Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo #review

달의 연인-보보경심 려

Writer -  Tong Hua (novel), Jo Yoon young
Network -  SBS
Episodes -  20
Released -  Aug-Nov, 2016
Genre -  Historical period drama, Romance Film, Fantasy

Based on the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin by Tong Hua (originally published online in 2005 on Jinjiang Original Network). Chinese 2011 Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) drama series Scarlet Heart.

PLOT

When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, Hae soo (IU) travels back to the Goryeo era (971). There, she falls in love with Wang So (Lee Joon gi) who makes other people tremble with fear. ~AsianWiki

CAST

REVIEW

Like it's reviews for all 20 episodes, my feelings were all over the place as well.

The reason I rated it higher than expected is because the actors (and probably director) worked extra hard to pull rabbits from hats in order to bump this thing up.

Unfortunately, it was the writing that killed it and not the acting.

Stellar casting, obvious on-set camaraderie, and a strange tale were its highlights.

Now, back to the writing.

Yeah, well...

WTF?

Not even this disclaimer worked to convince me this was in any way plausible, and the background music only made things worse.

Especially that one instance where they tossed in a rap ballad.

That's right, I said RAP ballad -- which was about as cringe-worthy a decision as subbers who like to ad-lib or use Brit speak.

Yeesh, what a mess.

Add to that the brainless decision to allow ANY of the princes to behave 21st century femme nearly had me throw in the towel.

The disclaimer aside, I think what hurt this most was the fact that the director and writer(s) chose to mess with history as opposed to going the Fantasy route and THEN sticking to more fact than fantasy.

If that makes any sense.

Time travel is fantasy, we get that.

History is history, and sure, it's interesting to put a spin on it or twist facts to coincide with theory or conjecture -- NOT rewriting it to make it feel more modern.

Things We're Not Supposed to Notice

Like, she's looking up at the stars one minute, and in the next, it begins to snow (clouds?) but the trees in the background are in lush, summer fullness.

The seasons were way off a majority of the time, which is a continuity thing and something I'm slowly giving up on the way I'm slow to give up on abhorrent subs.

IU did a good job, but the guy who really held this mess together should be awarded a Glue trophy.

The incest thing made my skin crawl even knowing it was a fact of life for royals the world over at one point in everyone's history.

The writer thought to tamp this one down by briefly and convolutedly explaining she wasn't actually anyone's daughter, but like everything else in this far-fetched bit of nonsense, it quickly fell by the wayside and she was back to claiming to be the king's only daughter and wanting desperately to become queen.

By marrying one of her 14 half-brothers.

Then there was this guy, 8th Prince Wang wook, her actual brother.

At the beginning, he's married to Hae soo's cousin, which is why Hae soo is at the palace after the strange time travel incident.

The woman dies (of course) while 8th P Wang wook is falling in love with Hae soo and vice versa.

After things fall apart for them, years pass, and overthrow conspiracies start to crop up amongst the brothers, we are forced to have to figure out and understand how this particular monarchy works.

Families being cast aside, names being wiped off the registry, etc.

If Madam Hae's family got the boot, wouldn't that mean Hae soo is in jeopardy? Yet, she remained in the palace throughout.

The only time she received punishment was after being falsely accused of murdering the king, which by ANY authority in any time period in any given nation would equate to DEATH.

And, sorry, but back in the day, if you got run through by a sword, your chances for survival ran anywhere from slim to none.

Dramatic, yes.

Believable, no.

A huge aspect of the plot surrounded our charming 4th Prince and his facial scar, which his own mother induced when he was a child.

WHY?

Why did the queen mother not like this child?

Why had she scarred him and not her other son?

Why had none of the other princes rallied 'round him?

Why was he sent to China as an abandoned heir?

How was it possible for a KING to lose power/control over a 2nd wife?

Very confusing and needed some time to flesh itself out so that us outsiders had a better handle on the situation.

I'm pretty sure the reason why brothers resort to assassination attempts is because royalty follow a strict SUCCESSION principle.

1st born automatically succeeds his father to the throne, and if something happens, 2nd born ascends, and if something happens to him, 3rd in line ascends and so on and so forth.

Picking and choosing based on astrological or otherwise signs wasn't the norm anywhere in the world's history.

A king decrees and his word is golden.

Once he's dead, sure, then all hell can break loose, but the succession rule still stands.

HOWEVER

And as mentioned earlier, because I stuck this one out for the duration, the show managed to pick itself up and work itself out to captivate me (and 2 billion others worldwide).

If you are like me and gave up, do yourself a favor and go back and try again, because believe me, you'll find it is worth a second chance.

It is so easy to maintain a stance on guys with long hair when watching a period drama!

Hot as hell :)

Second Lead Syndrome

Nope.

But, judging from the below image, I'd say IU is better off with Ha neul in reality and 4th Prince Wang so in the fantasy realm.

Lee Joon ki looks ten times more manly as the long haired brute he portrayed in Scarlet Heart than he does in reality, which is funny because of his age.

He's still a hot guy, though, 21st Century and in any Century.

Yet, 8th Prince somehow managed to maintain a Ken doll look while portraying a Prince, and in real life he's hella hot and nothing Ken doll!

Kang Ha neul and IU

The HEA

As with most Korean dramas that end the way this one did, I won't hold my breath in anticipation of a Part 2.

YES, I would love to see the modern-day version of these two having to duke it out with the other Princes -- but I don't see it happening, sadly.

Heck, I'm still waiting for Gumiho's sequel!

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The Producers

The Producers

Title: 프로듀사 / Peurodyusa
Genre: Drama
Episodes: 12
Broadcast network: KBS2
Broadcast period: 2015 - May to Jun

 

Main Cast

 

 

Synopsis

At the center of Yeouido, there is a building which never goes to sleep 24/7; It's Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). And inside the building, on the sixth floor, people are busy working between the partitions who to produce renowned variety shows including and more. Here, which seems to be an ordinary office, the highly-educated are being treated as a fools when their programs record low ratings even after hectic work schedules of filming, editing, and all-night meetings. This drama features various anecdotes about producers and non-producers happening in the Entertainment Department. (KBS World)

Plot

 

Okay, so that is what the head honcho's at KBS World want you to believe, but it isn't entirely true, surprise-surprise.

This was a cut-short, supposed to be reality-based and semi-live action drama ABOUT working in the KBS studios and what a day in the life of a PD is 'actually' like.

Only, it wasn't and it didn't happen the way it says it would or even the way I had anticipated.

This was about 3 PDs, one a rookie entering the world of KBS on a whim because of a pretty sunbae who isn't the least bit interested in him.

He's heartbroken and drags his feet for a few episodes before turning his amorous intentions on one of the other 2 PDs.

That female PD is interested in the other PD, though, and throughout this show, he behaves about as clueless to her vibes as a piece of debris being whipped around in a hurricane.

My Take

 

It was different, I'll definitely give it that much.

It had loads of potential with its being different, the use of a dynamic cast, and with heaps of material to lean on in the form of the REAL ins and outs of a day in the life of a PD.

Trouble is, none of that worked to make this the high-value form of entertainment it set out to be and what I anticipated would occur throughout.

Shocking, really.

The first episode was completely boring.

The second episode was utterly boring.

The third episode was yawn inducing.

The fourth episode was blah.

The fifth episode was [face palm].

The sixth episode was fail.

The seventh episode was just like the previous episodes.

And, the eighth episode was more of the same bland boring-ness.

Then about a third of the way through the ninth episode, it actually picked up and was worth watching.

Sadly, the tenth, eleventh, and last episodes reverted back to boring, bland, go-nowhere, do-nothing, slow-paced . . . meh.

Slow, I think, is the key to this drama's failure.

A failure to go anywhere, do anything, and capture my interest so that I would want to watch more.

The potential, though.

Think about it.

What actually goes into the production of a variety show, the how and why of its success or failure.

What it takes to become a PD, and even the occasional use of live interviews or commentary from actual PDs in the business.

Instead, they gave us more of the same.

Too much dwelling, reflection, and struggle to get a point across in the love sequences.

The audience gets it within the first 2 seconds, so to continuously beat any aspect of cat/mouse over our heads episode after episode is annoying as much as it is redundant.

JUST DO SOMETHING!

And, not that romance is a bad thing or didn't belong here!

The aside characters did a better job of getting that out of the way than our 3 leads, so what was the point?

The Acting

 

Sun-A rocked it

Right out of the gate, I didn't like IUs character.

Even after it was revealed just how awful it can be to become famous in la-la land, I still didn't want to root for her or hope that our young bit of male eye-candy fluff would set his sights on her instead of the elder PD.

Hardly anyone at the few message boards I browsed after watching each episode agreed with me.

#DramaFever viewers agreed with me about it being too slow and surprisingly boring while die-hards kept insisting that the two younger leads needed to get together and the two elder leads needed to either get together themselves or back off.

Soo hyun is cute, a good actor, and he did really well portraying the thoughtful, introverted, tongue-tied bumbler who is heedless to wearing his heart on his sleeve yet possesses the wherewithal to plod ahead regardless of minor/major set-backs.

We learn at the last second that he is a reprint of a younger Joon mo, who basically behaved a lot like Su hyun's character when he first started at KBS - and for a similar reason as well.

Tae hyun, being a veteran actor, pretty much carried the others along in typical sunbae fashion.

I kind of felt sorry for him as he infrequently struggled with the SOLE issue of attempting to save his flagging variety show, 1N2D, which I'll always prefer to refer to it as IL - BAK - I - IL.

In the last episode they did something unique by bringing back the original host of some 80s show for an impromptu interview.

And, for a brief 5 seconds, we got a glimpse of live 1N2D during its hey-day.

After dwelling on it for a time, I realized that this was where the show failed to win my heart.

The potential thing being lost somewhere in all of the boring dialogue, go-nowhere romance, and same scenario throughout when it could have been riveting with the continued use of real, actual footage from the variety shows we all know and love.

Yes, Lee Seung ki made an appearance and made us all laugh, too, by portraying the guy everyone wants to believe he is, but that was for all of ten minutes in one episode.

Cindy had a rough time and it showed in everyone but her.

That deadpan, fuck you attitude that got under my skin right away and made me not care.

Still, it was good to know that the industry is at least aware of the issue with agent/star and that things need to change.

I think it's been long enough now and damaging enough now to want to change the way these kids are farmed, don't you?

Hyo jin was actually the only one who behaved like a PD and an actress.

There was and continues to be nothing phony and presumptive about her, which is refreshing.

 Her PD position on Music Bank could have been thrilling if they had bothered to use a live performance or even actual footage, but that didn't happen, either.

Final Thoughts

 

To be perfectly honest, I watched all 12 episodes because I kept hoping something would happen, but aside from episode 9, nothing did.

The aside characters and their stories were actually more entertaining than the leads, and I wanted to see more of them, discover more about their stories, and even rooted for a few of them to get together.

Heck, I was even hoping that bombshell of a newbie writer at Music Bank would end up with dork Soo hyun's character.

I found the Neilson chart for the South Korean audience participation and was quite shocked by it:

Maybe it was a curiosity thing with them, just as it remained for me over here in Migu, but despite the surprisingly high ratings toward the end, the bounce rate is more consistent and makes me wonder if 12 episodes was planned or became necessary.

Instead of chalking it up to experience and moving on, I'd like for the big-wigs in the entertainment industry to keep this one on their desks as a reminder of what great viewing CAN be as opposed to what it turned into via this drama.

They were sooo close to a hit, it isn't funny, so I'd rather they go back to the drawing board and try again rather than never touch on this kind of formula again.

You can do it. I'm rooting for you.

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Yeppeun Namja

Bel Ami, Pretty Man

2013 16-episode KBS drama that starred Jang Geun suk as Dok Go Ma Te (coolest, baddest name to date, I might add). Ma te is super fine and knows it, but he's stuck with a plain omanee living in a run-down part of Korea and yearns for something more. Something substantial and with meaning: $$, Fame, etc.

His omanee is friends with Kim Bo tong's (IU) omanee and that's how the two opposed leads end up meeting, the one-way love affair ensues, and so this story begins.

Bo tong actually first met the long haired charmer on a bus, but that's neither here nor there and I am not about to post any spoilers, so watch it yourself if you want the juicy bits.

Bo tong also ends up meeting another really handsome guy - Lee Jang woo as Choi David.  Da-beed is a show-stopping scene stealer throughout Bel Ami, but not by too much (in my opinion at least).

Lee Jang woo as Choi David

Despite what most people anticipated, expected, or hoped to see with this drama and went away sorely disappointed, disillusioned, and ANTI Jang Geun suk, Pretty Man is about a guy in search of his past, and along the way to self discovery he meets some interesting characters who steer him toward that goal, but in a bizarre, round-about kind of way, which is necessary if the PD is expected to make a movie-length story into a 16 episode drama.

The main nemesis (of sorts) is a stunning woman

Han Chae young as Hong Yoo ra

Another of those rare TRUE beauties that grace the K-do screens now and again. Absolutely stunning is this woman and a good actress as well.

See, Yoo ra is or was married to a Pillsbury Dough (rich) Boy who's step-mom was it? somehow ends up dominating even his father - the Chaebol king of some big Home Shopping Network.

HSN must be THE DEAL over there, eh? Its reference as the new bling career made its appearance in other dramas, so I have to wonder. Over here, I think it's safe to say that HSN is still an embarrassment and only those over age 60 dare admit to watching, much less actually buying anything that way.

Whatever

LOVED, loved, LOVED this guys laugh.
So our lovely Yoo ra meets our Adonis-like Dok Go Ma Te and the fun begins. She sets him off on this strange chase by introducing him to different types of powerful women so that he can learn as much as possible about what it takes to make it in Chaebol land.

Mat te becomes convinced of his princely lineage by assuming he is the illegitimate heir to this HSN empire and proceeds to worm his way into that circle of omnipotence with the help of Yoo ra and the women he is forced to have to deal with along the way.

Meanwhile our mousy Bo tong drags her pathetic ass along for the ride, still clinging to Ma te and dutifully abiding by his every whim while maintaining the lofty goal of one day becoming his true love.

I'm sure by now everyone knows how I feel about Cinderella plots, the unattractive yet doggedly determined mouse who sets her sights on someone far above her station in life only to get what she wishes for due to that unflinching and long-suffering determination.

Brainwashing hogwash at its ultimate finest imho.

Still, Yeppeun Namja was different in that the basic premise wasn't dopey, sappy, sugar-laden, sophomoric mentality bullshit.

The writers actually pushed this by making us watch as Bo tong struggled with the rejection while explaining her reasons for continuing to cling to Ma te. Believable in a ~meh~ kind of way but still unique for the otherwise predictable K-Do la-la land run-of-the-mill formula.

Yeppeun Namja was a cut above in that the theme leaned more toward the mature and mysterious side rather than concentrating solely on high school angst stupidity that has saturated the K-Drama world of late.

Which brings me back to my earlier remark about those who watched this (or didn't) and left their harsh comments at aznv.tv - and before I go any further, please don't ask me to post those remarks here on my blog. I don't plagiarize and would rather have permission to put someone else's quotes in my own work, but that would take forever to accomplish. If you are that curious to discover my integrity then go to the website, click on the drama in question, and read them there.

Anyhow - the comments posted were in the [down] category a majority of the time and had me wondering what was so wrong with Jang Geun suk working over in Japan when ... um ... well ... So Ji sub did his army stint there, and most every KPop band performs there because the fan base is ten-thousand times bigger?

Most of the argument stemmed from the simple fact that after having just come down from his lofty role in Heirs, the die-hards wanted to see Lee Min ho in the leading role instead of Geun suk.

A lot of the girls argued that Geun suk isn't 'pretty' at all ... or handsome, gorgeous, sexy, hot, whatever compared with the star they believed to be the best instead.

I really don't know why I even bother getting upset about people like this to be perfectly honest. Narrow-minded people are as annoying to me as that pesky bug in the heat of summer that refuses to leave you alone as often as it refuses to let you kill it with a fly swatter or rolled up newspaper.

And, I'm sorry, but Heirs wasn't exactly the Boys Over Flowers of 2013 in my opinion, and if you read my blog on that drama, I didn't care for Min ho's role or his acting. Dude dragged his uninterested ass through the whole show and no one caught on to that little fact but me?

I'm not saying Min ho is no good, either. I love him. I look forward to everything he stars in, believe me! He's handsome in a tall, hunky kind of way, and he's a good actor (when he wants to be), but unlike Faith, his work in The Heirs just wasn't one of his better moments and Pretty Man has ZERO to do with looks. You would know that, too, if you had actually bothered to watch the drama and didn't turn away because your personal favorite didn't make the leading man cut.

I will say, though, that if you were to take that word - PRETTY - quite literally then yes, they are right and Jang Geun suk isn't the right man for the role. I said it before, and in this instance it bears repeating. Jang Geun suk is too much of a MAN to be labeled as ~pretty~

You're welcome, darling.

What he is, people, is a guy who carries on like he's delicate when in reality he's a seething god of manly sensuality with snake-like charm.

In other words, he's not stupid and anyone who expects him to be is ... well ... stupid.

Geun suk is juuust this side of boyish, and he can pull off that wide-eyed innocence ~ and get away with it ~ for all of thirty seconds before he hits you with his true, underlying sex appeal that screams MALE DOMINANCE right down to the very core of his being. He's multi-talented, his style range is incredibly diverse, and I've never seen him in any scene where he doesn't manage to drag me away from whoever else is lurking about at the time.

He is like the Korean version of Kamenashi Kazuya. You can't, quite say the

guy is effeminate any more than you can say he's capable of pulling off the role of Superman yet DAMN is he fine, convincingly manly, sexually appealing, and unquestionably deep.

Both guys can act, convince, portray, and lead unsuspecting females down just about any garden path they choose without much effort.

Few can argue, then, that looking and dressing a certain way is a leading indicator of ones inner sanctum or true personality. It's always about what ends up being revealed through actions that define a person and never, really, about what is painted on canvas.

Still, I've always maintained that Korean men have it over the Japanese star in the hunk-man-tough-badass category.
Japanese male actors are more capable of exuding effem than their K-Do brethren, but I couldn't begin to explain why other than it just looks that way to me. Korean men have more meat on their bones, a stronger jawline, and are simply more rugged even if they ARE blatantly kae.

If there were a Korean equivalent to, say, Haruma Miura, then yeah, I'd rather see that guy in the lead of this drama. Unfortunately, I can't quite think of any Korean actors who are truly 'pretty' for the simple sake of that word. No one, really, other than our darling Jang-sshi.

So, for those of you who haven't watched this because of the negative rap it received, or didn't watch it because you were biased, or passed because you are angry at Geun suk for whatever silly reason, I urge you to set aside your pre-conceived notions just this once and sit through all sixteen episodes. THEN go right ahead and spout off about how horrible it DIDN'T turn out to be.

There wasn't a single moment that could be considered bad, boring, tedious or lame. The subs are and will always be a bone of contention, however, and there are few OSTs that make me want to mention it in these blogs, too. That aside, here are the rest of my images.

By the way ... I hated the hair transformations our Dok Go Ma Te went through, so there is at least one down-side to this drama, but it isn't why I gave the story 4 out of 5. 5's will always be reserved for those select few and far between stories that managed to lift me out of my seat and take me far, far away from my mundane life which is reality and completely drag me along for the duration.

this will always be my favorite version

 

this makes me think of the 80's

 

but it isn't that bad - he's still gorgeous

yes ... yes, I do!

when things took a very wrong turn

VERY wrong

then might I suggest you find a new line of business associates?

Yes, thanks to me you will soon have that glorious head of hair again!

isn't he, though?

I see the medical AMA badge on his chest (LOL)

love it when he gets embarrassed in public

B-8? Really? Can't kiss, touch, or show emotion, but this is a-okay with the censors!

I do adore this woman! She's awesome

poor, sweet Dabeed

I hope, too, that the dyed fad fades REAL soon over there

yes, Ajumma, but, unless you're a hooker, how easy can it be to get naked with a man you don't ...

the real yeppeun

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