Moon That Embraces The Sun, The

Can I just say that Kim Soo Hyun was great in this and leave it at that?

No? Aw well.

The Moon That Embraces The Sun was the IT drama this season. Filled with fated loves separated by greed, a cast consisting of three young and hyped actors and with a historical setting (in Korea they call that “sageuk” and it’s a very popular genre), well this drama had everything going for it.

I did like this drama a whole lot but that has everything to do with my bias with a certain Kim Soo Hyun. If you have been reading my blogs about my Kdrama Obsession, then you will find out how I fell for him during Dream High. With his bumpkin mentality, sweet personality and that overly adorable dialect, I was pretty much a goner. He is also a great singer! That is such an added bonus.

But besides all that, The Moon That Embraces The Sun was a decent romance drama. I liked the setting of fated lovers separated by spiritual powers (a form of witchcraft) and the political games. But sadly, the plot was spotty from time to time. During the middle of the drama it dragged along way too much. A pity because the first six episodes had a great back story about how the fated lovers fell for each other.

I wrote in my Kdrama segment how much I adored the young cast of The Moon That Embraces The Sun. They did a great job and I have my eyes out for Im Siwan, Kim So Hyun, Kim Yoo Jung, Lee Min Ho (not to be confused with the older one) and Yeo Jin Goo.

Despite the plot issues I enjoyed the drama. Yes, it is very predictable, but still lovely to look at and easy on the brain. It’s worth the watch just for Kim Soo Hyun and Jung Il-Wo. I am still on the fence about Han Ga In. I think another actress would’ve done a better job.

I feel pity because The Moon That Embraces The Sun could’ve been so much better. Had the writing been a little sharper, it could’ve been a great romance/thriller/suspense drama. The Moon That Embraces The Sun reminds me so much of Secret Garden — two dramas that, on paper, sounded good but then the hype got wind of it and there wasn’t a great need from the production team to make an effort.

What made Secret Garden so good was the sizzling chemistry between Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won. Too bad that Han Ga In and Kim Soo Hyun didn’t have the same, or else The Moon That Embraces The Sun could’ve been out of this world good.

I guess I will always lament a little of what could’ve been.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

 

Julyssa

Music is all I do: I work in music, I write about music, I listen to music.

1 Response

  1. January 28, 2014

    […] album with the release of One Summer Night (한 여름밤의 꿈), a ballad composed by Kim Baksa (The Moon Embraces the Sun) alongside BEG leader JeA, with lyrics by longtime collaborator, lyricist Kim […]

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