Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo () is a South Korean television series based on the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin by Tong Hua. It aired from August 29 to November 1, 2016, on SBS, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST), for 20 episodes. The series received mixed reviews from critics. It recorded an average nationwide viewership rating of 7.6% per Nielsen Korea and 7.3% per TNMS, and was considered a failure against its production budget.
Synopsis During a total solar eclipse, a 25-year-old 21st-century woman, Go Ha-jin (Lee Ji-eun), is transported back in time, to the Goryeo period. She wakes up in the year of 941, in the body of Hae Soo, among the many princes of the ruling Wang family, during the reign of King Taejo. She initially falls in love with the gentle and warm-hearted 8th Prince Wang Wook (Kang Ha-neul), but later develops a relationship with Wang So (Lee Joon-gi), the fearsome 4th Prince, who hides his face behind a mask and is given the derogatory label of "wolf-dog". As the story develops, Hae Soo finds herself unwittingly caught up in the palace politics and the rivalry among the princes, as they fight for the throne.
Cast Main Lee Joon-gi as 4th Prince Wang So Hong Dong-young as young Wang So Initially known as the cruel and aloof one among the princes, he is both feared and misunderstood by those around him. He begins to change because of Hae Soo, who quickly realizes that his coldness is a front to hide his pain. Lee Ji-eun as Go Ha-jin / Hae Soo A 21st century girl who has had a painful life. She travels back in time to 10th century Goryeo. She is an optimistic girl and can't stand injustice. She becomes the first one to understand Wang So's pain and decides to help him. She cares deeply for her loved ones. She initially develops feelings for the 8th Prince, but later falls for the 4th Prince. Kang Ha-neul as 8th Prince Wang Wook A good man who cares deeply for the people around him. His kind charms make Hae Soo fall for him. However, his position places him as a rival to Wang So for both love and the throne.
Supporting Princes Kim San-ho as Crown Prince Wang Mu The oldest prince. Hong Jong-hyun as 3rd Prince Wang Yo The clever and ambitious older brother of Wang So who has his eyes on the throne. Yoon Sun-woo as 9th Prince Wang Won A conceited, proud, and narcissistic royal who aids Yo and Wook in their pursuit for the throne. Byun Baek-hyun as 10th Prince Wang Eun A mischievous and playful royal with a lively but annoyingly childish personality who becomes Hae Soo's first friend in Goryeo. Nam Joo-hyuk as 13th Prince Wang Baek-ah One of Hae Soo's friends and a romantic playboy is known for his refined and aristocratic manners. He is very good-looking and has a deep love for music and arts. Ji Soo as 14th Prince Wang Jung The youngest Prince who has a crush on Hae Soo and befriends her, also stays by her side until she dies. As per her last wish, Wang Jung then raises Hae Soo and Wang So's daughter.
Goryeo Imperial family Jo Min-ki as Wang Geon, King Taejo Founder of the Goryeo Dynasty. Park Ji-young as Queen Yoo Taejo's 3rd Queen and a mother to Wang Yo, Wang So and Wang Jung. Jung Kyung-soon as Queen Hwangbo Taejo's 4th Queen and mother of Wang Wook and Princess Yeon-hwa. She was accused of causing Court Lady Oh's miscarriage. Kang Han-na as Princess Yeon-hwa Wang Wook's full younger sister and Wang So's future wife.
Women around the princes Park Si-eun as Lady Hae Myung-hee Wang Wook's wifeFor creative license; Wang Wook's actual wife was Lady Yu (later "Queen Seonui" as her husband was posthumously named like a King). Lady Yu's heritage is complicated (as a result of Taejo's policy): Father / father-in-law: King Taejo Mother: Queen Jeongdeok Mother-in-law / step-mother: Queen Sinjeong Husband / half older-brother: Wang Uk and Hae Soo's sixth cousin. Jin Ki-joo as Chae-ryung Hae Soo's servant and friend, who loves the 9th Prince, Wang Won. Seohyun as Woo-hee A gisaeng, who is the last Princess of Later Baekje and Baek-ah's lover. Ji Hye-ran as Park Soon-deok Park Soo-kyung's daughter and Wang Eun's wife.
Others Kim Sung-kyun as Choi Ji-mong The king's astronomer. Crown Prince Wang Mu's friend. Sung Dong-il as Grand General Park Soo-kyung Soon-deok's father and Wang So's right-hand man. Woo Hee-jin as Court Lady Oh Soo-yeon Head of the Damiwon Palace, King Taejo's one true love and Hae Soo's mentor, who is a mother-like figure to her. Choi Byung-mo as Park Young-gyu, Wang Yo's father-in-law Park Jung-hak as Wang Sik-ryeom, King Taejo's cousin Kim Kang-il as a member of the Shinju Kang clan
Special appearances Byeon Woo-seok as Go Ha-jin's ex-boyfriend (Ep. 3) Jang Hae-min as Go Ha-jin's friend (Ep. 3) Park Kwi-soon as the Chief Monk of the temple where the tongueless monks reside (Ep. 3) Oh Yoo-mi as court lady (Ep. 10) as Lady Gyeonghwa Crown Prince Wang Mu's daughter who later become Wang So's second wife and consort (Ep. 14) as Hae Soo and Wang So's daughter (Ep. 20) Kim Do-hye as Bok-soon, Wang Wook's daughter (Ep. 20)In this series, Bok-soon meets her uncle, Baek-Ah (Nam Joo-hyuk) in the end episode which she'll became the future Queen Heonjeong based on Heonjeong who met her half uncle, Anjong of Goryeo and later had love affair with him.
Production Development On June 25, 2015, director Kim Kyu-tae and his production company, BaramiBunda Inc., announced that they were in the early stages of making a Korean version of the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin by Tong Hua. YG Entertainment and NBC Universal invested in the series, with the latter covering half of the budget of ₩15 billion.
The Chinese streaming platform Youku bought Moon Lovers at $400,000 per episode, making it the most expensive Korean drama ever sold, surpassing the records previously set by Descendants of the Sun (2016) and Uncontrollably Fond (2016), which were sold to China for $250,000 per episode. The record was beaten a few months later by Man to Man (2017).
Casting On November 11, 2015 it was announced that Lee Joon-gi had been offered the male lead part of Wang So. The actor confirmed his participation in the project on January 4, 2016, and the same day it was announced that singer-actress Lee Ji-eun had accepted the part of the female lead. The first script reading took place four days later.
Production The jewels in the drama were all created by Jung Jae-in of Minhwi Art Jewelry, and Lee Ji-eun herself designed the hairpin with the peony gifted by Wang So to the female lead. Artist Lee Hoo-chang designed and supervised the production of the over one hundred masks for the drama.
Filming
Filming, which lasted five months, began in February 2016 at the Yoseonjeong pavilion and the Yoseon-am rocks in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, ending in the early hours of July 1, when Lee Ji-eun filmed her last scene from episode 20. Lee Joon-gi ended his part on June 30 on the set in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Other locations include Baekje Cultural Center, Naju Image Theme Park, Ondal Tourist Park in Danyang County, North Chungcheong; Unjusa and Man-yeonsa temples in Hwasun County; Saseong-am Hermitage on Mount Osan in Gurye County; Wolhwawon garden in the Hyowon park in Suwon; Seyeonjeong pavilion on Bogil island, Cheonjuho lake in the Pocheon Art Valley, Miryang lake, Ban-gok lake, Seon-gyojang residence in Gangneung and the hanok complex of the Nampyeong Moon family in Daegu.
Original soundtrack
Charted songs
Title Year Peak chart positions Sales Remarks KORGaon "For You"(Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin (EXO)) 2016 KOR: 597,426Cumulative sales for "For You":
"Say Yes"(Loco, Punch) KOR: 274,375Cumulative sales for "Say Yes":
"I Love You, I Remember You"(I.O.I) KOR: 124,584Cumulative sales for "I Love You, I Remember You":
"Forgetting You"(Davichi) KOR: 420,017Cumulative sales for "Forgetting You":
"All With You"(Taeyeon (Girls' Generation)) KOR: 145,189Cumulative sales for "All With You":
"Can You Hear My Heart"(Epik High ft. Lee Hi) KOR: 254,899Cumulative sales for "Can You Hear My Heart":
"A Lot Like Love"(Baek A-yeon) KOR: 131,894Cumulative sales for "A Lot Like Love":
"I Confess"(SG Wannabe) KOR: 49,174 Part 8"Will Be Back"(Sunhae Im) KOR: 23,081 Part 9"My Love"(Lee Hi) 19 KOR: 151,632Cumulative sales for "My Love": Part 10"Wind"(Jung Seung-hwan) 49 KOR: 80,613Cumulative sales for "Wind": Part 11"Be With You"(Akdong Musician) 20 KOR: 146,815Cumulative sales for "Be With You": Part 12
Title Album details Peak chart position Sales KOR Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo OST Released: October 25, 2016 Label: CJ E&M Formats: CD, digital download 12 KOR: 9,870 CHN: 4,974,181+
Release
On August 27, 2016, two days before the airing of the series, South Korean channel SBS aired a one-hour preview containing a historical introduction presented by History professor Seol Min-seok, behind the scenes and interviews with the actors. A second special episode, containing the historical introduction already presented in the August preview and a summary of the first seven episodes, was broadcast on September 14, for the Chuseok.
The 20-episode drama officially started from August 29 on Mondays and Tuesdays, simultaneously in China, Hong Kong, Australia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia, airing the first two episodes back to back, and ended on November 1, 2016. On September 3, SBS aired the first three episodes again in the Director's Cut version following the audience's observations on the soundtrack and the presence of too many characters which were considered a source of distraction.
Reception
Critical response After the premiere, audience reviews were mixed, with the adaptation, the soundtrack, the photography, and Lee Joon-gi's acting being praised, while Byun Baek-hyun's performances received criticism. Lee Ji-eun's performance received mixed reviews: some critics believed the actress was doing a good job despite the frequent mood changes from one scene to the other, while others believed that director Kim Kyu-tae's trademark close-ups revealed her lack of emotion.
While for Kim Yoo-jin of TenAsia the drama's brevity compared to the Chinese counterpart and the rapid pace weren't sufficient to introduce each character, for MediaUs the first two episodes established good connections between the characters through rapid development, suggesting however that, if Moon Lovers had focused on the power struggles of the early Goryeo Dynasty "instead of setting up the Goryeo version of Boys Over Flowers," it would have received a positive response from male viewers interested in political dramas. According to Lee Woong of Yonhap News, the first part of the drama, which highlighted the love triangle and had almost all conflicts stemming from Queen Yoo's pathological love for Wang Yo, made the entire series too fragile. There were also doubts about the plausibility of the developments, such as the historical knowledge of the female lead, and that Wang So's scar could be covered with makeup.
With the 10th episode, the mood of the drama changed with the beginning of the power struggle over the throne among the princes, and the development of a three-dimensionality in characters considered "flat and dull" until that moment: Yonhap News again wrote that "IU has shed her comic acting and grasped Hae Soo's emotions in front of a tragic fate. Wang Wook, who has failed to win love and is anxious to choose power for the survival of his family, has become a tragic but empathetic real person." Lee Seung-rok of MyDaily also noted that after turning to tragedy in the second half, the acting, directing and writing had found stability, contributing to the increase in ratings.