This series was so popular for a reason - defeating all the other dramas. Reading the synopsis it wasn't that interesting but I had heard it was good and on top it was a historical drama so I gave it a go and boy I am so glad that I did. Story - I thought the story was different and unique in some ways. We have the conventional love triangle but its really different to the usual kdrama plots, from beginning to end the relationships do not change giving the characters more depth and life(SPOILER: although it did annoy at times when Jung Il Woo's character wouldnt let go) also it shows that love doesnt change which I thought was really admirable and inspiring. The fantasy gives a great twist to the story because you don't usually get historical and fantasy working well together but this worked out really really well. It played a subtle but significant role giving it a different dimension. And most importantly, the love between the main characters were just heartbreakingly beautiful - it had made me cry and ache over the fictional couple many a times - the love was simply just....speechless. Thinking about the pain the characters go through just makes you cry. Although there are many sad parts in this series, there are as many laughs. For many episodes I have cried and laughed repeatedly - the heartwarming humour which dissolves the tense scenes making it easy to watch. The only thing I didnt like is probably how some of the characters were killed off, though justifiable I felt that they could have approached it in different ways or not kill them at all. This drama focuses on romance heavily with a some elements of politics and power - even though the struggle for power and status could have been explores further, the focus on romance was more than enough. If they explored those element then the show would have been too cramped and rushed (20 episodes would not have been enough - would have made it drag also) Acting/Cast - well it was perfect. Seeing how I cried over this series and the heartache I felt for the characters you could probably guessed that the acting was simply phenomenal especially Kim Soo Hyun did an oscar-winning performance - no exaggeration. I was unsure of him at first but WOW he took my breathe away. Also the young actors/actresses deserve a lot pf praises as well because if they didnt do such a good job the adult actors wouldnt have been able to pull it off and bring the characters to life. Even if the story was not good the acting is well worth it - best acting I've ever seen in Kdramas. Personally I thought they could have casted someone else other than Jung Il Woo - I cannot stand the man so he ruined it a bit for me but thats my own opinion. Music - again, perfect. The music fitted with all the scenes and enhanced the performances even further making it even more awesome than it already was. The music was just right. Love the OST, have it on repeat on my iPod ever since the series started. Rewatch value - of course its worth watching again and again. I want to restarting watching it now and its only just finished!! I'm definitely going to buy the DVD and watch it on TV to get the full impact of its awesomeness! Overall, this drama was fantastic - everything was perfectly executed that even if I wanted to I couldnt fault it on anything major. Not one moment of disappointment and in my opinion the ending was great - although I thought it was a bit rushed but even the PD's couldn't do anything about it since there was a strike. I love how every episode counts, usually missing an epsiode or so wouldnt be the end of the world but with this missing an episode was the end of the world aha (slight exaggeration). Throughout the drama I was on the edge of my seat, like a leopard ready to pounce. Outstanding performances was the highlight of the show and I am definitely following some of the actors past and future dramas without a doubt. It is soooooo worth losing sleep over!