(review from 2022)

this has become my current favorite historical while watching it nearly three years after its release. it's almost on the red sleeve level — and i'm not saying that lightly. it's a romcom in many parts, but as someone who doesn't care much about that genre anyway; it's like a sugary snack — it gives a fleeting sense of mild enjoyment but its tropes and cheesy antics rarely fill up a full series — i found the romance in this show, which was quite minimal actually, very enjoyable due to the characteristics of the leads and their combined dynamic.

to elaborate, in contrary to the usual trope depicted in mediums, where the leads are portrayed as a damsel in distress and her rescuer, the roles are reversed here, where the male lead — portayed by cha eunwoo, whom i found was casted perfectly in contrary to his notorious acting reputation — is a lonesome prince, locked away in a palace from the rest of the royals and is very childlike due to his lack of human interaction and thus, lacks judgement and common sense. the female lead on the other hand, is an ambitious educated noble, who doesn't take no for an answer from anyone and cleverly fights for her ideologies with the tip of her ink brush. she doesn't indulge in the common romance novels circulating around the country per other noblewomen and seeks to become an intellectual with a firm set of beliefs and virtues. in some intangible way, the two leads' story was almost like rapunzel: the damsel in distress locked away in her (or his in this case) tower, and the smart, firm heroine who finds him and slowly brings him out of his oblivion to show him the world. (the story of rapunzel actually makes a small appearance in the drama and the female lead disses the silly nature of the fairy tale :‑D) but as you can imagine, when combined, the female and male lead's dynamic and advancing romantic relationship felt very refreshing and innocent given their respective temperaments.

another thing that i found particularly refreshing and i loved was how minuscule, for a lack of better word, the conflict was. this is a historical first and foremost, and historicals always have to include some sort of political intrigue within the palace walls, no matter the genre or time period. due to this, i have begun to find historicals repetitive and uninteresting given the nature of their drama structure. however, the political aspect of this drama is barely nonexistent for the first half of the series; there's no prominent villains, arising problems or high stakes. instead, the conflict and the extent of the political conspiracy slowly creeps onto the characters in the latter half of the show as the leads begin to learn more about themselves and the environment around them. even so, i didn't find it tedious per usual historicals — it was original and exciting! especially because we are introduced to it near the end of the show so it explains a ton of the prior scenes and ties into all of the characters' pasts and clearly explains their motives! everything felt like puzzle pieces coming together, and it felt so satisfying watching the characters come to terms with their origins and backstories.

and lastly, the aspect that i found the most interesting and delightful about the show were the topics introduced. the show takes place in the early nineteenth century, where new advancements had arrived from neighbouring countries and joseon had begun to adopt new ideologies and ways. in many parts, this show depicted the change in society, and the turmoil that followed — similarly to mr sunshine, another one of my favorites. mr sunshine depicted the time period of the japanese colonization in korea — decades before rookie historian. the difference in moods is worlds apart. and yet, rookie historian still touches upon topics of importance — just with a considerably lighter manner. topics like sexism and the faint ideas of feminism; oppression related to views and ideas; the banning and burning of books; political views and how they can often snowball; dethronement and the legitimacy of the heir to the throne; foreign medicinal remedies; religious intolerance (more specifically how catholiclism came to be in joseon) and finally, the importance of historians, not only in the royal court but also in broader korean history. all of these topics made appearances in the drama, whether it was an underlying theme or a small subplot. i found myself learning a lot about early joseon and how it came to be the korea that we know of it now — even despite the fact that i've seen a ton of other historicals already. even so, i found myself fascinated with rookie historian's content and the type of story it decided to tell.

as a whole, rookie historian goo hae-ryung stands apart from other historicals due to its refreshing nature in which it depicted a soft and swoony romance, all while keeping a consistently light tone, even when discussing heavy topics like politics and sexism. i found it particularly fresh as i had seen several historicals prior (as mentioned before), so i was well-versed in the content and format already, but rookie historian gave a new take and perspective on the historical genre and offered a wonderful pacemaker amidst all of the other repetitive genres — investigative crime, cheesy romance, fantasy, melodrama — that i had been stuck in a loop watching. the show occasionally made me smile or crack up with laughter, but other than the laughs it produced, i appreciate how it had something to say above anything else. bold and (arguably) still relevant social and political commentaries that popped up here and there ultimately made a meaningful and informative watch.

i wouldn't rate this drama incredibly high because it's not my style on paper, but i still had a very enjoyable time watching it and will treasure the memories of it for a long time to come. for anyone who's skeptical that it might be unpleasant or cheesy due to its advertised romance tag, i, an avid thriller and action lover, found myself completely enamoured by the antics and messages rookie historian told. i loved the characters: historians who fought for what they wrote and believed in, royals and crown princes who pursued to create a great reign, and physicians who struggled to spread knowledge about medicine; each character added great depth and personality to the story — whether it be from their hilarious antics and comedic microexpressions or their frequently deep revelations and resolute dialogue. the acting, music, cinematography and costumes were all dreamlike and on point as well, so props to all of the wonderful actors and the masterful team who wrote, acted, and produced; consequently bringing such a story to life.

before i end this lengthy review, i just wanted to leave a quote from the show to sum up its message and essence;

“Even if you slash my throat, our brushes will not stop writing. If I die, another historian will take my place; if you kill that historian, another will take their place. Even if you kill every historian in this land, and take away all the paper and brushes, you won't be able to stop us. From mouth to mouth, teacher to student, elder to child, history will be told. That is the power of truth" - Goo Hae-ryung.