Ah, where to start with this review.. Overall this drama was by far the best historical drama I've watched. It has the perfect combination of everything. Story, characters, music, comedy, heartache. During this drama I've cried, I've laughed, I've laughed and cried at the same time, and I've even punched the screen out of frustration. I mean, there's really no other way to describe this drama it was beautifully tragic. The story of this drama was very well developed and everything was spaced out very evenly. You would think that because this drama is so long with 29 episodes that the story would drag out, but no. Never once was I bored, and as soon as one storyline ended a transition was carried out smoothly and the next storyline took off without a hitch. The great thing about this drama is that each character gets his/her own little story. Every one of them have depth, which is why the entire series is so heart-wrenching. If you're wary of watching this because of the episode count, don't worry its entirely worth it. The first couple of episodes may be slow because it's a backstory, but I promise you'll get hooked as soon as the actual story starts. Oh, dear. The characters. I'm warning you, this is going to be a reaally long paragraph. First of all, let me start off with Yeo Woon. Freaking Yeo Woon. Woon is just so....Agh seriously. Woon is by far the most pitiful character I've ever come across. His fate was to walk a lonely path, and he walked on the path alone until the end. He's someone who's essentially a prodigy. He has amazing martial arts skills, and he has friends and people he can rely on. But he was raised to be an assassin. He has to betray his friends. He likes someone but her heart is taken by his best friend. And yet still he walked that path alone. To be an assassin is to bear someone else's pain. Woon bears so much pain by himself, but in the end no one was there to help him carry his burden. In the end he was the most selfless person out of all of them, but no one knew that except for us pitiful viewers. His character is just so so so sad. He never let himself have happiness. Always blinded by that stupid fate of his. I cry for him, but he's not even real. That's just how pitiful he is. Anyone that watches this will not only pity him, but also love him too. He's supposed to be a bad guy, but we all love him anyway. He just has this cool aura of badass. Not to mention he's played by Yoo. Seung. Ho. Like dayum boi he can really pull off long hair, I'm sure gonna miss it. Then again, both the child actor and the adult actor can pull off Woon's swaggy long hair. I would get into the other characters, but then I would be writing a novel. But seriously, if you're still hesitant, watch the drama for Yeo Woon. You definitely will not regret it. And then of course, are the first generation characters. Honestly Ga-ok, Gwang-taek, and Chun are pretty much Dong-soo, Ji-sun, and Woon. They had a heart breaking story, and I really appreciated the fact that their storyline was actually physically in the drama. They're not just random characters who are just THERE. They have their own story, their own flash backs, and their own plot twists. I also really liked most of the female roles in this drama. They were all independent and stood up for themselves. Sure, they had damsel in distress moments but even if they needed to be rescued they were brave despite the circumstances. I love a good strong female role, so this was very satisfying. The only complaint I have about this is Ji Sun. While I appreciate the fact that she can shoot a bow well and that she's a strong independent woman, she's just so bland. Her face is always the same, sometimes I even think that maybe the episode had stopped playing or something. Her voice also never changes. It's the same with everyone she talks to. No emotion put into it, no nothing. Not to mention she had no chemistry with Ji Chang Wook whatsoever. But yeah, that's all. Yeo Woon. Did I mention Yeo Woon? I really enjoyed the music. They were paired perfectly with scenes, and thanks to the music during some sad scenes I would burst out sobbing, it was just so sad. During happy scenes, I would laugh and smile along with the characters. And the fight scenes. Oh, the fight scenes. Literally they looked so genuinely epic it made me want to learn martial arts. Except of course, in modern day swords are completely useless against guns. Still, swords may be useless, but there's a reason they call it martial ARTS. Swordsmanship really is an art. It's beautiful, graceful, and deadly. Getting off topic here, but yes I will definitely be downloading some songs. (*cough* Wild by Park Eun Tae *cough*) Overall, this drama was a beautiful drama. Tragic, but beautiful. I really hated the ending though, so much that I wanted to cry. It's not so much that the ending was a bad one, it was just one that I personally did not like because it was so heartbreaking. I understand though, that it was needed. I got closure. But I sobbed my heart out in that last episode. For a cast of characters that aren't even real. Ha. But that's just what dramas do to us, huh? Anyway, please please watch this drama. I swear you won't regret it. Yeo Woonnie, Fighting!