Good start, downhill from there...
Let me start by saying I had high expectations for this drama because of Park Ji Hoon, his work is always outstanding. The story had everything to be good. A prince with dual personality, an assassin avenging her father, the late king... how can this lead to such a boring script? There were to many plots going on, with to many people and no real depth to any of them. It became this boring romantic cliché thing that dragged so much it took me forever to finish. The only interesting character was Ak Hee but they even managed to hollow him out in the last three episodes. Honestly, why bother casting someone has Park Ji Hoon, known for his out of the box characters, for this? If not, for him, I would have dropped this after the first episodesWas this review helpful to you?
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FROM INTRIGUING TO INCOMPREHENSIBLE
I just finished watching this intense historical fantasy drama, and wow, do I have thoughts! Right from the beginning, the drama sets a dark, intense tone with Minister Sajo Seung beating his son, Sajo Hyun, for drawing outfits. I thought this scene perfectly showcased the dysfunctional relationship between them, setting the foundation for Sajo Hyun's inner torment. The drama only gets more complex from there, introducing Wol, the assassin, and her tragic backstory tied to Sajo Hyun's father's massacre of her entire family.One thing I loved was how deeply flawed and multifaceted the characters were. Sajo Hyun is fascinating, with his split personality—Ak Hee, the wild, charismatic fighter, versus Sajo Hyun, the quiet, blood-averse fashion designer. The dynamic between them was one of the most captivating aspects, especially as they both vied for the attention of Kyera (Wol’s assassin identity). Watching Ak Hee's interactions with Kyera, particularly the love-hate tension, was thrilling. Their chemistry was undeniable, and Ak Hee’s jealousy over Sajo Hyun's growing bond with her added a lot of layers to the story.
However, the drama took some unexpected turns, and not all for the better. Around episode 12, things started to get a bit confusing. There were moments where I felt like the plot was trying too hard to keep us on our toes, throwing in elements like random amnesia, unexplained plagues, and complicated political schemes. Sajo Yoong’s rise to power and the constant switching of identities between Ak Hee and Sajo Hyun, especially towards the end, made it hard to keep track of who was in control.
Despite its flaws, I really appreciated how the show built the tension between the two personalities and how they both ended up working together for a common goal, at least for a while: Kyera. The ending, though, left me with mixed feelings. Ak Hee’s disappearance felt like a betrayal of his character, and while I get that Sajo Hyun had to let go of his fears, I had grown attached to Ak Hee and his complexity.
Overall, the drama started off strong but lost its way in the middle. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, with some beautifully executed moments, but I can’t help but feel like it was a bit of a mess in parts. The soundtrack, though? Absolutely amazing—I’m definitely downloading that one track that kept playing during the emotional scenes. It’s a drama I wouldn’t necessarily recommend to everyone, but for those who love complex characters and don’t mind a little chaos in their plotlines, it might be worth a watch!
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Park Jihoon is the star for a reason
First of all Park Jihoon is a phenomenal actor. It's almost hard to describe but the intention he puts into every part of the role he plays from facial reactions to gut wrenching emotion, is captivating. He can play subtle just as well as he can play heavy emotion and it's very impactful. He got to show his dynamic in his jeckyl & hyde esque persona and it made the parts of the story that lagged - enjoyable. I can't say enough just how well he did in this role. He's developing into an amazing actor and I can't wait to see more from him.Hong Ye ji also did an amazing job. She worked with what she was given; at first a tremendous backstory that kind of dissolved into less of a role because of the story. Still, she remained interesting and handled her scenes with believable emotion.
The story itself was a balance mental health vs paranormal and it took the time to really search out those concepts in an interesting way. I think this was the most interesting part of the story. I even think they could have gone further into it and made it less literal to play with fantasy vs reality but it was still good for what they did with it.
I also wish they would have given more substance to Yeon wol, Geum hwa, and even Yang's role in the story. They sort of felt more like tools in certain points, than real vulnerable human characters. That's my only complaint. The story was a little lacking, but the acting made up for that and the story overall was an interesting concept. I enjoyed it and would watch it again.
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Fantasies are weird anyway
> I'm currently watching this show <So, I just watched episode 3 and after seeing so many bad reviews about this show I noticed I had to write mine too and say that this show isn't bad as the people are saying it's.
First of all, keep in mind that this one is fantasy so things are all weird and nothing is normal here. With that in mind, you should also knows that Ak Hee isn't even the second Male Lead of the story, he's just a bad personality that our ML has developed thanks to his tragic past, so ppl who are dropping this show bc of him definitely are losing a potential story. I also don't like Ak Hee but he's an important part of the story, he made us wish for Sajo Hyun to win this weird fight. And talking about "fight" I think it's very weird seeing Sajo fighting Ak Hee in another demission, like, what? But anyway, it's fantasy it isn't mean to have any sense.
One thing that I like like about this show is our FL, Kyera is really enjoyable and love her, even when she had lost her memories she was cool, I really like her. And her relationship with Sajo is really cute. I hope they'd end up together at the ending. As for Ak Hee, I hope he di*s already LMAO. Idk if he's supposed to be the kinda character enjoyable who's psycho but also funny, but the only thing I know is that I don't like him at all, I'll wish for Soja victory, he's cute and I feel bad for him :(
Anyway, if you like Fantasy as much as I do give this show a try and don't mind the bad ratings. I'm still watching and I know that my review might change in the future but for now I think it's worth watching it.
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So far good
I've been eagerly waiting for this show to be released since it was first announced, and I must say, it was worth the wait. The show's beginning was quite surprising, especially how the younger versions of the main lead and female lead looked exactly like their older selves. However, it wasn't surprising to learn that the main lead, Park Jihoon, had a traumatic past since he always had tragic backstories in all the shows he has starred in. When the present timeline began, it was quite intriguing, and the acting was amazing. The fight scenes were especially impressive, and the way the main lead portrayed two distinct personalities was commendable. Overall, I think the show was pretty cool. The only downside was the song selection, which wasn't particularly good. Also, I wish someone would smack some sense into ML's father because why would you scold your child for something that he enjoys doing? Despite these minor issues, I would rate the show 10/10. I hope I'm not revealing too much about the plot.A couple of weeks as passed and my opinions kind of changed about this series. It's still interesting to watch but I'm not that kind of person to watch shows with sad ending like Weak Hero Class 1, so I'm hoping it a happy ending. So far, this series has made me cried a lot than the other series I've watched because of episode 9 and I never expected me to cry that quick after hearing the ML cry for 1 second. And omgosh Jihoon's acting is so good, you can just feel the emotion just by looking at his eyes and his voice omgggg and Yeji role suits her so well!!! Well, I'm hoping it isn't a sad ending or I'm showing up at the director place loll
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Dont Waste Your Time
I wanted to finish this.. i really did but it just sucked so bad.. In the beginning, it was awkward but i just sat through it so i thought whatever, but as the story goes on its kinda like what am I even watching? Watching the FL kinda give up on her whole plan the mind loss just no.. I was sticking it out for jihoon but even i eventually had to give it up. Made it farther than a majority of the commenters and i dropped it on episode 12/16 so that's saying quite a bit.Was this review helpful to you?
Absolutely love Park Ji Hoons Acting
The storyline was definitely fresh and very well written. The acting for Park Ji Hoon was phenomenal in his dual role. I've watched it a couple times and every single time I watch it I experience a new emotion from Park Ji Hoons acting. I'm so impressed. I can understand why he won best actor for this role.Was this review helpful to you?
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The series needs more patience than usual
The problem and possible solutions to said problems lie within the premise of the drama. There is just a constant battle for the spotlight between all the subplots the writer(s) were aiming to showcase which in turn just makes the story sometimes seem sloppy and all over the place. I had a concern about this but luckily it was mostly resolved by the end, and the last 3 eps are the best imo.To start off, the introduction is good, we are introduced to our leads and their background and importantly their first meet post past events. The narrative is well set with us being aware of the basic relationships between everyone especially with our male lead Sajo Hyeon/Akhee who has a split personality. We see the dynamic between his personalities and who prefers what, what their strengths and weaknesses are. Just a heads up for the first couple of episodes there's also a viewer battle/struggle of trying to figure out which personality he is especially when there is a hint to the switch.
Like in most sageuks (I am guessing, 'cause I've only seen about a handful atp), other than the revenge and personality disorder our ML has, there's the coveting of power by everyone around the throne and struggle for control of the throne. And that's where the thrill as well as most of the problems come about. Firstly, we all know Yoong wants the throne and is willing to go to extreme lengths to attain it which is not a secret to everyone but the question is why doesn't anyone do anything to punish/stop him? He just keeps getting a slap on the wrist for it and moves on with life which is a drag and ends up not being interesting. Secondly, I don't understand why Geumhwa (and her dad) wants power because she doesn't even use it for anything other than fight with Consort Myung, so her story is kinda lame but she is getting screen time that's for sure. Plus for someone who wants power she sure yields too much to other people. But imo these both pale in comparison to what they did to Yeon Wol. My girl came for revenge and it only lasted 3eps (and that's being generous) given what Akhee did to her. They messed up her storyline imo. Like she gave up too soon on revenge and she just became the plot driver into figuring out Akhee and Hyeon which doesn't make sense. Like, even if she isn't trying to get revenge anymore, is she going to set the record straight and reclaim her rightful position? (Also, she trained to be an assassin and didn't learn how to swim?)
There's obviously other plots like the late king's struggle with treason, Akhee and Hyeon's battles, Chung Ta and her lack of a backbone. But the exploration of all these plots simultaneously with a lack of direction of the drama are the problem. Rather than wondering what will happen in anticipation of what is to come, you end up wondering what will happen in a state of disbelief of the many things that have already happened. It's more of I wonder what absurd thing they will pull out next episode rather than plot development because there is little to no such thing in this drama. This may make watching feel like a chore rather than fun.
In every episode, the newest plot line takes front and center stage until the thrill wears off then another takes it's place with an occasional visit to pre-existing plots. This works both in favor and against the drama depending on how good the plot is, resulting in a sometimes good and occasionally bad episode. Then there is momentary plot introductions like that one of Eunuch and that palace lady that are unnecessary additions. Like why keep adding more plots instead of developing and better explaining what already exists? For instance, how Yoong and Prince Ga Ron and Co got acquainted to the point that he has influence, or how Akhee is only affected by Yeon Wol, or even the development of Hyeon and Akhee's interactions and dynamic, or how Yeon Wol learnt the things she knows.. but oh well..
All in all the drama is good & the sub plots are decent. They are just not well developed to have a lasting impression. Therefore you need more patience than usual. They did a good job wrapping up the show but imo I would rather it was 12 eps with a fast pacing and hoping for more eps than wishing it was shorter like I am now because mid season it started being a drag.
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Watch for JHs acting
Personally, I'm really enjoying it! Get past the first couple of eps the plot really picks up along with a good pace. U can develop a lot of affection for the MLs personalities cuz JH portrays them so well, i always get blown away by his acting. The FL is fine too, she's not the most expressive but I know she's an upcoming actress so give her some space.The plots alright, there r some finer details missing but it's still enjoyable. At the end of the day it's fantasy so take it less seriously.
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AKHEE
Jihoon was the reason I kept watching even though scenario was going opposite direction of my expectations.I loved the starting point of this drama. The dual / evil personality was such a great thing to have in a historical drama. Jihoon nailed it 100%. I was rooting for Akhee the whole time and couldn't really connect with the sajo hyun and yeon wol. Though beside the romance, it's the story itself that was the weakest point of LSFI. Plot was changing ep by ep, adding another plot twist or drama cliché turnover but it didn't make sense at all. It has a lack of consistency and it felt rushed a lot toward the last ep. I don't hate this drama, actually i followed every weak release but i must admit if it wasn't for akhee's character i would have dropped it. 😔😈
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A FORGETTABLE DRAMA.
Before anything else, it is necessary to say and repeat a thousand times that Park Ji Hoon is a beast of acting. At just 24 years old, he dominates the scene and has a striking voice when he acts, unlike colleagues of the same age or similar, whose ham acting is totally evident. I only watched this drama because of him. After this brief preface, let's talk about the drama itself. It's very easy to talk about this drama because it has an excellent synopsis, but the execution was terrible, with quite lazy narrative resources, to say the least. The use of the memory loss trope by the protagonist was quite anything, and the screenwriters did not use creativity to create more innovative situations in Korean drama. Another fact that bothered me a lot and was quite exaggerated were the excessive screams and shouts of the protagonist. In episode 14, for example, it was 60 minutes of just him screaming and writhing. The villains were all well below criticism. Personally, I can't see Hwang Hee playing villains. His comic and charismatic character in "Tale of the Nine-Tailed" mentally marked me, but that's just me. What annoyed me the most was that in the initial episodes, the screenwriters treated us to a cunning, intelligent, witty, comic, and fighting Ak Hee. However, to maximise Sajo Hyun's protagonism, they turned Ak Hee into a greedy and childish idiot. Anyway, it's a drama I'll forget after typing this review.Was this review helpful to you?
What noo noo.
That first episode is so good. and the actors are amazing, and so is the set design.but darne those writers, because that plot was awful, so hollow, this had so much potential and the writers flushed it all down the toilet.
We have a man with a split personality, but instead of flushing him out and healing him, they just gave us a good concurs bad.
Like a personality created of trauma doesn´t deserve to live... doesn´t deserve love.
We have a traumatised FL, who didn´t get any any time that was about her, no instead it was about his throne or how she fits into her life. BUt what happened to her revenge??? Her healing?
I can´t I´m done
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