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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

달의 연인 - 보보경심 려 ‧ Drama ‧ 2016
Completed
sunsetandthemoon
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 9, 2022
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

One of the best dramas i've ever seen

I personally really like dramas with emotional stories and this one has exactly that, the entire time that I was watching it I really felt connected with the characters, it was like I was right there with them going through all the same emotions and trauma. The entire OST was a huge part of building the emotions that I felt and it really set the mood. The casting was also really well done and I felt comfortable seeing familiar faces, Seeing the actors/actresses I'm familiar with gives me a sign that it'll be a drama I'll really like. I can't think of anything that was wrong with this drama so full 10's all around.

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Completed
mad
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2017
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
OMG i love no words! Amazing story with a lot of great actors. In the begging it may be kinda strange and difficult to peak a team but the end makes total sense. Its a very beautiful story with a little of heartbreaks and bittersweet ending. It completly won my heart, everything i expect from drama land !!
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Completed
j-_-jonquille
2 people found this review helpful
May 6, 2026
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
My first drama ever — I was a clueless beginner who had no idea what she was walking into. And this why the ending destroyed my soul. 😭 Rewatched it many times.

In recent years I haven't felt the urge to go back — maybe I don't want to ruin it by noticing the cringe or the messy script my rational mind knows is there.... But it doesn't matter! This one has a permanent place in my heart. I'll make my children and grandchildren watch it someday and feel content seeing them cry.

And the OST still makes me emotional — which probably means the story is still ''effective".💔

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Completed
GoldenLife
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 8, 2026
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

I WILL NEVER EVER GET OVER THIS SHOW.

Its been a year since Ive watched this, and still: nothing can fill up the hole this show left in my heart.
I cant find any other drama that made me feel the way i felt when i watched this. This is definitely one of my favorite dramas of all time, its a must watch. If youre thinking about whether or not to watch this because the reviews are mixed, it doesnt seem your cup of tea or you think its too old: WATCH IT. You wont regret it.
That being said, good job to everyone. The acting was fantastic, the writing, everything.
Ill always remember this show fondly!!

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Completed
Kenneth Carl Vega
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 3, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

So So Painful , So So Stressful Yet one of the Greatest Drama I know

Let me just say that I was too late that I have just finished it now ! I did not know that this drama is so good. like everything that I am looking for is in this drama, I know it is not perfect and there are many things about it that other people doesn't find good, but for me it is so good that even now whenever I hear the OST my eyes becomes teary and whenever I see the lead actors with their smiles , I feel sad .. This drama has left something in my heart that I believe I will always remember wherever I go.
The story is somehow predictable for me because long way before I watched this, I have watched so many Historical dramas that has a close plot like at first the leads are not in love at each other and then later on they will be attached and be together, also the main male lead will face so so many struggles and trials before he is to be a King at the end - thing but what makes this drama different is the sadness , the stress ! , Like I've watched the red sleeves and it was sad but this was sadder , and I watched love in the moonlight where so many rebel happening but there but here it was not just one but two ! I watched empress Ki where there was a fight on who will be the next empress , but here it was so sad that Hae Soo did not became the empress .. and the thing that broke my heart is that everyone is dying ! The Damiwon that once filled with laughter of the princes becomes place of hiding and sadness.
Due to many dramas that I have watched , the enemies of the main leads here did not affected me that much coz I know that at the later part they will be destroyed .. i just waited for the main lead how will they destroy all of their enemies.
My favorite part here was when the 4th Prince Wang So did the ritual for the rain to come .. I got so so excited when it actually rained and then the Emperor acknowledged him finally ! coz I felt bad for him at first that he was being abandoned and pushed away by his parents.
It is just funny that almost all of the princes are into Hae Soo, when she came to that part where she was being blamed for everything that is happening, it is exactly true as I come to think of it, like she has a part on everything. The Love story was good for me but just like on the red sleeves it was the female lead that makes everything hard for the King .. like Hae Soo could've just had wished Emperor GwangJong to marry her right away so that she no longer have to get married to Prince Jung, also she could've had just held on to the emperor and waited , at least that's what I am going to do if I were Hae soo, and I hated the part where Hae Soo had a scar on her wrist that she can never marry the King .. that was so annoying and stressful .. but all in all IU did great job here , it was really promising and she is so pretty, the love story was just too sad, specially when Hae Soo died . When The Emperor encountered his daughter to Hae Soo, I still cry even right now writing this remembering that scene ..
When the former head of Damiwon lady Oh died, it was also one of the saddest thing happened .. she is like a mother to Hae soo come to think of it 2 motherly woman close to Hae Soo died so so sad I cried a lot here one the 1st wife of 8th prince Lady Hae.. her heart mus be so broken knowing that her husband did not loved her and seeing that her husband is into another woman , smiling to another woman, when she died and her husband was crying saying everything he did for her was love I wanna slap his face for real !
Speaking about 8th Prince Wook .. his only fault is being too slow to move for Hae Soo and being coward for her .. it is just too sad that he ended up being like that but if I am to label who is good and who is bad .. Wook is indeed the good man here .. and everything will be better I guess if Hae soo ended up with him
The friendship of 10th prince and Hae soo here made the drama lighter and colorful, but I also felt sad when the 10th prince died when he is growing fond of his wife the daughter of the general. I just hoped that there was a chance for the 10th prince and his wife to have a highlight story , also Chae Ryung and the 9th prince.
Come to think of it everyone in this drama became so sad and had a very sad ending only Hae soo and the Astronomer Ahjussi went out of the story and got back to the present, what is it? is it like they have just walked into the lives of the past persons or something ? This drama is somehow mysterious and the ending makes me think that a part 2 is good if given a chance but even without it is okay , the ending is just as expected and is just right and I am satisfied
Also I want to add one of my favorite part here is when Emperor Gwangjong was on his mother The Queen 's side when she was about to die , saying that he the abandoned prince was in the end the only one her mother the Queen's side on her last breath and that it was the Emperor's revenge, I cried a lot on that scene .. specially when he told his mother that he will spread that he is the only favored son of his mother and the he is loved dearly by the queen until he became the emperor .. that scene was .. OMG mixed emotions .. no I don't know how will I ever be able to move on on this drama..
and yeah I guess that's all I have say for this , just so sad drama , so stressing , specially when Wang So became Emperor , its so stressful .. yeah ..
all in all another sad drama yet a memorable one .. if you are to watch this late like me pls. be prepared ♥

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Completed
veeero
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 8, 2024
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

The best drama I’ve ever watched

This is the best drama I’ve ever watched in my entire life. Finally after years and years my top three drama is changed. This drama is real, it shows how life is: unfair, fragile. There is no dreams and fluffy butterflies: it shows human weakness in so many different ways… And it teach you a lot: dialogs and sentences are really really deep. I feel so empty after ending this, I think nothing can be so hurtfull and heartbreaking as this story. Today I’ve cried all the day after the ending. I would really appreciate a second season or, maybe, it would be amazing that the cut ending scene was real, but also if I desire this I understand that in that case the story couldnt be so real as it is.
Also: really good actors, OSTs and characters development. But the best thing, actually, is the plot.

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Dropped 15/20
Jay noona
6 people found this review helpful
Feb 25, 2022
15 of 20 episodes seen
Dropped 3
Overall 2.5
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Horrible

i can't count how many times i never learned not to be dazzled with high rates and 100% positive reviews
i know the drama was horrible when i failed to continue and try to drag myself to watch but still couldn't

this was one of the worst dramas i've ever watched
the historical aspect it was ok
but other aspects it was under zero for me
this drama was distributing grief, sulk and sadness for no purpose
sacrifices with no reason
too much blood
too much hatred
very weak plot
repeated conspiracies
they all got mad and kill each other
too much time jump with years
and they didn't say what happened in these years , which doesn't serve the story

as if the director said (i swear i'll make you AAAALLLLL mad and sad )

almost all the actors were great EXCEPT the FL one of the worst actresses i've ever seen
she is bad as Uee and Si yeon (DEAD FACE EXPRESSIONS)

The romance in this drama was so lukewarm and weird
they focus 100% on the historical side

i didn't enjoy at all
and till now i can't force myself to continue so i dropped it
it took high rate for nothing

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Completed
Faimac
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 2, 2020
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

AN AMAZING & HEARTBREKING STORY

An Amazing Story that left you heartbroken and asking your self why would anyone go through all of that, at times you understood the reasons behind the tears and violence, and then were times were questioned if was right thing to do? and often the confusion of which way to go what is right and what is wrong? a family driven by greed and power torn apart for only one goal in mind? I felt the general consensus is that Scarlet Heart: Ryeo had a great story that was screwed up by messy editing/directing/pacing etc. Production was really excellent, the story flowed and kept you wanting more. It didn't disappoint one bit. I mean, after such high expectations, it is only natural to feel a little let-down just because of all the hype you've been experiencing. But Moon Lovers actually ended up surpassing all my expectations. The drama was perfect from the beginning till the end.

it was extremely well-paced. I mean, for dramas it is rare to find such consistently well-paced dramas. Sometimes the beginning is not that good and sometimes the plot dies down after ep 12-16. But here, you never feel like there is too much or too little. It is really hard to skip anything. You just don't want to.

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Completed
Oh Soo-Jin
1 people found this review helpful
Sep 29, 2019
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
If you want to watch something which detached you from the real world, and you want to forgot everything and just feel that drama's world... than this is the drama.????
Far beyond imagination. This drama is an example about the darkest truth of this world that how cruel this world tends to be... people deceives you in order to cover up their bad deeds.In the end everyone leaves and you have to live alone.
Plot is absolutely unpredictable.. though it was adapted from novel. So it is obvious that this drama is marvellous. Watching this drama was like riding a rolar coaster ride... You'll get attached and become curious what's going to happen. The whole focus is not only on lead love story but much more than that. ????
Each & everyone acts so naturally. Wonderful acting. In my opinion Wang So looked much hot with his mask. ???????? Lee joong gi & IU looked so perfect together. Even their romance started after half drama. but still attractive. ????
Soundtracks are So good & background score is absolutely suitable in situations.
I love everything about this drama, It gives me tears and heartache sometimes and the ending is sad and gloomy. Can't stop thinking about it even after finished this drama. But still it is worth watching. If you like happy ending then don't watch this. And if you watch it and don't like then you don't have right to sat anything bad because there is not always happy ending at all. Overall I Desperately hoping for season 2 because Wang so and Hae soo never ever deserved ending like this.????????

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Completed
sasharama
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 18, 2026
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 3.0

good drama...but a bit disappointed.

sure, im a pretty late to the party😅 but here we are.
i Ve heard a lor of good things abouts this drama for ages but never picked up. finally I decided to watch this incredible drama and..... I am a bit disappointed.
is it a good drama ? yeah. is it extraordinary ad people said? not really.

this show is basically split in two partsv the first one is more light hearted while the second one is where the real juice is.

the first half felt like one of those drama of the early 2000's. I felt like I was watching full house and not a drama from 2016.
it was so goofy and frankly badly put together.
I still don't know why they needed a sort of "reversed harem" to make this thing work.
the first half was so silly I was abouts to drop it.
everyone is in love with this girl for almost no reason and they all live like happy puppies.
we get some drama moments but they are completely ruined by the music choice.
you get people dying, suffering, crying and in the background they play a silly pop song abouts love confessions?
this ruined the pathos in many scenes.

the second half is frankly speaking the best part and the only interesting one.
I wished they just focused on this kind of storytelling. they should have made an historical drama all the way through.
the political intrigues, the love stories overlapping, betrayals etc were really interesting even though they felt a bit repetitive at times (I skipped some scenes I have to admit).

the Performance from the actors is amazing. they all played wonderfully especially in the emotional scenes. I cried at different points and fortunately no silly music was playing in the background.

overall it feels like a disjointed drama made of 2 parts that don't really feel coesive.

the fact the iu was from the future played a small role and the final scenes felt..meh.

is it worth watching? it depends.
can you stomach a boring first half?

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Completed
U-chan U-chan
1 people found this review helpful
May 29, 2022
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

This is so far THE BEST costume drama ! That’s why it’s 10!

I know I will cry watching the final episode. I don’t know why but I just keep watching the final episode over and over, then I kept crying over and over. There are viewers who love this drama but refuses to rewatch because it’s sad story, but I am totally opposite.

I usually don’t like watching heartbreaking story so I kept avoiding this drama for so long, but I finally watched it and I regretted for not watching it sooner.

I first liked Prince #8 just like FL fell in love with him. Then Prince #4 suddenly walked into my heart at ep 4. Lee Joongi is not even my type, what I meant is, I didn’t find him either handsome or attractive. However he is now my favorite actor. One of the reason why I continue watching the last episode is because Joongi’s great acting. His acting skills are one of the best among K-drama and C-drama.

If you are looking for some heartbreaking romance, then this drama will give you a most memorable ending.

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Completed
TeresaYang
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 17, 2026
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

It completely lacks the feeling of heart-stopping

I only managed to finish this drama because of the original work and Lee Joon gi’s acting.

The later part of the plot feels rushed to the point of being ridiculous. I couldn’t feel the female lead’s fear at all, nor the sense of tension and heart pounding anxiety that the title suggests. I really don’t understand why it wasn’t simply titled Moon Lovers. To me, it has no strong connection to the Chinese drama Scarlet Heart.

If you are watching the Korean version because of the original novel or the Chinese drama, I would suggest you don’t, because it will likely leave you disappointed.

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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo poster

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  • Score: 8.7 (scored by 95,694 users)
  • Ranked: #227
  • Popularity: #21
  • Watchers: 194,839

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