Moonshine (2021)

Just give this drama a chance you will love it.

10/10❤
Just give this drama a chance you will love it. I really liked how it picked the pace in the later episodes, like it was so thrilling because many things were mysterious.

All the leads in this drama are so likeable. Specially our second female leads is so cute and cool I really loved her character. Of course our fl hyeri was such a strong and independent character. All the women in this drama were strong . Prince is so handsome, such a promising actor I want to see him in a lead role❤. ML was a character that had the best character development( he was a fast learner in the drama), and also such a kind soul.

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Not sure if they want to convey alcohol is vice or virtue

Since it is Lee Hye Ri's first historical drama, I'd been waiting for it from sometime. From the initial few episodes, it appears to be a light rom-com with historical serious theme.

Ro Seo is a 20 something noble birth lady who has become poor. On the top of it she is taking care of her less than abled brother. She is hardworking, pragmatic women who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty (literally) to earn few nyangs.

Nam Yeong is a scholar aiming to become top official. He is from not so well known clan.

Moonshine has okay OST (till now). Acting is good by all, though I have doubts whether Yoo Seung can play historic role properly. My biggest discovery in this show is Byeon Woo Seok. I don't think I've seen any of his other shows.

Somehow after 3-4 episodes storyline felt flat. Story feels to be having less depth. In later episodes they seem to be hailing the benefits of alcohol, which I didn't condone. The crown also became a dull character compared to how he was introduced. Usual those in power are abusing it to gain from alcohol prohibition. Let's see if it improved in last few episodes.

It didn't improve in last few episodes. Yet another failed after an okay start.

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not worth your time

the beginning was very promising but as the time went on it was more and more difficult to dive in the story. some characters were very well handled but sadly some were not. this lead few part of the story to seem odd. the story line is too long and the political plot unnecessarily complicated. they didn't manage to end smoothly, packing the uncovering of the plot with the happy ending in the last episode. so everything seems just too long sometimes and simply rough at other time.

I chose to rate this drama after each episode: I rated 7 for the first episodes and ended down to 5 at the end. I usually watch a 16 episodes' drama in a few days, one week at most. I needed 13 days for this one because it was so boring that I just watched something else. if your drama list "to watch" is still long, pass this one.

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I did love the storyline. I wished it had more martial arts. The visuals are usually all the same in these historical dramas with the location and costumes. I do thank the crew and all the other actors/actresses who worked hard to give us a great drama.

Yoo Seung Ho who played Nam Young was awesome and very handsome. I was lost in his eyes. This actor has some beautiful big eyes. I have viewed 4 dramas where he was the lead and rated them a 10. His acting ability is just that great. Lee Hye Ri who played Kang Ro Seo, I need to see more of this actress, I only viewed one of her dramas and rated it a 10. Byeon Woo Seok who played Lee Pyo, all I can say is wow, I got lost in his looks... but I do need to see more of his acting abilities to see how good he plays that role. He did good in this drama I will give that to him.

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A Mixed Cocktail of Charm and Flaws

When Moonshine premiered in late 2021, I was excited to check it out, especially since I loved Hyeri's performances in Reply 1988 and My Roommate Is a Gumiho. However, at the time, I was totally wrapped up in my all-time favorite sageuk, The Red Sleeve, and needed a break before jumping into another historical drama. As time went by, I noticed that the ratings and reviews for Moonshine weren't all that great, so I moved on to other shows.

Now that I've finally watched Moonshine, I found it quite enjoyable despite its flaws. The writer missed the mark in a few areas, but overall, it was a pleasant experience.

What Works:

Cast: A likable and talented ensemble of actors and actresses.

Complex Plot: The drama weaves together gangsters, smugglers, gisaengs/courtesans, ministers, police, inspectors, and the royal family, keeping you guessing about their connections. I especially enjoyed the second half, where the story got more intricate, moving beyond just drinking and making alcohol.

Second Couple: I absolutely adore these two characters and wish they had more screen time. One is a crown prince—sly, cynical (but not in a bad way), street-smart, skilled in martial arts, and educated. Opposite him is the witty and kind-hearted daughter of the minister of war, who surprisingly isn't a snob and mingles with people from all walks of life. I wouldn't mind a drama centered around these two. Their charm isn't just due to the writing but also to Kang Mi Na and Byeon Woo Seok, who portrayed them brilliantly.

What's Not Working:

Main Couple: Lee Hyeri and Yoo Seung Ho delivered commendable performances, but their characters lack depth and engagement. One is overly rigid and principled, while the other is too preoccupied with her livelihood. This disparity undermines their dynamic, especially given Hyeri's known comedic talent. Consequently, the romance feels uninspired, lacking passion and longing.

Illogical Actions: There are numerous instances of illogical behavior. For example, despite efforts to portray the female lead as intelligent, her actions often defy reason. She carries all her hard-earned money in a single bag, only to lose it, or someone falls off a cliff, hits their head, and inexplicably survives.

Uneven Plot Distribution: Particularly in the first half, too much time is spent explaining certain plot points in unnecessary detail, which disengages viewers. Toward the end, more time could have been used to develop characters and drive the climax. For instance, Han Ae Jin, the crown princess's father and minister of war, could have played a crucial role in supporting his daughter and future son-in-law against the villain. This was a missed opportunity.

Despite its flaws, Moonshine is a light-hearted sageuk that I enjoyed watching. It may not reach the heights of some other dramas, but its charm and engaging moments make it worth the watch.

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Worth the watch if looking for something light...

I badly wanted to love this because it had Yoo Seung Ho (I'm Not a Robot) and Lee Hye Ri (My Roommate is a Gumiho), but a lot of the time I was just zoning out and not paying attention.

I didn't have a hard time stopping between episodes compared to other series that made me go: "Just one more episode". It was fun and funny; I liked that the show shared my humor when there are really sad moments that I cry but they allow room for comedy and so I'm a crying/laughing wreck watching the scene.

Overall, it was okay. I love the plot twist, it caught me by surprise so kudos to that, but I was really more invested in the stories of the side characters (Crown Princess, Minister of War's daughter, the Queen, the two servants, Gye Sang Mok and his crew, the head gisaeng and the assassin) rather than the main ones or the main storyline. Once the plot twist was revealed, everything just seemed predictable after that. It was still fun to watch though. The last 2 episodes was a rollercoaster of emotions that I dearly loved, but leading up to that felt sort of slow and dragged out.

It was light, a complete no-brainer that had its own charms, but it just couldn't hook me as much as I initially hoped.

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I raise my glass to “Moonshine”

Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this was a “liked”.

Things I liked:
I liked all the characters—I really felt that most were three-dimensional with believable back stories that explained how they had gotten to where they were. The mystery was interesting. I also appreciated (weirdly enough) that there was no “good guy” in the court (apart from the Queen)—neither the Prime Minister nor the Royal Secretary were particularly good people, and both had done a lot of damage to the kingdom. I had a bit of SMLS going there for a bit, but I was happy he got the SFL in the end. I liked the sismance between the SFL and the FL and that there was no silly jealous girl trope going on. I liked that the female characters were strong and rarely needed ‘saving’ by male characters. I liked that the ML proposed to the FL with a comb which is better than the Western convention of the ring that I sometimes see used in Joseon dramas (though he did go down on one knee…). Even though the royal family was involved in the plot, I liked that the two main leads were not royalty in and of themselves.

Things I disliked:
There wasn’t much I disliked beyond minor plot points/inconsistencies (for example, they should have used a young actor to play the Royal Secretary during his flashback scenes--the actual actor was too old to pull that off convincingly; the fact that guns during that era were [a] not accurate no matter how good a shot you were and [b] had to be re-loaded via the muzzle before you could shoot again...). I kind of disliked portraying alcohol consumption as this great thing since (while I get why Prohibition is a waste of government time and money—as we should know in this country from our own experience), there have been legitimate reasons to restrict alcohol consumption, especially in patriarchal societies where women and children depended on a functioning male to work. If he was incapable of work (and/or violent) due to drink, then it was the women and children who suffered.

I felt this was a decent historical drama. It wasn’t grippingly exciting but nor was there anything to make me drop it in disgust. The male leads were nice to look at, the female leads were no wilting flowers. All in all, a worthy watch.

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Only for fun but not memorable

Sageuk that I appreciated only for Yo Seung Hoo and Byun Woo Seok's performance but which will not go down in history.

PLOT: For 10 years, prohibition was the rule in Joseon. The FL, a poor noble, lives as an alcohol manufacturer. However, her tenant, the ML, is an inspector for the Ministry of Prohibition. They will uncover the conspiracy behind this ban, looking for clues about their tragic past.

PROS:
+ I had a hard time joining the CL because I don't like Hyeri.
+ The tone is light, it is a comedy, not to be taken seriously.
+ The pace is fast, the actors are good and the OSTs are well suited.

CONS:
- the story is not always very coherent, with a lot of ploteholes and dramaland's twists.

=> Pleasant, but not memorable.
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Drama Rom-Hist que j'ai apprécié pour la performance de Yoo Seung Ho et celle de Byun Woo Seok, mais qui ne restera pas dans les annales.

PLOT: Pendant 10 ans, la prohibition sévissait à Joseon. La FL, 1 noble devenue pauvre, vit en fabricant de l'alcool. Pourtant son locataire, le ML, est inspecteur du Ministère de la Prohibition. Ils vont mettre à jour le complot qui se cache derrière cette interdiction, en recherchant des pistes sur leur passé tragique.

PROS:
+ J'ai eu du mal à adhérer au CL car je n'apprécie pas Hyeri.
+ Le ton est léger, il s'agit d'une comédie, à ne pas prendre au sérieux.
+ La réalisation est rapide, les acteurs sont bons et les OST bien adaptés.

CONS:
- la story n'est pas toujours très cohérente, avec pas mal de ploteholes et de twists "dramaland".

=> Agréable, mais pas mémorable.

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SECOND LEAD >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

AH! I actually LOVED the story and plot BUT the main leads were SO SO :(

I honestly enjoyed more of the second leads' love stories more than the mains LOL

Overall - story is fun! Love the traditional sa-guek setting and of course all the drama with the injustice and imbalance of power for government/monarchy etc etc.

Overall a fun and good watch - nothing crazy... love the value of friendship, loyalty, and honestly the courage each character imposed!

The antagonist was also a great plot twist at the beginning and a great great actor! He really sold the show.

Not bad watch - would recommend!

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Mediocre

The drama couldn't decide whether it was a crime drama, a political drama, a mystery, or a romantic comedy. The writers threw everything into the plot turning it into an incoherent mess. Starting out as a romantic comedy, it quickly devolved into a very complicated mess of political intrigue, mystery, murder, conspiracy, and extremely boring romance. All the characters were uninteresting. ML would apologize to FL in every episode for withholding information and then doing it again. The love triangle between the crown prince, ML and FL was pointless and really really boring. The plotline with the underground alcohol distillery was not even the main story, the main story was political conspiracy.

The show would've been so much better if the writers just kept it simple, a romantic comedy with the inspector trying to uncover an illegal alcohol business during prohibition with FL being the ring leader. What a waste of potential that could've been a really fun drama.

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COMEDIC HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH SOME ROMANCE.

Moonshine is a liquor produced illegally. In this drama, the king prohibited drinking and making liquor and the story revolves there. This drama has a unique topic compared to other historical dramas which makes it interesting.

STORY:
While the drama is a comedy type, there are some serious moments that deals with politics, problems of people and survival during that time. The story is quite interesting and the first few episode seems promising. The pacing at first is really good as well, the characters were introduced nicely and there’s a hint for a little mystery to come that made the drama very engaging. but as it goes on I feel like its losing my interest to the point that I stopped watching it and just finished it to know the twist. The story revolves too much about the alcohol (especially around the middle part, but it gets better during the last episodes) more than the other elements of the plot. Still, I love the showcase of strong female characters and friendship, character growth, villains, and romance.

CHARACTERS:
I really like the characters and I’ve seen major growth throughout the drama especially with the prince. He has a very realistic character, he gets scared which is very natural for anyone in his situation but still chooses to do what’s right in the end. Also Nam young, he seems very strict with his principles but throughout the story he showed that doing right isn’t always following what’s proper. I do like Ro seo as she showed strength being a female in that time and situation, though sometimes her character seems to be a bit draggy. I think that her and the main lead lacks so much chemistry. Even with the story of romance mostly revolving around them feels draggy. Even with the prince who liked her at first, there is no chemistry. The one with more chemistry would be the second leads. I really liked her character (Ae jin) and even from the start you can feel how strong the chemistry is with her and the prince. Sadly they don't have more scenes.

REWATCH VALUE:
I enjoyed the romance (second lead), there is a good mystery (plot twist), and funny scenes. I do recommend the drama but I personally wouldn’t rewatch.

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