It is worth watching for the comedy and cute romance. Chemistry was great with the leads. Plus, no Face Tune blur of the faces that leave actors looking like they are wearing smeared masks. Imagine seeing a pimple, a few or chicken pox marks in a new Chinese drama! The actors look natural. Their makeup actually matched the skin tones which is rare to find these days!
Budget was low, but, it did not detract from the story or the comedy. You will notice the costumes are not custom made to each actor or may be a bit wrinkled from multiple uses. There are fewer extras, soldiers and court nobles. These do not detract from the entertainment value.

Story
The base story is the standard palace drama where power struggles and back hall machinations take place daily. The young emperor has to establish his leadership against the typical power hungry competitors. He is supported by a girl dressed as a eunuch. This is no earth shattering epic drama. The story is light hearted and very funny at times. There are enough dramatic episodes to add variation and closure. No frustrating cliff hangers in a drama that is half the length of typical dramas and succeeds in bringing the drama to a satisfying end.

Acting/Cast
I was pleasantly surprised the male lead was ruggedly handsome and not a typical idol. He played his character well. He was a good match for the female lead. They had very good chemistry. Their comedic timing was also good. The emperor was straight faced and stoic but isolated from the real world. The girl was bubbly and streetwise. Their interactions seemed natural. I would like to see these actors paired in a modern romantic comedy.
The supporting characters were good. They enhanced the entertainment value of the drama.

Music
The music is not bad at all. This is a rom-com and not a documentary or historical heavy drama. The popular music that is the introduction to every episode has a touch of rock. It shows up again when the king makes a big entrance. It was the first sign this drama is more comedy than drama and viewers should not take it too seriously. Most of these palace dramas get boring when they try too hard to be authentic and overly dramatic.

Rewatch
I would not rewatch from start to finish. But, I will definitely rewatch the cute parts between the leads and the funny parts of the supporting casts.

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Story - 9 A story close to reality without the forced relationships and nonsensical situations found in cookie cutter family dramas. This one is not afraid to throw salt in the wounds and make a viewer uncomfortable since the feelings of loneliness, rejection and failure can happen to anyone. Being at the top of the charts for weeks for weekly views without massive action scenes or the typical threesomes is a testament to the quality of the storyline.

Acting/Cast - 10. The cast is made up of seasoned veterans that bring about a realistic take on the daily life and issues of a dysfunctional family. The actor playing the father and patriarch of the family was superb! He is well matched to the actors playing his children. It’s a great cast.

Music - 8 The music fits the life of the lead character, the father, and will be popular for his age group. There won’t be any rush for OST spinoffs.

Rewatch - 9. This will be good to rewatch after the raw emotions have subsided to be able to pay more attention to the plot without taking sides as the drama will force one to vehemently pick sides during the first watch. There is no middle ground the first time one watches this.

Overall Score 9 The drama is excellent and definitely worth watching.

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The biggest take from this film is there compassion in even the most bleak places.

Story: The story is as dark as the description with a messages of redemption and the value of a human. But, it was told at a steady pace with a believable subject matter. It’s riveting and at times hard to watch without feeling upset at the environment and conditions face by the main character. It was hard to put down. 9/10

Cast: Outstanding! One can forget this is just a movie and believe the main leads have experienced some of the tragedies depicted. 10/10

Music: Dark and dreary. But, well suited for the movie. Almost perfect. 9/10

Rewatch value: Wirth rewatching once the tears stop. 8/10

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This heartwarming 2 episode short story has more impact than some of the long dramas. It is definitely worth watching more than once.

Summary: A short and sweet drama with enough suspense and romance to make it worth watching. The set of well experienced cast members along with the good storyline created a solid drama with nothing lacking. Viewers that like the disheveled oppa version of Kim Kang Woo from the drama My Husband Oh Jak Doo will get to see a bit more of it here. 8.5/10

Cast: The cast is well seasoned with plenty of varied experiences. The male leads, actors Shin Goo as the father and Kim Kang Woo as his restless son, are perfectly paired for their respective roles so much so that one forgets they are acting out a drama. Their timing and delivery are in sync with each other. Kim Kang Woo sheds his modern Seoul smooth style and contemporary model looks to reprise the back country scruffy man similar to his role in My Husband Oh Jak Doo. They are matched against actress Lee Seol who provides a believable combination with the male leads. There are not many credits to her name. But, she definitely has the talent that will land her more lead roles

Story: The story moves very quickly being only 2 episodes. There were nothing lacking and it built up intensity to the end. Saying much more will spoil the drama. But, I was very satisfied with the ending.

Music/Sets/Costumes: These are all in line with the plot. The small family store setting could be anywhere in agricultural small town areas. They added to the story without being obtrusive.

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Screenplay and direction by John Woo gives high expectation for this movie. This is watchable for the action. But, is not John Woo's best work. It's middle range. The dialogue is second to the action scenes which take up 80 percent of the drama if not more!

Story: Made simply to compliment the shootouts! The dialogue was more like transitions to the next fight scene. The ending was cliche and cringey almost comedic.

Cast: Casting is typical for Japanese films with experienced actors. Ha Ji Won and Stephy Qi add the beauty factor. All the cast performed well.

Music: The music was appropriate for an action movie. Nothing memorable.

Rewatch value: Average. Not something I want to see again.

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Summary: Highly recommended!
The movie left me with a different feeling than expected. Thought this would be drama with a lot of comedy. Fortunately, it provided a realistic perspective that may not satisfy everyone, but, was brutally honest most of the time.
Overall, the movie is worth watching more than once. The storyline is supported by an experienced and talented cast that walks in stride with the plot and they are not dragged down by it.

Story
The storyline has depth, authenticity and flows at a proper pace to not feel boring. There is less than 2 hours to transport the viewer back to the 60s to a war and environment where most were not even born or even taught in school especially for non-asians. As a non-asian, I appreciate the glimpse of life and times during that era. The story showed a slice of life of those forced or voluntarily took on hardships to survive. The best part is the viewer can clearly see both sides of those in control and those being controlled without needing to take sides to ostracize anyone. You can see they are human with faults and also some good characters, essentially they are human and you can't put yourself above it while viewing this movie.

Cast/Acting
The strong cast is a plus in this, as expected, lead by the boyish pure vibe delivered well by Ethan Ruan as the brand new soldier cast into unorthodox surroundings. His facial expressions are the best especially when confused. This calls for a serious role playing of all cast members and they delivered.

Music
The music reflected the times and environment of the late 60s and early 70s in that region. It would not make the grade today since today's music are rarely composed of real instruments. Don't expect modern day techno songs or the latest pop single to make viewers more comfortable. That would stain this movie.

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