The Tale of NokduPERHATIAN!Artikel ini mengandung spoiler mengenai jalan cerita dari film/drama ini. 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 terbawa ke masa lalu. Di antara sekian banyak drama Korea dengan latar sejarah, The Tale of Nokdu memiliki jalan cerita yang menarik dan cukup ringan. Secara garis besar, drama yang tayang akhir tahun 2019 lalu ini bercerita mengenai seorang putra raja yang harus “disembunyikan”. Agar dapat bertahan hidup dan mengetahui rahasia-rahasia yang selama ini disimpan, dia harus menjadi seorang wanita. Sudah terbayang serunya? Bagaimana Nokdu menjalani perannya sebagai seorang wanita? Rahasia besar apa yang disembunyikan darinya? Guna mendapatkan “bocoran” yang lebih lengkap, simak uraian pada artikel di bawah ini yuk! Sinopsis * Jeon Nok Du Jang Dong Yoon tinggal bersama ayah serta kakak lelakinya di pulau yang kecil. Nok Du dibesarkan dengan aturan yang ketat. Sejak kecil, sang ayah tidak mengizinkan Nok Du sekolah atau pergi dari pulau. Padahal, Nok Du adalah seorang anak yang pintar. Perlakuan ayahnya tersebut tentu membuat Nok Du penasaran. Keinginan untuk melihat keadaan dunia luar setiap hari dia rasakan. Hingga suatu ketika, terjadi peristiwa yang membuat hidupnya berubah. Tanpa dia ketahui siapa dan mengapa, ayah dan kakak lelakinya tewas diserang sekelompok penyerang wanita. Berbekal kemampuannya memainkan pedang, Nok Du selamat dan mengejar salah satu pembunuh tersebut. Kejadian itu membuat Nok Du akhirnya sampai ke daratan utama; sebuah dunia baru yang dia dambakan selama ini. * Pengejaran terhadap pembunuh tersebut membawa Nok Du ke sebuah kota bernama Hanyang. Belum berhasil menangkap targetnya, di tengah perjalanan Nok Du malah dituding akan membunuh raja. Dia lalu dijebloskan ke dalam penjara bersama orang-orang dengan niat sama. Di dalam penjara, Nok Du bertemu dengan Dong Dong Joo Kim So Hyun yang ketika itu menyamar jadi laki-laki. Belakangan diketahui bahwa Dong Joo lah yang sesungguhnya ingin membunuh raja karena dendam pribadi. Setelah dilepaskan dari penjara, kejutan lain menghadang Nok Du. Putra raja tersebut dikejar-kejar oleh seseorang yang ingin menghabisinya. Nok Du yang berhasil menipu si pembunuh lalu berusaha mengikutinya. Perjuangan melarikan diri dari kematian akhirnya membawa putra raja itu singgah di sebuah desa yang ditinggali para janda. Di desa itulah jejak pembunuh keluarganya voucher streaming Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Viu, dll murah di Lazada Ada alasan khusus mengapa desa tersebut ditinggali hanya oleh para janda. Mereka adalah para istri yang kehilangan suaminya karena perang. Mereka lalu dipaksa untuk melakukan bunuh diri sebagai simbol menjaga kehormatan keluarga. Desa yang dihuni para janda tersebut ternyata terlarang bagi laki-laki. Untuk mengetahui siapa pembunuh keluarganya dan apa alasan mereka, Nok Du lantas mencari cara agar dapat masuk ke sana. * Apa cara yang dipilihnya? Ya! Lelaki itu menyamar menjadi seorang wanita bernama Nyonya Kim. Setelah berhasil masuk ke desa tersebut, Nok Du terkejut karena di sana dia bertemu kembali dengan Dong Dong Joo. Seseorang yang dikenalnya sebagai pria, ternyata adalah gadis cantik. Sementara karena penyamaranya, Dong Joo tidak mengenali Nok Du sebagai lelaki yang ditemui di penjara. Dong Joo tinggal di desa itu sebagai calon gisaeng atau wanita penghibur. Gadis tersebut terpaksa melakukan hal itu sebab tidak memiliki tempat tinggal setelah kematian kedua orangtuanya dalam peristiwa penyerangan. Sebagai calon gisaeng, Dong Joo sama sekali tidak memiliki bakat dalam berkesenian. Namun, gadis yang canggung dan pemarah tersebut pandai membuat aneka macam benda.

Satisfaction or the lack of it is not a result of fate but rather of the choices men have 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 depicts a side to humanity that is innate yet abhorrent. It also shows that we are given the ability to make choices. Choices that would eventually define how we want 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 Character 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 watch list of sageuk enthusiasts. 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 inched his way to finding 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 got 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 had 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. 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 get viewers’ attention. However, from that initial premise, more interesting plots started to open up. The impersonating theme laid out the groundwork for the main and sub-plots. I was glad that they brought it back towards the latter part of the series because it had 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 had led him to solve mysteries and uncover pieces that had 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 and knowing that the same fate was in store for Yul Mo was oddly comforting. Engaging Characters I love that Jeon Nok Du was not a perfect hero. Sure he did 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 had been adamant for him not to know the truth 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 she lost her family and her anger because of it kept her alive. 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. I liked her character even more when she realized he was not worth killing. Not all revenges have to end up with someone’s death, because sometimes having them without peace and in constant fear is actually a lot more effective of 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 the 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. While it did not disappoint me so much, I truly felt the drama 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 left 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 had 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 capable of doing 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 someone taking his throne away, he decided to do drastic things. Killing those he perceived posed a threat to his authority. That was not a way to live indeed, because I can imagine how exhausting living that kind of life is. Yul Moo is heading down the same path. The shot 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 were leading a more flowery road. Though it’s clear that it is not without mishaps, because such is life. It was evident that theirs was a simple yet happy existence. So 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. The contentment that we seek can only be made possible if we learn and choose to accept that we could not have it all. The Tale Of Nokdu just showed us, in manner, that is convincing and so true. READ K-Drama Premiere “The Tale Of Nokdu” Fascinates With Lively Characters Hiding Perilous Secrets Images from KBS2 website and Facebook Page

The Tale of Nokdu is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Jang Dong-yoon, Kim So-hyun, Kang Tae-oh and Jung Joon-ho. It is based on the webtoon by Hye Jin-yang which was published in 2014 on Naver Webtoon. It premiered on KBS2 on September 30, 2019 First Impressions I put this off for some time because I didn’t want to watch another sageuk so soon, but I got really hooked when I read the plot. We’re used to the plots where girls dress up as guys to sneak into various circumstances, but this was the first that I’ve seen where a guy pretends to be a girl! You can only imagine this turning out either as a hilarious comedy or a really creepy & perverted show, and I’m happy to tell you that it turned out to be the former. The Good Well-fleshed characters – What really impressed me about this drama was how human and humane, if I may say they painted each and every character. Sure, some characters were clearly created for the laughs – this is a problem you’ll find in many dramas not just Korean dramas, but I think what The Tale of Nokdu did very cleverly was to give each and every character their own joys & sorrows to share with the viewers. The sassiest character in the drama, IMO Among our leads, I think Nokdu played by Jang Dong-yoon was the most captivating of them all. Other than the fact that he is the first male character I’ve seen dressing up as a female – completely unheard of in K-dramas! – I did think that the character had a lot of depth and actually acted in a much more believable manner, especially the part where he struggles to accept his father. This is in part due to JDY’s amazing acting, which I could go on and on for another blog post, but for now suffice to say that his character is a well joy to watch despite the drama’s other flaws more below. Also, where else would you find an all-female group of assassins who sometimes steal the show from the main leads? Yes, prettier than thou The Bad Plot I’m no fan of the typical politics and hidden-son/prince/king plot because it’s very overdone. I could list many other Korean dramas that have done the exact same storyline, and let’s just say that at this point we are no longer surprised that Korean royal descendents are hidden all over the country as commoners. However, I do appreciate that The Tale of Nokdu dealt it in a more tender and much more reasonable! way, despite the fact that it also made the drama unnecessarily draggy at some parts. I think JDY’s acting played a big role in making it, well, a lot more bearable to watch. Does he die?? Watch to find out Clichés Most K-dramas haven’t been able to escape the typical clichés. We’re fortunate to be spared the rich tsunderes and obnoxious mother-in-laws in recent years, but some things like childhood friends, ill-fated lovers, and bad blood are drama tropes that we’ll see over and over again. To be fair, The Tale of Nokdu is based on a webtoon, and no matter how far-fetched and creative webtoons can get, they still fall back sometimes on familiar tropes because they are tried-and-tested ways of getting people to keep reading. Final Verdict Overall, this was a good romcom to watch and will certainly make you laugh, then cry, and then laugh once again at the beautiful ending. The beginning will get you hooked for sure, but the political bits and tired clichés start appearing somewhere in the middle, which can put many people off. My advice is to keep going at it and finish the drama, because you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how well they ended the drama despite almost losing us halfway. Rating Plot ✮✮✮ Cast ✮✮✮✮ Cinematography ✮✮✮✮ Pace ✮✮✮ OST ✮✮✮✮

the tale of nokdu review