Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Although I really enjoyed this drama, there were a few things that really bothered me.

1. Characters who should not have gotten redemption, got it, and that really frustrated me.
2. It felt like they put in tragic stuff just for the sake of it.
3. There was no closure on anything. Characters that suffered in the beginning were still suffering at the end.

However, the actors were phenomenal. Joon Ki was absolutely amazing. Extremely captivating, he was the main reason I continued to watch until the end. I hope for a season 2 or a special to give us some closure. I don't like how it ended at all. But I'm someone who likes happy endings lol.This drama made me cry really hard. Way too hard.

Read More

Traumatizing and unfair

Beautiful drama that started promising, but then something terribly wrong.
Amazing actors, visuals, OST, everything, but story traumatized me.

** SPOILERS **

In the end, when Wook asked her why did she chose So, she answered that is because So was honest to her, but, as far as I remember, Wook loved her and told her that he wants the throne because he was not able to protect her, it was for her, while So, in order to become the king, left her saying that he does not love her anymore. So from my point of view, what So did was more unfair and he was the one who was not honest. At least Wook had the reason that he was forced by his sister, but So did this on his own, he chose to left Hae Soo for the throne... Wook wanted the throne for Hae Soo, while So wanted the throne for him.
And then, Hae Soo was so easily disappointed by Wook when he did everything for her, but she continued to love So even after he was so bad and possessive to her... I can't believe. But maybe she was so disappointed by Wook because she loved him more. And I hope, that when Yeon Hwa told her why her brother acted like this, she realised how wrong she was and how much she hurt Wook...
And I think that she still loved Wook because she knelt down for him.

I want Soo and Wook to meet again in the present, I want her to meet Wook and not So, because she lived her love with So, but she didn't fulfilled her love for Wook.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Then a TV channel aired this drama. At first I said that it is just too painful to watch again, but then I said "Ok, just watch again, maybe you will see it differently". I am somehow happy that watched it again, because I could see many details that I skipped first time or that I forgot.
In ep. 12:
- When Soo was in prison, Wook went to her, but she asked him about So. This hurt him so much. I know that she was a good girl that worried about everyone, but she should've think also of Wook.
- Wook couldn't say anything about the real culprit in order to protect his family. He was forced. But he tried to save her by talking to Lady Oh. He really loved Soo, but he was caught between her and his family... and he couldn't betray his family. So I don't know why everyone blamed him, when he was just a victim.
- When Soo was kneeling for Lady Oh, she saw Wook coming and leaving and she asked herself why. Her love was not so strong to trust Wook and to know that he must have his reasons.
In ep. 13:
- Soo accuses Wook that he used her to kill So... well, how did she reach that conclusion? She couldn't trust Wook... and Wook did everything because he loved her...
- She then ask Wook to leave with her, but he is afraid that something else might occur. She can't understand his feelings... and accuses him once again that he does not love her and abandons him... she doesn't even let him explain.... she accuses him that he does not trust her feeling towards him, but she was the one who didn't trust him....
In ep. 16:
- Soo learns that So left her in order to get the throne, but it is OK since it is So... really? She left Wook when he wanted the throne, but since she knows that So will be the king it is OK? From my point of view So was the one unfair to her, not Wook. And then she lets So speak to tell her that he will make her agree. Seriously, she didn't give that chance to Wook...
In ep. 19:
- Poor Wook, who did everything to protect his family is abandoned by his mother and sister...
- Soo hears that Wook is going to die and she kneels down for him, to save his life. Later, Wook tells her to pay attention such that So won't suspect her, and she then says that she would have done this for every prince. But I don't think that she would have knelt down for any of the other princes, but she did this for Wook, because she deeply loved him. Or maybe the meaning (maybe lost with the translation) was that So can't suspect her, because he would think that she would have done this for any of them.
- When she leaves the palace, at the gates, she meets Wook. They are both outside the palace, this may mean something. Also, Wook says "It's over in this life.". If we want to search for hidden meaning, then this is equivalent with "In the next life we can be together.". Here Wook finally looks calm, and I think that it is because he kept his promise to take Soo out of the palace, even if he can't be with her. He finally could keep his promise and helped her and this made him happy.
In ep. 20:
- Before Wook dies, he seed his wife, Lady Hae... I'm not sure about this, it may be interpreted like he is going to be with her in the afterlife... Why did he not see Soo... an answer may be that she is alive in the present. But what if Lady Hae will take him to Soo in present? Since it was her wish for Wook to be with Soo...

So, in the end, Soo was the one who couldn't trust Wook and he was the one who was hurt the most.
And it is such a pity, because their love story, as seen in the first episodes, was the most beautiful love story that I ever saw in a drama, but after ep. 12 everything was ruined....

Read More

Breathtaking drama with bittersweet ending

The K-drama period that I just finished watching is, without a doubt, one of the best ones I have ever seen. I was completely sold on it and couldn't help but be captivated by the cast's performances, the chemistry between the characters, and the intricacies of the plot.

While I was hoping for a happy ending, I couldn't give it a perfect score because of the bittersweet conclusion. However, there was an open-door possibility that the main lead would find a way to be with her lover. The mysterious voices she heard and the paintings she saw, as well as the appearance of a man who looked like the 8th Prince in modern clothes, all suggest that there is a chance for a resolution to their love story. Sadly season 2 never been produced.

I must say that I watched the entire series in a marathon, unable to let go of the story. The multiple love stories that were intertwined The scriptwriters finally got it right this time - they respected the timeline and nothing was rushed. They took their time to allow her to truly fall in love with her first love, and then to gradually unlove him. It wasn't until much later that she fell in love with someone else. The years apart were the perfect choice, and the scriptwriters nailed it. were all beautiful yet tragic.

The scriptwriters finally got it right this time - they respected the timeline and nothing was rushed. They took their time to allow her to truly fall in love with her first love, and then to gradually unlove him. It wasn't until much later that she fell in love with someone else. The years apart were the perfect choice, and the scriptwriters nailed it.

The love stories portrayed in the production were truly believable and heartfelt. Each storyline had a timeless quality to it that made it resonate with the audience on a deep emotional level. The themes of love, loyalty, betrayal, mistrust, jealousy, pain, despair, and even hatred were all perfectly executed by the talented cast. Every actor brought their A-game, immersing themselves in their respective roles and delivering performances that left a lasting impression on everyone in attendance. Overall, the production was a masterful display of storytelling that left the audience feeling captivated and emotionally moved.

As much as I loved the drama, I must say that I have a deep dislike for time travel dramas in general. The same old sad ending of the main lead leaving her lover behind and returning to modern times is something that I find predictable and cringe-worthy. It would be great if the lead could live in the past, or if she were given a real choice, rather than being forced into an unhappy ending.

Read More

I recommend this to you if you are someone who enjoys suffering greatly.

I'm not really sure how to explain the love-hate I feel for this story; I think it's actually more hate than love.
We have an ordinary girl who "dies" for no reason and appears in this era, in the body of another girl who looks just like her... So I wonder, what happened to the real owner of the body? Was she just a perverted girl destined to die while spying on princes taking a bath?

Anyway, the first half of this series is quite boring. We see our female lead falling hopelessly in love with one of the many princes, and at the same time, many princes are falling for her... Not much happens... But the second half of this series is pure torment, and that's because this series is made to make you suffer!! The characters who seemed nice in the first half all turn evil, and I don't know which one is the most wicked!! Although I must admit that deep down, I liked the development. The female lead, who at first thought she could change the future, ends up getting into more and more insurmountable problems.

Returning to the fact that this second half of the series is tormenting... I can't explain how much I wanted to kill them all... For them to stop suffering ALREADY! PLEASE!! And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, they did; it was one stab after another, and I don't say that because it hurt me every time something dramatic happened, but because I felt like screaming and screaming... And it's not just because of the despair the story caused me; in many of the dramatic scenes, there were quite a few mediocre performances... Not all of them, clearly... But a large part.

I must also say that even though I liked the OST, whenever there was a sad scene and they played the same song, I imagined the person in charge of the music pressing a red button labeled *insert dramatic music* while sipping on a juice.

I'll talk for a bit about the main couple, the Moon Lovers. They started with an almost nonexistent romance, so much so that I questioned the title of this series. The male lead treated the girl like a burden and almost killed her several times until one day, for some reason, he decides that she "belongs" to him, but he doesn't put much effort into winning her over. However, when the female lead began to fall for the male lead, I really liked their chemistry... And that was it... There weren't even 10 consecutive minutes of drama where they were happy; something bad always had to happen. I must also say that at first, when the male lead made promises to do good things and blah blah blah, I believed him... And it hurt me how his character developed, although I understand it considering the kind of life he led. I would have liked this couple to find a bit of happiness in the end, even if it wasn't in that era; I really would have liked that.

In short, this series could have pleased me more; maybe if I had watched it at another time in my life or if it had been better produced... I don't know... Many things could have been of better quality with just a little more effort. I think I'll watch it again someday with a bit more patience.

Read More

Yes this is based on a Chinese Book, but this is a remake and they sort of buy the rights, so under the hands of a good screenwriter even a bad book would turn into a marvelous drama. Most of the actors are wasted in the drama, we did not see anything much of love. Scarlet Heart Back in 2011 was my first CN drama. It was the first year I started to watch Korean CN dramas did not know much about them, I accidentally discovered them on youtube.. I can only say this this was not as brutal as the original one.

I still want a S2 if all the fans get together and push them by petitions & twitter parties we'll get it but we won't get anything by sitting and hoping..

I am still not recovered by this drama, I want to go and watch it back, I have done the same on Scarlet Heart a couple of times.

Read More

Since this drama is a remake of its Chinese cousin, I had high hopes before watching this drama. It took me a year of starting and putting it on hold to finally finish this. I must say, I liked the main cast better than the Chinese version because IU! and JOONGI! However, because of the many model-turned actors and idol-turned actor, Baekhyun, the acting was a bit sloppy and somewhat fake at times to be honest. No shades here, for Baekhyun to act this way for the first time is very good for an idol but sometimes I feel like he's over-acting for the sake of it (I do look forward his future works as an actor and see how he grows). The romance between the main characters and each character's development throughout the drama, from main to support, is what kept me watching the whole thing.

I do like a drama that has a good plot and good acting? But I guess this one only has a good plot, for a drama that has been remade. The ending though? I wanted to kill myself but sadly NO SPOILERS.

Read More

a cinematic masterpiece

when i started to watch kdrama i always saw "moon lovers" being highly recommended but after seeing a lot of reviews such as it's a very sad drama, ending is not good, iu's acting is not good in this drama because of these negativity i really hesitate to watch this drama but after like 2 years i finally decided to watch this drama and now i realize how much of a fool i was... this drama by far become my favorite drama of all the time... this drama really affect me both emotionally and mentally... after watching this drama i'm wondering "how can a drama can be so beautiful"... the story, the cast, the cinematography, osts, everything about is drama is so perfect and beautiful and after this drama i truly become a huge fan of Lee joon gi and iu to a whole another level, their acting in this drama is so freaking beautiful and the fact that i don't always cry while watching dramas and all but this specific drama literally made me cry like a mess and this really taught me so much about the life and relationships, truly this drama affects me to a great extend... If you're reading this review and hesitate whether to watch it or not i'm telling you don't hesitate just watch it and avoid watching spoilers beforehand, this drama will truly become a beautiful experience you've ever had in ur entire life, after finishing this drama i felt so lucky that i watched this masterpiece but also felt empty and depressed for days because this masterpiece is already over, that's why i truly truly want second season of it but it's been 5 years and yet there's no announcement of season 2, it makes me sad but i'm still hoping for it, with the same cast but in the different era... just thinking about it giving me goosebumps all over my body. I truly become a huge fan of this kdrama and i don't think any drama will replace it's place in future, this drama will always have a special place in my heart.

Read More

Excelent show

I really enjoyed the story and thought the acting was great. The main characters were perfectly portrayed, especially the male lead. I don't understand why the soundtrack wasn't more appreciated; overall, it was a great show to watch. However, I was disappointed with the ending. It was terribly sad for a story that started as a fantasy tale. I can appreciate tragic endings when depicting real-life events, like in the show Red Sleeve, but for this particular story, I felt the hopeless ending was unnecessary.

Does anyone know why there is no season 2? With so many mediocre shows being released all the time, it's puzzling why they didn't produce another season for this one, which has so much potential.

Read More

Scarlet Heart! Bloody Heart! The name itself tells how difficult the story of this drama is.

Usually, if you know it's a sad ending drama, it seems like ‘it's just acting! This is not real anymore.’ But this drama will make you cry more than reality. Even after giving a rating of 10/10 in the first drama, I thought it was better not to watch this drama. Such a merciless destiny! Despite having 4/5 pairs of couples, a couple did not have happy ending. I was in a daze for a few days after the end of the drama, I thought again and again that the author could not have done that!

This drama will make you laugh a lot at first. But whenever you go deep into the story, you can't hold back your tears.

★Wang Wook (8th): This boy loved two women, but lost both due to some mistakes and wrong decisions made by himself. If you want to protect your family and get people you love, you could find a different way! But he lost both love and family in the wrong way.


★Wang Yo (3rd): Although he was a villain in the entire drama, it is very sad to see his fate and hear the words at the time of his death. As the end result of mother's greed, his destiny gave him a cruel death.


★Wang Beak Ah (13th): This boy also lost both of two women he love. How heartbreaking is for a man to see his beloved woman commit suicide by jumping in front of his own eyes, holding the bloody body of his beloved woman in his arms. They could have a happy ending!!

★Wang Eun (10th)- After love Hea Soo, he wanted to make her own, but he couldn't. Then he loved his wife Soon Duk. He wanted to live a normal and happy life with Duk. But in front of his eyes, his half-hearted woman was mercilessly killed by his brother. He gave his own life as he does not allow his lover to die alone. Although in the whole drama he was Cute, innocent, he away from the cunning of the palace, but he could not save his family, love, or even his own life in the end.


★Wang Mu (Crown)- He built Goreo empire shoulder to shoulder with his father. But he could not save his life from his brother's conspiracy in the end. Every day and night since becoming a king was equal to the pain of hell for him.


★Wang Jeong (14th)- He fell in love with Hea Soo in silence, but never revealed it. To be free from the palace, he was bound by the name of marriage with Hea Soo, but he could never make her his own. He saw his love dying in front of his eyes. The last memory of the lover is her child, made her his own child and spent the rest of his life.

At last...

★Wang So (4th) & Hea Soo- Everyone says Wang So was merciless, but no one wanted to know the story behind his mercilessness. His own mother ruined his face. Again, she never embraced him because of that spoiled look. Made the hostage, he was removed from the family at the age of 5. The people there leave him alone on a mountain full of wild beasts for their pleasulive. With a strong desire to live, he killed all the animals and set them on fire in the forest. Then those people started to fear him again by calling him merciless and cruel. Many people say that the name of the drama could have been the ‘Soo Lovers’ instead of ‘Moon Lovers’. Since many people liked Hea Soo in the entire drama. In fact, her character was like love! After going to the past, at first she was in panic, but later she accepted everything and fought to save her life. Soo's honest, innocent behavior was also loved by his enemy Wang Yo. I felt the most helpless both the main lead in the entire drama. Both main leads seemed the most helpless in the entire drama. Whom they love, in the end they lost them, through many cruel consequences. Even at the time of Soo's death, Wang So was not by her side. What a merciless destiny they had! Until 1 year of returning from the past to the future, Soo did not know that everything she saw was true.

Dear Wang So, you are the first fiction character who I loved deeply. I want to say with my hand on your head, “You're not ugly Wang so, ugly they who forced a little kid to be violent, merciless. Those who deprived a little child of the love of the whole world, who have never taught him what love is! You were never merciless Wang so, The merciless people of this world push you away thinking you were unkind. Still, you gave your whole life for this people.”

Dear Wang So, I want to ask you, did you really find your love from a different world?? I'm waiting, even if it is a little happiness in the end it will be locked in your cage. 🌸🌼

Note: I don't know how to write a review, it's not a review either. I just tried to express my feelings.

Read More

Unrelenting, but beautiful storytelling

This was both entertaining and hard to watch. It was gripping, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but at the same time I had already figured - by the way the story was going - that bad things were going to happen over and over again.

I think the unrelenting aspect of this drama would make it difficult to rewatch, but I'd still recommend it. There's something bittersweet about the way the characters grow and their relationships to one another. Plus, the acting is superb.

(A second season of this drama, "in reverse", would probably have been amazing, too!)

Read More