Remember when what happened to KBS drama River Where the Moon Rises was like the biggest news in K-ent? Oh what a month does to keep one upping another in terms of wild news and crazy scandals. River has now settled back down to just being a mediocre sageuk that might have actually benefitted from losing a leading man, it … Continue reading →
I’ve stopped digging too deeply into the why, where, how, whats of River Where the Moon Rises, the early episodes I was super excited about and tried to analyze only to realize stuff just sorta happened and the foundations were not properly laid. It’s really come to a head in episode 16 as a full scale coup went underway and … Continue reading →
It’s the final stretch for KBS Mon-Tues sageuk River Where the Moon Rises, and that hubbub of the earlier real world distractions have abated and now it’s back to the same old shallow drawing board in terms of telling a compelling story. The drama remains sageuk for kids, rudimentary in politicking and plotting and even now after 15 episodes not … Continue reading →
It’s wild to think that a week ago the worst thing to befall K-dramas in 2021 was the male lead swap in River Where the Moon Rises, and then Joseon Exorcist came along and went “Hold my beer.”. Mon-Tues remains thin on drama offerings and I’m happily still enjoying River, a drama that has gotten better narratively but still a … Continue reading →
I’m going to enjoy the second half of River Where the Moon Rises even more now that I know one can’t take K-dramas for granted, who knows what might piss off the domestic mob and have them petition to pull it off air for one grievance or another. KBS has managed to salvage the drama after male lead Ji Soo … Continue reading →
The verdict has to be in now with River Where the Moon Rises, as a sageuk it’s just not compelling but for weathering the real life craziness its come out stronger than before. The previews for episode 13 next week show that the narrative catches up to the cold open in the first episode, that big battle where Ga Jin … Continue reading →
Man, the inside the drama and outside the drama wildness with River Where the Moon Rises will be one for the books. After many writing off the drama with a slow start, a male lead that got swapped out after 6 episodes due to a real life bullying scandal, and the replacement male lead coming off a high rated drama … Continue reading →
Man, now I wish I never watched Queen Cheorin because seeing Na In Woo suck six-ways to Sunday in his second male lead role there really was the worst introduction to this actor that could have happened. I say this because when I first laid eyes on him there I was very pleased, he looks like a taller, new gen … Continue reading →
I missed watching the first season of Love Alarm when it first premiered solely due to timing, and then later heard that a season 2 was coming so decided to marathon the two when it finished. Now I’m not sure why I’ll even start so I would love to hear reviews/reactions/thoughts from fellow drama fans. The general consensus after Love … Continue reading →
It’s episode 8 of River Where the Moon Rises and it’s now clear that the whole male lead swap debacle is merely one of the many problems this drama cannot seem to catch a break with. The writing is simplistic and the directing has no crispness or tension, even with the clearly inserted Na In Woo as Ondal scenes close … Continue reading →
Oh lord, seeing this makes all my maternal instincts rise up and I just want to take care of Kim So Hyun. She was at the press conference this past weekend with Love Alarm 2 costar Song Kang, with the other male lead Jung Ga Ram appearing by video. She looks so tired, she looks like me after cramming for … Continue reading →
There isn’t much to unpack with episode 6 of River Where the Moon Rises, in fact there just isn’t much “there” at all. Sageuks are about stakes, ever higher stakes and a real sense of inevitable heartbreak and sacrifice. I just don’t feel it with this drama and it’s probably 80% the writing and 20% the directing. I don’t think … Continue reading →
I feel like River Where the Moon Rises is a cliff notes version of a K-drama sageuk. I know there is a broader/deeper story in there but the execution jumps briskly from scene to scene without delving further into the threads that would render a compelling story. I still like it, leads Ga Jin and Ondal are so adorable together, … Continue reading →
