Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo vs. Moonlight Drawn By Clouds

Both Korean dramas Scarlet Heart Ryeo (SHR) and Moonlight Drawn By Clouds (MDBC) are both placed in the historical setting of Goryeo and have sadly come to an end. There are 3 major factors that make a drama awesome, these are: the storyline, camera work, and of course the acting of the cast.
So which drama wins?
*Please note this post is entirely based on my opinions

Storyline:
Tie
Even though I really like the storyline of SHR, it's a pretty common plot (girl travels through time and falls in love). The story would be a lot more unique and interesting if the drama focused more on the time travelling and differences between modern day Seoul and Goryeo.
MDBC is also a pretty common storyline where the female lead pretends to be a male. All in all both dramas have somewhat interesting storylines that aren't very original.

Camera Work:
Winner: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Personally I preferred the camera work/angles for this drama over MDBC. The colours and lighting also made a big difference, where Scarlet Heart focused on more colourful clothes and imagery and MDBC focused more on the accuracy of historical facts.

Acting:
Winner: Moonlight Drawn By Clouds.

Even though I LOVED Lee Joon-Gi and IU's acting, overall MDBC had better actors that played their characters more convincingly. I was honestly concerned how innocent Park Bo Gum was going to play an arrogant crown prince, however he pulled off the role so well. Kim Yoo Jung's acting was also very realistic making me forget sometimes that her character is a female.
Probably the biggest reason why I chose MDBC over Scarlet Heart is because EXO's Baekhyun's acting in the first couple of episodes were not the greatest (he did improve later on however).

FINAL WINNER:
.
.
Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Even though I really enjoyed watching MDBC (especially Park Bo Gum <3), I was drawn more to Scarlet Heart's storyline. Scarlet Heart made we want to watch the drama EVERYDAY whereas MDBC I only felt like watching it once every two weeks. I actually kinda wished I held off watching the episodes of Scarlet Heart as they came out so I could marathon the series instead; I forgot how much torture it was to wait for new episodes.

Feel free to comment below on if you agree or disagree

Time for some Fan service ;)

Your welcome

*all gifs and images used were taken from Google Images

Korean Dramas on TV

Now you can watch Korean dramas on TV in North America through the channel Omni2. The newest drama that will be airing on April 4th, 2016, is My Husband Got A Family aka You Who Rolled in Unexpectedly.
My Husband Got A Family is taking over the time slot (2pm every weekday) which was previously held by popular Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers.

Top 5 Most Underrated Korean Dramas

There are many Korean dramas that aren't well known but totally deserve to be; so I decided to list the top 5 most underrated Korean Dramas based off the dramas I have personally watched and loved.

1. D-Day

Plot:
A natural disaster strikes the city of Seoul. The whole city becomes paralyzed. Doctors and emergency personnel struggle to save the people. - AsianWiki

Actors:

Kim Young-Kwang (Pinocchio),  Jung So-Min (Playful Kiss), Lee Sungyeol (member of K-pop group, Infinite)

Thoughts:

Although some of the scenes can be a bit cheesy, the story line was very unique to average Korean dramas and the acting was excellent. If you are into watching medical/ world ending shows, this drama is a must watch!

2. Marriage, Not Dating

Plot:
A perfect man, Kong Ki-Tae (Yeon Woo-Jin), is forced to marry by his family, but he doesn't want to marry. To make his family give up, he introduces a woman, Joo Jang-Mi (Han Groo), to them that they would never accept. - AsianWiki

Actors:

Yeon Woo-Jin, Han Groo, Jinwoon (member of K-pop group, 2AM), Han Sun-Hwa (member of K-pop group, Secret)

Thoughts:

The two main leads have amazing chemistry which made me fall in love with both actors. The drama definitely lived up to its title as a romantic comedy; if you love that genre I recommend you watch it.
Warning:
It can get very addicting

3.Angry Mom

Plot:
When Jo Gang-Ja attended high school, she was notorious for fighting. She gave birth to her daughter A-Ran (Kim You-Jung) in her late teens and became more responsible. Her daughter A-Ran is now a high school student, but A-Ran is bullied at school. Jo Gang-Ja decides to become a high school student again to protect her daughter. - AsianWiki

Actors:

Kim Hee-Seon (Faith), Ji Hyun-Woo (Queen In-Hyun's Man), Kim You-Jung (Golden Rianbow), Baro (member of K-pop group, B1A4), Ji Soo (Cheer Up!), Lizzy (member of K-pop group, After School/Orange Caramel)

Thoughts:

Acting and story line was excellent, always had me on the edge of my seat with all the plot twists.
Warning:
You will fall in love with Ji Soo. I called him already!

4. Let's Eat

Plot:
A drama about the lives of four single people living on their own, hungry for food and love.

It will center around a 3-year divorcee experiencing things with the married and unmarried people a
round her. - Hancinema
Actors:
Lee Soo-Kyung (I Summon You, Gold!), Yoon Doo-Joon (member of K-pop group, Beast), Yoon So-Hee (Wild Chives and Soy Bean Soup), Shim Hyung-Tak (Ad Genius Lee Tae-Baek)
Warning:
Don't watch this drama on an empty stomach, it will cause cravings and severe hunger. Trust me you will regret it.

5. Gap Dong

Plot:

20 years ago Moo-Yeom’s (Yoon Sang-Hyun) father was a suspect in the "Gap Dong” serial murder case. Because of the detectives’ oppressive investigation, Moo-Yeom’s father killed himself.
Now, Moo-Yeom is a detective and works to capture the killer Gap Dong. The statue of limitations has expired for the serial murder case and Moo-Yeom resigns to the belief that Gap Dong is dead. New clues though for Gap Dong appears in front of Moo-Yeom and he sets out to catch him once and for all. - AsianWiki
Actors:
Yoon Sang-Hyun, Kim Min-Jung, Sung Dong-Il, Lee Joon, Kim Ji-Won
Thoughts:
Very intense thriller drama with many plot twists; cast was was also excellent.
Warning:
Lee Joon's smile may creep you out. Don't watch in a dark room alone at night.

Reply 1997 vs. 1994 vs. 1988

The three Reply series have been immensely popular and praised for the very accurate portrayal of life in those years (1997, 1994, 1988) in South Korea.
I will compare the three series and discuss the one I liked the most; these are my personal opinions so feel free to write your own in the comments.

Reply 1997

At first I thought the drama was pretty slow but it sure picked up and did not disappoint at all! The concept was very original and fresh. I loved how you did not know who the main girl's husband was right till the end of the drama. Apink's Eunji played the main female character and her acting was surprisingly very good, it also helped how relatable  her character was (fan-girling over all the idols). Overall I loved the show and recommend it to everyone.

Reply 1994

After loving Reply 1997 and finding out there would be another drama from the same series I was very excited. After watching the first couple of episodes I realized how different it was; yes you still had to guess who her husband was, but I found the characters weren't as lovable. I actually found the main female character extremely annoying so I stopped watching the drama.

Reply 1988

I was hesitant to watch this series just because I heard Girl's Day Hyeri was playing the main character and although I'm a fan of Girl's Day and Hyeri, I did not like her acting in some of the previous roles she played in dramas. However, after watching the drama I really started to like Hyeri's character as well as the other main characters. The many valuable lessons told in each episode as well as the portrayal of the lifestyle back in the day in Korea, made the show very interesting and fun to watch. The story focuses more on family and friends rather than just teen love, which makes the drama very refreshing and fun to watch.


Winner:

Overall I liked aspects from both the Reply 1997 and Reply 1988 series so it was really hard to decide which one I liked the most. However I would say Reply 1988 has been my favourite just because the characters are so likable and the drama never gets boring.
and how can you not love these boys...