Stanulienka

It's possible that IU as the lead actress had an impact and I won't lie - I think a more experienced actress would be a better choice for Scarlet Heart considering that it's a melodrama that could be a challenge for experienced actresses too. Oh well, I guess it is what it is :)

And finally the spoilers: The bracelet at the end? Nonsense. 4 different tapes floating around? Jesus. And what upsets me the most about this drama: He trained the kissing, read a book about it and it never happened????? Really? How could they do this to me?

Also, a word of advice: Take notes. By the end of this drama I didn’t remember half of the characters and their names. Whenever they were referring to someone from the past I was done for.

So after completing this one I have to say this: When I die and the grim reaper comes to get me, instead of taking me to hell they will let me explain the plot of this drama to a group of old people for all eternity. Cause that would be the biggest punishment in the known universe and would go something like this: This guy is that guy, but not really, people think he’s that guy but he isn’t but he actually is in the end. That guy is alive, but actually he’s dead, but in the last episode he is alive and remembers stuff from being dead previously... kill me now. Some plot twists were good, some were totally unnecessary. Overall, this is how it went for me:
Me: *confused*
Me: *confused*
Me: *confused*
Me: Omg!
Me: *confused*
Me: Woah!
Me: *confused*
Me: -the end- what the hell is happening.
Hope this helps :D

Best actor ever, what a legend.

They are not very alike besides the fact that they're both historical dramas, that is correct. I think they are being compared due to the following information:
"Despite its ensemble cast, extensive publicity and US$13 million production budget, the series (Scarlet Heart) only averaged single-digit audience rating of 7.59% in South Korea, and was overshadowed by Love in the Moonlight (2016)."(Wikipedia).
I guess that the two dramas attract different audiences, but there has to be an overlap and the result buffles me to be honest. Even if I try to compare Love in the Moonlight with dramas that are more similar from audience and story perspective (Sungkyunkwan Scandal, The Moon That Embraces the Sun...), Love in the Moonlight is still the least appealing one. Again, this is a super subjective opinion and I am not trying to persuade anyone that my view is universal, I am just genuinely shocked.

Oh well, the last episode is a little problematic, yes. Even though I feel that the drama was pretty unique , Kang Doo being "dead" for several scenes is a drama trope I am not fond of. But in the end I wanted a happy ending for Kang Doo so badly, I'll take whatever I can get :)

My pleasure, sorry it's not your cup of tea, the drama is really good but it's also a lot of emotional struggle :)

HUGE SPOILERS EVERYONE
I see, ok, so in short: Originally after the female lead (IU) arrives in the past she falls in love with the 8th prince (Kang Ha Neul), who falls in love with her as well. He's married, but his wife dies and he plans to marry the female lead. Some time passes, there's a lot of intrigue going on and the 8th prince gets into a situation where he can't do anything for the female lead while she is in a lot of life-threatening trouble. He basically abandons her. Throughout this time the 4th prince (Lee Joon Gi - it's the masked guy) gradually falls in love with the female lead, she helps him cope with his scars and he's also the one to take her side when it really matters. At this point both the 8th and the 4th prince are trying to get the throne, the female lead falls for the 4th prince and once he gets to be the king, he's planning to marry her. More intrigue, some deaths and it comes to light that the marriage with the female lead cannot happen due to reasons. He loves her dearly, but she spent years in the palace, lost loved ones and is exhausted from the constant struggle. She is also sick. When the 4th prince (at this point king) is pressured into marrying a princess (who is responsible for most of the intrigues) the female lead is finally sick and tired of the palace and just wants to get out. The young 14th prince is secretly in love with her and has the means to get her our of the palace, which she finally accepts to escape the misery. Also, the 8th prince informs the 4th prince/king about the fact that he and the female lead were in love secretly in the past and the king feels betrayed. The female lead leaves the palace and marries (pretty much just on paper) the 14th prince. It turns out she's pregnant with the king's daughter, but doesn't tell him. She gives birth and not too long after that she dies, without seeing the king ever again (she tried to see him before that but due to misunderstandings they never met again). He finds out she died and falls apart (he did marry the princess and had a son with her, but never really felt any affection towards any of them). He also finds out that she might have been from a "different world" (so time traveling) and he promises that he will find her no matter what. Back to the present, we learn that the main female lead returned after almost dying to the 21st century, without remembering her time in the past. She has these dreams about the 4th prince/king that she doesn't understand really and after attending an exhibition with artworks from the Goryeo era she recognizes the scenes in the paintings, also the painting of the 4th prince/king and realizes all of these things she actually witnessed and was part of. She breaks down crying apologizing to the king for leaving him by himself. That's the end of the story, that was exhausting :D Hope it helps to understand what happened there.

Sure, I'm not sure how much detail you require, but it is NOT a happy ending per se. The main point to it is that the male and female lead get separated at the end of the drama, with lots of sad circumstances. In case this is not good enough and you need more specific information feel free to message me.

Very cute! It’s almost unbearable how cute this man is, really.

Ah and one more thing - don’t avoid this drama cause it’s 32 episodes, they’re a little over 30 minutes long so in the end it’s pretty much your usual 16 episodes style.

How freaking cute was this? I loved it, nothing groundbreaking, just cuteness and fluff and satisfaction. The main leads did an AMAZING job, the comedy was on point (the expressions that the main leads managed to get out were hilarious!). And honestly, this is how drama endings should be, at least for this genre. Clear and wholesome! Nice one, glad I watched it.

Goddamnit, I was so scared Kang Doo would die in the end, I cried buckets and negotiated with heavens to let him survive. Glad he did, I would have difficulties to handle another sad ending and the empty void in my heart after such endings is hard to handle the older I get...

Beautiful, beautiful drama! The topic of grief for lost loved ones and trauma is difficult to potray as it might come off as insincere. This drama did very well with both of these I feel and I recommend it highly. Also, Lee Jun Ho did such an amazing job acting here, I couldn’t tell at all that he’s an idol in the first place. Now some complaining in the spoiler below...

The writing is unfortunately not very good, so not even Lee Joong Gi’s acting could save it and some moments of this drama were cringeworthy. Special effects could have been better, but you know what? Congratulations to everyone involved, to make a historical drama with vampires happen is on itself an achievment. I wish some of the drama elements would have been approached differently, but it is what it is and I watched it all. Lots of potential, with some unfortunate choices.

This will be a very unpopular opinion I suppose, but from what I understand this drama overshadowed Scarlet Heart and that is honestly mindblowing to me. Not to judge anyone’s opinion, I get that everyone’s taste is different, but from my perspective Love in the Moonlight is nowhere close to Scarlet Heart in terms of story, writing, acting. Again, I am glad people enjoy this little lighthearted love story, but I feel these two dramas are leagues apart.

How freaking cute was this?! Made my day! I am recommending this, it healed my heart a little after watching the finale of a melodrama earlier today :D

I knew this was going to happen and I still went for it - I liked the ending, very emotional, cried buckets. Overall I am very pleasantly surprised by this drama, even though I might avoid rewatching it as it would just break my heart all over again. Still, very good drama!

I am on episode 17 right now and damn, my peace of mind is gone. So many ups and downs, so much going on, I am a mess. I will finish this tomorrow, I really hope the ending will be satisfying (it does not have to be happy to be satisfying though...). I am really surprised that I am swayed so easily, spent so many episodes in love with #8, then with #4, then hating everyone, it’s a roller coaster ride. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!