I thoroughly enjoyed The Tale of Nokdu. It was an excellent drama which takes you on a journey showing Nokdu's quest for the truth about the dangers his family faces. It has comedy, romance, melodrama, political scheming, action, family and friendship all mixed together.

Nokdu, played by Jang Dong Yoon, is a charming protagonist throughout the series. JDY's marvellous performance deserves all the praise. When cross-dressing as Lady Kim, he was funny without being disrespectful. Lady Kim was resourceful and strong, not based on a display of weakness. Nokdu himself remains ever manly and powerful and possesses all the masculine qualities from a leading man like his willingness and ability to protect people he loves, effortless leadership qualities and distinctive traits that let him rise through the ranks. Eventually, all of his decisions and actions seem to be the most sensible ones. The hero is smart and decisive as we would like him to be, picking what's good for himself and those around him. I think he is one of my favourite protagonists in a kdrama ever. A+ for Nokdu and JDY.

Crossdressing is used as a tool for Nokdu to live in a village full of women. There are no attempts at making fun of using feminine stereotypes as comic relief. It only comes into use halfway before the story moves to another setting and Nokdu is outed as a man. No matter how pretty he was, I didn't find Nokdu believable as a woman because he is effin ripped and such a manly man, there is just no hiding it. But I happily put my brain away to enjoy the hilarity.

What I absolutely loved was the people around Nokdu, how their relationships played out and what a fun time they had. The women in this show are diverse and powerful- the widows, the kisaengs and those working for an organisation of assassins working towards a better future.

The romance is well-paced and forms an important part of the show but is not the prime focus. The build-up was cute and well-paced, considering that both of them were on a difficult path of their own. I liked how the leads handled their relationship, no noble idiocy here. They have a clear understanding that both of them want to spend their lives together, and either of them alone is not a good idea. I feel like the FL wasn't given a significant role in the drama, which is fine, its called The Tale of Nokdu after all. Kim So Hyun is ever talented and I was happy to root for her as Dong Joo.

I need to talk about the two wonderful villains in this show. A Mad King (played by Jung Joon Ho) and the ruthless Prince (played by Kang Tae Ho). These two were so good! I loved the characters themselves as villains and the two actors were just phenomenal. I hope to see them again in other dramas cause they were just so amazing. Also, why are the bad guys so hot omg.

(Spoiler)
Ending: Its a happy and satisfying ending, thank you writer-nim!
(End spoiler)

Overall, I highly recommend this show if you want to watch something with a little bit of everything well mashed together.