Lovers (2023)

Quando le aspettative non sono state appagate

Adoro gli storici, ma sinceramente questo non mi è piaciuto molto, è stato carino fino a un certo punto, poi mi ha annoiato. 21 episodi sono troppi per il nulla cosmico.La storia d'amore è finita per essere sdolcinata e ripetitiva. La trama della corte noiosa e confusa. Potevano risparmiare l'episodio 21, non ha aggiunto nulla in più, stesso cliché ( amnesia) del episodio precedente, la dinastia Quing liquidata frettolosamente, il rapporto con il padre-figlio buttato li senza un approfondimento, il prigioniero matto del primo episodio non si è capito come è capitato lì. Nota di merito, la ottima recitazione e le bellissime ost. Archiviato, non farei un rewatch.

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Drama storico/sentimentale

nel quale ho intravisto 3 ispirazioni/rimandi da cui gli sceneggiatori han preso.

La prima ispirazione (molto ben rimarcata fino al terzo/quarto episodio) è al colossal "Via col vento". E' un chiaro rifacimento in versione Coreana del filmone del 1939, con la differente guerra che in "Via col vento" era civile, mentre qui è di difesa dall'invasione dei Cinesi. C'è una storia d'amore, c'è un'eroina che da frivola civetta diventerà una donna a tutto tondo, capace di difendere le persone che ama, riconoscere il vero amore, sacrificare la sua vita per il bene degli altri. Il tutto attraverso la catarsi della sofferenza provata sulla sua pelle.

Il secondo richiamo o ispirazione, riguarda il personaggio principale, Lee Jang Hyun, recitato da un Nam Goong Min, che ho molto apprezzato nella sua versione gigionesca in Chief Kim, divertente e dissacrante. Si tratta di Schindler's List - La lista di Schindler è un film dramma storico, del 1993 diretto da Steven Spielberg, che narra la storia e la vita di Oskar Schindler, l'imprenditore tedesco che riuscì a salvare dall'olocausto tra i 1000 ed i 1300 ebrei. Ecco il vero eroe di questo drama è lui, la versione Coreana di questo imprenditore cinico e senza scrupoli, che a contatto con la sofferenza di esseri umani trattati in modo diabolico, fa uscire la grandezza della sua umanità e si trasforma nel loro salvatore, mettendo in gioco la sua vita e il suo denaro.

La terza citazione è legata non a un film vero e proprio, ma ai fatti della Storia di Nazioni e popoli che hanno subito purghe e sofferenze inenarrabile per una VISIONE IDEOLOGICA del BENE DEL POPOLO. Mi vengono in mentre dalla rivoluzione d'ottobre del 1917, alle dittature Staliniste, Marxiste applicate alla Cina, alla Russia e a tutti i popoli ancora assoggettati a IDEOLOGIE umanistiche o religiose. Nel drama, la sceneggiatura sottolinea che la visione ideologica del bene del popolo, porta acqua al mulino del potente di turno, che con l'uso di ideali confuciani come "lealtà", "pietà filiale", "benevolenza", e "fiducia", schiaccia e opprime le persone e il Popolo.

E' un filmone che, come Guerra e Pace, è lungo, molto prolisso, con scene in cui i personaggi parlano con una lentezza esasperante, come se stessero valutando al momento cosa dire ... quindi in un primo tempo l'avevo droppato ... poi con calma (vista la quantità di bravi attori, di mezzi e fotografia messi in campo) l'ho ripreso e sono arrivata fino in fondo.

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Cativante

Esse dorama confesso que demorei para começar, mas depois, não quis parar mais. Te prende do início ao fim, a atuação de TODOS os personagens não tenho o que reclamar, principalmente dos protagonistas, a química entre os dois é absurdo, e o que colaborou foi o jeito que construíram a história deles, um enemies to lovers(com uns altos e baixos) de respeito.
Confesso que fico meio confusa quando falam muito sobre o que estava acontecendo na época, e abordam bastante sobre isso aqui, mas eles conseguiram equilibrar bem cada parte, sem ser algo maçante.
Apenas deem uma chance a esse dorama de época deslumbrante que é de tirar o fôlego.

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We written story and good drama

It is good drama
Fl:- given her best
Ml :- given his best
Ambience:- up to the timeline

What I find odd:-
In episode three at starting the invaders ( qing Dynasty warriors) Armor is waving in wing like cloths, that type of Armor had steel plating inside and even if steel plating were absent the harden leather doesn't flap in wind , editor shoul have spotted this little things
Everything else is all right What I find odd:-
In episode three at starting the invaders ( qing Dynasty warriors) Armor is waving in wing like cloths, that type of Armor had steel plating inside and even if steel plating were absent the harden leather doesn't flap in wind , editor shoul have spotted this little things
Everything else is all right
Ending look to commercial ( abrupt change in personality of both main character hence I reduced overall rating from 10 to 7.5



Word filler( to make 500 words)

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Can't have the one you love, love the one you are with.

Generally, the so-called romance stories have little if anything that’s considered romance throughout the show. Here I can finally say we get to actually witness the love growing. It has other side stories that contribute to the plot as well, but nothing takes center stage over their growing love. There is action, family, trauma, wars, and much more. However, it still holds its weight as the main plot.

Is this the best series to date? No, but it's the best script-turn series I have seen in a very long time. I have been watching these dramas as well, for two decades, and I can honestly say it's a gem. I would give it 4.2/5 on a 5-star scale and anything less than that would not be fitting.

I am a romance buff so I am very particular about my love stories. Their unknowing love faces challenges and setbacks like no other. You wouldn’t want to miss this ride.

The leads are great and so are the support actors. No one is overacting or failing to meet the expectations set by the viewers. It's pleasantly heartwarming even in the midst of a war.

You will definitely enjoy this one.

Happy viewing

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If you don’t mind sad content and are fond of the separation trope…

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Historical romance drama with 21, 60-90 minute episodes. It was originally divided into two parts: Part 1 with ten episodes and Part 2 with eleven episodes. So some say there are two seasons but there is only one season sometimes divided in two parts..

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Lee Jang hyun (Namkoong Min) is not the type of serious, respectful and honorable noble Yoo Gil chae (Ahn Eun jin) is used to encountering. He is a bit of what we would call these days, a lady’s man but also a “player.” He falls hard for the spirited Gil chae who, as the prettiest girl in her small community, has her pick of suitors. Of course the only guy she is interested in, Nam Yeon joon (Lee hak joo), is in love with her best friend. Kyung Eun ae (Lee da in), Gil chae’s best friend would do about anything for her friend except give up the guy they both love. Eun ae knows Gil chae really just wants Yeon joon because he is not interested and that the roguish Jang hyun is actually a better match for her friend. Eun ae both kind and wise and knows that Jang hyun is actually a very kind and capable man who deeply cares for Gil chae. But Gil chae is slow to recognize her own feelings and does not believe Jang hyun’s feelings are sincere. He has also clearly stated he is against marriage something any noble lady would scorn. Through war and the aftermath the two suffer many missed opportunities and Gil chae weds another man. Despite this, they both have each other firmly in their heart. Korea is suffering as the defeated party under a faction of China and the people are suffering by being impoverished, persecuted, killed and enslaved. Is there any hope for these two who seemed destined to be together?

Review

I do not like sad shows. If you like sad then you would definitely like this more than I did. I actually looked up the ending and it said it ended happy enough so I went with that. But what I didn’t understand is, it may end fairly happy, but it is sad all over the place throughout. Why? Well it is loosely based on true events where there was this Josean king who became paranoid and did a lot of horrible things as a result. And the royals were always trying to poison each other. That is why food tasters were common in many countries among the royalty. It was good for what it was. Wonderfully acted, the filming was amazing, and it was interesting throughout. So, understand that my ranking is based mostly on the fact that it had sad threaded all through it. I would not watch it again because it made me too down. I would recommend it to people that like historical and do not at all mind sad content.

Spoilers

I read that it ends with him losing his memory but that he remembers events around her. But they are together. That is true and that is the way it is nearly to the very end. But, in the last few minutes, he fully remembers her it shows his gaze becoming more steady and he says her name and looks her right in the eyes. So he does fully remember her. But two things about that. I personally hate the amnesia trope in general. And he has not one but two separate periods of amnesia. And, since it ended that way, we don’t know if he remembered any of the other people in his life.

Yeon joon was just an annoying character to me. I guess that wanted you to think Gil chae’s love for him in the beginning was completely juvenile and ridiculous. He was never a character I admired as he was so sanctimonious and it shadowed and influenced everything he did. He was never as thankful to Jang hyun for protecting him during the war as he should have been. If he told Gil chae about that in a “he is my life safer” type way she might have admitted her feelings for Jang hyum sooner. But I think there was a part of Yeon joon that liked having Gil chae romantically interested in him.

Gil chae was really annoying in the beginning. It had a real “Gone with the Wind” sort of vibe as she started as a noble that was very princess like as she was the beauty of the community. Then war breaks out and she goes through serious hardship and has to suffer horribly at the hands of the Barbarians. And it did humble and change her. But then she scorns Jang Hyun and marries the man who lied on the path on the island to basically use her as Barbarian bait. I get that it was Jang hyun’s fault a bit because, even at that point, he did not offer marriage but still you don’t turn your back on someone that has done so much for you and you obviously have feelings for.

Eun au, on the other hand, was such a sweet, humble and loyal person from the beginning, I did not feel like Yeon joon deserved her. The way he treated her when she was asking about being “defiled” by Barbarians made me like him even less. And then when he was a traitor to Jang hyun by leading the soldiers that nearly killed him, I liked him even less. There were just a few moments in the end when he asked Eun au to go with her and if he was still her husband where I think they were trying to show he had come around, but it wasn’t enough. So that wasn’t a sweet side romance.

I thought the Crown Prince and Princess dying was just tragic and unnecessary. Yes that may have been what happened, or close to it, historically but they could have departed and had him live. And then to make the Princess a traitor and even kill the royal heir, just made it Greek tragedy level.

The royal concubine was the evil doer behind most of the tragic events and we did not get the benefit of seeing her taken down. Evil essentially won. And that may have been what happened in the historical event it was drawn from but stories have the opportunity to improve and depart from such things. I suspect the king in the end was the concubines’ son. That was her goal to have her son put on the throne, but that was not very clear.

A large portion of the show was told with the main characters parted by war and other circumstance. I really dislike the separation trope so that being so prevalent and repetitive throughout the series was a serious negative to me. They were apart way more than they were together. Then, they would just get together briefly and either they would have a misunderstanding and go their separate ways, or a tragedy would strike and drive them apart. It was so frequent that the majority of the live commenters were complaining about them mostly being apart.

I guess the ending was supposed to be happy in the house he created to her specifications. But they were always surrounded by so many others throughout that them two alone just seemed very lonely. And it seemed they just planned to live as if dead so that he would not be hunted. But that was sad too. If it weren’t for the mad king and the evil concubine he should have lived out a heroes’ life.

#NamkoongMin #AhnEunJin #MyDearest#LeeDaIn #LeeHakJoo

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it's a crazy trash and cringe drama, but typical of every Korean production, exploiting actors for success.
Set during the righteous and perfect Qing rule over Korea.
The warning "this story is about fictitious events" always makes me cringe, as it seems like Joseon never existed. Nice respect for history...
Already in the first episode we find something Koreans are very good at, erasing history to make themselves great. The Emperor... historically inaccurate since he was a coward.
Cultural appropriation of Chinese sewing techniques, Chinese hanfu. Phrases said to mock China, its history, its culture and its multi-ethnicity, because Korea is poor.
The story is absolutely ridiculous, out of context and the romance context completely unrelated to the real story. A cast of actors who can't act, the two protagonists too detached and modern compared to the historical context. The story lacks a balance between romance and historical context .
The two protagonists are cringe from episode to episode. Th side characters are ridiculous and lacks depth.
Historical inaccuracies every now and then.
Bad direction and camera, without color balance that make the visuals squalid.
It totally falls after half and the ending is bad and casual

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Not all that

Overall I’d rate this drama 6.5/10 .
If you’re not really a big fan of political dramas, you’d rate it even lower but I’m trying to be fair .
I appreciate the work everyone put into making this drama . From the cast to the crew . Well done 👍🏾

Personally I don’t think the drama deserves to win best drama or the actor should win best actor . There truly wasn’t any scene that he was in that I genuinely felt touched .

Funny enough I felt more affection towards the crown prince than anybody else in the drama .

This drama is a one time drama . It’s not something that you watch and then you reminisce and you miss the characters . I’m yet to understand why the TikTok community and others swear by this drama . Perhaps if I followed it weekly like them, I might have shared the same feelings and comradeship .

Personally I think Kim soo Hyun should’ve won that best actor role . He showed more diverse emotions in queen of tears than this actor did in my dearest but that might just be my personal preference.

Most of the political stuff was boring and sounded like I was attending a history class .

Surprisingly I didn’t find the fl to be annoying . Her actions were quite rational and thoughtful. It did feel a tiny bit frustrating to see the push and pull in their love life but if you’re a trained historical cdrama member , you’d see that they were just playing 😂💀.
No serious misunderstandings or whatever .

This drama is the type that after a while, you won’t remember what happened. It’d just be one of the many dramas you’ve seen .

Would I recommend this drama to others ? I’m not sure . Except they say they’re looking for historical drama recommendations.

The first 3 episodes were quite boring but the drama truly picked up from episode 4 . The cliff hangers at the end would always want you to download the next episode. You’re better off dropping the drama in the middle of an episode than waiting for it to finish .

I actually binged watched 1-14 before sleeping around 8am to continue by 7pm . It was that engaging . But if you ask me what I can truly remember from all the episodes, it’s quite hazy.

The entire plot is Joseon getting invaded by foreigners, the foreigners taking the crown prince and others as slaves/ captives . The ml falling in love and creating some bitter/sad love triangles.
The delusional and sick king and conniving concubine .

The palace story was nothing new . Usual fight for the throne and fear of rebellion.

Character I hated : that good for nothing self righteous scholar🙂

Thoughts on the main couple: I take back what I said about the ml being very old . He’s quite mature looking but he honestly just looks his age and he has a nice smile . I’d say he’s quite manly and you’d like him if that’s your spec .

The fl is okay too . She’s pretty .

They have nice chemistry . There were some scenes that I was like to love is nice sha but that’s it .

Completing this drama felt like I completed an assignment that I’ve been postponing for a long time.

As kdrama lovers , do you have to watch this drama?
Honestly speaking ? No
It doesn’t add or remove anything from your life . It doesn’t change your views on anything either . I think it’s okay to let it go and don’t be pressured by others to watch it or feel like you’re missing out on something so amazing because you’re not .


Time to finally end this lengthy review .
If you made it this far, Great job 😗
See you in my next review or not…
Hahahaha
Annyeong chingus!

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a review for both part's 1 and 2

"Do you hear that? The sound of flowers blooming"
I was sold. I was seated.
——
I devoured this drama in 2 days and lost my sleep for the beautiful narration it truly was. Mind you i have 3 pending kdramas as of 12/29 but i mindlessly put it on hold just to reserve myself to see this drama through...

I initially came across this drama when MBC released its trailer. it caught my attention but i guess it wasn't enough to get me out of the kdrama slump i was at the time😂 THANKS TO TIKTOK it resurfaced on my fyp and gave this a shot!!

Many say it starts off slow and picks up at 3rd-4th episode however i do not feel the same. From the first episode till the last few minutes of episode 21–i loved every bits of it.

I seldom writing reviews and reserve writing allat for dramas deserving. I can confidently say its well within my #10 all time best kdrama and #1 sageuk drama. Easily Nam Goong Min's and Ahn Eun Jin's best roles portrayals out of their filmographies.

Do i recommend?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Though be prepared for the rollercoaster and tearjerker it will be. If you suvived scarlet heart/moon lovers, then you wont have much trouble going through all the episodes. It is depressing. Sad. Dark.
I came for the romance but also stayed for the history of Joseon. I found myself sympathizing for the plight and the women of Joseon endured. This drama portrays all of the character's story so well—so much depth and well thought and written characters.

I miss my JangChae already☹️❤️
I'm in "i wish i could watch it like the first time" moment🥲

WELL my yapping ends now.
It has been awhile since i felt this empty after watching a kdrama. The void left in me will be hard to fill in.🥴

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CANT WAIT PART 2

I'm the type of person who doesn't really understand history but for this drama I can still enjoy it.
The acting of the cast makes me speechless again.
Each episode makes my heart scratched to pieces why are they acting but my heart hurts too, anyway I can't wait for part 2 and I also ask why not immediately air 20 episodes in one season why should it be divided into 2 parts ??? Its kinda annoying but that fine
Namkoong min and ahn eun jin make me sick!! Both great actress and actoor no wonder so many people at south korea talking about this drama because so worth it to watch

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Una triste historia de amor

El cast me hizo tenerle fe en este drama y no me equivoque; la escenografía y las escenas estaban muy bien hechas y la historia de amor de ellos en una plena guerra, pintaba un desenlace trágico.
Gil Chae fue mi personaje favorito, su impulso a sobrevivir y salvar a los suyos fue excepcional y la decisión que tomó al final demuestra el proceso de madurez que logró a través de las dificultades.
Era de esperar tantos malos entendidos entre ellos, él nunca le dio seguridad y certeza de sus verdaderos sentimientos y ella al estar llena de orgullo tampoco hizo mucho; espero por la segunda parte de esta historia pero por el salto del último capítulo no le doy la nota mas alta, porque senti que no cuadraba con la despedida de ellos dos, literal me pusieron a llorar cuando me botaron a una segunda chica en la siguiente escena, ese salto fue malo, lo hubieran dejado para la segunda parte del drama.

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One of the most painful love story I have ever seen .

If you liked Moon Lovers, don't waste your time reading this, just go watch this masterpiece!

the only thing I can say is : if I find someone that could do for me at least half of what they have done for each other in this drama, I would be happily married for the rest of my life.
Why did they suffered so much ? The man SAVED a country for her !!!!! There's no real man that could do that. And there's no way that man is from Joseon during that time, he must have been a time traveler. Just come back to present days and be with me , Jang Hyun 😭
Thank you again korea for making me have even higher standards for a relationship.

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