As I though I have seen most of the popular dramas out there and didn't know what to watch anymore, I came across this amazing, intense and beautiful drama, a real gem in the kdrama world. One of those which never got you bored, irritated or frustrated, one of those which make you want to watch episode over episode without pause till the end, and then regret finishing it so fast. (I finished it in just two days)

Story
Beautifully written, excellent plot, intense to the point that your heart hurts, and you cry and feel relief with the everyday of the characters. Love, family, friendship, treason, politics, traditions... as many say the korean version of Romeo and Juliet.

Acting/Cast
it's uncommon, a weird exception, but for me this was one of the few dramas in which every single character is play absolutely perfect. From the main to the supporting roles - the main couple, the princess Kyung Hye, Shin Myun, Jo Suk Joo, and the rest.
Moon Chae Won was incredible in this role, her character was strong, determine, intense, reckless and graceful, growing up in every single episode, gaining confidence as she tried to live with her name and her own decisions.
Kim Seung Yoo was no less, he showed so many faces along the series. His character was complex, enchanting, confident, full of despair and sadness, due to the different hardships that life has put on his way. Both of them, had a great chemistry. Their emotions truly surpassed the screen, reaching everyone.

Music
The OST was absolutely unique and original for a drama.
My congrats to the one who made the selection.

Rewatch Value
Should you rewatch this? Of course, I'll surely rewatch this someday.

Don't hesitate to give this drama a chance, you'll fall in love with the story, the characters, the setting and the music!!

Leggi di Più

Story
Faith tells the love story between Captain Choi Yeong and the 21st century doctor Yoo Eun Soo.
It's a story that begins lightly and somewhat comically, but then starts to take pace and drama with the running of the episodes. Maybe the first ones are a little slow and they don't catch you, but then the drama begins to get your attention. Not everything that happens is totally predictable, which is appreciated.
One of the factors that makes this drama very exciting is that the context in which it's developed is true. King Gongmin, Queen Noguk, General Choi Yeong and Gi Cheol, brother of the Empress of Yuan, are all characters who existed in real life, and whose lives are very interesting to investigate.
We are talking about the beginning of the reign of King Gongmin, in 1351, Goryeo, a kingdom in constant political and social instability, subdued before the might of the Yuan Empire. Here the kings are not shown as imposing characters, do not have the total respect and support of the court and their people. There are political conflicts in the throne and struggles between different factions, which although exposed in the drama are not treated with sufficient depth, adorned by elements of fantasy, such as the temporal journey itself and the use of magic or "internal energy" by some characters. All these factors complement the main point of this drama, which is the love story between the two protagonists and the decisions they must make between what is right and what they really want.

Direction, Editing and others
This is a drama with a lot of potential, which could have been excellent.
I don't know the reasons, if it was because of low budgets or personal tastes, but it had many flaws and imperfections for me that even the excellent performance of the protagonists could not rescue:
* The editing of video and music was horrendous, mainly the way they finished and started the different scenes.
* Scenery, staging and costumes were very basic and simple, especially if one is accustomed to other great dramas such as Empress Ki, Iljimae, Moon Lovers, etc.
* Terrible effects, mainly those of the blood (wounds of sword), flashes and powers.
* Some quick moves and fight scenes looked like a cheap copy of the well-known Chinese historical films.
* Repetitions of some resources for the same characters (without spoilers).
It was a real pity, but despite all the shortcomings, the story itself makes one to "ignore" them.

Acting / Casting
It is the most prominent category of this drama, and what saves it from much of its shortcomings.
The two protagonists, Lee Min Ho (General Choi Yeong) and Kim Hee Sun (Doctor Yoo Eun Soo), have great chemistry and play their roles magnificently. They show a very sweet romance, which develops slowly, in which words are not necessary and in which only a few gestures and looks are enough. Both grow and change with the circumstances that come across throughout history. They make an excellent couple.
Also noteworthy are the actors who play the Woodalchi, showing courage, loyalty and camaraderie.
Among the antagonists, I rescued perhaps Yoo Oh Sung (Ki Cheol), but for the most of them I was not convinced.
The interpretation of the royal couple was good as a secondary but I was not impressed, they did not transmit so much chemistry.

Music
The selection of music, songs and instrumental, was very good, really, one you remember even after ending the series.
There were themes to highlight such as:
* Carry On, Ali
* Because My Steps Are Slow, Shin Yong Jae (4MEN)
* Bad Guy, Jang Hye Jin & MC Sniper
Sadly, the horrendous quality of video editing overshadowed this incredible music.
I really recomend you to look out for the OST of this series.

Rewatch Value
I'm not a "rewatch person", but I must admit that this one has certain scenes that I would like to watch several times, mainly those ones that show us our favourite couple ^^

Conclusion
I really liked Faith and I'm glad I saw it. What I rescued the most is the love story of Choi Yeong and Yoo Eun Soo. So if you like romance I totally say GO FOR IT!!

Leggi di Più

The drama hooked me, I finished it in three days, I liked it but it didn't convinced me. Maybe because having watched a lot of historical dramas, I'm used to more deep and melodramatic stories.
I wanted to try this one after reading the summary.

It's a short drama, only 16 episodes long, and it mainly focused in the process of selection of the queen and the resolution of the cases in which Kang Eun Bo's family was involved.
It's adequate in terms of politic intrigues, nothing new, but poor in terms of palace and harem topics compare to other dramas.
The romance was so-so for me, they had their scenes, but I didn't felt the chemistry between the leads at all.

Lee Gyung (Male lead): his character was really weak for a king, which was really annoying, always being trampled down by others. I didn't like the actor's performance either, it wasn't natural.

Kang Eun Bo (Female lead): she's quite reserve and depends on others a lot. Don't expect a "Mulan" type of personality, she's more of a "damsel in distress" type.

My favourite side character was Wal. He was loyal, friendly and caring.

The music was beautiful and memorable, the song keeps playing on my mind.

The costumes and scenaries were eyecatching.

Rewatch value? No no, I won't watch it again.

I enjoyed the drama and it wasn't boring, I don't regret watching it but it didn't fascinated me.

Leggi di Più