My Dearest (Part 1 & 2): Spoiler-Free Mini Review
Updated: Sep 14
Title: | My Dearest (Part 1 & 2) (2023) |
Platform: | Kocowa, Wavve |
MDL Rating: | |
IMBD Rating: | |
Genre: | Period Melodrama/Romance |
Episode Count: | 21 total (Part 1- 10 eps, Part 2-11) |
Parental Guidance Rating: | TV-16 when it was on Viki and is MA on Kocawa-- Make of that what you will: Gruesome injuries (not really shown, but discussed), violence, bloodshed (not over the top), suicide. A bare behind of a man is briefly shown. The "edgier" content is there to provide historical context rather than to shock people. |
Starring: | Namkoong Min (The Veil) Ahn Eun Jin (Dynamite Kiss) Lee Da In (Hwarang) Kim Yoon Woo (Doctor on the Edge) |
RBTS Rating:  | 9.4/10 Stars: A Gone With the Wind retelling done to perfection with an absolutely swoon worthy ML and a FL you grow to love.  |
Cast From Left to Right: #NamkoongMin, #AhnEunJi, #LeeDaIn, #KimYoonWoo
Stay tuned for my full review!
Synopsis:
A love-story between a noblewoman and a mysterious man who shows up in her hometown set in the 1600s during the Qing invasion. Yoo Gil Chae is a pretty, bubbly, and a bit spoiled young lady who's called the 99 tailed fox of Neunggun-ri. She is also a bit of an outcast because other young ladies are jealous of her. They seem to think she's too straightforward and her behavior is inappropriate for a young lady, while young noblemen think highly of her. Gil Chae knows how to get men to fall for her but fails to capture the heart of the person she likes. Lee Jang Hyeon is a mysterious man who suddenly appears in the Neunggun-ri social scene. Nobody really knows anything about him. Young nobles don't like him, but the elderly are wrapped around his finger. He's been dating around a lot, but he becomes curious about a certain 99 tailed fox, and one day, the said fox quite literally crash lands into his arms. Once war is brewing, the pair finds themselves separated before they could even start to make sense of their feelings. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
But really, this is the Korean adaptation of the American classic, Gone With The Wind. Perhaps a hot take, but I think it's more faithful to the intention of the novel than the 1939 theatrical version.
Don’t let the first couple of episodes fool you—this is a gritty war drama with an epic romance. The Female Lead is annoying and acts way too modern (in my opinion) for the first couple of episodes, but holy character growth. The romance is more the focal point of part 1, while the war storyline is the focus in part 2.
The romance is sweet and feels k drama-esque, while other elements feel more like an American show. In terms of content, there is much cutting off of heels, suicide, and assault (not explicit)-- I'd say leans MA for sure but I don't know if it crosses that border. These characters are fictional but the events are historically faithful, so I do think the more intense situations are necessary to give context to the atmosphere of the time. Be prepared for the brutality that occurred, but also be prepared to learn alot! It’s unpleasant to watch those moments, but that because it's unpleasant that it happened, so it will depend on personal taste whether it’s too much.
I was surprised it didn't feel draggy at all despite the length, and I really enjoyed learning about the social norms of Joseon, especially around PoWs. The Male Lead was the stand out perfromer and there is a scene of him running that is the MOST intense scene I have ever watched in a period drama point blank. I still think about it.
The scriptwriters spent five years working on the script and it really paid off. This was originally set to be only 20 episodes, but due to its popularity, it got an extra episode. I'm curious of how it was originally edited.
Story=10, Acting=9.5, Production Quality=9.5, Ending= 9, Enjoyability= 9, Would I rewatch= Yes!
Trailer:
Director: #KimSungYong (The Veil, Spring of Youth)
Screenwriter: #HwangJinYoung (The Rebel, The King's Daughter Soo BaekHyang, Men of the Harem)
#MyDearest #Kdrama #KoreanDrama #MiniReview #SpoilerFree #2023 #Period #1600s #QingDynasty #PeriodRomance #NamkoongMin #AhnEunJin #LeeHakJoo #LeeDaIn #KimYoonWoo #ParkKangSub #ChoiMuSung #KimSeoAn #SoYooJin #ParkJungYeon #KwonSoHyun #JiSeungHyun #KimJongTae #KimMuJun #YangHyunMin #KimTaeHoon #ChoiJongHwan #ChoiYoungWoo #KimJunWon #OhManSeok #JoSeungYun #ParkjongWook #ParkJinU
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