The humour and bonding between the main leads is highly entertaining to watch. Zheng Xiao En (FL) was especially witty, endearing and self-aware. As others have said, the plot is a romance novel within a romance novel - neither really takes place in the 'real world.' Plus, the evil siblings/corporate infighting storylines were a good lesson in destructive personality disorders but otherwise a huge waste of time.
All the main characters created distinctive personalities for themselves and interacted 'naturalistically' with growing physical and emotional ease over the episodes. I much much prefer this to dramas where the characters still act stilted and uncomfortable with each other.
The music was modern and well-suited to the themes of the show, much of the tension is around how the romance will survive one world to the next, so no real reason to re-watch.
I grade based on other criteria:
Complex themes: 5.0
There is a strong secondary theme about how narcissistic traits will destroy you and everyone around you. The main couple, however, just go from plot point to plot point.
Character growth/development: 6.5
Zheng Xiao En grows a sense of responsibility and starts seeing how her actions effect others. He Tian Huang learns how to integrate the different parts of his persona/identiy and his inner self.
Strong/complex relationships between women: 6.5
There are strong female friendships featured. They are , however, all of the same generation, roughly same power, and they spend most of their time fixated on the male leads. Zheng Xiao En while smart and self-aware seems to have no particular hobbies, interests and concerns beyond romance and the male leads.
Production/Cinematography: 7.0
Everything is competently shot, and enough thought and money was put into the designs, costuming etc. that it never distracts from the plot. I also liked how the costuming and shooting made the whole show feel a bit like it was in a romance novel. There was a bit of hazy filter, and distinct clothing and makeup types for the different characters.
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Moon Embracing the Sun suffers from being pre- golden age of big budget, creative concept era K dramas.
Plot points are endlessly repeated, pacing is slow to allow for viewers skipping/missing episodes. Each character has their predictable role to play: the endlessly self-sacrificing female lead, the righteous, angst filled male lead, the long-suffering mother etc. Very little is explored or developed despite being longer than most K dramas today. It's an addictive show as the female lead is often in need of rescuing, and there's lots of romantic suspense. But, once you realize that there will be no twist, no resetting of expectations it starts to drag.
Acting is all over the map. Some of the child actors are brilliant (and at this point we know on their way to successful adult acting careers), some are over-acting and stilted. Same when everything switches to adults. The two main adult leads have little chemistry together but both are very good at playing their roles independently (especially angst filled/sad moments).
Music is fine. Would not rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 7
Beware of karma it comes for everyone. Attempting to protect relatives from the consequences of their own actions/greed, just allows them to continue to damage others. Keeping secrets is unfair to those hurt by them. Don't force a romantic relationship if it doesn't feel right.
Character Development/Growth: 5
The king's sister matures a bit, but the show almost makes a point of how people stay the same over the years.
Complex women characters/relationships: 4
There's lots of women roles, but everyone is a stereotype/caricature. The one exception is actually the head shaman.There's some interesting ideas about how to sort out competing priorities and values, and sisterhood. The shaman is an interesting, complicated character.
Production budget/cinematography: 4
The costuming for the men is not flattering, materials looks shiny and cheap and are in strange color combinations. The sets are very claustrophobic and repeat all the time. This was shot with HD Cameras full on, and clear in a way that isn't particularly flattering.
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The main action centers around work-place strategy and political intrigue. These plots move fast with lots of suspenseful tension. I was 100% addicted. It's very dramatic while still keeping a touch of realism.
The secondary action is around relationships. The main romance does drag on with 'will they' or 'won't they?', HOWEVER, I loved seeing a fully realized romantic relationship on screen (instead of just tension, tension, tension - kiss! over). They also have a more at ease, physical relationship than in many K-dramas.
The music was the best I'd ever heard in a K-drama set in the present day.
I'm not sure I'd re-watch, since it's set up as a mystery/suspense.
I grade on other criteria ...
Complex Themes - 7
There actually isn't much there, there. Some themes around karma, treating people as how you will want to be treated. How to deal with cruelty, corruption and power through concrete action.
Character Growth - 7.5
The characters are fairly fixed. The one BIG exception : Song Ga Kyung (Jeon Hye Jin). She goes from being weak, petty and cruel to rediscovering an inner strength that was inspirational to watch.
Complex Women/Female Relationships - 10
The show centers around female protagonists AND female antagonists. The men have a secondary role . Not only are women front and center, but they have very complex feelings and relationships with each other. It was incredibly refreshing.
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
Lots of creative cinematic camera angles, lighting, and staging. The clothes and sets are great, realistic with a touch of fantasy. There is a ton of product placement, but that also allowed for the wealthy characters to look and act believably wealthy.
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This review may contain spoilers
What makes family?*This show has trigger warnings for anyone who has experienced abuse or struggles with suicidal ideation*
There are two mysteries to the plot focusing around blood ties v care/happiness ties. The second mystery led me to give a 1.0 for plot.
One, will the younger generation reunite in adulthood and be able to carry on a healthy lifestyle and relationships despite their struggles growing up (*yes* and resolved easily).
Two, what about the adults who traumatized and abused them growing up and to the 'bystander' parents who didn't fully intervene? (resolved horribly and rushed at the end).
This drama perpetuates the myth of 'rock bottom' that someone can have a magical realisation that they have become someone who hurts the people who love them and magically turn around and be safe to take care of a teenager.
It is well established that Ling Xiao's mother has always priortized her dramas and her issues over the well-being of anyone else for decades (perhaps even before the trauma of losing a child - given the story about the card game, and the 'aunt's' own commentary that Ling Xiao's mother has always been this way).
What's worse, is that she aggressively harms and lashes out at people, wanting them to be as miserable as she is, including her own child. Not only does she do this spontaneously, but she premeditates and coldly seeks revenge when Ling Xiao tries to seek independence repeatedly. Even in the end she attempts suicide after thinking about it all night again switching the focus on to her.
This is not a safe person to parent a teenager, and I can't believe they all just waive off Ling Xiao's little sister back to Singapore with her mother and admonish her to study hard.
I just couldn't get over that this was the BIG MYSTERY and the last issue to be resolved - what to do about Ling Xiao's mother, and then it was all just chalked up to PTSD (for what it's worth- PTSD does not at all appear to be what this woman has) and lessons learned and sending her back to Singapore.
I did like that the show insinuated subtly that the younger generation was very clear on who were there 'true' care/love family and who had earned that and who didn't. BUT I can't get over the explicit message: to tolerate, tolerate, tolerate, and maybe one day they will come to a magical realisation.
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A perfect angsty, protective hero romance . . . until the propaganda ruined itOn one hand we have an angsty, forbidden secret childhood romance, and a silent, gruff protective hero who thinks the world of the heroine:everything I like in romance in one place. If you like the Jane Austen novel Persuasion, you will love the first 20 episodes of this.
On the other hand, this is a propaganda pitch for dangerous frontline work to men, and the propaganda wins out for 10 slow dragging episodes.
Our main male character 100% will always pick his job first. The female lead is just so grateful to be in a relationship with him, and she will never make the mistake of putting herself first again! Even his alcoholic waste of a father, and his snobby father in law come around to accepting he is a hero whose needs and priorities come first, and they need to stop making trouble.
So there you have it. A great premise, excellent chemistry and acting all ruined by its simplistic propaganda theme: become a hero of the state, and you'll get the girl and the home and the life you always wanted. Everyone will just be so grateful.
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Short and fast paced limits the typical repeatedness.
Here, a lot of the 'hero' formulas are flipped on their head. On one hand, there are highly toxic ideas of what can make a good person and what can inspire change in a person. On the other hand an important lesson for all: that true, genuine sacrificial love - honoring what the other person needs and not what you desire - will always win.
The acting and chemistry here is decent between the main characters, Dylan Wang is excellent when he is brooding and quite adorably childlike cute whilst in love, the melding of the two personas never really settles in properly. Yu Shu Xin is bubbly and earnest but the plot keeps her smart and with agency - not a fool.
Music is fairly good, not sure I'd rewatch.
Themes: 8.0
True, genuine love where you see each other and respect each other, flaws and all is transformative. With shared values, old rules about who you fight for and who you love go out the window. Ego and the desire to deaden your own humanity may allow you to dominate and win as an individual, but will never be the answer to saving your community. Never forget that there is usually a larger common enemy stirring the pot of discord and divide.
Character Growth: 7.5
Dong Fang Qing Cang jumps around between a cynical, deadened soul and a boy who never grew up - while this is an excellent way to portray him at the beginning, and is justified based on his origin story, the final integration never really satisfyingly takes place. Xiao Lan Hua / Xi Yun is not allowed the same time to integrate and is bubbly and earnest 90% of her screen time.
Complex Women/Interactions Between Women: 7.5
There are plenty of women characters but the desire to pair each of them off with a man leaves them with little meaningful interaction. The friendship of Xiao Lan Hua and Jie Li is the exception, but even that relationship it's unclear what bonds them as friends besides Xiao Lan Hua's open heart and gullibility.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9.0
Compared to the CGI in previous XianXia, this is much more flattering. The sets are well-done and I didn't mind that they replicated Little Orchid's home over and over in order to re-use that set. The color palette, costumes, jewelry and make-up are all very pretty - this is true in all the 'realms'/worlds. Action scenes are very simple, but are pulled off well instead of being complicated and clearly fake.
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Of the fantasy/xianxia shows I've watched this one is the most adult/serious. It's not necessarily the one with the best growth and themes (that goes to Ashes of Love). But this focuses mostly on adults with adult issues (marriage, raising children, feuding families, honouring ones mentor etc.)
I enjoyed watching it, it was addicting and I was curious how it would resolve. But, I don't have the same fondness for the couple as I do for some of the other shows I've watched.
The plot was very engaging and rarely too repetitive, and the actors on their own were quite good. But, when the couple was on screen together, you didn't get the little looks/touches energy of a couple in love. In the end, I was happy with the story and glad I watched it all the way through, but I wasn't sad to leave the universe behind.... EXCEPT
I really enjoyed the secondary couple between Bai Fengjiu and Dong Hua, and I'm glad to see they are getting their own spinoff. It never felt like wasted time, and they actually seemed to have a more give and take, naturalistic type interactions than the main couple.
Music was nothing special, and I'm not sure whether I'd watch it again, perhaps certain scenes.
Other Criteria I score by
Complex Themes - 6
(Ye Hua and Bai Qian go through a lot over their lifetimes, but there are not strong themes besides appreciating the love that you have, and being loyal/having honour). Also, giving in to overbearing parents is endless, one needs to find the moral strength to stand up to them.)
Character Growth -7
(Both Ye Hua and Bai Qian show a decent amount of character growth, as they go through romance and lots of loss)
Nuanced Women -7
(Bai Qian and Bai Fengjiu both have nuanced personalities, and are good playing different types Bai Qian is more tom boyish and then stoic/austere, whereas Bai Fengjiu is more silly and headstrong)
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(It's all CGI and green screens unless they are in the human world, I didn't find the worlds created or the costumes very beautiful, but it was all competently done)
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What if the gender roles were reversed in a Cinderella romance? Could the relationship survive or would the man feel too emasculated? Could he find a way to be a man while being the less powerful, less wealthy half?
The initial premise becomes weighed down with large scale conspiracies, sickly sweet morals about the 'common people,' and lots of sickness/death wish fulfilment. Ultimately, the show is completely unrealistic, full on daytime soap level drama, but with extremely slow pacing.
The two actors have little chemistry, the music is just OK, and besides one scene early on where our male lead rescues the female lead, there's nothing here I would rewatch.
This is one of the most popular KDramas, with prestige actors, and so I've been trying to suffer through but I can't anymore . . . I'm dropping.
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This felt like a bunch of rehashed Kdrama plots remixed. And, no, apparently there is no way to get away from the psycho killer/stalker plot lines that randomly pop up in K dramas, Worse once the premise is exhausted, the chemistry in the main romance absolutely fizzles.
If you like a lot of yearning, and are willing to overlook the thin plot featuring a bunch of adults who apparently have no parents, siblings or life outside their work and all have the immaturity of a 12 year old, well then maybe. This would work a lot better as a drama about teen idols than full grown adults.
Sets, costumes, cinematography are very average, The only real positives are everyone is very attractive, and there's a decent amount of scenes with women succeeding at their work.
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If you want to sit through hours of lessons on how to be the perfect woman centuries ago, then this drama is for you. It was not for me. Shiyi, our main female lead, may gently lose her way but she is always selfless, looking out for others and willing to take blame. Ever patient, she uses her intelligence and skills only in the service of the causes of others.
Everyone around her, from her husband, to her own family, to her inlaws, is frustrating, narrow-minded and stubborn, though there is a nice growth and bond that forms between Shiyi and the Marquis Yongping over time. There's a fair amount of overacting from the side characters.
The music is nice, there really is nothing to rewatch. I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 5.0
Be selfless and center others, your family, and your country and you will be rewarded with a contentful, joyful life.
Character Growth: 6.5
Shiyi becomes a more mature character, and her husband loosens up over time, but there isn't much character growth.
Relationships between Women/Complex Women characters: 7.0
On one hand, there's a lot of women, they interact a lot, and the discussion is not quite all about men. On the other hand, they are all stereotypes with very little depth.
Cinematography/Production Values: 8.0
For a smaller period drama, the costume, set and jewelry design is all excellent, really beautiful and creative with interesting flourishes and color combinations. The sets are a bit small and claustrophobic (almost nothing is shot in the 'real world' all on 4 or so established sets). There's very little action or complex scenes. The camera shoots straight on with very little creativity.
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The real genius of this drama is the love triangle at the centre of it. Both men start from places of coldness and rejection for various reasons, but then they diverge:
1) One is so insecure, stubborn, and stuck in his own head that he misses chance after chance to change course and confess
2) The other resists due to misunderstandings and is also stubborn and a bit cold but wakes up to the fact that he wants what he wants, and he needs to go for it and not have regret
Various realistic and kind of intriguing misunderstandings keep this slow burn romance interesting through 3/4s of it, but once the love triangle resolves, the other plot lines don't have much interest.
The acting is good enough for the limited range they are portraying in this show, this doesn't have the high highs and low lows of more ambitious and dramatic projects.
The morals are simple the key to success in love, work, life is to work hard, take risks and change course, and believe in an optimistic future. Cinematography and clothes are competent enough.
If you like Jane Austen, slow burn, love triangle/misunderstanding type plots, this one could be for you.
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The real highlight for me was the depiction of an adult relationship on screen. Here, there were the little physical touches, the petty squabbles, the deep regret of a fully lived in relationship. Here, was the constant frustrations and loneliness of modern life with work all consuming, often living in new, strange places with no community, filled with a longing for home.
The pacing in the last few episodes slows dramatically. While it starts off with extremely understandable reasons a relationship may not work out, our main characters then dance around having a true conversation stretched over 6 episodes - - a concept that starts to wear thin.
The acting was excellent and these two characters were made real. The music was atmospheric. I wouldn't say there was much rewatch value, there's not much of a cathartic release to the whole thing.
If you love rekindled past romances, like Past Lives, Before Sunset, or even the Jane Austen novel Persuasion, this is for you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great suspense and an endearing friends to lovers romance ....Will this end on a cynical, happy or tragic note? Finding out the answer kept me on the edge of my seat for all 12 episodes. More thriller than horror, Happiness reminded me of the old X-files series in the US. The main couple treat each other as equals, long time friends who can communicate without speaking a word. They both are bad*ss and excel at their jobs.
Similar to his role in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Hyungsik is excellent at portraying someone who is head over heels for the woman next to him - in all her strengths and weaknesses. Han Hyo-joo does an excellent job of portraying very grounded, protective qualities with no patience for the strong hurting the week.
The ~12-16 side characters are distinctive with GOOD and BAD qualities that are played as archetypes/caricatures. Overwhelmingly, the bad qualities are delusion, greed, and narcissism. Despite exaggerated portrayals, I thought the personalities represented were accurate and rare to see. I was as invested in side plots as I was the main plot, and didn't feel any urge to skip the side character scenes.
(*SPOILER* big minus points for interjecting a needless serial killer storyline, and also using the sociopathic doctor one too many times)
The music was really well done with two very distinctive styles: amped up/industrial and mournful, nostalgic guitar. The two different music styles kept you guessing as to whether the show would end happily or sadly.
Rewatch - I'm not sure about rewatch, but definitely a lot of the visuals are going to stick in my head, I felt like I was stuck in the apartment building with them and that I knew these characters and cheered them (well some of them) on.
(*SPOILER* minus points for making the end scenes not at all reflect the depth of the show - it was like all the trauma etc. was all magically erased)
I grade on other criteria as well:
Themes: 8.5
Greed and never-ending desires are the downfall of human beings. Continuing to be narcissistic, self-centered, and fantasizing about triumphing over others in crisis are unfortunate traits in many. Trauma and tragedy often magnify the character traits that already existed. Keeping grounded in reality, surrounded by family and friends can keep hope alive and the ability to continue to be a community minded human being. Home, family (blood or found) are the keys to happiness. Overcoming disappointment early in life and finding reasons to live can provide resilience in tough circumstances down the road.
(*Spoiler* if the show had ended differently, I would have given the themes a higher score, but in the last 15 minutes it's like the whole disease never happened.)
Complex characters/Character Growth: 7
The general was an excellent complex character, with a mix of opportunism and a moral center. The rest didn't so much grow as illustrate how different types of people respond to crisis. It was realistic that people would still obsess over real estate portfolios, wealth and how to take advantage of a crisis for their own benefit. I also thought it was realistic that people would take silly risks on the optimism that they were special/unique or wouldn't trust others evaluation of the dangers until they had experience it themselves.
Complex women characters/Relationships between Women: 7.5
Yoon Sae-Boom is a really wonderful mix of caring, nurturing and can't stand societal niceties. Despite her slight figure, you never feel like she couldn't kick *ss and take names. It was a realistic blend too, not whiplash between two different selves. I liked the range of women presented and also a minor theme about how women handle crisis vs men. The show, however, had a ratio of 1:1 women to men characters, and the women didn't have rich relationships with each other.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9
There were some really striking visual scenes, great use of music and realistic fight scenes with lots of grappling and use of the human body. In this era of CGI, the real zombies and physical fighting were very much welcome. 1 point off as it was completely unbelievable (esp. given the number of cars in the parking lot) how few residents were in the building when it was locked down - the lack of people just felt odd.
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Refreshing 1: Gu Weiyi isn't perfect out of the box, but he knows what he wants and he wants Situ Mo. He usually does the wrong thing the first time he tries, but he wants to do better, is eager to improve, and learns from his mistakes.
Refreshing 2: Situ Mo has a relevant backstory. After hanging around a non-committal guy for months and months, she is now a bit hard to trust and quick to anger. She is high -energy, with a fierce, sulky temper - but that is an earned characteristic - not irrational and out of the blue.
Unfortunately, the plot is dragged over 24 episodes to the point where I stopped caring how it all resolved (I did watch it to the end for the record). The other negative point, beyond pacing, was I did not like the secondary couple plot- it just was thrown in without any real theme or purpose.
The main couple was incredibly endearing and while not 'naturalistic' it wasn't horribly overacted. The secondary characters did overact but not enough to throw off the whole show.
Music was competent, but I do wish there was one or two more songs in the mix.
I would not re-watch. The show is very quiet, slice-of life with no particular dramatic moments. Any sort of tension is resolved within minutes.
I grade by other criteria as well.
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Complex Themes - 7.5
Nothing complex, but I did like the premise that it's not the first impression or first time that matters - it's how you work hard and improve at things.
Character Growth - 5
The characters are pretty much the same at the beginning as at the end - there isn't a sense that the characters have been changed by time or events. The show could easily have taken place over a couple months with the same level of character growth.
Complex Women - 8
I liked Situ Mo a lot. She tries hard, is willing to make mistakes, is exuberant and enthusiastic. It was very endearing. While I think some could be turned off by her temper/failures to communicate, I think in the context of what she's been through (and Gu Weiyi's clumsy relationship mistakes) it makes sense and she usually recovers quickly.
Cinematography/Production Values - 7.5
Is exactly how one would expect from this show. There's no extraordinarily wealthy people in it, nor fantasy elements, which makes it easy to do. There is a lot of shooting outside/in real locations, and the apartment felt like a real apartment (not sure if it was or a soundstage).
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Ashes of Love has a really strong plot with a core theme - selfish, destructive 'love' vs a selfless, supportive love. The show explores this in a variety of ways through familial, friendship and romantic relationships.
The star of the show is Xufeng/Phoenix who undergoes numerous transformations, has immense character growth, and is very compelling to watch. His chemistry with the main female character, Jinmi is excellent. The amount of ups and downs these two characters go through and how they change as a result is really striking to watch.
The weakness of the show for me was the demon princess/demon politics storylines. I wanted to skip the associated romance and plot points. In addition, the peripheral/supporting characters are often a bit one note. As a result, I felt the series started to drag a bit in the second half.
The two main songs were uncommonly good for the genre. Really sweeping without being corny or overblown..In the last episode, they really added to the 'epic' feeling of everything the characters had gone through.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes -10
(There is really strong themes about selfish vs. selfless love, setting ego aside, and others that were extremely well done.)
Character Growth -9
(The two main characters change, grow, and transform believably over the course of the series. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters are not given much space to do much more than act as plot devices)
Nuanced Women -7
(There are a fair amount of female characters, but only the main female lead seemed to have the room to play a full character).
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
(I personally found the CGI a bit hard to take seriously - it seemed to be most (if not all??) filming was with a green screen with not much attempt to blend in real elements with fantasy elements. Costumes were competent, but it was clear most of the budget went to CGI - they wear the same things lots of episodes in a row, and the costumes lack detail adequate accessories in closeup shots)
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