rainruma

I don't mind either, I like that 4th has a backstory...
I agree, 4th may not be in love yet...But he is certainly very interested and cares.... She grabbed his attention being courageous, unconventional and care-free (although here she is expressing these traits in a very childish way..ughh!!)
Also,she has seen his weaknesses and seems to sympathize... and ...Most importantly, the feelings she expressed vocally are very similar to what agonizes him, so they have a connection where they can understand each other ...
Although, Hae soo is not fully aware of it yet! ... That's why he falls for her first!

After Ep 4&5... I like the romance in SH:Ryeo much more ...
Despite Hae Soo's silly clumsiness (as compared w/ Ruoxi's mystery and intrigue), the scenes are written to show a valid reason why 4th falls for her.
8th is still bit of a mystery, lets see what's revealed in Ep6!

I see what u mean about bbjx's 4th, his character was not explored ...tbh, Ryeo's focus on the triangle, is really good for exploring characters of 4th&8th.

@Chihiro ... I Hope you are right, and it's not formula.
It seemed they are making 4th and 8th more mainstream ... For instance, 8th's wife just died, so people will stop saying he's cheating .... 4th is given a sentimental reason for his future ruthlessness ... Not just his ambition, as in BBJX/SH.

Also, in Ep 6 previews , romance w/ 4th is moving a lot quicker than in BBJX.

4th & 8th here: As you say more nuance to performance ... actors are very good and characters are given more history than in BBJX
I felt Nicky Woo was especially stiff as 4th.

I don't know how this version will handle it, it Looks like she will have a happy ending, I am assuming...
I heard they including 2nd season in this, so maybe Hae Soo & 4th will meet again in modern day.

In SH, Ruoxi loved 8th and almost married him, after they broke up, she fell in love w/ 4th and got w/ him.
From previews of Ep 6 , it looks like they are pushing Hae Soo & 4th together a lot quicker, and it may follow typical K-drama formula, where nothing much will happen w/ 8th, and he'll be friendzoned... even tho he is single now.
In SH, both 4th & 8th already had several wives each... That was a major dilemma for modern-girl Ruoxi, and added interest as to how she would handle it.

SH concentrated more on the heroine and her ordeal trying to survive palace politics, her friendships and loves w/ the princes... here they r concentrating on the romance and love-triangle.
That's why they focus more on 4th and 8th in this version... I actually like both of them more in K-version, the characters and LJK & KHN.

btw, the incest part is only in the korean history, not in the chinese.

Interesting... But in history, he also married his niece, 1st prince's daughter... was she not blood related also?

Thank you...the "AndrewGregsonFC2" YT channel playlist has a few subbed episodes, but at least it has ep.16-20 raw .... I hope "choblingfansubs" comes back and finishes subbing - one of Andrew's best performances.

This sounds wonderful!... Forbidden Love is the best!... Wallace is the best! <3

wait, wait, wait... What?... Angela baby is the brilliant strategist!!??!!??? ...Mwahahahahahahahahahahah!!!! .. TT__TT
No seriously, TT__TT, .... I can't stop TT__TT
Honestly Wallace, stop wasting your talent w/ these useless actresses.....Please! >.<

I heard subtitles on Kissasian were not as good ... I just checked out Ep 1 and I found the English to be more complex than necessary.... and they used elaborate vocabulary, where a more simple word would have relayed the same meaning.
Subs on Dramafever are better.

I think the story is OK, improved in Ep 4 & 5 ... It won't be as deep as SH, but they r not aiming for that.
I agree, IU is more suited for Rom-com ... but it's not all her fault, this version doesn't focus on the heroine or how she survives the palace.. it is focused on the love triangle, and all 3 leads ... That's why I didn't like Hae Soo being childish, it's not as attractive as Ruoxi's exuberance and cleverness!
The focus is LJK's 4th , KHN's 8th and her ... whereas they were supporting roles in SH, and she's the only lead.

Palace: Lockheart came out first, but is not original... Original is a novel... When the producers of Lockheart heard their rivals are making Scarlet Heart (BBJX)... They rushed to make their own version and have it on air first.

- Lockheart concentrated on the heroine's funny antics and time travel mystery.
- SH concentrated on the smart and care-free heroine and how she navigated and survived among the princes and Palace politics.
- SH: Ryeo concentrates on the romance and love triangle more ... also concentrates on the two male lead characters, more than on heroine's.

- Lockheart is like a B-movie version... entertaining, formula, not much quality.
- Scarlet Heart (BBJX) is like an award-winning quality show.
- SH: Ryeo is like a Blockbuster... very popular, lots of pizzaz and eye-candy, but not much depth.

I am not sure if she rejected So as a child, however, from what we have seen so far:
I believe she rejects him now b/c he reminds her of her faults ... He says "B/c of this face", meaning because the scar is a reminder of what she did, maybe even of her failure to keep the king to herself.
She grabbed So as the youngest , b/c oldest male is usually revered.

Obviously she is very selfish, that's why she threatened her child's life and her own to stop the king from taking another wife ... she is still selfish ... 4th only reminds her of her faults and defeats ...
She has No tenderness for anyone, not even 14th... her doting on 14th is to raise him as a source of pride for herself ... punishing the man who defeated him, is to create that superior "untouchable" aura for 14th, the queen's son.... Not b/c she cares about his feelings.... It's all about her!

Royal families often sent a member to live among the royalty of unstable allies ... usually he is kept as a sort of hostage, in case his family invades, he'll be killed.
I believe it was supposed to be 3rd, as the oldest, is more worthy... But she sent 4th to distance herself from him....
I am not certain about this adoption thing .... perhaps it was a show of good faith to allies ... help alleviate the grief of the Kang queen who went crazy after the death of her own son, by giving her a son in his place.

The king may not directly attack the queen, b/c she probably has powerful allies, in the form of high ranking family members and generals.

That is why 8th married Hae Soo's cousin ... He was an outcast, doesn't even live in the palace, but his wife's family are powerful allies, thus his position and status improved in the royal court.

Totally agree w/ both of you ... The worst over-used cliche is the childish yet optimistic Hae Soo....
Ruoxi was a lot more interesting and lot more appealing as a woman... Plus Liu Shishi is a better actress, portrayed Ruoxi as Carefree and Spontaneous yet Clever and Savvy ... thus attracting attention of all the princes!
IU is playing it more as clumsy and childish, especially the crying... but she's OK.

However, I like 4th much more in this version ... character has background explanation and thus motivation... Plus LJK is a better actor (and better looking)..... Still, there is a little too much self-pity, but improving by every episode.
Like 8th more here also, he seems just as clever and good, but more passionate ...and... KHN is more handsome!

I think she did encourage him at first, even if it was unconsciously done.
What @Rosie said is true... and I believe that is the wonderful irony ... This happens a lot IRL ...
and it leads to character growth, as she understands those feelings, and o.c. understand that she can at least control her behavior, avoid him when possible, and try to discourage him... But she didn't do a good job!...Thus more irony!

as @IAmNikkyG said ... I believe 9th prince is on 3rd prince's side... in original, he was a major instigator... Also, his love story may be similar, he will be involved w/ woman who is not from noble class....
Here, they have already shown there is something going on b/w him and Hae Soo's maid.... makes it much more interesting when thinking about future divisions and alliances among the princes.

Thank you sooooo much... Really appreciate u sharing :D
I love knowing the history, understanding the metaphors and symbolism used.

I agree with you, Cecilia plays the character as spontaneous, carefree, positive and fun without being childish, clumsy or silly!
That's to her credit ... she's not the best, but I have only seen her make her characters believable, strong, smart and fun .... she makes them attractive and likable.

Had they concentrated more on internal struggles and character development of all 4 main leads, instead of the action, it would have been more fascinating.... and .... better if it were bit shorter.
I loved the 1st 8 episodes... increasingly complex interweaving relationships of the characters ... then it started to get repetitive w/ slow development, despite the good pace w/ all the action and excitement. ......

Another K-drama w/ an unbelievable obsession w/ childhood first love ..Ughh! ... I wish the love was also based on adult time spent together... It would be a more reasonable excuse for the strong attachment.
Disappointed in the character development.
Most fascinating character for me is Shunji, but I am disappointed in his character development the most (specifics in spoiler below),
Mok Dan was not likable, I don't know why ... I liked her prowess at first, but she didn't have much mental prowess later.

Disapointed in Shunji's character development.

*********SPOILERS********* *********SPOILERS********* *********SPOILERS******
Shunji's dramatic change happened too quickly, too unbelievable.
It would have been much better to have him struggle more internally w/ his duty to his family and his open-mindedness, tolerance, and love for Korean culture. Although, he said it at first and towards the end, that he wants to protect her, kill Bridal Mask and get back to being a teacher, his actions did not reflect that internal dilemma.

I love the very ending, very befitting of the original Shunji to be considerate of his friend and sparing him from doing the regrettable... Too bad we didn't see that side of Shunji after he put on the uniform.

To me, had they concentrated on the internal struggles of all 4 main characters, instead of the repetitive pursuit of Bridal Mask as he appeared every time an event happened, this would have been an Amazing fascinating show! ...

Instead, we get a lot of action, keeps the pace and makes it exciting, but much less interesting.

1) It is REAL HISTORY:
The King is real in history, they can't kill him off... He actually had a coup, overthrew the king and killed his brothers.
There also was a rebellion in history and Kim Seung-Yoo's father is real as is his nickname the "Tiger" (dae Ho I think?) ..
There is also I believe, a record somewhere of a princess deleted from the record books (Se-Ryung)
So they made a beautiful story out of history.

2) I believe the point is the PRICE of REVENGE ....
Not just a price paid by Seung Yoo ... The King , very stubborn and just wanted revenge, also lost ...
Sure, he didn't lose his life or the throne, but he lost everything else.
.... Look at how much he lost.... As he became more power hungry, he also became more paranoid .... He no longer had piece of mind, never happy, never satisfied, lost his friends/allies, lost his only son, lost his favorite daughter, destroyed his own family w/ his own hands...
and look how much he aged, compared to the others.

3) It is obvious from the last scene that the King had CHARACTER GROWTH ... He felt a lot of regret for loosing Se-Ryung more than anything else .... He finally learned to let go of his hatred for Seung Yoo.
I believe showing CHARACTER GROWTH is a lot more impressive then killing him off, or some other kind of punishment ... o.c., I am not saying he turned into an angel, just that he learned important lessons.

4) The only one that knew how to prioritize what is important in life is Se-Ryung!

5) Only similarity to Romeo and Juliet is that they fell in love and later realized the families are enemies.... And the parents lost their children/offspring due to their own fault.... In R&J, it is the parents that payed the ultimate price and learned their lesson!

#5 - I believe it is Personal Taste w/ Lee Min Ho
Not Full House, which had Bi Rain, and he's not in any of these pics.

@kittyflumpin ... I'm with you...It kept me away for a long while, I just returned to K-dramaland and sadly, it seems not much has changed ... but after a very long break, I can find the appeal once again.