Haechi (2019)

Classic in the making

Haechi is drama intense drawing in viewers with never ending, intrigue, action and plot twists of fighting and backstabbing. Never a dull moment. "Political" views seen by these factions are still relevant in today's society. Haechi most certainly stands along side classics such as Nirvana in Fire, which is one of my fav's.

The hero - Jung Il-woo's versatility and acting chops shine throughout this drama. I've seen some of his other works but this drama brings him to forefront. He should play more of these.

Hats off to the director, writers and other cast members whom also contributed to this well played period piece that carries us into the Joeson Era.

Deliciously evil is Jung Moon Sung - whoa I've worked in the psych ward and he definitely fit the bill !! His character did everything to appease his deranged father of becoming king or king material at least. This actor did extremely well in portrayed such a frayed persona. Loved Moon-soo and Dal-moon!

So I highly recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys historical shows

Leggi di Più

Haechi was lengthy but had a nice set of characteres that supported the drama well.

First of all, there were too many characters, but they eventually teamed up for a common cause and it was easier to keep up with the story after that. The story itself was a bit slow at the begining, as the characters were introduced. Then, it was kind of boring and I almost droped it, as it seemed like just another historical drama about corruption and those old mean rich men who just can't make peace with the main character. However, the story picked up eventually. The twists were good, the characters interesting and the drama and action scenes just enough to keep the interest high. However, I found the romance unnecessary, as the story focused more on the political aspect than the love story and thus the later felt like it didn't fit the plot.

So, seven out of ten.

Leggi di Più

The main male lead was great... But, the female lead was just out right painful to watch! The love story was a complete utter disaster! Total fail! She looked like she was going to hurl when they had a kissing scene.
It could have been a good drama, but she ruined it for me completely...

If you don't mind watching a train wreck of a love story and dreaming of pulling out your eyeballs...sure give it a try.

The main male lead was the only reason I stuck with it.

Hopefully kdramas can think about better casting. And make the love stories more believable.

Leggi di Più

This is a great drama. But i recommend that before watching it, know their parents' past. Therefore I recommend watching dong yi. Haechi is like the continuation of Dong yi. Because it will be a little bit confusing if you know nothing about the water maid, jang hui bin, and more. But all in all the acting is great, the story line too.

Go ara's acting really improved a lot. And this drama is good for those who likes strong female leads and not so much romance.

I love how clueless is go ara about il woo's feeling towards her. They are taking it slowly which is great.

Leggi di Più

I came to this series off the back of watching Jung Il Woo in Nightwatchman's Journal and his performance here was definitely one of the highlights of the show, transitioning well from the seemingly thoughtless prince of the first few episodes into gathering a group of like-minded individuals around him solely by sheer force of character. However, I have to say his performance was a little overshadowed by the scenery chewing of Jung Moon Sung as the repulsive Prince Milpung, which was a complete turnaround from the previous series I'd seen him in (Prison Playbook), to the point where I had to check it was the same actor.

Overall, the series looks great and pretty much maintains pace all the way through, though the writers seemed to run out of ideas for what to do with Go Ah Ra's character towards the end and the ending itself kind of fizzled out. Having said that, there were some tremendous set-piece scenes and although I had a rough idea how it was all going to play out, there were a few twists and turns I didn't anticipate. There are a couple of actors whose other work I will definitely be checking out now (Park Hoon being one of them).

One thing that disappointed me was a particular scene where everyone makes fun of Kwon Yool's character in a way that was more than a little homophobic. That seemed completely out of place given the character development up to that point and stuck out as a bit of a glaring 'no homo' moment, especially given the close relationships being fostered within the show itself by the male characters towards one another.

Leggi di Più

Unfortunate letdown

The drama had so much potential, but never managed to break through. The pacing was inconsistent for its elongated cool-down periods and its redundant flimsy 24 episodes. One moment you're going at a steady pace and the next, you're like, "Come on, let's get moving!". These long breaks in between didn't even serve a meaningful purpose like to develop the characters or build up for what's next. It should've been cut down to 10-12 episodes while cutting off the nonsense and focusing on the politics. The story slowed down and became less interesting in the 2nd half when the prince went into the palace. On another note, Go Ah Ra, she didn't fit her role at all, too fragile and soft looking. Strangely, her character (Yeo Ji) got demoted to a guest character in the 2nd half, little to no contribution or screen time. If I have to take a guess, the character didn't really fit the narrative to begin with, so it was hard to keep her around in the 2nd half, which also explains the attempted romance, the writers were desperate.

Leggi di Più

I have read many surveys of whether they should continue watching Haechi or not. I understand the dilema. When I watched Haechi, the first episode wasn't so catchy. However, I got hooked by the character of Park Hoon (Dal Moon) and Kwon Yul (Bak Mun Su). I want to know what will happen to them in the end, especially Dal Moon, he is so mysterious that though I knew a bit which side he will be, his acting made me doubt my thoughts.

Though uninteresting at first, things became interesting the more I watch it. This is a very heart warming drama. It is also insightful. I love how this drama was able to touch hearts. The scene that I can't forget is when Jung Il Woo (Yi Geum) spoke in public and touched the hearts of those commoners. I loved how the camera showed the reactions of the commoners and the guard - that scene gave me a goosebumps.

I like how things ended even for the villain. They have portrayed that even he's a villain, he uas his own struggles.

I don't like dramas that will make me really cry, but if I'll be learning a lot, then I'll give it a shot, so I find Haechi really worth watching.

So, let's go back to the question if whether you should drop or continue. My answer is (with all honesty) continue IF you're not watching any other drama and just looking or waiting for dramas that you will really like. Haechi is not as great as the others but still worth watching and finishing. If you're watching great dramas currently, just keep it in your watchlist, and watch it in case you run out of dramas.

HAECHI
❤❤❤❤❤

#haechi
#jungilwoo
#kdrama
#kdramahookedbylady28
#worthwatchingkdrama

Leggi di Più

My thoughts/ reviews for first 8 episodes of Haechi (no worries, there are no spoilers)
-of course, my main reason in watching this is because of my love for il woo✌ but seriously for me, all kdramas are good, and I watch all genre even this sageuk thing, and Jung Il Woo, the moment I watched him in 49 days, he already proved that he is a versatile actor, he never fails my expectation thats why I really love him until now. I love his role in Haechi, he is a charismatic, strong, and intelligent prince, which he perfectly acted and based on the first episodes, the story is good, i love the characters, the conflicts, solving mysteries and I didnt get bored. I know its too early to judge this kdrama but Im hoping it will maintain the excitement and good storyline. All the best for Haechi team esp. Jung Il Woo, Im happy that you are back w/ a kdrama that will showcase again your superb acting skills like you did in Return of Iljimae, 49 days, Golden Rainbow, and Nightwatchmans Journal ☺

Leggi di Più