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

[Guest flowerboyramyunshop_FB]

There are these rumours on facebook:

' Also heard a rumour that Yeon Woo/Wol will not be a queen but end up as a shaman. Hope it's wrong. But thats according to the book i think'.. Its from the moon embracing the sun fanpage

Can someone please tell me this is not true??? Thanks

 

 

oh i saw that was originally posted from @kpopanda  on twitter. 

however i know someone who read the book and  says otherwise.

[NRGchick]

Totally epic....I recommend all to watch with subs (if not native speakers). I managed to catch the nuances of each person's emotions.

It's only Ep 8 but I don't think it is draggy. Still very excited for the upcoming episodes.

As much as I love the younger actors , I think it is time for the viewers to watch the drama based on it's own merits. Watch with an open mind. Honestly, when I watch the parts where the adult actors came in, I never thought about age differences and what nots. Just watch the drama for the sheer pleasure and also remember that the actors and production team are working hard to produce a great drama for us.

I think it is more pressure to them when the ratings go up and up. The expectations will be higher and I am sure that some antis will chuckle with glee if the ratings dip, even if it is a teeny bit.

So now, I am waiting for the written preview....where oh where is it?

[CarolinaDannie]

Okay fellow Moon-Sunners just had to share this with you. Sit down with your favorite cup of tea, relax, close your eyes and enjoy. http://youtu.be/TTwTvhiCXN8

[tessieroo]

Totally epic....I recommend all to watch with subs (if not native speakers). I managed to catch the nuances of each person's emotions.

It's only Ep 8 but I don't think it is draggy. Still very excited for the upcoming episodes.

As much as I love the younger actors ,  I think it is time for the viewers to watch the drama based on it's own merits. Watch with an open mind. Honestly, when I watch the parts where the adult actors came in, I never thought about age differences and what nots. Just watch the drama for the sheer pleasure and also remember that the actors and production team are working hard to produce a great drama for us.

I think it is more pressure to them when the ratings go up and up. The expectations will be higher and I am sure that some antis will chuckle with glee if the ratings dip, even if it is a teeny bit.

So now, I am waiting for the written preview....where oh where is it?  

I'm the same way! When I watched I didn't even think about the actors at all, I was too into the story! It wasn't until I watched a 2nd time that I notice other things. (like some of the bloopers that have been posted) I'm so caught up in the story, that's all I see when I'm watching. 

Anytime Wol is anywhere near the palace, my heart almost stops. I'm truly frightened for her!  The scene of the dowager coming to see her scared the living daylights outta me. 

[Guest cefiro_jk]

Yeoreobun (everyone), please stay calm.

Especially to all JIW fans.. I know there are many here.

Alright.

I know for sure why JIW took up this role.

He'll have a breakthrough performance at the latter part of the show. He is not stupid to take this role when he knows he wouldn't do much in it.

Since 49 days, his name rose to stardom due to his smart choice of choosing roles. Look at FBRS. That drama became the no. 1 drama of all the cable channel dramas last year.

So we all should have faith in him.

I BELIEVE THAT YANGMYUNG WILL SHINE IN THE UPCOMING EPS.

Just you guys wait and see..

Totally agree with you, I have confidence in JIW's acting skill, am sure he will do an excellent job.

[1crazynyt]

Just wanna share the pics of KSH mane of glory.. If you are kinda unsatisfied with his bath tub scene, here something to replenish your thirst... Man, I could not wait for an intimate scene..

[Guest alexus]

Thank you 1CRAZYNYT. Yes, that was way too big of a tub for one person and way too much clothing on. Interestng how Ha Ga In had to be stripped down but KJH was fully dressed? I know I know, she is just a Shaman and He is the KING so I can see why the difference. Plus for her it was more of a purification, rebirth, ressurrection etc so I see the significance as well. But hey some fan service would be nice but thank you for tying us over till Wed. He does look awesome with his mane down!!!

[Guest ms.KPOP.LOVE]

I'm in love with this drama at the moment. I don't know why, it's killing me. lol sorry for the exaggeration. the story, the characters, the cast, the twist gawd everything about it. I seriously hate historical dramas, but this one is out of the ordinary. somehow this reminds me of SKKS but in a more awesome way. I'm currently searching where I can read the whole novel. anyone know where I can find it aside from blue's (belectricground) blog? if yes then I would be very happy.  

[Guest flowerboyramyunshop_FB]

Okay fellow Moon-Sunners just had to share this with you. Sit down with your favorite cup of tea, relax, close your eyes and enjoy.*quoted image* http://youtu.be/TTwTvhiCXN8

wow that was awesome ! Thanks for sharing..

rewatching episode 8.. can't get enough of this scene. those eyes were INTENSE.

such a beauty ..

and yes my heart aches for Yang Myung . if only Wol was able to reach the greenhouse, would she ever remember? time would tell..

[Guest ginny_potter]

Is that the current hairstyle of KSH? I wouldn't be surprised if the guys are growing their hair out for this drama. Makes it easier to bun their hairstyles rather than wear wigs. Hehe!

[Guest pisangcoklat]

Hi.. just finished episode 8 and i must say this may top my previous sageuk drama which was Dong Yi.

KSH potrayal as Hwon is so vivid that it's hard to take my eyes off him.

I expected to be a bit emotional during the scene where Yeon Woo saw Hwon but HGI's potrayal of Yeon Woo is a bit flat,

but please don't take it personally but it's just my take on it.

Can't wait to see more of KSH. He's super awesome!

[Guest puddingkancho]

THE MOON THAT EMBRACES THE SUN IS ON HULU!!!!!

Thank you MBC :)

(it's eng-subbed)

[sujudiehardfan]

totally have MoonSun fever... 

my prove

1. I visit this thread every time i'm bored just to read all the comment...

2. yesterday, i hear my friend say moon... my mind goes straight to this drama...

3. in Fb i like 3 page of MoonSun and i visit all of it each time i open my Fb...

4. every day checking every page that i bookmark for this drama to see any written preview or new things..

5. I watch every BTS that I can...

6. searching all over again about actor n actress in this drama...

7. watch every episode everyday especially 7 & 8... totally going crazy for this 2 episode...

8. listen to OST all over again everyday...

9. first segeuk that i gone this crazy.. even when TPM i don't go crazy like this...

10. visit dramawiki n asiadramawiki for how many times i lost count.. even when nothing new there...

can someone help me with this fever?? it doesn't seem want to cool down at all... 

I really love this scene....

[baduy]

On the question of what exactly the Queen Dowager and Lord Hoon are plotting...

All saeguks make more or less free with historical events, and this one makes no bones about being fiction throughout. All the same, in common with other saeguks set at some time in the Joseon era, it does reflect the historical truth that despite the long nominal rule of a single "dynasty", Joseon Korea was a clan-warfare battleground, with the warfare carried out by intrigue and skullduggery rather than by the pitched battles of earlier periods. In case anyone not familiar with the rules of such warfare from other saeguks (or from reading history books) hasn't seen a familiar pattern of what the Queen Dowager and Lord Hoon are up to, the key point where our plot is concerned centers on the heir. The QD's obsession with production of an heir at the earliest possible moment, and one mothered by a member of her clan, is not the usual family drama genre insistence by MiL-from-Hell to have a grandchild to boast about at the Country Club. She wants Hwon to have a son by Lord Hoon's daughter sooner rather than later so that that Hwon can then die a mysterious death (and she may be cultivating NY, despite her unease about her, precisely because she has demonstrated her skill in (apparently) inducing just such a death without anyone suspecting foul play), leaving her and Lord Hoon to hold the regency and have many years to consolidate the Kingdom in their clan's interests before the suitably bonsai-ed heir comes of age. Getting rid of Hwon's uncle and his adherents all those years ago was a first stage in this long-term plan, not just a measure to prevent an alleged rebellion which was an invention anyway. And the key step they are leading up to is disposing of Hwon in his turn, once he has an undisputed infant heir of the correct clan lineage who can be brought up to act as the Hoon clan's puppet.

Now a few points that struck me while reading postings about Nok Yeong, her apparently limited visionary powers and her complex attitude to YW's return and restoration.

We can't, of course, demand scholarly accuracy from a piece of (very high quality) entertainment like this one in the matter of what shamans are and do. All the same, the apparent limitations of NY's predictive powers are quite compatible with her shamanic role.

The basic function of a shaman is to act as intermediary between the living and the dead. But not the dead in general. The dead with whom shamans engage are those who for some reason have still some unfinished business in the world of the living, and who are signalling their dissatisfaction with the world they should have left behind by lurking on its margins and interfering with its workings. The shaman is able to communicate with such disaffected spirits, discover the wrongs or resentments which they harbor, and tell the living what they need to do to appease te dead and so remove their malign influence and secure instead their assistance and support.

Shamans, however, are not soothsayers, it is not their role to fortell the future in quasi-prophetic visions: if they do have paranormal powers beyond their ability to commune with the dead, that is, so to speak, a sideline, not part of the core shaman package. The backstreet shamans of modern Seoul generally do offer what marketeers would doubtless term "a wide range of one-stop services designed to give you an optimum occult experience to meet all your other-wordly needs. No credit cards accepted, strictly cash only" covering fortune telling, and goodness knows what else, but that's not what we're talking about here.

Shamans are often portrayed in saeguks as having an ability to fragmentarily sense (rather than coherently predict) coming events, and this comes both from their communications with the dead, who can see and pass on glimpses of things not visible to the eyes of the living, and more generally from their being attuned to cosmic forces and able to sense what in this drama is called in several places "the current of the times". Think of a meteorologist with the special instruments and expertise needed to detect well in advance the gathering of a tropical storm and possessed of the knowledge to estimate its force and approximate course across the planet. The meterologist can say with certainty that the hurricane or typhoon will form within a precise window of time. He or she can also predict with reasonable accuracy the cities over which it may pass, and what percentage of buildings on those cities are likely to be destroyed and how many people may be killed. What the meteorologist can't predict is which specific buildings will collapse or who the individual casualties will be. A shaman's sense of future happenings, based on intuition of how the "currents of events" are moving and shifting, has a similar mixture of predictive power and partial uncertainty where the detailed course of things is concerned.

But in NY's case, there is another layer. She is not just any old shaman but a shaman in the service of the King, and has a keen sense of the duty that places on her to protect the royal house and hence the nation. And what that duty demands of her in her specific circumstances is clear: she must preserve YW's life while she is entrusted to her care and ensure that when the proper time arrives, YW is able to return to her rightful place as Queen. But that return is for the good of the nation, not for YW's own personal well-being. Even if the restoration of YW as rightful queen leads to hardship or even death for YW, then it is still NY's duty to do all she can to bring it about. And that is a standpoint YW herself would wholly agree with and bravely accept, if she were aware of her identity and position.

But as well as court shaman, NY is also a mother figure, and I think that lies behind a lot of the apparent ambivalence in her behavior towards YW which is puzzling people. NY becomes Yeon Woo's second mother at two removes, so to speak, via Ari's dying plea to her to protect Lady Shin's child, which in turn stems from Ari's pledge to Lady Shin which she can no longer fulfil in the world of the living (though she conveys the basic plan for saving YW to NY from beyond the grave by occult means).

People were perhaps so overwhelmed by the stupendous visual scenario of the ep 6-7 cliffhanger, with the unveiling of the adult YW at the quay, that her actual words to YW when she uncovers her head[*] to see off NY, who is boarding the boat in obedience to the priest's message that it is time for her to return, leaving YW behind under Sol's protection, didn't quite make the full impact the writer seems to have intended. NY says to her, 아기 너는 .. 이제 그만 들어가거라, simple words, but horrendously difficult to translate adequately, because they mean so much more than their literal sense of "don't you come any further, just go back now"

To talk of only the first of the translation difficulties there, she addresses YW as 아기. The translator of those Hulu/MBC America subs I admire so much uses "Child", and I can't think of what else could be used here without sounding silly in English, but the problem is that 아기 doesn't really mean "child", it means "baby" or "very small child". If you spotted a very tiny tot who'd obviously come adrift from an accompanying family member in a shopping mall and you wanted to attract its attention to see if you could help out, 아기 is what you'd call it. A bit like "sweetie" in US-English usage, I guess, though without necessarily being as colloquial as that. But only a loving parent (or grandparent) ever addresses a grown-up as 아기.

Now we haven't heard NY address YW since the occasion, years earlier, when she first spoke to her after she recovered consciousness. And the first thing that struck YW after expressing her initial bewilderment at not knowing who or where she is is that NY, obviously from her dress and manner an elder of considerable standing, is addressing her, an adolescent girl, with an apparently totally disproportionate degree of respect. She hasn't forgotten any of her impeccable manners along with her identity, though, so she can't ask an elder such as NY directly what lies behind the incongruously respectful speech. Instead she turns to Sol, a girl of around her own age, and asks her why she is addressing her as if she were a high nobleman's daughter. Sol is taken aback and looks to NY for assistance, but before NY can come up with an answer Jan Shil chips in with her characteristic and oh-so-endearing mixture of truthfulness and battiness: "Because you're the Moon, of course". "What?!" says poor YW, beginning to suspect she's woken up surrounded by nutters.

But NY has quickly pulled herself together, and supplies the answer that the spirit who has been dwelling in YW since her (fictitious) collapse at her (fictitious) initiation ritual is so mighty that they are showing their respect to that spirit rather than to her personally. We can see that "explanation", too, doesn't make much sense to YW (she's retained her razor-sharp mind along with her perfect manners) but she decides to go with it for now, since there are so many other more important enigmas to sort out. At this point, NY begins to see the meaning of the cryptic three-character message she found on the shaman's ribbon at Ari's grave: 二 人 工 -- literally: two persons make.

Some viewers have assumed that the amnesic affects of the potion were part of its normal working and anticipated by NY, but it's plain from her disconcerted reaction in this and the preceding scene when YW comes round so bewildered that that wasn't the case. NY started out expecting that YW will come round knowing who she is and what has happened, and that her big problem will be persuading her to stay in safe hiding until the time is right for her return and restoration, a matter which is in the hands of the Heavens and on which the learned priest (who also has an ear to the ground at Court) will advise her in due course. It looks like NY's original plan was to persuade YW to deliberately accept the disguise of a shaman for better concealment, but the discovery that YW has lost her memory allows her, on the fly, to switch to an alternative course, and one that won't meet with dangerous resistance from YW, namely to convince her that she really is a shaman with no royal past or connections, and that this is what Ari, via her mysterious message, was telling her to do for YW's safety.

So at this moment, NY stops treating YW as her Crown Princess and future Queen (which is of course behind the address forms that so puzzled YW) and begins treating her as her apprentice. But those words she addresses to YW at the waterside years later show that in the interim she has taken her to her heart as a dear child. All the same, NY sees both the "persons" in YW: her Queen she honors, whom she must, in due course, help regain her place for the nation's sake, and the child she wants to surround with a mother's love and keep safe from harm. In the conversation for which the priest has summoned her, which is intercut with the meeting of Hwon and YW at the forest cottage, she reveals that in the course of the past years she has come to believe that the "bonds of fate" have successfully been broken and that the girl can live out the rest of her life safe in her new identity, oblivious of the her old one. But the priest chides her for that thought. Such things are decided by the Heavens alone, he reminds her, and she above all people should know that. But can that really mean that the Heavens require the girl to go through all that anguish a second time? The priest gives her no answer, indicating that she knows what the answer is already, and that the anguish it involves is no reason why it will not happen. There we have the key to the ambivalence which lets NY watch YW be drawn back to her destiny while wishing she could help her run away from it. There is a striking parallel here with YW's real mother's ambivalence in the wonderful scene where she tries to coach her daughter into failing the first selection round ("slurp your food as noisily as you can and make sure you chuck bits of it all over the place") but YW sees through he mother's kindly-meant scheme and says that she must do her very best to achieve what destiny requires of her.

[*] That garment, by the way, with its monster-sized hood, is called a 장옷, where 옷 is of course the common native Korean word for [item of] clothing, and 장 is 長 in its most basic meaning of "long/tall", though it's most frequently heard in Kdramas its extended sense of "superior" as in 국장 (局長), bureau chief, general manager. Google for 국장 --- EDIT: AAGGGH I meant Google for 장옷 of course --- to find images of women wearing these things, some of them from as recently as the 1920s, though sadly some of those later shots were taken by Japanese colonial photographers with a mission to convince the world that Koreans were backward oddballs who wore silly clothes and so had no right to run their own country.]

[CarolinaDannie]

according to one of the cafes, they filmed the trailer on the 6th and the 7th.

yeah i think it just depends on if they're really gonna hack the drama schedule over low ratings.

it's rather nasty of them totally dissing the actors and production team, but it's business i guess.

so if that's the case (i don't think it's finalized) but you still have to allow for year-end stuff like awards,

so i think imo, it's gonna air early january, so earlier than the 24th as originally scheduled.

i think they've already filmed quite a bit so they're probably gonna be okay.

Naver has it listed as starting on January 4th, 2012 and a 20-episode production.

great news for SKKS followers! Our "Choseon" Kim Min Seo (김민서)

*quoted image*

has been cast in "Moon that embraces the Sun" as Yoon Bo-Kyeong the soon to be Queen.

Hwon's queen consort, the woman who cannot win her man's affection. T.T

oh i really like Kim Min Seo. she has such a feisty appearance but such a soft and vulnerable voice and gaze.

 

I really love this actress too. Talk about a stellar cast!

[Guest Eja]

baduy, I have no words. You are just way too awesome. Now I have to read that again to absorb it more...

[CarolinaDannie]

totally have MoonSun fever... 

my prove

1. I visit this thread every time i'm bored just to read all the comment...

2. yesterday, i hear my friend say moon... my mind goes straight to this drama...

3. in Fb i like 3 page of MoonSun and i visit all of it each time i open my Fb...

4. every day checking every page that i bookmark for this drama to see any written preview or new things..

5. I watch every BTS that I can...

6. searching all over again about actor n actress in this drama...

7. watch every episode everyday especially 7 & 8... totally going crazy for this 2 episode...

8. listen to OST all over again everyday...

9. first segeuk that i gone this crazy.. even when TPM i don't go crazy like this...

10. visit dramawiki n asiadramawiki for how many times i lost count.. even when nothing new there...

can someone help me with this fever?? it doesn't seem want to cool down at all... 

I really love this scene....

*quoted image*

 

Are you sure you want to be cured. Sounds like fun time to me! 

[Halima]

Hi all

I just finished watching all eight episodes,didn't think id get sucked into the story but i did . What i found so satisfying was the way hwon is treated the soo called queen, i love how he can see through each and everyone of those traitors. Not very impressed with the princess , thought she would atleast remember wol. Anyways is there a English version of the book ?, also is there any chance for soel and woon couple ?lol. Can someone tell me wheater that queen wench consummates with hwon?.

[Guest lovelymy1004]

only 3 more days until episode 9!!!! can't wait does anybody know when will the english version of the book will come out? I would like to buy it when it does. this drama is one of the best drama i have ever saw and the story line is so beautiful and its a true love story. <3<3

[tessieroo]

baduy, I have no words. You are just way too awesome. Now I have to read that again to absorb it more...

 Me too. It's amazing how much more I enjoy watching episodes over again once I read baduy's posts.  Thank you so much again.