Where the Moon Rises: A princess with a plan and a soft-hearted hero
🔹 Would I rewatch? Yes,✨ What happens when a determined princess meets the kindest man in the kingdom, and they discover how love can change their paths?
📕 Overview 🎬
🔹 20 episodes, historical romance
🔹 At the time of this review, all episodes have aired
🔹 Adapted from the novel Princess Pyeonggang by Choi Sa Gyu
🔹 Kim So Hyun portrays Princess Pyeonggang, a character who is brave and dedicated to her country.
🔹 Na In Woo plays the character On Dal, who is gentle, loyal, and braver than he realizes.
🔹 The story begins when a princess loses her memory after a royal tour incident, grows up as Yeom Ga Jin, and later meets a peace-first young man.
🔹 Ideal for historical romance enthusiasts who enjoy court politics combined with a tender storyline.
🌸 How It Felt Watching 💙
🔹 Setup: a palace filled with tension, where a determined heroine is on a mission, and a quiet hero steps up to help her out, all while keeping his heart intact.
🔹 Viewing feel: warm romance intertwined with the stakes of a palace setting, with a few heavier moments introduced later on.
🔹 Themes explored include love, duty, and courage.
🔹 I liked their chemistry. Even when things slowed down later on, I kept tuning in to see what they were up to.
✨ Cast & Acting
🔹Kim So Hyun as Pyeonggang felt right from the first scene, strong yet tender.
🔹 Na In Woo portrays On Dal as a calm character who grows into his courage, showcasing strong chemistry.
🔹 Supporting cast: a well-balanced mix of allies and rivals that holds the drama together.
🎶OST
🔹 "I Become Love To You" by Zia
🔹 "Against The Wind" by Ahn Ye Eun
🔹 "Tears Of The Moon" by Kang Tae Kwan
🎞️ Production Style
🔹 Setting and mood: forest paths, rivers, and court halls that feel lived-in and authentic.
🔹 Costumes and sets: period armor and robes that are clearly visible on screen.
🔹 The rhythm is generally steady, but it slows down to a softer pace later in the run.
☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked well was that the characters felt authentic together, and she took the initiative in the story.
🔹 What didn't: I felt some repetition in the palace arc, and the pace slowed near the end for me
🔹 Would I rewatch? Yes
☕ SpillTheDramaTea's Rating: 8/10
🌿 Tea-Scale: A nice brew, I enjoyed it
✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, I really loved getting cozy with a classic historical K-drama.
✨ In the mood for a brave princess and a kind-hearted hero who learns to stand up for himself?
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Bloodshed And History ; Where To Begin With One Of The Most Controversial Dramas Of 2021...
Before getting on to analysing the main storyline and characters of the series as individuals , it is probably most prominent to address two main controversies which ultimately affected character and production in the drama. First, dropping initial actor Ji Soo with his allegations in favour of Na In Woo in episode 7 ( subverting On Dal’s personality ) and then having to reshoot scenes eventually with Na In Woo and releasing the earlier episodes after the initial finale . Whilst a lot of diehard advocates of the show will probably sugarcoat this by stating that “ it didn’t stop the storyline from being good” or “ Kim So Hyun made up for this”, it is important to note that even in early episodes, the series did often feel hampered by several incoherent screenwriting choices.A notable example of poor scriptwriting occurs by the usage of contemporary vernacular in the show’s main setting of the Goguryeo era (37BC – 668AD). Although admittedly it would be equally ridiculous for the show to even attempt speaking in an outdated and incomprehensible tongue for the whole course of the series, it felt laughable when a palace guard or a member of the royal court suddenly sprouted demotic Korean phrases that would not be out of place in an Internet cafe in Seoul today. Of course, it is understandable that the drama does want to resonate with modern audiences, and as a fictionalised story, tweaking history can present an interesting depiction of the director and screenwriter’s thoughts. However, instead of actually bothering to take the time to present authenticity through discourse exchanges, some of the spoken lines of the series felt awkwardly mismatched with its time and setting. ( Though admittedly this did improve in later episodes.)
As a consequence, this often took away from the more intriguing portrayal of the historical costumes , and the storyline ‘s main focus on a warring nation torn by clans. The premise is fairly intriguing by its initial setup of the amnesiac heroine Princess Pyeonggang ( Kim So-hyun) defying her fate , falling in love with “the fool” On Dal ( Ji Soo/ Na In Woo) and of course taking its origins from a modern spin on the traditional folktale based on the 2010 novel Princess Pyeonggang (written by Choi Sa-gyu).
Nevertheless, Kim So-Hyun is able to brilliantly capture Pyeonggang ( or “ Ga Jin”) through her individual performance , however, something which should initially be addressed as an example of questionable miscasting, was the choice also to use So-Hyun to play her character’s mother, Queen Yeon during flashbacks in early episodes. ( Leading to a lot of confusion for first-time viewers of the show.)
In addition to this whilst it is hard to fault Kim So Hyun’s performance, her character felt oddly-written. When we are first introduced to Ga Jin she is a ‘’blank slate’’ due to not possessing defining memories of her past. However, the main issue towards Pyeonggang is due to her character development as the story progresses. We were told that Pyeonggang grew up as a top assassin Yeom Ga-jin, which implied that she should not only be skilled in martial arts, but also would be able to be quick-thinking in dire situations. Yet often during key events in the series, Ga Jin/ Pyeonggang was often reckless and foolish. Near the ending, admittedly Pyeonggang did resort back to her resilient and tough role as the heroine, however, the development in between deeply questioned how such a fierce, decisive and brave warrior from the flash-forward during the opening montage matched up with the character who seemed to unfold over the course of the series in front of viewers’ eyes.
This moves us onto the biggest elephant in the room, On Dal. Being played by two different actors, there is the most evident problem of how to assess this character from the two difference performances upon the archetype of the ‘ kind-hearted and foolish male lead’.
Ji Soo seemed to capture the ‘ fool’ as benign and goofy, adding a notably fractious and eccentric undertone to On Dal as a character. However, Na In Woo took a less childish approach to On Dal’s constant grins and confused tone , through dumbstruck expressions for the latter part of the series before taking on a more serious tone towards the character (as he is becomes a more revered individual due to the circumstances ). Regardless, On Dal acts as a major asset within Pyeonggang’s journey of self discovery and their fairly sweet romance tale by bringing out her personality and as a tie to her complicated past. However, the problem still remains not merely by the different performances of On Dal for viewers , but trying to flesh-out On-Dal as a sentient character.
In fact, this was an evident problem between how the show dedicated time to sketching out the drama’s personae , but it’s hard to really “ grasp” or feel intricate emotional attachment towards most of them. The early episodes of the drama enjoyed using the stock side characters of the village as comic relief, before in the second half and the time-skip bringing in a multitude of either newly introduced or previously mentioned antagonists and characters . (Whilst many of these characters and villains were incredibly interesting , they often struggled to have decent screen time in order to develop out of their one-dimensional shell.)
Perhaps the one character in the show who was surprisingly quite intriguing in the beginning of the series was General Go Geon ( Lee Ji Hoon). As it may seem evident through tropes, Go Geon naturally becomes the ‘ second love interest’ through his ‘ complicated’ feelings with Ga-Jin. However, whilst Go Geon did surprisingly possess the potential role as an an intriguingly motivated anti-hero in the series, his role ( without any spoilers) was sadly blanked out due to poor character development.
The ending was predictable to say the least and arguably anticlimactic by straying away from the actual conclusion of the renowned tale. Of course, this is a fictionalised drama and having an artistic license is not inherently wrong. However, the ending may cause a little bit of head scratching for viewers by ( the change of actors for On Dal aside) the entire flashforward , weather and certain events being subverted entirely. In addition to this, the ending felt more like a ” quick-fix”, than being built upon strong foundations by the slow-paced storyline (in parts ) diminishing often the more intriguing elements of the drama.
So, is ” A Moon Where The River Rises” being unfairly criticised, or is it genuinely a good watch? Controversies aside, whilst the aesthetic cinematography, a high-budget production value ( especially remaining apparent with its CGI and beautiful outfits) and Kim So Hyun ’s brilliant performance remained compelling enticements towards watching the drama, ” River Where The Moon Rises" suffered ultimately from whimsical screenwriting. Intriguing characters and villains often felt half-baked, the overused tropes in the first-half of the series often made the second-half struggle to catch-up with the more intriguing elements of the storyline ( resulting in slow-pacing also ) and the ending felt rushed to say the least. Ultimately, ” River Where The Moon Rises” isn’t a dire or terrible drama and certainly does have some redeemable qualities , however, there are better sageuks ( historical dramas) out there with stronger plots, more three-dimensional characters and well-written endings also.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Moon truly does rise where the River is
Acting and Characters: Kim So Hyun was absolutely perfect as Pyeonggang. Na In Woo took on the difficult job of filling in On Dal after Ji Soo got dropped and exceeded all expectations. Lee Ji Hoon was the swoony SML that we grew to love and hate. Choi Yu Hwa did an amazing job portraying a cunning yet kind-hearted Silla spy. The side characters were all so lovable. Pung Gae and Jin were so cute. The Queen and Go Won Pyo were extremely well portrayed. Won (or King Yeongyang) was lovable as a teen and despised as an adult. King Pyeongwon was a character that we grew to love over the course of the show.Plot: The plot was iffy at times but it was bearable. It didn't help that they rush a couple of episodes and write a whole new set of episodes due to the allegations around Ji Soo. Overall I think they did a really good job of sticking to the history and folktale while giving us the viewers some fanservice with that ending. They did Geon and Won (or King Yeongyang) dirty in the latter half of the show, but at least we got their true character back by the end. The "death" of On Dal was kind of unnecessary but I get why they did it. They needed to stay somewhat true to the ending of the folktale.
OST and Cinematography: OST was amazing. The soundtracks used for the battle scenes so perfectly. The main OST was lovely. The cinematography was absolutely stunning at times. One of the better cinematographies I've seen. The setting for the scenes was absolutely beautiful. The camerawork was pretty good. Overall a very well-produced show given the circumstances.
Final Score: 9/10
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More Kim So Hyun Please
The story follows Kim So Hyun as Princess Pyeong Gang. First, Kim So Hyun was phenomenal in her role. I can't say enough good things about her performance. This also goes for her character which was so incredibly interesting. Princess Pyeong Gang is everything that I could want out of a character. She is very capable as a fighter, and she has emotional depth. She also is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family and country, even at the cost of herself. This leads her to come across as very authentic.This brings me to one of the best parts of the story and where this series is somewhat unique. Pyeong Gang has agency. In so many of these stories with a strong FL, the story undermines her by having her saved and/or protected by the ML. Here, the FL gets herself out of trouble when needed, and that is so refreshing to have character consistency.
The ML is also a good character. He does undergo a somewhat unbelievable powerup, but he never fully outshines the FL. He also doesn't have her cunning and ruthlessness. He's more of a traditional hero, which provided a nice balance to their characters.
Several other characters play a major role, and all of them are interesting. The antagonists all have believable motivations that raise the stakes and makes the protagonist's journey all the more intriguing.
The ending was one area that I think was too easy. I won't spoil anything, but I think that it was a missed opportunity.
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A Watchable drama
Its acceptable because all the struggle they faced during this whole journey but still they managed to produce a decent Watchable drama in the end. I felt the end seems very forced but apart from that i liked the whole drama.As you all know they changed the main actor in the middle so from there it's looks like a complete different type of show, i still remember the cuts of 8 and 9th Episodes looks really wierd. Accepting a new actor in the place of jisoo was not easy, But somehow Na in Woo and Kim so hyun chemistry looks very cute and interesting, so it was good watching them together atleast.
Coming to the story and screenplay, it has nothing particular to offer and looks pretty much a usual type historical drama with patriotism and politics. 20 long episode was understandable the very first they slowly and internationally creating a very hard chaotic environment and for a viewer, u will feel very complicated and tensed in the end the whole thing was messed up.
Everything was exactly happen what u expect, But it could have been a better ending. I read some comments that the end was not exactly from the original novel. Anyway happy to see kim so hyun with her cute acting which makes other things forget also hats off to the cast and crew especially the producer who not just reshoots the rest of the Episode from where jisoo left and also from beginning to the sixth.
Overall a watchable drama
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Beautiful drama
The cinematography, the casting, the acting, the story, the OST is spot on. I think Na In Woo has fully grasped the spirit of the good natured and great On Dal. I began this drama, casually, not really sure if I wanted to see it. I binged the first 8 episodes. Waited patiently for Episode 9 as I was really looking forward to Na In Woo's performance. I have finished episode 10 and I can not wait to see the next episode. He had a much bigger role, and I loved every minute of it. The pure, simple, child-like nature came through, along with his chemistry with Kim So Hyun is wonderful to watch. Speaking of chemistry... Lee Ji Hoon and Choi Yoo Hwa chemistry is out of this world. Highly recommended.The whole cast deserves applause for the hardship they had to go through and despite that, they nailed it. The flaming is unwarranted in my opinion. Many from "new accounts" too.
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Now for the elephant in the room...the lead actor changed after 6 episodes. Some people were upset about it and could not adjust to the change. For this reason, I highly suggest taking a break after episode 6 instead of watching episodes 6 and 7 back to back. The editing gets a bit sloppy around this point because they had to go back and refilm scenes with the new actor. The story's focus moves away from the male lead and onto the princess. Just think of it as the drama's slump period. So now the audience is forced to experience two different actors with two different character interpretations. It's very hard not to compare the two. I personally liked Na In Woo's interpretation better as the character is supposed to be a country bumpkin and soft. The princess's nickname for On Dal is "deer" and it seemed to me like Na In Woo had more doe like eyes. This innocence is of key importance in later episodes. Anyways, I have to give Na In Woo props cuz he came in and took on a role he had very little time to prepare for and got so much hate for it because he replaced the predecessor.
As for the story, there was a lot going on and maybe the drama tried to tackle too much at once? Not only do you have the internal palace drama and corruption, you have neighboring country threats, as well a bunch of people with their own side stories trying to get revenge. I wouldn't say the story dragged since there was a lot going on, but 20 episodes felt like a lot and it could've been shortened down to 16. At times the script felt a bit weak when it came to dialogue and flat supporting characters. Overall, not an absolute mess like I thought it would be. If you give the drama a chance, it does get better in the second half. It's a decent drama. I can't say for sure it was worth my time though.
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the cast is the only thing that saved this drama
I'm just going to dive right in and say this drama was a hot mess from start to finish.None of the characters' choices were consistent nor was there much character development for any of the characters except for On Dal and Ga Jin. Everyone kept making supposedly "cunning" choices but in the end, they were all so stupid. The pacing of the story was awful and they shoved so many different plots into this drama that made it hard to follow or hard to care about any one of them.
To be quite frank, the only thing that saved this drama from being worse is the cast. Everyone performed their parts extraordinarily well and they made a mediocre story somewhat watchable. And the truth is On Dal and Ga Jin's love story was beautiful and I did love/enjoy watching their relationship unfold, face trials and tribulations, and develop over the course of the drama. They were the only silver lining in an abysmally set up story.
I don't know if I'd recommend it though. Maybe if you skim everything else and just watch only On Dal and Ga Jin's scenes. Will you be confused? Sure. But I watched every episode and I was confused for most of it, so it wouldn't be much of a difference.
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Superb acting, and compelling chemistry between leads!
Watched RWTMR many times, and I kept rewatching it because of how compelling the story of Pyeonggang and Ondal was!KSH and NIW's chemistry was one of the reasons I kept rewatching the series----- I imagined them being a couple in real life. Though this is only a retelling of the classic Goguryeo tale, I have to commend the writer for his reimagination of PyeongOn's story.
NGL, I love sageuk dramas (Empress Ki, Jewel in the Palace, Jumong, to name a few) and RWTMR sure hit the right spots. For some the episodes could be dragging (especially the politics inside the palace), but it didn't dampen the story.
Kim So Hyun is a gem of an actress! This girl deserves the best, and I hope more people will take notice of how passionate she is with her craft! Next to Ha Ji Won, Lee Young Ae, Son Ye Jin, Gong Hyo Jin, and Bae Doona, So Hyun became a favorite after watching this, and her other works ( Who Are You: School 2015, Tale of Nokdu, Let's Fight Ghost, Pure Love.)
The other cast members were good as well---- Kang Ha Neul (albeit cameo), & Lee Ji Hoon were really good!
Na In Woo was a revelation, as he truly embodied the foolish, but oyal On Dal. He was literally a gentle giant especially in his scenes with So Hyun wherein he exhibited being his being a dutiful husband.
Their relationship was so organic---- from Dal getting infatuated with Ga Jin's beauty, to becoming her savior, then ally, and ultimately becoming husband and wife---- for reel to real.
The kiss scenes progressed from coy and awkward, to full of love, and passion (NIW kissed KSH like she was his treasured wife,, it was so romantic.)
If not for the Ji Soo issue, I am guessing that RWTMR could've scored higher in terms of viewership, and of ratings.
Guys give this a shot! Worth watching!
P.S. I wish NIW and KSH will once again team up in a modern day drama ( kinda medical drama wherein they'll be former flames but gor separated due to NIW pursuing his dream abroad; not knowing that he left a pregnant KSH. Fate has it that the two will meet again as professional doctors who must work together to stop a new virus from spreading. The catch?! One of their twins got infected with the virus, and was assigned as NIW's unknowningly. Teehee, no annoying love triangles for both actors this time around.)
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Flawless
"River Where the Moon Rises" is an impeccable drama. I am captivated by the performances of all four main characters. Among the supporting cast, several actors deliver standout performances, including Lady Sa (On Dal's foster mother), Crown Prince Won (young), Prince Geon Mu (child), Wol I, On Hyup (On Dal's father), Tara San, and Tara Jin.The story revolves around four main characters, three of whom face significant struggles from childhood, including the loss of loved ones. Despite numerous hurdles and challenges throughout their lives, they continue to confront adversity, accept their fate, and persevere.Was this review helpful to you?
