ruby yakam

It was a good k drama and I still watched it till the end. However, certain things just annoyed me about it. Firstly, anyone with two working eyes can see that the crown prince is a girl. The delicate features, the physique and petite body. Everything was screaming girl vibes. It’s just so annoying that we have to pretend throughout the whole drama that everyone doesn’t know it’s a girl. Even though I love the actress playing the role, this required someone with a little bit more masculinity and more masculine features. It would make more sense because for years she trained and ate and did everything like a man so should at least be a little more muscular. Secondly, I absolutely hate how helpless every episode made me feel. The good guys always seemed to have no power and bad guys were always a a giant looming over. This k drama just put me on the edge of my seat and not in a good way. There were no solid wins that gave me a little hope. In the end I only continued watching because I enjoyed the characters but I gave up on their capacity to outsmart and pull one over the bad guys. Overall not my favourite period k drama. It was a kind of lost cause drama.

This drama has me hooked and waiting for every episode of season 2 to be released. It’s thrilling, keeping me in my toes and takes me through a whirlwind. Firstly, It is the first period k drama in the recent years where they stay true to the times especially in relation to the female lead. Recent period k dramas feature a female lead that is too ahead of her time. Let’s face it, during the Joseon Dynasty, women were taught to be meek and soft spoken. They shined in society through their wits and principles. But recent period k dramas, not that I have an issue with a strong female lead, they’re always unconventionally outspoken and loud. They always seem to be some kind of unique, quirky one of a kind girl who’s always way smarter, stronger and more skilful than everyone else which comes off as overbearing and obnoxious. This k drama however, the female lead represents what women can do in a masterful and realistic way. She is resourceful and clever, she protects her loved ones, not in a macho I can kill any man way, but in a realistic and maternal way. She is able to survive and thrive while being honest to the limitations she had as a woman in those times, which made me want to root for her even more because everything she had, she fought and struggled for. I love her character development from a snobbish rich girl to a brave and strong woman and a leader. And the drama shows the slow metamorphosis she goes through to get there. The male lead I also am in love with. He does not come off immediately as a hero. He is humble and patient and calculating. He also wore his heart on his sleeve for the FL. He is funny and compassionate. He did not seek glory for what he did but did it simply because it was right. I also absolutely love his action scenes. He is so swift and the camera work getting the perfect angles and moving with the ML as if the audience was in the fight as well, phenomenal. Lastly, the plot of the movie is absolutely gripping. It shows the political aspects of a war. I love that it’s not a simple charge into battle and somehow they come back victorious. It displays how characters used their wits and intelligence to survive. It also shows how ordinary people struggled to survive. Overall this is the best period k drama since the time of Dong yi and empress ki, overshadowing dare I say dramas such as Love in the moonlight and the kings affection. It alongside Under the Queens Umbrella are recent ones that have been an absolute thrill to watch.