Almost everything about this drama was done very well from start to finish. I first found this drama because of dramabeans. I like very sad dramas, so I was interested and being a war drama didn't hurt either. I love post-Joseon era historical dramas, and I had been very interested in the Korean War for awhile. So, I finally decided to start it, and I watched it in about 2 days. I've rewatched this drama once so far.

Story: [9.0] I liked the overall message very much where the focus was on the people fighting the war and not trying to push a certain agenda like many other people who have reviewed this drama have said. It paints this picture that there wasn't a good side or a bad side, but people trying to survive and civilians who just wanted their children, their brothers, etc. to come back alive. It doesn't try to glorify war but show that war is about the people besides you in the trenches, your comrades. And, that is one of the reasons why I prefer to use the English title "Comrades" rather than "Legend of the Patriots."

The characters were written well for the most part (see below my negative point about the characters). Even though they start out as very stereotypical characters, I always had the thought that it isn't that far from reality either. Take Kim Bum-woo for example. He is a 16-year-old orphan who dreams of being a general, so he can go back and brag about it. It seems stereotypical, but at the same time, it wouldn't seem that far fetched to say there may have been many people like that. And even with that thought, they grew from characters into people in my mind by the end of the drama.

There were many memorable scenes in the drama, but one I'll share isn't much of a spoiler. The soldiers trekking through Gaema Plateau where I could really first feel the brotherhood between all of them. But, there were also many instances where it could feel like they were doing things to get a reaction out of the viewers, but if I thought about it for a second, I realized that it also felt very plausible. So, I couldn't criticize the writers very much even if its purpose in the drama was somewhat unclear sometimes.

Overall, it showed that war isn't black and white. There aren't good guys or bad guys. War is about surviving, but it is also about the people besides you. This drama affects you in a way that will hopefully make you think about war, people, etc.

Let's talk about some negative points.

Some things that weren't so great is the romance in the drama. I won't spoil it too much, but I've always felt either make the romance in a historical drama a major focus that I have to feel something or a very small part of the drama that it gives just enough screen time where it serves its purpose but doesn't feel like I am expected to feel anything. Often, historical dramas that are focused on other themes than romance do neither of these things. They give too much and too little screen time at the same time. They're on screen enough to feel like I should feel something, but their romance hasn't developed enough to feel anything that they wanted me to feel.

Another weakness I think are the characters. Characters are called main characters for a reason; although some main characters will always be more developed than others, I think a couple of the characters weren't developed as much as I feel they should've been although most of the characters were written well.

Also, even though I think the message of the drama is very clear and executed well, it can feel somewhat simplistic when thinking about the complexity of war, and the script can feel a bit bare in other aspects (not having very many details) due to the focus being on that message. If you're looking for a war drama that is accurate and complex, then this drama is probably not for you.

Finally, I think a small weakness was the times where it seemed like impossible situations to get out of, but they got out of it somehow. So, the thing is that almost all historical dramas do this, so I couldn't really fault them for that. Also, it didn't happen nearly as much as other dramas, and it happened a lot less in the second half of the drama.

Acting: [9.5] I do think the acting in general was very solid with a couple of the actors standing out as particularly great performances such as Kim Roi-ha, Kim Myung-soo, and others.

Music: [10.0] I gave it the highest score not because it is masterfully written, but the OST is something I will likely remember for years. When I listen to most OSTs, I'm not reminded of scenes in the drama, and I definitely don't cry, When I listen to this OST, I have flashbacks of scenes I watched, particularly sad scenes which I then end up crying every time. Also, I think the music fits very well in the drama, and I feel an ache in my heart every time I hear chingu-ya.

Rewatch Value: [7.0] I'd personally rewatch this drama many times, but I think I'm a bit odd in that way. For most people, I know that they wouldn't want to experience the sadness that this drama brings out in a person more than once. When I watched this the first time, it was bad; my day was completely ruined, and I felt this pain deep in my heart. So if you don't mind that, then go for it.

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