My Country: The New Age (2019)

A Tale of Epic Proportions

My Country: The New Age is a Korean drama that takes viewers on an unforgettable journey set during the turbulent transition period of the late Goryeo Dynasty to the Joseon Dynasty. As a history enthusiast and avid K-drama lover, I was immediately drawn to the series, hoping for a captivating narrative, well-developed characters, impressive production quality, and an enchanting soundtrack. While the drama excels in many aspects, it does suffer from a few shortcomings.

One of the standout elements of My Country: The New Age is undoubtedly its intricate and engrossing storyline. The drama skillfully weaves together historical events with fictional narratives, creating a captivating tapestry that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The pacing is well-balanced, allowing the plot to develop organically while maintaining a sense of intrigue and suspense. The intricate political machinations, power struggles, and deep-rooted friendships add depth and complexity to the story, keeping the audience invested throughout the drama's run.

The characters in My Country: The New Age are multi-dimensional and undergo significant growth and transformation. Seo Hwi (played by Yang Se-jong) and Nam Sun-ho (played by Woo Do-hwan) deliver stellar performances, effortlessly portraying the complexities of their respective characters. The evolution of their friendship amidst betrayal, heartbreak, and loyalty is a standout aspect of the drama, leaving a lasting impact on the viewers. The supporting cast also shines, with notable performances by Jang Hyuk as Yi Bang-won, the enigmatic and ambitious prince, and Kim Seol-hyun as Han Hee-jae, a resilient and determined young woman. The chemistry between the actors is palpable, and their emotional portrayals truly immerse the audience in the story.

The production values of My Country: The New Age are commendable, showcasing meticulous attention to detail in recreating the historical backdrop. The costumes, set designs, and cinematography transport viewers to the era, making every scene visually captivating. Additionally, the visual effects employed throughout the drama are seamless, seamlessly blending with the narrative without overpowering it. From intense battle sequences to quiet moments of reflection, the production team has done an exceptional job in creating a visually stunning world.

The OST of My Country: The New Age is a beautiful companion to the drama, effectively capturing the emotional essence of each scene. The music enhances the storytelling and adds depth to the characters' emotions. Memorable tracks like "Someday, The Boy" by Kim Feel and "Drunk on Love" by BTOB leave a lasting impression and perfectly complement the narrative.

While My Country: The New Age boasts many strengths, it does have a few shortcomings. At times, the pacing can feel slow, particularly during certain political subplots, causing the story to lose some momentum. Additionally, some viewers may find the complex web of relationships and political intrigue overwhelming, making it challenging to fully grasp the nuances of the narrative.

Overall, I would give My Country: The New Age a solid 8.5 out of 10. The story is captivating, the actors deliver exceptional performances, the production quality is impressive, and the OST is emotionally resonant. The chemistry between the characters, particularly Seo Hwi and Nam Sun-ho, is palpable, leaving a lasting impact on the audience. While the drama may not be without its flaws, it remains an engrossing historical tale that deserves recognition. With its rich storytelling, exceptional performances, and rewatch value, My Country: The New Age is a must-watch for fans of historical dramas and those seeking a riveting and emotional journey through the annals of Korean history.

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This must have cost a fortune in fake blood!

The main characters were sliced and diced a dozen times each but survived and recovered every seemingly mortal wound until they were finally able to kill them in the last episode (spoiler).

One can easily understand, since the very beginning, that this historical drama (set during the years of transition between the Goryeo and Joseon dynasty) is founded on fighting scenes. In fact, they had some legitimately cool shots of angry, pirouetting men with big swords and fancy headbands. Also, there is a strong undercurrent of honorable machismo throughout.
Fighting scenes enthusiasts will surely like this drama.

The first and the second strife of princes are true historical events here narrated with liberties and a very soft political commentary on absolute monarchy and power established on the bloody sacrifice of common people.
All of it is topped with a sprinkle of bromance here and there, a spray of father-son relationship (either problematic or prematurely truncated) and the required damsel in distress (available in a triad of queen, sister and kisaeng madame who once cross-dressed while rebelling against the king).

I hardly cared for any of the characters, so I can say the writing was not my cup of tea, although I greatly appreciated the fanservice in the first episode with the two hunks smiling and bathing together.
I also loved that my boo, Woo Do-hwan (We met for The king: eternal monarch and he really became my sole reason to keep watching that) smiled a lot and had beautiful, shiny, very manly long hair.

The last, but definitely not the least, honorable mention goes to Jang Hyuk who always slays. I love him!
His last scene is the coolest.


Female Empowerment Score 1/5

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The story of this one is unforgivably dumb

Up to about the halfway point I really enjoyed watching this k-drama. Great actors and acting, good cinematography a decent script. But then the story really took a nosedive and I started loathing My Country for all the things that just did not make any sense, the gratuitous killing of main characters for the sole purpose of generating an emotional response, etc. At that point, given the opportunity, I would have strangled the writers of this drama. Rather than simply murdering the main villain which would not have been a problem and would have solved all problems, the protagonist's elaborate plot to get the villain into trouble involves stabbing himself, putting a couple of arrows into a collaborator, etc. This insane plan actually works out, ... for about a millisecond, before the villain is back in villain action. Not surprisingly, and for no apparent reason the hero dies at the end. Come on! I hope that this review contains enough spoilers to deter many of you from wasting your time on this k-drama.

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Unpopular Opinion.This show is partially Hit and partially Miss.

Production,direction and cinematography in good levels.Nohing stunning.Good but basic. For a 2019 Drama i expected more.

The Music Department failed, big time, to dress this Drama properly.
Songs and music was excellent but way too modern for a Historical Drama.Unfortunately a total misfit.Especially the theme over all the fighting scenes!!Watch just one of those scenes and you will understand what exactly iam talking about.That music carpet is the perfect match to a modern action movie or series.Totally out of place when you watch a swords fighting scene.Many times i found myself distracted by it and i was really annoyed.


One of the main reasons i started watching this was Yi Bang Won.And yes,these days this historical figure is my fixation so i want to watch anything related to him.
Jang Hyuk is such a charismatic and gifted actor,he managed to own his character without been consumed by his over written role.
His acting deserves a 10 but the overall is an 8 just because to me everyone's acting felt too much.Many times the main characters exaggerated.I don't blame the actrors but every role was over- dramatically written.And i guess the actors acted accordingly.Over the top.


I will not talk about the romance as this factor never gets my interest.Iam not interested but every drama has a bit of romance so i just have to suck it.During the romantic moments my attention was somewhere else.It is not heavy though.Is the kind of romance where after one kiss and a long time separation(which you have been in hell during this period)you still "love" and thinking of that one person.Oh well,this plotline never works for me.But i guess if you like it i can say the romance was cute and sweet.


I came here after watching Six Flying Dragons,Tree With Deep Roots and few movies about the same historical era and characters..So if you have watched those 2 Dramas you are familiar with the historical frame,events and people who changed the country.

I was excited to watch another Drama as i wanted to view any aspect of the History and wanted to take a bit of something from every movie or series.
Of course this is loosely based on history but mostly is fictional.But this was ok with me.
I was too spoiled by the above Dramas so i was expecting to watch well executed schemes, heavy politics,plans,plots,traps and intrigue.
The viewer here is just assuming all these.Everyone has his own agenda but we get to see only the results,the outcome, without knowing the previous steps taken or the procedure.I wanted to be a part of it.To make my brain think along with the protagonists,to scheme with them all the way.This detail took the fun out for me.

The same applies to the time jumps this drama has.Nothing is explained about what happened during those missing years,we don't get any hints and we just assume the leads became stronger,richer,smarter..whatever.No i want to experience all the changes and events and reasons why the heroes and the vilains became like that at the end.I want to see their progress,their interactions,a part of the life they had before you throw me back to..present.After all is a 16, over one hour each, episodes drama so you had plenty of time to expand the story further.

I thought the drama is all about ideals and dreams about a new better country.
Maybe iam too dumb but i never understood the main reason the 2 friends drifted apart.I mean the real reason they ended up enemies.
All the misunderstandings,the grudges,the decisions they made was just too childish to me.
The story has a bad revenge plot.Both main leads supposed to"fight" for their ideals ,which never were clear enough during the whole drama.They chose parts without any ground,led only by circumstances.And they both ended up hating and wanting revenge on the same person.But still were enemies!Of course although their friendship was in bad terms all the time,we clearly see it was too strong to break,and they dearly loved each other.But as others well said,all this was just a repetitve pattern which stressed and tired me so much.So the whole "friends to enemies"trope was lame,bad executed and unnecessary to me.And sadly this is the main core of the story and the reason failed to excite me,overall.

Also too many flashbacks.And i don't mean those which explains the current situation and events.I mean just the same scenes all over again and again played as a broken record inside characters heads.I fed up because didn't add anything to the plot.The definition of fillers!

For me literally everything ended at episode 12.It should.It didn't..How on earth you pierce one's body with a sharp sword,through and through and he is still alive?That was the final drop for me.I overlooked dozen of those scenes where heavily injured human beings stand up and walk after 5 minutes.Yes this drama has many unrealistic scenes.But this one..too much,way too much to take.Im sorry for the mild spoiler.


Also one of the revenge plots was one of the many unreasonable issues in this drama.Until that point revenge made-kinda-sense.After was just crap.The new plan was to take revenge on the person who killed the one you wanted to kill for years.The target of your own revenge.Instead of been thankful,you get mad.Well im sorry for my plain thinking here.You lose your integrity the moment the seed of revenge grows inside your heart.Is a mean to an end.That simple.Anyhow as i said everything went downhills really fast after the 12th episode.As if wasn't a hot mess already.


The Second Lead Syndrome strikes again.After Lee Bang Won,obviously my fave char,Nam Sun Ho was the second best thing to love.More Complex and deeper character,made the most rational and hard decisions compared to Seo Hwi,who behaved in the most childish way from episode 1 to 16.Sun Ho does everything in his power to protect Seo Hwi for so many years.Yes he chose the hard way,nevertheless he was only been appreciated at the very end..He is a great friend concealing his motives and let everyone think he just want to harm Seo Hwi.Well at some point to me ended to be the fool .At the end iam not really sure if both knew what they were fighting for.The screenwriter did a very poor job creating the characters.Its really a shame.

I couldn't feel for our main lead,couldn't root for him.He was one of the most annoying hero characters ever.He was too superficial,too melodramatic without any character development.Seo Hwi was never the right material to make a great leader.He was always the dog,barking and biting and chasing Prince's tail.Unfortunately Nam Jeon was all right about this.

For me there are not good and bad guys.It was one and the same.Just indifferent.And this makes a drama ..not good.
The main villain(as i can name more than one here.The "bad guy"'s role is confusing depending on which side you stand for)always keeps his position and power.Always is been excused by the(very weak and occasionally coward)King who turns a blind eye,supporting Nam Jeon,like a fool. The whole world is falling apart and the King is like "who dares to oppose me?"Nam Jeon always threatening to kill our protagonist.And vice versa of course.And the years are passing by and they keep throwing threats to each other and running into an endless loop.Too tiring,indeed.

I don't care about the morality of the characters.I rarely judge them and to be honest most of the time i do love those who live in the grey areas.What annoyed me the most was the lack of depth of Sun Ho's char.You named him your main lead so Mr Writer you had to work harder on building this char with many layers.How you expect to make a successful Drama wihout strong characters?You cannot count only on Prince,who lets be honest carried the whole drama on his back.



Epilogue:
I gave a perfect 10 to SFD.A well deserved 10.Here the 7 is the best i can give.For all the reasons explained.I cannot solely rate this drama based only on the 2 good characters in it,but only as a whole.And it failed me so the 7 ,which is my average rate, is what it gets from me.If in your watch list is SFD and TWDR,watch those 2 as you can easily skip this one.As i said i mostly started this because of the Prince Lee Bang Won.I finished it only because of Jang Hyuk's amazing performance.So if you are a fan of him is the only reason i can recommend this drama to you!

P.s.The two hottest men holding fans,always and forever be Lee Bang Won and Wen Ke Xing from Word of Honor!

Lire davantage

Easily one of my favorites!

So I'm honestly gonna keep it brief cause haha I suck at making to much detailed reviews. But I will give my up most honest and as complete as possible feedback. So in terms of storyline, I can say out of most shows Ive watched that follow this era and theme, it's easily climbed my top three favorites. The story was pretty complete and kept my attention, even at the beginning while everything was still unfolding. The skips in time I felt were very well placed and didn't leave to much to wonder, they didnt come at akward places where it would cause confusion or I mean I didn't for me it everything works different for others. The actors I felt were very well picked, they fit the appearance, themes and personalities quite well so I can't complain to much there. The rewatch value... oh boy, it's there, it's a show I could VERY easily watch again. . . however the ending was definitely not the ending I expected or was wishing for. It was a very bittersweet ending, it very much made my heart ache and my stomach sore from the amount of tears I had to hold back for I would have cried loud enough to wake my entire household haha. Despite its ending through I can be honest enough on just how much visual value this show has. The romance wasn't over bearing, the family drama was believable, not to much and it had enough comedy, I have more than enough funny lines to remember and laugh at. All around I feel it was a very balance show that still made me cry more than a few times and I very highly recommend it to anyone that just loves a good old fashioned historical Korean Drama. Overall I still would give it a 10 out of 10

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Até onde você vai pela sua crença?

My Country: The New Age é um drama que faz um retrato 50% fiel aos fatos históricos e 50% fiel ao que o roteirista queria. A trama é intrinsecamente muito redonda, desde que boa parte de sua base provém de fatos históricos, onde na realidade não há distinção entre bom ou mal. Planificando todo o drama nós podemos perceber as linhas tênues construídas entre o bem e o mal, os personagens redondos — não são bons nem ruins — e o poder das relações humanas.
A verdade é que My Country não é um drama feito na intenção de documentar um fato histórico e sim de ilustrar (muito bem ilustrado) o poder que as relações humanas tem no mundo ao nosso redor. Somos colocados na pele de dois protagonistas de realidades diferentes, com angústias, medos, ambições completamente paralelos. Os personagens da trama são extremamente redondos e tornam a linha tênue entre o bem e o mal cada vez mais embaçada.
É nesse sentido que eu gostaria de destacar o personagem interpretado pelo Woo Do Hwan, Nam Sun Ho. Parece que os roteiristas investiram bastante nele, pois o personagem possui uma construção muito bem estruturada. As nuances, características e singularidades de Sun Ho foram muito bem interpretadas pelo Woo Do Hwan, tornando extremamente fácil empatizar com ele, afinal quem nunca quis passar a faca na garganta né?
Eu sinto que 90% dos personagens dessa trama não podem ser encaixados em rótulos de "bom" ou "mal". Não há vilões e heróis, há apenas humanos lutando pelo que acreditam. É nesse ponto que notamos como cada um toma decisões diferentes, sejam elas as piores ou as melhores. Cada um tem seus pontos de vistas diferentes.
Um detalhe interessante que não pude deixar de notar foi o fato de que Seo Hwi, Nam Sun Ho e Lee Bang Won são personagens com muitas semelhanças entre si, desde pontos em suas personalidades como de pessoas que eles têm ao seu redor, como por exemplo cada um dos três ter um companheiro fiel à si que o acompanha e protege até a morte.
Infelizmente nem tudo é perfeito, em My Country: The New Age, é desenvolvido um romance secundário entre Seo Hwi e Han Hee Jae. Sinceramente eu não assisti quase nenhuma cena deles dois, percebi que o romance deles não acrescenta em absolutamente nada na história, é fútil e desnecessário, nem todo drama precisa de um romance, especialmente quando já temos na história inteira o drama de dois amigos, que se tornou imensamente mais interessante que esse casal.
Me sinto um pouco triste com o fato de que o começo de My Country foi ótimo, as personagens femininas tinham relevância, eram fortes e necessárias para a história, no entanto o drama foi rolando e essas personagens se tornaram cada vez mais apagadas e inúteis. A presença delas se tornou tão indiferente conforme algumas foram morrendo e outras onde o roteiro simplesmente resolveu torná-las apenas alguém que fala muito, mas tem pouca importância. No final a Hee Jae só parecia ter ficado na história porque tinha um romance com Seo Hwi.
Apesar de tudo, esse drama me entreteu bastante. Os episódios eram frenéticos e diferente da maioria dos dramas, não era uma coisa arrastada e chata. Foram 16 episódios que eu assisti sem dormir, foram 16 episódios onde eu pude ter uma visão ampla até onde alguém pode ir por um amigo querido, por uma ambição, pelo orgulho e pela sua crença.

Lire davantage

What a ride!

This drama is based on historical facts, so i was not totally new to the story (aka six flying dragons..).

But the acting guys!! That is mainly what makes me rate this drama this high, considering that i would not rewatch it (usually the higher i rate a drama the higher is the rewatch value).
The bromance was epic, but morever JANG HYUK acting, he was really born to be an actor, sooo talented. I hated his character but i could never deny how much CHARISMA he brought to this controversial character.

This drama was Great, the ending was also realistic. Let's all have a meaningful and good life, is being powerful that important ? In actual facts Yi Bang Won died at 54, was it really worth it?

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Scintillating watch albeit weak plot resolution

My Country is a really entertaining watch for sure despite my average ratings. It’s knee smacking screen play , emotionally appealing and very easy on the eyes even with all the gore and blood .

I appreciated the entertaining first episode as first episodes for saeguks are notoriously known for being doze fests. I also liked how character driven this action piece was even with all the swords and blood. The friendship and military intrigues spiced with intense villainy were really nice to watch and kept me anticipating the next episodes. In fact -The first five episodes were all perfect with killer quotes that really set the mood for the show to be thought provoking and hinting at a profound watch but alas....

I advise those contemplating watching My Country to read up or at least brush up on the history of Goryeo and the transition period into the Joseon Dynasty . If you don’t - you may be a deer in the headlights especially post episode 5. ( watching Six Flying Dragons May help ) They throw around historical incidents like cheap candy with no context or reverance . I actually resented that aspect quite strongly . One point gone .

Furthermore- the insertion of romantic currency was weak , unimaginative and pointless. Romance does a lot to bring dimensions to not only characters but the story as whole.Unfortunately this was done poorly and ended up taking away from an already dynamic screenplay. There was a lot of romance story lines picked like a love triangle but poof! Drooped! Did Sun Ho like Yeon ? Who did Chi Do date? Where was Bang Won’s wife whom in history was quite instrumental? Etc. Two points now gone .

The portrayal of historical contributive factors to Joseon Dynasty became highly problematic in the end . For example- Gibangs were important as information safe houses and were quite instrumental in the founding of the Joseon nation . And this sense was achieved in some aspects but only for it be diluted into a personal dating service for a character was just nauseating . Three points gone .

The acting for the most part was the shows crowning moment . Jang Hyuk was spectacular with his fan and top knot although I think he was wasted . Ahn Nae Sung was just brilliantly horrible as the villain and Woo Do Hwan really acted his butt off ! I really hope he gets some award for his performance because he was VERY VERY GOOD. The Orange Marmalde girl was just marmalade boring with her dry toast love interest in Yang Se Jong who should stick to modeling . Other than those two - everyone was excellent!

As for the music - I really didn’t like it all. I get they made this drama for a younger audience and so on and so forth but EDM in a Goryeo fight scene was just whack . The songs are personally forgettable. 4 points gone.

Costumes were really good though . Apltly portrayed the times and military conquests. One always had to be battle ready and their clothes really showed this urgency.

OVERALL- this was a good show to watch live and I am glad I did watch it live because binge watching would not have softened the blows of the flaws. The plot resolution was slightly bad and the insertion of the plot twist in the last two episodes was very blindsiding to the viewer in a not so good way . It’s an entertaining watch though but should not be a first watch for a saeguk or a Goryeo - Joseon dynasty .

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This is my first proper review.

Within the first few minutes of the intro I knew this drama was going to be good with massive potential but the drama did not meet my expectations. The intro was a very strong start to this drama. The cinematography was amazing and the fight scenes were carefully planned out. Although this is a 'bromance' drama the 'bromance' was a bit lackluster in my opinion. The friends - enemies was way too quick so I didn't warm up to the 'bromance' or the characters yet throughout majority of the drama. The only character I thought was written well was Lee Bang Won (Jang Hyuk). I think Jang Hyuk - an experienced actor played a big part in his character being the most interesting on screen. The romance was very subtle of course since the main focus of the drama is the relationship between the lead guys but the romance was so subtle it wasn't needed. I like romance but if its going to be almost never there that whats the point in adding it to the drama?. I decided to give it an 8 cause believe it deserves a high score but I wanted to be emotionally invested in the characters. So many people were touched watching this drama but I wasn't. The lead actors have amazing potential I look forward to their future projects.

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Top 5 Sageuk of all time!

This is at the top of my list of best sageuks of all time! Maybe my favorite series of all time. Korean and American. I’ve seen so many sageuks, but this one has such a special place in my heart. It’s probably been two years ago since I first watched it, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewatched it since then. It’s one of those that never gets old. I’m still so upset though that Hwi, and Seung Ho died, not to mention his little sister. My favorite part was at the end when Seung Ho told Hwi that he and his little sister were his country. I inwardly cried for probably two weeks over this series and that part in particular. I guess one of the greatest things about sageuks is they teach so many valuable lessons… mostly that of perseverance, endurance, honor, the strength and value of friendship, suffering well, and loyalty. This one does just that! And that’s just scratching the surface- There’s so many other great take-aways from it. ‘My Country’ you stole my heart and I’m forever thankful that you did. Thank you to the writers and to this all-star amazing cast! Each one of them were perfect in their roles and also in their acting! ❤️

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I M JUST IN THE EP FOUR BUT I FEEL LIKE DYING FROM WAITING FOR THE NEXT EP I VE ALREADY REWATCHED THOSES FOUR EPISODES I JUST LOVE IT EVERYTHING THE ACTORS THE STORY THE ACTION WOW CAN WE TALK PLZ ABOUT THOSE ABS LIKE HELL YEAH I CANT STOPNSTARY AT THEM THE ACTORS ARE WELL BUILT AND SEOLHYUN IS AMAZING IN THIS ONE SHE DOESN T LOOK LIKE THE CUTIE LEAD ACTRESS THAT WE ALWAYS SEE IN KDRAMAS BUT SHE TOUGH SMART AND I REALLY LIKE THAT AND WE GET JANG HYUK AND SEO DO HWAN AND YANG SEJONG WE DON T USUALLY GET THIS SPICY COLLECTION I LOVE IT SO BAD AND THE FRIENDSHIP WAS SO ADMIRABLE IN THIS ONE SALUTE.

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