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I am disappointed with the ending.
I am little confused or to say little disappointed from the ending. When they meet again in the tourist place will YOUNG HWA taking photos, if I take it as the next life or reincarnation, then JUN OH coming back to life from death in the current life made me no sense if they were not destined to be together as per fate even after the cursed is removed.After JUN OH came back to life and if he had remembered about YOUNG HWA, about their love etc. in his dreams in the current life and they got back together that should been a happy ending. Instead of that so-called happy ending, if they had ended the episode after the airplane scene, that would also have been a good ending.
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The Silla era scenes were the best part of the drama, although they were shown on repeat. They looked so beautiful in the red wedding clothes. I didn't like the brooding, sulky personality of the present day male lead. I was never "sold" on the FL suddenly falling for the ML in the present day. The ML didn't do anything swoon-worthy really until the last episodes. The actress did a good job of having different personalities and voices for her dual role. I think the ending isn't as bad as the other negative reviews make it out to be. I think that it was right for the brother to get his brother back. Was this review helpful to you?
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The initial quest for revenge by the main lead adds an intriguing layer, but as the story unfolds, it beautifully transforms into a tale of love and protection. All the artists have played their roles brilliantly, and the story is truly amazing but not that good because its a average kdrama story which we seen in many kdramas. You know whats got wrong in a romance fantasy drama? It’s just that most of the time endings are disappointing ,same with this too at some point but they do correct that with like fast forward the life and then they give happy endings to cast in another life. I mean yeah it’s a problem when choosing this type of plots for drama but they should consider good endings too at the end. Well anyway, Kim young Day ,I mean how can he act so good in that way. Well before this I watched shooting stars and I know the drama also took and nurture that acting but still he does evolve with every drama. Was this review helpful to you?
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Beautiful and Romantic
The opening graphics were beautiful, (reminded me of Tale of The Nine Tailed. Gosh, where can I buy the prints ). It sets the mood for the story and I took my time to see it on every episode. Kim Young Dae is so versatile, he can play silly and super arrogant, all while being handsome, like in “Sh**ting Stars”. The chemistry of the leads grew on me over time, but did take some effort to believe it by halfway through the series.Not all fantasy stories have happy ever after, most keep consistent with the underlying premise. I thought this one satisfying but not unique. My all time favorite fantasy is “Goblin”, this series doesn’t reach Goblin’s standards but I still enjoyed it.
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Not Impressed
When Moon in the Day started, it had potential to be really interesting. The whole past life connected to the present life could have been done well but the let down was the story itself.The major problems I had with the plot was that they really kept dragging what actually happened in the past. Everything was mysterious but not in a good way. Rather in a very slow and boring way. The reveal will only come in the last 3 episodes and you feel like, "is that it?". Also one thing I noticed is the FL in the past had struck the ML on the neck. But in the present, his scar is on his upper chest/shoulder. A very bizarre mistake when you keep repeating that scene and highlighting where the sword struck him. It simply does not match. They just wanted to be able to hide the scar without making the actor wear a turtle neck.
Another thing I disliked is the FL was a strong character. Both physically and mentally. She was capable of taking care of herself but shortly afterwards, she ends up being made to portray a helpless character. I wish they would have kept her character as a firefighter. She shouldn't have had to give up her job. Rather if the writers allowed us opportunity to see how much the ML actually cares for her even when he thinks he doesn't when he sees her endangering her life to save others. For the first half of the show, ML was trying to kill her and that suddenly changes without explaining how or why his anger subsided or why he thought he could move on if he was the one to kill her to begin with when he didn't do that in any of the previous lives. It also begs the question that if he was with her for 1500 years, how was he unable to protect her other times she dies but this time/life it was possible like saving her from drowning to the point that she believed she had a guardian angel.
There really isn't much happening in the first half. The historical scenes were good. They should have shown more moments in the present. This also needed more romance. The ML and FL were serious for the most part. Wish we could have seen their chemistry throughout even if was funny moments.
The brother's character was decent. The bad guy was okay. The other characters were mostly just there without much effect. The monk also spoke in unnecessary riddles so it was mostly a waste.
The ending is okay but I didn't really feel super delighted. Wish they had shown more. I guess you can call it a realistic ending. It's not a terrible show but nothing fantastic.
I thought the theme song and the design of it was beautiful. One of the few things that really stood out.
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It’s really not THAT bad
This drama is a hard one to rate. For sure there are flaws, but I don’t believe it truly deserves all the negative reviews it is receiving. Maybe because it was not well advertised and then started off much more stronger but then fell apart, that missed potential and disappointment is showing up in the reviews.Unfortunately this drama suffered from what I see happen way too frequently in Chinese and Korean dramas: awesome actors and ideas ruined, by no fault of their own, from terrible script writers and plot points. What a sad waste.
All the actors did a good job really. Our ML is not usually my cup of tea, but in this drama he was fantastic and believable. He carried some really hard nuanced and emotional scenes. I hadn’t really noticed the FL before, but I found her natural beauty and acting much more charming than many of the overly stiff and perfect looking female leads today. Yes, like many others I was much more invested in their past lives plot. Together they had great chemistry, nuance, and really sold me on the angst. Now why did they have terrible fish kisses circa old Chinese dramas? Again, blame it on the director.
Which brings me to my last point. This drama really reminds me of older dramas made in the early to mid 2000’s. It felt a bit dated in some good and bad ways. The bad? The music style, questionable angst, some stiff kisses, and not able to entirely carry off then tie up all the senseless, terrible things that happen to our characters.
It is not easy to pull of this genre and some older Kdramas did it much better than others. Those dramas that did it well were the full package and have stood the test of time, but others crashed and burned hard. I think if this drama was released 10 years ago it would’ve done better than now, issues and all.
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Two love stories. One is great
The modern plot lacks everything, intensity, pace, and chemistry between leads. The character of 21 century girl is inconsistent. She is supposed to be a brave hero, she is a fireman after all, but she is easily manipulated and walks around grumpy, and her decisions often don't make sense.It would be a simple and average story about a ghost, revenge and a girl, but fortunately, we have a true love story in ancient Silla. I wish it would be a main plot!
It has a deep meaning of love and death, beautiful scenes and visuals.
It is hard to rationally justify the sins of the previous life and the endless punishment, and that's why the scenario can't be good, but it's enough for an uncomplicated drama.
The ending? Not bad.
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The Past Outshines What Should've Been An Intriguing Present
There seemed to be a crisis every episode with this series, especially during the present day. The historical storyline from 1500 years earlier was way more interesting than the present day story. The present day had promise until the ML became possessed, then he spent most of the series walking around with an "evil" look on his face, brooding about why he was delaying in completing his mission in killing the FL. That got old fast.The leads had nice romantic chemistry in the historical storyline. Perhaps due to the kind of star-crossed lovers aura and thus angst that embodied their love. Strangely the present day version of them lacked the same emotion and connection.
I found myself mostly fast forwarding through the present day storyline because it just wasn't that interesting, so that I could continue the story from the past. But once the story from the past finished, circling back to where it left off in the first episode I just couldn't garner the interest to keep watching. So I stopped.
If this was only a historical drama I think it could've been really good. Would I rewatch what I did watch? No.
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the female lead... eyeroll OMG
I'm almost speechless!!!! I can't even with the actress that has the role of female lead.I just can't!! She always has look on her face that she's dumbstruck. Or even dare I say
she looks like a lost dog. Or like her itty bitty feelings have been hurt. I loved her in the role
she had in Taxi Driver but this kind of role just UGH is just not right for her.
The male lead I have no complains about or any of the other cast as they are
doing a great job but this isn't something that'd watch again.
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Unsatisfying execution of an interesting plot; Lacking romantic chemistry
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75I am sure I am not the only one who read the synopsis of “Moon in the Day” and liked it, especially for fantasy romance lovers. The plot looks interesting and the male lead is the handsome Kim Young Dae, so I gave it a shot despite mixed reviews. Although the drama is not horrible, the execution and storytelling could have been better. It is wasted potential.
I quite enjoyed the first half of the drama, and dare I say, I liked the dynamics of the leads in the present-day storyline more than the past. Their encounter, the unfolding of the events, and how the leads get to know each other, are all fun to me. It was decently paced as well. But as we entered the second half of the drama, the pacing slowed down and I started to lose a little interest in the present-day timeline. There’s a whole lot of talking (repetitive themes) but not a lot of action. This is when I become more invested in their past lives. The leads’ story and romance slowly unfolded, and though with controlled and conservative emotions, I believed in their tragic love and felt their feelings for each other.
Unfortunately, I do not feel the chemistry between the leads in the present timeline. The romance is too slow burn and there isn't enough shown or conveyed to make me feel that they have fallen in love with each other again. But the time they outwardly expressed their feelings, it was too late and too superficial. Their romance did not move me. The only time I was sad and cried was in the last episode.
The pace is slower in the second half and people seem to talk a lot slower (in both timelines). It also doesn’t help that the formerly miraculous firefighting heroine slowly becomes a damsel in distress. How many times is she going to trip, fall, get into an accident and need someone to help her out. Where was her fire fighting training? Isn’t she an athlete that could fight and protect herself? On the other hand, the villain can do no wrong. No one could ever catch him, and he has all these resources to pull the strings behind the scene. The cops are as useless as ever.
The acting is not bad. But I’ve seen Kim Young Dae acted better in “The Forbidden Marriage” and had much better chemistry with his co-star. Apparently I’ve seen Pyo Ye Jin in several of her past dramas but I had no recollection of her. Her character allows her to convey more emotions than Kim Young Dae, thus, it seems like her acting is better. . The rest of the cast did fine. The veterans definitely shine more than the younger main cast. Lee Kyung Young as ML’s father is awesome and Jung Woong In never disappoints when he plays a villain.
Overall, this is not a must-watch but do so if you are a fan of the leads, or if you are a really big fan of fantasy romance. I am OK with the ending and feel that it’s quite reasonable. I might not have guessed the result of the end of the present-day timeline perfectly, but I definitely anticipated how the whole drama ended in the last couple minutes. It’s actually quite typical for this genre.
Completed: 1/15/2024 - Review #396
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It is not as bad as what they say
Dec. 14, 2023Just a psa, YES, I almost dropped this series. It definitely have its slow parts and that definitely pissed me off. The cast is so amazing and if they just stick to the plot of the webtoon. Then I feel like this would have been better and not have those dull and confusing parts.
The ending is not sad, if that’s what you are looking for. I think they did a pretty decent job at concluding this series. I am not sure if I would rewatch it again to be honest. Maybe just watch the highlights and video edits of it.
Someone people said the acting fell flat in certain scenes and I guess I did feel it too. But it wasn't like that bothersome for me as with the plot.
I wish I can say more better things about this show. But the only good thing is that I finished it even though it felt like a chore.
Definitely watch this if you have nothing else to watch.
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Bittersweet Reality ✨
Coming into this thinking it's just a little fantasy and just tons of romance with a bit of sageuk and I was so wrong.It was heavy fantasy, and sageuk heavy, but the story and the production itself were so well done, their acting and range here were impressive.
LIKES
-When they finally fell in love in this modern timeline
-or course his devotion towards her
-Their acting and production were just top-tier
DISLIKES
- The fantasy was darker than what I usually like. Ghost and spirits creep me out. Not into it.
-The ending felt too open and unresolved. Not as clear as I would have liked it
-They focused on their love as an original couple too much for me. I would have liked the modern couple to have had more time to love each other instead of just seeing it in dreams
-More than them falling in love again, like I thought or expected, it was plot-focused.
Overall even if it wasn't what I was expecting or came in for, it still delivered a compelling love sorry that even though it didn't how I thought or wanted I still find myself liking.
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