In this drama, the female lead is not disguised in men's attire for a change!
There is something charming about historical dramas. They have the ability to take you back in the time. The palaces, the inner court, the Pyehas, servants, Crown prince, Dowager and the evil ministers. On the flip side these dramas can often be very heavy in plots reasons being schemes for power struggles, wars and the consequent bloodbath! So if you want to enjoy the beauty of historical dramas without all these heavy elements then let me suggest a drama that I stumbled upon recently- "Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung"
Have you ever wondered in olden times how they used to keep track of everything happening around? Of course there was no Twitter or Facebook or internet for that matter. There were special people called 'Historians' whose job was to write down everything happening around them. This drama focuses on role of historians, importance of education and censorship in old days.
It is a story of 26 years old noble lady Goo Hae-ryung. In that era, women had inferior position in society and were supposed to follow the duties defined by the societal norms. Their lives were controlled by elders in family. But Hae-ryung wishes to live her life on her own terms. Still unmarried by choice, she is more keen on gaining knowledge, reading books and studying! She earns money by reading books to noble ladies. But to her dismay the books she has to read are nothing but romantic novels. A writer named 'Maeha' seems particularly very popular among all those ladies.So when she gets to know about the recruitment of female historians, she grabs this the opportunity.The story follows her journey at work along with three other women in her team.
But Maeha is actually a prince! His name is Yi Rin. He is in house arrest since long time and lives lonely life in his chamber away from hustle and bustle. King is specifically scornful towards him.He finds solace in writing romance novels secretly with pseudonym as Maeha.
Once his book gets published and to see public opinion, he changes appearance to common noble man and visits book store. There he crosses path with Hae ryung. Despite being popular among other women, she tells him that those novels utterly boring and waste of paper. Obviously he gets annoyed by her reaction. But in course of time they happen to meet again and start developing feelings for each other.
This drama is refreshing in many ways. First we have strong willed female lead. She knows what she wants and doesn't get swayed by emotions. On the other hand the prince is the innocent, naive and hopelessly romantic.He doesn't really know how the world functions. But the unfolding events in drama make him stronger. Hae ryung takes the lead in their relationship which is rare in K-dramas.
I started watching this drama without any expectation. But it really got me in the first episode itself. It is nice when something entertaining is also educational. Shin Se-kyung is good as always. Puppy eyed Eun woo is adorable. His role is entirely opposite of what he played in in My id is Gangnam beauty. Here he is chirpy and bubbly.
What is good?
1. The mood of this drama is so light. It has comedy, romance, betrayal but everything in moderation. Nothing over the top. Not heavy on head.
2. The relationship between the prince brothers is healthy which is surprising considering the genre of the drama. The crown prince is convincing and diligent.
3. The confession letter is so sincere. "I hope you live longer and be owner of my heart". Who writes that??
3. Cha Eun-woo- I found his acting suitable for the role. His character is supposed to be awkward! I don't understand why he received so much criticism.
4. Role reversal-Empowered female lead is always a bonus.
5. Educational- You will learn or at least will be curious about things or two about history.
What could have been better?
Only one minor complaint I have is about casting of Queen Dowager.
Check out some other good drama recommendations here.
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