by minarii, March 31, 2020
81

     Hello, fellow drama watchers!     I hope you all are safe and healthy. 

I have been planning to write this article for soo long, but I didn't have enough time. Now that I'm home and have basically nothing to do (more like I'm avoiding the things I have to do), I decided to stop procrastinating and finally write this article. I have been a fan of historical dramas for a year now, and it's my most favourite genre. One of the reasons why I love historical shows so much is because, in my opinion, they always have very well-written, strong and intriguing characters. And, you know, I prefer character-driven dramas. 

In this article, I will tell you which are my top 5 favourite characters from historical dramas. They are all male, I wonder why. :D


5. Gil Tae Mi (Six Flying Dragons)

Portrayed by Park Hyuk Won, Gil Tae Mi is one of the most refreshing characters in dramaland, and he is truly one of a kind. Six Flying Dragons has a lot of cool characters, and Gil Tae Mi is one of them for sure. He wears fancy makeup (as you can see from the gifs) and has an entertaining personality. But, in fact, he is a villain and Goryeo's best swordsman who kills without a second thought. He is full of sass, and he is brutally honest. Honestly, some of the words he said were so strong and had a huge impact on me. God bless the writer of the drama for creating such a brilliant character!

P.S: I read that his character is based on a real historical figure -  Yim Gyeon Mi. However, I'm not sure if that's true.


4. Xiao Yu'er (Handsome Siblings)

Xiao Yu'er is one of the most adorable and sweet characters I've ever seen! Just look at his squishy cheeks and baby face! He is a mischievous and cunning boy whose tricks never fail to amaze me! Even though he thinks of himself as a villain and a bad boy, he is actually very kind-hearted and witty. He is definitely the biggest charm Handsome Siblings has, and because of him, the drama was a lot more enjoyable. 

Chen Zhe Yuan did a brilliant job at portraying him! His performance was full of charisma, and I believe he is a very talented young actor whose future projects I will be definitely watching!


3. Ta Hwan (Empress Ki)

I feel like a lot of people will be shocked by my choice here. :D Ta Hwan (or Emperor Hui Zhong) is not a well-loved character, and while I was watching Empress Ki, I always laughed at all these comments about how trashy his character was. A lot of people were annoyed by his character and were rooting for Wang Yoo or Tal Tal. And, to be honest, I understand you all. Ta Hwan is literally a spoiled brat who acted super childishly most of the time, he was annoying to the bone and lacked some common sense. His obsession with Nyang was a bit irritating, too. (but Nyang was such a cool heroine, who wouldn't be obsessed with her?) He was a deeply flawed character, and no matter how strange that is, I loved him exactly because of that reason! He was somehow different from all the other characters in the drama, and that's why he shined the most! Empress Ki would have been just a mediocre show for me if it wasn't for his character!

Fight me, but in my opinion, this is Ji Chang Wook's best role ever! His performance was absolutely brilliant! I hope they'll offer him a role in a historical drama soon, he's been playing the same type of role for years, and I don't like the fact that such a talented actor became a typecast. 


2. Yi Yoong (Queen for 7 Days)

Ahhhh, my favourite mad king! At first glance, King Yi Yoong is nothing but a tyrant. He was killing everyone who annoyed him even slightly. He is a person who has completely lost his mind. But the truth is -- Yoong is one lonely soul. A person who simply needs to be loved, a person who constantly seeks for a warm embrace. He is fighting with his own demons and loses the fight most of the time. We could see his true personality whenever he was around the female lead, whom he really loved. She was his salvation, but unfortunately, he was a second lead. You know, I never like second leads, but Yi Yoong won my heart. He was such a complex character, and it was very easy for him to impress me. The writer made my baby suffer so much, though, I'm still angry. 

Lee Dong Gun was simply perfect at portraying the king. His performance was the most outstanding, and I can't imagine another actor playing his character. He definitely deserves more main roles, he is exceptionally talented!


1. Yi Bang Won (Six Flying Dragons)

I can talk about how much I love Bang Won for days, months, years. Literally. It's been months since I finished Six Flying Dragons, which became my all-time favourite historical drama, and I still think of Bang Won from time to time. His character left such a huge impact on me, and I just can't bring myself to forget him. Six Flying Dragons is very rich when it comes to characters, but Bang Won is definitely the best-developed character, and he is a brilliant anti-hero! He is one of the most complex characters I've ever seen in dramaland - he is evil, tyrant, he is ready to kill his own family and a bunch of other people, he is powerful, clever, cunning and manipulative. But at the same time, he is naive, insecure, kind and very lonely and scarred. 

Yoo Ah In is truly an acting god. I have nothing else to say. 


These are my favourite characters from historical dramas! Well, if you've seen the dramas, you'll know that some of my favourite characters didn't have the most beautiful fate. But to be honest, it's perilous to pick a favourite character in a historical drama, because you never know what will happen. The writers know how to make us suffer for sure.

I would recommend the dramas which I mentioned, especially Six Flying Dragons! They are all excellent and have great characters!


Which are your favourite characters from historical dramas? And do you agree with my personal picks? Feel free to share your opinion! =)


The gifs used are not mine, credit to the respective owners.

THANK YOU

FOR READING!

- @ Minarii


Edited by: Yuanwei (1st editor) & Jojo (2nd editor)

empress ki six flying dragons handsome siblings queen for seven days