KDrama Review: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo was in my KDrama radar for a very long time, but I wasn’t very keen on watching it. I’m not really a big fan of period dramas, so I had the impression that it would just bore me to death. Another factor why I wasn’t interested to watch it was because of a reader’s comment on my review of Goblin. (Hi, Rose!!! Hihi!)

“I followed Goblin while it was still showing in Korea so you can just imagine how empty I felt after it ended. I was a mess for almost a week after the finale. Haha! If you've seen Scarlet Heart, you will appreciate how Goblin ended. At least si Kim Shin at Eun Tak nagkaroon ng closure. :)”

Mabaliw-baliw na ako sa ending ng Goblin, tapos panonoorin ko pa ‘tong Scarlet Heart? Ano ‘ko, timang?! But that same comment also piqued my curiosity. Ang dami ko pang inarte, pinanood ko rin naman! Hahahaha!

Moon_Lovers.p1
Source: asianwiki.com

First, it was definitely not boring. The plot is stretched, dark, tedious and very complex. But yeah, it was definitely not boring. There were a lot of times when I had to remind myself that I was watching a drama set centuries ago so awful things like incest and killing over a throne are somehow “acceptable”. (This is why I don’t watch Game of Thrones! Hahaha!) There were many times when Scarlet Heart was making me so stressed out. I remember making the hypothesis that the creator of Scarlet Heart probably had a very sad childhood! :p

The plot may be complex and twisted, but Scarlet Heart somehow reminded me of Meteor Garden. But this one involves more boys! Parang wala ng ibang babae sa drama na ‘to. Lahat sila gusto si Hae-So! :p

I initially thought that I would not be seeing the end of this drama because I didn’t like IU. Isip ko nung una, hindi naman kagandahan si ateng, bakit nagpapatayan ang mga boylet para sa kanya?! And then I remembered that back in college, I felt the same way towards Barbie Hsu. And after the first few episodes of Meteor Garden, I already wanted to buy a pink backpack and learn how to drive a scooter! Hahaha! I may have spoken too soon of IU! Suffice to say, IU is now one of my girl crushes! Hihihi! I loved how she was able to shift from being stubborn to being prim and proper. It amazed me how she was able to transition from being a damsel in distress to being a strong-willed heroine. At oo, may point nga ang mga boylet para pag-agawan siya! :p

A post shared by Scarlet Heart Ryeo;Moon Lovers (@scarletheart_ryeo) on
Partida, hindi pa sila nagsuklay! :p

The princes definitely added more excitement to Scarlet Heart. Hong Jong-Hyun was very effective in portraying the envious and power-hungry Wang Yo. (Google niyo siya, guys. Cute siya without the dark eyeliner! :p)

I first saw Nam Joo-Hyuk in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo. I read some reviews saying that they were a bit disappointed in his portrayal of Baek-A. Hindi daw bagay sa kanya ‘yung role. I have to disagree because Nam Joo-Hyuk was very successful in bringing to life a sensitive, sensible and kind-hearted prince. :)

I like Ji Soo as Wang Jung in Scarlet Heart better than his role in Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon. Swabe si Ji Soo dito! Alam mo ‘yung akala mo na filler lang ‘yung role niya, pero siya pala ‘yung #HashtagUwianNaMayNanalo sa dulo! :p

I haven’t seen Lee Joon-Gi since My Girl. I have to admit that he did really, really, really well as Wang So. His shift from being a bad boy to a knight in shining armor was effortless. ‘Yung ulan scene, panalo e! But I don’t know why he didn’t completely win my heart. I guess it was because Kang Ha-Neul got it first! Cheret! Hahaha! Hay, Wang Wook is just, hayyyyyyyyyyy! *insert 859 hearts here*

Watching Scarlet Heart is one helluva roller coaster ride. The kilig moments were very subtle. If you like something light, then skip this Korean drama! I often found myself holding my chest because the scenes were getting too heavy for my heart to handle. (Ang arte, haha! Ang dami kasing kontrabida dito! Grabe lang ang mga reyna dito, sarap kalbuhin!) 

Because of the drama’s posters, I already knew in the beginning that Hae-So would not be ending up with the prince that I was initially rooting for. Pero ang sakit pa rin when Hae-So and the first prince she fell in love with drifted apart. The buildup of their relationship was so intense only to leave me broken-hearted. Nakakabwisit! Hahahaha!

I was already fine when Hae-So was falling in love with Wang So. But the end was, WTF?! Hahahaha! Scarlet Heart, twenty episodes ang pinagsamahan natin, tapos ginanyan mo lang ako? That was exactly how I felt! It was like I invested all my emotions only to end up empty and depressed. It was like dreaming of a future with your first love only to be left in the altar on your wedding day. It felt like going back to work on a Monday after a month-long holiday in Maldives! Hahahaha! Grabe. While I was watching the last episode, I was checking the progress of the player. Matatapos na ba talaga? Ok, may ilang minutes pa. May pag-asa pa! I even hoped there would be something after the end credits. Terible! Hahaha! Kaso waley. If you read some of the online reviews, then don’t be surprised if a lot of fans are still hoping for Book 2! But I guess the ending made this drama more memorable.

I finished watching Scarlet Heart almost a month ago, but I still haven’t jumped to my next Korean drama. Matagal-tagal na detox ang kailangan ko! Hahahaha! :p

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