Goo Hae Ryung La historiadora novata (2019)

Eunwoo es el señuelo pero no necesariamente el protagonista, bueno, al final sí...

En más de una ocasión me encontré deseando que todo terminara de una vez y eso no es necesariamente bueno.

Y es que mi problema con este drama es que LO HICIERON DEMASIADO LARGO en serio el conflicto que estaban manejando podrían haberlo desarrollado en 16 capítulos pero no, lo estiraron usando otras situaciones random de por medio hasta que recién RECIÉN en el capítulo 14 la cosa se empieza a poner interesante y *redoble de tambores* POR FIN LE DAN AL PERSONAJE DE EUNWOO LA RELEVANCIA QUE DEBIÓ TENER DESDE NO SÉ ¿EL PRINCIPIO? pues ES EL PROTAGONISTA. Que yo entiendo que el personaje en si era bastante insípido adrede pero no dejaba de ser el protagonista, ¿será que los guionistas se olvidaron de él y su trasfondo y recién en el capítulo 18 se acordaron de él? Mientras tanto llenaban los espacios con momentos ¿tiernos? Entre él y la historiadora a modo de "hagamos que la gente se quede a ver su historia amor" bueno por lo visto funcionó para algunas pero a mi me durmió en vivo. Soy alguien que casi nunca nota la falta de química entre los protagonistas y digo casi porque la pareja de Sowon y Haeryung llegó para demostrarme lo que es la falta de afinidad al punto de que llegando al final me daba igual si quedaban juntos o no. Y esto no lo veo como algo entre los actores, más bien fue la falta de conexión entre las personalidades de los personajes.

En fin... *respiraciones profundas*

Debo destacar que el personaje de Haeryung era atractivo hasta cierto momento cuando de alguna forma comenzó a ser demasiado entrometida y entiendo que la historia giraba en torno a ella y oh sorpresa parece que tuvieron que esperar a que una historiadora novata apareciera para que los tramuyos del segundo canciller empezaran a verse amenazados. *aplausos confusos*

Me vi pensando "por favor mujer deja de estar en medio, no hay forma de que te perdonen todo sin antes darte unos cuentos golpes como era en esa época". Ese es otro problema: la trama abusa demasiado del empoderamiento femenino haciéndolo demasiado irrisible. ¿Permitieron que haya historiadoras mujeres? Fantástico👏 pero no abusen de una posición en la que claramente ninguna mujer podía darse el gusto de sobrepasar sin terminar reprendida por sus atrevimientos.

Ahora me gustaría hablar de funcionario Min quien tenía todo para ser EL PROTAGONISTA pero claro resulta que literalmente no lo es jaja y aún así tuvo el mayor desarrollo, vimos su pasado, vimos como vivió luchando contra la autoridad de su propio padre, vimos como venció el miedo al fracaso, vimos como pudo superar el pasado y seguir adelante ¿que más puedo pedir? Me dieron motivos para empatizar con él. Si incluso hasta tenía más química con la protagonista que el mismísimo príncipe Dowon.

¿Puntos a favor? El ost es disfrutable, las locaciones son las mismas que en The Red Sleeve y eso es un punto a favor para mi. Ver como al final integraron a las mujeres es algo agradable de ver (sin olvidar cómo las trataron todos esos varones con masculinidad extrafragil) Eunwoo es lindo, es adorable y cada que sonríe pues te derrite el corazón (sí, eso es algo a favor)

En fin que si hubiesen hecho de esta historia una con un enfoque mucho más serio y sin tantos personajes extravagantes y cansinos (como si fuesen caricaturas) y perdiendo menos el tiempo en situaciones que no aportaban, ni escenas más largas de lo que debían (que encima eran repetitivas o sea ya entendí que Sowon se está enamorando no necesitan explotar la sonrisa preciosa de Eunwoo) si todos esos puntos hubiesen sido ejecutados de otra forma ahora mismo estaría hablando de un drama totalmente diferente pero mucho más disfrutable, y vamos que hasta el rey era insípido.

¿Y el final? Super apresurado.

Mi conclusión es: POR FIN LO TERMINÉ. Ahora veamos otra cosa.

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Pudo ser mejor

Decidí empezar este drama después de tenerlo mucho tiempo en mi lista por que me pareció muy interesante que tocara temas tan importantes como el feminismo, aún más siendo un drama histórico donde estos temas no son tan comunes.
Personalmente me parece un drama bueno, pero no maravilloso. Creo que es demasiado largo y aunque empezó fuerte se fue debilitando y me empezó a parecer aburrido. Me hubiera gustado que el drama tuviera 12-14 capítulos porque había algunas escenas que se sentían simplemente como relleno y eso hacía que la historia se volviera pesada; por ejemplo cuando dedicaron todo un capítulo para esconder al hombre extranjero, cuando fácilmente pudieron tocar ese tema en 15-20 min ya que jamás volvieron a mencionarlo y no tenía mucho peso en la historia.

Mi personaje favorito (y por mucho) es Hae Ryung, es un personaje fresco y distinto, una mujer valiente y también divertida. Disfrute mucho sus escenas y sin duda fue la chispa del drama. Me encantó que siempre defendiera sus ideales y que nunca dejara de luchar por lo que ella creía y quería.

Por otro lado esta el personaje de Cha Eun Woo, que aunque debo admitir me ha parecido una de sus mejores interpretaciones (además fue muy agradable verlo en un personaje distinto a lo que lo hemos visto) no me encantó. No se si era porque Hae Ryung lo opacaba, pero el personaje del príncipe se me hizo un poco gris. Entiendo que el guion necesitaba que el estuviera en su habitación la mayoría del tiempo, pero era muy repetitivo que casi todas sus escenas fueran en su habitación junto a su eunuco y sus damas, sinceramente a varias de esas escenas les tuve que aumentar la velocidad porque me parecieron aburridas y repetitivas. Se supone que su personaje es fan de la lectura y de escribir pero solo se habla de eso en los primeros capítulos y después no se vuelve a indagar en sus intereses, lo que ocasiona que no conozcamos casi nada de su personaje.
Aunque soy fan de los dos, no me gustaban tanto como pareja :( no sentí mucha química, aunque me parecían muy adorables juntos.

Me hubiera encantado que Sa Hee y el príncipe heredero tuvieran más escenas juntos porque su química si me gustaba y me parecía que hacían una muy linda pareja.
También quiero mencionar el personaje de Woo Won que fue de mis favoritos, me hubiera gustado conocer más sobre el.

En general, es un drama bueno y toca temas MUY IMPORTANTES pero es demasiado largo y a veces entre tanto capítulo se puede perder el foco principal.

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I freely admit that I watched this Kdrama for Cha Eunwoo, first and foremost. I’m a fan, sue me. But it was also a very good drama. It started as a funny rom-com but soon it became so much more. It told the story of how Christianity first came to Korea, of vaccination and female emancipation… Very intriguing themes that you rarely see in historical Kdramas.

The relationship that I loved best was the romance between Prince Yi Rim and the female historian Goo Hae Ryung. He was 20, she was 26. He was romantic, she was realistic, even cynical. They both wanted to be free but where for her it meant being able to work and having a career, not just marrying and having kids, for him it meant literally getting out of the palace where he’s been held almost a prisoner his whole life long. It was so interesting!

And the second relationship that pushed all my buttons was the one between Prince Yi Rim and the Crown Prince, Yi Jin. Yi Jin was the closest family Yi Rim had. And for Yi Jin, his little brother was the only person in the whole world that he could really trust. He adored Yi Rim. I would go as far as saying that Yi Rim was the only person Yi Jin actually loved. And because of that, the twist with Yi Rim’s true identity hit Yi Jin so hard…

This is a really great drama that’s mainly about the meaning of family, how far you’re willing to go to protect your loved ones and how much you’re willing to sacrifice for your ambition. Both thumbs up from me!

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Rookie Historian really has it all: gorgeous costumes, sweeping romance, laugh-out-loud moments as well as cry-your-eyes-out ones, and - most importantly to me - complex female characters who actively engage with the plot and confront social issues that are just as relevant today as they were in the Late Joseon Era.

You may have your issues with Shin Sekyung, or you may have heard Cha Eunwoo is a bad actor, but neither of those things matter here. The former crafts the best performance of her career with a career so vibrant that it seems to have been designed for her, and the latter rises to the occasion and improves HIS craft as the story delves deeper into his character and explores his personal growth. I personally loved their chemistry and the pacing of their romance, and I find their resolution to be entirely fitting.

As for the rest of the cast? Top-notch acting and well-fleshed out characters all around. There are various arcs, both on the political and personal front, which bring a great deal of satisfaction without resorting to a bunch of extra beta ships that go nowhere. Park Kiwoong as the Crown Prince, Lee Jihoon as Officer Min, and the three other female historians played by Park Jihyun, Lee Yerim, and Jang Yubin are all noteworthy. The last group are especially great because we get to see a strong female friendship play out throughout the show, but Rim (Eunwoo) also gets his own set of friends who are equally adorable to watch.

There are times when the introduction of Catholicism can seem a bit heavy-handed, but overall the theme of a changing world and the impact of globalization is really well-executed and very unique compared to any saeguk (or even modern drama) I've seen. It's obvious the writer and her team did their research, and the story is engaging even if there are one or two over-indulgent episodes.

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This show was so lighthearted compared to other historical dramas

I remember watching the trailer for this show on YouTube about a week before it came out and getting really excited because I honestly love historical dramas.
When I first started watching the show, it was a little slow in the first place however I never judge a show by the first episode because it takes time to introduce characters and the setting and ended up getting excited for a new episode every week as I fell in love with this show.

-Story-
I loved how this show took its time laying out the story episode by episode. I truly enjoyed how everything came together and how the characters ended up in the end as it seemed very natural and not forced upon. Whenever there was a flashback, puzzle pieces were connecting in my brain and I found myself following along in hopes of guessing the ending before they revealed it haha.
-Acting-
Loved both the FL and the ML in this show and especially loved their chemistry. However, as many pointed out, the ML's acting wasn't top notch as some drama lovers expected. Nonetheless, I felt the ML's acting improved throughout the show and really portrayed his character well. Not only did the male lead portray his character well, but I'd like to shed some light on the actors of the fellow historians who I would like to thank for depicting and channeling their characters so well, that I constantly found myself laughing whenever they were all together, always finding something to get worked up about.

There are so many other things I could write about for this show and how lighthearted it was compared to other dramas but these were the main points that really hooked me into coming back each week for a new episode

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Historical and/or political drama are not necessarily my cup of tea, so I usually avoid these genres. I started watching this drama solely because of its popularity, a recent show, a romcom genre, and the ending. I surprised myself I binge-watched it in 3 days!

Like:
- Eye-catching front cover (see my comment on costume below)
- Straigth-forward story line, no plot twist, no shocking surprises, no betrayal. Secrets here and there revealed little by little like pieces of puzzles.
- Not dragging, no filler scenes or conversation.
- Perfect casting, every actor/actress fit their roles well.
- Great chemistry between ML and FL
- Some reviews/commentsI read about actress Shin Se Kyung, that she was bland or stiff in her role as FL. IMO she nailed it perfectly. Hae Ryung role is non-chalant and no-nonsense, which distinguished her with from most women in the drama Joseon Era. We can see her character intro in the beginning when she prefers to read a thriller novel to a group of women who prefer to hear romance instead.
- Some reviews/comments I read about actor Cha Eun Woo's bad acting skills especially in the beginning of the drama. IMO Prince Rim is supposed to be socially inept being confined all his life and only communicates with his subordinates whom have been with him for a long time. There should be a character growth for Prince Rim once he is introduced to outside world thru Hau Ryung, other historians, the French guy, the epidemic area, and Seoraewoon. and how the plot develops. Cha Eun Woo did an outstanding job acting the character transition. I actually cried when Prince Rim broke his heart due to the King's banning him writing romance novels and confiscated his writing tools.
- No love triangle (although there are potentials), so no Second Lead Syndrome
- Amazing friendship and family relationships, and loyalty.
- Happy ending for OTP and most other roles. No death.
- At some point of the drama, some roles become ambiguous , you will be uncertain if they are protagonist or antagonist. The ambiguity adds the spice.
- Beautiful cinematography
- Brilliant costume: I like they chose pastel colored costume for the OTP, symbolizes their delicate and sweet romance. Even the light blue color for the female historian uniform is distinguished from the male historian uniform.
- The OST is easy on the ear. Some notable songs are "My Dream" sung by Yoon Mi Rae, the queen of OST; "Come Here" sung by Lee Seok Hoon, and "Please Remember" sung by the ML Cha Eun Woo.

Dislike:
- I have not found any

Note:
- Probably should add a tag of noona romance, as ML is 20 and FL is 26. It does not seem a big deal in the story since their age gap is never opposed in the drama, and one arranged marriage candidate for ML is older than him (Sa Hee).

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This is a great “dramedy” period drama! The romance is cute and, although the romantic scenes could’ve been better, the lead couple had very good chemistry and their relationship evolved naturally. The story is about Goo Hae Ryung’s development as a historian, palace politics, secrets, and great character development all over. The cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and the supporting cast was equally important throughout the drama. This drama offers some action, cute and believable romance, tragedy, and great comedic moments that were strategically place throughout the plot balancing up the heaviness of palace antics and the main characters’ stories. It is really a good drama to watch. Enjoy it!

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This is not a historical drama, it's a 21st century workplace drama dressed up in period costume

Noble women drinking on the street with a bunch of men? Is this supposed to the late Joseon period? Moreover, Joseon women didn’t learn literary Chinese (which was used to write the sillok), they read and wrote in hangul. I really could go on …

I’ve probably given this drama a somewhat undeservedly low score, but this really isn’t a historical drama, it’s a 21st century workplace drama dressed up in period costume. As much as I tried to forgive that on account of the cuteness, ultimately, I found it frustrating to no end, hence the low rating.

BTW, ensuing rant on historical accuracy aside, I still probably wouldn’t give this drama higher than a 6.0 due to the completely unmemorable plot, generic romance, and cheesy presentation of the some of the themes. It's your typical mediocre fusion sageuk rom com with an extra dash of anachronistic feminism.

I’m REALLY not a stickler for historical accuracy. Sure, I’ll grumble a bit at premodern monarchs expressing anachronistically egalitarian ideals, and I’m not the biggest fan of cross-dressing plot lines (though there’s a fair amount of cross-dressing in premodern East Asian literature, so I probably shouldn’t complain). I make it a point to let everyone know that Mishil is a character drawn from the Hwarang segi, which is widely considered to be a 20th century forgery (there was a real document called the Hwarang segi, but there's no extant copy). But I still enjoyed those dramas and didn’t get too hung up on the inaccuracies. I loved Empress Ki, despite the fact that the writers completely invented a Goryeo king, drastically changed the life and character of Empress Ki, and didn't use Mongol hairstyles.

I recognize that there are legitimate reasons to take liberties with the facts for the sake of creating a good show, and that true historical accuracy is impossible and would often alienate the contemporary viewer. I know authenticity is not the aim of most dramas, but this drama just took it too far for me. If you want to make a drama about the issues women face in the contemporary workplace, great, go for it! But why would you set that drama in the late Joseon period, when noble women were largely confined to their homes? What’s the point about using a historical setting if you’re going to throw out half the elements of said historical setting? Shouldn't a Joseon drama be about the struggles of Joseon women? This is trying to be a very pro-women drama yet it completely disregards everything about the lives of the women who actually lived in this society. Most dramas are pretty inaccurate, but even fusion sageuks generally at least kinda try, or they find some somewhat legitimate (if very implausible) way to circumvent the rules. Rookie Historian just blatantly sticks their 100% modern women into the most restrictive period in Korean history and doesn’t even attempt to justify it. And, though certainly the most prevalent and blatant example, it's not just the female characters' behavior that is anachronistic. If you don’t want to make a period drama, don’t make a period drama. Otherwise, have at least a little respect for the history, ESPECIALLY if you’re going to make a show about historians, truth, and integrity. The subject matter of this show is quite ironic given how little regard it seems to have for history.

To end on a slightly positive note, I'll say that this is the first drama I've seen where I actually enjoyed Shin Se Kyung's performance, and Cha Eun Woo was rather charming.

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While it should probably be the characters or a plot that is the highlight of a drama, for me it was the visual aspects of the show. From the gorgeous costumes to the lush settings, or the close-up shots of brush work and the quality of the props, everything about the visuals in this drama were impeccable and thoroughly enjoyable to take in.

That being said, this drama is also strong in the character and plot departments. While there were a couple of minor characters that were annoying or felt flat here and there, overall the broad host of characters were well-developed and engaging, sometimes providing some fun comic relief. A couple of the episodes felt like an interesting side adventure that was deviating from the main story, but it all ties together in the end.

Though the first couple episodes really focus on the love story in a satisfying but pretty typical way, there are twists and challenges coming later on, and takes routes you might not expect. And while this is one of the main threads of the drama, there are also significant themes of political intrigue, the struggle for equality, the importance of history, and the power of knowledge, so don't skip over it thinking it's just a romance!

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No exaggeration. This is the best historical drama that I have ever watched. To be honest, I am not a fan of historical dramas though I love history but sometimes it really makes me bored. The last historical drama that I have watched that I only liked was Queen Seondeok. So, I will slice the review in all aspects.

Casting 10/10
Yes, I will give a high rating for the casts since everyone was an effective actors. I really felt all kind of emotions while watching this and that was because of the actors. They surely gave all their best in this drama. From Goo Hae Ryung to Sam-Bo to Min Ik-Pyeong. From the protagonists to antagonists to the supporting roles, they all mattered. Also, they're all perfect the roles and the chemistry, do I need to say more? 10/10

Story line 10/10
YES. I LOVE THE PLOT. I love the fact that they made Goo Hae-Ryung a brave woman who doesn't fear anyone even the king - not because she lacks respect but because she knows what she needs to fight for. I love how the story is fast paced but they made sure that the viewers will still follow. I love how the characters did not let the villain step on their dignity. It wasn't boring in fact the comedy part really made me laugh a lot. The drama was captivating. I must say that for me, the romance was just a bonus. I loved Cha Eun Woo with Shin Se-Kyung but I was really more focused with the political and all that kind of drama. But, the chemistry of these two, I must say they really made me smile! Salute to the writers of this drama!

Music 10/10
Even the songs in this drama contributed to my emotions. It also moved me and it really compliments the storyline.

Favorite Part (spoilers alert)
My favorite part was from the last episode, the banquet part. It really got exciting when Goo Jae-Kyung, Hae-Ryung's "brother" started to fight for justice by doing what he needs to do. When the historians fought for their rights (don't really wanna spoil how or what they did.) I also love the fact that the Crown Prince also fought for justice. Slowly, each officials pleaded the King as well, THAT REALLY MADE ME CRY. This banquet scene really is the best, all of the actors really showed their emotions and it also moved me.

I am so happy with the ending. I really love this drama and I must say that after Queen SeonDeok, no drama can change my mind. Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung, aja! ♥

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" Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryu " started strongly, but lacked intensity.

The main character was interesting, first of all, and probably the highlight of the drama. Her story was entertaining and original, until they added that cliche twist in the end. The romance was kind of weak too, as the two didn't have much chemistry and the love story didn't have a smooth pace. They just had a moment and that was it? Still, this was Eun woo's best performance to date. He was confident and he handled the dramatic scenes better than his other drama's. The other performances were good too.

So, overall, six out of ten, because the drama got boring and predictable.

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RHGHR is easily one of my favourite dramas of this year. I loved my Wednesdays and Thursdays, coming home to this. There is much to be praised, but there were some shortcomings as well.

First of all, I have to congratulate this drama for giving us a strong female lead in a historical drama, that was essential to the plot until the end. I often see in sageuk dramas, that the female starts strong and towards the end, she just lets everyone else handle the situation. This was not the case here, which made me very happy.

The theme of keeping history was very strong and even though it seemed laughable at the beginning, when they spoke about it so pathetically, the message was well received and important in the age of fake news and "believing opinions rather than facts". Massive thumbs up from me.

Other strength of RHGHR was in developing minor characters and various themes within the drama. The whole historian gang was so awesome, I am going to think about them a lot. Lee Ji Hoon shined here, as well as
Sung Ji Ru (him screaming "Mámáááá!" all the time was the funniest thing ever). The leads were cast very well, I enjoyed their performances and loved the fact, that the female lead was older than the male lead.

The additional episodes didn't feel as empty, as they usually do in other dramas. They saved quite enough agency, so it was still quite dynamic but I personally feel like some of the characters were not quite themselves and even though they tried to present it as a development, it just rubbed me the wrong way. The tempo was also a bit distorted and although I loved the first three quarters of the drama, it became a chore for me to finish it.

Nevertheless, I had so much fun, laughed aloud a lot and enjoyed myself. Good riddance, Goo Hae Ryung and please, just dip the brush in ink sometimes.

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