Sword and Flower (2013)

Shades of history mingle with Shakespeare in this exquisite drama depicting the final days of Gorguryeo. Knife and Flower may not be for everyone, judging by low ratings and apparent lack of online buzz. But for those who love divine cinematography, tremendous acting, or stories made beautiful by the telling, don't miss out. This is a sageuk wholly unique from others in its genre. Be forewarned the first episode is shockingly bad; everything in this drama seems experimental in one way or another, but the initial offering equates to the lab exploding just before the scientist achieves unexpected success.

What makes Knife and Flower most alluring will be cinematography. Only full length films can compare with the high quality and artistic direction which can be seen in this drama. Occasionally I tilted my head at an edit, but these moments can be counted on one hand. The world looks deep and authentic, though colors dictate mood and atmosphere. And how about the action scenes, you ask? More than impressive, since most of the actors appear trained and capable.

Like the introduction implies, Knife and Flower marries literary archetypes to elements of reality. Many characters actually existed and several events portrayed actually took place (albeit embellished for dramatic effect). The historical backdrop imparts solid atmosphere, bolstering weaknesses with varying potency. I loved how brutality and unrest, definitive of the times, was neither gratuitous nor shied from; the elegance of the story shines because of the deep tragedy marking it. Some problems exist, admittedly. As in Romeo and Juliet, the love line begins dubiously due to chemistry. The entirety of the "Golden Flower Agency" felt underdeveloped, despite its necessity to plot motion. Execution of the time skip initially had me frowning. In the end, everything comes to maturation with surprising clarity and beauty. The viewer will doubtlessly be bitten and drawn in before they even realize.

Performances in Knife and Flower are incredible, many perhaps even award worthy. Choi Min Soo, in his turn as infamous Yun Gae So Mun, hits the master class. He is mysterious, compelling, and intimidating; if a glance could kill, the entire region would drop dead. But the nuance Choi brings to the role could make even the real thing proud. Uhm Tae Woong and Kim Ok Bin are masters of speaking with the eyes. Reserved silence is required of them, but what isn't said is almost as powerful as the implicit. Others of note include No Min Woo (Nam Sang, of beautiful appearance and withered heart) and Ohn Joo Wan (Bo Jang, a more sympathetic echo of Hamlet).

Music must enhance, not get in the way. After the quirked eyebrow misses of the first episode, the soundtrack honestly excels at this. Orchestrations hit the right notes, especially those tied to suspenseful or moving scenes. Wax provides the tearful anthem "Dear Love," and with lyrics so lovely, whether or not it played meant the difference between dry and wet eyes.

Leggi di Più

I liked Sword and Flower aka Blade and Petal, but it's not for everyone. Though the romantic couple were important, romance was not. The driving force in this drama is a combination of revenge, political intrigue, and of course backstabbing. All 3 were done well. There was much about the production including the sword fights that reminded me of a Spaghetti Western or Wuxia series. It was a very good production with few glaringly obvious contiunity problems. I appreciated the cinematography espcially the angles and shots in a few scenes, the staging, and the costuming. The cast is good and solid, Even No Min Woo's (who seriously needs to gain weight) overacting of the crazy was entertaining. I think the supports, especially Choi Min Soo, Kim Sang Ho, and Ohn Joo Wan carried the series. The ending was lacklustre and strange, but appropriate with the somewhat artsy vibe of the series. Admittedly, it should have been different, but I guess they wanted to pay hommage to Shakespeare.

What I didn't like was the romance. The leads weren't charasmatic and lacked chemistry. They both were much better in scenes with other actors. Together, they were annoying. Uhm Tae Woong is a much better actor than what he was in this. They introduced a couple of really great characters in the last few episodes that should have been introduced earlier. The series would have been the better for it. A few scenes could have been a little tighter and crisper.

All in all, I am glad I watched Blade & Petal. I was looking for revenge & fighting and I got it. I would rewatch scenes, but not the entire series. If you read a synopsis and thought it would follow the classic Romeo & Juliet path with romance seeping out of it's pores, go back and read it again because you missed something. If you appreciate a talented cast and good (not great but good) writing, and a production in it's totality, give it a whirl.

Leggi di Più

After the first few episodes of this show, I was all prepared to give it a 10 and name it one of the best Kdramas of all time, and then the writer apparently suffered from amnesia and forgot where the story was going, did some drugs, decided to pull a prank on the viewers, and just went bat crap crazy in general.

But the awful writing and the equally awful addition of one of the worst villains ever, Yeon Nam Saeng (No Min Woo), aside, I still couldn't go any lower than 8 because this drama was just that beautiful to look at, and because I owe it to the main cast who were stellar (Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Ok Bin, Choi Min Soo and Kim Young Cheol).

I've really never had such mixed emotions about a drama. Sword & Flower is just that gorgeous and well-acted. The directing always stayed strong even when the writing went to hell. The main actors acted the hell out of that terrible script when I'm sure even they knew it was garbage. This drama is just nuts.

So, I guess all I can say is that if you are a visual person like me and you love beautiful and unique (avant garde) directing and cinematography, and are impressed by directing that pushes the boundaries and tells a story more visually than through dialog, then give Sword & Flower a try. You will at least be pleased enough through the visual elements that you will be able to (mostly) overlook the plot. And if you are impressed by good acting, especially with minimal dialog where most of it has to be done through facial expressions, you should also enjoy the main performances. (Just ignore No Min Woo and Park Soo Jin with all your might.) Or, better yet, just watch it without subtitles (after ep 8) then you won't know how bad the writing is. But don't turn down the sound, because the soundtrack is great and better yet is the use of silence.

Leggi di Più

Knife and Flower is a pretty basic periodical drama. The story won't blow you away and there is not a lot of romance, but there are some redeeming qualities that make it worth watching, especially if you like periodical dramas.

positives:

+ Uhm Tae Woong (the male lead) sort of grew on me. He looks terrible at times and then again sometimes quite handsome. It's always nice to feel a character is charismatic even without a botoxed and perfectly symmetric face.

+ No Min Woo (Yeon Nam-Saeng) really surprised me! I never really took his acting seriously before, but in this drama he was actually kinda great as an evil sociopath.

+ The cinematography of this drama was at times very nice - beautiful colors and calm scenes where nothing happens and it is all about the mood of the shot. Sometimes it went a little overboard with the repetitive cuts, where they showed 4 different angles of someone opening a door...

negatives:

- The story was not that good. It did keep me interested, but mostly because of the romantic issues. The politics and backstabbing would have been better with less plot holes. Also it was a story I have seen many times before with different twists.

- Kim Ok Bin (the female lead) was too stiff and expressionless during the entire drama. It was very difficult to understand which emotion she was trying to convey. Also she is known for not having had plastic surgery, but I kept looking at the side profile of her nose... it just looks unnatural. I kept feeling like unlike most of the other actors, she didn't fit into the Goguryeo period. Might sound really dumb, but that was the feeling I got from her appearance.

- I love my overtly romantic dramas and this is not one of those. This is only a personal preference, but I just don't recommend this drama for anyone who watches dramas for the romantic thrills.

Leggi di Più

This is a story of star crossed lovers...very Romeo and Juliet. I'm probably one of the few people that loved the artsy way this was directed. I love the cinematography as well as the setting. Again I wish I could post spoilers, because I have a lot to say and no one to say it to. I really think I should start a blog...if only to get my thoughts out of my head. Anyway, there isn't so much politics in this historical drama to make it boring. There is plenty of sword play and action. I don't get why this drama gets such low ratings.

I am a huge fan of Uhm Tae Woong. He played a great character that suffers the most, but stays true to himself. The way he portrays the emotions of the character feels real to me...like he immersed himself. Kim Ok Bin as the Princess was okay. I didn't feel as deeply for her character as I should. I'm not sure if it is the acting or the writing...maybe a little of both. No Min Woo plays the crazy Yeon Nam Saeng with panache. He may enter the drama late (episode 11), but he steals every scene he is in. The rest of the actors are good too.

I enjoyed the music.

I won't rewatch this.

If you like historical sad love stories, then you should watch this.

Leggi di Più

The truth is that this drama started really bad. I kind understand why the rates are so low. I would also rank the first episode with a low score. I confess that I thought I should give up after watching the first episode but then I thought I could give it a try and now I have no regrets.

It is incredible how this drama became better and better. The acting is so wonderful! You will find yourselves crying along with the actors because their emotions make the scenes look so real!! You just want to know what’s going to happen next! The scenes are unpredictable and everything is interesting. Waiting for the next episode is torturing!!

If you like historical dramas, give this one a try and watch it! Forget about the quality of the first episodes. Soon you’ll see that this has an enormous potential and you’ll become addicted. You’ll fall in love with the actors and the story and probably it will be one of the best dramas you’ll ever see.

Leggi di Più

So after sitting through all 20 episodes and waiting each week for new eps all i have to say is wow. The ending was funny to me but at the same time i kinda got it.

This drama started off slow and corny but it was cute and i stuck with it then around the 5th ep it picked up and wow. It got so good that i couldn't wait for the next week to come around to see the new eps. The acting was really good and the cinematography was excellent.

I have to commend No Min Woo's acting in this drama. Now my love for him is no secret but his acting here made me second guess my love on a serious note. Talk about evil, psychotic and delusional. He was all of that and then some. When an actor can make you love and hate them that's an A+.

So should you watch this drama?? Yes if you like dramas with a barely there romance plot, greed and revenge because the story made sense and the OST is good too. The story makes you come back for more but the ending is open ended.

I think the writers want the viewers to fill in the rest on their own. So to some the ending might not give that closure and for some people might be that "Oh.... Okay????" ending.

Nonetheless i liked the drama but will not be re watching it because it is one of those dramas that you can only watch once and move on.

Leggi di Più

This drama is really difficult to rate, because it's so uneven.

In the beginning, the directing is totally distracting from the story, but don't let that stop you. It dials down a great deal to a normal level. But it stays extremly beautiful all the time. You get a lot of shots and views that are different from other dramas and it's plain fun to look at.

There are a few really strong episodes, but then the story turns weird. Well maybe not weird, but it's lacking a lot in the logic department. I think the writing is this dramas biggest flaw. Sometimes it just seems lazy because they skip steps and don't bother to explain how characters got somewhere. I don't want to elaborate on the story flaws though, or else it might turn spoilerish.

It was still fairly addictive even without plot logic, mostly because the actors did such an awesome job. They had great chemistry and any scene with the two leads just sucked me in.

I liked the OST a lot, but I deducted points because sometimes the music was used inappropriately. I don't like when they use music to hit you over the head with what you're supposed to feel in a scene instead of the music just complimenting the story.

I think the ending is not surprising, but largly fitting. It's just that there was sloppy writing all over, too, which deflates the emotional impact it could have had if handled better.

I'm not much of a rewatcher, but one might want to rewatch this show for the beautiful images and the couple - but only with skipping a lot of the other stuff.

I recommend this to anyone who is bored of all Historicals looking similar. If you want to see something different, this is it.

Leggi di Più

Romeo and Juliet

I am so sad by the low rating and bad reviews i see about this very well made artistic drama. Extraordinary beautiful story. The music is not abusetly used, it is well chosen for the right reasons, at the right time. Silence doesn't mean there is no music in this drama. The cast is well balanced, great chemistry between actors. Every character is extraordinary portrayed by the cast. I'm in heaven by the acting, for there were not many lines, body language and facial expressions, emotion transmitted that way. The filming is remarkable, many distinguished technics for wonderful results. The pace is slow but intentionally that way, there is a balance between the music, frames, acting, istoric period, place of filming, story, emotion. I've alredy watched 3 times and I get same emotions 'till the end, no matter how many times I watched it.

Leggi di Più

HA wat can i say about this drama. It started out extremely good, but just waned down after 2,3,4.... i drop it @ about ep 12,13 & picked back becuz i hate leaving unfinished dramas.
don't get me wrong tho there was some good scenes, Camera angles ( cinematography) were awesome and the music extremely good for the action scenes (the action scenes were good). However all that could not save this drama from my harsh grade of 7. the good aspects i will remember for sure, gosh its just not up to notch.
The Ending smh... so disappointed i expected more, i think the writer let down this drama, for it was indeed beautiful at times.

Leggi di Più

To tell the truth I started to watch this drama because of No Min Woo. And I'm glad that I did It.
I can't say that this drama affected me in some way, but it was rather good. The plot was interesting and it made me watch this drama quicker than I thought. The main actors were rather good. But they were better alone without love story. I agree that there's no chemistry between thwm and that's a pity. Furthermore I wasn't nervous because of them. That's why The Finale wasn't very exciting for me.
But the diamond of this drama is definitely No Min Woo. He is fabulous. He played with his eyes and it was just perfect. He made me fall in love with negative character and it's quite an achievement. I was worried about his character and he made it great. I'm not sure whether I would like this drama without him because he shined. I didn't like the finale it wasn't believable for the No Min Woo character part.
And his character was so well executed, his actions (if we forget about the final episode) were so justified, that I was impressed.
All in all No min Woo was absolutely gorgeous, the plot wasn't bad. If you have some free evenings and you want to watch something with historical events, battles and some intrigues, watch it!

Leggi di Più