O Conto de Nokdu (2019)

This drama is full of action. It also provides you comedy scenes that makes you burst into loud out laugh. Sometimes, you will find it boring in the middle of the drama. But, don't give up. Just follow the stream and you will get the intense actions.

However, I thought this drama would be an epic drama with actions, assassinations, and betrayals. I thought the main character would be a zero to hero figure. Everything is so smooth, nothing wrong with the plot. It's enjoyable that makes you can't wait for the next episode. But, here's the main worst point of this drama:

The 2 last episodes are MEH.

It looks like the plot is skipped so much. Everything jumped to when the main character is back from dying to save his beloved girl without getting hurt or attacked by the enemy's soldiers. Then the conflicts are ended here. He and all his beloved ones live on a separated island peacefully, while the main conflict (throne stuff) is abandoned. When his enemies lost him and the soldiers, they didn't try to chase them as well. The story tells us the enemies choose the thone and the kingdom while the main character and protagonists choose the peaceful life on the separated island.

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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 Du.

Since 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 fun.

That 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 again.

I 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 well.

Overall 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.

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while I watching the last ep I wondered if rating the plot as 10 would be biased.. I wanted to give this an overall 10 from the start because I really loved everything, but I could say that the plot was slightly "too convenient" for the writers.

If one looks at this as a historical, it follows the basic pattern for that genre; the lonely paranoid king, the birth secret, the "we can't be together for so and so reasons" and the desire for the crown.
But this drama actually dealt with those cliches really well. I could say it was the "model" way of dealing with it. for one, Dong Joo was actually used to her full potential as a female lead, she was stubborn, jaded and "too careful of attachments", but she was independent, she worked hard to hone her "fighting skills" and they actually USED those skills for the greater good of the plot! also she had a great balance of when to be "cold" vs "cute" during the development of the romance.

Nokdu, well what can I say about dear sweet Nokdu... for starters, he is now my num1 favorite male lead character ever! I love the "sweet" kind, but I don't think they are as widely written as the "Nice Male Lead" tag says they are :)
if one is not as sweet, cute, playful, and easily sulky as Nokdu then they are not the "nice" type..
I can go on and on about his characteristics, but I'll talk about Lady Kim instead ;p
SHE was the main point of this drama, "the wind that carried the plot?", I wish they used her more but seeing her again at the end really made my day (and the decision to give this a 10 easier ;p )

overall I think this great a "Newbie Friendly" drama one can suggest to friends that want to start kdramas, especially for historical genres that might seem too heavy for a newbie.

The ost was also full of amazing mood makers I need to listen to separately and add to my favorite ost list ;p


my rewatch values are either a 1 or 10, and though I might skip the heavy stuff here, I'd LOVE to watch my favorite couple Nokdu and Dongjoo!❤

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녹두전

This drama was actually pretty good, I finished it in three days. Somehow, I feel like they made it too long. Some things could have happened before the time it happened. It has a lot of sweet scenes, girl power (moowoldan are incredible), comedy, but also pretty mad scenes. I didn't cry watching it, but it also has some sad scenes. It was in my watch list for a long time and I decided to watch it because of Hwang In-Yeop. If you like historical dramas (even if it's fictional), I do recommend it. You should watch it at least once. It has an interesting plot and the cast is amazing.

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The Two Sides of the Coin for the Tale of Nokdu

Gosh, this drama man. This Drama feels like it was written by 50 different writers who all wanted to bring the show in a different direction. As a result, it left me incredibly frustrated as I felt that the Highs of this Show were just SO freaking good and left me SO hooked I couldn't stop watching. On the inverse of that though, the lows of this show were just SO bad I had to take breaks from the show for days on end just to mentally push myself through the show. Additionally, I really enjoyed the OST as it proves you don't always need to spam the same catchy songs by popular artists and that Instrumental Music is just as powerful in an OST and the kpop artists super catchy songs. These Highs and Lows just felt like a coin flip during the show and I never knew which side of the coin I would be landing on, however, overall the highs make this a worthwhile show to watch and carry my rating, and the ending was personally enjoyable to me so all in all I have to give it a 7.5/10!

Leia Mais

The Tale Of Nokdu, behind its romantic-comedy premise, teaches a serious lesson about men’s penchant for power and thinking having it could bring all the things one’s heart’s desires. The drama clearly depicts a side to humanity that is innate yet abhorrent. It also shows that we are given the ability to make choices. Choices that would eventually define how we want to live our lives.Jang Dong Yoon challanged himself in his very first period drama role and greatly portrayed his character of a man disguising himself as a woman. Kim So Hyun, being the historical drama veteran that she is, shone in her role as well.
The Tale of Nokdu, armed with the right balance of humor and mystique, is another historical romantic comedy drama that is a good addition to the watch list of sageuk enthusiasts.
I love that Jeon Nok Du was not a perfect hero. Sure he did fight well and knew how to outsmart his enemies, but the secret about his true identity made him vulnerable. His stubbornness caused much of the pain he felt. The father he knew and the one who raised him had been adamant for him not to know the truth because he knew it would hurt deeply. But as a human being, we always want to know, and I really can’t fault Nok Du for trying to find things out.So that's it.You can give it a try.

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I think all the cast did great! I did have a problem with the storyline, it took like 11 episodes for me get interested in it. I'm not crazy about women being rude all of the time to someone who cares a lot about her. I think that's what threw me off about the story. I am seeing too many dramas that follow in the same story. I almost dropped this drama. If this was one of the first storylines I saw, I probably would've rated it higher. I see that everyone else rated it a little higher but that's the way it goes. I loved the happening ending. I think the story could've just been a little different then what it was but hey I'm not writer well yes, I am, but I write poetry. Really, that when two children are born at the same time a king would have to kill one of them... Lord, I wouldn't want to be born in that era.

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" The Tale of Nodku " was, surprisingly, a good drama.

The 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 ending.

So, eight out of ten.

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Interesting in the beginning, but soon looses traction

This show had plenty of potential but it just fell flat for me. The story is rather simple, but interesting enough, the problem is that the drama has too many episodes, in my opinion. The lack of twists and the simplicity of the premise ruin the pacing of the story because the writers had to stretch it out through 32 episodes, causing the actual important plot points to take too long to happen.

At least if they had the romance developing in the background this show wouldn't feel boring, but that was not the case. The relationship simply consisted of Nok Du pining after the female lead, who was way too spiteful and egoistic to care for him, making Nok Du basically her doormat, it was just annoying.

I still see the potential of this show, so I can understand how some people enjoy it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but if you really want to see it, do it without very high expectations.

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It became my favourite kdrama. I just loved it.

I always wanted to watch this but I was hesitant. I am glad that I gave it a try and I was so satisfied with each and every aspect of this drama. It had a suitable ending and good actors. I took a long time to finish it because I watched it during my exams. This drama felt like a way out of all the stress for me:) Initially it was funny, then it got intense, every scene and twist seemed exciting and rational. The story line was so strong. It was about family, women empowerment, kingship, romance, comedy, curiosity and righteousness. According to me, this drama is so underrated, I know it has good rating but it deserves more. If you are thinking of watching it, go ahead. It is worth watching. Anyone will be hooked. I might be biased but it was just so fine :)

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A thoroughly complete story

This is quite a surprise! I had only read the synopsis which talked about the about the cross-dressing part (no spoilers here) and thought maybe it would be a run-of-the-mill, light hearted story..it was on my to-watch list for months and months..... to my surprise this is a very well written, crafted and executed complete story. No ends left dangling as such.
It starts off with a focused scope on a small family, that you think, okay this is just about them...and then before you know it, the story begins to expand. It expands itself so quietly and cunningly that before you know it, you are immersed into a whole universe. I love that it isn't just not only black and white. The way it went from talking about just 3 people living their lives and the story takes a step back and makes you realise the that they are a very important cog that makes this world go around. The characters progress satisfactorily, each has their own backdrop, told succinctly. Each character gets the screen time to share their story on stage, their hows and whys are shared clearly and you feel for everyone of them, laugh and shed tears with them, get angry at them...wonderful acting by everyone, the senior actors expressions in their eyes, the youthful charm of the young leads and how their characters develop as they face the unfolding secrets in their lives . The way the ending of the dram is picturised, you are left with the thought that somewhere, somehow their lives are still continuing on.
Rewatch value: for sure! Not the whole thing but some beautiful and heart touching moments of family relationships, of friendships. It is hilarious how a ML can be so "pretty"

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