It's amazing how the cliché of the king falling in love with his maid was revisited in this drama. I started this drama because i am a big fan of Lee Jun Ho and i make it a point of seeing all his works, but that's not why i finished it. It's pretty hard to put words into what I felt while I watched "The red sleeve's cuff." In the first part i was amazed by the acting, the story itself, and the beauty of the colors. i don't know how technical it is to shoot a drama of this caliber, but the final look is just fabulous. Each episode is a whole plot full of emotions and actions, small and big moments in the life of the characters that make us relate easily. the second part was more emotionally "heavy" with all these intrigues that you don't even realize you've just spent an entire hour marveling at fiction.

The acting is just amazing, and i discovered a talented actress in Lee So Young:

-Lee Jun Ho (Yi San): if i had lived at that time, i would have wanted a king like him, intelligent, brave, fair but inevitably human. The more i immersed myself in the story, the more Jun Ho disappeared, there was only Yi San left, if i had to put a face on king jeongjo now, only Jun Ho's would come to my mind. He didn't play a character, he became the character with his strengths and weaknesses that made this drama one of the most beautiful and powerful historical representations i would have seen in my lifetime. Jun Ho must have been king in his previous life, that look, that royal aura...

-Lee So Young (Duk-Im): this is the first time i've ever watched a show where she appears and OMG, the slap she gave me. i can't imagine what it's like to live in a time where you don't even belong to yourself, to be subjected to the will of a third party, to suppress yourself completely, your desires and not even dare to dream. One would expect a weak and resigned woman, but Duk-Im is the representation of what true strength is, the strength to remain true to oneself against everything, even love. At first i thought she was playing too hard, but It’s so important to love yourself, to say, “I’m the most important person in my life.”


I don't remember the music well, but they've done a great job of emotional amplifier..

The last two episodes really broke my heart, never before has a drama made me feel so much love and sadness for a character but i was when Yi San found himself all alone after the only woman he chose to love in his life told him on her deathbed: "if our paths cross in the next life, please ignore me and pass your way, for i would like in that one to live according to my choices" and that "i was wrong" that he said to her holding her hand brought me down.

I would definitely review this drama and hope that it will win a maximum of awards recognizing the beauty of this work.

Thank you!