I LOVED this drama! I had been anxiously awaiting it from the moment it was announced and despite my usual rule of not watching currently airing dramas, I had planned to watch this one as it aired. Unfortunately, I had a big move right when it was starting so I was unable to start watching it when it first started. In fact, it was if fate was against me watching this drama, as it was over a month before I could start it. However, once I was finally able to see the first episode, I was hooked and had absolutely no problems catching up to the latest episodes. This drama is, in one word, epic! When you first start watching, you think you know what the overall plot is going to be, but along the way, it evolves into something much bigger and more fateful. I really loved the historic period portrayed here, the Joseon of the past caught up in a bitter feud with the Joseon of the future. While watching this drama, I had the sense that it was exactly this period in time which marked the turning point for events that came decades later, and on up into the 20th century. While the story itself was fictional, the time period in which it occurs and all the struggles going on about the Enlightenment, were real and really played out. The cast was absolutely supurb! Lee Jun Ki was phenomenal in his role as a son bent on revenge for his father's murder, and was simply endearing in later episodes as he focuses his energy on protecting the people and the woman he loves. The fight scenes were awesome, and as usual, LJK executes his action scenes flawlessly. The main villian was wonderfully written. I especially liked the character development with him. As the story progresses, you are able to see why he has made the choices he has, and even start to empathize with him a little, even though you are still cheering for Lee Jun Ki to enact his revenge. The main female lead was excellent, imo. So many people have commented how annoying she was, how full of faults, but I disagree. I thought she did a wonderful job playing her role. She is supposed to be a kind, loyal and forward thinking young woman, and she was. I think she had great chemistry with Lee Jun Ki and as the viewer, I could totally feel their emotions for one another. Thier relationship was especially moving, I thought, because Yoon Kang was forever faithful and extremely protective. I just really liked this couple a lot no matter what anyone says! :p I was not as impressed by the second female lead so much. I thought she ws ok, but until the last couple of episodes, I thought her acting rather stiff and her character inconsistent. I did like her relationship with her father, though. I think those scenes were her best scenes. I gave this drama a 10/10. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a historical action drama with romance. It's also a perfect revenge drama. Plus, if you're a fan of Lee Jun Ki, he absolutely shines here.