A Genuinely Decent Sageuk

Bossam: Steal the Fate was a good drama. However, I will caveat my review with the fact that I am a sageuk lover.

When I saw this title was airing, it was already on its 6th episode, and I binged the episodes that were out immediately. I've seen a bunch (and I mean a BUNCH) of historical/palace dramas and I've never once heard of the concept of Bossam. So as a seasoned k-drama watcher, I was excited for something new. What I found was a drama I was so enraptured with, I often found myself watching episodes multiple times throughout the week (once without subtitles and again with subtitles when they were out - THANK YOU SUBBERS ♥) just because I couldn't get enough. And don't believe the people who say there's no romance - more below.

STORY: 9/10
The story isn't anything revolutionary, but it's still my favorite trope in my favorite genre (a Joseon-era cohabitation with palace politics), so I couldn't get enough. Up until around the 18th episode mark, I was determined to give this drama straight 10s, but right at the end I was left with some questions and the feeling that the show had only been a few steps away from jumping the shark. Everything you think is going to happen does - but that doesn't mean it's not worth a one-time watch, because it definitely is.

"So how's the romance?"
In my opinion, nice actually. Other people may disagree (I know they do), but think of the romance this way: love languages. If you don't know what love languages are, basically it boils down to the idea that people show love in 5 different ways depending on their individual love language. Some people give gifts, some people help their loved ones, others wants hugs and kisses and all the typical "romance" things, among a couple other "languages". If you believe couples in love have to be heavy Physical Touch people - you will not enjoy this romance. If you're an Acts of Service or Quality Time person like me you may adore this drama like I do. I thought Jung Il Woo did a fantastic job portraying a commoner man in love with a princess far out of his league, and due to the era they lived and her already shy nature, physical touch would've been totally out of place. If you think of it like this, there's a ton of romance in this show, but for Physical Touch lovers, there's next to none.

ACTING/CAST: 10/10
Fantastic acting. I mentioned Jung Il Woo above but he and everyone else did a great job. This show kept breaking its own record and there's a reason for that. A conflicted peasant single father just trying to get by who falls in love with a strong yet meek princess couldn't have been portrayed better by any other couple. I've never seen Kwon YuRi before, but she's on my radar now. I can't give enough praise to not just the main cast, but the supports too. I am always a fan of Lee Joon Hyuk. I'm convinced every drama he's in is an assured winner.

MUSIC: 10/10
AMAZING. Angular Stones (OST part 4) had me singing every time it came on, and Blossom (OST part 12) makes me feel like I'm staring out a window into the rain pining for the man I love. The OST is so great and I've been listening to it since I found the individual tracks. They've gone onto my all-time favorites playlist.

REWATCH VALUE: 8/10
I was convinced this was going to be my favorite sageuk of all time until the ending where it got a little rocky, but it wasn't bad at all. I wasn't disappointed, and the beginning of the show is especially worth re-watching I think. This show is just so comical. All-in-all, I'll probably re-watch this even though I usually have trouble doing that after I know the ending of shows.

Please do yourself a favor and give this drama a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you know what to expect romance-wise. Do keep in mind that there are a lot of palace politics, but that comes with the sageuk genre. Hopefully you find Bossam: Steal the Fate as great as I did. Happy watching!

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It's Been a While Since a Drama's Made Me Cry

I know this drama is a few years old at this point, but I think it's important to mention that the synopsis is a little misleading. I'm no stranger to saeguks and reading the synopsis, it sounds like exactly my type of show. I clicked on the first episode expecting to be thrown into the action - and you are, for like 3 scenes. After that though, the first 4 or 5 episodes are actually all backstory - it follows Hong Gil Dong's father and sets up the supporting cast. But that's not to say that the backstory isn't interesting, it really builds the world and fleshes out the characters (especially one of the antagonists) well. It just wasn't what I was expecting and at the end of episode 3, I considered dropping it because it wasn't what was promised. I'm glad I didn't though because this drama was crazy good, and I think with fair warning it's not a huge deal. So, here's your fair warning!

On merit though, this show was great. I binged it in 3 days.

STORY: 10/10
Starts slow in my opinion. Like I said, it's because of the backstory. The backstory is thrilling, but I was waiting for it to end for about 3 hours in a row and that made it drag for me. If I was watching with the foreknowledge of how long it'd be, it would've flown by because it was genuinely important to the story. Right after the backstory was a little better, but it was still set up for Hong Gil Dong's adult life, which obviously introduces even more characters. I think the story starts getting really interesting and to the promise of the premise around the 8 episode mark.

"So, how's the romance?" I hear you asking. I thought it was really good. I know others may not think so because the definition of romance varies from viewer to viewer. I'll tell you that it's very sweet romance. The main couple feels deeply for each other and they act that way almost every time they're on screen together. The actual physical stuff is very sparse, but the feelings are always there. The strawberry kiss? I'll never be over it. But if you're looking for steamy passion, you'll be disappointed. I prefer romance that's old-fashioned, and that's exactly what's in this.

ACTING/CAST: 10/10
There's some crazy talent here. I've never been disappointed by Lee Joon Hyuk's comedic characters. The main cast was equally incredible. I'd never noticed Yoon Kyun Sang before, but I recognize some of the dramas he was a support character in. This is my first time seeing him as a lead. I may have to check out his other main role dramas.

MUSIC: 10/10
Whoa. As soon as the last episode's credits rolled, I whipped my phone out to look up this OST. There was so much range in the music. I was singing "Mansae!" and cheering along to If Spring Comes. I fell in love to the song It's Love. My heart ached with Magic Lily. I don't have enough good things to say about the OST. Listen and see for yourself.

Another note about Magic Lily: knowing the meaning to the lyrics makes *a certain event at the end that happens* much worse. As the review title says, it's been forever since a drama's made me cry, but Magic Lily is so hauntingly beautiful that I was bawling like a baby. I'm tearing up thinking about it hahahaha.

REWATCH VALUE: 8/10
There are certain scenes that are so impactful and/or unforgettable, it'll be impossible to not watch them again. All the romance is worth re-watching and the last few episodes I'll probably go back to. Is it worth it to sit through an entire 30 episode drama again though? Probably not. At least for me, I doubt I'll sit through the whole thing again.

This drama was a fun ride while it lasted and I regret not watching it sooner. On the flip side though, I'm glad I waited for the summer, because I couldn't put it down. I'll look on it fondly, and I'm definitely going to check out the main cast's other works. Happy watching!

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