Hwarang (2016)

The only spoilers are about the parings in this drama.
WOW!!!!
I have a total love hate relationship with this drama. I love the plot, story line and the actors, but I have a hatred for most of the female characters in this drama. Some people may not agree with me, but the main actress Go Ah Ra seems to get on my nerves every drama I see her in. Her attitude towards everyone just irks me.
The female royals also are annoying. The discrimination is very strongly shown in this drama. I have not seen any drama that has this strong representation of discrimination out in the world.
Even if there are some actors/characters that I do not like I really loved this drama. Stayed up till 3 am just to know what happened next.
The male actors did a very good job with their friendship and comradely. I just finished Moon Lovers before watching this, I think that IU would have been a good female lead.
I honestly did not see the pairing at the end. I thought she was going to end up with the king, not her brother's friend. I thought he was going to end up with the princess.

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I had great expectations for this drama like everyone else and was naturally put off by a lot of details. The plot was one of the major put-offs in my opinion. Majority of the characters were also one dimensional, especially Ah Ro. She seemed like a strong and likeable female lead in the beginning but turned into the typical damsel in distress. Ah Ro ending up with Sun Woo was a also a huge disappointment to me as I loved their love and care for each other as siblings. I really wanted Ah Ro to end up with Ji Dwi. I felt that they had a better chemistry as well. Two people who develop into sibling figures for each other who later discover they are not biological siblings and fall in love totally get on my nerves as I hate that concept itself. I couldn't bear to watch past the 11th episode when Ah Ro and Sun Woo confessed to each other. Sun Woo's regular fainting was also never explained. I read a summary of the entire story and so I know the plot and how it ends. There is no way I will be finishing this series.

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Fanservice disguised as historical drama

This drama should really be taken for what it is - fan service. All the effort was spent into casting idol actors to attract a certain fanbase of adolescent girls and nothing else. There is no coherent plot, just pretty boys running around with fancy hair and lip gloss looking like they belong in an 80s glam rock band.

Romance was a tropey mess. Dude momentarily gains consciousness just to kiss the girl after hearing her confession, then loses consciousness again. Puhlease. The characters were kind of shallow and didn't really have much development. Even if the focus was on fanservice, the writers could've done something with the plot. Instead, we had convoluted storylines that didn't make sense. The queen wouldn't give up the throne to her son and kept hiding his identity to supposedly protect him, instead of putting him on the throne and helping him secure it. Not to mention, there was this lame conspiracy plotline and the queen's self-serving motivations for the sake of pretending there was a plot. The Hwarang were supposed to be the king's guard, but they spent most of their time bickering and doing song and dance. Only towards the end, somebody started doing something interesting. And don't even get me started on the incest plot where the queen wanted to marry her son the king to her daughter the princess because of some "sacred bone" tradition. I understand this is a fake historical drama, but seriously. And, OMFG, Sam Maek Jong's CONSTANT whining about how weak he was as the king during the entirety of the show - while he was in hiding, after he became Hwarang, after he officially became king, every freaken time he was faced with adversity he bitched and moaned about being incompetent.

The OST was pretty underwhelming. The same song with a female singer was playing in most episodes during romantic/angsty scenes as if it was on a loop. Production and acting were ok. I thought Park Seo Joon and Park Hyung Sik did a good job. Seo Yea Ji had the easiest acting gig as the princess, she looked constipated with the same expression in every scene. Ah Ro was forgettable and weak. She never stood up for herself and allowed everyone to make decisions for her and did whatever she was told. Her bland chemistry with Sun Woo did not justify any of their romantic angst.

All the side characters with their stories and romance would've been interesting if the writers took the drama a little more seriously and wrote an actual plot and character development. I ended up skipping most scenes from episode 13 onward because there was no interest in anything other than the three main characters. I don't think I missed much.

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disappointed..

This drama was quite promising, so I had big expectations. The first two episodes were really boring but it became super fun! However around episode 8 it just became soo boring again I. I finished episode 9 and never really came back to it. I might finish it one day, who knows.

Honestly, for a drama full of famous actors, the acting wasn’t too amusing. Especially the FL.. it wasn’t just her acting, but the character as a whole. Some of the side characters were quite funny and the second couple was pretty interesting, that’s the only reason why I gave them this rating.

The story seemed really great, but as the show progressed, the plot got too messy and repetitive. Most kdramas tend to get a little boring after the second half, but this was just unbearable.. not to mention the second male lead syndrome. The main leads were technically siblings (at least the FL thought so from what I remember), so the romance was just kind of weird.

One good thing about this drama were the OST’s. One of my all time favourite soundtracks.

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Worth watching!!

So… I started watching this drama because of Kim Taehyung. I came in with zero expectations since I didn’t know any of the other actors on the show (wasn’t a k-drama fan at the time) and only had a vague idea of the plot.

Let me tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama! It was a bit more violent than I was expecting (I was expecting a romcom for some reason!) but I thought all the actors did a brilliant job. I was highly engaged throughout. I liked the way the Hwarangs matured, grew closer to each other and developed a tight bond. You can’t help but fall in love with all of them!

I watched the series again after bingeing through a few other KDramas and I enjoyed it the second time too. It was good to hone in on the finer details that I missed the first time I watched it.

Overall, a pleasant surprise and a drama that I not only highly recommend, but also will certainly watch again in the future!

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had to put this on hold

I decided I had to put it on hold while I decide on whether I want to carry on watching it. this is due to the fact that the character that V (BTS) plays dies. I didn't know this until someone told me and he is the reason I was watching it in the first place.
The plot for it seems to be ok. there is quite a few funny parts in it that made me have a good giggle. I would recommend this to people to watch if they have nothing else to watch. overeall, with what I have seen it is a good watch. might not be something I go and rewatching over and over (if I ever finish it lol)

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Wow che spettacolo!!!!

Il primo drama storico che guardo e mi è piaciuto tantissimo.
La trama è articolata e accattivante. Si passa da momenti divertenti a momenti drammatici a momenti romantici senza mai perdere l’autenticità della storia.
Ho amato tutti i Hwarang, guerrieri di Silla. Il cast è spettacolare, pieno di volti noti a partire dal mio amato Park Seo Joon, che come sempre è perfetto nella parte. Poi c’è Park Hyung Shik (idol del gruppo ZE:A) che nella parte del principe tormentato è stato bravissimo, Choi Minho (idol degli SHINee) e V (idol dei BTS).
La cosa che ho amato di più di questo drama è stata l’importanza che viene data all’amicizia. I protagonisti, sarà perché sono vicini anche nella vita reale, sono riusciti a rappresentare al meglio il valore e la forza della vera amicizia.
Un drama da vedere per la storia ricca di azione, colpi di scena e tanti sentimenti. Ma anche perché è pieno di tantissimi gnocchi coreani.

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Enjoyed the five leads very much, especially the two Mr. Parks. Seo Joon appears to be a born leader, who while very modest and an introvert, acts with complete abandon in his roles. I watch because he's an actor able to ‘become’ whomever he portrays. After the first few moments, Seo Joon is forgotten and only the character in the story remains. He has spoken of his "plain face" several times and, as a portrait artist, I agree, yet his personality always reveals the inner man to light the outer with that sensational smile, which is transforming. He might not be noticed on the street if he were not famous, yet having found this outlet, he is unforgettable and, naturally, he’s well-loved by those with whom he knows via his work and by his fans worldwide. As a whole individual, he is irresistible. Unfortunately, this is always a two-sided coin in the world today with adoration sometimes being as questionable in extreme alone with those whose fantasies are not normal.

I thought that Park Hyung Shik was excellent as the multilayered Emperor in Waiting; he demonstrated a restraint at times when we could feel his fury at being turned out as a child with only one individual to support him. No matter how devoted, kind, or brave his Aide-de-Camp, he had loss everything from stability to a mother's love and protection, with her apparent care going to politics. Even when he visits on occasion, she is more enemy than even a distant relative. Hyung Shik gives us a complete range of a Crown Prince with excellent genes who is constantly on a tight rope in a forbidden and forbidding landscape. I felt Sam Maek’s quiet despair in couple scenes with Seo Joon that were each a bit heart rendering: (1) when he asks Sun Woo Rang what he will do when the Emperor is found, to which the cold gaze and freezing response is that he will kill ruler asap because the Emperor ordered his best friend’s death; and (2) as he watched Soo Woo “become the ‘King’” with full, very-believable, personal power during their visit to the neighboring country. It was as if his interior structure of bravado crumbled, yet we only see it in his eyes and the smallest change of expression.

Evidently, Seo Joon and Hyung Shik are close friends, but during this series there is no sense of their real-life situation. Within the series - before, during, and after their time at the Hwarang Academy, the competition between the two characters is normal intense (whether positive or negative) and their initial sword fight through the barn with revolving doors was fierce. I found them equally able to become the warrior one would expect in that time.

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Grande delusione

Avevo sentito parlare benissimo di questo drama e guardandolo sono rimasta molto delusa, specialmente nella prima parte del drama.

TRAMA
La trama partiva con buone premesse ma poi è andata perdendosi in tante scene no-sense, allungamenti di brodo inutili e dispersivi che hanno tolto attenzione dalla parte davvero interessante che è stata gestita malamente. Per la maggior parte del drama mi son trovata a pensare "ma di questa cosa perché dovrebbe interessarmi?"
Nella parte finale poi troviamo un plot twist interessante che però... finisce e si risolve nel giro di poco buttando così una splendida occasione

PERSONAGGI
I personaggi sono incredibilmente incoerenti. Partono in un modo, si presentano con certe caratteristiche e poi si comportando in modo totalmente opposto. Gli attori sono molto bravi ma non riescono a salvare dei personaggi scritti molto male. Park Seo Joon, che ho molto apprezzato in altri drama, qua l'ho trovato nella maggior parte delle scene spento, fatta eccezione per le scene drammatiche dove ha fatto brillare le sue capacità. Ho invece molto apprezzato Park Hyung Sik che credo sia riuscito a dare più spessore al suo personaggio (che ho amato ma che avrebbero potuto gestire meglio).

I personaggi secondari sono anch'essi nati con ottime premesse ma poi gestiti malissimo. Esempio d'eccezione Suk Han Sung che hanno prima rilegato a macchietta comica, poi gli hanno dato una storia molto bella e profonda per poi... concludere in quattro e quattr'otto.

STORIA D'AMORE
Che dire... I personaggi partono sapendo una cosa per certa, poi se ne scordano e poi SORPRESA! Non ho apprezzato la gestione del triangolo e anche il personaggio protagonista femminile non l'ho trovato davvero non all'altezza, ho infatti preferito di gran lunga la coppia secondaria (che ovviamente è stata tirata via).

È una recensione arrabbiata? sì. Detesto quando una storia con buone premesse presenta queste problematiche che compromettono l'esperienza della visione.

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NOTA GERAL: 6,6/10

Homens lindos pra todo lado! Espera, você quer uma análise mais detalhada? Bem, Hwarang não tem uma história… muito bem desenvolvida. Mas se você quiser ficar babando na sua tela, esse é o dorama pra você!

• História (6/10): Podia ter focado mais nas questões políticas (vulgo, no rei) e menos no triângulo amoroso. Além disso, vários problemas ficaram sem resposta, deixando mais dúvidas do que no início do drama. O final foi rushado.

• Visual (6,5/10): Não faz feio, mas também não faz nada pra impressionar. Se eu tenho uma reclamação é com os figurinos dos personagens masculinos. Além das perucas feias, os trajes dados a eles fizeram com que diferenciá-los fosse uma tarefa praticamente impossível.

• Som (6/10): Música pop em um romance histórico? Uma decisão arriscada e que, infelizmente, não me agradou muito.

• Personagens (7/10): Hwarang tem um elenco muito vasto. Os atores se encaixaram bem em seus papéis e fizeram um bom trabalho ao dar vida a seus personagens, mas é aquela velha história, em um triângulo amoroso a garota sempre vai escolher a pior opção. Não que Sun Woo seja uma opção ruim, mas o tipo caladão não me atrai muito e o rei tinha conflitos muito mais interessantes e era bem mais carismático (e bonito!). Também foi meio estranho ver o “irmão” se apaixonando pela “irmã”. E a protagonista feminina… não fede nem cheira. Ela é até um pouco esquecível.

• Entretenimento (7,5/10): No geral, foi um drama bem descontraído e que não deve ser levado a sério. Apesar de ser um pouco lento em algumas ocasiões, não chega a ser cansativo. Eu diria que foi um potencial desperdiçado.

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I loved the storyline! The love of a friend that one grows up with and considers a brother, that's deep. Again, Park Seo Joon who played Moo Myung (Seonu) is great at acting. Very strong personality to get this role correct. He is one of my top 10 Korean Actors. The other actor that did really well was Park Hyung Shik, even though, he had to play a character who was not confident in himself, he did it well. Those roles are harder to perform than any other part. PHS can sing and I love the song he sang for Hwarang named "I'll be Here". Go Ah Ra who played Ah Ro, Not only did she act very well but her whole stature changed for this role.

The only flaw I viewed was the last episode where the main two lead characters ended up with each other but then all of sudden 6 months passed. You know how they put on the screen at times "6 mos later", well, they didn't have that this time or I must've blinked and missed it... where did he go for six months?

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