Korean Historical Drama "The Red Sleeve" is a drama that chronographs the stories two dominant characters.

First of all, the story doesn't overdo it with the romance. It doesn't add any unnecessary love triangle, doesn't alter the historical aspect of the drama to feat the romance's needs, it doesn't get boring or has cheesy tropes. It is a sensitive, subtle, often chaotic, love story that helps to have the two characters move forward and prompts their actions when it is needed.

That is evident by Deok Im's (the female lead) way of thinking. She is an independent woman who loves her freedom and fears that the prince's love will alter her life and her own self as well. She is afraid to lose who she is, and, as she puts it "The prince's life is precious, but my life more precious (to me)". All these, along with her aloof personality, strong energy, reckless behavior, fearless actions, and clever thinking, set her apart from the rest of the silly female characters that lose their own footing when they fell in love with the male lead.

The rest of the characters were delightful as well. Strong and often tragic, they were all great elements to a masterfully created puzzle. The performances were all great as well, and all the actors and actresses had interesting dynamics that worked to the drama's advantage.

As for the cinematography, it was brilliant and feated the drama perfectly. The first part was lighter, with brighter color and many funny scenes. The second part, on the other hand, was darker, with dimmer lights, murkier color palettes and more dramatic events that focused more on the political aspect of the story. The final part, however, was the weaker. It was hasty and didn't present the story as smoothly as it should, though the ending was fitting the mood of the drama.

So, overall, 9 out of 10.