Dear Hongrang

Was this all for nothing?

I really wish they would have gone with a slow burn romance instead of the incest plot. Both Kissing scenes in the beginning were hard to watch. One the FMC is drugged (not by the MMC) and Two the FMC thought the MMC was her brother and still kissed him. I can see where that would make people stop watching then and there. The snow man (I forge his name cuz it doesn’t even matter) was confusing to me because I thought he was the same as the painter. I didn’t get till the end kind that they were two separate ppl. I don’t understand the point of the snow man?? was he just there to kidnap the children??? I’m assuming the children were just used as canvases and when it didn’t turn out right he just idk killed them? The twist and turns were fun so I enjoyed that. I didn’t like that the MMC never got a true name or a life that was fully his own. He died nameless and that’s so sad to me. All the other characters pissed me off so much. the step mom was annoying and I do feel bad for at the end she just wanted her son but why be so mean to the FMC she wouldn’t have owned anything and she didn’t seem to want to take over the family business anyways so why everyone acted like she was this huge threat and to kill her was baffling. the father was a sh*tty person. he cared about no one. not even his daughter who for whatever reason I was convinced was tha daughter of the lover for some reason. so there was a third sad dead love interest I guess. The adopted brother just got too obsessed with her. I really wanted him to team up with the MMC so bad and redeem himself but nope had to go and get himself killed. the grand prince was a despicable Person! I love the actor who played him but hate that he’s mainly doing villain roles…I love him as a MMC….overall the acting and the filming were soo good! the plot and writing lost me a bit and I don’t like sad ending. so I give it a 7/10

Read More

A beautiful creation

This drama is a great work of art, from the moment it was written to the casting of the perfect actors to bring it to life for the audience, and it is indeed astonishing. I am really a fan of thrillers, mysteries, and action dramas, as they put me on the edge with each scene and episode, and when they uncover hidden clues, it makes me feel a sense of accomplishment, even if I wasn't the one who went to look for clues.

The series covers the theme of deceit, betrayal, and revenge, which is well executed in this series, as the cast makes the audience feel the emotions they act out, engaging everyone.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this series to mystery, drama, and action lovers.

Read More

What exactly was the purpose of this story?

For me the most crucial part of a story is its ending.
Many things can be forgiven but if the ending goes wrong, all the good moments can easily be forgotten.

Sadly, that is the case with this drama.

I have been waiting for this with anticipation and up until it's middle the story was exciting and unique. The characters were intriguing. The acting was amazing.

But what was the purpose of the plot?

The story begins in a sad and tortured tone. We have an abused heroine and a hero with trauma. Their lives are miserable and the people around them only seek their demise.
In the middle we have a lot of action. Then you dare to hope for some happiness but to no avail. It ends with an even more tragic tone than the one it began with.

So? Did we have the heroine finding her brother? Sure. Dead.
Did we have the heroine finally finding happiness and love? Sure. But he died.
Not every story can have a happy ending but it should have balance so that the aftertaste is bittersweet and not completely bitter. A variety of feelings are needed.
This drama can only offer sadness and death. A continuous slicing of people with no purpose, no resolution, no happy ending.

And after so much death you simply anticipate the ending of the story.

Read More

starts strong but falls apart

I'm not the biggest fan of historical dramas out there, but I had to give this a go because regardless of what my other review says, I did want to watch an LJW show. Considering how I already knew the plot of the novel, I'm very happy that it stuck to the original ending. That being said, the show still left me unsatisfied. Only fake-Hongrang's character stayed with me after I finished the 11 episodes.

What I liked about the show was the cinematography, the music, and the characters of the Grand Prince, Min Yeonui, and fake-Hongrang. The fighting scenes were solid and entertaining. The creep factor and the dark themes were interesting. It was an interesting story and I'm glad they stuck to the webnovel ending.

What I didn't like was, first and foremost, the romance. It was uncomfortable and even downright disgusting to watch in some scenes. I understand it's supposed to portray the characters' moral and ethical and psychological turmoil, but I couldn't see it from that perspective. Especially the scene in the forest where Fauxrang sucks on Jaeyi's finger hours after confirming to her that he's her brother. The development felt off to me but perhaps it was how the two characters mirrored each other and could relate to each other that made the feelings so strong in such a short time. Nevertheless, I will never be a fan of the fake siblings trope. None of the romantic moments were heart fluttering to me but I managed to watch it anyway.

Jaeyi's character was a big disappointment. I'm not the biggest Cho Boah fan, but I felt she was okay in Destined With You. All she does in this show is cry and stare as if her eyes are about to pop out. Jaeyi is meant to be a stronger character and clever when it comes to business (webtoon+novel). Seeing how she survived for so long in such a terrible home, with Min Yeonui hanging over her like the devil, I assumed we'd get more from Jaeyi instead of seeing her be rescued every episode. I couldn't sympathize with her or Mujin's character as I found the acting funny in certain parts.

The Snow Man was an interesting character and I would've liked to know more, but I understand he was only a side character.

I thoroughly enjoyed Min Yeonui, from start to the way her story ended.

All in all, good effort. Not a show I would recommend but not one I'd discourage from watching.

Read More

Confusing for no reason but I’d still recommend watching it

I thought that the political drama part was unnecessary and confusing due to the short length of the drama, and the plot felt very convoluted overall. That being said, I still found this show to be worth watching, as the acting, OST, and production value is amazing. It definitely gets way better in the last 2-3 episodes and stuff starts to make more sense. This certainly isn’t the best k-drama or historical k-drama (kingdom and mr. queen are way better) but if you’re bored I’d recommend it as it is quite short and the acting is phenomenal as well as the soundtrack.

Kinda a spoiler (?)
The ending made me cry, just a heads up, if u don’t want a sad ending DON’T watch this.

Read More

unfair pain.love.revenge

Incredibly intense and emotionally piercing!
Truly not for the faint-hearted.
This is by far Jae Wook’s finest film to date.
Undeniably, he poured a tremendous amount of effort into portraying this character — it was palpable.
I’m speaking of his performance, the character’s emotions… and the visual storytelling.
He delivered exactly what the director envisioned.
A powerful film — on par emotionally with The Wolf, maybe even more stirring.

My absolute favorite moment was the scene where Hong Rang, in tears, finally opens up to Jae Yi — revealing his lifelong suffering since childhood.
He confesses why he hid the truth from her for so long — that he wasn’t her brother — because he had fallen for her and feared losing her.
He believed he wasn’t worthy of her affection due to the trauma and mistreatment he endured.
That scene, where he weeps and she cries with him, was heart-wrenching and beautifully done.
It captured the raw emotion of someone who had been unjustly broken from a young age and finally found the courage to bare his soul to the one he loves.
At one point, he was even ready to let her go, expecting nothing in return.
Jae Yi, too, had feelings for him — but was afraid of what it meant, believing her love was forbidden since she thought he was her brother.
That one scene, despite the brilliance of the entire movie, was the most moving of all.

The emotions in this film are absolutely overwhelming — a true emotional rollercoaster.
Despite being a period piece with a somewhat tangled plot at first (and some unclear roles like the mysterious albino character, whose connection to the sadistic artist remains vague), the film still shines.
It conveys a profound and pure love between two people — a love that survived abuse, humiliation, and self-loathing.
They were treated like objects, manipulated and scarred by others for selfish reasons.
Yet these two found the strength to forgive each other for the unspoken truths and chose to love in spite of everything.
That’s true, powerful love — love in defiance of pain.

Jae Wook delivered an outstanding performance!
It was something else entirely — a whirlwind of emotions: fury, tenderness, the thirst for revenge, and that aching sense of helplessness when you realize you can’t go back in time and undo the damage.
He was haunted by the question “Why me?”
Why was he treated this way by some egotistical madman who used children as living canvases for his sick art?

So many good people in this world suffer because of selfish or deranged individuals — people who had their own dreams, who simply wanted to live peacefully…
While watching, the injustice hits hard.
The film portrays pure affection and relentless anguish — the torment carried throughout an entire lifetime.
That feeling of degradation, the relentless inner cry of “What did I do to deserve this?” — it’s the emotional core of someone who just wanted to live but was reduced to an object against their will.
Anyone who’s ever been unfairly hurt will likely resonate deeply with this story…
That overwhelming swirl of emotions — it’s hard to ignore.

In the final scene, I couldn’t help but wonder — would it have been better if Hong Rang had chosen not to retaliate and simply lived happily with Jae Yi?
Or was it right for him to seek justice — to fight back against the one who ruined him?
In the end, though tragic, it felt like he left with peace in his heart… beside the one he truly loved.
It’s heartbreaking how often a love that pure ends before it ever has a real chance — all because of others’ cruelty.

I was shocked to discover that Jae Yi’s father knew everything and still protected the artist just to maintain his image — that was horrifying.
Her mother (though apparently not biological) seemed to have more sense than her husband.
And then there’s Moon Jin — he shocked me too.
He should’ve been grateful for what he was given, but instead he became greedy, reaching for what never belonged to him.
Even though he had a good life compared to many, it wasn’t enough.
In another version of the story, maybe the "impostor" Hong Rang could’ve been saved…
Moon Jin also came from a broken home and suffered as a child — but instead of stopping the painter, he stood by as children were brutalized.
And for what? For social standing?
It was revolting.
What’s terrifying is that people like him — like the painter — exist in real life.
And it’s always the good ones who suffer because of them.
I’m not good at writing reviews — I’m just trying to express how deeply the actor embodied this role.
Everything hinged on emotion — be it love, grief, or anguish.
This film had it all — but what struck the hardest was the pain.
Unjust, undeserved pain — that was the heart of the story.
And in the end, at least the character found love… and peace.
Anyone who’s suffered in life will see themselves in Hong Rang.
And really… why do good people always end up paying the price for others’ cruelty?

Read More

Gorgeously directed and superbly acted story about the power and danger of desire

Dear Hong Rang is an emotional and compelling story about how what we chose to desire leads to either our salvation or our destruction. We follow characters as their unchecked desire for power, for possession, for control causes them to sacrifice love, family, and even their humanity, leaving them monsters and shells of themselves they barely recognize. While others who fearlessly follow the desires of their heart for connection, authenticity, and belonging overcome their past pain and inner demons to find wholeness and a new freedom of being.

This show doesn't shy away from complex psychological themes and relationships--things like obsession, exploitation, shame, forbidden love, dark spirituality, the abuse of power, revenge, torture, cruelty. It balances it with moments of quiet, persistent love, bravery, fortitude and integrity. I was fascinated at times, repulsed at times, thrilled at times, brought to tears many times.

This is a more intimate historical--blessedly there is very little of grand palace politics and machinations. It all centers on the tragedy of one merchant family who cannot put aside their own selfish desires for the good of the whole. It was refreshing to center on merchants instead of the usual nobility, and to explore themes of art and artistry and the darkness of the occult.

The writing excels in the scenes themselves--on the dialogue that highlights complex feelings, interactions between the characters, and the way what is not said is just as important as what is said. On an overall plot level the writer often cut corners or used lazy tropes to maneuver people into place, or explain backstory or other overarching information, and so the overall plot can feel simplistic and unimaginative at times. I barely noticed, though, because the directing squeezed every last value out of the writing, as did the cast of overall excellent actors, and it was easy to get lost inside the scenes themselves.

Highlights and standouts--

- The cinematography/directing was superb. Such a variety of sets, of color palettes, of lighting, of framing, of camera movements and angles, each scene meticulously considered and planned out shot by shot, nothing felt rushed or overlooked or standard. Some of the best camera-work and directing I've seen in quite a while. I want to re-watch just to relive some of the beauty of the scenes.

- Lee Jae Wook as Hong Rang-- I cannot think of another actor who can so effortlessly switch from a dark, commanding, dangerous presence to a fragile, heartbreaking vulnerability in the span of a breath. His sure delivery and excellent physical acting makes him completely believable as a legendary figure, yet his eyes never lose the softness and pain to remind you of the angry, scared, shamed boy underneath. Truly one of the best actors out right now of any age.

- The score of the show felt fresh and was used sparingly and masterfully, so it never felt like it overtook the emotion, only highlighted it.

- The editing-- this is an often overlooked aspect of production, but the editing was phenomenal, especially in the fighting sequences.

- Jo Bo A was also great in her role as a quietly strong, longing, loyal survivor, and had great chemistry with LJW. Park Byung Eun brought a beautiful restraint to Chief Min that allowed him to rise far above a cliche ambitious antagonist--out of all the characters I found him the most tragic. Kim Jae Wook was flawless as the Grand Prince, and it was only in some of his scenes with Hong Rang where I felt as if LJW was matched and even at moments outshined. I wish we could have seen much much more of him.

Overall a high-quality production that will make you think and feel deeply, and will stay with you for quite a while afterwards.

Read More