For my thirty-sixth drama and first historical Korean drama, I chose The Moon That Embraces the Sun 해를 품은 달. I caught interest in this drama when I learned Kim Soo Hyun would take the main lead in The Moon That Embraces the Sun after his success in Dream High. Han Ga In's guest appearance on Running Man was another main factor for wanting to watch this drama. Jin Ji Hee, who played Hyeri from High Kick Through the Roof, take the role of the young princess in this drama. All of the actors and actresses are phenomenal in their roles. Although most of the cast is new to me, it doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed this drama.
Set during the Joseon dynasty, Lee Hwon (Kim Soo Hyun) is the Crown Prince set to inherit the throne. Hwon has no interest in being a prince and would rather have his brother Yang Myung (Jung Il Woo) become the Crown Prince in his stead. However, Myung is an illegitimate child and cannot become the heir. One day, Hwon tries to climb over the palace walls for some fun. He meets Heo Yeonwoo (Han Ga In), whose father holds a position in the royal court and whose brother becomes Hwon's teacher. Both Hwon and Yeonwoo fall in love with each other at first sight. Unbeknownst to Hwon, his brother Myung is also in love with Yeonwoo. There are those in the court who are jealous of her family's position in the royal court, led by Lord Yun. Lord Yun tries to solidify his political power by pushing his daughter, Bokyung (Kim Min Seo), to become the Crown Princess. When Lord Yun finds his actions to be futile, he orders the Chief Shaman to kill Yeonwoo with black magic. Instead, the shaman fakes Yeonwoo's death to help her escape the palace. Yeonwoo loses her memory from the shock of being buried alive. Eight years later, Hwon is still unable to forget Yeonwoo. leaving Bokyung embittered with jealousy. Hwon meets Yeonwoo again, as an unnamed shaman. He decides to name her Wol. Yeonwoo returns to the palace, unrecognizable and as the shaman named Wol. Her presence shakes up the court as Hwon and Myung find themselves inexplicably falling in love with her again. When Yeonwoo's memories, she has every intent to reclaim her rightful position as the queen and bring those who wronged her to light.
As someone who is Chinese, watching a historical Korean drama is extremely fascinating. There are similarities between the two Asian cultures because they have the same roots. All the nobles and royal family members read and write in Chinese characters, called Hanja. However, there is also Hangul written in places outside the palace walls. This refers to the history behind the development of the Hangul system, which was designed for commoners to be able to read and write. Although it isn't obvious to a non-Korean like myself, the spoken language used in this drama is also consistent with ancient Korean times. The concept of yin and yang is mentioned in numerous ways in The Moon That Embraces the Sun. The title of the drama refers to the golden phoenix hairpin that the queens and crown princesses wear. The hairpin features a phoenix wearing a white moon and embracing the scarlet sun. The moon, representing yin, refers to a woman and the sun, representing yang, refers to a man. I thought it was interesting how Hwon renames Yeonwoo as Wol. Wol is another word for moon. In a subtle way, this signifies Yeonwoo's title as the true queen. The shamans in The Moon That Embraces the Sun are really interesting. Their ability to see into the spirit world is really interesting. The shamans are able to spiritually see Lee Hwon and Yang Myung as the two suns and Yeonwoo and Bokyung as the two moons. Since there can only be one sun and one moon together, the drama sets up the main love story very well from the beginning. One of the most amusing things to watch is when Wol confuses her past memories as supposed newfound spiritual powers. It brings some comic relief to an otherwise tragic drama. My favorite character in The Moon That Embraces the Sun is easily Seol. Seol is really fun to watch and I'm really glad that her character is interested in swordsmanship. Han Ga In's portrayal of Yeonwoo is well done and quite possibly the only suitable choice for the role. Kim Soo Hyun's performance is interesting too because his role as a Joseon king is completely different from a student in Dream High. His acting in The Moon That Embraces the Sun is one that further proves his skill as a great actor.
Like many of the other dramas I watched, I chose to watch The Moon That Embraces the Sun after listening to the soundtrack. Most notable song is of course, Lyn's "Back in Time 시간을 거슬러". Kim Soo Hyun lends his vocals to the soundtrack with the song "The One and Only You 그대 한 사람". Another good track is "Moonlight is Setting 달빛이 지고" which was used as an ending theme in the early episodes.
The Moon That Embraces the Sun is my first historical Korean drama. As far as historical Asian dramas goes, I have only seen Chinese dramas. Unfortunately, I cannot make a complete comparison between Chinese and Korean historical dramas. The Chinese dramas I watched were more focused on martial arts clans, whereas The Moon That Embraces the Sun is more focused on the royal family. This drama displays a good exposure to ancient Korean culture, in a better way than dramas such as Goong and My Princess where a young girl finds out she is a modern-day princess. The Moon That Embraces the Sun is one of the most beautifully written dramas I've ever seen. I highly recommend watching The Moon That Embraces the Sun. The story is well written with a deep plot and an amazing cast that should appeal well to a wide audience.
