Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)

Charming but Ridiculously Ridiculous

Watching the series made me feel like they were trying to fool me. It is a fantasy drama but i feel like even the creators werent taking it seriously.

Let me talk about the good things:
1. The art. The focus on artworks made me appreciate traditional Korean (and asian) paintings. I love how they showed the details and the skills it take to create these masterpieces. The painstaking strokes and technique in painting the kings portraits are absolutely stunning to watch;
2. Good, if not above average special effects;
3. The cast. Kim Yoo Jung and Ahn Hyo Seop are not particulary great but are still charming. The real revelation for me is Kwak Shi Yang, he is just captivating to watch as an antagonist.

What about the bad:
1. "Convenient" plothloles. They created story obstacles but they also created very convenient solutions - kind of like a loophole to get out of these problems. Uncontrollable demon? Lets give them a ring for it. Lost sight at the most crucial part?Lets give them a magical being to give them extra power. The family is to be publicly executed? Lets magically bring back an ailing king to put a stop to it. These situations, among others, dont feel like twists, but lazy and random resolutions to conflict.
2. Main character is blind but actually moves like he isn't, he can even ride horses for crying out loud. He puts on a mask and walks around like he's normal. Plus, he IS a stargazer, an astrological reader who can accurately predict the future by watching the stars, because why not, they think we'd believe it, even if he is blind.
3. The rudest most entitled #metoo normal girl in a korean historical drama. Like when she was to lose in the painting contest and she cries foul and asks why, like a spoiled kid in tantrum
4. They pretended that you can hear brushstrokes when somebody paints and you can tell what is being painted. Come on!
5. I feel like they wasted the chance to use the royal shaman into something better or even sinister. She was neither good nor exactly bad but I was kind of expecting her to do something grand in the final ritual, She was there to salvage her reputation and save the kingdom only to suddenly die without really doing anything.

First part of the show, specially the first episode got me hooked, however halfway through the series, i was just there just to finish it like watching a drama so you can submit a report for it. Halfway you'd realized you know where its going and everything, and i mean everything became predictable.

Will i rewatch? No. Will i recommend? Not really, there's a whole lot of other better dramas out there.

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This is a very pleasing drama with a touch of Korean mythology. For anyone who've watched Goblin before, some of the mythological entities in this drama would certainly be familiar to you such as Grandmother Samshin as well as a goblin, though they won't be the same one as with the former's depiction.

I have to say that the love story setting was a very intriguing one, not to mention the idea that one could use an enchanted portrait to seal an evil spirit that possesed a person granted that it was painted by a painter blessed by the heavens was fascinating. In a way, this reminded me of a similar idea from Joseon Exorcist (in which they used mirrors instead) as well as few other similar dramas dealing with demons and such. To which, I'm really glad that this drama was able to aired completely without having to face the issue that caused Joseon Exorcist to be cancelled.

The CGI effects and cinematography that was shown in the drama was really done well and beautifully made. The paintings and the many magical scenes involving the different deities and demons were so beautifully drawn, it was really a delight to watch the drama based on that alone. I really love how the drama depict scenes of how Cheongi's painting came to life in a very supernatural way that sets it apart from other normal paintings.

Kim Yoojung as Hong Cheongi really brought out the sweetness and innocence of the character as she strive to get people to approve of her artistic talent enough that she was later tasked to repair a portrait once painted by her father. Yoojung also brought out Cheongi's earnestness and desperation as she hoped to save Ha Ram who was possessed by the Demon.

Ahn Hyoseop on the other hand, turned out to look pretty good as a scholar who seem to be supernaturally handsome. He really did look like someone who wasn't quite from this world so it really fit his character. Considering this drama should be his first attempt at fusion sageuk, he really did well in portraying the character. Hyoseop and Yoojung really looked good together and made a very beautiful pair. As the drama tend to have a lot of focus on the eyes, you really can't help finding a strange interest in people's eyes. Especially Hyoseop and Yoojung's eyes whenever their eyes were depicted as normal or when the eyes were sightless or when it was brimming with supernatural energies.

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At times I was interested, at times I pretended to be….

That being said, I don’t really know which one dominates ...but it surely wasn’t a bad drama ...even the times I felt things were dragging it never tested my patience. And some reveals were decently good ....

The storyline in a nutshell is about a fated pair sent by heaven to seal a demon who was once god of death and now has lost it, to greed. Our fated pair needs to create a magical vessel (in the form of painting) to trap the demon and save the entire human existence (so fresh ...lol)
No but even if this sounds too cliched it’s actually an interesting one because of demons and the painting as a vessel thing ...

But being honest the cliches did get on my nerves at times (not because they are cliches)...but because they were done in that way ....at one point I literally wanted to yell ...can we actually finish picking peaches ...it’s been half an hour and you’re still not over that, dude come on we have many other things to do you gotta save the entire humanity and here you aren’t willing to get over peaches !

Also it’s somewhat frustrating at times, because we know everything our characters don't know yet, and we're pretty much just waiting for them to discover what's going on.(the first half especially ...wasted a lot of time with the setup ...and still the leads somewhat lack in terms of setup...)

The paintings were really pleasing to see ...so if you expect some artistic stuff here ...then you won’t be disappointed ...the show in the later half doesn’t have many different paintings but the first half definitely had moments where you love the episode even if the story doesn’t progress much in that episode.

Certain times even the well off storyline (which I basically love and is the sole reason I finished this) lacks logic …some things never get explained and that basically drives you nuts …(later ...for people who have watched the drama)

The CGI and cinematography .... decently good ...adds to the supernatural element when required....

The cast do a good job ...even the side characters too ( no one’s annoying and thanks a ton to the writer for that)...I have no complaints ...but ofc I have a special mention to do …
The kid playing tiger goddess ...she’s one talented rookie I’d look forward to her future projects!
And of-course the other veteran actors ...just wow !

SPOILERS…(won’t disclose any major reveal ...just some observations made throughout the show)

Shall we now have a mini rant about how the ML even after being blind notices details better than everyone (I am not saying that’s impossible but it does make for a narrative that seems too convenient ). The FL was a typically emotion driven character with a one track mind; she seems to be unaware of everything when she’s supposedly the main character (not really likable). The typical villain motive ...power(throne) ...so new, so fresh wow (later they do reveal that there’s a bit more ..but then when you have been tortured throughout the show with something like that ...you don’t really care about what more is there ..do you ? )…The SML ...the only character I am attached to ...he falls in love with (?) Guess who ?...and guess what, just because he’s not the destined one (ofc cuz the heaven’s favor ML) just because he did not meet FL in childhood ...just because he treats her well and they have great chemistry...he won’t get the girl ...suffer and die (oh wait, also be called a jerk while you are alive …) ...writer doesn’t care about you ..so please just take all your good qualities and jump in an ocean …(no better not do that cuz no one would care even if you do that...) The king he’s supposed to be a sensible one (ofc bec he’s the king)...can’t really say he acted like one. Also half the time he was just crying over spilled milk instead of doing what he was supposed to. Pretty much nothing happened in 16 eps is what you realize after wasting you time ....

As for one of the most unrealistic things happening in the show is also how SML is better with art than the whole jury panel full of oldies who all their life just worked as painters ...so damn believable, oh yeah !! (divine decryption power to see through FL’s paintings ...or is it the power of love ;) lol )

The one question I always had ,...why ML’s portrait isn’t to be used as a vessel if he’s the one possessed by the demon now ...when the grandpa king was possessed his portrait was the vessel...so now shouldn’t it be ML?


---------

But I must admit...I really like the idea of having a demon and painting as a vessel ...
And overall the show does make for a “decent mediocre drama” (that’s a compliment...no sarcasm involved) ...and just because I was looking for a mediocre show in my watchlist …I think this one was a good bet ..!!
So if you are wondering whether to or not ,then maybe you should give it a chance. with a lot of inconsistencies the show lies in maybe you can try it to see if it fits your taste zone .

Happy watching ....(if you decide to...)

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The trailer was the best part.

I was misled by the trailer into watching this. The trailer provided lots of potential of how the story could go. However, a year of waiting later....

The main characters are around their late 20's early 30's yet the actors casted to play them are babies. If production was set on casting kim you jung then they should have changed the ages of the character to suit. It a very discombobulated way of telling a story especially at the end when she has a child of around 5 years old which would make the character in her mid 30's at least. It's the same weird feeling you get at the finale of Harry Potter.

For someone who was born blind and gained sight at 8/9 years old, I'd expect that she would have the right etiquette when interacting with a blind person. Then again, the blind person is an astrologer (insert eye roll).

There were a lot of aspects that were never explained, like the role of the goblin. Was his part in the entire series was just to insert magical energy to the painter to produce a magical painting? There were so much more that could have been explored.

The script can hardly be called a script, the main actress goes around repeating "sunbeanim" like a 5 second gold fish in every episode. Plus a blind man that was apparently joseon version of daredevil.

I enjoyed Kim you jung's older works, it is unfortunate that there are very few good meaty roles for her to sink her teeth into now that she's a young adult.

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Flawed, Disappointing and forgetable

1/ STORY:
A demon living in the body of the King is trapped in a painting but it is unleashed 14 years after and Chun Ki and Ha Ram must find a way to seal it in another painting. This is the plotline and this is all what the drama is about. The writer was spinning this around for 16 episodes using various characters telling each other the story and the challenge some working to achieve it and some working against it for their personal interest. I found the drama:

- Very messy because of multiple sides fighting each other when sharing the screen time bit after bit.
- Very draggy for the first half of the drama with little developments of the plot during many episodes.
- The turnarounds were coming out of the blue with new elements added which were not logic or consistent. One thing applicable to one character was not working for another character.
- The Love story was annoying with a boring love triangle and also cringe with kisses out of the context and an annoying game of "yes but no" and then "I like you but I must sacrifice myself to protect you". Some "romantic declarations" just arrived too abruptly for me.
- Plot is repetitive. I don't remember how many time they did the painting adding new factors each time which came from nowhere.
- Some weird twist like the revelation about Ha Ram's father and the end of the revenge plot.
- Some loose ends like the character who wanted revenge and betrays her side but she just disappears.
- The ending of the big evil guy is not properly done. His arc of narration is not closed and to do this in the epilogue was wrong and the proof that the writer just mishandled the character.

2/ CHARACTERS:
- Ha Ram and Chun Ki are a nice couple and Kim Yoo Jung and Ahn Hyo Seop did their best but it was not enough to save a failing script. I liked both characters'personalities and the ending is cute.
- Evil Ha Ram: He just looked like Johnny Depp's Tonto in Lone Ranger and he became a bit ridiculous in the end.
- Prince Yang Myung was not wery sympathetic with a grandiloquent way of talking.
- Prince Joo Hyang could have been a proper villain but his arc of narration had a silly twist and we just don't know what happens between him and his brother in the end.
Many characters are superficial and do not contribute that much to the story (Hwacha, the father, old man in prison...) They just basically repeat what we have know since p1. or they appear here and there to determine a change. Characters used as comic reliefs like the two friends or the three thugs are not very funny. The spirit of the tiger was more fun than them.

3/OST:
It was ok. nothing special to remember anyway.

4/: REWATCH VALUE:
None.

5/OVERALL:
I just don't know if the original Manhwa was bad already or if the writers of the drama just completely mishandled the story and the script. Because overall the drama is a huge mess and boring. The story of the two leads is convoluted and many characters have no depth and are not endearing. I was expecting a lot from this drama but it is really a let down. I will probably forget about it very quickly and I would not recommend it. 6.5/10

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Glad I wasn't very hyped about it :3

Alike any avid Kdrama fan, I was surely looking forward to a decent drama when the final cast was announced. I didn't have high expectations from it, ngl, but U wanted it at least to be a decent drama with average ratings. However, I found it difficult to keep myself up for this after the interval, i. e. 8 episodes. I was praying hard for them to improve the quality but then, I had to fast forward from the 11th since I am bad at dropping anything; so I just finished it for my mind's closure. So I'm gonna write the minimum for this saeguk supernatural.

The saeguk is set-up in the Joseon Dynasty, during the rule of the 3rd monarch Taejong. Hong Chun Ki (Kim Yoo Jung) is the only known woman painter and has divine powers inherited from his father who was a Royal painter involved in the demon sealing ceremony that took place 28 years ago. Ha Ram (Ahn Hyo Seop) is the son of the head shaman Ha Sung Jin, who led the same ritual. Both of them have a ill-fated yet intimate relationship, established during the childhood. They're a fated pair, meant for sealing Ma Wang, the demon in a portrait that will act like a vessel and hold the evil power within. When both of them meet again as adults, their lives become complicated as they're get involved with the King, the royal family & it's power struggle and the royal court affairs; everything leading to one single event, i. e. To seal the absconding demon again in the royal portrait.

Grand Prince Yangmyung (later Moarch Sejong, the great) is played by Gong Myung and Grand Prince Joohyang is played by Kwak Si Yang, both of whom are the 2 major characters having great influence on the plot. There's a very good line up of old & seasoned actors casted for other major characters who indeed did well in their respective roles. Also, the new and less familiar ones were able to deliver a decent job with the limited screentime they're provided with. However, I am disappointed with the acting element of the drama as a whole, particularly from the main cast, who are actually experienced enough to serve appropriately but couldn't do so for most parts, and rather offered an underwhelming performance.

UTTER DISGUSTING thing about this drama was the kise between the 2 kids who played the younger version of Ha Ram and Chun Gi, the ML and FL. I mean it is a saeguk that runs in the medieval world and irl, such things could have been a thing but brooooo, this is a fu*king TV show, how dare you make 2 kids kiss. I mean it could have been fine if you had shown in subtly, indicating they were kissing but what's with directly showing it? Are you even sane? I wonder why no one is talking about it.

Plot development is something that's unworthy of mentioning for this drama. Except for the basic plotline for the lead couple involving the demon, the gods and the entire thing about sealing demon, I couldn't count on the script screeplay accompanying it. That was just very stupid; in fact very interesting to make someone give up without any second thought. Sometimes it becomes slow and sometimes becomes rushed. The writing is awfully inconsistent throughout the series though manageable till the 6th or 7th episode, just because of the emphasis put on art, painting and artists through the competition held to choose skillful painters for Gohwan. There are not 1 or 2 but uncountable number of plot holes in the drama, which makes the viewer confused and the way many things were left unanswered and some other popped out of nowhere, I don't know how to describe that without spoiling.

Not sure about the original novel and it's play but the screenwriter for the drama has made obvious about her lack of experience very thoroughly. Can't help but rant about how shoddy the entire script has, despite a decent basic plotline.

Even that wasn't enough, the script was unreasonably dragged post the interval with the addition of many unnecessary side plotlines and use of needless elements like dates, romance, love triangle, toxic relationship practises. The way they were represented was even very unrealistic for a saeguk. The lead couples childhood connection was revealed as soon as in the 4th episode and from the next episode they start dating wtf. It could have been a 12 episode drama but for that one forthcoming goal, the way did they drag really seemed pathetic to me. It goes smooth till the 6th episode, then 7th & 8th becomes super slow and again 9th & 10th are suddenly rushed, as if they want to end the drama in next 10mins, lmao. That's where I lost whatever lil interest I had left abd started fast forwarding at 2x.

The characters, both main & supporting, and their nature are another problem of this drama, which again is a fault of the jakka. Firstlyz they were inappropriately shaped, even for a supernatural fantasy and medieval historical. And then there was no improvement and development for them, which could have at least compensated in the later half. Both Ha Ram and Chun Gi, couldn't become the potential lead duo who could carry the show; the inconsistency is the major issue here. Grand Prince Yangmyung as the 2nd ML didn't seem to have an essence and major contribution for the entire event. The minor characters casting good actors went into waste because of unsuitable and little screentime they got. The character arcs are simply not prominently drawn for a drama of such genre with lame development, leaving no door open for any improvement.

What else could have made up for the poor writing? Direction! Yes, but look at them failing at that too. Surprisingly Jang Tae Yoo PDnim is not a rookie with less experience, rather has a record of directing a number of good script in years but I wonder what went wrong. He could have directed scenarios well at least to yield satisfactory outcomes but it felt like he was entirely inattentive. The main cast is good but still youngsters who could have done decent jobs upon appropriate guidance, which the PD failed to provide. Again, the screenplay management is of low-grade quality, the pacing is either very slow or very fast, with plenty of plotholes. Editing is kinda fine I guess; since OSTs are pretty good, their use plus the sound production with background scores were good enough to give off the suitable vibes at respective events.

2 thing that intrigued me when I had started the drama and made me go on with it were the emphasis on medieval Korean painting and the supernatural plotline. As someone attracted towards different forms of art, I thought this is a unique approach in a Korean saeguk, which was true to some extent. Then, the supernatural plot based on Korean folk beliefs was a pretty interesting investment. The portrayal of Sam Shin and Ma Wang fight over years, the fate decided for the leads and the editings meant for showcase was actually nice for first few episodes and also in the last 3 episodes (only the ritual parts I repeat haha). I liked how Sam Shin was intervening at necessary places and guiding them to their purposes of life. But well, I am disappointed the drama went down hill just like that.

I think I have ranted enough so now let me sum up everything. Overally, "Lovers of the Red Sky" isn't even par the average quality drama. It's a trash which can also be described as ridiculous, boring, uninteresting, exaggerated, shoddy, etc. etc. It's completely shitted on unanimously by the cast & the crew. It's not even worth the one time watch so if you're planning to start it, please drop it in your 'use me' box and move ahead with something else.

OKAY BYE

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Different Than Expected but Not Bad

Lovers of the Red Sky was a drama I was anticipating since I heard about it and I can't say it lived up to the trailers but I still consider it a good drama overall!

Story:
- LotRS started off really strong! I loved all the episodes until the middle of the series. My excitement waned as the weeks went by but I still wanted to watch.
-The plot became kinda stagnant mid-series & I think part of it has to do with the majority of the story being told in the 1st episode. I actually liked the fact they did that until I realized there was nothing really left for the viewers to find out... we basically watched them find everything out which got boring, especially when it seemed like the characters should have known more at certain points.
- There's things revealed that the watchers don't know but it's minimal compared to how much we already know.
- The chemistry between KYJ & AHS was low-key wasted because the romantic moments between them were minimal. I wish I could have seen more of them in love and not fighting for their lives/ worrying about other things every second they were together lol. With that said, the last episode made me really happy in regards to them <3

Acting:
- The acting was good... KYJ overacted a bit, AHS seemed like he wasn't blind at times, GM (3rd prince) was kind of stiff to me (lack of a better word) but overall I commend all of the actors for the work they put in this project and I can't wait to watch them in the future! *I think the writing kind of takes fault here and the show's flaws overall*
P.S. The children actors were AMAZING!!!! <3

Music: The entire OST was beautiful, I think my favorites have to be When Your Tears Wet My Eyes by Ailee and A Long Sleep by M.C. the Max.

Rewatch Value: I don’t rewatch shows but if I did I might go back and watch the main leads moments

Overall, this is a decent drama, I was just expecting more. I think the writing takes the most fault in this drama but the premise and ending make up for the lagging middle to me. I think it's worth trying to see if you'll like it! If you're a fan of either of the main leads I recommend you try it :)

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A must see. The creative design is amazing

Ive been waiting for this drama for quite awhile since seeing the ad and WOW one of the Best drama of the year for me and ive seen quite alot. I was beyond amazed for 1hr the detail given about the story & characters portrayed by an unbelievable cast of top actors young or old. The details that were put toward the location, set design, graphics & outfits esp Mawang and the aura A++they didnt skimp. I won't lie some spoilers, but only in story set up details.
The storyline is about 3 gods who merged together as 1 : The god of childbirth- Sam shin, The god of balance and The god of dealth- Ma wang. After years of peace Ma wang decided he needed more blood shed so he devoured balanced and when he started to cause chaos Sam shin separated from him. Ma Wang convinced the king to accept him and for years caused alot of death/blood shee. The king realized that ma wang was getting to powerful to control so he made his son sung ju the emporer. The portrait of the king has to be painted by the devine painter Hong euh ho & Kan yoo gook while the Taoist(Ha sung jin) uses his power to put Ma wang into the picture with Sam shin help. Upon entering he curses the land with drought/famine, the descendent of the painter to not see & the taoist a dark world. Elsewhere at the same time both of there wives give birth, but cheungi mom pray to sam shin to protect her then dies. She picks up Cheun gi who's born blind & will grow up a painter and a boy Ha ran will have power to forsee and together they will conquer all. Now 9yrs later the shaman learns ha ran has the power of water & can end the drought. On the way to the palace the children meet each other thru their fathers while walking they meet a grandma who puts a butterfly ornament in his hand & says "you'll need this for tomorrow"as it appears on his neck. The next day the CP Yi kang(1st son) arrives & greets his brothers: #2-JooHyang #3-Yang myeong as #2 storms away mad he thinks he should be CP. So #3 takes him to see the king portraits you hear whisper and #2 ignors the warning and open the doors while staring he takes the candle & kicks #3 as he looks closer he sets the picture on fire & wakes mawang who jumps into his body & rejected leaving apainful scar then says where is it and leaves. As he approaches Ha ran we see the butterfly luminate and circles him, but the shaman goes against the emporers order and uses ha ram as a living sacrifice. As lightening hits hes thrown into the water at the same time cheun gi also falls in & as both are drowning Mawang enter Haran ad the butterfly awakes and mawang said "did you lure me here" and Sam shin says "Yes, I will borrow your eyes were your power is" and locks him deep inside Haran as he is powerless until his eyes are returned. Then Sam shin entrust his eyes temporarily to cheun gi and tells her she is destined to build the vessel of destiny. Then cheun gi awakes where she was born and can see, but Ha ran floated out of the water & awakes blind. The King arrested the shaman for going against his ruling as she convinces him he needs the boy. Then we hear "when you two intertwine in the future everything will find its place" The king orders Haran to enter the palace as his astronomers after his parents are killed. Now 19 Years later Eun oh still suffer memory loss after painting the king and so cheung gi paints forgeries for money. She learns that the medication is fake and has the 3 guys arrested then she meets Sam shin again who tells her she'll ride in palanquin and all will change. They get out jail and seek revenge while chasing her she jumps into Ha ran Palanquin. There ride is bumpy and she tells him his eyes are beautiful like red jaspers(i agree) but when she nears his memory shows us pieces of her. We see the butterfly turning black as he kicks her out the pain of his changing then all of a sudden "BOOM" MaWang breakouts in search for for his eyes. After this each episode gets better as it evolves with such detail and the story line start to unveil. #2 plans to accept Mawang while Ha ran is secretly planning to enact his revenge on royal family while he's protecting her. She's painting the Emporer picture in order to remove the demon from him. The next couple of episodes are #2 planning with the shaman to take over as next king after excepting mawang. She gets the portrait done so the shaman & #2 move the date up for his Acceptance and all is well until the portrait was torn apart by mawang & put back in haram. So now #2 is even crazier over this when he overheard his father say that #3 will be the CP. So they argue and king Collapsed into coma and #2 makes himself the CP and starts to threaten to kill everyone around cheung gi if she dont paint
Then suddenly the Hwacha appear stating she needs him to finalize the devine painting and she can only paint on that day she agrees. Now its time to send mawang back into the picture and at what cost.
Please Excuse spelling issue due to different subbers.
PS: I watched on Dramacool and found the graphics to be amazing especially ep 16, where someone said its un edited and so i watch and just didnt have all Ma wang/Haram/Cheung gi side effects

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Started off with a kick, only to end flat

Woah what to say about this? I have no clue, as I have just finished watching the last episode and am at a loss of words for this. And although usually that can happen because the drama was that good that drives one speechless, this one was not the case.

Lovers of the Red Sky had plenty of reasons to be a good hit. A phenomenal and seasoned cast, pretty awesome CGI effects, and partially an interesting premisse for a plot, although slightly cliché with the star-crossed lovers theme and well curses and fantasy of Joseon historical dramas. Still, we had a few expectations towards this, given the main leads and cast.

To bad it didn't last long. The first couple of episodes were good, despite the storyline of the whole we know each other in our childhood plotline being the same as ever, and tragic events that lead them to be apart, it is still endurable to watch. Even though the whole story being centered about the sealing of the Demon, there is still something missing within the middle of the series and towards the end. Something not even I can fully explain, it just does. It drags and drags, until the final episode.

The secrets and schemes are easily spilled and presented to the viewers creating no chance for any theories, we just see the clueless characters being havoc with something we ourselves already know. It looses the essence, the magic and surprise effect the drama could uphold with a few couple of plot twists that never happen. And the ones that do, are too predictable or simply not interesting enough besides aiding to the angsty plot they are trying to sell throughout these 16 episodes here.

It's a mess with good CGI effects and a few beautiful paintings.
If you are into art like me then the art and the way they painted and made paints in the drama will be far more interesting than the whole plot of the obsessed Demon with his eyes, and the whole Ritual that is bound to happen, but takes a lifetime, a few ruined paintings, some misunderstandings, two bystander Deities and well 16 episodes to finally take place.

This clearly shows us the lesson of the whole, 'why save everything for the last 10 minutes' when you could have made in 12 episodes instead... That useless time skip only to offer a sort of "Happy Ending" with a 'strange miracle' that no one will ever get how it happened... And btw for a King who complained of not having much time to live, years later and he still kicking. The ending with the two angry Princes? Again for someone who complained to not have time, the older Prince is still stronger than ever... (mind that shaving while locked down was probably a given, because years later and he still looks dandy.)

Who dies? Who lives?
So many answers that were left unsaid.
Well besides me - and any other viewer, - dying of boredom.
Not sure about the rest that was left in thin air...
Plot holes, plot holes EVERYWHERE.

Don't get me wrong.
It's not that I did not want a happy ending here or don't like them per se. But there's a "little" thing called cohesive storyline and this drama had a twine of that instead. If this was compared to a lifeline support, it was erratic for its inconsistencies and fell flat from the middle towards the end.

Died faster than the King if I may say.
Ghosted us better than the Crown Prince too.

So, how come I, - like most people who are sharing their disappointment - did not drop this drama?
How come was I able to stay until the very end? And endure this historical train wreck for 2 months?
Well, besides the cast doing their roles the best they could, we could say the OST did a good and pleasant job. And perhaps my sheer curiosity made me hope for a better outcome than the one it had. With one more episode, one more week until today.

It's not surprising that drama endings are mostly a huge disappointment. This is not a first, and will certainly not be the last. After all we all created great expectations and have different opinions and likes, so in order to not be disgruntled about it, the best we could do is to not expect that everything will go smoothly. It's easier said than done, because we are bound to make the same mistake by another synopsis and good premisse, let 'Lovers of the Red Sky' be a good example for that.

In terms of cinematography it was somehow enjoyable in some given points. I also liked the color pallet in general here, from the pastel colors of their childhood and the fact that her "blind eyes" were pale green, to the darker shades as the plot sort of "intensified" (well they tried to), and the detail that his "blind eyes" were pale red.

The "sacrifices" were either pointless or with bad timings. And the fillers were endless.
Good luck for those of you starting of this drama, it's not bad. Believe me there is worse than this.
But if you're easily peeved by unresolved situations or characters, or by everything happening last minute despite going on and off about if for most part of the story, then this drama is not for you.

Still, do not create expectations.
Give it a go. If you don't like it, then drop it.
Don't be dumb like me, don't be sadistic like most of us.
We lost 2 months of our precious time so we could save you all xD

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Bluer than Red

Story: interesting just lacked any depth or good storyline editor.
Acting: FL was the least developed, insipid cryer, and uninteresting character. Other character were mediocre at best.
Music: alright
Overall: started as interesting premise, nice. Evolved into a basket of blue cry rags stretched out 16ep. FL overacted or decided she liked being blue. Over half of drama was unnecessary, reconstituted into 3eps.or simply ended.
Finished only to see if the comments were correct. Yeppers, they’re correct. Like the writers ran out of story but long on $.
RW: please No!

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Started off fine. Completely ruined by craptastic writing, mediocre characters and acting

I was looking forward to this drama - not with super high expectations - but as the teasers looked pretty and it was positioned as an empower female lead sort of drama, I was curious. It started off fine, for the first 5-6 eps. I wasn't hooked at all but still curious as to what could happen. I could overlook the amateur CGI stuff and the lame makeup/wig that mawang wore. That curiosity died in ep 8 though I carried on to 11 to see if there were surprises.

But this turns out to be literally one of the worst, if not THE worst drama I've seen in awhile. In a world with constant competition with streaming, Netflix etc, audiences are spoilt for choice. Studios/broadcasters are now tasked with putting out high quality content. So I'm surprised to see such a mediocre drama/writing being greenlighted by SBS. But well, looking at the comments on the page, I guess there's always an audience for such shows. People who aren't into very deep analysis of their dramas and are only watching to stan the "pretty" and ship people who have non-existent chemistry together :)

ANYHOO onto my thoughts proper:

1. Nothing makes sense in this drama. What was this writer even thinking? There are several different themes/threads running at the same time. Yet nothing was properly explained.

2. There isn't much progression each week with the audience being told the same things repeatedly with nothing being resolved. How on earth are characters talking about the same things that the audience already knew from eps ago?

3. No character arcs/growth. I actually wonder why any of the main 4 actors took this drama. Plot is a mess, but the character arcs for each were bad as well. Like Kim Yoo Jung’s HCG only existed to simp after Haram and paint and act like a silly Joseon candy. What female empowerment? Yet she had 2 guys simping after her - ridiculous. Gong Myung’s character was straight up annoying. And Kwak Siyang (criminally underused actor)’s villian was just a one-note dude that didn’t appear much anyway. Haram is - well, more on him later.

4. Very little chemistry amongst the cast and between the leads. I wonder if this is also due to the writing. cos I thought AHS and KYJ had some semblance of chemistry in the initial eps, but it disappeared suddenly. BTS – everyone seems awkward with each other, esp AHS who looked like so uncomfortable n awkward around KYJ lol. Yet ppl were stanning for this non-existent "chemistry". With these sort of standards, I probably have chemistry with my furniture too.

5. Really basic dialogue between characters. Dialogue is a tool to let the audience learn more about the characters themselves, to reveal thoughts, motivations etc and to give a sense of the dynamics between characters. But you have characters instead repeating things the audience already knows about and saying the most inane things which didn’t move the plot forward

6. Acting. None of the main 4 could elevate their acting above the bad writing. All the characters were one note, though I felt that Haram – if given to a different actor – could have been more complex, more nuanced and layered and more emotional.

6a. And I've never thought AHS to be a good actor, why is he being given lead roles? Just cause he's tall and "handsome"? SK loves giving roles to tall/"handsome" men who can't act and he's one of a dozen. He has no chemistry with ppl he acts with, always seems aloof, no emotional connection with his cast-mates in scenes and behind the scenes, no emotional connection with the audience - I never feel anything for his characters in all his dramas I've seen. He's so bad here! He just had the same usual facial expressions and rarely emoted. Come on, are blind people expressionless and stiff just cos they can't see?? PLUS it really bothered me whenever he seemed to know who/what to look at. Isn’t Haram blind as a bat?! Yet he could ride horses, fight with people (whilst looking at them etc). What even. This became blindingly obvious in the later eps. Also, I feel like I’ve not seen KYJ in a good role since MLDWC. Her saguek roles all seem to be the same. I used to like her as an actress in her younger days but her poor script/role choices are coming across like she's not got the acting range ppl think she does.

7. Too many flashbacks. This is the epitome of absolutely lazy writing and shows that the writer doesn't know what to do with the plot anymore except to insert a flashback. The worst was that peach picking flashback. Which another reviewer here termed it peachback 😂 saw it 6.1 million types as a very futile attempt by the production team to sell us their utterly unromantic non-existent romance.

<---- Spoiler below --- >
8. Romance. The non-existent romance. Lol. So.. 2 kids met each other ONCE x years ago, kissed (uhh), picked peaches ONCE and suddenly they are pining for each other for yearsssss on end. This DOES NOT happen in reality. And when they meet we are told it is supposed to be epic but like we got this dry ass romance in their adult years lol. Unrealistic childhood love trope needs to diee in k-dramas. At least getting them to meet and get to know each other all over again in adulthood would have made more sense. Also they kissed once suddenly in ep 6 - based off a memory - and then he pushed her away - like whattt? We are constantly told by the production they have this beeee-aauuuu-tifulll romance but we barely see any interactions, let alone romantic interactions between the leads. When they do interact, there are no feelings and they look like they strangers. HCG was also willing to put her life on a line for this dude and he suddenly gives her rings n tells her he loves her. LOL. Based off what dude? AHS & KYJ also have no chemistry so combined with their paltry "romantic" scenes tog, we got this non-existent love story. And yet people are stanning for this. lol.

Just utterly boring and what a let-down from the aesthetically pleasing teasers. It's no wonder SBS never bothered promoting the cast or this show. They probably saw everything that went down and was like yeah, this sucks LOL. The only redeeming thing was the OST which were beautiful.

Don't recommend re-watching or even watching this. Not even to my enemies.

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