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To My Beloved Thief: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Jul 30
4 min read

Updated: Sep 24

To My Beloved Thief Poster

Title:

To My Beloved Thief (2026)

Platform:

Wavve, Viki

MDL & IMBD Rating:

8.2 & 7.7

Genre:

Period (Joseon) Romance/ Fantasy (Body Swap)

Episode Count:

16

Parental Guidance Rating:

PG-13: Violence and blood

Starring:

Man Ji Hyun (100 Days My Prince)

Moon Sang Min (Under the Queen's Umbrella)

Hong Min Gi (Doctor on the Edge)

Han So Eun (The Haunted Palace)

RBTS Rating:

6.4/10 Stars: A Robin Hood-esque Joeson tale of body swapping and romance that suffers from severe miscasting and inconsistent story telling, but is still a mostly pleasant watch.



Synopsis:

Born from a tryst between a nobleman and a slave woman, Hong Eun Jo is no stranger to the plight of the average person, especially after her father fell ill. By day, Eun Jo works as a doctor, but by night, she assumes the identity of "Hong Gil Dong", a thief who steals from corrupt officials to spread wealth among those in need. Hong Gil Dong's antics attract the attention of Prince Yi Yeol, who has a penchant for investigations and is personally intrigued by the mystery of the righteous thief, although most palace officials believe that he's just joking around. Amidst his search, Yi Yeol runs into Eun Jo, falling in love at first sight – but when Yi Yeol and Eun Jo happen to swap bodies, secrets they both try to keep hidden risk getting out. @MDL



Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

To My Beloved Thief is the lukewarm hybrid of Knight Flower and Moon River, wherein our female lead mysteriously switches bodies with a prince, which is awkward because she’s the Korean Robin Hood he's trying to hunt down. I have yet to find a valid use of body switching in a K-Drama, and my search continues. I think this story could have been told without the fantasy aspect, but it felt more justifiable and less annoying than in Moon River. The drama got its toe wet in themes of duty and equality, but found that water too cold real quick. It was pretty inconsistent.

To My Beloved Thief: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Nam Ji Hyun and Moon Sang Min in My Beloved Thief

The drama was weak, partly because Hong Eun Jo (FL) didn’t make a convincing figurehead, and she often lacked the sense God gave a fish. Nam Ji Hyun (FL Actress) is no stranger to period dramas, but she has long outgrown the typical naive maiden role most female leads are given. She felt miscast as Hong Eun Jo (FL), and just didn't have the grit that I think the character needed. She also didn't have much chemistry with either of her love interests. We are given a Noona romance with the casting of Moong Sang Min (ML Actor), who is 5 years her junior, followed by the 7 years younger, Hong Min Gi (2ML). Noona romances can work, and they can be used to tell really interesting and thought provoking stories, but the issue here was that the "Noona" aspect was never addressed on the script level. Nam Ji Hyun played the FL too innocent in comparison to her younger co-stars, especially given the characters life experience, and she had a more mature presence that it seemed like she was trying to stifle, so it just felt weird. Don't get me wrong, girlie pop is seriously gorgeous and does look youthful, but she is an actress who has matured past idol roles, not even because of age, but because of skill. She's been in the game for a while and it was paid off, so these roles feel like a waste of her potential. Also, none of her outfits fit properly and it was annoying. Can we not get this girl an apron that fits?


Young woman in lavender hanbok stands in a traditional courtyard, looking upward with a calm, pensive expression; To My Beloved Thief
The offending apron.

While there were significant issues that kept this drama from becoming great, it was still good. I love a Robin Hood character type, the period setting, and the 2ML and 2FL (Sin Hae Rim) were highlights. Though much could be improved on, it's still a decent watch if you're in the mood for a Joseon Romance with a touch of fantasy.



Context Note: The "Hong Gil Dong" our female lead masquerades as is legitimately a Korean Robin Hood. It comes from the novel, The Biography of Hong Gildong, written in the Joseon era, which chronicles the life of an illegitimate son of a nobleman who uses his wits and supernatural abilities to rob the rich and feed the poor. This character was inspired by real life folk hero Im Kkeokjeong, the leader of a peasant rebellion in the mid 1500's. To My Beloved Thief uses the original tale as loose inspiration, joining dramas like Hong Gil Dong, The Hero! (2008) and The Rebel (2017) in live action portrayals.



Story=2.75 (Could have been tighter, but the 2ML was an interesting character and I rooted for him a little I admit.) , Acting=2.5 (Not great. Neither the MLs or FL sparkled even slightly) Production Quality=3 (Mid), Ending= 4 (Fine but the epilogue was unnecessary), Enjoyability= 3.75, Would I rewatch= Meh, I guess it’s better than Moon River.


Trailer:


Director: #HamYounggeol

Screenwriter: #LeeSeon


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



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