'Night Blooming Flower' has everything we can ask for. Comedy, Romance, Action, History, Crime, and Mystery. More importantly, it is good at every one of them.
There are three branches of main narratives: a vigilante helping the people in need, Lady Jo's brothers missing, mystery around the death of the late king, and romance between Lady Jo and Park Soo-ho. Each one is complicated enough, but writers manage to keep them in order and in organization AND to connect events from all four categories and weave them together to tell one whole story.
Each character is distinctive, charming, and dynamic. Every individual has not only strength but also weakness. I think weakness is the reason that the audience feels closer to him or her. For example, mother-in-law is blinded by social expectations and high standards of a noble family, and she sometimes pressures Lady Jo to have one meal a day or to pray all day and night. However, she also has taken care of Lady Jo for 15 years and becomes the closest thing to family she's ever got. Even the main villain has two sides: the killer of the king just to prevent social equality from happening and the sweetest husband.
'Night Blooming Flower' introduced a young promising actor, Lee Jong-won who played Park Soo-ho. It is the first time for me to see him on any screen, and he nails it. First, he can deliver unlike many young actors these days. His voice is deep and stable. It was such a pleasure to see his performance.
