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The costumes and actors and cinematography are all really good looking. This is a very pretty drama to watch. There is some political intrigue and a little bit of adventure, but the main focus in this drama is the emotional tension and love story between the heroine and the 2 brothers - one king and the other grand prince. It's developed very well. It really hits all the right notes to make it a very satisfying watch for romance lovers. If you enjoy romantic sageuks like Empress Ki or Scarlett Heart: Moon Lovers, you'd probably really like this as well. Compared to those dramas, I felt this one was more pleasant, less emotionally wrenching and more satisfying overall.
The pacing was mostly good, but I think the setup was a little slow. Once the story is underway when the adult actors take over it goes pretty fast. The actors all do a great job - particularly the 3 main leads. There is a lot of praise for Lee Dong Gun as the king. He's an intriguing villain. But I think the main couple played by Park Min Young and Yeon Woo Jin are lovely together. It's a juicy love triangle. And I love that the main couple are given a decent amount of happy romantic screen time together. Even though there are plenty of tragic obstacles for them, at least their faith in each other doesn't get annoyingly dragged down by misunderstandings or false accusations. It is really touching their love survived all the violence and political struggle of that time. I had my mouth agape and tears streaming down my face during the perfect final episode.
The criticism I have for this drama is that it is peppered throughout with actions that the characters take or plot details that make you think "WHAT?!" or "WHY?!" and make you feel a little frustrated. Certain things seemed that they didn't have to happen that way and just happened for dramatic effect (especially towards the end) or came out of nowhere. But then later I read that most of those things or some version of those things really did happen in real life. So I think I would rate this higher if more attention was given to certain aspects of the story or the politics so I could appreciate what motivated certain characters or events better.
But still, this didn't stop me from really enjoying this drama. Historical dramas - particularly tragedies -tend to let me down big time somewhere along the line, but this is one of the more satisfying and touching ones that I've watched and highly recommend it.
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PROS: Ji Chang Wook is my favorite actor since I watched him in Healer so I admit that makes me rate this drama higher than I might if he wasn't in it - maybe half a point higher. I was really happy to just watch him in something where he just plays a normal guy. For me this was enough to keep me entertained. I also liked Bong Hee and thought they had good chemistry together.
The supporting characters were cute and likable. I enjoyed the funny bickering of attorneys at the office. Their office meetings were always funny. I also thought the bickering moms storyline was funny. The mean female attorney character grew on me and became one of the more amusing side characters.
CONS: It doesn't finish as strongly as it started and to me a it drags a little in the middle when the crime storyline takes more prominence. The actor who plays the villain gets a lot of screen time and does a good job. But I just wasn't as invested in this part of the story. The plot was entertaining enough to keep my attention though. Certain plot points could have been amped up for more impact. And certain plot points are introduced that added complications but could have been done without. The second leads could have been given a little more to do. And the old friendship between 2 male leads could have been played up a little more. I would have liked to see more of them together.
That sounds like a lot of cons, but it is mostly picking at the plot. Overall, I thought this was a really fun and cute drama to watch and looked forward to each episode.
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But the best thing about it is how real it feels. The actors do such a great job making their characters come alive. They all feel like real people - friends that you might know if real life with relatable career obstacles and realistic relationship troubles. It's really touching how they support and care for each other even though they might talk tough. You really feel the deep connections between the childhood friends and the 2 main leads have great chemistry.
The writing and pacing are great. With most dramas it takes a few episodes for me to warm up and get into the story or characters. But this one is easy and comfortable and hard not to love from the start.
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THE STORY: I was hooked on it from the first episode. It's about a father and 2 sons who run a renowned historic restaurant serving traditional Korean food. What I really enjoyed is the way the father-son and brother-brother relationships are played out. There are good guys and bad guys, but the bad guys are relatively well-rounded and realistic. You can kind of see their point of view and feel for them. The actors all do a great job bringing these characters to life. Kim Rae Won is really likable as the the sincere and naturally talented chef, Sung Chan. Kwon Oh Jung is good as Bong Joo, Sung Chan's overly-ambitious brother. And Choi Bool Am is endearing as their father.
The story touches on themes like balancing modernization with protecting tradition and heritage, living up to your parents expectations and finding your own way in life. It's relatively realistic for a drama. Just like in everyday life there's a little bit of everything - some fun moments, some sadness, rivalries, competition, jealousies, heartwarming and supportive friendships. There is some romance. It was cute, but not the main focus of this drama.
THE FOOD COMPETITIONS: The plot involves not just one food competition but several cooking competitions. And it all looks so good to me. I want to taste it all. There is a lot of focus on the food preparation and the drama of coming up with interesting creative recipes that will outdo the competition. I love watching cooking competition shows so I really get into this aspect of the story and find it exciting. And I don't know much about Korean food so it is really interesting for me to watch them making it and see how they eat and appreciate it.
THE PACING: I read some comments about it being slow. I didn't find it slow, but I can understand why some people might feel this way if watching people making food or talking food doesn't interest you or you prefer dramas with more focus on romance or thrills. But I thought the pacing of the story was just right. Every scene had its purpose and moved things along at a comfortable pace.
Maybe it's not everyone's taste, but this drama left me feeling happy and satisfied just like a good meal. It's definitely one of my favorites!
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But I have to say after I settled into the right frame of mind to enjoy the tongue in cheek parody of all the different stereotypical kdrama storylines, I actually found myself laughing out loud at the ridiculousness and found episodes 5-8 pretty funny - especially episode 6 which pokes fun at the chaebol storylines.
It's an ad for the duty free shop that features some very handsome actors and pokes fun at kdramas. So don't expect too much. It's a silly way to pass some time.
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After all this time has gone by I recently re-watched it because I wondered if I'd still love it as much. I was relieved that it really did hold up after all this time. It might sound a little extreme, but there are certain scenes and choreography that are so beautiful to me that I actually get teared up. The fight scene between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi is one of the best things I've ever seen. Just so impressive - both the choreography and the performance.
The plot is kind of typical of wuxia and a bit uneven. It is the weak point of this movie for me. But it's elevated by the stunning scenery, cinematography and choreography. Two stirring love stories - one young and passionate and the other deep and mature - give the story emotional resonance.
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Each story detail is meticulously revealed for a reason. I think this is one drama where a slow build up might actually help make it a better drama overall. The characterizations and relationships build gradually but deeply. Around episode 20 or so is a turning point. It's like the point where you have reached the top of the roller coaster ride, then all the stuff that happened in the first part of the drama really starts to come together and the rest of the drama goes so fast. When you get to around episode 30, all the drama and relationships have built up to the point that I just had to marvel at the storytelling. It's genius. I really felt the emotion under the surface of these characters that had to stay so reserved and careful so much of the time. My heart started breaking around this point because I felt the inevitable end coming. I never really feel like re-watching dramas, but I think I will re-watch this one just to visit these characters again and see if I can pick up details that I missed the first time around.
Hu Ge and Wang Kai are riveting as Mei Chang Su and Prince Jing. Their relationship is heartbreaking. Though there is romance in this drama, it takes a backseat to the camaraderie and deep friendships among the male characters.
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Yoon Gyun Sang is really good as the Gil Dong. He is believable as the Mighty Child with superhuman strength that evolves into a rebel, but is equally believable when his character is beaten down and vulnerable. Kim Sang Joong is commanding as Amogae - Gil Dong's father- who lived most his life as a slave but realizes his strength and spirit. Watching him at times gave me goosebumps. I particularly loved the father-son relationship between him and both the adult Gil Dong and the young Gil Dong.
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Based on a true story, the characters are fleshed out people who support and believe in each other. Sato Takeru portrays Tokuzu so well, I can't believe he is the same guy who plays the assassin swordsman in Rurouni Kenshin. I have a lot of respect this actor who can perform such demanding action scenes and then do such a different role so well. Starting off portraying the younger troublesome Tokuzo, he convincingly shows the character's development as he becomes a mature man with great responsibilities during turbulent times.
There is a touching love story, but it is not the focus of the the drama. Foodies will enjoy the attention given to food preparation and the drama and trials of becoming a chef and working in a kitchen. Though it is a historical drama about a chef, anyone can relate to it because really it is about finding your dream, striving for it and the family and loved ones that support you along the way. It reminds you to think about how you are living and working and whether you are putting your heart into everything you do.
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