This review may contain spoilers
Intricate Tale of Love, Loss and Obsession
This is a fascinating and intricate tale of love, loss and obsession that spans 1500 years. The script very cleverly and effortlessly weaves its way from the past to the present and I found myself riveted by both worlds.The man was once Do Ha (Kim Young Dae) an elite noble of the Silla Dynasty. His stepfather Lord Seo (Lee Kyung Young) hated him to his core. He had only one use for his son...in service fighting for the King. And because Do Ha served the King well, he brought Lord Seo glory and wealth. So Do Ha did as he was ordered without caring for his own life. Until he fell for her...the one woman he shouldn't have. Eventually their fated relationship was over as she chose to take revenge for the destruction of her family. So he wandered...neither resting nor forgetting..not even through eons of time. As a vengeful ghost ..he searched 19 lifetimes for her in the hope that he might return the favor. His only problem? He lacked a physical form. So when a top rated Korean celebrity named Han Jun Oh dies.... Do Ha...seizing his opportunity, takes over Han Jun Oh's form.
This is the chance that he has long been waiting for.
The focus of his obsession is Kang Young Hwa (Pyo Ye Jin) but she has no memory of him. She was once Han Ri Ta, a girl from a noble family in the Silla Dynasty. When her family was killed, she became the only survivor and she ends up as a maid in Do Ha's household. A maid that Lord Seo (his stepfather) takes an interest in and that connection between his father and Han Ri Ta the maid...resurfaces in the story of the modern day Kang Young Hwa. KYH is a heroic firefighter whose goal is to become the best firefighter in all of Korea and she is well on her way. Respected by her department and firefighter friends... she mostly dreams about traveling to the Antarctic. But ever so often, she has other dreams ...which are so real they blur the lines between her world and another and those dreams are getting harder and harder to ignore.
Thus these two are set on a collision course and I cannot wait to see where we go from here.
Although it is early in this series...we are sensing this one may be special. And if any of us ever thought that Kim Young Dae was just a pretty face..we have seriously undersold him. He is a very effective and mesmerizing actor. His eyes ...even when his face is solemn speak to a latent mix of powerful emotions, which we can sense and feel. Very difficult to do and amazing when it is done well. He portrays a man who on the one hand, knows he cannot ever atone for what he has done...but on the other...he cannot completely let her go. He pretends that only he is allowed to take her life...however, when the opportunity presents itself, he touches her hair gently instead.
So KYD is playing a very complex dual role and in my view, he is knocking it out of the park.
Likewise..... Pyo Ye Jin is exceptionally gifted ....I would watch her in any series she is in. She is persuasively believable. She is also rather unexpectedly beautiful. But her beauty does not overpower her presence. She is very fun to watch and I find myself smiling when she smiles. She is portrayed as someone who is preoccupied with doing her job well. She also has a strong sense of empathy, and a take charge, kick butt kind of mentality that drives her to take action to help others. That is why when Han Min Oh (On Joo Wan) Jun Ho's brother ...tells her that Jun Ho doesn't have long to live...and that someone is trying to kill him, her protective instincts kick in and she willingly decides to live with him.
So this is the setting for the story and since it promises to be anything but predictable, I encourage you to take a chance on it.
I think you will find it fascinating. I will be back to update as new eps are released...
@Final: Three reminders:
One: If you worry about the ending..don't. It was very satisfying.
Second: If you are afraid of the sadness, don't be. It was tempered by hope, and all of it together the sweet and the sad was very impactful.
Third: Don't stop short, this is a solid ten, perfect to the last second. So don't lose your nerve. Finish it and you will be so glad you did.
In conclusion:
The romance was unique and memorable. A lot of series..we watch and soon forget. This is one ....I won't forget. Not sure how it had so much depth with only 14 episodes, but somehow... they did it. Congrats to everyone involved with this project!
The cast did not disappoint, Kim Young Dae is more adept and versatile with every project. He will be a powerhouse someday..and Pyo Ye Jin is amazing in everything...and together...they rocked it! I felt a bit wishful at the end...wanting to see the young couple grow up together, but wow, what a lovely way to end it with hope.
And I loved the little nod to the title......Moon in the Day.. Enjoy my darlings....this is one to binge.
Happy Watching!
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Even the trash didn't know it had competition
100% hater and slander review. You've been warned.I've seen Pyo Yejin in Taxi Driver. She was fine there, she was excellent and Kim Young Dae was good in Penthouse, but I don't know what the hell they were doing in this drama. They were acting as if they came fresh from acting school. It was BAD. I have never watched a drama and felt so off put by the bad acting.
The female actress here can't support herself. She is making this show go from bad to worse. While the actor is clearly forcing his voice to sound so deep that I bet you his throat is SORE after this to the point of hospitalizations.
I'm sorry but the actors were a wrong cast here. Actually, I'm NOT sorry. I'm saying this with my whole chest. Hell, I don't think they are even compatible. They are so dull and everything about them was OFF. NEVER CAST THEM AGAIN TOGETHER! They have the chemistry of a dead fish.
The story? Booooring. There is BARELY a plot. How do you make an interesting concept but then write it the worst way possible? The modern day plot so directionless. APPARENTLY, a guy wanting to kill the main leads should be enough to get you through 10 HOURS of watchtime. This ain't the best thing since sliced bread. In fact, there isn't even butter on the bread, no cheese on this pizza, no sauce in this pasta, it's just crusty and dry. Eating no plot. The romance could have sustained it but they were like magnetic polarity, repelling in the name of Jesus Christ from each other. A North and South Pole.
The only decent part is the historical aspect of the story. That's the only one that seemed to have some sort of purpose but when the modern part is lacking severely, the history is as well because I don't give a damn. This is not the only drama with past lives integrated nor will it be the last. How am I supposed to like this lukewarm storyline when I have seen better?
The female lead? Annoying. Throw her whole character away. The only trait she have is her savior complex. How about she buys herself a personality??? How about instead of saving lives, she saves that personality that she doesn't have? Because she let it die tragically.
The male Lead? A walking contradiction. Acting like he doesn't know why he was killed and being vengeful about it. Shut up, you know why she killed your ass. I do have media literacy and I'm aware that it is because he thinks the love between them is genuine which makes her betrayal hard for him to stomach. But like CHECK YOURSELF. Check your history. Even if she wasn't being genuine, he should have accepted that as a punishment for what he have done.
Despite what I said, I don't mind him lmao I understand his pov. I just want to hate on the show more because it's written so bad, it's making the enjoyment of the complex themes fall off.
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the multi life concept is for me
🚨 bad English 🚨for me I don't believe in next life ( believe as in a concept of a story not real life ) as my brain logic ( sorry 😓) l think crying about your 18th life killing someone "they" loved is a stupid concept .
again for me, most dramas with multi life are bad/sad ending .
how to explain more in English 😅
for me even if I want to take the idea of multi life for the sake of the plot, I can't accept the ideas of remembering something from past life equal immediately= regrets/ love/ guilt/ anger....
is not the "same person" IT'S ANOTHER LIFE... get me ?
the same actor on another movie...
a1 : why did you kill ****?
a2 : who ?
a1 : my brother **** you killed him ?
a2 : isn't that another movie ? he is still alive in this movie and he is your enemy here!?
a1: I don't care what movie you killed my brother and you need to pay ...
☝️ my felling of multi life concept
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The problems are the script and direction
==Breakdown==Background plot - 50%
Romance - 30%
Misc comedy - 20%
Background plot - Bad
Romantic chemistry - Good
Misc comedy - Meh
Production value - Fine
The actors did their best, I'm convinced the ML actor would have chemistry with a turnip, and the premise for the story is pretty good (and had the potential to be great if given to the right team) but the script and direction were just plain bad.
The pacing was off and the script didn't make any sense. Maybe writer was trying to maintain an air of mystery by being purposefully confusing, but it just came across as a jumbled mess, nothing made sense. People had reactions that were unrealistic, too much or too little given what was happening on screen (I blame the director for this disconnect, he/she are responsible for translating the emotions in the script for the audience, the actors only do what they're told by the director in terms of reaction.)
Perhaps this drama could have been saved if either the direction or the script had been halfway decent. Unfortunately, two wrongs don't make a right. It's such a shame! I really like the actors and was looking forward to this one.
:-(
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Excellent actors who did the best they could with the terrible plot.
I had high hopes for this drama. Despite the censorship and very little skinship there was potential for great chemistry between the leads. Unfortunately this potential chemistry never really took off, and aside from a couple of excellent historical scenes the rest of the drama gets more and more ridiculous and goes totally off the rails.Pros: Good musical score, the historical costumes are really nice, and great acting from the cast despite a very poorly written, illogical, repetitive script with huge flaws in logic.
Cons: Everything else. Smart, confident and skilled characters suddenly become uselessly stunned and make stupid decisions just to push the story along. Themes that matter a lot in one episode are suddenly forgotten for another 6 episodes before resurfacing for convenience and then being dropped again. The same scenes repeat so often that we are extremely bored because we have seen them something like 6 times before! Very tropey to the point that horror scenes are actually comedic towards the end. For example: Running away? Keep stopping to make soulful dialogue and let danger catch up to you before running again for a few steps. !!??
Ultimately I watched it till the end for closure and due to the hilarious comments from other viewers on Viki. Would love to see the leads together again in another historical drama even though I don't usually watch that genre - I would watch it to see them acting together.
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A Love Story Across Lifetimes (With a Side of Revenge)
What works really wellThe acting – Kim Young-dae kills it playing both the cocky celebrity and the cold, vengeful spirit. Pyo Ye-jin brings just the right balance of strength and vulnerability.
The historical vibes – The Silla-era flashbacks are beautiful, with gorgeous costumes and cinematography.
Emotional depth – There’s plenty of heavy romance, themes of forgiveness, and some heartbreaking moments.
If you’re into reincarnation romance with a touch of historical drama and revenge, you’ll probably enjoy it — just be ready for a slower back half and a bit of angst overload.
If you like Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo or Chicago Typewriter, this might scratch the same itch… but maybe not quite as deeply.
I really wish a spin off from the past life!
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This review may contain spoilers
"Both Kim Young Dae and Pyo Ye Jin are knocking it out of the park!"
I just finished "Moon in the Day" and my impressions are mixed..The truth is that I started the series because of Pyo Ye-jin and her acting in "Taxi Driver" and she proved to me that I was right...."Moon in the Day" has many moments where you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen..The narrative and romance are so meaningful, mesmerizing, deep and yet heartbreaking..The characters are extremely complex, specially in their past life, and due to their tragic fate, they are left wounded but irreversibly tied forever in a twisted love story..The story follows Do-ha (Kim Young-dae), a nobleman from the Silla era, who killed the family of Han Ri-ta (Pyo Ye-jin), she swore revenge, they fell in love passionately, but she killed him keeping her oath and sealed his fate. Centuries later, they meet again in another life, bound by a connection that transcends time..The drama is visually stunning, with impeccable historical settings and costumes. For me, the historical arc was the true highlight: intense, passionate, and tragic, with powerful performances and undeniable chemistry. A memorable drama, with a past storyline so strong it could have carried the entire series on its own..The present-day storyline, while adding some layers, never reached the same level of strength and magic as the past...Flashbacks from the past so we can understand what happened to them in their past lives.The interpretations especially by the lead couple, were truly amazing..The intensity of these characters is off the charts! I watch a lot of kdramas, but I don't typically expect such intense emotions...The couple seemed to be talking with their eyes in all the scenes they had together.
Τop-notch acting, but the plot is fresh as well. Reincarnated, devoted, but star-crossed enemies to lovers is kind of a new take on the typical kdrama enemies to lovers trope..The music was very emotional, dramatic and gave more intensity in the actors acting.The problem arises because there are too many scenes, characters, and conversations that are just completely unnecessary..If only this drama had been filmed by another director, it would have been completely different, it would actually have had the potential to become a masterpiece...The kiss scene seemed weak and unreal.. Kim Young-dae as Do-ha, there are simply no words..Talented, sexy, charismatic, handsome..A complete actor... Pyo Ye-jin is one of the finer actresses in her time. In this show, she slowly evolves from a tough firefighter to a beautiful loving soul, I love how she can look so plain and yet emit such natural beauty..I like for the ease in her acting, her simplicity, her sweet smile and the sweetness in her eyes..She was play a very difficult role with superb success..Her acting in a dual role was one of the strong points of the series. She gave emotion without excessive melodrama.The weak points of the series, should have brought the couple closer earlier, so that they could experience moments of love in the present...I'm sorry that the Korean audience didn't appreciate this diamond..I highly recommend !!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Sun in the day
Sun in the day would have been a more accurate title.I did like this drama. The story was captivating but the storytelling was dreadful.
The constant back and forth between the past and present could have been done better, this way it feels like we're watching the same scenes over and over again. There isn't anything new to show when you have to watch the same scene, sometimes from various angles or in different lengths. That wasn't good storytelling.
The Kdrama industry could stop adapting webtoons without fundamentally changing them. They're different medias, what works in a webtoon doesn't work in a kdrama. It's not really an adaptation when you don't ADAPT it to the media as well. Webtoons aren't storyboards, or they shouldn't be. This isn't a problem with this drama alone. From a decade watching kdramas, this is my diagnosis. Please, fix it!
It's a very interesting story but I feel like it just scratched the surface.
The characters are interesting but a bit unaware of their circumstances, even when they're entirely known to them and to us. This way, we get a warrior who doesn't face the fact he was a killing machine at the will and profit of his father, only to continue the killing to protect his love, sending that same love over a cliff for that same reason.
I would have loved to watch this story if done with more courage and less loose ends and that's the reason for my high score. It's a story that makes you think about their motivations and decisions. It's too bad the writers didn't make the characters think as much about that as well.
It's also sad that a story about such courageous characters could be so mild in its storytelling. If they filmed all the blood and swords so why didn't they show it? The story lost a lot of strength due to the age restriction. I don't understand why they decided to have such an explicitly violent drama toned down like this. It's not that I like gore but it did reduce the impact of the story and the strength of the characters.
The past and present personas are obviously different. The past characters are more interesting than the present ones. Capitalism has done a number on us, we're viewed as vapid and shallow. The firefighter stereotype is what bothers me the most. Firefighters are some of the most messed up people in the world, you have to be to be able to deal with so much trauma and pain. A delicate flower like FL doesn't seem to have what it takes to be one. She's not as complex as her past self and she keeps on saying phrases from the past that don't have the same meaning in the present. Them falling in love doesn't make much sense under that perspective. Her value for life comes from her profession and not from the connection she has to ML.
A lot of the solutions and clues are all there, everyone can see them. The characters can see them and we can see them. The characters not being able to put 2+2 means that they're daft or that the writers think the audience is daft.
For 1500 and 18 reincarnations the ghost never found it odd that FL died very single time before her 30th birthday? He had to be a good strategist to be such a good warrior, so that also doesn't make sense. In FL's dream, the father explicitly puts a curse on her and she still doesn't realise the source of it all. I would have liked it if they went deeper into what went wrong in their life together and how the father is the source of their misfortune. It's not that he didn't kill the father (though that solved it), it's not that she didn't trust they could have a life together after so much killing, it's not that she didn't love him enough. He lived his whole life for his father and then he lived his life for her. He didn't develop a sense of self and couldn't even do it as a ghost since his reason for existing was to protect her. She lived to die at the hands of a vindictive father that was angry at the person who stopped his plans and his life. Her purpose was to take the place of the ML in the father's sadistic quest. It makes sense that such a self-serving person would hold a grudge about that. To break the cycle, they had to end the source of the curse. It just feels a bit lacking. It could have been more to it.
The ending doesn't make sense. There's too much inconsistency to what happens to ghosts in human bodies. It doesn't make sense that Han Jun Oh came back and the CEO didn't. They had said that his soul had passed and that's why the ghost was able to possess the body and that makes sense. It can also make sense that the ghost has access to a lot of the memories because they are stored in the body. It doesn't make sense that Han Jun Oh comes back and the health problem that didn't have a solution suddenly has one. He wasn't there anymore, we saw that when the ghost's spirit was ejected by that yellow talisman the monk placed on his chest. The ghost was out of the body and there was no pulse, Jun Oh was not there anymore. He shouldn't have come back. It would have been devastating to see the face and shell of the man you loved everywhere, over a lifetime. A constant reminder of the love you couldn't live. I'm glad they could meet in another life. That part was a good ending.
I could talk about all these inconsistencies all night but I'll end it here. It was an interesting story anyway and I enjoyed the time I spent watching most of it.
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Not Kim Young Dae's best work
I'm a fan of the ML but while it seemed the story wanted to showcase that he could portray playful/silly and then serious and angsty--but you get way more moody angst from him that it just gets too tiring to watch, and FL killed it in Taxi Driver and even in Our Blooming Days in support roles but seems likes she's overacting in this lead role--and the makeup does not take advantage of her beauty.Watch Forbidden Marriage to see ML at his best--and for a far happier story. This one just stretches out so much sadness, angst, and tragedy for all of the roles that the little we see of happiness is not enough to make this a balanced work.
The premise of the story is intriguing and the only reason why I watched it to the end.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama '' Moon in the Day '' is a historical fantasy melodrama.The drama starts off quite good, though, as it turns out, the past storyline proved to be way more interesting compared to the main story, which got more and more boring as it went on. At least, the ending was interesting and didn't follow the cheesy way out. Rather, it gave closure, without messing with the laws of nature, but having a nice enough ending for all of the characters, including the side ones.
The actors and actresses of the cast, moreover, did a great job with their characters and their performances were enjoyable, aiding to the overall enjoyment of the drama as a whole.
So, overall, five out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Love Story of a Curious Spirit
Surprisingly, the ratings for the drama "Moon In The Day" were really bad. It only got a rating of 7.7 on Mydramalist, and only 1.0 percent nationwide (according to AGB Nielson), not even in the top 20 in the Seoul area.After watching, I just understood. Actor Kim Young-Dae was caught up in making the Korean drama Moon In The Day, which didn't really have a plot.
At the beginning of the drama, it is said that Han Joon-O, played by Kim Young-Dae, really hates Kang Young-Hwa (Pyo Ye-Jin) and even repeatedly intends to kill him. The reason was that Do Ha's spirit possessed Han Joon-O, believing that Kang Young-Hwa was the reincarnation of the woman who had killed him.
Strangely enough, in the middle of the drama, the fact that Han Ri-Ta, the spirit who experienced her 19th reincarnation in the form of Kang Young-Hwa, was revealed to be Do Ha's wife.
Or simply, 1,500 years ago Do Ha and Han Ri-Ta were a married couple who loved each other. The two of them were separated because of the actions of Do Ha's stepfather, who also appeared 1,500 years later as a curious spirit named Seok Cheol Hwan.
How could Do Ha, a spirit who lived 1,500 years ago, forget the embodiment of the wife he loved so much? Even willing to die for his wife.
As a result of this confusing plot, Kim Young-Dae was forced to act like he hated/antagonized Pyo Ye-Jin, changing to acting in love/infatuated with his co-star.
The audience was no less confused. The spiritual atmosphere changes according to the fragments that appear incomplete in each episode (cliffhanger). Makes you uncomfortable! While I was having fun listening to the love story of a pigeon duo who were often disturbed by an antagonist, suddenly I was thrown into the past.
Actually, it's a good idea. The cliffhanger in the Korean drama Moon In The Day is like a puzzle that is trying to be put together into one complete story. However, this series of misperceptions really tears the audience apart cruelly.
It's not surprising, even though Kim Young-Dae and Pyo Ye-Jin's acting didn't disappoint, their chemistry was a mess. After mutual repulsion, mutual attraction occurs. 😭😭
How can the director and scriptwriter be so cruel?
The next review can be read here: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2024/05/moon-in-day-cerita-cinta-arwah-penasaran.html
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Not bad, but not that good as well.
This drama had immense potential and unfortunately it didn't utilize all or even most of it.The story is fundamentally great and so is the acting, especially from Kim Young Dae. But in my opinion the directing and screenwriting are where this drama is lacking, had these two things been better, this could have easily been an unforgettable experience for the viewers. Instead, now it's just an average one.
I honestly wish the review's ratings had a 《Directing》category so we could rate that as well. Had that existed, my ending score for this drama would have been different. I honestly don't want to give a lower score to any of the other categories, as they were quite good. But the directing is just not doing it here for me. I'm a bit disappointed... Maybe it's because I had way too high expectations for this (I legitimately couldn'twait to watch this. I was super excited since I learnedit was being produced). It's not bad, I simply expected way more, like something with more mysterious or dark vibes, something to blow my away like Goblin did, also something with better special effects...
I ended up skipping a lot of scenes because of my boredom or frustration.
If anyone asked me about my thoughts on this, then I'd have to say: All in all not bad, but not that good as well.
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