1A masterpiece
This beautiful fusion of fantasy, romance and mystery engages both the heart and mind. To best appreciate it, one needs to closely follow the captivating adventure set out by the writer. Thus, skipping parts of it is strongly discouraged - you might as well not watch it.Those who love this drama are fully aware that a story about parallel universes and time travel is not everyone's cup of tea. It is totally understandable for somebody who is not into fantasy to not like it. Excuses like a messy story and too many product placements are not necessary to explain one's inability to appreciate it. What is hard to understand is why some people feel the need to bash it. When I don't like a TV series, I simply stop watching it, not go on and on about why I don't like it. So it's really intriguing why viewers who don't like this drama refuse to leave it alone, keeping on bashing it instead. Is it some defense mechanism? Perhaps this drama made them question whether they're as smart or imaginative as they think they are? Perhaps it made them wonder whether their inability to focus on the story and ignore product placements denotes short attention span? Perhaps they wonder whether not seeing the chemistry between the leads denotes their inability to separate the actors from the characters, in turn denoting their inability to fully immerse themselves in the drama, in turn denoting short attention span?
In any case, many viewers around the world relished this drama and consider it a masterpiece.
Story:
Lee Gon, the eight-year old crown prince of the Kingdom of Corea, witnessed the assassination of his father at the hands of his illegitimate uncle, Lee Lim, who was after a magic flute named Manpasikjeok. After Lee Gon cut the flute in half, Lee Lim tried to strangle him but he was saved by a masked stranger who left an ID card before disappearing. Lee Lim escaped to an alternate world, the Republic of Korea, through his half of the flute. The orphaned Lee Gon grew up to be a wise, intelligent and benevolent king under the care of his dad's cousin, Prince Buyeong, and Head Court Lady Noh. He took comfort in the ID card of Lieutenant Jeong Tae-eul of the National Police Agency left by his savior. For 25 years, he searched for his savior unsuccessfully until one time when, astride his white horse Maximus, he chased a mysterious stranger through the bamboo forest and came across the portal to Korea.
The first person he encountered in the alternate world was police officer Jeong Tae-eul. Utterly happy at finally meeting the owner of the ID that had been his companion for the last 25 years, he hugged her upon meeting her. But, being a no-nonsense and feisty detective, she doubted his claims of being a king in an alternate universe, promptly jailing and investigating him. Their encounters, with him openly declaring his affection for her any chance he got and her slowly warming up to him even while doubting what she thought were delusions of a crazy weirdo, were delightful and heart-tugging. Even when they were bickering, it was obvious they were perfectly matched in personality, intelligence, humor and values. For a fantasy film, the romance was surprisingly realistic. Lee Gon and Tae-eul were both honest about their feelings for each other. Embracing their fate, they didn't toy with each other's affection. While showing the world their strength and bravery, they were not afraid to expose their vulnerable sides to each other. They deeply loved each other, with him willing to open all the doors of the universe to look for her, and her willing to wait until he succeeded. But they were both selfless enough not to let their love rule over peace and balance in the universe.
Lee Gon and Tae-eul could not bask in each other's love as the world was unraveling from the effects of the broken Manpasikjeok. Lee Lim had already killed his and Lee Gon's doppelgangers in the alternate world. He had also been smuggling people between worlds to plant spies in the palace among other reasons, making people kill their doppelgangers in the process. Furthermore, when the portal between the alternate worlds was crossed, time froze, with the duration of time freeze increasing such that there would come a time when both worlds would freeze forever. The solution was to make the Manpasikjeok whole again and to close the doors between the alternate worlds. How Lee Gon accomplished this with the help of Tae-eul, Jo Yeong, Eun-sup, Sin-jae and other allies was as compelling as it was brilliant.
Acting/Cast:
Lee Min Ho's regal bearing and facial and vocal expressions ably brought Lee Gon to life. He successfully portrayed the decisiveness of a strong and wise leader, the brilliance of a man of science, the gentleness of a loving foster son to both Prince Buyeong and Lady Noh, the playfulness of a friend to his Unbreakable Swords and the vulnerability of a man in love. Kim Go Eun's versatility was on full display with her spot-on portrayal of different characters. She clearly showed why Tae-eul was the most suitable partner for Lee Gon. Her honesty and drive to do the right thing were what Lee Gon needed in a life tainted by betrayal. She made us believe in a character who decided to be brave because not everyone could be. She made us hope that seeds from Corea would grow in the inter-dimensional gate and the alternate world just as she hoped she could fire a gun in an environment with no air, wind and light. The supporting cast was excellent with special mention to those who portrayed Jo Yeong, Eun-sup, Lee Lim, Seo-ryeong, Shin-jae, Prince Buyeong, Lady Noh and Secretary Mo.
Music:
From the initial strains of the opening credit to other exquisite background music like "Parallel World", "Fantasia of Another Dimension", "Empire" and "Into the Fantasy", the soundtrack of TKEM transports viewers to a wonderland. The haunting melody of "Maze" with the lyrics "born to be walking alone" gives a glimpse of the lonely world of an orphan who wore the crown. At the same time, the lyrics "light that I chased is you" conveys what he felt about the person whose ID kept him from being sad and lonely while he was growing up. The song "I Just Want To Stay With You" expresses his desire to be with the person who had been his beacon of hope for the last 25 years. The sublime "If Only/My Love and..." background music played at the end of episode 3 made us realize that Tae-eul missed the deluded weirdo who forced her to keep his horse in her yard and that Lee Gon's heart was breaking at having to leave her to go back to his world. The soaring notes of "My Love" make us feel the power of a love that could last forever even when the object of affection had frozen. "You're My End and My Beginning" makes us believe in somebody who would do anything for a loved one.
Rewatch Value:
I have re-watched this masterpiece several times. Each time, I either become more emotional or notice something I have not noticed before. For example, the third time I watched the scene where Lee Gon and Tae-eul were in the hospital quietly looking at each other, I was struck at their painful submission to their fate as they were trying to savor each other's presence and committing each other's features to memory knowing they would likely not see each other again. It was heartbreaking, making me cry now just thinking about it.
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Needs brain cells
If you wish to give your brain a rest when watching dramas, this is definitely NOT for you. You'll just find yourself obsessing over product placements.If you do wish to keep your brain cells active even in front of a TV, if you relish unraveling challenging plot-lines, you're in for a magical, wonderful experience.
This is the best kdrama I've ever watched. Romance, fantasy and an awesome soundtrack have been blended together in a beautifully crafted unique story of a king and a detective from parallel worlds who meet, bicker, fall in love and risk their lives to save their worlds from impending doom.
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For a long time I have not enjoyed watching a show like this one and it will always hold a special place in my heart, thanks to a beautifully written love story between the main leads.
The main story is very interesting, with the theme of parallel worlds, devious villains, but what I loved the most is romance.
It has been a long time I have watched a romance K-Drama like this one, where the main theme is this epic, fantasy love story and what is the most important, the writing was not shy because of it, in contrary, I had a feeling I was basking in that glorious feeling of an epic love tale. The main characters were not fazed how they felt about each other, they were lucky, they met and fell in love and it felt like a touch of destiny and they were grateful for that. There were no love triangles, no crazy in laws, no annoying unbaised misunderstandings, just their unconditional love and it was so beautiful, that truthful simplicity of their feelings and their unflinching will to fight for their love.
The main actors Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun had an amazing chemistry and they portrayed their characters perfectly, their scenes were heart swooning and so lovely. I laughed and cried with them, which is always a good sign, that a show touched my heart. After this show I became a devoted Min Lee Ho fan. :)
The other characters with their stories, enchanting scenography and captivating OST were perfectly included in the main story, which resulted in one fulfilling K-drama viewing experience. :)
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I have never been a HUGE huge fan of either main casts but I do love them. So when news about this drama airing first came out, I wasn't as hype as my other friends were.
People complimented the first episode endlessly and I decided to wait for the drama to be completed to watch it (because I have no patience and I usually watch everything in one go). But after some time, people began leaving negative feedback on the drama.
Here is my opinion:
- the plot is kind of amazing? it's probably not original, but it has the perfect amount of cliche-ness that a drama would need to have. There are several parts that made me think "oh, so she's this. wait. no. wait. yes. oh, she isn't. wait, she is." in the span of 5 minutes. There may be some parts that can come out as confusing, but this gets resolved as they explain it in the next episodes.
- the cast is kind of VERY much amazing. Everyone did an outstanding job, but Woo Do Hwan (with his two characters) won me over the moment I watched the episode.
- the cinematography?? beautiful.
- the HUMOR is 10/10.
- I have never been satisfied with drama endings, but this was okay. I originally thought that I wouldn't like the ending that they had chosen, but they tied up the loose ends pretty well. I ended up liking the ending lol.
- one of the only downside of this drama is the chemistry between the main leads. After watching the behind-the-scenes, I was kind of disappointed that their off screen chemistry wasn't transferred on screen :/ I felt that the relationship between the characters progressed too quickly as well.
Overall, I would suggest anyone to give this drama a try. I absolutely love this drama, and still can't move on from it even though it has been a couple of weeks since I completed it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Woo Do Hwan loving & caring about Woo Do Hwan is #Life!
I struggled with the thought of 7.5 or 8.0, and stuck with 7.5 because 2 out of 16 episodes boring me doesn't deserve higher, if I'm honest. But the acting in this drama is really good. I loved the entire cast, good and bad. The story was somewhat problematic at times, but still a well-written script with understandable concepts. However, the choice of how to play out the concepts to the end was *somewhat* dissatisfying, but not completely.Pros:
1) It’s extremely disappointing to me that NetFlix & SBS don’t provide the cinematographer’s name from the production studios. I love everything about the costume styling, design crafting, the set coloring, and the feel of the location shots. It brings back the vibes I got watching Mr. Sunshine. Plus, I think these kinds of productions just suit Lee Min Ho’s acting style.
2) I actually get the whole Alice in Wonderland concept and am pleasantly pleased by it to describe the whole parallel universe.
3) Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, Lee Jung Jin & Kim Kyung Nam acted their f'ing asses off in this drama. Well done guys! Lee Min Ho was, well, Lee Min Ho. His character was like so many roles you've seen him play...but that isn't necessarily a *bad* thing because, frankly, he does these roles superb and fits the bill nicely. So he surely doesn't have to work too hard acting his part like the others did...and that's why I praise them more.
4) Woo Do Hwan & Kim Kyung Nam together in a scene is a total #Vibe. Lee Min Ho and Woo Do Hwan together in a scene is a total #Bromance. Lee Min Ho & Kim Kyung Nam together in a scene is a #Mood. Stick them all together and sprinkle Go Eun on top in a scene and it's a total #SliceOfHeaven. LOL! I want to see these guys together again.
5) Woo Do Hwan loving and caring about Woo Do Hwan is #Life! Heck, if I was Woo Do Hwan, I'd love myself too!!! =)
6) The romance wasn't 100% overpowering the story, and Go Eun & Min Ho had outstanding chemistry. They actually looked extremely comfortable with each other, and this is the most mature and likable OTP ML Min Ho's played, that I often thought, 'dang, he looks really cool'. hahahaha.
{{I'm going to be one of these people that argues against some of the complaints about "superficial" or "forced" romance with no proper progression.
**spoilerish**
Please, people, bear in mind, this is a child that believes this person has something to do with helping him out and through the most TRAUMATIC experience of his life and who he has been OBSESSING about into his early 30s, with no significant other.
She gets her world rocked by him in an amazing way.
The times between meetings are extended periods, not days or even weeks. He pulls her into his life over this timeframe, and has her where all she has are memories until he shows up, making her think about him OBSESSIVELY, and WORRY that each time will be the LAST time...
Wasn't that clear??? It was conveyed easily enough that way to me....No, sorry to say, you're sadly mistaken about the TIME SPAN of the drama if you think she was hot for him and kissing him only a COUPLE WEEKS after they met. Not true at all. Pay closer attention next time. LOL. }}
Cons:
1) Too many supporting characters moving around with moving parts, gets a bit tedious to watch. Wished the concepts were portrayed a bit more succinctly as it went on.
2) This cast is so good and strong they're meant to be *together*. Wasting screen time with 1 or 2 at a time for long periods does such a disservice to how I'm vibing this drama. I get into the dynamics of their relationships, only for it to be cut and other stuff dragged out that wasn't as entertaining, imo.
3) I felt like Kim Kyung Nam was a bit type-casted with his character. Reminded me of what made me love him in Come and Hug Me, but I was sad a bit, because I want to seem him in more versatile roles. That being said, he still knocked acting his character out of the park, so it's only a slight compliant. =)
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One of my top Kdrama of all time
I have to say this drama was amazing, I orginally went into it not knowing much about it only seeing the trailer. But it was amazing the story was so detailed and well exicuted. The actors were amazing and added so much depth to the story, in every scene. I watched this show when I was fairly new to korean dramas so in the beginning I did find somethings a bit confusing but I was able to focus and work out what was happening. I even convinced my older brother to watch it with me (He doesnt watch shows from other countrys) and this is his favourite show of all time. Give it a try if you have not. 10/10Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fantasy, Mystery, Comedy, & Romance
A Korean emperor from a parallel world + a head-strong detective with whom he shares a mysterious connection…I admit that I didn’t really like this drama the first time I watched it. I’m not really sure why because there’s nothing wrong with it. Perhaps I was just in the wrong mood for the genre? I truly can’t remember the reason. After experiencing Woo Do Hwan’s amazing acting in the drama, “Mad Dog”, I gave this show another shot. (*WDH plays dual roles as the ML’s head bodyguard/friend/confidant & the FL’s friend. He deserves serious recognition for his talent!*) And upon watching it again, I really enjoyed it! The acting is great (as expected from the talented cast!), the storyline is solid & keeps the viewers’ attention, & the pacing is well done. I didn’t skip through a lot of boring parts or endless “filler” scenes. So while my original opinion of this drama was rather low, I’ve since changed my mind & now love to rewatch it.
Now for the review.
For me, the FL is a bit off putting at first with her tough girl persona (perhaps that’s why I didn’t enjoy watching it the first time?) Her initial treatment of the ML annoyed me, though it does make sense that she thinks he’s a wacko. For her, nothing he said made sense or seemed credible. It’s understandable that she thinks he’s a conman. I get all that, but it still bothered me, haha. BUT I did come to appreciate this part of her character. She’s very independent, smart, & brave. She’s willing to make hard choices & sacrifices to protect her friends & family. She’s a modern day warrior when it comes to her loved ones. And when her love extends to include the ML, her inner beauty really shines through because of how determined she is to fight for their love. She’s not just a sideline observer - she’s right in the thick of things, fighting alongside her man (though not always physically as they’re often in different worlds.) She’s no weak & simpering ninny, which is always refreshing to watch. And her toughness only makes it that much sweeter to witness when she softens with only the ML.
As for the ML, I liked him from the start. He’s charming, witty, & engaging. He gives off this carefree attitude towards life, but he’s never careLESS with his duties or the feelings of others. He’s a rare gem when it comes to those who hold power - he’s a leader who genuinely cares for his people. He treats others with kindness & respect while still maintaining his authority. Even those he knows are scheming, he remains respectful even as he’s putting them in their place & reminding them who’s in charge (yeah, I’m talking about you, evil lady.) He’s by no means a pushover or weak leader. He’s on the front lines when his country’s under attack & he spends his life, unknown to the masses, protecting them from an unknown threat. He places the peoples needs before his wants, often sacrificing his own happiness for the good of the country…until it comes to the FL. Her, he won’t give up. When they meet, he’s all in - first to unravel the mystery surrounding their connection (the writer’s did a fantastic job with this portion of the story, imho) & then because he’s absolutely smitten with her.
The plot of the story is really good. There’s the fantasy aspect with existence of the parallel worlds & the scenes where the ML is traveling through time. There’s the mystery component surrounding the ML having the FL’s police issued badge - why was it in the pocket of the one who saved him at his father’s murder scene when he was a child? There’s comedy thrown in to lighten the heavy. And there’s romance - such pure, deep, enviable romance *sigh*.
I loved these Leads together. They have wonderful onscreen chemistry that makes all their interactions believable. They’re so good together & I was rooting for them to get their HEA, scared the fantasy aspect would separate them in the end. They so deserve to be happy after all they go through to be together. The ways they both fight for their love made me swoon so much. Him traveling through time to reach her? Swoon. Her reaction each time he came back to her? Swoon. Their intense reunion after she’s kidnapped to his world (my favorite scene, btw)? SWOON! They’re such a power couple & writing this is making me want to watch their story all over again. If you haven’t yet watched it, stop reading our reviews & just push play already!
Also, the bromance is hecka cute. I loved all the interactions between Lee Min Ho (ML) & Woo Do Hwan (SML). Sometimes the Leads & support characters don’t always mesh that well, but these 2 guys have great chemistry that really adds a lot to the success of the drama. So kudos to them!
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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-
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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.5 💋
- Together : ep.6 👩🏻❤️👨🏻
- BreakUp : Nope 🫶🏻
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Then sometime before we even reached halfway, all of that went 'poof!' and I was left disillusioned, having just wasted over 16 hours of my life.
Before I get into the drama's problems, I want to give it praise for what I feel it did right. The opening episodes were paced so well. They were interesting, they pulled me in, and I eagerly waited for this drama to unfold. The characters of Yeong and Eun Sup were amazing - by the end of it, I was solely watching for their scenes, especially their interactions with one another. Their roles have added Woo Do Hua to my list of actors to watch out for. And, at least to start, I did like the chemistry between the two leads. At the start. Remember that for later, because it's one of the keys to this drama's downfall. Most of the actors did a great job with what they were given and I commend them for it, because I can only imagine what kind of directions they were given when the script was such a mess, and yet they did it. They pulled it off. But I would say that they were the first sign that something was wrong - or Lee Min Ho was, specifically, when I noticed him giving no feeling to the character of Lee Gon. Having seen him act before, I knew he could do better. But I figured, maybe it was just because of the character he was playing. Maybe once the plot revved up, he would show some emotion on his face. With all the comedy towards the start of the drama, his flat tone added to the jokes, so I convinced myself that things would change when the stakes were raised, and I was content.
There is a problem when the side characters to a drama are better written and more immersive than the leads. That was the case for almost all of the characters in this drama, and that was the second bad omen.
It was obvious from episode one that time travel was going to be a factor later in the drama, so I expected it. I'm not someone who takes issue with time travel being included in dramas because so long as it's handled well, the unavoidable logical failings of it don't bother me. I understand that you can't make much sense out of it so provided that the addition of it adds to the story and they handle it carefully, I have no problem with it. Seeing as it was foreshadowed in the very first episode, I was sure that they must have thought it through well. They were confident enough to add it to the start of their drama. That's a LOT of confidence. They had to have given it careful consideration and dedicated a lot of time to mapping out their manipulation of it, surely.
I was wrong.
But the time travel was not my biggest gripe with the story. It's up there, but the worst part of the drama has to be the editing. Episodes jump around from past to future to past again, from one world to the next, and at first, they bothered to add a little note card at the bottom or in the corner to tell you where you were, but that didn't last and the jumps became so frequent that half the time I didn't know what I was looking at. It just got worse with time, not better, and made it very hard to understand the story. Usually, dramas that jump between times or worlds will at least provide some sort of visual or verbal buffer to ground you, something that lets it tell its story without confusing you. I've watched plenty of these dramas and they all do it in a different way. With time travel, they often use a filter or change the colour balance between times. Signal and Life on Mars both gave the past a sepia hue. Circle dedicated the first half of its episodes to the past, then at the halfway mark added a timecard. Between worlds, either both worlds will be different enough to know visually, or the jumps will be acknowledged by the characters so that you know where they are. TKEM decided to include both time travel and alternate realities to their story and yet could only rarely be bothered to give you any direction. I can't enjoy a drama if I can't follow it. I shouldn't have to look through every episode with a fine-toothed comb to figure out what's happening.
The next problem is the leads. I liked them in the beginning, but they quickly fell out of favour when the script stopped respecting them. Tae Eul is a police officer with martial arts experience who, at some points, becomes completely helpless and in need of rescue. There are several--yes, as it more than one, sometimes multiple in an episode--scenes of her sobbing uncontrollably whenever Lee Gon leaves her. When he's gone, either she's assisting with the mess of a plot or she's pining over him. She barely has any agency. And Lee Gon shows maybe three expressions throughout the whole story, all lukewarm. Even when he should be emoting, even when something should be happening inside of him, there's barely anything on his face. I don't know if LMH was directed to act like this, or if he just decided not to act, but his character felt less structured than wet cardboard.
While I haven't seen Mister Sunshine, a lot of the problems with the leads remind me of Goblin, the writer's previous work. Even some of the songs remind me of the Goblin OST. I remember plenty of scenes where Kim Go Eun's character in Goblin would do the same sad sobbing that she had to do here, but I don't remember hating it quite as much there, and I think that has to do with their characterizations and the editing surrounding them. I've noticed the writer just likes to fill her romances with sappy sad pining and a lot of angst that is eventually covered up at the very end. But where Golbin focused mostly on the characters, TKEM started with a promise for a big, grand story and never delivered.
The story doesn't treat its viewers with any intelligence. It gives us rules for these worlds that it freely and consistently breaks, it forgets some things that happen and shoehorns in others, and by the end of it we're left with this lukewarm mishmash of unfinished ideas that don't really mean anything. Others have already gone over how insulting it is to its viewers so I won't go too into detail here. But what upsets me the most is that I watched it all. I finished it, hoping that it would get better, that it would pick itself up in the second half and return to the drama that it was in the first two episodes. But here I am. And my review is this long. And it's all negative.
I will admit there was one scene, one TINY moment in the last episode, that made me feel something. Two characters holding hands, and what it shows while they do. But even there, I was feeling something for the concept, not the characters they belonged to. In the last episode, I didn't care about them. Today I just finished Hyde, Jekyll, Me, a notoriously poorly written trashy drama that I watched during burnouts and I felt more for the characters in that mess than I did for what should have been my favourite story of the year, TKEM. And well, that says a lot. But I can say this.
If nothing else, thank you, Kim Eun Sook, for giving us Jo Eun Sup. I will treasure him always.
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This review may contain spoilers
The writing sucks!!!!!!!!!
I really loved this kdrama and it that held so much potential with its strong cast of experienced actors, captivating plotline, well-produced OSTs, impressive visual effects, and a generous budget. However, despite its many strengths, the drama ultimately falls short due to its disappointing writing.One of the most significant issues with the show lies in its confusing and convoluted narrative structure. Constantly switching between different timelines, parallel worlds, and flashbacks without providing clear indicators to the audience left me just feeling disoriented and I was just struggling to keep up with the plot. It would have been better if the writer offered more context and hints to help us viewers understand which world or period they are currently witnessing.
Another major disappointment was the dialogues in this kdrama whcih unfortunately suffer from being cringeworthy at times. While this may not be a major deal-breaker, it certainly detracts from the overall viewing experience. More polished and well-crafted dialogues could have definitely enhanced the emotional impact of the story.
Another major letdown in the series is the treatment of the character Lee Lim. The drama built him up to be an almost invincible force, only to have him captured and killed rather abruptly. Literally, he was built as if he was the next Thanos but he lost with just one bullet.
I also hated the inconsistency in the rules of the world established by the writer. They just made many rules and then broke many of them without any proper explanation, for example, they said only living things could move in the rift between worlds but somehow FL's bullet worked. The show would have greatly benefited if they maintained a coherent set of rules throughout the narrative.
Then there was the portrayal of the female lead, played by Kim Geo Eun, which is another point of concern. While she starts off as a strong and independent character as always, her development takes a frustrating turn, and she becomes a damsel in distress, relying on the male lead for support. Seriously she barely cried in the first 3-4 episodes but near the end every scene showed her she was crying, like wtf.
But even with all these flaws there were still some good things such as Woo Do-hwan's acting and the plot. but yeah for me this would have been an easy 10 if they just changed the writer and dialogue writer. And lastly I would say the rewatch value on this is pretty high for me because this just feels like a story that you have to rewatch to completely understand it
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Great fantasy romance drama and amazing chemistry
I really love this drama. This is a true fantasy drama. I understand the scenes do skip and go back in forth but it is still tell a good story. Yes, if you are not into this kind of fantasy series, you are not going to enjoy it and in fact find it more annoying and boring.The chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun are undeniable sizzling and they are making me hope for season 2. What’s I really like about this series is the main female lead, she is bold, confidence, sassy and strong character. One thing I dislike about her when she tells Lee Gon, let’s live for today. She knows what she want and she goes after it. She is the first one to tell the male lead she loves him. She initials a lot of things that Lee Gon seem to fail to do. I think that the reason why in the end, she was rewarded.
I really hope for second seasons because I want to see more story of Koo Seo Gyeong and Kang Hyeon-min, I know she is a detective in the Kingdom of Corea just like him. Also how they are going to work out so Lee Gon and Tae Eul will have the heir. Since Lady Noh even said the ancestral shrine is almost complete.
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After the first 4 episodes I had a blank mind, couldn't say if I liked or disliked the drama. I didn't feel bored, nor excited.
It's the same after I completed it, just that my head is now full of thoughts about all the questions that were left unanswered. I won't go into detail but if you like your drama end to tie all loose ends, look elsewhere because the writer left us with lots of empty room for interpretation.
What's positive about the story is the setting and the idea itself. I found it interesting and still think it could make a good drama. Sadly, as the drama kept going it only got more confusing. There were some moments when I wasn't sure if I missed something or the scriptwriter herself got more and more confused with all this traveling between worlds.
It might have been better to keep it more simple but that's not how it is. And yes I have to admit there are some filler scenes that we could do without and plot holes throughout the drama. But just as much plot holes there are product placements which personally I find just as distracting and annoying.
Bottles with coffee, chicken, food delivery service, beauty products, bakeries, car brands and more. The most annoying for me was the coffee and beauty stuff. More than once it looked like I had accidentally turned the teleshopping channel on. No joke. We even get praising lines with this products telling us how good it tastes or an explanation how to use the beauty product. This might be allowed but it's definitely not what I want to see in a drama. Sponsoring is okay and important, I get it, but please don't shove those products in our faces like that and mess up the flow and logic of the story with them. There were nice scenes that lost its meaning when another product popped up and stole the attention. There are way more subtle ways to do this...
The whole cast did a great job and the acting was really good. If anything I would blame the scriptwriter that made the female lead cry so often and not the actress for having to follow the script. It was my first drama with Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho and I liked them both a lot. Woo Do Hwan was the only one I knew from the cast/who was already among my favorites before this drama and he once again showed how good he can portray different personality types. I enjoyed every scene with him the most. I would wish for more scenes with him and Kim Yong Ji who also left a good impression. ^^ I liked the acting of Jung Eun Chae and Lee Jung Jin. Sadly their characters kept staying pretty much in the dark.
The OST is good, probably not going to be a favorite of mine but it's fitting the scenes of the drama and also nice to listen to on it's own.
As for the rewatch value. Chances I'm gonna rewatch this drama are pretty slim. Maybe a few scenes, mostly from the first couple of episodes when the traveling still caused funny scenes and didn't turn into a who's who.
I recommend everyone to go and see for themselves if this drama is to their liking or not. As I said, it received a lot of hate and I think not all of it was fair and appropriate so go and decide for yourself. Maybe this is your next favorite?
For me it was decent despite flaws in the writing and how the story progressed. I don't regret watching it.
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