Not the most exciting drama to watch (although I really loved the first few episodes), but I'm really glad they chose to tell this story. Not only is it based on true events, but the writing is quite good.
Please give this more than 2 episodes before looking the other way. The acting and script come together nicely after that.
Nokdu Flower has unexpectedly been a surprise to me as I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Also being unfamiliar with this part of Korea's history, I definitely learned some facts (obviously spend some reading on true historical facts inbetween to gain knowledge) because of this series. It may have been slow at times, not as much action as one could wish, but it stays closest to reality.
Review by chillikunBlockedParent2021-04-18T01:22:02Z
After Mr.Sunshine I found a Saeguk I truly liked (Thanks to a Reddit User). A saeguk outside the confines of the castle and a fairytale-like setting and focuses on the common-person's fight for rights and equality? I did not realize I needed that until I watched this. A drama that does not beat around the bush and jumps straight into action? I did not realize I needed that either.
PLOT
This is a story about forgotten people who fought for their livelihood , family , freedom and an egalitarian society where men are equal to heavens. They are nameless soldiers in the books of History but they are Nokdu Flowers that spread like fire in every men heart .
The plot was well executed , it was slow paced for sure but has no flaws and moves forward without loosing steam. The only time I felt i needed to pause was when Yi-Hyun choose/deceived to be a turncoat traitor but I was able to quickly recover and continue. This was based on historical events so there were heartbreaks, tragedies but the fictional elements three main leads friends and family were well executed to bring a lighter tone to a what would be a sad documentary
The lighter, funny scenes were never out-of-place as they always centered around the heartwarming friendships between the characters. Side characters had their own story which prevented their screen-time from feeling unnecessary; even those you might be least invested in underwent growth that justified the writer's choice to include them apart from the otherwise obvious reasons. It should be noted, there were some shifts in plot that made me dread that this drama would go south, that it was headed beyond what was meant to be the conclusion, but that never happened; the plot proved itself to be excellent, and the characters served to ground and consolidate the narrative.
Donghak movement ; this is the first I heard about this and it occurs before the dreaded Japanese occupation and during the first Sino-Japanese war where the barbarians of Japanese Empire still wore the mask called civilization. As someone who has watched anime for 10 years I have never shown any anonymity to Japanese Empire but this drama showed some regretful action by erstwhile Japanese Empire and the enablement of its atrocities ; if they were defeated here the world and korea would have a gone through a less painful transformation.
The writers have done an excellent job in making sure each character was well rounded ; their growth and changes were interwoven with the struggle they, willingly or unwillingly, became a part of.To be able to see many characters of varying backgrounds coming to terms with their identities, or altering them at whim, was extremely gratifying. Their decisions simply made sense, in light of their circumstances and personal convictions. The writer also drew many parallels while crafting characters - the parallels between the brothers, with the titles assigned to them that they wanted to break free from; the parallel between a teacher and a student, with their attempt to rise from their ugly decisions; the parallel between two parties who wanted to save their country, with one man joining hands with the enemy and the other party firmly resisting. And then these parallels evolved beautifully into a juxtaposition. Overall, it was a thought-provoking angle the writer took.
CAST
With this ensemble of cast nothing could ever go wrong !!!!
Actor Jo Jung Suk that portrays Baek Yi Kang looks uncomfortable as "No Name". As the story progresses, he grows from "No Name" to the rebel fighter Ÿi Kang . Actor Jo Jung Suk performs convincingly as Yi Kang the rebel fighter that maintains the rightness of his decision to fight the Japanese Occupation without apology. The only thing he could never do is kill his beloved brother put him out of the misery
Actress Han Ye Ri is forever a talented artist, she does so well as a Merchant Song Ja In. "The Nokdu Flower" shows the monstrous side of business that flourishes due to wars since merchants/business gain wealth from wars by selling or distribute materials used for wars.
Actor Yoon Shi Yoon portrays splendidly as Scholar Baek Yi Hyun, the step brother of Baek Yi Kang. It is so heartbreaking to watch Baek Yi Hyun, even enlisted in the Royal Regiment of Joseon as a sniper and is forced by his chain in command to shoot rebels. Subsequently, he is called "Goblin" and suffers full blown PTSD from the war with no sympathy and turn to Öni . His ending is also not rushed and the expected results of someone with PTSD .
The righteous fighters , the Nokdu general , the merchants (Mr.Choi) , the Gobu Nobles and the Royal family everybody performed their roles very meticulously in depicting this historical events in a lighter tone .
VERDICT
Overall, this drama is a practically perfect sageuk. It's much deeper than the usual fighting over status, family betrayals, corrupt politics, and ill-fated love story tropes that make up most dramas in this genre (although sometimes I love those too). In Nokdu Flower I loved the themes of fighting for equality, tradition vs change, struggling with identity/self-determination, figuring out what is really important in life and what it truly means to win or lose, loyalty and betrayal, and all the conflicting faces of "patriotism"... I have no idea how accurate it was overall but I did actually learn a lot while watching without it feeling too preachy or feeling like the history channel.
It's also not so heavy that the story becomes too depressing, even if you already know the history. There's a little bit of romance, great action/war scenes, even many funny moments... and the characters may be mostly fictional, but the way they brought life to the story felt hauntingly real. I loved how many of my favorite characters got the spotlight they deserved in the story too, and that the ending didn't feel rushed and really honored the history it was celebrating. Sure, the bluebird song will probably get stuck in your head for a while from watching, but it's definitely worth it.
I loved the fact that they introduced a freedom fighter Kim Gu in the end casually .
Nokdu is an Underrated Saeguk that is light on drama and more on documentary and that is why it is not well spoken . I Initially dropped the show after 20mins due to my experience with Saeguks endings and few months later was promised a happy ending and I was glad i picked it up.