Heracin

This historical drama, full of mystery, grabbed my attention from start with its very dark story involving both fantasy elements and intricate family relationships. There is a couple of bonds that are quite taboo that provided in the first half the angst I enjoy so much. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed by the pacing and some writing choices regarding the forbidden romance. Despite this, I truly enjoyed the ending, it might feel a bit rushed in terms of plot but it left me a really impactful and memorable impression.

I was mostly satisfied with the cast with maybe one exception : Jo Bo Ah. Her chemistry with Lee Jae Wook was really lacking to me. I believed much more in Lee Jae Wook's acting than Jo Bo Ah, that's why I am singling her out. Outside of her character's relationship, the heroine role in itself was pretty annoying. It was alright at first but as the show progressed she felt more and more bland, rather useless. I'm not sure if the main issue is with the script or the actress, but it clearly was the weakest point of the drama.

The production value was the strongest point of the series. The OST was simply amazing and the making was solid as well. Overall the combination of visuals, beautifully filmed fighting scenes, epic music and shocking violence was a great mix. However, the editing felt as some point a bit choppy with some shift between episode that could have been better.

I would truly recommend this series to people looking for an historical drama focusing more on angsty relationship with an hefty amount of horrific mystery rather than deep political content. I loved the dark side of this story and its intense finale despite the writing flaws.