Dear Hongrang

REALITY IS PAINFUL BUT REFUSE TO SEE IT IT'S WORSE

What a perfect unions of acting, directing, LOCATION, and intensity.
I am trully happy that this drama focus on one of the most rampant trend of this century.
There is a real that you can touch, and there is a real that you don't want to see nor touch.
The only difference of today and the previous centuries, it's that the hunting is easier, faster, with a VASTE number of preys to pick from.
NOBODY ever wanna talk about how children are treated like livestock, and moreover there such a cognitive dissonance that prevent us from understanding how big and sadistic the issue is.
This drama, is magnitude 10 because the editing is so magnificently tuned with EVERYTHING, that it render the view tollerable and gets your hope so high that you cling into the tiny hope it's going to end they way you want.
Maybe the ending (not the story ending ) was the only weakness. ...what the heck with the ice part.
5* on everything an a RIP for Park Zi-A.

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A Tragic Romance of Memory, Forbidden Love, and the Search for Identity

“Dear Hongrang" is a historical K-drama that blends mystery, forbidden romance, and family drama with rare finesse. The story begins with the disappearance of Hongrang, the son of a powerful merchant family. Twelve years later, a man returns, claiming to be him but with no memory. His reappearance disrupts the balance of power, reopens buried wounds, and rekindles long-suppressed emotions.

*The characters are the beating heart of this drama.*
Hongrang (Lee Jae-wook) is a living enigma. He shifts between coldness, pain, and tenderness. There’s a sense of a broken past and a fragmented identity that creates a constant tension around him. By his side, Jo Bo-ah plays Jae-yi, his half-sister a strong yet wounded woman torn between family loyalty and a forbidden love she tries desperately to suppress. Their relationship, full of lingering glances, restrained gestures, and unspoken words, is both heartbreaking and magnetic.

The character of Mu-jin (Jung Ga-ram) also deserves attention. As the adopted son of the family, he hides his own wounds consumed by jealousy, unrequited love, and a longing to be acknowledged. His arc is one of the most tragic and human in the series.

*The OST is exquisite.
The music perfectly accompanies each scene, enhancing silences, amplifying tension, or wrapping emotional moments in a delicate soundscape. Some melodies gentle, haunting stay with you long after the episode ends. Moments of confrontation and intimacy are elevated by the soundtrack, which adds incredible emotional depth to the story.

This is a drama of contrasts: there are genuine moments of joy, when reconciliation or a future seems possible… but they are often quickly overshadowed by the harsh realities of the era, political games, or secrets too heavy to stay buried. I laughed at times, but I mostly cried. Not because of grand tragedies, but because of those small, fleeting moments—when everything could have changed, yet the characters remain prisoners of duty, name, or past.

- In conclusion, *Dear Hongrang* is a visually stunning and emotionally intense drama, carried by actors at the peak of their craft. It’s not fast-paced or action heavy, but it grips your heart and doesn’t let go. It speaks of memory, forgiveness, impossible love and above all, identity. A must-watch for those who appreciate deep, melancholic storytelling.

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the search for a lost brother

finished 9/10 🌟

What a trip filled with beautiful landscapes and an impeccable story you gave me, dear Hongrang 👏
It's been a while since a Korean historical film excited me so much.
Lee Jaewook is impeccable and proves once again that this type of role suits him perfectly ✨
Boah performed excellently, especially in his melancholic scenes. I could feel his pain and anguish through his character 👏
Kim Jaewook as a villain, which was spectacular, although I felt that I needed more of him. I wanted to see more representation of his character and I was left wanting more 😭
A heartbreaking but healing ending that teaches us that someone always comes into our lives who gives us a purpose for living.
It may not be a kdrama for everyone, but for those of us who love the historical genre, I must say that this kdrama is incredible 👏

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Only needed more time at it's climax

My heart really couldn't handle the last few episodes. This is very dark and not for the fainthearted, but it's an absolute mindblowing cinematic experience, the likes of which I haven't seen in any historical dramas so far. All the filming locations and sets are brilliantly made, and I found the writing of the main story incredible unique and real. Action sequences are incredibly refined and well made. The story was as fleshed out as it could get albeit 11 episodes is definitely NOT ENOUGH, cause they really had to reveal a lot of heavy and disturbing information in chunks near the end. Why can't kdramas be 16 episodes if they have enough content for it??? I don't like how kdramas are getting only 8 or so episodes now when they need more. Even 11 was not enough!

Now for the OST, it is an absolute masterpiece and something I will never be able to forget. Both the ballad and the OST in the action scenes (sounds really south-asian like) are just masterpieces that need to be recognized, and they are incorporated in the best way possible without taking away from certain scenes by being too loud or unfitting (huge pet peeve of mine). They really enhance the scenes and draw out the emotions they want to. My my biggest positive about this drama though is that the ACTING IS FANTASTIC OMG, I cannot say enough about everyone's performances. This is SUPER IMPORTANT because I found many scenes to be silent with little dialogue, but the emotions and developments are all there. Just by looking at the actors, you can completely tell what's going on in their minds if they want you to. It gives off a very unique intense lingering feeling that sits with you that I wish more dramas would do, and I have so many actors I am a huge fan of now including LJW, Jo Bo Ah, Jung Ga Rum, Uhm Ji Won, etc! Everyone is perfectly cast and give it their all for their roles. I will be following so many promising actors from now on!

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it is a dark drama but you will love it!

I bridged the drama over two days as I could not stop watching it. The cinematography and acting are amazing. To be honest, Jae Wook was born to play i daesang; it suits him perfectly. I love the storyline and how slowly we are getting to the truth. Not a single episode was boring. The chemistry between the leads is awesome! I love the bond Jae I and Hong Rang had. Their eyes speak for themselves. The fighting scenes were great as well. It was a real surprise to see the real villain, as he had my blood boiling every time he appeared. I will not say more to avoid spoilers.

The OST is great, so fitting to the drama. It is not a typical drama; it is dark, and with each episode, there is more suffering, but it is a beautiful story of two people who try to protect each other. The last episode was very emotional.

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A Haunting Masterpiece: The Tragedy and Beauty of Hongrang

I rarely give such a high score in my reviews, but I had to for this one. Not a single bad note. It felt like listening to a musical masterpiece, tragic, seamless, beautiful, and deep.

We’re introduced to the Sim Guild clan, a prestigious family of art merchants. One fateful night, the young heir disappears without a trace, leaving the whole family in turmoil.

We follow Sim Jae-i, the half-sister, bullied at home by her stepmother. She was once the closest person to Hongrang, the missing heir, and has spent 12 years searching for him. The stepmother is consumed by grief, while the father keeps it together surprisingly, but he took it upon himself to replace the missing heir by adopting another boy, Sim Mujin.

One day, a mysterious young man is brought to the house. He has no memory of his past, but everything about him matches the lost heir. That’s when the drama starts. The mother wants to reclaim her power and reinstate the returned heir as the leader of the guild. The father, surprisingly, resists and starts plotting with his adopted son against his own blood.

There’s a whole web of complex relationships here, full of secrets, ambition, grief, and twisted loyalties. And underneath it all, the mystery of what really happened to Hongrang. The man we know as Hongrang adds to the confusion himself. He’s a skilled fighter, known as the “Soul Reaper” and he’s secretly hunting the monster who took him all those years ago.

The story keeps unraveling in unexpected ways. We’re constantly misled about who’s really pulling the strings, who Hongrang truly is, and what each character actually wants, or even is.

Despite everything, Hongrang and Sim Jae-i slowly grow close. But they have to deal with Sim Mujin’s obsessive and toxic love for her, as well as betrayal, power games, revenge, and the painful search for truth.

It all plays out like a symphony building to a crescendo to explode in the final act.

The acting was phenomenal. I hated the characters I was supposed to hate and cried for the ones who were hurting. This isn’t an easy watch, it’s heavy, raw, and deeply tragic.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say this: Hongrang deserved better. Still, I don’t regret how it ended.

The pacing was excellent, only 11 episodes, not the standard 12, and it showed that every moment mattered. No filler, no dragging. The visuals were stunning, the tone dark and chilling, and the fight scenes? Some of the best I’ve ever seen.

Lee Jae-wook absolutely delivered. His performance had so much depth, it was beautiful. Honestly, the whole cast was perfectly chosen.

I 100% recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery, a tragic love story, and top-tier acting.

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Untitled

My first impression is that this is such a well made work. But it gave me the feeling that I could guess the plot in a single breath just by watching the first scene. However I think it was done on purpose that they don't try to make it as a mind blowing surprise. this drama doesn't offer insane plot twists. That even you can guess it just by looking at the list of the casts. And I don't see it in a bad way. This is a typical show that can survive even with the reveal of a plot twist, imo. I'm just glad that it felt like it has been a while since I watched a seriously produced historical and it's beautifully well-done.

It's screaming kdrama produced by netflix coded. The visual is a work of art. And the cinematography, directing, editing, etc are well done. But there's just always something missing about western washed kdrama that I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it lacks of the raw emotion, because I can't fully sympathize with it. And sometimes I wonder why the story is directed to a certain way. Had they have more episodes, they could explore the rawness like in usual kdrama, that would make the viewers more attached to the characters.

What makes the show gripping is the intensity and the delivery of the plot. To be honest my slow brain cells needed sometime to finally digest that this drama is very symbolic and uses analogy cleverly. I wanted to give this 8.5 but once I understood their story telling it's a 9 for me. That was my original rating after I finished the show. Honestly this deserves higher than that by the quality of the production alone. and it didn't seem fair if I only gave it 9 compared to my other shows I have rated, so I added 0,5 points to my overall rating.

The osts aren't just songs. If the universe could make some noises, it'd sound like any of the osts. the songs are dedicated to the broken hearted souls and ode to the heaven. It feels like it contains loneliness and hope. the osts made the show more majestic. they complimented the beautiful cinematography, the story and the journey of the characters. the songs must be the echoes of the universe, nobody could convince me otherwise.

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⚠️SPOILER ALERT!⚠️

~ characters and acting ~

💔
"It's said to be fake because the original exists." They weren't just talking about about the paintings in the warehouse. Paintings are used as an analogy for hongrang(s). Which made me believe that deep in her heart, what Mrs. Min cared the most was that the one in front of her had to be her son. Because he was the one who was there within her grip. Even if he wasn't real, for her he was the original Hongrang. Just like how she treated those paintings.

everyone in Hongrang's life was not fine, but her mother was super crazy. but you'd understand why she grew old to be such a twisted human. the actress crazily nailed every character's craziness. Uhm Jiwon is such a monster diva!

💙
And I'm not sure, is it too wild to think this way? but could the body painting be interpreted as symbolism of a SA? "Hongrang" repeatedly expressed how disgusted he was of the painting in his body and it made him like he was no longer human. And the painter said something about how he was already apart of him and that their souls already intertwined or something like that.

hongrang wasn't just physically broken but he was also once lost his soul. he left to the nothing land with one way ticket. he was all ready for the worst scenario as he was never properly felt like he was alive. but it changed after he connected with Jaeyi. She made him felt something. She made him felt like a human. She made him afraid to lose himself.

at first I couldn't resonate to Hongrang but through the end he made me attached to him. and Lee Jae Wook played his character really well scene by scene.

❤️
If we're talking about the literal ending, Jaeyi found Hongrang in every from. It's just like what they promised. She found him in every innocent kid she sheltered. She found him in those java sparrows. And in the end she saw him as the brightest star in the sky. They were never separated and always together. Just like what Jaeyi said that they went back to their respective places. Where Jaeyi belonged to his side and Hongrang belonged to her side.

Hongrang accompanied Jaeyi wether he was alive or not. But in a delulu interpretation, that means he could be alive. Jaeyi considered herself married to him the moment they runaway together. And Jaeyi puts her hair in a bun, like other Joseon married women.

Jo Bo Ah is a real artist. She was so dedicated at her work.

💚
My favourite character at the beginning was her older brother, surprisingly. I enjoyed his complexity. There was something about him, as if his character was shining. But just like other typically kdrama with short episodes, they pushed the SML to the big stage from the beginning. Then they cut his spot light without giving the room for the audiences to proceed.

I'm glad that in the end instead of embracing the darkness, he embraced her younger sister like the waves trying to embrace the land and shielding it from the emptiness.

I've never been impressed with characters portrayed by Jung Garam in other shows before. But he made me noticed that he's a really good actor.

🖤
Would his skin itch if he played a boring role?

It seems like taking a challenging roles is his actual comfort zone. What's really challenging for Kim Jae Wook is the opposite, to play a plain vanilla character. well at least his character is serving the bath up scene. Maybe everyone already know but I just want to say that Kim Jae Wook always delivered.

Does anyone think the butterflies in his room showed at the beginning meant something? I tried to count several times and thought about it but I couldn't think of a sensical thing to connect them with something.

❤️‍🔥
A professional new talent?

Kim Ba Da who played as Du Ryeong was just insane. His experience in the stage plays really showed with his acting. He was on fire. And I've never seen him so it's a fresh to see him here. Please somebody cast him as a leading role!

🌀
Their father was just a sht. Tho the Park Byung Eun did a good job to bring his character out.

At the beginning I was confused and mistook him for someone else. Every older character look alike. I appreciate that they're trying to be as close as possible to the customs from that period by portraying characters with moustache. However, normally it's hard for me to recognise people's faces and identifying their characters. And the moustache made it even harder.

~

Does the romance good?

At the beginning, way before the show started, I felt that people who stated that the romance is weird were the weird ones. However as I followed the story, some parts of the romance did make me uncomfortable. I wasn't uncomfortable due to the trope, but the execution. I don't want to elaborate, many people already talked about it. and if you watch this, you'll understand it. Maybe it wasn't that weird according to the society of that period. But I couldn't help myself to be judgmental in the end.

However the leads served one of the most beautiful spicy scenes in history.

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Very hollywoody meaningless showy SOAP. Like a 100-episode morning drama in historical context

So many ppl wrote that the ML was a great actor and FL terrible, and I agree. She cannot act. I saw her in All About my Mother and she is acting there the same way she is acting here.
I watched the side actors and they are all pretty bad. They cannot act It is clear they are pretending.
ML on the other hand can act a wide range and is rather convincing.

The plot as the story is interesting and realistic to some degree. What ruins it is the Hollywoody shocking thing (and unfortunately real thing) of abusing children in evil rituals. That part was .. iffy. ... Although historically and currently that happens in the West (and the east too??) .... well... it was too much and it took away from the drama because it introduced more mess than necessary. It was one of those signature SENSATIONALISTIC Hollywoody tricks and it is just ... distasteful in the end.

Well the topic of using children for evil rituals has to be talked about though. But in a way that doesnt make it just a show but a way that makes it a social commentary on why that is possible and how to prevent it. Not just a big heading in the news with flashy bombastic text and pictures, leading to no change.

So the plot without too much emphasis on the "shocking stuff" would have been ok... .but .... nothing was done with it. There is no character development, or conflicts worked out and resolved. It is just ... mindless show. AND, the overall message is the message of desperation and gloom, or a sugary ending without any explanation and any pointers for how it happened. Just like most Hollywood is. ALl glitz and glamour SHOCKING stuff and supposedly catchy scenes, but no content. WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO LEARN FROM THIS KDRAMA?

How the drama was made, plus the overdone soapy acting, just doesnt cut it for me.

I watched the end episode too

I watched a lot of it with sound low and without much subtitles so I saw the acting really close up. Then I listened to the music - it is sooo over the top soapy and terrible.

Overall, the soap factor here is about 100% and it reminds me of morning 100-episode dramas, just done with a lot more $$$$ spent on costuming and scenery. Total Hollywood. I see that Netflix makes kdramas like that and I really dislike it. I think Netflix is basically killing kdramas as it is making them americanized to sell more of it in the west, but then the kdrama charm is GONE. True Kdramas with their CREATIVITY and MEANINFUL CONTENT and shows about real people from daily life and their struggles and how they overcame them, kdramas with content and without much vulgar or violent scenes, with sophisticated humor and deep insights, kdramas suitable for all kinds of audiences and ages, showing WARMTH of relationships and GROWTH, and FAMILIES, and society, .... etc. well they might die at this rate. I am really concerned.

The only thing that came a little close to real kdramas is the very very very very end scenes, like last minute of the last episode.
I like the very very very end scenes with FL recovered from the trauma and grew from it. She moved into a better life and helps children, being at peace. It is a realistic and meaningful ending. The horror did not destroy her. I wish we got to see HOW she did it. This unexplained "magically happened" happy ending is too much Hollywood and Disney for me. It is too sugary and soapy. What would make the drama worthy is to see HOW she overcame the trauma. And I wish that FL actress acted those end scenes better. It almost got ruined by bad acting.

===================================================
In summary: I dont like this kdrama. I think it is a very glorified morning 100-episode SOAP..... and I have watched some of the morning 100-episode soaps and imo they are better than this.

This drama is good for nice historical costuming and scenery. That's about it.

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Un Drama che lascia il segno, che ti fa soffrire e amare con la stessa forza

Un k-drama storico intenso e profondamente emotivo, recentemente disponibile su Netflix. Ambientato durante la dinastia Joseon, il drama si apre con il ritorno improvviso di Hong-rang, figlio di una potente famiglia di mercanti, scomparso da dodici anni. Il suo rientro, privo di memoria, sconvolge gli equilibri familiari, in particolare quelli con la sorellastra Jae-yi, che ha sempre sperato nel suo ritorno ma ora si trova di fronte a un uomo che potrebbe non essere chi dice di essere.
La serie esplora con grande profondità temi dolorosi come i legami familiari spezzati, l'identità e la follia. Attraverso una narrazione avvolta nel mistero e nel melodramma, Dear Hongrang mette in luce le ferite invisibili causate da abusi e traumi infantili, mostrando come queste cicatrici influenzino le relazioni e le scelte dei personaggi. La follia non è solo una condizione mentale, ma diventa una metafora della disgregazione familiare e della perdita di sé.
La regia raffinata e le interpretazioni intense, in particolare quella di Lee Jae-wook nel ruolo di Hong-rang, conferiscono al drama una carica emotiva potente. La serie si distingue per la sua capacità di trasmettere emozioni contrastanti, passando dalla tenerezza all'angoscia, dalla speranza alla disperazione, offrendo una visione profonda e toccante delle dinamiche familiari e delle conseguenze della sofferenza non elaborata.
Dear Hongrang è un'opera che lascia il segno, consigliata a chi cerca una storia intensa, capace di esplorare le complessità dell'animo umano e dei legami familiari in un contesto storico affascinante.
Questo drama mi ha letteralmente spiazzata. È davvero bellissimo, ma anche profondamente triste e a tratti crudele. Un’autentica montagna russa di emozioni: si passa dalla rabbia alla disperazione, fino alla dolcezza struggente dei momenti condivisi tra i protagonisti.
Lui è semplicemente perfetto in questo ruolo. Lo avevo già amato in Alchemy of Souls, ma qui riesce a superarsi: è meraviglioso, intenso, capace di trasmettere un’intera gamma di emozioni solo con lo sguardo.
Dear Hongrang entra di diritto – e direi anche con prepotenza – nella mia TOP TEN dei drama più intensi, dolorosi e romanticamente indimenticabili.
Un racconto che lascia il segno, che ti fa soffrire e amare con la stessa forza.

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Moyen

Un drama qui commence par une intrigue solide et des personnages attachants, mais aux fils des épisodes (à partir de l’épisode 5-6) l’histoire devient complètement aberrante, trop de choses inutiles, trop de longueurs, pas assez de focus sur les points importants, le fantômes des neiges, le peintre, le prince.

Un triangle amoureux qui m’a doucement fait rire … qui au début ressemble plus à de l’inceste qu’autre choses…

Heureusement que l’acting est incroyable, mais honnêtement l’histoire le casse complètement, très déçu !

Et concernant la fin, je n’ai pas les mots pour l’exprimer…

Un Kdrama qui aurait pu être incroyable, mais qui reste très moyen !

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