I have read a lot of reviews about the story being about the introduction of Christianity to old Joseon, but it's actually about how a people's king wanted to adapt the machine modernization to be able to make Joseon a progressive countr. by educating and teaching people from all classes. It was to make sure Joseon is able to stand amongst other countries in the modern machine revolutionization. But was manipulated into him trying to spread a new religion, to their advantage by the new king and min minister to seize the throne.
Although the story might have been around the male lead, most of the scenes were based around the fl. It was an empowering storyline.The Female lead is not just a damsel in distress in this one but is fighting headstrong. Unlike the usual titsy bitsy FL, she helped actually make progress in their search.
Cha Eun Woo's acting can really be seen here, unlike his usual tsundere roles. I love the chemistry that the brothers shared. Jin was a just king and I loved that he was able to get the throne. Yi Rim in spite of being the legal heir was never interested in the throne. He always wanted to explore the world, as he mentions during their trip to Pyongyang. I love how he was able to finally do that at the end.
Though it might have certain plotholes, I loved a k-drama a lot after a really long time. I'm not much of a re-watcher so its ratings are low. But it has managed to cover lots of bits. some confusing plots at the beginning like Minister Min secret meeting with the king, the banning of the book becoming a big issue, Prince Dowon being isolated, the Queen's secretive propaganda, French guy's brother all seemed like not a necessary part of the storyline but all make so much sense by the end.
I usually don't go for this kind of genre. But this was a refreshing one, and I'm going to be looking more at other drama of this kind.
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The cutest and lightest Joseon Piece I've yet seen. When it isn't dealing with the throne it shines.
I keep giving Joseon pieces a shot. It seems they are a right of passage or actors aren't taken seriously unless they have been in at least one. There isn't a single star I have come to like or follow that doesn't have one of these history tales on their resume. So, I keep watching these weird hatted (I mean why are they mesh, they neither protect from the rain or sun, why are we wearing them?) medieval stories that unfortunately tend to all be carbon copies of each other where everyone is vying for the throne.I have asked in comments if there are any Joseon stories that do not deal with Kings, Princes, succession, and cementing power through Queens marriage, to deaf ears (Err Eyes). This seems to be the only reason to ever write one of these things. There is always at least one, sometimes warring, politicians that are part of the court which always somehow have more power than the kings themselves and are always evil. There more often than not is a son of one of these politicians who is morally ambiguous, who "hates" their corrupt evil father but likewise does nothing to stop their dastardly deeds even while knowing how awful they are, at least until we reach the climax. There is always a forbidden love. The list goes on and on.
Rookie Historian is no different. All of the plot points above are found here as well. The constant recycling and repackaging of Korea's Joseon entertainment is alive and well yet again. However, I will say this time round, the actual tag of comedy can be proudly proclaimed, as there are actually many funny bits throughout the entirety of its run. There are characters and stories that remain light, cute, and fun for almost the entire duration. Their is a soft happiness to the entire production and though the story always has to dig into tragedy and ultimately a large dramatic finish, this time round it refrains from becoming totally horrific.
This time the "fresh" take on the story is by angling from the view of Historians, those that walk and skulk silently in the rooms of the palace writing everything they see to create a written record and truthful history that no one is allowed to read, except other historians apparently. This angle is narrowed when it focuses on the sudden reintroduction of women historians who haven't been used in centuries. Their job is to follow the everyday lives of the royals in their bedrooms and homes instead of the political meetings and public events like the men historians. Thus, the story injects a fresh shot of female empowerment and equality.
Our lead actress Shin Se Kyung plays Goo Hae Ryung, a headstrong, forward thinking, noble woman, with a somewhat mysterious past. Se Kyun is strong in the role overall. She brings both softness and strength to the character, as well as beauty. However, the character seems to not hold the resilience and grit the story early on claims our heroine has. As the tale progresses she gives in to the pressures around her for a stint, especially when it comes to her love. She begins to be the whole tortured female with an empty face, tears behind closed doors, suffer in silence publicly female character that is so commonly written. While she will ultimately spring to action for the end, there will be a whole section of episodes where you will just roll your eyes at her and feel like she just gave up. I suppose the plot needed this to happen at the expense of her character.
Then there is our male lead Cha Eun Woo who plays Prince Do Won. No one can argue that Eun Woo isn't beautiful. He is. Maybe he is a great performer and singer, I do not follow Kpop. But, I can say he isn't sturdy or balanced yet as an actor. It isn't that he is straight bad as an actor, there are moments here where he pulls off some good work. When it is time to be cute, playful, flirtatious, and smitten he does well enough. It is endearing and fun to watch. Him and his female lead have a cute chemistry, not screen blazing, but good enough. Even in the end when things take a more serious turn and Eun Woo is asked to pull off some more dramatic and tearful moments, he actually comes to shine and be very strong here. However, all the rest of the time, while he is acting jealous, contemplative, arrogant, suspicious, mischievous, and the story is having him as a moving part between the power struggle of the others in play that he becomes awkward, stiff, unnatural, and well shows he is acting. His facial expressions are not varied, but a constant repeat. He looks constipated a lot, or just simply blank. His smiles seem disingenuous. The delivery is just simply off. It doesn't ruin the show, but it does show his weakness compared to everyone else on screen. He is the weakest link here.
Our other male lead Park Ki Woong as Prince Yi jin is the powerhouse. You enjoy him when he appears and are drawn into his wide smiles or unwavering stares. His manliness smoulders and his acting is intense and well delivered. While I was dismayed by the ultimate path this characters takes, getting there was a treat to watch and yes Ki Woong's turn here in this role has made me a fan. Park Ji Hyun also appears as our second female lead Song Sa Hee, and as always does a great job as a morally questionable character who does everything in her own interest. She is detached and a lonely wolf, a character that she should feel right at home in by this point.
Lee Ji Hoon is also a lead as Officer Min, the second in command of the Historians and the morally ambiguous son of the "big bad" I mentioned at the begging. He is the male version of Ji Hyun's Sa Hee here. Detached and stoic he holds steadfast to the rules and doctrine of the Historians to a fault, letting the rules of his work, that historians document but do not take part in nor change the outcome of events not matter how horrible, corrupt, or atrocious the events might be, excuse his inaction regarding his father and those around him he knows are perpetrated wrongs against the crown and Joseon itself. I found it hard to like his character, there is too much he allows to happen, too much he could have stopped or helped with and he just doesn't. He knows there are historians being spies, and he allows it. He documents his father controlling the crown and watches the secret meetings in his family home, and tells no one. He is at fault in the backstory of his wife that you will come to learn, again because of his father. The whole Korean idea that children accept their parents as monsters just because they are their parents is not something I stomach well, yet it is a prevailing plotline in a large swatch of Kdrama (Joseon or not). While of course he is also a noble character who at times goes-to-the-mat for others in the show and if rules are broken ( I found it weird what rules he would not allow to bend or break considering what other stuff he lets slide). He also starts to realize his faults and issues when faced with our female lead who refuses, most-of-the-time to sit idle. Thus, he is put on a redemptive arch.
When the story is playing with its characters it is a great watch. When the story is dealing with medical backstory, or the writing and censorship story line it is engrossing. When it brings up social issues, injustices, equal rights, and takes on the unwillingness for society to change or allow anything different to grow Rookie Historian shines. When it is playful and cute and letting our leads fall for each other it is heartwarming and charming. When it wants to be funny, for the most part (some parts do fall flat or become old and repetitive), it is.
But ultimately all this originality, interesting concepts and explorations, and light hearted enjoyment caves in to the prevailing King/Prince/Throne/Power Grab story that can be found in EVERY JOSEON TALE FROM HERE TO THE MOON. This repetitive, stale, boring, and paint-by-numbers plotting that has not a single moment of originality or surprise ends up the main focus for the end and everything else is trimmed away. Oh well.
I had more fun with this than the last 5 or so Joseon tales combined so it was a surprise for me. While I wish someone would just lay the succession storyline to rest, I wasn't dismayed to have sat through this as I was for other Joseon pieces that claim to be comedies like "Flower Crew" for example. Rookie Historian is ,for the most part, a wining fun watch.
7.5/B/3 3/4-Stars. Shows its flaws but remains strong, likely to be enjoyed.
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This review may contain spoilers
Joseon itch? This show will scratch it.
It's good. Really. Not amazing, when I look back at it, but it had some great moment like when the Historians boarded themselves in the office.I'll say no, I don't think Cha Eun-Woo is a *bad* actor. He got too much hate for his role in this, and I think he's fine, especially as he's better here than in his previous work and only improves as an actor throughout the series. I think the people who are complaining are maybe just not that used to Joseon dramas and don't realise the weight of the characters words. (That being said, I'm all set to never see that man cry again, because gosh I saw him do it enough in this show.)
I especially feel like he's gotten a tough time because it's hard to remember what an *amazing* cast is surrounding him. Not a single person was bad in this, in my opinion. They were very strong actors and it was probably just difficult for him in a big role for something of this budget.
Anyway. Yeah. It's a Joseon drama. If you've watched one, you know. The evil dude in the red robe, a crown prince is hurt or killed, there's ninjas and poverty and bitchy court women and a grumpy elder. And a plethora of great, epic songs and misunderstandings and run ins between the characters. I appreciate that Hae Ryung kept her independence as a person whilst still dating Yi Rim, but the plot beyond that is a mess.
It felt like the first half of the show started off incredibly strong, and then by episode 13 or so, it crumbles at the mention of the Seoraewon plot. It's like the show *forgets* what made it so great as it goes on, and found myself bored towards the end and squinting at plot twists and character motives. Really? The characters went through ALL that, just for Yi Rim to go "nah, I'm good. Really. I'm still renouncing my title and going for a walk around the world". Why did no one ask Yi Rim what he thought until *after* they'd won?
Not to mention the glaring issues;
What was the point of the weird romantic tension between U-won and Hae Ryung?
Why did they make such a fuss about sneaking Jean out the palace when Hae Ryung used a hole in the wall that directly entered Nokseodong? For a smart person, why didn't she mention that?
There's more, but I'd be here a while, and they were just examples of what I didn't like it and why it constantly took me out of the immersion and stopped me getting back into the plots. (Especially since the final scene was just one big conversation for 10 minutes where everyone surprisingly listened to the prince nobody took seriously at first).
That being said, it had a great production value, and everything was done well with good music. (One complaint is how strong the overhead lights actually were and how they looked too fluorescent in some scenes so you could tell and it didn't look natural, and that dubbing over in some parts is overwhelming and the actors are too close to the mics, and even in some scenes, the dubbing is timed wrong so they don't match the actors' lips.
AND ALL THAT BEING SAID, it was still a great drama with a nice ending. It's not Scarlett Heart Ryeo or The Moon Embracing the Sun, but it never claimed to be them. It was just a nice drama that didn't leave you bawling your eyes out at it.
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Perfect for late evenings when you are tired
It's funny, like really funny. Everyone has a personality, literally everyone. As the title suggests, this drama really focuses on Goo Hae Ryung. The struggles of a woman taking a male dominated job was too realistically portrayed without losing the comedy. The romance is not the main part but the drama isn't a serious thriller either. Each and every moment is light hearted until the last few episodes, and once they go in that serious mode they stay there. I will admit i skipped a few scenes because they ware just too 'slow', but it was not a lot of times. The only thing you need to know before diving into the drama is... absolutely nothing. That's it. Go into it open minded without expecting anything. .That's actually the usual philosophy i use for watching anything. You don't have to worry about sloppy editing or bad acting, because there isn't any in the drama. Some might think that the male lead was a bad actor and even for this drama he might be. He was supposed to make cartoonish expressions and the expressions were funny but it also easily distracted you from the show. My favourite funny characters must be Goo Hae Thing's maid and Prince's eunach.All being said the drama is a lovely watch. I won't say you must definately watch it, but it's really comedic.
Kind-of SPOILER
I was worried a good character would turn bad around 19th episode.
All characters are secretly good.
SPOILER
they don't kiss
Until eleventh episode
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This is a very good feminist kdrama in some way. It follows the main character who decided to be a female historian for the first time ever. Which of course is a big no no in Joseon Dynasty lol. Its very good built in my opinions, so many pure relationships get formed, many likeable characters as well. Eunwoo plays here as well, okay to be honest his character is the cliche cold guy but atleast hes a bit silly here and cute, he really did well here. Romance is the last thing i remember here tbh, im glad it didnt focus on that a lot and it was mostly about people accepting women in work. Really recommend this kdrama! Was this review helpful to you?
I have to praise Se-kyung for getting so much better in acting, seriously she has improved a lot. Eunwoo wasn't as good but I think that's okay considering he's a rookie actor. The rest of the cast was incredible as well and they all seem to have lots of experience.
Plot was good, but there were some chapters where I got bored and then got lost and didn't understand what was happening. I think the story could have been shortened a bit, but still it was enjoyable.
Definitely this is the best historical drama I've seen to date (I haven't seen many, though. But the few I checked out kinda sucked..), so I'm excited to keep diving into this sub-genre.
7.5/10
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A Beautiful Drama That Isn't Just About the Romance
The first thing I will say about this drama is that I found it very beautiful. Literally. The costumes and sets were all very pretty. The lighting was used to appropriately set the mood in different scenes. I loved watching this drama just to see all of the beautiful historical costumes and hairstyles.Second, Cha Eun-woo actually really surprised me in this drama. I had previously only seen him in My ID is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty. His character in both of those dramas was pretty serious and what I would even describe as stoic, but I saw a different side of his acting in Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung. His character was pretty funny and made me laugh many times. His crying scenes are also very realistic and beautifully acted. I feel like this character highlighted his wide range of acting abilities better than the other 2 dramas I have seen him in. Although I loved True Beauty, I feel that this was my favorite role of his thus far.
Third, this is actually the only drama I have watched where I actually noticed and enjoyed the music. Most of the time the music does not even impact me at all and I mostly don't even notice what kind of music is in the drama. However, the score for this drama was a great combination of bright and lively pieces as well as dark and somber pieces. The music always complimented the tone and ambience of the scene in my opinion.
I originally watched this drama because of the romantic storyline that I expected to be in it (because 95% of dramas have some kind of romantic storyline). However, this drama offered so much more that I actually became more interested in. While I did enjoy the romance between Hae Ryung and Li Rim, I found myself putting that story on the backburner in favor of the political intrigue that took the forefront in the second half of the drama. I really was invested in the outcome of the kingdom and the royal family. Also, I found that I really cared about supporting characters. I wanted all of the female historians to be accepted as official historians, I wanted U-min to be rid of his father's shadow, I wanted the remnants of the medical school to succeed. I really enjoy dramas that invest in supporting characters and make me care about them.
I took off half of a star because I did feel like the drama was very long. On Netflix, it is presented as twenty, hour-long episodes, so it is bit of a commitment. The rewatch value diminished because of that for me, but overall I still loved this drama and I would consider it to be one of my top 10 dramas.
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I took quite a bit of time to finish watching this drama but I'm glad that I finally did. This is a sweet and beautiful drama, thanks to Shin Sekyung and Cha Eunwoo and lighthearted enough to be enjoyed while also having some serious bits of plot here and there and at the end. But mind you, as much as the drama was about historians doing their jobs, the setting itself was quite fictional; as in there weren't any such king that have been dethroned in the way depicted in this drama and no female historian were ever established. And while some of the key scenes like the arrival of Christianity to Joseon, the beginning of the vaccination practices of treating small poxes as well as groups taking interest in science were based on real life events, the events didn't actually happen as it's portrayed in the drama. So as long as you're aware of that, you should be able to enjoy this drama as it is. So far to date, there weren’t any other dramas that actually focused on historians in the time period and the kind of work they do. I mean, you do see them in some other stories but they rarely became the central role. Because of that, it was interesting to see how such profession could have functioned during the Joseon period. And I have to say that it was interesting to see how the early methods to vaccination to treat a disease first started or how the process of compiling daily records of the palace were compiled into annals.
That aside, the drama also had some romcom elements like the romance between Prince Dowon and the rookie historian Goo Haeryung, which also had some kinda triangle with a senior historian Min Uwon. There were also a few other pairs like the relationship between the Crown Prince with fellow rookie historian Song Sahui, amongst a few others. And it was fun to see how the characters juggle between doing their job and romance as well as deciding where should their loyalties stand as the historians fought in making sure that history was written and recorded accurately.
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Not your usual Palace drama and it was MOST entertaining :)
Palace dramas usually focus on the king and his beloved so it was so refreshing that this storyline was between one of the princes and a court historian.The FL was pretty and witty and paired well with the boyishly charming ML. Theirs was a romance that was sweet and funny and made me feel good.
Learning about how historians played an important role in the palace was eye opening and this focus made the whole drama more appealing to me as it was something I had not known about before.
Do watch this if you need something lighthearted and romantic.
You will find yourself smiling at the end of the drama :)
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I fell for Hae Ryun when she runs away from her wedding (it's not a spoiler)
RHGHR has easily become my favourite sageuk. The show has a fun and cute start and it's so much more than a mere rom com. It focuses on so many things, like the beginning of Christianity in Joseon, women's participation in the administration etc etc. There were only two reasons I started the show for:1. Both the leads love books and writing (I love literature so obviously I was drawn to it)
2. Cha Eun Woo.
I swear Cha Eun Woo in traditional clothing looked like an actual DOLL. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Such a cutie.
But I fell for someone else; the leading actress. She's so good. Her portrayal of Goo Hye Ryun is such a good one.
Goo Hae Ryun is such a baddie. She's such a boss. She is so empowered and she makes a point of it and I LIVE FOR IT.
I've seen countless dramas where the leading girl is smart but she gets all dumb when it comes to simple things. This is a trope writers use a lot in Kdramas and I'm sure most of you have noticed. The female lead is smart asf and the second lead or first lead is giving ALL the signs that he likes her but SHE JUST WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND. It gets extremely boring and exhuasting. But Goo Hae Ryun was the first character who wasn't like that. That's not the only reason why I like her. There are many. I loved the scene where she refuses to become something and refuses Cha Eun Woo's offer(I won't say it here) because that will stop her from following her dreams and that scene was so good.
It was at that moment that I knew, I didn't like Goo Hae Ryun, I have fallen head over heels for her.
She says that she has worked so hard to achieve her dream so she won't give it up, even if that means that she has to lose Eun Woo's character. And IT WAS BOLD. Not to mention that I also loved what Eun Woo said afterwards.
Nonetheless, this drama is a true gem and you all will love it.
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one of the most beautiful korean historical drama ever!
this drama is so great, prince yirim has to be the cutest prince in the whole Joseon dynasty he is so adorable.Goo Hae Ryung is so beautiful and strong, I love me some strong and hardworking women drama.
the casting is so so beautiful, no unnecessary blood or killing just very cute and light-hearted.
*Story
I loved how this show took its time laying out the story episode by episode. I so enjoyed how everything came together and how the characters ended up in the end as it seemed very natural and not forced upon.
* No love triangle (although there are potentials), so no Second Lead Syndrome
* Amazing friendship and family relationships, and loyalty.
*Happy ending for OTP and most other roles.
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