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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This review may contain spoilers
A really good plot but bad ending
I really loved the acting, the music, the story line but yeah the ending was so sad and unsatisfactory or else this drama would get a 10/10.Lee joongi did a marvelous job. The costumes were amazing. The songs, especially For you by EXO CBX is amazing!
I really loved the cute and funny moments through out the series but i really wish that they ended it the same way as in the original version(chinese) where they atleast meet each other in the future. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭. cried a lot at the end .
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You will not be able to forget this one.
One of the best K dramas I have seen and if I may say so this is the first show I have come across that really stuck to its guns when it comes to being merciless with the plot. And I mean this in a good way because it made me respect the show more. A show doesn't have to be all sun and roses to be satisfactory but at the same time the it also shouldn't be all gloom. There was a good balance. I tried my best to predict the plot and googled a lot about Goryeo history during this time period but still the show was built well enough that all my research, which I assumed would give me spoilers, had no bearing on the story. The plot kept me on my toes. Not all dramas can pull off the wide array of themes, emotions and perspectives. The show is quite tightly packed( no useless fillers) and good direction I must say, because the drama really held up its shape. Scenes were meaningful, wonderful music, strong writing and good acting.There are some shows that are people-pleasers and then there are some like Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo that are assertive in their quality. If you want the first one then you would do better to leave this one out. But I suggest you to be courageous and watch this one because it is fantastic. Scarlet heart is a drama that will stay with you for a long time,and that's what makes it special. I have a new found respect for K dramas. Now go watch it.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best K-dramas I've watched...it has been around 3 years since I watched this and I can still remember most parts, that's how much of an impression it made on me. The first half will make you laugh and the second half will make you cry, and the whole journey will make you smile... The characters, actors, and ost are all amazing....Here I am watching this for yet another time while waiting for Korea to make a second season like China did... Don't know how long it'll take or if it'll even happen but HOPE (the ever present demon) won't let me give up on the idea...
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Still heartbroken
Scarlet heart ryeo is the reason why I'm hooked with historical dramas. I learned that historical dramas rarely has happy ending, however, it's still addicting to watch.Now, if you want a drama full of amazing visuals, this drama is for you.
If you want happy endings, well, this aint for you.
If you want romance, this can be for you, depending on the level of romance you want that is.
Pros:
1. Amazing visual
2. Great humor
3. Fantasy setting of time travelling
4. Easy going, funny and lovable FL.
5. Amazing character interaction
6. You cant call yourself an IU fan without watching this!!
Cons:
1. Heartbreaking ending
2. Lots of heartbreaking deaths. (All the handsome prince died, except for joo hyuk, ji soo, and joon gi.)
3. A lot of cut episodes. ( I saw a lot of edited scenes in youtube that wasn't in the drama itself)
4. An urge to flood whoever made this drama, tons of letter to request for season 2!!!
So, there you have it. I honestly loved this drama, cause not only they have great visuals, it also has an impactful drama and I can't stop rewatching again and again, plus, I'm an IU fan so I loved it even more.
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This drama left me with so many Wow moments and heartaches and it still haunts my mind. That's just how amazing it's.
What I liked:
The cast, characters and OST especially: Lee Hi - Can You Hear My Heart and Jung Seung-Hwan - Wind.
What I disliked:
What happened to some characters although I knew it was inevitable as i watched the original but this a kdrama I knew it was going to be different, but i was still taken by surprise again and again and again. And what Hae Soo's been through is much more and worse than in the original. Also this version lacked the close relationship between the 13th prince and 4th prince and 13th prince and Hae Soo as in the original.
I will definitely rewatch it again but not so soon as the story is still stuck in my head and heart.
fun fact:
I had to start watching this drama 3 times before completing it. The first time, i knew i was going to love it so after watching 4 episodes i stopped and waited till the drama is completed. the second time, i watched maybe up to ep 12 or 14 then i stopped because i was afraid of what's going to happen and didn't think i could handle it. The third time i said to myself that this time I'm going to finish it no matter what and so i binge watched it for 2 days and experienced the feeling of being sucker punched in the gut and heartaches so many times but i don't regret watching it.
if you are not a kdrama addict, then this drama will make you one.
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