Jewel in the Palace is an Underrated Statement
MyDramalist has been around since 2011, but a classic Sageuk drama has less than 10,000 watchers on the website. Something is wrong. Other K-C-J-dramas reach 30,000 watchers, but those dramas cannot compare to the quality Jewel in the Palace brings. Do not be scared to watch this ageless drama because it is 54 episodes. No review can put into words the central lead actress character perseverance.When you behold the majestic cinematography, the mountains provided the perfect backdrop showing Korea in all its beauty. The director, Lee Byung Hoon, and screenwriter Kim Young Hyun did an incredible job of fashioning a realistic portrait of cuisines and medicines used for that particular time. The viewer struck by the heavy use of pathos, which some people might find off-putting yet handled pretty well, though.
The story unfolds like a novel-like narrative in a documentary format. It takes you on a journey of a woman's experiences that led her to be a successful woman—loosely based on a woman, Jang Geum, during the Chosun dynasty who became Royal Physician. It is a cultural treat as the acting is first-rate. Lee Young Ae's versatile acting skills won her numerous awards. An actress who is adept at taking on numerous characters in a different light. It was a different role from Lady Vengeance (2005), One Fine Spring (2001), Joint Security Area (2000), etc. I fell in love with the main Korean Traditional Song played throughout the drama emphasizing the period. I have said it before, but I was fascinated by the story, I am a guy, but women should see this beautiful work of art because of the strong female lead actress. What a True Heroine should be?
My Final Rating: 8.99
Rewatch value is low because I have seen this three times and every time I enjoy the beautiful images.
Was this review helpful to you?
It is a legendary drama because it has all the fealings you could experience ❤️??
At a time when women were not allowed to hold government positions, the first female royal physician known to the ancient Joseon Dynasty emerged, and the first one said to have used surgery as a treatment in the Far East.Who among us has not watched or heard about the famous historical series “Daejang-geum” or “Jewel of the Palace” as it is known in Arabic, that drama that made us travel to the era of the ancient Joseon Kingdom until we were captivated by the diverse culture of that era and the beautiful nature of the kingdom when moving between costumes. Or different types of food, leading to knowing a lot of different medical information on Jang Geum's last trip in the series.
Some sources say that the character "Jang Geum" is a real person who was mentioned seven times in ancient royal records, which made it controversial whether she was a real person or not. After King Jungjong's death, Doctor Janggeum was never mentioned again and suddenly disappeared from the royal records.
The first time that Doctor Jang-Gum was mentioned in the records was when she tried to save the Queen and her child during her birth, and asked officials to punish her and the other nurses because of the Queen’s death from childbirth complications and Jung-Gum saving the child, but the King refused that because of everything Jang-Gum had done. For the queen and his son until now, and without the reward she received, she did not deserve to be punished.
She was later given the title "Dai" which literally means "the Great" due to all the achievements she had done for the kingdom, with a third-class government rank.
The series received widespread resonance and success when it was shown in 2004 and remained firmly established in the minds and screens for many years and continues to this day to receive much approval and attract attention. It was one of the series that most contributed to the Korean Wave previously.
To be a major contributor to introducing ancient Korean culture with its advantages and disadvantages, which made it very distinctive internationally at the time, and what made it distinctive in the Arab world in particular was the method of its presentation followed that suits all ages and groups, so that it does not contain any scenes that are indecent or unsuitable for the family, which makes a lot of It places it on the list of favorite family series, in addition to the various important valuable messages that this series carries in its episodes, and the smooth development of events that may make some wonder if this is just a really old series that might be compared to some of what is shown recently.
Final message : thank you so much for this master peace ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Was this review helpful to you?
The story revolves around the female lead, Jang Geum, and one of the best parts for me was the much deeper dive into her childhood. Most series with this feel usually brushes quickly on the lead's tragic past and pans to their adulthood. But in this one, you become more invested because of a good introduction to her parents and her youth. She was made out to be pretty much a genius at learning as expected but she was in multiple situations that showed she still had plenty of room to grow.
The politics is very heavy around the royal kitchen and royal physicians which provides a unique glimpse on how these seemingly straight-forwarded offices can influence the court. There are also many historically factual explanations around food/herb combinations which is interesting. Scallion and honey? Yes, I looked that one up.
The negatives I have are pretty common for these longer series where some scenes dragged along with some unnecessary flashbacks. The coincidental and tragic situations our female lead goes through also ends up feeling repetitive at times where it loses its impact. And lastly, the last few episodes felt like an add-on when it should have been an intricate part of Jang Geum's history.
Nevertheless, it was worth this second watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Still Watching, But I Couldn't Wait
I'm still watching this show, but I couldn't wait to write a review.I had never watched a traditional sageuk before this one, and by that I mean ones from before the 2010's with the amount of episodes this one has. I was always so intimidated by the episode count, and even though I love modern sageuks, I was worried that I would find the older ones boring.
Gosh, was I stupid! LOL.
I only started watching this one because it was during quarantine and my semester had ended, so I thought it was the perfect time to start one of the many famous sageuks with the amount of free time I had. I had many options to choose from, but I randomly chose this one. The synopsis didn't strike me as something I'd necessarily like, but I went with it anyway. I'm so glad I did. The first episode had me hooked instantly, even though the first episode is basically a prologue to the rest of the show. I was blown away by the music score, the nuanced beauty of the story telling, and the instant sensation of feeling like I've genuinely been transported to the time and setting being shown. One thing I've felt most strongly while watching this drama is that it's so well acted that I truly feel as though I'm watching a recording of true events—that I'm actually there and that this world exists beyond cameras and scripts and actors.
This show is not for those who get bored easily; who need constant action. This is a character based story—a dialogue based story. So much of it depends on the character relationships and interactions, of our lead Jang Geum just existing and living. There are definitely twists and turns, for I feel like something is always going wrong and our lead is barely escaping things, but it's at a slow pace. Because there are so many episodes, each minor aspect of Jang Geum's experience can be fleshed out to its full potential. It's really fascinating.
I think the best example of this is her interactions with Min Jong Ho, her love interest. It is the most natural and beautiful growth of two people I think I've seen in a drama. There is no confession needed. No physicality needed. There really are even not many moments where romance is even hinted, but rather just them being friends more than anything, and I LOVE that. I just think their dynamic is so beautifully done because of how simple yet not simple it is. This is NOT a romance drama. Their relationship is just another of the many she has with her friends, family, superiors, etc. Still, I just think their interactions are so beautiful and pure.
Though, I have to point out that Jang Geum and Yeon Saeng's friendship is equally as beautiful, and I don't think I realized that until the latter half of the show.
This drama really includes every possible theme, but I think compassion and selflessness is the biggest one. Jang Geum's entire being is compassion embodied. She sacrifices herself over and over for others, and because of her boldness in her compassion, it's what gets her through her life from position to position. She values goodness and honestly and care.
I voted ten for everything except rewatch value, and that's only because I think it would take a LOT for me to be able to sit through this show a second time alone. I could definitely watch it with someone, but not alone again. It takes so much from me emotionally (also, it's just LONG, LOL).
Yeah, this instantly is a top drama of mine. Absolutely phenomenal. ]
Was this review helpful to you?
Una goiello del passato
Gli ultimi drama in epoca Joseon che ho visto non mi hanno entusiasmato, anzi li ho trovati noiosi. Dopo averne visti, nell'ultimo anno, una 40ina pensavo, in realtà, di aver raggiunto una certa saturazione del gener sageuk. E invece......riesco a trovare su internet questo drama, di cui avevo sentito parlare molto bene. Ho aspettato un pò prima di vederlo, 54 ore sono impegnative. Adesso che l'ho finito, dopo 54 episodi, posso affermare: come ho potuto tralasciarlo fino ad oggi!
Se vi piacciono i sageuk, se vi è piaciuto Empress Ki (quello con la struttura narrativa più simile) o Red Sleeve (quello con l'ambientazione più simile), non potete non vederlo.
Veniamo alla recensione: il difetto principale del drama è la lunghezza, 54 episodi sono esagerati. In effetti non ho capito il senso degli ultimi 6 episodi, forse fan service...Il 48esimo episodio si può considerare tranquillamente come quello finale.
Belli i costumi, buona la recitazione e buona colonna sonora. L'aspetto migliore è senza dubbio la storia che ha sempre alla base quell'elemento di mistero e pericolo che tengono lo spettatore incollato al video. Il drama quindi scorre molto bene e poche volte risulta noioso.
Un altro aspetto negativo, leggermente irritante, ma è una caratteristica dei drama coreani, alcune situazioni e comportamenti sono esagerati, inverosimili.
Was this review helpful to you?
