Arthdal Chronicles

arthdal chronicles kdramaSummary: Eun Sum and Tanya grow up in Wahan tribe which is conquered by the Daekan troops led by Tagon, Arthdal’s war hero. The Wahan people are brought to the city of Arthdal where they have to suffer and struggle until Tanya gets hold of power as the highest priestess of the land and that is by the help of Eun Sum’s long lost twin, Saya, who is the adopted son of Tagon. Eun Sum who is on the run is slowly getting a large follower of his own and is ready to go back to Arhdal to save the Wahan people and see Tanya again.

Trailer: Arthdal Chronicles

Genre: Period, Fantasy
Episodes: 18
Stars: Song Joong Ki as Eun Sum / Saya
Jang Dong Gun as Ta Gon
Kim Ji Won as Tan Ya
Kim Ok Bin as Tae Ha



Likes: So much to love about this drama…

The Storyline. It’s definitely not your everyday kdrama. The storyline is super intricate, you’ve got to pay attention to every details. At the start, it was quite chaotic for me. Some stories started at the same time without the clear connections. You’ve got to wait for more episodes to get a better overview. But once you’ve got them all together, what a solid story you’d get. I like it that they divided it into 3 parts which helped a lot to better understand the complexity of the story.

The Worlds. There were a lot of worlds and all the main worlds were nicely presented in details. I got so immersed into the once peaceful and beautiful world of the Iark region with the tribes all living in harmony. Couldn’t help fantasizing on those vast, lush and green lands. Do they still even exist in our world? Well, probably not. The bustling, congested but advanced world of Arthdal is like our big cities, right? Crammed up but people would still want to live and be part of it. The worlds in this drama may look different but actually very similar to our own. We all could relate.

The People. Same with worlds, the people reflect our own different nationalities, races, religion, beliefs and skills. We’ve got the Arthdal people which were the most advance in politics, economics, metal works, construction and even medicine. They iradicated  the Neanthal people, who were very strong but lacking the ambition. They controlled a lot of remote tribes and conquered some of them bringing those people back to Arthdal to be slaves. Does it sound so familiar to you? Within the world and the people of Arthdal, everyone seemed to struggle to be the most powerful because only then you’d get things done.

The Languages. Although most spoke Korean, there were other languages spoken in this drama. I don’t know if they were Korean dialects or just made-up ones but they all sounded wonderful! I love the Neanthal language, it was so exotic! The Momo tribe spoke an own language as well that made Xabara (their leader) looked even cuter :-).

Titles and Gestures. I minded this a lot. I love the way the Arthdal people greeted their leaders and would mention the Niruha title after the names like Sanung Niruha, Tagon Niruha, Tanya Niruha. I don’t know what it exactly means but it for sure commanded highest hierarchy.

Cultures, Traditions and Beliefs. So beautiful to see the unique cultures and traditions of each tribe but then somehow they were all bounded by a similar belief.

The Brilliant Cast

Song Joong Ki as Eun Sum / Saya – He’s undeniably a great actor. I love his portrayal of Eun Sum, an honest, simple-minded being who has a big heart to always help others. He looked really good buffed but still with a pretty face. Eun Sum’s chemistry with Tanya was pretty top. Now, as Saya, damn, he was just so sexy! His beautiful face, although I would say, even prettier than the female lead, still commands masculinity. Loved Saya’s devious personality, it made him stood out.

Jang Dong Gun as Ta Gon – I thought this was JDG’s best role yet. It suited him so well… the looks, the personality, his war hero character, his Igutu blood weakness, everything really, even the costume! Undoubtedly, he was the star of the show, well, at least in this season (if there’s gonna be another one).




Kim Ji Won as Tan Ya – She did well as Tan Ya. I love her compassionate character and her rising into a powerful figure was something I enjoyed to watch.

Kim Ok Bin as Tae Ha – Now this lady was just so impressive. First time to see her in a drama and I was just impressed by her superb acting. Tae Ha was an intelligent and powerful lady which made her the perfect match for Tagon and I think Kim Ok Bin delivered that role very well.

Dislikes: Two things only and that made this drama dropped 2 levels from being a perfect 10. First, I dislike the time gap when they were showing the third part. I was so immersed when I was watching the first 2, then I had to wait for a month. I didn’t have that same interest and excitement when I was continuing. Now for the second reason. There was basically no ending since it was originally made with more season in thought. What a disappointment! I don’t think I would ever see a proper ending to this knowing the drama didn’t do well in the ratings.

My Rating: 9 stars! (10 as highest)

This drama made it my Top 15 Kdrama 2019!

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