My Dearest

연인 ‧ Drama ‧ 2023
Completed
Kenneth Carl Vega
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 9, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

A TRAGIC LOVE STORY

This is the kind of drama I am looking for ! When I first saw the poster of this drama I knew It would be great ! and I was not wrong ! I just finished it and I feel satisfied with what the story is trying to tell.
This drama is not the usual historical drama that the lead will have revenge or something and fall in love and be stated at the higher position in the end, it is nothing like that ! the story is more of a reality, some random man who is strong fell in love to a noble woman whom does not like him and it is in the midst of a war!
Every now and then government is always been this lame, this drama depicts such reality that in the midst of a disaster Governments and those who are on a position is lame and weak and slow and self centered !( that is why I don't believe anymore to anyone in the government ..) I hated the King so much in this drama, he is such a coward, he should've been the one to lead the army ! and what ? he even sent his crown prince as a captive to the invader ? lol .. I hated that, but I loved how the drama implied that story it is so convincing that this is what I felt
The love story is tragic on the first 10 episodes , I flutter so much with the lead in a while but things got serious in the end, What a tragic love story ! you have met but it seems you are not destined to each other, this couple cannot admit to themselves that they want each other. I kinda understand Gil Chae choosing what is right and his family in the end because that is for the benefit of many not just for her, in times like that love is not important but how will you ever survive ! like hello she's just started a business right ?
too bad for Jang Hyun to not being the chosen one in spite of all the things that he did for Gil Chae ! well that is life.
About Ryang Eum, his character here is so new to me in a historical drama, he have some kind of bromance with Jang Hyun here , Is it only I who notices it ? like he had this dialogues behind Jang Hyuns back and the facial expressions are as if he loves Jang Hyun more than a Hyung, that is why he looks differently to Gil Chae knowing that Jang Hyun loves her .. so I am really looking forward of his character here also, and the part where Ryang Eum told Gil Chae that Jang Hyun is dead and when Jang Hyun found it out, he did not hurt Ryang Eum .. but even so I don't think the drama will give a chance to Ryang Eum's desire here .. I don't expect anything about the bromance here but I just want to mention it.
I am so excited on the part 2 of this drama, there are so many things that I am really looking forward to it that is not clearly shown on the part 1 like, who is the woman in the end part? will she be the new lover of Lee Jang Hyun ? also is it truly the end of the love story of him with Gil chae ? and also who is really Jang Hyun ? what is his roots ? does he came to revenge ? is he someone that is just pretending to be nobody but in fact he is really someone powerful ? those are what I am expecting to be answered on part II so I am looking forward for it really
The Visuals, props, and production of this drama is really giving, we can really say that it is not cheap but the people behind this really did spent a a lot , so I am so satisfied, this drama is a lot ! my time is never wasted and I was never wrong to watch this ! see you on part II Jang Hyun !

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Completed
kdramadreaming
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 18, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Beautiful epic

Likes
1. I've been waiting for Min to do a historical drama and not only did he delivered but the romance is oh so good 😍 i love Jang Hyun so much. He looks so sexy and manly wearing hanbok.
2. I also love Gil Chae and how capable she is. She definitely grew up after facing so many hardships.
3. The angst!! Why cant Gil Chae choose Jang Hyun huhuhu when he is willing to stay for her! But i get her. How can she give her heart to someone she doesnt trust?
4. The scene at the field where they kissed.
5. Ryang Eum has a pretty voice, i hope he doesnt get petty and tear the lovebirds apart even more.
6. The beautiful soundtrack.

Dislikes
1. I dont really care much about the King and the Crown Prince.
2. I think the Qing Princess is going to be trouble.

Rating: 9/10

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Completed
LionOfSk
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 3, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Review from a Romance as a genre point of view.(Review for quality romance enjoyers.)

Let me start with saying i had high hopes for this drama.
Yet if failed to deliver on the romance part misserably .Majority of people see this drama as a masterpiece but for the romance enjoyers this is a fake perception of the story that is called MY DEAREST.
As a drama on its own is well filmed , the music fits the show, the acting is great.This is not where problem stands with this drama.The true issue is with the setup of the main couple in this show by the writers.
From a drama aspect with ignoring the romance part which should be the main plot point how the title suggests its watchable.

FOR romance enjoyers i cannot recommend this drama because it fails on so many levels its crazy .For rating the romance aspect i would seriously give it a 2 of 10 its that bad .The writers separated the main couple in a way that if they back together it has to be forcesdor its HIGHLY damaging to the ML character and damaging the characters integrity as he is set up .If the second part of the drama forces the main couple together it will just tank the rating for this drama from a romance point of view even further.

In the next part will dissect this rotten romance story in details now .SPOILERS AHEAD SKIP IF YOU NOT FINISHED THE SHOW YET.

I will focus only on the main couple because i am doing a romance review.

Lets start with our beloved Female lead
This character is so unlikeable from a romance point of view its mindblowing .
We are introduced to her being selfish, manipulative , entitled.
From the begining she lusts for her friends fiance and she makes multiple attempts to split them.
She even attempts tp kiss him in a barn pretending to be sick .Well sick she is but in the head .
In the village there is a bunch of virgin schollars and she is teasing them trying to make her friend fiance jealous.
It failes so she promises a naive guy to marry him just again to make the fiance of the friend jealous .
The schollars are leaving for war because the country is invaded and yet AGAIN she asks the guy she just promised to marry to protect the fiances boyfriend and she is suggesting some intercourse after they return .
(And this is just the first couple of episodes.)What a lovely FML such a deity so far .Her selfishness in this drama is peaking constantly bending everybody to her will with 2 scenes where she was selfless and cared about others yet she demands irrational things from the ML constantly and being ungrateful over the span of the drama .
SHe is constantly pushing the ML away from her ignoring his action for her by her being stupid or her brain cant put 2 and 2 together .She is talking about being abandoned by the ML which is again just showing her selfish nature becaus shes literally telling him not to stay with her actions and words TLDR of this part she wants him to be a cuck .
By the comment section shes described as a strong and family oriented person yet there is nothing suggesting this in the drama itself . Yet again the audience is holding into the Family cope without any reasoning showed in the drama .
She gets separated from her family during the invasion and sme makes zero attempts to find them or find out if they are safe and sound.She is rather helping the injured soldiers in the camp with her friends and first moment she sees her friends fiance she drops everthing and goes to treat him holding his hand right there with her friend next to her .How shameless is this crooked character .The drama fails here again because its showing her only as a capable human in their family the rest of the crew a clearly depicted as a mumbling fools .Very little scenes family wise suggesting any hard bond between them .
To the being a strong character or mature this is just another cope of the audience .
Her every action in this drama is to make her life easier always picking the easier road yet everybody talks about character development well i cant see any character development she is acting at episode 9 just like she did in the first one but the only difference is she was FORCED BY HER CIRCUMSTANCES (WAR) to show some survival skills. She is just as manipulative , entitled , selfish as she was in the first episodes .What is strong about getting married to a military guy instead of trying to get your family back into the track by your brain and capabilities if yu can just marry somebody . Seems like this the new STRONG nowadays .
Overall this character is a crooked one. It wouldnt be a major issue romance wise because roamnce can be tragic and thats fine .if she would show some promise in her character developement but there is none.

Lets get into our Male lead
This one is can be described multiple ways . The ML can be seen from one side as obsessive with the FML since she has no good qualities to her so whats to obsess about but ok . On the other hand he can be described as somebody finding his true love .
From the begining the ML is trying to reach out to FML but in a more playful way Both her and him have a reputation of a player. By the scenes in the drama where he has some flashbacks its suggesting something happening in his family and made him reluctant towards marriage . The ML is constantly trying to prove himself to the FML. Not every action he does is presented to the FML yet those there are clear like the sky are being ignored by FML cuz shes that dumb .
As a examle i pick the scene where the ML is willing to help her block the marriage of the FM friend and her fiance .
He does so by giving war material to the villagers but his condition is to not allow the men marry before they go to war and he makes it reasonable so shes not exposed by this . Yet she didnt realize this even tho they had this discussion 2 days ago.
The ML is prepared to leave the village when the war begins to avoid being pulled into a conflict he doesnt want to be a soldier . Again he decides to risk his life to save the FML and being pulled into more and more danger at a point where he is leaving to be a spy help the country to end the war sooner because the people are starving etc .From FML perspective this is abandoning her again even tho he asked her if he stays will she only focus on him and not think about her friends fiance she said no. Again FML selfishness showing how amazing of a FML she is .
ML dodged multiple death scenarios for FML or were put into these positions because of the FML .
At the point where she breaks his heart as much as possible in he bounds of the setting of the drama .
The ML is clearly more mature than the FML and his love towards her is shown over the whole show .
Of course some of his actions are flawed but there is not flawless person on the planet. We cant blame him for anything he promised the FML he kept . This is where i think the ML deserves a second change with somebody else but these writers dont have the balls to do that and he will most likely sacrifice himself for the FML in the next part .

NOW as a Main couple :
There is no much romance to be talking about . Its a one sided love by the ML and some lukewarm feeling from the FML side .
This is where i blame the writers again because when they are separated and even before that the FML is having dreams of the ML and when they are separated and thinks hes dead she is seeing him in front of her having dreams of him crying in sleep etc .This is suggesting deep feelings for somebody romance wise yet she doesnt sacrifice herself for the ML once over this part of the drama on the other hand the ML is constantly doing this . Again terrible romance writing shown by these scenes .
After their 3rd separation where the FML is breaking the ML heart as much as possible in the setting they are in by not going with him because family which she paid litttle to none attention to (classic Kdrama cliche . Not only she refuses to go with him she gives him back the boots he promised her he will bring for her but also writing a letter to him that he wasnt enough for her to let everything behind (yet she had fk all )and yet again she will stay and rather marry the Military guy because this is the easier way and thats what she choose over the whole drama . This is the most you can do to spit into his face after he went thru everything for you .Romance drama is build on strong connection where the characters in love go over hardships and willing to sacrifice their life for the ultimate love especially in historical dramas. Sometimes this love cannot prevail and is doomed but here the FML shows 0 sacrifices for their love or determination on any level . This created from a romance point of view such a broken relationship that is not possible to recover from because if you force somehow the ML back to the FML its very damaging to his character and makes him from beinga mature character into a obsessive stupid one which his actions dont suggest so far and would be a huge step back for him .

Like i said this romance doesnt work and is ocassionaly forced by the writers with some weird scenes where the FML is demanding unreasonable things and the ML is sacrificing himself for somebody showing little to none interest in him .
The FML is a very badly written character from a romance point of view with nothing to be in love with other than being in love with her on first sight because thats an option .

My overall score for the drama is 8 points because as a romance drama the romance part heavily tanking the rating.
I highly not recommend this drama for romance enjoyers. There are tons of better romance stories than this out there you can find them just by closing your eyes rather than suffer the stupidity in this one .

PS. First and last review they are deleting negative comments under the drama thread .




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Completed
kobeno1
3 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 8
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

She Is My Homeland

All seems cheery and peaceful in a small Joseon village circa the early 1600s. The series starts off much like “Gone With the Wind.” Scarlett O’Hara is a spoiled, selfish young woman who is addicted to the attention of young men, and she’s in love with a man who is already in love with someone else. Enter Rhett Butler, the man who is a bit of a philanthropist and an opportunist who is immediately captivated by Scarlett, despite her insecurities and immature behavior.

Yoo Gil Chae is very much like Scarlett, and Lee Jang Hyeon shares many aspects that parallel Rhett. Their initial meetings are met with tension and resistance, as Lee Jang Hyeon has no intention of ever getting married, which is just fine with Gil Chae since she’s in love with Nam Yeon Jun, the one man she can’t have because he’s in love with Kyung Eun Ae. Sound familiar? To anyone who’s seen “Gone With the Wind,” it won’t be hard to connect the dots.

Even the setting of “Gone with the Wind,” during the American Civil War, shares similarities when the Q’ing, with help from the Mongols, decide to invade Joseon, thus throwing the small country into strife and turmoil, as the struggle to survive becomes paramount, and it is here that the story really begins to create its own identity.

Gil Chae is a young noblewoman who quickly learns that she can’t rely on anyone but herself if she wants to survive. She quickly realizes that throwing her “noble status” in the faces of her enemies is pointless. Little does she realize that, despite her constant rejections, Lee Jang Hyeon is already smitten by her and the sound of flowers.

Lee Jang Hyeon, on the outside, seems like a slick opportunist who could care less about what’s going on around him. He has no love or respect for the king of Joseon, or anyone who believes that they should follow a monarch, no matter what their own situation or beliefs may be. He’s a master of taking any tenuous situation and making a profit. He also has tremendous charisma that people immediately seem taken to, even the Q’ing, who find out just how valuable his talents are.

However, there is much more to Lee Jang Hyeon than meets the eye. While he may seem to be colluding with the Q’ing, he’s doing all he can to help the simple people of Joseon to survive and, hopefully, and eventually return home.

The Khan, who is the ruling member of the Q’ing in Shenyang, creates unrest when he demands that the Crown Prince be sent to Shenyang to act as a liaison between Shenyang and Joseon. However, the longer the Crown Prince remains in Shenyang, the more suspicious and paranoid the king of Joseon becomes. Initially, the Crown Prince is much like his father until Lee Jang Hyeon directly challenges him to use his status to help save the people, and soon the Crown Prince becomes the only member of the Joseon monarchy that he begins to respect because instead of demanding that the people serve him, the Crown Prince finally begins to realize his obligations to his people, especially when he sees everything that Lee Jang Hyeon is doing for them.

Gil Chae is hardly left unscathed as she begins to finally live and stand on her own two feet. She inspires the poor farmers and even gets into blacksmithing in order to create much-needed brass bowls to help boost the failing economy. Gil Chae and Lee Jang Hyeon’s meetings are short and initially met with much friction and even some open hostility, despite Lee Jang Hyeon professing his feelings for her.

Just as it seems that the “ice princess” is beginning to melt, Gil Chae resists Lee Jang Hyeon’s affections, even though she has no clue just how much he’s an integral part of helping the captive people of Joseon who are being held prisoner in Shenyang. She chooses Officer Gu to marry instead.

This is a series that hardly gives you time to rest or even breathe as new dangers seem to spring up like wildflowers. Gil Chae finds herself kidnapped and sent to Shenyang to be sold as a slave. It’s almost sheer luck that Lee Jang Hyeon happens upon her as she’s being auctioned off on the selling block. Gil Chae learns that her husband came looking for her, but upon hearing that she’d been violated by the Q’ing, he gives up and heads home. This finally opens the doors for our star-crossed couple to finally profess their love for each other.

Once again, before they can truly bask in each other, we learn that the king of Joseon has become even more paranoid and vile. Believing that his own son is conspiring to dethrone him and that the Joseon captives in Shenyang are a part of an army being raised by his son, the vicious, diabolical king orders the captives to be killed. Even as Lee Jang Hyeon secures their release from the Q’ing, he finds himself caught in the king’s sadistic plot.

Just when you thought there was a possible way out, the Crown Prince and his wife are poisoned to death, and all remaining captives are also rounded up and killed. It’s ironic that throughout the series, the Mongols and Q’ing are referred to as “barbarians,” and yet, by the end of the series, you may be asking yourself, “Who are the true barbarians?” What happens when a country turns its back on its own people? Perhaps we learn very quickly who the real barbarians are. The Q'ing seem bad, but we quickly learn that Joseon is far worse!

There is also a twisted and sick idea that Joseon women, even if touched by barbarians, are somehow violated and are expected to kill themselves. It’s a demented notion, obviously thought up by small-minded old men. When Kyung Eun Ae’s husband finds out that a barbarian grabbed her shoulder in a vain attempt to rape her, he’s horrified that she didn’t take the noble path of suicide. It’s amazing how often throughout history, ignorant and delusional men decided that they could market their women’s chastity like measuring the value of gold.

This is an epic series of love, adventure, turmoil, loss, and the measure of loyalty. When a country or regime does the unthinkable, it’s the duty of its citizens to rise up. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little, temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Too often, the cowards cower to authority rather than doing the right thing, and that’s what we see here, which is rampant throughout history.

Lee Jang Hyeon represents true nobility and that doing the right thing is often unpopular. It takes a while for his companions, and even Gil Chae to fully understand and realize what he’s doing. He rarely asks for any credit. He’s loyal to the people of Joseon, and he’s loyal to Gil Chae. Both are unwavering, which is what makes his character so compelling.

Brace yourself for the last episode, and you might want to keep a box of tissues handy! We find that true love and true loyalty always bring their own rewards, even when circumstances to the contrary appear to exist.

Performances are incredible, but it’s Namkoong Min’s Lee Jang Hyeon that truly inspires and captivates. He seems shallow, a bit arrogant, and indifferent, but we learn quickly that these are nothing more than masks that he wears to hide the man that he truly is.

Do yourself a favor. Sit, watch, and listen to the sound of flowers, and just let it all soak in to your heart and soul. You won’t be sorry.

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Completed
Pabi
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 25, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Absolutely in love with this gem

"My Dearest" Part. 1 is a painfully beautiful love story, with:
- profound characters, who develope throughout the episodes,
- outstanding acting from all the cast,
- scenes that keep you on the verge of your seat,
- amazing landscape shootings,
- overflowing emotions,
- gorgeous CGI, costumes and props.

I can only say that... I can't wait to watch Part. 2.
❤️








































































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Completed
Jessica
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 2.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

A drama that is overall just okay, with good character portraits

To preface, I absolutely love historical dramas, and was pleased to hear about one set in this particular era jet during the invasion of the Jing/Qing. But, while the pacing kept me afloat to episode 9, I was greatly disappointed by this drama.

Let’s start with Jang Hyun. The way he is written is freaking annoying. His character and background is so vague it’s impossible to have any attachment to him. I’m aware that his mystique is part of the plot I guess, but withholding a backstory for a twist later is no excuse for having such a poorly developed character for a majority of the story. We only get glimpses of “tragedy” that don’t really explain anything about him. He’s also got a serious case of Mary Sue. I also think his companions could have been far more complex.

Now, he still has shining points as a character: he provides candid views on political situations, and what he said about Lord Nam’s burdensome idealism and weaponized incompetence was a BAR — the best written part of the whole drama.

Next. Let’s talk about my one casting gripe: Nam Goong Min. He’s a fine actor, but it’s so hard to get to the interior of the character when his face is so stiff. I don’t mean this as a drag or an insult, it’s just my criticism in a vital component of acting — with screen acting, you can’t profess your inner thoughts like in plays or lean on clever language like in books…the performers face must say what’s left unsaid. And Nam Goong Min simply has stiff facial performance. It’s creepy. And not good. I can tel by his eyes and his voice that he has all the skills necessary, but his FACE simply doesn't move!

More in stuff I liked: I love the character of Gil Chae. She’s a fascinating heroine (to me, who has seen every trope in the book). She’s neither a do-good heroine that prioritizes the good of society and well-being of the public nor a “spoiled brat with a secret heart of gold” trope that you typically find in sageuks.

Her character is clear, defined, and consistent. Pretty much from the beginning it’s clear that she takes exceptional care of her closest loved ones, but she protects them with by nanking hard decisions that can be seen as cruel and selfish if from an outside perspective. I found the boat scene leaving Ganghwa such a bold and powerful decision to portray her in.

In what I’ve seen so far, the balance of flat and round characters is very well used here (a round character must have an engaging direction, a flat character must be able to represent a force).

I’m not extremely well versed in the history that inspired it, but I did find some of the ‘foreign’ characters to be fascinating. It’s always refreshing to see some rounded out Jurchen characters as opposed to simple caricatures.

Overall, it’s not terribly interesting, but My Dearest has averagely decent political intrigue, engaging pacing, and important messages about the decay and de-romanticization of war. But the weakly written male characters dragged it down, and there wasn't a committed enough message on any single theme like anti-war or serendipity or youth.

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Completed
alfyhappy
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 23, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

What Happened? Absolutely Riveting Love Story And More

Crikey!! What happened? Namkoong Min (Jang Hyun) really knows how to choose the most ideal script for himself and Ahn Eun Jin (Gil Chae), hot from The Good Bad Mother, both are absolutely meant to be in My Dearest.

A simple beginning in the first 2 episodes, of a man who is not interested in devoting himself to anything nor anyone, suddenly finds himself interested in a spoil brat of a lady who only has eyes on another man. Everything increases in momentum from Episode 3 as their King and Land is threatened by the Mongols, he suddenly finds himself volunteering to go outright to war, in order to not defend the King, but the woman he sets his heart on. How much more romantic can this get?

How about watching Jang Hyun as unfolds his ingenuity, intelligence and strength to overcome all obscurity and calamity around him to protect Gil Chae. And watching Gil Chae transform from a pampered and charming appearance, to a stronger and more mature demeanor during the war is mesmerizing to me. She is seen to be growing in depth to a woman and in this episode 8, her feelings for Jang Hyun is yet to be acknowledged.

The pace, the fighting scenes, the chase makes one await the next episode in great anticipation.

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Completed
Moola
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 20, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

Fluffy? Yes. Horrifying? Also yes. A GRIPPLING HISTORICALLY ACCURATE GEM.

From the first second I could tell how much detail and effort they put into making this drama historically accurate. From the way the actors spoke ancient Korean, to the raw and cruel realities of war, this drama made my jaw drop over and over.

For the first three episodes, it felt kind of slow. But I promise when you reach the start of the war, you will be blown away by its intensity.

Likes:
- PLOT went from 0 to 100 real quick. I really appreciated the intensity of the plot, especially showing the realities behind war.
- One of the more realistic and historically accurate Sageuk.
- Really compelling character depth and dynamicism. I loved the journey of FL's extreme immaturity to maturity as she faces adversity, it was both powerful and heartbreaking.
- Acting was just phenomenal.
- A masterpiece full of horror and beauty. I don't think I can find another historical drama as well done and intense as this.
- Great chemistry between the actors.

Dislikes:
- The interactions and love fights between FL and ML got too repetitive and annoying. The writing for developing their love and passion felt lazy and insufferable because of how immature it is. They kept making the same mistakes over and over and acted selfishly and toxicly to each other. The world gave them multiple chances to make it up to each other, and they both took it and stomped and spat on it with their blind eyes. Honestly, I don't understand why ML even fell for the girl cus every time they meet they just hate and lie to each other.
- Hard to get a sense of the timeline, so I often fell out of the immersion when I didn't understand how long things had passed.

I speak quite strongly about my critisms of the show only because I loved it so much and wished for its perfection. It was frustrating to see how much the romance pales to the rest of the fast paced, beautiful, and grippling parts of the drama.

If you love Sageuk and thriller, this opened a door of hunger to watch another show of similar historical accuracy and intensity for me, and I am scavenging with no success. My Dearest is truly a rare gem that makes most other Sageuk you watch coming after feel unsatisfying and superficial.

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LJE
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 6, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Fantastic Romance Drama That Could Have Been More

Be prepared to embark on Rollercoaster Journey of Emotions with My Dearest. It has been a long time since The Red Sleeve that I truly enjoyed a Romance Saeguk drama. I felt that the Writer really spent the time to develop and flesh out the Lead Couple & the Supporting cast through many different trails and tribulations. I felt the Pacing of these developments were acceptable and really aided in creating strong attachments between the viewer and the characters. Of course, this is also due to the amazing acting from Nam Goong Min & Ahn Eun Jin. Every crying or kissing scene really roped me in and I found myself hoping for a Happy Ending.

On the flip side, while the Romance part of the story was developed really well, I felt that improvements could have been had on the Political side of things. I did yearn to see LJH develop more into a "Strategist" kind of role, after the early glimpses of his genius in tactics. The Writer also spent quite some time fleshing out GC's business sense but she slowly got relagated to a waiting wife towards the end. I also felt that many characters were "killed" abruptly and did not had the endings they deserve (Big Hyungnim & the Captive lady, Ryang Eun, JongJong/Gu Jam, Gil Chae's family etc.). Overall, it had the feeling of over-development in Part 1 & a rushed ending in Part 2.

Despite the above, in the end, I still massively enjoyed My Dearest and strong encourage viewers to pick it up if you enjoy Romance Saeguk such as Red Sleeve & Mr Sunshine.

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Completed
SUNSHINE EDEKI
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 6, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

I could already feel my heart being pierced and broken before I getting deep into it.

I can’t stop crying
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

INCREDIBLE, Magnificent, Captivating, Amazing work of ART. Well done for breaking my heart! 🥹😭

tbh. I want more more, I’ve never been a fan of a storyline with a sad ending and not with the HVA. but I want more, more of this story, more of whatever I’ve just been fed, getting to the ending I was hope there’s more episodes or even a season 2 cos thou I know it was gonna end like this I don’t want to believe nor accept it’s ended.

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Completed
Agent Orange
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 23, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Different from anything I've watched before

I think I may have said this before in another review but my all-time favourite Korean drama genre is historical. I'm a huge fan of Korean dramas of any kind but there's something about historical dramas. This one was different in the best way possible!

First of all, the story. It is basically about the war between Joseon and the Qing dynasty. There are many bloody and ruthless scenes which give authenticity to the plot. There are some sad moments too. The war is presented so realistically! Of course, you have the love story: even though you might not see the chemistry between the leads, as episodes pass, everything is natural. Unfortunately, the ending was really sad to me but I'm getting high hopes since there's season 2.

Acting was very good, to be honest, Nam Goong Min is so good in everything I've seen him play. The other actors did a great job too!

Pretty OST. Hoping for a happy ending although I quite doubt it.

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Completed
Lonesome Dove
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 22, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

It's a good thing there's a Season 2 ...

Season 1 ending where it did would have really made me angry, so I'm glad there was a Season 2 ready to go right away. I haven't finished S2 yet, but Season 1 was terrific. The prickly relationship between the two main characters is funny, infuriating, sad, and beautiful ... engaging at every turn.

But the story is so much more than that. It's historically engaging, and emotive, too.
Images you can't unsee make you think about the incredibly difficult lives of Korea's ancestors.

It is an honest, well told story I will probably watch again in the future.

Highly recommended. Namkoong Min is incredible. Just superb in this role.
Choi Moo Sung also brings a moving character to the story.

I hope Season 2 ends well. In any case, I will not regret having watched it.

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