The Red Sleeve Cuff was a hit for the lead cast members: Junho and Lee Se-young so did the newbie Kang Hoon. The Red Sleeve Cuff gave MBC a sucessful comeback in terms of ratings after a few Kdrama flops on this channel and then, MBC should considered not only one of this channel's hits but also it was one of the best sageuks of all time. Later, it won the 2021 MBC Drama Awards as the drama of the year.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_MBC_Drama_Awards

What made Red Sleeve a hit. In my region, it was a historical drama whose predecessor Yi San, King of the Palace garnered so much praise.

I really don't know why it became a hit in Korea, but we can attest it to the fact that it was a drama talking about a court lady who are technically the king's women, wanting to have an agency of herself and whom she would love. And Red Sleeve used the plot device nicely.

Plus Lee Se-young was a functional female lead, not a Candy. It's being a while we had a female lead who had her own drive other than serving as a clutch
hung up on the male lead.

It's a good question. I think Koreans love trends. They can come from very weird fanvideo or others, a spark is enough. I mean GFriend became famous because they slipped several times on stage... Or they loved to eat in famous restaurant and wait for it during hours.

What is funny with this drama, it's the beginning of the story was the best part but after it lost its focus and became meh. But it was buzzworthy and the ratings just went high because it was the hot topic and the quality wasn't important anymore.

It's still the worse role for Lee Se-Young for me, but I like her as an actress and I'm happy for her. She deserves the recognition.

The star for me was the King played by Lee Deok-Hwa. He was really great.

When my wife and I (used to) eat out, we received great meals at two types of restaurants: (1) the occasional hotspot that actually lived up to the hype and (2) neighborhood joints which had little or no originality but everything on the menu was executed with love and care -- RSC is the latter for me. Many of the usual dramaland and sageuk cliches were still present but because the show treated them as integral to the script rather that throwaway fan service, they worked much better.

Also, if the perspective of my mother and her halmoni crew means anything, the romance between Jeongjo and Lady Seong is the THE great historical love story, even more so than the the one between King Sukjong and Lady Choe.

Relatedly, while I understand academics may differ, the popular perception is that Jeongjo and, especially Sejong, are the two kings who came closest to the myth of the truly benevolent monarch. Much in the way American entertainment periodically cycles back to the life of Abraham Lincoln, I would not be surprised if there is yet another successful Jeongjo vehicle in the next 10-20 years.

I am still on episode 13. I started 2 days ago. Dont judge me, cause you know... :P It is different, but at the same time it still a sageuk. What I liked about it? The King didnt hate the Crown Prince, he adored his grandson. There was no need to kill the King with a poisoned tea. We saw a different side of sageuk. There is the terror of it, but we could see that it indeed takes a village to make the King, a King. We saw that every person has a job in this world. Being maid or being the King. The character development was amazing. While I usually give up on second half of the dramas, this one kept it going good. The story kept going.

And off course, a female lead that was strong enough. I am gonna be honest, the last time I saw something like this was in WWW: Search. And a male lead that respected her, despite being the King.

Junho!
Damn, that boy's got smolder.

I found this drama to be a very satisfying watch ,every moment made sense to me. I love how light and comedic the 1st quarter was when they were younger and more free and he was the Crown Prince. Even the lighting shifted as the drama became a bit more high stakes as if they were also having to grow up and leave their childlike wonder behind. I loved how realistic the relationship was , in a lot of show where girls fall in love with royalty ; the idea of falling in love with a man who has absolute power over you and how dangerous that can be is never fully explored , the drama tends to be external but here their problems in relation to their positions in life made so much sense. I enjoyed how bittersweet it was and how even when they ended up together they were realistic about her losses and the underlying resentment it must have generated. I even love the fact that she never said those 3 little words as a way of retaining her agency. The imperfect nature of their love made it that much more satisfying to me because I think very few people ever really experience the healthiest type and a romance occurring in this time period and palace setting would be anything but healthy.

Right time, right place? I think there were probably several reasons: Good cast and chemistry between the cast, word of mouth, and the fact that it was based on a famous story. I'm not a sageuk fan, but I tend to like ones based on real historical figures better.

I had written this long and carefully thought out comment, and the system malfunctioned and erased it. Grrrrr, and aigoo.

I maybe wrong, because I quit the drama at Episode 8.

I know some interpret the drama as two falling in love to each other but only become a poignant sad story because of their different status and moral in ancient Joseon era (he begins as a crown prince, and she a royal servant). Some think it is romantic because of a strong man conquest of a head strong, free-spirited woman. I know all those elements and why they say those elements make this a drama a successful one. Certainly, a well-known love story in Joseon Royal Court may have helped boost the rating as well. I read all those articles and watched all those explanatory videos on YouTube.

For me, however, I don't see how romantic it is.

I am a man, and I know when a woman says "no" to me, that means NO. I don't think a man with a higher authority forcing a woman onto his bed is "romantic".

But I guess in some societies (not only South Korea, but overall East Asian culture) with straight hierarchical social structure this story is somehow "romantic". I simply don't get it. That doesn't mean, however, it cannot be a good story. Since I only watched half of the show, I can't say it for sure; but if you want to know what I think, here it is.

(Afterall, watching two poor souls overcome their pass trauma--being abandoned and low self-esteem due to poverty, to be exact--and getting together again after 5 years of breaking up from a 5 year love relationship is way more satisfying to me. In fact, I love that drama so much I quit all other dramas, so I guess this is another reason I quitted this very drama)

I think everything just fall in place at the right timing? But for me the main catalyst is Junho and that he’s excellent at his job as both idol and actor. Since the My House craze back in 2020 people starts to get fascinated and discover his years long career. He’s not slacking at all so there are tons of material about him you can find (hundreds of concerts while also have movies and dramas means new fans are blessed with abundant stuffs to watch). I say he's the main reason because even during MBC Gayo Daejejon, which he only served as an MC, the rating was high. Some fans of the drama even got mad he danced with other woman (SNSD Yoona) since he IS San (the logic..).

The casts’ acting and their chemistry, the cinematography, the costume, the music, and the behind the scenes are great. For me it made up for the sloppiness in the story. So I personally think TRS itself is a good product, that’s why the buzz generated with the help of reporters are so well received by the general public.

For me the drama was really interesting at the beginning. Watching a Sageuk from the point of view of regular court ladies was really exciting. I learned a lot about their jobs and their life style. I really liked seeing Deok Im and her friends having a regular day. I also liked San because he didn't act like a total jerk, I mean, he was a brat yeah, but he was also nice and funny.
I also liked that the politics seemed interesting (I skipped the politics in 90% of the sageuks I've watched), I was curious about the bad court lady (she wasn't that bad tho, San almost got a bunch of court ladies killed), about the queen, about the weird king, about Sado...

I really enjoyed the first half of the show, it was the first Sageuk I didn't drop or put on hold after Mr. Queen. So I guess it became a hit because it was a refreshing cliche? It's not the first time we see the rich brat and the poor girl romance, or a FL being comfortable with her life style and feeling desperate to protect it, or a crown prince wanting to do better for his people, or people plotting against the crown prince; but the way they were doing it in TRS was really entertaining and nice.

Then everything after EP 12 happened and I hated it, but I think it became hit before that so I'm guessing the reasons I mentioned are valid, Idk.

I know what made it popular was probably an intersection of many things, from the leads themselves to their chemistry, the gorgeous cuts and framing and the story they chose, and how they spent time on each morally grey character's perspective.

But I especially loved it for how they portrayed YiSan's love and resentment toward his grandfather. The desperation and pressure he was always under really came through 🥺👏👏

Hello everyone! It's been so long since I commented but I have always been a silent stalker of the site.

My sister and I both were fans of the LJH and LSY, I especially LOVED LJH in Rain or Shine, so we have heard about the drama when it was airing. So when we were deciding on a fluff drama to watch together, we settled on this drama even though I was reluctant as I am not a fan of saeguk. Boy, how wrong were we thinking it is a fluff drama and how glad that I watched it.

I enjoyed the intensity of the drama and how well it highlighted the precarious the lives of the characters even the crown prince. Both Junho and Seyoung did an amazing job at their roles.

The multi-dimensional characters were also of the great qualities of the show. From Hong Deok-ro to Head Court Lady Jo, all the characters have their good and bad sides. I feel the show really did a great job in fleshing most if not all of the characters. Shout to Deok-hwa ajusshi as the King and Oh Dae Hwan as the comic relief royal guard.

I also like the pacing of the drama. They never linger too long on any of the plot points. From someone who doesn't really know the history of Joseon, the show did well in telling the history without being too long-winded. The pacing only slowed down at end with the politicking which I have to admit I fast forward most of it.

Overall, my sister and I were truly enjoyed the show even though my sister was a little upset she didn't get the 'fluff' she wanted. Hahaha!

I have yet to finish it.. put it on hold after 10th episode cause CP was trying his best to make DI give in.. his physical hold on her shoulders and just trying to overpower her with his Kingly persona made me go mad already.. and then i got it know it dint improve either so i doubt ill complete it cause i want to be saved for my blood boiling with rage n anger...

but it being such a hit.. ill say its the chemistry between the leads.. Junho n SY was too beautiful to be ignored together... they are beautiful as individual but together they just turned the whole drama just toooo Good... and by the time the real plot point came into play (no matter how meh) the chemistry kept the ball rolling for viewers and it really must have become hard to drop it cause people had invested good amount of time and emotions with these characters.
thats my take.

I am not much fond of sageuks but this drama actually managed to hook me up untill the end. The reason why it was a success, it was a combination of casting , directing, the music department and over all production team . The competition was insane . Imagine comeback dramas of a listers like song hye kyo, jun Ji Hyun, han hyo joo, lee young ae ,yet it was red sleeve which shined the most despite the oversaturation of sageuks last year. Word of mouth regarding how well made this drama is and the disappointment from big names, ultimately made people interested in it. Throw in some epic real life love story who wouldn't love it.

When i first started watching it, there were only 2 episodes available and i thought it would be another light hearted sageuk drama (something like tale of nokdu, which i loved btw). But then i came across a thread on twitter that talked abt the real life jeongjo and uibin. Something moved inside me and i actually teared up reading how tragic their story was. I became more attached to the drama after that. And with each passing episode i kept looking for spoilers from the book and history. Never in my life i watched a drama knowing what would happen next , yet enjoyed it so much. I couldn't wait for them to deliver the angst and pain that was promised in the book.

Just like many people i do think the writer messed up a lot with the pacing and the unnecessary fillers. However the leads, and the director made up for it.

It was a new take from court ladies' perspective and showed the woes of women living in that era. Even the most powerful woman ,aka the queen dowagor felt like a caged Bird inside the palace. We are always used to seeing these goody two shoes princes in sageuks but it was refreshing to see yi san as an imperfect lover who preferred his country over the woman he loved. She wanted to live as a normal couple but he couldn't imagine that.

I can go on and on ...but let me stop. Indeed one of my all time fav dramas.

Can't believe you made this 'chat room' to talked about TRS when it almost a month since it ended. Well, even Radio Star starts airing their episode for the TRS cast, and they made it into 2 episodes!! *not complaint at all

I always love Saeguk drama, I watched the 'typical' saeguk and also the fusion but since I watched too many fusion one I miss the 'old version' of saeguk and TRS gives me all.

I think what makes it so popular is because of the cast. They are all very talented, not only the lead, Junho and Seyong but also the supporting cast. While the romantic scene of Junho and Seyong makes my heart flutter every time *uhuk bath scene* but I find the scene between Yisan and Yeongjo always be the highlight of the drama. They are like having an intense acting battle every time they meet that makes me forgot to breath.

I also like how the show 'saying good bye to its character'. The bad guy not always bad and even I took a pity when they died, named it Head Court Lady Jo, Deokro, even I shed a tear for Princess Hwawan.

Everything is executed beautifully with love and care that makes it easy to be loved by everyone.

1. Junho
2. Junho's acting
3. The rl history
4. The tragic story of a vibrant headstrong woman who won the heart of the king.
5. The exclusivity of the King's love
6. The fate of women and how they found/find small freedoms within the narrow spaces available to them.
7. Junho's abs.
8. The appeal of historical fiction
9. The struggle for power
10. Junho

Another aspect that I felt was really cool was the parallels between the former Kings relationship with two court ladies and the current King's relationship with Deok Im and how it showed that it never ended well for women entangled with Kings even when they really wanted to be concubines.

I don't want to sound like a Jun-ho babe, but I do think that his performance is central to the success, plus the rest of the cast, the cinematography and the script, the poetry, attention to detail, etc.

As an actor Jun-ho has an intensity that few others have. I saw him first in Wok of love and there was nobody else stirring the wok quite like him. I thought it was brave of the director to cast him alongside Jang Hyuk, another very intense power house, but it worked well.

The beauty of TRS is that Jun-ho's fellow actors were a great match in acting capabilities, there was always a spark between them which made these mesmerizing scenes between the king and the crown prince and with Deok-im. Lee se-young shines in the drama. How she was reading the poem to the locked up crown prince is unforgettable and in my view the best scene of the whole drama.

I did not mind the power gap between king and court lady, quite the opposite. The king's arrogance, sense of entitlement and hunger for power was very appropriate - he was not a modern man and to make him into one would have been false.

I didn't start watching when it first aired, but started after episode 12 came out with the thought that I would be caught up by the time the last episode aired. Big mistake! I was hooked from episode 1 and binged all available episodes in 2 days. The waiting for the rest of the episodes was painful but also exciting because it felt like the rest of the world was waiting for the same thing. I think The Red Sleeve is such a success because everyone that worked on that show is very good at their job. Every aspect of production is done very thoughtfully and it shows. From writing, directing, acting, props, set, costumes and everything in between, all of it was done so well. Crucially, it had a very good ending even though they had to go through the motions of portraying real (not so happy) historical events. The Red Sleeve is now my favorite sageuk and also very close to being favorite Kdrama of all time for me. I can watch it over and over again.

Two sageuks totally captured my heart and brain in 2021, Bossam and Red Sleeve. The former had me doing a deep dive into Korean history and the sorry fate of widows, even those who were princesses. Red Sleeve made me aware of the inner workings of the beehive that is a royal palace.
What I enjoyed most about Red Sleeve is probably not the reason for its popularity. Each female character had a well written personality, from the little band of friends and their mentor to the Queen dowager. Life in the palace was indeed very like that in a prison for the women, but some managed to cling to their dignity.
I highly recommend a website: the talking cupboard. In it I learned a great deal about palace protocols, factional strife and historical constraints due to the author's fascination with Red Sleeve Cuff. Her grand review of the drama is well worth reading.
Heck, I even started into Queen Hyegyong's Memoirs.
If anyone watched the behind-the-scenes clips of RSC it becomes very apparent that, while the actors were all top notch, the Director was THE key to making this drama come together. At first her constant laughing was annoying but soon I realized that she managed to keep the filming of a heavy story light and buoyant. It was a happy set and the production team really deserves a lot of credit.

I was just telling my sister that I could never re-watch this drama because the ending killed me. I felt for Yi San and Se-young because they were two people in love who could not freely express their love because of societal expectations as well as courtly hierarchy. Also, Yi san threatening Se-young with rape made it even harder to support the "relationship." In the end, the one who suffered was Se-young because she was forced into a life that she never wanted.

I am always a silent lurker for years.
I registered an account to discuss it, that's how much how like about this drama.

Today is the anniversary our military coup took place . Yeah it has been one year.
Admist Coup and Covid, my mind has always been in unstable condition ( lost my job, constant worry of being arrested ).

Entertainment has been a pleasant distraction from reality when you still need to lay low and have wifi in your home . ( cause Opiates will be bad for me and I can't consult psychiatrists for emotional trauma because some of my doctor friends has been taken away for being against the Coup .)
Well you can guess, I am also a doctor.

Well forget about Real life drama.

Lets talk about The Red Sleeve .
My personal fav genres include Sageuks
and I tried almost every sageuks this year .
River where the moon rises , Red sky, The King's Affection and of course, The Red sleeve.

Truth to be told, I had the least interest in Red Sleeve cause it is about Yisan ( I thought nothing could surpass my personal fav 2007 Yi San )
and the writer is the one who wrote Ruler.
And I had never watched Junho before and he is an idol.

The three sageuks I watched failed to meet my expectations for different reasons . ( Uninteresting plot, Nonsense plot and KA taking too long to conclude the finale )
I lost interest half way.

There the Red Sleeve came and I tried it out of boredom and I was pleasantly surprised.

******
Personally , my fav things about RS
1. It is like a poem or painting which can be interpreted into different meanings by each viewer
2. The directing and cinematography
Director Jung Ji In name will be the one I couldn't forget for the rest of my life.

The minute details, the poetic presentation ( water ,flowers ,calligraphy, shoes ) and Rehearsals.

3. Junho's Unbelievable Acting Power
Before Junho, Yoo Ah In was my fav sageuk actor for portraying Yi Bang Won in Six flying Dragons .

Junho can portray each and every emotion of Jeongjo/YiSan's perfectly from his younger days to old age where RS version of YiSan is the more dramatic one compared to 2007 YiSan.

You can watch a fun and entertaining Red Sleeve cast chat on the recent Radio Star episode. I loved how the actors interacted and was charmed at how gracious they were. And funny too!

This show became a hit became a hit because it deserved to.

First, this drama was a work of art. The cinematography, the costuming, the balance in the characters and the writing were all well done. We saw more than just the relationship between the main characters but also Deok-im’s relationship with her friends and also San’s relationship with his grandfather. Some of the best scenes involved those other relationships.

Second, I know that the story of Yi San and Deok-im has been cast as a great ‘royal romance’ and that is what many people expected out of the show but what we got was greater than just a standard romance. Great dramas show us the deeper side of the story and we got that here. I was originally upset by the seventeenth episode, but I think that I now understand why it had to be there and why the story continued so long after Deok-im’s death. Many people have noted the power imbalance between San and Deok-im but they are missing what may be the main point of the whole drama: Deok-im was not free but King Jeonjo was not free either. Chains of gold are still chains. They lived in a society where no one was really free and that was the real tragedy of their love. That they did indeed love each other is historical fact, but it was a love that was constricted and warped by their circumstances. To me this was the fundamental motif of this drama. A drama this good will pull in viewers like a magnet- and that too is why it was a hit.

I'm so glad I watched this one live and from the start because typically, if I find out a drama (especially a romantic drama) has a tragic ending, I won't even watch the first episode. But because I started Red Sleeve right at episode 1 when it first came out, and avoided spoilers all the way through, I watched every second (although I admit there were parts of the last episode that I didn't watch very closely because the characters' pain was my pain). And I'm here to say that as someone who tries to avoid sad endings, it was totally worth it in this case.

What made Red Sleeve special? The first two episodes--with their typical sageuk focus on childhood connections--didn't break new ground, but right away, I felt that the dialogue set this drama apart. Characters never said quite what I thought they would at any given moment, and that hooked me immediately.

By episode 3, the banter between the Crown Prince and Deok-im and their undeniable chemistry kept me eagerly anticipating each new episode. I also loved the way the female characters--especially the non-royal female characters--were fully realized. They weren't walking cliches of happy servants serving their betters and desiring nothing more; they were fully realized human beings with wants and frustrations of their own. It didn't really hit me until I started watching Red Sleeve that this is rare in sageuks. We may get strong queens or princesses, and sometimes, a quirky servant or two, but I can't think of any drama that suggested, even obliquely, that court ladies were complex human beings in their own right.

I know a lot of people hated the whole Fairy Palace thing, but I thought it was inspired. Ridiculous, yes, but still---it's not at all what I expected and I appreciated that.

The acting was exemplary across the board. I've liked Junho in other roles, but this one was my favorite because he wasn't afraid to embrace San's darker, less desirable qualities--something a lot of actors are loath to do when playing a leading romantic role. San was a jerk sometimes in keeping with his insulated and privileged background; it still breaks my heart to remember him telling Deok-im he had simply never imagined and could not imagine living life with her as regular people.

Lee Se-young did an excellent job as well showing every moment that led Deok-im from being a spunky, confident young woman to a jaded concubine who loved and loathed the King in equal measure. The emphasis on female agency throughout also made this a refreshing watch.

I can't say I'm brave enough yet to re-watch Red Sleeve all the way through. The hopelessness of Deok-im and San ever being able to love each other as equals is painful to realize over and over again. However, for now at least, Red Sleeve exists next to Seven Days Queen as my all-time favorite sageuk. That said, I would love it if another great one that captivates me as much as those two did would come along soon.

I started watching from the beginning because I’m a fan of Juhno. I like the intensity he brings to acting and he’s a cat lover. That’s a win-win for me. It’s hard to put my finger on what made TRS so special but I would say the acting, directing, setting and musical score. ALL the actors brought their A-game to this drama. I think the fact that the director was female made a difference, especially regarding the friendship of the court ladies and their bond. I like the sensibility of this director. I have commented on this before in earlier posts but the drama had a feeling of elegance. The cinematography, the musical score. IMO the musical score of many dramas just doesn’t fit the story. It’s almost a distraction. But as much as I loved this drama, I could have done without Ep 17. It was just too much sadness for me. I know the real life story did not have a happy ending, but I would have preferred to be left with the image of the happy smiling Jeongjo and Uibin, or as I prefer to think of them, Yi San and Deok Im-ah.

lee san was not different from other sageuks's male leads.
it was duk im who made me stay with the drama until the end.
acting wise, everyone did a marvellous job.

Personally, I think there's something so beautiful in sageuk production from the customary, the outfits, the way they talk (not the literal korean but their choices of words even when it is translated to english, by this i mean the way they talk sort of in code). And I think the red sleeve was able to capture all of that on top of actually having a fresh story. Sad love sageuk love story is definitely far from fresh, but the court lady perspective is definitely new. And surprisingly, they kept the story's pace, momentum, and portion (ie between the comedy, romance, and palace politics) really well up until the end.

The other part that's very specific with The Red Sleeve I think their way to capture melo-romance not only by dialogues but with the close up shots that tells more story than dialogues can do. I think that was in courtesy of the production team as well as both Lee Junho and Lee Seyoung.

And finally, of course it's Junho and Seyoung's chemistry that's just so over the roof I can't even believe myself when I realize that there was BARELY any romantic physical advancement until the forced kiss AND the fateful first night. Their chemistry were so magical that I do think 50% of the reason is really THEM.

And with sageuk honestly, ensemble cast that each would actually serves purpose and actually form friendship/relationship with the main leads is never a miss (Mr. Queen, Moon that Embraces the sun, My Country? sort of?)

Ps. I really don't know why The Red Sleeve reminded me SO MUCH of Moon that Embraces the Sun. I think if Moon that Embraces the sun were a 2020ish sageuk, it would be made this way.

The Red Sleeve for me is the historical drama of 2021, and maybe the best of 2021. I do love historical pieces, and many Koreans enjoy those as well, but there are already so many sageuks filmed, and many historical plots exploited, so it's hard to film anything refreshing. Yes, TRS has obvious tropes of classic sageuk, which is politics, palace drama and so on, but that's because you can't stir much off history and avoid filming about those issues.

What made TRS such a big hit for me?
1. It was very feministic show for sageuk. The whole character of Deok-Im was very refreshing to watch, how she loved herself, her life, her friends instead of going all-it for love. The biggest conflict preventing our main couple to be together was inner issues, rather than external ones, as most of the plots exploit. All women are portrayed extremely well, from Deok-Im's friends, Empress, Court Lady Jo, and so many more. Instead of just being evil for no obvious reasons, we understood their reasons, and all of them suffered from living in society dominated by men.

2. Exceptional cinematogrophy and directing. We can't argue that the show is an eye-candy to watch, from those sceneries, costumes, OSTs and general atmosphere. It's extremely well-shot.

3. We didn't have Second Lead trope, and what we had was rather interesting then just love triangle. Hong Deok-Ro was not interested in Deok-Im but fighting for Yi San's affections (I genuinely think that Deok-Ro really had very deep affections for Yi San, and it was important for him to be his closest person), Empress having deep affections for Deok-Im and fighting over her with Yi San. I really loved that.

3. Everything in the plot seemed logical for me, and nothing out of place. Many people criticized Court Lady Jo's trope and treason sage, but I liked it. They also didn't make it too long, so no complaints from me.

4. Main love story is epic. Yi San was not perfect, it was a society dominated by man, and he was a Crown Prince, a King, people were obeying him since childhood, but what's important, TRS showed us that some of his behaviors was wrong. Like first-kiss scene is disturbing, and TRS made it that way. How he thought that maybe he should force Deok-Im in the relationship, but chose not to, until Empress said that she would rather destroy her. Yi San always stayed true to himself: perfectionist, controlling, cunning at times, thinking about his country first, but also loving that one woman. And I'd like to think that when Deok-Im chose to stay with him, it was her choice where she understood all things she would be losing, but she wanted his love anyway.

5. We didn't have a dedicated villain. I say, palace was a villain, everybody suffered there.

6. Cast: many things being said about Lee Junho and Se-Young, and I can only second that. Amazing actors, amazing chemistry, but all supporting characters did so well.

Overall, it was epic love story, which we all do...

Another thought - the Behind the Scenes material. It was full, it was released quickly, it was often hilarious, it showcased the chemistry of the full cast. It became an event in itself. With an ongoing diet of RSC between the episodes, it kept the momentum going. I think it actually can have quite a significant impact on the reception of a drama.

I happened to accidentally see the teaser a day before it started airing. The teaser really attracted me to it. I had known both Lee Se Young and Lee Jun Ho but had never really paid a lot of attention. The scenes from the 1st 2 episodes got me hooked. Their expressions, the OST, the background, costumes and it all just felt great. Im so glad I discovered it from the beginning. I don’t usually like watching a drama while it’s airing but I really enjoyed this one. Watching YouTube for TRS crumbs, chasing hashtags on Twitter and Instagram, watching 2pm content, trying to find Lee Se Young’s content with Eng subs, watching TRS BTS on repeat and finally reading the history about Yi San and Deokim from a 2PM fan blogger named JLML718.
In fact reading her blogs and Instagram posts made it easier for me to understand Yi San and Deokim better. I started looking at things in a different way.
I’m already having withdrawal symptoms.

It was popular, so people will look into LSY's filmography and watch KAIROS 😎.

Fyi, KAIROS cinematographor was also TRS cinematographer too. Watch KAIROS, underated gem.

Got on this boat around E4 and initially stayed for the grand reveal that library guy was actually the Crown Prince. The turned out to be satisfying, so I stayed on and before I knew it I was hooked. Se-young was as usual fantastic but IMHO it was Jun-ho and Kang Hoon that carried this drama.

Speaking for myself. What drew me in is the amazing chemistry between the leads. I especially enjoyed Junho's portrayal of Yi San. I loved the emotion and vulnerability he showed. His longing to be with Deok-Im was so visible and it hit all the feels in the right way. His struggle with his longing for her and respecting her by not abusing his power (even though it was frustrating him) was wonderful to watch. I loved the portrayal of Deok-Im too. Struggling with her feelings for Yi San, the off-putting environment of the court, and her own ambitions and longing to have a peaceful life. For me, this is what drew me in and kept me watching.

What was off-putting were some elements I thought to be too fantastic: the tiger scene, the secret society of court ladies, and other parts of the plot. What kept me from not leaving the drama was the dynamics I mentioned above.

Junho. Smolder. Swoon. Period.