This review may contain spoilers
One of the BEST historical K-drama that you cannot miss
I only watched Chinese Historical Drama all these time, but I was recommended this one by my friends. I guess it doesn't matter which language actors speak. As long as you are interested in watching costume/historical drama, I truly recommend this drama.Unlike Chinese drama, the ending was clear. There were no disappointment nor confusion. C-drama tends to have strange way to end the drama or unexpected end, confusion and etc. Not all of them, but I noticed I tend to be frustrated with C-drama ending, but this K-drama ended with very clean but very sad ending.
Plus I don't know why but I kept watching the last episode over and over. I do not like sad drama at all, so I avoided any of the bad (unhappy) ending. Therefore, this is the very first drama I cried so much. Yet, I still cry at the last episode after I watched over and over. I know I will cry, but I just want to watch it again and again. I wonder why? Because I was impressed with Lee Joon Gi's performance when he went to pick up the ash of Soo. He cried out so hard and burst into tears. he made me feel exactly how I would feel if I were him. My heart ached and I even felt I would just fall on the floor because he lost his true love and my knee left numb and I couldn't hold my body anymore. Joon Gi's performance was so impressive and this drama ending was perfectly executed by his acting.
After I watched this drama, I decided to watch more K-Drama (historical) and/or C-Drama with sad ending. It maybe sad but I was satisfied with drama itself and I know now I can even enjoy sad ending. IU and Joon Gi's chemistry also made this drama so successful, and rest of the support actors did great job. Thank you everyone for making this drama!
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HOWEVER! I was very surprised and pleased the more I watched. The acting was amazing, especially in specific scenes that will remain unnamed. (Those who have seen it will understand). The music choice was great, especially will be back...every time that song started my heart was just like...ah. I don't know. Anyways, the story was great I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other. There is also some comedy, which I appreciated.
My last note is...WATCH THIS AT NIGHT! It made me cry so many times, and you probably will too! Once again, I point out that the acting was fantastic!
I hope you choose to watch this amazing show. (And I will definitely be re-watching!)
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Different type of romantic drama
Lee Jun Gi's 2nd best film, not only for his acting but his stage makeup was just captivating! I knew it by episode 9 that this cannot be a happy ending but I kept on going.... why? the story portrays 3 different characters and how they love based on their belief, value system and their personality. It is unprecedented that the script doesn't follow the protocol of a romantic love story.. but it allows reality, the real life to kick in and shows how our choices bring consequences and affect the endings of our lives. It was sad, but at the same time, it makes you think about what is important in life. Of course, we have to take into consideration that back in Joseon Dynasty era, things were different and they had limited choices as princes & princesses. However, well-made drama, worth the time and you won't regret it!Was this review helpful to you?
One of The most iconic dramas and cast at one place
One of my favorite dramas ever. i watched this show years ago and when i came now to rate the dramas i watched i didn’t even hesitate to rate this one because the emotional damage it caused was immediately recalled by my brain bro 😞😞 the cast is phenomenal , i honestly trust Iu’s taste in dramas ever since this one and My mister she actually knows what to pick and she’s A GReAt Actor for sure . i don’t even need to talk about the cast u guys just watch this please (…………..)Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
😭WANG SO - The minute he appears on the screen I AM GLUED TO HIS FACE AND FACIAL EXPRESSION😭😭TO BE TRUE - I LOVED HIMM SOOOOOO SOOOOO MUCH WIT MASK ON HIS FACE.... OMOOO!!!! HE IS DAMNN... PHENOMENAL🤤😭💜
.........😭UNTIL THE VERY END, THIS MANNN HELD MY ATTENTION LIKE - "MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT"😭.........
😭ALL I NEED HIS WANG SO's HAPPINESS, I want his SMILE... ALWAYSSSSS😭
😭💜Whenever those two were together, it always felt like the TEMPERATURE WAS RISING!!💜😭
😭I WAS ROOTING FOR THESE TWO TILL THE END😭 I WANTED A HAPPY ENDING 😭 BUT ENDED UP GIVING ME UNFORGETTABLE PAIN😭
...😭THEY MADE ME WANT THAT LOVE FOR MYSELF😭...
😭Whenever Wang So smile, it made me so happy😭 Whenever he would cry, I would cry😭 Whenever he shows his love fr her, I would melt😭
😭I cried for 2 straight nights and still cry😭 OST hunts me though they finish throughout my life😭
😭They gave me EVERY EMOTIONS IN ONE GO😭 be it HAPPINESS, TEARS, GRINNING, SQUIRMING, LAUGHTER, RESENTMENT, HEARTACHE, SHORTNESS OF BREATH😭
.............😭EXTREMELY PAINFUL😭..............
😭✨THEIR HAPPINESS😭 WHY DIDN'T LAST✨😭
😭✨THE WAY HE GAZE AT HER😭 IT MELTS ME✨😭
😭🙆WHENEVER HE HUGS HER Goshhhhh!!!! IM GRINNING SO MUCH ND SWOONING TO DEATH 🙆😭
😭THE WAY HE PASSIONATELY SMILE AT HER😭 ALWAYS KEPT ME GRINNING... SWOONING... GRINNING... SWOONING... REPEATEDLY😭
😭✨HE HAS SUCH A POWERFUL EYES✨😭
😭BEING A KING - HE DID EVERYTHING THT HE SHOULDN'T - Onlyyy for her HAPPINESS😭
😭GODDDDDD!!!!! MY HEART PAINS THT I WOULD DIE😭
😭I was really disappointed that I didn't get to see the reincarnation - THEY DESERVE IT😭 Even if it was JUST a GLIMPSE in the FUTURE of THEM MEETING each other, I would've been so HAPPY 😭 THIS SERIOUSLY BROKE MY HEART😭
😭 I'M NOT SURE IF I WILL EVER RECOVER FROM THIS LOVE STORY😭
😭Goddddd.... Whyyyy I'm nt getting through this.... Whyyyy.... Whyyyy... I'm crying as if IM GOING THROUGH THIS😭
😭I couldn't help myslf so kept looking online to see if there will be a season 2 also searched abt GORYEO DYNASTY HISTORY cause that is just how GOOD THE DRAMA WAS😭
😭I'm DEFINITELY RE-WATCHING this show even if the second season doesn't come out😭but please I NEED SEASON 2 😭
😭 I CANT HELP MYSELF OVER THIS😭 난 절대 못해😭
😭THIS SHOW HAS LEFT AN IMPRINT IN MY HEART LIKE NO OTHER 😭
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I was surprised to see how much hate it got in its earlier episodes, because that was the part I loved the most. There were funny fish-out-of-water scenes for our female lead — but she wasn't stupid, the chemistry with both male leads was building, and there was the backdrop of people willing to take extreme measures for the throne so there was always the feeling of there being high stakes.
Once things started ramping up, however, the sub-plots disappeared and even the main competition for the throne started feeling less high stakes when all the cards were pretty much already laid on the table.
The romance dwindled as well, mostly self-sabotage by the characters who were lacking development and seemed to constantly be changing their minds without good reason.
And much of this has to do with the terrible use of time skips. Time skips where nothing really changes BETWEEN characters really have no purpose, especially since we were given such little context for why things changed. To add, they started adding more characters and focusing on side ships at the halfway mark who I didn't care about.
They really underutilized the time-traveling aspect as well. Hae-soo had visions every once in a while, but her role in history was very passive and reactive.
All in all, I honestly felt everything was predictable, especially the ending. The difference was, at the start, I was emotionally invested in it and by the time it happened, the dynamics between the characters had changed so much I stopped loving them.
Also: a "gotcha, they're not actually dead!" moment for a villain simply shows me to that they didn't build up the infrastructure for a system of obstacles and needed one character to drive the whole thing. It also feels lazy to have not one, but TWO kings descend into madness — neither of which were explained very well.
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Let’s weigh this interesting historical drama on our show beam balance and see if the show is worth watching or not.
Good Weights
Lee Jun Gi (Prince Wang So): First let’s talk about the character Wang So. Wang So is the bad boy who generates fear in the minds of not only his enemies and but also his friends. He punishes all those who harm his loved ones but sadly ends up earning their fear. He isn’t a jerk. He is not mean. He is just a little misunderstood. Wang So is the quintessential good guy who hides under the garb of an evil, ruthless man only to protect himself and his people. He is aggressive and ferocious yet kind and loving. A dominating character like this required an ace actor to pull it off convincingly and Lee Jun Gi’s portrayal of 4th prince Wang So was simply flawless. The drama has several popular faces but lead actor Lee Jun Gi just stole the show not just because of his character but also because of his strong screen presence and fine performance. This may be because he is a much-experienced actor compared to the rest of the cast and Jun Gi can be credited for having kept the audiences engaged for 20 episodes. Even with half of his face hidden behind a mask, he manages to convey So’s feelings so effectively that I fell in love with both the character and the actor. The mask suited him so much that I liked him more with it than without it. Had it not been for Jun Gi I don’t think the drama would have been as interesting as I found it to be especially when we had a pale and expressionless face for a lead actress.
Direction: As you start watching the drama you will notice that every second shot is a close-up shot of the actors. The director seems obsessed with close-ups. Initially, I found these close-up shots annoying but then the same thing starting appealing to me. I especially appreciated these close-up when the scene had the stoic Wang Wook in it. Now, 8th prince Wang Wook is a shy, reticent prince who does not speak a lot. Actor Kang Ha Neul’s close-up showing his subtle expressions worked extremely well for the story. Similarly, Jun Gi as prince Wang So is often scowling or grimacing and the close-up shots effectively captured his not-so-subtle expressions. The only nightmare was lead actress IU, who plays Hae Soo. She is pretty but her face shows no variation in expression. Tears would trickle down her eyes and you still won’t be convinced that she is actually crying. You see, she was that bad. Other than that I think the direction was quite good.
OST: ‘Can You Hear My Heart’ by Epik High and Lee Hi is my favourite of all the songs used on the show. The music is stirring and emotional and suited Wang So the best. Then we have the mournful ‘Wind’ by Jung Seung Hwan and ‘My Love’ by Lee Hi. So melodious these songs are that you will love it even if you don’t understand Korean. That’s the power of Korean soundtracks.
Lee Ji Eun (Hae Soo): When you have bagged a role to die for don’t you think people will have high expectations from you? Scarlet Heart Ryeo revolved mostly around Hae Soo’s character but sadly actress IU was the weakest link of the show. Hae Soo is a complicated character as she goes through a lot of emotions in the story and at times it is difficult to understand her choices and actions. For such a character, it was very important that the actor portrayed emotions that would convey her inner feelings with only her face. Sadly, IU just remained a white face with big black eyes. What’s worse is that she had most of her scenes with actors Lee Jun Gi and Kang Ha Neul who are masters at facial expressions. IU often fell flat before such skilled actors further highlighting her lack of acting skills. I not only hated Hae Soo the character for being so fickle minded, but I also disliked IU for almost ruining the show for me.
Ending: This always happens to me. The dramas I love watching end in the most disappointing way. Previously it happened with Healer and now this drama. This show was so cool throughout but its climax was so bad I almost cried. Happy or sad ending didn’t matter I was just looking for a conclusion that made sense and did justice to the story. But all I got was a drab finale episode.
The show beam balance is heavy with good weights and I must add here that the drama isn’t perfect script wise but highly remarkable performance wise.I enjoyed every episode and loved every character on the show. Hae Soo did test my patience but I will let that slip as Wang Wook and Wang So managed to rule my heart through the weeks the drama aired.
Originally posted on Alphagirl.in.
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A story about what NOT to do if you want to be happy
This kdrama is a dive deep into egotism...It starts fluffy, I think 5? handsome half naked princes bathing, all love each other, and then ...
it gets super nasty as they "grow up" and start killing each other.
ML Lee Gang Ji is very memorable bc he is FORCEFUL, powerful, dark, jealous, pushy, and just closed off and insecure and doesnt listen...
and yeah messes it all up.
FL is an idiot. She keeps "helping" and causing trouble without ever ever turning her brain on...
AND THEY NEVER COMMUNCATE
So, for like 20 hours you get to see egoistical immature ppl doing stupid things... and causing trouble.
Some is saved... .. so it is not a total disaster...
but basically this kdrama is a LITANY OF MISTAKES
without offering a solution
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The acting cast was great they made every emotion the characters have reach me like how they feel happy or sad or angry as IU was very good in showing her character's emotions
The music was perfect I liked it the most and I like how they made it know that the character is dead by the song they play when every character dies it took me sometime to realize it but when I found out I knew that the character is going to die now and the song that shows you that they love each other, anyways I liked the music most
The rewatch value, well don't take my rating for the rewatch value confidential as I don't like rewatching anything even if the drama or the series is good
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Although I was hesitant to watch the Chinese drama since I was not used to the language and (honestly) the baldness of the male charactersㅋㅋㅋ, but Chinese version of Scarlet Heart indeed made me change my views of Chinese drama. Indeed it was a drama with great story with skilled actors. The language that I thought was hard to adjust was so smooth, and that's how much I was moved with Scarlet Heart.
When I heard that they are making a Korean version of the drama, of course I would be so excited to hear one of my favorite drama being made in Korea, and the main role would be IU! Sadly, the drama was not able to beat the original like many others.
I don't think IU's acting was bad. She did well despite this being her first fantasy historical drama. The funny and cute scenes were adorable to watch, but to see the romance scene between the second and first male leads with the main girl and other serious scenes in the Korean version did not really move my heart. It's just the story of the original and the actors/actress was really good in the Chinese drama that it was a bit hard for me to watch. In my opinion, Chinese drama emotions are hard to copy, so it's hard to exact the same emotion or make it better (it's a bit hard to explain).
Overall, I would say with the cute scenes of IU and other actors/actress the Korean version would be rated as fair. Also, if you haven't watched the Chinese version, I think some will enjoy watching a fantasy drama version like this :)
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Gripping and heartfelt
If you are like me and very late to watch this series - let me say that I had read the endless reviews about the sad ending before I decided to watch it. So I watched 19 episodes preparing myself for the worst - trying to keep a level head about what will come. I ended up watching all the episodes with a diehard addiction. This series sucks you in, grabs you and then keeps you hanging on until the end. The actors have done a fantastic job, the plot, chemistry, action and romance - all are there. Including the sad ending, which somehow ends up being worse than what was probably anyone's worst scenario.It is not perfect, and some parts feel a bit long - others are just painful - but it is definitely worth a watch.
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