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not what i was expecting...
i had high expectations for this drama considering that iu and lee joongi are the main actors. at first the storyline was easy to follow and simple until they introduced like 34 new characters and subplots.i loved the acting from all the princes and side characters. however baekhyun and iu's acting wasn't that great to me. there were times where i felt the acting was definitely forced and awkward. sometimes even the character who played 8th prince wook. other than that. they did a good job for the most part.
my one thing with this show is the explanations especially lack thereof. it's never explicitly stated that princess yeonhwa essentially had a crush on her half brother (although now i know interfamilial marriages were common in that period). its never explicitly stated who mu, won, baek ha and eun's mothers were. in my mind i was trying to make sense of the family tree and how they were all related but i guess thats not important in the long run. maybe i missed it but who were those people that were tied to the posts? baek ha and woo hee run into some dead people in public and shes' like crying and then the next day she committed suicide....... why did she do that lol
also its never stated that jung's child at the end was actually so's (i had to search it to find out). if they were trying to fool the watchers then it worked because a little part of me hoped the child was jungs lol
there is one part where king so declares some servants or something to be killed. it was kinda random, he lost his temper and idek if those people ended up dying. and also theres that astronomer guy ji mong. how is he able to travel between time like that... ok i wont go on with the things that didn't make sense to me. i had seen the reviews before i started this show and i definitely thought this show would blow me away. needless to say, it didn't. i felt like it was badly written and none of the characters really developed. did appreciate iu and lee joongis chemistry tho lolz
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Just finished this in 2020
Overall it was a good drama. Had a few sweet scenes between the main leads. But, the ending just made me rethink and rethink how it could have been rewritten. As others have pointed out, if they had probably ended the drama at 18 or even 19 it would have still been ok. I just didn't like the ending.At the end, I really felt sorry for the girl. King Wan So should have given up the throne for her if he loved her so much!
Music was good. Quite a few memorable songs.
Just watch it of you haven't, but be prepared for a cold ending that leaves you wanting more or maybe even frustrated like me!
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"Scarlet Heart: Reyo" is a 2016 South Korean Historical drama that starred many talented and well-known actors and actresses. The main characters were played by one of the nation's sisters' IU and heartthrob actor Lee Jung Ki. With such an array of actors and actresses and a plethora of artists jumping in to make the OST, this drama should have been considered a major hit in South Korea. Yet, many criticized it for its writing, original soundtrack, and performances.
I do, however, want to say that I am a huge fan of many Historical dramas. From the settings to the political turmoil, to the romance and music put into many historical dramas, I find them to sometimes be the most interesting types of story telling in the South Korean drama world. When hearing many mixed reviews about this drama, and seeing the average rating in South Korea, I wanted to dive into it with an open mind and open heart. Many times I have found myself loving dramas that seem to be disliked or not as appreciated as others. However, on the other hand, I have found myself disliking many beloved dramas out there. I wanted to go in with no expectations with this drama so that I could give my honest opinion to you all.
This drama had a lot of things going for it and you can see that it was on the cusp of being a truly amazing drama, but there were some things that held it back. I believe that even though there were some flaws in this drama, that the reason in which it is considered a commercial failure is due to poor timing when it was released. The dramas out there may have had more compelling storylines than this one did, which is a reason that it had such low viewer ratings. Watching this drama on it's on, and not comparing it to others at the same time, I found that I enjoyed the show. THe plot to the drama, may not be the most compelling, however, there were sub-stories that truly had me in my feelings. I found that the stories of both Court Lady Oh and Madam Hae were ones that truly had me in tears. Their storylines that intertwined with our main character really shook me to the core and I will admit I was in an ocean of tears during their screen time. The end story between our main character played by IU and Wang Jung also had me feeling quite emotional at the end, and the story of Wang Eun towards the end also came to an emotional end, I can not deny that. Our main story had many ups and downs, at times I was truly invested in it and at others I wanted it to really give me a little more. The romance that was between our main characters and our secondary lead, I found myself rooting for the secondary lead until his character development kicked in. After the changes that the character went through I found myself more on the main male leads side, however, the writing in this drama has me conflicted. The way the writers developed the characters was confusing, I think there were truly no "good" main leads, many of them made choices that are questionable. Even IU's character had choices she did that made me question whether or not she should be doing things she was doing. I would say things about the ending, and how it wrapped up the story from being a not happy ever after ending, which I enjoy those because not everything needs a happy ending, into an oh well if you look at it this way its sort of happy ever after kind of threw me off. I think that perhaps they were planning on this drama to be a huge success and planning for another season of it, which I wouldn't mind but considering its rating its is most likely not ever going to happen.
ans but the ending left you to guess, and mostly was due to over thinking that the drama would truly be a hit and another season would unfold from it. I don't blame them for thinking it would be a hit because there were many elements of this drama that were outstanding, the cast was huge and had many amazing actors and actresses and the music was filled with artists that you could recognize with songs that would get stuck in your head. However, at the end of the day I think this drama just did not get released at the right time, and if it was airing right now (as of 9/11/2017) I think it would be doing pretty well, much better than when it aired. Overall, I liked the drama. I see why some think it was a flop and why some love it. Myself, I'm in between, there are many elements in which I enjoyed and many where the drama was questionable. It is far from a bad drama I will say that, is it a master piece? No. Obviously not. But in the end Scarlet Heart: Reyo took me on a journey of love and time travel that I enjoyed and I did become emotionally invested in, so I can't knock it for that. It was a good time, and I would recommend it to anyone.d could take away from the moments. However, I still really enjoyed the music. I am torn between loving the music and disliking its usage in this drama. I cant decide how I truly feel all together but I do know that I did enjoy the music for what it is.Many criticized the acting in this drama. I, however, don't see a real problem with it. Yes there were times I was unimpressed by IU's acting or sometimes some of the princes weren't strong, such as the idol Baekhyun and Seohyun, but as an overall package, I felt that most of the actors and actresses most of the time did a pretty great job. They allowed me into their world and I believed their pain, sadness, anger and every other emotion they felt. So when it comes to the criticism for their acting, I can see why some people found it to be poor but I personally am okay with it and some of the actors really did a great job in my opinion. There is a large cast so I can't really go into who did well and who did not and if I wanted to I couldn't help but spoil some of the scenes for those who have not seen the drama yet, which I won't do. Another criticism people had for the drama was the original sound track or OST for short. Now I am on board with this opinion, to be honest, but not in a way many may think. I loved the soundtrack. I found myself singing to all the songs and there were many well produced and catchy songs through out the drama. The problem I had with it was, it did not fit the setting on the drama. I felt like many of the songs were too poppy to fit into a historical drama. I enjoy my historical dramas OSTs to have more of an authentic sounding song to the time frame and these did not. I felt like they were out of place, d could take away from the moments. However, I still really enjoyed the music. I am torn between loving the music and disliking its usage in this drama. I cant decide how I truly feel all together but I do know that I did enjoy the music for what it is.
This drama had beautiful sets, makeup, and costumes. The music for what it was, was beautiful and had many catchy songs through out. For the most part, the acting in this drama was great. The plot was a tad bit weak, with an ending that satisfied you for the first 3/4s but the ending left you to guess, and mostly was due to over thinking that the drama would truly be a hit and another season would unfold from it. I don't blame them for thinking it would be a hit because there were many elements of this drama that were outstanding, the cast was huge and had many amazing actors and actresses and the music was filled with artists that you could recognize with songs that would get stuck in your head. However, at the end of the day I think this drama just did not get released at the right time, and if it was airing right now (as of 9/11/2017) I think it would be doing pretty well, much better than when it aired. Overall, I liked the drama. I see why some think it was a flop and why some love it. Myself, I'm in between, there are many elements in which I enjoyed and many where the drama was questionable. It is far from a bad drama I will say that, is it a master piece? No. Obviously not. But in the end Scarlet Heart: Reyo took me on a journey of love and time travel that I enjoyed and I did become emotionally invested in, so I can't knock it for that. It was a good time, and I would recommend it to anyone.
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I actually didn't expect this drama to be so good! The acting was on point, the music was on point, everything seemed fine, until the very ending, which I didn't like at all and yet it makes me wonder that maybe they put it this way for this drama to have another "season" or something, which would make sense. But in the end the ending was different from what I had expected and that is one of many reasons why this drama is so great.
Truthfully, I watched it because of Baekhyun, but I ended up falling in love with Lee Jun Ki! And I love IU even more now, they're such a great couple and their chemistry is just too perfect to be true. Overall, 9 out of 10. I'm looking forward to see more of Jun Ki and IU together in the future dramas :)
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The music was phenomenal and made important scenes all the more emotional and heart throbbing. I especially enjoyed "For You" by EXO which was played in the beginning of the drama, but I was disappointed that this song was not played more. Although, other pieces were great as well and whenever I listen to them again, get nostalgia from this drama.
I loved how Hae Soo was very bubbly and lifted the mood whenever she was around, making all the brothers laugh even when there was awkwardness between them. She was loved by everyone around her, and soon, many of the princes fell for her, eventually creating many rivalries. However, as she was faced with difficulties and saw the deaths of many she loved dearly, I feel she lost hope in life and soon became not as bright. It was difficult to watch because she looked like she had depression and was always absentminded and did not show her feelings as much.
The scenes I enjoyed most was in the first couple of episodes when Hae Soo was still fairly young and had not been exposed to the machinations and evil schemes of others yet. I thought Wook and Hae Soo were very compatible and happy when they were together, and I wished for them to be together. I was wondering how So would be the main lead; but I soon found out. Wook, imo was very pitiful because of his ambitious sister and mother, and because of his love for them, sacrificed Soo and in order to protect her, became evil. On another note, I also very much enjoyed watching Baek Ah & Woo Hee's romance blossom, and sometimes that was the only thing I was looking forward to watching near the end because everything else was just so depressing to watch because nothing went right.
What made this drama so hard to watch was the drastic change in Wang So's character. He was always someone who was kind, though did not always show it, and wanted his brothers to all live in peace with each other. However, his personality definitely took a turn for the worst when he took the throne and became ruthless, killing many, and ruled like his brother Wang Yo did, if not worse. And I feel like So and Hae Soo's romance was not very developed as Hae Soo had no feelings whatsoever in the entire first half of the drama, as she was in love with Wook. And So at times did not trust Soo when others wanted to come between them, and that was what ruined their relationship. There were times where they just grew more and more distant from each other.
The ending was very disappointing; I was hoping that many events would somehow be reversed, but I knew it was impossible. Though I expected a sad ending, especially with the episodes leading up to it, I was still hoping for a happy one. Overall, the cast, music, and scenery where amazing, but the storyline could have been better especially with the last half of the drama. However, I will definitely watch if there is a Season 2!
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Enjoy Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
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The acting was amazingly good especially the 4th prince character, his suffering from bullying and being alone even his own mother didn't want him, this made me feel horrible and sad :(
The music was awesome! I believe that I love all the OTS of this drama! One of them is my favorite song ever. I highly recommend this drama
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A different and wonderful experience
Re-watching this after a couple of years made me really want to write a review. Initially I just watched this drama for Baekhyun, but I really stayed because it was that good.Honestly, I don't actually think this is a drama that everyone will love, but I find it extremely refreshing with a much more dramatic/sad tone. I think this is the only romantic kdrama I've watched so far that's not afraid to kill characters off and go full on tragic, and to me that was actually a good thing. Some shows just feel too cliché and restricted by the fact that they are afraid to piss off or disappoint the audience if they don't give everyone a happy ending.
The plot is well built and the story is not overly complicated or anything. The characters are pretty good and some have really interesting archs. What I think is a very postive aspect is the fact that they are not so black and white. They are flawd but it doesn't feel like they are evil Disney villains twisting their mustaches (at least most of them are not that stereotypical). One character that I think they ruined completely is Chae Ryung. Her motivations to do what she did are so stupid I couldn't help but feel no empathy for her in the end. I was also a bit upset that the time-travelling thing was not porperly explained, but it didn't bother me too much as it was not the central aspect of the story, only a plot device.
The soundtrack could've been a little better. Not that the OST was terrible, but I think that instrumental songs fit this type of hystorical drama better. Another thing that wasn't so good was the camera work, as almost every scene is shot uncomfortably close to the actors faces.
The acting was really good. IU did a fine job, but nothing amazing by any means. Lee Jung Gi had a delivery that really impressed me in some scenes, though. Baekhyun also exceeded my expectations, considering he didn't have much acting experience and overall there's no one who was bad with their portrayal.
One thing that this drama does really well is the ending. I think most korean shows have this fatal flaw of being boring in the last few episodes, but Scarlet Heart never looses traction throughout the narrative and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
As the story progresses, there are many instances where you get the feeling that something bad is going to happen but you still keep watching on the hopes that you're wrong, which keeps you entertained and makes you connect much more with the characters, since you actually fear for their lives cause you don't know when the writers might try to kill or harm them. Because of that you may think that people who don't enjoy angst or a tear-jerk might not like this, but I still think it's worth the experience (coming from a fluff/rom-com enthusiast).
In the end, I praise this drama for not being afraid to hurt the audience's feelings, taking us on a well constructed, intense and more realistic story that not everone might enjoy, but that everyone should give, at least, a try.
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?
Honestly one of a kind.Deserves one of the top ranks in kdramas. Actors are amazing, no awkwardness, no cringe.
The palaces and the markets were so beautiful and well made, overall great setting.
Iu was absolutely great I can't see anyone else playing this role, didn't love the male lead as much, he liked her too soon, and it was obvious how the story was gonna go. idk I would've chosen one of the other princes but that's me.
Ending was very stupid, he acted very dumb, and it ended with a misunderstanding. They should've talked more and stopped hiding stuff from each other,they just wasted her last years apart and sad.
The death scenes were so emotional ,I cried at all of them, but I surprisingly didn't at the end when she regained her memory 😅 and unlike everyone else i don't think a second season is needed, it's beautiful as it is, there's nothing else to do.
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---but where to watch
On of the best written, acted, composed dramas you will ever watch-- if you can find a way to watch it. I was lucky enough to catch this when it first came to Netflix a few years ago and loved it so much, I found myself buying a Chinese knock off DVD set from eBay. The rights were purchased this summer by a Chinese company for the most ever spent on a Kdrama, over $400k an episode, that's over $8 million! I do hope that this will again become available for the masses to stream- legally...Owning the show on DVD has allowed me to put myself in anguish a solid 3-4 times over
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Wang So, you will always be famous!
Outro sageuk excelente! Tem uma história super interessante, com uma dose certa de "suspense", o que nos deixa curioso para saber como a trama vai se desenrolar, os personagens são cativantes, tanto a protagonista como os príncipes, o que é de extrema importância para que o público se envolva emocionalmente com a história e, consequentemente, tenha empatia por certos personagens e/ou raiva de outros, isso nos motiva a "torcer", de certa forma, por eles. Diria que é um drama com uma carga emocional pesada, com muitos momentos de tensão, onde fica difícil imaginar a possibilidade de um final feliz, mas também tem seus momentos alegres e divertidos, nos permitindo respirar um pouco. De verdade, é um kdrama lindo, com uma trilha sonora perfeita. Só nos resta sonhar com a continuação, mesmo sabendo que a segunda temporada, infelizmente, nunca irá acontecer.Was this review helpful to you?
