potatok
Uaena Kingdom
Story: 4/10
The series is shot back and forth between the main characters in the past and in the present. We get to see flashbacks of how they meet and how their sweet love story unfolds in their younger years. The drama is shot smooth and steadily, but paced way too slowly. I was constantly pressing the fast forward key because the scenes were slow and sometimes it felt like the plot wasn't progressing at all. The female lead has a wishy washy attitude towards the male lead, and the story just seems very bland and cliche - you have the love triangle between the evil wife, the married husband, and the poor single mother. There is a climax, but I didn't really feel like there was a buildup. The entire plotline literally felt like a straight line. Nothing really made it stand out.
Acting/Cast: 8/10
Jin Young and So Nee were the MVPs of the drama imo. Their acting as the younger counterparts of Ji Soo and Jae Hyun made up for the lacking chemistry between the older leads. They had fantastic chemistry with each other - Jin Young's eyes were full of love and they made a very sweet couple.
Lee Bo Young has always been a good actor. She did a good job acting out her character as a weary and struggling single mother who has lived a tiring life. However, I felt that her chemistry with Yoo Ji Tae was lacking. Her acting didn't make me feel as if she was deeply in love with the male lead, which is important as she supposedly hasn't gotten over him for years.
Yoo Ji Tae did a great job delivering his character, Jae Hyun. The guy was warm, sweet, responsible, and he tried to do whatever he could to help Ji Soo. Unfortunately, his attraction for her didn't seem to be well reciprocated. Their romantic chemistry seemed to be lacking.
However, I think that the child actor's acting was very praiseworthy. He seemed so responsible for an eight year old kid and really did a great job portraying his character. The ex husband and Jae Hyun's wife also did well for their roles too.
Music: 7/10
The calming/soothing background music did a good job setting the poetic and melodramatic tone to the drama; it blended well with the emotional scenes and tied the story together.
Overall: 4/10
I would not recommend this drama unless you're either okay with a slow-paced story or you're a big fan of any of the leads. Unfortunately, the plot itself was too weak to be saved by the acting. I would not rewatch this.
Was this review helpful to you?
Music:
The reason why I started to watch Scarlet Heart Ryeo was because of its OST. I was listening to the soundtrack on Spotify and liked all of the songs so much that I decided to watch it immediately. From Punch, Davichi, Taeyeon, AKMU to SG Wannabe, the artist lineup was pretty insane and each OST was perfect for any scene/situation; the songs were incorporated so well that it really took the entire drama to another level.
Story:
If you can't handle ugly crying you really shouldn't watch Scarlet Heart bc it really hits you hard with the feels. Have a box of tissues ready and be prepared to laugh and cry at the same time because you really end up forming a deep connection with the characters.
The story was well-paced - it's not the type of drama where you plant your hands on the right arrow key in case you need to fast forward - you don't want to skip any scene because they're all important, all of the side characters are likable and play an important role to the main story, and no episode is slow or boring. The friendships/relationships between the characters were very touching and strongly built, and the love lines were well developed. The struggles between familial responsibility, loyalty to friendship/love, and personal morals is what makes the story so deep and powerful. I'm glad I watched this after it aired because I honestly don't think I could've handled waiting a week for two episodes. I literally finished Scarlet Heart in two days.
Acting/Cast:
Each and every actor in this drama was a perfect fit for their role - they all portrayed their characters flawlessly.
I was most impressed by Kang Ha Neul's acting in this entire series; his calm composure, cautious and reserved manner, mild facial expressions, and complex emotions were all conveyed brilliantly. The way he showed his affection towards Hae Soo and his character transformation as the 8th prince was perfect and spot on.
Lee Joon Ki also did a great job acting as Wang So. The 4th prince's anger, feelings of frustration and shame, and his passionate, bold, reckless, yet loyal personality was well delivered.
As for IU, her acting was often criticized by people when the drama first came out. Although she wasn't as good as KHN or LJK, I still think that she did a good job. Over time, we can clearly see how Hae Soo's initially carefree and fearless character slowly transforms through each of her experiences.
The King, the Queens, the princes (Hong Jong Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, Ji Soo, Baekhyun), and literally every side character (Hae Soo's cousin, court lady Oh, the princess, Chaeyeong, and the general (Sung Dong Il LOL) left lasting impressions because of their realistic acting.
Rewatch Value:
I've rewatched this series like three times and every time I watch it I cry a river and get stuck with the feels for like 5 days. Definitely worth rewatching every once in a while.
After finishing Scarlet Heart Ryeo, I was so attached to it that I literally checked every week to see if there was news of a second season lol. But since that didn't seem possible and because I liked the story so much that I couldn't move on, I ended up watching the Chinese adaptation. It had been around for a while (I think since 2011?) but I could never bring myself to watch it because of the bald dudes. It was actually really good too and I recommend all fans who can't move on from this drama to go on and watch that one. But I liked this one better ㅠㅠ
It's such a shame how this was poorly received in Korea despite the high popularity overseas. But overall, Scarlet Heart Ryeo is really a funny, heartwarming, sad, and unforgettable drama that I definitely hard rec to anyone who hasn't watched it yet.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story:
The story highlights the friendship between 5 college friends after they start working at the same hospital. It's a slice of life drama where you follow the daily lives of the main characters rather than a straight, focused storyline. But every medical case and patient story is realistic and heartwarming. The main characters always have each others backs, and their on screen chemistry as best friends is very natural. Its always fun to see them bicker and roast each other and makes me wish that I'll still have such a tight group of friends when I turn 40 too. There are so many funny scenes esp the Aloha karaoke scene LOL
Ok here's a warning the first 15 mins of the first episode starts off pretty slow, but honestly once you get past that 15 min mark you're good to go.
Music:
Covers: The main characters form a band and they cover a lot of old songs throughout the drama. It was surprising to see that all of them were actually really good at playing their instruments!! Apparently they met up weekly and spent a lot of time practicing for their covers, which were pretty good with Jo Jung Suk (former musical actor + husband of ballad queen Gummy) as the lead vocal. I was going to wait until the series finished airing before I started watching it, but after listening to Aloha I gave in and starting binging lol.
OST: As for the actual OST, overall I liked around half of them, but the songs went along well with the drama.
Acting/Cast:
Tbh I initially watched this series mainly for Jo Jung Suk. But after a few episodes, I found myself liking the entire cast - each of them was a perfect fit for their character and I wouldn't have cast it any other way. The main cast's acting was an easy 10/10.
As always, Jo Jung Suk did a great job acting out his character. As Ik Jun, the funny, easygoing friend/clown of the group who's literally friends with everyone, he always livened up the atmosphere and honestly the dude just knows how to crack the audience up. Chae Song Hwa is actually the first lead role for rookie actress Jeon Mi Do, but she did great job portraying the calm and dignified demeanor of a competent neurosurgeon who is dependable to her patients and also reliable to her friends. Jung Kyung Ho also did a good job acting as the confident and slightly arrogant cardiac-surgeon. He seems to be coldblooded with his prickly temper, but you end up seeing how much he really cares about his patients, which is really sweet. Yoo Yeon Seok did a full 180 from acting as the super evil guy from Mr. Sunshine to being an absolute softie here. I was so shocked like how is this the same guy LOL that's some good acting. His adoration for kids as a Pediatrician, his subtle pettiness, and his sympathetic and warm hearted personality was well delivered. Kim Dae Myung also did a good job making his character awkward and antisocial af and I also really liked the actress that played Ik Sun, Ik Jun's younger sister.
Keep an eye out for lots of big shot cameos lol they make the series all the better.
Overall:
This series lowkey made me want to become a doctor lmao. It's too late to change my major smh but man it was such a good drama. It doesn't matter what genre u normally go for just try it out and you won't regret it. If you like medical dramas though, great because this tops all of the medical dramas that's out there so far. (I think that its the best medical drama)
Also season 2 is coming out next year with the same cast so ALL IS GOOD :-)
Was this review helpful to you?
