Love, Mystery, and a Missed Opportunity
I watched To My Beloved Thief, and honestly I’d give it about an 8/10. I really enjoyed it—the story was interesting and the characters were fun to watch. I liked the mix of romance, action, and the whole thief storyline because it made the drama different from typical historical K-dramas. The chemistry between the main characters was also really good, which made their scenes enjoyable.But at the same time, I felt like something was missing. Some parts of the story felt a little incomplete or rushed, especially toward the later episodes. I expected a bit more emotional depth or a stronger ending, so even though I liked it a lot, it didn’t fully reach a 9 or 10 for me.
Another thing that bothered me was the second male lead. I feel like he wasn’t really given a fair chance in the story. His character had potential, but the writers didn’t develop his role enough. It felt like he was mostly there just to create tension in the love triangle. Also, it was never really clear why he liked the female lead so much. The drama shows that he cares about her, but it doesn’t explain when or why those feelings started, which made his storyline feel a bit incomplete.
Overall, though, I’d still recommend the drama because it’s entertaining and easy to watch. It has good characters and an interesting concept—it just needed a little more depth to make it feel fully complete.
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Well written
I was able to watch and finish this when Viki had it available for free during a promotional. ;PFor comparisons sake, I'd say this drama is a mix of Knight Flower and 100 Days My Prince.
-Solid characters, entertaining twists and heartfelt moments. Overall, I enjoyed this drama's plot and characters. The pacing was decent, only noticed it being a teeny bit dragged in the third act(i just tire of heart to hearts very quickly haha #toomuchyapping). A few more action seens certainly wouldn't have hurt, but that's about it really as far as my complaints go.
- I appreciate the fact that unnecessary self sacrifices were not permitted at the end(that drives me crazy lol) P.S. It's a happy ending, but more realistic/logical than fairytale ending, which personally, I appreciate.
To note: there is a bit of the "they met as children" trope, but it's not a major issue, more of a fun fact at the end on how these two's paths first connected. -because there is a major fantasy/supernatural element to the plot.- this gives an explaination as to the "why them".
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Joseon Plot with Modern Day Twists
For me, this was a series in a few sections. The first couple of episodes it was kind of difficult to get into it. I sort of forced myself to stick with it. I'm so glad I did. Give it to episode 5 and the series really becomes great from that point on. The story from there, for reasons we don't want to spoil, goes to a higher level. That's where it became very addictive in watching it.Sang Min does a great job with his character, making himself very believable as the kind Prince. Together with Ji Hyun, the two create a pretty strong chemistry for both their characters. It makes it quite enjoyable to watch.
Another major plus are the antagonists that emerge early on, extremely devilish and easy to hate. Although, don't be so sure who are really the bad guys and who are good. Certain characters switch sides as you get deeper into the series, making it more interesting as to how things are going to play out. I found a couple people I hated early on becoming likable toward the end.
Getting to the final two episodes, everything is wrapped up in great fashion. Nothing is left undone and you truly feel great about the conclusion.
The one important thing to stress, watch the series until the absolute very end, beyond the credits. The final sixty seconds, after the last credits roll, is absolutely brilliant, putting a cherry on top of this great series!
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Perfect 10/10
I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did! The acting in this drama was amazing, from our leading couple to the villains and side characters. I loved ALL of the characters we encountered, even loved to hate the villains.I just binged the entire drama last night and into today, when the finale aired! Starting from mid ep 1 where I paused when it first aired, and I am soooo glad that I waited because waiting on episodes each week would have slayed me! I needed this story ALL AT ONCE! This story was everything! 10/10 Perfect!
The ending was perfect! But the bonus ending scene?!?! Omg omg that melted me. I didnt even need it, didn't even know I wanted it until I saw it. Ahhhh this drama just exceeded my love for it by adding that in there!!
If you are on the fence, dive in and let it take you for a ride!.
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This review may contain spoilers
"The Body-Swap Plot is Getting Serious and I Love It!"
pisode 6 takes everything we loved about the body-swap trope and adds a layer of deep emotional tension. While the comedy is still present, the drama has shifted into a more serious and romantic territory that I absolutely adore.The highlight of this episode is definitely the growing bond between Yi Yeol and Eun-jo. Even though they are still trapped in each other's bodies, the way they look at one another has fundamentally changed. Yi Yeol’s confession—acknowledging that as a Prince, his duty might eventually force him to arrest her as Gil Dong—was such a "tragic romance" moment. It shows that he doesn’t just see her as a thief or a physician anymore; he sees her as a person he truly cares about, regardless of his royal obligations.
Watching Eun-jo (inside the Prince’s body) navigate palace politics and royal medicine with accidental brilliance was incredibly satisfying. On the flip side, seeing Yi Yeol (as Eun-jo) shut down household gossip and stand up for her dignity was a total "boss" move. They aren't just surviving the swap; they are actively making each other's lives better.
The ending of Episode 6 left me breathless! The mix of the Gil Dong mystery, the looming danger of being caught, and the undeniable spark between the leads makes this drama my current favorite of the season. If you’re looking for a historical drama that perfectly balances humor, heart, and high stakes, this is it!
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Namjihyun and HongMingi CHEMISTRY is on another level!!!!! I loved it so much
I’m so in love with this drama, not only because my favorite actress is Nam Ji-hyun, but also because of how perfectly she portrays her character in every project she does. To be honest, at first I was rooting for her pairing with Moon Sang-min, but to my surprise I became completely hooked on her chemistry with Hong Min-gi. They truly nailed the characters of Eun-jo and Im Jae-yi, and because of that I’m really manifesting that they get to work together again—whether in a modern drama or another saeguk. For me, the chemistry between Ji-hyun and Hong Min-gi is top-notch and on another level. The story plot and OST were also very good, and I absolutely loved the ending.Was this review helpful to you?
Great plot
A great plot that has everything, culture, folklore, history, politics/corruption/subversion, fantasy, and romance (an unconditional love story), everything in precise doses, great chemistry between the leads, perfect casting, characters that develop with the plot, in general, in life you need to meet the right people at the right time, who can also change a fixed worldview, whether it's a man and a woman or whether it's friends or girlfriends.. For those who love historical drama, it's perfect and recommended (and it doesn't have the violence that you usually see in historical dramas) ♥♥Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Sweet Story
This was such a cute story. I adore the FL and ML. I’m a huge fan of the leads. The start of the story is really heartbreaking because of how some nobles treat the slaves. The FL Hong, Eun Jo, is a daughter of a concubine. She secretly goes out at night as “Hong Gil Dong”, a version of Robin Hood that steals from the rich and helps the poor. She is great in archery but doesn’t kill people. She uses cloth in arrows just enough to stop people from chasing her. Eun Jo accepts the offer from Im Sa Hyeong, one of the court officials that has a high position to marry her off to his dying father. She uses that opportunity for a better life. She knows the consequences that once she does go down that path, there is no going back. She sees the grand prince, not knowing who he really is, and kisses him. There’s this little monk that goes around and gave both of them bracelets. These bracelets switches their souls whenever one of them is in danger. It was funny whenever they got switched. Their relationship is very sweet. There was never a dull moment between them. As for the second male lead, Im Jae I, the son of Im Sa Hyeong, he was very aggressive at first and I hated his character. But then again, he slowly understood everything, thanks to Hong Eun Jo. He had his character development, thanks goodness. The supporting characters were great, too. That noble girl was really cute and sweet. She would always think about who she really fell for whenever the main leads switched. Everyone got what they deserved. I love how Eun Jo saved a little boy who was drowning back then. I already knew it was the prince. Not surprised since it’s one of the ingredients for every drama. I loved everything about this story. There’s a lot of lessons to learn here. I highly recommend it.Was this review helpful to you?
I Wasn’t Ready to Fall This Hard
To My Beloved Thief is honestly one of the best saeguk dramas I’ve ever watched. I loved it so much from beginning to end.The chemistry between the leads is incredibly good—even with the noticeable age gap, they made everything feel natural and convincing. The dialogue in this drama is also deeply touching. So many lines felt meaningful and stayed with me.
That said, I do have one small issue—the body swap trope. Personally, I’m not a big fan of it in this drama. I feel like the emotional delivery during those scenes didn’t fully land. Nam Ji-hyun seemed to be trying hard to portray the switch, but for me, it didn’t completely feel natural. Meanwhile, Moon Sang-min did a really good job—I could clearly feel the difference in his acting when he played Prince Do Wol versus Hong Eun Joo.
Thankfully, the body swap element wasn’t too dominant, so it didn’t ruin the overall experience. Honestly, even without the fantasy aspect, this drama would still be amazing because the story itself is already that strong and well-written. I think I would’ve loved it even more if it stayed purely non-fantasy.
From the very first episodes, the story was already engaging and well-paced. I ended up binge-watching the entire drama in just two days—and now I’m completely not over it.
The romance is another highlight. There aren’t many kiss scenes, and the romantic moments aren’t overly dramatic. Still, they gave me butterflies. It’s soft, simple, and very heartfelt.
I know some people might get second lead syndrome, but personally, I didn’t. He felt a bit too much like a red flag to me—even if he improved later on. He just couldn’t compare to Prince Do Wol, who was such a consistent green flag from beginning to end. Honestly, that kind of character is just impossible not to fall for.
Overall, this drama is incredibly well-written, emotionally engaging, and deeply satisfying—even the ending was perfect.
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Would have been perfect in 10 episodes
The writers ran out of ideas and created too many unnecessary side quests to fluff up a 16 epsioder which could be done in 10. Dragging it out made what could have been an enjoyable period drama into a constant need to forward scenes. You could skip a couple of episodes and watch episode 15 as the finale. and since I can't submit this review without 500 words, I need to blab on here just like how the show blabbed on. Apparently at this point I still have not reached the 500 char mark. 10 more chars to goWas this review helpful to you?
Love can't be hidden in the Eyes of Inlove
I long set aside this drama at first bc the vibes gives another drama I've watched before. And running out of dramas to watch I give it another try and it never disappoint. At first, to be honest i have my doubt and I even said to myself that if Fl and Ml chemistry aren't even that good I'll drop it.I expected a angst between them but they never did, but its vice versa of it. Even hiding their identity to one another, that switch soul made more sense and its not even draggy as i expected that it become a bridge between them.
I can say that Fl and Ml did so much better, I'm giggling with their yearning, even the 2nd Lead did not disappoint, as my rating of the supporting cast. The story is well stitch, I've seen the message the writer wanted to portrait it is a love story that doesn't have to be a full of misundertanding but it became a understanding and giving each other a safe space.
They become the better person, seeing and experience different life. Big thumbs up for this its one of the best drama I've watched.
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المسلسل يشق
كل ما كاعد اباوعه كل ما يصير احلى و الاحداث اقوى و مشوقة و الابطال و الممثليين واو جدا جداو راح ينطونه النهاية الي نريدها من مسلسل عشاق القمر اتوقع.
احس شفولي جرح قديم مال ذيج النهاية ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
الملك : احب هذا الممثل
الامير الكبير : اول مره اشوفه و حبيته
و البطلة : ما يحتاج احجي
المهم كلش انصحححححححححححححححححححححححح.
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