Personally, I loved this drama. It's definitely not the best out there, and I acknowledge that there are flaws, but I absolutely loved it 100%. The only reason I didn't give it full marks is because it's definitely lacking and I'm trying to look at it from a technical point of view.
In my opinion, the writers did a good job with this one. I'm usually hesitant to watch historical dramas because they often have a lot of episodes which results in the story dragging oooon and oooon and oooooooooon. However, since this one only had 12 I guess the writers felt rushed in a sense and squeezed everything in, which was great. Transitions between arcs were smooth, I was never bored, and the story had a nice mix of everything. It's pretty simple actually. A little country boy goes to Hanyang, the country's capital, and meets three other people; Heo Seung Po (The Prince's Royal Guard, Right Side) Ahn Min Seo (The Prince's Royal Guard, Left Side) and The Crown Prince himself. They call themselves the Three Musketeers, and go around wreaking havoc but trying to save the country at the same time. I found it interesting that they converted a book written in the mid-1800's into a Korean historical drama. Who would've thought? If you're worried about a dragging story or a boring plot, I can assure you there is nothing of the sort. As a matter of fact, if you're a somewhat dedicated watcher I can guarantee that you"ll finish this within 3 or 4 days.
I really liked the cast, despite the fact that some characters did bother me a whole lot. In the beginning both Dal Hyang and the Crown Prince were a bit too proud for my liking, however both of them took each other down a peg which worked out pretty well. I'm a bit sad that the writers didn't delve more into the Prince's guards, because I absolutely loved them. If it weren't for Heo Seung Po this drama would've been a melodrama. As for Ahn Min Seo, I hate to admit it but he was kind of just there. HSP had at least a bit of a story, but AMS didn't get much of a story. Or a personality. I mean I get it, he's the classy one, the one who's the most controlled out of all of them. Still, there's no depth for him. I suppose since the drama was so short they had to cut down on the character development for AMS and HSP, but I wish they got more screen time. It's kind of sad, I really like Jung Hae In, haha. The two female leads did a spectacular job too, and Yoo In Young (plus her beauty) never disappoints.
There was nothing really special about the music, but I did notice that in the beginning they historical-ified some kpop songs and made it sound like regular sageuk music. It was kind of interesting to hear HyunA's Red in historical drama version, but nevertheless I liked it.
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I don't usually rewatch dramas just because I'm one of those people who don't watch if they already know what's going to happen, but since it's so short and I loved it so much, I'll probably rewatch.
I'm sorry for such a long review, but I guess I just like to write, haha. This drama overall was a definite yes in spite of its flaws, and I'm hoping I can find yet another one that I will love just as much, perhaps even more. I'm really sad to hear that they won't be doing a season 2 & 3, I guess it wasn't very popular in Korea? Maybe budget cuts? Who knows. Yet another good drama has been finished, and I hope you can watch and share my love for this drama too. Happy watching!
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