My Dearest is a historical romance set in the Joseon dynasty during wartime and follows the star-crossed relationship between a man (Nam Goong Min) with a tragic past and no desire to marry who falls for a spoiled but charming noblewoman (Ahn Eun Jin).
Nam Goong Min plays Lee Jang Hyun. He’s a mysterious man with a bit of a reputation. Things take a turn for him though when he takes notice of the beautiful noblewoman Gil Chae.
Ahn Eun Jin is Yoo Gil Chae. She’s a popular and spoiled noblewoman hoping to marry the man she likes, but he is with her closest friend. Her heart gets a bit shaken though with the appearance of Jang Hyun.
My Dearest is an incredibly well done drama on every level. It has outstanding production with gorgeous cinematography. The cast is phenomenal and deliver amazing performances. The story is complex and multifaceted with drama, tension, heart, romance, action, and so much more.
The show has a broad scope with a far-reaching storyline that spans years and across borders in the midst of war. We don’t see this kind of drama very often, and it was wonderful to watch this one which had such care that went into all the details.
I think a lot of people know this show because of its romance. It’s a tale of star-crossed lovers who are torn apart during war and other circumstances. It’s a well done story of two characters that don’t initially seem to go together and need to grow, but they do so over time.
Jang Hyun and Gil Chae start off bickering and continue that way for a long time. They go through some incredibly challenging as their lives are turned upside down by war. They are pulled apart and drawn together, pulled apart and drawn back together again. The ups and downs are intense.
One of my only quibbles with the drama lies within this romance though. It definitely has that epic vibe, but it does rely heavily on misunderstandings and lack of communication. I’m pretty forgiving on this front in general, but this couple definitely had me on the borderline of my tolerance.
A lot of suffering could have been avoided with just a tad bit more of communication. That being said, much of it fit within the characters personalities and some could be forgiven due to the extreme circumstances that they found themselves in. For the most part, I found the romance to be quite swoony and enjoyed the journey.
The soundtrack for this drama is also stellar with so much good music, but one of the most memorable is definitely the theme song for the couple which works for both happy, sad, and bittersweet moments. It really stirs your heart as the drama progresses.
As individual characters, Jang Hyun and Gil Chae gave us a lot to explore. Gil Chae begins as a kind but spoiled and somewhat immature woman and grows through the many hardships she faces. Jang Hyun begins as a sort of playboy who doesn’t want to be tied down, but his intense affection for Gil Chae prompts him to look at the world in a different way. They were both interesting character journeys to go on.
Of course, the acting was great I loved Ahn Eun Jin as she brought this endearing quality to parole. A character like this could be difficult because of how spoiled she is, but she was also very kind, and even in the midst of her more immature moments Gil Chae made her charming.
Now, many of us know that Nam Goong Min is on another level. The intensity he brings to a roll is something else. So much emotion comes through his eyes and with subtle nuances on his face. He brings the full range from happy to sad to anger to love. And just watching him look at Gil Chae made you swoon!
The drama also gave us a wonderful crop of supporting characters. We have so many individual stories to explore with a lot of rich relationships involving friends and family. Everyone from the peasants to the king were going through difficult times and trying to make their way through. Some of the more notable ones included Gil Chae’s best friend Kyung Eun Ae (Lee Da In), the man Gil Chae likes Nam Yeon Jun (Lee Hak Joo), and Jang Hyun’s close friend Ryang Eum (Kim Yoon Woo).
I also enjoyed the setting amidst the war-torn country. There is a level of government politics happening in the background that gave just enough to push the story forward without becoming overwhelming. It added lots of intrigue and greatly increased the stakes of everything that was happening.
It was also interesting to have such a large portion of the story involving the transitional time between the Ming and the Qing as well as the characters being over there for a good chunk of the drama. It added a nice complexity to the plot as well as lots of intensity. It was a fascinating story to explore with all of its moving parts.
The drama is quite heavy at times when dealing with the aspects of war. Families are torn apart and villages destroyed. People are sold into slavery, and women are taken advantage of. The poverty was extreme. Lots of people died. And it wasn’t just the other side that caused the problems as even their own country turned on its people at times. There was definitely a lot of sadness.
There was always a hope though as the people, including our main characters, try to have make it through and keep fighting while bringing a lot of courage and a lot of strength. They face a lot of adversity and have to go through unthinkable things, but they do their best to rise up and survive.
Overall, My Dearest was such a wonderful watch. I loved getting to see such a well done story with a broad scope. The performances were engaging, and the entire production was fantastic. The OST enhances every aspect of the show to. This is definitely one of those dramas that leave an impression, and I’m glad I finally got to enjoy it.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Check out more Korean Drama Reviews.
Leave a Reply