Lovers of the Red Sky

Do not live up to my expectation

This is one of the dramas I anticipated since the casting announcement and the team announcement. I was like wow is this the second "moon embracing the sun" because that drama also has elements of supernatural aspects. The start is good. It shows the plot and it kind of shadows that their love story will be a heart wrenching one, very typical of historical dramas. (Its been a while I get a drama with sad endings so i was pumped) But 16 episodes later, it was a happy RUSHED ending with *SPOILER ALERT* samshin being the dead one. While the leads chemistry buildup is lacking, the plot isnt going smoothly either. The whole plot of the story is revealed to the audience at ep 1 while the leads in the drama are discovering the past one by one. The major thing that wasnt revealed to the audience is that haram being the one who killed his father, not the soldier. AND THATS ALL.
The leads have no story to make me anticipate their love, even yangmyeong and cheongi had better conversations than the leads did. controversial take, cheongi isnt a very likable character, i like yoojung thats why i am able to finish this one. And haram pretty didnt much have the personality. Only yangmyeong is pretty well written at least for me.
The cinematography is so good. And everything ur eyes land on is so pretty. I give a solid ten in this aspect. And the four leads have very good saeguk tones. They talk so eloquently.
Overall, it is a nice production but with the current team , i feel like they could have done better. 7.5/10

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A Guide on How to Ruin a Fascinating Premise

This could be so much if it was written by a different writer, and potrayed by a different cast (supporting cast and the antagonist did their best with the material they were given).

My Thoughts:

plot? what plot?
character development? what character?
blindness? what blindness - the man can fight, ride horses, you name it he can do it.
character motivation? all contradictory, and the remaining went down the drain after ep15
twists? or just convenience?
dialogue writing? what writing? i firmly believe FL was given a script with only three words written on it: sunbaenim, aabeoji, and haram-ah.

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U most have to watch NOW!

For the first time i watched KDRAMA with historical genre, and i like- dude SO COOL😭. Andd for u girl the male lead, soo handsome and cool. The plot no boring! I swear!!, All the scene is notable soooo, u can't skip that! REMEMBER THIS!!. The couple to so cute🤧.
I feel sorry for second lead, him just like "let the girl be happy, me? don't think about it"

Okay this part gonna can spoiler guys! WARNING


for real the epilog is swing, bcs i dunno whos will be crown prince/ascend the throne, i thought about it all night💆. If this drama has S2 I'm too scared the third prince dies (I forgot his name). Be careful, you will cry because there is a lot of bloodshed in episode 16😉

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So much potential…

So much potential, so far from achieving it. During the first episode i had a really good feeling about what i was going to be watching. By episode 2, that was out the window. Still trying to figure why some of the characters ever even showed up in this series. Still trying to figure out the
Love between the 2 main leads. Still trying to understand how much HaRam flip flops in his approach to Cheong Gi. The amount of “narrated” self thoughts was ridiculous. A blind man who looks people directly in the eyes. Unredeemable characters that are redeemed. And don’t get me started on the Goblin.

The more I think about it, the lower ratings I think I should give it.

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My first and favorite (so far) historical drama!

There are no words to explain how much I loved this drama. The story, everyone's acting, the special effects, the settings, everything. Cheon Gi and Ha Ram have been through so much, including similar things like the loss of their parents and blindness, and yet they remained steadfast and strong because they had each other and loved each other.
With each of their sufferings, we suffered together. With each achievement and happiness of them, we vibrated together. And that's what a plot, story and acting on another level is.

Cheon Gi was an amazing woman, resilient and fearless. She has been through so many things since she was just a little girl and it made her stronger and stronger. She faced everything and everyone to take care of the one she loved, even if it put her life at risk.

Ha Ram was the male version of Cheon Gi, but a little more serious and calculating. He also went through a lot since childhood and in the focus of getting revenge on those who did him wrong, he discovered a lot that made him evolve and become an even better man than he already was.

In fact, they made an excellent choice in the actors who played Ha Ram child, Ha Ram adult and Ha Ram's father. All three reminded each other a lot.

Throughout the episodes, what we feared most was that Ha Ram and Cheon Gi would not have a happy ending, after all, it was disgrace after disgrace in their lives. But luckily, everything worked out in their lives. They managed to seal the demon, Ha Ram regained her sight just as Cheon Gi still has her sight (even in the middle of the last episode she was momentarily blinded). Ha Ram found out that, unfortunately, it was the demon through him that killed his father. But on the other hand it took away that desire for revenge he'd carried in his heart for years.

The king's return was a key part for all this to have happened in the best possible way. If he hadn't resurfaced, even more misfortunes would have happened.

Ha Ram and Prince Yul continued that friendship that was beautiful, even though Ha Ram wanted revenge at that time, and even though they liked Cheon Gi. This trio is awesome!

Speaking of Yul, this was a true prince of a nation. He liked him and his attitudes a lot, except when he tried to separate Ha Ram and Cheon Gi.

The performance of the villain prince was awesome too. Many times I found myself wanting to get into the drama and choke him because he was so angry at us.

Despite the regrets, the happy ending came as a golden key to end a story as incredible as this one and which deserved an excellent ending to compensate for so much suffering.

Ha Ram and Cheon Gi married, parents, both with their eyesight intact and with all the happiness and good things in the world, which was something they'd deserved forever. I couldn't have been happier as it was the happy ending I wanted from the bottom of my heart for it to happen! In fact it happened even more than I expected and wanted.

Just that epilogue of the war between the princes that was left as a loose end. Was it a sign of season 2 coming? Since it showed the beginning of the war but not the result of it. If it happens, I'll be looking forward to it!

I missed an "I love you" between the couple in the last episode, but it was irrelevant next to all those happy moments between the two of them.

It was the first historical drama I watched and I couldn't have chosen a better one for such a feat!

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Shamans and peaches and portraits oh my

I enjoyed every minute of this drama. Like all great dramas, it starts with a flashback. The kids were cute, their story was unique, the supernatural characters were interesting, and it really got you interested to know what would happen next.

I love how they transformed Ha Ram to reveal Ma Wang. Very creepy, and the actor’s facial expressions and gestures made him completely transform. Also, I could have watched every scene with the ML on mute and I wouldn’t have noticed because he was so attractive. His charisma really jumps through the screen. **And extra points for sweaty shirtless workout scene**

The relationship between the FL and her father was endearing, though I did want to smack her when she turned down good opportunities, using her father’s health as an excuse. Did she really think no one would help her care for him? So frustrating.

For some reason, I love a good imperial exam/contest scene. The production crew must have included some very talented traditional artists because the close up shots of brush and ink on paper were simply mesmerizing. I loved the tension of each challenge and the artistry that resulted.

The second son has all the elements of a good villain: ongoing torment linked to past events, jealousy and entitlement as motivation, darkly handsome with a snarl when he speaks. I admit the plot suffered a bit when trying to maintain the tension between the brothers and the emperor in their battle for the throne and Ma Wang. And there were times when some plot holes miraculously resolved without any real explanation.

The ending…
I like seeing people happy and together, but when you spend 15.5 episodes with characters struggling with a disability, and somehow during a 5 year jump cut the disability is gone with no resolution showing us how/why?? I kept waiting for some clue, but it just ended and it bothered me as the credits rolled. It could have been fine, but that jarring incongruity made the ending more frustrating than sweet for me.

Overall, the actors were stellar, the visuals and artistry were top quality and unique, and it wasn’t such a heavy plot that it was hard to watch. In fact, I think this drama is highly rewatchable, and that is a rare quality, in my opinion.

I hope you all enjoy!!!

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama "Lovers of the Red Sky" did not handle the fantasy element well, which cost it a lot.

The story has a nice start, though the fantasy part was a bit sketchy and wasn't well explained, but at least there was room for improvement. The romance was kind of interesting and the mystery was okay. However, the fantasy element continued being messy, and the love story got boring and predictable. The rest of the story had also with a few surprises, as did the love triangle. Fortunately, the artistic part was nicely made and looked pretty. And the leading lady had an interesting character, which she acted masterfully. However, the male lead could have been better when he was portraying a blind person.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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A tremendous romantic fantasy of good vs. evil

Step into this fantasy world, and you won’t be disappointed. The most challenging task a drama producer has is making fantasy look real. A fantasy reader creates the visuals in their mind as they read. On-screen is much more difficult because the mind now interprets what it sees. This drama was so well done it surprised me.

Enjoy a historical drama that incorporates political infighting into the fantasy battle of good vs. evil. Humans are struggling against an evil demon that can possess and dominate. However, good deities are ever-present to protect and guide the souls of two people joined by destiny. Two lovers meet in childhood and never forget each other even though they were separated for 19 years. Fate brings them back together, bringing out suppressed emotions and memories of love and friendship.

The acting was fantastic. The FL and the ML complimented each other with just the right amount of on-screen chemistry. The villains were ever-present, and sometimes you weren’t sure who they were. The drama flows from episode to episode and keeps you immersed in this beautiful story.

The music was great, blending into an exploding fantasy world that I couldn’t stop watching.

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this drama started off really good, it was intriguing and full of things that I was excited to see how it unfolds. the combination of sageuk and fantasy (devil, god) for me was really good, cause it's new to me and so i look forward for every next episodes. but sadly that only stays for up until the first half. the second half it went downfall, it is full of repetitions andI can't even remember what happened for those episodes cause nothing was actually happening except for 1 or 2. and most unfortunate is the ending, idky the writer rushed every single thing to be concluded in ep16. the ending was meh except for the couple of course. like, after all those intriguing, we need to seal the demon forever, sacred vessel, it only ends like that? and of course, prince joohyang's story also doesn't end (well).

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A Great Cast Doesn’t Translate to a Good Drama

I decided to watch Lovers of the Red Sky because it stars Kim Yoo-jung, Ahn Hyo-seop, and Gong Myung. Having such high hopes for this good lineup, I was ultimately left disappointed. While the drama isn't entirely bad, it certainly isn’t great either.

The Story: We meet Hong Cheon-gi (Kim Yoo-jung), a blind girl whose dad is a famous painter, and Ha Ram (Ahn Hyo-seop), a boy who has the "gift of water." In the first two episodes, a massive supernatural event happens, during which Cheon-gi gets her sight back and Ha Ram loses his. They get separated and don't meet again until they're adults. By then, Cheon-gi is a brilliant painter and Ha Ram is a blind royal astrologer who can read the stars. They then become entangled, and a love story starts. It gets complicated by different factors, including when Grand Prince Yangmyeong also takes an interest in Hong Cheon-gi.

Too Slow and Too Chaotic.

The biggest issue is that the story never actually hooks you. The pacing is incredibly slow, and honestly, some parts are just plain boring. I found myself skipping through a lot of it. Take the whole painting contest in episodes 5 and 6—I get that Cheon-gi winning was important for the plot, but did it really need that much screen time?

The plot picks up slightly in the middle, but it still fails to maintain momentum. I am usually a classic binge-watcher, so the fact that I had to take a prolonged break from this series speaks volumes.

Instead of focusing on a solid, well-paced conflict, the writers chose a chaotic need for twists: the evil spirit requires a magic ring to be contained, the ring then has to be broken, the restoration suddenly requires two divine painters instead of one, and they even throw in a Hwacha (a green-eyed goblin).

Flat Main Characters

Ahn Hyo-seop’s performance here doesn't compare to his work in other dramas. I’ve seen him thrive in Dr. Romantic 2 and Abyss, as well as his subsequent hits like Business Proposal and K-pop Demon Hunters. His acting in those roles was far superior. Perhaps the role of Ha Ram was too restrictive for his talent, as playing a reserved, blind character who must constantly mask his intentions is no easy feat. He is supposed to be driven by a deep desire for revenge for the past slaughter of his family, but I just didn't feel that burning hatred or drive from him at all.

Plus, his character's logic makes zero sense. He lives a double life as Ilwolseong, an elite information broker who is supposed to know everything. Yet, despite having 20 years to look into the tragedy of his childhood, he somehow never found out that the king's portrait burned, that an evil spirit got loose, or that his own dad had a ring to control it. How did an omniscient information broker miss that?

The show also breaks its own rules by the end. We're told they can't touch because it triggers the evil spirit. But right at the end—when he's supposed to be losing control of the spirit—he holds her hand perfectly fine to give her the ring. Then, literally five minutes later, the spirit randomly flies out just because he's stroking her hair.

Kim Yoo-jung is also underutilized here. She was amazing in My Demon and Dear X, so we know she can act, but her script here was just weird. She says "Is that true?" a ridiculous number of times. Her character also suffers from emotional whiplash; one minute she’s incredibly bold, and the next she’s acting like a shameful, apologetic little lamb when things go wrong. She goes from fiercely determined to crying in deep despair at the drop of a hat.

Lack of Chemistry

Having witnessed Kim Yoo-jung's electric chemistry with Song Kang in My Demon, her dynamic with Ahn Hyo-seop feels incredibly limited and flat. Furthermore, Ahn Hyo-seop had much better chemistry with his co-star in Business Proposal than he does in this drama.

The Supporting Cast

Gong Myung plays Grand Prince Yangmyeong, who starts off as a free-spirited, gentle prince. I'm actually watching his new 2026 drama Filing for Love right now, and he is so much better in that. In this role, however, he felt totally unimpressive and had the most meaningless lines. It got even worse when he started liking Cheon-gi; he turned into an annoying, possessive guy who treated her like a prize to be won.

As for the villains, I ended up skipping almost all of their scenes. They didn't bring anything to the plot other than constantly repeating, "I want the evil spirit for myself." The evil Royal Shaman, in particular, annoyed me from day one.

The Saving Graces

The true highlights of the drama belong to the minor supporting cast. Jo Ye-rin, who played the Tiger Goddess (Ho Ryeong), and Cheon-gi’s two best friends (played by Hong Jin-ki and Hong Kyung) gave highly convincing, good performances.

The absolute cutest part of the entire show is the final episode, seeing the main leads genuinely happy while interacting with their on-screen children. They looked so natural that I'm guessing both actors just really love kids in real life. It was a sweet note to end on, but definitely not enough to save a messy, chaotic script!

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Great with some plotholes that don't ruin the shop

A piece of history, a few scenes in See You In My 19th Life and I already want to turn on period k-drama! I love Joseon places dramas and it's been a while since I watched one. There is never enough adventures with Hyo-Seop Ahn !

I fell in love with this series from the first episode. It featured everything I'm crazy about - children connected by destiny, mysterious creature, court schemes, loving couple despite being evil-faited and story twists at the end. The whole story is well organized and it was fantasic to watch! So far so good, this year I have a great streak of hitting brilliant dramas (ok ... part from 2 poor choices but the procentage is small ^^) and I hope it will be like this until the end of 2023!

Pluses:
+ Charming leads
+ Cast, secondary characters & acting
+ Detail and admiration of the art
+ Visuals & special effects

Minuses:
- Male lead behaves too much like a sighted person than blind one. Feels unrealistic
- Female lead plays too much of a woman of XXI century than Joseon dated one
- Weird and sudden receiving of the sight by female lead
- Unsatisfactory ending with a few unresolved issues
- Never expleined mystic creatures

Lovers of the Red Sky has some issues, nevertheless drama is a 7 for me. It was a great escape from the dramas of the present day which I am watching now. I love fantasy productions and I will probably never grow out of them 💙 Throw in romance, destiny and magic and I'm done! I'm sold! I watched the first episodes with bated breath as well as the last ones. The middle ones were slower but still intense. It's definitely not a drama to take nap 😁


💜 HAVE A LOOK AT MY DRAMA BLOG - https://my-asian-dramas.blogspot.com/ 💜

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