[Drama 2012] The Moon that Embraces the Sun 해를 품은 달

[Nodame]

@Lmangla OMG my first trip to Korea I asked to go to the MBC Dae Jang Geum filming site to my friend and her cousin. After that one time I went again 3 yrs later with my mom. She LOVES that drama.

I went there in 2006 (xmas to New years) that time and we did take the subway there. I did not go with a tour group. It def is more outside the touristy areas of Seoul. Turns out my friend's cousin home (lived closer Yongin) so she had me stay over with her family there.  The cousin was in High School and practiced her English with me. (I understand Korean but could not speak it well only Hello, thank you, delicious and good bye). Filming makes everything look bigger than it actually is though. It was a worthwhile trip and glad I went with my mom.

 

I have gone to the filming sites of the Folk Villages in Suwon that has been the site for many dramas too. 

 

@Lmangla I am 50/50 with adaptation from books over all. If I love the book and very attached to it, I do have high high expectations of film/drama adaptations (not going to lie). But at times when I saw the film/drama before reading the book (I am ok or more better/receptive) as I don't have any preconceived ideas/notions or attachments to characters or story lines). Since I did not know this drama was based on a book and I had not read then I am pretty open minded about it. I did want to see it back in the see it back in the day but life and work was VERY hectic so it never made my rotation. (BTW just the other day I was updating my drama watched list /want to watch list--this drama came into mind. -The others on the list are ones I have not watched either LOL.) I don't tend to rewatch dramas too much -time/life/not strong internet connection at times. 

 

One my fave is My Name is Kim Sam Soon and I saw it 3-4 times (partly because we used to have this channel that had asian dramas for a few years) so I would rewatch it there 1 episode a day monday through fridays).  I loved the book Bridget Jones too.  Still loved both versions and a very young Hyun Bin then too. So I expected there to be differences but I was curious of the twists and fresh takes/perspectives too.

 

@UnniSarah Big thank  you for giving the English translation. My korean is not that strong (only now listening way better than before and speaking simply conversational style) compared to eons ago in 2006. So this is lovely.

 

@Jillia So  cool and thanks for sharing about the books.

 

 To improve my reading in Korean, I bought some drama mangas then that were available 2009 and 2012. My korean friend was surprised but realized my luggage and wallet were getting too much of a workout I had to stop. So I have only 3-4 dramas in manga form. Not going to lie, it was cool to look at the pics and relive the dramas in book form. Not as satisfying but cool.

[Lmangla]

36 minutes ago, Nodame said:

Filming makes everything look bigger than it actually is though.

so true! sometimes, sites look so beautiful on camera but when you see them for real, you are like "that's it?" hahahahha..

36 minutes ago, Nodame said:

I am 50/50 with adaptation from books over all.

same! sometimes, a movie/drama is even better than a book because the actors as well as the production team bring out lots nuances that may have been missing in the book. so their interpretation of the scene/character makes it feel far deeper. and at other times, it is so sub-par, that you want to shake your head!

 

anyway chingus -- shallow question chingus -- does kim soo hyun show any abs here? hahahahah...

are these the younger versions of the leads? kekeke... why is he trying to use his hand as an umbrella LOL. as if that would work!

[UnniSarah]

@Lmangla No Abs chingu. Back then  no one can see it touch the Emperor or his woman. Lol 

[Lmangla]

4 hours ago, UnniSarah said:

@Lmangla No Abs chingu. Back then  no one can see it touch the Emperor or his woman. Lol 

hahahha... kim soo hyun fans who might think of checking this out after its okay will be so disappointed! hahahahha....

 

random question to chingus -- how do saeguk dramas do PPLs? it is not like you can advertise for kimchi fridge in a saeguk.....

[vangsweetie637]

I am joining this party too. It will be my first time watching

 

i am trying to wonder why I didn’t watch it when it first aired. I can’t even remember now 

[Lmangla]

ding, ding!!  are you ready to enter a world of soft clouds, barely heard sighs of the wind and the song of a gentle breeze? how will the moon embrace the sun?

 

 

it is past midnight in seoul which means it is already wednesday there. so we are going to kick-start this re-watch! feel free to post your thoughts on ep 1 & 2 for this week - gifs, stills, comments, videos... tagging the re-watch party: @vangsweetie637 @Berou @UnniSarah @Nodame @Jillia @ncly @H0ney @YongZura⁷ @TiNaDo @im0202 @MayanEcho @sharoon0136 @MinLyn ..... are you ready to swoon at kim soo hyun?

 

just as with a regular airing drama, chingus are free to join in at any time. if you are swamped with time & real life commitments, no worries. feel free to pop in as per your convenience. just let us know you are watching so that we can tag you for the fun polls and quizzes...

 

 

re: @partyon .....

[lebeaucouple]

@partyon Thanks so much for the kind invitation, unfortunately I am unable to join the re-watch thread due to my own work schedule and watching other dramas. I only got to know more about KSH after his latest drama IONTBO. I am not his long time fan but  his irresistible charm and charisma traits has attracted new viewer like me begin to like him, especially after learning his upbringing background and watching his latest drama. 

 

There are few key events that had inspired me from his past - he came from a poor family, a shy person but never gave up trying to overcome his shyness. It took him numerous struggles (at least 4 attempts) before he could enter university, and later overcame his heart problem by doing extra exercises in order to become a fix and healthy person as a military soldier (he did not want to be exempted by military because of his heart problem). His determination and perseverance to succeed had inspired me alot. His words of wisdom from the bowling game when someone asked, he simply replied, "Just practice it regularly, there is no easy way out, I will only compete with myself". His words reminded me that life is a journey, not a competition. His act reminded me of someone in a hollywood movie called, "Forrest Gump" : keep on running, keep on moving, no matter how long the journey it takes, it will reach a destination. When we see KSH so successful at his young age, we never know what was his journey before, as people only look at outcome, without seeing through his struggling all these while.

 

I am sure KSH will fly even higher with his foresighted mind (since he has already joined a new agency, GM) . He is now the highest paid artist in Korea entertainment, however, he did not stop there, he is constantly challenging himself and that will certainly bring him to achieve greater height some day.

 

BTW, I love your profile picture. I am a long time fan of Keanu Reeves since his movie "Speed". His kindness and generous act inspired me alot too..

[ncly]

I finished ep.1 right on the 1st day I got the invitation from @partyon  @Lmangla :))

 

I'd have to be honest, it took me a while to get used to watching a historical drama again. Last time I watched a drama like this was Kingdom early this year, but it was filled with action and horror so it was a different feel. After that it was just a lot of Hospital Playlist, CLOY, and IOTNBO and so going back in time with the instrumental/traditional Korean music as the OST and seeing characters wearing Hanboks gave me a complete new feel. I miss KSH and want to see him soon, but I know I have to stay patient and it'll be worth it when he and the rest of the grown-up characters show up. 

 

I'm excited for the stories, all the political drama, the internal palace fights, the romance - all of that to slowly unfold so I'm trying to stay as patient as I can. I'd have to say that the teenage actors/actresses are doing a very great job. I love the Crown Prince's little sister - she's got some wit :))

 

Watching ep.2 now and will be back with more thoughts as I'm seeing new character developments right here! 

[partyon]

@lebeaucouple No worries about not being able to join! Work life and dramas you’re already watching come first. If you want to join later, you are more than welcome to drop by !

 

Ooh, I am the resident Keanu Reeves fan here on Soompi! He's my ultimate oppa! If you wanna spazz about him, please join me on the Add-Subtract thread!

 

[YongZura⁷]

7 hours ago, ncly said:

I'm excited for the stories, all the political drama, the internal palace fights, the romance - all of that to slowly unfold so I'm trying to stay as patient as I can. I'd have to say that the teenage actors/actresses are doing a very great job. I love the Crown Prince's little sister - she's got some wit :))

 

Yes, indeed. Rewatching this again can't help but express how impressive the young teenage actors/actresses that now have become the main leads themselves in current KDramas.

 

 

 

 

Besides all the beautiful and colourful hanboks, another difficulty in understanding sageuk is the language itself - the words (vocab) used in the palace and on the streets are different as expected.  Plus when they communicate most of the time the message is quite ambiguous and not direct, full of idioms etc.  This is another challenge for the viewers but there's a beauty in it too.

 

Credit to the owner

[MinLyn]

Hi all! Though I've never re-watched a sageuk drama before but here, I find myself tuning into TMETS  for the second time. I'm definitely looking forward to watching the subsequent episodes again and seeing how the various scenes in the drama will unfold cos it has been a span of 8 years since I last watched this show. 

 

I recalled vividly the main reason why I started watching this drama was because of the main leading cast. I must like both the leads in order to entice me to watch any drama. Otherwise, it will be hard to sustain my interest in the drama from the beginning to its end. 

 

Re-watching a drama allows me to discover nuances in a drama which I may not have noticed before. In TMETS, amidst all the angst in the palace politics, rivalry and power struggles, it's equally refreshing to see the cute interactions between the child actors, Kim Yoo Jung and Yeo Jin Goo in their early-teens as they put up an impressive portrayal of their characters.

 

Waiting in anticipation to watch ep 2 of the drama soon! 

[Lmangla]

@ncly @YongZura⁷ @MinLyn ~ sounds like you enjoyed ep 1 ; a question for the chingus watching -- since this drama was aired in 2012, there have been lots of changes in the style of filming, whether it is music placement or HD camera. for some, this makes it difficult to watch older dramas. how did you find it?

[YongZura⁷]

1 hour ago, Lmangla said:

@ncly @YongZura⁷ @MinLyn ~ sounds like you enjoyed ep 1 ; a question for the chingus watching -- since this drama was aired in 2012, there have been lots of changes in the style of filming, whether it is music placement or HD camera. for some, this makes it difficult to watch older dramas. how did you find it?

 

I  always love the way you ask questions, it is always open-ended questions.  But this time I would like to understand more,  what do you mean by "how did you find it?" Does it mean "asking for an opinion on the changes" or "where do we watch the drama"? 

[Lmangla]

7 minutes ago, YongZura⁷ said:

 

I  always love the way you ask questions, it is always open-ended questions.  But this time I would like to understand more,  what do you mean by "how did you find it?" Does it mean "asking for an opinion on the changes" or "where do we watch the drama"? 

kekeke, was directly translating thought from my head  ... but yes, meant your opinion on the changes; especially as you are probably watching this drama again after a while.

[YongZura⁷]

 

It's funny though @Lmangla, why does it feels like everything is "new" ?  It seems I'm listening to their conversation word by word more intently,  trying to understand the real message uttered by their words, watching their spot-on facial expression etc.  Watching the sad part made me want to cry again though I knew what was coming. 

 

As for enjoying it, hmm the tragic part has already started and it's not easy to watch it again.  By the way, I've always confused the names of the two KSH  and now both are here.  KSH, has succeeded in portraying as a mean girl and now they have met again (the last part of the 2nd episode).  As for the BGM I'm okay with the traditional musical instrument as it should be and seeing KYJ, can't help but remembering her "special dance" in the other "moon" drama.  My mind has jumbled up ...

 

[Lmangla]

that's good @YongZura⁷ that it feels new. so you are totally going to enjoy it and all the expressions and pauses are going to add greater feeling. you had already mentioned the younger cast and how they have now gone on to be leads now. do any one of them in particular stand out to you now compared to before? (as in when you last watched, you may not have noticed them as much in comparison to others)

[YongZura⁷]

47 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

do any one of them in particular stand out to you now compared to before? (as in when you last watched, you may not have noticed them as much in comparison to others)

 

Yes, especially Yeo Jin Goo since I have to choose one  Though I don't follow him as much as I follow BTS, I keep seeing him in the dramas and variety show lately.

 

p.s He's BTS Jungkook's chingu too 

[Lmangla]

11 minutes ago, H0ney said:

"How can I expand my thinking when no one disagrees with me? How can I face the world properly without expressing my doubts?' 

what a deep quote especially in this day and age when people get annoyed if someone disagrees with them. so, the prince is quite deep thinker...

 

12 minutes ago, H0ney said:

" A virtuous man does not blame the heaven or other men. The farmer does not blame the land, nor the musician the instrument..

The fault lies in the owner, not the object or tool.."

(Heo Yeon Woo Ep 1)

so what does this mean? that we should take responsibility for our actions and not blame others? but some things are indeed beyond our control...

 

13 minutes ago, H0ney said:

Last for ep 1, I am so proud to the crown prince because he takes care of his skin carefully by using umbrella under the sun light  He said, 

 

" I must to protect my delicate skin." 

LOL; for this I was tempted to post LOL reaction. hahahah...

[vangsweetie637]

I heard that we see no abs from the King in this drama but we do get to see a handsome King.

 

 

[Nodame]

I plan to watch it tonight after I watch my WED dramas first. I am excited! Thanks again for the invite to the watch party! I agree to have others watch at the same time when you are makes it more fulfilling.