The Moon That Embraces the Sun

Who the hell decided to cast Han Ga-In as a grown-up Kim Yoo-Jung ? It was a terrible mistake and totally destroyed the show! With all due respect to her, she looks nothing like Kim Yoo-Jung and frankly her acting was mediocre at best. Funny thing is, Nam Bo-Ra would have been so much better for this role as one could easily believe thats a grown up Kim Yoo-Jung. Han Ga-In would have suited much better as a grown-up Joon Bo-gyeong.

It was a great storyline but the bad casting spoiled the show for me. I still gave it 6 because of Kim Yoo-jung in first 8 episodes and wonderful performance by Kim Soo-Hyun as the King in remaining episodes.

* So heart wrenchingly emotionally charged. What great actors. So much crying and beautiful poetic language. I'm reading the subtitles. I tell myself that I'm going to stop watching these Kdramas but I can't help myself. Once I have a little peek I have to go all the way. Day and night and day and night I'm glued to my computer no breaks and hardly any food.. Laughing and crying. I tell myself over and over this time I'm not going to cry I'm going to harden up. Next thing tears rolling down my cheeks and I tell you this one was one of the best or worst. Which ever way you look at it. At least the ending was pretty happy apart from one of the best characters dying the kings brother who loved the king wife. The story is a fantasy historical so the authors were able to make the end a bit happy not like those historicals based on fact. You know that they are going to die in the end because that's a fact of life we all going to die in the end. I flick quickly pass the torture scenes but I love the sword fights and the kungfu fighting. Romantic scenes more up to your imagination. Least the kissing is better in this drama but most of these dramas kissing is just lip pressing bit amusing really.

This is a powerful historical drama and love story, combining myth, shamanism, Confucius thought and a glimpse into some aspects of an ancient society. Very well-done and most compelling. Having lived many years in Korea/Japan, it gives me more insight into the depths of Korean history and society, the script they used, the food they ate, how they treated each other. I am dying to get back to Korea and see the people, experience the amazing cuisine of many small dishes of various fish, vegetables, rice, and visit the temples.

By studying this series, one can gain some good understanding into the Confucius thought that Korea adopted as its "religion" for hundreds of years, and gain some good insight into the people today.

it is an inspired mixture between grace of fairy tale and force of cultural message. a seductive love story and remember of values, naive and profound. the feelings and the power. the sacrifice and the force of emotion. the past as veil and the pressure of duty. the meetings and the transformation of universe. at first sigh,nothing new. the Korean movies are masters of this kind of magic. but something seems be different. maybe,the subtle details, the precise performance of the young actors,the tension circles and the carefully made of the end. a film who can be more than a show. who is not exactly memorable. but it has the art to be, like a small river, good occasion to rediscover the beauty behind the reality of every day. and that fact represents, not doubt, a precious virtue.

The younger cast had 6 episodes and really built a solid base for the drama. Their acting range were far superior to all the adults, except Kim Soohyun that reprises their roles.

The female lead was like a card board cutout that utters only the dialogues. She had just one emotion: Act Surprised!

There was no chemistry between her and the male lead. And their love story felt flat. The only saving grace was the Lee Hwon character, which was greatly built up by Yeo Jingoo and successfully continued by Kim Soohyun. The character is absolutely iconic! Props to the actors and the writers.

The story was sweet too (if not for the female lead for ruining it for me). I loved the comedy between the King and his servant, as well as the bromance between the brothers.

This is a solid drama. And would have been a masterpiece had they casted an actress who can actually act.