Better title: "Hwarang: Hot Boys with Bangs" Ok, first can we just talk about the amazing fringe/bangs the dudes have in this series? Sassy bangs, sexy bangs, saucy bangs, make me feel bad about my own hair bangs, somehow still masculine with bangs bangs.

On to the story. The bromance aspect of this show is great. I let go of the romance aspect for reasons I will mention below, but watching the male actors interact was great. I wish they would write more shows like this but for women. Women bonding about things other than men.

The FL character Ah-ro (Go Ara) starts off so strong. She has a personality, she is funny, she is smart, she schemes and scams and is so fun to watch. About 5 or 6 episodes in that all completely disappears and she turns into what my daughter and I call The Crying Thumb (She cries, ALL THE TIME, and does this thing where she sucks her chin in so she looks like a thumb.) She stops having a personality other than sad girl in love with her brother (narrator: not actually her brother.) It is really a shame because I had high hopes for her character based on the first few episodes but the show did the typical thing where the woman ceases being a person once she falls in love.

First ML, Moo Myung/Sun Woo Rang, (Park Seo-Joon - swoon, is always great) was slightly boring but I still enjoyed the character. His love story with FL was beyond cringey because of the whole she thinks he is her brother storyline that didn't need to be a thing. It did not add to the story and made me hate seeing them together. Plus, I didn't really feel any chemistry between the actors. I started fast-forwarding through their scenes together because I would rather watch paint dry than watch these two "fall in love." After seeing so much of FL's sniffling, crying face, it was just unbearable to watch them together even at the end

Second ML King Maek Jong/Ji Dwi Rang is so adorable I can't stand it. I wanted him to win the love of Ah-ro only because he was so adorable and sweet in that entitled way that Park Hyung-Sik pulls off perfectly. But Ah-ro, true to trope, does not like the guy who openly likes her and saves her and spoils her. (Not that love should be forced but come on writers, she thinks Moo Myung is her brother, ick.)

The whole supporting cast is A+++++++++++. Seo Yea-Ji as the Princess, I love this actress...her cute face, her deep voice, she is perfection. Minho/Soo Ho Rang is ugh, so adorable. Do Ji-Han as Ban Ryu Rang so sulky and serious and chiseled. V, what isn't cute about V? and on and on an on. They should have spent more time on these characters and less time making us watch The Crying Thumb.

Lower your expectations and just give it a watch just to see the fight scenes and hot dudes with their bangs and chiseled faces. Don't get invested in the "love story" other than to see Park See-Joon and Park Hyung-Sik battle out over who is the best ML. Be prepared for a lot of loose ends.