Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)

Started off fine. Completely ruined by craptastic writing, mediocre characters and acting

I was looking forward to this drama - not with super high expectations - but as the teasers looked pretty and it was positioned as an empower female lead sort of drama, I was curious. It started off fine, for the first 5-6 eps. I wasn't hooked at all but still curious as to what could happen. I could overlook the amateur CGI stuff and the lame makeup/wig that mawang wore. That curiosity died in ep 8 though I carried on to 11 to see if there were surprises.

But this turns out to be literally one of the worst, if not THE worst drama I've seen in awhile. In a world with constant competition with streaming, Netflix etc, audiences are spoilt for choice. Studios/broadcasters are now tasked with putting out high quality content. So I'm surprised to see such a mediocre drama/writing being greenlighted by SBS. But well, looking at the comments on the page, I guess there's always an audience for such shows. People who aren't into very deep analysis of their dramas and are only watching to stan the "pretty" and ship people who have non-existent chemistry together :)

ANYHOO onto my thoughts proper:

1. Nothing makes sense in this drama. What was this writer even thinking? There are several different themes/threads running at the same time. Yet nothing was properly explained.

2. There isn't much progression each week with the audience being told the same things repeatedly with nothing being resolved. How on earth are characters talking about the same things that the audience already knew from eps ago?

3. No character arcs/growth. I actually wonder why any of the main 4 actors took this drama. Plot is a mess, but the character arcs for each were bad as well. Like Kim Yoo Jung’s HCG only existed to simp after Haram and paint and act like a silly Joseon candy. What female empowerment? Yet she had 2 guys simping after her - ridiculous. Gong Myung’s character was straight up annoying. And Kwak Siyang (criminally underused actor)’s villian was just a one-note dude that didn’t appear much anyway. Haram is - well, more on him later.

4. Very little chemistry amongst the cast and between the leads. I wonder if this is also due to the writing. cos I thought AHS and KYJ had some semblance of chemistry in the initial eps, but it disappeared suddenly. BTS – everyone seems awkward with each other, esp AHS who looked like so uncomfortable n awkward around KYJ lol. Yet ppl were stanning for this non-existent "chemistry". With these sort of standards, I probably have chemistry with my furniture too.

5. Really basic dialogue between characters. Dialogue is a tool to let the audience learn more about the characters themselves, to reveal thoughts, motivations etc and to give a sense of the dynamics between characters. But you have characters instead repeating things the audience already knows about and saying the most inane things which didn’t move the plot forward

6. Acting. None of the main 4 could elevate their acting above the bad writing. All the characters were one note, though I felt that Haram – if given to a different actor – could have been more complex, more nuanced and layered and more emotional.

6a. And I've never thought AHS to be a good actor, why is he being given lead roles? Just cause he's tall and "handsome"? SK loves giving roles to tall/"handsome" men who can't act and he's one of a dozen. He has no chemistry with ppl he acts with, always seems aloof, no emotional connection with his cast-mates in scenes and behind the scenes, no emotional connection with the audience - I never feel anything for his characters in all his dramas I've seen. He's so bad here! He just had the same usual facial expressions and rarely emoted. Come on, are blind people expressionless and stiff just cos they can't see?? PLUS it really bothered me whenever he seemed to know who/what to look at. Isn’t Haram blind as a bat?! Yet he could ride horses, fight with people (whilst looking at them etc). What even. This became blindingly obvious in the later eps. Also, I feel like I’ve not seen KYJ in a good role since MLDWC. Her saguek roles all seem to be the same. I used to like her as an actress in her younger days but her poor script/role choices are coming across like she's not got the acting range ppl think she does.

7. Too many flashbacks. This is the epitome of absolutely lazy writing and shows that the writer doesn't know what to do with the plot anymore except to insert a flashback. The worst was that peach picking flashback. Which another reviewer here termed it peachback ? saw it 6.1 million types as a very futile attempt by the production team to sell us their utterly unromantic non-existent romance.

<---- Spoiler below --- >
8. Romance. The non-existent romance. Lol. So.. 2 kids met each other ONCE x years ago, kissed (uhh), picked peaches ONCE and suddenly they are pining for each other for yearsssss on end. This DOES NOT happen in reality. And when they meet we are told it is supposed to be epic but like we got this dry ass romance in their adult years lol. Unrealistic childhood love trope needs to diee in k-dramas. At least getting them to meet and get to know each other all over again in adulthood would have made more sense. Also they kissed once suddenly in ep 6 - based off a memory - and then he pushed her away - like whattt? We are constantly told by the production they have this beeee-aauuuu-tifulll romance but we barely see any interactions, let alone romantic interactions between the leads. When they do interact, there are no feelings and they look like they strangers. HCG was also willing to put her life on a line for this dude and he suddenly gives her rings n tells her he loves her. LOL. Based off what dude? AHS & KYJ also have no chemistry so combined with their paltry "romantic" scenes tog, we got this non-existent love story. And yet people are stanning for this. lol.

Just utterly boring and what a let-down from the aesthetically pleasing teasers. It's no wonder SBS never bothered promoting the cast or this show. They probably saw everything that went down and was like yeah, this sucks LOL. The only redeeming thing was the OST which were beautiful.

Don't recommend re-watching or even watching this. Not even to my enemies.

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Lovers of the Red Sky is proof of how badly handled fantasy can ruin the drama

Story
Chun Ki is a painter who is struggling to prove herself and establish her position amongst men. However, she loves art, ever since she was little, when she was blind and could only hear the strokes on paper. Then she had met her first love, a young lord, whom she never met again. That boy is now Ha Ram, a known astronomer who became blind when he was young and has now acquired the ability to read the future. Hence, he is valued by the royal court. The two will meet again when the most powerful forces of the world would entangle their fates once again.

Korean Drama Lovers of the Red Sky is a blend of fantasy and romance, taking place during the Joseon Era. However, and even though there were some interesting creatures included in the story, the drama did not handle properly either of the two plot lines, the romance, nor the fantasy element.

The romance, first of all, had a messy pace and was boring. It was rushed right from the start and it lost the intensity that was needed to be better built in order to be interesting. As for the love triangle, it was a nice attempt, but it didn’t work, mainly because the drama seemed to weigh the main lead more compared to the second lead and favor him when it came to screentime with the female lead. As for the fantasy element, it wasn’t only the CGI that lacked but also the story. Simply put, it wasn’t enjoyable. The fantasy creatures weren’t presented in-depth to be understood or contribute something to the story. The rest of the story was predictable and had little to offer. The political intrigue was not something that wasn’t seen before and didn’t blend naturally with the fantasy plot. However, the art part was pretty good and it was pleasingly presented.

Characters
Chun Ki is a painter. She is talented, but, as she is a woman, she doesn’t get her fair treatment as an artist. She is optimistic, however, friendly but also knows her own limits. Kim Yoo Jung had an enjoyable character who didn’t get annoying. She also gave a great performance. Ha Ram is a royal consultant who is blind, but he can see everything that others can’t. He is aristocratic, but also kind and fair. Ahn Hyo Seop had a boring character and, at some scenes, he could have acted his blind character better. Yang Myung is a young prince who loves art. He is an easygoing character who is friendly and approachable . Gong Myung gave a smooth performance. Joo Hyang is Yang Myung’s older brother. He is ambitious, cruel, and thirsty for power. Kwak Shi Yang gave an intense performance and he did great at his action scenes.

Cinematography
The drama had a messy pace and didn’t manage the fantasy element well.

Overall
My overall rating for the Korean Drama Lovers of the Red Sky is 4 out of 10. The drama wasn’t as impressive as it should be.

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Highly Recommended Drama

I recommend you guys to watch this drama. The story is different from the other historical dramas. The focus of the story is more on fantasy not on politics compare to others.

Both leads did a great job in potraying their characters. Kim Yoo Jung is really the best when it comes to historical drama. She did a great job potraying Cheon Gi.
Ahn Hyo Seop also did a great job. I know it is hard to portray three characters in one drama. Ahn Hyo Seop as Scholar Ha, Ilwolseong and the demon. A blind man seeking for revenge and the demon inside him. Im so impressed by his acting.
The OST in this drama is so good too. And even when SBS didnt promote the drama well it still has high ratings. Im kidda dissapointed when they dont even have an interview or photoshoot together. But its still one of my fav drama this year. Please dont hesitate to watch this masterpiece.❤️

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Exciting fantasy adventure

This drama was really entertaining to watch during this season.
It has decent plot, good balance of drama, romance and comedy, some fresh plot twists, pretty unique fantasy setting and stable pace to make you wait in anticipation for every new episode.
Well-structured setting? - check
Great visual effects throughout the drama? - check
Epic soundtrack that perfectly suits the story? - check
Main Lead that pierces the skies with his overwhelming charisma? - check
It is not a masterpiece obviously, but it is just really hard to find something that this drama is lacking in. In general it appeared to be much more than I expected from it and I recommend everyone who is interested in genre to give it a try.

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Great acting, beautiful cinematography, great OST but with plot holes and inconsistent pacing

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.

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Best Korean Drama of 2021

This drama is the best historical korean drama of 2021.,The cinematography,the cast,the settings the flow of the story-everthing is perfect.,This drama is the best drama of Kim Yoo Jung so far.,you will witness here her superb acting abilities that's why she deserve an award.,Ahn Hyo Seop, Kwak Siyang and Gom Myung were all great actorss too.,The cast were all suitable to the characters given to them.The director is the best.,every details of the story was acted perfectly.
Lovers of the red sky-A korean historical drama is highly recommended for everyone who love watching korean drama most especially those who want a hoatorical drama.

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U most have to watch NOW!

For the first time i watched KDRAMA with historical genre, and i like- dude SO COOL?. Andd for u girl the male lead, soo handsome and cool. The plot no boring! I swear!!, All the scene is notable soooo, u can't skip that! REMEMBER THIS!!. The couple to so cute?.
I feel sorry for second lead, him just like "let the girl be happy, me? don't think about it"

Okay this part gonna can spoiler guys! WARNING


for real the epilog is swing, bcs i dunno whos will be crown prince/ascend the throne, i thought about it all night?. If this drama has S2 I'm too scared the third prince dies (I forgot his name). Be careful, you will cry because there is a lot of bloodshed in episode 16?

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Wasted my precious time

[Story]
I can't remember which episode I started to watch with 2x speed. The earlier episodes looking promising but as I finished half of the story, it's getting boring and predictable. I forced myself to watch until the end because I curious how it'll be unfold but nope... so many questions w messy storyline. Not impressed.

[Actors]
I love the KYJ when she's a kid actress. So I wanted to watch her grown up version of actress she become. Safe to say, she did a decent job in this drama but I can't feel their chemistry between ML & FL. Plus the messy plots aren't that helpful either. Her character's too simp for the ML. No romance build up just 'fated love' simping.

For ML, he's handsome no doubt but sorry to say.. I cringed too many times throughout the episodes. I can't feel his emotions that he's trying to portray. Plus, he's technically blind in this drama but he's always making eye contact. When he's arguing/talking to the FL, he's just straight looking into her eyes. Like bro, you're blind... Fighting with a cane like super saiyan, riding a horse with no help, literally open the door casually with ease.. and successfully walking from deep forest to the palace with just a cane? I always wondering, did the director didn't realized or just ignoring the fact that he's acting like a sighted person when he's supposed to be blind?

The kids actors for ML & FL did a great job. JUST WHAT IN THE WORLD did the adult think letting them(kids) kissing —literally touching lips, absolutely DISGRACEFUL and UNNECESSARY!

The other casts did great. Her family and friends' chemistry are greatly portrayed. I really hate the antagonist, means he really did a great job.

[Music]
Love!

[Rewatch Value]
Oh no, NEVER

[Overall]
I regret not reading others reviews beforehand.
Gimme back my precious hours ?

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My first and favorite (so far) historical drama!

There are no words to explain how much I loved this drama. The story, everyone's acting, the special effects, the settings, everything. Cheon Gi and Ha Ram have been through so much, including similar things like the loss of their parents and blindness, and yet they remained steadfast and strong because they had each other and loved each other.
With each of their sufferings, we suffered together. With each achievement and happiness of them, we vibrated together. And that's what a plot, story and acting on another level is.

Cheon Gi was an amazing woman, resilient and fearless. She has been through so many things since she was just a little girl and it made her stronger and stronger. She faced everything and everyone to take care of the one she loved, even if it put her life at risk.

Ha Ram was the male version of Cheon Gi, but a little more serious and calculating. He also went through a lot since childhood and in the focus of getting revenge on those who did him wrong, he discovered a lot that made him evolve and become an even better man than he already was.

In fact, they made an excellent choice in the actors who played Ha Ram child, Ha Ram adult and Ha Ram's father. All three reminded each other a lot.

Throughout the episodes, what we feared most was that Ha Ram and Cheon Gi would not have a happy ending, after all, it was disgrace after disgrace in their lives. But luckily, everything worked out in their lives. They managed to seal the demon, Ha Ram regained her sight just as Cheon Gi still has her sight (even in the middle of the last episode she was momentarily blinded). Ha Ram found out that, unfortunately, it was the demon through him that killed his father. But on the other hand it took away that desire for revenge he'd carried in his heart for years.

The king's return was a key part for all this to have happened in the best possible way. If he hadn't resurfaced, even more misfortunes would have happened.

Ha Ram and Prince Yul continued that friendship that was beautiful, even though Ha Ram wanted revenge at that time, and even though they liked Cheon Gi. This trio is awesome!

Speaking of Yul, this was a true prince of a nation. He liked him and his attitudes a lot, except when he tried to separate Ha Ram and Cheon Gi.

The performance of the villain prince was awesome too. Many times I found myself wanting to get into the drama and choke him because he was so angry at us.

Despite the regrets, the happy ending came as a golden key to end a story as incredible as this one and which deserved an excellent ending to compensate for so much suffering.

Ha Ram and Cheon Gi married, parents, both with their eyesight intact and with all the happiness and good things in the world, which was something they'd deserved forever. I couldn't have been happier as it was the happy ending I wanted from the bottom of my heart for it to happen! In fact it happened even more than I expected and wanted.

Just that epilogue of the war between the princes that was left as a loose end. Was it a sign of season 2 coming? Since it showed the beginning of the war but not the result of it. If it happens, I'll be looking forward to it!

I missed an "I love you" between the couple in the last episode, but it was irrelevant next to all those happy moments between the two of them.

It was the first historical drama I watched and I couldn't have chosen a better one for such a feat!

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Shamans and peaches and portraits oh my

I enjoyed every minute of this drama. Like all great dramas, it starts with a flashback. The kids were cute, their story was unique, the supernatural characters were interesting, and it really got you interested to know what would happen next.

I love how they transformed Ha Ram to reveal Ma Wang. Very creepy, and the actor’s facial expressions and gestures made him completely transform. Also, I could have watched every scene with the ML on mute and I wouldn’t have noticed because he was so attractive. His charisma really jumps through the screen. **And extra points for sweaty shirtless workout scene**

The relationship between the FL and her father was endearing, though I did want to smack her when she turned down good opportunities, using her father’s health as an excuse. Did she really think no one would help her care for him? So frustrating.

For some reason, I love a good imperial exam/contest scene. The production crew must have included some very talented traditional artists because the close up shots of brush and ink on paper were simply mesmerizing. I loved the tension of each challenge and the artistry that resulted.

The second son has all the elements of a good villain: ongoing torment linked to past events, jealousy and entitlement as motivation, darkly handsome with a snarl when he speaks. I admit the plot suffered a bit when trying to maintain the tension between the brothers and the emperor in their battle for the throne and Ma Wang. And there were times when some plot holes miraculously resolved without any real explanation.

The ending…
I like seeing people happy and together, but when you spend 15.5 episodes with characters struggling with a disability, and somehow during a 5 year jump cut the disability is gone with no resolution showing us how/why?? I kept waiting for some clue, but it just ended and it bothered me as the credits rolled. It could have been fine, but that jarring incongruity made the ending more frustrating than sweet for me.

Overall, the actors were stellar, the visuals and artistry were top quality and unique, and it wasn’t such a heavy plot that it was hard to watch. In fact, I think this drama is highly rewatchable, and that is a rare quality, in my opinion.

I hope you all enjoy!!!

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