Was this review helpful to you?
Not your Typical Review
So as a lot of people I came here for Tae but I ultimately ended up really enjoying this drama/romance/comedy even with the lack of a great story and the massive plot holes. This cast is too beautiful to pass up. I live for beautiful boys and will not watch one without them. Shallow as that may be.This is a contemporary period piece and at first I was a little leery of that because I'm usually not a fan of people behaving in modern ways during past times but I was able to get past that because this drama was not to be taken seriously. Another reviewer said this is a KPOP fangirls wet dream and that is pretty accurate. I mean the boys here are too pretty and who cares I'm down for that. I also really enjoyed the costumes and the sets.
The story centers on the young King who has been exiled since he was a boy because of the numerous plots to kill him before he can take over the throne. His mother the Queen refuses to abdicate because there are still political factions that would prefer the King not be on the throne but also she is obsessed with her own thirst for power. There were so many people vying for the throne it was ridiculous. There is also something to do with power and class struggles but since this drama cannot be taken seriously so this part of the plot is trite to say the least.
What I loved - Park Seo Joon as Dog-Bird; Park Hyung Shik as the young King, Choi Min Ho as Soo Ho; , Kim Jee Soo as the Queen, Kim Taehyung as Suk Han Sung. I also loved the actor who played Pa oh Yoo Jae Myung he was so great and the scenes where is was pretending to be 22 years old had me in stitches. The entertainment value of the show is great.
I am usually not that enamored with women's faces but Kim Jee Soo - This bitch was flawless.
I don't remember the soundtrack other than V and Jin's Song.
I wouldn't necessarily watch the whole drama again but certain episodes will get a second and third watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
Great cast, Bad plot, not worth it
I watched Hwarang a while ago and I was just dissapointed. To be totally honest I wached it bc of the cast, we have Park Seo Joon, Go Ara and idols like Park Hyung Sik from ZE:A, Choi Minho from Shinee and V from BTS. The acting itself was not bad, but the plot was just terrible, I hated Go Ara's character, Ah Ro (don't get me wrong, i like Go Ara but her character was just useless) and I just didn't felt the chemistry between her and Seo Joon, the love triangle was also pointless tbh.If we talk about the OST, it is not bad but is not great either, I can highlight only 3 songs - It's definitely you by V (ofc), Dream by BOL4 and Our Tears by Park Seo Joon, considering that the full album is made of 11 songs (leaving out the instrumentals) it's not that good.
Story is good during the first episodes, however, it becomes boring when they mainly focus on the love triangle. I expected a lot from this drama considering how famous the actors are but it is just one of the dramas that you will forget as years pass.
Was this review helpful to you?
The main couple had good romance up until they got official. Afterwards their relationship became stale until the conclusion. Side romances were amazing, alternate ships was tantalising. So overall the romance isn't bad. The drama was marketed as bromance, but there wasn't as much interaction between the Hwarangs as there could've been. What bromance there was though, was really good.
The story is 60% political drama. The power struggle between the different factions was compelling and easy to follow. The tension really ramps up towards the end, the ending was delightfully unpredictable. The changing loyalities of the characters is definitely one of the best parts of the drama. The middle part of the drama is the weakest, since it's a slow buildup and interesting scenes are scarce.
If a scene feels like it's irrelevant, it probably is, skip it.
The casting was spot on. Park Hyung Shik was amazing as the King. Go Ah Ra as Ah Ro the female lead had great comedy scenes. Park Seo Joon (male lead) was a bit stale/predictable with his cheesy romance lines, but fit his character to a T.
But the TRUE shows stealers are the supporting cast - boy are they amazing. Do Jin Han (Ban Ryu) and Choi Min Ho (Soo Ho) were particularly outstanding. Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon were the true OTP. Soo Ho is a character I never got tired of watching. Don't even get me started on Kim Tae Hyung (Hang Sung) or Sung Dong Il (Chief instructor) or Kim Chang Wan (main villain).
Long story short: THIS IS WORTH WATCHING JUST FOR THE SUPPORTING CAST AND THE SUBPLOTS.
The OST was pretty good. The editing and mixing wasn't the best, but I would totally download a couple of the songs. The camera work was best during tense scenes, but pretty average at other times.
I approve of the ending. It felt too short and there were too many unanswered questions. But it got the job done.
Was this review helpful to you?
The bromance made it worth watching
So many known people were acting in this show so I was excited to watch it. It wasn't as good as I had thought it would be but it wasn't that bad.The bromance throughout the whole show was amazing and was the main thing they kept me from dropping it. I loved the character development and how every Hwarang became close with each other. It was just amazing and I love all their relationships. I do wish that some plots were explained/resolved better. The show introduced many side characters' issues but didn't properly resolve them so it just left me with questions at the end.
Now, one of the worst parts of the show: the female lead. Oh my gosh, the amount of times I had to pause watching cause I got annoyed with her. First of all, she's popular in town because she tells "erotic stories"... not to judge but that's kind of embarrassing during a time like that. (It's fine to tell those stories but being known around town as mainly that as your identity is kind of weird.) Second of all, in most of the episodes she's in, girl starts crying out of nowhere. Like ma'am why are you always crying. I'm fine with emotional characters but she cried in half her scenes so I started getting irritated. Plus, she always had to be saved by the ML or the second male lead. To me, she didn't have almost any of the personalities I look forward to seeing in a female lead.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Don't force yourself to watch if you ain't a historical drama fan
I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to feel after watching this drama. I can't criticise it too hard just because it's not my favourite genre, but there are definitely some sore points.I should first say that you shouldn't waste your time watching just because you like any of the main guys' faces XD. We all know Park Hyung Sik is beautiful, but the story is quite dry so just be prepared if you do decide to watch.
To begin on a positive note, all of the acting seemed pretty decent with great actors cast for each character.
I liked how all of the characters interacted with one another, and those who shared a rocky beginning began to bond by the end of the show. In particular, Soo-ho and Ban-ryu, as they were so cold and mean towards each other in the very beginning; but as the show progressed, they came to like one another.
The same thing obviously happened with Ji-dwi (the King) and Sun-woo. That scene at the end where they're riding on horses and together - they just looked so happy.
I personally found Ah-ro to be quite strange. Her character was always pulling these weird faces and it just didn't sit right with me. It was great that she was following in her father's footsteps to become a physician; and when she was sent to the Hwarang house to look after all the injured men, that was funny. However, I have read some other reviews and I agree with those who say her role is kinda pointless. Like, yes she was sent to look after these men, but surely there were other 'physicians' like her Dad who could have cared for them. Not some young girl who's no more than a teenager. Side note: how old are they even meant to be?
The incest relationship between Ah-ro and Sun-woo probably disgusted some people, but Ah-ro couldn't remember her brother so she couldn't help it if she was attracted him Besides, it was all fake anyway so it's FINE. The couples' chemistry wasn't fantastic and I didn't actually swoon. Usually there will be some swooning but there was no real build up and for the male lead, his love came out of nowhere I feel. I think the plot should have gone something like...
'Ah-ro and Ji-dwi run away and live a happy life together and Sun-woo becomes the king.'
I just think this would have ben more enjoyable for the viewers.
There weren't really many twists or turns. To be honest I was quite bored watching it and was thankful for Netflix's quicker speed at which you can watch. If you want to save yourself some time I would highly recommend speeding up all of those long moments of staring or just boring scenes in general.
I was very hurt, upset and sobbing when BTS' V's character was killed. I sat crying at my laptop for a good 10 minutes. So sad.
The music in the show I felt was all good... but at the same time it was a bit all over the place. One minute it's modern and the next it's oriental. I think maybe they should have just stuck to the oriental all the way through as the modern music made the show less authentic.
Of course you are allowed to have jokes and comedic parts in a show to lighten the mood, but this did add to the lack of historical authenticity. Also, I'm not sure if it's inadequate subtitling or if they really did use language such as 'jerk' or 'idiot' in this time period.
I had to chuckle at the end when the king and queen were wearing their crowns, because damn, if the producers of the show could afford to make decent clothing to represent the time period, then why couldn't they afford a crown that isn't floppy!? Every time the king moved, his crown would wobble; and behind the queen's it looked like there was that fish net wire thing going on. Throughout the show I thought wardrobe had a done a great job, but this slip-up proved me wrong.
I'd say this show was pretty okay for the most part, and if you're into historical dramas then hey, this is a great one for you. But. This has to sit at the bottom of my drama list as I just couldn't get myself invested in the plot (did one really even exist or did I have to make one up in my head), and there wasn't enough romance. I wish there had have been a more interesting romance but it was just a basic love triangle that fizzled out into nothing. No fireworks.
I gave the rewatch value 1 as I know I definitely won't be rewatching any time soon.
-E
Was this review helpful to you?
Magic Knights!
I wanted Lee Kwang Soo to take on a meatier role in that drama, but alas, he was just there as a guest. I usually like Choi Won Young in serious roles but I hate Choi Won Young when he pretends to be looking serious which was what he went for in this drama. Don't expect a 20-episodes worth of content, it was mostly a boring slice of life cosplay-drama with little to no story. As shallow and thin as the slice of pizza you would get from your teacher shared between 40 students. You technically ate, I guess? The gags, the tomfoolery and the pizazz that filled its content were all unpleasant to watch. The romance and the relationships aren't even worth talking about, a total joke!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Rough
Okay, I am going to start by saying I got to know this show because of Taehyung. I didn't watch this show because of Taehyung, but it did come in my radar because of him.The show, though only 20 hours long, feels like it got too much run time. The main female lead lacked personality or character strength. There were too many loose ends. For example: what happened to the princess? The ending was...balanced in a very rough and raw way. One got the throne, the other got the girl. However, other than that, loose ends upon loose ends were littered throughout the series. The rest of the Hwarang was wrapped up relatively...ok. Not too bad, but not excellent. The ending episodes are too rough.
Was this review helpful to you?
I love this drama!
Hwarang is the first Kdrama I ever watched, mainly because of Taehyung but I had no idea how much i'd love it. It introduced me to the Kdrama world and showed me how incredible Kdramas are. It has every aspect. comedy, romance, brotherhood and even a war aspect.I really loved Park Hyungsiks character (the king) and all the other main characters too. They made such a funny group.
The plot of this drama is also really interesting and makes you wanna know what happens next. It has really amazing music and introduced me to some of my fave OST including "dream" and "my tears".
it has great romance and great action scenes too.
Definitely recommend
Was this review helpful to you?
Good cast and good acting
I watched this drama because i am an ARMY and it is because of V. I didnt know any other actor that time, but their acting made me want to know about them. It was a good story, and it was steady from the begining. It was funny and obviously can watch it again. You can expect a lot of bromance and it might be emotional at one point of time. But overall the drama is amazing. I highly recomend this drama.The drama talks about strength in unity and i really loved the concept. For the people who love romance, you can find romance between the male lead and female lead.. Can rewatch the drama
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Come for the supposed love story, stay for the eye candy.
Better title: "Hwarang: Hot Boys with Bangs" Ok, first can we just talk about the amazing fringe/bangs the dudes have in this series? Sassy bangs, sexy bangs, saucy bangs, make me feel bad about my own hair bangs, somehow still masculine with bangs bangs.On to the story. The bromance aspect of this show is great. I let go of the romance aspect for reasons I will mention below, but watching the male actors interact was great. I wish they would write more shows like this but for women. Women bonding about things other than men.
The FL character Ah-ro (Go Ara) starts off so strong. She has a personality, she is funny, she is smart, she schemes and scams and is so fun to watch. About 5 or 6 episodes in that all completely disappears and she turns into what my daughter and I call The Crying Thumb (She cries, ALL THE TIME, and does this thing where she sucks her chin in so she looks like a thumb.) She stops having a personality other than sad girl in love with her brother (narrator: not actually her brother.) It is really a shame because I had high hopes for her character based on the first few episodes but the show did the typical thing where the woman ceases being a person once she falls in love.
First ML, Moo Myung/Sun Woo Rang, (Park Seo-Joon - swoon, is always great) was slightly boring but I still enjoyed the character. His love story with FL was beyond cringey because of the whole she thinks he is her brother storyline that didn't need to be a thing. It did not add to the story and made me hate seeing them together. Plus, I didn't really feel any chemistry between the actors. I started fast-forwarding through their scenes together because I would rather watch paint dry than watch these two "fall in love." After seeing so much of FL's sniffling, crying face, it was just unbearable to watch them together even at the end
Second ML King Maek Jong/Ji Dwi Rang is so adorable I can't stand it. I wanted him to win the love of Ah-ro only because he was so adorable and sweet in that entitled way that Park Hyung-Sik pulls off perfectly. But Ah-ro, true to trope, does not like the guy who openly likes her and saves her and spoils her. (Not that love should be forced but come on writers, she thinks Moo Myung is her brother, ick.)
The whole supporting cast is A+++++++++++. Seo Yea-Ji as the Princess, I love this actress...her cute face, her deep voice, she is perfection. Minho/Soo Ho Rang is ugh, so adorable. Do Ji-Han as Ban Ryu Rang so sulky and serious and chiseled. V, what isn't cute about V? and on and on an on. They should have spent more time on these characters and less time making us watch The Crying Thumb.
Lower your expectations and just give it a watch just to see the fight scenes and hot dudes with their bangs and chiseled faces. Don't get invested in the "love story" other than to see Park See-Joon and Park Hyung-Sik battle out over who is the best ML. Be prepared for a lot of loose ends.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
PACING GONE WRONG FOR A GOOD POTENTIAL STORY & TALENTED ENSEMBLE CAST !
Wanted to write a POSITIVE REVIEW instead left with BAD IMPRESSIONS n I need to share my LENGTHYyyy RANTING (pls, bear with me) :)First of all, the HYPE (either the fan edits or the recommendations) created very high expectations but those really deceived me n left me DISAPPOINTED! :/
I blame the Director, Writers and the Editing team, not the Actors !
Expected a 9+/10 drama, seeing the summary with a good potential story n the STAR STUDDED CAST
But left with an impression of 7.5/10
(Would be less than 7.5 but just for the actors, gave 7.5)
Don't want to rate my Hyungsik's work below 8 but helpless bcz of the Poor Pacing of the drama :/
Seeing the hype, made this as a top priority in my "To Watch" list n expected a drama which would be my next favourite but disappointed.
A drama should make the viewer interested in it, instead of this agitated n irritated n write a lengthy review this aggressively.
**** Will Mention WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE First:
1) HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED with the first 11 episodes.
It took 5 eps, 5 hours to establish the background to the story and to introduce the characters.
Too many unnecessary CONTENT FILLER scenes, just dragging n boring.
Literally, I was on a HIATUS twice to pass through those 11 eps (n Once in later episodes), Oops!π
But for the GOOD STORY, bcz of the LOVE for ENSEMBLE CAST n mainly for my tradition of not to drop a drama, continued it!
To be honest, I found the special episode of Cast Interviews, more entertaining than the actual drama, Oops again!
Initially, the story is entertaining n VERY FUNNY
but the PACING is Sloth Paced, dead slow. They could have made those 11 eps in 5-6 eps, instead of wasting 11 hours of viewers' time.
Poor Story Telling / Bad Execution of a good plot / Weak Direction / Poor Screenplay / Poor Editing.
Overall, Pacing and the story progression could be better in 12-16 eps in total, instead of wasting 20 hours!
First 11 eps: U find interesting moments or the very few funny moments or those plot elements important to the story development, just here and there. Most of these eps are just CONTENT FILLERS.
That truly dragged down the interest level of the drama.
I was expecting a very interesting story later on, too.
Uff, They not only wasted the potential of all star studded cast but also of a good interesting story.
The poor progression of the story n no proper characterization is the culprit for this disappointment!
2) From ep 12, it's interesting n Pacing got better n right .
But again, pacing dropped towards the end :|
Even the last eps contain Lot of unnecessary content fillers which do not add anything important to the story or just REPETITIONS / Flashbacks showing a character reminiscing some previous scenes. They are like UNNECESSARY REVISIONS to the viewers π
Flashbacks / reminiscing is required to show the thought process of a character or in a scene when a character is brooding over something important but here, it is too much.
Instead of these repetitions, they should have used that time to explain some other story lines.
For eg, I expected to see atleast one scene of FL's mom's death, how her bro is separated from them in childhood, how ML n her bro met n were raised in that village, how the queen's bro gave up his son or the past love story of the Queen n FL's dad etc
(Like how they have given a glimpse of the Queen killing a wonhwa, which is a crucial twist to the story)
3) OmG, the RELATIONSHIPS !?π±
Queen n FL's dad are past lovers but their kids liked each other again (Sik likes FL n Princess like Seo, though these are one sided)
Whether the characters n the writers feel this or no, but I'm super uncomfortable with such relationships :(
4) Also, Didn't like the "probable siblings" romance (Seo n FL).
Though they realised that they are not related, much later but after developing feelings for each other.
But throughout the drama (except in the last 2-3 eps), everyone treats them as siblings itself.
Very uncomfortable to watch those scenes n that entire romance trackπ€’
If it is just for one scene, I would have ignored but they keep reminding these relationships in every scene n that keeps bothering me throughout the drama.
I didn't like any romance, any couple in this (except Ban ryu's).
No two actors in these couples, have chemistry, everything looked forced.
5) Also, Own Siblings of the Royal Family Marry Each Other !? :O
OmG!
Own or half or step siblings, whatever they are, Siblings are Siblings!
Intimate Physical relationship between them is a big NO for me, couldn't tolerate .
6) OST is GOOD BUT..
Came for V & Jin's song but didn't get to listen to it in the drama anywhere, except for a moment or so, as bgm in just 1-2 eps :(
7) WEAKLY WRITTEN CHARACTERS
Liked the Dynamics of Seo n Sik, rooted for their friendship n expected more scenes of them n their friendship, in depth but have only few in the entire 20 hours
Also it looked like only Sik (the King) treated Seo as a friend (One side friendship π :( )
Also, Issues with Fiction based on True History are, here the King (Sik) with high principles and philosophy, thinking of the development of the Kingdom n his people only, is shown as COWARD n WEAK for most of the time.
But (as per my research in the Internet) that Real Life King is the Greatest in their History! :o
They should have written this drama, as just a FICTION, without taking references or the name of true / real life Kings etc.
Bcz International Viewers who know nothing about their country's history n traditions, might learn bad or incorrect info from such fiction dramas n might get a bad impression on the true events n actual people.
As an International viewer, while watching another country's drama, I tend to observe their traditions, history, dressing style, social interactions etc and curious to know them more :)
Sometimes based on dramas, may come to certain conclusions n impressions that lead to love or ignore those :) , especially if it is historic drama based on a true King n his era (always may not find time to research about their history, right?)
But here, half of the time, am confused, which of these are fiction n which part is true or the entire work is fiction with just the names taken as reference from real life, if so how can a Great King been shown as coward n weak :/
8) V n Seo's scenes or their friendship looked sudden and forced, without prior proper interactions.
But later it is evident that this forced track is added out of blue just bcz the last scene of them is given an important role in the main story progression.
**** Some thoughts on STORY:
Actually, Hyungsik n Seo Joon, both should be the Main Leads with equal importance (not as 1st n 2nd ML, as shown here)
Bcz, both their characters are of equal importance in the story.
IT'S A TALE OF ONE FINDING THE KING n THE KING FINDING HIMSELF! π :(
(Fake King & Real King )
Also, Instead of the Queen n the Princess, Villain is better in a sense (am being Sarcastic!π€)
Bcz atleast, his character is direct n clear that he is Evil.
Whereas these ladies, I can't really make a sense out of their characters for 3/4th of the drama, whether they meant good or bad to the King, the Kingdom n the people, in a bigger picture.
I found them more Evil, Rude, Selfish n Manipulative than the Villain π
**** WHAT I LIKE:
(Enough of my ranting, now the GOOD PARTS ;) ):
As a BTS admirer, planned to watch this for V,
for that OST song by V & Jin :)
n also for cutie Hyungsik :)
But Fell for smiley MinHo n JiHan by the end of the drama !! :)
ALL THE ACTORS DID THEIR BEST IN ACTING with whatever they are given.
***
Liked Park Hyungsik's role.
Sik is the True King, his ideas are always about the Growth of Kingdom n the People.
His Thoughts on Philosophy are Very Good.
Need to struggle throughout his life, not just for the throne but for life (death threats from assassins), can't have a normal life or a normal King's life even, grown up in hiding with no friends.
Oh my Poor baby Sik! :/
He acted so well as a King in Hiding!
U can see the mild Tears, Pain n Helplessness in his Eyes, always worrying about the development of his Kingdom n worrying about his people being killed, whoever sees his face .
BTW, Sik is handsome as usual :)
***
Liked the Dynamics of Park Seo Joon n Sik, their Rapport is good.
FL role is good at times but the remaining times, looked more like a support role, without much importance .
Even that lil importance is forced and given since, she is a FL? ;)
Ignored Main couple's Love Triangle (Seo, FL n Sik).
That siblings/not siblings track killed the mood.
I don't root for FL with any of the main leads ;)
***
The Hwarang Boys Team, all the scenes of the entire team are LOVELY.
Especially, The 5 roomies and their bickering is funny
Their bonding is good.
Silly boys but cute! :)
LOVED ALL THEIR SCENES THE MOST !
Them and V - All these 6 boys need to do a full length comedy movie/series.
(Aww, I love that "thought" already :) )
***
Sik n his assistant / personal guard are funny n sweet :)
Hwarang's head instructor n Hyung sik conversations are philosophical and are Very Good .
Head instructor is funny n smart .
His friend from the cafe is funny
Queen's guard is handsome ;)
***
Liked the roles of Minho (char Soo ho) n JiHan (char Ban ryu)
Both of them are handsome :)
Sooho n Ban ryu's bickering is very sweet π
Sooho being a playboy, mesmerized by the Queen's beauty n aiming/drooling for her, is funny .
Ban ryu is another helpless character, abused by power ;(
He has his own set of life struggles.
Poor Ban ryu!
Ban ryu n his gal are very cute! :)
LOVED THEIR SCENES A LOT .
She n her bro, Soo ho are funny.
So Ban ryu n Soo ho - Rivals turned Future bros-iLawπ
Sweet! :)
***
V is cute, he is such a baby! :)
(Though a minor role here, hope to see him moreee in future dramas :) )
His scenes with his bro, their bonding is sweet n emotional.
While his scenes with FL are VERY FUNNY.
**** OST:
OST is the BEST!
n Healed the Disappointment that the Poor Pacing of first 11 eps n overall slow paced episodes had created! π
All the tracks are Amazing!
I love V & Jin's.
Difficult to choose a track, all are lovely.
Hyungsik's Singing Voice is just mesmerizing (drooling). Super talented singer.
His OST song is Awesome.
****
Overall, it's a Great Plot.
The Director's team have Great Artists (entire cast) in their reach, could have executed this better but missed it.
Struggled to watch but forced myself to finish this just bcz of Hyungsik with a hope for a better story.
Anyways, will try to remember only the scenes of happy Hwarang boys team or the 2nd couple's lovely scenes or the Superb OST but not the negatives, further!
Just Watch, if U have Great Patience to watch sloth paced or Repetitive content or just watch like me for your fav actors n whining all the way!π
(Oops, my lengthy review, blame the director for this.
Thank U for reading this lengthy one :) )
Was this review helpful to you?
