A promising plot spoiled by cast and direction
Favourite characters:Byung yeon (The guard):
The mysterious aura and his facial expressions said it all in this drama. One of the strongest character and I rewatched the scenes he was in.( thank god they dint let him die)
The queen:
One of the best character with story arc else every other character is one one sided while queens character had multiple layers to it and she did a good job .
Yoon sung (the second lead):
His character was a saviour of all. Though there wasn’t much ups and down to the character he did a good job playing the character. I even felt sympathy towards the end unlike the other characters where I couldn’t feel a thing.
Story: Though the visuals are good and so is the story. There is not an ounce of reality to it. The chemistry between leads is zero as the story doesn’t allow them to develop feelings slowly and over time. Certain situations are so unreal like hiding behind umbrella ( you gotta be kidding me)
Casting: The drama had potential to be great if they casted better actors. I couldn’t relate to the leads romance nor to the enmity between rivals nor friendship and hatred between characters. If the leads were better same goes with the kings character. As every person in drama makes or breaks it. I simply cudnt watch the romance between leads. I simply waited for the plotting and politics scenes. ( ohh also waited for our beloved guard to take the screen space)
Over all: good story but presentation and casting could have worked wonders. ( for example in goblin and scarlet heart where even smallest role is played by good actors which made them re watchable )
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Park Bo Gum !!!!!!!!
This was a beautiful, emotional ,wonderful peach of a drama to watch. Park Bo Gum Was just flawless, his smile, his tears, his laughs were just a joy to watch, he really is an outstanding talented actor (check out Hello Monster).All of the actors were just so skilled, and for the most part so good looking I binge watched the complete drama over a weekend and it was such an easy watch, not a fast forward in sight.
Special mention for the music also, it was blissful and so wonderfully attuned to what was going on in the scenes.
Don’t watch a great deal of historical dramas as tbh I think they can drag a bit but not this one, its really a quick watch
Enjoy!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Lovely Drama
This drama was interesting because i'm typically not a fan of dramas where there is identity misunderstandings/cross dressing (unless its genuinely a part of the characters identity to be gender fluid or trans, it feels dishonest to me). I think I saw this drama on some kind of recommended watch list and gave it a go and fell in love with it.First and foremost this was filmed while the main female actress was still I think quite young (so there isn't many intimate scenes or even a solid kissing scene). BUT what is so refreshing about this drama is the endearing and beautiful friendship that develops between the main leads, the comedy that is woven into the story, the sad back story of the female lead and why she's had to lead a life as a boy and of course the love story between the two leads. To me their love felt young but very fresh like light spring rain and very believable. They had good chemistry and the plot itself was also interesting and not overbearingly inundated with drama and conspiracies. Also the production of this drama was beautiful and had lovely costumes etc.
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CLANDESTINE BETWEEN AN EUNUCH AND CROWN PRINCE
The love story develops from being together everyday as a Crown Prince and a Eunuch, attraction from mutual wittiness and youthful cleverness to face challenges and goal together, although the rumor spread in the palace as Crown Prince liked men (gay). Lee Yeong (Park Bo Gum) is a Crown Prince, he lived at Poo Pavilion and famous as reputable as a temperamental single unpredictable young handsome Prince to his underlings. He meet Hong Sam-Nom (Kim Yoo-Jung) a female disguise as a man about a romantic letter sent out to Prince's sister, thru funny encounter they fell in to a deep hole together, Sam-Nom got out leave the Crown Prince behind - pissed! They met again as Sam-Nom enter Palace as eunuch, for the intention to take revenge (of being abandoned in hole) Crown Prince choose him as a new hired Eunuch to serve him. Although Sam-Nom tries to 'fail' 3 tests to determine her abilities and prove of castration, by no effort she passed and got into service, serve Crown Prince at a private study room attendance. At first she doesn't know Lee Yeong was a Crown Prince, she treated him more like a 'friend'.I think ep 9 the Crown Prince found out Sam-Nom was a girl, ep 11 he told that he loves her and wanted her to stay beside him forever. He knows how to charm a girl. All this clandestine interaction between them were too sweet, as Kim Yoo-Jung acted more terrified than in love to Crown Prince, as we all know it...when we're young and in love...we're more giggly and nervous regardless the situation between them than afraid to the guy who said 'I love you' but NO! Every time BoGum came closer to her, she shrunk herself in and wild eyes, give a vibe this girl didn't know how to act appropriately to return someone's heartfelt declaration. I am not buying Kim Yoo-Jung's acting...BoGum wasn't even touch or hug or kiss her....
The palace intrigue was like every others, the Prime Minister using tactic to scare the king while he also discouraged Crown Prince to come into power as a Regent. While Crown Prince busy juggling politic, he also busy charms Sam-Nom which her girly name was Hong Ra-On. The Kings wanted him to marry a noble girl for politic alliance while Prime Minister grandson has loved Hong Ra-On/Sam-Nom. It's a great sweet drama.....Chinese drama adapted it in 'Oops! The King is in Love'...pretty much same story line. But speaking of Park Bo-Gum, we can't have any better man than him...his smile makes me smile back.
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Good start, the rest of the episodes were dull
Plot: A girl has to hide her identity for unknown reason and grew up being a romantic story-teller/cupid to others. She was sold to become a eunuch in the palace and accidentally fell in love with the crown prince. Although there was nothing special to the plot, the first few episodes were actually endearing and fun to watch. Episodes 7 onwards, it became boring and repetitive. The princess and her letter lover were the ones who made me smile, without them on the screen, I was straight-faced or raising my left-eyebrow.Acting: Park Bo Gum did a good job in acting, while Kim Yoo Jung was initially adorable in the first few episodes, her emotional scenes weren't very good or convincing for me. The rest of the cast were amazing, especially the villains, who kept me annoyed whenever I see their faces. Their acting were more exceptional compared to the main leads.
Music: I don't remember anything extraordinary or catchy music. Sound effects weren't memorable as well.
Rewatch Value: I don't think I'll be rewatching the main lead's scenes. Maybe the love story of Princess Myun Geun and Mr. Jeong Deok Ho, although their first meeting story was still unclear for me. The bromance of Crown Prince and his guard/childhood friend was touching and worth watching.
Overall: 6 stars because I was a bit disappointed after watching this series. I didn't expect much when I started this, but after binge-watching 6 episodes of the series, I got my hopes up, despite the cliché plot, they made the scenes interesting, however, they weren't able to keep the momentum.
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Young Blood
The drama had all the makings of a captivating drama—a stunning setting, charming characters, and a dash of romance. At first glance, the vibrant cinematography and the chemistry between the leads were apparent. But as the story unfolded, it didn't quite live up to its appeal, dare I say, it flopped. It would have been fine if it had retained only the slice of life fluff but it resulted to cheap melodrama antics to build tension and climax which always have had its toll on the viewing experience. The other 2 male leads Yoon Sung & Byung Yeon were treated poorly by the writers, half-arsed development and even a worse conclusion. The ending also faced something similar with it being unclean, unrefined and loose.Was this review helpful to you?
Plus, Bo Gum & Yoo Jung have explosive chemistry which explain why the writer always make them have scenes together even during the conflicts parts in the later half of the drama. I think this is a first time that I feel like the leads spent almost all of their scenes together lol. I’m not complaining though since they are seriously very cute together. Bo Gum has a really awesome chemistry with anyone he worked with no matter whether it’s male/female or old/young. I didn’t realize it before but this drama really prove his range as an actor even more.
Both Bo Gum & Yoo Jung did a very excellent job at portraying all of the emotions required from them excellently. I thought they carried the drama with their acting abilities alone. Crown Prince’s various expressions still remains one of my fave things in this drama and not to mention all of Ra On’s emotional scenes. And surprisingly, Jin Young did very well as Yoon Sung. I thought he is very expressive for an idol actor. Kwak Dong Yeon also did well as Byeong Yeon and I love all his scenes with the Crown Prince especially the part where he is dying on his arms. Unfortunately, Chae Soo Bin as Ha Yeon is very underused here. Since the story heavily focused on the Crown Prince & Ra On alone, she has very little time to really show anything special though I like her bold personality in the drama.
Besides the amazing acting of the casts, the directing is pretty much flawless. The cinematography is among my very fave aspects of the drama as well. The lantern festival, sunset, garden, reflection, daisy field and everything are very beautiful. And the hanbok are very pretty. I’m bitter that Yoo Jung didnt have many scenes where she is dressed in hanbok but the Crown Prince’s colorful hanbok are a treat to the eyes. And the OSTs are very amazing as well. My fave remains Ben’s Misty Road but the other songs are equally good as well. I cant stop listening to 8 of 11 of the OSTs. And Bogum did surprisingly well in his first OST – I’m very impressed. I’m so happy Sung Si Kyung also did one for this drama, God knows how I yearn for another song from him and his soothing voice.
I love everytime they show the late Queen. Seeing her views on life and the things she taught the Crown Prince, its no wonder the Crown Prince grew up to be such a fine young man. I love the bits where she asked the Crown Prince not to be deaf and he shouldn’t only hear the person that’s shouting in front of him. He has to treat each of his citizen like they are his one and only citizen. No wonder his view on his people is the same as Yi San or Se Jong. Lee Seo Jin as Yi San remains my favorite King but Park Bo Gum as Lee Young is definitely my fave Crown Prince. I love how the Crown Prince is very fierce in giving sharp and harsh comments to his enemies. And he is very straight and didn’t beat around the bush when he wanted to understand why the White Cloud Society needs to topple the dynasty when he also has the same view as them. It is very refreshing to see that.
I love the ending. They wrapped up nicely and it was a happy one at that. But surprisingly, the writer didn’t follow the history at all. It seemed that she only based the Crown Prince character on Crown Prince Lee Young and that fact alone. I’m sad since the drama is heavily focused on the love aspect of the Crown Prince that not many of his achievements are shown in the drama. According to history, despite his short reign as a regent (around 3 years), Crown Prince Lee Young accomplished many things to improve Joseon Court at that time. He also only have one Crown Princess (no concubine) and that is Ha Yeon and they had a son together which later become the King. In history, Lee Young never become a King since he died at 20 years of age but they shown him ascending his father as the King in the last episode (when he is wearing the red golden robe). They also show Ha Yeon leave her position as the Crown Princess. I guess since this drama is a hilarious, fluffy and light, they decided to end it with a happy note. Not gonna lie that I’m very thankful for that. :D
I watched surprisingly many Kdramas this year, this drama is my second favorite after Marriage Contract for year 2016. TBH, I give this drama 7/10 since I’m not really satisfied with the light plots but since the casts did very well on their respective roles, I give this drama 8/10 instead.
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Let’s weigh this difficult, forbidden love on our show beam balance and see if Moonlight Drawn By Clouds shines or not.
Good Weights
Kim Yoo Jung: When you see the drama, you will not believe the fact that the lead actress Kim Yoo Jung is only 17 years old. This little girl has acted so well that she can put much older actresses to shame. Her comic timing was impeccable. Ra On is a vivacious girl and Yoo Jung played it to perfection. She did falter in emotional scenes but she compensated for it by bringing Ra On as well as Sam Nom alive in several other ways.
Park Bo Gum: Park Bo Gum, this name broke the internet just like Song Joong Ki’s did following the stupendous success of Descendants of the Sun. Coincidentally, the two actors are close pals. Park Bo Gum was simply outstanding as the spunky Prince Lee Young. His full smile can melt your heart in seconds. The naughty smirk, the twinkling eyes, and his trademark lip quiver would make my heart beat faster. I wouldn’t be wrong in giving him 60% credit for the success of the drama.
Sweet Love Story: Aforementioned, this is a gender swap drama so the love story is quite predictable. Prince Lee Yoon somehow is always there to save her and she is always the one in trouble. However, instances that bring them close are so cute that it brings a smile to your face even after the episode is over. It is only because of the chemistry that Bo Gum and Yoo Jung share. They play their parts so convincingly that you will fall in love with them.
Bad Weights
Forced Love Triangle: Is it mandatory for every South Korean drama to have a love triangle? I do not understand how every heroine has two or three men fighting over her no matter how she looks or what she does. Even the clumsiest of women have at least two suitors ready to do anything to have her attention. This drama too has a nobleman in a one-sided love for Ra On. There was no apparent reason for such a nice man to fall for a regular girl who actually dressed like a boy. If that wasn’t enough then we have another girl madly in love with Prince Lee Young. She is so much in love with him that she agrees to help him by marrying him despite knowing that he loves another girl. Thankfully, the writers did not show bodyguard Byung Yeon in love with Ra On even though it was a possibility considering that they shared a lodging.
I do not have too many complaints from this drama. It may not have impressed me greatly but it sure wasn’t bad. No doubt, it was entertaining but towards the end, I started to lose interest in it. I did not feel eager to watch the next episode. I did not feel restless on missing a new episode. At the same time, I did not jump through any episode because the show was interesting enough to hold my attention. It just didn’t manage to excite me.
Moonlight Drawn By Clouds is that drama which will bring a smile to your face each time you think of it. It is funny, lovable, and highly entertaining. What more do you want?
Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in
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This review may contain spoilers
Another run of the mill Korean court drama.
I never got around seeing this drama when it first came out. It turns out I didn't miss much when this was all the rage. This is another standard Korean court drama with useless and powerless CP/King versus evil court ministers. It seems Korean writers only ever know this tropey plot. Gosh, I think I'm exhausted just repeating that. I've said that complaint many time and it looks set to continue.What is it with sageuk court dramas and this trope? My eyes have gotten white and bored to death trying to process this kind of thrash and overused plot.
I would have been fine with this if not for the fact the Crown Prince is an inept and absolutely useless ML. Fourteen episodes in and he has not manage to take down a single opponent in the court. There is this rat face minister that has evaded punishment after punishment because the writer thought it was a good idea to make the ML look like an incompetent regent who can't control and punish corrupt ministers. Can the writer at least develop and add character to the ML at this stage of the story?
The only success he has at this point is sass backing Minister Kim every time they meet and getting into catfights with the queen over the FL. The queen may be a capricious, power hungry and vain woman but I fail to see the value of spending so much time and giving importance to her confrontations with the ML. The ML is not some freaking telenovela actress to have these types of arguments with his stepmother.
In reality the ML has done nothing NADA! I can't emphasize that enough. If constantly saving the FL from the Queen's petty conspiracies is considered being a reliable and strong male lead then I'll give him a small clap. The only one who's actually been able to protect the FL from the conspiracies in the court have been the 2nd ML. He is at least decisive and level headed unlike the unreliable and inept CP. The crown prince is at episode 14 still sulking and pining for the FL who left the palace. Yet still has no concrete plan and can't do anything useful. He can't even prevent ministers who are mocking and conspiring openly against him and the FL.
The FL is not any better. From a confident, smart and outgoing start as a love counselor, she became a lovelorn and meek eunuch who's only existence is giving lovey dovey glares and spending sweet scenes with the ML. I don't find it believable to see two level headed and practical people like the second leads to ever be so attached with these two hopelessly in love Rome and Juliet pair.
Seeing this for the first time and six years after it became a hit. I can't help but compare it to Scarlet Heart that came out at the same time. A well written, engaging, unique and original story. Not really original but a remake of a brilliant Chinese drama. Scarlet Heart might not be the first of its kind but it was still a fresh story. An entirely different concept unlike this garbage mashup of K-drama sageuk tropes.
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I watched sungkyunkwan scandal and somehow I always refer to that for comparison. Nevertheless, We don't get a lot of gender bender series so each series should be appreciated for itself.l
It's a story about an 18 year old girl who has been dressing up as a man all her life. She gets sold to the royal palace to become a eunuch and somehow narrowly escapes detection during the selection process. She unknowingly became friends with the crown prince. She thought he was just another noble who grew up with a silver spoon. The crown prince doesn't know she's a woman but can't help getting attracted to her (dressed up as a man).
For several years, the kingdom was secretly being ruled by the prime minister. The king has been having anxiety attacks for almost 10 years which make him edgy and not sleep well. His officials take advantage and rule the kingdom in his behalf.
The crowned prince is left to determine who their enemies are and how to uncover the treachery within the palace.
My review:
The heroine wasn't really trying to be "manly" when disguised as a man. Dressing up is different from trying to blend in the crowd as a man. She could have been easily mistaken for a woman on several instances. She was too feminine so it wasn't really convincing for me. There was nothing tomboyish about her or anything that would indicate she was one of the boys.
For the prince, His acting was good. Although I wish there were more scenes that allowed him to show his acting skills.
I wish there were more flashbacks on the prince and his friends. That was sorely lacking. They were childhood friends and yet there were only a handful of flashbacks about their time together. What was it like when they were still boys up to growing up. They could have developed a better back story about the friendship. What strained their friendship. How the prince and his other friend parted before he went to Qin kingdom.
Then there's also the anxiety issue with the king. I was thinking they were putting something on his food but it was intrinsic in nature. Wouldn't his royal physicians be able to help him with it? What were they doing to alleviate the symptoms?
Then, whatever happened to Hong Ra On's parents? They simply disappeared and never came back. Did they just leave their daughter behind? What happened to hong raon's relationship with her father?
What happened to the white cloud society? Where did all the activists go?
Also, there wasn't any sense of danger around the palace at all really. They talked in their normal voices. Not worrying who would overhear. There wasn't a sense of secrecy going around. Even the villains were plotting their evil plans in broad daylight.
I'm starting to feel the story was not well developed.
There were great actors: The prince, the prince's friend, the child princess, the grandfather physician....
But without the storyline to support and promote their acting skills, it all feels a bit bland.
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This is definitely a historical for when you really just want romance in a new kind of setting. It was great for not having to think to much or even worry too much about the characters because except for the overarching danger (Premier Kim taking over everything), most problems were solved in a single episode. Some characters just sort of disappeared from time to time as the drama didn't have time to keep us informed as to where they went or what ultimately happened to them.
I really liked the show and hope that we can see more shows along this line. Sometimes I just want a show that leaves me feeling happy. Having such a quality cast really helped make this show so successful.
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