If you love a good story and a good romance, this isn't where you will find it
This is probably the most overrated drama i've seen that not only disappointed in every trope it dipped it's hands into, but made me question if i should give up on kdramas altogether.It has a lot going for it if it wanted to make it work. be it the sci-fi aspect, the crossing over worlds aspect, the "i broke the world for us" aspect, the secret identity, the villain who crosses over for the hunt aspect-- all of this has incredible potential but i truly wondered if the writer wanted to achieve anything at all story wise except make the audience confused because none of the premise is ever followed through on.
The male lead is insufferable. i have tried to think of other words for him but this is truly the only word that describes him best. even a sad backstory is no excuse for the attitude he has and he is so underwhelming as a character all together. meaning he himself has no defining traits that set him aside or make him a believable character. the female lead is a cop who is a self-proclaimed flat-earther and while she tries to present herself as smart strong female lead, the things she does is far from it. Not only do the main leads not have any chemistry, their 'romance' is so sudden and out of no-where that it genuinely makes no sense. Not even the excellent cinematography can make you believe their is anything worthwhile between these two in the entire sixteen hours of your life you waste on this show.
The only redeeming factor this drama has is Woo Do Hwan, who exhibits incredible variety as an actor as he plays a dual role, switching almost seamlessly from a stoic bodyguard to a mellow confused fellow who takes care of his siblings with his whole heart. I hope he moves onto better projects where he can showcase his talents better because if you want to watch this drama for him alone, you can. But the rest of the story will leave an incredibly bitter taste in your mouth.
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Detail:
ARGH! This one frustrates me so much, I like the actors involved, it has parallel worlds in different dimensions, it plays around with alternate realities and presents a world where Joseon style royalty remains to a modern "Kingdom of Corea", it has time travel - I mean, this SHOULD have been perfect. So why wasn't it?
Couple of key areas... but fundamentally it really just boils down to there seeming to be far too much skipped out. I found it extremely hard to track where each scene was - one minute you're in the Corea world and the next cut of the camera you're seeing the same person in the Korea world, and thinking... hang on, but that person isn't in both, or is he? few minutes late rit dawns - no, they've actually travelled between worlds, I mean could they not just spell that out?
This is both a complex and a simple story combined. The principals are pretty simple but it sets out a stage that has two different parallel worlds with slightly different versions of the same characters, so Kim Go Eun's character is both Jung Tae Eul (in Korea, our world) and Luna (in Corea, the other). Multiply that up for almost all characters including side characters. Now randomly flip between worlds without giving the player any hint as to which world you're in and try to keep up. It's not impossible, I *think* I just about managed it but i'm positive I missed plot points while trying to figure out if person A is talking to the person B from one world or the other because there's ramifications if it's the other and they're impersonating - which does happen.
I don't mind being misled a bit but it really felt more like chunks of story left out.
Next you've the problem with this Uncle and what his whole game is. He's a bad guy, ok we get that. He's doing bad stuff, yep, with you. But what's his goal exactly and what's his plan to achieve it? It seemed like he was doing "stuff" over the 25 years or so from the original treason to where the story actually picks up - but then there's really no actual pay off or benefit from him doing that at all, or indication as to what it should have been and at what point this was foiled and brought crashing down. Again, I think this is just a victim of the cliff-note storytelling, except it's bad cliff notes as it's clearly missing major plot points!
The time travel was quite nicely done.
The whole thing was set up to be absolutely brilliant, I can see the skeleton of what was intended (I think) and it was an incredibly ambitious project, it had a great cast and the production values on it were sky high. What it needed was either 20 or 24 episodes to actually do its epic tale justice. 16 was just too short for a project of this magnitude.
Some people are upset about it having too much product placement but honestly i'm immune to it, I find it amusing and still prefer it to advert breaks. Sometimes I like to play Product Placement Bingo when I'm watching a drama! :) Perhaps they went too far but... honestly it didn't bother me at all.
My favourite actor in this is definitely Kim Go Eun - big fan of her work anyway - but her character is tough, strong and skilled. She knows her stuff. Sometimes the story does have her be the victim to be rescued but I actually don't see a problem with that either - you can't be strong all the time, and a balanced character will lean on others as much as be leaned on.
Lee Min Ho... comes off as a mix of the strong regal king, and an arrogant ass, but overall I thought it played well for the character.
Final episode was good which just reinforces my belief that his was a well thought out project but far too ambitious to squeeze it into the timeslot it was given.
Watch if you like the actors, particularly Kim Go Eun, but expect to have to pay attention to keep up and fill in the blanks.
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So complex that it'll make your head spin
This drama has all the makings to be a great story. A-list cast with well-rounded characters and mega-fantasy storyline that already hooks the audience. This went entirely downhill because the setup was simply too perfect. In the effort to be and do everything, it all got lost in translation.A handsome king coming from another world to see his savior police woman? Chemistry thrown down the trash over emphasis on the complexities of parallel world intricacies, hidden murderous uncle, and time travel. There was no patience for the director to guide the audience through what was happening and everything was being thrown at you in the name of shock value.
Overall, a hard watch with the over-complicated, layered plot that kept building to a unsatisfying and boring ending.
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The set up and plot were enough to make you binge watch it. I like how things played out however I was a bit thrown off by the express growth of feeling, like out of the blue, that area was not fully developed. But it’s still worth the watch.
What I liked most was that our leads didn’t have extreme drama and overly complicated situations.
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First drama where I loved totally unlogical scene even knowing its unlogical -ep11
How to describe this drama...START of drama was little boring lot of exposition to get you into story
MIDDLE of drama was nice to look at and I enjoyed it...
END of drama .... PLANAR/TIMETRAVEL MESS
this drama had few nice action and romance scenes I will remember and I rewatched these scenes few times. Think its worth to see just for them... almost all of these scenes are in middle part of drama.
plot - ML is emperor of korea from parallel world1.
FL is South korea detective from parallel world2[probably our world]
ML manages to travel to another world and meet FL there starts romance storyline which crosses boundary of time and plane and reality.
Add to it traitor uncle of ML which wants become emperor and got same power to cross borders.
genre - romance, plane/timetravel, action, slight myster
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12 episodes would be enough
For me personally, there were too many characters, and all the information and worlds were getting mixed up at the second part of a show. In episodes 12-16, I noticed some gaps in the story, and although the final episode explained a lot, there were a few things that didn't quite click for me. Additionally, I didn't feel the romance was developing. At one point, FL just presented us with a declaration of love after missing him one time. I didn't see any development from ML either, only that he suddenly ''fell into this love." Something was missing. Don't get me wrong, I liked the series, but 12 episodes would have been sufficient. Shortening some of the storylines with the jumps between the characters' worlds and simplifying the story would definitely be better. I especially liked Woo Do-hwan's acting. Both of his characters were excellent. The humor in the series was better than the romance. I think the series will gain more after watching it a second time, that's why I increased my rating.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The role behind which I can stand
Finally, Lee Min-ho proves that he actually has talent and isn`t just a pretty face. I have to be honest for a second and say that after watching "Boys Over Flowers" and "Personal Taste", I really started to lose hope for him and deeply questioned his hype. I still do that, as this is my first time seeing him actually ACT convincingly. I was about to give up, my guy!I think that most actors here do a good job, but they also have a solid script to back them up. This is my first Kim Go-Eun drama and first off, I have to say:she is STUNNING. I am not usually one to comment on actor`s looks, as they don`t and they shouldn`t determine their ability to do their job, but she is a looker. And she`s also great in the role of uptight, serious, sarcastic police detective. I have to admit, I haven`t watched "Goblin" and I probably never will(the reason for that can be referred to in my "Coffee Prince" review), so I didn`t know what to expect from her, but she really did good. And the chemistry between the two is great as well. For sure the best leading lady alongside whom Lee Min-ho had the pleasure of acting. As for other notable performances, Woo Do-Hwan and Lee Jung-Jin give their all and their roles were also the trickiest to pull off and I`d say they succeeded. Jung Eun-Chae was a bit of a hit-or-miss but overall pretty stable acting across the board.
Cinematography is done beautifully and many shots straight up look like they belong in a fairytale, especially time stopping sequences. Those are just stunning. I`ve seen people criticize the soundtrack for this drama, but I felt like it was a perfect fit, but then again, I do prefer my dramas with atmospheric compositions, rather than distracting songs, which can sometimes take away from the actors` performances. There is also criticism about the sponsorships they basically shoehorned in, but in reality, I felt like there was the same amount of sponsorships as in any other modern Korean drama.
Now, for the bad parts. I really dislike how convoluted the script becomes after episode 14. Like, I can follow time travelling lingo pretty well and I was even like?Wait??? Also the way Lee Lim ended up leaves a bit to be desired and I wish we saw Tae-eul and Lee Gon married, maybe with kids, but definitely married as that was kind of an important plot point. Their time hopping dates seem fun, but like after everything they`ve been through because of that power, if that was me, the last thing I would want to do for a while is time travel. But to each their own. This was a pretty good drama for dramaholics like myself and I would recommend it.
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Zero Chemistry — The Bodyguard Carries the Show
If I’m being honest, I put off watching The King: Eternal Monarch for years — and yes, I had my reasons.First of all, Lee Min Ho has just never been my actor. I know, slightly controversial take — but to me he’s always felt… a bit wooden. Perfect face, impeccable visuals, the whole “face card never declines” situation — but emotionally? I’ve never quite bought it. Even back in Boys Over Flowers, where he was arguably at his most convincing, something still didn’t fully click. Since then, I’ve seen a few of his projects, and none of them really shifted the needle. So naturally, knowing he was the male lead here — playing Lee Gon, the king — I kept this drama on the back burner.
And yet, the premise did tempt me. Parallel worlds, alternate realities, time loops — I’m absolutely on board with that kind of narrative playground. Call it fantasy, call it sci-fi-lite, call it whatever — if the internal logic holds, I’m in.
What finally tipped me over the edge was Bloodhounds. I watched it, got completely hooked, and more importantly — completely sold on Woo Do-hwan. He’s one of those actors who just switches gears effortlessly. So when I realised he had a major role here, I thought: fine, I’ll give it a go.
And he did not disappoint. Not even close.
Woo Do-hwan plays Jo Yeong — the king’s bodyguard — and also his doppelgänger in the parallel world. And honestly? He walks away with the entire show. The dual role alone could’ve been gimmicky, but he makes both characters feel distinct, alive, and oddly compelling in completely different ways. His range is genuinely impressive — micro-expressions, timing, emotional shifts — all of it lands. At times he’s deadpan and controlled, at others unexpectedly funny, and then suddenly very tender. He gives you a full emotional spectrum without overplaying it — and, notably, he is the only one in the series who convincingly plays affection, devotion, and, let’s be honest, love.
Now, back to the central couple. Kim Go-eun as Jung Tae-eul… didn’t quite work for me either. And this isn’t about appearance — she has a very distinctive look, which can be a strength. But performance-wise, something felt muted. The emotional beats didn’t really register, and — crucially — the chemistry between her and Lee Min Ho was almost nonexistent.
And that’s where the whole thing starts to wobble. The romance feels abrupt, almost stitched together. One minute they’re at odds, with no real emotional build-up — the next, they’re suddenly in love, kissing, and we’re supposed to feel something. But the scenes come across flat, oddly detached. No warmth, no tension, no sense of “getting there.” It just… happens. And not very convincingly.
Ironically, Lee Min Ho feels more natural in his scenes with Woo Do-hwan than with his actual romantic partner. Their dynamic — the king and his unwavering guard — has far more texture. There’s loyalty, restraint, even a quiet emotional undercurrent that at times borders on something deeper. Not necessarily romantic, but definitely more layered than the official love line. In fact, if anything carries this series, it’s that relationship. Call it bromance if you like, but it’s doing all the heavy lifting.
As for the plot — it’s decent. Not flawless, a bit tangled at times, but generally engaging. The parallel world mechanics and timeline shifts are interesting enough to keep you watching. Visually, the drama is polished: strong cinematography, good use of effects, overall very aesthetically pleasing.
But here’s the issue — Jung Tae-eul’s character ends up feeling… narratively redundant. At the beginning, it seems like she plays a key role in shaping Lee Gon’s life, maybe even influencing the timeline in a meaningful way. You expect a payoff — some decisive action, some crucial intervention.
And then… nothing, really.
By the end, it feels like the story moves forward despite her, not because of her. The real driving forces are Lee Gon himself and Jo Yeong. Which leaves you wondering — why centre the emotional core of the story around a relationship that doesn’t actually anchor the plot?
So, where does that leave it?
It’s a visually appealing, conceptually interesting drama with a solid fantasy premise. But the central romance doesn’t land, the emotional core feels misaligned, and a lot of the weight falls on one actor who ends up carrying the whole thing on his shoulders.
Still — if you’re watching it for Woo Do-hwan, you’re in very safe hands.
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Let's start with the positive. The acting was superb and the cast was full of people who committed to their roles wonderfully. I enjoyed everyone's characters and journeys along the way. I do want to see LMH as a bloodthirsty villain now because I enjoyed him so much as a smart but unyielding ruler. If you're looking for plot (there was a little to much but we'll get to that later) this has that too. Smart and badass female lead, lovely relationships, and wonderful comedic moments also graced The Eternal Monarch. Watching this was very much delving into a fanciful world of time travel, plot twists, and star crossed (or in this case world crossed) romance. It was a fun ride that arrived at a satisfying destination.
Also, I will forever treasure my little ghost ship of Jo Young and Lee Gon. Okay, moving on.
So that brings this to where it went wrong. First of all, the editors should be fired, and the writers bonked well on the head. The plot was there and had so much potential, but somewhere along the way it got lost in the war between the romance and the plot twists. There was so much world and character building that there were simultaneously too much going on, and still a few loose ends to be tied up by the end. Secondly, the editing was all over the place. There were honestly moments where I was looking at the screen lost, my brain trying it's best to tie all the lost strings together. Not sure what happened there. The romance between the two main's was a little abrupt as well, but they had good chemistry so I didn't mind. Third, and very last, was all the BLATANT product placement. Not even Thai dramas are that bad. I understand the need for it, but it definitely could have been toned down to be a little less in your face. It interfered with moments and brought me out of the setting.
In the end though, it really isn't bad, and the acting is what kept me going until the very end. It's full of plot twists, worthy characters, and sweet relationships. All in all, give this a try and see for yourself. Not a masterpiece, but worth a watch.
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This is a trainwreck
This show is the return of Lee min ho korea's biggest star other than kim soo hyun, the show itself is really dull and slow. The idea of another world and stuff is okay but the way they deliver it is just cringe and not appealing to the audience. If you want to watch the show go ahead, it is quite cliché and the story is poorly developed. You have one of the biggest stars but this kind of fantasy with the kingdom stuff going between worlds is just simplistic and dull, If you are watching this for lee min ho go for it, if you want to watch a show that will keep you on your seat every episode and make you wanting more this is not the show.Was this review helpful to you?
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Disappointing
The story began well and the production value is pretty impressive but the plot started to unravel in Ep8 and went downhill FAST.After developing the romance between the two leads slowly, the chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun evaporated when the FL lead suddenly decided she was desperately in love with the ML. The series literally lost the plot, and the manic editing in later episodes and non-sensical ending made it all the more disappointing.
The saving grace is actor Woo Do Hwan’s portrayal of Captain Jo and Eun Sup and the young actors particularly young Jo Yeong (Jung Shi Yool), young Yi Gon (Jung Hyun Joon) and twin Jo Eun Bi (Jung Ye Na).
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