I didn't like how the story started, and I've never been one to like historical dramas, and I disliked most characters in this. Seriously. The special effects and armor were kinda bad.
Then around the middle of it I started to become more attached to watching it and actually liking the character development. Also the story line got more interesting.
At the end I was very satisfied with all the characters (including the king which I thought was the worst out of it). The story line kept it interesting until the end. Like most dramas the ending is always cut short only not giving me satisfaction of 'years later' or any hint of what the characters would be doing after the conclusion.
My advice is if you're into historical dramas with a small amount of fantasy you will probably love it.
If the beginning had a better direction and the ending wasn't cut short so much my rating would be higher. Not a bad watch if you can get through the first 4 or 5 episodes. I don't think I'll rewatch it anytime soon, but the action is decent & the characters grow on you.
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The story itself was almost flawless with only a few holes.(But time-travel shows usually have things that just don't add up.) I usually find myself watching the last few episodes of any drama in fast-foward. Not the case! My fast-forwarding was merely to check on the welfare of my beloved characters before rewinding and watching the episode in is entirety. The soundtrack is currently downloading on my computer right now. Moving, captivating, and inspiring.
Though still on the newer side of dramaland with only 50 dramas under my belt I found Faith refreshing in a different way. While the swordplay and massive causalties every episode was somewhat unnerving and hard to stomach I found the story and episodes to be well-balanced.
I felt I could understand the characters and found myself less mad at them than usual. I even found the villians enjoyable to watch as the portray they roles amazingly and might and add at times hilariously. It's often frustrating to see the villians winning for the majority of the show. But the little victories on each side made for an interesting watch and great storytelling.
Faith didn't have the melodrama and usual drama cliches and aside from the "inner powers" some characters had. I found the events not to be over the top-dramatic but in the world they lived in totally plausible. And I didn't feel the need to roll my eyes constantly. It wasn't too fluffy, too sad, or too dramatic. And it was quite funny at times. Most of the main characters experienced some form of character growth and the supporting cast was loveable especially the Woodalchi Boys. And that ending....
All in all great watch.
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This drama introduced me to both main leads and I thought they did well. I'd heard about Lee Min Ho before watching this (some good stuff and some eh...not so much) but this drama made me see what the hype about him was all about. I thought his acting was ok (for sure wasn't the worst I'd seen) but he was very charming so you couldn't help but fall in love with him and his little toothy grin. Kim Hee Sun did a good job portraying a strong/smart female lead who took no flak (most of the time) but was also realistically emotional given the situations she was in. I can see how some might have found her a bit annoying but I thought she was quirky and trying to do her best. I also liked the secondary couple (the king and the princess) a lot too. Their romance was adorable and I liked how it developed into a very supportive relationship. Overall, the characters made it enjoyable. I watched this drama ages ago but can still remember many of the scenes which is a testament to the story, their performances and chemistry (ps. I have the memory of a goldfish so if even I could remember them it's a win in my book).
However, I did find the later episodes very draggy and skipped through some of it. This drama was 24 episodes (each an hour long) which could have easily been made into 16. Some things felt a bit repetitive towards the end. I was also glad they included an epilogue or else I would have rated this a bit lower and not have enjoyed it as much. I don't usually re-watch dramas but I would recommend this to anyone looking for a historical fantasy to watch.
(Completed: 2016)
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Watch this for Lee Min Ho's great character and the other interesting side characters but keep in mind that Kim Hee Sun's character can throw you off at first but she does get better though and you'll like her.
The story was interesting enough to make want to keep watching, I think the main reason for that was the villains and Choi Yeong's story and relationship with the woo dalchi and the king.
The romance part of the show was good, at first there's not much of it, but in the middle it develops. I also liked the few romance scenes between the king and queen, it was really sweet.
The ending was a bit confusing to me at first, but I watched it again and understood it. I thought it would be a bad ending as I had read some reviews but it wasn't, the story was completed well enough.
My only complain is the bad camera work (random awkward zooms in and such) but I guess they didn't have much budget or something.
Overall I would recommend watching this show because the story is good and the bad parts can be tolerated.
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Historical but not really
This whole drama felt a bit strange for me. This was one of my first historical dramas and I was not expecting the fantasy aspect of the plot. Even though I really enjoy the mixing of both genres, it was hard for me to reconcile both while watching this drama. On one hand, you have someone going back in time with all the knowledge of the past, while at the same time being faced with concepts of magic and strange powers that don't really fit with these actual historical figures.I watched this drama because of Lee Min Ho. He was my only reference going into this drama, and since I had never seen him in anything historical, I jumped in. I was captivated at the start, maybe up until episode 10 or 12. The story didn't make any sense, and plot-wise there was no clear path to any of the characters' actions or what they were leading to. It keeps going in circles halfway through the drama and in no way needed to have 24 episodes.
The romance between the leads was cute and I enjoyed some of their scenes. That said, it was hard for me to reconcile the historical figure LMH is portraying in this romantic setting. I would be ok with the fantasy side of it, had they been just regular people living in a universe with a different set of rules.
In the end, the only thing I really loved was the music, which I still remember and listen to from time to time.
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It’s possible to enjoy this show for its slow-boil romance, but the second you give your brain cells free reign everything falls to pieces.
I mean it's like those light novels you read that you know has some messages but is not a brain twister and i'm pretty sure that's what they were aiming for.
If you want to watch a historical, fantasy romantic drama with LEE-MIN HO as the main lead(That's why i watched it).
Go for it. And this drama is really good, You will love it. Not the best drama by Lee-Min Ho but, neither the worst too.
I loved it, and i like the ending too. It's a decent heartwarming above average romantic historical drama
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Some interesting characters
It was a good drama however I could not give it a full 9.
Truthfully I would have liked this drama much better if the main actress character was more realistic and not so annoying. As a fellow female of the 21st century I know one this for sure...no matter how much I spent for a bag or how much I loved that bag as soon as there is someone threatening my life I would leave it and run. The character always remembered to carry her handbag even when she is leaving life saving medicine and equipment. Seriously, who is going to ask for her driver's licence(British spelling..lol) in that period of Korea?
I also found some of the villain's actions ridiculous and repetitive. There were many instances when I was like...'Really? WTH!?????'
I thought the male actors were great, They were the ones that made the drama enjoyable. Lee Min ho did a great job in this drama but the King was really good. I like this character a lot and the actor made me really empathized with him although he was weak and useless.
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def of faith : what choi young have in eun soo and eun soo have in choi young and what king and queen have in each other and above all what king and choi young have in each other ...all i can tell u is it is best there are a little bit faults but they do not disturb the main story so u can overlook it
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One of my first dramas I watched in 2012. It was the beginning of my journey in the Korean enternaiment with dramas.
The story, even it is fantasy, is well constructed, the time traveling and the various events are really captivating.com
The characters are perfect and the casting delivered the emotions in the best way. My favourite actor and actress are determined bu this drama. They are such wonderful actors.
I will not give any spoilers to give you all the chance to discover this jewel of a drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have so many mixed feelings about this! While I love Kim Hee Sun and Lee Min Ho in the main parts, there are others whose acting choices I found questionable - I know we're not meant to like Gi Chul because he's the baddie, but man, he didn't have to go all full mustache twirling evil guy. I know my bad guys (there's a reason it's Xue Yang who's my avatar, not Wen Ruohan) and he and all of his crew were just the worst (as in, not entertaining, I know they're meant to be evil), just cartoons.Also, the production was just lacking - I guess they spent all their money on the door effects, because ugh.
Still, am so happy that it has a happy ending - I dropped another famous time-travel K-drama after finding out that it doesn't end in a similar way.
Kim Hee Sun and Lee Min Ho had such chemistry, but that was basically it - I honestly didn't really care about the other characters, so tired of the palace politics etc.
But the one thing which made me write the review is this: That bloomin' song is stuck in my head! and because I can't speak the language, I can't do what I usually do - which is sing it to the end, in my head, and get rid of it. Yesterday I was watching something else and thinking - this would have been so much better with this other song . . . what the hell is it?
When I realised I groaned, and had to find it on youtube - it's called Carry On, and here it is so all y'all can suffer with me: https://youtu.be/e5brmft_MK4
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This review may contain spoilers
StoryFaith tells the love story between Captain Choi Yeong and the 21st century doctor Yoo Eun Soo.
It's a story that begins lightly and somewhat comically, but then starts to take pace and drama with the running of the episodes. Maybe the first ones are a little slow and they don't catch you, but then the drama begins to get your attention. Not everything that happens is totally predictable, which is appreciated.
One of the factors that makes this drama very exciting is that the context in which it's developed is true. King Gongmin, Queen Noguk, General Choi Yeong and Gi Cheol, brother of the Empress of Yuan, are all characters who existed in real life, and whose lives are very interesting to investigate.
We are talking about the beginning of the reign of King Gongmin, in 1351, Goryeo, a kingdom in constant political and social instability, subdued before the might of the Yuan Empire. Here the kings are not shown as imposing characters, do not have the total respect and support of the court and their people. There are political conflicts in the throne and struggles between different factions, which although exposed in the drama are not treated with sufficient depth, adorned by elements of fantasy, such as the temporal journey itself and the use of magic or "internal energy" by some characters. All these factors complement the main point of this drama, which is the love story between the two protagonists and the decisions they must make between what is right and what they really want.
Direction, Editing and others
This is a drama with a lot of potential, which could have been excellent.
I don't know the reasons, if it was because of low budgets or personal tastes, but it had many flaws and imperfections for me that even the excellent performance of the protagonists could not rescue:
* The editing of video and music was horrendous, mainly the way they finished and started the different scenes.
* Scenery, staging and costumes were very basic and simple, especially if one is accustomed to other great dramas such as Empress Ki, Iljimae, Moon Lovers, etc.
* Terrible effects, mainly those of the blood (wounds of sword), flashes and powers.
* Some quick moves and fight scenes looked like a cheap copy of the well-known Chinese historical films.
* Repetitions of some resources for the same characters (without spoilers).
It was a real pity, but despite all the shortcomings, the story itself makes one to "ignore" them.
Acting / Casting
It is the most prominent category of this drama, and what saves it from much of its shortcomings.
The two protagonists, Lee Min Ho (General Choi Yeong) and Kim Hee Sun (Doctor Yoo Eun Soo), have great chemistry and play their roles magnificently. They show a very sweet romance, which develops slowly, in which words are not necessary and in which only a few gestures and looks are enough. Both grow and change with the circumstances that come across throughout history. They make an excellent couple.
Also noteworthy are the actors who play the Woodalchi, showing courage, loyalty and camaraderie.
Among the antagonists, I rescued perhaps Yoo Oh Sung (Ki Cheol), but for the most of them I was not convinced.
The interpretation of the royal couple was good as a secondary but I was not impressed, they did not transmit so much chemistry.
Music
The selection of music, songs and instrumental, was very good, really, one you remember even after ending the series.
There were themes to highlight such as:
* Carry On, Ali
* Because My Steps Are Slow, Shin Yong Jae (4MEN)
* Bad Guy, Jang Hye Jin & MC Sniper
Sadly, the horrendous quality of video editing overshadowed this incredible music.
I really recomend you to look out for the OST of this series.
Rewatch Value
I'm not a "rewatch person", but I must admit that this one has certain scenes that I would like to watch several times, mainly those ones that show us our favourite couple ^^
Conclusion
I really liked Faith and I'm glad I saw it. What I rescued the most is the love story of Choi Yeong and Yoo Eun Soo. So if you like romance I totally say GO FOR IT!!
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