Saimdang, Bitui Ilgi (2017) User Reviews

The love story that you'll never forget

[aisisaac · 8/10 · 30 September 2020]

Unlike many out there who are not into period dramas, I'm a quite a sucker for it and I purposely search for my next sageuk to fall in love with.

Gotta be honest, I was upset when it began seeing it in modern era and I had to check it out it YouTube to see if that was true and was happy to see it transcends later on. I thought it was quite refreshing to other sageuks I watched and I've always kinda fancied time travelling but this drama was kinda smart in the way they did it. The actors played in the present time and also the past time as different characters.

I instantly fell in love with the teenage couple. They had great chemistry and I felt their love immediately. Must admit, I was dissapointed that their time was short and I missed them dearly and was always happy whenever they flashed back to them. Yet, I was not dismayed by the adult versions. Gotta admit, I fell head over heels for Lee Gyeom. Damn he was FINE! I have a habit of falling in love with actors if they portray their character well and my phones wallpaper changes every time I fall in love with a new founded actor haha. Yes, today it has the Lord Viseong for sure heeee.

The chosen sceneries for this drama was really perfect. Props to the set director. The fact that this drama took a year to produce and they had the chance to shoot in all four seasons did great for them. I appreciate that they didn't rush for no reason and took time to make it as magical as they could. I must say I loved the snowy and the spring scenes the most. Just beautiful. The three days the two lovers spent up in Mount Geumgang was beyond imagination. It was so beautiful that anyone would instantly fall in love with the characters (if you hadn't yet) and the entire ambience. I really loved how they had the actors paint on the camera when they were painting together. The writers and directors really knew how to make it romantic without having to show skin. My heart was full of love watching these two. You just want more and more.

I'd like to talk about Saimdang, the character for a bit. We can all learn a lot from her. I loved all her teachings to each and every child of hers as she recognises individuality and no one person is the same as the other. I, myself as a mother treat my son differently than my daughter coz they have such contra personalities and one shoe doesn't fit all. I've read a few reviews from people upset with Saimdang for the choices she made and yes, I have to few myself. But what I have to say is.... She isn't you and you aren't her. Saimdang is an exceptional woman. I actually applaud her for being such a forgiving person. That cleanses her soul. And she isn't bitter in life. If we wanna take it one sided, we can call her husband a good for nothing sob but she also looks in the mirror and asks herself is she to blame too and she accepts what her husband asked her as the truth. She never did love him as a man, just respected him as her husband. How could she when her heart was filled with only one man, her Lee Gyeom. Her personality is admirable. She never sat and sighed or complained about life and worked hard to make it better. For 21 years, her husband was unemployed and she was the one wearing the pants in the family. But she never once screamed or shouted and accepted her fate, yet still encouraging her husband daily. Her making sure the kids didn't resent their father was something I can surely learn from. Love her! I don't think I'll ever forget her.

Lord Viseong's character was doomed from the start. Poor dear suffered till his last breath. It was very heartbreaking watching him throughout the drama. I could feel every pain of his through his eyes alone and I must commend Song Seung Heon on a job well done. Everytime he crumbled, I crumbled with him. He also smiled and laughed a lot whenever he got the chance to be with her. She was truly his soulmate. I loved that. Soul mates across time indeed.

If I were to choose one mistake Saimdang did (though I know many won't agree with me), I would say was her choice to save him from jail. Lemme tell you why I think this. The three days up in the mountains with no one but the two of them was like three years to Lee Gyeom. He waited for so many years to be with the woman he loves and finally he feels a touch of hope has arrived. That three days were like an ointment to his long and aching endless pain. But when his happiness is at it's peak (whenever Saimdang is with him is when he is happy), she decides it best to leave him to be with her kids. I believe she didn't make the right choice. It's as if she feels she isn't entitled to happiness and chooses to live the rest of her life with that emptiness not being filled. If she had thought it carefully, she could've easily had a meet and greet slow talk with all her kids together with the man to explain to them all about them and how they wanted to be together and get their blessings. The kids would surely and gladly welcome him as they have witnessed many times how he has always been there for their mother. Her choice however broke the man for good and he never recovered. His choice to surrender himself to the king is his way of saying he has had enough. Saimdang may not have seen this, that without her, he is nothing. He practically breaths for her and without her, he is a dead man walking. She had her kids to spend her life with but he had no one. Do you think he was living in Italy? No, he was just a walking corpse on the verge of insanity. It was very heartbreaking to see him in that way. Saimdang should've just let him die. Instead, he was paying a price and eternal suffering being punished for loving a woman he can never be with. Such a cruel, painful punishment.

I loved the script very much. And I think most of the best lines were also those in the three days up Mount Geumgang. What Lord Viseong said about them being parallel lines, never crossing, never meeting but always walking side by side is nice but I loved most what Saimdang said about the sun being envious of the moon for sleeping all day and only awake at night time, not realising what a lonely existence it was for the moon to be alone in the darkness shining brightly for others. Hence, 'Siesta de Luna'.

For those that feel like giving up halfway through the drama (for being a bit draggy), don't give up coz I could say the last five episodes were worth waiting for. I changed my mind on my ratings in just those last five episodes. They really made the drama a memorable one, never to be forgotten.

The costumes were very enjoyable. There was so many different outfits suitable for each scene. Gotta say I loved Lee Gyeom's hanbok the most. The layering really stood out whenever he was in a fighting scenes with it flowing around while he is in action. So beautiful. The OST is just as great. I am already learning a few songs. Great cinematography too.

Hope you guys enjoyed Saimdang, The Memoirs of Colours as much as I did. It will take me a day or two before I can rest my mind and begin my next sageuk hehe and I already have many on my watch list.

Powerful but too long

[phillipjbrown · 8/10 · 8 May 2021]

This is classy stuff. It took a year to make and marked the return of the brilliant. Lee Yeong-ae after 13 years. The production, cinematography and scale can't be faulted but the script flags about 1/3 of the way through only really picking up again towards the end. There is nothing missing (except perhaps some better comedic relief) but it is very drawn out at times. The music is very good and the costume designer created bright designs that really worked.

Personally I would have liked to get a better idea of her place in art history, not just be told. Shin Saimdang was brilliant. This is not a biopic and the whole love story is fiction. In fact she had eight children and the relationship with her husband is all wrong.

Hye-soo Park and the teenage Lee Gyeom were really convincing as the young lovers.

Still the acting is superb and the ending worth waiting for. The time slips are very cleverly done and work well. Enjoyed it but too long.

Superb Joseon Time Slip

[AJ_McAninch · 9/10 · 16 May 2022]

I agree with many that some side plots could have been cut, and for me the two villains became so over the top they were tedious. But the rest of the cast, writing, direction snd OST kept me interested and engaged. I learned a lot I didn't know before which is always a joy of watching Korean and other international films. Also, I cared about the main characters and their companions, and loved this series so much I added it to my list of favorite KDramas. Recommended.

An Extraordinarily Classy Drama Masterfully Woven & Undergirded With Valuable Life Lessons

[harvieG · 10/10 · 12 January 2022]

Can't recommend this highly enough. We get a glimpse into the glossy world of art with a rare insight into traditional mulberry paper making and some masterful early oriental art, poetry and calligraphy by Saimdang plus outstanding landscape ink paintings..

This drama cleverly weaves together two time periods boldly spinning an extraordinary fiction around a historical figure. Audacious or not it is a class act with brilliant story telling and cinematography. Artistic licensed to the max.

With stellar performances from our leads who bring this to life. The exquisite romance between Saimdang and Le Geum. I am now a "pan" of Lee Young-Ae. Elegant portrayal of both female protagonists JiHoon and particularly, Saimdang.

The modern glossy artworld is where our female lead finds herself uncovering a fraud perpetrated by her professor when she was subsequently unfairly framed and dismissed. Her 10 year PHD goal at stake, she tenaciously fights back to uncover the truth, with the help of her her allies, an art vigilante and a art restoration expert amid relentless opposition. And we get a glimpse into art restoration & research.

The Bridge to the Joseon era came in the form of her chance discovery of a historical diary during her work trip to Italy. The diary was key to leading her to the truth.

The Joseon tale is spun as the diary is interpreted and an exquisite love story unfolds. Early teenage romance that blossoms but tragically, by the (twice) decree of a cruel monarch, led to the sabotage of their marriage plan or ever being together. Here we get a glimpse into dysfunctional Joseon corruption & politicking, and inept monarchical whims made at the expense of the dispensable masses. Our heroine is cast as a woman of high skills and virtue. The hard choices she made at many levels were exemplary and life's lessons can be drawn for audiences of al ages. Hard choices easily discarded today. On the other end of the spectrum, the poor leadership of an insecure whimsical king led to the misery and abject poverty of his subject. An oppressive system that took a lady of incredible courage who was able to find solutions along her life's challenges.

Applause to the characters portrayals, costumes and production sets and choice of location/ scenery. Spectacular!

This deserves a TEN. How it is eclipsed by other contemporary shows I do not understand.

This is A CLASSIC that should not be missed.

Perhaps the only qualification is that some might feel it inappropriate to spin fiction around a historical figure of national esteem.

Extraordinary

[Watchout91 · 10/10 · 9 October 2019]

This series it's just so powerful on different ways, I learn so much from it, I now have a different perspective about life, love, family, dreams, art and even about Korea itself. This is an excellent storie with excellent characters, amazing actresses and actors, you got to empathize with almost all the characters on so many different ways like it's mind blowing and the end is just so heartbreaking and at the same time so suitable.

Life Changing!

[cororo007 · 10/10 · 5 March 2020]

This series was really a life changing experience to me. There is so many lessons you can grasp from this wonderful and overwhelming series. Lessons about true love, loyalty, cooperation, hard working and life in general. Soundtracks are out of this world, I really enjoyed them and they add a very powerful dramatic touch to the scenes. Lee young-ae...Oh God!! she's so beautiful and talented actress as well. I could just stare at her heavenly face for days. She looks amazing, especially when she dresses in those beautiful traditional costumes. She made me cry everytime I saw her into tears and I'm sure everyone did, I mean how can one resist? In general the series was so enjoyable and the scenario was so good and well developed. The only thing that I didn't like is some dialogues especially at the end of the series which did not rise to the occasion, I have to say this because sometimes you have some beautiful scenes and crucial events but the dialogue does not really suits those settings, or maybe it's just the way I see things, it's my opinion at the end of the day and it maybe be wrong and I hope it is just not to arise doubts among people who want to watch. I highly recommend this wonderful series, it's really a wonderful experience to have..

Saimdang, Really Boring Long Diary

[Park_Min · 3/10 · 19 December 2023]

The drama, on paper, had potential. A mix of historical and contemporary narratives sounded intriguing, but the execution fell flat. The pace was slower than a snail's crawl, and the plot dragged on without significant development. The portrayal of the female lead's life in the past often felt overshadowed by the mundane occurrences of the present, causing a lack of focus and direction in the storytelling. While attempting to blend history and modern storytelling, the transitions felt disjointed, leaving me disconnected from the characters and their journeys. The drama's portrayal of the protagonist's life and the historical context lacked depth and failed to evoke a genuine emotional connection. The overall quality felt subpar-amateurish directing and filming made it hard to believe people were doing their jobs professionally. It's like they were clueless and just pretending. Such a shame that a big budget ($18+ millions) ended up wasted on this drama. The poor broadcast ratings weren't surprising at all. They even chopped off two episodes, probably to cut their losses. It's almost like Lee Young Ae went on a very long hiatus to the point, when she returned, she no longer had any negotiation power and her agency just picked up whatever project they managed to get.