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Love and Demons

Lovers of the Red Sky is not a typical historical k-drama; it adds a demon king, royal curses and art into the mix. It's also beautifully filmed and written, and the special effects are extraordinary for a Korean television series.

The basic premise revolves around Ma-Won, the demon king of death, and the efforts that a fictional Dan dynasty monarchy and some female goddesses of life go to in order to contain this vengeful supernatural creature. After he gets out of hand Ma-Won is imprisoned in a royal portrait of the king, but curses the two children of the official who presided over the imprisoning ceremony, and the artist who painted the portrait. A few years later Ma-Won tricks his way out of the portrait and escapes, and things get better and worse for the kids, who then grow up to be a very talented female painter (Kim Yoo-jung) and a blind astrologer (Ahn Hyo-seop).

The painter's storyline becomes entangled with the astrologer's as these two become the central figures in the second round of efforts to imprison the demon king. They also fall in love, which is charming and romantic while seriously adding to the suspense of the drama.

I don't want to reveal too much about the story because the surprises and twists are fun. I think Ahn Hyo-seop did a stellar job as the blind astrologer who bears the brunt of the cursing, and still manages to lead a fascinating life. I've liked this actor ever since I saw him play a secondary cast role in Seventeen but Thirty, and he really shines as a lead. Kim Yoo-jung was delightful in her role as a female painter, something that women rarely did in the extremely patriarchal Joseon era (1392-1910). I'm guessing a lot of her role was more wishful thinking than historical fact, but you won't mind. I'll be watching this series again soon. Available on Viki.com.

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