Today’s drama is one of the most intense, beautiful and heartbreaking dramas I have watched in a while. Incredible actors were part of it, and the writing and scenery was beyond stunning. Today we are talking about ‘My Country: The New Age”.
Written by Chae Seung-dae and directed by Kim Jin-won, ‘My Country: The New Age’ is a drama set during the end of the Goryeo dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon dynasty.
The historical dramas I have watched were more romantic with a touch of melodrama and the usual political conflicts that many of these dramas have. This drama however mixes these elements in a perfect balance and viewers are able to get the conflict, the love, the drama and add to it a lot of action.
Friendships and Family
Starring Yang Se-jong as Seo Hwi and Woo Do-hwan as Nam Sun-ho, ‘My Country: The New Age’ tells the story of Hwi, a young and kind hearted man that has put up with a lot of injustice all of his life whilst trying to look after his sick sister, and Sun-ho, Hwi’s childhood friend who lived his life trying to fulfill his father’s expectation thus hurting people he cares about.
This drama heavily focuses on the social discontent of the people living in the era. This is also the case of Han Hee Jae (AOA’s Seoulhyun) a smart and outspoken woman who never ceases to try and help people around her. She’s also trying to avenge her mother’s death even though this might put her life in risk.
Hwi, Sun-ho and Han Jae become friends and they try to protect each other. Things take a turn once Hwi leaves to fight in the war, Sun-ho starts his military career and Han Jae leaves the kisaeng where she grew up and starts off a new life.
As the drama develops we also get to know Yi Bang-won (Jang Hyuk), the son of a powerful general who helps him end the Goryeo dynasty. He is eager for power and would do anything to obtain it and create the land he dreams of.
The Scenery of war
‘My Country: The New Era’ is a drama full of bloody battles, people being harmed left and right, and it might not be for everyone but this aspect of the story adds a lot of meaning to the characters’ development and it also helps understand their struggle and reasoning behind all the decisions they make.
The battle choreography is absolutely stunning. It’s almost too real. The production did a fantastic job creating these scenes. At the same time, the landscapes where they shot parts of the drama were breathtaking. Every single detail in the scenery, the costumes and even the smallest prop was carefully placed and made this drama a visual experience.
Another aspect I enjoyed about this drama is how the relationship between the main characters and the supporting cast developed. Everyone had memorable moments, lines, scenes and they played with the narrative of the storyline extremely well and made this drama have a steady and entertaining flow, despite the time jumping shown in some parts.
Timing
When I was watching this drama I had to pay extra attention to the flow of the storyline. The writer played with time in the scenes and in some parts you will watch the outcome of a scene that isn’t shown until the consequence of that action is fully played. This aspect made the drama way more interesting to watch.
Another aspect that was unexpected for me was how little the romance plot is shown, but given the nature of the story and the conflict it made complete sense. However, having those couple of minutes of a love story made all the battle scenes easier to handle.
Friendship and loyalty overpowers the romance in this story and it is something I hadn’t seen in many historical dramas which made it more enjoyable. I was particularly fond of the friendship Hwi makes when he is in war and how this one becomes a brotherhood.
Final Thoughts
The acting in this drama is top notch, I didn’t expect anything less after seeing Jang Hyuk as part of the cast but I was greatly surprised by Seolhyun’s acting. All the characters had a great chemistry and made the story enjoyable even at times when it was hard to watch like in the battle scenes.
The OST for this drama was incredible, and made it even more enjoyable. It had some incredible singers in it so make sure to check it out here.
If you are fond of historical dramas and want to have a good cry make sure to watch ‘My Country: The New Era’. It is definitely a breathtaking drama that I personally feel is underrated. It was beautifully written, well directed and amazingly acted. You can check out the trailer below.
