Why did I pull through? Why did I still give this drama an overall rating of 8/10? Because of Yoo Seung Ho, Kim So Hyun, and a few other side characters such as Gon, Hwa Gun, and Master Woo Bo. Otherwise, the drama itself would have been unbearable. The plot was super bland - but arbitrarily convenient in certain settings just so that the leads would MIRACULOUSLY be saved with a scrape or two. I've seen enough Sageuk dramas to predict a few things here and there, but not enough that I would be able to basically feel out the remainder of the story as I did with this one.
I honestly did feel as if YSH and KSH's fullest potential was not demonstrated in this drama, and I could understand why - the plot was lacking the structure that would allow for the leads to express the right range of emotions. I felt like KSH held back in certain scenes - maybe due to discomfort or just a disconnect with her character? YSH had a great presence, but because the plot was so lacking, it felt as if his acting was uncomfortably overpowering? Don't get me wrong, I've seen both of the leads' previous works before, and they are definitely talented - but this drama did not put them in a position to perform at their fullest potential.
Also, this drama dragged on for a lot longer than necessary. Like seriously, it could have ended 5 episodes earlier of both parties stopped feigning ignorance 45 times in a row just to have their plans spoiled.
With that said, I would not recommend this. The actors and actresses alone are not enough to save the drama as a whole!!! P.S. I'm still a big fan of YSH and KSH though, and I hope that they will star in another drama in the future :-)
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Os reis costumam ser tolos e manipuláveis em dramas históricos. Lee Sun, contudo, se juntou a Lee Hwon no seleto grupo de príncipes e reis que usam o cérebro para proteger ao povo e a seus ideais. Ademais, lançou por terra o ditado que diz: "Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura." - foi tentado pelo poder diversas vezes, mas declinou em todas elas. Foi envenenado pelo menos 4 vezes, mas recuperou-se mais rapidamente em todas elas. Ovídio disse isso por não conhecer o legítimo "Duro de matar"!
O que dizer dos coadjuvantes? Foram incríveis!
Detestei Hwa Gun no início, pois não parecia ser nada além da famigerada mocréia doramática. Ela, contudo, surpreendeu-me: por seu amor ao príncipe acabou por contribuir para a formação de um país que zela pelos seus.
Lee Sun, por outro lado, era o coitado de quem me apiedei no começo e cuja vida desejei ver ceifada ao final do drama. L entrando, pisando no tapete das estrelas do k-pop que atuam de verdade.
Chung Won, Woo Bo, Gon e Moo Ha
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Now my top 5 historical drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I don't know why this drama gets a lot of backlash because I thought the plot was amazing and clever. It was so fun to watch everything play out and resolve. Yoo Seung Ho did such a great job playing his role and he plays a crown prince SO WELL. Kim So Hyun is such a queen of course, like from the variety of roles she played before, now she's in the historical times WOW and she did well. I watched this drama with my family and we all enjoyed it together. One thing that BROKE my heart was the second female lead because she is such a queen, such a boss and even stood up to her evil grandfather and died. Her love for the crown prince was so genuine and so pure, even though she wasn't. She did A LOT for him and honestly it would've been hard for him to succeed without her help.
I also LOVE every single one of the OSTs in this drama and I love singing along to them.
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One of the best Korean historical dramas around...
As someone who is very particular about historical based dramas (or pseudo-historical), I've always favored dramas from China compared to Korea. Aside from the depth or lack of depth of the story itself, the quality of the production tends to be far superior in China than in Korea. The sets seem to be much bigger, and the interior sets tend to be more intricate than the simplistic designs that tend to populate Korean dramas.I'm pleasantly surprised to say that Ruler: Master of the Mask is a notable exception in everyway to the typical Korean historical drama. The sets were opulent, albeit more simple compared to the sets from most Chinese historical dramas. The cinematography was excellent, and the story was surprisingly good and had a good ending.
YSH is the ML in this drama and he shines. I love his portrayal of the royal Yi Sun and felt that he really carried the performance well. His acting wasn't too exaggerated, but it hit all of the right notes. FL was ok, she did well in her role. The second FL was a surprise. At first, I hated her character (though the acting was good) and how uppity she was. I was really glad when it was revealed that she was the secondary character rather than the main love interest of Yi Sun. Then as the story progressed, her character became far more nuanced and by the end of her arc, I was wishing that she was the main love interest after all. Props to the actress who portrayed the granddaughter of Dae Mok.
The concept of a secret society who manipulates the nation from the shadows is not a unique plot, but it was used to great effect. I was especially glad that it largely avoided the melodrama of the typical historical drama focusing on the royals: Queen Mother or Queen is secretly in control of the party seeking to gain ultimate power and attempts to manipulate the young king/prince, clashing with the virtuous maid who becomes the future Queen/main concubine. The main villain of the story was cunning, vicious and menacing, making his society a palpable presence and threat through the drama. Of course the writers later reversed course and dragged the character of the Queen Mother down to the dogs. A shame, since before the reveal that she was as usually portrayed, trying to gain the ultimate power in the imperial court, her role in the drama was actually refreshing: the woman who had the maturity to accept the concubine of the king and their child and take the child as her own, fighting for the child and the people from within the palace. She was a good foil for the villain and thankfully, they managed to take a couple of twists to her arc that makes it unique from other dramas.
I'm of mixed mind about the second ML. The actor was amazing of course, but as much as I loved the character at the beginning of the series, by it's end I was thoroughly sick of him and cheered when his final fate was unveiled. Of course the backstabbing friend angle has been done before, but this drama did it better than most and I applaud them for it.
There were some characters that I felt were completely unnecessary to the plot, and a bit too much humor throughout, but it wasn't as egregious as Haechi or other historical dramas that on the surface appear to be more serious thrillers but turn out to be muddled trash. There was for the most part a fair balance between the more serious themes and the humor.
All in all, I highly recommend this drama to anyone interested in this sub-genre of Korean dramas. It is definitely among the top 10 of my list of historical dramas and will be one that i will view again soon.
Rating: 9.5/10
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I would classify this drama as an action / adventure historical kdrama. If you are looking for a Saguek with deep themes and realistic characters, this isn't it. This is drama that just meant to enjoy and have fun with. It's like a Marvel movie, not everything is realistic but it's definitely a ride.
What I loved:
Yoo Seung Ho- He's incredible actor and perfect fit for the role.
The Story: It's a fun ride that kept me on the edge of my seat.
What I didn't love:
Unfortunately, Kim Myung Soo (L) was miscast in his role. I've seen him in other dramas, and I have enjoyed him. I did not like him in this role at all.
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