BeanSensei
Latvia
Each character was crafted carefully - from visual to the inner world and reasoning behind their actions and decisions they make. Why an assassin is and assassin, why a gangster is a gangster, why a psycho became one and most importantly - why they all want to become human again, after being beasts for so long. Each and every actor fit their character flawlessly and it seemed that all of them still have a lot of stories to tell and that, to my mind, is important - that a character seems so rich, so full that you have a feeling it can tell even more than the scriptwriter has presented.
The subtle (and not so subtle) connections between the said characters that allowed the story to grow and evolve, filled each episode with suspense and anticipation for what will happen next. Who has killed who and why? How is he connected to him? Did he really do it? All those questions run at least through my head and I received an answer in each following episode, getting more questions as an addition.
Apart from the way that the drama made me think, I also loved the idea that even beasts want to be and can be human, that some beasts are only circumstantial and might not even be the ones that should be feared, that people we trust might be scarier than a beast hiding in the dark. No beast is ever as scary as human - human is the scariest person on earth no matter how we look at it.
The plot playing with monsters and humans, who turn to be the true beast, was captivating and I literally couldn't stop watching. The investigation done in extraordinary way, the perfectly choreographed action scenes, the raw and realistic feelings of friendship and trust that grow, get stumbled upon and the re-emerge, and, my favorite, basically no romance that would interfere with the story.
This is joining my top favorite dramas and in all honestly I need a season 2 with the same cast, same characters and new human-monsters to catch.
Give this drama a try - I guarantee you won't regret it.
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Speaking of Kim WooBin, I would like to start of with a few sentences to praise his acting here. The director of the movie praised him in an interview about his acting skills and how he worked in action scenes, and I would like to praise him on that as well. A role like this - tough gangster - fits him better than a forever-stuck-in-high-school ones and I am now looking forward to his next movie, in which he will be as bad ass as in this one.
Continuing about the cast - PERFECT! Even minor characters were executed perfectly and extremely believably and really made me believe in what they were doing.
As for the plot, as in what they were doing, I have not seen Friend 1 yet, but I will see it very soon, and even though I didn't know the full back story, the flashbacks and back-stories helped perfectly, drawing the full picture. The plot was not messed up with billion parallel stories and was easy to follow, if one paid attention. Plus, the story-line made me think of several rather philosophical issues.
Might seem odd, that a movie about Korean gangsters can do that, but it made me think about a lot of things. When friendship and loyalty is pushed a side to gain power and money; when a line can be drawn in mad run for the previously mentioned; what is family - blood related one's, or those who run. starve and fight with you - these were the questions I thought about and couldn't come up with an answer, as that's how philosophy works.
Maybe if YOU, will watch it, you will find the answers of these questions or ask your own, but, indeed, this movie can not leave you indifferent.
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I have divided my review into 6 sections looking at the similarities between the original and the remake, the characters, the influence of Korean society on how this kind of story is re-told, cast and OST, finish off with an overall summary.
I hope this will help with understanding why this drama is built the way it is and do you want to watch it yourself or not.
1) Why the Korean remake can't deliver the same things the US original does?
When comparing to the US original, we do have to remember that there completely different norms of what is okay in what environment in Korea, what is taboo and what can be broadcasted or discussed. Lately these borders are getting broader, however, there are still limits.
Explicit violence, extremely gruesome scenes etc. are not okay. In many cases even larger amounts of blood are censored, so are knives and other kinds of blades. The relations in the work environment are different too. Strictly hierarchical structure depending on age, status and years spent in a certain place. Also, the way how people dress and act is dictated by these norms. Similarly, the understanding of the general audience when it comes to mental illnesses and crimes committed because of them.
All mentioned above has a huge influence on the characters (described in point 2) and thus influencing the whole plot and the story. If we compare the original and the remake, simply because of the specifics of society in each of them we cannot expect the same result. For fans of the original, this might be a disappointing factor, however, this show should be viewed not only as a remake but also as its own thing.
2) Characters and their similarities
Some of the main cast characters are molded after the liking of the original, but I must admit they are lacking in the sharpness of originals. The following is a comparison of the characters in both and things missing in the remake, which might be one of the disappointments.
-The role of media specialist JJ in the remake is given to Yoo MinYoung (played by LeeSunBin). The character lack sharpness and determination JJ possessed. It's still a compassionate and brave character when needed, but it didn't feel complete.
-IT wizard Penelope has become Nana (Played by YooSun). The original is very quirky and a very definite odd-ball. As mentioned in 1), there are certain norms that prevent this character to express the same qualities. She can't have colored hear or ridiculous outfits, even though she wears colors brighter than others. She can't have excessive make-up or a whole arsenal of weirdness around her. The social norms of the setting dictated differences in this character.
-Genius Dr.Spencer Reid (who is my favorite in the original series) here has become Lee Han (played by Go Yoon). Even though in the first episodes his higher intellect is mentioned as is his knowledge, it is not utilized as Reid's in the original. Throughout the whole show, his brain power appears very little and is a lost plot point that could have been very useful and interesting. The quirks the original character had have disappeared as well.
-The leaders - Gideon, Hotchner and Rossi have all melted into Kang KiHyung (Played by Son HyunJoo). The character is a good mix of all three but perhaps lacks some depth. From the list, this would be the best match to the original.
-Others I could not pinpoint exactly, as even if they were meant to be doubles of the main original cast, their similarities were very vague or not there at all.
3) Plot - what's good and what's lacking?
My biggest positive is that unlike other k-dramas this does not try to push any romance between the main cast. Before such great dramas like IRIS and Athena of a similar genre have gone pretty downhill exactly because of the romance and emotions. So big plus for that.
The cases explored are interesting and captivating, some being similar to the ones solved in the original series but with a Korean twist in all of them. Sadly, the way how each case is divided into episodes might be the biggest turn-off. Most of them start mid-way one episode and ends mid-way the next one, messing with the viewer a bit. That could be a reason why watching can get tiring.
The two cases that were still active throughout the whole series was an interesting point. However, one was ended a bit too quickly and the other was not represented enough during the mid part of the show.
During the whole series, we find out very little about the investigator team. In the original, we get to know bits and pieces about the team through many seasons, so perhaps one season is not enough to explore it. We do get a chance to know in depth about Kim HyunJoon (played by Lee JoonGi), a glimpse of Kang KiHyung (Played by Son HyunJoo) and just a bit of other, leaving a lot of holes that are just random mentions or filler shots that are never explained.
The team is shown bonding several times through very Korean activities like outings in the park, drinking and others. However, that might seem not enough. As mentioned before the lack of so-called chemistry between characters might be written off on the fact there was not enough time in one season.
The original often delivered at least a small dose of humor even though the show is very serious and dark as well as many heartwarming scenes. Here the humor is, unfortunately, no existent which makes it a bit too serious and a bit too dry at times.
4) Cast - was there a problem?
First of all, the actors playing the criminals need a round of applause. All of them were brilliant and engaging, believable and captivating, which is a BIG plus in the series.
Secondly, two standouts in the main cast for me are Son HyunJoo and Lee JoonGi. I believe we could see more of their acting and appreciate their skill, their art because they play the two characters we find out the most about. This allowed them to stand a bit higher in the acting rating and drag the average of this section up.
However, I would not entirely blame the cast for some lackluster moments, but rather think about the directing and the script they had. Perhaps with a different approach, they would be able to shine too.
5) OST
OST is one of the best things about this drama. Two solid vocal tracks and suspenseful instrumentals matching the genre perfectly. I just wish there were more tracks for different vibes.
6) Overall thoughts
Even though in comparison to the original I can find a lot of flaws, I still enjoyed the show. I found it interesting, suspenseful and good for a remake of legendary investigation series.
Would I like a season 2 with improvements and to perhaps know more about the rest of the characters in this version? Definitely. Can I live without it? I can.
I would recommend watching it with an open mind and just enjoy a bit different investigation show coming from Korea.
P.S those who might watch this for Lee JoonGi, you are not LJG trash if you enjoy it, as there are no "main" characters here and he is not the constant center. So no worries. ;)
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The cast was brilliant from the first sight and that was the main reason for me to watch it. Kim WooBin, Lee MinHo, Choi JiHyuk, Kang HaNeun and idol-actors C.N Blue’s MinHyuk, ZE:A’s HyungShik and f(x) Krystal were the ones I really wanted to see and most of them did not leave me disappointed in their acting, despite the over-all disappointment about the drama.
Per example, neither WooBin nor MinHo looks 18, and that was really a ‘what on earth’ moment for me. They both look at least 20-24 years old and way out of high-teen dramas, but that could only be me.
I do want to say that I am very, very pleased with WooBin’s acting and he and his character YoungDo were the ones that actually made me watch this to the end. YoungDo was one of the two characters (other being Choi JiHyuk’s Kim Won) who had any kind of development and growth during the drama and actually evolved, while the rest stayed the same trough-out everything.
Idol-actors did an excellent job and scenes with them were amusing, interesting and sincere and I do hope they will get more acting chances in the future. They have something in them – especially HyungShik, who could really pull off some main comical characters in new high-teen dramas – and I do wish to see more of them.
Apart from the cast, which was great and did a great job, the story itself was very mediocre and highly cliché. A poor girl gets courted by two high-class hunks and she, of course, chooses only one leaving other heartbroken. Then we have the evil family, the status/money issues and mean girls getting their mean deeds done. A memory lost and an unreasonable time jump of 2-4 years was the only one’s missing to make this a true cliché masterpiece.
To add to the upper mentioned cliché, we can even see that ONE OST song, that is played SO often it drills to your brain (like “Almost Paradise” in “Boys Before Flowers”) and here it was “Love is the Moment”. The song on its own is fine and 2AM’s ChangMin’s voice is wonderful, but the song in the drama is overused.
I don’t should I add EunSang’s (played by Park ShinHye) constant crying in every.single.episode, but I sure as hell found it really annoying and as disturbing as Tan’s (Lee MinHo) extra creepy way of courting a girl.
Over all, the drama was rather dry, predictable and only the end when the actual business issues appeared was interesting. I might even say, I would not recommend this to anyone, maybe only because of WooBin, to watch his acting skills, but that’s about it.
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A mix of so many things it became confusing - I could describe this drama like this. Corruption, spies, medicine, personal relationships, revenge, love and what not thrown in a big pot, which, here was a hospital and then stirred up with pain, lost, heartbreak and ambition. Did the soup from all this came out good? It was ok. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I recommend to watch it at least once? Yes.
The plot was so full of everything with so many ups and downs, that it became bad - too many cooks spoil the broth and too many 'problems' spoil the plot. It was, to my mind, saved by the cast of Lee JongSuk, Park HaeJin and Kang SoRa, they were like that universal flavor spice you use when you mess up something and want it to still be eatable. Lee JongSuk was the aspect that 'fed' the drama to me and I must say I really loved his acting here and I really hope he will get as many dramas where he is not a school boy from now on.
Back to drama itself. The bipolarity of some characters might be of putting, the focus on raw emotions built up by years of struggle might not be what people seek for, but the incredibly funny moments or small, cute romances can back it up pretty well, as well as the true medical suspense can. I must say I really enjoyed the suspense of operations and all what was connected with medicine in the drama rather than the political and romantic issues, and maybe it would have been better if not the focus of those but more the medical side. I am a not-so-very loyal fan of such iconic TV series as "Grey's Anatomy" and "E.R" so I approve of the medical aspect shown in the drama, even the supper doctor that was Park Hoon.
Yes, the drama had some faults, but it also had plenty of good things from acting to OST, which, especially the instrumental one, is simply superb.
Don't be afraid to be disappointed at times, don't be afraid to maybe get annoyed or hate a character for a moment or two and gives this drama a go. I assure, you won't regret it in the end.
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When this drama started I was totally excited about and anticipated every episode and at the very beginning it was absolutely perfect. The plot was rather fresh for a high school drama, it was funny and had small bits of action. I recommended it to my friends and waited for great things to happen. And then, quite rapidly, it went downhill in to an abyss so deep, dark and filled with echoing question of "WHY" it's hard to put in words.
If the beginning was good, quite logical and fun, than the further it got the less sense it made. Plot got twisted up between unreasonable amounts of very random, not really plot-relevant school/teacher problems and lost the original idea. The main romance line went overly cliche, desperately dependent and possessive ruining the vibe of nice high school relationship. Characters that were cool, calm and reasonable went bipolar, mean, unreasonable, even violent. It seemed that for last 4-5 episodes the main focus was random bromance in different couples rather than actual plot development.
Everything got so twisted, so turned and tossed it was hard to sit through some extra cringe worthy episodes, which were not saved even by the rather good acting.
Nam WooHyun did a good job. He definitely grew and improved throughout the drama as he wasn't very convincing at the very beginning. Lee SungYeol on the other hand was convincing through and through and I hope he will get more serious acting offers after this. Also Saeron did and awesome job and she will definitely grow up to be one of Korea's most loved actresses like Shin MinAh, for example.
Yet, as said before, the great cast (the bullies, angel sunbae and other students included), could do very little to save something that went from great to, to my mind, a crashing plane.
If I recommended it at the beginning, then now, after it has finally ended, I would honestly not recommend. Watching because of few good episodes or because of INFINITE members is not good enough reason to go through it. but it's all up to you.
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Maybe I am too used to western ways of investigation when dealing with serial killers, but the way how the investigation was portrayed here seemed very messy, chaotic, illogical and more corrupting evidences and witnesses than actually using them to catch the killer. It might be 'the Korean way' of working, as I have noticed such illogical things in other dramas too, but it was still hard to grasp. The investigation took a semi-decent turn only near the end of the drama and, well, better late than never.
The whole plot was rather interesting - the connection between characters, the search for the reap GapDong, the mystery behind that persona - that all was captivating. It did have its boring moments, as no investigation is exciting all the time, but it was bearable.
What made me the happiest, but also the saddest was the acting. I was very, very happy about Lee Joon's acting. His acting was simply superb to my mind as he was playing a psychopathic murderer and indeed showed the characters madness trough his acting. He was acting even with the smallest muscle of of his face and seeing him in action - going from a sweet smile to a mad-mans grin in 0.000001 second - was amazing.
Yoo SangHyn though left me disappointed, as he massively overdid his character. Okay, be the 'Mad Monk', show that you are not entirely normal either, as it was, as far as I understood, implied in the story, but, please, keep it real. He is a great actor, that I know, but this time, I think, he took the wrong path in portraying his character. What a pity.
The ladies cried a bit too much one the other half of the series. To my mind you can show grief, fear, sadness and joy in many more ways than just trough tears. And a single-tear crying is no longer convincing to me.
All in all the drama was watchable and at some points even enjoyable. I doubt I would watch it again, but for one-time watching it was even very okay.
If investigation, crimes, serial killers and all those 'nice' things are for you, this drama is for you.
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Story:
An interesting take on the age-old fight between corruption and people who are suffering from it, this time has taken on a more personal level as it seems at first, but getting deeper and deeper with each passing episode. The plot has the main storyline it follows all-through the show, more and more additions make the story to grow and develop to several climax moments throughout it.
Well placed action scenes, the lawlessness factor that is exactly as prominent as needed, but not overwhelming, and a sprinkle of romance that is not forced and seems rather natural all created a great environment for the watcher to live along this journey of revenge and justice.
Admittedly, some cliches or obvious outcomes for situations are present, but not in overwhelming amounts. For those who are watching K-dramas for a while, it is well known that is not a true K-drama if it doesn't have some sort of cliche in it. As said before it did not affect the story much, however, I had to deduct some points here.
Acting/Cast:
One word - brilliant. A team of talented actors of different ages that perfectly merged together with their characters, making us believe all of their decisions and emotions. Two stand-outs for me were Lee HyeYoung (judge Cha MoonSook) and Lee JoonGi (lawyer Bong SangPil). Both actors portrayed each emotion to tiniest nuance and made their characters believable from the second they appeared on the screen. Extra cookie points to Lee JoonGi for all the hard work with action scenes. Hats off!
Music:
I am more interested in the instrumental soundtrack rather than the vocal one, so I will focus on that. As expected it has both pieces meant to create suspense and to relax, to create a romantic scene and to show the intensity of the moment. I, personally, find that crime/action/investigation dramas are the most diverse when it comes exactly to instrumental OST and this is not an exception. A great list to listen when making mundane everyday tasks a bit more bad-ass.
Overall:
Even though I had to deduct some points for the story, the actor work and the overall, complete feeling the drama gave can be rated a solid 10. It most definitely would not be everyone's cup of tea and some "true drama snobs" might not rate it high, but I would suggest giving it a go! You won't regret it, if falling fro Bong SangPil is not considerate a regret!
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I thoroughly enjoyed the supernatural twist as well as the romance between the main characters. Also the investigation details and the 'law' side of it all was fascinating to watch. This is definitely not one of those typical romantic dramas.
I would suggest to watch this drama to those who are interested in a good mix of everything – romance, action and supernatural – as this drama has everything in good dozes and it’s indeed captivating and interesting.
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Started to watching it because of Kim MyungSoo aka. INFINITE's L, not going to deny that and in the end finished watching simply because I don't like leaving things unfinished. All in all it was watchable, I doubt I would watch it again, but I have seen worse dramas, but about all in time.
The plot was rather predictable from the very start, which is not a surprise with K-dramas. A romance between several couples that are made on base of one split couple. Fights, tears, reunions and breakups and so on - not my cup of tea, but not entirely unsettling. A good dose of humor, which was kindly included in to the story made it even enjoyable at times, as the jokes were very good, but a few details were too much, making things unnecessarily complicated and overly dramatic and basically oversold the depth of some characters.
When actually speaking about the characters, I was not impressed by AeRa at the beginning, but she slowly grew on me when she changed trough out the story. The CEO was definitely my favorite, as he goes in the category of the cute, awkward CEO's and those are the best. SeungHyeon was very charming trough out the whole drama and his sister director Guk was an appealing female character 80% of the drama as well. Hats off to all actors, for their great work.
The OST was not bless or rather cursed with an obnoxious main song that got stuck in one's head for days and even had song entirely in English and that was pleasant t listen to. The instrumental OST went from highly intense to mellow and romantic and that's something that is always appreciated.
A true lover of romantic comedy with sprinkle of drama will find this drama appealing, but an action lover like me would not be left truly satisfied afterwards. It's watchable, but leaves one wanting for more.
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It was funny , yes, a lot of things were on the line or even over the line of being just simply lame, and reactions seemed over the top sometimes, but I think that in a way is the essence of good comedy along with plot that is not too complicated yet interesting. Here the plot was definitely interesting and the viewer could guess along, who the lost child of the Mr. Kim will be and laugh about the adventures that happen on the way.
The love lines were a bit of a mess at points and wen't very typical K-drama at one point in particular, but they all had a closure in the end. And the couples were very nicely put together and adorable in all ways, mostly thanks to the cast.
I would like to applaud JaeHwan (aka. Ken), DoHee and DongJun and other idol-actors here too, as they did a splendid job and I hope all of them will get more acting offers after this and we will, perhaps, see them in more serious projects some time soon!
Over all, the drama or more precisely sit-com was a great way how to relax and laugh after a long week and it was truly wonderful to see the character grow and change and the plot to evolve as well and actually make absolute sense in the end.
I do recommend this, if you want a good laugh and some nice time with your favorite idols being totally different from how you see them daily.
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Yes, the fights, the chasing, the shooting - that all was amazing and high class level, but the more I watched, the more it seemed that the drama does not focus solely on the IRIS organization, but more on the countless links between main characters and their personal issues and families. Also, the romance took over the action to my mind and even though a dose of it here and there is irreversible, this was definitely over the top and that leads to my partial disappointment in cast and OST.
The later, in terms of instrumental pieces, was flawless, as those were the same tracks used in first part of the series, yet the new tracks - all apart the one by BEAST - were ridiculously sappy and drove down the over-all vibe of the whole drama to my mind.
As for the cast, I would like to praise Lee Joon, as his acting was superb. DooJoon did good, but seemed to be a bit too stiff. Yet what I was surprised the most about, was that Lee DaHae had a tendency to be as stiff in her acting as DooJoon.
All in all, it was watchable and interesting in terms of actual plot - nuclear weapons, North VS South and all that, only the sap took over too much at times and that was a huge let down. I would still recommend it to fellow drama lovers, just with a warning that this is somehow very different from first part.
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This is not what you would expect
Most importantly I would like to start by stating very clearly - this is NOT a BL. If someone has advertised it to you as one, don't expect what you would usually expect in BL series.Being part of the LGBTQ community (being gay) does play a big role in the series - it's a part of what some main characters are, the bullying and stigma around it moves the plot forward and one of our main characters has plenty of feelings for the other. But that doesn't qualify it as a BL by no means.
Now onto what has been so good about the series.
The plot is quite wonderfully crafted - slowly, episode by episode, as the characters learn more we too see everything falling into place and how everything is intertwined and connected. The series has both a mythical and supernatural element, rooted in traditional beliefs and religion, along with psychological horror elements and suspense.
Following a group of three teenage friends discovering the truth behind their school, the staff and their own powers is a thrilling adventure, intertwined with friendship and seeking justice for those wronged is truly an adventure.
For those who need a warning, it does come with bit of blood and injuries present, as well as guns and other weapons. As well as mentions of suicide and self harm.
The acting is truly great! Fluke and Singto absolutely brilliantly portrayed every nuance of Dan and Nai. The roles are serious, heavy and filled with the full spectrum of emotions and they both did an amazing job. I especially have to praise Singto - he did a truly phenomenal job.
The entire cast putting their all into this is definitely a reason to watch series alone.
If you go into this as a crime/mystery/supernatural series, I belive you will thoroughly enjoy it!
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Story
Yet another take on the Joseon era from Korea, this time with ghosts and spirits as the main twist, which is cleverly executed. The story portrays shamans and shamanism as a form of belief popular in the time as well as traditions and believes about spirits widely spread in the society of the time, making the ghost experience rather interesting. The "life" of ghosts is portrayed according to beliefs and continues showing certain traits of the society of the living.
Similarly, the story looks upon higher beings - gods - and how involved they are in human lives, raising the question of when they are too involved and when not enough. Clever scenes, like the gods playing games to see who will decide upon the lives of humans, show the nature of higher beings in an interesting way.
The story shows a great character development for most of the main characters, showing growth in their view of the world, attitude towards various issues and the ability to show emotions. Which makes a handful of main characters very interesting to observe, however, the shenanigans and intended comic relief of side characters at times is too much to bear. It can be described as almost obnoxious and probably could be let out, as most times it gives nothing to the development of the plot.
Of course, as a true drama of the time, it's layered with several cliches, that all in all are not as bad as one could think at first, but are not the most desired thing in a drama either. But as I say time and time again - you can't escape cliches in K-drama.
Acting/Cast:
The two main leads - Lee JoonGi and Shin MinAh - did a splendid job bringing their characters to live and showing their development as individuals and the growing dynamics between the two as well. I would also say that Yeon WooJin did a great job in his role, showing various layers of emotions and making the character likable, if not lovable near the end of the series.
Sadly, I must admit that in some cases the acting was very comedically over the top and exaggerated. I believe it's not the fault of the cast, but rather what the director asked the cast to do. It's almost distracting with ridiculous expressions or actions and is closely connected with the abundance of side character screen time.
Music:
As with most historical dramas, this can be proud of having a very versatile and beautiful OST. Three stand-outs. K.Will once again delivers an amazing OST, which is not even a surprise. ShinMin Ah shows of her sweet and lovely vocals in "Black Moon. And, of course, "One Day" performed by Lee JoonGi himself. The actor has released music before, however, this was his first, and up to date only, OST. I do recommend giving it a listen.
Overall, the drama was an easy watch, but at moments a bit slow and a bit boring. The side characters were a bit of a distraction, but the main handful was a delight to follow on their journey and I would recommend watching it!
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Story:
For the first few episodes the main plot kicks of rather slow, but makes up for it with tasteful comedy that makes one laugh. The smiles end rather soon (and sadly don't come back) when the true action of the show starts, taking a large part of the series. It hits his peak around the middle of the story, and then a lot of, mostly, unnecessary twists drag the whole story.
The main themes of the series are very mixed and very intertwined. Politics, ruling a country, corruption, business and economics, family, love, and revenge. At times it is very difficult to tell which is the main theme as there are so many of them.
In my opinion. the romance factor overpowers others more than just a little, and I am not sure if that's a good thing. Of course, with the touch of emotions, the story would be a very dry political fight with action elements, so the love line softens the plot. I wouldn't say that the political bits are very exciting and perhaps it gets too political at times.
My favorite thing about the whole story is definitely the time setting. We don't see a lot of stories from the late Joseon when the world around them moves forward and the country does its best to follow along. The whole idea of the revenge and deeply rooted political issues is very interesting, but in this case, too stretched out and with far too many twists.
Acting/Cast
The largest part of the cast are perfectly fitting with their roles and are doing an amazing job with what is given to them. A thing that always should be remembered is that the acting is largely influenced by what the director asks during the process.
The standouts for me were definitely Yoo OhSung (as Choi Won Shin) and Lee JoonGi (as Park Yoon Kang). From the female cast Jun HyeBin (as Choi Hye Won) definitely was a standout. All actors conveyed the best(and the worst) of their characters in extremely believable and at times heartbreaking manner, which made following the sometimes not so polished plot lines enjoyable.
Music
As with most historical dramas, this one can pride itself with an amazing vocal and instrumental soundtrack. The vocal tracks offer more of a romantic take, while the instrumentals are more suspenseful, creating the mood of each situation. Very little to fault with it, if not having a stronger vocal track to match the more action-driven vibe of the drama.
Overall thoughts
A true lover of the historical genre would definitely enjoy the story as it has a different take in a different period. The plot seems a bit stretched at times, side characters appearing and disappearing, decisions beyond any logic being made and leading to situations that could have been avoided, but at the same time, it sucks you in. You want to know what will happen next and even after each new twist is introduced and you might be upset that it's there, you can't help but wonder how it will be solved and how will the whole story end for the main characters. I do recommend watching it!
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