My Country is a bit like Six Flying Dragons, and Warrior Baek Dong Soo had a beautiful angsty baby together.

Six Flying Dragons since the story takes place in the same time period and a lot of the characters who were the main characters there and secondary characters in this one. And Warrior Baek Dong Soo that is also drama about two friends who end up fighting against each other and the sad and angsty bromance that comes with that. Yet I feel like My Country managed to be its own show despite all these comparisons.

I recognized and knew about the events that took place here, I knew where we were heading all the time. However, it did not damage the story in any for me. There was plenty of other parts within the story that surprised me.

The main story is so much more than the power of the Lee family as Goryeo changes into Joseon, which was the center story in Six Flying Dragons, but here the story of friendship and relationship between Hwi and Seon Ho is the center of it all – their love story even, if Korea had daring enough to go there. How their friendship and love for each other pulls them apart and back together and then apart again and so on. That is what draws you in and keep you there as the story goes along. That is the emotional core of the show. The politics and all of that is just the structure around it.

Each episode was over an hour in length, but all of them had a rather quicker pace, things didn’t really drag on all too much, things were rather action packed - there were some cool fight scenes in there from time to time – and it continued to surprise all the way until the end. I always found myself really engaged within the story, I was always excited about the next episode and each episode made me feel something; anger, horror, sadness, etc., which is what I'm looking for in a tv show. It really hooked me in and didn’t want to let me go, which I liked.

My Country is quite heavy on the politics, as well on the battles and blood and all that good stuff you can find in a drama such as this. This is no picknick at the park. This is a drama about men fighting their troubles and feelings away with swords, are usually covered in blood at some point in each episode, and nobody is really truly happy outside maybe the first two episodes. I am a rather simple soul when it comes to these things and My Country gave me my fix for handsome warriors in period dramas who are somehow always covered in ether blood or sweat or both.

You can pretty much predict how it ends before you get there, the story isn’t super subtle about it, but the story still takes you on a wild ride. The story sort of just gives you what it promised in the beginning, and I can respect that.

This drama gave you what it promised in the beginning, when it opens with the two main characters about to fight each other. It set the tone quite well. This is not a drama that starts as a cute and fluffy little tale in the first ten episodes and then does a switch and the last six episodes are almost a Shakespearian tragedy, as many other kdramas tend to do.

It’s not for everybody, but I rather enjoy the bloodbath, the politics, the sword fighting and all the other stuff that comes with this type of show. A bit on the heavy side, rather male-dominated or male centric story. But most stories, no matter what form they come in, kdramas or not, are sometimes rather male-centric. Having grown up oh those kinds of stories I don’t have a problem enjoying them, though over the years I have learned to be more watchful and critical over such things.

My biggest (and possibly only) gripe with this show exactly how much space the male characters took in comparison with the female characters. The females started of strong, they mattered and they had their own thing going on, but a little by little most of them kind of seemed to either die or almost disappear as we went further into the story – and I almost did not notice it until the very end, because the story had sort of swept me away from them.

I have said it before that I do not necessarily need to see female characters in these stories fighting with sword (though I do like it when that happens) and being a complete badass like Hwi or Seon Ho. But getting to see them have more influence within the story. See them give advice, solve problems, even cause problems, and in general have something significant to do within the story that helps the plot along is always appreciated. Even requested (from me).

This took place in a very male-centric world; a lot of decisions were made by men and they fought in wars and all that. But I have still seen stories that happen at a similar time, or other period dramas from Korea that seemed to achieve doing so much more with the female characters then this drama did. Like the Six Flying Dragons or even the Rebel Hong Gil Dong did (both rather male stories on their own way) for example. I know it is possible, so I expected a more from My Country then I got in that respect.

My Country isn't really a drama for the average or newbie kdrama watcher who shuns away from most sageuks and especially this one who is more on the heavier side with very little romance - but a whole lot of bromance - and political intrigue. But I do feel like it gave me my sageuk fix and I do think it could appeal to some of other people who might not be too keen on the average kdrama because of the romance and all of that. Like Tree With Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons (even if 50 episodes us a lot).