Talk about "Queen Seon Duk" by...Roytavan... / ซอนต็อก มหาราชินีสามแผ่นดิน

Been so long since I wrote a blog entry here and talked with oversea member. I’ve been down right busy and as a procrastinator, I admit that I had been as lazy as hell.

Ok so, what’s new?
Well, I’ve been hooked to this Korean drama series, “Queen Seon Duk”. I watched the pilot episode of this series from master DVD (Eng sub)and at first I was, yeah it’s a good drama series just like “Jewel In The Palace” “Yi San” and “Jumong” but as the story of the series unravels, I was like, I’ve got to load this series from youtube. And so I did, I bought the DVD and as soon as I started watching, I couldn’t stop anymore.Haaa...haaaa...:-)



Maybe it’s my interest in history and my being a hopeless romantic that got me hooked but then this male character named “Bidam” caught my eye and I knew I had to finish the whole thing pronto and once I again I did! I finished 62 episodes in 3days!Each episode is more than an hour long and I loved every minute of it!



To give you an idea on what I’m talking about here,let me tell you a little something about the drama.It’s actually a story about a Queen of Shilla in ancient Korea.The series depicts the story of a girl named “Dukman” and her challenging and tragic journeys in becoming one of the greatest ruler of the kingdom of Shilla in Korea.The character is based on a historical queen of the same name.

Although not the exact tale of events in history was acted on the said drama, some of the events were added to give the drama a more pleasing appeal and exciting to watch. “Queen Seon Duk” is currently will be aired on Thai TV Chanel 3 next month after Jamyunggo ending.

The drama was aired in Korea last year from May to Dec 2009 and became one of the most watched and celebrated Korean drama series of 2009. The drama was originally planned to have 52 episodes but due to insistent public demand, the story was stretched to 62 episodes.
Here are some of the main cast:

Lee Yo Won as Princess Duk Man, later Queen Seon Duk
Ko Hyun Jung as Lady Mi Shil
Uhm Tae Woong as Kim Yoo Shin
Park Ye Jin as Princess Chun Myung
Yoo Seung Ho as Kim Chun Chu (Chun Myung and Kim Yong Soo’s son, ep34~)
Kim Nam Gil as Bi Dam (King Jinji and Mi Shil’s son, ep21~)
Lee Seung Hyo as Alcheon
Jung Ho Bin as Moon No (the 8th leader of Hwarang Warriors)
Jo Min Ki as King Jinpyeong (Duk Man and Chun Myung’s father)
Seo Young Hee as So Hwa
The drama was directed by Park Hong Kyun (박홍균) & Kim Geun Hong (김근홍) and was screen written by Kim Young Hyun & Park Sang Yun (박상연).
For more of the cast and synopsis, you can visit DramaWiki at this link: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Queen_Seon_Duk

Now that you have a few background about the drama, I shall share to you my views about it.
Oh, by the way, I watched the whole thing 4times already and I’m planning to watch it again for the 5th time this weekend. Yeah,I know,I’m not hooked, as V puts it, I’m addicted!

Oh well, now for my favorite parts of the drama; I will have to choose episodes 57,58,60 and the finale, episode 62! The drama series did not let me down even a bit! The good stuffs are all at the near end of the whole series I must tell you, that is why you have to watch the whole thing from start to finish!



The first few parts of the series were merely history facts and were focused on the protagonist character named “Lady Mishil”. I find her amusing, clever and wicked. Most of the reviews I read about the series say that her character really set the pace to get you glued on the whole thing and that upon her downfall, you will loose your interest, well, I must agree and disagree on that.I totally agree that Mishil’s character was something to look forward to on the drama but I also think that all the characters has played it’s part as a whole in making the drama a success until the very end.

The middle part of the drama showed the main character, Dukman, her birth, her struggles and the challenges she encountered on her way to becoming the princess of the kingdom of Shilla. Dukman, for me was a brilliant, kind-hearted, just, respectful and loving person. As ordered by his father, the then, King of Shilla,she was taken away by a palace maid from the palace when she was born and was sent away to live in oblivion and hide but through fate and with the help of her twin sister, Princess Chunmyung and a Hwarang, Kim Yu Shin who will later have a special place in her heart, she was able to return to the palace and claimed her rightful title as the second princess of the royal family.



Princess Chunmyung, the first of the twins, was different from Dukman. Unlike Dukman who was a free spirit and aggressive type of person, Princess Chunmyung, having been brought up in the palace was silent, fragile and lady-like. Both characters were kind-hearted and selfless but brilliant and wise.



Hwarang Kim Yu Shin, of Gaya ancestry, was a patient, kind, loyal,trustworthy confidant of Dukman. He fell in-love with Dukman but because of her responsibilities as a royalty, both of them agreed not to let their personal feelings get in the way of their goals in unifying the Three Kingdoms.



Also on the middle part of the series, during episode 21, the somewhat odd character named Bidam came into the picture. He turned out to be Lady Mishil’s son with the former King that she abandoned. He’s a happy-go-lucky type of guy. He’s very witty,kind,has a keen sword prowess taught by his master “Munno” who fell deeply in-love with Dukman.

The latter part of the drama was where all the action and conflicts begun. The love triangle between Yushin, Bidam and Dukman became more evident and was the main focus of the story. The downfall of Lady Mishil and all the trials and struggles of Dukman as she became the sole ruler of the Kingdom of Shilla after her father King passed away was also the highlight of the last few episodes.



What I love about the whole series was it didn’t get me bored, episode by episode, there was always something exciting to look forward to that made me watch it until the finale.



The last few episodes was where I find myself crying, most especially on episode 57 and 58 where the undeniable feelings of Bidam was expressed vocally and was reciprocated by Dukman. Also, one of my most favorite scene was when Bidam waited for Dukman to fell asleep while tapping her just like a baby as she lay in the royal bed. For me, that was romantic. I also love the part where they hugged each other infront of Lady Mishil’s shrine.



As a whole, the series was not just another drama but rather it’s about a lot of different aspects of life; love,trust,hatred,betrayal,respect,courage,pride,power and fate. At the end of it, fate took charge. Dukman, as sad as it was for her,at the end,she can never be that “simple woman” who can fell in love and be happy for she was a Queen who has great responsibilities towards her people and the kingdom. Yushin on the other hand went on to become the greatest warrior in the face of Shilla and as for Bidam, who took the risk and gave his devotion to Dukman but failed at the end due to lack of trust and confidence to what they feel for each other has met his death keeping what’s left of his love and devotion for her Majesty, Queen Seon Duk until his last breath.

After watching the series I was broken-hearted. It was all good for both Dukman and Bidam but in the end, love was just not enough to keep them together. I find the series tragic but entertaining. It will teach you good lessons in life.It was a drama worth all my time.I can say,this is the type of drama that will be remembered by those who watched and enjoyed it for all time.

...Roytavan...