Kyubin

There is absolutely nothing similar between this one and "My Country" (which is one of my favourite sageuk), except for Do Hwan playing the main character. ^^ I love him and he is putting a great performance as an actor for this one, but if you watch it, I suggest you to take it only as a fun rom-com with a serious plot, with an historical settings, because it's absolutely not a sageuk that is realistic. It's more enjoyable than other recent rom-com sageuk though, especially thanks to Do Hwan, Bona and the other cast that are all very good and the main intrigue that is interesting.

Yes indeed. There is simply nothing wrong with this drama objectively, it's very good for what it is. Of course, it's an adaptation so there will always be critics regards to that, which I completely understand.
But most of the people here can't separate their own feelings towards a story/characters (which is totally subjective and effectively very different from a person to another) from an objective review of the production and story/characters developments, and even more, can't express it properly here.

Well, Hao deserves the first spot too, but I can't help feel bitter for Han Bin. :/ After being first all along he really deserved that first final spot too, and the solo song for the debut album. I still hope a bright future for him, he was the real revelation and star of this show for me.

Ok that's great, whoever is first or second it's fine, they both deserve it. Well done Han Bin and Hao!

Yep, I'm at lost too. It seems the x2 vote during the live changed a lot of things.

I have the right to write what I think, just like you, so please don't give orders to others. ;)

It's not hate, it's just my personal opinion. I'm free to believe that he is not fit for this group. It doesn't mean I hate him, just that I think others should be part of the group instead of him amongst the 18 finalists.

And here comes the first flaw in the group...

Bad in the sense that they shouldn't debut with this group, not that they are bad people or trainees.

Same, I'm worried now... the group will definitely debut with the bad ones. :/

I feel sorry for him actually, it must be awful to have this job to do. ^^

I don't understand that in 2023 they keep dragging things so much for shows like this, being in Korea or anywhere else. A little suspense is fine, but like this it's really annoying, nobody like that seriously.

I just realised that this show is just like "It's Okay Not To Be Okay". It started well, but it's becoming a big fail, a total disappointment for me.
And all this hype around it in the comment section, talking about mental health issues and all, so many people patronising others, believing they know all and have understand better than others the messages of the show...
Well, for me, that's all bullshit. In the end, that's maybe not the dramas that are that bad (well, that might be harsh, not so good would be better), but the viewers that are the problem.

Why making such assumptions ?I know Korea, having lived there for quite some time, and having family, real Koreans, who live everyday there too, not only through articles from newspapers. That's why I am confident in saying that fast judgements like this one should be avoid. I never wrote that Korea has a perfect and problem-free society, but categorising it as "abusively misogynistic and evil" is wrong.

I don't think so.

Well, the production is a little bit better than episodes 3 to 6, but the story doesn't make it for me anymore. Too bad, it had such a great start. I still hope I'll like the end but, at this point, I doubt it. Whatever the kind of romance, I find stories that make the couple reunite only at the final episode more and more annoying, except for few exceptions.

They are not related by blood, in the manhwa Hong Rang's father his a servant of the family whom the lady, the head merchant wife, fall in love and have a child with (Hong Rang), while the merchant has a daughter with another woman. But the story is quite complicated honestly.

I know very well "Jumong", it's a Korean classic. ;)

Obviously we don't seek the same things in historical dramas, and we definitely not have the same view on what is historically accurate.
But one thing though. Do you live in Korea ? If not, don't be so quick to describe its society as "abusively misogynistic and evil", because you definitely don't seem to know what you're talking about.

Not sure what you mean by that. But if it's having a female character that overpower all men around her, and them being only portrayed just like evil or dumb characters, it will be a poor sageuk and, once again, just an historical drama that use an historic background to display a current times story without taking seriously in consideration its subject.
Hopefully they will be clever than that. This queen deserves a great drama, not some modern times pastiche.