67
286
11
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
3
This review may contain spoilers
"Your love has made me human"
Dear Hongrang was a dark, twisty, tropey drama featuring two of my favorite Jae Wooks. Instead of the familiar fight for the throne and court politics, this fight played out within a wealthy merchant family that’s made a deal with the devil. When a long-lost son returns it sets a powder keg of greed and avarice on fire.
Jae I has spent the last twelve years searching for her lost younger brother Hongrang after the family mostly gave up on him. Her stepmother wants her dead. Her father only sees her worth in the columns of assets and liabilities. Her older adopted brother Mu Jin is being groomed to take over the family business and has a not so secret crush on her. One day a stranger with no memory of his childhood is brought in who turns out to be her brother Hongrang. Or is he? And what murderous mysteries are hidden behind the expensive walls and hanboks of the wealthy and nobility?
Dear Hongrang takes a strong stomach to watch. Children were kidnapped and tortured in painful and vile ways. Wives who no longer fell into the asset column were taken out to be murdered. Slaves and those without power or prestige were considered less than human and expendable while those with power often walked a fine line between sanity and insanity with overtly sadistic tendencies. Into this bloody mess Jae I and Hongrang went from being adversaries to allies, and “siblings” with complicated feelings for each other.
The cinematography, lighting, and music were overtly gloomy and melancholic. One particular scene went ATLA Tui funeral with red lighting. Deceptive sunshine only gave the viewer a breath to brace for upcoming pain. The sole spoilery comment I’ll make is that you need to prepare yourself for a high body count, many of which you’ll hope will be boiled in bronze. I didn’t find the drama particularly suspenseful as most of the turning points were well foreshadowed. I did, however, find it entertaining largely due to Lee Jae Wook and Kim Jae Wook’s performances. Kim has definitely found a niche for himself playing handsome, criminally maniacal characters. While this short nightmarish drama will not be for all tastes, it managed to tell its gruesome tale without overstaying its welcome.
18 May 2025
Trigger warnings: Dismemberments, more gruesome deaths than an average Kdrama, torture scenes, and child torture scenes
Jae I has spent the last twelve years searching for her lost younger brother Hongrang after the family mostly gave up on him. Her stepmother wants her dead. Her father only sees her worth in the columns of assets and liabilities. Her older adopted brother Mu Jin is being groomed to take over the family business and has a not so secret crush on her. One day a stranger with no memory of his childhood is brought in who turns out to be her brother Hongrang. Or is he? And what murderous mysteries are hidden behind the expensive walls and hanboks of the wealthy and nobility?
Dear Hongrang takes a strong stomach to watch. Children were kidnapped and tortured in painful and vile ways. Wives who no longer fell into the asset column were taken out to be murdered. Slaves and those without power or prestige were considered less than human and expendable while those with power often walked a fine line between sanity and insanity with overtly sadistic tendencies. Into this bloody mess Jae I and Hongrang went from being adversaries to allies, and “siblings” with complicated feelings for each other.
The cinematography, lighting, and music were overtly gloomy and melancholic. One particular scene went ATLA Tui funeral with red lighting. Deceptive sunshine only gave the viewer a breath to brace for upcoming pain. The sole spoilery comment I’ll make is that you need to prepare yourself for a high body count, many of which you’ll hope will be boiled in bronze. I didn’t find the drama particularly suspenseful as most of the turning points were well foreshadowed. I did, however, find it entertaining largely due to Lee Jae Wook and Kim Jae Wook’s performances. Kim has definitely found a niche for himself playing handsome, criminally maniacal characters. While this short nightmarish drama will not be for all tastes, it managed to tell its gruesome tale without overstaying its welcome.
18 May 2025
Trigger warnings: Dismemberments, more gruesome deaths than an average Kdrama, torture scenes, and child torture scenes
Was this review helpful to you?
