Re-watching this after a couple of years made me really want to write a review. Initially I just watched this drama for Baekhyun, but I really stayed because it was that good.

Honestly, I don't actually think this is a drama that everyone will love, but I find it extremely refreshing with a much more dramatic/sad tone. I think this is the only romantic kdrama I've watched so far that's not afraid to kill characters off and go full on tragic, and to me that was actually a good thing. Some shows just feel too cliché and restricted by the fact that they are afraid to piss off or disappoint the audience if they don't give everyone a happy ending.

The plot is well built and the story is not overly complicated or anything. The characters are pretty good and some have really interesting archs. What I think is a very postive aspect is the fact that they are not so black and white. They are flawd but it doesn't feel like they are evil Disney villains twisting their mustaches (at least most of them are not that stereotypical). One character that I think they ruined completely is Chae Ryung. Her motivations to do what she did are so stupid I couldn't help but feel no empathy for her in the end. I was also a bit upset that the time-travelling thing was not porperly explained, but it didn't bother me too much as it was not the central aspect of the story, only a plot device.

The soundtrack could've been a little better. Not that the OST was terrible, but I think that instrumental songs fit this type of hystorical drama better. Another thing that wasn't so good was the camera work, as almost every scene is shot uncomfortably close to the actors faces.

The acting was really good. IU did a fine job, but nothing amazing by any means. Lee Jung Gi had a delivery that really impressed me in some scenes, though. Baekhyun also exceeded my expectations, considering he didn't have much acting experience and overall there's no one who was bad with their portrayal.

One thing that this drama does really well is the ending. I think most korean shows have this fatal flaw of being boring in the last few episodes, but Scarlet Heart never looses traction throughout the narrative and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

As the story progresses, there are many instances where you get the feeling that something bad is going to happen but you still keep watching on the hopes that you're wrong, which keeps you entertained and makes you connect much more with the characters, since you actually fear for their lives cause you don't know when the writers might try to kill or harm them. Because of that you may think that people who don't enjoy angst or a tear-jerk might not like this, but I still think it's worth the experience (coming from a fluff/rom-com enthusiast).

In the end, I praise this drama for not being afraid to hurt the audience's feelings, taking us on a well constructed, intense and more realistic story that not everone might enjoy, but that everyone should give, at least, a try.