River Where the Moon Rises (2021)

I really did like this drama. The only thing I have a problem with it is that they removed Kim JiSoo from his contract. The change of actors was very dramatic for me. KJS is not as tall as Na In Woo nor was he compatible with Kim So Hyun. I felt more chemistry with KJS with KSH. It's not that Na In Woo didn't play the character badly because he was good in it. NIW just overpowered KSH. I did love the ending not paying attention to who played who. I hated the fact that Lee Ji Hoon was killed off towards the end. I'm not the one who wrote the story. I guess all dramas don't have happy endings for the almost main leads who are support actors! The visuals were good, loved the martial art fighting. I will give the writer kudos and give it a 9 rating.

NOTE: Before you ask, I do know about the bullying of Kim JiSoo. That was many years ago and he apologized for it in writing, he didn't bully anyone since then and he didn't bully anyone in his acting career. I feel that he shouldn't have been removed from this KDrama. There was no proof of sexual harassment or assault, that was unfounded. I am a victim of bullying when I was in the Public School System.

2nd NOTE: Today on Sept 12, 2022, an article was written that Kim Ji Soo has disappeared from the public and that he may be doing military time. That all the accusations against Kim Ji Soo were false and the perpetrator admitted his accusations were made up. All other perpetrators followed the main perpetrator and their statements were false as well. Their maliciousness made Kim Ji Soo's life miserable and with this truth coming to light that he finds peace. I hope that the netizens would stop making further unnecessary comments about Kim Ji Soo. He didn't have to apologize for something he didn't do, but I am pretty sure that his lawyers told him that this would be best to calm the anger. In the Holy Word, it does say to apologize even when it is not your fault. I hope this is a learning lesson for those who want to fabricate about another person but it won't.

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And we rose along with the Moon upon the River

River Where the Moon Rises had “news” and “issues” plastered in it since its inception.
Starting from the casting news where both Kang HaNeul and Son YeJin rejected the offer due to schedule conflict but with the former offering to appear for a cameo, the COVID-19 protocols which affected their filming, Hanbok versus Hanfu debacle on social media, the Jisoo controversy, and the drastic casting of Na In Woo which also entailed refilming the entire drama altogether— all of which were apparently key ingredients into making a phenomenal project that proved to everyone how great team work could weather any storm. This production was composed of actors and staff whose main priority is their craft. Their professionalism really transcends and for that, as a viewer, I am very grateful.

This notwithstanding, I would like to convey my opinion about the drama without delving into the above in order to make this as unbiased as possible.

STORY:
As an international viewer, I started the drama without any idea on either the historical figure Princess Pyeonggang or the folktale regarding On Dal the Fool and the Princess of Goguryeo. I also prevented myself from reading the story in the middle of watching the show to maintain the curiosity I have of their story.

With that, I actually liked the story. It was novel to me— a self-proclaimed avid sageuk fan. Goguryeo is an era that I truly want to explore but have few to no materials to begin with. That’s why having this drama around quenched my thirst for that empire.

STORY-TELLING:
The technique that the PD chose was not particularly a breath of fresh air, but impactful nonetheless. Especially with the initial episodes, the introduction of the story was truly enticing that a viewer would certainly get attached to several key characters instantly. It’s not necessarily gripping or suspense-filled, but it has enough pull to let you decide at the onset that you’re in for the ride.

What he missed though, or perhaps, the subbers, was to provide the viewers a bit more insight as to who the characters are on the show or what exactly the issues were in the first place. He might have considered that foreigners who have zero knowledge on korean history are also watching it. The issues tackled were great but it would have been better if more explanation or introduction at least, was given. There were even simple things that could support this, for example, I was already on ep 18 when I found out that “Gochuga” is a royal name for the head of the Gyeru tribe and not just Go Won Pyo’s nickname; or the names of the council members and all other characters could have been introduced as text as well so to guide the viewers instead of relying on Google to search for their characters’ names— may be minor details but worth highlighted on.

I also understand that there were moments that were too somber and could need a help on good scoring to execute the necessary emotions, but the music and timing didn’t fit well (which I would love to tackle more deeply later). Moreover, the quality of the cinematography had to suffer a bit due to budget issues caused by refilming. Although the show’s cinematography DID NOT really suffer per se, the difference between the delivery from the first 6 episodes as compared to the subsequent ones, was almost glaring. You can tell that lesser camera angles were used so they could film more hastily. Again, it did not affect the drama that much but you can still feel the budget cuts.

SCORING:
To have a big scale sageuk, one would naturally expect that the soundtrack would also live up to the standards set. But here, sadly, it did not. Yes, it had a good list of official soundtracks but none of them left a mark on me. None of them was legendary— which is almost a requirement to every korean historical drama.

It made me think that perhaps, this is because of the small number of songs they have available. That the editors were left with little option on which to match the scenes with. Granting that this is true, why would this be so? Why allow your drama to be limited with a short list of songs to choose from? Why allow your drama to have sub-standard scoring?

I say this coming from someone who felt irked in a few scenes, not only did the timing of the songs was not perfect, the song played did not also help to convince me that the Musical Scorer did his best with the task given.

ACTING:
I may have complaints about the musical scoring, but there’s definitely nothing to whine about this show in terms of acting. All of them—- from the main leads down to the supporting roles, even to Dal Gang the dog, did their part very well. Everyone gave justice to the characters and for that, I bow my hat off to everyone.

As much as I would love to discuss the delivery of each character, I would instead focus on the two main characters: Pyeonggang and On Dal.

Pyeonggang:
Kim So Hyun as Princess Pyeonggang and Gajin (and Queen Yeon) just proved to the kdrama land that she is definitely the best actress of her generation. Her professionalism transcends beyond the tv screens. Unknown to some, it was not only the drama that underwent turmoil. So Hyun herself had a lot of things to deal with personally upon starting the show. She did not only have to learn how to play 3 different characters, but she also had to take care of her business by changing agencies in the middle of filming. This means that she had to deal with the legal aspect as a signed actress, as well as having to let go of the staff she had worked for years and build rapport for the new ones assigned to her. She also had to promote two shows back to back— RWTMR and Love Alarm 2. This could also be the very reason why she seemed unfazed when the refilming controversy surfaced and still managed to show up at work in high spirits, like nothing could deter her from finishing this drama beautifully. She’s been through a lot before! Haha

Regarding KSH’s acting though, I understand that she envisioned Pyeonggang as this stoic and determined person, but how I wish she had loosened herself up in some scenes. I could name a few number of scenes where I wished PG would somehow change her facial expression from stoic to something more endearing. However, she really did great overall. The fighting scenes were convincing, powerful, and laudible.

Romance-wise, this drama has been her best so far. Perhaps owing to the fact that Inwoo and her had an unexpected electrifying chemistry that made me appreciate how God managed to remove Jisoo out of the picture to give way for Inwoo. Their fate had proven to be stronger than anything else. They were really born to make their chemistry ooze on the screens. Kudos, KSH for such portrayal.

On Dal:
Jisoo as On Dal was supposedly very good. In fact, I really thought that On Dal was the best character Jisoo had ever played in his entire career. Everything about his portrayal was natural— we had a mischievous, funny, and smitten On Dal before our very eyes. But when In Woo came and showed us his interpretation of On Dal, a rather different interpretation if I may emphasize, our lenses as viewers truly had to adjust to the change, and I for one, really enjoyed and appreciated the adjustments.

In Woo portrayed On Dal as this naive, gentle, soft, emotional, and just purely good-natured human being. Very different from that of Ji Soo’s but the better interpretation in my opinion. Na In Woo singlehandedly took the focus from Pyeonggang (or Go Geon for that matter, Lee Ji Hoon really had a commanding presence) and demanded it be placed unto him. He made the story his own, his character his own, and the loveline his own. Na In Woo, in every sense of the word, did justice to his character, and HE IS ON DAL.

I would also like to emphasize how I’m in awe of his courage to take on a very controversial drama and allow himself to undergo the hurdles laid before him, without ever making others feel that he came unprepared. He did so well, exceeded everyone’s expectations that most of us wished he was casted as On Dal from the very beginning. He truly has a bright future ahead of him and I’m looking forward to see him reach the top.

WRITING:
There were definitely a number of things worth pointing out but I honestly do not mind them that much. Contrary to others’ opinion, the characters were very consistent and I had no qualms in how the writer made it so.
What I have for the writer instead was admiration, that he was flexible and humble enough to assent to the needed change for his story. The PD had graciously shared his gratefulness for the Writer who conceded to the tweaking he asked particularly for the ending, and I commend him for that because the story still wrapped beautifully. In fact, watching the series makes you feel that it did not go through all those things that it went through. Definitely thanks to the Writer and the PD who worked great together.


OVERALL:
This drama is a very good sageuk. All the elements are there to let you remember it for a long time. Rewatch value is also great. Please have a try and watch this masterpiece.

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River Where The Moon Rises is a great drama loosely based on a legend about On Dal the Brave (played by Na In Woo) that, after marrying Princess Pyeonggang (played by Kim So Hyun), became a General during the Goguryeo Kingdom. The drama offers action, intrigue, palace antics, and a nice and steadfast romance for the leading couple. The cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and there was good camaraderie among On Dal and Princess Pyeonggang’s friends and associates. One relationship that is worth mentioning is the lovely kinship between On Dal and his mother. Although the end felt rushed, the drama overall is a fantastic and entertaining production. Enjoy it!

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I am really happy that I didn't dropped this drama!

First of all: I will write about what feelings and thoughts I got because of this drama and this will not be a real analysis actually.

So... I can tell that it was a good decision that I didn't stop and I continued this show after five episodes. It was totally worth to complete!
Although it seemed to be boring to me at the beginning, but luckily there was a point where I started to like it much more and then I was able to enjoy it until the end.

Basically the main story was a bit weak and the main couple was a little bit "dumb" too by my own opinion, but yet there are a few other things in it which made the whole great to me.
For example that there is an other couple beside Dal and the Princess - and that couple was much more interesting.
Plus, now it happened first time that a female character made a positive effect on me - yes, Hae Mo Yong became my first favourite female kdrama character!
I really liked her, as well as I liked Go Geun too.
Adding more, the amazing OST made every scene and event of the drama better! Thanks to that I also felt that the battle scenes were surprisingly awesome and thrilling, so I adored to watch them.

Finally, I have to note that maybe if it would had be shorter then I would had be able to like the main story more too.

( Sorry for my english and if my words are chaotic maybe! This is my first review anyway... )

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Worth the watch even with actor change. Well worth it.

Wow didn't think 2021 would start the year with a big bang so many amazing dramas.  When I saw the title and Cast Kim ji/So Hyun  what a great combination until KJS was replaced with Na in woo(ep7-20)  I wasn't sure but he & cast made it like nothing changed. Everything was amazing the clothes to setting and ost. There were funny, serious moments. I know this was about true character in life, but it stated the story and history would be different. The idea of this drama about a king being controlled by Prime Minister Won Pyo to look and act as a druken puppet in court in order to loose his power in front of the officials . He listens to Go won pyo and consort jin(I think having an affair) making him believe that the queen had an affair year ago and the princess might not be his and she went to the su eon temple. He snaps and orders Go won pyo to have his wife and dtr be killed (what a jerk he could of atleast investigated or just captured) So Won pyo goes to suneon town and starts killing everyone as the queen tells pyeonggang to run and general On Hyub tells On dal to protect the princess. Won pyo puts an arrow in the queens heart and makes On Hyub plead to treason in order to save the people and is killed. Meanwhile the King goes to the temple & killing everyone until he is told that the monk has been away over a month he drops the sword. The princess and On dal were seperated and she hid in the temple and was kidnapped and drugged by the Sharman to forgot her past. Now 8yrs later we find out the princess aka Yeon ja jin was made into an assaain by the sharman in order for her to kill the king to revenge his wife and baby.(also let her kill her dad) While trying to she has a vision and fails as she escapes she runs into On dal while being chased by palace guard and is shot with an arrow. He bring her back to ghost Village and takes care of her while trying to find out her identity out. She meets her friends San & jinas they were tracking her and they tell her that her dad in trouble. She rushes back and On dol follows her.. She gets the Sharman to released her dad & tells him she wants her memory back as her nightmare of the past are terrible and so he sedated her and put in jail. She is rescured by Ondal and her dad tell her she adopted and that she has a jade pendant that comes from the palace. So she sneaks into the palace for answers and thru the headaches remembers her secret passage and sees her nanny and asks if she knew her.. Your the missing Princess pyeonggang and in a panic she runs out and the nanny follows and gets caught by Go won pyo who threatened to kill the Crown Prince so she agree to spy. Ga jin goes back to On wol and the ghost village and tells him who she is and they start to remember the past of there parents being killed. He wants to learn how to use a sword and so she sends him to the temple for Monk wol gang to teach him. In order to live together they get married and are happy, but she needs to see the king about the past(as her memory are returning). She sneaks in, but he thinks she's a ghost and tells Won pyo and Consort Jin who now scheem to catch/kill her. She see the king in private and explains she only getting her memory back and what happened to her 8yr ago and why she didn't return. Upon seeing the Crown prince*(CP) and talking about the King's crazy behavior she then realize hes being poisoned slowly with medicine. Now she returns to the palace as Princess Pyeonggang and figures out the CP is also being poisoned. Now Won pyo trys to get her to Marry his Son Go geon in order to gain more power. She not interested as she bring her husband On dal into the court which cause an uproar. Now what happens are the internal/external fights as On dal proves his father Innocence and is given the postion/title of General. Princess prove that won pyo and Consort jin are bad as the rebellion happens and the princess and general fight side by side together and kill many guilty official like PM won pyo (it felt good to watch lol) but too much blood is shed and he finds his mother killed by Go geon they chase him, but he disappeared into silla. So On Dal decided to leave the palace and return to the ghost village alone and the princess stayed to help the CP. Four years have passed and the CP is now King and doing good and the princess still missing Ondal. So she sneaks out  to find Ondal and they talk and then he kicked her out and tells her not to return. She leaves in tears and so is he. Back in court the official are talking about getting back the 2 kingdom that were stolen. In the interm the princess has won many war and getting recognized by the people, but in court Queen Jin fathers is egging the king she has much power and might rebel. In court she want to lead the war and him being jeousley he locks her in jail. She would rather die then have Ondal kill more, he tell her if Ondal returns he'll believe her. She tells him to kill her, so the next day Ondal comes to rescue her and together will take back Adam den & silla (but the queen became a traitor) OK that's it for now you need to watch all the fill ins and have some tissue. Unexpected ending

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A show that make you complain and stunned

Let me begin, this storyline does not match truly the real one written in history, yes on dal was a fool and a bumpkin, his mother was blind, he didn't have a general father, when he met the princess his life got turned up down and became a general who fought for Goguryeo and was known as his strong will and power. On the other hand, the princess was not a soldier nor an assassin so why to damage her reputation. Yes she has knowns martial arts, she loved on dal to get off from marrying a noble man while she didn't want him when she was young. So afterwards their marriage was established out of love and care. On dal after becoming a general of Goguryeo crossed into many battles to save his country and was a hero then he died while defending the borders against Shilla army by an arrow on 590.
Returning to this drama, The four main leads, go Geon, on dal, Pyeongyang and mo young portrayed respectively by Lee ji hoon, Na in Woo, Kim so hyun and choi yoo hwa did their role with utmost sincerity and braveness but the script and the flow of the drama didn't fit them, I liked the chemistry between The FML and FFL and the SML and the SFL, they were awesome together but the outcome was a bit strange so go Geon that he was the princess trainer from her childhood love her for years but she didn't blink an eye and he didn't have a chance to act because of her love for on dal and her grudge against his father go won Pyo. Nonetheless,, Mo young who was a silla spy, became attracted to master go who was twisted and obessed by the princess, she had nothing to lose and she keeps confronting him while he was in pain and a dire situation. Go Geon could not forget his love for the princess even if he was grateful to mo young care and help aid so what a man. While On dal only cared about the princess and died protecting her which was heartbreaking and same as go Geon death.
So this drama is far to be believed and one thing that phenomena of masquing the spirit and reviving it again to make FML alive is unreasonable and they should not have include it in the script. On dal death should have been kept as it was and replacing it with something else would be more ominous.

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Impressive flow of story with such a remarkable setting, costumes, and props

This is one of my anticipating drama of 2021 and the title itself speaks a beautiful and meaningful story. Although I’m not a fan of historical shows, the casting made me add this to the list. Jisoo and Kim So Hyun are both of my top fave K-actor ever. Then boom! Jisoo’s bullying scandal almost ruin the drama. But thankfully, it wasn’t.

I was really impress on how they started the show, I never get bored in the first few episodes. The setting and costume were super realistic. Brutality in the show is so good that I even close my eyes for some scene but the one that got me surprise is when the woman blinded her own eyes, it was super scary. War of the tribes, King vs leader of the tribes, and etc. These are really intense and remarkable clash presented in the series.

Another thing that I like about this show is that they haven’t let the viewers to wait for more episodes before the revelation scene. It is so unique compare to others. You really didn’t know what will be going to happen next while watching this, they are good on turning the tables. They demonstrate more possibilities that can occurred in a historical conflict.

RWTMR is such a good drama, speaking from experience, I often feel bored watching a historical drama but this one is an exception. Every Kim So Hyun drama is perfect on its own way, and I also observe that each So Hyun’s drama will let you torn on between the main and second lead which is hard for many viewers.

Some of my dislikes on the show:
- On Dal character is really annoying during EP13-EP18
- The fantasy ending. It is already good that On Dal died, realistic and sad ending is much better than magical and happy ending. Do some people can really play dead for a while? As ind dead with no pulse and breathing, if yes, HOW and WOW!
- Took me too long to be familiarize with the new On Dal. I know it’s not their fault that some issues suddenly blow out and affects the show but unfortunately this truly became one of the cons of the show.
- Why do the Prince become so angry with his sister the moment he become the King? I’m kind of confused in its previous scene were the King and the Monk talked about the past that is related to the late Queen. Why is he angry after that? Specifically, to the Princess?
- I feel like 20 episodes is too much for me, during the last few episode, I feel bored which I never feel during the previous episodes.

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what a lovely drama! I highly recommend it! you will see how the story unfolds as the episodes progress, specially at the final episode! the story was intense until episode 17 but I warn you it suddenly went off at episode 18 that I almost stopped watching but it bounced back at the final episode (what I mean is from climax it suddenly went blunt but they manage to recover from it somewhere at episode 19). nevertheless I really thought that the story will unfolds like the folklore but I was really amazed how the writers made a twist and made this story so lovely. on top of that this drama has a spectacular ending.

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TRULY BEAUTIFUL EXECUTION!!!!

Props to the directors, producers, screenwriters, music composers, KBS and our precious and talented cast and crew who worked really hard for the refilm!! 👏🏼👏🏼✨Also I would like to give big thanks to Na in woo our 'On Dal' for taking up this role despite of the short notice and gave such an exceptional performance!!! He really came and DELIVERED!!!! I sincerely wanna thank him for his beautiful portrayal of On Dal 💟 He's really beautifully written. Despite of all the difficulties our directors and producers were able to release the drama on time. KUDOS TO EM' ALL!!!!! 👏🏼🎉

Tbh, I wasn't expecting much from this drama and still ended up falling head over heels in love with it anyway. The characters, the plot, the chemistry, the ost's.. EVERYTHING!!! This drama surpassed all of my expectations! Ngl I was a bit skeptical but I'm glad I gave it a chance and IT FREAKIN' DELIVERED! IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Watching this was THE BEST DECISION I MADE.
'River Where The Moon Rises' deserves a lot of awards! I really truly hope that it gets the recognition that it deserves!!
Again, THANKYOUUUU EVERYONE FOR THIS MASTERPIECE!!!! 💛


Btw, I normally find it hard to re-watch anything at all however I can totally see myself coming back to this :)))))))))

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Went in with low expectations, was very surprised.

I was hesitant to watch this because of all the scandal surrounding the drama, and the low rating on MDL.
I also had never seen the ML in anything before, and was not familiar with him as I was Ji Soo, who was originally the lead and was replaced. Na In Woo was amazing as On Dal, I couldn't imagine anyone else in this role. He was great as the bumbling fool, and equally as captivating as the serious General On. His chemistry with Kim So Hyun was also incredible to watch and had many swoony moments. I also loved the supporting roles in this, although at time it felt like there were too many side stories going on. It was hard to root for the side couples toxic relationship, that story captivated me the least. The big drawback for this drama was that it did feel like some episodes were unnecessary. It also felt a bit clunky, and obvious in the episodes where they transitioned to the new ML, episodes 7-8. I feel though that they probably did their best given the situation. Please give this a chance, it's a beautiful love story with tons of action, but go in with low expectations like I did and you will be more than surprised.

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