10/26/2021 - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0

This is a very interesting drama to write a review about. The expectations were so high when it's first announced but it might not have lived up to the expectations. I was happy to watch a fantasy, sageuk as we don't see them often. It has a great cast and a lovely OST. Maybe because I've been watching many long, historical/fantasy C-dramas, I am fine with the pacing of the show.

Plot: The general plot is interesting with different elements of Korean folklore, fantasy, good vs evil, and of course, romance. However, the drama seems to have forgotten some of the side storylines that they introduced and never go back to tell us more. For example, how did ML become the richest man as an astrologer with no family support? It doesn't quite make sense. I would like to know how ML's bodyguard came to follow him, and what's the backstory of the gisaeng who wanted the king and the royal family dead. Although I like the happy ending for the leads, it does seem a little anti-climatic. Do we really need to end it with the palace power struggle and give us an open ending? Why waste the last few minutes on those bad guys still hunting down FL?

Art/Painting: I thoroughly enjoy learning and watching the painting contests. The paintings are all beautiful and it's interesting to see how each painter interprets the poems. Even with FL painting the royal portrait, it's amazing to see the amount of details needed - each stroke needed to paint the hair, beard, wrinkles, and patterns on the robe. Big props to the artists who were hired to do all the work.

Romance: We all know that our main leads are the destined pair, so 2ML doesn't stand a chance. I do enjoy the chemistry between the leads. However, I would love to see the romance focused more of their initial attraction and romance as adults before they realized their childhood connection. They had such great chemistry then when they're still getting to know each other. I don't believe that one-time childhood encounter is strong enough to be the foundation of their romance, even if they're destined to be together. There's also quite a bit of back-and-forth from ML whether he should leave FL alone or not. I guess love is hard and it's easy to sway. I also don't quite appreciate the many slow mo romantic scenes, or slow mo scenes in general. I think that's why the pacing seems somewhat off.

Acting: The biggest strengths of this drama is the cast and their great acting. It's no surprise that the veteran actors are great. Our young leads also did a very respectable job and I believe in their joy and heartaches. I am a fan of Kim Yoo Jung when she played the younger FL in "Moon Embracing the Sun". I am happy to see that she's grown up to be such a fine actress and I've enjoyed her acting here. I haven't seen any of her modern dramas though. I've seen Ahn Hyo Seop in "13 but 17" and also "Dr. Romantic 2". He has definitely grown as an actor as well, and this might be his best performance I've seen him. I've seen Gong Mjung in "Be Melodramatic" and honestly, I don't remember him at all. I also like his acting here, though he's not used well in the second half of the drama. However, I am especially impressed with our villain second prince, Kwak Shi Yang. What a great performance by him that I feel bad for his suffering because of Ma Wang.