The Red Sleeve (2021)

One of the Best Korean Historical Dramas of All Time

This drama became my favorite drama of 2021. Initially, I didn't have much expectation because I didn't read the novel and did not really know too much about the leads (I've seen them in some dramas); however, after the drama, I became a fan of both Lee Junho and Lee Seyoung! I think the leads had amazing chemistry both on-screen and off-screen. I think they are my favorite drama couple after Hyun Bin and Son Yejin from CLOY. This drama was supposed to be a heart-throbbing palace romance drama and it fulfilled its purpose because I was sobbing so much by the end. While watching this drama, I found out that the love story between Sung Deokim and King Jeongjo was actually based on a true story, which led me to research more about them. I was intrigued by Jeongjo's love for Deokim, which was quite uncommon during that time period and Deokim's bravery of rejecting a king's proposal twice (she was the only royal concubine during Joseon Dynasty to reject a king). It was fascinating to learn that a king waited 15 years for a court lady to accept his proposal of becoming his consort. Although the drama did not include all the details of King Jeongjo's love for Deokim, it still did a good job in portraying the king's love because there were some moments when I was frustrated with Deokim for her continued rejection (I understood her though). I think all the actors: main and supporting, were amazing. Everyone played their part so well. All of the ost and background music were phenomenal. The drama had beautiful cinematography and so much symbolism. Although the drama was about the romance between Jeongjo and Deokim, I think the drama focused more on the lives of the court ladies and women of the palace. The drama explained that no women living in the palace were free, whether a court lady or the Queen Dowager (the most powerful women in the palace). Although Deokim knew that she had limited freedom as a court lady, she still wanted to make choices for herself. However, as her love for the king grew, her desire of wanting to make choices was hindered because her only choice was to become his royal consort and she definitely did not want to be one of the king's women. Even as she dies, she does not reveal her love towards the king because that was the only choice she was able to make, which left many viewers wonder whether Deokim actually loved the king. I think the writer and director did a good job in leading viewers wonder about Deokim's love for the king because the actual history according to the records we have right now and the original novel, the question that we, audience, had to figure out was "did Deokim love the king?" I think many people, including myself, watches kdramas to see the heart fluttering romance between the two main leads; however, this drama does stick to the reality of that time period (18th century Joseon when there was such a huge power imbalance between men and women, especially between the king and court lady), which might turn off some viewers. There will be frustrating and confusing moments, but the overall plot, acting, music, and cinematography grabbed my attention for all 17 episodes and "The Red Sleeve" will remain one of my favorite sageuks and definitely my favorite kdrama of 2021. I definitely recommend this drama!

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The story overall

This was honestly truly a masterpiece. It left me in tears. The whole series was just a work of art, there were so many up's and downs but in the end, it was worth it. I would honestly rewatch this.

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Is the Palace as pretty as in fairytales, or just a dazzling prison?

The second time i am ever writing a review on mdl, it's about 4 am and i just finished watching the last two episodes. But i just need to share here all my emotions in order to move on.

I have honestly rated the drama a 10 way before it ended. It's because I just had that feeling when you watch a quality drama and you don't really care if the ending will be happy or sad, cause the path until there was just worth it. I'm also not the type to judge a drama based on their happy/sad ending.

I have been reading other people's reactions to the developing story, what they felt as lacking, what they liked a lot, how they would like it to end. It really all depends what is the reason you watch the drama in the first place. For me it was an interesting journey, it started so nicely, seemingly going in the usual direction historical dramas go. It felt familiar, as i enjoy watching historical dramas a lot. But then, there is our FL, so so different to the usual female leads in palace dramas. As i already had a preconceived notion on how i wanted the story to go like, it felt frustrating at times. Sometimes i felt just like a helicopter parent, wanting to get myself involved in the story and change it into a fairytale. However now i realized that what i thought was a mistake. Because this is not what this story is about. This is not about watching the leads have the most perfect love story ever. This is not about only seeing the nice things in a relationship. This story is about breaking those rose coloured glasses and seeing the reality as it is. Maybe the story here is exaggerated, as any fictional story is like. But it offered me a perspective that honestly i did not have before.

I mean, this drama is not the only one where a court lady wishes to stay outside the palace and live a peaceful life. There have been dramas before, but they were just glamorized a bit too much to fit our fairytale ideas. Where everything goes well and they manage to juggle both the king, their prince and the life outside the palace. We all wish they were able to do that, but were they?

Another character besides the FL that impressed me a lot was The Queen Dowager. In the older drama "Yi San" she left a negative impression on me, i don't even remember why to be honest. But here? Here she described best what is in Deok Im's heart and what was basically in all court ladies hearts. Her dialogue with Yi San's mother in the last episode, which also inspired the title of my review, left an impression on me. It will probably make me watch historical dramas just a bit differently moving forward.

As for the king, he is the hopeless romantic who only loved and only had eyes for Deok Im. Now you'll probably wonder after watching the drama, was he really a hopeless romantic or can he really be called romantic? I'll borrow Deok Im's words from the last episode and say "Perhaps". To me he is just the definition of loving someone so much that it hurts. That it hurts you and the person you love, a bit too selfish but understandably so in my opinion. Maybe that love was too intense, maybe if he had time to love a bit less for a longer period of time, it would have been better. But time was rushing... I wish that in his next life, Yi San gets to be born in a harmonious and loving family outside the palace, so that he can receive all the love that he should receive as a child.

Now i realized i did not say anything memorable about Deok Im, her strong character was what pushed this story further. You want to root for her ideals, you want to tell her to just go with the flow and accept the confessions and live the fairytale life. But life is not a fairytale at the palace. I want her to be able to live a peaceful life outside the palace, hope she'll be able to...

You can't really look at the story and say, oh, this is the type of romance that i want. If you'll ask me which one of the women in the drama i would want to live as, i'll probably say Princess Chung Yeon. Her story with her husband was so cute, even if not shown a lot in the drama. Living outside the palace with her pretty family, having the support of her brother, that must have been nice and not as suffocating as the palace.

Edit: I did not mention the acting!!! The thing that made this whole drama so memorable to me! Honestly, just give me good acting with good story, doesn't matter if it's sad or happy and i'll be pleased. this is what the drama is about. amazing actors all around!

That should be enough from me, as for my rating, that 9.5 in the story and rewatch value is just me being a bit bitter that they played too much with my feelings. The writer and director know themselves where! I'll keep you in mind

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The moment became eternity...

Honestly it has been ages since i sat down and complete a pure historical drama (without time travel etc or whatsoever). Moreover, it was more endearing and heartbreaking that the drama was based of true characters that existed in history.

Story
As with history, the story follows a strong willed court lady, whom wishes to live life her way and a well knowned king, who puts his nation before love. In history, and also in this series, San spent 15 years before finally being together with Deokim. However, their happiness was shortlived. Their time apart was more than the happy moments they had together, and eventually death made them part... even their children had died. San really loved deokim down to the bones. She was the only wife he chose willingly, against all odds, and against his own nature. Deokim, whom cherishes herself the most, gave up everything to be with the one she loves though she truly understands San will never truly belong to her fully... she know what's in store for her, and she still chose this sorrowful love. However, she wanted to kept her pride, and her love towards the king was never made known, even til her death ...

Acting/Cast
CHEF'S KISS. All actors were excellent, but i will commend on our main leads.
- Seyoung as Deokim: definitely not the first work i watced her in. Fun fact was, Dae Jang Geum was the first kdrama i watched!! I felt endearing because she was playing a court maid here again. Her acting was on point and i felt sad she lacked recognition and appreciation despite her long running career. This drama really propelled her to light, and i am glad to witness this moment with her, because it's truly well-deserved! She really conveyed the emotions clearly, through her body expressions and especially her eyes. Her pronunciation and tone was perfect for every scene, be it a happy or a sad one. She clearly portrayed the conflicted strong willed lady, who wishes to stay true to herself but also unable to hide her yearning heart for San. She ultimately gave up her everything, to be with a man, that belonged to the nation. The process of rejection was sad, but it hurts me more after she became concubine...she would have definitely become a happier woman if she lived in the 21st century
- 2PM Junho as Lee San: honestly, one of the cream of the crop when it comes to idol actors and it is definitely not easy. There;s always prejudice against idol actors, and I am sure many can see why. However, Junho i can say is one of the few idols that i acknowledge both for his music and acting career. Junho was made for San. A troubled crown prince at first, he acted all the fear and resentful and of course love towards a woman so endearingly and painfully. It took several rejections before Deokim accepted his grace, and the process was so painful to watch. But is was remarkable how San could stay loyal to deokim, and waiting 15 years for her. The fact this happened in history just made me even sadder such pure and heartbreaking love exists. It's sadder he never knew if deokim truly loved him, only until his death :( the part hurts me the most was he just wanted to be deokim's everything, but as King, he had so much to do :( after deokim's death, it seems like everyone has forgotten her, except San. It pains me to see him forcing himself to be strong for the nation, when he was already dead inside. But atlas, he became a well-reputable king, which he had promised Deokim. I think this was Junho's best character to date , and i cant wait to see him again in future productions.

Music
Not only the OSTs, the BGMs are well executed. Cry fest in the last episode, just get your tissues ready. I might not have take it if Junho had sang an OST TT

Rewatch Value
I will probably rewatch the happy moments because the sad scenes (ep 17) are just too painful to watch. And also, the pacing was way too fast at the back. They shoud had made this a 20 episode series because the first 10 episodes were spent during crown prince era, and the last 7 episodes were choo train to become king, having deokim reject him again, finally becoming concubine, his family and then witness the death of their kids and finally the death of deokim...

Overall
I stepped into the series expecting a sad love story, and it was well delivered. The pain was felt to the bone. The ending was perfect for me. The part when San chose the afterlife over reality just to be with Deokim touched me. That moment, they were finally each other's everything, and that moment became eternity. It so cruel how fate is, and the social status during the past. If San and Deokim existed in modern times, they will be happy. This love story is famous, and Jeongjo is one of the most romantic king in history for his unwavering love towards deokim. And for seyoung and junho to deliver these characters, i was so happy TT i really just hope their chemistry continues and they have a chance for a happier production:)

til then!!

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"the palace is a dazzling prison"

There aren't enough words to describe how utterly beautiful and wonderful and heart wrenching this drama is. It makes you laugh and cry in the span of minutes. This is undoubtedly the best drama I have watched of 2021, and by far the best sageuk drama I have watched ever.
The acting in my opinion was perfect. Lee Seyoung and lee Junho outdid themselves here they absolutely nailed their roles I cannot imagine anyone else playing Deokim and San as well as they did. Their chemistry and scenes together were so great that you wished for more as soon as they leave the screen.
The characters were all developed and understandable. Deokim loved San, but she also loved her freedom and her life. San loved Deokim and wanted her to be happy, but he also wanted to keep the one woman he had ever loved by his side. Even Deokro wasn't a complete monster, he had his humanity when losing some of the most important people in his life. They all had their own reasons and interests which clashed with others. Everyone was understandable in some way.

The messages given about women's struggles in this period of time is very clear and strong, but they aren't shoved in your face. You feel for the main character and your heart breaks seeing everything that she had to let go of. The last episode, if it doesn't leave you crying your eyes out, will stick with you for a while. I have never cried so much watching an episode than I did with episode 17.

Prepare yourself for a lot of pain if watching this.

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Hauntingly Beautiful

What a great historical drama. I was looking forward to other sageuks at the beginning of 2021 but this one hands down is just so beautifully done. This drama is such a work of art.
Acting: Everyone in the cast is superb. It may be hard for me to remove my bias against idol actors, but Lee Jun Ho's acting here is so good it made me rethink of that bias. In historical dramas, I usually demand strong presence and Jun Ho did not disappoint in that. He has such a wonderful tone and diction. Had he been in the historical dramas as a lead from the late 2000s to the early 2010s, I believe he would be a really lauded and popular actor today. Lee Se Young, I also love her clear diction. She was able to depict the different versions of Deok Im very well, from the young and carefree court lady to the concubine who is limited in her choices. I am so glad that the girl who played the young version of the rival in my first historical drama Jewel in the Palace is rocking her role here as a female lead in her own sageuk drama. The supporting casts all did well to. Special mention to Kang Hoon, Lee Deok Hwa, Jang Hee Jin, Jang Hye Jin, and Park Jin Young. (9.5)
Music: I think the BGM of this drama will go down as one of my favorite BGM's ever. They are so hauntingly beautiful and it serves the purpose well of capturing this great love story. The songs themselves are not so memorable (except Lee Sun Hee's OST) but it really doesn't matter since the BGM's did it's job really well. Plus kudos to not putting any songs that might not befit the theme of this drama (looking at you Moon Lovers). (9.5)
Story: Yi San is one of my favorite historical dramas. I've also seen various actors play King Jeongjo in various dramas (Yi San, Painter of the Wind, Sungkyunkwan Scandal). There's a lot of historical romance dramas I've seen as well. So at first I thought this drama is not unique. Glad to have seen the trailers that made me watch this drama. However this drama's take on the usual sageuk stories is so fresh. It's easy for most to think that becoming a beloved of the king (for a woman of low class position) is something she would want, but kudos to this drama for showing how a woman might not want that kind of life for her (even though she loves the king herself). I also appreciate how they show in this drama that all kinds of women (from high Queen Jeongsun who couldn't even visit her brother's grave to ordinary court lady Myung Hee who died simply because of loving a man) have very limitied choices in the past. This makes us appreciate how we live in the 21st century where a woman is more free. This drama also screams Pride and Prejudice (depicting a woman who tries to have modern sensibilities in a period that does not allow her to) and Titanic (the wonderfully done ending scene) to me. Last thing, even though the drama focuses more on the love story, I still love how this drama portrays well the impact of Yi San being the son of the controversial Sado.
Bonus: I appreciate the level of detail in this drama. The cinematography, the symbolisms (flowers, water, etc). Just so beautiful.

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" The palace is nothing... but a luxurious prison."

First of all ,I need to remind you all that my review is incoherent at best and if you want a proper or perfect english grammar review you won't find it here. This is just me rambling in an unnecessarily long post so that one day I can look back and reminiscing on all the feeling I had for this drama. If you want a proper review I suggest you to read the-sapio-nerd 's review on top of drama's page which best captured every essence of what made The Red Sleeve a great historical kdrama of 2021.

Before going further I need to warn you all , there are spoilers ahead soyou may stop reading now if you intend to watch/ not finished watching this drama yet .

Let me start by saying TRS messed with my feelings and I am still reeling with the after effect this drama gave me post-watching. I can hardly sleep last night thinking about this drama.

TRS made me remember one of the reason why I don't like to watch historical drama especially based on real figures like this one. What is the point of watching if you know or can guess how it will turned out at the end? My real life is already sad enough and I don't need historical drama to add more misery into the mix. That is why I only watch historical drama WITH fantasy and comedic elements. I need some fluffy & humor in my drama to forget the chaos that is my rl at the moment. However, I did not regret watching TRS. For I learned alot from this drama .

I understand now why historical drama usually have more than 50 episodes but I am so thankful that The Red Sleeve have less than 20 episodes . Because I don't think I can handle TRS with 50 or 60 or 70 episodes. I don't think I will ever watch it no matter how good the drama is. God.. with only 17 episodes , I am completely wrecked,depressed and my eyes were puffy from all the crying from the pains the last 6 episodes gave me. I felt like I just lost the love of my life which did not even exist.

The strength of this drama IMO:

1) Spectacular acting from all casts and impressive development of their characters from beginning to end . My most favourite characters: Yi San , Sung Deok Im and King Yeongjo.

Lee Jun Ho. Wow he impressed me with his acting as Yi San. His acting really improved alot since Chief Kim days. I am sure now he will become one of sought after actor by many production in melodrama after TRS. I could feel all his agonies and trauma after losing his father and suffered by ill treatment from his grandfather for the sake of love. Tough love or cruel love you choose. I was surprised his mental was still intact after all that happened. Fortunately, after meeting FL ,our precious Crown Prince found the light of his life. I salute his relentless efforts in pursuing FL and never shy away from his feeling toward her.

Meanwhile, Lee Se Young was excelled in her performance as a court lady, Sung Deok Im . I think all woman would resonate well with her character. Definitely one of a strong FL in dramaland. She bravely turned down Yi San's proposal from time to time again and I was fascinated with her resolution each time. She understand deeply what she will lose by accepting Yi San. She shows that ''To love is not to possess, To own or imprison, Nor to lose one's self in another.'' -James Cavanaught. She shows we woman own ourselves, no one can own us . Not even the man that we love. She shows the true meaning of love yourself more than you love other.

Love usually associated with reckless/ irrational behaviour and full of lust but I loved the fact that in TRS , we can see love can be rational and full of chastity too. TRS had one of a refreshing romance I've seen in dramaland.

Surprisingly, I had a love-hate relationship with Lee Deok Hwa's character. I find myself understand the purpose of his action toward Yi San. Like it was needed to prepare Yi San for what were to come. But believe it, there are better ways to show love than what he did to YS... Nevertheless, he was beyond perfect in his role as King Yeongjo. Never doubt from a veteran actor like him.

I also could empathize with Court Lady Jo's reason for doing what she did. 'Hell has no fury like a woman scorned' -The Mourning Bride. I felt her pains too and I can't 100% fault her for doing what she thinks best for her. She was one pitiful woman.


2) Alluring storyline. Heartfelt script. Top notch cinematography. 1 hour 20++ minutes of each episode won't scared you here. I don't remember myself ever felt bored while watching this drama . Each scene regardless of their importance ,minute or big were needed to build depth in the story and better character development even if it was just a scene of our ML gazing deeply into the pond. And that ending. I could'nt find a better ending than what was shown in that last episode. It was well fitted the story.

My long, messy rambling review will conclude here. Let me cry under my blanket for the last time for Yi San and for Deok Im...

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"Who confined us here? "

I really enjoyed how the drama mostly focused on the women within the palace, shedding light on the fact that the women in the palace are essentially trapped there, without much say in their own decisions. I believe this aspect often goes overlooked in historical series, where being in the palace and close to the King is usually portrayed as the ultimate goal for women. At least that seemed to be the case in the ones I've watched.

So, it was refreshing to see the female lead, Deok Im, challenging these conventional norms for women. Despite her feelings for the king, she consistently put herself first and strived to have choices of her own. And, the finale of the show proved just how right she was in this insistence. As Queen Dowager said "The palace is a dazzling prison" especially for women...

Another aspect that I enjoyed so much was the bond between Deok Im and her friends. Their support and love for each other were truly moving.

Even though there were a few moments where the plot seemed to drag on, like the former king's constant suspicion of Yi San's loyalty, the drama was impactful both for its message and the top-notch acting from all the actors-especially Junho and Lee Se Young were impressive.

Last but not least, the OSTs by Wheein and Lee Sun Hee fit the show so well and complemented the storyline for me. Even after the show had ended, I found myself still humming them.

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One word: Magnificent.

“No words can describe how magnificent this drama was. It has been ages that I have watched such a brilliant piece of a historical drama.”

I adored the entire cast and their brilliant acting and it pains my heart that the drama has ended. The soundtracks were brilliant too and suited every scene in the drama.

I started the drama for Lee Jun Ho but in the end I was blown away by Lee Se Young and her portrayal of Seon Deok Im and Royal Noble Consort Ui.

On the other hand, Lee Jun Ho’s acting was outstanding as well. His expressions were so immense that I could even feel his pain when I watched the drama.

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Mixed feelings

I gave this a higher review because gosh the romance was so believable, the tension palpable, and I loved the level of yearning. The premise is so amazing and had me excited. However, pretty much everything else about this series falls a bit flat for me.

There are multiple, overall pointless, conflicts in the plotline. For example, the incidence with the tiger within the first couple of episodes. This was wasted space that could have been better spent on the relationship or we could have focused on Yi San's reign. The conflicts should have helped develop the characters more or made us more invested in them.

This brings me into my next point. For a while, I couldn't tell if the writers were bad at scriptwriting by making the grandfather have unbelievable mood swings or if the grandfather was meant to be realistically temperamental. The writers later got better at writing the grandfather character and made it apparent he was meant to be temperamental, but at the beginning of the series, it was very, very poorly executed.

My biggest gripe is that Deok Im lost pretty much all of her personality and any speaking time after the Yi San becomes king (even before she is meant to lose herself to the palace). Whenever they had romantic scenes together, I would be immersed but be pulled out because it almost seems like Yi San is just talking at a thing. Deok Im rarely speaks again or has her personality shine through in other scenes. As a result, when she's supposed to lose herself to the palace after becoming a concubine, it doesn't feel as poignant because it feels like we lost the character already a while ago.

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Unexpectedly interesting

When I started this show, I had thought to myself, "Not another romance sageuk" and "Not another show about King Jeongjo." I was wrong on both accounts. Although I traditionally watch sageuks for court intrigue, which this drama lacked, but I didn't miss it. I traditionally also don't like romances and this was the only place I felt that the drama was let down. Will they be together or not? It was a long a tedious question that I couldn't bother whether they answered or not. However, something about the pacing made this drama work, and the actor who played Lee Deok Hwa as King Yeongjo did a fantastic job, as did Lee Joon Ho as Yi San. Not bad for a former boy band member in his first sageuk outing.

For me, the highlight of the show was seeing the relationship between Yi San and his grandfather, whom he concurrently feared for himself and his loved ones, yet was also in awe of. No other rendition of Yi San (in my memory) has showed this fragile side of the man rather than the master who had to constantly juggle and negotiate Noron and Soron politics.

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