Empress Ki (2013)

This drama may be a lengthy one but once you start you'll see that you have to learn what's going to happen. The cliff hungers won't let your excitement down!

About the plot:

The whole plot won't let you down! There are some plot twists that make this drama almost perfect! It is not "perfect" because the last two episodes were not so impresively directed in comparison to the whole series. That doesn't mean that I would wish about a different ending but a different way to show it.

About the cast and acting:

Every single character was fitting their role and they played incredibly good! I am not that excited about Wang Yu (king of Koryo) though, he didn't amaze or inspire me too much, but he played really well!

Nyang (empress Ki) was insane!!! I absolutely love her! She has the best female character I've ever seen so far! A strong character with incredible manners, an amazingly big heart that knows the true meaning of love and concern about others! She is also really just, smart and a great warrior! She has the whole package, perfect image and personality! Congratulations to the actress for the breathtaking the acting! Iwish to see this kind of character in other series too!

I'm won't write anything regarding the male leads. I'll just say that among the men who loved her they is one that is the definition of a male personality! He has exactly the same personality as the heroine but in a male way!!! He is absolutely gorgeous too!!! Figure out who he is!

To sum up in this drama you will find the definition of male and female character that will mesmerize you!

In this drama you will also find:

the best fitting osts

amazing clothing

acting skills that will make your heart race!

I ubsolutely recommend it!
Let me know what you think

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So... This drama I would say has a really good story as well as the actors, however I am a sucker for good endings which this series did not contain.
That's not the only reason I didn't like the ending though, It was like it wasn't really an ending if you understand what I mean, it felt more like it would continue but in an awful way (won't say anymore..)....
The music was kind of good, it wasn't bad but it's kind of the music you'll listen to when you're in the car or something crying ????
Rewatch value I would say, you can find a better series that does not take 51 hours for a normal person to finish. What I mean by normal is if you have to watch every minute to understand the context for 51 hours, this series can come up as boring in the long run. It's a long series and I mean if you have a lot of free time and you really like fight scenes, romance and a lot of historical drama then yes this will be a good series for you, but however you can still find a better drama that contains just that :)
Yes this series was exciting and you want to keep watching but I did not watch every scene because unlike some people who have free time I do not (yes, that's jealousy ????)
I rate this drama a good but still a bad... It's not the story line or the actors or the music, it's just the freaking long time of the whole series and you can find a better and shorter drama. I am not to say that this drama is bad but just think of your options before watching it.
Don't hate on me it's just my opinion, I'm just stating how I think this drama turned out :)

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Jesus Christ, this is the BEST SHOW I've ever seen!!!

Now, some of you might be thinking, "Uh this is over 50 episodes long and each episode is about an hour long... How am I ever going to finish this??? Is watching this with my busy schedule even feasible?"

Well... yes, it is feasible for you find time in your schedule to watch it because it's really worth watching... Since the show's first episode aired, I've watched it about 4 times.

I love this show because this is the first foreign show I've watched where there is a very, very strong female protagonist. I grew up watching USSR, Chinese, and Korean shows/ movies and all of them did not really display any elements of female empowerment. However, Empress Ki is not only beautiful like many other female leads--- she is witty, strong, and brave. A master at martial arts? Empress Ki. An elegant young lady? Empress Ki. Someone who fights for justice? Empress Ki. The fact that this show is based on the real Empress Ki is what shocks me the most..... 10/10 It's been my favorite show since middle school.

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le meilleur sageuk !

Exceptionnel et le meilleur ! et pourtant j'en ai vu et aimé des sageuks mais celui là dépasse tout ! l'interprétation de Ji Chang Wook est tout simplement incroyable ! il fait rire et pleurer, l'aimer et le détester. Les autres leads et les supports sont super également. Les lieux de tournage, les costumes, les bijoux, la musique, les intrigues, tout concourt à rendre ce Sageuk inoubliable.
La série est longue, mais il faut partir du principe qu'il y a 3 séries en 1, en Corée tout d'abord, avec Ji Chang Wook en exil, puis en Chine puis les deux endroits en même temps.
C'est une série basée sur une histoire vraie, celle de l'impératrice Ki, qui marque la fin de la dynastie Yuan.
La fin est triste, d'autant que pas basée sur l'histoire (l'empereur s'est enfuit dans le Yuan du nord avec son fils et l'impératrice )
mais la série vaut vraiment le détour.

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I am not a fan of historical dramas, but this one did not fail me. Skeptical at first, 51 episodes?..never thought i can stick with that but with all those cliffhangers how do u stop? No wonder everyone i kno whos seen this drama said it was really good (thank you dongsaengs and ajummas :))

If youre not a fan of all those slow, graceful, asian refined woman, do-not-move-a-muscle acts etc etc , like me, lol... this might get pretty boring for you,a lil patience will help. id suggest to download it first then hit the vlc faster playback as fast as u want?Then voila! Youre done in just 5 days yea

No regrets, id still prefer watching it now, 2 years later, than waiting for every ep while it was airing.

Overall, it was really worth watching. Time well spent.

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Outstanding

This is one of the best historical dramas, the acting is excellent, the story captivating, keeps the attention if the audience, it's well written and informative. A must to see for those who live history and intrigue.
Highly recommended for the above audiences.
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Binge it , now !

I have no reason to give it anything below 10 stars !
I was very hesitant to start it , coz of the number of episodes , I mean its the longest K drama I have seen so far ! But I still did it owing to my loyalty to JCW :) ..... and I am happy to announce it was worth my time !

JCW never fails to impress . I mean just see the wide range of roles he has picked up . I couldn't expect the macho in the healer / K2 / Baek Dong too , can actually act this stupid in empress Ki . Forget other roles , he has shown such varied range of emotions in this very drama itself . From happy and funny to anger , desperation , pitiful , emotional and what not ! All the other characters are wonderful too like KI , wang yu , taltal , baykan and not to forget Tanashili ! I m sorry to say but I found Tanashili much more impressive than Ki . I mean her smile , smirks , sadness all say so much

Its based on the real historical story with lots of twisted facts ! So just go with the flow .. Empress Ki was actually a cunning and greedy woman , not a saintess as shown here ! Same goes for Wang yu and ta Hwan... since ta Hwan is yuan dynasty , they shown him stupid , he wasn't this stupid though , he depended on Ki , just coz he loved her ! and there was no connection between wang yu and Ki whatsoever. Here I am just stating facts and not saying that there was something wrong with the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed whatever was shown throughout the series . I just wanted Ta Hwan to grow a little more independent of Ki !

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Beautiful: A well written/directed story of how China and Korea almost became one.

⇢⇢Review for episodes 1-30
The second male lead character (the crowned prince) is such a coward, and he remains one for more than half the drama! At first, I honestly didn't know whether or not it was an act of his, meaning if he intentionally acted like one to deceive the regent. Boy, I thought I disliked watching dramas with damsel in distress female lead characters, I think it's even worse seeing male lead characters that are damsels in distress.

Two things that this drama (screen writers & director) did extremely well, better than most dramas, was the pacing and the setting changes. Pacing & the settings of a drama are both super important because it can determine whether or not viewers stay interested or drop the drama. There's almost nothing worse than a super slow or super face paced story. I almost always drop dramas that are on either extremes. Also, when the setting has little to no variety, I tend to get bored with the characters. For example, if the setting of a 50 episode drama is only in one or two places (e.g. the same palace or the same room). With this drama, within the first 30 episodes, after every 10 episodes we are introduced to a new setting, and the setting is based upon the female lead character. This has helped me stay interested and excited about this drama. Even the pacing of the setting changes was well done. KUDOS! Most historical/period K-dramas are not 51 episodes, but rather 15-20 episodes. Respectfully, the pacing and setting changes in this drama should be an example to Chinese historical/period drama script writers and directors on how to go about producing their typical 50-70 episode drama (which I enjoy, but often end up dropping by episode 40).
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⇢⇢Review for episodes 31-52
By episode 32 I get restless in terms of pacing. I think what transpires between episodes 29-33 is not realistic. When you watch those specific episodes tell me if you can't help but to roll your eyes and sigh at the fact that the regent is basically allowed to do anything, and go anywhere. I also look at those episodes as filler episodes. At some point viewers don't want to wait 30+ episodes to see some justice served to the antagonist. By episode 35, it returns to its greatness again! I think what would have increased my rating is if this drama was split into two seasons. The first 35 episodes for season 1, and the remaining 16 episodes for season 2.

I forgot to mention that I love the fact that the female actress isn't ideal in Korea's (often toxic) beauty standards, although she is beautiful! Please cast more Korean women and men who are beautiful, although they don't fit into a standard of beauty that are ideal. Oh yeah, I've seen the male lead actor on many voting list for most attractive actor on MyDramaList.com. I didn't even realize that it was the same guy. His picture on MyDramaList should be removed because he's very handsome but the picture looks like a totally different person.

I really like the character Tal Tal because he's the most honest out of everyone. He's straight up, and what you see, is what you get. No corruption, no toxicity! At one point I thought he liked the female lead character, and at another point I thought he was the female lead character brother. I am not done with the drama yet, currently on episode 41, so I will know within the next 10 episodes. Btw, I forwarded over much of episodes 38-39 because it felt like the same on thing playing out, but just with a new empress.

Episode 43 is the first time in which I had sympathy for the second male lead, and was finally able to understand the reasons why he did everything he did before episode 43, although I still don't agree with his actions. He lived in fear his whole life, and he would literally have mental breakdowns at certain points. "A nervous breakdown (also called a mental breakdown) is a term that describes a period of extreme mental or emotional stress. The stress is so great that the person is unable to perform normal day-to-day activities." This explains his coward like behavior and his need for the female lead character. What she means to him is comfort, support, and safety, which are the things that he hadn't had because the regent was corrupt and his mother the queen dawger was power-control hungry. When I watched the middle/end of episode 43, I just thought to myself, mannnnn if you don't throw this little prince over the fence and go ahead with your life (lol...totally kidding). The 52-54 minute mark in that episode is not realistic. The little prince, ain't even the crown prince nor is he liked by the emperor; he doesn't hold that much power. I am just ready for the female lead character and male lead character to find out this twisted prince is their child...cause his attitude is horrible.

On episode 48 at the 42 minute mark, I nearly lost my cool. The second male lead is allowing the female lead character enemy to carry their son. The female lead character is a real one (meaning she has more strength to do what I'd never do or put up with). If I were the female lead character, I would have taken my son, and ran for the hills. The emperor thus far (mind you, there's only 3 episodes left) has pretty much been a total loser. He has crowned two empresses, although she saved his life numerous of times. He has excused (although, not allowed) his mom, and the two regents from trying to kill her and their son. As much as I have enjoyed this drama, I am ready for it to end because the disrespect is real!

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I really wanted to love this drama. After all it has high ratings and Ji Chang-wook. This is the first drama that I haven't loved Ji Chang-wook. At first I found his character funny because it was so different from other roles I've seen him in but eventually he became annoying and super irritating with his obsession for the girl.

Now going into this drama I was well aware that it had a sad ending but never the less I decided to give it a shot and I should not have bothered.

One can only watch repetitive back stabbing , uneccessary evil females for so long. I eventually gave up at episode 23. For me the story was not progressive but kept repeating the same things over and over.

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