This is the second saguek I have rated 10/10 in a very long time. The first one was “Jewel in the Palace” and I didn’t expect that this drama would exceed that one. To give you an overview about the series, the story is a prequel to the drama “Tree with Deep Roots” which was aired on 2011. The story runs during the end of Goryeo era and the opening to a new country called Joseon.
The writers and producers has so much material to work with since according to history, this is where the first royal annals (records of the king) started. Having that as a solid background to a great story in the making, they were able to show how beautiful and frightening it was to live in those days. Days in which freedom was what the common people could only dream of. I give my kudos to the director and the people behind this drama for being able to produce something so outstanding (FYI: Six Flying Dragons won multiple Baeksang Awards, a prestigious award in Korea for the best drama shows). Another side to this drama is the political aspect, it was so intense that watching this without proper subtitle would have been bad for your health if you cannot understand the Korean language. The dialogues could be heart wrenching one minute then an eye opener the next. What made this drama peculiar for me is that usually, sagueks leaves a lot of moral lessons in life and has a clear cut on what is right or wrong, but here… YOU have to be your own judge as to what you deem is right. Everything is grey especially to one of the main characters specifically Yi Bang Won. For him, everything has a means and a justification in order to reach the ultimate goal, a goal that benefits a lot of people by sacrificing a few. You get what I mean? That said, the drama story is long but it’s not tiring to follow because there is always progress in every episode as the characters come to an individual realization, then gets together for a common cause and finally outgrow each other.
What I love about this drama is that it has a lot of powerful characters. There are a total of six main ones, hence the title and they are portrayed by actors that could stand up to their roles. My favorite would be Yi Bang Won which I have already mentioned earlier and was portrayed by my beloved actor Yoo Ah In. He has the most character growth in the 50 episodes that I’ve seen him, as he started as a naïve child, to being an adolescent who wants to change his country and finally as a king. His thought process was also very different from the rest of the characters that’s why I love watching him and see what he would be scheming up next and he is one seriously complicated guy. My second character choice, would be Moo Yool acted by Yoon Kyun Sang, this guy here is seriously pure heart and pure strength. He is the total opposite of Bang Won who is witty and manipulative. It’s no wonder that he and Bang Won complement each other’s character, he’s just too nice and loyal. My third and last favorite character is Bang Ji acted by Byun Yo Han, this guy is a fantastic swordsman and his fighting skills are... I just get speechless every time he gets a fight scene. He has gone through so much hardship that all I wish for him is a tiny-bit of happiness. I like the fact that he is loyal to the person he loves and to the person he decided to follow until end. As for the rest of the other main characters namely: Boon Yi, Sambong and Yi Seong Gye… I feel that they are all on the same level of liking in my rating book. It's just that there wasn't much character progress for any of them since they are utterly stuck to their own principles. Aside that... there are a lot of other sub characters who also gave light to the show but I would leave that for the viewers to judge and pinpoint who they like.
The soundtrack of this drama was awesome and unforgettable. It has been more than a year since I’ve seen the drama and yet the songs still run in my head and I could still sing a few verses. It added dramatic luster to the scenes, the songs that would be played in the background is like a clue as to how intense each scene was going to be. I give two thumbs up for their choice of music.
I will be re-watching this drama in the near future, since I miss the characters and would want to relieve each moments with them but for now I highly recommend this drama for all the saguek lovers out there.
Was this review helpful to you?