River Where the Moon Rises (2021)

Went in with low expectations, was very surprised.

I was hesitant to watch this because of all the scandal surrounding the drama, and the low rating on MDL.
I also had never seen the ML in anything before, and was not familiar with him as I was Ji Soo, who was originally the lead and was replaced. Na In Woo was amazing as On Dal, I couldn't imagine anyone else in this role. He was great as the bumbling fool, and equally as captivating as the serious General On. His chemistry with Kim So Hyun was also incredible to watch and had many swoony moments. I also loved the supporting roles in this, although at time it felt like there were too many side stories going on. It was hard to root for the side couples toxic relationship, that story captivated me the least. The big drawback for this drama was that it did feel like some episodes were unnecessary. It also felt a bit clunky, and obvious in the episodes where they transitioned to the new ML, episodes 7-8. I feel though that they probably did their best given the situation. Please give this a chance, it's a beautiful love story with tons of action, but go in with low expectations like I did and you will be more than surprised.

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Superb acting, and compelling chemistry between leads!

Watched RWTMR many times, and I kept rewatching it because of how compelling the story of Pyeonggang and Ondal was!
KSH and NIW's chemistry was one of the reasons I kept rewatching the series----- I imagined them being a couple in real life. Though this is only a retelling of the classic Goguryeo tale, I have to commend the writer for his reimagination of PyeongOn's story.
NGL, I love sageuk dramas (Empress Ki, Jewel in the Palace, Jumong, to name a few) and RWTMR sure hit the right spots. For some the episodes could be dragging (especially the politics inside the palace), but it didn't dampen the story.

Kim So Hyun is a gem of an actress! This girl deserves the best, and I hope more people will take notice of how passionate she is with her craft! Next to Ha Ji Won, Lee Young Ae, Son Ye Jin, Gong Hyo Jin, and Bae Doona, So Hyun became a favorite after watching this, and her other works ( Who Are You: School 2015, Tale of Nokdu, Let's Fight Ghost, Pure Love.)

The other cast members were good as well---- Kang Ha Neul (albeit cameo), & Lee Ji Hoon were really good!

Na In Woo was a revelation, as he truly embodied the foolish, but oyal On Dal. He was literally a gentle giant especially in his scenes with So Hyun wherein he exhibited being his being a dutiful husband.

Their relationship was so organic---- from Dal getting infatuated with Ga Jin's beauty, to becoming her savior, then ally, and ultimately becoming husband and wife---- for reel to real.
The kiss scenes progressed from coy and awkward, to full of love, and passion (NIW kissed KSH like she was his treasured wife,, it was so romantic.)


If not for the Ji Soo issue, I am guessing that RWTMR could've scored higher in terms of viewership, and of ratings.

Guys give this a shot! Worth watching!

P.S. I wish NIW and KSH will once again team up in a modern day drama ( kinda medical drama wherein they'll be former flames but gor separated due to NIW pursuing his dream abroad; not knowing that he left a pregnant KSH. Fate has it that the two will meet again as professional doctors who must work together to stop a new virus from spreading. The catch?! One of their twins got infected with the virus, and was assigned as NIW's unknowningly. Teehee, no annoying love triangles for both actors this time around.)

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Flawless

"River Where the Moon Rises" is an impeccable drama. I am captivated by the performances of all four main characters. Among the supporting cast, several actors deliver standout performances, including Lady Sa (On Dal's foster mother), Crown Prince Won (young), Prince Geon Mu (child), Wol I, On Hyup (On Dal's father), Tara San, and Tara Jin.The story revolves around four main characters, three of whom face significant struggles from childhood, including the loss of loved ones. Despite numerous hurdles and challenges throughout their lives, they continue to confront adversity, accept their fate, and persevere.

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Started out so well

The drama had a lot of positives: good acting, compelling plot, romantic chemistry, and a complete lack of cliche tropes which I really appreciated. But, convoluted plotlines really brought the quality down.

ML went through a very intense character development starting as a clumsy and goofy mountain man and graduating to a giga-Chad "God of War". Na Im Woo playing Dal really helped in developing the character. He is probably the biggest man I've ever seen in Asian drama, so it was completely fitting for him to play an unbreakable warrior. Writers did a great job at flushing out Dal's motivations for fighting. Being a pacifist, he stayed away from conflict. But falling in love gave him something to protect. Him calling Ga Jin his "country" was very meaningful and it showed that she was the center of his universe and everything he did he did for her.

While the drama had really good characterization and good romantic chemistry, the plot gradually became very convoluted with more plotlines than it could handle. The story started out as a political drama where ML helped FL fight political corruption and an uprising against her family. This should've been the only plot line because there was plenty of story to work with. Unfortunately, the plot got entangled with additional characters and storylines involving outside forces that had nothing to do with the main plot, the assassin's sect and another country, none of which had anything in common with the main story. The writers tried to tie it all together, but it wasn't really convincing. The assassin's motivation for revenge was the murder of his family. But the writers didn't develop the character enough for us to care. There was one flashback of his family dying and that's it. Other than that, he was just a plot device for the main characters to act and drive the main plot forward without getting any meaningful development of his own.

The writers also seemed to be confused about Dal's character direction. His personality went full circle back to pacifism because the writers unnecessarily created too much conflict that involved unnecessary fighting. Fighting was his own decision to protect the woman he loved, which was enough to resolve his internal conflict between staying peaceful and fighting for love. Some reviews here put the blame on the princess who fixated too much on the country's problems and disregarded Dal's feelings. I cannot agree with that. Ga Jin was the princess who had the weight of the world on her shoulders and a warrior trying to protect the country and her royal family against assassination attempts and a political revolt. She did not have the luxury to worry about feelings, even when it came to Dal. Dal just worried about Ga Jin and followed her. Creating an additional arc about his feelings and just have him leave went completely against everything he worked for. Ga Jin was his entire world. He lived for her. The way he was originally written, he would've never left her.

And then the ending... **SPOILERS**

Honestly, it would've been better if Dal died in battle. Even his "death" scene was underwhelming - getting randomly ambushed after the war ended and pretending to die by getting into suspended animation so he could disappear from civilization. Dal and Ga Jin could've just retires from war and lives a peaceful life. If the writers stuck to the original plot involving political intrigue, the show would've been so much more interesting. Moreover, the last few episodes introduced a completely new storyline which did not even fit into the original plot. I didn't want to drop the drama because I was so close to the end, but I couldn't wait for it to end.

Overall, I really loved the drama even with all of the unnecessary plotlines, but the ending just completely disappointed me.

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The actors did an amazing job with their roles especially with all the issues the filming had.

I didn't know anything about the plot of this drama before starting it. I started this drama to see Kim So Hyun play a character that was more mature. She did amazing playing the roles of both mother and daughter, her vibe in this drama was completely different to all her other dramas I've seen. And I've read so much about Na In Woo and his role in this drama, he did amazing and it didn't feel as though (I believe) episode 4 was the first episode he filmed because he fit right in, the chemistry and emotions were there from the start.

A strong female lead who can hold her own in a fight; I feel like there isn't enough of this in Asian dramas, but we're starting to get a lot more of it in Kdramas and Cdramas. I LOVED that every female we meet in this drama is really strong, physically and mentally or just a female that holds a lot of power.

I loved the ML, don't get me wrong. But, it was the SML's loyalty to the crown that really got me. I was dubious whether or not his loyalty would remain, but I LOVED everything about it and he was in the toughest situation out of all the other charecters and I wouldn't have blamed him for 'turning to the dark side'. Though the last thing I expected was a love triangle and me getting really annoyingly bad second lead syndrome.

I LOVED the ML and FL's mutual loyalty and love for each other, their personalities and upbringing evened each other in a way. She grew up as an assassin only knowing to kill and he grew up in the village and was taught not to harm others. She carries the world on her shoulders whilst he seems very lighthearted and free, he also brought all the humor. I LOVED how they both had the same goal and the same enemy to destroy, they both had the same reason to fight the war they were fighting, it didn't feel as though the FL was dragging the ML into her fight because it was their fight. They were always there for each other at all the right times and never gave up on each other.

But I HATED how it was essentially love at first sight. It made no sense for them to love each other the way they did within the first few days of their encounter as adults. This is one of the reasons I shipped the FL so hard with the SML, because it made sense: it was very obvious he liked her since the first episode when they were both children, and his love for her, even as adults, was very genuine.

I actually kinda loved the ending of this drama, especially for the main leads, they deserved to be free from the palace and get a happy ending. The second leads ending was inevitable, after the first half of the drama, especially after the time jump, it did not seem as though the SML would get a happy ending.

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River Where the Stars Fizzle Away

The story suffered from erratic pacing, cramming too many plots that made it hard keep any interesting narrative. The characters were a simulated circus clown that kept making foolish moves intentionally at every turn. Might explains why it's 20 episodes. The childish love square was another contributor in that regard. Na In Woo's portrayal felt strained, his expressions, intonations, inflections, and emotions seemingly forced to fit the character mold. Comparing it to the original version, it seems there was a notable disparity. Checked a couple of scenes side by side, there's a clear difference in the delivery, as big as expressing an entirely different emotion of the exact same scene. I wonder what was the director even doing? The lack of chemistry with his colleagues was obvious too. He was called to fill in a role on a quick notice with so little to work with in the first place. All of that didn't compare to the abysmal last episode, and even worse, the detestable last scene.

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A Masterpiece Despite the Controversy

RIVER WHERE THE MOON RISES (Daleui Ddeuneun Gang) was a really great show. Going into this, I was reluctant, given some of the controversy and outrage of changing the male lead cast member mid-show. I won't get into that topic, but was worried that presumably significant change might have caused the show to suffer and feel disjointed somehow, whether in story, character chemistry or even by editing flaws. I was concerned something might not feel right. Still, I reluctantly gave it a chance.

That was not the case, thankfully. The cast, Kim So Hyun as the Assassin / Warrior named Princess Pyeonggang, and Na In Woo as the charming, peaceful On Dal had such adorable chemistry and many of the side cast was likable or relatable as well, such as the other Ghost Village members, but especially On Dal's Mother / nanny. I adored On Dal and his mother's sweet, unique relationship. That was probably one of the most absolute sweetest things I've seen in a K-Drama in a while. The little orphan girl was so adorable as well. The side cast did a really good job honestly and truly helped make this show so memorable.

While the show used a few old drama tropes that I'm not a huge fan of, such as convenient amnesia, unrequited love from childhood friend (to the point of silliness imo), and random breakups of serious couples, it still managed to keep me engaged.

All that aside, this series was really touching, great writing and direction, great acting/casting, great character development, great story arcs and scene settings, and wonderful aesthetic design, such as costumes and cinematographic visuals. The music was really memorable as well. Overall, this was a show that has it all; adventure, action, romance, mystery, comedy, and tragedy. I highly recommend giving this one a fair chance (with the reshot episodes/scenes with Na In Woo), despite the critics, naysayers and casting controversy concerns.

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Meaning storyline but with too many villain characters

I find the storyline of an innocent love story of two strong leads fighting for the unification of 3 countries meaningful. And, the replacement male lead and the female lead had really great onscreen chemistry and their acting is superb. However, as the episodes built up, there were so many different villain characters being brought in, each with their personal and evil agenda which made it went a bit off as the story should focus more on the relationship between the lead couple and how they bring about the unification of the 3 countries. So, there did not need to have so many villain characters but just a few main villain characters will do. Nevertheless, this drama was good and touching.

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average historical kdrama

River Where the Moon Rises 8/10 -kdrama

average historical kdrama...

even though I like Kim So Hyun... I just felt this drama lacks something. May be caused I lately mostly watched historical cdramas which got little different feel.

got classic theme alot of political intrigues and some fighting.

plot - FL is princess of Goguryeo ... sadly she and her mother gets into accident caused by traitous ambitious ministers. In this accident dies father of ML which was general. FL and ML survive. Fl loses memory and becomes puppet assassin for another ambitious guy. ML hides in mountains and lives as hermit. Both leads again meet as adults and their fates and feelings gets tangled together.


genre - historical, revenge, intrigues

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First Dropped Drama of 2021

I’m on episode 9 and I’ve lost interest in this drama. It is draggy, repetitive and nothing exciting to look forward to. I feel bad for Kang Ha Neul since he’s one of my fave actors. To those who know me, I rarely give up on a drama (yeah Mydramalist said I’ve seen almost 6,800 episodes of Kdramas, shows and movies) esp. when I’ve watched almost half of it, but this one, I really couldn’t. I don’t mind the controversies too. I can confidently say it didn’t affect how I rated and dropped this show.

I could no longer continue because of the story. At this point, I feel sleepy and uninterested. I don’t see the point in continuing how a princess goes in and out of the palace like flipping a switch on and off. She was introduced as a bad ass assassin but somewhere along the way, she regressed into making stupid and impulsive decisions, which is contrary to how she was built up. It was too ambitious for the show to have the female lead play both the role of the Queen mother and her daughter. Her portrayal of the queen missed the mark for me. She’s too young for the role and there wasn’t much of a motherly emotion emanating from her acting.

I could also foresee a cliche ending.

Acting is not bad though. I have problems with the plot and how slow moving it is. It is a fail for me. I cannot see imagine myself going through this boredom for 10 more episodes. If you’re presented Penthouse 2 or Mouse, this drama will sink in the river.

Out of curiosity and if I find time, I’d probably watch the last 2 episodes to see how it ends.

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