#lovers of the red sky

[wellthisissomething]

AI-Less Whumptober Day 18 - Hypnotized/Possessed

Enigma - Ep. 4

Lovers of the Red Sky - Ep. 13

Guardian - Ep. 13

The Last Immortal - Ep. 23

Sell Your Haunted House - Ep. 11

Yin Yang Master: Dream of Eternity

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[icedsodapop]

Recurring trend in the recent slate of Korean dramas where the disability of the protagonists is cured. Examples I can also remember off the top of my head is Lovers of the Red Sky, which was frustrating becos the male lead's disability was not cured in the original novel the kdrama was adapted from, and Uncanny Counter.

[dayscapism]

K-Dramas recommendations & short reviews

Because I've watched way too many to not make a list. Warning: I like romance and fantasy a bit too much.

These shows made me cry. 10/10. Five stars. Recommend to anyone. They live in my mind rent-free:

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) - Attorney Woo is such a wonderful person, I love her character. I can't say much about the representation, but I like that it opens up the conversation around autism & neurodivergence, discrimination and prejudice, particularly in work environments. I rarely like shows about law or lawyers but I was surprisingly engaged with the cases and the story. It deserves a second season. (The only thing I don't like about this show is they're pushing for a MinWoo and Choi Su-Yeon ship. Which huh--disrespectful.)

Hotel Del Luna (2019) - A great place to start with k-dramas if you like paranormal fantasy. This show has such a special place in my heart. I wanted a different ending but I am okay with it because it was a tight narrative. The main character is iconic (Man-Wol please step on me). The show has amazing sets, AMAZING costumes, an amazing OST, amazing and heartbreaking performance by Yeo Jin Goo. The main couple is so soft; like they're such good friends and coworkers and gentle with each other (eventually). It's enemies to reluctant friends to lovers. It's perfect for asexual viewers who want more than physicality in their romance shows. Cons: the secondary characters' goodbyes and backstories left a little to be desired. A few other nitpicks like Chang-Seong is the one to suggest the main character a new hobby instead of her just discovering it by herself.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) - Also a good place to start with k-dramas. This show is a lesson in good narrative; this has perfect writing & storytelling. The cast is so good. The female lead is an icon. The character work I excellent. The mental health issues are so well addressed and it taught me a lot about mental health I wasn't aware of. Each small minor character plays a very important thematic role. (The villain isn't the best thing ever but she serves her role in the themes and plot.) The production and the storytelling with the children's book animations are just *heart eyes*. The OST is so good too. You need to watch this to understand how good a k-dramas can be. A must-watch.

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016) - This is the most iconic fantasy/paranormal k-drama ever. A lot of current tropes were started here I think (including the weird k drama last-episode time jump separation of the main couple). This show broke me. You will cry. The bromance and comedy are amazing here too. Gong Yoo and Dong Wook Lee have great chemistry. Main female lead is so cute and her character is so heartwarming. The ending felt a bit rushed. The death, existential related stuff with the grim reapers and such is so good tho.

Business Proposal (2022) - Best rom-com ever! (Well, it could be gayer tbh.) It's my new comfort show. I already watched it twice. It's campy, hilarious, chaotic, iconic and messy in a way that feels like real life (but obviously played up for drama and comedy). Excellent character work. The love interest is definitely written by a woman. Gorgeous cast (Sejeon omg I have a crush, but also the others). It was too short! I would have loved another episode, and more of Grandpa and Ha-Ri. Warning: this has the weird kdrama last-episode time jump couple separation.

W: Two Worlds (2016) - A young resident medic accidentally finds her way inside the webcomic her father created. Like, that premise is killer. We have Lee Jong Suk at his finest here; the character fits him so well. He was born to play a lead. This show has amazing meta-commentary on writing, authorship, and existential crisis. The confrontation between the webcomic character Kang Cheol and the author is insane! The main couple is an epic pair. Would rewatch. High wump value. Cons: The second part could have been more swoony with the romance, Kang Cheol kind of became a bit cold. (A warning: this show also has the k drama weird last-episode time jump couple separation.)

Would recommend with popcorn, I rate them 8/10:

Crash Landing on You (2019) - Really good. The main couple has the best chemistry I've ever seen. It's not that much of a personal fave show, but still pretty awesome and will tug at your heart. It got a bit overly dramatic in the last episodes and again, has that k-drama last episode weird time jump couple separation, but here it actually makes sense. And sort of mirrors the separation and eventual unification of the Korean Peninsula. It was very interesting to see the contrast between North and South Korea.

Shooting Stars (2022) - Aside from the terrible, horrible, insulting Africa storyline (where the male lead goes to 'help' African kids with water scarcity, not even a country name is called, he just goes to *gestures vaguely* Africa to help goddammit he's such a beautiful soul! /s) There's a weird creepy sugar mommy wannabe side storyline and it's weird and out of nowhere. But the rest of it is good and campy and the main characters are so cute. All the couples are cute. The male lead is a cute disaster. Female lead is also a capable cutey but a disaster when it comes to romance. It's hilarious. I love all characters. It's fun. It's great. It shows a very interesting side of the entertainment industry.

While You Were Sleeping (2017) - A man and a woman who don't know each other have precognition powers and after they meet, they use them to take down a corrupt lawyer. The show isn't very heavy on the romance, tough the pair work pretty well together. I liked the main actress. Lee Jong Suk has chemistry with anyone. The male role was not exactly a good fit for Jong Suk. He's so much more naturally charming than the character. It's a fun show to pass the time. The found family is nice and all the characters work great together. The mom is great.

The King's Affection (2021) - I'm going to be honest, I didn't finish watching this. Ups. I got bored after episode 15. It's a very slow show but what I watched was quite good. It was just not a show for me. Having a bisexual male lead was awesome, I appreciate that he falls for the main character while he thinks she's a man. (Could be gayer tho, just saying.) Pretty good discussions and reversals of gender cliches. It has complicated parent-child relationships that are very well written which gives a lot of heart and heartbreak to this story. The political stuff gets very convoluted. I really wish the queer part was bigger though, and not limited to the main couple. We could even have poly representation! I still have half a mind to finish this but I don't know There are so many other shows I'd rather watch instead. (Boy, I really need to get into the actually queer side of k-dramas because the side I'm currently on is giving me crumbs.)

Lovers of the Red Sky (2021) - The premise was so cool. This has so much lore I like and the setting is beautiful and rich, but it also has so much lost potential. The plot is very weak in the second half and could be restructured. I loved the atmosphere, costumes and the actors and their characters: the blind cursed scholar nobleman, the female genius cheeky painter and her friend trio and the prince are all great characters. Ahn Hyo Seop is pretty good in it and looks very pretty indeed in historical costume (but the design of the villain creature he's possessed/cursed with is so, so bad omg). Great premise failed execution. Good first half but it went over the rails quickly. Still entertaining if you like historical fantasy.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) - It's a bit slow and could have done so much more with the female lead and her child. She's a bit underwhelming and her daughter is barely in the story. The second female character played by Jeong Eu-Gene was awesome, I love this actress now. Lee Jung Suk is always looking hot and being an excellent actor with what he's given; he's very charming here. He could have chemistry with a piece of wood and yet I wasn't that fan of the romance. Maybe it's just because friends to lovers isn't my cup of tea. There's a weird out-of-nowhere backstory between the male leads. The commentary of ageism in the workplace is a bit surface level (it's not that big of a deal for the company if you're overqualified for a job, the point should be that is an issue for you and your career, who is too good for the company). You can tell the writers really care about books; it's definitely a love letter to editors and an interesting window into the world of book publishing; you can feel the love editors put into making books. Bonus: the founding members of the publishing company have very funny moments.

Do no recommend:

King: Eternal Monarch - Couldn't even finish this. I was so, so confused. The dialogue, narrative and backstory make no sense! Everything is so unnecessarily confusing. There's no chemistry between the main couple. The king and the bodyguard had more chemistry. Lee Jung-Jin (playing the villain Lee Lim) & Woo Do-Hwan (the bodyguard) carried this show and are pretty much the only thing good about it. The female lead is sidelined. It had an intriguing premise but failed execution.

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim - Skimmed most of the second half. It's a mess. The love interest CEO is such a narcissist and asshole he wouldn't be able to keep a working, healthy relationship with his partner without some serious therapy first. The female lead seems to be repulsed by him most of the time even when together and even looks scared when they get intimate. There's an unnecessarily convoluted plotline about the main lead's brother and a kidnapping in their past. It has tonal issues and it's cringy rather than funny. The secondary characters are just a lot of useless filler. The female lead sacrifices her independence and dreams to be with the main guy. Just go watch Business Proposal instead.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - The only pro of this show is IU. The romance went the undeveloped route. Cheap-looking production, with too many episodes, melodramatic, characters pivot in place instead of naturally developing; it's definitely a telenovela. The point that the female lead is from the future doesn't even matter for the story (should have made her a Goryeo historian instead of a random cosmetologist). Pass!

Tomorrow - Could not finish watching. Please, please don't watch it if you're dealing with depression, bullying or suicidal thoughts. Please don't. By episode 2 I was just screaming at the screen. Problematic? This show invented the word problematic. The supernatural task force that's supposed to save people with suicide risk is terrible at therapy and suicide prevention. They tell the person trying to commit suicide, literally on the edge of a building about to jump, that they should do it, that they're weak, they should just jump, go ahead! Like ... what????

Mystic Pop Up Bar - Didn't capture me by episode 2. Got bored. Some say this is better than Hotel Del Luna but I don't agree.

Abyss - It's a weird tonal mix. Would have preferred if it leaned further into the absurd (go all in with the humour or don't at all), the sci-fi or the murder mystery. Instead of just revealing by episode 3 who the murderer is, quickly changing the plot into a chase after the villain, even though he's so lame. But also he is keeps killing people and it gets dark. And then we cut to the main couple being silly and cute. It's so jarring. The leads have a great dynamic and Ahn Hyo Seop knows how to differentiate his characters really well, give them their own flavour., but in the end it's just a cool premise, failed execution. Very average.

Currently watching:

The Crowned Clown - Very interesting concept and gorgeous, gorgeous visuals. Plot drags a little. Has some tonal problems and oversimplification of politics. The best part is when Yeo Jin-Goo acts with himself haha. He's such a talented actor.

The Uncanny Counter - Get's a bit melodramatic sometimes but all four main actors are insanely good.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed - The main romantic relationship needs a lot more development, but the entire show is worth watching just for Dong Wook Lee and Kim Bum as brothers.

Alchemy of Souls - 6/10 so far. Currently watching season 2/part 2. Aside from the prince, I don't particularly care for any of the characters. Unpopular opinion but the main romantic pair have no chemistry. Mu-Deok has more chemistry with Yul and the prince, and the prince has more chemistry with Jang-Uk. The lore is confusing and inconsistent: it breaks its own rules. (Two souls in one body what?? when was this established as a thing?) There's not enough foreshadowing and setting up the rules of magic in this world (the Ice Stone comes up as a deux ex mahcina big plot point in the last second). It also drags; the episodes are too long. There's a lot of saying and ultimately the show doesn't deliver. The narrative structure is straight out of a fantasy Wattpad. The set and costumes are fun and cool for a fantasy world, and the first episode was great.  

[pauljjak]

[youknowihavenochingu]

Historical fantasy dramas 🌌

Mr Queen

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Alchemy of Souls

Kingdom

Lovers Of The Red Sky

Chicago Typewriter

Splash Splash Love

Faith

[convenientalias]

I watched some Lovers of the Red Sky today and remembered the old feels. Drawing with a friend, we challenged ourselves to only sketch with a pencil for five minutes before drawing solely in pen. As a result, this sketch has some very rough energy to it, but I tried my best to create believable outlines and not get too disjointed.

The funny thing is, I've drawn an image from this scene before--but not the same moment. It was this picture from two years ago:

Personally I think I've gotten better since then--I think my new picture is more dynamic and easier to read. But when I showed my parents both pictures, they immediately guessed the one with Cheon-gi nursing Ha-ram was the newer one... I guess super bold pens don't impress everyone! I love a super bold pen myself :D (Also, the older one had no limit on how long I could use pencil and eraser... I had a lot more time to work the outlines out.)

[asiandramasource]

Hong Cheon Ki (Lovers of the Red Sky, Episode 4)

[staydandy]

Lovers of the Red Sky (2021) - 홍천기 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Set during the Dan dynasty era when ghosts, demons and gods are involved in human life. The story begins with the blind daughter of a painter, Hong Cheon Ki, and Ha Ram, a child born with the energy of water. It's during a rain-bringing ritual where their fates are reversed; a Demon King enters Ha Ram's body, who was sacrificed in order to make rain. Ha Ram comes back to life with his sight lost, while Cheon Ki miraculously gains her sight. Now, 19 years later, Cheon Ki is a talented painter, and Ha Ram has become an astrologer. After Cheon Ki and Ha Ram reunite, they fall for each other, but the duo is sucked into the machinations of the royal court, particularly those involving two princes: the free-spirited Prince Yang Myung and the cruel, scheming Prince Joo Hyang. Their relationship is further disturbed because Ha Ram is possessed by the Demon and Cheon Ki is the divine painter tasked with making the vessel in which the Demon must be sealed. (MDL) AKA : Red Sky

Whumpee : Ha Ram played by Ahn Hyo Seop

Country : 🇰🇷 South Korea Genres : Historical, Romance, Fantasy

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from the novel "Hong Chun Ki" (홍천기) by Jung Eun Gwol (정은궐) • My favorite episodes are pink : 00

Episodes on List : 13 Total Episodes : 16

*Spoilers below*

01 : [kid] Falls into the lake, drowning, possessed, blinded, passed out

02 : (near end) Head pain.. possessed

03 : … continued from previous ep. ... (replay) Head pain.. possessed … [while possessed] in a fight, tied up in a tree, passes out … [back to normal] wakes up in the tree, falls out, unconscious.. carried/dragged.. sick, nightmare … migraine, tries to stand, collapses, passes out

06 : Migraine, passes out, nightmare … trips & falls

08 : Neck is cut … migraine, collapses, possessed

09 : … continued from previous ep. ... Possessed, passes out

10 : Small panic attack … possessed … knocked out

11 : Arrested, imprisoned … punches a wall till his knuckles bleed

12 : Possessed, passes out, pale as death

13 : Grabs a sword blade with his hands; cut … stomach pain … tied up … possessed … stabbed

14 : … continued from previous ep. ... (replay) Stabbed … passes out

15 : Collapses in shock … in pain as the demon fights for possession … in pain, falls off his horse, passes out … pain, collapses

16 : … continued from previous ep. ... Pain, fighting against possession … possessed … passes out

More Whump Lists for this show: love-me-a-lotta-whump

[chaoticpersontale]

Lovers of the red sky

[dramashutup]

My goblin monkey brain gets bored and/or distracted too easily watching dramas, like I've been in situations where I say I soooo love a drama after watching two or five episodes of it and then gets too busy to continue and/or my monkey brain can't be bothered to pick up anymore

So it's considered a big success for me when i can cling and am still interested in a drama for 10 episodes continuously and not only looking for its spoilers on tumblr lol

List of dramas I've either dropped out of drained brain juice and/or not enough time and/or just can't be bothered, in no particular order (some not listed here are the ones i forgot that i watched and then dropped lol)

1. Joseon Attorney (im sorry Woo Do Hwan i loved you in The King and Mad Dog 🥺)

2. Tell Me That You Love Me (plsss i loved the first two episodes sm and then i couldn't be bothered to continue it idek don't ask)

3. Call It Love (i uhh...i love the lethargic vibe but my brain couldn't brain the gloom)

4. Dr. Romantic 3 (okay i didn't drop this completely. It took me a while to watch it again. I did it for Kim Min Jae yh)

5. Vincenzo (idk why)

6. A Shop for Killers (look i watched this until ep6 and then my brain juice decided to say goodbye to me)

7. Moving (look i loved this one. But i very nearly dropped it for good after that one hiatus and then my sister got me to finish it with her) (just a little disappointed Kang Hoon was still alone in the end)

8. Tomorrow (im sorry Rowoon my brain juice couldn't be bothered idk i think it's got to do with the momentum. I kept looking up Joong Gil and Goo Ryeon spoilers tho lol)

9. Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist (i didn't finish season 2. Or maybe i didn't even pay attention to season 2 i can't remember what happens in that season lmao. I just wanted the two mains to be happy)

10. Today's Webtoon (sorry Sejeong-ah i love you in BP and Busted)

11. Lovers of the Red Sky (the momentum. Yh I'm pretty sure it's because of that. I love both of the leads in other dramas)

12. Daily Dose of Sunshine. (Too sad. Hits too close to home)

This list goes back to 2021. Doesn't mean i watched all the rest of the dramas that i didn't list lol

[mycloudymind]

Lovers Of the Red Sky

Hong Cheon Gi and Ha Ram 😭

"Is there a reason you can't forget that boy"?

"Perhaps it is because of the stars in the sky".

[memoirsofacollegestudent98]

Espero que mis pensamientos provengan de mis inseguridades y no porque ojo de loca no se equivoca.

[whisperarctic]

[bonniehooper]

Top Picks of 2023

My Top 20 New Favorite Actors - #5: Ahn Hyo-seop

Introduction to Him: Business Proposal

[pauljjak]

Numéro Tokyo - December 2023 issue

Ahn Hyoseop

[crishel2]

Ahn Hyo Seop 💕 14/09/23

Ahn Hyo Seop atualiza Instagram @ahnhyoseop_archive @imhyoseop Agradeço por tornar a Torre Taipei 101 quente!

Obrigado aos fãs que vieram ao local. Definitivamente vou me lembrar do apoio apaixonado de todos hoje, até à próxima :) #ATimeCalledYou

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxLNBg4JKGj/?igshid=NjIwNzIyMDk2Mg==