The HISTORICALS Ranking Project

Best.

As binge-worthy as Empress Ki. 

This is the queen of dramas for intrigue, but didn't hit me emotionally like a ton of bricks like Jewel in the Palace did. Also - and sadly this is too prevalent in C-drama - the dubbing is at times incongruous. It lowers the ceiling for immersion and affect.

I've not come across many shows that had meticulously synchronised and synergised dubbing. Love Between Fairy and Devil would be one of them, and Empresses in the Palace (aka Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan) also generally does a great job.

It surpasses just about all other dramas on the list though for villainy and character transformations. It's bold in this regard, though don't expect high reason or believability, even compared to most other dramatised "true" historicals.

It's an unfinished story, otherwise it might garner even more favour.

Also, this is an interesting twist on the concept of a period drama, which I'm guessing will be grotesquely neutered in the slated 2nd and 3rd seasons due to newer Chinese rules and guidelines.

Possibly the most turbulent drama I've watched, sageuk or otherwise. No show has filled me with so much hatred or fighting spirit, rooting interest, for its characters. 

Ha Ji Won vibes with her role well enough. Her performance is solid, but her character is so fitting for all the absolute bullshit which constantly befalls her and others, with all her anger, contempt, will and determination, on her long road from Seung Nyang to Empress.

The slowly building moral dilemma and ambition of Baekan and Tal Tal plays out to one of the most satisfying plot climaxes for non-leads one could see. Yuan Emperor Huizhong's/ Ta-Hwan's (Ji Chang Wook) character is so at odds with logic and reason in a way that makes him one of the most interesting leads to watch in sageuk works. 

Impressive on many levels, whether it be the sheer scope of its story, its thrilling dynamics, its spectacular character transformations, or its inspirational characters. Sambong is just it, always compelling and brimming with charisma. Yi Bang Won is such a complex and tremendously written character, overacted somewhat by Yoo Ah In, but a fearsome anchor to this wild epoch-shifting phase of Korean history, in the passing of the Goryeo era into that of Joseon.

Quick side point...

Have come across two versions of this with slightly different soundtracks. They use the same music but different edits and pairings on rare occasions. Not really sure why this ended up being the case and I haven't come across this before with any other K-drama.

Awww yiss.

It's good and fun.

Ongoing... but pretty dank.

Only 1/3rd through...

Ultimately, parts 1 and 2 make up ONE show, so the score will change after the full viewing.

It never quite soars, but it carries engaging momentum and tells quite a tight tale. The visuals (colour grading), much like The Red Sleeve, are quite uniquely stylised (lots of greens and ambers in this case) and the overall cinematography is pleasing to the eye. The leads lack charisma (it's mainly the writing) but the concept of their love story is fascinating and well worth the view.

Solid and good... unfortunately, the version I watched had chronic sound problems. Not sure if that's in the original broadcast — surely not? There was a constant sync offset in the stereo sound.

In some ways this has the best intrigue of all the sageuks I've watched, but grew tired of this and didn't appreciate the extended runtime beyond episode 50 or so for 12(?) more episodes.

Lady Mishil (the villain) is simply immense but I never really felt like Lee Yo Won quite carried the role of Queen Seondeok — she was unconvincing in carrying the aura and vibe of a brilliant and quick-witted woman who'd eventually become a mastermind Queen and an ultimate authority. Why 6 with such high immersion and writing? I must have been harsh in light of the extended runtime. Will give this a second viewing soon.

Comments pending...

The main problem is that I'm not that emotionally invested into any character... some pacing issues and a lack of memorable cast...

Loses steam after P1. Yet to finish.

A drama that gets better as it goes along. The plot (and not the queen) carries the show. Tight and sometimes exquisitely handled writing. Was close to dropping this by episode 5. Even the music improves after a janky and weak start in the first couple of episodes. Took a while for production to settle in for this drama. Still, there's a lack of emotional tension somehow... admiration for plot handling but still left a bit cold.

The first half was a delight, finishing was a chore. The finale is one of the most boring and self-indulgent denouements in Kdrama. In its finale of season 1, Vinland Saga achieved more impact, evocation and emotion in a few seconds of a dagger falling to the floor from a distraught soul than The Red Sleeve managed to achieve in 10s of minutes of drawn out and bloated flashbacks. There's a problem with stagnant character developments and circular dilemmas between the leads which mires this show somewhat, despite circumstantial justification and rationale.

Dropped... (Just quite dull.)

Dropped... (Crap and often aimless writing. Pretty visuals save absolutely nothing here. Gf and I were just completely numbed by this show by about episode 11 or so. I've heard it really picks up after that through to the end. Maybe one day I'll see it through... You can see by star ratings here just how critical immersion and writing are to an overall rating. )

Shoddy acting from the MLs. Kinda fun and cool for a while but it just has no steam. The comedy is hit and miss and the story is not strong enough to overcome such wooden portrayals. Rookie Monster still delivered a strong performance and is as beautiful as ever though — silver linings and all dat.

Dropped or On Hold... (Just seemed trite, even amateur... but only watched 4-5 eps and will probably pick this back up and not give up on it.)