Wish they'd been more true to the Webtoon

I wonder why they went with a slightly older cast for this drama. The leads did a fantastic job and were great together, but some of their attitudes and behaviors were a little juvenile for people in or close to their 40s. I wished they would have kept Yoon Kye-Sang's longer hair, they aged him quite a lot when he cut it shorter.

I'd say it was a good show, but I found myself getting bored more than once mid-way through the episodes (only to get pulled back in by cliffhanger-ish endings).

Even though this drama was only 12 episodes long, I think they could maybe have made it even shorter. I'm very curious to read the webtoon it was based off of now, though. I'd like to know if the things I didn't like were already in the source material or if they came about once it was adapted.

The musicalization choices were slightly odd, too. There was one particular instrumental that gave off very strong cheesy-Halloween vibes. Also one that sounded like there was someone gargling liquid.

All in all, nothing too memorable, but good enough.

EDIT:
A few thoughts and observations after having read the 1st season of the webtoon. Ye Sul and Min Hu are 26 and 31 years old respectively.

The show changed quite a few details. The biggest being that the ex-boyfriend has a different name and isn't a film director, but also works in advertisement (personally, I liked this change).

The other considerable difference is that Ye Sul and Min Hu become next door neighbors very early on, and in a series on events not unlike those depicted in the drama My Love From Another Star, they go from fighting constantly to relaying on each other because of this physical nearness (wish they'd kept that).

Another change is that in the webtoon Ye Sul's father is a pianist and Ji Young, Seung Teak and Ho Woo don't exist (they were also a nice addition on the show's part).

Personally, I liked the tone of the webtoon better. It was a lot more comedic, silly and cute. I think the show could have benefited from a more cheerful, energetic vibe. At the very least, they should have stayed true to Ye Sul's exuberant, bubbly personality. The show made her character so drab and boring compared to her webtoon counterpart.

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It was ok

This drama was the definition of bittersweet. The happiness was tinged with sadness, while the sad moments had a sweet, hopeful quality.

I loved the soft, romantic, dreamy feel during the emotional scenes, and the whole show was marvelously musicalized. The OST really added a considerable layer of emotion to each poignant scene.

The first half of the drama really dragged for me and I often found myself bored, but things really started moving and getting interesting once the show fully dove into the backstory of Man Weol's past. You'll reap the rewards if you're patient and stick it out during the boring episodes LOL.

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Women should be allowed to be King more often! LOL

No, but seriously, this drama was top notch.

This was my first time seeing Park Eun Bin in anything but I'm convinced there wasn't a more perfect choice for the role out there. Not only was she physically a great choice, but she also killed it acting wise. She was so level-headed and composed most of the time, but when her emotions bubbled over she really stole the show. She was so badass and brave. But also humble and unafraid of being vulnerable. I really liked both the character and how Eun Bin brought her to life.

As for Rowoon, it's amazing how much better his acting has gotten! He's improved so much. He did a great job as Ji Un. It was so adorable seeing him be all confused and flustered over his budding feelings for the Crown Prince/King. And his chemistry with Eun Bin was electric. It was a joy to see them in every scene they had together.

The rest of the cast also deserves a shout-out. From Hyun, Eunuch Hong and Court Lady Kim, to commander Yoon, Ji Un's father and even all the kid actors. Choi Byung Chan was maybe a bit expressionless and monotone as Kim Ga On, but then again that was kind of the character's personality.

For a 20 episode drama there was a surprising amount of things that were barely addressed. Hwi's mother's death and her marriage come to mind, one came out of nowhere and the other wasn't even shown. Not to mention the rise to power of Hwi's paternal grandfather. A bit more backstory on the Uncle and her two cousins also maybe would have been helpful.

Lastly, I have to applaud whoever was involved in picking the OST. They really deserve a prize for a job well done. And the team that made the intro. I'm one of those people who always skip the intro sequence in dramas, but this one was so beautiful and went so well with the music that each episode I looked forward to it.

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Nothing ever happened?

Gave it a fair shake, but honestly, this drama is just too long. Every episode felt like it was a rehash of the previous one because of how glacially slow the plot moved along. Everyone was constantly scheming and it felt like all of them were playing double agents in one way or another. The issue was, with all of this going on behind the scenes, in reality, there was way more talking than there were actions taken. Everyone spent too much time planning, and too little time executing those plans.

There was some solid acting (some were better, others worse), and as is to be expected with sageuks, the set design and costumes were beautiful.

I hung in there until the first kissing scene, hoping that maybe the romance aspect would save the show, but there was not even a hint of a spark to be found between the leads. And I just can't justify it anymore to keep wasting my time with a bland plot and chemistry-less couple.

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Watching this show is a struggle

Given that this drama is kinda presented like a noona drama, I expected the age difference between Song Ah and Hyun Seung to be bigger. A one year difference in age doesn't seem that big of a deal. I expected five at the very least, ten if they really wanted to push it.

And, to be perfectly honest, it all seemed very juvenile. I feel like all the characters were too old to be playing these silly, childish mind games. They behaved like immature high school kids instead of grown-ass adults. Plus, the fact that Ro Woon had the same chemistry with Jin Ah as he did with the actress that played his eldest sister (that is to say, no romantic sparks between them in the slightest) did not help.

The only characters I found fun and interesting were the middle sister and her daughter. Everyone else was so bland and boring. And I strongly disliked the utter juvenile pettiness that's seemingly imbued into this drama.

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Amazing. Fantastic. Iconic. WATCH IT!

This show will break your heart, but it's ok because it'll help you piece it together afterwards. And there's no sweetest happiness that the one that comes after heartache. The laughs and the tears, this show has them both.

The drama was phenomenal. From the writing, to the acting, cast and OST. It was great all around. It lightly touched upon on the philosophy of life and death, how lightness and darkness are both sides of the same coin and you can't have one without the other. The garden metaphor and the deity living as a forever terminally ill patient was an interesting take on the more religious aspect of the story too.

And don't even get me started on the main couple. Their chemistry just jumped out of the screen. It was impossible not to root for them. I sincerely hope they'll work together again someday.

I don't know yet what drama I'll be watching next, but I feel bad for it given the large shoes it'll have to fill.

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Kinda Weak

On the plus side, this one is available on Youtube. On the minus side, the English subtitles were littered with grammatical errors and sentences that didn't completely make sense, which was super distracting.

The story was interesting enough and the acting was passable, but it was a little dry and emotionally restrained for my tastes. Also, it was very obviously set up for a second season that apparently never happened. Not the worst web drama I've ever watched, but it could definitely have been better.

Also, doing romantic stories with no kissing is such BS.

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A second season needs to happen!

This show went from very happy, cheerful and optimistic to bleak and heartbreaking. The last few episodes are just drenched in sadness, and the very last one hits peak anguish, so be ready for that.

During the first few episodes (before anyone died) I kept pondering how in a much smuttier and adult rated world, this would have been a badass reverse harem story. Having a bunch of good looking guys crushing on a somewhat oblivious girl, I found it impossible for my mind not to fall straight into the gutter.

Ahem, anyways...

Lee Joon Gi really gave it his all in this drama, he was absolutely fantastic! He made me cry my eyes out in the last episode. And as unlikable as could be, and as questionable as some of his actions and decisions were, I still found myself empathizing with him and rooting for him to find some peace and happiness. The broken bad boy, be it in historical drama version, or in modern times is always so alluring.

IU was also did a great job. Her transformation from bewildered girl transported back in time to dignified court lady was seamless. It's crazy how she had unique chemistry with each of the guys playing a Prince. From sibling-like love, to puppy love to full on soulmates love, she had such great rapport with them.

The costumes were beautiful, even if at times the wigs looked insane and the polka-dotted court lady uniforms were kinda weird. It was my first time watching a historical drama not set in the Joseon era, so seeing everyone rocking the loose hair was kind of a wild experience LOL

Keep an eye out for the weird zooms into the actors faces during some of the episodes. It'll feel like you're watching the Office (US), and the characters will break the 4th wall, address you directly and say something completely at odds with the time period. I still wonder about that directorial choice.

All in all, not everything about this was great, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. This is worth watching if only to see the main couple act their butts off.

P.S. I want a second season set in modern times, with a rom-com feel where everyone gets a happy ending! Make it happen SBS!

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Completely unexpected

This show is a trip and a half. Honestly, it was nuts. I wondered more than once while watching it whether the writers were under the influence of some substance or another while coming up with this.

It was very violent, but in a black humor type of way, were the serious flirted with the bizarre.

They very much left the door open for a second season, and I for one would be very intrigued to see what new path the story would take. Also, Song Geon Hee was absolutely amazing in this and, at the very least, the show is worth watching just to see him act his ass off. I hope he gets cast in more lead roles in the future.

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Not sure if I'll continue watching

I don't know what it is about this show, but I feel uncomfortable while watching it. It's like this instinct that something's wrong. It's super weird and kind of hard to put into words.

At times, some of the music gave me mirror funhouse vibes, but there's this ominous feeling like at any moment everything will devolve into a nightmare and it'll turn out the funhouse was actually a horror experience. That was the kind of unsettling feeling I got.

Also, I just really dislike Hee Soo's character for some reason. I'm not sure what it is, but something rubs me the wrong way about her.

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