Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (2019)

Loved it!

One word: Amazing!

I absolutely loved everything about this show and have so many good things to say about it.

Originally, I started this show because I really enjoy Shin Sae-Kyeong's acting, and of course, she did not disappoint. This drama only made me like her more.

This is my first historical kdrama, I never watched any before because I thought they wouldn't be for me. But after watching this one, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

As far as the actual show, the plot and chemistry between the leads was everything I needed! They were just so cute. Another thing I loved about this show was the comedic timing, it was just so funny and had me laughing quite a lot. I found all the side characters very lovable and funny as well. All the outfits/props/scenery were just so beautiful I found myself at awe many times.

I'm always a fool for a good romance, I highly recommend this one!

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Spoonfed bias sociopolitics

This is one of the best examples I've came across to what I like to call a "cosplay show", it had little to no serious consideration for its proposed era. The trend continued when the drama started to get preachy from a modern society point of view while being in no position to allow it to attempt such a thing. These could have been avoided if the drama was a parody, of which, it was not. There were obvious other problems and inconsistencies too, but what stood out the most was the mundane sequences filling the biggest portion of the drama, these were a real brain rot.

What did the drama want to be? A social commentary, a political play, a profession spotlight, a slice of life, or a light romcom? It never embraced any aspect of fully committed to a theme. Whenever it tried to delve deeper, it pulled itself back up to the surface. Unsuccessful mix, regardless. There were other points to be made about the cast, chemistry, and romance but I don't feel like repeating myself.

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Fear of Change

“Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung” is a simply delightful series tackling the time-long theme of dealing with change. History is wrought with periods where the “old guard,” the traditionalists, the people who believe that things are working when they no longer are, battle against those who seek to embark a more effective way of doing things.

Some countries, throughout history, endeavor to fight and even change the course of history by seeking to eradicate those trailblazers who bring about different ways of doing things. The irony about change is that Life IS change, and those who refuse to change will eventually be run over by it.

Goo Hae Ryung is a very progressive woman for the time period: Joseon in the mid-1800s or so. She doesn’t seek to get married, and invariably enjoys reading books to enhance her knowledge. When openings for female historians opens up at the palace, Goo Hae Ryung jumps at the opportunity. However, she knows that she will be tested by the male-dominated culture and those who firmly believe that women have absolutely no business educating themselves.

The ”historian” position is a fascinating one. It’s a branch of the Office of Decrees whose job is to objectively document everything said and done by the royal family. A historian is always present during political meetings and even everyday activities. Their goal is to make sure that the truth of what happens is persevered and not doctored or altered in any way. Their job is such that not even members of the royal family or other members of the government are allowed to even read what is written down. This is an intriguing position given that historically throughout the world, history is always told by the victors and it’s never about truth. For if it were about truth, then both sides would need to be told. Seldom does this ever happen.

Prince Yi Rim is the youngest son of the royal family. He’s basically isolated in his own housing and has virtually nothing to do with the day-to-day governing of the country. In fact, he’s purposely kept away from such things. His true delight is writing romance novels under a pseudonym, and it’s here that he initially befriends Goo Hae Ryung, even though she has no idea that he’s royalty. A funny and slightly tense friendship blossoms.

As with so many Korean dramas, there is far more than meets the eye as the story unfolds. We find out that a small town came under attack by the current king, citing Western influences in science, education, and medicine where those involved were seeking to overthrow the current regime. Of course, behind so many kings in history, the true power rested with Second Chancellor, Min Ik Pyung. Who fears the coming change so much that he implemented a coup against the previous king and put the king’s brother on the throne whose own policies mirrored his own. And so, those who’ve been put down seek to rise up and put the only true member of the royal family, on the throne: Prince Yi Rim.

Little does Goo Hae Ryung realize that her own origins stem from the same place and time as Prince Yi Rim’s. Both seek to find out the truth about their origins and how and why they find themselves at the very heart of the conflict. And as they struggle to find the truth, a sweet, loving relationship blossoms.

Goo Hae Ryung is no wallflower, which is what makes her so appealing. She isn’t afraid to initiate contact. In fact, she kisses Yi Rim first! She also has absolutely no problem speaking her mind about things. She even becomes mildly flustered when she realizes that Prince Yi Rim has no real skills to speak of outside of his ability as a writer. She even jabs him with that, stating, “you think you know everything about women!” Clearly, he doesn’t.

Cha Eun Woo gives Prince Yi Rim boyish qualities. This isn’t a slight against the character. It’s simply a perfect interpretation of a man who’s seen and experienced virtually nothing in the world. He has a sweet smile that often causes Goo Hae Ryung to laugh and chuckle. It’s a smile filled with innocence and naivety, and it fits him well. However, as Prince Yi Rim begins to learn more about what is really going on around him, we find that he’s a much stronger man than even he realizes.

Shin Sae Kyeong gives us a Goo Hae Ryung who is progressive and strong but also gives us a very feminine woman. She’s sweet, loving, and it’s obvious that she cares deeply for Prince Yi Rim as well as for uncovering the truth. She doesn’t waver in her principles or ethics about doing what is right and seeking to uncover the truth about what happened 20 years ago to the dethroned king and the historian who was executed for refusing to give up his daily record (his book of recorded discussions and events).

What made the series all the more effective was the fact that there was real chemistry between Cha Eun Woo and Shin Sae Kyeong. They both seemed to enjoy their prospective roles and interactions a lot!

The series’ theme is as ancient as history and time itself. There have always been those who refuse to embrace change. Even today, there are governments and regimes struggling to hold onto a past and a way of doing things that is no longer effective. Throughout time and history, many people have been killed for seeking to embark upon change. This is another reason why trailblazers are among the most powerful and courageous of people; those who “get the ball rolling” even if it costs them their lives. Goo Hae Ryung is such a person and an inspiration to many.

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Strong Female Lead !!!!

I absolutely loved this drama for many reasons. But specially wanted to mention female lead's strong character and the screenplay. It's so refreshing to see plot points which showed western influence on the Korean culture. I loved the female lead from run on in which she has a very solid characterization, but surprised to see same characterization in ancient set. Crown prince, his sense of righteousness and his heartwarming smile definitely make us to love the series more. Lastly I am very much in love with the ending of the drama, it's so satisfying to see crown prince become king because he knew the problems of people, he has all the skillset a king is expected to have compared to dowon prince, he deserved the throne and male and female leads living in together without succumbing to the then customs perfectly suited the direction in which whole series was going. Perfect story, perfect screenplay and perfect ending.

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Great Saeguk but the final Episode made no sense

I loved this story for the way it presented Korean history/culture in its interactions with its neighbors and the west and inverted gender stereotypes by making the FL level-headed and cynical while the ML was romantic and optimistic. I loved the political intrigue and tension, the insight provided into the roles of everyone in the Joseon court and bureaucracy. The custuming and cinematography were beautiful which reinforced why I love saeguks. The series was always fascinating and informative.

It was consistent in this until the final episode when the writers suddenly could not make decisions about how to end the series. The ending is nonsensical and shambolic and ruined an otherwise interesting series.

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The headedstrong apprentice and the naive prince

I try to avoid watching sageuk dramas as much as I can because of these common tropes.
- the "strong" FL
- the handsome ML
- court intrigue involving a puppet king and corrupt court officials
- clan rivalries
If you've finished one sageuk drama, then you've already finished most of them.

Korea must have hated their monarchy to a point where they almost never appear good or in actual control of the situation. The monarchy is either represented as being corrupt of being mere puppets.

This is another example of a noona romance that is if you don't mind seeing an ML who is not yet legally adult during the "courtship" bumble his way about the FL who is late into the socially acceptable marriageable age at the time. Although I'm a fan of noona romances, I must admit being disturbed and cringing at the interaction between the FL and the ML. Perhaps because the series primarily centered around the female point of view instead of the male POV. I also felt like the romance between the leads was unnecessary. They could simply have focused on the court historian portion of the story.

This series is notorious for its tonal shift from being a romcom to being a serious sageuk in the latter part of the series with the last episodes being too rushed to be fully satisfying.

Regardless of the villains getting their just desserts, they still succeeded in making sure that the true heir to the throne never becomes interested in being king by starving him of freedom and knowledge while growing up. So the bad guys still won while the audience is fooled into thinking the Male Lead's freedom is all that he deserved.

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Sabe uma história que consegue mesclar vários elementos legais, seja ele romance, comédia, ação, drama e suspense, da melhor forma e nas doses mais certeiras possíveis? Então... Se você estava procurando por uma história assim, se liga nessa dica!⠀
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Também conhecido como A Historiadora, esse é um dorama de 2019 disponível na Netflix e que foi uma grata surpresa para mim nesse ano. Eu não tinha quase nenhuma experiência com doramas históricos, os chamados sageuks, porque em grande parte os achava um tanto maçantes no quesito drama e não tão leves como costumo gostar. Ao me deparar com Rookie Historian, porém, vi algumas brechas para bons momentos de descontração no enredo e entre seus personagens, além de ter o Eun Woo do ASTRO como um dos protagonistas, então resolvi dar uma chance e... QUE BOM QUE EU FIZ ISSO!
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Eu não poderia ter encontrado doses mais acertadas dos mais diversos gêneros! Além do cunho histórico da trama, que se passa na Era Joseon, o enredo que começa com o foco na historiadora Goo Hae-Ryung e no jovem príncipe Yi Rim, logo se desenrola também em torno de outros personagens, dentro e fora do palácio, e vai se aprofundando desde tramas políticas entre a própria família real quanto entre os demais trabalhadores do lugar, até levantar várias reflexões e dilemas desde fé, religião, liberdade de expressão e muito mais.⠀
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É um drama que vai muito além do romance, que é só um dos destaques da trama, mas que nem por isso passa batida. Pelo contrário, se dá em doses certas para nos fazer apegar e torcer pelo casal mais e mais, bem como a torcer pelos protagonistas e os demais personagens em suas respectivas batalhas pessoais. ⠀
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Foram vários os momentos que Yi Rim e o eunuco e damas de companhia me leveram às risadas, foram vários os momentos em que Hae-Ryung me fazia admirá-la cada vez mais por sua garra e coragem, dentre tantas outras coisas que eu poderia citar, mas que prefiro deixar em suspense para que vocês assistam e se deliciem com tudo assim como eu me deliciei e me envolvi!

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I barely watched korean drama since scarlet heart ryeo who really turn me into a crybaby and made my heart broken.

I happen to watched Rookie because of this handsome evil cha eun woo I find him very talented and so goo hae ryung. Imagined my peaceful life until I encounter again this drama rookie made me crazy again.

The story is very interesting I can't wait for episode 6 and more. Unfortunately, episode 5 gave me goosebumps they goo hae ryung and cha eun woo specially the last part really made me cried.

I dunno if i can still sleep i really have an heart ache. Excellent no wonder this drama can get thr highest rating. Very interesting story and each character. Can't wait for more . Keep visiting on midnight if there's an update.

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I was a bit apprehensive to watch this because I've heard the buzz about cha eunwoo's "bad" acting skills. I can honestly say that those who criticized his skills don't have a good grasp of the character he plays (yet). The reason why I like this drama (so far) is because of the two leads. It's very rare to see a strong-willed and fearless female lead (especially in historical dramas) and it honestly gives me mulan-esque vibes. On the other hand, I find eunwoo's character also very unique, as you don't see "meek" or "soft" princes that often in historical dramas.

Overall, the story has really captivated me and I can't wait to see how the plot unfolds.

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