Kdrama Review: Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (AKA Historical Gender-Bender Young Love)

Ah, I haven’t reviewed a Korean drama in ages! It’s good to be back to watching the best genre of TV in the world. I’ve been sick recently, so I’ve had plenty of time to watch, and chose the well-reviewed “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” also translated “Love in the Moonlight.”


“Moonlight” is a historical drama set in the Joseon era, in which a girl disguised as a man is recruited as a eunuch in the palace, the Crown Prince hopes to teach his little sister’s secret admirer a lesson, and the King is constantly manipulated by the sly nobles of the court. The Prince’s only friend is his cool, butt-kicking bodyguard, though he quickly becomes entangled with his new “eunuch.” The grandson of the most conniving noble family also finds himself attracted to the effeminate eunuch, who only has eyes for the Prince. And behind it all is a foggy back-story of a failed rebellion.

This drama aired in 2016 and has eighteen episodes, plus a nineteenth behind-the-scenes-and-highlights episode. It’s beautifully costumed and the music is wonderful! It was well acted, mixing young romance with the dramas of court life. And so while I understand why it was received well, it didn’t rock my world. I think there are a few small reasons for this, adding up to a “Nice, but not phenomenal” conclusion for me.

Part of my mediocre feelings stem from my personal preference on romance. For a short time at the beginning of this drama, Female Lead “Eunuch” doesn’t know the Crown Prince is royalty, and assumes he’s just another pompous noble. This allows for some great, witty scenes of her teasing him and him seeking revenge – I love it!

However, once the Prince reveals his rank, the romance changes. Most of the drama is the two of them simply smiling at each other, looking into each other’s eyes, not saying much. Or the Prince wrist-grabbing, suddenly leaning into her personal space, ordering her to stay near him, etc. Her response is always that doe-eyed look of shock and innocence, which is apparently attractive. I lost interest until somebody tried to kill one of them, then things got exciting again!

“Moonlight” also didn’t feel very real. Though it’s set in the Joseon era, most of the plot felt modern. (I mean, the two most powerful young men in the country both fell for the same woman, who was disguised as a male servant. Really?) Characters that die may or may not be dead later. The back-story had some mystery, but the audience was clued in on answers long before most of the characters found out, and flashbacks weren’t frequent enough to keep up any suspense.

I’ve seen back-story done better. I’ve seen “The Little Mermaid” motif done better. I’ve seen realism and grit done better. I’ve seen unequal-power-balance-romance done better. Not that this drama did these things poorly, just that it didn’t do anything especially new or excellent.

Overall, this drama was fluffy and fun, and a lot of people loved it, though I think it’s average kdrama fare.


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