I don't even know where to begin with this one. The red sleeve genuinely might be the best kdrama that I've ever watched! The show displays important themes of feminism, power, and love. The characters were written attentively. The chemistry between the two leads were perfect. The acting was outstanding but most importantly the script was eloquently made.

Story
When I first started watching the show it was honestly quite funny, I found myself laughing at a few scenes although that quickly changed. I usually avoid Dramas that have lots of episodes that are more than an hour long, but this show was an anomaly. The pacing was just so perfect. I’ve watched a few kdramas where the show was unnecessarily long and the pacing was all over the place, plagued with filler but this drama was the opposite. The show never dragged and was always interesting. I always wanted to know what happened next and was never bored regardless of who was on the screen. In conjunction to the main story line where side stories that left just as big of an impression. The storyline about the Tiger foreshadowed it wasn’t going to be easy for Yi San to be come king. A young Deok Im ripping out that page from the book showed us that she’ll always protect and love her king. The Fairies was one of the best executed storylines it could have been its own drama it was that elevating. Seeing the juxtaposition of Deok Im protecting the one she loves versus fighting alongside women who she shares a strong bond with was captivating. As well as this we see Yi San struggle to become a great King while simultaneously fighting off the reputation of his grandfather and father. The story was NEVER boring each character was written so well. They each had their own backgrounds, flaws, growth, and motivation. We see the downfall of characters because of power, greed, and superstition. There were truly no small parts as every character had a such an important role.

Deok Im
Feminism, women’s rights, and independence were very important big themes throughout the red sleeve and Deok Im was the embodiment! Deok Im is an amazingly written strong female character. To be quite blunt she is a bad b***h! Watching her fall in love was so bitter/sweet. It really was an emotional rollercoaster. The number of internal conflicts Deok Im was facing because she was a woman who worked as a court lady but also a human who fell love. Or because she enjoyed her independence, wanted to live freely, and didn’t want to live as the Kings concubine but inevitable fell for him, she struggled a lot and because of Lee Se Youngs superb acting I struggled with her. I wanted to see them fall in love and be happy, but I also loved the fact that she wanted to be her own person and enjoyed her own hobbies, like reading. Seeing her eventually succumb to love after realising she couldn’t live with him made my heart wrench . I know sacrifices were made that she could have been resentful of, but she really did love him.

Acting
The acting in this drama was too good. The acting was so realistic that it allowed me to be fully immersed into the drama. Jun Ho really was amazing in his role. I cried whenever he cried. Lee Se Young was the star of the show for me and has a new fan! Kang Hoon played a very cunning character that I absolutely hated; I’m looking forward to seeing him play in something else hopefully a character that’s likable this time. There were so many actors in this drama that shined. The quality of acting was astounding, and everyone was amazing. These talented actors came together to make the best kdrama of 2021 and one of the greatest of all time.
I do not have any dislikes and enjoyed every minute!

Overall, I recommend YOU watch this drama you will not regret it. If you are looking for a fictional drama, which is based loosely on true events that happened in Korean history, about love, power, feminism, and strong characters then this is the show for you.