This review may contain spoilers
Initially I put this drama as of no interest to me, since I'm usually not fond of cinderella/chaebol plotlines. I mean, aside from a few that I did like, the genre as a whole tend to annoy me somewhat. But then as time passed, I got to see Jung Ilwoo, Park Sodam and Ahn Jaehyun's other works and thought about giving the series a proper look.And I guess it worked out in the end, as it didn't take long for me to like the characters and premise. For one, I enjoyed this drama much better than The Heirs as the plot here was much more fun to watch. For one thing, as much as Hyunmin was so much of a womanizer and assholey at first glance, he's much better than a certain Kim Tan in that it didn't feel like he's being pretentious for being a rich kid or act disbelievingly flamboyant. And later on Hyunmin's characterization expanded even more to reveal that he wasn't in fact, quite the superficial person that we initially thought of. In that sense, Hyunmin's character was better developed than Kim Tan and that other character the other actor had played prior. As in for one, Hyunmin's action for 'bullying' the person he truly liked was out of their own sense of guilt and felt undeserving of being loved.
Park Sodam here played the main female character Eun Hawon, our titular Cinderella who didn't quite believe in the fairy tale magic. Have to say that I like Ha Won's version of the cinderella trope; in that despite how her life was a mess, she didn't let that get her down. And she can fend for herself too, so as much as her step family treating her badly she never let that bring her down. That said, Jiwoon's character already had his own charm in the kind of angsty boy type. Like he wasn't a family rebel for no reason and his bad relationship with his grandfather stemmed from something that happened in the past. It's not quite the Prince Charming one could've expected but when paired with our cinderella, the two do look good together!
Seriously can't help with the comparison with The Heirs since there was a lot of common elements between these two that kept reminding me. Not to mention Boys Over Flowers, though I'm more into the original JP adaptations and not bothering with the Korean one, especially with the whole 'making the girl miserable' trope. Even then, I have seen a lot of different version of the F4-type tropes in many dramas and some dramas tend to overplay that trope to the point of annoyance. But surprisingly, this drama kept amusing me. There were even moments that I can't help feeling my heart flutter as we see more of the apparent love square between Hyunmin-Ha Won-Jiwoon-Hyeji. Though you might blame that to the very good ost popping out at good timing.
Honestly I never thought I'd end up enjoying this drama a lot. The story elements were pretty balanced in a way that Ha Won's family was like the usual cinderella setting aka the stepmother and stepsister treating her badly and stripping her of any basic neccessities to the point that she needed to be self-reliant. Twist here would be that the dad was lead to think that Ha Won wasn't his child due to a misunderstanding thus overlooking the problems in the household. The issues within the Haneul household was also pretty decently set, like the reasons why the grandsons were in bad terms with the elders was understandable and it wasn't just typical poor people weren't a match with rich people trope (thus they would do their cruealest act to separate the couple). Heck, I like the grandfather and I'm glad that he wasn't written as just a rich old man with shallow personality who only thinks of profit. Also, the way the different people start to care and grow affections in the drama were also written well and the love didn't just happen suddenly and you can really see the chemistry happening between these relationship. Have to say that this was pretty rare in dramas of these tropes as usually the tropes can be exagerated too much, but it was executed very well here without making it feel too cliche'd.
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I like the story itself, it's a nice re-version of Cinderella, although ther were a few things I couldn't really stand, and by a few things, I mean Hawon's father. The man won shittiest father of the year, even to the grandfather of the Kang cousins. I was also surprised when I noticed her stepmother actually loved him, like, why wase she so mean to the daughter of the man she genuinely loved? I was expecting makjang, but that storyline doesn't make sense in any world.
The romance was cute, I wasn't much into the main couple at first, but honestly they won me over being cute after they get together. I wasn't very fond of the second couple tbh.
I didn't care about the acting, as I was expecting it to be a bit over-the-top and silly, but I have to say I couldn't stand Son Naeun's performance, her character was a bit annoying at times (and likeable at others), but I always felt like punching her when she spoke (I like her as an idol though!!). Ahn Jaehyun's facial expressions were terrible, but he made me laugh a lot with them and I'm not sure it was on purpose, as it's my first time watching him and I've read good comments about him, so I'll let it slide lol. Park Sodam was lovely, she fit perfectly into this silly world while still feeling like an actual person. And I also enjoyed Lee Jungshin a lot, I only realized he was from CNBlue after he made the joke lol.
The OST was meh, honestly. I love BTOB, but this song kinda wasn't it for me. Jessi's song kinda got me on my nerves whenever it started playing, I'm not sure why.
Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. The pace of the story was pretty good, something that doesn't happen often on this kind of shows. As long as I didn't take it seriously, I laughed a lot. I feel like it's a good comfort show to re-watch when you need to get your mind off of things.
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Already rewatched
Really liked this drama, absolutely one of my favorites! It was a fun watch with just enough cute moments and drama that wasn’t too over the top. There was also enough episodes were the couple is actually together and acts like a real couple. I get frustrated with a lot of dramas where they have no contact relationships or just hand holding. Always enjoy seeing a couple act more realistic and like they actually like each other. Overall the story was predictable but it was really a great watch and I recommend!Was this review helpful to you?
A wonderful K-Drama for Hallyu beginners!
Just finished Cinderella and the Four Knights on Viki.Not sure why it took me so long to see this as I absolutely loved it. Perfect to recommend to a K-Drama beginner.
A fairly light-hearted, character driven romantic comedy that belongs in the "flower boy" subgenre of romantic comedies. It reminded me a lot of Boys Over Flowers and Heirs. If you loved those shows, you'll love this one also.
The magic of the show lies in the chemistry of the main and supporting characters. Park So-Dam's character is among the most lovable characters you'll ever see in a K-Drama. The show is beautifully shot and its memorable soundtrack deserves a spot in the all-time top 10 or 20 list of any K-Drama fan.
Highest recommendations!
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The story was good. It's a mediocre concept, but they carried it out quite well. There's this one scene (I'm not gonna spoil) but all of the main characters are in it and it's funny asf.
The acting was good, not great. There were some highs and lows, but like I said... I LOVE THE MAIN COUPLE.
The music SLAPS. I'm a Jessi fan so My Romeo had me jamming in my blanket. I honestly looked up the OST on Spotify because I loved it so much.
As I said before, I've rewatched this twice so the rewatch value is a solid 10. I really love this drama.
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Un reverse harem divertissant
L'histoire serait inspiré d'un manga/webtoon que ça ne m'etonnerait pas car l'intrigue fait vraiment reverse harem, c'est à dire une rencontre d'un lead (féminin) avec plusieurs leads masculins qui vont la faire reussir/grandir/ découvrir l'amour. Le genre harem étant ciblé pour des lycéens (ou adultes libidineux allez savoir), j'avais longtemps évité ce genre de titres. L'été aidant peut être, j'ai regardé cette série sans trop avoir d'attente.J'ai été agréablement surprise par la qualité du jeu et des éléments comiques.
Cendrillon et ses chevaliers, tout était déjà annoncé dans le titre.
Une petite romance sans prétention avec une trame classique. Si on passe les défauts habituels : destins croisés, souvenirs d'enfance bisounours à gogo ) je trouve que celui-ci tient la route.
Les personnages sont attachants. Le prince bad boys est tout à fait crédible, les autres cousins Kang sont drôles aussi. Ils ne sont pas particulièrement "beaux" je trouve mais ils dégagent du charme par leur jeu d'acteur. Park So dam alias Cendrillon, petite miséreuse parmi les riches, porte tout le drama à elle seule, avec beaucoup de sincérité et je me prends à sourire à chacune de ses apparitions. Je suis séduite par son côté garçonne et fée clochette à la fois, elle n'en fait pas des tonnes. Elle est dans mon top 5 des Cendrillon revisitées !
Les moments comiques sont très réussis surtout dans les premiers épisodes. Marivaudages et quiproquos jouissifs, avex les réseaux sociaux qui amplifient le tout.
Cendrillon a t elle eu ce qu'elle voulait? Peut elle se libérer des considerations matérialistes pour vivre enfin sa vie? Pas vraiment...
"""
Ils vécurent tous heureux, grâce au PDG grand-père richissime à la fin de l'histoire. Bon le Cendrillon de Perrault a bien le prince et le palais et tout ce qui va avec... alors pourquoi pas.
"""
Tout serait resté dans la comédie et ce serait absolument parfait. Mais on a ajouté cette second lead féminin qui passe son temps à pleurer sur le cousin Kang play-boy et donc des scènes larmoyantes totalement inutiles et mal jouées. Aussi une tentative de prise de pourvoir de la boîte de Papy qui n'avait pas grand intérêt. Les romances tirent en longueur vers la fin et ne sont pas vraiment convaincants non plus.
Ce qui me gêne, ce sont les bonnes questions posées au début du drama (culte de l'apparence, caste très fermé des riches, rêve de carrière de l'héroïne...) qui n'ont pas été répondues à la fin de l'histoire. S'ils avaient supprimé quelques scènes de bisous, on aurait pu y insérer des éléments de réponses. Aussi, tant qu'on y est dans la carricature, pourquoi pas fermer le caquet aux chaebols méprisants pour conclure, créer quelques scandales et quiproqos dans les médias sociaux, comme au début de l'histoire... on est dans un drama pour jeunes, non?
Malgré cela, j'ai croqué à pleines dents dans ce " Il etait une fois" jubilatoire et savoureux. Ce drama vaut le coup d'oeil.
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I was quite suprised
When I decided to watch this drama I already heard so many good things about it. So I expected a lot and wasn't dissappointed.The storyline made me wanting to know more and I am satisfied with it. However, there are scenes I just skipped through.
I belive actors did amazing job even though I didn't like Naeun acting. And the romance, omg, I love it. The main leads chemistry is on another level.
And a big plus for music. I love all songs especially Romeo by Jessi.
I want to watch this drama again cause for some unknown reason I can't stop thinking about it.
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I enjoyed the show way more than I think it’s worth.
There is nothing much to the plot but before I knew it, I was at the end. So I guess it was entertaining enough to keep me marathoning.
I really liked how the drama showed the three cousins being distant with each other but also getting more comfortable with each other. They remained prickly and antagonistic, but the way the circumstances shoved them together, you could see they were starting to feel more warmth about their dysfunctional relatives.
The step family really makes it feel like Cinderella in the way they are just hopelessly petty. I did appreciate that they really love Ha Won’s dad though.
Ha Won – female lead
Ha Won can be aggressive but she’s polite and easy going too. Her smile is so genuine and sweet. It doesn’t feel like she’s pushing the cheerful heroine, it seems so sincere. This show is so over the top. It has so much high drama. Of course she’s a hard worker like most Kdrama heroines but I liked that her mission was more relational and she had to think about how to win over the boys’ personalities.
My favourite parts were when the boys all had to react to announcement at the same time and how their personalities were so different. It was so fun how they came together for Ha Won’s sake. They all loved her so much. I liked how they were so impacted when Ha Won just casually called them chingu in conversation.
A drama always gets extra points from me where the heroine isn’t belittled for her looks or her brain.
Ji Woon – male lead
I wasn’t confident that I would like this actor because his looks just isn’t my cup of tea. But I really came to like him. This guy seems like the oldest to me because he is so serious. I like that he is distant and isolating. He doesn’t go out of his way to be mean. He just consistently tells her to get lost.
Romance
Ji Woon has a very nice way of looking at Ha Won. He isn’t the most handsome guy but he does have this aura about him that is very gentle and charismatic. I liked the orphan spin on this drama that both Ha Won and Ji Woon are both very alone in this world. The pair have a subtle way of connecting over their parents.
General Secretary
I love dramas that have that stereotypical stern guy that is uber polite and professional.
Kang Min Young – second male lead (?)
This guy starts out pretty stereotypical but he became such a funny character later on. I like the way he talks. He isn’t the best of actors with the more dramatic scenes. But he is good at skinship. He just looks good when he’s next to a girl.
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I honestly enjoyed it very much, was light, funny, comic, amusing, romantic, sad, sexy and deep thoughts about family and love. It had a lot of good things going on and they were able to tell a good story, with a good balance.
Some things were not exactly necessary, some scenes or actions of the characters but i guess they made sense in the writers head so i’m not gonna argue with that. The cast was great to watch, they did an amazing job, the female lead was very well chosen, she’s such a cutie, i fell in love with her at first sight :) She’s so pretty and those eyes...i mean who wouldn’t fall for her?
All the male co stars were very good too, such a handsome and fun bunch of guys. The characters evolve as the story unravels and their bonds go deeper, both for family and love. I mean that family has some deep issues that need to be fixed ASAP and her coming into their lives actually helped to give that extra push for them to be closer as a family.
It's enjoyable and has comedy and romance in equal measures, they give spotlight to some sensitive matters but treat them with actual respect so it was a plus for me to watch that.
(THIS IS NOT A SPOILER because i am not telling the whole scene and just a tiny bit, an action that was actually hillarious to me so proceed reading at your own risk XD)
There’s this one scene i think it’s just genius and kudos to the writer for that one, when they are both so drunk and alone that their true feelings start to surface, they are super funny omfg i can’t even explain how good that scene was for me XD the way he just says to her “saranghaeyo” while being that drunk and she replies “shut up” and "take a hike" ditching him straight up, it’s just priceless! <3
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in my point of view this drama storylline was not new but the presentation style was realy gooooood,. it guives a postive attitude............................. I MISS THEM......
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Prince Charming Wins Your Heart
I've held back from watching this series simply because there's so many Cinderella-type movies and shows. This was my second time trying to watch this one, and glad I finally did it - it turned out better than I thought.The acting was decent all-around, but I really enjoyed the cinematography of this, and the costuming was really nice. And if course, my favorite lead actor, Jung Il Woo, made this a watchable series. He really carried the story, just as expected. I was not crazy about the lead actress, but I did like actors Choi Min and Ahn Jae Hyun and their roles, especially how they turned it around near the end of the series.
The story and plot is good and that carries you through the series. Would recommend to give this one a watch, it is quite magical.
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