Moon River was the kdrama that I was really excited to watch because of Kim Sejeong. The woman she is. I just love her. I have been watching her since she was an idol and used to perform in I.O.I. She’s one of those artist who can do everything – sing, dance, act, and make it look effortless. Plus, the characters she usually plays in the drama are usually strong, confident, funny, chaotic, and a little badass, which automatically makes me want to watch anything she’s in.
Recently, I had just finished watching ‘Spirit Fingers’, and oh my god, it had me giggling like a teenager, and a stomach full of butterflies. Definitely, a good watch. After that, there was actually quite a list of dramas that I had wanted to watch, like Dynamite Kiss because I recently watched Genie, Make a Wish, Lee Jae Wook’s Last Summer, Dear X, and of course, Moon River.
While Dear X was my first choice but after I looked into it a bit more, I realized it leaned heavily into darker themes – negativity, mental stress, and emotional trauma. And honestly? I just wasn’t in the right headspace for something that heavy at that time. I wanted something a little light, fun, and chaotic drama in a good way, like ‘Spirit Fingers’.
So, I settled for Moon River, after seeing its trailer being funny, messy, and full of humor. Plus, of course, Kim Sejeong.
Synopsis:
Joseon Crown Prince Lee Gang (Kang Tae Oh) is known by many as an unserious, pleasure-seeking man, but he uses this facade to mask his deep pain from losing his beloved wife. While his mother tries to find him a new spouse, he’s dismissive of her attempts, only wishing to pursue revenge.
His life takes a turn when he runs into Park Dal I (Kim Se Jeong), a merchant with amnesia who bears a startling resemblance to his wife. Although Dal I and Lee Gang’s first meeting goes poorly, they soon find themselves as unlikely allies helping those in need. However, the two awaken one morning to the shock of a lifetime: they’ve swapped bodies. As Lee Gang and Dal I try to figure out how this happened, they uncover political conspiracies and dangerous secrets – and that their connection might run deeper than they think.
Red Thread of Fate
First of all, I love the whole red thread of fate concept personally and this being used in Moon River was not expected. Basically, it comes from Chinese folklore, the idea that an invisible red cord connects two people who are destined to be soulmates, no matter the time, place, or circumstances. And, I’m such a sucker for these kinds of fate-driven stories.
This was also my first time seeing this concept being used in a kdrama, which made me even more excited. From the moment it was introduced, I was fully invested and curious to see how the story would unfold and how the drama would actually play around with this idea.
But then… came the disappointment. I was honestly let down by how little the writers actually did with this concept. It felt like it was introduced only at the beginning, just enough to explain what the red thread is. It was being used with a minimum requirement, and the writers never really explored or made a plot regarding this concept in depth.
Episodes Experience
First Half
The first half of Moon River was great. I loved the pacing and the way the story kept getting more interesting with every episode. It constantly made me guess what was going to happen next. There’s this underlying tension around the characters, with the revenge plot taking center stage, and, obviously, being a historical drama, it comes with a lot of conspiracy and political mind games. As a viewer, I was always curious to know what will happen next.
At first episode, I was a little disappointed by seeing how Lee Gang, the crown prince, was introduced. He came off as unserious and funny, which wasn’t what I was expecting. I was ready for this heavy conspiracy, revenge, and action scenes. So, I was like it’s a funny rom-com story. But as the story progressed, his real intentions slowly started to reveal themselves, and that’s when the story began to be interesting.
Second Half
Now, the second half is where things started to go downhill for me.
This isn’t really a spoiler since it’s already shown in the trailer about the souls of the two main leads getting exchanged. Initially, I thought it would be fun to watch because Mr. Queen also had the same concept.
But after the main character’s souls were exchanged, the storyline that had grabbed the pace, tension and flow in the beginning started to shift into light hearted and funny moments. The pace and flow that made the first half so engaging slowly faded, and the drama began moving in a direction I wasn’t as invested in. This was when I found myself losing interest.
Honestly, in my perspective, the soul exchange concept was not necessary at all for this drama, as the storyline was already strong from the start.
Villain’s Love
Would you choose a villain who would do everything in his power to protect you, or would you choose a hero who would do everything in his power to protect his throne?
What would you choose? Moon River shows exactly what happens when a villain shows his love, which is why I found myself feeling genuinely sad while watching the backstory of Kim Han-Chul, the villain of the story. His past was tragic, and fate was undeniably cruel to him. At one point, I almost didn’t mind all the terrible things he had done earlier in the drama, which says a lot about how well his character was written.
He loved his woman deeply, and because of that love, he did what he felt he had to do in order to protect her. His actions weren’t right, but they were driven by emotion rather than pure evil, which made him a lot more human and complex.
As the story progressed, at one point, I was more curious to know about Kim Han Chul’s wife. How did she survive? Who was she, if she had known her husband was in love with another woman, and more importantly, if she was really okay with all of that?And, how did they had a daughter??
This felt like a storyline the writers either intentionally skipped or didn’t explore enough. But I think it could have added more drama to the storyline.
Actors and their Acting
I don’t think I need to say much about Kim Sejeong here because I already talked enough about her at the beginning of this blog. She’s just good at everything, and once again, she delivered exactly what I expected from her.
Talking about the male lead, Kang Tae Oh, he is just as good as Kim Sejeong. I absolutely loved him in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and he didn’t disappoint here either. In Moon River too, he’s the kind of green flag character every girl wishes for.
Since the souls of the two leads get swapped, both actors had to impersonate each other’s characters, despite the gender difference, and they actually did a really good job. Through their acting, you can clearly tell when it’s him as Park Dal as a character, and when it’s her as Lee Gang as a character.
Kang Tae Oh, in particular, did a great job expressing the more delicate, “girly” gestures while portraying Park Dal. It never felt overdone or awkward.
Now, coming to Kim Han-Chul, played by Jin Goo, he was honestly the ace of this drama. Almost everything that happens in the story is because of him. At first, I didn’t even recognize Jin Goo, although I had previously watched him in Descendants of the Sun and loved him there. This alone shows how well he had immersed himself in this role and changed his appearance.
Kim Woo Hee, played by Hong Su Zu, has such a small and beautiful face that my first thought was that she looks almost like AI, in a good way, though. Her character clearly reflected why she was Kim Han-Chul’s daughter at the beginning. I loved her fierce and cunning side more than her soft-hearted one which was shown later in the drama.
Lee Shin Young is Prince Jeon, cousin to Lee Kang, where he is somewhat related to the conflicts happening within the palace.
Lastly, the supporting cast also did a solid job. Each character contributed in their own way, adding depth to the story and helping move the plot forward without feeling unnecessary.
OST
There is this one OST from Moon River that I really loved and which is played most of the times during scenes when there comes twist or during ending scenes. It kind of gives off traditional Korean sound that goes really well with this historical kdrama.
Final Verdict
Moon River is not a boring drama at all. You can actually enjoy it wholeheartedly. It has a good mix of fun moments, suspense, conspiracy, and drama elements that keep things engaging.
For me, it was a decent watch and definitely a one-time view. But I still feel the writing could have been stronger if the story had focused more on uncovering deeper plotlines instead of relying so much on the soul-swapping trope. And, also maybe focusing more on red thread of fate.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable drama if you’re looking for something entertaining without getting too emotionally heavy.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear how you felt about it.
