Another historical drama that I'm happy I watched
I am not a fan of historical dramas until I watched Alchemy of souls and moon lovers. So what actually dragged me here was Park Ji Hoon and I don't regret it. The storyline was even more captivating for me because I was curious of how they would put it and overall back in those days and I was impressed. The Female lead was wonderful, beautiful and this was my first time seeing her and I liked her... a lot. There were funny scenes, there were scenes that made me be like...wow...everybody for themselves in this palace oo. I liked his other personality a lot, sometime annoying but overall, loveable.The characters acted their part well and I'm happy I got to watch it. To be honest, I either can't remember or don't have anything against the k-drama, but I highly recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is my humble opinion. Just an office manager from Bds who loves dramas.
This is the first Korean Historical Drama I have watched, I have seen a few contemporary ones, but this is my first historical one, and it is a fantasy. So to be honest my expectations were not that high. After the first episode I was a bit skeptical and read the webtoon ( meah). I am not a fan of sad endings so before I went any further I needed to know that everyone wasn't going to die. (Trauma last year)The ML played by Park Ji Hoon was exceptional, I don't speak or understand Korean (read the subtitles) but he acted 3 parts in this series and I could see the distinct differences in each character he portrayed. The Crown Prince (with all his past trauma), Ak Hee (The Evil Spirt or alter ego ) and The King (without the trauma) with the strength to overcome the pain within himself.
Bravo, exceptionally done. Especially for someone his age. He drew me into the story, especially the way he expresses his emotion with his eyes, I really hope he can keep this passionate acting up, looking forward to seeing more from him.
The FL played by Hong Ye Ji was not bad, perhaps she needs a bit more seasoning, I felt her emotion and understood her character, maybe it was the script, but she did not show allot of depth in her performance. She is beautiful and elegant and in this role meant to be strong willed, but her character lacked more. . . . . . . everything.
Grand Prince played by Hwang Hee, fantastic, I really began to hate his character from the beginning and that only grew till the end. Any actor who can play a antagonist role and have the watcher really feel that "I would like to slap you" feeling, is doing his job. Just needs to work on his evil laugh, not sure if it was meant to be humorous but it didn't work for him.
Lastly the ML father played by Kim Tae Woo. Wonderfully done, he showed the torment he was feeling, he showed the distain for his son, he showed the wanting to numb the pain. I was very moved by his performance and will look for more work with him, hope I am not disappointed.
The rest of the cast was bearable.
The storyline itself was quite fun and different from the usual drama. However it was shortened too much in some areas and drawn out in others, there were so many directions, plots, twists and turns that could have made the story much better. The soundtrack was ok. Cinematography was lacking especially for such a short drama, and the editing was not the greatest, despite this I enjoyed it.
I do have a few questions about some things and this is purely from a lack of knowledge and not a judgement.
1. why was it so easy for the FL to come and go from the palace as she pleased, I know she is meant to play an assassin but still.
2. the grand prince's mother, was her part just supposed to be the comedy of the series, because she was not funny and i did not see the point of her being there at all.
3. the beginning was well planned out up till episode 8 but I felt like the rest was rushed especially the ending (last 4 episodes), is this because of having a set number of episodes allowed.
If you are looking for something to kill a few hours this is it, not too much thinking needed.
RTRC
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AKHEE
Jihoon was the reason I kept watching even though scenario was going opposite direction of my expectations.I loved the starting point of this drama. The dual / evil personality was such a great thing to have in a historical drama. Jihoon nailed it 100%. I was rooting for Akhee the whole time and couldn't really connect with the sajo hyun and yeon wol. Though beside the romance, it's the story itself that was the weakest point of LSFI. Plot was changing ep by ep, adding another plot twist or drama cliché turnover but it didn't make sense at all. It has a lack of consistency and it felt rushed a lot toward the last ep. I don't hate this drama, actually i followed every weak release but i must admit if it wasn't for akhee's character i would have dropped it. 😔😈
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concept is refreshingly unique
This drama presents a captivating storyline that breathes new life into the world of Korean dramas. The concept is refreshingly unique, offering a break from the typical narratives. The plot weaves through unexpected twists, keeping viewers hooked. The OST, a true gem, perfectly complements the emotional rollercoaster, enhancing every scene with its beautiful melodies.However, the main lead's portrayal falls short of the brilliance seen in other aspects of the drama. Despite the intriguing plot, their performance lacks the depth needed to fully engage the audience. The chemistry between the leads feels somewhat forced, leaving viewers yearning for a more authentic connection. Despite this drawback, it manages to carve its own niche in the K-drama realm, providing an overall enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.
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What noo noo.
That first episode is so good. and the actors are amazing, and so is the set design.but darne those writers, because that plot was awful, so hollow, this had so much potential and the writers flushed it all down the toilet.
We have a man with a split personality, but instead of flushing him out and healing him, they just gave us a good concurs bad.
Like a personality created of trauma doesn´t deserve to live... doesn´t deserve love.
We have a traumatised FL, who didn´t get any any time that was about her, no instead it was about his throne or how she fits into her life. BUt what happened to her revenge??? Her healing?
I can´t I´m done
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Unique Story Needed Better Execution
I enjoy stories related to mental health and the fantasy genre. This kind of combination was definitely unique. What it lacked was in execution because I seem to have missed the point it was making with their ending.Though this series got a lot of flak, it isn't so bad. I'd say it's above average as I was curious enough to want to finish it. I just feel like the writers did Ak Hee dirty in the process and that didn't make sense to me.
I enjoyed the portrayal of the two personalities of the ML. The FL was all right. A bit stiff. I haven't seen her in other roles so I'm not sure if it's because of the character she was portraying or not. The supporting cast were all quite good.
The show is best watched at 1.5 - 2x as the pacing felt slow to me.
The biggest question I have is - How can one's illusion impact others? They messed it up with this aspect. Otherwise I didn't feel like dropping it at any point. Just feel a bit disappointed but other than that the ending was good. Even the way they wrapped up those creating trouble makers was fine.
It's okay for a one time watch.
The OST is quite nice and soothing.
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Park Jihoon is the star for a reason
First of all Park Jihoon is a phenomenal actor. It's almost hard to describe but the intention he puts into every part of the role he plays from facial reactions to gut wrenching emotion, is captivating. He can play subtle just as well as he can play heavy emotion and it's very impactful. He got to show his dynamic in his jeckyl & hyde esque persona and it made the parts of the story that lagged - enjoyable. I can't say enough just how well he did in this role. He's developing into an amazing actor and I can't wait to see more from him.Hong Ye ji also did an amazing job. She worked with what she was given; at first a tremendous backstory that kind of dissolved into less of a role because of the story. Still, she remained interesting and handled her scenes with believable emotion.
The story itself was a balance mental health vs paranormal and it took the time to really search out those concepts in an interesting way. I think this was the most interesting part of the story. I even think they could have gone further into it and made it less literal to play with fantasy vs reality but it was still good for what they did with it.
I also wish they would have given more substance to Yeon wol, Geum hwa, and even Yang's role in the story. They sort of felt more like tools in certain points, than real vulnerable human characters. That's my only complaint. The story was a little lacking, but the acting made up for that and the story overall was an interesting concept. I enjoyed it and would watch it again.
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Negative outweighed the positive
Well.The writing sucked. It was like this was penned by a teenager using chat GPT. Very debut author YA fantasy. The plot was lazy and repetitive, with characters being wishy-washy and similar events being recycled. Editing wasn't much better, with scenes just cutting out in the middle of them and the characters continuing their conversations somewhere else. The dialogue was also fairly cringe, with lots of yelling to assert dominance and show power, like any good makjang should have LOL. Perhaps the webtoon was better, I wouldn't know.
But the soundtrack was fantastic, and the filming and acting were quite good. I wish there would have been a more consistent difference between Hyeon and Ak Hee's personalities, since at times it got difficult to tell them apart, but I still think Park Ji Hoon is amazing given his young age and newness to the world of acting. And I'll always applaud a production that can flawlessly and convincingly turn a single person into two, fighting scenes included and all.
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Dragging on too long...
It drags on too long...But it was an interesting drama in its own way. Quite a fresh idea with switching personalities and good acting of the main character allowed me to watch the series to the end.
The first episodes were definitely more interesting, unfortunately the further they go, the more predictable the solutions. Betrayal, lies, the desire for power, madness, separated lovers reunite, good triumphs over evil... and they lived happily ever after... I have watched better and much worse dramas.
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Watch for Choong Ta and other amazing performances
I was enthralled from the beginning by the male/female characters of Choong Ta, played expertly by a veteran actress who is clearly enjoying the unusual characters. Funny, strange, not good nor evil - I think that would be my favorite character to play if given the chance.I have been surprised by the moments of true despair several characters have expressed and caused me to tear up in empathy. The entire first flashback opening sequence aside, I have gotten chills from the wails of pain from the ML and Ak Hee (each separately, though played by the same person), and the Eunuch crying for his briefly acquired “daughter” was possibly the saddest moment of all.
I think many of the poor reviews are from those who gave up near the beginning, assuming they understood where the story was going. I can honestly say that I’ve been surprised along the way. The plot twists are not groundbreaking in the genre, but they don’t play out predictably, nor do they follow traditional storylines. The fact that the ML let the FL leave the palace and trusted her to handle herself, despite worrying about her, was nice to see. And there’s no big attempts at misunderstandings, trying to convince each other that they don’t care in order so save each other.
Some of the side characters complications seem burdensome, like the queen and the bodyguard. There’s been no attempts to show that relationship develop or how deep it may or may not be. The father of the queen is also playing the cards so close to his chest that it makes it impossible to feel there could be a sense of resolution at the end because he’s clearly playing both sides all the way.
These “messy” elements are good red herrings that keep you guessing, however. It’s got enough palace drama to keep that crowd happy, and supernatural elements to keep that crowd happy. The only thing I wish there was more of is the push and pull of romance with Ak Hee and ML, maybe more confusion from FL about who is who or who she really loves. I think she made up her mind too clearly too soon. However, there needed to be a reason AkHee would refuse to come out and give ML a chance to bloom. So I understand that as well.
Overall, I think it’s worth a watch if you appreciate watching good actors dig deep and take chances in scenes.
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Better than I expected in the first half
When I read the summary I wasn't sure if I was going to watch this, the reviews and comments were mixed too but I decided I was going to watch the first episode and decide from there. I have seen the ML in Weak Hero Class and Flower Crew. He is a very talented actor and an unconventional one that doesn't fit into the standard KDrama actor mold. While they are both good looking, I find both the ML and FL don't fit into the conventional mold with their looks in standard Kdrama romance. I appreciate that because its more immersive for me as a viewer because I bought into their love story and felt it more so than if cookie cutter actors and actresses were in those roles.Is it a perfect story and perfectly executed? Nope. However, I appreciate the uniqueness it bought to the table in Asian dramas that tend to be littered with recycled themes. It was a big risk taken to tell a fantasy story of traumatized individuals in extraordinary circumstances where mental health issues and concepts of split personalities and PTSD are told in a fantasy setting with symbolism of the "evil spirit" representing the darkness in the human condition that resulted from trauma and abuse.
In the first half of the arc of the story, the Ak Hee evil spirit added a complex dimension in the story that showed his greed, seductive manipulation, impulsiveness, and ruthlessness of what he was willing to do because of the intensity of his feelings for the FL whether it be lust or a twisted version of love. The ML did a wonderful job portraying the light and dark sides with the push and pull within himself.
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Tudo é Fantasia
Hoje é o dia de se perder nas intrigas mágicas de Love Song For Illusion! Entre no mundo encantado onde o inusitado é a norma. Ak Hee, um psicopata adoravelmente destemido, está enfeitiçando nossos corações, enquanto o Príncipe Sajo Hyun é tão fofo . Sinto vontade de proteger esse príncipe em um potinho!Com a morte do Rei Mal, o caos persiste com o Grande Príncipe Sajo Yung lutando pelo trono e a ambiciosa Princesa Herdeira pronta para qualquer coisa para se tornar rainha . Kyera, em busca de vingança, agora se encontra no epicentro de um triângulo amoroso envolvendo o Príncipe Sajo Hyun e o intrigante "espírito maligno" ou personalidade Ak Hee. E como se isso não bastasse, sua verdadeira identidade foi revelada, colocando sua vida em risco.
Em Love Song For Illusion, prepare-se para uma montanha-russa de emoções, onde o destino de Kyera se entrelaça com segredos e paixões intensas. Não perca esse espetáculo de fantasia que vai te deixar ansioso por mais!
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