Reviews

If I could give this film 10 +, I would. It is not a film for everyone. If you crave action, dislike character driven films of depth, and prefer overt over subtle, it definitely is not for you.

Yoon Jung-Hee plays Mija, a widow in her sixties, who is raising her teenage grandson in an unnamed city somewhere between Seoul and Busan (that was my impression). If you've read the summary, you know some of the facts that surround Mija's world. But not all. When we first meet Mija, there is something a bit vain and flighty about her, though always interesting. As the film progresses, watching this woman's character grow and unfold in her own way like the flowers she so adores, makes for riveting viewing. In fact, we start to see the poetry in Mija in the same way her teacher directs them to see the apple, to see the world.

The lack of soundtrack adds to the film because the ambient sounds such as the rustle of the wind through the trees, the birds chirping, the river running, become music that surpasses any soundtrack in this particular film (though I was forced to give the "music" a rating-and this is what I meant).

I wish I could say more but it is hard to do so without spoiling, so I just recommend it so very highly. This will stay with me for days and I could definitely see myself re-watching it in a couple years or sooner.

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I am going to be a bit biased here because Love in the Moonlight is one of my new favorite Korean dramas. Blame it on the magic that is called Park Bo Gum. Harhar. Anyway, back to the review...

I'm not into gender-benders. AT ALL. I prefer having a male lead who knows exactly, from the get go, what the gender of his love interest is. Which is the reason why I avoided these types of dramas since I seriously began watching Korean dramas way back in 2011. But I wanted something light and fluffy to overcome a depressing mood following a heartbreaking ending to a drama I watched recently. Love in the Moonlight seemed like a perfect antidote to that. And boy, am I deeply grateful for this inspiration. The drama gave me so much more.

Love in the Moonlight is simply a Romantic drama (it's pretty obvious from the posters, isn't it?). It's a story that revolves around the romance between a crown prince and a common girl disguised as a eunuch at the palace. It's a very cliche story consisting of overly used themes so I can totally understand why a more mature audience would not appreciate it. The plot is very straightforward and the political arc is not as twisted as other people would've wanted it to be (you know, to create more angst and all that). Yet one of the reasons why I appreciate it is that it does not try to be ambitious. It knows exactly what kind of drama it is and does nothing more than take full advantage of the execution of the love story and its characterization.

I already mentioned that the first reason why I love Love in the Moonlight is because of Park Bo Gum. Can I just say he is beyond amazing here? I don't know whether to chalk my love for him to the way his character was written or his performance. Maybe it's both. All I know is, I loved his character as Crown Prince Lee Yeong and I admire him in real life. As heir to the throne, Lee Yeong was highly intelligent, tough and uncompromising, traits which make a great king. Despite his youth, he always knew how to outwit his political enemies and could go head to head even with the most influential and corrupt officials in court (e.g. the queen, the prime minister and his minions). I'm impressed at how he was often able to maneuver the law (legally, of course) to protect the people he cared about. He could become a formidable enemy to those who wanted him dead or planned for his downfall if he wanted to be. At the same time, he was very down-to-earth, passionate and caring to his loved ones, whether it be his people, his sister, his father's favorite concubine, Ra On, his bodyguard best friend or his trusted adviser. I often marveled at the tenderness, selflessness and commitment he constantly showed to Ra On, as well as the unwavering faith he had towards Byung-yeon despite the revelation that the latter was a member of the rebels. The way Park Bo Gum portrayed all these was beautiful to watch.

The second reason why I love the show is its skillful execution. The show was consistent in its tone and direction so I felt like I was on an amazing journey with Lee Yeong and Ra On, from re-discovering the beauty of falling in love for the first time to the pain and struggle of overcoming obstacles to their love. The secondary love stories were entertaining as well. I enjoyed seeing the continuation of the adorable relationship between the princess and Master Jung. I also loved the fact that Ra On's disguise stemmed from a life-threatening place. It makes you understand why she had to pretend to be a completely different person her whole life. The conflict created not only angst but posed a real element of danger to the OTP. It made me say, "Okay, I buy that."

What I didn't like in the drama were the easy solution to the said conflicts and the fact that most secondary characters were one-dimensional. We are never provided with enough background on Ra On's father which made me feel that he was only used to be a no-brainer answer to Ra On's problems in the latter part of the story. We also have a VERY typical secondary male lead. I still don't get why he fell for Ra On. Was it because he found her pretty or something? They didn't establish any foundation yet, not even friendship, for him to like her that much. His affection wasn't credible enough for me. There are the usual power hungry politicians too. I would've wanted them to be more fleshed out, more "humanized", in order to make me understand their deeper motivations. I also didn't like the drastic change in Ra On's character as the drama progressed. I get that she had to tone down her pluckiness when she became a eunuch. But her personality became so diluted I didn't recognize the girl in the beginning anymore.

Nevertheless, would I still recommend this drama? DEFINITELY. That is, if you're in the mood for a sweet love story that makes you happy, lighthearted and hopeful in the end.

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Firstly I would like to say this is my first review I've wrote on MyDramaList. I felt like I had to write a review and I was going to back out last minute but since there are so many negative reviews and it doesn't deserve those low rates I went ahead and started writing. I would highly recommend this show. Yes there are many cliches but why does that matter, shows can have cliches this one just portrays them in a different way. The story is quite unique for me like yes it's normal for their to be rich families and shows about the children but it's very focused on that. Personally this show is one of the best I've seen and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

The rewatch value is quite high even though maybe not as much compared to acting because I could watch this show over and over again but just probably not completely finish it because I get bored quite easily and just find it difficult to completely finish a show and towards the end it gets ever so slightly draggy.

There are particular things that I wished happened in this show such as maybe be a bit different to a typical one. For example I wished the main female lead doesn't end up with the male lead but it's quite obvious that would happen. I wanted her to end up with Choi Young Do because I loved his character it was so perfect and he changed for her which I love. Also it was extremely disappointing that Kim Won the heir of Jeguk group didn't end up with Jeon Hyun Joo as I really loved their couple and it was heartbreaking that he chose the company and business over her but regretted that decision the rest of life as it's shown in the end. I wish that he took the courage like his brother and chose her over the company and that shareholders meeting as he was one of my favourite character in it.

The cast was perfect and i mean it every character had the perfect role for them and I liked all the characters no matter how they were portrayed to be. The relationship between the mistress and the maid was so good and sweet they made my day and the brotherly bond between the heirs of Jeguk was so good as well. Hyo Jun was also one of my favourites after Kim Won they both liked Jeon Hyun Joo and I didn't really mind who she ended up with but as Hyo Jun was a student she wasn't going to end up with him. I wish we saw more of the other characters as well and I wish we saw the development of Hyo Jun and Rachel after their kiss. So yes that might have been lacking more about the other cast members. In addition, Rachel portrayed her character very well, at first I thought I wouldn't like her because recently I watched Descendants of the Sun and her character was very different so I thought she may not be able to portray her character well but she exceeded my expectation. Also someone else that I have similar views on was Lee Bo Na as I had also seen her recently in Bride of Habaek and her character was so much more harsh and she portrayed herself in this as a lively girl very happy and overly jealous. She was so perfect and I've enjoyed watching her in both.

There is one thing that I did not understand the reason why Kim Tan was exiled to America three years ago I thought they were going to reveal the reason gradually but now I think it might just be because of the fact he's an illegitimate child.

Ughhhhh there's just one thing and I know ranting about something is annoying and I've mentioned this earlier but I really really wanted Kim Won to get with Jeon Hyun Joo like they had such cute scenes and he loved her just why did their relationship have to end like that. This is going to bother me for a while.
Anyways really enjoyed it overall and I hope that you all give it a chance and keep watching because more me at the end of the episode it made me want to watch the next and i watched it all in 2 days so highly highly recommended.

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I love love this drama! indeed this is low budget drama. but the story is so hilarious and the chemistry among cast member is so good. light hearted drama, don't need to think too much while watching this series. I heard this one is an adaptation of ongoing novel. I wish they will make season 2 for this drama. cause the ending is so questionable! don't really like it. anyone ever watch The Twin Peaks (quite old) American series? hell yeah, The Eternal love using the same back sound/BGM that I have ever heard in Twin Peaks. You know, the unforgettable back sound (so 90's!) when Twin Peaks series started and ended. You probably don't really notice it, the back sound in The Eternal is more subtle/softer than in Twin Peaks.

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Healer was a good drama. Admittedly though, it did not grip me as much as other people. It took me until Episode 13 to get really interested because it started out really slow. It was initially very confusing, what with very tiny bits of information being revealed in the first 10 episodes. The narrative is such that the story cannot be figured out easily because of how seemingly disparate everything was early on. But I persevered and I'm satisfied the drama was able to entertain me in the second half nonetheless. I was more interested in the mystery surrounding the parents of the main characters so I didn't really care if the romance got pushed to the side once in a while. I mean, Healer strikes me as somewhat of a crime thriller series with a love story on the side. It tackled corruption of big corporations and injustices done to journalists because of dangerous exposes. This plot actually engaged me more than the romance. Don't get me wrong though. Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young were beautiful together. The way their love story was presented felt superhero-ish. I can't help but think that the writer must've been a fan of Superman, given the many allusions to Superman/Clark Kent-Lois Lane in the drama. Their first kiss even reminded me of a scene in the first Spiderman movie too.

Characters I loved were Healer's Teacher Yeong Jae (he broke my heart), Kim Min Hoo (I totally ship him with his female boss!), Yeong Shin's caring father and the cool ahjumma hacker Min Ja. Ji Chang Wook was awesome as always. Loved him.

I'm impressed at how versatile Park Min Young has become as an actress. She's improved so much since City Hunter. And OMG, Kim Mi Kyung? Is that the same old woman who played the housemaid mother of Park Shin Hye in The Heirs? Being able to camouflage into different personalities, leaving no trace of previous acting performances...that's what you call REAL acting, yo.

Oh and I LOVED the soundtrack they used: Eternal Love by Michael Learns to Rock. Now I can't get it out of my head. Ha.

My main complaint is the ending. Sure, I'm happy because I got the blissful ending I wanted for the main couple. However, I was also dissatisfied because I never got to see a more detailed narration of the downfall of the villains, particularly the Elder and the other members of The Farmers. They have been building up this noble motive of obtaining justice against these evil, greedy people since the beginning. Only to end it like that. It seemed to me that the ending was solely made for the OTP's benefit (i.e. so Healer and Chae Young Shin can live a happy and free life together, etc.) and not to Team Healer's overall cause. A pity because it could've made a big impact on a societal level. They already touched dangers to public safety and all that. They should've gone all the way. Hence, the 8 in my scores.

Despite not making it to my top favorite dramas, I gave it some high marks because I think it's a pretty intelligent show and the writing is solid. Moreover, it has enough sweet, heartwarming and funny scenes to balance the otherwise serious and socially relevant themes in the story, qualities which other crime thriller romance dramas (e.g. My Beautiful Bride) failed to deliver.

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I could not believe I have watched REAL already, I've been dying to watch it to see for myself, how the movie is really. Why is that KSH mentioned it is a representation of his 20s while many fans are questionsing why he took the role. Also about the bed scenes, non-existing plot, bad directing, too long running time and being a bad move etc. So here's my take of the movie: 1. KSH's showed acting we have never seen from him before. I especially like his portrayal of the masked Jangtae young - the thub scene ; the cry laugh scene with the other JTY and the cry/laugh scene in the car - were my favorites. He reminds me of HIsuka's character in HunterxHunter. He was able to show the softness of the character perfectly. It truly is a work to be proud of. KSH is an actor - given a scary script which he knew he can play - and so he did. What a man can be he must be. He deserves a major award for this. 2. Bed Scenes - I would understand this is not something young korean fans would expect, well anyway the move is rated19. And for an adult film, the scenes were carefully shoot - the characters are extremist and so the bed scenes has to match the characters desires. The scenes were quick and obviously unreal (i mean why would other people even think it was real *** - and to those labeling it as cheap Bed scnes must be sleeping throughout the movie and just woke up and see the few seconds bed scene. ) 3. Non- existing plot - The film is not the typical A love B. C is the villain and D gets all the symapthy and wins in the end. KSH during showcase expected confusion from public and mentioned about watching the movie more than once.I think the film's aim is for viewers to share opinions and interpretation. I would need to rewatch the moview with better subs - there were many sub mistakes when `i compared it with the trailer subbed in english - i'd give the plot another chance then edit my review later. 4. Bad Directing - I must agree the action scenes were out of tune - there are a few impressive moves -nice attempt - but the raid scenes were weak. BUt the rest of the directing was not bad at all. 5. 2 hours running time - I didn not find it lengthy nor dragging, maybe because I don't mind watching kim soo hyun alone for hours and hours ,3 chapters are necessary for the script, I believe. For me it was just fine. 6. Other casts: there is nothing to hate about Suili, she did a good job. Suzy's appearance was ridiculuos it was not even for 2 sec. thinking she had the body tatoo done for 30mins just for that scene, or maybe they cut it bec of some reasons, and IU? I did not see her at all. 7. Overall: REAL is definetly not a bad movie, but I must say it is not everybody's genre. I look forward to watching it with better subs to give a more accurate review. But it is undeniable how great kim soo hyun acting was - watching his characters alone is worth it the plot is just a bonus. hehe. i would definetly watch it on BIg Screen more than once if only it will be shown in the country where i am at. I will still recommend the movie - let me know what you think. I certainly enjoy watching kim soo hyun for 137 minutes.

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My Rating: 9.5/10
I love the main two leads, the interactions between Yi Bai and Yun Duo are so cute and funny. Not forgetting Rui Feng and Yang Yang interactions as well.

I rated this drama 9.5 because how slow they try to reveal the broken friendship and Little One's story. Overall, the story-line, music, interaction between the actors, and the ending are THE BEST!!!!

My Mr. Mermaid OSTs
1. So Loudly Cry It - Xiong Dylan
2. Love Love - Xu Fei
3. Dare to love the impulse - Xu Yunxiao
4. Love your Good Weather - Tan Song Yun & Xiong Dylan
5. Not as good as - Xu Yunxiao
6. Crossing the Pacific - Xu Guoyang

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I thought this drama was great, honestly. Yes, the first two episodes are kind of lack luster but once the drama picks up I think it's awesome.
Nam Joo Hyuk's acting is so good, his face is great at conveying emotion so it really tugs on the heartstrings. Gong Myeong was great, as was Krystal.
The OSTs could have been better, but I usually don't think about those.
I thought the ending was great as well. It takes a lot to get me to cry at dramas now that I've seen so many but this did a great job.
I believe that the people who are writing poor reviews are because they didn't really watch it at all.

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