Return to the Palace

After a long time a kdrama to get me hooked. 1000/10. Everything was perfect (plot, characters, visuals, costumes, acting, music). I eagerly awaited to see Kim Young Kwang, but I realized he won't appear again. However Yook Sung Jae managed to portray Gangcheori well. I can't even compare any of the characters, because they all were so good at performing their roles including the ghosts. Thank you for the best ending.. I can't wait to see S2 with same actors and actresses (at least some special episodes with sweet moments of Yeori and Kang Chul). Also, the music was great too. The best OST for 2025 so far. I guarantee you will giggle and cry at the same time. Truly amazing!!

I watch a lot of Kdramas, comedies and adventure shows and this is one of the best I have seen. I also have a weakness for supernatural shows, period pieces and light romances, so if you like that mix, this one may also hit all your buttons. Most Korean 16 episode shows have weaknesses about 2/3rds of the way through, but this one kept up the pacing while ratcheting up the storyline. What's not to love about a type of lower level dragon in a human body who mouths off to a Joseon king? The leads were excellent and I felt had real chemistry, with Bona being more affecting than I remembered from other shows. Cha-Chung Hwa, a supporting member of the cast is someone I always like to see in these shows-the perfect mother worrywort type who just never gets mentioned despite her skills. Highly recommended.

Bona plays Yeo-ri a shaman who believes her grandmother was killed by an Inugami spirit played by Yook Sung-jae, he also plays Yoon Gap who has his body possessed by the inugami. It has an interesting plot as Yeo-ri has feelings for Yoon Gap but once he is possessed she becomes confused. The story is mainly about a demon called the colossal shadow who lives in the palace and is trying to murder the king and all his descendants. The shaman and Inugami unite to try and stop the monster but also have to fight many minor demons on the way to the final showdown. I am not a big fan of this genre but I can understand if you are this is a good series. Overall ok with excellent acting but a little too much shamanism for me with little character development.

The plot is about evil spirits and a haunted palace in ancient Korean history and the main message is that spirits do not become evil on their own and it is humans and ambitious people who create evil and negative energies by destroying their own kind.

The story started out very interesting. In this drama Yook Sung-Jae has a very likable and funny character and his acting is acceptable, in contrary to Bona, who has a very boring and predictable character. Even her facial expressions are very cold and except for the end of the series when she cries at times, no emotion can be recognized on her cold and robot-like face. The emotional relationship between them is very fake and even the kiss that is exchanged is very, very unreal.

This show has its shortcoming, but it is a sweet series that the viewer does not get tired of watching. However, the last episode also ends very, very stupidly and we even see an apology from the spirit who intentionally or unintentionally caused the death of innocent characters in this story.

I give this series a 7 out of 10 points.

A real gem. Great action . Magic . Shamanism, humor, romance, this is what makes the korean story telling tradition the best on earth. It is a timeless and deep story. Each scene as beautiful as a painting. With good music. I will have to watch it again to savor it further. Excellent attention to joseon era, each charachter was very enjoyable. It is not often that authentic rituals are shown but these were pretty close. And beautiful. It is sure to become a classic . Viki did a pretty fair job with the subtitles too. I hope they make a sequel . And another . And another and and and another ........