Brilliant potential, if only … but still worth watching overall. Great minister characters.

To give a general sense of this drama, I would describe it as something that falls between Six Flying Dragons and Empress Ki in terms of tone, themes, characters, and storylines. It had a strong start, and I absolutely loved the politics in the early episodes, but as it went on, there were aspects that began to lessen my enjoyment considerably. I do think there were elements that were great throughout, but this drama didn’t fully live up to the potential it had.

Perhaps the best thing about this drama is the way it re-explores the themes that dominate sageuk politics. There are a couple normative principles that generally underlie the hero-villain dichotomy of the vast majority of sageuks. 1) Strengthening royal authority is good. 2) Revenge is a justifiable motive. (The former is more deeply enshrined than the latter.) This drama throws both into question. So while the initial set-up might seem like a standard plot in which a weak monarch fights back against a minister whose power eclipses that of the throne, this is not necessarily the stereotypical storyline you’ve seen many times before. Despite some major shortcomings in the plot of the second half (more on that later), I’d still say it’s one of the better political historical dramas I’ve seen for the parts it did well and for the way it casts a familiar subject in a different light. I also enjoyed the fact that, while it is not recounting any true historical events, it is more authentic to the period than many historical dramas.

Another major positive point is that all the characters, including the supporting characters, have their own unique motivations. This drama isn’t populated by cardboard cutouts who are scheming just because. So there’s really a good cast of varied and interesting characters in this drama. Some of the characters are virtuous and dutiful idealists. Some are ruthless pragmatists. Some would sacrifice anything for their principles. Some want power for the sake of power. Some see power as a means to an end. Some want to do the right thing, but are concerned with their family first and foremost. Some don’t care much about politics at all and are entirely motivated by their personal relationships. Some seem righteous, then ultimately flinch, while others manage to stay the course. There are individuals possessed of unfailing loyalty, as well as those that switch sides multiple times. Characters who are in over their heads. Characters who maintain their calm in every situation. People who are abide by custom rigidly. People who will bend custom, but not break it. And people who are willing to throw custom right out the window. I could probably go on … Shout out to the Minister of War, Park Gye Won’s wife, and Park Gye Won’s son — my favorites among the supporting characters.

As for the leads … I found Lee Tae quite compelling in the early episodes, but by the halfway point, I was starting to feel that his characterization was rather all-over-the-place. I wasn’t sure if he was suddenly acting out-of-character, underwent sudden character development, or what, but whatever it was, I lost most of my investment in the character. I was able to predict where the character’s arc was headed, so it’s not as if what the drama was doing with the character was completely incoherent, and I actually think it was a great idea; the execution just needed to be improved significantly (see points 1 and 2 of my second to last paragraph). I think Jang Hyuk stole the show. Compelling character. Compelling actor. I won’t say too much, because I think uncovering the layers of the character was one of the enjoyable aspects of the drama. I liked the female lead overall, and although Kang Han Na’s portrayal did not make as strong an impression as Jang Hyuk’s on me, I thought she was good. I will say that although the female lead had a number of qualities I admired (she’s committed to her principles and devoted to those she cares for), I didn’t necessarily find myself rooting for her. I think this is partly because, unlike the two male leads, she doesn’t have clear political ambitions to get behind and partly because the drama sometimes failed to portray her internal thoughts and emotions sufficiently clearly or give her relationships enough weight (I place the blame on the drama’s storytelling more than the actress).

I wouldn’t really recommend this if you’re looking for a romance. It’s primarily focused on the politics. I do think the romance in the drama is interesting in the sense that it isn’t predetermined that the characters will make their relationship their top priority, as is the case with most dramas, but I can’t say I was ever deeply invested in the relationship. This isn’t a drama where you get to watch the characters fall in love, and though I could still understand the connection, I began having issues with how the drama portrayed Lee Tae, and it’s hard for me to get behind a couple, if I don’t care much about one half of the pairing.

Although there was drum instrumental that I sometimes found to be a bit over-the-top as well as some blatantly anachronistic Beethoven compositions, I enjoyed the soundtrack, especially the instrumental music. It’s more on the minimalist side, in accordance with current trends. I definitely think it added to the atmosphere and gravitas of certain scenes. Every visual element of this drama (cinematography, scenery, costumes, props, etc.) was gorgeous. On the whole, it’s a well-made drama with well-directed scenes, convincing performances, and great production.

I think there were really four primary issues with this drama, which unfortunately detracted from its quality significantly. 1) The drama favors dramatic reveals over allowing the viewer to follow the characters as they make important decisions and execute their plans. This was one of my initial little complaints early on, but it became particularly egregious in the second half. The writer seemed to think this made for exciting twists, but really it just robbed the viewer of the ability to relate to, understand, or get behind the characters while the action was happening; instead we got to hear about it after-the-fact. Plus, the reveals felt rather cheap; it would have been more exciting to be held in suspense, knowing what the plan was and wondering whether it would play out or be foiled by the characters’ opponents, or perhaps even questioning who we want to root for. 2) A couple major characters (Lee Tae and the Queen Dowager) have very bizarre character development. I think if the drama had been longer, they perhaps could have made this feel more natural with some proper build-up, but with what we got … some of it felt very out of left field. And in one case, it seemed like they were developing Lee Tae in one direction (very suddenly and not very convincingly, but still) only to totally drop that as if it never happened. 3) There is one plot arc in the second half that is just poorly written. Some of the issues are related to the former two points, but it’s also just a real drop in the quality of the politics, where suddenly everything (including the way certain characters are behaving) is very “convenient,” and if you stop to think, it doesn’t make much sense. It was quite a disappointment, since I initially loved the drama’s politics, and suddenly I just couldn’t take it seriously. 4) This drama probably should have been longer. I think certain developments in the storyline and characters could have been done more believably or given more weight if they happened less rapidly. I also think it could have helped to increase my degree of investment in characters or relationships, assuming they used the extra runtime well.

This drama had so many great things going for it, which almost makes me more upset about the aspects that were done poorly. Still, although it’s really too bad this drama didn’t live up the great potential it had, I would generally recommend it, since it was a largely enjoyable watching experience for me, and because it’s worth watching for the way it deviates from the standard idealistic Joseon prince/king storylines. In any case, I don’t think I’ve seen a drama with such good minister characters since Six Flying Dragons.

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A portrait of Joseon scholar Jeong Yak Jeon that is both affecting and thought-provoking

This may be my favorite of the films I’ve seen from director Lee Joon Ik. It is based on the writings of Jeong Yak Jeon, a scholar who was exiled to Heuksando during the Sinyu Persecution in 1801, where he wrote the Jasaneobo (The Book of Fish). His story is told alongside that of Chang Dae, a fisherman whose knowledge of fish and marine life helped Jeong Yak Jeon to write his book. Most of Chang Dae’s story as presented in the film is fictional, but Jeong Yak Jeon did make multiple mentions of him in his work. The juxtaposition of the two characters and the growth of their relationship over many years is the core of the story told here.

At first this seemed to be a serene, serious, and slow-paced introspective film. Then as it went on it became more light-hearted. I found that the characters were surprisingly charming and it actually felt rather wholesome. At least until it shifted to a darker tone, before finally ending on an emotional note. The journey through the different phases of the story didn’t feel jarring as the transition was gradual and natural. Towards the end, I did come to feel nostalgic for the earlier parts of the film, which I think was the response it intended to evoke.

The film offers in intriguing peek into the intellectual atmosphere of late Joseon: Catholics persecuted, in part because the religion threatens fundamental Confucian practices, ideological conflict between Eastern learning (donghak) and Western learning (seohak). This story is really built on contrasts. An erudite scholar of high-birth, who had once occupied lofty government post, must find a place for himself in a rural peasant village, and he comes to find inspiration in the mundane knowledge of a common fisherman. Chang Dae struggles to find the same value that Jeong Yak Jeon does in practical learning and the marine knowledge that he has always taken for granted, aspiring instead to attain the philosophical truths gleaned from a traditional education in the Classics. He’s idealistic and perhaps does not have the sophistication to understand the nuances and wisdom of Jeong Yak Jeon’s more complex, even seemingly-contradictory, beliefs. The film both portrays the ideal of the Neo-Confucian scholar, their beliefs, their art, etc. as well as the reality of Neo-Confucian Joseon, while also touching on broader themes, like the value of different kinds of learning and how learning can shape one’s beliefs over time. I think Kim Se Gyum deserves praise for composing a screenplay that coveys so many ideas without feeling overly-didactic.

One other little touch I appreciated was the use of poetry to communicate the emotional states of both Jeong Yak Jeon and his brother, Jeong Yak Yong. Not only is the accurate to how Confucian elites expressed themselves, but I felt it also added to the atmosphere and beauty of the film.

Sul Kyung Gu and Byun Yo Han both gave excellent performances. They fully embodied the personalities and complexities of the characters, and really made me feel for them at times.

This film was shot in black and white, which perhaps was intended to create an ink-on-paper aesthetic to match the themes of scholarship and writing. Although I don’t know that there was any reason it absolutely needed to be in black and white, I really appreciate that they made that choice. The majority of the story takes place on an island, but ocean scenery isn’t the point, and removing the color lent a simplicity to the visuals that allowed the cinematography (Lee Eui Tae) to find a perfect balance. There were many beautiful shots, but it avoids the overstimulation of colorful landscapes. I found it relaxing to watch and visuals never distracted from the true focus of the film, the intellectual portrait of Jeong Yak Jeon. The music (Bang Jun Suk) wasn’t memorable. I hardly noticed it to be honest.

Overall, I think this film was successful in portraying the characters in a way that made me care for them, while also exploring thematic ideas related to the intellectual atmosphere of the time. Well worth the watch, especially if you have an interest in history, scholarship, or have enjoyed previous Lee Joon Ik films, like The King and the Clown or The Throne.

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The best Joseon romance of recent years

Among the current sageuk offerings, dominated by the fluffy romantic comedy fusion sageuk trend, The Red Sleeve is a drama that shares certain elements found in such sageuks, but is truly a melodrama rather than a comedy, and thus, despite some light-heartedness in the early episodes, has a predominantly serious tone. To those tiring of the fluffy trend, The Red Sleeve may prove a welcome respite that offers some of the gravitas of a more classic sageuk, yet it is also enough in the realm of the romance-focused, youth-oriented sageuk that it will likely appeal to those who are fans of the rom com in period dress genre. It is not likely, however, to satisfy fans of political sageuks, as this is a drama primarily concerned with its romance.

Lee Jun Ho’s portrayal of Yi San was truly excellent. This was quite a nuanced and multifaceted character, and I found him compelling in all aspects. Though this character is certainly an idealistic, intelligent, and benevolent man, who has a strong sense of duty regarding his role as a ruler, he is not the sort of adorable, fluffy Joseon royal I have seen in many sageuks of late. There is a real edge to this character that at times borders on genuinely scary. Lee Jun Ho succeeds in both bringing some sweetness and charm to his character as a besotted lover as well as imbuing his portrayal with enough power, command, and charisma to be a convincing ruler. He made me feel this character’s pain acutely, whether that was heartbreak or the suffering of a traumatic family situation. And he had a superb intensity in some of the romantic scenes, conveying to the viewer a very palpable sense of his attraction.

I liked Lee Se Young as Seong Deok Im. I think her mannerisms and bearing are well-suited to this sort of period piece in a court setting. However, compared to the male lead, both she and her character left somewhat less of an impression. This is not to say she was bad in anyway. I definitely thought she was good, just less of a stand out. I did have some trouble getting a sense of this character at first, in part due to not immediately realizing that when Lee Se Young was initially introduced, she was playing a 15-year-old. (The male lead was also only 16, but his character was significantly more mature, thus his behavior felt less mismatched to the actor’s age.) The character does mature, though her core traits remain the same. (I think both actors did a good job and subtly aging up their characters over the course of the drama.) She is bold, principled, and strong-willed. At times her behavior is not really congruent with what I would expect from a Joseon court lady. The drama finds a balance between making these aspects completely anachronistic and unbelievable and making it seem somewhat plausible in her specific circumstances (e.g. her young age at the beginning, leeway afforded her due to Yi San’s favor).

The second male lead is an interesting character, though perhaps not a very likable one. However, I felt he was somewhat underutilized. I think they could have done more to show the viewer the bond between him and the male lead, and it seems we may have lost some of his character development in a time-skip. Although Kang Hoon’s performance did not particularly stand out to me, I have no complaints regarding his portrayal.

Along with Lee Jun Ho’s Yi San, the Lee Deok Hwa’s Yeongjo was the performance that had the most impact on me. This character had a duality, sometimes a kind, grandfatherly old man, sometimes a dangerous ruler prone to bouts of rage and suspicion. The gravitas Lee Deok Hwa brought to certain scenes and the relationship between grandfather and grandson was one of the most engaging aspects of this drama’s early episodes.

Regarding the story, it has earned a place on my list of favorite historical romances. The romance does start off with some rather standard tropes, but it’s a well-executed version with a lot of charm. As the relationship developed, I felt that it began to differentiate itself from the tropes and offered up incredible chemistry as well as some truly memorable scenes. My emotions definitely became caught up in this relationship, as it succeeded being both heart-fluttering and heart-wenching. This drama really put me through a lot, but I take that to mean that it was very successful in drawing me into the story.

That being said, this romance might not be to everyone’s taste. Firstly, despite the more light-hearted tone at the start, overall, I would describe the drama as “nearly continuously angsty.” I’m a sucker for the emotional torture, but for those looking for smooth-sailing, happy romances with minimal pain or conflict, this is not the place to look. Even the happy moments sometimes have a bittersweet tinge. A second point of potential discomfort for certain viewers is that there is a very large difference in status between the leads. Although the male lead often treats the female lead as more of an equal than their respective statuses would dictate, he does not necessarily view her as one and is not entirely above using his power over her. This is a dynamic many period romances tend to ignore, as it isn’t congruent with contemporary relationship ideals. Personally, I think the way this drama walked the line of not being too offensive for a contemporary viewer while also not entirely disregarding the power imbalance between a ruler and a court lady is one of this drama’s selling points and something fundamental to the themes it examines. Perhaps for some, though, it would cross the line. The third and final point is potentially a bit spoilerly, depending on what you consider a spoiler, so skip to the next paragraph if you’d like to avoid. Although it is up to interpretation, I think this is, to a certain extent, a story of a one-sided love, which is not to say it’s entirely unrequited, but I’m not sure the degree of feeling was equal on both ends. I think this is something interesting to explore, but it makes this relationship less idealized than the standard romance offering. If you're looking for a "perfect" couple, this isn't really it, but I think the story is better for that.

Now for the aspects of the drama that I felt were weaker … At the beginning, I thought the politics had some potential. They were not the main focus, but things were gradually developing in the background, and doing so in a way that seemed well-paced and well-conceived, if pretty standard. But at some point the plot just became something of a mess. It spices things up with intrigue that, to me, felt unnecessarily over-the-top, and yet it pretty much skips over major events that I kinda felt like we should have seen. There definitely were moments of true suspense and excitement, but also parts that completely lacked any impact, because we weren’t given proper development (or shown them at all). These aspects surely would have been better had they just followed the history. Truthfully, I think this drama was essentially using the politics to create situations of character conflict, with little regard for the merits of the plot points themselves or the overall trajectory of that story aspect. It also seemed averse to introducing any plot line where the female lead could not somehow be inserted into the political maneuverings, despite her lack of status and power (a choice which seems somewhat contradictory to the drama's larger theme of how little agency Joseon palace women were afforded). I can accept this, as I knew from the beginning that this was primarily a romance, not a political epic, but it does somewhat lessen my regard for the quality of the drama’s overall execution. I would have preferred it to simply avoid dealing with politics, rather than give them some focus, but not enough to do it right. Still, it certainly didn’t stop me from obsessing over the main couple and anxiously waiting for the next episodes. If you’re looking for a romantic drama, rest assured, this one will not bore you with lots of scenes of old men discussing tax policies. I also think there was some lack of clarity regarding the timeline. It is not always easy to tell how quickly time is going by and at one point I realized that many more years must have passed than it had felt like when watching the drama. Since this drama covered such a long period of time (pretty much the entirety of the lead characters’ lives), I think it probably could have been longer.

It was definitely a visually appealing drama with beautiful costumes and lovely cinematography. The composition of certain shots was quite striking. Although the soundtrack did not leave a profound impression on me, there were scenes I felt were very much enhanced by the music choices, and I don’t remember any point at which I felt the soundtrack didn’t fit.

This is a drama that had some outstanding moments where all the elements came together to create a breathtaking tension that kept me completely captivated. What happened between those scenes is starting to blur together a bit for me, perhaps because some of the conflicts could be repetitive. Still overall, this is not a drama I will forget anytime soon. Despite its flaws, it was entirely successful in bringing across the emotions and making me invested in the romance. Moreover, Lee Jun Ho’s Yi San is now my standard for idealistic Joseon royal males that all future depictions of this character type will have to live up to or be somewhat of a disappointment. I definitely recommend to fans of historical melodramas.

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An evocative and powerful contemplation of war, honor, pragmatism, and defeat

"When the winter is over, the dandelions will bloom."

This is my personal favorite Korean film and I consider this to be one of the best films I’ve seen from any country. I admit it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s long and it’s not some Hollywood-esque war movie full of action and heroics. It’s a rather quiet and understated look at people in a dire situation being forced to choose between honor and pragmatism and come to terms with the fact that they’ve lost the war (I don’t consider this a spoiler, because the Korean audience would know this from the outset). It’s about the responsibility of leaders and the suffering of soldiers. Though rather bleak, it’s not depressing or entirely without hope.

Hwang Dong Hyuk, who both wrote and a directed this film, has constructed a powerful and compelling work. There were scenes, images, and lines that lingered with me long after the credits rolled.

It’s quite dialogue-heavy for a war movie, as this story is really centered around ministers’ debates before the king, while the soldiers endure the cold, at the mercy of the king’s final decision. This may sound boring, but there is real tension and emotion in these scenes, especially as they build towards the climax. This is a film that takes its time, rather than moving rapidly from one action sequence to the next. Its depiction of enduring through a long siege in the dead of winter often pauses on the mundane; the king getting dressed, soldiers trudging through the snow. But these details are important to the storytelling and are part of the reason the audience at times feels that they are living this experience as well.

The acting is excellent. Park Hae Il plays a conflicted king, backed into a corner where he has no good options, while Lee Byung Hun and Kim Yoon Seok offer moving performances as ideologically opposed ministers. You can truly feel the weight of their characters’ beliefs and concerns for their country. There is more depth of emotion in these portrayals than you might initially expect from these rather stoic old men.

The soundtrack, composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, is frequently more atmospheric than melodic. Silence, punctuated by eire, icy winds, often envelops life at the fortress. In these parts, instrumentation is used sparingly. During the battle sequences the music becomes heavy, tense, and dissonant. In the moments the soundtrack does turn towards melody, it is gorgeous and poignant, though still has a slowness and vastness suited to the gravity of the events and setting. The cinematography by Kim Ji Yong is also perfectly suited to evoking the starkness of the situation. Somber silhouettes, snowy landscapes, and bleak colors dominate this film. These images are offset by warm-toned, fire-lit shots that offer contrast, so that when the warmth is absent, you feel the coldness even more.

Though the action scenes are well-executed, if you go into this film expecting glory and epic battles, you’re sure to be disappointed. This is a film that explores contrasting ideologies, the king’s responsibility to his people, and how the decisions of leaders impact those below them. If you’re seeking an antidote to overly-glorified all-action-no-substance portrayals of war, this realistic and contemplative film is likely what you’re looking for.

Content warning: This film is a bit gory at points (though I am someone who is pretty sensitive to those things). However, these scenes are used somewhat sparingly, and the violence is not gratuitous, rather it is used to depict the harsh reality of war.

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This is not a historical drama, it's a 21st century workplace drama dressed up in period costume

Noble women drinking on the street with a bunch of men? Is this supposed to the late Joseon period? Moreover, Joseon women didn’t learn literary Chinese (which was used to write the sillok), they read and wrote in hangul. I really could go on …

I’ve probably given this drama a somewhat undeservedly low score, but this really isn’t a historical drama, it’s a 21st century workplace drama dressed up in period costume. As much as I tried to forgive that on account of the cuteness, ultimately, I found it frustrating to no end, hence the low rating.

BTW, ensuing rant on historical accuracy aside, I still probably wouldn’t give this drama higher than a 6.0 due to the completely unmemorable plot, generic romance, and cheesy presentation of the some of the themes. It's your typical mediocre fusion sageuk rom com with an extra dash of anachronistic feminism.

I’m REALLY not a stickler for historical accuracy. Sure, I’ll grumble a bit at premodern monarchs expressing anachronistically egalitarian ideals, and I’m not the biggest fan of cross-dressing plot lines (though there’s a fair amount of cross-dressing in premodern East Asian literature, so I probably shouldn’t complain). I make it a point to let everyone know that Mishil is a character drawn from the Hwarang segi, which is widely considered to be a 20th century forgery (there was a real document called the Hwarang segi, but there's no extant copy). But I still enjoyed those dramas and didn’t get too hung up on the inaccuracies. I loved Empress Ki, despite the fact that the writers completely invented a Goryeo king, drastically changed the life and character of Empress Ki, and didn't use Mongol hairstyles.

I recognize that there are legitimate reasons to take liberties with the facts for the sake of creating a good show, and that true historical accuracy is impossible and would often alienate the contemporary viewer. I know authenticity is not the aim of most dramas, but this drama just took it too far for me. If you want to make a drama about the issues women face in the contemporary workplace, great, go for it! But why would you set that drama in the late Joseon period, when noble women were largely confined to their homes? What’s the point about using a historical setting if you’re going to throw out half the elements of said historical setting? Shouldn't a Joseon drama be about the struggles of Joseon women? This is trying to be a very pro-women drama yet it completely disregards everything about the lives of the women who actually lived in this society. Most dramas are pretty inaccurate, but even fusion sageuks generally at least kinda try, or they find some somewhat legitimate (if very implausible) way to circumvent the rules. Rookie Historian just blatantly sticks their 100% modern women into the most restrictive period in Korean history and doesn’t even attempt to justify it. And, though certainly the most prevalent and blatant example, it's not just the female characters' behavior that is anachronistic. If you don’t want to make a period drama, don’t make a period drama. Otherwise, have at least a little respect for the history, ESPECIALLY if you’re going to make a show about historians, truth, and integrity. The subject matter of this show is quite ironic given how little regard it seems to have for history.

To end on a slightly positive note, I'll say that this is the first drama I've seen where I actually enjoyed Shin Se Kyung's performance, and Cha Eun Woo was rather charming.

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At times I felt that I must somehow be watching a different drama from everyone else …

I initially wrote a review for this drama a few months ago when I decided to drop it at episode 27. But I ended up giving it another chance, and this is now me rewriting my thoughts after finishing all 50 episodes.

I REALLY should have liked this drama. It has fantasy, epic bromance, sweeping landscapes, touching loyalty, battles, an ancient setting, undying devotion, powerful magical objects, tragic friendships, and famous swords. It’s basically like someone took everything I love (aka all the ingredients of The Lord of the Rings), put it in one drama, and somehow came up with a far more unsatisfactory result that I would have imagined possible.

There was a lot in this drama that just wasn’t as good as it could have been. I largely blame the lackluster directing, which somehow managed to bore me in scenes that should have been powerful. There were a handful of moments when I genuinely felt touched by the connection between the two leads, but unfortunately those moments were rare highlights in 50 episodes that I otherwise felt indifferent to.

The storytelling is muddled, to say the least. It jumps back to the past and stays there for about 30 episodes. In principle, I don’t have a problem with a nonlinear timeline, but it didn’t really work here. I don’t think the importance of the time skips were clearly communicated to the viewer. Though learning that Wei Wuxian betrayed everyone was certainly an intriguing hook, I spent so long waiting to see how that would come about that by the time I actually reached that point, it was rather anticlimactic. If it had just gone chronologically, it could have been a heart-wrenching twist, rather than a disappointment. The transitions between scenes sometimes felt abrupt. There are also times where they hide information from the audience for the sake of dramatically revealing it later. Perhaps they thought it added a bit of mystery to Wei Wuxian’s character, because we were missing pieces of his story, but I didn’t see much point.

Even though I think there was a pretty good overarching story, I was often bored out of my mind while watching this drama. I guess I could say that this drama had pacing issues, or that the dialogue scenes were too long, but I don’t think that’s truly my problem with it. Some of my favorite dramas/films are slow-paced and dialogue-heavy. The problem is that the execution of these scenes often made it feel unbearably tedious, even when I thought I should be interested in what was going on. Far from being compelling, the acting often felt cheesy, the script was bland, and the directing brought little interest, except in sometimes succeeding at being simultaneously overdramatic and exceedingly dull. “Humdrum” and “uninspired” adequately describe the execution, and when you stretch that out over long back-and-forths between characters, it’s not something you can really get away with. Every so often, I did feel like the director had put some thought into how to construct a scene beyond the most obvious, utilitarian option, but there are only a few scenes in the entire drama that I would really say were well-done.

As for the plot itself, the first half primarily consists of the mustache-twirling-evil Wen clan plotting to kill everyone and a steady stream of fantasy-action scenes wherein the good guys fight the bad guys or the evil monsters they’ve conjured. This would probably work if the action scenes were really epic, but the choreography is boring and special effects aren’t particularly good, so not so much. The second half is pretty much Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji hunting down mysterious evil-doers, followed by a face-off with the bad guy. My impression was that it was a little lighter on the action scenes and a bit more focused on the interactions of the leads, which is probably why most people seem to like the second half better. However, I have to say that the only part of the plot that was particularly interesting were 5-10 episodes in the middle of the drama.

Unfortunately, the climatic battle is pretty laughable, because all these extras are randomly swinging their swords at nothing. I’ve been told that they’re battling invisible “resentment energy” or something like that, but that hardly changes the fact that all these supposedly seasoned martial artists look like they belong in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So people are dying and I’m supposed to be sad, but all I can think is “Lol, look at that extra.” I don’t have particularly high expectations for well-executed battles in Asian dramas, but this was a new low. If you can’t make the fighting look good, at least make it inconspicuous enough not to distract from the other elements.

I was quite surprised to discover many people consider this drama rich in moral themes. On further inspection I admit that some of these themes are there. However, I don’t think they can really be said to have been well-developed, explored in depth, or presented in a new way. Personally, I never once found this drama to be thought-provoking. The only themes I felt were treated with some consistency were rumor and reputation, but even then, I’m not really sure what I got from it other than, “people are judgmental and will believe what they want to believe.”

I have to say I was also a little disappointed in the development of Wei Wuxian’s character. He’s certainly interesting, but some of his character transformations were not very well communicated, in my opinion. I also thought he was shaping up to be a pretty great character around the midpoint of the drama, but I didn’t really feel like it followed through on all the potential. Nor did I think the morality of his actions was really explored in a satisfactory way. Lan Wangji is less complex, but I found his progression to be more even and satisfying. There were a few supporting characters that I thought I should like or find interesting, but the only real emotion I felt towards any of them is some petty annoyance at the villains.

The acting is below par. There really isn’t a single strong performance in the drama. Actually, Xiao Zhan was occasionally excellent. The problem is that he was very inconsistent. He would go from good to bad to great to mediocre. Overall he was definitely the strongest actor in the drama, but it was far from a top-notch performance. I do think he’s talented, just very unpolished at this point. I would call Wang Yibo’s performance barely passable. He was never terrible, but he was rarely good either. He did manage to hit the right notes in a few important scenes, but spent most of the drama playing his stoic character a bit too stone-faced. Perhaps the even bigger issue, though, is the number of supporting actors who were overtly bad. Sometimes it was just a bit annoying, other times it completely ruined tragic scenes, because all I could think was how fake the actor’s crying looked. I think Jiang Cheng, in particular, was far too important a role to be portrayed so incompetently.

In terms of cinematography there are some pretty landscapes and moody blue-tinted shots, but it’s not 2009 anymore, so that doesn’t really constitute a stunning drama. Plus, there are a lot of awkward camera angles, dated-looking zooms, unattractive color grading, etc. The design of the sets and costumes had some nice details, but they often looked rather cheesy. And well, since I’m being a gloomy storm cloud anyway, I may as well just say that I have some issues with the design as well, particularly many of the materials they chose for the costumes. I mean, wrinkled (faux)leather hanfu? Seriously!? I do think this drama made an effort with the visual aspects, but the result wasn’t so great. By 2019 standards the production is mediocre at best.

I initially had very little opinion about the music. It simply wasn’t very unique or memorable to me. However, since people raved about the soundtrack so much, I started listening more carefully. Unfortunately, rather than appreciating the music more, I began to notice how unsuited some of the background music was to the scenes or the drama in general. I think I know what they were going for, but it really didn’t work. It was just bizarre. I will say that some songs/pieces were very pretty, so the music definitely had it’s high points, but it also had some low points, and overall I can’t say it’s a particularly great soundtrack.

It probably seems like I absolutely hated this drama. I really didn’t; there were a few parts I even liked. It was just incredibly frustrating to me, especially since the longer I watched without becoming immersed in the story, the more my nitpicking tendencies took over. Had there been some element that was truly brilliant, I might have been inclined to overlook this long catalogue of flaws (I can be pretty forgiving if you give me a reason to be), but even the things this drama got right, did not strike me as exceptional.

Overall, it's a story with potential, hampered by poor execution. I can kinda understand this drama’s popularity. However, given the very mediocre quality of the acting and production as well as the lack of compelling direction or storytelling, it’s hard to rate this drama as anything more than average (personally, I think it's below average). I really fail to see how this drama could possibly merit the oft used term “masterpiece,” when the skill and craftsmanship that created this drama is far from extraordinary.

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All the ingredients were there, but it failed to live up to its epic potential

I accepted rather early on (around episode 3 or 4) that this would probably turn out to be a rather mediocre sageuk, but even so I enjoyed it quite a bit, and even had a lot of affection for it … until the last episode made my goodwill evaporate, which has impelled me to lower the (in my estimation generous) 7.5 rating I was planning to give this drama to a 6.5 (which, honestly, still may be rather generous).

I think it’s quite clear that this drama hoped to follow in the footsteps of Queen Seondeok and Empress Ki, to become the next epic historical drama led by a strong female character, liberally interpreting the life of a famous historical woman. Pyeonggang’s characterization is markedly similar to Empress Ki’s Nyang, while the overall progression of the story almost seems modeled off of Queen Seondeok. Though neither of those dramas was perfect, River Where the Moon Rises unfortunately fell short of the mark they were aiming for. The problems with this drama largely stem from the writing, which really isn’t surprising, considering that Dr. Jin is the only sageuk Han Ji Hoon has previously written. As I have not read the novel from which this drama was adapted, I cannot say how many of these issues were present in the source material, but certainly they did not stem from the original folktale recorded in the Samguk sagi. Still, I will start by discussing the positive aspects of this drama, which indicate that it probably did have the potential to join some of those classic epics, had it not gone so far astray in other respects.

Though there was nothing particularly outstanding about Yoon Sang Ho’s directing, it was perfectly serviceable and evoked the classic sageuk style quite well. This drama definitely had its moments that were genuinely exciting, epic, and moving (even if it didn’t manage to make me cry). The cinematography and the production design are definite stand outs. The natural scenery was gorgeous (this drama has some of the most amazing landscape shots I’ve seen in any drama) and the ancient cityscapes looked great. Some sets are a bit better than others, but overall they were very appealing, with striking colors (and sometimes lighting) as well as well-conceived choices of decor. While I do have some complaints about some of the whatever-the-designer-thinks-is-cool costumes, there were also many beautiful ones.

The music was both a strength and a weakness of this production, though the scale leans far more towards the former. The songs were not terribly memorable to me, but there were some nice classic ballads. There were also some more contemporary-sounding additions, but they were hardly used in the actual drama (generally they played during the credits), so thankfully this drama largely avoided the trend of using jarringly current music that feels incongruous with the historical setting. However, where the soundtrack really shined was in the instrumental (and sometimes choral) pieces, which were often quite beautiful. Where it detracted was in the tendency to overdo it with the dramatic music. Of course, I cannot think of a single sageuk that isn’t guilty of this, so I suppose I should give it a pass on that respect.

The battle scenes are reasonably well-executed. Though there are a few shots that are not entirely convincing, and it is clear that sometimes the armies are smaller than they are said to be, overall, they’ve done quite a good job filming the battles in such a way as to obscure rather than emphasize the weaknesses. I did feel that, for a drama about a great general, there is relatively little focus on the action scenes. This may be due to budget constraints necessitating rather short battle sequences. However, even smaller fight sequences are not very emphasized. This is to say, that while the execution of the actions scenes is not lacking in a way to detract from the drama, you shouldn’t come to this expecting a martial arts extravaganza.

Now, onto the story … The first five episodes exist mainly to get the romance started and give the heroine a “cool” backstory, so it takes about six episodes for the real political plot to get started. This is unfortunate since there was nothing very memorable about how the romance was set up (there’s no reason it couldn’t have been written differently and still be equally, if not more, compelling), nor was her backstory very well-executed, so it does feel like the politics of the early episodes were sacrificed for nothing. Thankfully the politics get better as the drama refocuses on the court, though the problems do not entirely disappear.

The main strength of the plot lies in the general set-up of the politics. Many dramas have 2-3 main political actors, while all supporting characters are mindless pawns in their game. In this drama, though there were around 3 (maybe 4, depending on who you count) main sides to the conflict, many of the supporting characters were independent political actors, who had their own motives and ambitions and were willing to switch sides, play both sides, or fake alliances as it suited them. Some of them also had changes of heart or circumstance. Thus, it was actually rather difficult to predict what role all these characters would play and where they would end up aligned by the end. The result is that the overall outline of the politics is much more interesting and complex than most historical dramas.

However, sometimes it felt like just that, an outline. The actual execution of the politics was often rushed and simplified. Sometimes plot arcs seemed to be resolved almost as soon as they had begun, resulting in momentous events lacking impact. I felt that many plot arcs needed to be longer or otherwise more fleshed-out. This is an issue that plagued the depiction of the characters as well at times. Though many of them were reasonably interesting, had more time been spent on their development, there was the potential for them to be more so. A more detailed portrayal also could have helped to make some of the shifts in their personalities and relationships seem more nuanced and less sudden. This also may be why it sometimes seemed this drama had pacing problems, since it was trying to balance taking enough time to establish aspects of the characters and relationships with the very rapid progression of events … the results were mixed.

The second main issue with how the politics were written is due to the way the story at times is obviously manipulated in service of making the heroine look good. For starters, we have the very standard sageuk device (which I’m not particularly fond of), oft used to shine the spotlight on princes and princesses alike, of making said young royal’s father (the king) largely useless, lest he overshadow his progeny. Pyeonggang’s brother suffers from this to a certain extent as well, and while I stand by what I said about there being many characters with independent political motivations and agency, this is mostly true of the characters not so closely aligned with Pyeonggang, because if her allies were given more focus or had independent thoughts, they might run the risk of stealing her thunder. Though I think minimizing these characters to make the protagonist shine is certainly not ideal writing, it’s so common it might not be worth complaining about except that this drama went well beyond the typical pathetic king trope. Pyeonggang wins fights that realistically she should lose, because, hey, she’s the heroine, so she has to win. Other characters make conveniently illogical decisions just to move her into the situations the writer wants her character to end up in. The Silla king is overly concerned about her, which seems to be an attempt to inflate the impression of her importance. Considering that Silla didn’t conquer Goguryeo for another century after these events (and they enlisted the help of Tang to do so), are we really supposed to watch with a straight face while Jinheung acts like this one princess is the main obstacle standing between Silla and the unification of the Three Kingdoms? They even attributed a major military victory to Pyeonggang's actions, which were, frankly, incredibly stupid and would have ended in disaster had other characters not intervened. These are the sorts of things that undermined the credibility of the politics and made it hard to take this drama seriously as a historical epic

What is particularly frustrating about this is that even after bending so much of the writing around the heroine, she ended up being the least compelling and least well-characterized of the leads. Initially when I found myself not drawn to Pyeonggang’s character, I thought it might be due to my bias against warrior princesses (I consider it an annoyingly overused trope, though Éowyn will always be awesome), so I tried to hold off judgement. Around episode 5, I thought she was beginning to grow on me, but it didn’t really last. Eventually, I came to realize that the real problem with the character was her inconsistency. Sometimes she would carefully plan out clever schemes, but at others she was mind-bogglingly impulsive and stupid. They seemed to want to portray her as being ruthless, but we never actually see her do anything particularly ruthless. Moreover, I felt that the way the drama dealt with her character conflicts and development was rushed and poorly-communicated, thus lacked weight. Though it is true of many of the characters suffer from this at points, I think it particularly bad in her case, partly because she undergoes much of her development very rapidly in the early episodes. I also have to say I often found Pyeonggang to be a bit lacking in personality and sometimes just not terribly likable.

To make matters worse, I was actually rather disappointed by Kim So Hyun’s performance, especially considering she was one of the main reasons I watched this drama. I did like her portrayal in some of the softer romantic scenes, but I don’t think she really had a strong enough presence for the commanding ones. Basically I think she’s more suited to a lovely Joseon princess-type character than the 2021 version of Queen Seondeok or Empress Ki.

For me Na In Woo and Lee Ji Hoon stole the show from Kim So Hyun. I found her lack of charisma particularly apparent when standing beside Na In Woo, who turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Since the first six episodes have been reshot, I will not comment on Ji Soo’s performance except to say that Na In Woo was a definite upgrade. I had never even heard of Na In Woo before he replaced Ji Soo. Though I wasn’t immediately taken with him, he began to grow on me and by the end I found him to be the most compelling actor in the drama (aside from Kang Ha Neul, whose brief appearances were quite impactful). Though I do think Na In Woo has a tendency to over-exaggerate his expressions, he was convincing both in the sweetness of the character’s cheerful, good-natured “foolishness” and in the gravity of a battle-hardened general leading thousands of men. He also brought a softness and sincerity to the character in the romantic scenes. On Dal might not be the most fascinating character, but he seemed to have the most well-rounded portrayal and the most multifaceted personality. His development and conflicts also did not suffer from the muddled characterization that Pyeonggang’s did, though some more in depth exploration of some of these aspects wouldn't have hurt. I do wish the story had treated his character differently, particularly in how his motivations and even his role as general were portrayed. At first I wrote off my issues with this as a matter of personal taste, that is until it all culminated in a downright disgraceful ending for his character (which, along with some other stupidity in the last episode, is what led me to drop my rating).

Lee Ji Hoon was one of the stronger aspects of this drama from the start and remained so throughout the drama. Go Geon was one of the drama’s more interesting characters and while I can’t say I was entirely surprised by all his developments, since I did see the biggest transformation coming from a couple episodes out, his character definitely didn’t end up as I had expected at the start. I felt that the later episodes did some disservice to the character, but again this is the fault of the writing, not Lee Ji Hoon’s portrayal (which was one of the few good things about the last episode). I don’t have much to say regarding Mo Yong or Choi Yoo Hwa, either positive or negative. Her performance was fine and I liked the character, but I don’t think she was one of the aspects that really stood out.

Among the supporting cast, I consider Lee Hae Young to be a particularly good casting choice. I’ve seen enough power-hungry nobles portrayed by sneering old men, thus I really appreciated seeing a good-looking and relatively young man in such a role for a change. They also managed to give his character a couple dimensions other than political ambition, which distinguished him somewhat from the stock sageuk villain. It would not have been difficult to imagine this character as a great leader if he hadn’t been written as the antagonist.

Overall, I’m not sure whether to recommend this drama. If you like classic-style sageuks, this one isn’t too bad, though it can’t be said to be notable either. It has romance, politics, and battles, all presented with particularly stunning visuals and some pretty good performances. However, I have rarely been so upset by an ending and the writing is messy to say the least. It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t better, especially since Three Kingdoms period epics are so rare.

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Charming and a bit more mature and nuanced than the average fluff drama, but still a fluff drama

This drama is pretty much a more mature Love O2O (and I'm not saying that as an insult; I actually enjoyed Love O2O), which I guess is essentially what I was expecting of it. There are a number of obvious similarities between the two beyond Yang Yang and the gaming premise, including many of the traits of the lead characters. However, it lacks the annoying side couple (actually one of the best things about this drama is that there are no filler side couples), and has better acting as well as higher production values. You Are My Glory tones down the tropes a bit and has more angst (but is still pretty low on drama). People who enjoyed Love O2O will likely enjoy this as well, and those who did not enjoy Love O2O may find some of their complaints rectified in You Are My Glory.

I must like Gu Man’s sense of humor, as I generally don’t find Chinese romcoms funny, but the humor in this one (as well as Love O2O) worked well for me. I also found both leads very charming and likable, which is really at least half of what makes a romcom work. Moreover, out of the 10-or-so Chinese romcoms I have completed or seen a significant portion of before dropping, this definitely has the most well-written romance. We get to watch them slowly fall for each other, support each other, and naturally grow from knowing one another. The roadblocks in their relationship are quite normal and don’t seem like manufactured contrivances. Is this the most grounded portrayal of a relationship I’ve seen in a drama? Certainly not, it’s still an idealized idol drama about too-perfect people with plenty of fluff, but it does have proper development, doesn't go in circles, and isn't heavily reliant on silly tropes like accidental kisses and all that jazz. The male lead’s personal conflict is also realistic, well-explored, and quite relatable, I think.

One aspect of this drama I felt was a bit atypical is that parts of it (arguably the most pivotable parts) seem to be told much more from the male perspective than the female one. Romance dramas (especially romcoms) are generally told from both perspectives equally or more from that of the female lead. There are actually certain episodes near the middle of this drama in which the female lead hardly appears. I think such a storytelling choice made sense for this particular story, as the male lead is the much more conflicted character and I’m not sure following the female lead in those moments would have revealed much to us. However, because she was given relatively less focus, until the last third of the drama, I felt like I didn’t know the female lead nearly as well as the male lead. By the end I no longer really felt that way, but overall I’d definitely say there was less emphasis on her characterization and development than his. Especially given the last couple episodes, it seemed like he was the protagonist and this was really his story.

This is also the most well-acted Chinese romcom I’ve seen to date (probably on par with an average Korean romcom). I generally give Yang Yang more credit for his face than his acting, but he’s really quite decent, even good here. Dilraba was definitely better than I expected. I really enjoyed the sweet personality she brought to her character, and I actually thought she did well in the dramatic scenes, something I was rather skeptical of her ability to do, given what I had seen from her past work. In the category of Chinese-idol-dramas-with-actors-under-30, the performances were well above average.

Now for some nitpicks …

My biggest complaint regarding this drama is that it had some issues with tonal consistency. This is not a major problem, since I think the tone always matched the content of the specific scene, but because there wasn’t a more focused tone throughout, there were times when it felt like I had suddenly started watching a different drama. Parts of this drama are your typical fluffy, cheesy idol drama. Then there are a few parts that are rather overdramatic. Like does running tests on a rover really merit such suspenseful music? And then there are parts that seem to be going for a moody, understated drama vibe with the slow-pacing, shadowy cinematography, and mellow, indie-style vocals against simple guitar instrumentation. I think you can accurately understand what this drama is like without watching it by imagining a combination of Love O2O (corny romance dialogue, humor, tropes and character types, gaming), Descendants of the Sun (corny romance dialogue, dramatic aerospace scenes, slow-mo of Yang Yang getting out of a Jeep in the middle of a desert), and One Spring Night (introspection, struggles with self-image and societal expectations, slow-burn romance). I enjoyed all three of those dramas, but I’m not sure the combination entirely works. The former two have overlapping aspects, thus combine quite seamlessly, but I think You Are My Glory’s attempt at the One Spring Night-type tone felt a little try-hard at points. Even though the emotional content of the male lead’s struggles are well-executed, the more “sophisticated” style of the scenes feels a bit out of place when poised against a cringe-y cute idol drama scene. It makes it feel like it’s trying to be something it’s not, because most of the drama isn’t that sophisticated. It’s especially obvious, because this more melancholic, understated style pretty much completely disappears about 2/3rds of the way through the drama, which means the earlier episodes feel quite different overall to the later ones. To state it very simply, the male lead feels like he belongs in a serious, realistic drama, the female lead feels like she belongs in an idol romcom (albeit a relatively grounded one), and their romance meets somewhere in the middle, though it definitely leans pretty hard towards the romcom tone in the last 1/3. To be clear, I’m not really saying anything about the story itself necessarily should have been changed, just that these aspects could have blended together more seamlessly had the style of their execution been a bit more consistent.

The music is really pretty forgettable.

If you’re looking for a gaming drama, look somewhere else. Gaming is just a way to bring the leads together, not the focus of the drama, and the gaming element completely disappears in the later half. That being said, a significant amount of time is spent on the gaming scenes, such that even though I didn’t watch this drama for the gaming, I did find myself wishing they were more exciting. Despite all the time spent practicing, discussing strategy, etc., it’s quite difficult to actually follow what’s going on while the characters are playing, especially since the matches are often shown as fragmented montages. Even when they do show more extensive gameplay, you can’t really understand the strategy since the game has too many heroes and the viewer is only vaguely acquainted with a few. Honestly, it can be hard to even see what’s happening, due to the fact that the game visuals are generally portrayed as they would appear to an actual player, which is realistic, but not very legible. I think the aerospace engineering scenes were actually more comprehensible than the gameplay. Because this drama never intended to be about gaming, exciting gaming scenes weren’t necessarily a requirement, but in that case, I wish they had spent less time making me watch such scenes.

My final nitpick is that it’s rather slow-paced (especially in the first half). This didn’t bother me much, because I like slow-paced romances (if the gaming sequences had been fewer or more exciting, I might not have noticed this at all). There are points when it feels more like a slice-of-life drama than a romcom, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, because it doesn’t have any filler side plots, I don’t think it’s actually more tedious than the average C-drama. Personally, I found it less so.

All in all, I enjoyed this drama a lot. Though I don’t think it’s perfect, it certainly exceeds what I’ve come to expect of Chinese romcoms. I’ll almost certainly rewatch it at some point when I need a no-stress fluff drama.

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Perhaps a little too slow, even for its genre, but still, a nice story about life and love

I don’t think this is really a film that can be described by its plot, so if I had to sum up what this film was about, I’d say it was about the feeling of living without direction, hesitating to take action, and the difficulty of breaking out of a comfortable passive state to move one’s life forward. Perhaps it is also about how we experience moments in our lives, how sometimes the things that are important only come into relief in hindsight.

Though I wouldn’t say it was a particularly profound work, it was quite relatable at times and occasionally touching. Sato is definitely the main character, but the film follows a number of interconnected stories, thus there is a rather large cast of characters each with their own importance. They all seemed realistic, though Sato was the only one that really felt fleshed out. With the others, I felt we saw only select aspects of who they were, but I think that worked for the way the story was told. The events were generally mundane. Though it has a love story (actually multiple), it’s definitely more slice-of-life than it is heart-stopping romance.

I wasn’t always engaged by some of the side stories. That being said, I can’t really argue that those parts should have been cut, since each one somehow contributed to the themes of the film. It was structured in such a way that all the little things slowly built up, until by the end you could understand how they fit together. They weren’t random, even if at times it felt slow. A leisurely pace is to be expected from this sort of slice-of-life film, but I do think this movie felt longer than it was.

All the performances were good. Miura Haruma, in particular, I thought hit all the right notes as the lead character, but I would also like to mention Yamoto Yuma, who most often made me smile. Harada Taizo was quite memorable to me as well, though his part was relatively small.

The main theme performed by the street musician was beautiful, and both the melody and lyrics seemed perfectly suited to the film. As for the rest of the soundtrack … it was interesting. Sometimes jazzy, sometimes bluesy. Sometimes heavy on the percussion or electronics, other times simple and acoustic. Many scenes were set against silence, so overall I would say music was used sparingly. At times I liked what they did with it, but often I really wasn’t sure what they were going for.

The cinematography was decent, but nothing memorable.

In truth, I not entirely sure about my overall feelings towards this film and decided to write this review only because no one else had written one yet. I suppose I liked the story, but somehow I didn’t find the execution fully satisfying, even if I can’t put my finger on exactly what I felt was lacking. Still I think it’s a good film and would recommend it, depending on what you’re looking for. I wouldn’t necessarily watch this just for the romance. If you’re in the mood for a warm, slow-paced slice-of-life film that is also romantic, then this might be the movie for you.

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A dark and captivating teen romance that fails to be truly compelling due to poor directing choices

It's hard to know exactly what I think of this, because there were certain moments that I loved, but there were significant issues with the execution, so as a whole it didn't quite work for me.

I think the story was good, despite one plot point that felt a bit conveniently staged. And actually quite beautiful. The relationship at the center feels vibrant and unique, rather than like just another carbon-copy shoujo manga couple, and the conflicts that follow have interesting emotional content. However, sometimes this really failed to come across effectively due to the flawed storytelling. Instead of focusing in on the emotions in important moments, it completely jumped over them with a time skip, which meant I sometimes had to fill in the blanks to understand the actions or feelings of the characters. While I found the portrayal of these youthful, impulsive, and free-spirited teens captivating, the character drama was not nearly as compelling as it could have been. One of the darker scenes really failed to communicate the extent of the emotions properly, while another seemed intent on making the viewer question the reality of what was going on, which was completely counter-intuitive, since this was not a mystery where the goal is to keep the viewer guessing, it's a drama where the goal is to portray the character struggles. I was really not surprised to discover the director, Yamato Yuki, had also directed Hot Gimmick.

The editing was just bizarre. Some scenes were filmed without a single cut, though I really have no idea why. In contrast, at other points the edits were very quick, which could make the story feel disjointed. Sometimes they seemed to be trying to use the frantic edits to create intensity, but it just distracted from the emotions. Only occasionally did it succeed in achieving the "artsy" feel it was going for.

The pacing was definitely a bit strange. At times I wondered why they were spending so much time on a seemingly less important scene, when a seemingly more important exchange had felt too brief. I also think this could have been a little longer, since it was less than two hours despite adapting a longer work. Perhaps they could have left in a few of the important aspects that they cut.

The soundtrack (Sakamoto Hidekazu) was also all over the place. It mixed a number of styles, but was heaviest on the emo rock instrumentation, which wasn't necessarily a bad choice in principle, but the result was music that generally seemed too loud or out of place.

The locations were beautiful. The cinematography (Shibanushi Takahide) itself was just decent. Much of the atmosphere came more from the scenery than the way it was filmed. There were some memorable shots. However, at times they really overdid it with the shaky camera.

The aspect that worked the best for me was the casting. Komatsu Nana and Suda Masaki had great chemistry and they really felt like young teens. Though I did struggle to feel the emotions of the story at points, I blame this on the director, not the actors' portrayal. I felt that Suda Masaki, especially, fit his role incredibly well, as he seemed so striking, and even ethereal, with his blonde hair and almost emaciated body.

Overall, I think this film failed to achieve the emotional poignancy it could have, because it used an (amateurish, teen-feeling) indie-artsy style, when what it really needed was a more mature, raw, and perhaps understated style. Still, I definitely don't regret watching it and would even consider rewatching it, at least in part.

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Still waiting for my epic and mystical hwarang drama full of mountain gods and bodhisattvas

This is one of those fusion sageuks that has very intentionally made the past contemporary. That's somewhat disappointing to me, since one of the main things I like about pre-Joseon sageuks is that they tend to be more epic. You don’t just get court politics, you get wars and diplomacy. This drama really isn't something that can be taken seriously, even though it occasionally tries. However, considering that hwarang literally means "flower boys," and they were young noble men, often noted for their beauty, who studied the arts (including music and dance), presenting the hwarang as 6th century idols is actually rather clever. Though this drama failed on many counts, I think this is one of the more successful updates of a historical setting, and I actually enjoyed some of the very contemporary-sounding pop soundtrack, which is not something I would usually like paired with a historical drama. The whole “let’s change Silla so it appeals to modern egalitarian sensibilities,” not to mention some blatant contradictions of historical facts, was rather irritating to me, but this is hardly the only drama guilty of that.

Unlike most people, I didn't watch this for the cast and actually didn't know any of the actors before this drama. The supporting cast of flower boys is better than you might expect. All their performances are reasonably solid, though definitely more in the wheelhouse of youth drama, rather than sageuk (which is fine for the tone of this drama). On the flip side, I felt like Go Ara was just constantly pulling faces, usually grumpy ones. Either that or crying. I think Park Seo Joon is more suited to romantic comedies than to sageuk. To be fair, his character doesn't give him much to work with, but Park Hyung Sik is really the only one among the young cast who really shines as a sageuk actor. Though not quite on par with top tier sageuk performances, his commanding presence is a definite standout in an otherwise very fluffy, contemporary-seeming cast. I'd like to see him in another, more serious historical drama at some point. I probably would have dropped this show if Park Hyung Sik hadn't made me so invested in his character.

The biggest miss of this drama (aside from everything related to Go Ara’s character, that definitely ranks higher) may have been going for a boring political plot, rather than mysterious meetings with old men on mountain tops and incarnations of the Maitreya Buddha. Where are my monks!? There’s a lot of legendary material about the hwarang they could have pulled from to make a very unique drama, but instead they went with a watered down version of the typical sageuk power struggle. I’m all for the political intrigue if it’s done well, but the writing in this drama is just so bad. Plot holes aside, some of the storylines are just laughable. Like I really could go on a rant about all the ridiculous things in this show, but I don't want to include spoilers. Moreover, this drama often didn't seem to know what is was going for. Coming-of-age story about brotherhood? Serious political sageuk? Romantic comedy? Angsty love triangle? Fluffy flower boy drama? As a result it didn't quite succeed with any of them, except for maybe the flower boy fluff. Given the ineptitude of the writing, it's actually probably better that they stayed away from the mystical hwarang legends, so someone else can make that drama at a later date. It has so much potential as a subject matter.

On to Go Ara's character ... this drama would probably be improved by cutting Ah Ro out entirely, or at least relegating her to a minor role. There's really no reason a drama about a group of young men needs a female lead, and it's not as if she had any real importance the story. I get that they wanted to add in a romance, but the main couple was just SO bland. The paring with Ji Dwi/Sammaekjong/Jinheung was marginally better, but only because Park Hyung Sik really sold his character. I actually kinda wish they had just gone for the incestuous pairing between him and his half-sister. Though her character wasn't really much better than Ah Ro, I think Park Hyung Sik and Seo Ye Ji had potential for a lot of chemistry, because the few scenes they had together were some of the show's highlights.

As for the bromance between the two male leads ... so much potential, but ultimately disappointing. I think they were supposed to be friends and rivals, while also acting as character foils of each other that represented different forms of leadership. But the love triangle is so bland that you just don't care, and it's hard to buy into their political rivalry, especially since there's no real ideological opposition between them. I’m also pretty sure Sammaekjong should have been the lead. Not that every story focusing on a ruler’s rise to power has to make him the protagonist (I never complained in Faith), but not doing so is a risk. Sun Woo has little substance or development as a character and just isn’t interesting enough to overshadow the king, who had far more compelling character conflicts. Moreover, because the writer goes through so much effort to make Sun Woo the lead, despite the story actually being about Sammaekjong, there are multiple points where the natural progression of Sammaekjong's character seems to be halted or sent backwards just so that Sun Woo could play the central role. Thus, despite being the best character in the show, his arc doesn't quite live up to it's potential either.

The most successful aspect of this drama were the minor characters' side stories and relationships. Unlike many dramas where the supporting cast feels like filler, it definitely would have been worth giving them more focus and development. If all the time spent on the boring love triangle was redirected to the other hwarang characters, this would have been a better drama.

The OST songs are fun and catchy, though not terribly unique or memorable. They really might be more of a 7.0, but I decided to bump the music score up to an 8.0 on account of some of the instrumental music, particularly Sammaekjong's epic background music (very similar to The Royal Gambler soundtrack, but Oh Joon Sung did both).

Overall, I did actually enjoy this drama (though I went in not expecting more than fun and flower boys, which it does deliver). That being said, I spent most of the time I was watching this thinking of all the ways it could have been better. Every once in a while, there was something, either in the minor characters or Sammaekjong glowering down at his mother from his throne, that made me think, “wow this actually could have been good, if only …”

It can be enjoyable if you take it for what it is, don’t hope for too much depth, and just go along with the fun. Then every once and a while you’ll be thrilled when you get a hint of something pretty cool, rather than disappointed by all the missed opportunities and ridiculous plotting. If you’re looking for a serious historical drama, definitely give this one a pass.

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A contemporary take on 90s melodramas that doesn't quite capture what made the classics great

Before someone complains to me that I should be judging the drama on it’s own merits rather than comparing it to 90s melodramas … it’s clear that this drama was attempting to be a 90s-style melodrama; an updated version of course, but the fact that it was inspired by Utada Hikaru’s “First Love” is enough to indicate what the main influence was, even without all the other elements adapted from the genre (major plot lines, emphasis on the idea of fate, etc.). This is also why I think it's misguided to criticize this drama for having a cliché story; that's literally the point. Personally, I feel it was only partially successful in making a contemporary version of the classic genre.

I have to say that I was hoping this would feel a bit more like 90s melodrama than it did. It does have the plot of a 90s or early 00s melodrama (you have to wait until the end of episode 3 for the melodrama to kick in), but the tone and atmosphere of the drama was a more contemporary take on the classic melancholy that was a bit too mellow for my taste. I have really enjoyed some dramas with very mellow atmospheres, but a melodrama really ought to have more painful angst. It was also strangely lacking in dramatic scenes … and I don’t mean that I needed hair-pulling or anything like that, but everyone just seemed so calm all the time. I think they were probably trying to update the genre by giving it more understated stylings … I’m not sure it entirely succeeded. I definitely believe it’s possible to convey a rollercoaster of emotions with subtlety, but in this drama I sometimes felt that I was on a kiddiecoaster instead.

The one aspect of the drama that 100% worked for me was the storyline portrayed by the younger versions of the leads. The youthful romance was so cute and charming, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the younger actors (Yagi Rikako, Kido Taisei). Those parts were also set in the late 90s and early 00s, which means they had the most classic feel. But this is not to say that I think the contemporary setting was the biggest problem with the storyline of the adult characters; the more recent storylines seemed slightly bland or a little lacking in depth at times. I don’t think this was the fault of the actors (Mitsushima Hikari and Satoh Takeru were good) as much as the writing (Kanchiku Yuri). We probably needed more interactions and relationship development between the older versions of the leads, because there’s only so much you can rely on a backstory played by different actors, especially when that backstory happened 20 years ago and the people concerned have changed drastically in that time. Although there were a few scenes that did really work for me, more often than not I felt the 2018 storyline had little impact (the last couple episodes in particular were pretty underwhelming; rather than a heart-wrenching climax, it was just … meh). The amount of focus the story placed on the son’s romance with the dancer girl didn't help either. Although I think this drama had quite even pacing, there were times when it felt slow (and this was always in parts with the older actors), because I wasn’t equally invested in all aspects.

I’ve seen a few complaints about how the flashbacks were done, but personally I think the nonlinear storytelling was executed quite well. It managed to reveal the past gradually over the course of the nine episodes without leaving the viewer feeling as if they’re missing necessary background information that had not yet been provided at any point. It also managed to draw some parallels between the past and present, so the flashbacks often seemed to have purpose beyond just dumping information on the viewer. Although they used more than two timelines, I never found it confusing.

Though this may be somewhat a matter of personal taste, I wish the soundtrack (Iwasaki Taisei) had used more classic ballads, either from the 90s and 00s or new songs written in that style. I think perhaps they avoided this so that Utada Hikaru’s “First Love” would stand out, but old dramas typically relied a lot on their music for their atmosphere, so using a soundtrack of predominantly more contemporary music took away from the classic feeling. This is not to say the music was bad, but I think there’s not much that can replace a poignant ballad if you’re looking for emotional impact, and emotional impact was often just the thing this drama was lacking. The way the music was edited into the drama was done very well, though.

The cinematography (Shinde Kazuma, Nakamura Junichi) was beautiful; almost certainly the most gorgeous cinematography I’ve seen in a J-drama.

Overall, this drama was well-made, and although I would have liked to see it bring out the classic atmosphere more, others might be happy that it leaned more towards the contemporary style. Emotional poignancy is the aspect that I really found to be missing. It was there at times, but not throughout. Unfortunately, some aspects of the story were rather lackluster, so despite certain moments that I loved, it didn't leave as lasting an impression as I think I think it had the potential to.

Content warning: There was a really random, out-of-nowhere sex scene (I think in episode 5?), and there was zero reason it needed to be as explicit as it was.

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