#Empress Ki

[bitacrytic]

it's always "a man falls in love with a man and is scared of being gay until he realizes that he is actually in love with a woman".

why is it never "a man falls in love with a woman and is convinced he is straight until he finds out the woman is a man and realizes that he is in fact extremely gay and okay with it"?

or... better yet... "a man falls in love with a man who turns out to be a woman and [here's the kicker] he acknowledges that he would have loved her as a man, even though he ALSO loves her as a woman."

[perioddramapolls]

Period dramas' dresses tournament: Golden-yellow dresses

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Semifinals Finals

Winner: Bai Zhouyue's dress, from Novoland: eagle flag

Costume designer: Yee Chung-man

[witheringwinter]

just ji chang wook looking at his leading ladies like they hung the moon and the stars in the sky...

— ji chang wook & bora (sistar) - i need you (k.will) music video (2012)

— ji chang wook & ha ji won - empress ki (2013-2014)

— ji chang wook & park min young - healer (2014-2015)

— ji chang wook & an yue xi - the whirlwind girl 2 (2016)

— ji chang wook & nam ji hyun - suspicious partner (2017)

— ji chang wook & won jin ah - melting me softly (2019)

— ji chang wook & kim ji won - lovestruck in the city (2020-2021)

— ji chang wook & choi soo young - if you wish upon me (2022)

— ji chang wook & shin hae sun - welcome to samdal-ri (2023-2024)

[dangermousie]

Pre-Joseon Sageuks: a Biased and Incomplete List

So, as promised way earlier, a post on pre-Joseon sageuks that I’ve either watched or plan to watch so am aware of them. I am sure there are others but here is what I got. Obviously my takes on them are subjective blah blah blah.

Jumong - arguably the Daddy of all Traditional Sageuks, this one ran for over 80 episodes and had insane ratings. It follows the rise of the mythical founder of Gogureyo tho it takes fantastical elements of his story and changes them for historically plausible ones. It’s very long and very meaty and politics/battle heavy and has a large cast of complex characters (including pretty nifty women and a LGBTQ supporting OTP) but it is anchored by the incredible performance of Song Il Gook as the titular character as he slowly but believably grows from nothing to a hero if at the cost of losing his marriage.

The King of Tears Lee Bang Won - this is basically a half and half beast as (you can tell by the title), it’s set in the last days of Goryeo and early days of Joseon. The time period covered is the same as in My Country and Six Flying Dragons, but this is the most traditional take of them all, even more so than 6FD. Not a single pretty face in the cast (tho Joo Sang Wook is a mighty fine man, emphasis on “man”), this is for the real fans of traditional sageuks. I enjoyed it a lot but if you want to check out pre-Joseon sageuks but have mainly watched youth sageuk stuff before, you should probably start with another drama on this list.

The Great Seer - set in the reign of King Gongmin, the last proper king of Goryeo (his son King U is technically the very last but there are questions as to his status), this is for those of you who want to watch Ji Sang in a sageuk. It’s centered around seers but don’t expect mysticism, this knuckles down to politics.

Shin Don - hi there, another story set in the reign of King Gongmin! From the title, you can tel it centers heavily on the powerful monk who ruled for the King at one point. This has been on my to-watch list forever because this appears to devote a decent chunk of its time to Gongmin X Noguk and I am dying for a proper drama for those two. This is from 2005 so if you do watch, keep that in mind in terms of visuals etc. That cast is lit!

Bicheonmu - this is sort of cheating because it’s pretty much set in China but it involves Koreans so. It’s a drama take on the same story told in a pretty awesome movie. Tragic love, battles, young Joo Jin Moo etc. i am very fond of it. This said, find and watch the Chinese version, Korean one was shredded.

The Iron Empress/Empress Cheon Chu - set in Goryeo, this was another of women ruler centric dramas that had a mini popularity peak in late 00s/early 10s (a trend I wish continued.) it got overshadowed by Queen Seonduk but by all accounts is a solid drama. It’s on my list but I haven’t watched it yet.

The King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang - by the writer of The Rebel and My Dearest. Have I got your attention? Another woman centric ruler tale set in Baekje. Yes, there is a love story. That cast is great, to boot. I have started and liked what I’ve seen but got sidetracked. Need to get back to it. Before you look at the ep number and faint seeing the number 108, keep in mind that the eps are half an hour long so it’s an equivalent of a normal 54 ep sageuk so if you can watch eg Empress Ki, you are good with this.

My Country: The New Age - Lee Bang Won but make it gay. OK, I kid, sort of (not really) but this is smart and passionate and heartbreaking. If you want a wide scope or lots of politics, probably not a take for you (Six Flying Dragons is RIGHT there), but if you want an intense, emotional tale, come right in!

Six Flying Dragons - to me, this is THE drama about Lee Bang Won. It’s smart and emotional, deals with politics and has heart. It has a large cast of characters I got invested in, OTPs that will blow your mind etc etc.

Faith/The Great Doctor - if you are a fan of old school shoujo like Red River, Basara or Fushigi Yuugi, this or Moon Lovers are your best bet on this list. A time traveling tale with other fantasy elements about a modern day plastic surgeon who ends up being kidnapped into Goryeo during the early days of King Gongmin’s (hi!) reign by a tormented, oath bound warrior played by Lee Min Ho at his hottest (and playing historical General Choi Young. Do RPS at your pleasure), this one is one of my all time favorites.

Seodonyo/Ballad of Seo Dong - I am actually currently watching this one tho I haven’t been posting about it. Set in both Baekje and Silla, this is an angsty love story with a side of politics. It’s filmed in 2005 and looks accordingly but if you don’t mind dated visuals, this is pretty great!

Emperor of the Sea - set in Silla and Tang, this was a huge hit and deservedly so. Our protag is a slave and gladiator and a great naval hero. This is grim and smart and epic. It’s from 2004 so once again, if dated visuals are no-go, skip, but if you want a great story and performances, this has your name on it.

The Kingdom of the Winds - an epic cursed prince narrative, our ML (Song Il Gook at his sexiest) rises from abandoned prince and slave and abused assassin to general, royal and king, sparing time for an angsty delicious love story with an enemy princess. This has serious sageuk bits AND the best shoujo tropes in the business, plus enough whump to keep anyone happy.

Gye Baek - Lee Seo Jin, another sageuk stalwart, stars as the title character in this tale of a Baekje commoner, war slave and general. This is grim but glorious.

Soldier/God of War - this is a traditional war-centric sageuk and grim as hell. Another slave to general tale.

King Geun Chu Go - this is on my watch list; it’s about a warrior king of Baekje. Haven’t seen it but heard good things.

Ja Myung Go - smart and unrelentingly tragic, featuring Jang Ryeo Won and Jung Kyung Ho as doomed lovers and Park Min Young in an evil role, this is great and has deeply flawed characters in the very definition of doomed by the narrative tale.

Arthdal Chronicles - this is obviously a fantasy but the tale of prophesied twins, magical priestess, wars and mysticism is clearly set in a pre-Joseon in terms of aesthetics world.

Alchemy of Souls - like Arthdal this is pure fantasy but also like Arthdal, a lot of its styling is pre-Joseon so on this list it goes.

Moon Lovers/Scarlet Heart Ryeo - ok I think if people have heard of only one drama on this very long list, it’s probably this one. Modern time traveling heroine ending up during the reign of Goryeo’s King Taejo, in the middle of his sons’ fight for the throne, having an epic but doomed romance with shoujo catnip tortured bad boy Lee Jun Ki.

Shine or Go Crazy - if you want a more historical take on Moon Lovers succession fight but still with plenty of hotness, angst and doomed romance, come right in. This baby stars Jang Hyuk, so you know it’s bound to be good. I actually started it and enjoyed it but got sidetracked. Need to get back to it. Fun fact: while Moon Lovers was hugely popular internationally, domestically Shine or Go Crazy (they aired around the same time), did much better.

The Legend/The First King’s Four Gods - for a long time this was my favorite kdrama of all time and is still probably in my top 10. Ignore the odd first episode, the rest is perfection. Expensive and wonderfully written, this was Bae Yong Joon’s last drama before he retired to rest on his pile of money (if you are young, you probably don’t remember what a big deal he was, bigger than all the Hallyu stars nowadays put together. He basically was singlehandedly supporting the kdrama industry at one point), but what a worthy way to go out. It’s an epic Goguryeo fantasy tale of a prophesied prince coming into his own, with such amazing characters and relationships and OTPs and battles and points about destiny versus free will. It is everything and I kinda want to rewatch now.

The Blade and The Petal/Sword and Flower - ostensibly a star-crossed Gogureyo love story, this really is more about politics. It’s a mixed bag. The visuals are insane but Uhm Tae Woong, while always solid in modern dramas, is out of place in a sageuk (in QSD Kim Nam Gil stole his thunder; there is nobody to do so here but that doesn’t help him.)

Queen Seon Duk - probably the most famous entrant into female power sageuks, this was a mad hit and centered on the titular character’s rise to power and fight for the same with her female nemesis Mishil. If you want love stories, angsty fighter Bidam propelled Kim Nam Gil to stardom as he stole the leading man mantle from Uhm Tae Woong.

Empress Ki - currently rewatching this. It’s set in the waning days of Goryeo but takes place mainly in Yuan. Still, the FL is Korean and a lot of the story revolves around one of her suitors’, a deposed Korean king, attempts to get his land back. As you can tell by my rabid posts, this is a great drama - politics, romance (I ship FL and the Yuan emperor like mad), murder, dysfunction and everything good.

Hwarang - it’s so brain dead it might as well be a brain-eating amoeba in drama form but it did give us both Park Hyung Sik and Park Seo Joon before they made it big in drama world. It’s terrible tho, stay away.

River where the Moon Rises - I have such a love/hate relationship with this drama - I loved the beginning, with our tormented assassin heroine slowly being warmed by the loyal rustic ML with his own trauma. And then Ji Soo’s bullying scandal happened and he was replaced by Na In Woo, aka the actor I like least from any country in all my close to two decades of watching dramas. I tried but I simply couldn’t and I am still mad. This said, if you don’t share my NIW allergy, it’s probably worth a watch.

The Great King’s Dream - if you liked QSD and can’t get enough of the period but want an even more traditional tale, you can do worse than this drama. I liked what I saw but this baby is 70 eps and lacks Bidam so I peaced out. Maybe I will get back to it sometime, but probably not.

Jeong Do Jeon - as you can tell by the title, centers on JDJ and the last days of Goryeo. Not really my bag (time period been done plenty in other dramas and I don’t have that much interest in JDJ) but supposed to be solid.

My Only Love Song - a short silly mess but still probably better than River (which tells the same story) because it doesn’t have NIW.

King Gwanggaeto the Great - 92 eps. I can’t!

The King Loves - delicious love triangle (that goes ALL ways), angst, prettiness, a side of bodyguard romance. What’s not to love in this Goryeo tale?

ETA: this post was so long that when I tried to tag every drama I mentioned, tumblr told me you hit the tag limit of 30 tags no more tags for you. Oh well, sorry dramas that ended up I tagged!

[scarroxana]

Chinese Dynasties.

Shang | Zhou | Qin | Han | Jin | Sui | Tang | Liao | Song | Yuan | Ming | Qing

[citrinekay]

Emperor Togon and His Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Wedding Day

Empress Ki (기황후), 2013-2014 // Episode 8

[ryoun]

unfortunately for me, i don’t rate kdramas. if i’m obsessed, i’m obsessed. if i loved it, i loved it.

[youknowihavenochingu]

The many faces of Ji Chang Wook 👑❤

Suspicious Partner

Healer

Lovestruck In The City

The K2

The Sound of Magic

If You Wish Upon Me

Melting Me Softly

Backstreet Rookie

Empress Ki

Warrior Baek Dong Soo

[gizkasparadise]

Asian male leads that went against the norms and redefined thirst traps for you?

For me it was lee joon gi from flower of evil! Who is the genius tell me!!! That decided to make this meticulous, detail oriented crafty man who is painted as a violent sociopath but turns out to be a huuuuuge softie in need of love and just wants to make his family happy and get some cuddles and stuff

my brain's a little too fuzzy right now so idk about going against the norms, but here's some favorite Characters That Are Just Hot

ma dong seok as yoon sang hwa | train to busan

he loves his wife and unborn baby. he wears a fancy lil scarf. he'll punch you into the roof of a train car. the sheer bruhery of this guy.

jang hyuk as park gye won | bloody heart

look this whole post could just be jang hyuk characters (his character in chuno i think is the quintessential definition of a thirst trap), but this character gets a special shout-out because he works the least sexiest outfit of Royal Minister for the duration of the drama and also the atrocities??

wi ha joon as choi do il | little women

the clown wigs i wore throughout this entire drama because of this guy. sort of like a human trojan horse but snaccify it. being toxic in his little outfits 10/10

chen kun as ning yi | the rise of phoenixes

mansplain. manipulate. malewife. "chen kun with long hair" is a Movement.

shin sung rok as kim seo jin | kairos

when you like them flawed and morally ambiguous and in desperate need of a divorce. "i can fix him" but if fixing him required you to probably stab someone in an infinite time loop down the road

shin ha kyun as lee dong sik | beyond evil

he's done nothing wrong in his entire life except for perhaps inspiring the thousands of morally ambiguous daddy complexes that emerged from this drama

BONUS! some ladies

ha ji won as sung nyang | empress ki

she'll get your whole family killed and ruin your career and you'll thank her for it

lee si young as seo yi kyung | sweet home

ma'am.

kim ok bin as taealha | arthdal chronicles

she's scary (appreciative)

[kdramawhump]

I was inspired by @dangermousie and started a Empress Ki rewatch. Finally got to the scene where poor Togan is trying to delay assassination attempts by pretending to be sick and demanding dried persimmons. What a cute blorbo.

I forgot how much I dislike the King of Goryeo though so the episode and a half it took to get here was painful.

[emmatgc]

The Forbidden Love I Love

I realized all my favorite ships and pairings are from a "they were not supposed to fall in love " trope. All from a tv series, too. It doesn't matter if they were the end game. They just clicked and their story were damn epic and memorable.

Here are my top 3 couples in the last 20 years

Tommy and Grace from Peaky Blinders (British)

Top 1

Never had a thing for Spy x Gangster love story even on books but this one hits different. All major thanks to the actors who made is so fookin believable. Annabelle Wallis and Cillian Murphy. Both were perfectly casted. To hell with haters. Chemistry on Fire. Epic tv series but mind you, very dark, too and disturbing. Yet it has a haunting, heart wrenching beautiful love story. It makes you forget, the show is not a love story but because of these two, its a freaking ode of a Mob Boss who fell in love with a an enigmatic undercover and who moved heaven and earth grieving and trying to move on. They ended up together, short lived though tragically he is still in love with her even in the after life.

Top 2

Emperor Ta Hwan and Empress Ki (Tanyang couple)- Empress Ki (Korean)

This was my number one until PK came along but this still holds a very special place in my heart. Still the better show than PK and still has my favorite kissing scene of all time in this underwater scene. A magnificent korean tv series, with numerous awards and all star cast. Ji Chang Wook and Ha Ji Wony favorote korean pairing, ever. The 50 episodes were nothing short of incredible. Based loosely from a real Empress Ki. An epic, powerful portrayal of sad, another tragic love story with war, madness, politics, ambition and power at the forefront. My forever top Koreanovela. Very Top Notch!

Top 3

Lana and Clark - Smallville (American)

In the movies, its always Lois Lane but here, nobody can deny Kristen Kreuk and Tom Welling were pure magic on screen. It made a fandom war because Lana was supposed to be this highschool crush only yet here I am one of the "Clana"warriors lol but for 8 seasons, their love story became a star crossed one. They had so much depth and made it through more but yeah, got to stick with the comics. Still, devastatingly beautiful yet tragic and their chemistry was also insane! To this day, Smallville for me is Clark Kent and Lana Lang.

[bitacrytic]

Empress Ki, Mr Queen and Under Queen's Umbrella.

How to be a Period Drama where the Queen has a Good Relationship with her Husband's Concubines: A Guide

[perioddramapolls]

Period drama's dresses tournament: Golden-yellow dresses Round 2- Group A: Empress dowager Budashiri, Empress Ki (gifset) vs Empress Phoenix, Curse of the golden flower (pics set kind of)

[synstoria]

My 3 inspiration for Imperial Grace:

Empress Ki (Typically the MC is an Empress and not a Queen because of this show :p)

Game of Throne (I always loved political drama in medieval settings but the show really reignated my passion for those, hence Imperial Grace. Also, I have a weird love for the bitchy vibe of Cersei.)

Dragon age (And my number one inspiration is not a secret it's dragon age. All of them. The romance!!! The drama!!! The choices!!! The characters!!!!! I can't tell how much time I spend on each of those game and how they influenced my way of designing narrative experiences.).

[dangermousie]

I had time to restart my rewatch of Empress Ki and what do you know? One of my all time fave sequences, a powerless emperor and hunted by everyone fighter love of his life, does it get better? No, it doesn't!

But also awwww, at her still trying to keep him out of it:

It does not work.

Of course she says she's fine, she'd say it if her leg got cut off but what makes me feral is his taking his royal headband and tying it around her wound...

This is literally my favorite sequence in the ENTIRE drama!

Cool under pressure, is baby emperor!

It's so continuous how powerless he is, because he is asked to provide explanations as to why he's freaking bathing. That's insane. I love his hauteur serving him well.

AAAAA!!! This is my favorite moment in the whole drama - TH diving into the pool (in front of general evil, to boot) to give some air to SN via kissing the utter amazing insane gloriousness!

I love himmmm, cool under pressure.

But the moment the general leaves, he loses it. MMMMMMMMM!!!

Glorious, glorious, glorious. It's a little bit like the LSS x baby general dynamic in AJTL but different enough I get why they are the endgame.

[assorted-things]

The Empress Ki + text posts