My first foreign drama.
I watched this specifically because of BTS member V. Im part of the ARMY and i wanted to see how good of an actor he was. Let me just say i was shocked and proud. He did an amazing job of portraying Han Sung. As i watched i found myself liking the story and other actors as well. my favorite role was of Ban Ryu. His story development was amazing. I wish they coyld have filmed alittle more. getting more into the difficulty of Ryu's relationships. the relationship with both his father and step father. As well as his relationship woth Soho and his family.Was this review helpful to you?
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It starts somewhat weird with a strange main lead but I started enjoying it by EP 1 and then throughout the series.
Why you should watch:
1.CASTING: When are you ever going to get such a group of actors together ? The cast gelled so well together that i liked each one of them in their roles
2. Story : I really liked the historical silla dynasty recreation here along with the hidden king trope.Also,the Hwarang concept was also well used.
3. Production values: simply awesome all the way.The drama is beautiful to look at!
4. Music : The songs and instrumental tracks are superb and continue to be a mainstay for my playlists.
5. Action scenes : While not many,there were Great action sequences in the show
6. Second leads were strong : Really liked the dynamic here
7. Ending : I usually avoided saeguk dramas as they end sadly many times (case in point -Scarlet Heart Ryeo!).This was a show that really ended well.
I think the show suffered in ratings due to Defendant airing in the same slot.If not, it would have done as well as it did online.
Do give the show a chance.You will remember the time spent with the Hwarang Boys fondly!
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Should watch!!!
I really loved this show…. that is if you're like me and just straight out start ignoring the main girl crying almost all the time. At one point even I was crying because she kept on crying. Anyways it was fun, it was serious, it had so much in here and just a lot of drama which I love to see. I really recommend this to first time historical drama watchers because it gives off something at least. And not Soo-ho liking the Queen?? Oh my gosh the scandal!! hehehehehe but it was genuine like he loved her and I was shocked, I mean him liking the kings mom was what??? Unexpected!!! But why they always have to kill the characters we all love!!!! 🥲🥲🥲🥲Was this review helpful to you?
Even though the series dealt with heavy subject material the humorous portions were well done and enjoyable. It gives the audience a chance to collect its breath as the tension builds.
It may not be the best show ever written but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who asks!
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I watched it for V(Bts) but stayed for the bromance and i love it
HWARANGPRETTY BOYS
WHY NOT WATCH IT RIGHT
well well well
You might think that this drama is the carefree, cheerful, peaceful otome story about men united to serve for the Queen under the name, Hwarang. And i beg your pardon, nope it isn't carefree. Don't be fooled ladies, it prepared surprises.
These all lies into the storyline. I have to admit that the story might not as solid as i wished and my favourite characters kept getting hurt and my kokoro is hurt as well. BUT HOWEVER, you have to understand that this drama carried out what they promised!!! PRETTY BOYS.
Spare your opinions and enjoy the interactions these men have for each other. The chemistry is real people and that highlights the story and that is what you should look forward to!
In short, this is a terribly written summary by me,
2 poor boys with no identities sneaks into a "city", the main lead follows his friend into the city in search of his lost family. However, his friend meets a tragic end due to some unfortunate events and the male lead continued living under the disguise of his friend to survive in the city. THEN, SOMEHOW the male lead got caught into a drama with the royal highness THE QUEEN & THE KING. The male lead joins a group of pretty boys under the name Hwarang that serves for the King in search for answers regarding to his friend's death, The boys in Hwarang are nobles and they are prideful and are bullies (lowkey childish but it's ok, nothing serious). The male lead being male lead, charmed more drama and got caught in between this drama between the queen and the other nobles. While all of these are happening, the male lead fell in love with a girl that he shouldn't and trapped in a love triangle stituation with the King that is also in love with the girl. yes.. that's pretty much it
Conclusion: I love the chemistry and it really makes me feel warm inside u know
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Spoiler Alert
Overall the drama was pretty good. This drama consists friendship, rivalry, mystery and King Jinheung's character is portrayed superb. The love triangle between the three leads is a good but I would have really liked it if Ahro would have ended up with the king. The drama would have been a little better if the female led would not have just cried thought out the series and gained sympathy. And the last episode is a must to watch as it has really nice plot twists. The other hwarangs are superb and they really share the best friendship.Was this review helpful to you?
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Third rewatch - perceptions change.
Well, I've been holding this back for a while.The first time I watched this I was early in my Kdrama immersion and I loved it. Lots of eye candy and many quite engaging characters, some of whom I hated, some of whom I whole-heartedly rooted for. I found the acting for the most part excellent and enjoyed the simple but at times sad plot lines as well as the horrid and toxic manipulations of the powerful. Even that first viewing made me feel that most of the problem I had with this drama was centred in the tragic miscasting of the female lead. More later.
The second viewing was less satisfying but still engaging. This time the FL was even more misplaced, but I thought that the writing of her part and possibly the way she was directed sadly affected how she portrayed her character. One-dimensional, pathetic and gurny.
In this, my third viewing I find that Go Ara's role rendered it all almost unwatchable.
Please don't misconstrue this - GAR has been excellent in other roles I have seen her in, so I don't altogether blame her. She is a very skilled actress - when properly cast and directed
However I always felt that in this drama her acting was lamentably one-dimensional: she is always to some extent angry or scared or worried. Her method for conveying all these different states is centred on what I called "grumpy chin". It's almost laughable - even when she is experiencing the first stirrings of confused romantic love, she is Miss Grumpy Chin. Sometimes her chin calms down and is almost normal, but if so then her forehead becomes loomy.
Now, I think there is good reason for her character to be worried, vulnerable, scared, given her station in life, but even in the early stages of the drama when she plays a young woman about town making an unexpected success and good money by telling romantic stories for small crowds, she conveys every excitement of those romantic tales with her grumpy chin or sour forehead. When she drinks the wages that she is owed, she conveys her "relaxation" by means of her grumpy chin. Even in those warmer lighter moments with her best pal, she is Miss Grumpy Chin. She is a gifted if partially trained doctor having learned by watching her father, but invariably her interactions with every patient is dominated by Grumpy Chin and perhaps Loomy Eyebrows as well.
The character she plays - a young unmarried daughter of a one-time aristocrat - should have been married off by the age of perhaps even 13, certainly by 16, but most of her styling convinces me she is in her late 20s or even mid 30s. In fact all the young male characters should be in their late teens or early 20s and they also look much older - late 20s/ or 30s. Sadly GAR looks about twice the age she should be, and that's how she behaves too. In addition, the acting has none of the charm the character should have and mostly none of the spirit.
She spends elaborate amounts of time dawdling around being grumpy, or actively whining and weeping - she is transformed from a girl with agency and creativity to a wet rag. These more attractive characteristics do emerge later but only ever very briefly. Most of the time they are invisible, dominated by a passivity and that ever-present grump.
For me, one result is that, with the best will in the world, I fail to find any chemistry between her and the ML or 2ML. I find that deeply annoying, and a huge wasted opportunity : two of the most beautiful males on the planet, both doing a damn fine job of being sexy with a sword or a horse, and demonstrably trying to fall for her, but nearly every interaction is ...limp. Even in the context of conservative Korean standards, this is pathetic.
This is a drama sadly let down by poor directing and the pathetic miscasting of the monochrome and miserable role of A-Ro.
There are other flaws, of course, other reviewers have responded to those, and up to a point I agree at least with some of those. However, all of those weaknesses have been bearable. None has made the drama as nearly unwatchable as has poor old (and old is the right word for it) A-Ro, as caricatured by Go Ara.
My Stars/Scores are awarded mostly for every other actor or aspect of this drama - if I focussed only on the real issue here, I'd only find 2 stars at most.
Clearly she was doing what the writer/director wanted from the role. They should be shot by one of the used arrows that they wasted on Dog Bird,
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Hight recommend
I was looking for Bromance Drams Like the UT OR WOH someone recommend this drama and i am glad they did I loved most of the characters the Acting was Wonderful I fell in love with the Friendships of the boys in the Academy this series will prove people will go to ant lengths to protect there children well some of them anyway, Never judge A book by the cover this series had me Laughing outload I cried and got so Angry at certain characters I yelled at my tv I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to watch A story of friendshipWas this review helpful to you?
Camaraderie, Growth, and Fun!
I can't believe I waited so long to watch this! This is such a light and fun drama to watch with lots of camaraderie amongst boys turning into men. The journey was light but with impact. It didn't skimp on showing that while these men were roughened, they also had fun in the process and learned to build camaraderie. I truly didn't expect to be so immersed into something with politics involved. But a story written rightly can really change a persons mind and perspective. So kudos to the writers!I also appreciated that the romance wasn't the central point of the show. Yes, it did serve it's purpose, but it wasn't the main point of the show. It focused on the transformation of elite boys to toughened men, and of them learning to care, protect, and love their people and country. Of them coming out of their protective shells and being true men. It's also growth of almost all characters that was rightly done that made the story even more amazing!
Honestly, this is such a great drama to watch, a true gem!
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Obviously the cast is great and while the romance in this drama wasn‘t necessarily the most interesting to me (honestly not a huge fan of Goo Ara in this one), I really enjoyed the chemistry, dynamics and bromances between the Hwarang guys.
To me Hwarang was an enjoyable drama that was easy to watch and made me laugh. Would recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy the performance of this great cast and just have a good time.
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