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The 2015 Korean drama, starring Jang Hyuk as Wang So, Oh Yeon-Seo as Shin Yool/Gae-Bong, Lee Ha-Nui as Hwangbo Yeo-Won, and Im Ju-Hwan as Wang Wook.
Brief synopsis: Prince Wang So was exiled from the palace for being “cursed,” but years later the King Tae Jo is bringing him back for an important mission- to eradicate the offensive threats to the throne. Wang So’s mission brings him to Gaebong, where he meets Shin Yool, a young lady anxious for a false marriage to avoid marrying an older general under strange circumstances. She kidnaps Wang So to help her with this situation, completely unaware of his identity. He agrees to help her, but leaves before Shin Yool can know anything about him. Five years later, Shin Yool and her business move to the capital and she has a secret agenda of her own this time- to find that man that helped her again. But will the dangerous forces around Wang So keep them apart, or will the two fated individuals eventually come back together after all because they are so fated?
I wish I had seen this drama before watching “Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.” Despite both being fictional stories centered around one real historical character, the two dramas share remarkable similarities. In both dramas Wang So is depicted as estranged, but held dear by Tae Jo and rejected by the queen. Neither is he automatically in line for the throne- he has to rise to it. Wang Wook in both dramas is a little shifty between protagonist and antagonist behavior, but for the most part we like him in “Shine or Go Crazy.” And then both female lead characters have issues with illness. The similarities are easy to notice in the beginning, and they almost lead me to expect Wang So to kill his horse in “Shine or Go Crazy,” an a memorable action in “Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.”
But the two dramas are still quite different, even if they are both about GwangJong. “Shine or Go Crazy” felt a lot more light-hearted and I didn’t come to expect a depressing ending. There’s much more comedy. There’s not as much strife depicted within the royal family, and the younger sons of Tae Jo don’t have much of a role at all. After I realized the storyline was almost completely different, I felt better about watching.
“Shine or Go Crazy” was carried by Jang Hyuk. The man is very talented and his screen time made it evident that the drama was about him, not so much about Shin Yool. The relationship between Jang Hyuk’s and Oh Yeon-Seo’s characters was entertaining to watch, and the two certainly had some chemistry, but after episode 22 it was clear that the character we were supposed to watch now was Wang So.
I’ll admit, I was expecting more bloodshed from this historical drama. Historical dramas tend to take out every antagonist toward the end, and either the second leading male dies or the cute character that we just love anyways dies. In this drama, it wasn’t the case. Wang Shik Ryum lives. So does Wang Wook, just forever alone like most second leading males out there in dramaland. And then I kept expecting Shin Yool’s adopted older brother or Gil-Bok to die fairly emotional deaths, but this drama surprised me again.
The ending did not make me too upset. It can be interpreted different ways. It wasn’t my IDEAL finale, yet it made sense.
In conclusion, I would give it 4/5 stars. It was entertaining and I didn’t dislike it, but it failed to gain my personal interest that would have merited it 5/5 stars from me. A good historical!
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