Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)

I feel like this drama would've been better if they had a better screen-writer and director. I think the concept of the story had a lot of potential but it just wasn't brought out in the right way. Story wise it felt kind of dull and quite shallow, there wasn't much depth to feel happy or sad for anyone. It was just watching things happen without having that much thoughts to it. The side characters, especially the second lead, felt quite useless as he didn't do much and didn't even give that much second lead (which I'm grateful for, 'cause I loathe heavy love triangles). He would've been much more livelier if he was the male lead's loyal but childish best/childhood friend instead of falling in love and doing stuff just because of the female lead. The antagonists motive was weak as well, didn't feel much of him. Same goes for the leads, their motive didn't feel very strong and emotional even though it was; family, death and revenge. Everyone knows how good of a motive that is, it's because of how the writer and director portrayed it, that it just fell flat. And the worst thing was the main couples' progress, they both have such good and crazy chemistry, it is so sad they couldn't portray it better. When we were on episode 12, it felt like their relationship was on episode 4. Their relationship was just barely there. I feel like the best scene was the rain scene, that felt like something was happening. But everything else just... happened because it did.

The casting of the drama is exceptional, I watched this drama firstly because of Kim Yoojung, the queen of historical dramas, and Ahn Hyoseop, who I've been a fan of for a while. The leads did great but I feel like, I mean Ahn Hyoseop did mention this in interviews, there were times where Ahn Hyoseop forgot he was blind? It was weird when he would look and maybe? accidentally make eye contact? but otherwise their acting was top notch like always.

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Ridiculously overrated

My god, I always watch dramas after a lot a research on it. This has very high rating . 1st episode was also good..
But I just can't continue now. ML has literally one expression through out show. Do blind people not have other expressions.. I live for character chemistry and acting that makes me feel things.. this is one of the high budget bad acting that I have seen . Especially the ml. He is supposed to be in for romance but it doesn't feel like it..
I don't want to rant but the disappointment I felt was bad....
And we have bunch of gods who interferes whenever they feel like... stupid

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Had a good star but then...

I think the drama started well but declined halfway to the end. The story seemed interesting at first but then became repetitive and it didn't seem to get out of place. The demon characterization of the main lead was pretty bad too. And Other thing I didn't liked that much was the prince, who started out as a cool character but turned out to be a boring character. I think for some people this drama can be very good but for me it was disappointing in these parts. But one thing I liked was the main leads and the couple. They really had chemistry with each other and I loved their characters since the beginning. Their end was very cute too.

So yeah, I think it could have been better because the start was really captivating and the characters have chemistry with each other. But too bad that I got tired in halfway.

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Not as best as i thought

I dont know why this drama has this much high rating 🤔.. I selected it becoz i love horror.. but i saw lot of comments about this drama.. this is master piece etc etc... but for me this is not good as i thought... drama has weakest male lead, i mean it is not actors fault it is the way that story written.. no turning point, we know whts going on from the start, no exitment at all, kind of draggy so i can not tell this is best

As for acting itz ok cheun gi is actually good actress no arguments about it she did good job in this drama too
As for ha ram his character is written bit weakly by the way i did not get any feeling about him n his acting also look bit weak for me..
Actually 2nd lead steal the show his character is good n he took all attention from viwers, actually when he sad i feel tht too.. so he is the hero of the show..
As for others all of them had done thire best...

Music not noted

Overall itz not too good but not too bad either

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Starts out amazing, loses momentum

Let me first of all say that I'm a huge fan of the main characters. They and their relationship were the reasons I stuck with the drama to the end.

The story was very interesting, and it was fun to watch during the first several episodes when everything was being laid out. However, I feel that 16 episodes were too many for this drama. It led to a lot of long, drawn out conversations between characters that were just rehashing the same plot points because nothing new was added. That brings its rewatch value way down for me.

The visuals are very pretty, and the special effects were some of the best I've seen in Kdramas.

The love triangle felt like an afterthought and unnecessary for the story as the second male lead was a kind person anyway and it would have been plausible for him to do the things he did for the FL without being in love with her.

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I find the plot lacking but still appreciate mythology of the drama.

I like it, I'm giving it an 8.5 despite me feeling a bit let down by the plot since I never found drama boring. Despite being a bit let down, I still like the mythology of this drama. The visuals and the imagery (especially those beautiful paintings and sceneries when Haram and Chungi are dating) are really beautiful. Acting is good by most especially by Kim Yoo Jung and Kwak Si Yang. Ahn Hyo Seob is good, but he really shone in the last 2 episodes (my only complaint against him is he sometimes doesn't act blind). Gong Myung is a bit disappointing (I'm saying this because I feel like an excellent actor with a lot charm could have made his character more memorable), but he was okay in the last 2 or 3 episodes.

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i was hyped..

i was hyped because ahn hyo seop is acting in this and I loved him so much in abyss. but I forgot this drama is a historical drama. i don't know if I didn't like this drama because it's historical or if it's the story. as I read through the review, I see that it's not just me that didn't like it. i was hyped for this drama but in the first two episodes it got boring.

my rewatch value would be a 7. I don't want to watch this drama unless I have nothing to do and I am really bored. i didn't feel any chemistry in between main lead and the female lead but I really loved the trio, young wook, choi jung and chungi.

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Charming historical drama

Let me start off by saying I wasn't planning on watching this drama. From the main leads I had only watched Love in the Moonlight, which I didn't really like, and Abyss, which is the bane of my existence and that I dropped after five episodes. I wasn't excited for it when it was announced nor did I pay attention to people commenting about it on Twitter. But fours days ago I was going through mydramalist's currently most popular shows and I FELT like watching it... out of nowhere! When that happens I usually end up loving the show so I just followed my heart and watched it. And I have to say that this is a great show overall. It's charming, interesting, different from other historical shows out there. However, there are also some elements that don't allow me to give it a higher rating. While watching it, I wrote down many of the positive or negative aspects about the show, in my opinion, so I'll share those now! This section might include spoilers (but to be honest... the first episode is one big spoiler for the rest of the story already so... it's not too serious haha)

Things I loved about this drama:
1) The structure!! The way the story was told was very different from other shows. Like I mentioned before, the first episode lets the viewer see all the details of what happened in the past, while it keeps characters in the darkness until the last few episodes! Sometimes it was a bit challenging to follow who knew what informations but overall I think it was a super refreshing way of telling a story.
2) One of the most charming parts of the plot was the blindness aspect. That factor was used well throughout most of the show and connected the storyline between the two characters very well.
3) I loooooved the fact that the male lead isn’t a king or a prince and his main ambition or goal isn’t the throne!! He has so many goals to fulfill other than the romantic pairing: get revenge for his family and himself and get rid of ma wang’s possession.
4) The female lead is strong but has flaws, which makes her likeable.
5) Good acting that isn’t over the top or too dramatic. Very touching acting from everyone in the cast. Couldn't have been cast better!
6) Phenomenal chemistry between the two leads even though they didn’t share too much screentime in the first half of the show- the story was built according to the time it needed and it wasn’t overwhelmingly fast paced nor too slow it became boring. Perfect pace and perfect relationship pace according to the circumstances, in my personal opinion.
7) All the (main) characters have clear ambitions and those ambitions make sense for everyone! They’re not just caricatures but complete human beings with a background story and actual feelings, whether they’re good or evil.
8) Good fantasy elements that added to the show and made it stand out from other historical shows. It’s sooooo cool! I love the fantastical characters. Great cgi too.
9) It was funny when it had to be, heartbreaking when it had to be. Great balance.
10) It is a political drama but the plot matches the fantasy elements nicely and it’s not just boring ministers fighting for the throne.
11) Amazing ost. Baekhyun. No need to say more.
12) The love triangle is here for a reason! It wasn't toxic and there were no forced feelings from anyone. Really good.
13) I love that in episode 9 we got another summary of what happened with the demon as the king was telling the third prince about it. I thought it was nice to refresh the viewer's memory and to explain once again the fantasy elements.
14) OUR MALE LEAD IS SOOOO DREAMY!! THE EYE COLOR SUITS HIM SO WELL. He portrays deep emotions very well.
15) I also appreciated the fact that the male lead isn’t a goodie goodie. He’s looking for REVENGE!! He is a good person who (and to be completely fair, rightly so) feels very wronged and can't deal with that.
16) Really pretty cinematography and camera angles.
17) I LOVE THE VILLAIN SOOOO MUCH!!! The acting was phenomenal.



Now, the things that took out one star for me:
1) Sometimes it looked like the male lead's eyes don’t look like he’s blind. They seem to follow the female lead movements as if he could see... Maybe I’m being ignorant but I thought blind people had more unfocused eyes? But sometimes he does it more realistically… I'm not sure, maybe he’s just used to following the voices? Oh well, it took me out of the story sometimes.
2) Why does it have to be the dead king’s portrait and not the current one? Was it because the portrait wasn’t completely burned??? It was a bit confusing.
3) Very weak finale. It wasn't very impactful, there was a weird use of the blindness for just a minute and then it was dropped, and don't get me started on the weird plot with the second prince like????WTF was that????? Way too rushed!!! It's so weird how the last episode was structured... Worst episode of the whole show.


I hope my review makes sense. I'm writing this on three hours of sleep.
I did love this drama but I agree that there is a lot of wasted potential.

BY THE WAY
A very important advice: you should binge watch this show. I’ve noticed that a lot of people who suddenly stopped enjoying this show was because they were watching it from the beginning and waiting each week. The story is complex so to not miss out on details you should watch it in one go, like I did.

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Art is the theme

I really enjoyed how this fantasy drama was portrayed.
The emphasis on painting and the different styles and interpretations of how to depict a theme was very entertaining and educational.
The FL is caring for her artist father who has been driven mad. We later discover how and who was involved. Meanwhile his daughter is following in his footsteps. The back story of how she was blind and then became sighted is also part of the flashbacks that weaves together elements to bring us to the dramatic latter half.
The actors did a great job with special mention of the young actor playing the tiger demon. The ML, Ahn Hyo Seop, has different characters to play and is excellent in each.
As the blind scholar Ha, astrology advisor favored and funded by the king, he portrays a quiet dignity and elegance very appropriate to this role.
As the mysterious masked Ilwolseong he has built a network of spies and informants so is able to sell information to the wealthy.
As the Demon (Mawhang) and the use of CGI, he becomes a dangerously strong mythical creature.
The FL is a plucky character who is devoted to her father and desperately seeking a way to cure his mental illness. Her attraction to scholar Ha is very sweet and believable. She displays astounding ability to paint and to copy masters. This is her fate so that she can be chosen as the divine painter tasked with creating the portrait needed to use in a ritual to capture MaWhang the demon.

Visuals and attention to colour palette help to create the atmospheres of painting, love and crisis. The costumes and settings are done well and will be appreciated by anyone who enjoys costume dramas, The traditional Korean paintings a re a bonus.
If you are still hesitating about watching have a look at the extensive picture gallery.

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This drama has gotten bad reviews on MDL but the drama deserves better. It is not an epical drama but it delivers suitable performances on the thematic of historical, romance, and fantasy. The cast did a good job delivering their given characters as they were written so, if their acting is to be criticized, one must question why the writers and directors made such characterizations. This drama does not intend to bring era factual events; it is solely to satisfy fantasy historical drama followers with a nice romance. The romantic plot is not earth shattering, but it does give the loving and endearing feeling of a good romance that started with a cute but unforgettable encounter for the leading couple when they were children; and the leading couple has good chemistry. The OST is fantastic and there’s great cinematography. Overall, the drama is really entertaining!

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They are destined lovers because Goddess basically screwed their fate !

HR/CG : They are destined lovers because Goddess basically screwed their fate and made YM the balancer which can be killed by Devil due to all these feelings not needed confusion. At places the story feels like 2 different shows, with the Yul and family feud and court angle v/s the love story I feel has no substantial impact as to why it is so heart wrenching on mere basis of that one fine day they went to a peach garden and played around as Kids.

I do get CG only friend as a blind kid was HR so she missed him, HR might have had friends but all got lost. Their adult selves why did they fall in love on basis of nostalgia holds no impactful ground for me , I mean I dunno I feel the connection isnt properly developed.

Mostly this happened because first half of the series focusses on CG and painting academy comedy with dashes of emotional lines and more comedy. HR was shown so good in the first 2/3 episodes then he fell flat. He was literally shown as this puppet master controlling the entire chain of events for the wrongdoings to his family, down the line it was reduced to jealously and Push and Pull game.



YUL - YM is seen as this villain which he isn't , he has to shuffle and keep them all alive and the nation alive all at once, they all have 1 responsibility , he has 1000 and then being called a Wretch....and some agree with it? MAKES me sad. His story is properly fleshed out as compared so I feel he is the hero trying to manage and save the day which being the target of everyone while others are trying to kill him.



We have a Hwacha / An Old man with his head inside a plank, A ring with the bones of Balance God warding off Mawang and Sam Shin and Tiger Goddess protecting everyone. Tiger Goddess makes the most sense at some cases I feel. Yul is trying to save everyone and CG has only one track mind , meanwhile HR wants to Kill the royal family by making them against each other including Yul. They are frenemies but I still feel Yul is the most pressurized. This friendship, that unrequited Love , the pressure to be the non consensual Crown Prince he has a burden not every can see. HR has a mission with or without the devil inside him, its complex. CG is the game changer though but she is bias heavily so, but then again she doesn't know the backstage drama, all she reacts on is what she is seeing. But the word wretch of a Man was Harsh!!!!



Also draw a divine painting?? How to draw that, is there a SOP somewhere makes no head or tail duh. There were some people who questioned Yul's sense of how is he to decide the painting s are divine or not. CG can draw but not everyone can decrypt her sensibility in paintings, Yul has some divine decryption power to dechiper those, I think he has a good eye for stuff beyond normal human comprehension. Also she needs a vessel/painting to seal the Devil, if Grandpa King was the one whose body had the devil so his painting was used, why is not HR now? Or why wont it be Grand Prince later if he manages to buy Mawang from Haram???



Story is brilliant but there is some disconnection here tbh. Still awsome lol.

FML needs to work more on acting , she falls slightly short IMO.



FINAL VERDICT:

A Blind man was able to walk see and tie up a horse without knowing where he fell down, Time is being wasted on not so imp characters, A highly guarded prison can have visitors easily? What on earth....

Sam Shin and one more Goddess are worthless in front of a Sealed Demon Lord? Don't you not Cultivate???Do you not have successors? Was Sam Shin Born Old??? I mean WHAT????



The entire 15th episode should have been named YES I AM READY TO SEAL MAWANG...That is what we have been hearing for 10+episodes WORK ON IT......



Hwacha Human's son is the Street HAT Painter,...Wow Would have liked his backstory to be seen more than the BrotheL Lady who IMO is a bigger backstabber than Evil Shaman who for the lack of better words was ambitious and only supported the King or Person who helped her ........Arghhhhh



Hwacha becomes the God of PAinting eho resembles Grandpa HA , Grandpa HA resided in that Jade ring which helped in controlling and existence of MW in a Human Body...OK.....



If the reason of MW not being able to be sealed last time was the RING! Then that very RING also existed with Mommy HA when HARAM was born and MW was first sealed, then why is it a Hurdle Now?LOgic Lost in Painting too??/



RED MOON was not the relevant one, but the Entrance of 5th planet from Sun was, Assuming it is not Jupiter They would have had to wait for 1000 yrs for next apt SEAL DATE??? Was the Grandpa King and Current King rule time period 1000 yrs? Do Moon and Planet have irregular schedule? WHAT???



HARAM ride a Horse being blind in a jungle, got thrown off the horse and fainted, The Horse was tied up to a Tree? WHo tied It? A ghost????


HR was able to see Grandpa Gandolf err Grandpa HA, Was it a Dream or Reality? WHY IS IT SO INCONSISTENT....DANG IT!!!!


Demon Herpes took 5 years and more still was not able to fully spread and kill JH ...Wonderful.

King was still alive with terminal illness

MW curse was reversed on CG, but his injury was still implemented on JH????


Sam Shin basically pushed MW inside the Painting and they live together now inside the Vessel whose powers were bargained with Hwacha who absorbed them and is now the new GOD OF PAINTING....OKAY???? Now He is Birth/Death/Painting God???? Then was Grandpa Ha Painting/WATER Sensor God????


The magical beings were not explained properly, the people don't know their own Mythology and the Outside the country parameters don't match Up.I mean Yul and others took A boat to reach the place where CG/HR stay with their Kid and the servant after 5 years and HR/CG took only a Horse RIDE and rode to the outskirts to visit their Peach Garden where the OldLady who was around 60 back then is still alive at almost 85 yrs????? Peach have elixir of Life???


Boat water ways and Horse Garden Way have same distance??? WHAT??? Did they not Leave the Capital that they have Urban legends cooked and whispered amongst the capital people????? MAKES NO SENSE

YUL Will be the MVP of this show IMO, While everyone kept throwing tantrums and called him a worthless man, HE Grew Up, left his own desires and became the Bigger Man that everyone needed to stabilize their own lives. HE OF ALL PEOPLE DESERVES A HEA TOO!!!!

Main leads wrapped up alright and with a Cutie patootie Kid but I Need a S2 to see Yul and Grand Prince Saga tie up properly too.

Initial rating was 9 reducing it to 7 because it had no plot after 6 episodes to flesh out properly. AHHHHH Such a wasted opportunity where Fantasy was made a Gumbo....

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Only watch if you don’t have anything to watch

I’m kinda disappointed in this drama. The quality is not on par with the hype, rating. I like Kim Yoojung that’s why I watched this drama, and even her cannot save the drama.

There’s a lot of holes in the story line, for a fantasy drama it lacks a lot of aspects. The female heroine character is unbearable, always act recklessly without thinking. Ahn Hyo-seop is very bad at acting as blind person. At some point in drama he didn’t even bother to act like blind person. The chemistry between main characters are pretty non-existent. The only good thing about this drama is the soundtracks, songs are good.

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