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From a flowery path to dark vibes, and heading to a new beginning
It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions and all the actors and actresses portrayed their characters well. The vice-curator and the widows in particular were great. The actor portraying the vice-curator was adorable, to be honest, XD. I felt bad for him as he was so smitten by his 'Lady Kim' lol, but he got his partner in the end. He's so cute XD. Aeung Du is CUTE; such a little glutton~The main characters did well with their characters too. The earlier episodes were so much fun with Nok Du cross-dressing as a woman; his gestures and way of speech were spot on! I also like Dong Ju and her fiery spirit. Both were adorable together and their romance is on another level. The couple would go to great lengths to protect each other despite being burdened by their dark pasts. Some say their relationship doesn't make sense since their parents were entangled in a political feud in the past, but Nok Du and Dong Ju made it possible to be together. After going through many hardships we can see how much they're meant to be.
Next is Yul Moo, the 'wolf in sheep's clothing' prince. WOW. I genuinely didn't expect him to be the villain here, with how he acted so kindly and helpful towards all the women at the Kisaeng house. I got chills down my spine when he was revealed to be the man who killed the widow and slashed down a minister. It was shocking to know how KTO switched from a normal and cheerful noble frequenting the Kisaeng house to a dark, psychopathic killer who would obliterate anyone who would sabotage his plans. I mean, who would believe it easily after showing excellent cooking skills with a heartwarming smile right? :')
In addition to him is his bodyguard (or maybe Yul Moo's personal weed exterminator lol, since he'd clear his lord's path without fail) Dan Oh (our HIH!!!); he's so cool~
The king, well, he did so well as the power-crazed monarch who wouldn't excuse even his flesh and blood to take his place. He's a lost cause, yet I can still see a little good in him. Just like Nok Du has mentioned, his father is a pitiful person who has already dived so deep into the dark side and the king himself had already accepted it.
As for the music, it was pretty nice but sometimes, they would just cut off the music bluntly when the scenes shifted; it was a bit off-putting. The wardrobe designs for every character were stunning.
Last, but not least, many say the ending wasn't favorable but in my opinion, I'd say it was fitting. Although Yul Moo was a bad guy in the beginning, we can still witness his change in the end; maybe just a bit but we can see he's willing to change (though not his initial goal to seize the throne). He's ready to weather all obstacles and burdens of being King. I wasn't able to hate both the King and Yul Moo in the end; they're just being themselves, 'people who've chosen a bloody path'. Most importantly, I was very pleased with the mother-and-son reunion at long last. They truly deserved this. I love how the Queen respected her son's wishes and protected both her husband and child till the end within her power. Again, it's a fitting end for me~
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Just wow!
This drama gives me such positive vibes. The story, acting, overall it makes me smile. You can feel the chemistry between main character and other actors as well. It’s an easy tv show to watch. It kinda stucks in your mind for good. A cute love store with so many funny scenes that will brighten up your face.If you want to have fun and stay hoked up on a drama, this is for you! A soft love story that will touch your heart.
Hope you enjoy as much as i did. I am planning on rewatching very soon.
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It's a catfish, no pun intended.
Let me start by saying I absolutely loved the first half of this K-drama.Jang Dong Yoon was absolutely stunning as Lady Kim (for some reason, I was really surprised by this). He was the perfect choice for his role, and the chemistry between his character (Nokdu) and Dong Joo (played by Kim So Hyun) was decent.
HOWEVER, everything that made the first half of the show great (the comedy, cuteness, and playful misunderstandings) all went out the window in the second half. First off, having the character Cha Yool Mu just switch up and do a total 180 personality change right out of the blue after feeling rejected by Dong Joo was strange. It felt like it was done deliberately so the viewer wouldn't feel a bias toward him as the second male lead (that is, to disqualify him as a potential suitor in the eyes of the audience).
Secondly, the comedic value dried up by episode 9 as palace politics began to dominate the storyline. Soon, all that was left was mere breadcrumbs of romance amid what can only be described as "a runaway-train plot." The sudden change of pace and super serious mood of the second half felt like it was meant for a totally different audience (that is, the type of audience that would appreciate the first half of the show wasn't the same type that would have appreciated the latter half, and vice versa).
I was SO disappointed but still can't bring myself to give it a low rating because I really enjoyed the first half so much.
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The King Selfishness
Through the drama we can learn to do research before trusting things that we doesn't even sure about. At the end the selfish king regret his decision because of something stupid he did (he don't want his own son to ascend the throne, and the plot twist at the end shocken me too👁️👄👁️ LIKEEE. The way ML acting as a female was soo cute HAHAHA he doesn't look awkward with the character. Happy watching fwends!! This was my first drama the "SHOULD BE THE KING" doesn't be "THE KING". I was happy when they live together as a big family. It is worth to watch.Was this review helpful to you?
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Average
Foremost, I love the concept of the plot particularly because of women who were deemed to die just because of their husbands (due to dumb traditions) banning together into a formidable group. The ML dressing as a female to infiltrate them was also quite fun. But a few negatives brought the score down for me:- While the romance between the FL/ML was sweet, there was just too much focus on it at the most inappropriate times. When there's a serious situation occurring that involves life and death or when a loved one is in a dire situation, it's hard to stomach a relatively quick scene switch to the two of them lightheartedly flirting or the amount of times the FL needs saving.
- The plot started becoming increasingly muddled toward the middle of the series and the plot holes are real. And various situations (as with many other series) were "conveniently" coincidental which takes away from the realism.
- A light nit is the amount of time that has passed through the course of the series but apparently, the FL's hair that was cut off early on never seemed to grow.
However, most of the actors were fantastic so it helped with balancing out some of the flaws. And despite some plot flow issues, they were still able to tug at the audience's heart strings. The twist at the end was great but the final scene felt like a forced joyful ending.
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This was actually really good there some moments that I really enjoyed. I liked how the story plot
unfolded and how the characters showed their emotions . I also liked the chemistry between
Dong Dong Joo and Jeon Nok Du Basically I like the entire show and wish there is a second season to this amazing drama. Oh and there were some moments that were really fun to watch and I think you would enjoy them as well as I did. Overall a great show to watch 10/10
recommendation.
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Great 1st half
The 1st and 2nd parts are not just different but not even the same genre.I enjoyed the 1st half it was warm and light with serious and intense scenes in between to keep things interesting, it was really well balanced with really funny moments.
The 2nd part was a melodrama with the whole generic fights about the trône and hidden identity, it heavily relied on troops with some light scenes here and there. I found the constant angst overkill and ended up fast forwarding most scenes.
The chemistry and build up was still good and the only thing that kept me watching
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One of the most hilariously/serious drama that is in the Joseon Era!!!
You need to give it a shot, even if you don't know the actor or actress. The FL is a rising star and she probably will be one of the main female lead star in more dramas to come in a year or 2. ML is good, I really like his acting in this as he cross-dress as a female which rarely makes me laugh out loud as heck. The serious tone of the show is also on point, the plot is kinda cliche but still refreshing in a way. Don't give up on watching this just because you either hate one of the cast or don't know them. If you are like me, you will grow to love them. I like the female lead, watch almost all her dramas that shes in even if she is secondary characters. I am currently rewatching it after a few months. And it has a Happy ending which is kinda rare for a joseon drama!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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I started watching this drama because the plot piqued my interest – the crossdressing seemed interesting and what more it was a man crossdressing as a woman which is pretty uncommon for dramas. The plot with crossdressing lasted only for the first ten episode but I didn't mind since then it became even more interesting. The plot twist with the cook being the prince was totally epic and the intrigue in the place kept me at the edge of my seat for the rest of the drama. I love how the tags here on MDL are showing the same attributes for the the ml and the fl as they were both really smart and strong.
Highly recommended!
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Historical love story
Personally, I do not follow the historical drama much, unless the story is worth following, but this drama really attracted me in an unusual way, as from the first episode you will feel that the drama is beautiful and it is so beautiful that this drama was not placed in the center of events, but rather it gave unexpected solutions with special events. .The Tale of Nokdu was a wonderful historical. It sets up a great story early on that blossoms into an intense drama. The pacing was great throughout with humor to make me laugh, and then it upped the stakes with some serious plot developments surrounding Nok Du as well as his relationship with Dong Joo.
I enjoyed the story, the romance, the action, and the intrigue. All of these elements blended together nicely to make for an entertaining watch all the way through. My heart was left feeling so full!♡
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Intensely progressive and hilarious
Honestly, the gender bending gave me life. Nok Du was stunning as Widow Kim & Dong Joo was stunning as an assassin dude. There were an insane amount of cunning, intelligent, physically powerful women in this show, and they didnt treat the bigger women as incapable, slobby, and unloveable (which is SO typical in all media). Dont even get me started on the Master and his kid - Aeng Doo made me laugh my ass off with her little quips and big appetite. Loved Nok Du's brother & father - offering such important perspectives at crucial pivot points in Nok Du's development. And the villains, of course... Dong Joo coming in at the end to tell the nephew that she simply will never love him because putting in effort wouldnt be good enough? The King telling the nephew he will be lonely forever (when the nephew literally lost everyone and everything he cared about JUST to have that throne)??? I mean. WOW. & One of the first hetero OTPs I actually was invested in. I could go on and on about this I adored it so much! 🥴Was this review helpful to you?
