Taleof Nokdu In this gender bender historical drama, a young man's family is attacked by assassins. He must hide out in a village of widows and disguise himself as a woman to remain undercover. As he attempts to keep his cover, he meets a young woman also on the run. Genre: romantic comedy, sageuk Rate: User ratings: 64 Click to Review or Comment TheTale of Nokdu အပိုင်း( ၁၃ )319MB - 720P Movies Preview Review spoiler. The Tale of Nokdu was pretty much an obscure drama to me as an American in 2022, but I found it through Kdrama recommendations based on: -Villain loves the FL. After some digging I was further drawn in by the uncommon gender-bender aspect of the storyline and how impressed I was by the beautiful feminine visuals of the ML. TheTale Of Nokdu, behind its romantic-comedy premise, teaches a serious lesson about men's penchant for power and thinking having it could bring all the things one's heart's desires. The drama Sinopsis& Review The Tale of Nokdu , Penyamaran Anak Raja. Cerita-cerita berlatar zaman kerajaan menjadi salah satu genre drama Korea terfavorit. Drama-drama Sageuk tersebut penuh dengan intrik, plot twist dan menguras emosi. Ditambah setting tempat yang ditata sedemikian rupa hingga menampilkan suasana Korea zaman dahulu, membuat penonton. X1Mmah3. 9/10 A promising actor The male lead looks awesome either as a guy or a girl. He acts really good in both characters. I think he will be famous someday. He has a good chemistry with the female lead and they were generous with the kisses. The supporting actors were funny especially the little girl. Although the reason of the king killing his son is absurd, it made sense at the end when it was revealed and I realized that it must have been based on an historical fact about King Nangyeun. Overall I liked it but I wanted more soundtrack that will evoke emotions. 13 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 A Round of Applause to the Casting Director I am usually on the fence when it comes to Sageuk or Historical Korean Dramas - they tend to either be very well done or they come off as cheap looking and over-dramatic. Thankfully, this show is the cinematography, an interesting premise, solid writing, and fantastic acting make this an all rounder. The casting director should get a raise for casting Jang Dong-Yoon as Nokdu - the man dressing as a woman bit would never have worked if not for Dong-Yoon's unique look which enabled him to look really beautiful and convincing as a woman but equally as handsome as a man. Chemistry between the leads is great and this show has some really genuine romantic moments that had me swooning. All the characters are really well developed, from the side characters to the villains, making character actions and motivations even more convincing. The soundtrack was wonderful, never overplayed and really gorgeous at I just have to say I loved that Nokdu actually had long hair for this role - its a small detail but it made a difference, as the hair buns on other actors are always so fake looking with the short hair in the show felt similar to "100 Days My Prince" except that this one was SO MUCH BETTER. This show delivered on both romance and a satisfying ending, unlike 100 Days which I am still so mad about!Definitely give this show a watch, it has great action, romance, and wonderful acting! 6 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 A very enjoyable series with more depth than I anticipated I picked up Tale of Nokdu because I needed a light-hearted show after watching a string of heavy dramas. Oh boy, it did not disappoint. Then later on, what started off as rom-com became much more after several surprising plot twists. There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments and I chuckled every time the male lead Nokdu cross-dressed because he's actually prettier than a lot of the ladies. However, I was later drawn in by the political intrigue and emotional roller coaster as the story was also pleasantly surprised by the two main actors' heartfelt performances. Both So-Hyun Kim and Dong yoon Jang seamlessly took the audiences from comedic moments to dramatic gut-wrenching scenes. The supporting casts also added so much authenticity to the plot development and background surrounding the main of the few complaints I had were the numerous romantic music montages. For a while, it seemed like there was one in every episode. I get that our cute couple are very much in love and that was pretty obvious as the series goes on. I actually fast forwarded several montages just to move on with the story. This maybe very typical of K-drama and I'm just not used to it because I'm a newbie in this this is a very enjoyable series with more depth than I anticipated. I believe even folks who are unfamiliar to Korean period drama/comedy will enjoy this show. 8 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 So funny Love this drama it hilarious never laughed so much. The interactions between all the characters is excellent . watched the main actor in school 2017 and didnt like him but in this hes so different so likeable . this is one of the best korean dramas ive seen this year. 9 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Good Enough " The Tale of Nodku " was, surprisingly, a good story was a bit strange, but they made it work and it was really funny. The performances were top notch from everyone in the cast, but especially the leading actor was extra funny and he was really good with the action scenes. The latter were plenty after the first half. The romance was cute too and it had a nice happy ending that worked nice for the love story and the political drama both. The twist about the king was pretty well presented and the built up towards the big revelation was quite entertaining. But the best part of this drama was the pace that kept everything interesting till the very eight out of ten. 6 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink seductive It is difficult to write more about the serie than it is just seductive. Sure, for wise construction of story but especially, for the lead actors. Their acting is just beautiful, amusing and smart. It is not the different love story than you know and expect but Jang Dong - Yoong gives a feminine character charming in each detail and Kim So- Hyun is his perfect partner for a seductive ball of adventures. 6 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Extremely Entertaining! Absolutely fabulous costume K-drama! By far, the BEST this year 2019! Amazing narrative, wonderful cast and intriguing CG cinematic world building really beautiful! Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun were fantastic in their performance together! Bravo! There just aren't enough adjectives to describe how delightfully entertaining this series was. Definitely, A MUST SEE! Brilliant! 5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Funny, intriguing story with a great romance Warning Spoilers 9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Josean era based historical romantic comedy with 32, 30 minute, assassins attempt to murder his family, Jeon Nok-du/Lady Kim Nok-soon/Yeon soo Jang Dong-toon, sets out to find out who sent the assassins and why. He traces them back to a widows only village and disguises himself as widow Lady Kim, so he can remain undercover and investigate. He is provided a room to share with Dong Dong-joo/Yoo Eun-seo Kim So-hyun who is pretending to be in training as a courtesan but has her own mysterious reason to disguise herself in the widow town. Dong-joo's goal is to secure a place in the palace were she will have access to the king. Nok-du's investigation leads him to the palace as well. With a king, King Gwanghwamun Jung Joon-ho who is insane with the need to guard the throne at all costs, getting close to him is no small endeavor. Can the two succeed in their separate yet intertwined quests and manage their growing feelings for each other? Will what they each discover draw them closer or tear them apart?spoiler alert**. The first part of this series had some laugh out loud moments where he is struggling with all the pitfalls of trying to be a woman. The mystery around both of their pasts is highly intriguing. I loved so many of the supporting characters. I really liked the character Nok-du and wanted to see good things happen for Nok-du winds up back in exile and I would have liked to see him be Prince after all the struggle. He would have made a fine future king as he was kind, brave and loyal. Instead the evil cousin basically got his way and deposed the mad king. I wanted to see the king and perhaps the cousin come around. But both remained evil at their cores. The opening music did not fit with a historical drama and I would laugh at how silly it is. It was very good and extremely entertaining but those few elements kept it from being exceptional. 3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Great till the 11th episode, then it spirals down This drama is super funny right from the start and has an interesting plotline. The cast is superb and the characters are pretty why the 7 stars? Well, it seemed like the writers forgot what they were doing by ep 11 and picked up everything on the last episode. I wish the last episodes were executed better because I really loved the cast and the story. 5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Darn Enjoyable! Korea turns out these historical romances with such ease. The acting, plotting, deep characterisations and complex relationships are always top notch and enjoyable entertainment is almost cannot pretend this this series broke any new ground. But it did what you would expect of the genre to a high standard. 3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 An enjoyable series It is quite a good series. I started watching this series thinking that it is a rom com of course it is but there is also drama and the contents for a thriller in this and some action too. So not story is about Nokdu who is living in an isolated island with is family. One day he gets attacked by a mysterious group of women. So Nokdu decides to follow them and find out the truth about himself and who is trying to kill him. In his he befriends a strange girl who is also on a quest. But soon they fall for each other and quests become more it is a good series to watch but you may find the first five episodes a little confusing but the comedy will get you through it. 2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Refreshing rom com <3 TTON is one of the best rom com I have come across, I love chemistry of leads they are delight to watch , each and every character has good performance , this show made u stick to it from first episode, highly recommend 7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Funny and refreshing There are some funny scenes and the story gets better with each episode. 3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Was a roller coaster of love with lots of kisses, palace and political intrigue! What makes this Drama work so sensationally, is the male lead has an elegant and beautiful face, and a way of walking that he could play either a female or male role and in this case both at the same time during a Drama series. The acting in two different gender roles was very well done and hilarious. He pulled off the feminine nuances of a girl and then the Warrior masculinity of a man who is protecting his love, the wonderful Female Lead. Both ML and FL bounced off each other in a very romantic enchanting and funny way, with lots of passionate kisses thrown to say that there is not lots of tragedy and politics and palace intrigue to keep you glued to the series. All the supporting actors were wonderful. Gosh I love Asian dramas Aussie hereAlso special mention the child girl actress -she stole the show and also set up so many funny scenes!. 1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 6/10 Wasted potential This show starts of really good. At the beginning the comedy is very original thanks to the ML who does an amazing job. The plot is alright at first there is a mystery to keep you interested. But on the second half of the series the plot takes a deep dive... it becomes extremely predictable, like they didn't even try to have anything original or any inspiration whatsoever. But predictable plot sometimes works if there are other stuff to keep you watching for example the comedy or the characters. On the second half since it becomes serious the comedy disappears, But the biggest problem is the characters, besides the ML and a little girl everyone else is kind of bland. But the worse is the female lead... her acting is bad she s not convincing at all but also the character they gave her is bad all she does is complain-run away-get caught-saved by ML repeat... This gets tiring really fast i fast forwarded most of the show after episode 6 such a shame... 4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Beautiful The colors, the chemistry and the story are great, a very entertaining drama. 2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Story of love and betrayal filled with twists The drama starts very light and entertaining to watch, full of humorous scenes. However, it soon turns into a drama filled with betrayals and twists that will keep the viewer entertained throughout the episodes. The cast does a fantastic job portraying their Joon Ho as the king makes you unsure whether to love him or hate him due to the few sympathetic moments he has on screen. Kang Tae Oh as Yul Mu does a great job portraying a man fueled by hatred and greed who is still partly under control by a woman he is in love with. Kim So Hyun as Dong Joo and Jang Dong Yoon as Nokdu both do phenomenal jobs portraying the FL and ML. Their chemistry is undoubtedly one of a kind and they will have the viewer rooting for them from start to story itself is filled with multiple moments that will have you laugh, smile and cry. Usually, dramas start strong and slowly decline but it's not the case with this one. The plot is not that slow-paced nor fast-paced, somewhere in between. There were moments where the drama was kind of dragging, some scenes felt too prolonged mostly characters staring at each other; moments of silence but overall, the drama was really good. The gender-bending aspect of both FL and ML was watchable. Especially Jang Dong Yoon as both man Nokdu and woman Lady Kim looked and sounded believable as a a must-watch among Joseon/historical k-dramas. 1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 5/10 The comedy romance is okay but the political fighting is tiresome The comedy romance element is watchable. Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun make a nice couple. And his face is such that the undercover as a woman thing is believable. However the second element of the show is a tiresome political plot with a homicidal king who wants to kill his son and a secondary lead who wants to usurp the king. They are based on real crazy king and he has been the subject of some movies like Masquerade with Lee Byung Hun. The two elements of the show don't gel together well. The comedy is so light and silly and then suddenly there is this fighting with a bunch of women warriors and sword fighting men. The show is fairly modern in outlook in that it doesn't shy away from breaking some stereotypes. 0 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Good The acting was great and the casting was also well done. It was an interesting concept and plot. I also liked the romance side of the plot, the two main characters' chemistry was good too. I feel like the ending was a little messy and confusing though, I also sometimes felt like the two main characters were only there to move the other plot further. 1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Mostly entertaining Warning Spoilers Nokdu is living on an island with his family when a bunch of thugs arrive and try to kidnap off he goes and ends up in a village near the palace where a cruel and brutal, and it would seem paranoid, king meets a bunch of female warriors and ends up in a village of widows - to enter it he dresses as a woman. It must be said that he makes a pretty woman!!Of course he ends up living with the FL. She is pretty - but not enough to capture the hearts of two rather good-looking is a LOT of fighting in this series and a lot of political is a bit of kissing too - and the chemistry of the two leads is quite is annoying is the South Korean habit of dancing around gay characters - especially as this character got married to a massive woman in the end. Another annoyance was his little sister - who could have gotten him killed on multiple occasions with her stupidity. She also ate like a pig - but a lot of Koreans - I liked it. The three missing points are for the unoriginality of the plot. 0 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 one of the best kdrama i've watched Warning Spoilers It was my 1st time watching the 2 leads in this series, Dong yoon is such a good actor I can tell that this guy will definitely be recognized someday for his acting skills and kim so hyun is very refreshing. 1st half of the series was all fun seeing a guy pretending to be lady and the plot thickens on the 2nd half, I was so worried not to get a happy ending, good thing that it was, really sad with what happened to the King but he kinda deserves it. Lol. 1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 It has everything it needs to be a great show. I have thought about watching this for a long time, but thought it would be too silly. Then I gave it a chance and it was waaay above my expectations. Mainly because the storyline is not as light as it seems. There's a lot of intrigues mixed up with funny and romantic agree that there is great chemistry between the lead characters and they play the part. It was great development of their there are numerous times when you have no idea what will happen with the plot. It goes up, down and there is very nice cinematography involved which is a massive plus. Beautiful scenery and actors, what more do you need?If in doubt, watch it. It is worth your time! 1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 6/10 Hits and misses It started out promising but, soon enough, it seemed like the elite production crew left everything up to first-year interns. Weird time synchronizations - one moment it's a bright, sunny day and the very next scene, it's night... but the same battle rages on. All that time guarding the king but the little girl's missing tooth fails to grow in, and so does the FL's hair... All kinds of little glitches and improbabilities like that. This definitely wasn't the carefully scripted type of KDrama production we've come to all that, the performances were stellar. The cross-dressing was an interesting twist and the ML pulls it off flawlessly. There is some goofiness early on to make the story endearing. But the final, romance-platitude episode could have done with a lot fewer platitudes. 0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink Purple Panda’s Note A year ago today, K-Drama “The Tale of Nokdu” had its finale. Despite the less impressive penultimate episode, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. I wrote this piece for HELLOKPOP which was published on December 23, 2019. Satisfaction or having the lack of it is not a result of fate but rather of the choices men made. The Tale Of Nokdu, behind its romantic-comedy premise, teaches a serious lesson about men’s penchant for power and thinking having it could bring all the things one’s heart’s desires. The drama clearly depicted a side to humanity that is innate yet abhorrent. It also showed we are have the ability to make choices. Choices that would eventually define how we wanted to live our lives. TITLE The Tale of Nokdu NETWORK KBS2 THEMEs Historical, Romance, Comedy, Power Struggle LENGTH 16 episodes BROADCAST DATE 30 Sep 2019 – 25 Nov 2019 MAIN LEADS Jang Dong Yoon, Kim So Hyun, Kang tae Oh HIGHLIGHTS Engrossing Premise, Engaging Characters DRAWBACK Lackluster confrontation scene OVERALL RATING RE-WATCH VALUE Jang Dong Yoon challenged himself in his very first period drama role and greatly portrayed his character of a man disguising himself as a woman. Kim So Hyun, being the historical drama veteran that she is, shone in her role as well. The Tale of Nokdu, armed with the right balance of humor and mystique, is another historical romantic comedy drama that is a good addition to the watchlist of sageuk enthusiasts. The Tale of Nokdu Quick Story Round Up A man disguised himself as a woman to infiltrate a widow village in order to identify the person or people behind the attack on his family. As he was about to find out the leader’s identity, he got entangled with the lives of the villagers, particularly a gisaeng-in-training. Both of them were hiding a secret of their own and it only took a matter of time before one secret after another gets revealed. As they got to know each other and Nok Du got closer to the story surrounding his birth, romance bloomed. Little they did know their lives were far more connected. The man who was King did all he could, to the extent of eliminating Dong Ju’s family and had his own son killed for the sake of power. Thanks to people who still have their conscience, Nok Du was able to grow into a wonderful person. Enough to have no desire to rule a throne marred by so much blood and evil desires. The Tale of Nokdu Highlights Engrossing Premise The series’ premise revolved around a cross-dressing young man who entered a village exclusive for woman in order to know the identity of his family’s attackers. That alone was enough to capture viewers’ attention. However, from that initial premise, more interesting plots started to open up. I was not actually worried that the impersonating theme would lose its steam because right off the bat the drama laid out the groundwork for the main and sub-plots. I was also glad that they actually brought it back towards the latter part of the series because it has so much to do with Nok Du’s character. It helped him to know the people who would eventually become a part of his family. Him pretending to be a woman has led him to solve mysteries and uncover pieces that has something to do with his birth right. I love how the drama related the story of Nok Du and the other characters. The drama was able to highlight the conflicts well and the characters’ connections. Watching Nok Du slowly discover his true identity and seeing the pain it caused him after knowing the truth, was heart-wrenching. Looking at Dong Ju consumed by her hate and desire for revenge was so absorbing. Seeing the King slowly losing his hold to power was so satisfying. Knowing that the same fate is in store for Yul Mo was oddly comforting. Engaging Characters I love that Jeon Nok Du was not a perfect hero. Sure he could fight well and knew how to outsmart his enemies, but the secret about his true identity made him vulnerable. His stubbornness caused much of the pain he felt. The father he knew and the one who raised him has been adamant to keep the truth from him, because he knew it would hurt deeply. But as a human being, we always want to know, and I really can’t fault Nok Du for trying to find things out. Dong Ju and her change of heart towards the end was an example of humans’ ability to forgive and let go. Yes, she suffered when her family was decimated, and she was left to die with them. Growing up, she dreamed of nothing but to exact revenge to the person responsible for her suffering. While I don’t condone her strong resolve to kill the King, I understood her motivation. But that moment she realized he was not worth killing, I liked her character even more. Not all revenge has to end up with someone’s death because sometimes having them live a life without peace and in constant fear is a lot more effective retribution. Cha Yul Moo and the King did share a similar fate and their greed for power was their undoing. The supporting characters gave the much-needed comic relief and added more interests to the narrative. Drawback Bland Confrontation Scene I know it was a historical romantic comedy drama and action was not the main focus. However, that confrontation/fight scene at the penultimate episode was not as gripping as I would like it to be. Perhaps it was just me being so critical, but I was actually expecting more for that confrontation. They had set it so well from the previous episodes leading to that moment, but it fell flat. I was not so disappointed by it, but the drama really could have done better. Takeaway The Tale Of Nokdu reeled in its viewers with an interesting narrative and appealing characters. But apart from that, the drama also leaves with lessons we all could apply on our daily lives. As humans, we have the tendency to desire for more that often leads to dissatisfaction. It turns that little craving to full-blown greed which is obviously not a good thing. Nok Du’s father has a great vision for his country but his desire for more power blinded him. He wanted a nation that was prosperous and free of any problems. While that was admirable, he thought that as King he was the only person who could do it. This made him covet more as he tightly held onto the throne. His decision to kill his own son based on a prophecy, was the root of his unrest. Constantly living in fear of his throne being taken away, he decided to do drastic things such as killing those he thought a threat to his authority. That was not a way to live because I can imagine how exhausting living that kind of life is. Yul Moo is heading down the same path and that last scene was quite telling; him sitting on his throne, in an empty hall, all on his own. On the other hand, Nok Du and Dong Ju are leading a more flowery road, though not without mishaps because such is life. It was evident that theirs was a simple yet happy existence. Far from the dirty politics and bad memories of the palace. It was their choices to forgive and leave that kind of life behind in exchange for a quiet and peaceful life in the island. Life is never easy, and it is not supposed to be. But whatever challenges it throws our way, we only have the power to change it and live through it. The choices we make are the ones affecting and influencing our existence. It is possible to have the contentment we seek if we learn and choose to accept that we could not have it all. The Tale Of Nokdu just showed us that in a manner that is convincing and so true. Images from KBS2 website and Facebook Page. When two people running from their supposed destinies meet, will their hilarious partnership lead to love? This drama follows the life of a man who is a noble heir and has been hiding from assassins all his life, and a woman who is the next in line to become a courtesan irrespective of her wishes. Running from their ill fates, they both cross paths in a village of widows. Pretending to be widows, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Trying to figure out their next steps and fighting people left, right, and center, in the backdrop of political strife, will these two be able to have a happily ever after? Watch to find liked this one in spite of my misgivings in the beginning. It was a perfect amalgamation of comedy, the harsh reality of life for both men and women, the prejudices that society has against woman, romance, and action. The female lead was strong in her own way and refused to give up on herself no matter what society demanded of her. Similarly, the male lead refused to bow down and die easily. He fought to live and find peace and happiness for himself and his loved ones. Overall, it was a decent watch. So, if you are someone who wants to watch the tale of romance between two people who decide to chart their own path, you will definitely enjoy this one!Story Line originality of the plot The plot is original, and it’s a good of main protagonists The chemistry between the leads is HappyNo of Seasons 1Total Episodes 16 on Netflix, 32on VikiEnglish Subtitles Available? YesStream it or Skip it? Stream It!Where can you stream it? Viki, Netflix