This was a refreshingly good sageuk-lite drama. I tend to find sageuks repetitive, always having the same plot points, so the emotional impact is lessened because I’ve seen the same thing before. But Tale of Nokdu managed to use some of the sageuk plot elements while putting a twist on them or executing them a different way.
The most obvious is the gender-swapped roles. Tale of Nokdu has a man dressing as a woman, which I have not seen before. It’s not played for a joke really either; sure, they joke about him having small boobs, and he has some funny moments when he acts like a woman, but there’s no “lol look at this guy dressed up as a girl.” It’s played about as seriously as it would be if a girl dressed up as a guy. Nokdu is also investigating a secret group of assassins who are women, which is another gender-swapped element. Many of the characters in the beginning of the show are women. The relationship between the male and female lead is also gender swapped; he’s the bright eyed, cheerful one, and she’s the cold and grumpy one. They do bicker, but it’s all lighthearted stuff. It’s great that he’s open and honest about liking her early on.
The sageuk plot elements do pop up; oh noooo the king is baddddd and we need to put someone else on the throne. But these elements are brought in gradually, and you have a better sense of who all the players are because you’ve spent more time getting to know them. And because you know them and like them, you’re a lot more invested in what happens. So I think the transition from more lighthearted, gender bent sageuk fun times to “oh no the king is bad” sageuk seriousness was really good. It was great that several of the sageuk plot points play out differently than they usually do, because that made it more interesting. It also still kept a lot of lighthearted elements due to the characters, who are a kooky group of people. Nokdu himself is the best character, a sweet boy who is kind and caring but nevertheless willing to fight for those he loves. He is a great and compelling character and the show would not be nearly as good without him. This show never lost sight of what made it good (the characters), but also executed the plot really well.
Tl;dr This was a self-aware sageuk that headed in its own direction rather than going down the well-worn path of most sageuks. The characters are unique and fun, with Nokdu truly being the best of them. Would definitely recommend to those both new and old to the sageuk genre.