The Korean adaptation of Chinese time-traveling romance novel Bu Bu Jing Xin may be an indisputable ratings flop with domestic Korean audiences, with ratings in the 5-6% range, but it’s now also an indisputable runaway success with Chinese online viewing audiences. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo (Bobogyungsim: Ryeo) just crossed the 1 billion views mark this week with the release of episodes 8 and 9. The drama still has half it’s run left so it might end up vying with recent Hallyu hits You From Another Star, Heirs, and Descendants of the Sun as most online views in China.
The network Youku released a tribute to Lee Jun Ki’s 4th Prince for this achievement, the drama certainly has a sprawling cast but the Chinese viewers are overwhelming watching to soak up Lee Jun Ki’s amazingly intense performance so far, as am I. In fact, I’ve let the OTP romance fall by the wayside and am simply content to watch 4 unleash all the restrained hurt and intensity in his arsenal to incinerate the screen. I continue to enjoy the drama and appreciate the very clear deviations from the original source material in narrative and character connections while keeping the broad outline the same.
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I am so happy for Lee jun ki. Love him! And the show is quite enjoyable.
Lee Jun Ki is killing it - he owns this show, and frankly I go run errands when IU is looking shocked or the evil mom/son duo are busy plotting. His acting is just miles above everyone else in this show, including Kang Ha Neul who seems to be phoning it in some of the time. And the less said about IU the better - although my theory is that she is meant to be like Bella, the heroine in the Twilight series: so brainless and vanilla that absolutely anyone can imprint themselves into her place.
waaw! Wang so aka Lee joon gi is truly impressive amazing.
I am watching Scarlet Heart because of Kang Ha Neul and of course Lee Joon Gi. He is such a great actor!
Happy for Lee Jun Ki ! He deserves his success. IMO, he stills underated in his country. Wish the best for him. Hope for a contemporary drama as his next work with an actress of his acting level ( nothing agaisnt IU , his acting is not great but not bad either). I'm addicted to this drama .
No wonder you want to pair him up with YEH. LOL. He is the reason for addiction to me.
That's impressive how? Zhu Xian passed the 13 billion mark already
Its her bias who isn't getting his due. Mainly because of poor luck with scripts and directors in SK so let her have it. I think Lee Jun Ki probably should sign something fast and possibly in cable so that people can forget this disaster and he can get his ratings success in his homeland. He was already popular in China, what he needs is a ratings gold in his homeland.
Zhu Xian's view is ONLY 1.4 billion not 13-14 billion. Please look at the actual not Chinese term 14 亿. Also, Zhu Xian's already aired 20 episodes and SHR only aired 9 episodes so far. Currently, most viewed drama is 'One smile is alluring' with 11.7 billion (30 episodes) and most viewed SK drama is 'Uncontrollably Fond' with 3.4 billion (20 episodes). So, we just need to wait and see whether SHR reaches to 3.5 billion (no of UF views) after all 20 episodes are aired. Keep in mind, UF was rated higher in SK when aired though there are a few middle episodes rated around 6%. :D
@Chloe The case of comparing apple with orange. This is about the achievement of K-drama in China and you are making comparison with the chinese very own production. Credit is given when credit is due. Why need to be so bitter?
Zhu Xian's view on youku is only 1.4 billion, not 13-14 billion after 20 episodes. Please look at the number in numeric not in Chinese which will say 14 亿 as it uses multiple of ten thousands (eg. 10 万 is 100,000 NOT 1 million).
I'm not LJK's fan but watching the show as it is, just pointing out that SHR only aired 9 episodes and there will only be 20 episodes.
Zhu Xian isn't just broadcast through Youku, that's just one site. The biggest video sharing site is actually Iqiyi in China fyi and BBJX-K isn't even in the top 10 of total online views right now so... plus the reception isn't good at all
@Chloe, Zhu Xian is a Chinese drama. You can't compare a Korean drama with a Chinese drama. A Chinese drama is broadcast in their own Chinese language whereas a Korean drama is broadcast in Korean language. Obviously less people would watch a foreign language film where they have to read subtitles, which is very troublesome.
And what's the point of talking about iQiyi when Scarlet Heart is not even being broadcast there?
You really like to compare apples with oranges.
@Lea, if you are unhappy that Koala is happy that Scarlet Heart is doing reasonably well in China, maybe you should just not click on the article. It's her blog, ofc you should let her have it.
@Livi I am glad to see you here. You said it all. Comparing with different basis is totally non-comparable at all. Some are just plain snarky and trying all out to bring down this drama.
@ Chloe: I can't reply to ur comment to my post below. So, I'm replying it here. I'm not sure where you're getting your information. I know that there are different streaming websites in China and iqiyi is very popular and they even hold annual award ceremony. I have apps for some of the websites including iqiyi and I check their websites from time to time.
Neither SHR nor Zhu Xian is streaming on iqiyi currently. Only website that is streaming SHR is youku. Zhu Xian is streaming as VIP for Tencent and youku. I checked mangoTV, LeTV, PPLive addition to iqiyi. None of them is streaming Zhu Xian or SHR unless those websites show different things for people from US. Of course, I can't watch them from those website as they can detect my IP address.
So, you're really comparing apple and oranges; different no of episodes already aired, no of streaming sites, domestic vs international. I'm not die hard fan of any actors in the drama but I just don't think that people should bash any drama without concerete proof especially on a personal web blog of a fan.
I just hope Junki gets an overall amazing project next and a (in my opinion) better lead actress. Despite liking him and his acting, I have let go of his last few projects and couldn't take this one as well, for personal reasons. Last dramas that I enjoyed from him were Arang and Two Weeks. Glad he's getting praise everywhere tho for his acting (and Kang Ha Neul as well). They deserve it!
It's true that Two Weeks is Jun-ki's best role in recent years (no matter the ratings and MBC's scandalous behaviour at their local Awards). Joseon Gunman could have gone terribly wrong without a good leading female role. And that's exactly what he needs, especially in a modern story: one good leading lady who can act, period. Unlike sageuks and action dramas, in which Jun-ki shines every single time (even with a mediocre actress by his side), other genres need a good OTP to move the story forward.
He saved the day this time round. In a female-centric story, he stole everyone's thunder (KHN is a good actor, with film projects under his belt and a big range of emotions, but, up to ep. 9, he was given practically nothing to work with in Moon Lovers) and he certainly deserves to be recognised, domestically and intertnationally.
I think Wang So is LJK's best performance so far. The role is so iconic much like Gong Gil is. Agree with you, despite the lack of screentime, you can not not pay attention to him. Even with the little time that he was given, he stole the thunder from everyone. And despite that I really love the drama, I also cannot deny that he is the main reason of why people are tuning in to this drama. Putting aside that he is gorgeous, he really is a terrific actor.
@Nifty, sageuks tend to be Jun-ki's specialty by now. So's role, with the scar, the mask and all the daddy-mommy issues in the background is a first for him, in terms of "no more nice guy" character. In Two Weeks, he had to portray a small-scale con artist with a very sick child he knew nothing of and for whom he needed to make brave and difficult choices. There's nothing more magnificent than an ordinary man who must overcome himself and become his kid's father no matter what. His performance was less TV and more cinema. I loved him more there than in TBDW (if that were ever possible!) and reminded me more of his unconventional days of The King and The Clown.
After this week's episode, I'm planning to drop this drama. Ratings don't bother me but I was watching this for Lee Jun Ki and they are pretty much hell bent to give his character the worst fate possible.. There's no limit to the toture and we don't really have a happy ending in the future it seems. So no satisfactory pay off.. bye bye from me lol
For me, happy endings aren't always the most satisfying, and it's what moves me more emotionally - which may be a sad ending. Yes, LJG's character has all the odds against him... But it is a role where he can really show a wide range of emotions. I am grateful that this storyline allows me to see his amazing acting ability.
Also, I am really shocked how well the other cast members are doing... Especially KHN. I never noticed him so much in other dramas before, but in this one... He really stands out.
@An I can't blame you though I would very much appreciate if you are to stay with the drama. Fair to say, Episode 9 was a regress from the grandiose Episode 8. Such a waste as LJK is so amazing yet his screentime is still quite limited. He turned Wang So as the most beloved character and I know a lot could not go thru to see him suffer.
I agree that they are hell bent on giving Lee Jun Ki's character's the worst fate. But KBBJX is based according Korea's history of that actual prince, who actually killed his brothers and subjects to become king and at the time of his ruling he was terrifyably feared. I want to see a happy ending as well but if the production is going to go according to history I don't see it happening.
But comments on Weibo on the drama isn't great. The Chinese are watching it and comparing to their own version. They already have concluded this version is a shambles and can't compare with their version. Comments I've read are 'I'm only treating it as an idol drama', 'sticking to it for LJK', so the fans still watching are mostly LJK fans. There is huge anti-K sentiment in China at the moment anyway but good luck BBJX for the remaining run since you cost a bomb to make.
Oh, interesting. Really? But as long as there's still support for LJK ..and even KHN
There's always the naysayers and the negative comments. Nothing worth to be taken seriously about. If you looked at other streaming sites, MLSHR is topping the drama viewing list even though the drama is being simulcasted in so many countries where people get to watch it first hand. I still consider this feat an achievement as a whole.
Yea I was also confused with this article since most of the reviews I've read are trashing this version, especially LJK's styling and the acting of the rest of the cast. I think he's a great actor, but unless you're a die hard fan, it's really hard to get past those bangs...in the first episode they were even slightly curly which made it worse.
I am confused. So isn't Lee Joon Ki the leading man? I haven't started watching this yet so I could be wrong. Even though I've seen Iu with the KHN. I also heard that there is more than one version floating around. I was really looking forward to watching this.
this does not follow the structure that you are probably used to, but yes LJG is the lead. You just have to wait for it as it doesn't follow the normal k-drama structure, and I'll leave it at that. There is an international version which is what Dramafever has and the station has a version that has some different edits and music. I find that with a few exceptions, the edits don't make much difference, but they definitely drive fans crazy.
I would wait until it completes its run and binge watch. It's what I'd wished I'd done. For all the hate that people mention here, I doubt a billion people in China are watching just to be snarky. The broadcaster certainly seems happy enough.
there's 9 episodes, so divide that billion views by 9, and plus there are prob die-hard fans who watch it more than once so
@chloe
1 billion / 9 = 111111111.
Do you know what it is greater than? --> 2500.
the sample size of the korean ratings which they Estimate is indicative of the whole population.
This on the other hand is actual views.
I'm curious, why are you so eager to downplay its international success ?
He is the leading man and since it is an adaptation of BBJX, 4th basically will rule the screentime only at the second half of the story. It's not like the typical K-drama where the OTP are pre-destined from the get go. Though admittedly, I myself am frustrated with the lacking of LJK's screentime simply because he is too mesmerizing on screen.
Oh, okay. 10000 Chinese are watching SH over and over again.
LJK is the best thing in this drama without him it would flop. I'm also sticking to it because I like his 4th prince version more than the Chinese version. The rest of the casts aren't comparable to the original version. And the rest of the princes are so lacking in term of acting and boring to watch. I hope LJK next project would be better.