Scintillating Historical Dramas (A Favourite Collection)

When people ask me questions like, “Who even introduced you to all this Korean stuff?* They are always surprised when I say that it’s my parents. Most of the time, Hollywood films and Nigerian films would be introduced by your parents but my parents loved Korean movies from the start and made us love it too.

But surprisingly, they only fancied a particular genre of Korean films/series which is the traditional ones, where they take us back in time to the old Joseon/Goryeo era as the case may be. I fell in love with them and I’m going to share my favourites with you.

The Great Jang-Geum (Jewel In The Palace)

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I’m putting this first cause it was the very first traditional Korean series I watched with my parents. It was released from 2003 to 2004 and has 60 episodes in its single season. Yeah, I know. It may look like a lot but trust me after the second episode, you’ll skip through it like water.

The story begins with a little Jang Geum who becomes orphaned at a young age. She rises to become a renowned cook in the palace and then a health practitioner with so many travails tossed her way. It’s beautifully educative and every second in the series is priceless. It signed the deal for me as far as the Korean culture is concerned. A must-watch indeed.

Dong Yi

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This was the very next Korean historical drama I watched. It was released in year 2010 and it has 60 episodes. I came to realize that in most of Korean historical dramas, a particular field is more prominent. While in the first one, it was the kitchen, Dong Yi who is the lead role and eponymously the title of this series is a lady inspector who rises to glory with her intelligence and discernment that makes her secure the interest of the king.

This is still my Dad’s absolute favourite drama because he’s quite a sucker for intelligent women and Dong Yi interpreted that role impeccably. It’s also a series that will leave you hooked from start to finish.

The Empress Ki

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I think I should clear my throat for this one. The Empress Ki is one series that I had to earnestly search for just so I could rewatch it after many years and relive the emotions this series was packed with. It was released in 2013 and has 51 episodes. It’s about a lowly-born woman who watches her dad get slaughtered by an unfair system and vows to have her revenge by disguising herself as a boy.

But once she’s discovered, it becomes a whirlwind of dramatic occurrences, spice, ambition, revenge, and absolute deviousness, to mention a few. The amazingness of this series is a hill I’m willing to die on. It was just that good. Bittersweet. Sublime. That’s how I would describe it.

The Scholar Who Walks The Night

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This amazing movie was released in 2015 and has 20 episodes. It’s about a brilliant scholar and a deviously beautiful vampire who is the antagonist in this series. And then a girl, who disguises herself as a guy so that she can sell books, conventional and otherwise for her father.
I liked this movie a lot and enjoyed watching it. Like most Korean dramas, the scenes flowed smoothly from one episode to the next and the ending itself was satisfyingly beautiful. A series that incorporates the paranormal, it’s a joy to watch.

Mr. Queen

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I’m not sure about anyone else but the cover image of this series says one thing. That the lady in the middle is an absolute clown. How can I put what I need to say about this film in words that won’t come off as over-enthusiastic? Truth is, I can’t because Mr. Queen evokes that giddy feeling in me that can’t keep me still anywhere it is mentioned.

Mr. Queen was released in 2020 and has 20 episodes. It’s about a man that falls into a pool that wakes him up to what might be an alternative universe but is actually the past and guess what, he’s a woman in the past life. And not just a woman, but the queen, hence its name. it’s the kind of movie that leaves you with a feeling of sadness only because you wished that it would continue longer. Laughter beyond comprehension is guaranteed here. Undoubtedly, one of my favourite Korean dramas ever.

One thing you should note about historical Korean dramas is that the level of depth in it is what makes the series long cause it needs to be explored in a way that viewers would enjoy. But even with that, you find out that there are no unnecessary scenes and everything flows beautifully from one episode to the next. These are my 5 must-watch historical k-dramas and I sincerely hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Till next time, remain awesome.

PS: You can check this out by @merit.ahama for more amazing historical Korean dramas.

Jhymi🖤

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