It took me a while to give in to watching a historical kdrama (also called a “sageuk” drama) because I thought the costumes and hair looked so ridiculous. But when I finally gave in, one of the first ones I watched was 2016’s “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.”
I’ll admit that the initial draw for “Hwarang” came from the many handsome men to appear in the show. Park Seo Jun (“What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, “Gyeongseong Creature”), Park Hyung Sik (“Strong Woman Do Bong Soon”, “Doctor Slump”), Choi Minho (from kpop group SHINee), Kim Taehyung (also known as V from BTS) – the eye candy alone earns this show at least one star in the final rating. But little did I know at the time that I would eventually come to love historical kdramas and seek them out on a regular basis.
“Hwarang” is set in Silla during the period of Korea’s history where the country had three distinct regions – Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje. The Three Kingdoms of Korea era ended around 668 AD. This is notable as a setting for the show because it depicts remarkably modern things throughout, similar to how Heath Ledger’s movie “A Knight’s Tale” had a decidedly modern sensibility to it despite being set in the middle ages. For that alone, when I say “Hwarang” is a historical drama, take that in the spirit in which it is meant.
The show was directed by Yoon Sung-shik who also directed the hilarious “Mr. Queen” in 2020. The screenwriter was Park Eun-yeong, for whom I couldn’t find any other credits (although it’s possible there are more and IMDb just hasn’t been updated properly).
The show introduces viewers to two men who are great friends on their way back to the capital city. Moo Myung (Park Seo Jun) decides to help his best friend Mak Moon reunite with his family whom he hasn’t seen in over a decade. When Mak Moon is killed Moo Myung swears vengeance, and at the behest of Mak Moon’s father, takes his friend’s place in the family in the hopes of finding the killer. Moo Myung is then forced to join the Hwarang, a special group of “flower boy” warriors in service to the royal family. Bromances start emerging even as Moo Myung and a fellow warrior, Ji Dwi (Park Hyung Sik) both start forming feelings for the female doctor at the training camp (who also happens to be Moo Myung’s dead friend’s sister).
I did a recent rewatch of this show and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around. It’s not a gritty historical war drama, but rather just pure frothy fun. It has romance, action, comedy and bromances galore.
The show has some strong points. It’s beautifully shot (the costumes are colorful and decadent, and the director knows the success of the show largely hinges on the closeups of the handsome leading men). But the show also has a decent storyline and the cast isn’t just good looking but also filled with talented actors. Where it falls short is with the female characters. They are either downright evil (i.e., the Queen Dowager, portrayed by Kim Ji Soo who was fantastic in the recent “Romance in the House” on Netflix) or have no real development throughout the show (Ah Ro, the Hwarang doctor, portrayed by Go Ara, who is a good actress in a bad role).
Additionally, the story never lives up to its true potential because it is so clearly poised to just be a puff piece instead of a political drama. It also suffered a bit from uneven pacing – the story takes 3 episodes to setup before it finally gets going, which is a long time, and then kind of drops subplots for 3-4 episodes at a time before bringing them up again merely as a plot device.
The soundtrack for this show is outstanding. It’s Definitely You by BTS’ V and Jin is a catchy earworm. Throughout the show Park Hyung Sik shows off his vocals in songs like “I’ll Be Here.” And even Park Seo Jun participates, with a version of “Our Tears.”
The fact is that anyone who watches this show should go into it knowing that this is the show that launched two pretty incredible careers. Park Hyung Sik, who is adorably elfin-like in his appearance, went on to become a major actor and hearthrob in the industry. He has started in several really good series such as the aforementioned “Strong Woman,” the zombie drama “Happiness” and this year’s “Doctor Slump.” Park Seo Jun, one of my top five favorite Korean actors, has become one of the most highly-respected actors in the industry.
Is this brilliant storytelling? No. Is it hardhitting drama? Certainly not. Is it fun to watch” Absolutely.
My rating: 3.3 out of 5.0 stars
Comment below and let me know what you thought of “Hwarang”…
