Is it possible to get whiplash from a Kdrama? Like the main character of Love Song for Illusion, this is a show with an identity problem. Park Ji-hoon of Weak Hero Class 1 stars as Crown Prince Sajo-hyun – a man with a secret. For most of his life, he has harbored a second personality, the charming and reckless Ah-kee. When Ah-kee falls for an assassin named Kye-ra, Sajo-hyun’s life is turned upside down.
Kye-ra (Hong Ye-ji) has her own secret. She is really Yeon-wol, the last descendant of the Yeon Dynasty and daughter of the man murdered by Sajo-hyun’s father, the current king. Poised to take vengeance on the king, Kye-ra instead finds herself as a concubine to Crown Prince Sajo-hyun. To make matters worse, she has no memory of who she is. The closer she gets to the Crown Prince, the more she wonders exactly who she is falling in love with.
- Series Title: Love Song for Illusion (Korean: 환상연가)
- Starring: Park Ji-hoon, Hong Ye-ji, Hwang Hee, and Ji Woo
- Written by: Yoon Kyung-ah
- Directed by: Lee Jung-seop
- Network: KBS2
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Year Released: 2024
- # of episodes: 16
- KafeNook Rating: 4.0 sips
Love Song for Illusion — !! Minor Spoilers Ahead!!
The premise of Love Song for Illusion sounds intriguing, so you may be wondering, should you watch it or skip It? Like the troubled Prince Sajo-hyun, the show has two distinct personalities. The first is that of a breathtaking, cinematic saga filled with beautiful costumes and aired in letterbox that makes it feel like a masterful epic. Contrast that with some campy, low budget sets such as the lair of genderbending shaman Chung-ta (Hwang Seok-jeong) reminiscent of the abode of Billy Crystal’s character, Miracle Max, in the movie The Princess Bride. Or the distorted, drunken orgies in the king’s den where veteran actor Kim Tae-woo is wasted as King Sajo Seung in every sense of the word. (Though he does look like he is having fun playing a different kind of role.) See what I mean?
Here are two reasons to watch Love Song for Illusion and two reasons two skip it.
2 Reasons to Watch Love Song for Illusion
Reason Number 1 to Watch: Park Ji-hoon as Sajo-hyun / Ah-kee
I have yet to see Weak Hero Class I, but it’s high on my watch list after seeing Choi Hyun-wook in Twinkling Watermelon. Park Ji-hoon is now another big reason to watch that series. As the dual character of Sajo-hyun/Ah-kee in Love Song for Illusion, he is fascinating. He is the star of the show, carrying every scene he is in (well almost every scene – more on that later) as he battles against himself and the forces surrounding him. Throughout the series, Sajo-hyun and Ah-kee play a game of tug of war. Usually working against each other. Occasionally supporting each other. Often trying to outwit the other, especially in the battle for Kye-ra’s affections. But ultimately with the goal of being the last person/personality standing.
Sajo-hyun comes across as a tender, caring person, initially focused on crafting beautiful clothing. He can be seen as weak by others but is whip smart. Ah-kee is brave and action oriented yet can be reckless and lacking in strategy. At the same time, there is something vulnerable about him that makes you want to root for him too. It’s hard to not want both of them to continue to exist, or at some point combine and create the best Sajo-hyun/Ah-kee possible.
When it comes to Sajo-hyun/Ak-kee’s chemistry with leading lady Kye-ra/Yeon-wol, I found it mostly lacking except in two situations. Ak-kee and Kye-ra show sparks during action scenes or when they are fighting between themselves. Sajo-hyun and Yeon-wol can be delightful when sharing intimate smiles and tiny joyous interactions. Otherwise, the pair in whatever combination tends to be relatively flat.
Reason Number 2 to Watch: Scenes and Sounds of True Beauty
Despite the campy scenes scattered throughout the show, for much of the drama the cinematography is truly beautiful. It’s like watching a combo fantasy/historical motion picture crafted through the thoughtful usage of filters and camera angles that bring out both the natural and man-made settings to their best advantage. (So many lovely bridge scenes!) And the costumes! This not your typical Joseon era royalty wear. They are works of a master craftsman (maybe Sajo-hyun whipped them up himself?) done in colorful arrays of shimmering fabrics full of rich detail and pattern.
The Love Song for Illusion original soundtrack is also hands down one of the best so far of 2024 starting with Never Lost sung by Kim Yeji. The beautiful songs continue with Soyang singing Beneath the Moonlight and Kim Jae Hwan’s Be My Wind. But my favorite song from the drama (and maybe for this year) is I was You, You Were Me sung with the incredible vocals of KLANG. I could listen to it all day long.
2 Reasons to Skip Love Song for Illusion
Reason Number 1 to Skip: One Shaman Too Many
It’s hard to keep the shaman or is it shawoman straight? The character of Chung-ta is comic relief, I suppose, and just another take on a dual personality role but Chung-ta did not work for me. His/her allegiance shifts constantly and seems to lack a clear motivation. Even by the last episode, I did not understand Chung-ta’s ultimate goal. Add in a foreign prince who may also be a shaman who also takes a liking to Kye-ra and things get really confusing. With a proper and truly sinister shaman who knew what they were doing, this could have made the show so much more interesting.
Reason to Skip Number 2: The Plot Can Drag
Not many of the other characters help maintain the interest of the show beyond the prince. Eunuch Neung (Woo Hyun) is certainly fun to watch alongside perpetually suffering bodyguard Ji Jeon-se (Han Eun-seong). And I appreciate how hard both Prince Sajo Yung (Arthdal Chronicles‘ Hwang Hee) and Crown Princess Geum-hwa (Ji Woo of Gyeongsong Creature) work to sell their roles – while looking good doing it.
But I have to rant about episode 12. In the episode, the best actor in the series, playing the most interesting character – or the most interesting two characters – spends the majority of the time on the floor. The prince is paralyzed, and Ah-kee has a knife in his back that prevents him from moving. The entire episode is excruciating to watch. I could not wait for it to end. If you watch the show – just fast forward through the entire episode. You won’t miss anything. Things do get back on track after that and the show comes to a satisfying if fairly predictable conclusion (featuring more lovely costumes and scenes of bridges, of course).
Love Song for Illusion Final Thoughts
I’m not sorry that I watched Love Song for Illusion because Park Ji-hoon is just too fun in this drama but there are a few hours of my life I do wish I could get back.
