Love Song for Illusion (2024)

Negative outweighed the positive

Well.

The writing sucked. It was like this was penned by a teenager using chat GPT. Very debut author YA fantasy. The plot was lazy and repetitive, with characters being wishy-washy and similar events being recycled. Editing wasn't much better, with scenes just cutting out in the middle of them and the characters continuing their conversations somewhere else. The dialogue was also fairly cringe, with lots of yelling to assert dominance and show power, like any good makjang should have LOL. Perhaps the webtoon was better, I wouldn't know.

But the soundtrack was fantastic, and the filming and acting were quite good. I wish there would have been a more consistent difference between Hyeon and Ak Hee's personalities, since at times it got difficult to tell them apart, but I still think Park Ji Hoon is amazing given his young age and newness to the world of acting. And I'll always applaud a production that can flawlessly and convincingly turn a single person into two, fighting scenes included and all.

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Watch for Choong Ta and other amazing performances

I was enthralled from the beginning by the male/female characters of Choong Ta, played expertly by a veteran actress who is clearly enjoying the unusual characters. Funny, strange, not good nor evil - I think that would be my favorite character to play if given the chance.

I have been surprised by the moments of true despair several characters have expressed and caused me to tear up in empathy. The entire first flashback opening sequence aside, I have gotten chills from the wails of pain from the ML and Ak Hee (each separately, though played by the same person), and the Eunuch crying for his briefly acquired “daughter” was possibly the saddest moment of all.

I think many of the poor reviews are from those who gave up near the beginning, assuming they understood where the story was going. I can honestly say that I’ve been surprised along the way. The plot twists are not groundbreaking in the genre, but they don’t play out predictably, nor do they follow traditional storylines. The fact that the ML let the FL leave the palace and trusted her to handle herself, despite worrying about her, was nice to see. And there’s no big attempts at misunderstandings, trying to convince each other that they don’t care in order so save each other.

Some of the side characters complications seem burdensome, like the queen and the bodyguard. There’s been no attempts to show that relationship develop or how deep it may or may not be. The father of the queen is also playing the cards so close to his chest that it makes it impossible to feel there could be a sense of resolution at the end because he’s clearly playing both sides all the way.

These “messy” elements are good red herrings that keep you guessing, however. It’s got enough palace drama to keep that crowd happy, and supernatural elements to keep that crowd happy. The only thing I wish there was more of is the push and pull of romance with Ak Hee and ML, maybe more confusion from FL about who is who or who she really loves. I think she made up her mind too clearly too soon. However, there needed to be a reason AkHee would refuse to come out and give ML a chance to bloom. So I understand that as well.

Overall, I think it’s worth a watch if you appreciate watching good actors dig deep and take chances in scenes.

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Better than I expected in the first half

When I read the summary I wasn't sure if I was going to watch this, the reviews and comments were mixed too but I decided I was going to watch the first episode and decide from there. I have seen the ML in Weak Hero Class and Flower Crew. He is a very talented actor and an unconventional one that doesn't fit into the standard KDrama actor mold. While they are both good looking, I find both the ML and FL don't fit into the conventional mold with their looks in standard Kdrama romance. I appreciate that because its more immersive for me as a viewer because I bought into their love story and felt it more so than if cookie cutter actors and actresses were in those roles.

Is it a perfect story and perfectly executed? Nope. However, I appreciate the uniqueness it bought to the table in Asian dramas that tend to be littered with recycled themes. It was a big risk taken to tell a fantasy story of traumatized individuals in extraordinary circumstances where mental health issues and concepts of split personalities and PTSD are told in a fantasy setting with symbolism of the "evil spirit" representing the darkness in the human condition that resulted from trauma and abuse.

In the first half of the arc of the story, the Ak Hee evil spirit added a complex dimension in the story that showed his greed, seductive manipulation, impulsiveness, and ruthlessness of what he was willing to do because of the intensity of his feelings for the FL whether it be lust or a twisted version of love. The ML did a wonderful job portraying the light and dark sides with the push and pull within himself.

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Tudo é Fantasia

Hoje é o dia de se perder nas intrigas mágicas de Love Song For Illusion! Entre no mundo encantado onde o inusitado é a norma. Ak Hee, um psicopata adoravelmente destemido, está enfeitiçando nossos corações, enquanto o Príncipe Sajo Hyun é tão fofo . Sinto vontade de proteger esse príncipe em um potinho!

Com a morte do Rei Mal, o caos persiste com o Grande Príncipe Sajo Yung lutando pelo trono e a ambiciosa Princesa Herdeira pronta para qualquer coisa para se tornar rainha . Kyera, em busca de vingança, agora se encontra no epicentro de um triângulo amoroso envolvendo o Príncipe Sajo Hyun e o intrigante "espírito maligno" ou personalidade Ak Hee. E como se isso não bastasse, sua verdadeira identidade foi revelada, colocando sua vida em risco.

Em Love Song For Illusion, prepare-se para uma montanha-russa de emoções, onde o destino de Kyera se entrelaça com segredos e paixões intensas. Não perca esse espetáculo de fantasia que vai te deixar ansioso por mais!

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I guess I’ve missed something’s in this series, which add to my confusion. When and how did sajo yoong get possession of Kyera’s medical books, and how was it beneficial for Queen Gwa to release sajo young from prison the overthrow the throne? I said I didn’t have any spoilers, but I do., why did it take up into the last episode for the Queen’s lie to be exposed and why did the sajo hyeung let her go ? For his bodyguard and the innocent child, and why did Cheng ta get to leave to continue to cause problems elsewhere, really. Sometimes I don’t get these Chinese and Korean writer, directors??? Send bad messages about people’s behavior

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Quando incappo in questo tipo di svolgimenti mi viene solo da piangere. Il drama parte molto bene con un tipo di trama ben conosciuta e ampiamente usata ma con qualcosa di diverso, quindi prometteva bene. Sembrerebbe che ML venga posseduto da uno spirito maligno anche se spesso si lascia intedere che egli possieda una sorta di doppia personalità e non che il suo corpo sia stato usurpato da un'identità estranea (non ho mai capito quale sia la realtà). Questo sdoppiamento mischiato ad una giovane che vuole solo vendicarsi della morte della famiglia faceva ben sperare in una grande storia e, anche se ammetto che lei non mi ha entusiasmata fin dal principio, ho amato questi due personaggi. Mi piacevano loro, ma anche la storia, il diverso rispetto a tante altre opere della stessa risma. Poi, lentamente, ho iniziato ad annoiarmi, a non volerne sapere del futuro dei protagonisti e lì ho capito che il drama non faceva più per me. La storia va troppo velocemente in jun verso per poi introdurre elementi che boh, inutili. Ad Ah Kee non viene resa per nulla giustizia, anzi viene fatto decadere sempre di più. Per gran parte dell'opera colui che porta avanti la baracca è solo ed esclusivamente l'attore di ML perchè tutto il resto è mollo, inconsistente, floscio. Boh basta non mi interessa più saperne.

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An Acquired Taste

I am usually a read the synopsis then decide if I am going to watch a show and I must say I actually ignore this first but the I run out of shows to watch and decided to start this drama.

So far, I am really liking this title and was looking forward for new episodes. I must say that characters need more development though. Also, this gives me the “Moon in the day” vibe with the revenge plot but then again as I say an acquired taste. It is not bad as what they say. I have been into Chinese (Wuxia/Xanxia) drama because of the fight scenes and so far this show has good stunts and fighting scenes.

I am really loving Park Ji Hoon here, the way he potrays his dualities in character is on point. The ML and FL chemistry are good as well.

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Interesting premise ruined by sloppy writing

Frankly, I'm glad this is over and it definitely will not linger in my mind unlike more substantial dramas.

The dual personality problem promised psychological depth which in the end didn't get explored deeply enough. I was expecting a lot of character growth to take place but it didn't happen.

I enjoyed the first episodes but somewhere around ep 6 the plot went haywire, sidetracked from the main characters and got rather nonsensical tbh. What I liked most is PJH's acting (of course). Also liked the very strong FL lead: more of this type pls! Hwang Hee's acting in the last ep showed an amazing range of emotions. Hopefully his next role is not a villain role. The queen character was unlikeable all the way. The more a drama has purely unlikeable characters the less I tend to enjoy it. It would have been more interesting if Yeon Wol's warrior protectors (Wind Knife) had had a bigger role in the drama. Almost nothing was portrayed about their aims. What was shown came too late, in the last episodes.

The court scheming and politicking was boring. In a purely fictional drama, why give it such a big role. All in all, the psychology of Sajo Hyun / Ak Hee got only a superficial treatment. The damn shaman was a main character when a small support role would have sufficed. No offense to the actress who did great like she always does. 7/10

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Too good

"Love Song for Illusion is a complete entertainment package. Amazing, fantastic, fabulous, and outstanding drama. Top-notch, ultimate acting by the male protagonist. I’ve watched many Korean dramas, but this was the first where I wasn’t sure if he fit as a hero. At first, I thought I should drop it. However, Korean historical dramas have their own aura, so I kept watching. After just the first episode, his acting left me flabbergasted. The way he portrayed the split personality was astonishing—too good. The story had the same historical flavor of conspiracy, assassination, jealousy, the temptation for the throne, fraud, deception, obsession with love, sacrifices, wrongful accusations, genocide, revenge, and true love. It also had some funny moments, balancing the crown prince's melancholic story.

At the start of the drama, two kids were shown, and both did a fantastic job, especially the boy due to his portrayal of personality disorder. There were many characters that won my heart with their surprising performances. I must mention the female protagonist, the prince’s eunuch, and two people who always protected the female lead. The supporting cast gave their best performances too.

This time, I won’t give a glimpse of the story because I really want Korean drama lovers to experience it for themselves, even if the characters might be new to them.

Don’t use much of your mind, just watch it for entertainment!"

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a two-layered script and the powerful acting skills of Park Ji Hoon

Excellent, intelligent and interesting. I am surprised at the vehemence of the comments...the show was not elegant, but powerful. It has a theatrical style that people dont like in dramas? I did semi-binge it -- maybe that was better than actually waiting week by week?

A choice made to go with a two-layered script and the powerful acting skills of Park Ji Hoon, foregoing the pomp and set pieces of a fantasy sageuk, was a success. The psychological layer is sound -- an *alter* robs a person of energy and volition, altho it provides a way of not facing a losing battle with terrible abuse and trauma.The therapy for reintegrating a poisonous *alter* is long and painful and not always completely successful even then. Park Ji Hoon, uniquely capable of expressing strength through vulnerability in his roles, is also good at creating trust and vulnerability in onscreen relationships with other actors as well, so the story frame was perfect for him.

The second layer of the script avoids anachronism deftly; shamans (2 of different genders in 1 body! How cool is that!), folk-beliefs in possession, and seriously vile and violent fratricidal palace politics create a workable fantasy plot. The court was much more despotic (OMG the usurper Sajo Seung!!!) than the usual SK historical so some of the arch and delicate stylistics were done away with. The supporting cast was too strong to mention individually here but they were vividly wonderful and wonderfully manipulative. On a psychological level they so gaslit the ML that he had no idea which way was up until his true love came to rescue him by falling through the roof of his in-town design studio.

The beautiful but simple *mind-room* stage for the interaction of the 2 parts of the ML has an Alchemy of Souls feel, water and architecture. The 2 -in-1 MLs compete for the FL against each other -- a unique love triangle which is astonishingly successful dramatically. Both men (same actor) engage your heart, and the chemistry between each and the FL is visceral, emotional and touchingly tender.

You may find the last 2 episodes difficult -- the true drama is internal as Sajo Hyeon battles to take control of a fully integrated self-- this is crucial to the story.

Do watch and enjoy!!

ps. I cheered when the alter bullied the usual crop of corrupt aged court ministers!

pps. psychological melodrama is redeemed here tastefully by a careful fidelity to just enough of the stylistics and rules of kdrama to keep a balance to the weeping and pain that everyone goes through. Dramatic indeed but still fun

ppps, Why wasnt the ML given credit for designing the white outfits at the end?

first posted on viki july 10th 2024

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