nouki

Seeing all the negative reviews, and being a huge JCW fan, I initially started to feel disappointed. But then I decided to just sit down, watch the drama, and judge it for myself instead of letting other people’s opinions influence me.

And honestly? I’m glad I did.

The first two episodes immediately caught my attention, and I also found the story quite clear. I genuinely don’t understand some of the comments saying that they “don’t understand what’s going on.” To me, the story is actually pretty straightforward. There are layers to the characters and their motivations, but that doesn’t mean the plot itself is confusing.

I also think the main leads have quite a lot of chemistry considering the characters they are playing. This is not a classic romance or a straightforward love story, and I think that’s precisely what makes it interesting. There is something deeper going on between the characters than simply “who is going to end up with whom.” If you’re expecting a conventional romance, then I can understand why you might be disappointed, but that doesn’t mean the drama itself is confusing or badly written.

Another thing I really appreciated is the way the drama shows aspects of everyday life and professions from that period. We get to see things such as silk and paper production, as well as everyday habits and subjects that might have been considered taboo at the time, such as smoking and sex and even religions. I found those details interesting because they added something to the world-building and made the historical setting feel more alive.

I should also mention that I haven’t watched the older Korean adaptation, nor have I read the original French novel, so I’m judging this drama entirely on its own. I’m not comparing it to the previous adaptation or to the original story.

And no, I also don’t think the drama is as slow as some people claim. I’ve watched Korean historical dramas with 16 episodes where the plot barely moved forward for most of the drama, so compared to those, I really didn’t find the pacing here particularly problematic. There are flashbacks, side characters, and slower moments, but that’s hardly unusual for a Korean historical drama.

For me, this was a well-structured story with beautiful cinematography, great aesthetics, and solid direction. I especially enjoyed the way the drama created its atmosphere.

Now, for the negatives.

The character that annoyed me the most was Nana’s character. And just to clarify, I knew who Nana was, but I honestly had no idea she was such a big name or that she was so well known as both an idol and an actress. That said, I found her character to be the most annoying, monotonous, and sometimes simply uninteresting character in the drama.

I also have to say that, personally, I don’t think her particular look fits a historical drama very well. I know that many Koreans, especially actors and celebrities, have had cosmetic procedures, but sometimes you see a face in a historical setting and it just feels a little out of place. That was unfortunately the impression I got with her.

Overall, I really don’t think this drama deserves all the negativity surrounding it.

It’s not perfect. It has its flaws, and I can understand why some people might not connect with it. But it is definitely not the terrible drama that some of the reviews make it out to be.

Honestly, I think if people stopped reading all the reviews beforehand and simply watched it with an open mind, they might enjoy it much more. Maybe some viewers were expecting a straightforward melodrama with lots of romance and cute kisses on the cheek, and this simply wasn’t that kind of drama.

Personally, I found it interesting, beautifully made, and much more enjoyable than I expected after seeing all the negative reviews.

So yes, I’m very glad I decided to judge it for myself instead of letting the internet do it for me.