Wanted to watch it for a long time and finally found good source.. its decent as far as Saeguk's go ; divided into three parts this is set when Joseon is trying to transform into a free society and influenced by the west and the east.. while the conformist conservatives fighting against the reformists ironically using the western guns...
Middle part was unnecessarily dragged for eons and the latter part loses its steam,
I watched it expecting the usual romance plot but the show also deal with a lot more subjects than this, though the romance is present and very sweet. I loved how Yoon-kang and Soo-in both had their own personalities and existed outside their relationship too. I loved how Soo-in seemed kind of quiet and the following type at first, only to appear much more strong willed as the episodes unfold.
I don't know if it's historically accurate or not but I was surprised that the political plot was much more complex than what expected : the characters aren't necessarily all bad or all nice and are all following their own ideals rather than being there just for the main character.
Even the "ennemies" had strong backstory that made me feel compassion toward them.
However, this drama could have been so much more if they had avoided some parts of the plot that made some episodes too dense. Sang-mi Nam, acting as Soo-in, also have a peculiar way of acting, that I was already familiar with but that can be uncomfortable to watch for some, especially in the first episodes.
Special mentions for Joon-gi Lee and Hye-bin Jeon who are both fantastic to watch!
Shout by DeletedBlockedParentSpoilers2014-11-21T18:52:53Z
The start of this series would have rated the show an easy 9 stars. I really enjoyed how they made us care for Soo-in and Yoon-kang as individuals and as a couple. I stuck with this show because I cared for them. As for the story of his revenge and their changing the world I liked some of it but for the most part felt it was only okay. Specific episodes stand out while others seemed like repeats of previous arcs. A lot of people died for them to go off and be bandits/vigilantes. I do appreciate how the villains were takes care of specifically the merchant gunman and his daughter but I would have liked to see the Queen taken out too. She really bugged me and I go no resolution about her. I love this couple though and would love to see them again in a modern rendition and really find the entire series worth it to see their interactions.