River Where the Stars Fizzle Away
The story suffered from erratic pacing, cramming too many plots that made it hard keep any interesting narrative. The characters were a simulated circus clown that kept making foolish moves intentionally at every turn. Might explains why it's 20 episodes. The childish love square was another contributor in that regard. Na In Woo's portrayal felt strained, his expressions, intonations, inflections, and emotions seemingly forced to fit the character mold. Comparing it to the original version, it seems there was a notable disparity. Checked a couple of scenes side by side, there's a clear difference in the delivery, as big as expressing an entirely different emotion of the exact same scene. I wonder what was the director even doing? The lack of chemistry with his colleagues was obvious too. He was called to fill in a role on a quick notice with so little to work with in the first place. All of that didn't compare to the abysmal last episode, and even worse, the detestable last scene.Was this review helpful to you?
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Meaning storyline but with too many villain characters
I find the storyline of an innocent love story of two strong leads fighting for the unification of 3 countries meaningful. And, the replacement male lead and the female lead had really great onscreen chemistry and their acting is superb. However, as the episodes built up, there were so many different villain characters being brought in, each with their personal and evil agenda which made it went a bit off as the story should focus more on the relationship between the lead couple and how they bring about the unification of the 3 countries. So, there did not need to have so many villain characters but just a few main villain characters will do. Nevertheless, this drama was good and touching.Was this review helpful to you?
average historical kdrama
River Where the Moon Rises 8/10 -kdramaaverage historical kdrama...
even though I like Kim So Hyun... I just felt this drama lacks something. May be caused I lately mostly watched historical cdramas which got little different feel.
got classic theme alot of political intrigues and some fighting.
plot - FL is princess of Goguryeo ... sadly she and her mother gets into accident caused by traitous ambitious ministers. In this accident dies father of ML which was general. FL and ML survive. Fl loses memory and becomes puppet assassin for another ambitious guy. ML hides in mountains and lives as hermit. Both leads again meet as adults and their fates and feelings gets tangled together.
genre - historical, revenge, intrigues
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First Dropped Drama of 2021
I’m on episode 9 and I’ve lost interest in this drama. It is draggy, repetitive and nothing exciting to look forward to. I feel bad for Kang Ha Neul since he’s one of my fave actors. To those who know me, I rarely give up on a drama (yeah Mydramalist said I’ve seen almost 6,800 episodes of Kdramas, shows and movies) esp. when I’ve watched almost half of it, but this one, I really couldn’t. I don’t mind the controversies too. I can confidently say it didn’t affect how I rated and dropped this show.I could no longer continue because of the story. At this point, I feel sleepy and uninterested. I don’t see the point in continuing how a princess goes in and out of the palace like flipping a switch on and off. She was introduced as a bad ass assassin but somewhere along the way, she regressed into making stupid and impulsive decisions, which is contrary to how she was built up. It was too ambitious for the show to have the female lead play both the role of the Queen mother and her daughter. Her portrayal of the queen missed the mark for me. She’s too young for the role and there wasn’t much of a motherly emotion emanating from her acting.
I could also foresee a cliche ending.
Acting is not bad though. I have problems with the plot and how slow moving it is. It is a fail for me. I cannot see imagine myself going through this boredom for 10 more episodes. If you’re presented Penthouse 2 or Mouse, this drama will sink in the river.
Out of curiosity and if I find time, I’d probably watch the last 2 episodes to see how it ends.
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The story of nation told in 5 parts with a little something for everyone
On the positive side the Visual artistic elements of the show are top notch. The cinematography is some of the best you will ever come across. The costumes are top notch. They make the most of a limited setting. There are some good an experienced actor, given important roles. The music is beautiful for the most part, however the soundtrack is not striking. The main strength and weakness of the show is in the narrative artistic elements. The action work is middle of the road.The show starts well, it sets up a good premises. Most people will enjoy it I think. The ending does not seem to be as good as the start but it's not the fault of the show for the most part. The bad parts are mostly due to poor narrative transitions, which are rushed.
This was a show that will pull the audience in two directions. In one respect it was too short. In another respect it was too long. What I man by this is that the series is giving us a series of stories to help us understand what the main character becomes, and how this affects the friends and rivals of the main character. In a way you this is five different shows. Two of the shows don't get enough love and development. They will thus look rushed, feel boring and I think most people will struggle to care. These are the sections that are too short. One story is really good, but it took too long to get to its climax. So, it starts to feel like it is taking forever. Another show is so obvious as to where it will go, it was cliched and boring but because these events are all tied to the same characters, the flaws are bearable. I have yet to complete the last story which has some good dramatic elements but so far it seems rushed and lacks some of the elements that made some of the other stories in the series interesting. I can parallel it to Six Flying Dragons. Where you get to see the rivalries, friendships and loves to affect the fate of a nation and the families that set the agenda for the nation.
As for the narrative
Setting is typical for the genre. The plot experiments with aspects that have been done to death, by subverting certain expectations and creating a few surprises. There is an ensemble cast whereby some you want to see more of, they make the story feel too short. some you wish to have seen less of, they made the story feel too long. Sometimes the story chose to follow the wrong main character for the story it was telling. Sometimes the use of time jumps hurt the story rather than help the story. The tying together of a few plotlines was rushed in a few cases. Those with an interest in the martial arts will find certain elements unbelievable, but most of us know nothing about those kinds of fights, so it will bother a few nerds such as myself.
I think most people will like the show. There is a little something for everyone, but throwing in those many crumbs will annoy most people as well. The show will feel good, but you cannot call it great either. You will find much to praise, also much to nitpick. The author likes to tease using cliches. Then you will find the things you find great, are the things that will make others nitpick. Those who like actions, will wish for more action. Those who like intrigue will wish for more intrigue. Those who like romance will wish for more romance. Those who like character drama will wish for more character drama. When the show hits its stride, few will find it boring. It's getting to those heights, those payoffs that will be hard for those who won't enjoy the many small crumbs it gives to keep you watching. One thing that I will praise of the characterization is there are times shows it genuinely felt there were several clever people in conflict with each other. I find it annoying where there is only one character who has magical intelligence compared to everyone else. Here you see the interplay of different strengths and weaknesses even when the outcome is obvious.
Thematically it can be preachy at times, absurd in some of the ideas it presents and tackles. There was even a serious conversation that wasn't supposed to make me laugh, but it did. It also has this mix of really realistic reactions to certain things on the part of the characters, and at times amazingly fantastical things.
So, I wish this show had been given more time, to flesh out some of the plot threads, and received a different climax. It is a hard show to binge. It is an easy show to enjoy. It is also a very annoying show. A solid seven. It is not a waste of time to watch for most people. You will not like all of it but you will find some parts truly great.
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Good drama but felt long
Typical Korean dramas are about 16 episodes, therefore this felt long to me at 20 episodes. Especially towards the last 5 I started to fast forward a lot I just really wanted to know who was going to become king and how are they going to end all the complicated characters.That out of the way, Kim so Hyun as Pyeong Gang was great. She's always been a great actress in all the dramas that I've watched her in. This is a refreshing character - we don't see a dumb innocent female lead but someone who is great in martial arts, can lead an army, can stand her own in the king's court and at the same time be shy (only in the beginning LOL) and in love and actually shows her feelings.
I found On Dal's character has become more manly when Na In Woo took over the role. He just fits my image of the great general more. I think he did well in this drama - me becomes a new fan so hope to see him in more lead roles. It was kinda shocking at episode 7 when On Dal suddenly got a new face but got used to it really quickly.
I didn't really know how I felt about Go Geon - was he good? was he bad? I think he was at one point but became loyal towards the end - I think those were the parts that I fast forwarded a lot so I don't know how and why he transitioned back to being loyal but as I mentioned above at this point I didn't really care for all the details anymore.
Wol Yi the little girl really played well in her character speaking like an ahjumma. If her voice was not that of a little girl you'd think you were listening to one.
The costumes were nice, the acting was great from all the cast, action scenes were great too we have females fighting in the battlefield.
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I'm dropping this just like how the producers dropped jisoo
1st story wise, tbh beside the FL I think the story was repetitive and the 20eps were pushing it. they kinda just took the usual backstory of the ML and made it the FL's story. SHE was the lost princess with the horrible dad king, there was nothing new, but it gave the FL a chance to be something more than the love interest.and kim sohyun was the perfect choice I can't imagine someone else as her. but with that I also can't get over jisoo as Dal, I personally HATE actor changes and bellow this part I shall rant in peace so whoever is looking for a fight, or want to twist people's words then please don't read past this
I hate how some people say fans are stupid for being hurt over an actor they never met/that doesn't know they exist, but this is so like what happened in veronica mars s4.
I just loved the characters so much, and I loved the series then they went ahead and stabbed the fans and the other cast with their choices, they sabotaged the true core of veronica and they disregarded one of their most important actors' hard work just for the sake of "suspense" and most probably money..
here, they didn't drop jisoo becasue of his past deeds but they did it for the sake of the ratings and the money. and the rest of the fans of the other cast are so ready to show they never cared for jisoo or anyone beside their favs.
everyone is acting like everything is ok, as if one's hardwork is more than the other
I'm in no way defending jisoo's past actions, but if they really cared for the victim's, they should deal with this in a bigger scale.
you can't fight bullying with bullying and now jisoo is the target for so many people.
some say "deformation" is a huge crime in korea, but as a long time idol fan I've seen so many false rumors regarded as the truth just becasue they were posted online.
just one anonymous post on a shabby site like koreanboo can ruin people's reputation and even if the truth comes out no one cares.
and in turn the idol bullying scene is just as bad as the school bullying which just proves the whole system needs to change. bullying should be a crime with consequences.. and that includes cyber bullying that targets the celebrities.
people need to pay a price and try to work on themselves. I've seen so many ugly things thrown at jisoo, even the actress Park Hye Soo addressed how easily her past got twisted and the ones who bullied her are now back to play the victims.
it's not always the case, I'm not disregarding victims but spreading non proven facts doesn't make it real or ok to share..
anyway, ep7 aired and the 1st thing people care about is rating or how their own favs are doing, so I can't take this double standard bias... they made jisoo the villain that ruined the staffs hard work and now they're working for free
I'm really sad over this, I love both jisoo and sohyun as actors and this was a dream casting for me. no matter what, jisoo has worked hard on his career, he always got side tracked or ended in low projects that this was his big break. and I can't see anyone else pull of Dal like him.
and I'm not hating on the other actor... and I watched part of ep7 but I just can't. it's such a huge difference...
they should've killed him off, I HATE actor changes it just takes away from the character, I even hate anime voice actor changes. it feels unnatural.
and they could've brought the new actor as a new character who is a general in the palace. there could've been so many better solution.
but mostly I wish this was preproduced. as a fan of the characters and the art form my feelings are valid
I hope no one comes at this and attacks me for whatever reason they want to twist this into. be kind and let me vent my valid sadness in peace ;D
I really loved kim sohyun in this, I'll forever keep her as one of my favorite female characters and maybe once things are cleared out and sorted I'll come back and watch this with a lighter heart
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Please make the SML the ML :)
I started watching this reluctantly because I am not a fan of Kim Ji Soo at all. Even so, I really liked the plot and the other characters, and for me, this was enough to continue the show. For me, it was such a relief that they got rid of him and I truly want to see the Princess with General Go. Such good chemistry and they seem like a really strong couple! Now, for the new ML he is bad in his portrayal but he did not have time to prepare so I guess his performance can be overlooked. Maybe he will get better in the next episodes but even if does not I still don't care because the FL and the SML do such a great job that even if they decide to kill him in episode 10 I would not care at all :D I did not feel any chemistry between the ML and FL so their romance i totally irrelevant to me. The other characters are great and the plot is engaging! I hope hope hope they will change the the romance to the SML. He deserves to shine as a ML!!!Was this review helpful to you?
It's boring.
It's pretty much boring for me. I almost gave up after the first 12 minutes of ep.1 but saw a lot of early comments about how great this drama is with just the first ep so I watched it till the episode end, but this is all I'd give my time for this series. It officially is a dropped project for me.****Edited 2: Due to quite a fuss about I dropped the drama and left my opinion only after "one" episode, I changed my mind to give myself and the drama some more chance and watched the 2nd episode. Anyway I still feel the same. Following is my original opinion without any edit. I reaffirm it without change.****
Brief opinion on some aspects:
Story: The plot is cliche, ordinary, guessable. The progress is very slow. Most part of the first ep is to give the background story - this background story has nothing new for the audience, just another same old kind of plot. The drama starts with the scene in the present before going back to tell the past story, so I kinda see how the story will become, not a difficult story to guess the storyline.
Character design: Simple and plain. The bad side is bad. The protagonist side is simply straightforward. There won't be the so-called character development in this story even though the time span is almost 10 years. The kids might grow up, be stronger and start to love each other, but it's just a straight-line walk. No interesting conflict. Just some revenge.
Acting: I like both actress and actor who play the main characters, but they can't make me feel along the characters with their acting esp. Ji Soo - this isn't the best version of the character he plays. The mother role that Kim So Hyun plays isn't portrayed that well either. She may be too young for that role.
Scene: For the CG part - it's not the best CG though acceptable. The shooting location in the nature is refreshing for a nature lover like me.
Music: Just so-so. Not much comment. It's not bad to be noticeable.
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Edited 1:
There're some fusses both on the comment sections of my review and of the drama itself over why some people already gave their review with the score only after 1 ep. Below is the reason on my part that I replied to one of those comments:-
I gave a review b/c this already a finished project for me. I drop it. It is done. I want to take a note to remind myself why I drop it and how much I (don't) prefer it - that's how the review comes.
In my opinion, the way Mydramalist designs the type of data to collect is quite good now, like scores from those who complete and drop the dramas. In the future when there's enough data accumulated to analyze deeper, they will surely categorize and show the result in more scrutinizing way. Just that people have to input data as detailed as possible for that to happen. You wouldn't feel much grumpy about the reviews from those who drop the drama if you understand data science.
Below I leave a link to another opinion about the way to collect data on the site and how to make use of them in case you're interested:
https://kisskh.at/discussions/suggestions/28529-make-impossible-to-rate-uncompleted-dramas?pid=962745&page=6#p962745
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Interesting link about dropping a drama:
https://kisskh.at/article/dropping-asian-dramas-is-ok-054182455
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This review may contain spoilers
THIS DRAMA IS WORTH IT TO WAIT,?
Even I only watched the first episode i can say the drama is so wonderful. The cinematography, the cast, the actors and actresses are so wonderful. You'll never get tired of rewatching it even for 100 times🤣✨ You should watch it before it's to late🤣 Just from the trailers you can already tell that its a high class drama! SUPPORT OUR QUEEN KIM SO HYUN! Pyeonggang and Ondal are such a good charactersAll lines of the actors and actresses are so meaningful that you'll be moved. I recommend it for you to watch!
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A me è piaciuta molto, alcuni personaggi (come la nutrice del Generale che si acceca da sola e non capisco perché) e passaggi (il Generale e la Principessa di lasciano per 4-5 anni nonostante il loro amore immenso ... boh ...) non mi hanno convinto, ma in complesso è scritta e realizzata bene con attori bravissimi e bellissimi.
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