Title : The Tale of Nokdu
Episodes : 32 (16 of one hour)
Genre : Historical, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Action, Gender Bender, Politics
Story : 9 out of 10
Characters : 9 out of 10
Cinematography : 8 out of 10
An odd story that was actually entertaining and funny.
Story
After his family is attacked by a group of mysterious female assassins, Nokdu sets to find them and get revenge from their leader. And after following one of them, he discovers that they are hiding in a village for widows. That odd village does not allow men to enter, as it is a sanctuary for women who had lost their husbands. So, Nokdu disguises himself as a woman and joins the rest of the female population of the village. There he meets a young, fearless woman, Dong Ju who lives with the gisaengs as an apprentice. Nokdu had met her before when she was disguised as a man and trying to kill the king himself. So, when Dong Ju discovers Nokdu’s real identity, they decide to have a pact. But when their village gets attacked, the secrets that it hides set their lives upside down.
The most interesting thing about this drama is that although it could have been tiring halfway through, they actually managed to balance everything and keep a nice, quick pace, keeping things interesting till the very ending. The latter was actually original and satisfying, as it helped the romance and the political drama at the same time. The twists were entertaining too, as well as the drama and the political intrigues, even though the king’s excuse for his behavior was not good enough (even the characters commented about it!).
The romance was, in addition, cute and well-paced. The two actors had chemistry and looked good together. But what really helped the love story was the breathing space that the drama gave it and for that, the romance had a nice development. Plus, the drama had some seriously funny moments, especially in the beginning.
Characters
Nokdu wants to uncover why his family was attacked in order to protect them. He even goes undercover as a woman to enter an all-women village. There, he not only discovers a web of secrets that are connected to his past and to the king, but he also falls in love with the girl who pretends to be his daughter. Jang Dong Yoon was pretty good with the action scenes as well as the comedy part.
Dong Ju is a fearless, dynamic woman who has a tragic secret and wants to take revenge from the king by killing him. She has dedicated her whole life planning that, but when she meets Nokdu she finally feels like she has a family and starts to want more from life. Kim So Hyun is very experienced as an actress and she knows how to handle her characters.
Yoo Mu is the grand prince of the kingdom. He appears to be prince charming, a well mannered, loving man who wants to help Dong Ju. However, he hides his real motives, which are to dethrone the king and take the throne for himself. However, even though he is ruthless and hungry for power, his feelings for Dong Ju are real. Even though Kang Tae Oh played the evil character, he did a great job with his performance.
Cinematography
The drama was well presented and had a quick pace.
Overall
My overall rating is 8.5 out of 10. The drama was entertaining till the very end.
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