Hwarang (2016)

Hwarang was the idol drama of 2016. Hyungshik, Minho, and Taehyung rounded out an all-star actor cast featuring Seo Yeji, Park Seo Joon, and Go Ah Ra. I didn't go into this drama with high expectations for the plot or writing. I knew it'd most likely be a little cheesy, a little campy, a little fanservice heavy and I was right. But that's not a total negative. Hwarang was a fun and lighthearted drama that delivered exactly the product you expected.

First what I loved...Hwarang's stand-out point for me was the second lead couple. Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon were insanely adorable. The way they built off of the natural sibling antics between Soo Yeon and Soo Ho plus the rivalry between Soo Ho and Ban Ryu was hilarious. This couple had so much chemistry and awkwardly sweet flirting that I found myself blushing every scene they shared. Soo Yeon made Ban Ryu a better man simply because he loved her enough to be better. They totally eclipsed the main couple for me to the point that I was disappointed that I had to watch scenes with the main couple instead of these two.

Next what I found okay...The main couple while not my favorite weren't bad. They were of typical kdrama fare and were cute enough. Ah Ra is not a fav of mine and Seo Joon has definitely had more chemistry with other actresses. The love triangle was a little much, as it always inevitably is, but wasn't overbearing or drawn out. The plot too was a little lackluster. Very formulaic and predictable. Still a fun show though with a satisfying ending and a believable pairing for our female lead.

Finally what I did not like...The only thing in Hwarang that I really disliked was the dancing scene. I'm sure everyone reading this knows the one. All the boys get up and do a sword dance for the king. To say that I found the scene cringe-worthy would be an understatement. I was so embarrassed watching it. It was so out of character. So historically anachronistic. The song was overly bubbly. Their facial expressions were all so painfully happy. Everything about the scene gave me second-hand embarrassment of the worst kind. I could barely get through it without having to turn the tv off to give myself a break.

Overall Hwarang was fun, silly, light on the plot, straightforward, predictable, and an easy viewing experience. I loved it for what it was. Was it the best drama of 2016? No. Was it still good clean fun? Absolutely.

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I seriously wanted to like this one. Pity! The cast was really good, with many popular actors and idols, but it ended up just like those movies with the all star casting and no plot. The story is about the formation of an army out of aristocrats who were handsome as well. The drama starts okay, with some interesting twists and entertaining story. However, it quickly gets boring. It's not that the performances weren't good. It's more that the drama had no plot and it got stuck even from episode seven! And the ending was very simple. Plus, they left out a few things (like, why the guy was fainting out of the blue?). So, 2 out of 10. P.S. I watched it for V and he didn't have much role in this one, so if you are going to watch it for the same reason, don't.

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Idol historical costume drama

I had great difficulty keeping up with the plot, and sympathizing with the superficial characters and the storyline. It is more of a contemporary historical drama, with the K-POP fans as the target audience. This was touted as a pre-produced drama, but the planning and execution of a poor script, emotionless acting with excessive crying and average directing, shows in the end-result.

The scene stealers were Park Ban-ryu and Kim Soo-yeon (Do Ji-Han and Lee Da-in). The weakest link was Kim Ah-Ro(Go Ara). If they had strengthened her back-bone, and deleted 90% of the crying, she would have shined among the young cast. The two characters that I rank last, are the Queen of Shilla and Park Yeong-Shil. Queen Jiso sat on the throne to protect her son, but at some point, it seemed like she was on a power trip. Park was a sleazy villain, who wanted to rule Shilla.

This is a drama where I was impressed with the incidental music, more than with the cast, characters and story.

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I enjoyed Hwarang. It served my sageuk addiction even though it doesn't match a lowest point of the beautiful sageuks from before (princess man, queen seen duk, jumong.....) still I enjoyed it.
The story is very mediocre. No cliffhangers or thrills that want you to keep watching, just plain and simple entertainment, and all that eye candy, you don't mind watching.
The acting is also mediocre. The second lead was better than the lead and please don't make me talk about the leading lady...ufffff...pure torture. Im sorry to say that she was the most boring and unwatchable part of the show. No expression no acting and absolutely unlikable character. I am not sure it was the writing or her, I think it was both. The side love story was more entertaining with better acting. I wish they had shown more of that, rather than the main love story which was very annoying. When they try to make everyone fall in love with a character who is super boring, it is really annoying to watch.
the music was catchy and fun, although it was badly edited at times.
Overall it was not bad, but could only watch as there was no other drama to watch yet and I love a sageuk. Don't expect it to be like a sageuk (because they are really beautiful) then you will be ok.

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Not your Typical Review

So as a lot of people I came here for Tae but I ultimately ended up really enjoying this drama/romance/comedy even with the lack of a great story and the massive plot holes. This cast is too beautiful to pass up. I live for beautiful boys and will not watch one without them. Shallow as that may be.

This is a contemporary period piece and at first I was a little leery of that because I'm usually not a fan of people behaving in modern ways during past times but I was able to get past that because this drama was not to be taken seriously. Another reviewer said this is a KPOP fangirls wet dream and that is pretty accurate. I mean the boys here are too pretty and who cares I'm down for that. I also really enjoyed the costumes and the sets.

The story centers on the young King who has been exiled since he was a boy because of the numerous plots to kill him before he can take over the throne. His mother the Queen refuses to abdicate because there are still political factions that would prefer the King not be on the throne but also she is obsessed with her own thirst for power. There were so many people vying for the throne it was ridiculous. There is also something to do with power and class struggles but since this drama cannot be taken seriously so this part of the plot is trite to say the least.

What I loved - Park Seo Joon as Dog-Bird; Park Hyung Shik as the young King, Choi Min Ho as Soo Ho; , Kim Jee Soo as the Queen, Kim Taehyung as Suk Han Sung. I also loved the actor who played Pa oh Yoo Jae Myung he was so great and the scenes where is was pretending to be 22 years old had me in stitches. The entertainment value of the show is great.

I am usually not that enamored with women's faces but Kim Jee Soo - This bitch was flawless.

I don't remember the soundtrack other than V and Jin's Song.

I wouldn't necessarily watch the whole drama again but certain episodes will get a second and third watching.

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Great cast, Bad plot, not worth it

I watched Hwarang a while ago and I was just dissapointed. To be totally honest I wached it bc of the cast, we have Park Seo Joon, Go Ara and idols like Park Hyung Sik from ZE:A, Choi Minho from Shinee and V from BTS. The acting itself was not bad, but the plot was just terrible, I hated Go Ara's character, Ah Ro (don't get me wrong, i like Go Ara but her character was just useless) and I just didn't felt the chemistry between her and Seo Joon, the love triangle was also pointless tbh.

If we talk about the OST, it is not bad but is not great either, I can highlight only 3 songs - It's definitely you by V (ofc), Dream by BOL4 and Our Tears by Park Seo Joon, considering that the full album is made of 11 songs (leaving out the instrumentals) it's not that good.

Story is good during the first episodes, however, it becomes boring when they mainly focus on the love triangle. I expected a lot from this drama considering how famous the actors are but it is just one of the dramas that you will forget as years pass.

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Decent. Acting was great, story ok, pacing had some issues, enjoyable.

The main couple had good romance up until they got official. Afterwards their relationship became stale until the conclusion. Side romances were amazing, alternate ships was tantalising. So overall the romance isn't bad. The drama was marketed as bromance, but there wasn't as much interaction between the Hwarangs as there could've been. What bromance there was though, was really good.

The story is 60% political drama. The power struggle between the different factions was compelling and easy to follow. The tension really ramps up towards the end, the ending was delightfully unpredictable. The changing loyalities of the characters is definitely one of the best parts of the drama. The middle part of the drama is the weakest, since it's a slow buildup and interesting scenes are scarce.

If a scene feels like it's irrelevant, it probably is, skip it.

The casting was spot on. Park Hyung Shik was amazing as the King. Go Ah Ra as Ah Ro the female lead had great comedy scenes. Park Seo Joon (male lead) was a bit stale/predictable with his cheesy romance lines, but fit his character to a T.

But the TRUE shows stealers are the supporting cast - boy are they amazing. Do Jin Han (Ban Ryu) and Choi Min Ho (Soo Ho) were particularly outstanding. Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon were the true OTP. Soo Ho is a character I never got tired of watching. Don't even get me started on Kim Tae Hyung (Hang Sung) or Sung Dong Il (Chief instructor) or Kim Chang Wan (main villain).

Long story short: THIS IS WORTH WATCHING JUST FOR THE SUPPORTING CAST AND THE SUBPLOTS.

The OST was pretty good. The editing and mixing wasn't the best, but I would totally download a couple of the songs. The camera work was best during tense scenes, but pretty average at other times.

I approve of the ending. It felt too short and there were too many unanswered questions. But it got the job done.

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The bromance made it worth watching

So many known people were acting in this show so I was excited to watch it. It wasn't as good as I had thought it would be but it wasn't that bad.

The bromance throughout the whole show was amazing and was the main thing they kept me from dropping it. I loved the character development and how every Hwarang became close with each other. It was just amazing and I love all their relationships. I do wish that some plots were explained/resolved better. The show introduced many side characters' issues but didn't properly resolve them so it just left me with questions at the end.

Now, one of the worst parts of the show: the female lead. Oh my gosh, the amount of times I had to pause watching cause I got annoyed with her. First of all, she's popular in town because she tells "erotic stories"... not to judge but that's kind of embarrassing during a time like that. (It's fine to tell those stories but being known around town as mainly that as your identity is kind of weird.) Second of all, in most of the episodes she's in, girl starts crying out of nowhere. Like ma'am why are you always crying. I'm fine with emotional characters but she cried in half her scenes so I started getting irritated. Plus, she always had to be saved by the ML or the second male lead. To me, she didn't have almost any of the personalities I look forward to seeing in a female lead.

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Don't force yourself to watch if you ain't a historical drama fan

I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to feel after watching this drama. I can't criticise it too hard just because it's not my favourite genre, but there are definitely some sore points.

I should first say that you shouldn't waste your time watching just because you like any of the main guys' faces XD. We all know Park Hyung Sik is beautiful, but the story is quite dry so just be prepared if you do decide to watch.

To begin on a positive note, all of the acting seemed pretty decent with great actors cast for each character.

I liked how all of the characters interacted with one another, and those who shared a rocky beginning began to bond by the end of the show. In particular, Soo-ho and Ban-ryu, as they were so cold and mean towards each other in the very beginning; but as the show progressed, they came to like one another.

The same thing obviously happened with Ji-dwi (the King) and Sun-woo. That scene at the end where they're riding on horses and together - they just looked so happy.

I personally found Ah-ro to be quite strange. Her character was always pulling these weird faces and it just didn't sit right with me. It was great that she was following in her father's footsteps to become a physician; and when she was sent to the Hwarang house to look after all the injured men, that was funny. However, I have read some other reviews and I agree with those who say her role is kinda pointless. Like, yes she was sent to look after these men, but surely there were other 'physicians' like her Dad who could have cared for them. Not some young girl who's no more than a teenager. Side note: how old are they even meant to be?

The incest relationship between Ah-ro and Sun-woo probably disgusted some people, but Ah-ro couldn't remember her brother so she couldn't help it if she was attracted him Besides, it was all fake anyway so it's FINE. The couples' chemistry wasn't fantastic and I didn't actually swoon. Usually there will be some swooning but there was no real build up and for the male lead, his love came out of nowhere I feel. I think the plot should have gone something like...

'Ah-ro and Ji-dwi run away and live a happy life together and Sun-woo becomes the king.'

I just think this would have ben more enjoyable for the viewers.

There weren't really many twists or turns. To be honest I was quite bored watching it and was thankful for Netflix's quicker speed at which you can watch. If you want to save yourself some time I would highly recommend speeding up all of those long moments of staring or just boring scenes in general.

I was very hurt, upset and sobbing when BTS' V's character was killed. I sat crying at my laptop for a good 10 minutes. So sad.

The music in the show I felt was all good... but at the same time it was a bit all over the place. One minute it's modern and the next it's oriental. I think maybe they should have just stuck to the oriental all the way through as the modern music made the show less authentic.

Of course you are allowed to have jokes and comedic parts in a show to lighten the mood, but this did add to the lack of historical authenticity. Also, I'm not sure if it's inadequate subtitling or if they really did use language such as 'jerk' or 'idiot' in this time period.

I had to chuckle at the end when the king and queen were wearing their crowns, because damn, if the producers of the show could afford to make decent clothing to represent the time period, then why couldn't they afford a crown that isn't floppy!? Every time the king moved, his crown would wobble; and behind the queen's it looked like there was that fish net wire thing going on. Throughout the show I thought wardrobe had a done a great job, but this slip-up proved me wrong.

I'd say this show was pretty okay for the most part, and if you're into historical dramas then hey, this is a great one for you. But. This has to sit at the bottom of my drama list as I just couldn't get myself invested in the plot (did one really even exist or did I have to make one up in my head), and there wasn't enough romance. I wish there had have been a more interesting romance but it was just a basic love triangle that fizzled out into nothing. No fireworks.

I gave the rewatch value 1 as I know I definitely won't be rewatching any time soon.

-E

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Magic Knights!

I wanted Lee Kwang Soo to take on a meatier role in that drama, but alas, he was just there as a guest. I usually like Choi Won Young in serious roles but I hate Choi Won Young when he pretends to be looking serious which was what he went for in this drama. Don't expect a 20-episodes worth of content, it was mostly a boring slice of life cosplay-drama with little to no story. As shallow and thin as the slice of pizza you would get from your teacher shared between 40 students. You technically ate, I guess? The gags, the tomfoolery and the pizazz that filled its content were all unpleasant to watch. The romance and the relationships aren't even worth talking about, a total joke!

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Rough

Okay, I am going to start by saying I got to know this show because of Taehyung. I didn't watch this show because of Taehyung, but it did come in my radar because of him.
The show, though only 20 hours long, feels like it got too much run time. The main female lead lacked personality or character strength. There were too many loose ends. For example: what happened to the princess? The ending was...balanced in a very rough and raw way. One got the throne, the other got the girl. However, other than that, loose ends upon loose ends were littered throughout the series. The rest of the Hwarang was wrapped up relatively...ok. Not too bad, but not excellent. The ending episodes are too rough.

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