I'm not saying it was a terrible show, but I didn't enjoy it and at times I found it plain boring.
The love story was too lame and love scenes too cheesy for my taste. Vampires are supposed to be sexy. I know too much sexiness might be too much too ask for a prime time show in South Korean TV, but even so, I found it too lame.
I haven't read the manhwa either, so I don't know if there's the same campiness in it.
As for the performances, Lee Joon Gi was good, but I prefer other performances of him in other dramas.
I don't particularly like Lee Soo Hyuk and I've never understood the fuss about him, but I admit he was pretty good as the villain. And Lee Yoo Bi... well, she is a good actress, but her role was a little irritating at times.
In my opinion, the best acting in the show was by Kim So Eun -she had already caught my attention in Boys over flowers; she was in fact the only thing I liked about that show-, and Jang Hee In.
The role of the prince was an interesting one, but I'm not sure Max Changmin was the right choice for the part, although he did try hard...
Music and the atmosphere were quite good, but I have the feeling that the producers invested too much in this and in special effects to convey epicness, but they didn't seem to invest so much in the story.
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If you guys start watching this , just do not judge it based on the first episode because it doesnt get entertaining until the second one . So now i will state my honest opinion on this drama .
First , Lee jun ki is known for his saeguks , that is why he is playing his role perfectly . Lee soo hyuk is also doing really well , his character actually suits his the best . He actually does look like a vampire lol !! Moving on to Chang Min , that guy suprised me . For an idol , he is doing amazing and looks so hot with his beard xp . The main actress , lee yoo bi , is so refreshing . I watched all of her dramas , it's her first main role and she is doing just great . Her chemistery with lee jun ki is also fantastic . On this i'm saying Bravo !! Let's move to the thing i disliked : Kim so eun . Don't get me wrong , i really like this actress. But her character is meaningless ( i mean the double of his first love ) . I really hope she has some kind of impact in the next episodes .
Second , the storyline is pretty good , not outstanding either . I know its an adaptation of a manhwa , but there are some things which dont make sense sometimes and illogical stuff but it's still great . The loveline is well managed and not too cheesy and is different than typical drama lovelines . The vampire side might not be that attractive , for me at least , but it is not a twilight thing so don't worry .
Finally , if all this reasons were not enough , well watch it for Lee Jun Ki's beautiful eyes at least ( seriously he is stunning ) !! Hope i was of some kind of help :D
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The cast was awesome each character had his or her own story but they was all inter twine with each other.
The customs the setting was awesome.
Music awesome
This was the first time of me seeing Shim Chang Min (Lee Yoon) act and he was awesome. Loved his character and the chemistry he had with the others.
Lee Joon Gi (Kim Sung Yeol), I have seen him in several other dramas he done another beautiful role in this one too. He never disappoints me on the drama he does.
Lee Soo Hyuk (Gwi), I so ready for him to have a lead role and end up with the girl. He played his role beautifully.
You will love and hate the characters. You will laugh and cry. I give this drama 10 out of 10 stars.
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Great Acting, beautiful costumes but some elements that didn't work
8/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean paranormal television drama with 20, 60 minute, episodes.Jo Yang-sun (Lee Yu-bi) lives in an alternate Josean dynasty as the daughter of a deposed nobleman. Although not guilty of treason, with no way to prove the false claims, her family loses everything. Yang-sun dresses up as a man in order to sell books to support her family. Kim Sung-yeol (Lee Joon-gi), is over 100 years old but has the handsomeness and virility of the young man he once was. He is a guardian vampire responsible for punishing those of his kind who break the rules. He tragically lost his first love to an evil vampire and has spent years mourning and blaming himself for his loss. His focus has been finding a way to defeat this much stronger and more ancient vampire. The vampire was summoned by the royalty to establish and protect the elite structure and serves above the current monarchy. There is a document many are looking for that holds the key to destroying Gwi (Lee Soo-hyuk), the evil vampire, but it has been carefully hidden and zealously guarded. Fate binds Yang-sun, Sung-yeol and the current Crown Prince and their paths entwine throughout their lives. Will they have the courage to do what must be done to destroy the evil vampire? Will love blossom in the most unlikely place?
Despite a lot of flaws I still liked this drama. The story itself is very compelling and the acting by the entire cast is very good. T in the love story is believable and the chemistry between the leads is good. Spoilers*** I found parts just a bit silly in that the vampires were not completely real looking. In parts it was apparent that the male lead had a wig and not a great one at that. It was also apparent this was filmed several years ago as the film quality was just slightly less than what they do currently. What really lessened this for me was the way so many of the characters seemed to be on a suicide mission so that they would even argue about who should live and who should die. You, you should live but no I am going to go do this thing that will lead to my certain death. Well, if you die then I am going to die. And then it would start again. The "2nd guy" who was the crown prince for much of the story, seemed to fall in and out of love dramatically quickly. He also would make these statements about dying for the cause but, when it came right down to it, he would be scared and emotional. Then a couple of scenes later he is right back to talking tough. 2nd guy also let lead girl get literally tortured. She didn't forgive him which was good because he literally allowed her to take the blame for him and then was aware of her being severely tortured. 1st guy also did not come to her immediate rescue. I think one of my favorite characters was the evil vampire, Gwi. He was so consistent throughout and just very vampire like. It ended okay but they did the typical I am just going to go off for a year and you are going to wait and pine for me. The lead girl was so pretty when she was dressed as a girl I would have liked if she had more screen time as a girl. And there were so many opportunities for side romance I found it disappointing that the side romance wound up being between 2nd guy and a look alike of the male lead's first love. They fell for each other so quick it was not completely believable and then she just dies which made it pointless anyway. So it is a good film of the genre - actually very good but it was so close to being great that, the fact that it could have been lessens the enjoyment a little.
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Gwi is one hot vampire. Change my mind?
I am notorious for never completing dramas I start. But, I have to say with the Scholar who Walks the Night I was very impressed. There is so much to love about this drama, and, I do beg you to finish watching it.So, I hear you cry "Why do you like it?".
Well, we could be here forever, so I will take pity on you and pick up on some points;
Storyline: Romance put aside, the story was very good. Although it could be complicated at times. The politicking and manipulation, throughout even kept me guessing what was going to happen next. I felt at times the plot could have speeded up, some episodes I felt were filler than an actual plot. But, it did not detract from the enjoyment of watching it. By the way, the first scene where Yang Sun and Kim Sung-Yeol met gave me Twilight vibes. Their relationship of will they or won't they could be sometimes annoying, i.e. just admit you love each other already this is getting painful. I really loved the relationship between the group of Sung Yeol servants and Yang Sun the way they supported each other in the end was really moving. Prince/King Yun and Yang Sun, I felt could have had more of a relationship, he spent all that time looking for her but their reconciliation which I was praying for was pretty anti-climatic: "By the way, I don't blame you anymore, so carry on resisting Gwi" was sort of my interpretation of the scene.
Characters: I have heard a lot of comments about the main female lead, and, I have to say I really enjoyed her performance. I know this may be controversial, but I sympathised a lot with her character. I was nearly brought to tears at times. Gwi and the Cheif of State were truly despicable. Gwi was also insanely handsome, he was crazy but you almost felt sorry for him. The people who I didn't initially like e.g. the Queen, Yun's Grandfather and Cheif Left Minister I grew quite fond of and was sad to see them go. Prince/King Yun really had to grow up fast, but I really enjoyed this performance as well, the conflict of the need to save his Kingdom vs being a Puppet was really captured by the actor.
I'm sorry this is all in note form but I'm writing this at 3 in the morning having just binged the last few episodes. I hope you enjoyed my rant, and hope I convinced some reluctant viewers to give it a try even if it isn't your usual cup of tea.
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Could've been better but if you like Saeguk genre visuals...not bad.
For the first 8 episodes as I watched and probed for fallacies, I wasn't sure what the viewers found problematic. It was really entertaining, true to the period-vampire genre, manageably melodramatic, okayishly romantic and the melodious music completely complemented the tone of the show. After that though, the melodrama heightens and believe me it's so hard to swallow. The scholar dude gets hurt so easily, stumbles around and falls in the arms of his lover way too often at the detriment of the show. I cringed hard at the bathtub scene. It was supposed to be romantic but it's so obviously wattpad romance, I'm not sure why he was 'in' the tub, he could just cut his wrist sitting outside? And a little overacting from Joon Gi, I mean I understand the pressure to bring out the beast and the pain together but still...his pining for Yung Sun wasn't really my cup of tea.About the plot; it's meticulous in its own way and the period Korea felt like a perfect place to harbour one or two vampires. But from the context of vampire literature the show offers nothing new, it has all been done before. Which is why as a viewer I wanted them to at least get the well-worn story right. If it's not original, it can at least be good among the knock offs...but it falters. I grew tired of the book seller girl and her unwavering love? And everyone is too willing to give up their lives, lets say the heroes are like that, but so many people just blatantly talk back to Gwi as if they have no will to live-_- And I needed a little more background for Gwi, they could've cut down on the 'Scholar-Book seller walk in the woods' a little to give the villain some body. And anyone would know that an obvious way to kill a vampire is to trap him in the sunlight...it's odd that no one could found a way to do that or even think about it.
But it wasn't bad, the costumes are good, the first half is really enjoyable and the romance had its ground when the scholar wasn't so willing to feel so much. The rain scene in the forest is my favorite. I think there was scope of more internalised complexities. The prime minister's daughter and the scholar could have a better arc and the prince and the book seller too to counter the obvious romantic leads. Crown prince totally liked the book seller girl but then his interest just suddenly transformed? It was weird.
And the ending needed to be tragic. I was hoping the prince would marry Yung Sun and they both would miss their lovers and still love each other in their grief. Anyways, this show has 20 long episodes but the end doesn't give you that giddy feeling you want after such a long ride. So, 7.5 from me. Even though the parts are not good on their own, the show holds its ground and the logic of the story keeps you around. There are some nice acting too - the double role of the queen/scholar's past lover was nice. Gwi delivers some nice expressions of loneliness and arrogance while looking really pretty. I ended up liking the gisaeng Hyun Soo, she was elegant and always aware of her priorities. And even though the music is blaring at times, ruining subtle scenes, the OSTs aren't bad on their own. So, not all that bad, I guess.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you've read the manhwa beforehand (of the same name) get ready to be very disappointed. The weakest point of this drama is possibly the story that forces talented actors to fit typical, spineless roles. If it we're not for Lee Joon Gi and Lee Soo Hyuk I would have given up on this one from sheer frustration. Certain characters had unlikely changes of heart, the female lead was one of those ditsy types who can't steer her own life and the ending was half-arsed. The drama felt severely dragged for no good reason and one can sense the springing up of another new useless obstacle or twist- they rely on these so much to pull you through the snail pace. Eventually, the show only decides to end once the omnipotent vampire lord decides 'screw it' and is ready to face death head-on.
The drama contradicts itself regarding things like how long it takes for a human to get turned into a vampire and every time the duration is as is convenient to the plot.
The villain was very good though and the alluring vampire plot has been delivered fairly well with enough nitty gritty without too many holes in their 'functionings' so to speak. The second coupling worked quite well and realistically.
The whole concept of this drama is really great and it mostly manages to deliver on that front despite it's shortcomings. It's a recommended watch for me.
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~STORY~
The premise was pretty great and held great promise for some epic vamp action and nuanced character struggles. However the execution left much to be desired and the 'inner' turmoil was only skin deep, leaving scenes sappy and overall sickeningly shallow.
~ACTING/CAST~
You really can't go wrong with casting Lee Joon Gi and Lee Soo Hyuk as vampires. The acting was well done, except for a few outliers who were horribly miscast.
Lee Soo Hyuk/Gwi: I knew nothing about Gwi before watching the show and was very pleasantly surprised by him as the antagonist. He quickly earned the title 'Korean Loki' in my house. Lee Soo Hyuk's portrayal of him was absolute perfection and often heart breaking. His character, although a ruthless vampire, was more sympathetic than the protagonists. The main issue was there wasn't more of him. There were hints at development for his character but the writers didn't follow through on any of it.
Lee Joon Gi/Kim Sung Yeol: Again very well acted. This guy could make me cry even if his eyes just watered slightly. However there isn't much one can do with a corny script, his character was obnoxiously self pitying and didn't really do anything to improve his situation, he just wallowed.
Lee Yoo Bi/Jo Yang Sun: Lee Yoo Bi is a great actress, but this character shouldn't exist and she should not have been cast for it. Part of the story is that she cross dresses. Even if it's unthinkable for a girl to dress in guys clothing, there is no way so many would be fooled that Yang Sun is female, absolutely none. Everything about Lee Yoo Bi is feminine and she is the perfect example of a pretty girly girl. There was next to nothing to her character, the only thing I can pin down is obsession with the main male lead. all of the supposed traits she was supposed to have were only applied to Kim Sung Yeol.
Shim Chang Min/Lee Yoon: I don't even know what to say. I felt nothing for his character and all his scenes felt like he knew exactly where he was supposed to stand and exactly what he was supposed to say. Since I was rewatching this drama after the third episode I skipped all his scenes that I was familiar with.
Ensemble: There were three/four other supporting cast who did their job well enough, but they can't really do much with the lead characters being as terrible as they are. Just when it looked like two of them might gain their own agency the writers decided to remind us that they are just supporting cast undeserving of their own story.
~MUSIC~
Even after four years this OST is still one of my favorites. Unfortunately it set the tone of what this show could be, rather than what it was.
~REWATCH VALUE~
Only the vampire scenes. If you like vampires - real vamps not sparkling day walkers - then there are some really good vampire scenes in here.
~TL:DR~
A good premise is bogged down by terrible writing and even great actors can't save terribly two dimensional characters. If you like vampires and the OST just look for it on youtube.
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This review may contain spoilers
I started watching this drama because I LOVED LJK in Scarlet Heart Ryeo, and all the visuals, (LJK, Changmin and Lee Soo Hyuk) were too good to pass. (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Storyline : 7.5
Majority of the drama is very interesting and makes me anticipate every moment. It makes me wonder what the 'secret plan' to kill Gwi is and how Gwi is gonna die. Also that ***** Prime Minister who is trying to usurp the throne, I always wonder what is up his sleeves again. The first 3/4 of the drama is also executed very smoothly and everything falls into place, however, i feel that the ending is too rushed. The way Gwi actually was killed was mainly helped by explosives which is a rather anti-climatic way. Also I was seriously hoping to have some of Gwi's back story, I wanted to know how he actually came to life. AND HIS LOVER, he said that he fell in love with a women before, yet, it didnt have a nice emotional flashback as I expected. I also feel that the ending is lacklustre as it felt rather rushed.
Acting : 8
LJK never disappoints, the way he expresses himself and shows his inner conflict is well execeuted! Lee Soo Hyuk too! His acting as Gwi is extremely realistic + he is really good looking :) Kudos to Changmin too, I think he did a good job playing the Prince (later the King) showing his struggles (he is an idol actor so I didnt expect much but he exceeded my expectations). The Female Lead was good too!
Music : 8.5
Not really a person who takes note of the music but I think it was fitting when played.
Rewatch Value : 4
Not because it is a bad drama, its just a drama that is hard to rewatch as the audience already knows the plot and ending, the romance part is rather little too
OVERALL : 7
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As I was looking for new vampire stories to enjoy, Scholar came up and as a newbie to Kdramas I didn’t really know what I was in store for. This show has completely taken me by surprise and has renewed my love for evil vampires again. I’ve come to barf at the stories where the vampire is sad all the time and makes a girl feel even worse. Sure the main two roles are like this, but Gwi sweeps away all the crap that’s been released in the last 10 years. He made me scared of the monster with not only his simple mind set, but his brutal body count. Even in his mourning, he does not wish to redeem himself and hates humans even more.
As you can tell Gwi is my favorite character, but the love story is not like the cheesy or repeated American vampire genre that’s so boring. After watching two different translations, and rewatching 4 times, I came to realize that there was no happy ending. Kdramas tend to end this way no matter how much we root for it.
Like most Kdramas, Scholar follows the “20 things you’ll always see in a Kdrama” list and not in its own way. At points the chatter between the royals gets boring and skippable, but the story wouldn’t be right with only 12 or 16 episodes. The supporting roles are surprising, funny and heart breaking.
Don’t skip episodes and don’t stop early. Finish to the end. Watch both translations. One calls the prince Lusted Student and the other is Forbidden Quest. Both add to the story and make a complete picture.
*** huge spoiler!!**
After watching this show I came to finally realize that the goal of finding the secret plan of destroying Gwi was completely incorrect. It was never the three, it was Gwi’s heart alone.
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Vampire classic from 2015 still great in 2021
Okay, lots of vampire-style blood and fangs in this, but Lee Joon Gi is at his best playing the double-edged sword of a man trapped inside the beast. Twists and turns, betrayals too, as well as some characters who start out bad and then get bitten by the good in all of us. A lot of good acting, yet our scriptwriter (who was part of the 'Coffee Prince' writing team in 2007) fails with a super-naive heroine who's still arrogant enough to believe that she doesn't have to listen to anybody, but to follow her heart, which often gets her and her 'heart-throb' in a lot of trouble. Which is my least favourite trope, but Lee Joon Gi makes the crazy ride worthwhile. If you hate blood and dark cave settings, then this isn't for you, although I felt this way until Lee Joon Gi snarled his way into my heart.Was this review helpful to you?
Way too long
The best part of this whole drama was Gwi and the 2nd FL. Both of them were so interesting and I wish, WISH they would've explored Gwi's backstory more because he was by far the most interesting character. While FL was already quite mid in the beginning, she quickly became annoying with her being constantly useless and a burden. At some point I couldn't stand her face anymore which always looked like she is about to cry and skipped most of her scenes - even the romance scenes. It says a lot when the lead couple are the least likeable characters in a show because they are just so damn weak and annoying. Gwi really saved the show for me - admittedly also because his visuals were just on fire.The story itself was fine, it was just dragged for way too long. This whole drama would've worked with half as many episodes. Unlike other people have said, I don't think the show looks cheap. It has its moments but otherwise it's fine honestly. The bigger issue is by far the drama length and main leads.
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