Dong Yi (2010)

Dong Yi is this long, epic drama. Admittedly most people feel a little scared to watch it because of its length but it's definitely worth the time spent to watch it.

The drama is definitely an eye opener. There are a lot of shocking moments in this drama where you go my dear god would people actually do that! They're appalling but it really gives you perspective on how seriously politics was taken back then. Also it gives great insight into the slave class and how they were treated in Korea. The drama does a great job of bringing light to that. On top of that the writers did an excellent job of weaving in romance where possible among the tragedies and mysteries of the palace.

Han Hyo Joo does an excellent job of portraying the righteous, just and beautiful Dong Yi who captures many a man's heart while she's on the quest for justice. Ji Jin Hee IS EXCELLENT. I don't know how else to say it. I'm actually a Bae Soo Bin fan so for Ji Jin Hee to steal the light from him in the drama was a pretty big deal for me. He's an excellent king! Very unlike the other kings I've seen in dramas who are portrayed very seriously and he makes it very easy to like him as a leader. Lee So Yeon is a scary woman...honestly her eyes scare me, she truly is the perfect choice for the seductress Lady Jang. Bae Soo Bin is sweet but not quite the main focus so I'll refrain from commenting on how awesome he looks with a beard.

The music behind the scenes is great and it suits the drama perfectly. Sometimes there's some pieces that when you know they come up something bad is going to happen and so I just started hating those ones but thats the only negative thing I can really say about that. Jang Nara is a great song.

And over all! It is honestly one of the best dramas I've ever seen.

Yes you should see it. Absolutely. You'd be a fool not to :) Even with it's 60 hour length!

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What I liked the most about this drama is Dong Yi's character, a beautiful and smart water maid of the Royal Palace. Thanks to her intelligence, she has managed to make her way in the difficult politics of the royal court.
Women are the real protagonists of this story, from the wise and kind queen Inhyeon to the terrible villain Jang Hui Bin.

The plot is really interesting, full of intrigues and conspiracies.. a look at korean history and a tender and fresh love story between the king Sukjong and Dong Yi.. It may seem like a never-ending drama since it has 60 episodes, instead it was really nice and smooth..and it seemed to have really followed Dong Yi's whole life..

There were many unforgettable characters like king Sukjong, a wise leader for his people and a skilled politician but also a kind hearted and even funny person.. thanks to Jin Ji Hee's acting^^
I also loved many supporting roles..who can forget the eunuch? XD

Han Hyo Joo is one of my favorite actresses and I don't need to say that she was great as Dong Yi.

I loved the setting of the royal palace, the sumptuous and colorful costumes and the lovely music. The OST gave a nostalgic feeling to the whole drama.

If you want to know more about korean history in a beautiful and interesting way this is a drama for you^^

Ps: sorry for my English

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OK where do I even begin???

This was by far the best Korean drama no scratch that the BEST Asian drama I ever seen to date. I mean it was so captivating sometimes I forgot to eat ( yeah that is how addicted I got :) ). The story line was inspiring, funny and captivating. The actors did a very well done job in conveying their emptions well with their acting. The music was just amazing, i could not get it out of my head even if i try to. Personally, despite being 60 episode, you will never get bored because, each episode has its own story line and a new adventure for Dong Yi and her fellow people.

As always there can never be a 100% perfect drama out there so here are a few pointers i found a bit annoying.

*To muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh bloody flashbacks, i will guarantee you there will be flashbacks every 5 min in each episode.
* The actors sometimes seem a bit lost while in the middle of filming, they just seem to stare out into space.
* sometimes it feels like the story line was a bit repeated.
*To be honest 60 episode was not needed they could have stopped at 50.

Overall, if you like Historical drams then this is the one to watch, it was witty, charming, charismatic and just lovely to watch.

Let me know what you think (",)

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After 60 episodes of Dong Yi, I realized how epic her story was. It was a beautiful drama with a very touching sound track but I couldn't help compare it to Jang Geum. Not in a bad way though. Dong Yi is worth the watch for every episode because the conspiracy among politics and the lies that has been revealed was always an eye opener. Another thing than amused me thoroughly was how they come up with answers in every political problem.

This drama shows that every lie or bad deed shall be discovered. It may not be today, tomorrow or even soon enough but in the long run… it comes out one way or another. When it does, there are always consequences. That is whether one is forgiven from one's stupid action or would end up with dire consequences.

I loved Dong Yi's character, where she was able to be a person with tough principles through and through. Growing in virtue and without political ambition inside a palace is such a rare thing. Another character that got to me was the king. I love the role he played all through out. He wasn't the average king character where I-am-the-king-so-I-can-do-everything-I-want cliché. Contrary to this, his throne is like a curse, where he has to think very deeply before making any decisions. Though when it comes to Dong Yi- the king's truest love, he is always on inner turmoil. The things Dong-Yi gets herself involved into always keeps the king on his toes. Heh.

Story wise, I have no complains for Dong-Yi. It doesn't have much of loop holes for a long running sageuk drama unlike Queen Seon Duk which left me with so much question and critics besides the high rating and the epic characters. *insert Bidam and Queen Mishil*

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I finally did it ,After sixxxxxxty looong episodes I finally finished it, the story was great I loved the investigation parts, oh and the attendants where really funny., it was sad and funny at the same time. People think the politics we have now is rough, but hell has no furry like a concubine who wants to be queen. It was also one of those series that ended well. But it was long. I think it took two years off my life. And it lacked passion. And they all used the same facial expressions when they where thinking they all looked sideways then up. Then you would see the flash back. Other than that I liked the characters, huh jang ok Jong was a clever person really that's if this was really based on real history. I also loved the way it started i couldn't stop laughing. Then # bang ! It got serious people started conniving. It wasn't boring not even once there was always tension in the palace. I liked it.

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At first i was definitely not interested in watching this drama because there's a total of 60 episodes but i was quite interested in the synopsis of the story. i feel that this drama seems a bit outdated but that is also better because there is no episode waiting. Some scenes were extremely funny and some were extremely sad where you have to force yourself to not cry because your eyes maybe popping out! Every episode was interesting/intriguing. but as you go on towards the ending your patience and curiosity might make you skim through some scenes. Overall i feel that this drama was extremely amazing compared to the present popular dramas i have watched.

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Go on and WATCH IT!!!

I have no complaints about this drama. Even if there was a slight wrong in the whole drama, I didn't notice it because the acting, the story the scenes were soooo good.

I absolutely go bonkers for historical Kdramas and this was one of it.
Jang hui bin especially was played to perfection, the badest bad. A proper villian who took all the advantages against her protagonist. the humor to the story now and then. The wonderful depiction of Crown Princes Suning and Yeoning (Gyeongjong and Yeongjo) loved it!!!
You'd have missed a whole world of fun if don't watch it!

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I'd just like to say...Dong Yi is definitely a drama in my top 5 favourites. The story was portrayed perfectly and they managed to share the emotions and experiences of the characters with the watchers like the watchers were experiencing them themselves.

STORY
The story was brilliant. Though you should remind yourself that it's all based on true events and the writers merely adapted it to them. A lot of people are intimidated by the drama's length and are often worried about getting bored and the drama dragging on. That is something that does NOT happen in this drama. I felt that each episode managed to capture my attention and keep it. It may seem unlikely, but I felt that each of all the 60 episodes were important and contributed to the story. It was one of my first long dramas, and I'll admit that had I noticed the length before watching it, I probably wouldn't have watched it. Luckily for me, I didn't notice that it was 60 episodes, until I was on the 20th episode and too addicted to give it up. I finished the entire drama in two weeks so I think you can imagine just how addicted I was. There are a lot of unexpected plot twists and events that occur that keep the watchers on their toes, so yeah, don't worry about getting bored.

The love story between Dong Yi and the king was definitely a treat to watch. There was also Dong Yi's relationship with the queen and another character whom appears as a brotherly figure that made me love the drama.

ACTING
The acting was also brilliant. Each actor managed to portray their characters perfectly to the extent that I had to at times remind myself not to hate the villains too much as they were merely actors portraying the characters. It was certainly a drama that got me emotionally involved, and the length actually does contribute to that.

MUSIC
I loved the music and felt like each song went perfectly with the drama and the scenes they were played in. A lot of people don't really like the music in Sageuk dramas because they don't suit their tastes. But what they're forgetting is that it's a SAGEUK drama. It's historical. It would be wrong to have a regular Kpop song as the OST when the whole setting is historical. The music blends in really well with the drama and that's what matters.

REWATCH VALUE
High. I've already rewatched some episodes and can definitely see myself rewatching the drama again in the future. Long dramas are often like that too.

OVERALL
Watch the drama. Don't worry about the length and watch it. If sageuk dramas are your thing, then I can guarantee that you'll like it. And if they're not...then give it a try anyway. Who knows, maybe this will be the drama that gets you into sageuk dramas.

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This drama is an all time classic gem! This is the only "rise to power" drama that doesn't involve revenge on it. That's what I like about this drama. The female lead character doesn't need to be rude on her nemesis just to take revenge. I don't actually want to call it revenge, it's more like revealing the truth. She's so innocent and pure, but insanely smart. It's just the people who loves her and people who believes on her was the one who helped her rise from rock bottom to heavens above.

There has a lot of revelation on this show, I mean one after another. It makes you stay on the edge of your sit throughout the whole day. Another great about this show is you'll have an idea how the slave on korea was treated during joseon dynasty. How can powerful people manipulate slaves by their money and doing an unjust death so easily. This is actually an eye opener for us.

The characters were portrayed so well especially Han Hyo Joo's character which is Dong Yi. She's so innocent, beautiful, and smart. Her acting was so great. Very different on her acting in W which is so lame. I also like the character of Ji Jin Hee as the King. He looks so fearsome and strong as a king but when he was with Dong Yi as regular man, he looks so adorably funny. Lee So Yeon's portrayal of her character which is Jang Ok Jung was also great. From being a good concubine who helped Dong Yi to enter the palace to a very bad royal consort who also the one who tried to kill her. That's a very hard character to portray and I'll give her a credit for that.

Overall this drama is worth the watch! Highly recommended for those who wants to find a good drama. Don't be afraid of the 60 episodes. It's absolutely worth it!. Actually when you're on the final 3 episodes you'll wish that it would be longer that it ever should.


SUPERB DRAMA! 2 THUMBS UP! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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The main problem is the long drawn out scenes that don't know when too end. The beginning prophecy ruined some of the drama for me. It's like reading a book back to front. This drama had a bad ending as well. The crying scenes never felt real and detracted from the feeling being conveyed. The director really liked panning shots that are good for some scenes and turns into an over used nightmare. Overall I liked this drama. The way this was directed has a lot of scenes that should of been cut 30 seconds earlier. I feel that 60 episodes is too long and should of been cut to 40 at most.

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