Historical Dramas Club

 Caspleo :

I did try Hwarang but it wasn't for me. But, I haven't watched love in the moonlight (I'll add it to my PTW). Well I must say that I am not particularly looking for a comedy genre but instead I want a drama that is highly enjoyable (obviously the enjoyment depends on me) but something that was rated as a good one by many users.

Like I have heard of The Untamed but I haven't watched it so Idk what's it like. Such dramas which were enjoyed by many people and accordingly I can see whether it suits my taste :)

Hwarang wasn't very good, imo. I think Love in the Moonlight is better, though still not anything particularly special. It was definitely loved by many, especially in Korea it was very popular. It doesn't seem so popular with MDL users for some reason, though. 

The main character of The Untamed has a fun personality, but I don't remember it having much comedy (if there was any comedy, I clearly didn't find it funny enough to remember). It has a lot of action (these are fantasy action scenes with flying and stuff) and some mystery. There's also politics between different cultivation sects. Most people like it for the characters and the bromance/romance. I wasn't a fan of that drama, but everyone else was, so I'd recommend trying it for yourself.

For a drama that I think is "good" and is highly rated. I would recommend Mr. Sunshine. It's a very serious drama overall set in a tragic period of Korean history (this is definitely not a comedy), but there are some charming funny moments too (you've watched Goblin, it's the same writer, so the humor has a similar feel, though there is much less of it in this drama). The characters are lovable, the cinematography is great, the actors are topnotch, the story is memorable, etc.

 Caspleo :

Hello guys! I'll be joining this club from today.

Now, I have tried many historical dramas but none suited my taste :(

So are there any recs for dramas that have a good amount of comedy and NO time travel? (I personally don't like them)

Thanks for creating this club. Hopefully I'll find a good historical drama that'll suit my taste q(≧▽≦q)

Hong Gil Dong is more of a comedy but a lot of it is the male lead being a bit weird like this:

Oh My General is worth a try because it's the opposite gender dynamics of the time period  - beware on Viki though the sound quality can get obnoxious and I'm not sure why, it was fine years ago.

King is Not Easy - there's a fantasy element to it (I think they swap bodies?)  - same issue on Viki, the sound emphasis can be strange and I don't understand why. I don't recall it being like this back when I watched it.

Perfect Couple - had a funny start but I forget if the comedy carried through the entire show

My Heroic Husband - just came out, pretty funny but it ends abruptly because there might be more seasons to the show.

Shine or Go Crazy - this one is probably the least funny of the bunch but I always recommend it because I am biased, I like some of the supporting cast and the story.

is anyone watching or planning to watch The Long Ballad? I think I might watch it after it finishes airing. 

 WandereR:

Yup, I'm currently watching it.  It's not bad so far and it airs for a couple more weeks I think.

That sounds good.something to look forward to. I will wait for your final verdict on that drama. I have been looking forward to this drama called Qing Luo  for a while now. but there is still no clue when it would be aired. The story seems interesting because the FL is a single mom.   

Hey everyone, and a big WELCOME to all the new people!!! ^_^ Thank you for being here!!!

I apologise for my hiatus, and as a mini compensation, I'd like to initiate a discussion on 2 subjects:

1) New Dramas!

There have been a number of notable premieres during the last couple of weeks, with maybe the most anticipated of them being The Long Ballad (pic above). 

There are also some confirmed or rumoured to air soon Historical Dramas - these include First Sword of Wudang (wuxia drama based on a never-before-adapted novel of Liang Yusheng, this has been in production/awaiting release for 3 years now!), Court Lady (Palace drama, with Xu Kai & Li Yi Tong in the main roles), and Nobleman Ryu's Wedding (probably the first Joseon Dynasty Korean BL mini-drama).

Finally, H-dramas that recently ended their runs or are ending soon - like Word of Honor (which was trending on MDL for weeks! ...and the Eng subbed version is still on air), River Where the Moon Rises (which unfortunately was more memorable for its casting mess), and The Sword and The Brocade (Eng subbed for it ended last week).

As always, you can find all of the currently airing dramas on our club here.

Are you watching/plan to watch any of these dramas? What do you think of the recent premieres, and the Historical Dramas of 2021 so far?

2) Older Dramas!

For the purpose of this discussion, let's say old dramas are those that are at least 10 years old, so anything that began airing during 2011 or earlier!

Here's some of my recommendations; I admit I've watched very few Chinese dramas that old (though I'd love to remedy that when I find the time) so these will mostly be Korean.

Tree With Deep Roots (2011)	Genres:  Historical,  Mystery,  Political Tags:   Sejong The Great,   Joseon Dynasty,   Sword-fight,   Revenge,   Murder,   King,   Martial Arts,   Royalty,   Secret Organization,   Death This is the sequel of Six Flying Dragons, by the same writers, but was actually made before SFD! It's less ambitious, with simpler themes & less main characters to follow, but with a more down-to-earth tone, and equal parts mysterious, exciting, and depressing.  It also has, in my opinion, one of the most memorable & well-made starting scene in a drama ever! The first 10 min to half an hour of it will glue you to the screen & awe you, and fill you with questions & anticipation!  I was always a fan of "In Media Res" technique when done well, and here it's done excellently - even better than the starting scene(s) of their later drama, Six Flying Dragons, which also begins in media res.
Genres:  Action,  Friendship,  Historical,  Romance,  Martial Arts Tags:   Sword-fight,   Skilled Killer,   Bromance,   Joseon Dynasty,   Prince Sado,   Martial Arts School,   Frenemy,   Adapted From A Manhwa,   Swordsman,   Rivalry One of my biggest problems with this drama is that it's not pre-produced, so as an effect the writing of it not only doesn't stay consistent during its run, but it can also gets very confusing and all over the place at times! Nevertheless, the reason I'm still highly recommending this drama is that it has some of the most memorable characters, friendships, and bromances in dramaland in my opinion (of both main and supporting ones)! I was never a fan of baby-faced actors like Yoo Seung Ho before watching this, but he absolutely slayed his role in here, of the dark, complicated, tragic anti-hero Woon (pictured at the start of the section)!  And his bromance with Ji Chang Wook's Dong Soo is to die for!!	Warrior Baek Dong Soo (2011)
Jumong (2006)	Genres:  Adventure,  Historical,  Romance,  Drama,  War,  Political Tags:   Leadership,   Strong Female Lead,   Power Struggle,   Goguryeo Dynasty,   Jumong,   Warlord,   Adopted Child,   Archery,   Female Warrior,   Father-Son Relationship What more can be said of Jumong, one of the dramas to credit for the popularity of Hallyu Wave, exported to very high success in many countries[source]! My country was, naturally, not one of them, but it was still coincidentally one the first Korean dramas I watched (81 episodes marathoned in a week to be precise!), and one of the main culprits that hooked me in dramaland forever! This is adventure drama done right! Everything was as it should be for an epic, starting the narration old-fashioned style, with the titular character's parents' story, and continuing with his youth, him being a naive-boy, to growing up, experiencing hardships & losses, to show-casing his leadership abilities, to him becoming the legend he was prophecized to be! And let's not forget the archery scenes!!! I dare you to find me a drama with more exciting archery scenes than Jumong! :D
Genres:  Action,  Adventure,  Historical,  Wuxia,  Fantasy Tags:   Northern Song Dynasty,   Martial Arts Master,   Song Dynasty,   Multiple Mains,   Adapted From A Novel This one I stumbled almost at random when I was researching which one(s) of the blasted millions of Jin Yong novels' adaptations should I watch - and boy did I choose right! It starts by following one of the 3 main characters, Duan Yu, and this is one character that I fell in love with almost instantly!! He's playful, smart-ass, goofy, and permanently optimistic - he's really a delight to set eyes upon! :) Then things start becoming complicated when he follows behind the skirts of his main love interest (played by the beautiful Liu Yi Fei, when she was still 16 y.o or so), and gets embroiled in Jianghu matters... And Jianghu matters are never simple to deal with, even if you're as straightforward as the 2nd main character, the chivalrous & righteous Qiao Feng, who learns this the hardest way possible... And then there's the 3rd main character, Xu Zhu the monk, who somehow goes from a punching ball to pupil to too many powerful masters... Just a warning, be prepared for cheezy special effects, the usual suspension of disbelief needed in most wuxia, and unexpected bouts of tragedy! Enjoy!!	Demi Gods & Semi Devils (2003)

What are some of the older (2011 or earlier) historical dramas you've enjoyed and still recommend to this day?

I have only seen one  historical drama that is older than 10 years and it’s Sunkyungkwan Scandal (2010). I really enjoyed it and can recommend it. There’s also a Chinese remake of it, called: In A Class Of Her Own (2020). In my opinion the remake was nice (visually appealing) but not so great compared to the original (Sunkyungkwan Scandal).

 Estelll:

Are you watching/plan to watch any of these dramas?

So far I have no plan. Nobleman Ryu's Wedding looks nice but the recent controversy about Historical dramas in SK sort of killed my mood to start any drama that might get cancelled.