Dear Hongrang depicted a captivating historical kdrama based in the Joseon era.

From beginning to end, Lee Jae-wook, Jo Bo-ah and the entire cast seemed to draw every emotion for the heartbreaking story of Hongrang.

When a long-missing heir returns with lost memories, love and suspicion entwine; is he truly Hongrang, or a stranger disturbing hearts and family ties? Jae-i, portrayed by Jo Bo-ah, must search for her brother Hongrang (Lee Jae-wook) taking her on a journey of self-discovery and love. Along the way, she must confront the dark secrets of her family and the dangers of the Joseon era. 

The kdrama Dear Hongrang is adapted from the mystery, romance novel Tangeum: Swallowing Gold; by Jang Da-hye.

RELATED: Is Lee Jae-wook Hongrang? Dear Hongrang First Impressions

Check out my series review below! SPOILER ALERT: This post will be full of plot stories, so read at your own risk. ALSO I LOVED DEAR HONGRANG!

Leads Give Swoon-worthy Chemistry

*whewwww!!*

Where do I even begin with this one? Let’s start at the beginning first.

Lee Jae-wook once again delivered a brilliant performance as the misunderstood, sword-bearing male lead. Although it is ultimately revealed that Lee’s character is an imposter of Hongrang, the pain this character beared felt undeniable.

“I still feel this heavy sadness when I think of Hongrang. He’s such a tragic figure who grew up in a harsh environment. I often question myself whether I was able to portray that pain well enough. I find myself thinking about this character as Hongrang still occupies a corner of my heart,” Lee told The Korea Times.

Hongrang’s subtle mannerisms that Lee portrayed brought depth to a character basked in sorrow, such as his stare at Jae-yi in the hidden flower field knowing this peace they found was just fleeting feeling or his constant scoffs at Mu-jin.

While her initial performance seemed slower, Jo brought heartfelt emotion to the heartbroken Jae-yi as she tirelessly yearned for her Dear Hongrang. Her stepmother Lady Min disregards her as useless, and Jo represented that palpable fear with ease.

Around episode six, Hongrang’s feelings for Jae-yi spilled over to action after he protected her life countless times, and he saw her as someone that was deserving of peace from a family that directed every choice in her life.

However, Jae-yi’s affection for her Dear Hongrang seemed to develop all at once. It puzzled me as I watched.

After a few scenes, her curiosity – of whether or not he was her brother – turned into almost immediate affection for Hongrang. After nearly eight episodes of strictly denying and questioning his identity, Jae-yi came to this realization after a drugged kiss that she romantically loved her Dear Hongrang.

I’ll touch on this more in my Final Fangirl Feelings at the end of this review.

Second Lead Stardom

Can we be honest? Everybody ate.

The entire cast of this short series completely earned their praise.

Lady Min

Portraying the mad leader of the Min Family Guild, Uhm Ji-won breakthrough performance stood out as one of the best. From brokenhearted to overprotective mother, Lady Min’s wrath spared no one as she sought in her own way to protect son, which we learn in the ultimately ended his life.

Even as Hongrang’s remains lie in front of her, she adamantly denied him. Lady Min’s right hand even mourned as the obsession with her son lead to the loss of her mind.

Mu-jin

The adopted son of the power thirsty Shim family Mu-jin (Jung Ga-ram) deserved much better in the end from everyone around him. He seemed to want to be the best son for the Min Family Guild, but for his adoptive mother, he never measured up.

Abandoned by Chief Merchant Shim and eventually his true love Jae-yi, he became blinded by his anger and bitterness, which led to his untimely death at the hands of a mere guard. Unlike other side characters, he died with the only person that saw him not just as another figure in the guild but rather as a man that wanted to depart this cruel community with a sliver of dignity.

Mu-jin’s fall into vengeance and ultimate ending broke my heart just as much as In-hoe’s final scene.

Final Fangirl Feelings

The Major Highlights

The combat scenes felt so clean. Lee executed so many assassins that attempted to take him out, and I truly feel like he just shines in this genre.

I would’ve loved to see more between him and The Snow Man. Given how much emphasis was put on this mysterious figure, it seemed as though there should have been more that we got with that storyline.

Overall, the set designs, wardrobe, soundtrack and general ambiance of the entire series felt magical.

There were also many amazing one-liners throughout the series, such as Hongrang telling the Painter to “try painting now” after he slices his hands clean off. HAHA!! He ate that.

From Forbidden to Forgiven

The sudden romantic love by Jae-yi could be passed off to be a byproduct of the “Limited Series” concept on Netflix. I could not help but feel as though something was missing. There could simply be missing scenes that smooth out this transition to full on lovers.

However, I’ve determined that this story decision could be explained as something adjacent to Stockholm Syndrome.

In no way do I believe that the imposter Hongrang mistreated Jae-yi, but at the end of the day, he did mislead her into believing he was her missing brother. She held tightly onto the hope of seeing her Dear Hongrang again, so when so much time passed, she fell for the man that she did not truly recognize not because he was Hongrang but because of who he “became” as a man.

The bad boy wins again.

The Snow Man & the Disappearances

This aspect of the show disappointed me. Unless it was just an oversight, the Snow Man ended up being a storyline that fell completely flat.

If the whole point was just that The Snow Man kidnapped kids for the Painter, I wish this monster did not have the opening scene of the series.

Lee Jae-wook in hanbok with a sword is basically my favorite kdrama genre now. YES!

The Ending

While I did not understand the meaning of Hongrang and Jae-yi meeting in the snowy landscape, I reflected on the statement that the latter said about always seeing her Dear Hongrang.

Hongrang would have wanted Jae-yi to find happiness. He saw her suffer at the hands of his mother.

With her finally finding closure for her brother, she found a new face to look forward to seeing again.

Hope you enjoyed this review! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

- xoxo Jourdy 💕

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