The King: Eternal Monarch

This drama isn’t absolutely perfect because nothing is ok
BUT ITS PRETTY DAMN CLOSE

I must admit, ever since I watched Goblin I haven’t been able to find a drama that competes

The beautiful combination of gorgeous cinematography, fantasy, romance, comedy and of course an incredible cast and music

I’d been craving a fantasy thriller romance and lo and behold I’ve been given one
Having still released only four episodes yet, this drama has managed to captivate me...there’s a reason it’s proclaimed it’s position as the highest rated weekend drama
I’ll try and break down all main aspects as well as I can with having only seen two episodes

Story:
The story is nothing new time travel, parallel universes...
But the fresh perspective given to this one with the same country in existence at different places in different ways, murder, immortality, magical instruments :D
The romance element which I can already see is going to be very well developed

Acting/Cast:
I won’t lie, I love Lee Minho the guy has that effect with that killer smile and no doubt great acting skills,
it’s a stuck up guy with issues and soft heart of course it’s played by him and he’s nailed the facial expressions, tone, gestures, everything
He plays an easily irked, haughty yet soft hearted king eager to run away from his royal duties and do maths forever if he could :D
after encountering a gateway to a parallel universe he meets his long time obsession a Lieutenant played by Kim Go Eun who so far has also done a great job at portraying her role.
A police officer, ‘a little crude yet serious about her job’ gal who is suddenly forced to deal with a wacko claiming to be royalty from a parallel universe and continuously confesses how he’s waited for her forever
I’ve been finding her quite entertaining with those sarcastic remarks and sassy comebacks, the way she keeps putting him in his place :D

She’s been getting some hate for not acting well or that she’s not pretty
She’s unique and that what makes her so refreshing, I honestly like her acting so far and can’t wait for her character’s development since we already know Minho’s supposed to stay the same till the end plus some love confessions and a few emotional breakdowns Added
It is what it is :/ (I hope we’ll see versatility in him this time since so far he’s done pretty much similar characters in terms of dramas)
She’s the one who’ll really get lots of character development considering what’s coming up for her!

The side characters have been intriguing, Prime Minister’s character really caught me I’ve never seen her in a a drama before, she has something to her can’t point it out but she’s pulling off her character super well
THE BROMANCE BETWEEN YEONG and Eun Sup has successfully trumped the bromance he has with him
that banter dear lord ❤️
The VILLAIN YALL is something else he’s shaping the drama and the dramatic dialogue, fight scenes everything is on point
The evilness can be felt radiating through the screen throughout the four episodes
Can’t complain about the cast it’s pretty phenomenal

Music:
I’m obsessed I’ve literally been playing then all non stop
We’ve got a star line up with Hwasa and Zion T Wendy from red velvet and Zico
The vocals and themes of each ost are stunning


Anyways guys GIVE IT A SHOT, ITS BEEN PRETTY EPIC SO FAR

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Woo Do Hwan, surprisingly makes this drama. Okay the most positive thing I can say is that there is some nice eye candy in this drama. However flat, the drama may be. I also like the main plot with the Parallel Universe for the most part. However, the delivery falls short in almost all other aspects.
The acting.
To start the beginning of story actually starts of well and explains a lot. But then it loses everything when the actors open their mouths. The acting is terrible (or should I say over acting). I have never been a fan of Lee Min Oh and I could not really figure out why. I mean he is good looking and everyone loved him in (legend of a deep blue see). Me not so much and it is because he cannot act, at least in my eyes. He never has any expressions on his face as if someone told him he should look subdued and stark or did he get Botox? He does not ever raise his eyebrows while delivering a scene, it is quite annoying to watch. His voice is completely monotone, no up down it makes it hard to believe his character.
So, Kim Go Eun, is not any better. One thing Go Eun is good at is her stares that is the positive. I have to say they put two of my least favorite dramas stars together. They are very handsome people but not much more in this drama. So, Kim Go Eun, overacts in almost every scene. Her expressions and body movements are all wrong. Her lines seem to be way ahead or too late. Probably because she cannot read Min Ho, expressions. The other distracting thing is she is constantly either flipping or tying her hair. Oh, this makes me not like her or her character at all. Doing this while trying to deliver her lines. So, I am not sure is this is the director, writer or actually part of the story or just her vanity. Whatever it is, it makes the drama look really cheap and low budget. Beautiful women don't have to constantly flip their hair. Then her wardrobe, not marketable at all. I never understand why in Chinese dramas the women dress to a "T" (American expression for Great) which I love, but in Korean dramas they tend to look homely with baggie clothes just unkempt not a good selling feature to me.
Woo Do Hwan, surprisingly makes this drama. His character is handsome, light, funny and a joy to watch. I think he would have been a better match for the female lead.
There are some gaps in the story line which may throw you off at times and it is a missed opportunity for the director to make an impact. The romantic moments are awkward and rushed. There is not reason why the should love each other the dots do not connect. The first kiss does not have an impact at all.
I am not a hater I have watched over 300 dramas from all genres and I am a fan. It just makes me mad when directors, writers, producers miss the mark and forget to entertain the fan.
Supporting Cast
So, on the up side of this movie the supporting cast is somewhat entertaining. There are some truly funny and light moments to this dramas. I found myself laughing out loud at times. This part has kept me watching.
Action
There is some action and fight scenes in this drama that are entertaining. There are some climatic moments that make you want to root but they do not quite connect the dots for a awesome moment. It is as if the editing was cut a few minutes too short.
Sound Track-
If there was a sound track or great music it went over my head and I missed it.

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I was excited to start this drama because I was expecting something epic. However, I ended up very confused for more than half the drama. The machinations of our villain, Lee Lim, were not explained well in the beginning. I didn't understand why he was doing what he was doing - how he was choosing some of the people and for what reasons. Things slowly started to be explained, but it seemed like a lot was being left out. The story wasn't tight and there were plot-holes aplenty! I thought that at the end it would have made a good re-watch to have the knowledge that I didn't have before - that maybe things would be more clear with all the puzzle pieces in place. But I don't have the desire now to go back and see it happen. The product placement was pretty cringe-y and in your face also. I'm guessing the big budget required a lot of PPL, but it was not integrated very well and almost seemed like a complete commercial break to promote this or that product. The last episode was a good wrap up, seeing how the changes in the past changed and re-shaped the characters in the future. I actually did enjoy that part, even if it took up a lot of the last episode. Some people would say that this was a waste of time, but I liked it in this instance (and I always love a good epilogue in both dramas and books!).

Woo Do Hwan was the scene stealer of this whole drama. He nailed his dual role - I could legit believe they were two different characters. You never had to wonder if it was Yeong or Eun Seop in the scene. WDH needs his own lead role STAT! Kim Kyung Nam continues to impress me as well. I am always sold on his emotional scenes - I'd really like to see him take a lead role soon also but he seems relegated to supporting actor. I know that this was LMH's comeback drama and he was supposed to be the shining star of the show, but LMH's acting skills just never "wow" me. He seems to have one expression and sometimes a little glisten of an unshed tear when he needs to be emotional, but he does not sell it to me. He's somewhat pretty, but a pretty face isn't all it takes to carry a big budget drama. I think he's relied on that too long and hasn't developed his acting skills. Kim Go Eun did a decent job of her acting, except for the change over to her doppelgänger "Luna". If it hadn't been for the bad wig and the freckles they added, her second character would have been virtually indistinguishable from her main character. And then to add insult to injury, the writer then completely butchered Tae Eul by turning her into a weepy mess instead of the strong bada$$ we had gotten to know once she "fell in love". And speaking of which.....

The insta-love in this drama was so unbelievable. I thought it was going to be a slow build to romance-town for Tae-Eul and Lee Gon, but instead the writers rushed it and had the couple confessing their feelings before they even really got to know each other. That was one of my biggest peeves in the storyline other than Tae Eul's abrupt personality change.

The drama also set up too many things that they just dropped with no explanation. Sometimes a character was left in one spot, doing a thing, and the drama just moved on to the next scenes and never got back to what the side characters were supposed to be doing. They just left them in limbo. And there were a few characters seemed wholly unnecessary, and too much time was spent on them without having a connection to the plot.

I know it seems like I have so many criticisms for this show that I didn't enjoy it at all which isn't completely true. I was entertained to a point, but there were definitely certain aspects of the show that bothered me. Without being super spoiler-y, I don't feel like I can mention many of those here. It's an ok watch, but not the epic masterpiece I was expecting. They dressed the show up real pretty, but it didn't fail to hide the inconsistencies or fill in the holes in the plot. I am neither encouraging, nor discouraging viewers. There are parts you'll really like, and I think parts you'll really hate, but I think it's best to go into it with your expectations firmly in check.

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The Eternal King was a great idea. The special efx are fanciful. The sets and costumes are gorgeous. The acting is pretty tight. I'm not even going to complain about Lee Min Ho. It actually appears that he took lessons. He had micro- (and not so micro) movements that proved he was a real boy and not the wooden puppet I've come to know him as. No, what failed The King: Eternal Monarch was the writer's inability to develop the main and side stories and bring them to a satisfying conclusion and the director's inability to make it happen.

The story was fine until time travel came into play for our lead, King Lee Gon. When he started to try and change his past, the story went sideways and I was no longer able to suspend disbelief. My loves of fantasy and science can only take so much. Honestly, I don't believe a different writer would have done much better unless they added some episodes. This drama easily needed 2-4 more episodes so that scenes in episodes (I'll say 10-15) don't seem rushed and underdeveloped. Perhaps not having 2 directors would also have been beneficial. Again, this was a great idea just not thought out and presented well.

The cast was solid. I'm still shocked that I can't complain about Lee Min Ho. Do they give acting classes in the Korean military? While the leads were good, they lacked chemistry. I'm going to lay the blame squarely on Kim Go Eun's shoulders. This is my 2nd time seeing her and my 2nd time thinking she had 0 chemistry with her leading man. Conversely, I've seen LMH several times and chemistry is usually all he has. OK and what's up with KGE hand thing. I noticed it early on in EM that she constantly puts her hand in her face when she has emotional scenes. I wonder if she has something rubbed on her hand to make her cry. I've nicknamed her Hand Smeller. I swear in one scene she smells her hand a good 5 times in less than 1 minute. If for some reason I run across her, I'll probably be arrested because I'm gonna grab her hand and smell it. Hopefully, we're not in the ladies'. LOL My curiosity won't be satiated if I don't. Put something aside for my bail. Thanks. The king of the cast was easily Woo Do Hwan that played both Jo Young and Jo Eun Sub impeccably.

The music was alright. The love song was forgettable to me, but I'm not a lover of ballads. The rewatch value is nil. It takes a lot to make me want to rewatch a drama. I can't see that happening with K:EM. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked it well enough. I wouldn't recommend it, but it has some same saving graces, especially the cast which is why I gave it 7 stars (5 for the cast, 1 for costume, and 1 for set design).

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I blinked and they were in love.

I don't even know what to say about this drama other than I have never been so confused in my life. I was lost almost every episode, I thought I was slow but having read many reviews I'm glad I'm not the only one in this train. The writer overcomplicated everything even the simple things. I don't know if I would say the story had potential, but it was definitely a smart idea if only it was executed better. This was my first Woo Do-hwan drama, he really did shine. I laughed and cried all thanks to him and I also found Prime Minister Koo intriguing, I hate what they did to her character at the end.

I didn't like the two leads as a couple, I don't know how and why they began liking each other it was just so rushed and they did not go through any development. Im sick of Lee Min-ho playing the same freaking role (wealthy guy), we know he can pull that off well. At this point I'm beginning to doubt his talent. I hated the way each episode began, as well as the drama's ending. The time travel theme was a disaster and didn't help at all; additionally, the product placements in this drama is ridiculously excessive. Finally there's literally not much of a reason for anyone to watch this so I do not recommend.

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Had so much potential but fell flat of expectations

This drama had so much potential. Parallel universes, doppelgangers, and an all-star cast. But it fell so short of expectations.
The plot had so many Holes. I feel like the writers tried to make things more complicated then they had to be and in the process, forgot to tie up some loose ends.
(i.e. when past Lee Lim killed the present Lee Lim but somehow got the memories of present Lee Lim)
That being said, it was still quite interesting with the time traveling twist. The story dragged a bit in the middle and some characters were just incredibly irrelevant. (The prime minister seemed like she was gonna play a bigger role but that didn't happen.)
The cast were mostly well renowned actors/Actresses but it didn't really do anything for me. Lee Minho played a typical Lee Minho character. Kim Goeun acted to the best of her ability, I guess. She had so much potential, but in the later episodes she's reduced to a damsel who cries everytime she remembers the male lead.
The real highlight of this drama is Woo Do Hwan's duel characters. You separate them from each other because they seem like two different people entirely. It's the only reason my rating for the cast is that high. It's such a shame that he doesn't have enough screen time and that there are more scenes of KGE crying then there are of WDH.
Speaking of, it's hard to realize at what point did KGE's character fall so in love with LMH that she would cry whenever she thought of him. I just never felt the chemistry between them and the relationship development was skewed if not stilted.
I would recommend you to watch this, but just skip the romance parts that's not worth the time. The action and WDH is worth it though.

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What an episode.. damn
Scene where tae eul confessed to her father about her having a boyfriend was soo cuteee.. dabek!
And
most of our theories were correct.
•Lady noh is from ROK.
•Shin jae's family in ROK is some how related to Lee lim's counterpart in ROK.
•PM has already killed her conterpart in ROK and she was the one who bumped into tae eul.
• PM's sister is already replaced and she's not killed but just left her in korea to live a miserable life.
•future lee Gon saved his younger self.
And somehow it feels like luna helped future lee gon to save his younger self... as if she already knew about all this.
It is a possibility that luna is actually future tae eul.... as once tae eul said her monther died of cancer. And even luna is suffering from cancer.. idk may be im overthinking and my brain cells are blasting with different theories but it can be a possiblity that luna is some how connected to all this.
And may be this time when lee gon travels back in time to save his younger self, he also travels back to ROK and save his counterpart too.. coz he will definitely try to save both his younger self in both the world's and not just in kingdom.

The best drama 2020 ❤️
Thank you Kim eun-sok nim , all the cast, director and all the stuff.

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Exceptional Swoon Worthy Action Fantasy Romance

It started with my music app suggesting My Love and... by Gae Mi & Park Hwan and wow, best recommendation ever!

The music itself conveyed every emotion in one single track, happiness, love, beauty, passion, anguish, despair, sadness, loss and turned out to be the best single score track I've ever heard, and I do love a score.

Curious about the music and the rest of the score, I tuned in Netflix and began episode 1. Straight out of the gate, awesomeness 👌

So the acting, first class! Woo Do-Hwan aka Jo Hyeong/Eun Sup, hats off and acting credit for his ability to portray two vastly different characters. He was goofy and 1000% swoon worthy at the same time.

Lee Min-Ho aka Lee Gon, Kim Go-Eun aka Tae-eul were equally fabulous. His gazes were intense I felt like I lost all sence of time staring back. The chemistry between the two was the best of any show ive ever watched, and watched a few now. You could see the emotions in their faces, looks and voices, absolutely a perfect pairing. Ive never wanted to be a female lead more than i did watching this.

I felt like there were no filler characters, they had a role and purpose and all portrayed their roles superbly. Lee Lim was a fantastic baddie, always eloquently spoken, dressed and soo in control, until he wasn't and then he was the epitome of evil!

The story was well written and normally I wonder about 16 episodes when they are all around 70 minutes however this was perfect. I didn't feel like dead space, pointless scenes or wasted time, the story evolved beautifully. By the time epiosde 14 came round, I was itching to see how it all ended.

As romances go, top marks, I was taken along with them, action was a tick, big style and Jo Hyeong was utterly amazing in those parts and in fairness, couldn't scoff at Lee Gon either. Fantasy, action, romance and friendship all rolled into one beautifully written and acted series.

Whoever casted the series deserves a clap as every actor suited their roles and I'm not sure if it would have had the same impact without the top 4 leads.

Cinematography, visuals, staging, clothing, and FX, all faultless and I cannot not mention, Maximus, stunning beast!

All this was wrapped with an unbelievable score and soundtrack, My Love and... and Gummys, My Love are top of the pile and been on repeat for 2 days now! The music for this really did fit the series and scenes and conveyed the emotions intended and also complimented and enhanced the scenes, as a good soundtrack should.

Couldn't recommend this enough, I will most definitely watch again and swoon just as much during the second viewing. Couldn't give it anything other than 10 accross the board.

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Time & Titilation

I was worried about watching a drama that was more contemporary than historical because I might find it not to my liking but boy was I wrong. I was on the edge of my seat throughout every episode. I totally expected more of a crazy showdown at the end but the climax made sense anyways. All of the characters were well written and had satisfying through-lines even if it was a little bit different from what I expected. I normally don't make a note of music direction in dramas but the flute song when the Manpasikjeok is whole was a beautiful detail. The amount of time screwery was a little bit tough to get used to (my only qualm with the whole series) but overall perfect for somebody who likes a lot of romance and treachery.

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A Fantastic Fantasy Drama

I won't even go into the science and mathematics theories kinda thrown into the story to explain the dimensional travel, but I really, really liked this one. There were a lot of naysayers about this one, and I can understand to some extent as to what issues they have with this, but honestly, don't think about it too much. This isn't Inception or some other incredibly well thought out science fiction, so don't try to analyze it too much.

The story and cast made me think about Goblin. At times it felt slow, and the ending felt less than fulfilling and complete, but the overarching narrative was great, the acting was superb, the fight scenes rather lacking because of the slow-motion cinematography, and the emotions were well developed, complex, and endearing.

Taking Goblin and The King: Eternal Monarch into account, I would like to see Kim Go Eun in more fantasy romances. I think she is kinda a staple now. Now that Lee Min Ho is out of the military, I would like to see him in more similar roles. He has gotten a lot more mature of a look now than in previous years, which would make sense, so I want to see more of acting and roles like this.

Re-watch value is quite high, as I expect I will return to this again within a few months.

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