My Country: The New Age (2019)

The storyline was okay for me. It would've been a great storyline if the ending was great. I won't give it away. The two main male leads, Yang Se Jong and Woo Do Hwan had their ups and downs but ended up being bros. I love the way they portrayed their characters. I must see more of these two. Woo Do Hwan definitely has those eyes I love! Yang Se Jong has that toughness about him which I love. I didn't feel the romance chemistry with YSJ and HSH. I did love the first 3 episodes. I love the camaraderie with the 3 others member, protecting and fighting to protect Hwi. I love how they were in front of the gate in tears!

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" My Country : The New Age " was overall okay.

What I really liked about this drama was the bromance. The main leads had chemistry and their stories were tragic and had intensity as fate kept pushing them apart. However, their story kept falling into the same trope over and over again and it just got predictable. Also, the story felt like it was missing something and therefore sometimes it was just dragging.

Still, the performances were great from everyone. Seol Hyun was actually a nice surprise, as after Orange Marmalade I was afraid that her performance won't be good enough for her character. But she did a great job and she looked professional. But, the early romance was just weak and her character, even though she started as a dynamic, strong one, ended up being there to fill in the emotional gaps between the all men story. Also, and this is just a detail but still, some hairstyles were simply bad, looking all fake or ridiculous.

So, overall, six and a half out of ten.

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"We all have a country we wish to protect."

Story: 7/10
Plot - This drama is a good portrayal of what people can do just for their ambitions or desires. Parents are capable of discarding their children and vice versa. Greed for power is something which makes us blind to what we already have and the ones in power, end up destroying nations for it. Well, its a strong plot but what made me rate it so slow? Unfortunately I didn't like the execution of it. The characters and the story both had potential before it started falling apart after 6 episodes. The story was scattered all over the place in my opinion. The plot only moved when someone died but otherwise, it seemed to be staying still. There was no character development, none. All I felt was that if characters made some progress, next moment they took tons of steps back. If I'm to summarize it, tons of people were after the throne and revolting all over the place. There's too much of slaying and stabbing if you'd ask me.
Characters - I loved most of the characters but I didn't like Seo Hwi's. At the same time, I was glad that the writer didn't make romance the main element for the show. If you're here for Seo Hwi x Seon Ho then don't get your hopes up because they have few brotherly scenes together. As for the side characters, they were a nice distraction. They were more lively than our main leads. One character which stood out the moment he was on-screen was Lee Bang-won before his character become victimized to the writing. Those who've seen the drama would know what I'm talking about.

Acting/Cast: 10/10
The only part that made me keep going till the very end. I love Woo Do Hwan and Yang Se Jong and them together in this was what pulled me in like many others. Woo Do Hwan didn't disappoint, like always. For Yang Se Jong, he's done better. But, Jang Hyuk was the best, hands down. His portrayal of Bang-won was....perfect. He played most complex character of the show and nailed it.

Music: 9/10
Overall music was really nice. Enough to make me go search for the whole album, which is a rare thing in my case.

Re-watch Value: 5/10
Nope, never gonna happen. Too darn depressing to watch again.

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Second viewing reveals so much more!

This first time I watched this drama, I absolutely enjoyed it. But because I was new to Korean history, I didn't understand a lot of the subtext, or the historical context. I loved the drama ... and I was mostly focused on the two main characters, whose story is very engaging. The show - even without the context and subtext I now have - was worth watching again, and now, a year later I am mid-way through it a second time, and this time, it's blowing me away!

Watching it a second time, my perspective has shifted dramatically. Understanding, now, who Lee Bang Won is, historically, my attention is somewhat drawn away from the two main characters, and riveted on the performance rendered by Jang Hyeok. WOW! I have seen this character portrayed by other actors ... all really good performances, but Jang Hyeok's performance is stellar.

If you haven't seen this show yet, I very highly recommend it.
Don't miss what I missed - and keep an eye peeled on Jang Hyeok, while also enjoying the other aspects of the story. I'm at episode 14, the second time around, and I can't wait to sit down and watch some more!! 😀

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Easily the best historical drama I've watched

If I could give this drama more stars than 10, I would. At first I was hesitant to watch this drama because I was only familiar with Yang Se Jong (out of the main cast) at the time it aired and I'm not the hugest fan of historical dramas. But after I had seen dramas with Jang Hyuk and Woo Do Hwan, I decided to give this another go in 2020. I was so glad I did.

While viewing this drama, I felt as though it had a very modern feel to it, despite the fact that it was set way back in history. The soundtrack and the beautifully shot action scenes is what drew me in to the drama. I also loved the wardrobe, and the color scheme of red and blue to show the different sides of the main characters. This drama ultimately excelled because of its casting which I felt like was tailor made for the characters in the drama. Each actor did such an amazing job at bringing their character to life. The two actors who stood out the most to me were Jang Hyuk and Ahn Nae Sang. Jang Hyuk played the charismatic and power hungry prince. I was always torn between loving him and hating him. Ahn Nae Sang played the despicable father to Woo Do Hwan's character, Nam Seon Ho. He really captivated the screen in all of his scenes.

As a Woo Do Hwan fan, I have to say he killed it in this drama. Although I paid attention to some of the other characters more, I still loved his performance and appreciated the purpose Seon-ho had in the story. Nam Seon Ho is probably my favorite role of his because of the multitude of emotions he was able to show with sometimes just his eyes.

While the plot revolved around Yi Bang Won scheming to take the throne, I believe that this drama was ultimately all about relationships, which is why I loved the story so much. There were so many connections that were showcased throughout this drama: father-son, friend-friend, boyfriend-girlfriend, brother-sister, king-subjects. I usually watch dramas for entertainment, so they rarely make me stop and think about my life. However, My Country left a huge impact on me. Each character had their own vision of what "their country" was to them, on a more literal level, and on a more philosophical level. This drama caused me slow down for a moment and take a moment to step back and breathe. I never had cried so much while watching a drama. This drama is not for the faint of heart, so have your tissues ready.

Note: There were some drawbacks to the drama. I was disappointed in Seolhyun's character, Hui-jae. I felt like she was underutilized and spent most of the drama worrying about Seo Hwi. In the beginning, I felt like she was doing everything because of Hwi and didn't have any of her own ambitions or desires. Luckily she transformed when she became allied with the Queen. Her best moments were when she was defending Ihwaru as well as carrying out her duties as the head lady. Despite all of that, I wish her character had more to add because I felt like a lot of her story happened off screen. Another thing that didn't make sense was the fact that the characters suffered grave wounds but were seemingly fine the next day. For me, this was just a detail issue rather than a weakness of the plot. Lastly, some of the time skips seemed abrupt because some moments were missing that caused me confusion for part of the episodes. For example, the queen had died during a time skip but it wasn't really fully explained until a little later.

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A drama full of complicated relationships

Completed - 2/24/2022

I can't help but compare this drama to "Six Flying Dragons" which I have watched 29 of 50 episodes and then put on hold. There are a few common historical figures but with very different personalities. The production value and acting of both dramas are of high caliber. With my experience with “Six Flying Dragons”, I also realized that I cannot binge-watch this drama. This drama is intense with too much going on. The episodes are quite long as well (about 1 hr and 15 mins) and I lose focus and get bored when I binge-watched almost half of the show. I had to slow down and watch 1-2 episodes a day.

There are many different complicated relationships in this drama: Bromance, friendships, camaraderie, romance, father-son, and siblings.

Seo Hwi + Seon Ho (Bromance) - The friendship/bromance between our two male leads is different from other bromances I've seen. We actually don't see many scenes with Seo Hwi and Seon Ho together - mainly the first and last few episodes. They have been friends since childhood and through thick and thin. Their friendship is deep, even though they are from very different backgrounds and have very different life experiences. Throughout the drama, you can say they both have a common goal, but they go about achieving that through very different (bloody) means. They harbor sadness, anger and seek revenge, while pushing away the other's support and care. It's quite a push-and-pull relationship. They seem to hate each other at times, but in the end, they never kill each other when given the opportunity. The love has always been there, buried under their hardened hearts.

Seo Hwi + War Comrades - Seo Hwi and his friends provide some comic relief and lightheartedness in this drama. They bicker and beat up each other all in the name of fun and friendship. Without them, this drama would be too dark and too heavy.

Romance - Do not come into this drama because you want a lot of romance. Romance is only a very small part of this drama. Because this drama covers such a long period of time (many years), it cannot devote too many episodes on Seo Hwi and Hee Jae’s initial attraction to create a strong foundation of the romance. Therefore, it seems like they fall in love too quickly. We do see a few romantic and heartfelt scenes, but those are far and few between. On the other hand, the other pair, Moon Bok and Hwa Wol, provide comic relief. They seem like an unlikely pair but they are so funny and cute together.

Father and Son: Seon Ho and his father (Nam Jeong) have a love-hate relationship. Seon Ho found his father’s actions despicable and wanted to take him down. On the other hand, Nam Jeon seems to despise his son and only wanted him as a replacement for his dead older son. But in the end, do they truly hate each other? When there’s a chance to kill each other, can they really do it? Similarly the King and his princes also have some complicated relationships. The princes seek the throne, yet could they really kill their father for it? Will the king kill his sons to keep his throne? Without giving away spoilers, there’s a lot of internal struggles and is also a big part of the political drama.

Siblings: The princes might not want to kill each other for the throne. But circumstances might push them to do so. There are complicated feelings and internal struggles. On the other hand, we also see the tight bond between Seo Hwi and his little sister, Yeon. They have relied on each other since their father’s death, and the love they have for each other is deep. It’s no wonder Seo Hwi will go through hell, pushing his dear friend away, in order to seek revenge.

Other Observations:
1. Seon Ho is the saddest character. He goes through his journey of revenge and bloodshed mainly alone. At least Seo Hwi has his war friends by his side. Seon Ho has none. I think I enjoy Seon Ho’s journey and character development more than Seo Hwi’s.
2. All the characters must have 9 lives. They got slashed and stabbed by swords and arrows so many times, and they still recovered at lightning speed to be stabbed again.
3. Seo Hwi cries a lot.
4. But then, this whole drama is full of non-stop suffering and bloodshed.
5. I never saw Sambong’s face. I was hoping Kim Myung Min, who plays Sambong in “Six Flying Dragons” might show up as a cameo.
6. I like the OST. It’s quite unique for historical drama with what seems like a mix of different genres.

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Tragically beautiful

I was thoroughly confused when I watched the first episode. I had no idea what was going on, who was who and ofcourse I had to do some digging to make some sense of it. This show did a good job with narrating faction - fact+fiction. Blended well, it’s hard to differentiate between good and evil. Especially Bangwon. He’s grey through and through. Having said that Namjeon is black through and through(God I hated him).

What was wonderful was the ping pong that Hwi and SeonHo played between good and evil. Seonho is such a tragic character, who suffers
endlessly with his father and his choices and his fate that I just wanted him and Hwi to sort it out and be BFF’s again.

This show keeps you wondering which way it’s going to go, and then ends in a heartbreaking manner, but the journey to that is completely worth it.

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A beautiful story of friendship.

It is the story of two friends in a time of political tension who find themselves at aiming their swords against one another due to differences in opinion about their country.
Seo Hwi is a warrior. His life devolves into a hellish existence, but he still holds a smile. Nam Sun Ho is smart and a talented figure. He wants to pass the military service examination. Due to a corruption scandal involving his father, Nam Sun Ho loses his dream. Making things worse, he comes into conflict with Seo Hwi over a misunderstanding.

I entered this drama a bit skeptical, to be honest I like Korean productions above all, especially thrillers, on the other hand, there is one thing that I watch the least, it is historical drama productions because China is really top-notch in this (despite censorship), so I tend to watch theirs rather than others in general.
Now, what attracted me the most in this story was the marketed bromance between the two main characters, I like well-made friendships between male characters. However, I was afraid for a while that the romance would take over, and especially that Han Hee Jae, the female lead, would find herself between the two and give us another badly done version of a love triangle.
And honestly, I'm glad that wasn't the case, not only is the friendship of the two male leads central to the story, but the romance doesn't take up much space, to the point that the writers would even been able to refrain from adding it because it brought nothing.

Now, Han Hee Jae got her role, her back story, her character is midly interesting so I think overall she brought a bit, but hey, not only was the romance not necessary, but she's also one of the only ones characters from the main cast that didn't measure up to the others.

As for our two lead males, I must say that their story is fascinating, despite the misunderstandings, the lies, the half-truths, they really have the kind of incredible friendship. The number of times they fought for each other, protecting each other at the risk of their lives despite swearing the opposite. I think one of the phrases sum up pretty well their relationship, they are like the sun and the moon. The opposite of one and the other, but inseparable despite all the trials.
Really, their friendship was the highlight.

Yang Se Jong is playing Seo Hwi, he's an actor I discovered in the thriller "Duel" and I still remember his superb performance, his role here was really emotional and versatile, he showed so many layers to his character that I'm really glad he got that role.

As for Woo Do Hwan, who plays the role of Nam Sun Ho, I saw him in "The King : Eternal Monarch" which to me was such a waste of his potential, he is made for lead roles and complex characters, like here. I believe he was the most complex character of all, he also sacrificed a lot, being in the shadows to support and save Seo Hwi time after time.

For the rest of the cast, I'm happy to see Jang Hyuk as Prince Yi Bang Won again, I discovered him in "Voice" in a superb role of sensitivity but his role in "Tell Me What You Saw" left me disappointed, I'm really happy to have rediscovered him here because he's a good actor. The rest of the actors did a good job, we hated those who should be and appreciate those who should too. I really got attached to some of them.

Now, for the production, I was afraid to end up with the kind of light-hearted drama like "Hwarang" which honestly makes me dislike Korean historical dramas. Such was my surprise to see that it was very well shot, the tones are correct for this kind of intense drama. The fight scenes are very well choreographed, the sets are superb and the costumes are really beautiful.

As for the script, I must say that it was a bit long, yet each episode was at most 1 hour 20 minutes long, and with sixteen of them. I think I would have liked the plot to evolve more quickly or add more meaningful scenes, or have some removed, and I understand that emotionally we follow the journey of the characters and how they got to a certain point, but it's slow sometimes. But I liked the political plots, although they weren't that much impressive and developped, it was entertaining to keep the tension going. I've seen people say it was the best historical drama of 2019, I seem a correct assumption for Korean ones.
However, one thing that bothered me was that the injuries didn't make sense. The number of times the male leads got pierced by swords and should have died, only to find themselves running ten minutes later and fighting, while Seo Hwi's sister, Seo Yeon, she is also pierced but she dies and so many other characters too. It's just annoying that the realism was not extended on this aspect while they did a good job with the rest overall.

The end was good, I like that it's somehow a happy one, and a sad one. I think our characters had endured so much that they were "exhausted" with life, especially Nam Sun Ho, the ending just feels right and realistic.

So, I recommend for sure, it's really a series to see and re-see, the OST also especially "River Flower" was the best to me. It's really character-driven, with a solid overall story that helps support this incredible cast, the friendship of the two leads was the highlight, especially to show that love in a friendship is sometimes just enough and stronger than anything.

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(There is only a slight spoiler, but it's so small and not detailed to exactly give it away)

I'm not good at reviews and this is my first time writing one, since someone told me to make it official from the comments. But words cannot express how much I fell inlove with this drama and I hope one day, whenever any of you get the chance you come across it, you will see it, or you will feel the same way as I after finishing it.

Here is a list of why I enjoyed this drama and why you should definitely check it out!


1. I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP!
I love how the writer showed that even though Seo Hwi and Nam Sun Ho were influenced by different beliefs, and once enemies to each other, and caused terrible pain to each other, they never once forgot where they came from and who was there for them, which was each other at the end of the day. Even when hell came falling in, they even tried to understand each other in times when they didn't want to listen, and went against everything to save each other from their own mistakes, and deaths too. That even if they were enemies they could never bare to lose each other in the mist of their beliefs and views of the world. And that showed how powerful and true their friendship was and I loved every bit of it.


2. THE ENDING THAT BROKE US ALL
If I were to describe it, I would say it was beautiful, yet haunting. Honestly speaking, they [WILL NOT STATE NAMES FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET] deserved sooooo much better, and if I could give it to them, I would. I'm sure those who have watched it ended up crying, and I'll admit, I was one of those people. I cried for a good minute. And in that minute, I was hating THAT character, wishing I could jump into the drama as a witch or something and grant them the happiness they deserved. And it truly broke my heart watching their stories develop into a bittersweet ending that makes you feel hopeless for a little, but then I end up smiling as I remember how beautiful their stories were told and treasured.

3. THE ACTING
Everything was amazing and everyone played their characters soo well, that if I were to meet any of these Actors and Actresses today, I would end up accidentally calling them by their character's name. The story plot played well, giving enough twist and action to fulfill your needs. The cinema was perfect! As someone who's interested in film, I loved it all including the colors that framed the story and the way it was filmed that truly gives you that P.O.V angle that helps give a greater understanding to each character's emotions in those hectic moments.

CON

There weren't many cons for me since I enjoy Historical Fiction dramas/films, but there was one that couldn't sit with my well. And that was the love interest between Seo Hwi and Han Hee Jae. I'm not sure what is was, but I felt as if their relationship was missing something. Chemistry perhaps. To me, they didn't feel like someone who's in love or a couple at all, they felt more like close friends who had each other's back who in certain moments wanted to love each other more than friends, but it just didn't work out that great. Don't get me wrong, the actors both did amazing jobs with their characters and YASSSSS to Kim Seol Hyunn playing a bad-ass female character, but together as a couple wasn't it.

BUT
never the less, I love this story all throughout and will watch it many times over! Please check out this drama or you will miss out on a beautiful story regardless of what you've heard!!!!

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Amazing Heartfelt Bromance & Interesting Saeguk

I never imagined myself trying this drama but ultimately gave it a try after a friend strongly recommended it to me. AND IT WAS GOOD! The first episode grabbed me right from the beginning and I couldn't stop watching. I had expected there to be a lot of politics and corruption in this drama, but boy was I wrong! It was filled with intense and exciting fight sequences and an amazing friendship story between Seo Hwi and Nam Seonho. I felt their chemistry just from the two of them being in the same scene together and it was really just heartbreaking how their friendship progressed and ended in the finale. There were some slow parts, but much more fast-paced scenes and stories. The story is easy to follow and the characters are all developed so deeply that I got attached to all of them. I don't even have to say it, but the acting was top-notch! Yang Sejong and Woo Dohwan did a spectacular job! Totally recommend anyone to try this, even if you're not into saeguks because I sure did not expect myself to love this drama & its characters this much.

Things I liked:
1. THE BROMANCE (Hwi x Seonho was so heartbreakingly beautiful to watch on screen; if only they got to spend more happy times together)
2. the OST- it was just amazing!!! The soundtrack played into the emotions at the scenes and really broke my heart in some of them.
3. ACTING- Yang Sejong and Woo Dohwan are incredible as their characters. they really brought them to life.
4. Characters- I really loved Hwi's gang, they were hilarious together and I really loved seeing them all fight and save each other at crucial moments; their comedic scenes were also just as great as their emotional ones
5. Fight scenes!- The fighting scenes were always so fun to watch because it was just so exciting! I especially loved seeing Hwi and Seonho fight side by side (although this only happened a few times); the bgm that played whenever Hwi started shooting arrows or using his sword also brought all the feels and dramaticness
6. Engaging Story

Things I didn't like:
1. the focus on the romance line- I felt it was kind of boring whenever Hwi's love line was shown because the bromance was more than enough for the story

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