Thanks to the great recommendation by Dion, I first got introduced to Empress Ki. I have always knew about the drama (Ha Ji Won is inside, obviously I would know about it), the synopsis did not attract me enough because it seemed really similar to Dong Yi (which I have watched previously). Furthermore, 50 episodes is a really long drama.
Luckily, I pushed myself into watching it since I had nothing much to do one day. I went in without reading any spoiler and I really suggest that you do that because I got a really good surprise, which is the fact that the main character (Ki Nyang) dresses up as a male in the first 10+ episodes!!! Seriously, it's been too long since I've seen dramas with a badass girl dressing up as a guy, and people acknowledging her without caring about her gender.
What I really liked about Empress Ki is how it espouses feminism on so many levels. From Nyang cross-dressing and attaining praise from men around her, to how she rises up within the palace amidst an environment with so many men.
The plot of Empress Ki is also really fast-paced and holds its own pretty well, although it does get slightly sloppy in the last 10 episodes. However, the first 40 episodes are pretty amazing. In fact, I do feel like the story has lost its momentum after El Temur was killed; it was the remaining desire to see how Nyang ends up as the Empress that led me to continue watching the drama. Oh, and the last redeeming feature of the last 10 episodes is literally Tal Tal; his character is incredibly nuanced and it helps that he has the smarts like Nyang does.
To be honest, I felt like the characters of King Wang Yu and Emperor Togon were annoying throughout the whole drama (save for the last episode which was REALLY the redeeming episode for Emperor Togon; how can anyone not like him after that?). They were unexpectedly very emotional, which I guess could be argued to show how there are no stereotypes (i.e. women are supposed to be more emotional than men). They were even more emotional than Nyang, which led them to made some really weird choices. Frankly, this made me as a viewer quite irritated.
And honestly, I never really liked both of them (I skipped alot of Wang Yu's parts lol). But I guess Emperor Togon was less annoying of the both. I especially liked his interaction with Nyang when he hired her as the palace maid and constantly teased her. And like I said previously, the last few episodes really redeemed him as a character, which showed how he could have been a pretty awesome ruler if not for the various villains and people in his way.
Empress Ki is definitely a good historical drama to add to my collection. However, its 50 episodes is definitely a little off-putting. Anyway, people who like Empress Ki should also watch Hwang Jini (with Ha Ji Won again) and The Princess Man; they all have pretty solid female characters :)
The next drama I will talk about is Healer. I mainly watched it because of a mild interest in Ji Chang Wook who acted in Empress Ki, and because I thought "action drama, why not?". I was definitely afraid that it would turn out to be like City Hunter which I got slightly bored of after watching 8 episodes. However, it turned out to be similar but different; in other words, I think that Healer is a better version of City Hunter (at least for the first 8 episodes since I did not watch the later episodes of City Hunter).
I was initially reluctant to watch this drama because I was not really a fan of Park Min Yeong. However, this drama gave me a better impression of her. I felt she became more mature and acted better in this drama. Also, she gave off a more natural feeling and look. Was it the lack of make-up/ little make-up? Either way, I felt she looked better in this drama and became more in love with her as a character as the drama went on.
Firstly, this drama is really smart. The technology inside (the glasses anyone?), the information gathering techniques and the martial arts is just amazing. This drama makes Healer feel really high-tech without being overtly showy (since Healer is supposed to be unknown by the general public right??), giving it a very realistic feel. And everyone in this drama is really smart, or has at least a certain level of common sense (yes, even the main female character Sin Yeong), making this a really fun drama to watch as you see characters trying to figure each other out.
Secondly, this drama is very realistic. Okay, what I mean is that we do not get characters doing things which would probably seem very stupid in real life, simply for the sake of developing plotlines. For example, there was this scene where Sin Yeong knows that Healer is going off to fight, she asks him if there is going to be fighting. And when he replies yes, she immediately gets off the car and leaves Healer to do his own badass fighting, without being a burden to him. I was really scared that she would be like normal female characters who say 'okay, I'll go with you and help.' When that usually happens, I think in my mind, "Exactly what can you help him with???" Although it could be because of her trauma towards violence, dramas always make a mistake with this kind of situation and I am really glad that they didn't do that here.
Thirdly, the chemistry between the two main characters is really amazing!! Episode 15 onwards will show how. Furthermore, I like how the love between these 2 characters do not get weakened simply due to misunderstandings - a plotline that dramas use too often. Rather, there is implicit trust between them, which makes it a very enjoyable love line to watch.
Fourth, every, and I mean every, character in this show is interesting to watch. Although there certainly are minor characters, these characters do not get simplified into one-dimensional ones. They each have their own motivations and you can certainly feel what's driving each of them; and let me tell you, their motivations are all very rational, a very delightful change from dramas with characters who just do bad simply for the sake of being bad - like, why would anyone in the right mind do that? Supporting casts are also developed very nicely, that little recap for Healer's teacher in Episode 15 was pure gold. I liked how the drama focused on different relationships, rather than simply the romantic ones.
Lastly, the soundtrack is amazing. They even got this Danish band Michael Learns To Rock to write an OST called Eternal Love. Like WOW. The sound effects are also really fitting for this drama - all the camera-zooming sounds really made this drama feel all that much like an action drama.
Okay, enough of my praise for this amazing drama. But seriously, its plot is amazing, even for the last episode (which usually ends up being a filler episode, but this does not happen in Healer). Although, I would have liked more of a complete ending which tied up all the loose ends. But then again, I guess the remaining loose ends is also part of what makes the ending episode a good one - it leaves you wanting more.
Oh, and Healer made me start liking Ji Chang Wook, a much needed save after my dislike of his character in Empress Ki. He was just totally cool in this drama - smart, good-looking, knows how to fight.
And that's all for my drama praise! I am really lucky to have picked dramas which I end up liking; I would have hated it if I ended up feeling I wasted my time watching it.
I shall now go on a search for another awesome drama before my term break ends hee.
No comments:
Post a Comment