This review may contain spoilers
the worst
The storyline was great from the beginning especially with fourth prince . Its just that it took so many detours and so many unimportant scenes just to make iu fit into the story. Omg this is the worse k drama i ever watched . I wasted so much time to watch this . The plot for the brothers are ok but with su ? Omg i cant even put into words how i felt about her character. First of her character was acting way too innocently, like too much of being a cutesy to the point that its so irritating. Second, she was actually causing the brothers to fight . So useless. She acts like a martyr omg . Wth .The final episode , omg they had to make the ending “tragic” but they could have thought of a better way to end it or perhaps the whole developer of the story. In the end the Brothers fought still because of her in the end . Is she the only woman in goryeo???? I would understand if she was . A love triangle is fine but what almost all the princes hahah too much . The story of the brothers was ok but they couldve executed it much better so many scenes that could have been scraped off including the king marrying haesu ??????? So many insignificant scenes to make it longer which i think 12 episodes would have ended the kdrama not 20 . Such a time waster . I am so disappointed. The only saving grace was wanting to know how each prince ended .Was this review helpful to you?
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The Best KDrama I've Ever Seen- detailed character analysis below
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo was the first Asian drama I ever saw and since then I have never seen anything that has topped it in my heart. No other show has made me cry as many tears, think back as longingly, analyze as critically, or rewatch as many times as Scarlet Heart. Watch out, this review is gonna be long.STORY:
Frankly, to all those who say the plot was choppy and didn't develop the characters, I don't understand you. I could write a critical analysis describing the trajectory of every single character. Literally. All of them. Every character has someone they want to love and protect, and ultimately someone they lose (see my list of the full cast at the bottom). And therein lies the tragedy to me of Scarlet Heart: There is no single villain bent solely on hurting other people, and yet there is also no one who achieves a happy ending. Moreover, there is a lot written in the small moments, in a single shot that may not seem relevant on your first watch. For instance, *MAJOR SPOILER* in episode 3 or 4 when Chae Ryung if being whipped, the 9th prince looks worried for a moment. Why does the camera pan to him? How is he relevant? It is not until the last episode that you learn the 9th prince and Chae Ryung were in love throughout the show. *END SPOILER* But it is small details like that that flesh out the characters, their relationships, their hopes, and their dreams. To me, the plot is entirely character-driven, focused on the decisions each individual makes rather than external incidents, and that's one reason it's so captivating.
CHARACTERS:
HAE SOO. MY PRECIOUS. I see a lot of reviews on here saying she's not empowered/strong, and that she's only happy-go-lucky with no other personality. Have you watched the show??? First of all, her "cheerfulness." People can have cheerful personalities without being naive, and I think Hae Soo showcases this excellently. Moreover, her fear, trauma, and depression increases as the show develops, until *MAJOR SPOILER* she literally dies of heart break and stress. *END SPOILER* Second of all, something I LOVE about this show is that an empowered woman does not need to be the smartest or the physically strongest or the cleverest. Hae Soo respects herself, and she respects the people around her. As she says in the first episode, "I'm smart, and I learn quickly." She adapts to her circumstances while protecting herself and those she cares for. She knows what she's good at and she uses her skills to affect her circumstances. Hae Soo is not a character who waits for people to save her, who just docilely goes along with what she's told. I mean, in episode 5 *MINOR SPOILER* she literally almost kills herself rather than marry the king. *END SPOILER*. She does not know martial arts. She is not politically savvy. But she doesn't let people walk over her, and she holds true to her values. *MAJOR SPOILER* She leaves the palace in order to free herself from a terrible, toxic relationship, even though she is still in love and does not want to end the relationship. *END SPOILER* To me, that is the epitome of strength, far more than the KDrama cliches of a woman who is in the top of her field in order to be "empowered."
Wang So- Wang So does carry a cliche of mommy problems. But what I love about SHR is that he doesn't "get over" his issues when he falls in love with a "nice girl." The intense abuse he suffers at the hand of his mother and adopted parents carries through all of his decisions, ultimately leading to *MAJOR SPOILER* his toxic relationship and breakup with Hae Soo. *END SPOILER* He does have a good heart, and he wants to be loved and respected and do the right thing. However, when he feels that love slipping, he grasps onto it however he can, even though that may hurt people, because he is so viscerally afraid of being abandoned and made an outcast. And though he originally seeks the throne for love, if that was his only reason he would have dropped it. Rather, as the central theme of Scarlet Heart portrays, eventually the throne casts its spell over him and he succumbs to pure and simple greed, fooling himself all the while that he is doing it "for love" or "to help people." No, babe. You're doing it cause you're greedy, and that's why you ultimately lose so much.
Wang Wook- I was in love with Wang Wook episodes 1-11. That's more than half the show. However, I eventually realized that Wang Wook is a coward, and then I see his cowardice in all his actions. Yet just like Wang So hid his greed under "true love," Wang Wook hides his cowardice under "doing the right thing." *MINOR SPOILERS* If Wook really wanted to do the right thing, he wouldn't have pursued Hae Soo while married. He would have married Hae Soo sooner after Lady Hae's death. He would have told Hae Soo honestly, "Hey, my sister has black mailed me, and so I can't protect you or continue this relationship. I'm so sorry." (hello Hae Soo would have understood and respected him for it.) If he wanted to do the right thing, he would not have used such awful, jealous, petty methods to chase the throne. *END SPOILERS* Rather, Wang Wook is always afraid to make a ripple, always afraid of how people will view him, and he is always afraid of losing his comfort and security. He hides behind books and righteousness to keep from having to make choices and actions, and this becomes the pattern that leads Wang Wook into a greedy, selfish mindset himself.
Aside from the three main characters, all the other characters have tragic desires and losses as well that I could examine in full detail. Instead at the end of the review I listed all the characters along with what they fought to protect, and what they lost.
To me, this is the romance and the tragedy of Scarlet Heart.
OTHER NOTES:
Music - This is one of my favorite OSTs ever. I think the rapping adds a harsh element to the scenes, and it's not like the characters hear the background music, so I don't see why it's a historical inaccuracy. As many mentioned, I Will Be Back rings like the tolling church bells whenever a character dies, adding a somber tone and a moment of reflection for every major death.
Directing- I took off half a point for acting because I do think the director does too many facial close-ups during non-dramatic scenes. I think that even though the actors were all great, highlighting their smallest facial movements like that is a disservice to most of them.
Court Lady Oh + King Taejo- I want to mention these two specifically because I think their love story is the most tragic in the entire show, even more tragic than the main characters. I also think their story is incredibly important, as it is essentially a foreshadowing of Hae Soo and Wang So. We learn about Court Lady Oh and King Taejo's romance right at the turning point between Wook and So, right at the turning point where the story begins to take a darker note. At this point, Court Lady Oh essentially tells Hae Soo (and the audience) outright what the outcome of the story will be, but Hae Soo (and the audience) are convinced that she can do it differently, that this time it will be okay. Whenever I rewatch SHR, seeing Court Lady Oh and King Taejo makes the entire series flash before my eyes and I feel this sense of inevitability, that even with this explicit warning, the characters still took the paths that led to their demise.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo is a story about inevitability. It is a story about everyone trying so desperately to protect their loved ones that they lose themselves in greed, cowardice, and denial. It is a story about how flawed human nature can be, how good intentions does not mean there will be a good outcome. In my opinion, Wang So and Hae Soo loved each other truly, but you know what? Their relationship was still toxic. Just because love is real does not mean it is healthy, and Hae Soo was right to leave. And in the struggle for power, there are no winners, only losers.
Character List:
Wang So - wants Hae Soo, loses Hae Soo
Hae Soo - wants Wang So, loses Wang So
Wang Wook - wants Hae Soo, loses Hae Soo
Wang Yo - wants his mother's love, realizes he never had it
Baek Ah - wants Woo Hee, loses Woo Hee
Wang Eun - wants a carefree life, is caught in political intrigue
Wang Jeong - wants Hae Soo, loses Hae Soo (he comes the closest to happiness though)
Wang Mu - wants to be a good ruler, loses all of his sense in ruling
Wang Won - wants wealth, respect, and Chang Ryeo, loses all of the above
King Taejo - wants Court Lady Oh, loses Court Lady Oh
Empress Yoo - wants the king's love and power through her sons, loses all of the above
Princess Yeon Hwa - wants to protect her family, loses all respect and love from her family
Choi Ji Mong - wants Crown Prince Mu's happiness, loses Crown Prince Mu
General Park Gyeong - wants to protect his daughter and his kingdom, loses his daughter and watches the kingdom's downfall
Shin Ju Kang - wants power, is killed off as a traitor
Wang Ryeom - wants power, is killed off as a traitor
Park Yeong Kyu - wants power, is killed off as a traitor
Court Lady Oh - wants the king, loses the king
Empress Hwang Bo - wants to protect her children, watches her children destroy each other
Lady Hae - wants Wang Wook's love, doesn't receive it until after her death
Park Soon Duk - wants Wang Eun's love, doesn't receive it until her death
Chae Ryung - wants Wang Won and to protect Hae Soo's friendship, loses Wang Won and hurts Hae Soo
Woo Hee - wants Baek Ah and to protect her kingdom, loses Baek Ah in order to protect her kingdom
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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a VERY complex drama. And therefore, it left me with very confused emotions in the end.
For start, the entire plot of the drama had incredible potential. But somehow it got weary in the middle, ultimately losing its charm. I love a good tragedy and this could've been a good one. But the drama's failures and flaws outweighed the good ones and ended up with a quite mediocre output.
Lee Joon-gi as the male lead was on-point. He fit the character so well you couldn't imagine any other actor to play Wang So. He was mainly the reason why I stuck up until the end of the drama. The way he delivered all sorts of emotions in a still, close-up, continuous shot is just pure brilliance.
IU as the female lead was likeable. She was adorable in the beginning. However, as the plot thickens and the drama unfolds, her repetitive sad, longing puppy-dog eyes became too exhausting to watch.
The premise of the drama had a bit of a fantasy, which I personally liked. The concept of time-travelling was loose but easily grasped. However, there were no further explanations on why IU travelled back in time. And as the historical part of the drama rolls, soon the concept of time-travelling faded away into the background and the drama completely forgot about it.
The drama was obviously a reverse harem intended for viewers, mainly women, who can swoon over the gorgeous princes through the entire drama. But the charming faces of the princes weren't enough to compensate the plot's shortcomings. The subplots became repetitive, with all of it being an "ordinary woman falling for the high prince but ended up tragically because of that unrequited love" story. Although, there were two of these subplots that definitely moved me, namely Lady Hae & Wang Wook's complicated subplot and Wang Eun & Park Soon-deok's growing yet bittersweet love. Other than that, everything else was a lackluster.
Also, one flaw that I wasn't able to fully ignore was that countless time jumps in the middle of the drama. A few would've been okay. But with it continuously leaping through time, it felt like that drama was playing in fast forward that we couldn't catch up to the story and the emotions it was trying to convey.
With such a dynamic story, it was very hard to pinpoint the direction of the plot. It was so inconsistent all throughout that I couldn't decide if it was a story of Hae Soo's journey from the modern time to the past, her star-crossed love story with Wang So, The Wang Princes' complicated brotherhood and the harsh reality of the monarchy that tore it apart, or the all the romantic links Hae Soo forged in every prince (which I personally think was a bit unrealistic).
Overall, Moon Lovers was quite a ride to watch. It wasn't perfect, to be clear, and had some obvious flaws. A promising plot of a cheesy, forced reverse harem, with a bucket full of flaws and a bunch of bitter, over-repeating endings. But it was a drama you wouldn't want to miss just because of all the emotions you can get by watching it.
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Is really amazing mix between cast (of course handsome boys, good actriz ) , the enviroment (amazing scene beautiful castles, lakes, forest all of them with specific details) and story ( drama, romace, politics).
With each episode you will feel catcher, always I want to watched more and more ...Probably I watched this drama in 3 days, I was trapped since first episode I was interested in every character all of them have different personality and between them are complement.
The story is dramatic.... My heart was broken around 2 times, especially in last episodes.. I'm more romantic I want pink end but its ok.
Interaction between actors was incredible, natural situation, funny ; Hae Soo and all princes are such a family and at the same time they suffer a transformation ones good and other really bad , is interesting to realize that
However I want second season PLEASE!!!
Of course I recommend this drama you can cry with them and laugh with them (I did).
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This review may contain spoilers
If you are looking for a well written review, I don't think this is it. I suck at writing reviews as I cannot fully put my thoughts correctly into words. ALSO, I MOST LIKELY MIGHT INCLUDE SPOILERS. SORRYI know that this drama had a lot of potential but it seems like all of that was neglected as the show was approaching its ending.
For me, all the complications that were all piled up instead of getting resolved was kind of disappointing and it made me wonder if I am still watching the drama for its plot or whether my remaining hope for the two main characters is what's making it bearable. (But alas, the ending broke my heart into dust) Maybe because it was pre produced and the editing was not enough to salvage some parts of the plot but towards the ending, a lot of scenes didn't make any sense to me. Maybe I was just being stupid for not understanding and if that's the case, I'm really sorry.
As for the characters, 4th Prince Wang So really caught my heart. I like that his character was concrete and was not easily swayed by the palace's and political affairs. He stayed true to what he believes, does a reasonable and responsible decision even though sometimes, it was kind of stupid. But what I really like about his character was that no matter how strong and independent he appears to be, he is just like a child yearning for some love and companion and you'll realize how vulnerable his heart is. I could understand how he always claims Hae Soo as his and always refuses her to leave, (heck he managed to dodge every friendzone remarks Hae Soo made), when he got mad when people were doubting him being the appointed king and when he selfishly stayed by his mother's side alone without letting Jung into the palace. Everytime his mother makes hurtful remarks about Wang So, my heart aches with him. I just wanted to give his character a slow clap for being loveable not only because of his sweetness towards Hae Soo but also because I could fully understand his character. It is rare for me to find a character like this as most of the times, character build up in dramas tend to be confusing with too much back-and-forth with their feelings. I cried hard in the ending scene especially the one where he was standing alone. The realization that his happiness only lasted for a short while and that he was again left with no one on his side, tore my heart into millions of pieces. His character did not deserve that kind of ending. I just wanted him to be happy that in the ending scene, I just wanted to give Wang So a big loving hug. For our heroine, I liked how she was presented as a refreshing character from the start and as she slowly get used to living in Goryeo, I could see that she has learned a lot and has matured. I just found it a bit lacking how she seemed to not worry about the real her, Go Ha Jin, and the only time that we saw her was when she cried with Lady Hae in the praying stones. I was also disappointed about what happened to Hae Soo's character that after all the promises that she made towards Wang So, she ends up doing the exact opposite. And of all the struggles that they have gone through, they couldn't have the happy ending that they deserved. Although I could not really blame the ending on Hae Soo's character, I feel like her sorry in the ending was unfair for us viewers. Finally, the other characters that contributed a lot to this drama. At first, I thought Wang Wook would make a significant role all throughout the drama. I was disappointed that his change of character was just used to make the plot more complicated than it already was and I feel like he was slowly cast aside and appeared only when more complications needed to happen. I applaud Lady Hae and Court Lady Oh for being so selfless. They were the only two characters who were not selfish even though their circumstances are. It was hard not to love these two. To Queen Yoo and Princess Yeonhwa, I don't know why you guys are so greedy. I think that if they have been born as men, they'd kill each other for the throne. I didn't expect that I would pity the 3rd Prince in his last moments. I blame it all on his mother. Lastly, can we just give 14th Prince Jung a big hug? He was really selfless and he kept his promise to Hae Soo even if he received nothing in the end (he wasn't even able to confess. Poor Jung).
To all the actors and actresses that gave life to these characters, Thank you! I believe they all played their part very well. Lee Joon Gi is amazing in playing the part of Wang So. His facial expressions always get me. It is amazing how he is able to express those emotions very clearly. (even though my friend says otherwise). Also, I don't know about you guys but, I really liked IU's acting here and of course, to the other actors and actresses that we have come to hate and love like Kang Ha Neul, Hong Jong Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, Ji Soo, Kang Ha Na and many more.
Like I said, the plot had a lot of potential. It was just kind of disappointing how it became confusing towards the ending, like they gave us so much complications and sometimes, it was hard for my mind to digest. Also, I still cannot get over the ending. My heart still aches. I am giving this drama a rating of 8.0/10.0 to give credit to the amazing actors and actresses and also to its production design and editing. I know saeguks really needs a lot of effort to make. This drama has been a rough ride for me, f rom the funny relationship of the princes with Soo, their cute brotherly times, evil eyeliner characters, Wook hate, and finally a heart crashing ending.
I hope my review was not as confusing as I think it is and I hope you get what I'm trying to point out if ever someone is reading this. I might have contradicted myself in writing this, I'm sorry. I do think that there are still some things that I want to include but I've already confused myself in writing this a lot. I'll try to improve in writing reviews in the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Tragic Love story full of AMBITIONS
Hi there!How have you been doing?
Hope all's well and fine.
Suggestions are welcomed.
Do comment and tell me where you agree and disagree with me.
BE CAUTIOUS, SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Getting to the drama~
Story: 9.0
I had decided not to watch it 2 times before finally watching it because it has a sad ending. I'm the person who likes happy ending and after reading the ending online, I had decided never to try this but because of both the main leads, I decided against it in the end.
It's plotline was fairly nice, except some things.
The nice part:
I liked how the relationship of Hae Soo and Wang So develop. The first king was overly misunderstood by his children over and over again but most of them understood his value in life when he died or later. Wang Wook turning evil was a gradual process and not that "NOW I'M GOING TO BECOME THE KING FOR THIS BLAH BLAH REASON". In most dramas, by the end of it it would show that all the princes are the villians except the one our goddess likes, but here I was happy to see Eun being innocent to the end, I was unhappy since he died but atleast before dying he expressed his feelings for his wife. Jung was being overly possessive of Hae Soo but he was still innocent till the end since he didn't turn against his brothers. I had hoped for Baek Ah and Woo Hee to have a happy ending atleast because none of them had done any wrong but atleast they didn't separate after misunderstandings. We still have no idea of what happened to Wang Moo's daughter but it wasn't shown till the end. Queen Yoo is evil but she's still a true lover. Chae Ryung also truly loves Wang Won.
The part I hoped would have been different:
Yun Hwa should have been nice and innocent instead of evil, she had no reason to turn so. Woo Hee shouldn't have committed suicide. Wang So should have met Hae Soo atleast once before she died. Eun and Soon Duk should have survived no matter what, they were the most innocent ones out there. Jung should have told So that the particular girl was his daughter.
Also, I hoped Wang So (his alike to be more precise) would meet Go Ha Jin. I read online that the ending earlier decided was that his look alike would hand Go Ha Jin a handkerchief while she's crying in front of the portrait, I hoped it would have been that way. I also wondered why Go Ha Jin didn't try to find a way back except one time. Also, who was the Bok Soon (Wang Wook's daughter?) Baek Ah met? Whom did Wang Wook marry?
One more thing about it that I could not understand was the change in history concept. Choi Ji Mong said that Wang Yo's future had changed i.e. he was born with the star of a traitor and not a king but even before Go Ha Jin became Hae Soo, Gwangjong was the 4th king and not the 3rd but according to what Choi Ji Mong said, shouldn't he have been 3rd and after Go Ha Jin came back it should have been changed from 3rd to 4th and blood thirsty monarch to nice and wise king. If someone can explain that to me, please do.
Acting/Cast: 9.5
⨠Lee Joon Gi as Wang So, he had the best character which was also portrayed in a very fine way. He was unpredictable even by his expressions as his character. The smiles were just so cute like it should have had been. He could easily make us cry in the emotional scenes.
⨠IU as Go Ha Jin/ Hae Soo, I didn't like her character that much but her acting was quite very nice as well. Her chemistry with Wang So was very nice but not so good with the other princes except Eun. She was unable to make me cry in most of her emotional scenes.
All the other actors and actresses performed very well as well.
Music: 10.0
It was not monotonous and that's what I really appreciate about it.
Rewatch Value: 10.0
I recommend this to those who won't be hung upon it for not having a happy ending for any couple.
Hope it wasn't boring.
Thanks for reading.
Lots of love <3
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I loved the acting in this drama. I love me some IU. She is a beautiful and talented person. She plays the part of Hae Soo with ease and poise. I'm not going to go through all the princes, except to say that in the original version I loved the 13th prince the most and that is still true. Hong Jong Hyun is just so cute too. I felt more for the 4th and 8th prince. I actually felt sorry for them this time instead of thinking they were fools. Kang Ha Neul and Lee Joon Gi are really good actors and I enjoyed their interpretation of the characters a lot. The other actors are good too.
The music is good.
I may rewatch this at some point.
I believe everyone can enjoy this drama regardless of seeing the Chinese version.
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I have had my thoughts to actually start watching this series as the plot seemed to be very common amongst fantasy dramas, however I gave it a go and from my view it was totally deserved to be watched. A very nice romance series in which a lead plays an important role amongst the princes their fate. The acting was strong, but to be honest when I am watching IU playing, I am basically sold already haha!.
Though I gave it a pretty low re-watch value as I am not a person who likes to re-watch such dramas as it will spoil the series when you know the story pretty much beforehand.
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Se prepare para chorar
???⭐⭐: O começo é MUITO divertido, mas aos poucos a história vai se complicando e terminei soluçando de tanto chorar. Tive um misto de sentimentos pelos príncipes protagonistas, a Hae Soo (Lee Jieun/IU) e o Wang Eun (Baekhyun) são meus protegidos. Não é um dorama que eu indicaria, mas eu gostei muito muito dele. Porém como quem não gosta de sofrer tanto duas vezes, não reassistiria kkkO final me deixou com a sensação de "quero mais" e as mortes destroçaram meu coração, foram poucas que eu não chorei. O romance entre os protagonistas me deixou numa relação conflituosa, alguns minutos eu amava eles juntos e em outras me incomodava contudo creio que era a intenção.
Como não têm segunda temporada, as vozes da minha cabeça afirmam que todos reencarnaram e são felizes no futuro! Enfim, como sempre adoro os doramas que a IU participa. A arte visual é perfeita, a direção fez um trabalho muito bom, gostei bastante da trilho sonora também apesar de toda cena triste ser A MESMA música (peguei trauma dessa).
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I felt the story could have been better written but I still enjoyed the series despite its flaws. What really won me over was the cast which is the biggest reasons to why I watched the show! Everyone did an amazing job but the true star here was Lee Joon Gi. He was phenomenal and had became my favorite Korean actor all time. He brought 4th prince to life! Whenever Wang So smile, it made me so happy. Whenever Wang So would cry, I would cry. Whenever Wang So was being flirty, I would melt. Seriously. Lee Ji Eun (IU) also did a great job. She's not on Lee Joon Gi's level but these two definitely have chemistry. The most amazing chemistry I have ever seen. Whenever those two were together, it always felt like the temperature was rising! Mostly Wang So's story and the love story is what drew me in the most. Also can't forget the bromance! Lee Joon Gi and Nam Joo Hyuk were the best! Kang Ha Neul also won me over. Such a great job as the 8th prince and his smile.... can't stop thinking about it! Overall the entire cast was amazing and beautiful that I have become such a huge fan, not just for this show but for them. Even the locations were beautiful.
The music... What can I say? One of the best soundtracks of 2016! My top favorite of them all. Lee Hi, Davichi, EXO, Punch, Taeyeon and so many others! I have this show's soundtrack on my ipod and always have it on repeat!
I've lost count to how many times I've watched this show. Especially my favorite episodes. I was obsessed with this show before it even premiered!
Despite Scarlet Heart Ryeo not being a success in its home country, it is such a huge hit worldwide. You won't regret watching.
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