Tree With Deep Roots (2011)

This Drama was heavy, heavy, heavy. For a sageuk themed drama, with the glamour of a King and his followers... this had a fantastic story to tell.

Before checking this out, you, the viewer need the proper mindset before committing yourself into watching this drama (unless you are already into this kind of drama). Why? Because this is too far away from being romcom or light. There are witty scenes where you find the "funny" but not so much, because it would be obliterated in a second by the realism of the situation the characters are in. Watching this drama was heart racing, mind boggling and most of all tear jerking if you get to finish this in one go.

It was also frustrating being in the perspective of the king - because a person with so much wealth and power could be so helpless at the same time. *sigh*

My favorite character here was King Sejong - Han Seok Kyu's portrayal of him was so convincing that my heart was moved every time he does or say something. His decisions throughout the drama was really something, because it amounts to the lives that revolve around him, one mistake means the death of someone and one right thing could lead to the abundance of the entire nation. His role was really something and his acting was so deep into the character, I tend to forget that he was only acting about the agony of a king who cherished his people.

Then here comes the King's person: Kang Chae Yoon and So Yi.
These characters were portrayed by high fantastic artists - Jang Hyuk and Shin Se Kyung. Their roles were vital and important for the success of the king's plan and well... the ending was very dreary but there's that sense of fulfillment despite everything they have gone through. All in all their characters made this drama an unforgettable one.

The music isn't that catchy or is something that would stick to your head forever, but it does add to the drama. As for the re-watch value, I would not want to re-watch this lest I want to depress myself or stress myself all over again, but over all this drama is still dear to my heart. I loved this drama and would highly recommend it to those who love watching sageuks involving historical documentations.

Tree With Deep Roots - will move you, haunt you and make you change your outlook about your given language. Because this drama depicts history and the people who sacrificed a lot to make things possible.

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A vividly told emotional story about the creation of Hangul and its impact. Absorbing. Gripping.

Of course, this historical drama is (as many others) full of intrigues, power struggles and revenge. But King Sejong, the 4th Joseon king, who is the historical subject of this KDrama, was indeed a bright shining star in the Joseon sky. So is this KDrama.

King Sejong created the Korean alphabet. Not just him alone. But this great achievement goes back to his driving force and his vision of a mature people. The story impressively tells of the bumpy road to Hangul. It also tells of how important it is as an identity-creating medium for self-confident citizens. Previously, Hanja - the canon of sheer countless characters of Chinese origin - was the country's binding writing. Not only that, but a whole range of Korean words are loanwords of Chinese origin - to this day. At the same time, this reflects the asymmetrical balance of power between the Korean dynasties and the Chinese dynasties. The use of the Han signs not only symbolizes the hierarchy among the peoples, but also within one's own people. Scribes and scholars were needed, who had the muse and time to learn these characters (more than 100,000 in total). Thus, they had the authority to interpret. It was hardly possible for ordinary people to learn. A scripture that connotes words and meanings in characters is based on a completely different concept than a scripture composed of a compact alphabet. Based on the phonetics of the Korean language, King Sejong developed an alphabet finally consisting of 14 symbols for consonants and 10 for vowels. The writing system to apply those in a way to form words and sentences can be learned comparatively quickly, even by ordinary people. What a progressive concept at the time! What a threat to the elite of scholars and noblemen!

The title "Deep Rooted Tree" refers to verses from the 'Songs of the Dragons That Fly to the Sky' - the Yongbieocheonga. This contemporary document about the Joseon Dynasty and its legacy was the first book that was ALSO written in the new Hangul writing system.

"Deep Rooted Tree" is (among many other truly exciting dramatic events throughout the story) about the impact of scripture for the people of Joseon - a story vividly told in an absorbing manner. A truly fantastic presentation. With gripping protagonists. Multidimensional. With high emotional impact.

The dramaturgical setting introduces the king (from the perspective of the male protagonist) as the bad guy. But the 24 episodes (analogous to the alphabet?) provide an impressive insight into the fascinating life´s work of that great king - embedded in the excitingly increasing momentum of the vendetta of a boy from humble origins who grows up to become an outstanding warrior and finally ends up as royal guard.

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Without spoilers, this is going to be a hard review to write, but I figured since no other reviews were written for it, I would give it a try. I used to not be a fan of sageuks, but recently I have been proven wrong, and this is one of those that did it.

In terms if writing, the story was well written. I kind of kept you guessing, and the cliffhangers were killers. The way the characters were written was brilliant, as well as the way history and fiction were mixed. It kept you coming back for more. Granted there was your typical backstabbing and plot making, but it fit in with the story, so it didn't seem out of place or to be to much.

In terms of acting, brilliant. Each actor portrayed their characters to the point you actually believed they were the character, not an actor playing someone. I have to say I was very impressed by Jang Hyuk, yet again, and after seeing two sageuks of his, I have a hard time picturing him playing any other type of role.

The music, I would have liked to have heard more traditional instruments, but all in all it wasn't bad.

I will definitely be watching this again. I was thinking that with 24 episodes that it would get boring, but never once was I bored. Give it a try.

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There are a few topics one doesn't talk about at social gatherings. One of them is language. I myself have tried a few times but, in front of a pizza and coke, people are ready to talk about almost everything except their means of expression. Language is used, not pondered upon, unless one wants to be labelled the smart aleck of the party and be thrown out with the half-eaten pizza. Why? Because our mother tongue is perceived as a given, a common possession whose technicalities are learnt and then put into practice by everyone, well or not so well. We live in a society where illiteracy is almost unheard-of and have therefore forgotten how huge a power is held by simple education. This is exactly what Tree With Deep Roots is about: the power of knowledge.

So this drama is, first and foremost, very brave: it takes a topic generally considered yawn inducing - and conceited - and builds upon it one of the cleverest, suspenseful plot I've had the fortune to watch. Because the topic intrigued me, I approached this drama expecting to be intellectually swept away. What I wasn't prepared for, was to have my feelings deeply involved too. This drama is clever, yes, but it's emotionally intense and moving too.
Truth be told, in the beginning I was so confused by the trillion characters, names all sounding the same and genealogy tree that for a moment I thought I had suddenly become an idiot. Should you happen to experience the same, please don't despair: this is like a pile of jigsaw puzzle tiles thrown at you all at once that you start putting together. Once you have glimpsed the main picture, the rest follows on its own. I haven't found a single dull moment in the 24 episodes. I enjoyed the sometimes long political dialogues and didn't want to miss a word. I enjoyed the steadfast growth of each character and the relationship between them all, the marvelous setting, the wuxia-like sword fights.

Mostly, I enjoyed the portrayal of a great King, which naturally leads me to the acting. Among the brilliant performances of all, Han Seok Kyu shines his own light. I was sad to see Song Jong Ki go, as he delivers a great act of a young and fearful king who grows a backbone, but it's his older version I came to love, admire and enjoy the most. Second in my personal enjoyment chart is, hear hear, So Yi/Dam. By general consensus, a female character is considered strong when she opposes the rules, or when she can kick and fight. So Yi's strength, however, is in the brain, which she uses to comply with the rules, instead of opposing them. Shin Se Kyung embodies intelligence and courage in a very calm and effective way. Loved her to bits. Our third lead is the bridge between the passionate vision of a King and the idealism of the woman he loves. His common sense and simple views on life are a paramount addition to the dynamic and while he undergoes a major change throughout the drama, he stays consistent to his nature till the very end.

A character/actors review would be incomplete without the villains. There are moments when you may question who the villains really are. Their motives aren't wrong in the grand scheme of things, but idealism alone won't win a war and their methods go from arguable to unacceptable, mixed as they are with political greed, blind loyalty or personal grudge. Kudos to all the actors, though, for making me love to hate them.

I don't think the music is the strong trait of this drama. It has a few instrumental pieces and a couple of songs which are neither a disturbance nor a feeling magnifier. I must admit, however, that a couple of pieces are quite haunting, as I found myself humming a tone or two while doing totally unrelated things. Whether this is because they were used too often or because they were good, I don't know.

I've long debated about the re-watch value. I don't see myself sitting through the whole drama again in the near future, mostly because a well crafted thriller lingers in the memory much longer than a simpler plot. Ironically, its high quality makes this into a one-time experience. Which doesn't mean I won't go back to it when a considerable time has lapsed. It's an intense journey I recommend to everyone who's ready to invest a good dose of concentration in a drama.

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I doubt many writers wake up and say “Hey, let’s do a show about creating an alphabet! That will be exciting!” I suspect even fewer producers would greenlight such a project. Presumably, in the case of Tree with Deep Roots, the authors sold it as a conspiracy thriller, emphasizing the murders, mysteries and epic fight scenes. There is plenty of stylishly choreographed action and several hot guys with swords. However, as befits the show’s subject, the real battles are fought with words. And those battles are some of the most extraordinary I’ve ever seen on film.

“Tree” took a while to pull me in, but once the writers found their groove and the verbal fireworks began, it was riveting. Against the backdrop of a violent era, it asks if the brush can ever be mightier than the sword. If there is power in writing, and if so, who deserves to use it. If literacy is liberation or a different kind of slavery. Characters wield speech like blades in philosophical duels where systems of government and social orders hang in the balance. This is argument as blood sport – spectacular, visceral and deadly.

The cast tackles their paragraphs of text with gusto, and the director keeps the camera moving and the tension high. The final episodes falter a bit, veering away from ideas and more towards traditional action, with an ending that felt yanked from a summer blockbuster instead of developing organically from the drama's themes. Perhaps this was designed to appease nervous studio execs desperate to get to away from all the talking. It’s a small price to pay though for a show that is otherwise so smart, unconventional, and emotionally engaged as it teases out the limits and possibilities of language.

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One of the better dramas of 2011.

The highlight of the drama was the array of interesting and well written characters.
Also, the acting in the drama was top notch. But then again we are talking about Jang Hyuk and Han Suk Kyu and Song Joong Ki here. All very charismatic and intense actors in their own ways.

The cinematography was an absolute delight for the eyes. The settings and the costumes used in the drama series were exquisite.

The plot was engaging and full of the appropriate twists and turns. Who knew that a sageuk about Hangul (sounds like a snooze fest at face value) could be so amazing?

My only gripe is that the story started to lose my a bit of my interest towards the last quarter. Other than that, a wonderful and engaging drama series.

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No matter what people say for me this is one of the best dramas of 2011 if you ask me. I regret that I waited so much to watch it. If you are into history you will love this drama since it haves a lot of historic facts around the creation of hangul. The characters are AMAZING and well developed along the story. It haves everything you can ask for in a drama: Action, fights, betrayal, romance, funny moments and even some csi period style). Very intriguing with great cliffhangers. I cried a few times cause I got emotionally carried away with the story. I would totally re-watch it any given day. Another fantastic period drama that you might end up loving. The actors that portray the king where PERFECT. It might start slow but just hang in there cause you are in for a really bumpy roller coaster ride.

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Enjoyed this drama very much. It tells an amazing story- an arduous but worthwhile journey to realize a larger dream.

The characters are great. The cast is brilliant. Each one of them- good or bad,even the irredeemable ones, stand out in our minds.

It's hard to say what I feel about the drama without giving spoilers, because there are so many great moments, conversations and scenes that come back to me now. Suffice to say, there's more than one hero in this drama and many memorable characters.
King Sejong is a great king, more human than any Sageuk king I can remember having watched. Chae Yoon is our hero, and he stays strongly in character until the end.

The most charming part of the drama are the many relationships it shows- between King Sejong and Moo Hyul(great rapport, even cute at times), King and Chae Yoon, King and the girls, Pyung and Jung Gi Joon and so on.

One thing you shouldn't expect going into this drama, though, is romance. There isn't much or any really. A hint of it comes from Chae Yoon, but isn't built up or even entertained beyond that.
Our lady, So Yi is smart, emotionally strong and with a very capable head on her shoulders, but her devotion all falls on her King and her cause. There isn't time or space for anything else.

But it doesn't matter really,as viewers, because.. it's all about great story telling and this is a sageuk everyone can watch without getting bored at any point.

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I had to sit and edit this one, though it's already submitted but to be honest, it was one of the first reviews I ever published which is a review I wrote on another website that had a character limit. Nonetheless, as one of my favorite drama it deserves something better.

I'll delve straight into the base of the story which is about King Sejong attempting to create writing. Perhaps one of the most disinteresting plots you could quite possibly try to explain. However, what seems like a bland dish is actually the meat of the plot. What prevents this from being a flawless drama is that the meat of the plot is overshadowed by interesting looking vegetables. Kind of like a bibimbap.

In this case, sub plots will vie for your attention and lightly take away from what is an earth shattering story. Expect flashy swordplay and flying folk, something I tend to dislike but something that this drama made forgiving. What still makes this incredibly stellar is that the base of the story is so strongly told and so well acted that there are moments of revelation that left me speechless.

As King Sejong tries to create writing, he unfortunately, encounters a foe in Ga Ri On. Ga Ri On, cannot stand for the creation of writing (Hangul) and he will do anything to stop it. However, it becomes clear that he's not the belligerent idiot you encounter in just about every k-drama who makes the protagonist's life a living hell for no reason. He makes such a crucial point forcing the viewer to re-evaluate his/her philosophy.

Nonetheless, as disinteresting as this review makes the plot sound, there are action sequences and moments of fist clenching suspense, that had me very excited. The sublots feature Dol Bok's story, a slave turned soldier who has a strong distaste for the king. As you can see, this sublot just doesn't even feel like it fits in with the story, but it oddly manages to blend itself there and Dol Bok does play a part in whether or not King Sejong can create writing.

What makes this compelling is there are no true villains. Sacrifices are made on both sides and it leaves the viewer to ponder on something the viewer easily take for granted. The finale is a climatic end that I'd like to defend as I liked it. It was that moment in this plot that everything about this drama seemed to settle in and I took a breath as I bid a farewell to what for me is a drama that I can't forget. I think this is one of those dramas where you either "get it" or you don't.

Finalement, Han Suk Kyu, Han Suk Kyu, Han Suk Kyu. Those three words translate to well acted brilliantness that really makes this story come alive. When someone's acting is so riveting that it makes you pause as your marvel over every psychological reaction, every moment of torment coming alive. This man is just brilliant, he just is.

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Penned by the famous writer of Jewel in the Palace & Queen Seon Duk, this drama is guaranteed to be amazing and it certainly didn't disappoint. It is honestly one of the best written script I have ever seen from a Kdrama -- it is clever, intriguing, interesting and heartbreaking at the same time.

I truly enjoyed watching this. Like other Jang Hyuk's post-army dramas, it is high quality with engaging plots equipped with excellent acting from all the casts. I enjoyed the 10 episodes where the mystery is about to be revealed one by one (my fave part in watching Kdramas where its all fun and awesome -- not too sad or too tragic) before it become more addicted in the remaining 14 episodes. Before I knew it, I become attached with lots of side characters and cried when they meet their ends (especially the Crown Prince's death). I guess this is a bonus point I have to give to the screenwriters for writing engaging side characters that you feel attached and sympathise with. I didn't feel it with The Slave Hunter but I definitely feel the opposite in this drama.

Jang Hyuk again continue his streak in acting in top quality productions that won award in Screenplay categories after Thank You, The Slave Hunter and now this. He is again mesmerizing and full of emotion as Ddol Bok / Kang Chae Yoon and I did the right thing to stan this man since his acting is just sooo good and passionate. Han Suk Kyu won a Daesang for this role and in my opinion he couldn't pick a better role as his comeback work in the small screen than his role as the remarkable King Sejong. Shin Se Kyung surprised me the most in here since she is good in her portrayal as Dam / So Yi. I guess she being surrounded by all these veteran actors make her acting improve as well. I'm highly amused since I can feel emotion during her sad scenes and I like So Yi as a character since she is amazing and strong that assist or inspire people around her instead of giving them troubles or as tool of weakness to the main characters.

I thought the ending is great even though it is sad. Sad to think that all the main characters died except the King but I think it is important to show how releasing the 'letters' and creating an easy written language where common people being able to read required THAT MUCH SACRIFICE. All deaths are justified and despite the tragic ending, the great cause is achieved in the end.

It's particularly sad in the ending scene where the King narrated:

"For decades, I must have gazed thousands of times. Yet, I didn't know a wild flower like that existed. That the sky atop the palace was so blue is also something I never thought of. This place is too wide. A place too unfamiliar. This is a place absent of Moo Hyul. This is a place absent of So Yi. This is a place absent of Ddol Bok as well. This is a place so unfamiliar as if they may never have existed once..."

I like how the writer emphasis how the usual place become unusual or unfamiliar to you once the people you love or close to are no longer there.

In the end, it is a powerful drama that brought a powerful message as well that great things can't be achieved without great sacrifices. I love it when my Kdrama teach me valuable lesson like this that I don't regret spending 24 hours of my life dedicating in watching it.

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Before continuing with the actual review, I would like to advise everyone who wants to see this heavy historical drama to watch Six Flying Dragons first. If you don't do it, you'll get so many spoilers about SFD, you'll get to know things that were very shocking in it. Moreover, you'll be able to appreciate the characters in Tree With Deep Roots more since you'll know their backstory. And, not gonna lie, Six Flying Dragons is worth seeing and it's much better than Tree With Deep Roots (and any other historical I've seen).

Maybe my expectations for Tree With Deep Roots were way too high. It's the first korean sageuk I watched after I completed its prequel - Six Flying Dragons, which became my all-time favourite drama. You can probably guess how much I wanted to like TWDR. However, even though it was quite a decent show, it fell short compared to SFD and couldn't live to its potential.

Tree With Deep Roots made me curious about how Korea would have looked if King Sejong hadn't created Hangul. Him creating letters was the main topic in the drama and I found it extremely interesting. The drama shows that knowledge is the greatest power. To be able to talk, read, write gives you power. Sejong is called ''the Great'' with a reason. I've never seen a king like him in the other historical dramas and movies I've seen. He has an unique personality, very strong will, he cares for his people and he is quite witty. His character is one of the best written characters I've ever seen. I could watch him and listen to him all day.

So let's leave King Sejong and his letters aside. Even though how and why Hangul was created was the main and most important topic, these 24 episodes don't show only this. Quite unfortunately, if you ask me. I don't think the drama should have been that long at all. 20 would do, but 24... Not really. The first four episodes aka the introduction was great and the start was very intriguing. The first half overall was very good. The second half though... It has too many filler scenes. I'm not a fan of fillers at all. Some scenes were extremely boring and the drama could have done without them. Some problems could have been fixed so much easily. Why did we have to wait so much for Kang Chae Yoon to finally understand Yi Do? Their scenes were one of my favourite so why didn't we have more of them? Why focus on useless characters and scenes that have almost no connection to the actual plot? It's beyond me.

The thing I didn't like the most was Mil Bon. Would Sambong really be against the kind? I doubt it. I didn't understand what was the purpose of the organisation at all. Very weak and unnecessary villains. Although Bon Won - their leader, was quite an interesting character. Yoon Pyung too, my baby. :c

The drama has its great moments though. I loved the interactions between the characters, especially between Moo Hyul and the king! Kang Chae Yoon also had his amazing scenes and he and Se Jong made me cry. I also loved So Yi who was a strong female lead without a doubt. The ending was also very well-thought.

Han Seok Kyu was brilliant as King Sejong and his performance was very outstanding. Jang Hyuk was decent, I think these type of roles really suit him. Shin Se Kyung was also quite decent here. Other remarkable performances are Jo Jin Woong's who played Moo Hyul and Yoon Jae Moon's who played Bon Won.

So overall, Tree With Deep Roots is a nice historical drama and I recommend it especially to people who love this genre. Even though it has some flaws, it was entertaining enough for me to give it 8.5 out of 10.

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So this drama started out being very promising, and I really anticipated what was going to happen next....
Unfortunately that didn't last long, about halfway into the drama it began to plummet downhill and lost everything that was good about it.

The story started out being about revenge and striving to become stronger; and the ending went into an entirely different direction and lost what had captivated me in the beginning.

For those of you who are into fairy tail-like happy endings, you also may want to skip this one, the ending wasn't exactly happy but it also wasn't sad either.

The acting wasn't horrible, but it wasn't amazing either....I just did not get that connection with the characters like I have had in other dramas.

Overall I just wasn't too thrilled about this drama, especially towards the end I could barely pull myself through it.

The only reason I watched it was because I was looking for a good historical and I saw someone wrote a good review for it, but I definitely do not feel the same way.

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