Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (2019)

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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Vista 2 volte, la seconda mi è piaciuta ancora di più.

Anche se il finale poteva essere scritto meglio, ma non voglio spoilerare troppo ... ma questa fantastica nonna, Regina Madre, che per 20 anni veglia sul nipote per difenderlo contro malvagità e crudeltà della Corte, punta su di lui per incoronarlo re e alla fine ... non dico come finisce, ma ha una sua giustezza.
Drama divertente, positivo, che si appoggia moltissimo, soprattutto all'inizio, alle vicende personali dei due personaggi centrali: Hae Ryung e il principe Dowon. Hae Ryung è una donna di 26 anni, zitellissima, abituata a fare come vuole perché il fratello le permette qualsiasi cosa, si guadagna qualche spicciolo per ammazzare la noia leggendo alle nobili romanzi d'amore.
Essendo una donna colta, Hae Ryung schifa potentemente i romanzi d'amore, anche se vendono tantissime copie e sono il genere più richiesto. L'autore più famoso del momento è Maehwa, un misterioso scrittore amatissimo dal pubblico, dietro al quale si nasconde Dowon. Dowon è l'esempio lampante del principe annoiato, vive recluso e isolato dalla corte, ha solo l'eunuco e le due dame di corte con cui parlare e non sa niente di niente del mondo, solo quello che legge nei romanzi.
Nel corso degli episodi, si dipana una storia che racconta dell'impatto del Cristianesimo nel Joseon Confuciano, che dà il pretesto a nobili e persone avide di potere di giustificare un colpo di stato con uccisione di innocenti e di menti eccellenti che ispirandosi al Cristianesimo stavano rivedendo un sistema di caste, chiuso e asfittico.
Molto bello. Lo rivedrò più in là ancora.
E' ben recitato, i costumi e la fotografia sono bellissimi.

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This is a very good feminist kdrama in some way. It follows the main character who decided to be a female historian for the first time ever. Which of course is a big no no in Joseon Dynasty lol. Its very good built in my opinions, so many pure relationships get formed, many likeable characters as well. Eunwoo plays here as well, okay to be honest his character is the cliche cold guy but atleast hes a bit silly here and cute, he really did well here. Romance is the last thing i remember here tbh, im glad it didnt focus on that a lot and it was mostly about people accepting women in work. Really recommend this kdrama!

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Good stuff

I will not deny that I watched this series because I adore Cha Eun Woo. I wanted to explore and watch his works, so I stumble upon this series on my list so there's that. I kinda liked the plot for a historical romance but I'm not super impressed though. FL did have an okay-chemistry with ML. This period series is a delightful blend of romance, history, and palace intrigue! The love story between the main leads is sweet, and while the romantic moments could’ve had a bit more spark or a bit deeper dive, their chemistry was undeniable, and their relationship unfolded naturally. The plot follows Goo Hae Ryung’s journey as a historian, diving into palace politics, hidden secrets, and incredible character growth throughout. The cast shines in bringing these characters to life, with the supporting roles playing just as vital a part in the story. Expect a mix of action, heartfelt tinge yet believable romance, moments of tragedy, and perfectly timed humor that lightens the heavier palace drama. It's a well-rounded watch that strikes a perfect balance, making it a truly enjoyable experience. Definitely worth watching!

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Eunwoo es el señuelo pero no necesariamente el protagonista, bueno, al final sí...

En más de una ocasión me encontré deseando que todo terminara de una vez y eso no es necesariamente bueno.

Y es que mi problema con este drama es que LO HICIERON DEMASIADO LARGO en serio el conflicto que estaban manejando podrían haberlo desarrollado en 16 capítulos pero no, lo estiraron usando otras situaciones random de por medio hasta que recién RECIÉN en el capítulo 14 la cosa se empieza a poner interesante y *redoble de tambores* POR FIN LE DAN AL PERSONAJE DE EUNWOO LA RELEVANCIA QUE DEBIÓ TENER DESDE NO SÉ ¿EL PRINCIPIO? pues ES EL PROTAGONISTA. Que yo entiendo que el personaje en si era bastante insípido adrede pero no dejaba de ser el protagonista, ¿será que los guionistas se olvidaron de él y su trasfondo y recién en el capítulo 18 se acordaron de él? Mientras tanto llenaban los espacios con momentos ¿tiernos? Entre él y la historiadora a modo de "hagamos que la gente se quede a ver su historia amor" bueno por lo visto funcionó para algunas pero a mi me durmió en vivo. Soy alguien que casi nunca nota la falta de química entre los protagonistas y digo casi porque la pareja de Sowon y Haeryung llegó para demostrarme lo que es la falta de afinidad al punto de que llegando al final me daba igual si quedaban juntos o no. Y esto no lo veo como algo entre los actores, más bien fue la falta de conexión entre las personalidades de los personajes.

En fin... *respiraciones profundas*

Debo destacar que el personaje de Haeryung era atractivo hasta cierto momento cuando de alguna forma comenzó a ser demasiado entrometida y entiendo que la historia giraba en torno a ella y oh sorpresa parece que tuvieron que esperar a que una historiadora novata apareciera para que los tramuyos del segundo canciller empezaran a verse amenazados. *aplausos confusos*

Me vi pensando "por favor mujer deja de estar en medio, no hay forma de que te perdonen todo sin antes darte unos cuentos golpes como era en esa época". Ese es otro problema: la trama abusa demasiado del empoderamiento femenino haciéndolo demasiado irrisible. ¿Permitieron que haya historiadoras mujeres? Fantástico👏 pero no abusen de una posición en la que claramente ninguna mujer podía darse el gusto de sobrepasar sin terminar reprendida por sus atrevimientos.

Ahora me gustaría hablar de funcionario Min quien tenía todo para ser EL PROTAGONISTA pero claro resulta que literalmente no lo es jaja y aún así tuvo el mayor desarrollo, vimos su pasado, vimos como vivió luchando contra la autoridad de su propio padre, vimos como venció el miedo al fracaso, vimos como pudo superar el pasado y seguir adelante ¿que más puedo pedir? Me dieron motivos para empatizar con él. Si incluso hasta tenía más química con la protagonista que el mismísimo príncipe Dowon.

¿Puntos a favor? El ost es disfrutable, las locaciones son las mismas que en The Red Sleeve y eso es un punto a favor para mi. Ver como al final integraron a las mujeres es algo agradable de ver (sin olvidar cómo las trataron todos esos varones con masculinidad extrafragil) Eunwoo es lindo, es adorable y cada que sonríe pues te derrite el corazón (sí, eso es algo a favor)

En fin que si hubiesen hecho de esta historia una con un enfoque mucho más serio y sin tantos personajes extravagantes y cansinos (como si fuesen caricaturas) y perdiendo menos el tiempo en situaciones que no aportaban, ni escenas más largas de lo que debían (que encima eran repetitivas o sea ya entendí que Sowon se está enamorando no necesitan explotar la sonrisa preciosa de Eunwoo) si todos esos puntos hubiesen sido ejecutados de otra forma ahora mismo estaría hablando de un drama totalmente diferente pero mucho más disfrutable, y vamos que hasta el rey era insípido.

¿Y el final? Super apresurado.

Mi conclusión es: POR FIN LO TERMINÉ. Ahora veamos otra cosa.

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It took me a while to finish this drama, but I actually liked it quite a lot.
I have to praise Se-kyung for getting so much better in acting, seriously she has improved a lot. Eunwoo wasn't as good but I think that's okay considering he's a rookie actor. The rest of the cast was incredible as well and they all seem to have lots of experience.
Plot was good, but there were some chapters where I got bored and then got lost and didn't understand what was happening. I think the story could have been shortened a bit, but still it was enjoyable.
Definitely this is the best historical drama I've seen to date (I haven't seen many, though. But the few I checked out kinda sucked..), so I'm excited to keep diving into this sub-genre.
7.5/10

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A Beautiful Drama That Isn't Just About the Romance

The first thing I will say about this drama is that I found it very beautiful. Literally. The costumes and sets were all very pretty. The lighting was used to appropriately set the mood in different scenes. I loved watching this drama just to see all of the beautiful historical costumes and hairstyles.

Second, Cha Eun-woo actually really surprised me in this drama. I had previously only seen him in My ID is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty. His character in both of those dramas was pretty serious and what I would even describe as stoic, but I saw a different side of his acting in Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung. His character was pretty funny and made me laugh many times. His crying scenes are also very realistic and beautifully acted. I feel like this character highlighted his wide range of acting abilities better than the other 2 dramas I have seen him in. Although I loved True Beauty, I feel that this was my favorite role of his thus far.

Third, this is actually the only drama I have watched where I actually noticed and enjoyed the music. Most of the time the music does not even impact me at all and I mostly don't even notice what kind of music is in the drama. However, the score for this drama was a great combination of bright and lively pieces as well as dark and somber pieces. The music always complimented the tone and ambience of the scene in my opinion.

I originally watched this drama because of the romantic storyline that I expected to be in it (because 95% of dramas have some kind of romantic storyline). However, this drama offered so much more that I actually became more interested in. While I did enjoy the romance between Hae Ryung and Li Rim, I found myself putting that story on the backburner in favor of the political intrigue that took the forefront in the second half of the drama. I really was invested in the outcome of the kingdom and the royal family. Also, I found that I really cared about supporting characters. I wanted all of the female historians to be accepted as official historians, I wanted U-min to be rid of his father's shadow, I wanted the remnants of the medical school to succeed. I really enjoy dramas that invest in supporting characters and make me care about them.

I took off half of a star because I did feel like the drama was very long. On Netflix, it is presented as twenty, hour-long episodes, so it is bit of a commitment. The rewatch value diminished because of that for me, but overall I still loved this drama and I would consider it to be one of my top 10 dramas.

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I took quite a bit of time to finish watching this drama but I'm glad that I finally did. This is a sweet and beautiful drama, thanks to Shin Sekyung and Cha Eunwoo and lighthearted enough to be enjoyed while also having some serious bits of plot here and there and at the end. But mind you, as much as the drama was about historians doing their jobs, the setting itself was quite fictional; as in there weren't any such king that have been dethroned in the way depicted in this drama and no female historian were ever established. And while some of the key scenes like the arrival of Christianity to Joseon, the beginning of the vaccination practices of treating small poxes as well as groups taking interest in science were based on real life events, the events didn't actually happen as it's portrayed in the drama. So as long as you're aware of that, you should be able to enjoy this drama as it is.

So far to date, there weren’t any other dramas that actually focused on historians in the time period and the kind of work they do. I mean, you do see them in some other stories but they rarely became the central role. Because of that, it was interesting to see how such profession could have functioned during the Joseon period. And I have to say that it was interesting to see how the early methods to vaccination to treat a disease first started or how the process of compiling daily records of the palace were compiled into annals.

That aside, the drama also had some romcom elements like the romance between Prince Dowon and the rookie historian Goo Haeryung, which also had some kinda triangle with a senior historian Min Uwon. There were also a few other pairs like the relationship between the Crown Prince with fellow rookie historian Song Sahui, amongst a few others. And it was fun to see how the characters juggle between doing their job and romance as well as deciding where should their loyalties stand as the historians fought in making sure that history was written and recorded accurately.

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Not your usual Palace drama and it was MOST entertaining :)

Palace dramas usually focus on the king and his beloved so it was so refreshing that this storyline was between one of the princes and a court historian.

The FL was pretty and witty and paired well with the boyishly charming ML. Theirs was a romance that was sweet and funny and made me feel good.

Learning about how historians played an important role in the palace was eye opening and this focus made the whole drama more appealing to me as it was something I had not known about before.

Do watch this if you need something lighthearted and romantic.
You will find yourself smiling at the end of the drama :)

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I fell for Hae Ryun when she runs away from her wedding (it's not a spoiler)

RHGHR has easily become my favourite sageuk. The show has a fun and cute start and it's so much more than a mere rom com. It focuses on so many things, like the beginning of Christianity in Joseon, women's participation in the administration etc etc. There were only two reasons I started the show for:

1. Both the leads love books and writing (I love literature so obviously I was drawn to it)

2. Cha Eun Woo.

I swear Cha Eun Woo in traditional clothing looked like an actual DOLL. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Such a cutie.

But I fell for someone else; the leading actress. She's so good. Her portrayal of Goo Hye Ryun is such a good one.

Goo Hae Ryun is such a baddie. She's such a boss. She is so empowered and she makes a point of it and I LIVE FOR IT.
I've seen countless dramas where the leading girl is smart but she gets all dumb when it comes to simple things. This is a trope writers use a lot in Kdramas and I'm sure most of you have noticed. The female lead is smart asf and the second lead or first lead is giving ALL the signs that he likes her but SHE JUST WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND. It gets extremely boring and exhuasting. But Goo Hae Ryun was the first character who wasn't like that. That's not the only reason why I like her. There are many. I loved the scene where she refuses to become something and refuses Cha Eun Woo's offer(I won't say it here) because that will stop her from following her dreams and that scene was so good.
It was at that moment that I knew, I didn't like Goo Hae Ryun, I have fallen head over heels for her.
She says that she has worked so hard to achieve her dream so she won't give it up, even if that means that she has to lose Eun Woo's character. And IT WAS BOLD. Not to mention that I also loved what Eun Woo said afterwards.

Nonetheless, this drama is a true gem and you all will love it.

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one of the most beautiful korean historical drama ever!

this drama is so great, prince yirim has to be the cutest prince in the whole Joseon dynasty he is so adorable.
Goo Hae Ryung is so beautiful and strong, I love me some strong and hardworking women drama.
the casting is so so beautiful, no unnecessary blood or killing just very cute and light-hearted.
*Story
I loved how this show took its time laying out the story episode by episode. I so enjoyed how everything came together and how the characters ended up in the end as it seemed very natural and not forced upon.
* No love triangle (although there are potentials), so no Second Lead Syndrome
* Amazing friendship and family relationships, and loyalty.
*Happy ending for OTP and most other roles.

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More than just a rom-com

I watched this as it was recommended as similar to "The Red Palace" by June Hur, a book I loved. Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung may not have stolen my heart but it was a fun watch.
We follow our titular character in her journey to find something more than marriage as a purpose. This leads her to take the civil examination for Female Historians. As result she is entangled with other court officials, politics, corrupt, decades long mystery, and the elusive Prince Dowon.

The romance in the drama seems polarizing. People either love or hate it. I wasn't a fan of the couple, but I did appreciate some of their interactions and moments. It was refreshing to see a green flag, innocent, and sheltered prince, who was a romantic at heart.

What did steal my heart, was all the side characters. The dynamics between them, their workplace shenanigans,their camaraderie, as well as their integrity towards their title as historians. Honestly, if there was a drama just about the cast of historians, I would watch it without a second thought.
I would like to thank the writers for not including unnecessary Jealousy between the female historians.

Plot wise, the drama also included small sub plots which included: discussions about western influence, manipulation of history, variolation/vaccination, spread of Catholicism in the Joseon period. It also depicted the power that historians carried through their presence, even if they themselves may not wield power.
However, the drama had 20 episodes in total. Occasionally it felt as if things dragged or did not contribute to the whole picture. If is was atleast 4 episodes less, the plot could have been more tighter.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this drama to those looking for a romcoms, a sageuk, or even a palate cleanser.

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