KDrama Review: Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds/Love in the Moonlight

The Gist: Hong Ra On (Kim You Jung) has always reluctantly lived her life as a man and in her teen years has taken up giving romance advice. This leads her astray when a friend/client gets entangled with the crown princess, sending Ra On, disguised as her male self Sam Nom, to deal with it. When she ends up facing Crown Prince Lee Young (Park Bo Gum), friction sparks between them. This friction sparks to an all out flame when Ra On ends up being sold to the palace as a eunuch. Yet as Ra On supports the prince in a time of unrest - the king is haunted by a rebellion that may not be quite dead and the prime minister and court officials are working against them - his feelings towards her begin to change, even before he realizes exactly who she is. It’s political intrigue, history, and romance today in MDbtC. Let’s go!

Love:

1. Crackling Chemistry!

Kim You Jung is a fabulous young actress. It is hard to believe that not only is her character in her late teens, but she is as well. She was amazingly expressive in Moon Embracing the Sun, so it was a real treat to see how she has grown as an actress in this series. Not everyone can pull off the gender swap convincingly, but I thought You Jung was simply stellar.

Despite the age difference between the two actors, Ra On and Lee Young had onscreen chemistry that was almost tangible. They were really well cast opposite each other. Although I suspect the very stoic way they kissed (did You Jung almost look afraid a few times?) was due to her young age, it still played very sweetly.

Bo Gum has a lot on his plate as the young crown prince, but he handled it with poise and a dedicated emotion that made this character instantly lovable. I liked the steel this character had, even while being incredibly sweet. The romance really is the star of this show.

Meh:

1. Three Friends Tragedy

Let’s talk about the crown prince, his bodyguard, and the prime minister’s grandson. Spoilers to follow. All three were very close in childhood, but are torn apart by three separate causes. Lee Young is working very hard to protect his position as future ruler, the bodyguard Byung Yeon (Kwak Dong Yeon) is working with the rebellion to avenge his family, and Yoon Sung (Jin Young) is divided between protecting his family’s legacy and helping old friends. All are trying to reconcile their personal feelings with what they think are best for the country. I was really, really hoping that all three would survive, reunite, and use their separate positions as a way to work together.

That is super not what happened and I’m still kind of bitter about it. This is not to say that the character development wasn’t great or that the acting wasn’t perfect, all three did amazing jobs, but I feel like historical dramas never reconcile broken childhood friendships and it bothers me.

At any rate, Byung Yeon is kind of my favorite so I am glad he didn’t actually die. I also especially liked Lee Young’s unwavering faith in his friend. Despite all the warnings, his trust was rewarded and it’s nice to see such a strong relationship, even if we’re not sure how things work out for Byung Yeon at the end.. I wish I could say the same for Yoon Sung, who not only poses a threat to Lee Young’s throne, but falls for Ra On as well. It’s almost like a reconciliation then, that he gives his life to save Ra On and removes himself as a threat to Lee Young. It’s an ending that works, but it’s not exactly happy.

2. The Ending

Spoilers obviously. Don’t get me wrong - I love that Ra On and Lee Young end up together. However, I am a bit miffed that they aren’t married by the end of this. For Lee Young to really be secure, he needs a queen and an heir! I guess we’re supposed to imagine something of that sort happens later, but I was hoping that after we see Lee Young in his King getup (nice scene btw) that we’d get a glimpse at Ra On in her queenly outfit.

I do like that the King makes an effort for the would-be crown princess Ha Yeon (Chae Soo Bin) so that she can take her broken heart and find love elsewhere. I actually really liked Ha Yeon and thought she would have made a fine princess, which actually adds a bit of tension to the show. It would have been easy to hate her, but she is undeniably likable. In another show, she could have been the heroine.

Now, it is not to say that the end of this show is bad. It really isn’t. There is a satisfying comeuppance for those working against the crown and is all around about how you’d expect this show to end.

3. The Pacing

I think that this show is too long. By the time I hit episode 13, I really wondered how it was going to take 5 more episodes to resolve this. While there was certainly action-packed episodes, I think the last third of this drama dragged a bit. I am stoked they didn’t extend this to 20 episodes, but I think 16 would have been a bit tighter. These dramas have too much of the villains sitting around discussing evil plans. Naturally, I suppose, you need a balance to the happier storyline, but it did weigh down a bit for a minute there.

Hate:

Nothing really to hate, just a few missteps here and there.

So:

So...It may seem like I am complaining about this drama, but I honestly really enjoyed it. The characters are well-developed and interesting, the actors were all phenomenal, and the romance was well-written with chemistry to back it up. I have a few grudges with the way the show wrapped up, but it was a very entertaining and heart-warming (for the most part) watch. I definitely recommend this one.

Final Grade: B+