This drama was disappointing. Okay. Before any loyal MoonSun fan attacks me, let me explain. Like everybody else I absolutely adored MoonSun at the beginning. I was drawn to the love story between Yeon-woo and Crown Prince Lee Hwon because the portrayal of both Yeo Jin-goo and Kim Yoo-jung captured the magic and innocence of young love so perfectly. The wonderful chemistry between these two teenagers was so captivating that it seemed almost ethereal. The youngsters, together with their adult sidekicks (notably, Hyung Sun, the chief eunuch) played their parts beautifully and comically. It was such a joy to watch that I looked forward to watching it while it was still airing in South Korea. Also, the fantasy/supernatural element and "political connivance" further added to the intrigue that kept my interest which culminated in Yeon-woo's supposed death and Hwon's breakdown outside the palace (I swear, Yeo Jin-goo is such a phenomenal actor it's hard to believe he's just 15 years old! I can imagine him getting acting awards left and right when he gets older). But then the adults came in and everything went downhill. How can I say that everything went downhill when things worked out in the end for the OTP in the story, you might ask? Well, for one thing there was NO character development. Each character remained stagnant. From the very start until the very end, they remained the same in terms of personality, conflicts and the way they reacted to the situations around them. Only the physical traits differed. Maybe, if they got actors who looked exactly like the younger cast instead of the ones they got, I wouldn't know the difference. Also, I could not, for the life of me, understand why the two main guys, Hwon and Yang-myung, were still so hung up on a dead girl for years? Sure it was pretty obvious that Yang-myung had a crush on her but really? His feelings for her made him pathetic and he was as good as dead even if he hadn't died in the end. Kim Soo-hyun was the sole strong link and he was the only reason why I managed to finish the entire series. Han Ga-in, as beautiful as she is, was mediocre at best. She had zero chemistry with Kim Soo-hyun, which is a pity since the wonderful connection between the younger Yoo-jung and Jin-goo supposedly set the stage for the adult counterparts' romance thereafter. And Jung Il Woo, what the heck happened to him? I couldn't stand that he was so weepy all the time. I mean, come on. He's got a pretty good range. He did really well in 49 days but in this drama, he's stuck in this woe-to-me, heartbreak mode from the moment he replaced Lee Min Ho until his death. Everybody obsessed over each other: Lee Hwon with Wol, Yang Myung with Wol, the queen Bo-kyung with Hwon, princess Min Hwa with Yeom, the servant girl Seol with Yeom. Okay, Chae-woon didn't obsess over anyone but still, he was like a statue here. I don't remember him speaking at all apart from two or three lines for every five episodes or so. It was basically all about obsessive, unrequited love and nothing else, not even a decent political storyline or even just a fantasy arc. I guess I need to blame the writers then for creating flat, one-dimensional characters. These people wasted the actors' potential by not giving them an opportunity to transform and mature (I know it was based on a book but couldn't they improve on the material, even just a little?). The villains settled into a typical Disney-like wickedness. It was frustrating to watch when you know that this drama could've been so much more. I wanted more conflict, more depth, more angst yet Moon Embracing the Sun failed to deliver. It was a fluffy drama, sweet as candy, but sorely lacking in substance and pretty much forgettable. Despite the mediocre, one-dimensional storyline, I'm still giving the acting in this drama a 9 solely for the wonderful child actors, Kim Soo Hyun and the funny old actor who played Yung Sun (I adored him!). But the rest? Nah. I still believe to this day that Han Ga In was a terrible choice for the role of Yeon Woo. Yoo-jung was just, amazing. Han Ga In was more like a wallflower than lead actress. This is the same case with the actress who played Jan Di in Boys Over Flowers. It's hard for me to love a drama if the lead actress is horrible or just plain bland, most especially if the lead actors are really good because it further highlights just how weak/irritating/unsatisfactory their performances are.