K-Bu Bu Jing Xin Settles into 3rd Episode with 7.0% Ratings But Breaks 100 Million Views on Youku Streaming in 16 Hours
It’s time to render first opinions after giving the K-version of Bu Bu Jing Xin a three episode premiere week to get the ball rolling. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo (Bobogyungsim: Ryeo) doesn’t appear to be the potential ratings winner that having such a star-studded cast and huge promotional roll out ought to bring in the viewers, the third episode only notched 7.0% AGB nationwide in ratings, basically the same as the first episode while the second episode increased due to it airing right after the first episode and without drama competition.
Moonlight Drawn by Clouds continues to lead the Mon-Tues ratings, remaining at over 16%, but K-BBJX can take solace in slaying on the Chinese streaming site Youku which has official broadcast rights – the drama broke 100 million views in just 16 hours. I’m loving both dramas for different reasons, and with respect to K-BBJX it’s all about Lee Jun Ki. I’m crazy about his take on 4th Prince, not to mention the smoldering hotness just about ignites my screen every second he’s on, stealing the thunder from everyone else. It’s his chance to play the brooding bad boy and I love it!
I get the criticism over the acting from some of the other cast members, but Lee Jun Ki’s dominating the screen so much the ancillary weakness doesn’t torpedo the drama for me. And the narrative has changed quite a bit from the original source novel so it feels fresh with the twists. All in all K-BBJX is a win for me even if not with the Korean viewers.
Ditto
Same. I am very picky with my dramas. But even I will agree that Scarlet Heart: Ryeo is getting a lot of unnecessary criticism. People already had their minds made before the drama, and there’s also an underlying glee in seeing a much hyped drama fail. The drama has done a good job with adapting to the Goryeo time period, though the directing and editing leave room for improvement.
I agree. I think it’s pretty entertaining.
I also agree. The first episode was trying to do too much but the 2nd was so much better and the 3rd was really good. That ending! Happy for the love the other drama is getting and at least happy that SH is working well in China. I mean that is what pre-produced is all about.
I was worried about the story being too similar to the C-drama. I don’t want to see the same thing again so I’m good with the changes.
I am not watching it. And I ask this sincerely and without sarcastic intent- is it just the screencap or is this how IU looks all the time?
Mouth agape, eyes widened.
LJK is smoldering even in the photos.
she still can’t act with her eyes…
and all those close up shoot every 5 minute kill the mood…
I wish Moon Chae Won act instead of IU because she still lack in acting especially Sageuk drama.
Sincerely, I think IU did decently (ok, that’s my opinion, in fact I kind of adore her as Haesoo) and despite how much I like Moon Chae Won, I think her not being casted here is for the reason that the female lead is supposed to be a teenager and IU embodies that aura. If they are to choose actress born during the 1980’s, I would picked Han Hyo Joo for sure.
That is a deeply ironic statement considering Moon Chae Won was constantly criticised for her modern-sounding turn in sageuk until she did The Princess’ Man (and even there she faced a lot of criticism for her acting in the first few eps).
like the commenter above said, Moon Chae Won’s sageuk acting was the most criticised before TPM and even during early episodes of TPM. She herself acknowledged it.
IU’s ok, her deer in headlights expression is too much but she’s neither great nor bad. And she has very good chemistry with both Lee Jun Ki and Kang Ha Neul. The PD needs to stop doing those stupid extreme closeups, I don’t need to see her eyelash glue from false eyelashes.
Moon Chae Won might’ve done a bad job in the first few episodes of TPM, but she redeemed herself by portraying Seryeong flawlessly throughout TPM, and then earned praises for it. So, I don’t think saying just because she wasn’t up to par in the beginning episodes mean that she will be horrible throughout any historical dramas.
@narrot – I think that’s exactly what @teacakes and @BlackWidow were saying – that even Moon Chae-won was shaky in the first few episodes of TPM but improved hugely in later episodes to give a great performance, so it’s possible for IU too.
Right? I havent watch this yet but I do plan to watch it since I’ve seen the C-version. Almost every screencaps I have seen of IU in this drama is the same deer-caught-in-the-headlight look: mouth agape, eyes widened. Is she normally like this in the drama? Because if she is, then I dont think I can watch it. Liu Shi Shi did a flawless job on her part so I’m holding the same expectations on IU. I want IU to execute her part perfectly because the gem of the story (in my opinion) was Ruoxi.
This PD is way too fond of these crazy closeups. Seriously, at least pull back enough to let your lead actor’s face be fully seen.
Lol. Kdramas usually don’t do fake eyelashes. The 5 min close ups might be too much for me to handle. That’s so strange it’s pre produced so the editing should be good. Or rather excellent.
Thanks for replying. I will wait for this to end then watch. Not even needing to marathon. More so I can fast forward if need be.
For someone who doesn’t watch Cdramas I thought BBJX was one of the most sublimely beautiful dramas I’ve ever seen. That’s why I am hesitant to start this.
My opinion. Leave brhind that beautiful memory of C-BBJX only then you can appreciate K-BBJX. That is what I did.
I thought it was only me.. I don’t like the way she delivers her line,its like she was afraid to open her mouth.as if I want to pull her lips so she didn’t sound like the I don’t get what she is uttering.
I think the acting isn’t too cringy, but sometimes exaggerated. But the eyes thing…omg… -_- It’s actually pretty annoying. I know many female leads do that in kdramas…but it’s especially worse with IU here. Like pls stop. Your eyes are big enough.
Unfortunately, yes, we get the Shocked Look of Unexpected Surprise a LOT from IU. I don’t know if it is the director’s lack of vision or her lack of acting chops (I suspect a mixture of both) but that is most of what you get for the first three episodes. To be fair, IU is not the worst acting job; while all of the “younger” parts are not being played very well, Ji Soo is the worst so far. His delivery is stilted, his expression awkward, all in all he looks like he would rather be just about anyplace else. He is great in other things, I think he is just not cut out for sageuks. I will be sticking with this show because LJK is just killing it, he is doing just a fabulous job and he is a joy to watch, and Kang Haneul is not far behind.
Same for me.
Both Lee Jun Ki and Kang Ha Neul are scene stealers, their charms makeup for IU and Baekhyun awkwardness. I can’t wait to see Seohyun onscreen. Her shots and stills were on point and she steals the attention, let’s see if her acting is up to what was shown.
Personally, ratings don’t matter as long as I enjoy the drama, but I really hope they even out just a bit for LJK’s sake. The guy’s so freaking amazing but all his hard work doesn’t have the payoff it deserves.
I was expecting to love LJK, but instead in all about Kang Ha Neul and his portrayal of Wook. So expressive and his chemistry with IU is Fiyah. Maybe I’m just bored of bad boys, but really, LJK and his mask didn’t really do as much as I wanted it to.
I love LJK in this drama! I watch solely fo his scenes.
I am not sold on IU and KHN since their romance is technically cheating which is a major turn off.
I find KHN attractive but the cheating turns me off his character.
The C-version reminds me a little of the Joseon sagueks where its all about mental gymnastics and out-maneuvering the opponent. The K-version is the more hands on, warrior and brutal version. And I for one love it.
And LJK’s take on the 4th prince is awesome. He literally dominates every single scene he is in. Example the meeting with the mother. 2 minute scene and you see 10 different emotions flash through his face. Absolutely brilliant. Some of the criticism that the show is getting is so ridiculous and petty that it does not even warrant a rebuttal. Its just hating for the sake of hate.
In fact I am not that fond of moonlight because its way too fluffy for me. I adore Gummie but the show is not for me. Despite its really warm moments, it gets a little too slap-sticky sometimes. But i believe i’m one of the very few that don’t like it.
Amen to all you’ve said, LJK excels in every scene he’s on. Is unbelievable really, how well he can just SHOW so much without doing a lot of talking! KHN is doing a great job here too! I like this drama!
I’m actually more fond of the “mental gymnastics” because it gives room for scenes of calmness, and it doesn’t seem like everyone is out to get at each other with fire and swords and daggers flying everywhere. To be honest, sometimes some Joseon saeguks are still not up to par with the “mental gymnastics” that some Chinese historical dramas display.
See and I like them both so I enjoyed the c-drama because of all the cunning and manipulations; however, I don’t want to see that again so I think this is why the more action focused SH works for me.
I’m really curious to know what the Chinese netizens think of this new BBJX. I wish I knew chinese to read the comments.
wow this near won me over. that angst looks glorious and i die and resuscitate to die over the existence of leejunki. its too bad dramas are only as compelling as their female lead for my fickle ass.
might give it some time. i dont really mind mediocre acting,
The acting is fine. Don’t let it stop you from checking out the show. Knetz are just brutal. I came in knowing nothing about IU nor have seen any of her earlier shows. She is no oscar winner but she is perfectly fine in the show and even pretty good in some scenes.
Nope she is not fine. i think she is doing ok job in her previous drama but her role and character suppose to be intelligent, sharp and has many deep insight and ideas.
C-historical Dramas is a win for me in terms of directing, creating strong female characters, big scale but so intelligent. I think as my almost 15 years of k-drama watching, korean seajack has not match chinese historical drama making yet.
Her acting is ok and getting better with every episode. Don’t see why the description of the female lead character in the Chinese version has any bearing on the performance of the female lead in the Korean version, after all she is Haesoo and not Ruoxi. And the intelligence, insight and ideas may come later after she has settled down in her new body.
Female lead isn’t bad, to be honest. I find her quite watchable now that episode 3 is here.
I have never seen her in anything before, and I think she’s doing just fine. The fight scene with the prince was awesome. Yeah, people are brutal and apparently people have very mixed feelings about her.
Yeah, I find her ok too except the close up face for too long that kill the mood.
I love this drama aside that it deviates from the C-version but agree with Koala, it is all because of Lee Jun Ki. And I am saying this time and time again, he is the best thing about K-BBJX.
My only complaint is that….3 episodes along and LJK had yet to be given enough screentime for me to drool over. Aside from being so visually stunning, he is so amazing as 4th Prince, the aloof coldness just to mask the pain and he emoted that so well especially the scene when he met his mom with his brothers – that alternate expression between longing, hopeful and dejected all the same.
It is a great news that China are accepting the K-BBJX, of course there are some nationalistic and negative comments in between and it also receiving so much love from South East Asian viewers judging from the social media page of ONE TV Asia and the drama is heavily trending in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
I agree again with Koala, it does not matter than the Koreans have difficulty warming up to this adaptation, I am loving it all the way to the moon and back.
I would really like to know how K-BBJX does in the foreign territories where it was sold, by the end. If you find news or stats about that Koala, please let us know!
Yes, please. I would like to know how Moon Lovers does in streaming/online ratings, both in Korea and overseas. Especially compared to other dramas that did well abroad, or dramas airing now.
chinese dont care for acting. all they care is pretty boy. shoot they would still watch the show even if the guy just stand doing nothing.
LJK is the only guy that know how to act in the drama. all the rest of the cast is there just for chinese fangirl to look at.
LJK better get pay big for carrying this sorry ass drama with so many bad actor actress. for a lead woman IU sure sux bad.
At least they’re more objective than international viewers. At movie.douban (Chinese equivalent of imdb, sort of) DotS is rated around 7 unlike MDL that rated it a freaking 9.0
And has Korean won any Oscar for some outstanding acting? The only one I heard of is only Jeon Do Yeon winning in Cannes and that was years ago. Or the K-drama actors winning awards for their marvellous acting chop on international stage? So much of good acting!
And why should Koreans win Oscars? What has outstanding acting got to do with American Award Ceremonies? Because USA is still the richest country? What has that got to do with art? I haven’t seen a talented American actor in ages (Hollywood cinema is an absolute trash). Just my opinion, of course.
*among the richest countries
And tell me if Oscar not perceived to be the most celebrated and prestigious award of all? And there is no denial that that most actors coveted it to validate their acting talent. So don’t go generalizing that Chinese only care about pretty boys and acting chop does not matter. There are quite a handful of chinese actors doing extremely well on international stage. It’s all about preference. And it’s a wow to know that there is not even a single talented american actor in ages. Well, let’s agree that it’s just yours and my opinion.
sorry, i beg to differ .Talented american actors exist but they aren’ t known because Hollywood do the same thing as China or SKorea. They only promote popular actors. Popularity has nothing to do with talent. A few names Paul Dano (Prisoners), Brian Cranston ( Malcolm in the middle) Samuel L Jackson( Django unchained)….But we are talking about dramas who have specific rules like las telenovelas in South America.
I didn’t say talented American actors don’t exist. I meant to say they are so few that I haven’t seen anyone lately.
And, of course, Oscar is perceived to be prestigious because people still remember Hollywood’s Golden Age. It’s just that, well, times have changed.
The thing with acting awards is that one can brag about them (they are a sort of proof of an actor’s talent) but if one doesn’t have many it doesn’t mean that he/she is less talented. Acting Awards giving bodies are as subjective as Nobel Prizes in literature: surely, the decision of the judges are based on certain skills, but many have them and what makes the actual difference is what goes beyond those skills (and that is a matter of taste and context). It is what actually happens in any form of art.
No….no….no…. I believe they don’t care about pretty boys, they care about charisma
@joey agree with some of your comments that some Chinese mainlanders netizens may seem to prefer pretty flower boys but they have a wide audience so we shouldn’t generalise.
100 million views? Was that only for episode 1 or for both episodes? Still, it’s impressive. I hope Moon Lovers continues to do well on streaming since it looks like it won’t have success in Korean tv ratings.
Also Lee Jun Ki is amazing as Fourth Prince. His expressions in the scene with his mother…IU was ok, but they need to stop with that deer in headlights expression and the closeups.
Rating is not important as long as it within acceptable limit. this is a plain flop. despite massive budget and good looking namjas it fail to engaged the k audiences. I feel sorry for LJK, he should stop acting in sageuk as it no longer his forte despite looking good in sageuk costumes like some said although i beg to differ I found him ordinary at best. At least UF debut with double digit due to popularity of woobin and suzy although it fell flat a few episodes later due to poor acting and cringing storyline but this drama crash at the very beginning. China streaming is high no doubt as they watch anything but still single digit debut at your homeland speak volume about your popularity.
cont… and quality of the drama. I have not watched this drama and I don’t intend to at the moment due to mixed reaction but I hope it will improve.
Actually, no matter how good the actor, if the director and writing suck, the actor won’t look good. If the actor is ok, and the director and writer are excellent, then you can still have a hit. But if everything is good, then it’s like wining the lottery/jackpot. That’s why there aren’t many hits.
It is never a problem for him to continue acting in saeguk just because the drama not doing well. Forte is not about popularity but it is his strength to carry any saeguk roles given to him. And if he isn’t good, why would so many saeguk roles offered to him? UF is part of the reason why Scarlet not doing well because basically now the korean audiences have a certain kind of prejudice towards pre-produced drama. UF secured double digit ratings because of the good impression left by DOTS and then it brings down the succeeding pre-produced drama as a result. Though at the sane time, Scarlet is designed to suit the taste of international audience more and not resonating with the domestic audience. And agree that Lee Jun Ki is not the current IT actor but saeguk or not, he is a terrific actor.
I’m not enamoured by UF myself but saying the Korean audience stigmatising pre-produced dramas is a little bit of a stretch. Unless there is an official survey conducted amongst Korean audience (especially the sample popolation that the ratings are collected on) and the result indicates that they really do avoid SH due to the ‘stigma’ of pre-production, this perceived prejudice is only your own speculation.
I understand that many fans of SH are sad and disappointed at the ratings but disregarding the taste of the Korean audience in one way or another is no different than disregarding the preference of someone who differs from you in that respect. Anyway, the show is only 3 eps in, the 3 leads are solid in their acting, so it’s not like all hope is lost. The ratings may pick up anytime now that the show has finished with its introductory part and lands into thicker plot.
Please read my comment when I mentioned “partly” and “basically”. I did not generalized.
I’m not saying that you generalised anything. My point is that you’ve got a speculation to the reasons why SH is not doing well in Korea at the moment, but you worded it as if you knew it for a fact.
SH’s performance is attributed to a multitude of factors, most are not established in any findings yet apart from being speculated by fans. And ‘basically’ means ‘most importantly/ fundamentally/ or roughly accurately’, hence my strong reaction.
It’s also strange to me that while it’s kind of expected of international viewers to respect each other’s taste when it comes to dramas, the Korean audience is either explicitly or implicitly being condemned for their choice. Many question their taste and describe it as ‘incomprehensible’, as ‘not agreeing with the international viewers’ (when even the international audience is as diverse as can be), criticise them as not giving the drama a chance, having prejudice toward it, or stigmatising it. Meanwhile, it is not even known whether the negative comments floating around on the net that actually stigmatise pre-produced dramas or express groundless hate are posted by people from the target Korean viewing population at all.
Getting below expectation rating at the beginning does not equal to a show’s quality or success. I wonder what the reaction would be when ML becomes a successful hit? Will Korean audience get praise for agreeing with ML fans, or will ML get all the credit for being a heart-winning show?
And here I thought that if you love a show, then it’s good enough. You don’t need others to show their liking for it to prove that it is good, or to validate your enjoyment of it.
Agree on Hye Mi with this one. Truly, alot of factors come in in terms of a kdrama’s success. Maybe the plotline of SH is just not hitting k-viewers’ sweet spot. Preference is key and at this very moment, they prefer something else.
I disagree. It’s totally his forte. He’s completely amazing. He’s not having any luck in ratings, but he’s better than just about anyone in a sageuk.
I have to disagree, this drama is all about KHN for me. He is definitely stealing the show and is going to breakout as a Hallyu star after this. And in the first time in my kdrama watching history I am having “second lead syndrome.”
100 million views for 2 episodes in 16 hours?! Wow. UF was called a Chinese streaming success for making 44 million views in 6 days, this left it in the dust.
Too bad about the domestic ratings. I think as some have said, the flopping of UF has led people to have a negative impression of these massively hyped pre-productions. Moon Lovers first episode was not even close to as weird and janky as UF early eps, and the acting from Lee Jun Ki and IU >>>>>>> Kim Woo Bin and Suzy. But hype can’t buy everything in the end.
(btw about the acting, I say Moon Lovers was better than UF’s, even with the faults in IU’s acting. Even acknowledging that, it’s better)
For me, iu=suzy.. both cannot act and awkward. But by the storyline, SH >>> UF. Although for me they must focus to LJK scene not other princes. And they must cut the camera zooming or the music because it is annoying sometime.
I don’t find IU’s acting in SH as bad as Suzy’s in UF, to be quite honest. It’s still not good, but it’s not THAT level of awkward and cringe to watch. She’s at least better at saying her lines, too.
You haven’t watched all the episodes of UF, right? Because, personally, I find Suzy’s acting pretty good in the second half of the drama and KWB’s as well.
UF may be better than her previous terrible performances but it’s only ‘good’ by a seriously lowered standard which is what most people apply to Suzy’s acting anyway.
IU’s acting isn’t great either but I find her watchable, and much MUCH better than Suzy at the same stage in her drama. People expect more from her, though.
have watched. Suzy can’t act.
Wow…i finally finished episode 3 subbed version.
I watched ep 1, 2 & 3 raw & watched again the english subbed version.
I watched this solely for Lee Jun Ki but going forward, i began to like the other princes. Im also entertained by IU scenes. I can’t help to laughed.
I love moon lovers. I am captured by the pretty/handsome faces.
Though, i dont like bloody scenes,i get to finished it till the end.
Though I find it scary, i cant close my eyes since i might miss parts of the story.
Looking forward for next wk episodes.
The drama is ok. There have been worse dramas rewarded with surprisingly good ratings before. 7% and last place in ratings seems a bit cruel for a heavily promoted and expensive show like this (+ it might discourage preproduction in the future which is bad news for actors and crew slaving away on set day and night). It is my understanding that Monster has veered into pretty ridiculous and silly territory, yet ratings are still decent (tho I understand it’s not likely to drop a drama after watching 40+ episodes). I hope for the sake of LJK and KHN the drama gets some decent ratings and also because there’s already a lot of scapegoating IU for the failure of the show. There are problems with the acting, but certainly the directing and editing aren’t helping either.
I love both Moonlight and Moon Lovers too for very different reasons. And I am saddened that Moon Lovers is getting the flack it is. Whenever expectations are too high, nothing can live up to that. That said, I do often feel like LJK is in a different drama than almost everyone else. Or actually, that he is in a movie and everyone else is in a drama. Although I think Kang Ha Neul is doing great and I much prefer his 8th prince to the original because the original always felt a little greasy to me – I don’t know why.
But unlike the original (where I loved 14th prince), my heart totally belongs to 4th prince. That scene in the bath…I am going to rewatch that 10 times today. That was LJK at his absolute finest, physically and acting wise. The emotions that went across his face were incredible. And this drama is also really showing how comfortable he is in a sageuk. When LJK delivers sageuk dialogue it doesn’t sound like he’s acting. It just sounds like how he speaks every day. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! (Can you tell?)
Also, I am saddened by the harsh criticism of IU. I think she is good in this role. And I know when things turn dark and sad that she will be able to really turn on some beautiful waterworks. Give her a chance. I found even the radiant Liu Shi-shi a bit jarring at the beginning of the original because it was all played too campy/over-acty (new word) for me, the fish out of water bit. IU won’t have even half as many eps to settle into the character so it will be more condensed, but I think she is doing very well.
But the rest of the cast, not so happy. The kid playing 13th prince is doing fine, but Ji Soo is just, ugh. I love him, but if I were his agent or a casting director in SK, I would never ever put him in a sageuk again. Something about his voice and delivery just makes him sound like a gangster street kid from the Bronx just time traveled to Goryeo. He is so wrong. Maybe as the character grows up his presentation will too, and it will get better. I can only hope.
Other than IU and the evil Empress/Queen the rest of the female cast is so blah, just like why are they even there? Why did they cast someone who looks so old to be KHN’s wife I wonder? It’s jarring because she looks like his mom.
You said it well. My heart bleeds for Lee Jun Ki. The guy always caught up in situation like this and the comment that bothered me most is when he got slammed for working with actors not of his credibility, as if implying he is not smart in making his career choice. As his fan, I know very well of how he tried to make the best decision for his career and despite the many hiccups that he went through, I knew that he stepped out with his best foot forward.
C-BBJX is so much loved and therefore, there is so much expectation on the K-version, adding in to the pressure is the big budget and grand investment as well as casting of pretty and ingenue actors. If this drama is not a remake or adaptation, may be viewers could be more receptive and watching with blank information and less expectation.
Alas, I don’t wish for us the K-BBJX lovers sounding like a sore loser. Not doing well is not doing well. But like Koala said, it may not be receptive in its homeland but the drama is receiving so much love outside of Korea. Now, that is the silver linings.
I agree with both of you. I feel so sad for LJK!! Gosh! The last drama of his that I watched completely was 2 weeks. The rest, I gave up despite my love for him and his craft. His last few projects were just really unfortunate and to be honest I wasn’t really happy when casting news was announced for SH. I know kdrama fans always say that ratings don’t matter.. but for sure it matters to him. I do hope that things improve (Though I am thoroughly loving MDBC, maybe more viewers for both) and that he’ll get a breakout drama next time.
LJK is so gorgeous! His screen caps are so beautiful to look at! It’s still that hair sprayed down bird nest on his head that I can’t stand but his face sure is mesmerizing.
Is anybody else having problems with right-clicking? I always have the habit of opening a link in a new tab, so it’s bugging me a little, haha.
yup
Koala this is a massive flop in Korea. I love Lee Jun Ki, but it is what it is. 7% for a show that had so much buzz going on, it sure did not capture the target audience in Korea for sure. Its not Jun ki, he is spectacular but when the story execution is so dated and cliched add to that such God-awful music that kills the mood and tone and below average acting from the supporting cast, what else can you expect. Liu Shi Shi’s Rouxi has been reduced to a silly damsel in distress, what more do I have to say?? Honestly asking do you like IU here?? I admired her skills in Pretty Man and Producers but here do you actually feel for her?? I don’t, she is miscast and in a role that has been reduced in significance from what it was in the original. Heck, Mirror of the Witch was miles ahead than this and better received critically speaking.
Having said that, I just saw Running Man, its time Lee Junk ki grabs modern clothes and does something solid in comedy in tvn or jtbc. They produce better shows than the big 3 now-a-days. Hi goes all out for whatever he does. He deserves to see ratings gold in his home ground.
I think most of the side actors are lacking and awkward. KHN, LJK and JHJ are the ones who can carry their character role so well. Although I understand that the timeframe/period in the drama will run 10years, and generally current character age is 17-20. But there is something unsophisticated about the way the other prince carry their self. At least IU looks graceful despite her spunky character. Overall I find it interesting to watch.
Nah… I watch the first episode and it’s not that bad tbh, I hate cheesy things but this one it’s not that cheesy to the point I had to pause and cringe, there are cheesy moments but they’re bearable at least, Baekhyun screencaps looked so bad in some blogs to the point I hestitate to watch it lol, but in the actual drama his acting is actually not that bad, I have seen worse.
And… I disagree about LJK domination part. KHN eyes is mesmerizing* I hope I spell that right lol, his gaze is better than Lee Jun Ki, I’m falling for him more than LJK, too bad his character has a very nice wifey already lol
Why are people complaining about 4th Prince being married? C version handled that part very well and viewers knew that while it’s all monogamy now, such a thing never existed in those times. I am not sure how old is Baekhyun’s character supposed to be. But if he has already reached puberty, in all likelihood, he would at least have one wife. What more all the other princes?
I dislike the actors who played 4th and 8th Prince in C drama. While I think they acted well enough, I never got sold into their romance with Ruoxi. I was a lot more interested in her friendship with 13th and the kind of dysfunctional one with 14th whom she ended up marrying. Here, I like LJK and KHN a lot more. I credit LJK for delivering his part as the 4th Prince like a pro, I truly felt heartache for So’s sufferings. It is Ha Neul however who is the stand out. There is something complex about the 8th Prince character which I find it hard to describe and KHN is conveying the layers so well. Kevin Cheng did a good job and Ha Neul is doing an even better one.
At the moment, I am rooting for 8th Prince to be with Soo but I know it’s futile. Well, at least So and Soo has got good chemistry though I think it’s because LJK is smoldering hot all the time 😀 He somehow makes his co-stars look plain and I do think IU looks pretty enough 😛
Oops I meant the 8th Prince being married
I think people are complaining about 8th prince being married in the K version is because his wife seems to love him vs in the C version, she did not love him & was unhappy that she was forced to marry him when she was in love with someone else.
I liked the Chinese actors more because they had more charisma in their role, but I totally understand why many other people like the Korean actors more. About the marriage part, I disliked the fact that they only made 8th prince the married one, and not all of the princes.
8th prince is married because he’s 18 yrs old, whereas 10th, 13th & 14th are maybe not old enough, since they’re like 15/16 years old. 4th prince is not married because he was sent as a hostage to a rival clan.
But this drama will cover at least the next 6-8 years, so don’t worry, they’ll all get married sooner or later. Don’t really like 4th’s wife at the moment, but I think I’m gonna like both 10th’s & 13th’s from what I see from the teasers.
Don’t misunderstand. I just don’t like those two actors though I thought they did a good job. It becomes hard to find them charismatic if I can’t stand their looks. I liked all the other C princes though. You are right about the Chinese actors being more charismatic in their role. I don’t think it’s age but rather, the way Chinese actors are schooled to act in period dramas. They know how to carry themselves like royalty even though they are fooling around. In SH, I see no difference between a prince and another boy on the street.
chinese historical drama is a win for me. when they did, they did it right and big. not some idols and calculating about the fame. i think no matter how the netizen loved and has two side opinion of this dramas but the public didn’t accept this as it is. it really does effected the casts in general, the cf offers and future casting as well. LJK is such a gem here but has put in another diff territory. SH such be depth and beautiful drama not action, fusions nor slaptick.
@Livi, are you kidding me? The actors all look older than the princes supposed to. Besides, the 8th prince’s mom, ooops, I mean his wife, LOL, looks like in her 30s.
@Drama2016, based on Goryeo history, the current crown prince will rule for 2 years before our dear evil 3rd prince takes over at the age of 22, which means that he can’t be more than 20 now. He will rule for 4 years until our dear rude mass/horse killer 4th prince offs him (the offing him part is purely my speculation) and become king at 24. So 4th prince should be 18 years old or younger. Our charming 8th prince mentioned in Ep1 that he’s the same age as 4th. Haesoo is 16 and I think the same age as 10th. 14th is younger than Haesoo & 10th, so he should be around 14 or 15 years old. By the time the drama ends 8 or 10 years later, most of the princes should be close to the actors’ real age.
I try not to care about its domestic rating though deep in my heart, I feel sad for Lee Jun Ki’s sake. He has long been overdue for a rating hit drama. This one has all the ingredients, yet Korean audiences are simply unexpected.
I don’t mind that some may not love the drama as I do but please, stop all the brutal bashings. It is because the drama is a big production that it receives so much hype in the fist place that many magnify and looking for flaws. There are lots of far worst dramas yet not getting scrutinized because a lot love to see something so likely to be grand to fail big time. That is the ugly human nature.
I think when you have a negative attitude when you come watching a drama, everything needs to be extraordinary and vice versa, that if you come to watch with a positive outlook, even the drama is below par can be hailed as great. This is how I view those means comments received by Scarlet.
I love this drama and with 3 episodes down, the plot is getting solid and thicker and promising. I dont see it as off to a slow start and I am confident that it is picking up its pace in the storytelling with or without the love of korean audience.
Most importantly, i enjoy and love the show to the core and I am thrilled that it does very well outside of Korea.
Well, I don’t think the way the team overly hyped the show helped them in any way. Like that time the PD said IU was an acting prodigy in this. It just invited more scrutiny and criticism. Though it is also understandable that the network would go all out in promos since they spent alot for this. It is just unfortunate that apparently, this drama is not what the k-audience is looking for right now.
I don’t really think they overhyped this drama. It’s a big budget production and certainly has more budget for promotion and since so much money spent, the promotion needs to be on the higher side comparatively with the other normal K-dramas, thus being deemed as overhyped.
Maybe saying they have made some wrong promotional moves would be a better choice? First they released an epic preview, then an epic trailer, only to be followed by two underwhelming ones, making the fans’ expectations plunge, before they made amendment with the last good preview. But then, damage had been done. People had already noticed the unfitting music. That was not to mention in one of the trailers they showcased multiple close headshots too.
Then instead of approaching the topic of IU’s and BaekHuyn’s acting tactfully, they had the PD going all out declaring IU as an acting prodigy. Poor girl having to take all the backlash in the PD’s stead and the editing team’s subpar post-production performance in ep 1 & 2 didn’t help either.
I wonder if trailers 2 & 3 had been done much better, and if the PD had said something more modest, would it have been better? But then ML still has opportunities for better ratings. It’s only 3 episodes, there’s still 17 more to make an impact.
Well said, @Heidi. I agree with you with all my heart.
To have accurately reflected the quality of this show or any other and also prove the discriminating nature of the Korean audience we would need to see the one unmistakable element that points to it. That would be the pattern of a ginormous viewership that sharply rejects a performance after an initial episode. Lacking that we would expect ratings that are based on the fact that what drew the audience away from that first episode was a known masterpieces of the dramatic arts. Neither of which are evident in Korean Ratings in general.
Ratings in Korea are not based on the quality of a project but entirely on the fickle and ever changing draw of the masses toward their celebrity or hottie du jour.
The individual parts of the this mob try to use the verbiage of the critic a learned behavior that they think lends an air of plausibility and authenticity to it’s cult behavior. Members of this mob (certainly not actual educated critics) can be recognized by the use of phrases like poor editing or choppy dialog. Yet, somehow these same critics are incapable of tiring of cliches and predictable story arcs so common to the Korean cult of HOTTIE DU JOUR. In fact that failing has become so blatant that such drama elements have become memes. No, in the case of Moon Lovers and what everyone else is seeing as a good and well made drama Korean can easily ignore in favor of their ever more obvious cult. What drives the cult or why it exists I will leave to the psychologists. The Korean adaption of Moon lovers which is really good in every sense only exposes just how often Koreans get it wrong.
Are you talking about Moonies?
@Pink
Moonlover and Moonlight both are dramas, you make the critics of the drama in Korea sound like Charles Manson’s buddy. And did you just reduce Park Bo-Gum to a simple pretty face, please watch I remember you and the actual drama Moonlight, see if it works for just a pretty face or there is a compelling story there. Dark and broody automatically does not imply quality. There are some issues with Moonlovers which ranges from music to editing, yes editing. The makers are re-editing, if it was all silly fan-girls screaming or netizens crying foul, why would they do that??
Let me ask you two questions @Pink: Are you an “actual educated critic”? And what “mob” are you talking about (as you actually seem very annoyed that Moon Lovers doesn’t appeal to this “mob”)? I hope you don’t mean the viewers…
You are trying to sound more intelligent than you actually are. By any measurement Moonlight has much better acting than SH, and is a good drama that is worthy of the ratings it has earned. It started out with decent ratings and grew from word of mouth. It did not get 16% because of anything other than being a good drama with a good cast.
Ep 3 was a much breezier watch although there’s a lot of gore and sexual tension. Less of that jarring camera work and most of all, the OST didn’t appear at the end! It’s very tricky to weave in a modern song into a saeguk. Stick to the instrumentals or if you really need a song, choose one that fits the mood. Definitely not rap.
IU is getting better and KHN is just superb. Surprisingly, Nam Joo Hyuk is better than Ji Soo. If I didn’t watch Ji Soo’s previous dramas, I’d think he’s a terrible actor. By the way, what’s with Joo Hyuks’ character and the 8th Prince’s wife. Is it sisterly-brotherly love or more?
Is Wang So angsty 100% of the time? I get that he’s ostracized, exiled and has awful parents but surely there’s no need to be always bursting with anger? It would be more effective if they made him less emo and more calm. Then when he gets angry, it’d create more fear.
It looks like the show has settled in and I’d going with the ride. If it continues to improve, this might end up a pretty good watch. Nights are exceptionally bright these days with Two Moons 😀
wow, @D, I really like this comment! No vitriol, no axe to grind, just objective opinions. Plus, I agree with everything ? Looooooving KHN, but I could tell I would from the very first teaser. Nights are bright with Two Moons, let’s sit back and enjoy them both and be glad there’s no real reason to be fighting over two kdramas in this crazy world you guys.
I think 13th prince’s affection for 8th prince’s wife may be more than just brotherly-sisterly love, like a crush or unrequited love, and it seems that they already knew each other before she got married.
I don’t think Wang So is angsty 100% of the time, he’s mainly hostile, and he’s angry or emotional during the killing scenes, which I think is quite appropriate if he is not a cold-blooded murderer. Most of the time, I find him quite calm and has his guard up when he is with other people except the astronomer. He momentariy let his guard down and 8th prince caught him enjoying their brothers’ antics.
Rating fail the first reason may be they got bore with lee jun ki in sageuk,even if the actor good, seeing him in sageuk again n again will make people get bore especially in the short time,…but it just my guess if the drama is good it really sadden, for me i already like chinese version
Nope, LJK’s not the reason based on the comments I’m reading on Naver & Daum.
Why would anyone not watching simply because they got bored of Lee Jun Ki. If you read the comments, Lee Jun Ki was applauded for his performance and many pity him being pinned in the situation where he is once again deemed to be the one carrying the show.
Not watching, just reading recaps. I may end up stopping that. I loved the Chinese version so much, I knew I would keep comparing the two. And I find myself doing just that.
There nothing wrong with lee jun ki,he great,but yeah kim yoo jung more starling than iu. honestly moonlight plot more simple and natural than moon river,and i don’t know why it made me nostalgia with the moon that embrace the sun,and i love that.
I guess Koreans are not in the mood for intense dramas these days. Sometimes, certain things are all about timing.
It’s also natural for Doctors fanbase to pick moonlight over SH too.
Natural acting and easy to watch, simple yet warm plot
I remember reading a comment here previously about a dead crow on LJK’s face and every time I look at him can’t seem to get that comment out of my head.
HAAHAHHAHAHA!! I remember that comment.
No, I never read that comment but now I will have that in my mind. Hahaha
Lee Jun Ki is slaying! His scenes are highlights for me and I’m already waiting for when he will be happy lol (his heartbreak is so visible in those scenes with his parents). The story is ok for me and others’ acting doesn’t bother me much as long as it doesn’t distract from the main aspect.
pd saying IU acting was good is the downfall for the drama. korean viewer not dumb that they watch the drama like chinese fan who dont care for acting. just look at UF that drama is a mess with bad acting yet chinese fangirl go gaga for KWB drama.
I don’t hate it, but seriously…I wish they would have gotten someone other than IU. LJK is wasted in this and is doing a fantastic job. Just think if Moon Chae Won or Park Bo Young were in this instead? It’s not that IU is terrible, it’s that it could have been better.
I can’t get into Moonlight drawn by the clouds, honestly. But I am LOVING everything about Scarlet Heart, the acting is perfectly fine in my opinion and I hope the domestic ratings improve to reflect the high quality of the show.
I have only seen the first two episodes, but I am not a fan so far. The characters feel poorly written compare to the original. Will watch a few more episodes to see if it picks up. Unlike most people, I am not a big fan of this version of the 4th prince.
Well honestly my mistakes for setting a pre-expectation from K-BBJX bcos I’m loving so much the C-BBJX version. After watching 3 episodes of K version, i finally understand. The core of the story is about the same however I forgot the setting is in Georyo era. It’s hard to accept at first but i have to change my mindset and this new BBJX is not bad afterall. In the Chinese, my favourite is 14th and Korean, my favourite is 4th. Lol
I don’t know why anyone would like LJK. He has no appeal. There many other amazing k actors. I mean all his dramas failed. I could not bring my self to watch his last drama, the spot was taken from from him. I was actually rooting for the bad guy thought out. The only drama I enjoyed was my girl and he wasn’t even the first lead. Am not Gona lie I enjoyed arang and the magistrate but I do not get why he is so appealing to some when there are hinders a of actors his age that are much better in acting and in looks.
He doesn’t need to have the best look or acting skill. Bcos I aged together with him. He is just like my high school crush. Lol
Sorry, I have to disagree with you re LJK’s appeal, he’s very charismatic on screen. And saying that ALL his dramas failed is so far from the truth, that I really understand why some commenters upstairs are complaining about the petty and vicious commenters who come here just to bash.
I also don’t know why anyone would NOT like LJK the way you did? And then bashing about his look and his talent? I don’t know why you bother even to comment with so much negativity? Everyone is free to like whomever they like, nobody forcing you to like him. I don’t see the appeal in actors like Gong Yoo or Lee Min Ho but I don’t go around asking why anyone bother to think that LMH is handsome or that GY is talented? It’s all about preference.
To his fans and some viewers, LJK is a very charismatic actor and always giving out spectacular performance, even if the drama failed. And to say that all his dramas failed really is exaggerating. The last one (SWWTN) and Scarlet may not be doing so well but he is good enough to still be one of the few leading men who get to be selective of the drama to work on.
And yes, he is beyond good looking that he can look more beautiful than all of his leading ladies while at the same time looking all brooding smoldering gorgeous as 4th Prince in Scarlet Heart.
Please be considerate of others’ feeling.
I am one of very few here who isn’t LJK’s fan but I can see why others like him or crazy over him might be a better description. He looks good, he can act, rose to fame with the highly acclaimed King And The Clown, star of well-loved dramas like Iljimae and Arang and is nice to his fans.
I do think there are other actors more amazing in acting and looks than LJK but appeal and preferences are all subjective. I for one, don’t have to look far, I find KHN more impressive here. Looks wise, LJK is looking his best in this drama compared to his previous ones. I just don’t like him in hanbok and topknot but I know his fans are crazy over it. Let me bury that dead crow on top of his forehead and I think I’ll find it even better. It’s a waste of a nice mask if you ask me and another animal that suffered for this drama.
I actually watched both. I can honestly say in terms of acting skills and chemistry, Moon Lover is not on the same par with Moonlight. The cast of Moonlight just has this natural chemistry with each other. No one is out of place. Every character seems to be intertwined with each other. I don’t have that feeling with Moon Lovers. Despite the fact that all guys are supposed to be brothers but they just don’t seem to fit. That’s a shame because that was the beauty of the original. You can see the connections between the brothers miles away and all brothers have such amazing chemistry with each other in one way of another. I also think that casting IU is a big mistake. She does not have the acting chop to pull off this meaty role. Her expression is so limited. So far up to ep 3, her character is just nonsense with no smart. Even the attraction of 8th prince towards her is so forced that it has to be verbally forced down the viewer’s throat. Since this is a remake of a very meaty and popular adaptation, it definitely has the potential to be a really big hit with the right cast, and sincere effort into the quality. This might be just me, but watching it up to ep 3, there is nothing sincere about this adaptation. Everything is mediocre at best. I like Lee Jun Ki, but I felt that his character was too forced and it’s not necessary his fault. His character was written that way.
You said everything I wanted to say about Moon Lovers (haven’t seen Moonlight, so no comments on that..).
Also, the reason why Bu Bu Jing Xin’s “Prince fanbase” became such a buzz was because all of the princes were so distinctive and individually unique (even already from the get-go). 4th Prince was cold, reserved and calm. 8th Prince was gentle, virtuous yet cunning. 13th was loyal, fearless and warm. 14th Prince was proud and courageous. And even though each of them have their own personality, they were all still very “Prince-alike”. You know.. that royal aura. They just express a natural feeling of “Prince-ness” (thanks to the combination of a well-written script, acting chops, styling and directing etc.). Whereas in the K-version.. I just don’t get that vibe. I can’t differentiate the princes. And most importantly.. they don’t look like princes. I’m especially disappointed with the characterization of 14th Prince, who is just a clueless kid in here.. not any different from 10th. Well.. in fact, they all seem like kids who are going to run back home when momma calls for diner. And sorry to the fangirls out there.. I can’t tell apart Ji-soo and the actor playing 13th..
Well said! You put in words what I couldn’t about the princes in BBJX.
Another thing I noticed when I was watching ep 3. I find it an assault to my eyes whenever the princes appear in their different color robes. I am not sure if it’s the fault of the drama or that’s simply how the style was for Goryeo. In C BBJX, the robes were way more gorgeous. Richly hued and embellished with lovely details. K version really looked like Power Rangers.
Very well said @faythe. I also watch the two moons and i just hope ML will get better in next ep. I will see until next week ep if i must drop it or not.
My reaction is just the opposite. I see nothing in moonlight except the usual gender bender and the same contrived situations. Every episode is about when will he find out that she is a girl. the gags are immature like the getting the eunuch maker drunk, the stamp falling on ‘pass’ column conveniently etc. Like wtf! Is this high school humour? I finally gave up despite loving and watching almost everything PBG has been in till date.
Like someone said above that a lot of it is about timing. the korean audience seems to be in the mood for lighter stuff so you see the runaway success of DOTS , doctors and now this. Doesn’t make it automatically superior/
Have you seen Moonlight’s episodes 3 & 4? This week’s episodes took a more serious tone and are actually successful in making most of the watchers (judging by the comments) feel for the characters, Bogum’s character especially. Episode 3 provided more depth and episode 4 is just awesome in making hearts flutter. The entire cast, even the younger actors, are wonderful.
Having seen all available episodes of both, I tend to agree with @faythe.
I agree with you. I dropped watching MDBC after episode 4. I find the drama rather cheesy and slapstick. Same as my impression on DOTS and Doctors. On the contrary, my mom and younger sister enjoy the drama.
So here you see, this is all about preference. As someone said in some of the comments here, it is a matter of how appealing the drama is with one’s personal preference. If it appeals to you, you will appreciate the drama and can obliterate some lacking factors but if it is not engaging to you, all the lacking will come to surface and you start nitpicking on every single flaws.
Personally, I enjoy K-BBJX better than the C-version. Lee Jun Ki hands down is the main factor but I find IU’s acting to be remarkable and I enjoy the drama partly because of her. The EXO’s guy also rather decent with the only weak link at the moment surprisingly being Ji Soo and the sloppy editing as well as weird music choice.
With the drama receiving so much negative feedbacks for its first week, SBS is announcing that they will release director’s cut for the first 3 episodes as re-run for the coming week. I don’t favour of such strategy at all.
Rather than re-editing the already aired episode, I would rather the PD exercised extra care to those episodes that yet to be broadcasted. He should move on from here and give the existing and future audiences better viewing experience. I believe those good editing can work wonders and if the quality of the show improves, it will eventually bring in the audience to finally watch.
Having said that, I care less about the ratings other than hoping that this drama will continue to give me so much joy and pleasure. Loving K-BBJX to pieces and loving LJK most of all.
I watched BBJX and tbh, the distinctiveness and uniqueness of the princes did not come through in the 1st few episodes. The reason why I could tell them apart is because Nicky, Kevin & Yuan Hong are famous established actors in their own right and I’ve watched many of their dramas. Shortly after I finished the drama, I couldn’t even remember what 9th, 10th & 14th princes look like.
In the K-version as of Ep 3, the 4th & 8th princes have already established their personalities very well. Meanwhile, there has not been much focus on 13th & 14th yet (more on 3rd & 10th), as their storylines haven’t even started. 13th was Ruoxi’s best friend, but 13th’s interactions with Haesoo have not yet started. 14th prince is still a child of around 14 years old, so maybe he’s supposed to grow from clueless kid to proud & courageous general, and the drama wants to show us his growth over the course of the drama. So I think you need to give the drama time to develop their characters & personalities.
As to why the Goryeo princes are not as prince-like or have that royal aura compared with the Chinese princes, I think this can be attributed to the difference between the histories of the 2 countries & dynasties.
Taejo was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, so this is a brand new kingdom. He was originally` a military commander/general who spent the 1st 20 years (around 3/4) of his reign fighting wars to unify the 3 kingdoms. So he was more likely to be a hardened warrior rather than a refined scholar. The older princes may not even have been princes when they were born.
On the other hand, BBJX is set more than 150 years after the founding of the Qing dynasty. Kangxi was the 4th emperor and the princes 4th-generation princes. They had more than a hundred years to develop their culture, education & courtly/royal manners, and they adopted a lot of the Chinese customs. As you know, the Chinese have thousands of years of history. So I guess the princeliness came naturally to them.
In fact, I find the K version’s 8th & 13th princes quite princely, and I think it’s because of their moms, esp 13th whose mom is a Shilla princess.
And it’s not surprising you can’t tell Ji Soo and Joo Hyuk apart as they are famous for looking almost like twin brothers, lol!
Well said about the history.
@Livi.
I always love reading your comments as you always write with facts and figures and not just blurted out anything just to get your points across while at the same time maintaining the right manners and being civil.
Another thing that I would like to add in here is that Goryeo is known to be a free-flowing era comparatively with the constricted Joseon setting which is of closer timeline with the Qing Dynasty as in the C-BBJX. If ones ever noticed, the attire by the Joseon royal family are very clearly defined in the distinctive robes worn by the King and the Queen, different hairpin and hanbok for different ranking of concubine as well as the princes and also applicable to their officials.
Whereas in Goryeo, such attire is not so distinctive especially during the early years of Goryeo formation. I guess that was why they chose to differentiate the princes with different colours for their princely robe.
Based on the upcoming episode preview, we will get to flesh out the character of 14th Prince. In fact, it was 8th Prince that was given the highlight in the first 3 episodes and LJK himself despite being the main lead had less screen time than KHN.
Let us just see how the story and each characters being fleshed out in subsequent episodes.
Omg! I heard just now this drama already break 300 million views in youku. And Tonghua the original author of bbjx spazz a lot about this drama. Im so glad it get so much love outside korea.
This drama ended up to be so polarizing. Those who love will love and those who hate will hate to the core.
The problem is that some just couldn’t stop drawing comparison to the C-version and at the same time, so much negative comments on the acting.
I watch SH most of all because of Lee Jun Ki. I like the 3 episodes so far (may be because I am bias when comes to LJK) and while I accept certain comments over the choppy editing, the poor music choice, the sub-par acting, the big head shots, the disjointed scenes, the lack of depth, I kinda think that the drama has finally settled most of those issues by episode 3.
It is just a matter of one’s outlook when viewing this drama. Most come in to watch with so much knowledge and upfront info from watching the much loved C-version and some come to watch knowing that there is much liabilities when come to casting of IU and the pretty boys.
At the end of the day, it is down how much the drama appeals to you. The two biggest dramas this year, DotS and Doctors as well as the recent hit MDBC not resonating with me at all but I like other dramas that not performing well in ratings department like Scarlet and BM. But if there is anything, it’s all about the majority and therefore, the viewership ratings become the tool widely used to either applaud or bash a drama and deemed it as either being of good or poor quality. But if you enjoy it, then you will find its quality and while you hate it, you will see all those negative aspects of the drama.
As for me, I enjoy SH to the core because I came in to watch the drama with so much love. So, I am happy that it finds its silver linings elsewhere, regardless that the domestic audience not receptive of SH.
I’ve watched C-BBJX (a couple of times) and caught the first three episodes of SH. I also casually follow Moonlight.
Well, I like SH, and I don’t care what anyone says lolol. Aight, just kidding. The most annoying parts of this production so far are the tone deaf music choices and weird face close ups. No wonder why LJG had to lose 15kgs for this show!!
Shi Shi was OKAY in the beginning of C-BBJX. Full disclosure, I watch everything she is in because..
I don’t know why. LSS got lucky her male cast members are consistently GREAT actors who are able to generate chemistry with her… cause she don’t got any on her own lol..But this show is over yaw we watching MLSHR now.
Poor IU…well she too is better with LJG and KHN. Actually, IU is very cute and yet seems sad… because she lost many things in the future, and then lost EVERYTHING in the time travel. So, I feel for her. And on top of that, a masked violent man keeps threatening to kill her!
KHN is soo dreamy (but mysterious) and LJG is soo sexy (but vulnerable)…damn our girl’s got some tough life decisions to make in the future. I can’t quite tell the other princes apart yet (esp 13 & 14), so I just ignore them and will wait for the pretty girls they are paired with to differentiate them.
Wang So’s Queen Mother… she’s a tough cookie, but wow, she’s gorgeous. LOL actually better than the younger girls on the show right now.
Sorry, I know yaw had some deep convos above, but I just wanna talk about the things I watched.
People who pigeonhole Scarlet Heart as downright serious and MDBC as total fluff aren’t watching both shows.
If SH follows C BBJX, it will get darker as it progresses. At this point, it has already surpassed the C version simply because it is 20 episodes and not 35. However, like the C BBJX, there’s plentiful of light-hearted moments involving the princes and funny situations that arose because Soo is a modern girl thrown back in time. The problem is the comedy never takes off. Reason? Blame it on the poor writing and bad acting.
MDBC’s comedic moments are gold. It’s largely due to the fantastic comedic timing from Park Bo Gum, Kim Yoo Jung and Kwak Dong Yeon. Have you seen the hat wearing scene in ep 4? It’s very simple, childish even but delivered so well by PBG. There is a good mixture of slapstick, witty lines and pure acting gold but what’s most important is that it makes viewers laugh.
The fate of real Prince Hyommyeong is an indication that MDBC cannot stay light if it progresses to that part of history. In fact, the palatial politics , conspiracies and manoeuvring have thickened and PBG is even more impressive in the heavy and emotional scenes because that’s truly his forte.
Just going by the synopsis, Scarlet Heart has a lot more going for it. There’s a wealth of materials they can work with. It’s easy to dismiss MDBC as another cross dressing saeguk or light teenybopper fluff aimed at the youngsters. That was why I didn’t even plan to watch the show. However, it’s proving that execution is important and indeed, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
+1. I enjoyed both dramas so far. But for me personally, MDBC may have an edge over SH overall in terms of how intriguing the plot goes. The acting of the cast in MDBC is homogeneously better than SH, not to mention the directing. In short, I look forward to new episodes of MDBC more than SH.
I enjoyed both dramas so far. But for me personally, MDBC may have an edge over SH overall in terms of how intriguing the plot goes. The acting of the cast in MDBC is homogeneously better than SH, not to mention the directing. In short, I look forward to new episodes of MDBC more than SH.
Honestly i watch this for KHN but end up fallin in love with LJK lmao. LJK and his character 4th prince outshines everything and everyone.
Lee Jun Ki is a smoldering badass!!
I can not take my eyes off him for everytime he appear on screen!
Damn, Lee Junki looks so good in that cap, he looks like an elf. I’m really enjoying Scarlet Heart and I think it’s definitely deserving of better ratings (even if people don’t think it’s better than MDBC, I hardly think it deserves 7% rating). I like IU in this and her chemistry with both leads is so great, that I can’t even choose. KHN and LJK are truly killing this though, they’re so charismatic!!
Also, apparently the three episodes have now passed 300 millions views on Youku, that’s insane.
Why Scarlet Heart Reyo is a flomp?
Terrible script, a bunch of S.Korean cliches about how silly women are no wonder they are getting thrown about like a sack of potatoes, get mobbed by ajumas and humiliated left and right while they whine why god why me; manly men who`s first reaction is violence than ask for explanations, if these pretty boys acting like immature jerks are considered manly that is; evil ajuma “spare me majesty” and her carbon copy evil son; bunch of extras who roam about looking pretty … Seriously I have read better written conversations in fanfics, not to mention more meaning-full plot wise.
A Director that can lose you in 2 minutes so you wont know where your head and where your foot is anymore,and make you nauseous with his slow mode fast mode like a beginner driver. Isn`t the director supposed to bring together the story like peaces to a puzzle-picture not scatter them about even more,confusing much.
Director of photography or camera man who has something against foreheads, topknots or just decides to cut someones feet or side like amateur photos we all have taken before we learned to take good ones with a whole face on them. Whats the use of historic building or festival scene when we see blurs of fancy background and 3/4 of someones face and 5/8 of a horse, or fancy lanterns and a mob of blurry people holding things?
Don`t get me started on the OST, if their purpose was to promote k-pop they picked the worst songs and average singers, I think people of Goreyo back in the 10th century had better taste in music.
The actors are not the weakest link here, I personally don`t know why they cast idols when the best of them are only average actors, except for looks but only teenage girls and unsatisfied ajumas can rave about them even when they are two-dimensional cardboard cutouts, which here is not the case they are decent but so easy to pick out when paired with an actual actor/actress.
Sorry but not even veteran actors or most popular idols can save a horrible script, it`s good idea to adapt the Chinese original story to Korea`s history and make slight character changes so it fits the narrative better, but not cookie cut them form drama cliches,give a dose of realism not fakeness people hate fakers. Plenty of good ideas but poorly executed,the Chinese pre-production dramas are far better storytelling and editing wise than the recent Korean ones I have seen.
IF SOMEONE DOESN`T POINT OUT THE BAD, HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT`S GOOD?
Hahaha…your long speech made me laugh but I agree with you about the directing and camera work. Really don’t know what ppl have raved about him? I just checked his past works. The resume doesn’t impress me. Every time I stared at the super magnified zoom ins, I felt my eye vision was gonna worsen bcos of super stress to focus on close-up. LOL.
But I still enjoy the first 3 episodes and am intrigued by the love lines among the 3 main leads. I’m curious about the reviews of C audience. Do they like the K adaptation in general? It doesn’t matter if K BBJX gets tepid responses from K viewers. As long as the drama is a success outside S. Korea, I think that’s good for LJK to expand his market.
LOOL unsatisfied ahjummas
I was curious about this drama ( because of the acting contreversies )so i watched the 1st episode and do not intend to pursue because i’m not into historical dramas. With that said, i must admit that Lee JUN KI and kang Ha Neul are overshadowing the rest of the cast. Experience i suppose !!! I think that people should watch this drama via a more modern angle. About IU ,imo she’s was miscasted. Some actors doesn’t fit this genre. And she gives me the vibe of a lamb between 2 wolves. But producers gave her an opportunity and she took it. That’s understable .
As a matter of fact, the hardest part for me to root for the romance in K BBJX with this historical setting is knowing that there’s gonna an incest marriage in the future. If the family lineage in Jang Hyuk’s drama Shine or Go Crazy is historically accurate, then the 4th prince will marry his half sister. It’s not polygamy bothering me, but I can’t help rolling my eyes at this nonsensical incest marriage.
They can’t change the history, can’t they? And the scene when Yeonhwa was wiping Wang So’s face, I could sense there was some romantic things going on between them and kept telling myself “They are not real siblings. May be she is her mother’s daughter with a palace guard and not King Taejo.” And to think that him, as her brother thinking of what kind of woman his sister would grow up to be? It’s kind of too much to handle.
Casting IU is really really big mistake, why should people blame PD Kim? He and his staff is a dream team in Korea, so many actors wants to work with him. The problem here is about acting, korean not really salty, they price Nana in TGW, I think only Jun Ki and Ha Neul who did a great job. Even though the selling of Scarlet Heart is skyrocket, IU, baekhun and casts who was miscast in this drama will lost the opportunity in the future..korean not trust them anymore, also with PD Kim, it so hurt a lot on him, I feel bad for PD Kim too 🙁
PD with his staff a dream team? My ass! Camera work alone spoke enough.
Yes! His works is amazing in IOIL and TWTWB, you should watch both of them.
I watched both. Boring plots. Also not impressed by his directing either.
OMG really? Are you blind? IOIL is no 4 of the most likely drama from USA viewers…, not boribg at all, and also TWTWB is no 1 in its time slot…..
Exactly, most of the casts is the problem. I can’t stand IU face and baekhyun, dunno why about her low acting. I have to agree with korean netizen right now. Lee Jun Ki as always the victim of his co star, I feel bad for him, tho! 🙁
I cannot agree with you more! The main problem for the failure of the drama is the supporting cast – especially IU! Not only is she not attractive enough, she is also not leading lady material and her acting skill is marginal at best. She just doesn’t look the part and looks more like a supporting actress – and to expect her to carry the drama as the main character is “mission impossible” (the same deer in the headlight expression in EVERY episode is agonizing to watch!). I can see why the majority of the viewers hates her! I don’t understand why she was chosen for the part in the first place, when there are so many other beautiful K actresses with good acting skill who are more suitable to be in that role – i.e., Han Hyo Joo comes to mind. Basically, IU ruined the drama for me. If only another K actress had been chosen to play Hae Soo, the drama would not have suffered this fate! I also blame the production executives for making the poor decision in casting her in the drama. It is their job in choosing the right people for the right roles and they failed miserably!
I think LJK is doing a phenomenal job as the 4th Prince and KHN is also doing great job as the 8th Prince. Unfortunately, relying on just their efforts is simply not enough to carry the entire drama.
Yes, I also agree that LJK has the worst luck with his leading ladies in dramas/movies, except for Shin Min-Ah (“Arang”)and Han Hyo Joo (“Iljimae”). The lead actress in his latest project, the Chinese movie “Never Said Good-bye” the young Chinese actress Chou Dong Yu had been cast as his love interest, but unfortunately for LJK, she looks more like a 15-year old minor for goodness sake! Need I say more?