the tale of nokdu review
Completed manicmuse11 people found this review helpful Story 10 Acting/Cast 10 Music Rewatch Value I started this drama reluctantly because I wasn't sure if I was in the mood to watch another cross-dressing romcom, but this drama is a perfect example of why you can't judge a book by its cover, or a drama by its poster. This drama was way better than I could have imagined, and although part of it is the romcom that I expected it to be there is way more depth to the story. The Take of Nokdu is an amazingly well-told story from the beginning to the very end. This is a historical drama that takes on a lot of different genres... silly comedy, fast-paced action, ruthless politics, heartbreaking drama, plots of revenge, even some suspense, and of course romance, and blends it all together in a way that works surprisingly well. Some people may watch a few episodes and start to lose interest because they feel like they already know whats going to happen but trust that you probably have no clue how this story will eventually turn. Some of the episodes may just seem like comedic tropes filled with romantic cliche's and cross-dressing jokes, but this is how the audience gets to know and love all of the characters before the story starts piecing all of the seemingly disjointed parts of the plot puzzle together. And I did love all of the characters, even the ones I loved to hate, but the most lovable of all was Jang Dong Yoon as Nok Nokdu is the title character it's important that he is at least likable but Jang Dong Yoon more than succeeds in playing a charming character that I loved rooting for. It's his quest to find out the truth about who he is that takes him on this epic journey where he ends up pretending he is a widow on the run "Lady Kim". Sure the idea that he is such a convincing woman is pretty ridiculous but he really makes it work without playing too much into feminine stereotypes. This is the first drama that I've seen Jang Dong Yoon in, and I was definitely impressed. He is perfectly matched with Kim So Hyun as Dong Joo, who may be much younger but being an experienced actress, she definitely holds her own. They have great chemistry from the moment they meet, going from sibling-like squabbling, then eventually growing closer. I also loved that Dong Joo had more of a fighter's spirit and had more traditionally male energy in some ways and Nokdu was the more sensitive and romantic one which added to how he could be easily seen as feminine. Sure they both have literal genderbending moments, but this drama doesn't play up that misunderstanding for too long, and crossdressing is eventually used more like a tool. Instead, we get to see all the things that bring them closer together and fuels their connection and eventually their trust and support for each other. That brings me to Kang Tae Oh who plays the quintessential handsome second lead role and gives a performance that is absolutely brilliant. As much as I loved Nokdu and Dong Joo, it is Yool Mu who is the true breakout star of this drama!I don't want to go into much detail about each amazing cast member since I don't want to accidentally give away too much of the plot, but just know that the entire cast is great. Some characters are more for comic relief, while others are much more sinister, serious and complicated, but they made me care about what happened to each one of them Shout out to Hwang In Yeob who may be a man of few words but his eyes and smirk said volumes. Some characters are more frustrating to watch, like the impetuously hot-tempered king and the annoyingly food-obsessed and unable to just shut up little girl, but that's because of the role they play in the story. The Island of exiles, The Widow Village, The Gisaeng House, The Palace... The world of Tale of Nokdu is filled with great and performances and a cast that knows how to go from comedy to action to drama without making it feel disjointed. Earlier scenes were a bit confusing to me, especially the politically based ones, but with every revelation, the full story becomes clearer and clearer. This is a drama that gets better and better with each episode, constantly building momentum. Even seemingly mundane moments have an importance that isn't realized at first. This is a drama that pays attention to details, without ever taking itself too seriously for too long. Every episode of this drama is meant to entertain and it does. I'm sure it's even better if you binge-watch it instead of having to wait. It also has a very satisfying ending in my opinion which gives the serious moments the attention they deserve while still leaving room for the playfulness that makes this drama so much leads me to the question of whether or not I would rewatch this drama and my answer is definitely. It would be great to see this drama again now that I know what's really going on, and am able to catch all the things I missed the first time. I'm sure it will be just as entertaining, even if the suspense is gone. The performances, storytelling, and cinematography are compelling enough to keep me entertained, and I can already think of a few scenes that I would love to see also liked the OST. I won't say that any of the songs are favorites of mine but they fit the different moods of the drama this is definitely a drama I would recommend and already have. It's one of my new favorite sageuks, and although this didn't make me as emotional as my favorite historical dramas usually do I really felt connected to characters in a way that I never would have expected when I started. I also loved seeing a romance that isn't just about chemistry, flirting, or fate but is about choosing to be each other's support and "home". I even empathized with many of the villainous characters. And I especially loved the theme of the value of trust and the importance of having support from people who care vs a lonely existence where you may have wealth and power but can trust no one. The sillier moments may be too over the top for some viewers but I thought they were really cute, especially the earlier bonding episodes between Nokdu and Dong Joo. The heavier moments also aren't too heavy for long, so while I wouldn't call this drama lighthearted it is a feel-good drama in many ways in spite of some very dark turns in the plot. I also loved the theme of so many strong and self-sufficient women in a traditionally male-dominated Joseon Dynasty Era. If you give this drama a chance I think you will be pleasantly surprised like I was. I can't compare it to the webtoon since I never even heard of it, and I suspect there are zero historical accuracies beyond a few names, so my review's only based on this drama's own merit. Like Nokdu disguised, this drama is clever and endearing, and one that I couldn't help but grow to love. Read More Was this review helpful to you?
Taleof Nokdu In this gender bender historical drama, a young man's family is attacked by assassins. He must hide out in a village of widows and disguise himself as a woman to remain undercover. As he attempts to keep his cover, he meets a young woman also on the run. Genre: romantic comedy, sageuk Rate: User ratings: 64 Click to Review or Comment
9/10 A promising actor The male lead looks awesome either as a guy or a girl. He acts really good in both characters. I think he will be famous someday. He has a good chemistry with the female lead and they were generous with the kisses. The supporting actors were funny especially the little girl. Although the reason of the king killing his son is absurd, it made sense at the end when it was revealed and I realized that it must have been based on an historical fact about King Nangyeun. Overall I liked it but I wanted more soundtrack that will evoke emotions. 13 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 A Round of Applause to the Casting Director I am usually on the fence when it comes to Sageuk or Historical Korean Dramas - they tend to either be very well done or they come off as cheap looking and over-dramatic. Thankfully, this show is the cinematography, an interesting premise, solid writing, and fantastic acting make this an all rounder. The casting director should get a raise for casting Jang Dong-Yoon as Nokdu - the man dressing as a woman bit would never have worked if not for Dong-Yoon's unique look which enabled him to look really beautiful and convincing as a woman but equally as handsome as a man. Chemistry between the leads is great and this show has some really genuine romantic moments that had me swooning. All the characters are really well developed, from the side characters to the villains, making character actions and motivations even more convincing. The soundtrack was wonderful, never overplayed and really gorgeous at I just have to say I loved that Nokdu actually had long hair for this role - its a small detail but it made a difference, as the hair buns on other actors are always so fake looking with the short hair in the show felt similar to "100 Days My Prince" except that this one was SO MUCH BETTER. This show delivered on both romance and a satisfying ending, unlike 100 Days which I am still so mad about!Definitely give this show a watch, it has great action, romance, and wonderful acting! 6 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 A very enjoyable series with more depth than I anticipated I picked up Tale of Nokdu because I needed a light-hearted show after watching a string of heavy dramas. Oh boy, it did not disappoint. Then later on, what started off as rom-com became much more after several surprising plot twists. There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments and I chuckled every time the male lead Nokdu cross-dressed because he's actually prettier than a lot of the ladies. However, I was later drawn in by the political intrigue and emotional roller coaster as the story was also pleasantly surprised by the two main actors' heartfelt performances. Both So-Hyun Kim and Dong yoon Jang seamlessly took the audiences from comedic moments to dramatic gut-wrenching scenes. The supporting casts also added so much authenticity to the plot development and background surrounding the main of the few complaints I had were the numerous romantic music montages. For a while, it seemed like there was one in every episode. I get that our cute couple are very much in love and that was pretty obvious as the series goes on. I actually fast forwarded several montages just to move on with the story. This maybe very typical of K-drama and I'm just not used to it because I'm a newbie in this this is a very enjoyable series with more depth than I anticipated. I believe even folks who are unfamiliar to Korean period drama/comedy will enjoy this show. 8 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 So funny Love this drama it hilarious never laughed so much. The interactions between all the characters is excellent . watched the main actor in school 2017 and didnt like him but in this hes so different so likeable . this is one of the best korean dramas ive seen this year. 9 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Good Enough " The Tale of Nodku " was, surprisingly, a good story was a bit strange, but they made it work and it was really funny. The performances were top notch from everyone in the cast, but especially the leading actor was extra funny and he was really good with the action scenes. The latter were plenty after the first half. The romance was cute too and it had a nice happy ending that worked nice for the love story and the political drama both. The twist about the king was pretty well presented and the built up towards the big revelation was quite entertaining. But the best part of this drama was the pace that kept everything interesting till the very eight out of ten. 6 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink seductive It is difficult to write more about the serie than it is just seductive. Sure, for wise construction of story but especially, for the lead actors. Their acting is just beautiful, amusing and smart. It is not the different love story than you know and expect but Jang Dong - Yoong gives a feminine character charming in each detail and Kim So- Hyun is his perfect partner for a seductive ball of adventures. 6 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Extremely Entertaining! Absolutely fabulous costume K-drama! By far, the BEST this year 2019! Amazing narrative, wonderful cast and intriguing CG cinematic world building really beautiful! Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun were fantastic in their performance together! Bravo! There just aren't enough adjectives to describe how delightfully entertaining this series was. Definitely, A MUST SEE! Brilliant! 5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Funny, intriguing story with a great romance Warning Spoilers 9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Josean era based historical romantic comedy with 32, 30 minute, assassins attempt to murder his family, Jeon Nok-du/Lady Kim Nok-soon/Yeon soo Jang Dong-toon, sets out to find out who sent the assassins and why. He traces them back to a widows only village and disguises himself as widow Lady Kim, so he can remain undercover and investigate. He is provided a room to share with Dong Dong-joo/Yoo Eun-seo Kim So-hyun who is pretending to be in training as a courtesan but has her own mysterious reason to disguise herself in the widow town. Dong-joo's goal is to secure a place in the palace were she will have access to the king. Nok-du's investigation leads him to the palace as well. With a king, King Gwanghwamun Jung Joon-ho who is insane with the need to guard the throne at all costs, getting close to him is no small endeavor. Can the two succeed in their separate yet intertwined quests and manage their growing feelings for each other? Will what they each discover draw them closer or tear them apart?spoiler alert**. The first part of this series had some laugh out loud moments where he is struggling with all the pitfalls of trying to be a woman. The mystery around both of their pasts is highly intriguing. I loved so many of the supporting characters. I really liked the character Nok-du and wanted to see good things happen for Nok-du winds up back in exile and I would have liked to see him be Prince after all the struggle. He would have made a fine future king as he was kind, brave and loyal. Instead the evil cousin basically got his way and deposed the mad king. I wanted to see the king and perhaps the cousin come around. But both remained evil at their cores. The opening music did not fit with a historical drama and I would laugh at how silly it is. It was very good and extremely entertaining but those few elements kept it from being exceptional. 3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Great till the 11th episode, then it spirals down This drama is super funny right from the start and has an interesting plotline. The cast is superb and the characters are pretty why the 7 stars? Well, it seemed like the writers forgot what they were doing by ep 11 and picked up everything on the last episode. I wish the last episodes were executed better because I really loved the cast and the story. 5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Darn Enjoyable! Korea turns out these historical romances with such ease. The acting, plotting, deep characterisations and complex relationships are always top notch and enjoyable entertainment is almost cannot pretend this this series broke any new ground. But it did what you would expect of the genre to a high standard. 3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 An enjoyable series It is quite a good series. I started watching this series thinking that it is a rom com of course it is but there is also drama and the contents for a thriller in this and some action too. So not story is about Nokdu who is living in an isolated island with is family. One day he gets attacked by a mysterious group of women. So Nokdu decides to follow them and find out the truth about himself and who is trying to kill him. In his he befriends a strange girl who is also on a quest. But soon they fall for each other and quests become more it is a good series to watch but you may find the first five episodes a little confusing but the comedy will get you through it. 2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Refreshing rom com <3 TTON is one of the best rom com I have come across, I love chemistry of leads they are delight to watch , each and every character has good performance , this show made u stick to it from first episode, highly recommend 7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Funny and refreshing There are some funny scenes and the story gets better with each episode. 3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Was a roller coaster of love with lots of kisses, palace and political intrigue! What makes this Drama work so sensationally, is the male lead has an elegant and beautiful face, and a way of walking that he could play either a female or male role and in this case both at the same time during a Drama series. The acting in two different gender roles was very well done and hilarious. He pulled off the feminine nuances of a girl and then the Warrior masculinity of a man who is protecting his love, the wonderful Female Lead. Both ML and FL bounced off each other in a very romantic enchanting and funny way, with lots of passionate kisses thrown to say that there is not lots of tragedy and politics and palace intrigue to keep you glued to the series. All the supporting actors were wonderful. Gosh I love Asian dramas Aussie hereAlso special mention the child girl actress -she stole the show and also set up so many funny scenes!. 1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 6/10 Wasted potential This show starts of really good. At the beginning the comedy is very original thanks to the ML who does an amazing job. The plot is alright at first there is a mystery to keep you interested. But on the second half of the series the plot takes a deep dive... it becomes extremely predictable, like they didn't even try to have anything original or any inspiration whatsoever. But predictable plot sometimes works if there are other stuff to keep you watching for example the comedy or the characters. On the second half since it becomes serious the comedy disappears, But the biggest problem is the characters, besides the ML and a little girl everyone else is kind of bland. But the worse is the female lead... her acting is bad she s not convincing at all but also the character they gave her is bad all she does is complain-run away-get caught-saved by ML repeat... This gets tiring really fast i fast forwarded most of the show after episode 6 such a shame... 4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Beautiful The colors, the chemistry and the story are great, a very entertaining drama. 2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Story of love and betrayal filled with twists The drama starts very light and entertaining to watch, full of humorous scenes. However, it soon turns into a drama filled with betrayals and twists that will keep the viewer entertained throughout the episodes. The cast does a fantastic job portraying their Joon Ho as the king makes you unsure whether to love him or hate him due to the few sympathetic moments he has on screen. Kang Tae Oh as Yul Mu does a great job portraying a man fueled by hatred and greed who is still partly under control by a woman he is in love with. Kim So Hyun as Dong Joo and Jang Dong Yoon as Nokdu both do phenomenal jobs portraying the FL and ML. Their chemistry is undoubtedly one of a kind and they will have the viewer rooting for them from start to story itself is filled with multiple moments that will have you laugh, smile and cry. Usually, dramas start strong and slowly decline but it's not the case with this one. The plot is not that slow-paced nor fast-paced, somewhere in between. There were moments where the drama was kind of dragging, some scenes felt too prolonged mostly characters staring at each other; moments of silence but overall, the drama was really good. The gender-bending aspect of both FL and ML was watchable. Especially Jang Dong Yoon as both man Nokdu and woman Lady Kim looked and sounded believable as a a must-watch among Joseon/historical k-dramas. 1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 5/10 The comedy romance is okay but the political fighting is tiresome The comedy romance element is watchable. Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun make a nice couple. And his face is such that the undercover as a woman thing is believable. However the second element of the show is a tiresome political plot with a homicidal king who wants to kill his son and a secondary lead who wants to usurp the king. They are based on real crazy king and he has been the subject of some movies like Masquerade with Lee Byung Hun. The two elements of the show don't gel together well. The comedy is so light and silly and then suddenly there is this fighting with a bunch of women warriors and sword fighting men. The show is fairly modern in outlook in that it doesn't shy away from breaking some stereotypes. 0 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Good The acting was great and the casting was also well done. It was an interesting concept and plot. I also liked the romance side of the plot, the two main characters' chemistry was good too. I feel like the ending was a little messy and confusing though, I also sometimes felt like the two main characters were only there to move the other plot further. 1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Mostly entertaining Warning Spoilers Nokdu is living on an island with his family when a bunch of thugs arrive and try to kidnap off he goes and ends up in a village near the palace where a cruel and brutal, and it would seem paranoid, king meets a bunch of female warriors and ends up in a village of widows - to enter it he dresses as a woman. It must be said that he makes a pretty woman!!Of course he ends up living with the FL. She is pretty - but not enough to capture the hearts of two rather good-looking is a LOT of fighting in this series and a lot of political is a bit of kissing too - and the chemistry of the two leads is quite is annoying is the South Korean habit of dancing around gay characters - especially as this character got married to a massive woman in the end. Another annoyance was his little sister - who could have gotten him killed on multiple occasions with her stupidity. She also ate like a pig - but a lot of Koreans - I liked it. The three missing points are for the unoriginality of the plot. 0 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 one of the best kdrama i've watched Warning Spoilers It was my 1st time watching the 2 leads in this series, Dong yoon is such a good actor I can tell that this guy will definitely be recognized someday for his acting skills and kim so hyun is very refreshing. 1st half of the series was all fun seeing a guy pretending to be lady and the plot thickens on the 2nd half, I was so worried not to get a happy ending, good thing that it was, really sad with what happened to the King but he kinda deserves it. Lol. 1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 It has everything it needs to be a great show. I have thought about watching this for a long time, but thought it would be too silly. Then I gave it a chance and it was waaay above my expectations. Mainly because the storyline is not as light as it seems. There's a lot of intrigues mixed up with funny and romantic agree that there is great chemistry between the lead characters and they play the part. It was great development of their there are numerous times when you have no idea what will happen with the plot. It goes up, down and there is very nice cinematography involved which is a massive plus. Beautiful scenery and actors, what more do you need?If in doubt, watch it. It is worth your time! 1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 6/10 Hits and misses It started out promising but, soon enough, it seemed like the elite production crew left everything up to first-year interns. Weird time synchronizations - one moment it's a bright, sunny day and the very next scene, it's night... but the same battle rages on. All that time guarding the king but the little girl's missing tooth fails to grow in, and so does the FL's hair... All kinds of little glitches and improbabilities like that. This definitely wasn't the carefully scripted type of KDrama production we've come to all that, the performances were stellar. The cross-dressing was an interesting twist and the ML pulls it off flawlessly. There is some goofiness early on to make the story endearing. But the final, romance-platitude episode could have done with a lot fewer platitudes. 0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink