Dear Hongrang

What exactly was the purpose of this story?

For me the most crucial part of a story is its ending.
Many things can be forgiven but if the ending goes wrong, all the good moments can easily be forgotten.

Sadly, that is the case with this drama.

I have been waiting for this with anticipation and up until it's middle the story was exciting and unique. The characters were intriguing. The acting was amazing.

But what was the purpose of the plot?

The story begins in a sad and tortured tone. We have an abused heroine and a hero with trauma. Their lives are miserable and the people around them only seek their demise.
In the middle we have a lot of action. Then you dare to hope for some happiness but to no avail. It ends with an even more tragic tone than the one it began with.

So? Did we have the heroine finding her brother? Sure. Dead.
Did we have the heroine finally finding happiness and love? Sure. But he died.
Not every story can have a happy ending but it should have balance so that the aftertaste is bittersweet and not completely bitter. A variety of feelings are needed.
This drama can only offer sadness and death. A continuous slicing of people with no purpose, no resolution, no happy ending.

And after so much death you simply anticipate the ending of the story.

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starts strong but falls apart

I'm not the biggest fan of historical dramas out there, but I had to give this a go because regardless of what my other review says, I did want to watch an LJW show. Considering how I already knew the plot of the novel, I'm very happy that it stuck to the original ending. That being said, the show still left me unsatisfied. Only fake-Hongrang's character stayed with me after I finished the 11 episodes.

What I liked about the show was the cinematography, the music, and the characters of the Grand Prince, Min Yeonui, and fake-Hongrang. The fighting scenes were solid and entertaining. The creep factor and the dark themes were interesting. It was an interesting story and I'm glad they stuck to the webnovel ending.

What I didn't like was, first and foremost, the romance. It was uncomfortable and even downright disgusting to watch in some scenes. I understand it's supposed to portray the characters' moral and ethical and psychological turmoil, but I couldn't see it from that perspective. Especially the scene in the forest where Fauxrang sucks on Jaeyi's finger hours after confirming to her that he's her brother. The development felt off to me but perhaps it was how the two characters mirrored each other and could relate to each other that made the feelings so strong in such a short time. Nevertheless, I will never be a fan of the fake siblings trope. None of the romantic moments were heart fluttering to me but I managed to watch it anyway.

Jaeyi's character was a big disappointment. I'm not the biggest Cho Boah fan, but I felt she was okay in Destined With You. All she does in this show is cry and stare as if her eyes are about to pop out. Jaeyi is meant to be a stronger character and clever when it comes to business (webtoon+novel). Seeing how she survived for so long in such a terrible home, with Min Yeonui hanging over her like the devil, I assumed we'd get more from Jaeyi instead of seeing her be rescued every episode. I couldn't sympathize with her or Mujin's character as I found the acting funny in certain parts.

The Snow Man was an interesting character and I would've liked to know more, but I understand he was only a side character.

I thoroughly enjoyed Min Yeonui, from start to the way her story ended.

All in all, good effort. Not a show I would recommend but not one I'd discourage from watching.

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Confusing for no reason but I’d still recommend watching it

I thought that the political drama part was unnecessary and confusing due to the short length of the drama, and the plot felt very convoluted overall. That being said, I still found this show to be worth watching, as the acting, OST, and production value is amazing. It definitely gets way better in the last 2-3 episodes and stuff starts to make more sense. This certainly isn’t the best k-drama or historical k-drama (kingdom and mr. queen are way better) but if you’re bored I’d recommend it as it is quite short and the acting is phenomenal as well as the soundtrack.

Kinda a spoiler (?)
The ending made me cry, just a heads up, if u don’t want a sad ending DON’T watch this.

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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.

~


⚠️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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unfair pain.love.revenge

Incredibly intense and emotionally piercing!
Truly not for the faint-hearted.
This is by far Jae Wook’s finest film to date.
Undeniably, he poured a tremendous amount of effort into portraying this character — it was palpable.
I’m speaking of his performance, the character’s emotions… and the visual storytelling.
He delivered exactly what the director envisioned.
A powerful film — on par emotionally with The Wolf, maybe even more stirring.

My absolute favorite moment was the scene where Hong Rang, in tears, finally opens up to Jae Yi — revealing his lifelong suffering since childhood.
He confesses why he hid the truth from her for so long — that he wasn’t her brother — because he had fallen for her and feared losing her.
He believed he wasn’t worthy of her affection due to the trauma and mistreatment he endured.
That scene, where he weeps and she cries with him, was heart-wrenching and beautifully done.
It captured the raw emotion of someone who had been unjustly broken from a young age and finally found the courage to bare his soul to the one he loves.
At one point, he was even ready to let her go, expecting nothing in return.
Jae Yi, too, had feelings for him — but was afraid of what it meant, believing her love was forbidden since she thought he was her brother.
That one scene, despite the brilliance of the entire movie, was the most moving of all.

The emotions in this film are absolutely overwhelming — a true emotional rollercoaster.
Despite being a period piece with a somewhat tangled plot at first (and some unclear roles like the mysterious albino character, whose connection to the sadistic artist remains vague), the film still shines.
It conveys a profound and pure love between two people — a love that survived abuse, humiliation, and self-loathing.
They were treated like objects, manipulated and scarred by others for selfish reasons.
Yet these two found the strength to forgive each other for the unspoken truths and chose to love in spite of everything.
That’s true, powerful love — love in defiance of pain.

Jae Wook delivered an outstanding performance!
It was something else entirely — a whirlwind of emotions: fury, tenderness, the thirst for revenge, and that aching sense of helplessness when you realize you can’t go back in time and undo the damage.
He was haunted by the question “Why me?”
Why was he treated this way by some egotistical madman who used children as living canvases for his sick art?

So many good people in this world suffer because of selfish or deranged individuals — people who had their own dreams, who simply wanted to live peacefully…
While watching, the injustice hits hard.
The film portrays pure affection and relentless anguish — the torment carried throughout an entire lifetime.
That feeling of degradation, the relentless inner cry of “What did I do to deserve this?” — it’s the emotional core of someone who just wanted to live but was reduced to an object against their will.
Anyone who’s ever been unfairly hurt will likely resonate deeply with this story…
That overwhelming swirl of emotions — it’s hard to ignore.

In the final scene, I couldn’t help but wonder — would it have been better if Hong Rang had chosen not to retaliate and simply lived happily with Jae Yi?
Or was it right for him to seek justice — to fight back against the one who ruined him?
In the end, though tragic, it felt like he left with peace in his heart… beside the one he truly loved.
It’s heartbreaking how often a love that pure ends before it ever has a real chance — all because of others’ cruelty.

I was shocked to discover that Jae Yi’s father knew everything and still protected the artist just to maintain his image — that was horrifying.
Her mother (though apparently not biological) seemed to have more sense than her husband.
And then there’s Moon Jin — he shocked me too.
He should’ve been grateful for what he was given, but instead he became greedy, reaching for what never belonged to him.
Even though he had a good life compared to many, it wasn’t enough.
In another version of the story, maybe the "impostor" Hong Rang could’ve been saved…
Moon Jin also came from a broken home and suffered as a child — but instead of stopping the painter, he stood by as children were brutalized.
And for what? For social standing?
It was revolting.
What’s terrifying is that people like him — like the painter — exist in real life.
And it’s always the good ones who suffer because of them.
I’m not good at writing reviews — I’m just trying to express how deeply the actor embodied this role.
Everything hinged on emotion — be it love, grief, or anguish.
This film had it all — but what struck the hardest was the pain.
Unjust, undeserved pain — that was the heart of the story.
And in the end, at least the character found love… and peace.
Anyone who’s suffered in life will see themselves in Hong Rang.
And really… why do good people always end up paying the price for others’ cruelty?

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Gorgeously directed and superbly acted story about the power and danger of desire

Dear Hong Rang is an emotional and compelling story about how what we chose to desire leads to either our salvation or our destruction. We follow characters as their unchecked desire for power, for possession, for control causes them to sacrifice love, family, and even their humanity, leaving them monsters and shells of themselves they barely recognize. While others who fearlessly follow the desires of their heart for connection, authenticity, and belonging overcome their past pain and inner demons to find wholeness and a new freedom of being.

This show doesn't shy away from complex psychological themes and relationships--things like obsession, exploitation, shame, forbidden love, dark spirituality, the abuse of power, revenge, torture, cruelty. It balances it with moments of quiet, persistent love, bravery, fortitude and integrity. I was fascinated at times, repulsed at times, thrilled at times, brought to tears many times.

This is a more intimate historical--blessedly there is very little of grand palace politics and machinations. It all centers on the tragedy of one merchant family who cannot put aside their own selfish desires for the good of the whole. It was refreshing to center on merchants instead of the usual nobility, and to explore themes of art and artistry and the darkness of the occult.

The writing excels in the scenes themselves--on the dialogue that highlights complex feelings, interactions between the characters, and the way what is not said is just as important as what is said. On an overall plot level the writer often cut corners or used lazy tropes to maneuver people into place, or explain backstory or other overarching information, and so the overall plot can feel simplistic and unimaginative at times. I barely noticed, though, because the directing squeezed every last value out of the writing, as did the cast of overall excellent actors, and it was easy to get lost inside the scenes themselves.

Highlights and standouts--

- The cinematography/directing was superb. Such a variety of sets, of color palettes, of lighting, of framing, of camera movements and angles, each scene meticulously considered and planned out shot by shot, nothing felt rushed or overlooked or standard. Some of the best camera-work and directing I've seen in quite a while. I want to re-watch just to relive some of the beauty of the scenes.

- Lee Jae Wook as Hong Rang-- I cannot think of another actor who can so effortlessly switch from a dark, commanding, dangerous presence to a fragile, heartbreaking vulnerability in the span of a breath. His sure delivery and excellent physical acting makes him completely believable as a legendary figure, yet his eyes never lose the softness and pain to remind you of the angry, scared, shamed boy underneath. Truly one of the best actors out right now of any age.

- The score of the show felt fresh and was used sparingly and masterfully, so it never felt like it overtook the emotion, only highlighted it.

- The editing-- this is an often overlooked aspect of production, but the editing was phenomenal, especially in the fighting sequences.

- Jo Bo A was also great in her role as a quietly strong, longing, loyal survivor, and had great chemistry with LJW. Park Byung Eun brought a beautiful restraint to Chief Min that allowed him to rise far above a cliche ambitious antagonist--out of all the characters I found him the most tragic. Kim Jae Wook was flawless as the Grand Prince, and it was only in some of his scenes with Hong Rang where I felt as if LJW was matched and even at moments outshined. I wish we could have seen much much more of him.

Overall a high-quality production that will make you think and feel deeply, and will stay with you for quite a while afterwards.

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Weird pacing? Messy plot? No worries, all is forgiven for insane atmospheric vibes and killer OST

I feel like strange pacing and weird plot movements are kind of the standard with most Korean dramas. It's rare to have a tightly written kdrama. So I'm just gonna leave it at that. The plot does come around eventually but the middle arc is janky with a lot of important elements happening off screen. If we take the general purpose of a drama, which is to entertain as its core intention, then Dear Hongrang is one of the more successful dramas I have watched in the last year or two.

I'll get my gripes out of the way with the biggest issue that I had after finishing the whole series was that Lee Jae Wook, as beautiful as he is and insanely talented he is to watch, is not good at showing his simp self for female characters who are, let's just say 'soft'. I loved his dynamic with the female lead(s) in AOS because the women were largely self motivated with a lot of agency and interior agendas that did not revolve around the main lead.

LJW absolutely rose above and beyond in ALL other aspects of his acting. Action? Absolutely kicked ass. Jealousy over other potential love interests? A+++ Trauma? Love it. But Jae Yi's softness is very very nuanced. I think softly melancholic emotional strength is where Cho Bo Ah's acting shines. It encompasses a lot of flavors so when the time came for Hongrang and Jae Yi to build a hopefully tragic lead up to the final arc, it did not really land emotionally for me.

This leads me to talk about the show's strengths. Dear Hongrang is by far the most beautifully put together show in aesthetics in the past few years. There is great thought put into the production design, costume design, cinematography and sound design. The whole watching experience was sublime, if you tune in mainly to the emotional key points. The asian gothic flavors are absolutely my jam and I eat it up like a greedy little piggy. It served me the emotional highs (until the end, as you know) with incredible audio-visual finesse and I was okay with that. This is probably why I was disappointed with the end, because the final arc could not be snazzed up with design alone, it really sat on the actor, director, editor team to pull that emotional gut punch off.

Anyway, all in all, I had a really good time and after a long day at work, I can say I could look forward to my evenings just so I could sit down and get served some excellent feelings.

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