I had a soft spot for Jung Il Woo ever since THE RETURN OF ILJIMAE/ Moon River. After Haechi, he is currently my favorite actor. And Haechi is one of my favorite dramas of all time.
I had rewatched this so many times. Some dramas, no matter how good, gets boring after a rewatch (I am thinking of Crash Landing On You). But Haechi... The more I watch, the more I understand. And I continue getting inspired.
I do love underdogs who triumph against all odds. And our Prince Yi Geum was truly an underdog, looked down by many nobles as a half-breed prince.
SPOILER ALERT:
He himself thought he was a nobody, without purpose in life. He was very smart though, and he wanted to help his younger brother (the only one who treated him with respect) become king. But when this brother dies before him, realizing his lack of power to protect his loved ones, he decides to gain that power by dreaming big dreams. He decides to become the next king.
He knows he can't become a king on his own, so he starts gathering support around him. He faces many obstacles and most people mistrust him at first. But he doesn't get offended at their distrust. He is able to put himself in the other person's shoes and comes up with ways that may benefit both parties. Instead of demanding trust, he appeals to their sense of honor and love for the country.
And little by little, so many of his enemies, they start breaking down before him. You can literally watch so many of the adversaries become speechless at some of the prince/kings' actions. So many times, faced with life and death situations, instead of running away, he confronts the problem head on with so much courage, people end up, not just admiring him, but loving him.
He never took the easy way out. Once he decided to become the king, he wanted to understand the heart of the lowliest of his people. So he would put himself at risk for their sake. He thus inspired those around him to dream big, and his friends returned their love for their master, sacrificially.
At the end, one old adviser does tell the king he is too idealistic and that fair policies are unrealistic, due to fail. But he still encourages the king to fight the good fight all he can. "Your Majesty, I pray you continue dreaming for a very long time. I feel like you can do it, since you are surrounded with many dreamers who support you."
Five Stars all the way. I feel like this is so underrated because it does not use the usual cliches. And it's a little hard to understand who is who at the beginning. But like a fine wine, the taste lingers for a very, very long time.
CHEERS TO HAECHI! Hail to the King!!!
I had rewatched this so many times. Some dramas, no matter how good, gets boring after a rewatch (I am thinking of Crash Landing On You). But Haechi... The more I watch, the more I understand. And I continue getting inspired.
I do love underdogs who triumph against all odds. And our Prince Yi Geum was truly an underdog, looked down by many nobles as a half-breed prince.
SPOILER ALERT:
He himself thought he was a nobody, without purpose in life. He was very smart though, and he wanted to help his younger brother (the only one who treated him with respect) become king. But when this brother dies before him, realizing his lack of power to protect his loved ones, he decides to gain that power by dreaming big dreams. He decides to become the next king.
He knows he can't become a king on his own, so he starts gathering support around him. He faces many obstacles and most people mistrust him at first. But he doesn't get offended at their distrust. He is able to put himself in the other person's shoes and comes up with ways that may benefit both parties. Instead of demanding trust, he appeals to their sense of honor and love for the country.
And little by little, so many of his enemies, they start breaking down before him. You can literally watch so many of the adversaries become speechless at some of the prince/kings' actions. So many times, faced with life and death situations, instead of running away, he confronts the problem head on with so much courage, people end up, not just admiring him, but loving him.
He never took the easy way out. Once he decided to become the king, he wanted to understand the heart of the lowliest of his people. So he would put himself at risk for their sake. He thus inspired those around him to dream big, and his friends returned their love for their master, sacrificially.
At the end, one old adviser does tell the king he is too idealistic and that fair policies are unrealistic, due to fail. But he still encourages the king to fight the good fight all he can. "Your Majesty, I pray you continue dreaming for a very long time. I feel like you can do it, since you are surrounded with many dreamers who support you."
Five Stars all the way. I feel like this is so underrated because it does not use the usual cliches. And it's a little hard to understand who is who at the beginning. But like a fine wine, the taste lingers for a very, very long time.
CHEERS TO HAECHI! Hail to the King!!!