Shannon Adams

Nice casting- stilted adaptation. Screenwriting matters. Seems goal was to save money

When I think of epic romances that have stayed with me long term, I think of "The Thorn Birds", "Shogun", and "Gone with the Wind". This series blows them all away... though at first I thought I was watching GWTW lifted straight out of the US Civil War and plunked down in Asia during one of the Ming/Korean wars. Ha ha. Characters were based at first on Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie and Ashley but developed differently as the series progressed. This show is bloody and full of political intrigue but what makes it earn its five star rating is the fact that the actors make you believe you are watching the most uncheesy, sincere, heart fluttering romance of all time. YES, - do not hate me, but these people have bypassed Rhett and Scarlett, Ivanhoe and Rebecca, Mr Darcy and Miss Bennet. My heart didn't just flutter with excitement but screamed in frustration and longing and eventually applause for these people. Literally. I actually started applauding at the TV, as if I was watching live actors/ actresses. Two episodes rank as featuring the top five most romantic dialogues I have enjoyed in my life, and the other episodes were not boring either. Watch it. You will forget you are reading subtitles. This is quite possibly the greatest drama Korea has produced yet. It makes me wonder what would happen if they focused on quality more often, instead of churning out quantities of half developed good ideas. Also- why isn't this one raved about more? Is it because Netflix ignored it? I love a lot of what Netflix has to offer. But this is hands down the best thing I have seen in Korean ever, in five years of K-drama watching.