama.

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Sometimes its good to read the story behind the true story if you have a weak heart

I recently convinced myself that i was missing out on historical dramas(I have dreaded them for years) but KDRAMA has sold me and am hooked.
Lee JunHo brought me to Red Sleeve and OMG this was good that i almost watched it in one seating but had to break it to avoid looking like i have no life.
I was originally not planning to say anything,this is one of those drama that stick in your brain weeks after you finish them but i need to get it out of my system,let me leave it here.
1.The cinematography,the OST,the still picture and everything Jeoson palaces were on point.
2.The acting was out of this world,few actors can pull of a heavy drama full of all types of emotions but everyone in the entire cast pulled off Oscar worth acting.
3.I have no words for Lee Junho portraying Prince Yi San/ King JeongJo,I dont think there is any language that can discribe this man's acting so i recommend to go and watch
Overall this was one of the best historical drama of 2021 and now i know why,It has left me with a very heavy feeling and made me want to understand more about this era in the Korean history.I will not talk about the FL wanting to drive all of us crazy but she was portraying a real historical figure so we pumped our hate breaks whenever.
Many people warned us future views not to trade in the waters of Ep 17 but we are too curious for that and curiosity killed a cat so you can imaine how dead i am now,but I will not spoil it for anyone. i have learnt my lessons, before embarking into the territory of an historical drama that is real story of real people, I should probably read the story first and see if there is and sad ending

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Great potential and good start but after a while it went down hill...

This drama had such a interesting start with great chemistry fun scenes, fun twists and really complex and well made characters with pretty good stories attached.


The portrayals of the friendships among the palace maids where definitely goals, and one of the best portrayals of friendships between girls out there showing true gals before guys, found family,... the works! I really liked all the different personalities among the maids. The grandpa is also such a sweetheart, killer kind and cruel paranoid ruler yet still just a big huggable teddy bear.

I really enjoyed some of the ways woman where portrayed here, how the line between super evil villain and fight for our rights is kind of blurry and the way the talk about the value of different lives. Because let´s face it women where not really that valued, and women from the lower classes could very much have been seen as nothing else but replaceable goods... And that was shown with brilliantly placed lines as well as twists...

The female lead was so cool. smart all round amazing the first half of the drama only to become highly frustrating bordering on pathetic the second half, almost making me loose interest in this otherwise highly bingeble show.

The male lead is also. smart, fun, most of the time respectful (not bad for a 1700 king), fine he kills a bunch of people and does not really know who to trust... but over all he is a sweetheart with pecs and scenes that are sure to make you blush... But he too does have the slightly wrong kid of character development...

Acting, music, cinematography are all really great and there are no truly annoying characters if you do not count he female lead during the second half.

All in all an a pretty ok drama, but slightly disappointing as it was off to such a great start , but I guess the life of a queen or a concubine in the palace is basically just life in a fancy prison...

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So painfully beautiful...

I'm gonna begin this review with what I told to my partner while watching the show: This story is a cruel mix of bitter and sweet, sadness and joy. Which actually was something that Deok Im affirms during one of her soliloquies. And I would add of laughs and tears, and of hilarity and heartbreaking pain. That's the story as it is: it is fictionalized for sure, but it is also well outlined by what actually happened more than 220 years ago in the real life of the Joseon Kingdom. The leads of the story actually existed, actually did share an intense love story, which is still witnessed by the words written down by King Jeongjo to honor her beloved, and the more than 26,000 trees planted to surround her grave and the one of the unlucky little crown prince Yi Sun, which today are the Hyochang Park in Seoul. All this premise to say that who criticized the plot, maybe should first learn facts and then deliberately speak...
After having removed this pebble from my shoe, let me say what I think about this show. Definitely a very well done show, beginning from the story which is coherent and maintaining its genuineness even with the parts which were added as fictionalization. This is a story, as said above, which is tremendously cruel, but definitely beautiful. The relationship between the two leads, the way they shared feelings and they tried hardly to find a way for them within the obnoxious court of Joseon world, made of conventionalities, conformism, bigotry, is amazingly nice but hard to see and to accept. Some of the hugest critics I read about this story were about her (Deok Im) not expressing clearly her feelings. Welcome to Joseon! She simply was a court lady, thus a servant, considered as a sort of inferior being in the court life, who could not freely express anything of her feelings. Imagine then if the subject of her feelings was the king himself (a sort of omnipotent semi-god). I liked a lot their path toward their union made of a lot of reconsiderations and second thoughts, doubts and hard and cruel decisions. I cried a lot while empathizing with this very strong female figure of Deok Im when she painfully had to decide what to do of her life, choosing between the freedom and the chance to live a life without huge restrictions because she was born as a free soul, on a side, and the love for his beloved man, well knowing that the rest of her life would have been inside a golden jail, having to give up to any kind of freedom, on the other side. I found this part the most heartbreaking, together with the loss of the little crown prince. Till the very last second I felt completely immersed in the tragic beauty of the story, and the emotions were sometimes strong to deal with. Even more thinking about the fact that it really happened.
The leads are performed by the two outstanding Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young: their acting is superb. Kang Hoon on his side exceptionally renders the enigmatic and tormented character of Deok Ro. And I wish mentioning also Lee Deok Hwa: his performance as king Yeongjo is perfect. All of them are supported by a well selected and well performing cast.
The OST music is very nice and well paired with the story. Special mention to I'll leave you by Lee Sun Hee, which still moves me to tears thinking about the scenes it was associated with.
The direction was very nice too, together with the photography and the costumes.
This show can be defined a masterpiece to be honest: I could not believe that a story like this could actually having been happened in real life. Simply epic.
It undoubtfully deserves being watched, but be prepared to very emotionally painful scenes.

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