This review may contain spoilers
A Delightful Dive into Classic Sageuk Tropes with a Dash of Fantasy
*Moon River* is a standard sageuk drama that brings together all the classic themes: palace intrigue, power struggles, self-sacrifice, and of course, epic romance with just enough fantasy to make it interesting, but not overwhelming due to the world building.
While I wouldn’t say this drama stands out from the other historical K-dramas I’ve seen, its charm lies in not trying to reinvent the wheel, but in the simplicity, which ultimately appealed to me.
This story revolves around separated lovers, along with a central mystery behind the past events that triggered the current situation. The mystery slowly unfolds as the show progresses and is set against a power struggle in the royal palace. Again, this is nothing new, but it worked for me.
What I Loved About *Moon River*
Superb Acting
The acting was fantastic, especially during the body swap scenes—I laughed so hard! I also appreciated that both leads looked like regular people. After watching a string of Chinese dramas recently where everyone’s faces are heavily filtered and appear unblemished, it was refreshing to see actors who looked more realistic, especially during emotional moments. I mean, I could actually see pores in their faces.
Comedic Relief
The body swap parts were a great source of comedy, alongside the amazing side characters that added to the humor throughout the show. I know not everyone likes the body swap trope. I think the way it was done in Moon River was refreshing and it was driving the plot forward.
Well-Developed Characters
I liked that all the characters had their backstories, including the main antagonist. No matter how much I hated Kim Han Cheol throughout the show, I really felt sorry for him at the very end. He didn’t deserve to give that headpiece to the queen, but I think if he had been able to, it would have provided him some closure. Again, he didn’t deserve it, but I could understand what drove him to become who he was. He simply got lost in his revenge.
No Tragic Deaths
I liked that we had literally almost no significant characters who tragically died at the end. I am still not over Moo-yeon’s death from *100 Days My Prince* all these years later!
Somewhat Spicy Romance with Substance
Having seen tons of historical K-dramas, I was honestly surprised at how much skinship we got here, and we even witness bare bodies. I mean, seeing the bare female shoulders in any Asian drama is like seen UFO. While obviously all the interesting bits are cut off, it’s refreshing to see a K-drama that doesn’t make us guess whether the characters actually consummate their marriage. If you want a romance with more than one dead fish kiss and tons of spice, you’ll love this one. While the said spice is not featured in every episode, it’s incredibly satisfying compared to 95% of other non-Netflix K-dramas.
I also really like the OST. It was beautiful and added to the overall emotional atmosphere of the drama and was fitting in all of the scenes.
I don’t have much to add in terms of things I didn’t like. While this wasn’t a particularly wow or standout drama like *Alchemy of Souls*, I still enjoyed it. It’s a historical drama with good acting, great costumes and settings, and a little bit of comedy and fantasy sprinkled throughout. Plus, we get a very nice happy ending for pretty much every character, including the secondary couple, which had a really great backstory.
Another aspect I enjoyed—no filler scenes. I did not skip a single frame. It’s rare when I watch an Asian drama and don’t skip. I think 14 episodes was the right amount. If you’re looking for something new or fresh, you probably will not enjoy this as much. But if you just starting to get into historical K drama or simply looking for a romance drama with great acting and don’t want to think too hard, Moon River is perfect.
While I wouldn’t say this drama stands out from the other historical K-dramas I’ve seen, its charm lies in not trying to reinvent the wheel, but in the simplicity, which ultimately appealed to me.
This story revolves around separated lovers, along with a central mystery behind the past events that triggered the current situation. The mystery slowly unfolds as the show progresses and is set against a power struggle in the royal palace. Again, this is nothing new, but it worked for me.
What I Loved About *Moon River*
Superb Acting
The acting was fantastic, especially during the body swap scenes—I laughed so hard! I also appreciated that both leads looked like regular people. After watching a string of Chinese dramas recently where everyone’s faces are heavily filtered and appear unblemished, it was refreshing to see actors who looked more realistic, especially during emotional moments. I mean, I could actually see pores in their faces.
Comedic Relief
The body swap parts were a great source of comedy, alongside the amazing side characters that added to the humor throughout the show. I know not everyone likes the body swap trope. I think the way it was done in Moon River was refreshing and it was driving the plot forward.
Well-Developed Characters
I liked that all the characters had their backstories, including the main antagonist. No matter how much I hated Kim Han Cheol throughout the show, I really felt sorry for him at the very end. He didn’t deserve to give that headpiece to the queen, but I think if he had been able to, it would have provided him some closure. Again, he didn’t deserve it, but I could understand what drove him to become who he was. He simply got lost in his revenge.
No Tragic Deaths
I liked that we had literally almost no significant characters who tragically died at the end. I am still not over Moo-yeon’s death from *100 Days My Prince* all these years later!
Somewhat Spicy Romance with Substance
Having seen tons of historical K-dramas, I was honestly surprised at how much skinship we got here, and we even witness bare bodies. I mean, seeing the bare female shoulders in any Asian drama is like seen UFO. While obviously all the interesting bits are cut off, it’s refreshing to see a K-drama that doesn’t make us guess whether the characters actually consummate their marriage. If you want a romance with more than one dead fish kiss and tons of spice, you’ll love this one. While the said spice is not featured in every episode, it’s incredibly satisfying compared to 95% of other non-Netflix K-dramas.
I also really like the OST. It was beautiful and added to the overall emotional atmosphere of the drama and was fitting in all of the scenes.
I don’t have much to add in terms of things I didn’t like. While this wasn’t a particularly wow or standout drama like *Alchemy of Souls*, I still enjoyed it. It’s a historical drama with good acting, great costumes and settings, and a little bit of comedy and fantasy sprinkled throughout. Plus, we get a very nice happy ending for pretty much every character, including the secondary couple, which had a really great backstory.
Another aspect I enjoyed—no filler scenes. I did not skip a single frame. It’s rare when I watch an Asian drama and don’t skip. I think 14 episodes was the right amount. If you’re looking for something new or fresh, you probably will not enjoy this as much. But if you just starting to get into historical K drama or simply looking for a romance drama with great acting and don’t want to think too hard, Moon River is perfect.
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