orangebloom

I assumed it's a grim reaper-esque character and in the drama, Park So Dam will portray this character.

it's a happy ending

I had hoped that the famed and often mentioned General Seo, Seo Yul's father who is a direct descendant of the legendary Master Seo Gyeong, would make an appearance when his son was in critical condition. Given his ancestry, I'm just so curious of his power and influence over the other mage families.

The grand finale when they released the fire bird and Jang Uk slaying the fire bird in less than five minutes feels rather underwhelming, but since Jang Uk has mastered his power and advanced even more in the three years time skip, I guess it made sense. Also, Seol Ran/Bu Yeon said they needed seven people to safely send the fire bird to Lake Gyeongcheondaeho but it didn't look like they did or helped her with any of that part beside standing there and watching her do it.

Kudos to the writers and both JSM and GYJ that even with the obvious difference in appearance, behavior and mannerism and as audience we have the benefit of knowledge, but their portrayal still gives the feeling of the same character. In Part 1, we saw her adopting the behavior and mannerism of a village girl then that of a servant to blend with the body and situation she has found to be in, she's so different to her true self that were shown when she was alone or as a master to her pupil Jang Uk. Now, in Part 2, we saw her again, finally showing her true personality but without the need to adopt a persona to hide and without the desire for revenge, but with a longing for freedom. This is the young girl who met and befriended Yul in Danhyanggok, before she found out his name and was reminded of her revenge agenda.

I want to also extend my appreciation to the hairstylist team for getting rid of Jang Uk curls and LJW himself for his amazing performance and expressions. As character, in three years, Jang Uk grew from a reckless and childish young master who easily sulk and choose the easier path because that's what his life has always been like, to a mature man, carrying the burden and responsibility of having the ice stone power. The fact that he'd also come to the same decision as Seo Yul did in Part 1 that if he acknowledge who she was, he had to take responsibility showed just how far he's come.

In that regards, I get that some are surprised and upset at Seo Yul for planning to kill Naksu and himself in Danhyanggok, but that's been foreshadowed since Part 1 and he had been internally conflicted since then. He didn't even take the medicine for the blood parasite because he's felt more pain at being unable to stop Naksu when he could and prevent her from running wild. To add that as long as his knowledge went, this Naksu could still run wild and hurt innocent people, until Master Lee assured him that her soul will soon leave the body and he learned of Jin Mu's divination that controlled her violent actions.

10 episodes feels too long and too short at the same time. Some parts made me wish that the story progressed faster, but more parts made me wish that they give us more actions and backstory.

All in all, I'm satisfied with the whole production. Though I wouldn't mind a third part dedicated to more of their adventure in hunting the rest of Jinyowon relics. And some more of Seo Yul and his swordsmanship in action, also man really is just so handsome I can't get enough of him. I would pay to watch him leading Jeongjingak, recruiting more students and putting them under a strict training regime.

Everything's great and all until the last episode happened. I have been so willing to accept all of its flaws in creating a magical world, but I disliked the way they so obviously made ep. 20 as plot device to usher season 2; the Crown Prince seemingly swayed by Jin Mu's manipulation or the fact that neither Songrim nor the Royal Palace put more effort into searching for Jin Mu.

Also, it's disappointing that after all the build-up with the Gwanju , him being one of the strongest mages that no other mages dare to break Jang Uk's energy gate, his five seconds appearance is so anticlimactic. I actually feel bad for the guy, he's put in corners where while he ideally could refuse both Jinyowon's matriarch and the late King's request, he simply unable to refuse both of them since he seemed to be too soft at heart. The resulting mess is beyond his control.

My conclusion after watching HDL and AOS, while the whole stroy is great, Hong Sisters' fantasy world don't hold much under the surface, so many holes and sketchy on some parts. But, despite that, I enjoyed watching both dramas. Let's see if they managed to deliver better in season 2.

In that case, Seo Yul better still be alive and kickin' ass until the end of season 2.

Here for Seo In Guk! Can't wait for the drama to air!

Second and third part... does it mean the drama will be released in 3 parts/seasons? Or will has only one season with seven episodes as stated above?

It wasn't really mentioned how he died, but since he's reincarnated and died again, he must have gone through both lives until his destined lifespan.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes had arguably his best performance, but it's quite dark.

My first and favorite drama of him is Reply 1997, it's one of my comfort drama. He's also great in Hello Monster (I Remember YOU) and Squad 38. If you're looking for cute romcom, Shoppingking Louis is a good watch.

Finally caved in and started this much hyped drama and while I expected there's more to the fantasy part, it still managed to hook me and here I am 12 episodes in. The casts are a perfect match and acts their part so well you barely notice the difference between the main role and support role.

I kinda get that this is a fantasy world with mages having magical energy and practicing spells, I think they put too much emphasis on Jang Uk's locked energy gate and gloss over other physical skills that's useful when fighting enemies. IMO, it makes no sense having the son of a powerful and influential family not even knowing the basic of martial arts or even how to properly wield a sword. Even if he's unable to access his energy, Jang Uk should at least have some skills (or does it really require him having energy to learn swordsmanship and martial arts?). And the part where it implied that he's unaware of what goes at stake on a mage duel, like how is he that clueless on his own people tradition?

Also, Naksu is always mentioned as a high-skilled assassin, but as Mudeok, she seemed to have lost not only her previous power and energy but also her knowledge when she trained Jang Uk, then again she was informally trained in solitude by Jin Mu, so it could explained her not really knowing how to teach a pupil. I admire her dedication and willingness to go to the extreme, but that's because she has a lot to lose as well if Jang Uk didn't succeed.

Anyway, this is a good drama with a good story. The whole casts' dynamic and chemistry is great that I don't really get bored whether it's the mages or servants, in Songrim or Chwiseonru, they're all equally interesting. This is also my first time seeing Minhyun and I have to say that Seo Yul has my whole attention.

I couldn't say... I'm not well informed on its characteristics.

The couple buildup is slower here as the male lead is more reserved, but there were some cute moments.

There are similarities, but Summer Strike gives off a rather hollow feel than Hometown Cha Cha Cha. Both main leads here have demons of their own.

I think I need a new season!

Someone mentioned that all of his reincarnation in the webtoon are men, but it could probably be different in the drama.

I assumed it's classic siblings jealousy based on the clues given. Brother's a genius and parent's favorite and it seemed like she was blinded by jealousy and didn't get that her brother simply loved and adored her, hence she burned his passport when he was set to compete overseas, oblivious that her brother saw her doing it. It's also insinuated that she threw violent tantrums that gave her brother trauma/noise sensitivity. I do think they should have given viewer more of the sibling's history.

I'd like to think that it's just a coincidence and more of a point to show JY's mother's knack of sniffing alcoholic drinks. But, it'll be interesting if she actually knew what happened with PD's family.

True, they only showed them leading classes a few times, and later on it's just them taping videos for their channel.

I think they used their real voices here, I could be wrong though.

Is there not gonna be a season 2? This is such a healing and relaxing show to watch. The music performed literally get me through a super packed days of writing papers and online classes.

Season 2 is quite a fun watch for me--binge watched the last 7-6 episodes in one night, but story continuity and pacing wise and , it's rather untidy and jumbled. Things just don't quite flow as smoothly as in Season 1. I was hoping that the trio would have a serious talk re: Jiyeon actions, but it got swapped under the rug, forgotten. Perhaps they're angling it to be in line with the theme for the last few episodes, they can understand their friend's mother but not their own and also how Jiyeon could see the issue of the siblings and give them pep talk, while she doesn't seem to acknowledge that their friendship also suffers from the same lack of honest conversation.