The Tale of Nokdu (2019)

I am pleasantly surprised

I’m really glad I got to finish this. When the drama starts it’s generally very light hearted and fun and I couldn’t help but wonder what some characters even existed for. I like more complex/ deeper story lines personally so by episode 7 I started to wonder if it was just going to be cute and fluffy. But no! The show was giving what it was supposed give if you know what I mean. We had a strong understanding of the characters before the more serious drama began and in hindsight I don’t mind that at all.
The character Nok Du is really a dream. What a well written character! And Dong Joo is really cool too.
The acting is great, their chemistry is great and they’re all so natural. The characters really come to life and are very consistent. I love that.
There were parts that were a bit overly dramatic but they’re dramatic without being annoying. The antagonist has the best expressions too😂. It’s actually worth the watch I would say if you like Saeguks.
I gave it an 8.5 because there were some parts that didn’t make absolute sense dragged but they were also negligible in my opinion. It’s a strong 8.5.
Some people were disappointed that it didn’t keep it’s humorous tone throughout the drama but I’m the type of viewer that doesn’t like humor when the situation just isn’t funny and should not be portrayed as such. It’s funny when it can be, cute when it’s appropriate and darker when things are tough for the characters. I like that a lot. I like to be shocked and entertained when I’m watching dramas and this delivered. The chemistry of the leads cannot be overemphasized. This review is for that Saeguk watcher that wants to give up on the show before episode 8. Don’t give up!

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MUST WATCH SAEGUK

Now when I started this drama I didn't expect much, I only knew So Hyun from the news in kdrama world and I didn't know the male lead at all. But I have to say every moment is thrilling and beautiful in this drama. This is of kind drama in this genre and a highly entertaining watch. It has drama, romance, mystery, plenty of comedy, and underlying political tension. We see our male lead grow as a person and how he navigates the world with his limited social skills, and in the scary Joseon palace. We also see how the female lead isn't some rude and audacious girl, but a strong young woman standing up for herself and those she cares about.

I'll rate the best things I loved about this drama.

Comedy: 10/10
This is comedy gold, the humor is first-class and was right up my alley. Plenty of unexpected quirky and genuinely funny moments. All the leads take part in this even those we don't expect. Some moments will leave you laughing till you cannot breath.

Romance : 9.5/10
The leads have sizzling chemistry on screen, and off screen the actors have this different kind of besties energy. Each moment these two had together gave me butterflies. How they stood for each others beliefs and was loyal to each other beyond just a romantic relationship, moreover the trust and even in the hilarious moments.

Politics: 9/10
Not going to lie, initially I wasn't a fan of the politics-mystery on the male lead's side but later this same factor made me stay up at 4 am to finish the drama. I couldn't stop watching it to know what happens next and the whole political intrigue makes up majority of this drama's core plot but fear not it is not as complicated and tricky as other saeguk where it just bores you after some point going in circles.

Acting: 9/10
The actors did a splendid jobs, their faces were emotive and truly refelective of the scenes they were in. I remember balling my eyes out during some scenes and getting butterflies with romantic scenes, having this frustration and anger towards the antagonsits and dying from laughter in hilarious circumstances. THEY DELIVERED.

That's all, overall I give this drama a 9.5/10, also the OSTs are beautiful beyond compare and always made me feel things. Only other drama I can see comparable to this is Mr. Queen, which I greatly enjoyed btw.

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OMG long time ago a drama didn't capture me like this one

Although I was too busy and had a lot of stuff to do I tried hard to find time to complete this show

Even when I didn't watch I dreamt with it while sleeping LOL
First time to see doong Yoon as an actor
and he was a real brilliant one ,skilled and versed

The drama was great from all aspects

Strong plot
Fast events
Solid story
Amazing romance
Happy ending (which I love the most)
And great comedy show
And the music was nice and great
exactly fit to the drama

It was complete 10 for me BUT
What bothered me as usual was the END
It didn't convince me at all

Someone like the grand prince with his obsession for doong ju , will never let her escape with nokdu easily like this

It seemed to me like open end
Like when he seizes the throne he will search for her and kill nokdu

I hated when villains didn't get punished
I thought the king and the grand prince will kill eachother and this will be really fair enough
But with sorrow it didn't happen

But excluding the end which was the most annoying and rush part for me

This show was amazing and really highly recommend I enjoyed every minute in it ❤️❤️🥰

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There's just loopholes but don't let my review stop you from getting your Dong Yoon eye candy!!!

As much as I wanted to love this show, I was left scratching my head most of the time especially on the latter half because of all the questions I have while watching. Logic does not exist in this world, so if you just want to blindly follow Nok-du's story because of what it is, then I say go for it by all means!!! But if you care for the plot and story, and all the reason behind it plus your sanity, then maybe this is not the best show to watch.
Main reason I watched this show is to see Dong Yoon, eye candy is enough for me to go on and watch his cross dressing (he is so pretty lol) until the end because heck at that point I'm in too deep the plot that I just had to. BUT that doesn't remove the fact that I watched from episode 12 onwards on 1.5 speed. LMAO

Were my eye candy needs fulfilled? Yes, definitely. Would I care to re-watch for more eye candy? MEH definitely not. I can't help but compare it to Sungkyungkwan Scandal since they basically are the same type of drama and share a lot of characteristics. I would say I'll definitely rewatch Sungkyungkwan Scandal but not this one. (I might just be biased but not really since I really like Dong Yoon he looks like a baby).

TLDR: don't watch for the plot because it's bad, watch for Dong Yoon the baby

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Maravilhoso

Sinceramente não pensei que fosse gostar tanto, mas me vi presa por desde o início. A história claramente possui dois arcos (sendo o primeiro a premissa do Nok Du se vestir de mulher e entrar na vila pras viúvas, e depois toma um ar mais sério em que várias intrigas começam a se desenrolar de fato). O casal é maravilhoso. Sério, assistir eles fez o meu dia. Extremamente fofos e o relacionamento deles é muito bem construído. Eles tem muito tempo de tela juntos e é possível sentir o quanto eles se gostam sem diálogos expositivos. Algo que me agradou muito foi que eles demonstraram ter uma um relacionamento muito embasado em uma verdadeira amizade, o que faz com que o espectador (pelo menos eu) sentisse toda a intimidade entre eles. Eles se sentem completamente confortáveis um com o outro (o que faz eles se irritarem bastante, mas é tudo muito bonitinho) e acho isso incrível.
Enfim, o plot da origem do Nok Du me emocionou muito, mas o fim foi sinceramente perfeito. Não teria outra forma das coisas se resolverem (mas vou parar por aqui pra não dar spoiler).
Foi maravilhoso de assistir e aproveitei cada momento.

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If you love historical dramas, watch this one!

I'll start by saying that I don't care for historical dramas, I find the hats distracting, everyone with a beard looks alike, they tend to be very formulaic (evil king or else evil family member trying to kill the king). So, if I was rating solely on my enjoyment of this drama, my score would have been a lot lower. I did rate it a little higher, knowing that this type of show is not my cup of tea.

Acting - Jang Dong Yoon at NokDu/Lady Kim was exceptional. I don't care for gender bender shows, because I always feel like they think we're stupid, because it's completely obvious that the character is not the sex that they are pretending to be. However, Jang Dong Yoon was terrific as both a male and a female. As a female he had the right tone of voice that didn't sound like he was trying too hard. He has such a beautiful face and his long hair helped as well. NokDu was trying to find out who he was and it was an interesting journey. I loved his interactions with all the ladies in the widow's village when he was Lady Kim.

Kim So Hyun as Dong Dong Ju - she had her own secrets that she was trying to deal with. I have loved this actress in everything I've seen her in. She's got such a sweet face and she played her part very well. The "I like you" "go away" got a little old, but I really appreciated that they didn't stick with cliche responses to her finding out NokDu's secret

Kang Tae Oh as Yool Mu was exceptional. The arc of his character was a joy to watch. From sweetness and light to evil personified.

Lee Seung Jun as NokDu's father was very good. I've seen him in things where he's a little goofy/funny. This serious role suited him.

Jung Joon Ho as the king. WOW!

CHEMISTRY BETWEEN LEADS - they were a treat to watch. Their bickering was such fun and her standoffishness played well as he kept trying to get closer to her. Their chemistry was great. The way he watched her and the smile that he got when he saw her, sigh. There were some great kisses and I really appreciated that she wasn't missish and acting like she was terrified of him. Their quiet times sitting together talking were lovely. It seemed that they wanted to be there for each other, helping the other when they had a problem. I could see/feel the progression of their relationship, I rooted for them and I believed the love between them.

ACTION - lots of swordplay and blood.

BONUS - unlike other historical dramas I've seen, this show had multiple scenes of Jang Dong Yoon being just yummy eye candy. Shirtless changing clothes, wet clothes sticking to him, shirtless when he gets wounded and she takes care of him, and my favorite - open robe as he twirls around showing her how to do a fan dance.

ENDING - Plus - it wasn't rushed. There was a wedding to tie up the story. Minus - no consequences for the bad guys and our leads live the rest of their lives on an island? Since there were no consequences, I felt that the bad guys could show up at any time which, as a lead, character, would certainly throw a pall on my happiness!

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Wholesome, intense, well wrapped drama.

Often period dramas lean towards the heartbreak side, but I decided to check this out because of the blurb and the specified genres. I’m glad I did because I feel in love with this drama. The Tale of Nokdu is a complete package which starts of with humour in the first half and becomes intense with political plot in the second. Despite the change in genre, consistently, the characters don’t fail to deliver. I felt that each of the actors understood their characters well and it was very evident in their portrayal. I also loved the intricate focus on the fighting sequences, it was such a delight to watch! This is a drama you will go back to repeatedly.

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Enjoyable from one way to another

There was something so intriguing from the first episode. What a great story when so many subjects have been exhausted! After so many dramas when a girl cross-dresses, this time both main characters cross-dress! Nok Du was so funny as widow Kim! The mood of the drama slightly changed from cheerful to serious as episodes went by. But I'm glad the ending was a happy one.

The actors did an amazing job and the music was beautiful!

Rewatch value - 9, such an enjoyable drama! After I finished watching it, I felt a bit sad because I got attached to the story and characters!

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My way of choosing a new drama to watch is "Go with the flow" / all about timing. Sometimes you're going to try a new show and because you're not in the "right" mood or you don't get the hype of this airing drama, you'll eventually let it go. Days/months/(even years) later you are going to give it a try again "just because" and it's going to work.

>>> The Tale of Nokdu <<<

Honestly, I don't remember why and how I started watching this show but again that was about TIME ! I LOVED IT !!

[THE STORYLINE]
Great storyline. The pace was well timed ! The story was moving. It is not a common rom-com story. All kind of emotions were delivered thoughout the show sadness, happiness, love... Music was used at the right time, episodes endings were well written. The intensity was there when it had too !
I liked the cross-dressing element, even though it did not last long ! Till the last episode I was still hearing Kim Widow's voice when Nodku was speaking lmao.
To me the most surprising thing was the evil reveal ! When I saw the SML I was about to support him because damn he's fine. But then his evil spirit was turned on and I didn't expect that at all. Until the end I was SO chocked like WTF did happen ?? ahah but he levelled up to his role.

[THE ACTING]
Great cast choices. ML and FM matched amazingly ! They had a real chemistry. Side characters supported the show greatly.

[THE ENDING]
Everytime I start a kdrama I'm always anxious about the final episode because god knows how they know how to ruin it lmao.
Finishing this show felt amazing ! Finally a drama where the ending is satisfying. That was soo logical regarding the storyline. Until the last minute I didn't know if it would be a happy or a sad ending. I even thought of dropping it... After all the characters had been through, all the intensity, a sad ending would have been hard to handle lmao.

[OST & CINEMATOGRAPHY]
I loved the OST and the scenery was wow. They found some great spots !

[FINAL THOUGHT]
This is a must-watch to me and one of the few shows that will make it to my re-watch list !

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This was a heartwarming drama! It had good quality fun and humour in the first half and lots of feels in the latter half. Romance was beautiful and chemistry between the leads was the selling factor for me.

I enjoyed this drama more because after every 2 episodes, there used to be these really really sweet BTS vids, showing how the cast were having genuine fun behind the scenes! Especially the lead actors were really cute in all those bts vids and made me happy after watching those emotional scenes towards the end.
So, even if you are going to binge watch, do take breaks in between and watch those precious bts vids, they will surely make your day! I'm not their offscreen shipper or anything because I know real life is a lot different for those people than what we see for just few minutes but nevertheless it's great fun to see their camaraderie and of course reading those YT comments below those vids make it more interesting ! ;D

Acting: Everyone was good. Everyone excelled in crying scenes which I think is a benchmark for judging an actor's skills. The whole widow village cast was fun. Our humourous trio of the lil girl, her dad and our one true fan of Mrs Kim were really hilarious and provided some really great situational comedy!
Actor who played the king is of course famous and his acting was befitting his experience. He had only few scenes but they were really impressive.

KTH was really good and the spectrum of emotions he showed from the beginning to the end was fabulous! His character's love story needs a new show with happy ending.

The main leads were really awesome and their chemistry is something that needs to be explored in new dramas.

Music: I remember hearing the same song in different tones from sad to happy throughout the show and it was pleasant and non hindering to the narrative.

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For me, this drama was a really good thing to watch, and i strongly recommend it.
I really loved the way the stakes of the whole show changed through the episodes. It can be divided into two parts : the whole cross-dressing thing, and then the palace, and royal things. I admit that I was a little sad when Jang DongYoon let go of his character of "Lady Kim" but the way he pulled off the character of Nokdu made me forgot this sadness right away.
There are a lot of little funny details, like the famous "omo omo jinja ", which will be stuck in my head for years. But there are also really dramatic scenes, with heartbreaking lines from the characters.
I'm not saying that everything is perfect, some of the "plot twists" are somewhat easy to find. I don't know if it's because I watched a lot of Kdrama, or just I read to much, but both Nokdu and Dongju's real identities were kinda obvious for me. The one that really surprised me was YoolMu, he wasn't at all what I had expected for his character, and I really liked it, even though I came to hate the whole guy after all.
Overall, everything was well-balanced, and I really really like the end. It wasn't at all what was implied in the previous eps, and I really like it. It was kinda leggit, given the background of the characters, but I really enjoyed it. So far one of my favorite drama's ending.
A big plus for this drama was the whole cast. Jang DongYoon and Kim Sohyun are both part of my favorite K-actors, and they really rocked this drama. Hwang Inhyeop was a big surprise, I didn't expect him, but all his scenes were so perfect. Even though his character was supposed to be evil, I grew fond of him. But even the support actors were really great, and it was enjoyable to see every scene.
If I had a conclusion to made, I would this drama is really something to watch. Because it's a famous tale in South Korea, because of the cast, because of the action scenes, which are really beautiful and well-made, because of the OSTs, everything was good, and goes well together.

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