Beautiful Star Crossed Love Story
Guys, this show absolutely, completely, and totally wrecked me. WRECKED ME. It is sure to satisfy the most die hard romantic with dynamic leads, stunning cinematography, and angsty romance. Let me count all the ways this show had me falling in love.❤ I wasn’t 100% invested in the romance between charming Lee Gon and pragmatic Jeong Tae Eul initially. Their chemistry increased the more time they spent together, each of their moments one more step toward building an epic romance. I felt their ending fit with the overall narrative of the story.
❤ I loved Lee Gon so much. He was smart, charming, and incredibly nerdy. It never felt like he looked down on anyone despite him being pretty much the smartest person in the room.
❤ The visuals and cinematography are breathtaking. The production set a romantic and intriguing tone with beautiful twinkling lights, seductive fog, an endlessly array of cozy sweaters. Like, seriously, I just need the catalog they used to buy all those sweaters. The CGI wasn’t always great, but it was probably the best I’ve seen in a long time.
❤ The supporting cast gave me all the feels. I could not be happier with the secondary characters in this series, particularly Kang Shin Jae and Jo Yeong. Honestly, Jo Yeon was MVP for this series. While all of the actors did some sort of double duty as characters existing in multiple universes, Woo Do-hwan’s performance was phenomenal no matter his character.
❤ I couldn’t resist the story. Typically, I hate time travel and parallel universe stories. Trying to keep track of all the threads over multiple universes and time lines can be a bit exhausting. I found this story to be utterly fascinating as it threaded together elements of mystery, science fiction, and romance.
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This review may contain spoilers
I like kim eun sook drama like heirs, goblin and the king: eternal monarch. Actors in drama also good especially Kim go eun and Lee min ho.. I like them.. Even though the storyline in the king:eternal monarch is little bit confusing with two personality in different world, has past and present time but the drama is still very good..the actors who have the two personalities also must hard for them to act but stil give the best.. For the kim go eun, i must give the thumb ups,because when she act for the sad scene.. I also want to crying.. She is really good with all expression, and emotion.. #Sorry, I'm not good in English.. Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The nerd in me loves this drama in its entirety. The cast, the directing, the production, the storyline, the screenplay and even the multitude numbers of product placements which at one point simply became amusing...
I guess; it was very expensive to keep up with the Haute Couture fashion for the entire royal crew from the Kingdom of Corea. They needed those product placements.
Although I enjoy watching it to the very end; I feel rather unsatisfied with Lee Gon and Tae Eul‘s ending. Traveling into different parallel universes and time periods are all fun and game; however, I wanted to see a royal wedding, a royal queen coronation and a stable lifestyle... So to speak...
The scientist in me understands that it is against the rules to have both Luna as a detective and Tae Eul as the crowned queen living in the same universe.
Nonetheless, the irrational romantique in me wants Lee Gon and Tae Eul to be the royal couple that rules over the kingdom.
*All in all, both the scientist and the romantique in me adored this drama.
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Best drama of the year :3
So, I saw that everyone was criticising this drama for a lot of stupid things. I finally watched the last episode and I wanted to write a review for this one. ꧁ The story : yeah I agree it was a really complicated story, but with a little more patience and with some more reading about it, maybe, it was became a really good one. It was a really complex, unique story unlike other hit dramas of 2020.꧂ ꧁ The cast : all of the cast were really good actors and the characters were as complex as the story. 10/10 for the cast .꧂ ꧁ The OST : one of the best ones of the dramas in 2020. Hands down to everyone who composed and sang it, they have my respect.꧂ ꧁The ending was really good and cleared all the confusing things that may have happened in the show. I'm really glad that this show had a happy ending. ꧂ °Now about the thing that I disliked ( I won't say something like " oh the product placement it's just too much " cause they're dumb). What I actually didn't like about it was maybe the complexity of the story at certain points. I admit that sometimes I was kinda confused about what was going on, but again this confusion was ended in the next episodes and the end. So, to wrap this up, I highly recommend watching it. ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎Was this review helpful to you?
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So first off, this is not a drama for the faint hearted. This is a all in commitment. Initially I was hesitant on the first 3 episodes.. then it started to draw me in and as story unfolded I loved it. It so rare that you get a drama that sucks you in and you are waiting impatiently for the next one finding yourself day dreaming about what’s going to happen next, putting the puzzle pieces together :) it’s an all in fun ride. You really have to pay attention(especially the uncles evil schemes in the beginning) he is ssoooo evil and did it sooo good) and there’s other side stories.. (which do not take away from the main story but add to it.. ) it should have been 17 or 18 episodes but they wrapped it up nicely in 16. Certain people are fundamental to the story and when you get the flow you start to see how deep/good it really is.
I didn’t get the romance at first.. but then I realized; the King saw the FL as his champion at a very vulnerable sad time in his life and as “she” had saved him from death and killed some of the traitors. She was larger than life to him and I’m sure that looking at her picture everyday... after a while he probably felt like he “knew “ her.
So. when he sees her ; It’s like a long lost friend/savior who means so much to him. Also FL is kind of tough. She’s not a damsel in distress (which I love:) , So until she knows him and can trust that he is for real about his story and his feelings toward her. She’s not gonna give him an inch. Obviously she is somewhat interested in him because she spends time with him and listens to his story (at first she thinks he’s nuts and then she starts to research different things that make her question her reality) I loved that she did that and then you see the wheels in her mind turning and things making her REALLY question that lead her to answers .. soon they are thinking out loud together .. so one more thing about this relationship he’s a really smart wise compassionate capable strong good looking man who is not about power..but about justice.. what’s not to love in him:):):D Omo.. also loved loved his horse :) he was beautiful
Let’s face it, there’s a lot to consider and the writers tried to give you an authentic point of view from the characters personalities Sometimes when we watch dramas we take it for granted that everyone accepts the impossible slightly implausible crazy story that two worlds that are similar parallel and exist.
I liked that FL really did her due diligence and she has a smart mind so the gathers her info. When she accepts that he is authentic and honest with her and she realizes that he is what she has been looking for, she commits to the relationship. I liked the romance, it wasn’t a “needy” relationship it was a “i really like you wanna get to know you but I still have a job a family and a life.(aka I’m a King..hehe) .how do we manage that?” Kind of romance.
Then throw in a REALLY evil homicidal uncle who replaces people from each world ( people swapping killer,) close friends/protectors workers/palace people/ and you got a fun ...all out ....what’s gonna happen next story. Also humor was thrown in so it had some really funny moments :)
The FL as a co- and all her people were excellent and the King in his world with all his people were excellent.. to have friends and people like these in your life really made the story about them all:)
Like I said not for the faint of heart. But the story really comes together and you realize the main couple are in love and they’ve never been in love, /so they are finding out not only about each other but they and others are also threatened and have to save/protect/ figure out the next step in the tine line and solve the chaos in the past somehow.
I thought each actor was really good. I love the Main leads and have seen all their dramas. I must say they have matured and I loved them and totally got their relationship, because it’s not easy to date Fall in love, keep in touch and save two worlds. Once she committed she totally committed ..(it was sweet)
The other leads (FL best friend who is in love with her.. Kings right hand man , nice Uncle , Grandmother ) (I totally LOVE the grandmother.she is the icon for all grandmas in k dramas) I thought all were really good.
SPOILER ** The ending was perfect. It showed you how well the leads understood each other/worked well and independently and did what needed to be done ; how things changed and ended up...(a few of them I LOL’d how they changed)
Once the FL got the gist of how things were panning out she was way ahead of the game and started to work out how she needed to proceed (a woman with a tactical mind herself) and the ML respected her ..her job , independence and her intelligence. You just knew they were gonna enjoy life together:)
Soooo.. what I’m saying is the drama is done you can binge watch it and have fun.. if in the first 4-6 episodes you don’t connect... no harm done but I am so happy I watched it and will rewatch some of the episodes again
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You might have to watch a few episodes more than once to understand what the writers are trying to show us.
The main idea is pretty good and well thought even if sometimes the execution fails to make us understand what is going on.
However I enjoyed every minutes of it and was excited each week to discover a new episode.
The first 3 episodes have some boring moments but after that it’s hard not to get into this drama. despites a few plot holes (but which drama doesn’t have some???) this was very unpredictable and entertaining.
The music and the actors are pretty good. It was my second time seeing a drama with Woo Do Han after Mad Dog and I’m not disappointed.
I’m just sad to say goodbye and I can’t wait to watch another drama with these actors. I’m gonna miss this drama
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The story has a certain charisma of bringing sci-fi to a lighter romance novel-ish type of feels. Sure first few episodes will make your mind think like "WTF am I watching??" but as the episodes progress you get the satiafaction of finding out the reason behind everything that happend in the previous episode.
The director was so clever in putting lots of small hints and details that you will definitely see once you rewatch the episodes because they will make you rewatch to have that "oh did i miss that? let me see that again" moment.
You definitely need to level up your perspective in this series. It feels like Inception, Oldboy, and Fringe put into one pot, sprinkled with Korean Royalty and boiled in one sweet and spicy revenge water.
Overall, it was a good watch. Probably best not to binge watch at first then rewatch after you finished to check back on the cool details you might have missed.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show had so much potential, but the organization was terrible. The general story is amazing! However, the explanation was poorly done and everything was mixed up. That being said, this show still passes as one of my favourites. Please read this all before deciding if you should watch it :)Plot:
Like I mentioned above, the story was amazing, unpredictable, and requires a lot of thinking. I loved the story and everything about it was so well thought out. For that reason, the writer did a great job. However, the directors mixed it up way too much and that made it very confusing and difficult to understand. There were many unnecessary details to the show that I feel would've been better off eliminated. They tried to squeeze so much into a short plot and didn't give the reader the chance to understand a topic before moving on to the next. This sounds really confusing, so I'll give you a real life example. Let's say a really old person is asking you how to call someone on their phone. You write a list for them with the steps 1. turn on the phone, 2. Click on the phone app, ect. After you hand them the notes, the first thing they ask you is, "how do I turn it on?". To you this is common sense, but they don't know since they weren't exposed to it beforehand. This is kinda how this plot was. We were given a sequence of events, but with many of them, they almost assumed that we already knew of figured out the basics of when we really didn't. That being said, the most important parts of the story were understood and explained by the end, so even with the confusing parts, you still are able to understand the plot and story on a more general level and love it.
Characters:
Honestly, in my opinion, this is the part that kept me watching. I fell in love with the characters and their personalities. They chose the perfect actors for each character and the acting was on point. Even the cast for the villains was absolutely amazing and did an outstanding job performing their roles. Each character had something special about them and ughhh I just love and miss them all.
Camera/editing/visuals:
This was also very well done. The camera angles, the colours, costumes, setting, props, aesthetics, and editing were stunning! Visuals in general were just wow. It's difficult to find a drama that has such amazing visuals and this gets a 10/10 for that. This was also a major reason for me to not drop this drama.
Music:
It was absolutely perfect for the plot and I fell in love with the music. Overall, the music was amazing and well chosen for each scene. Loved it!
Rewatch value:
This is probably the highest rewatch value I've ever given. I'm the type that doesn't like rewatching anything since it feels like a waste of time. However, the confusing parts and very cute scenes are the reason why I will be rewatching this drama. I want to focus on the details this time and really think about everything and understand. There were also way too many cute scenes that I want to watch again.
Overall:
This drama is one of those that you either love or hate (or both like me). It kinda reminds me of The Heirs and how some loved it and others hated it. You really have to try this for yourself to know and don't trust all the reviews. It's also a drama that is really really confusing and you have to watch a few episodes to start to understand. The first episode was the most confusing, but it does get better. The ending was also very cute and I couldn't think of a better one for this plot, however, I wish they explained a couple things with a bit more detail. I feel that apart from the confusion, this story was amazing and the characters, music, and visuals balanced it out. I'd totally recommend this drama. You might not like it, but it deserves a chance.
Thanks for reading :)
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I was reminded of Dr. Who when I watched this but the world created is nowhere as exquisite as in Dr. Who. The accepted lore surrounding time travel and space/time stories don't bother this story, it does its own thing. Sounds like you should not watch ---- but as much as all of this is true, I felt that this show delivered a romance that made it worth a few hours of my time.
Story:
I gave the story a 9 because of its bones. It is not fleshed out well, but there is enough for someone to pick up and let your imagination take you the rest of the way.
The high production value does enough to keep you in the world of the drama even when the story lines when off the rails sometimes.
There is a theme of love across almost impossible boundaries like that which can be found in Crash Landing On You.
I don't mind cheesy romances... I can discount the plot holes and live for the moments where the leading man is dressed in his military dress uniform and stand stately and claim his woman.
Acting/Cast:
Lets just say Woo Do Hwan 10/10 ….
I don't favour Lee Minho's acting but he suited this character and did a credible job of creating the mood of the romance. A cool, smitten, dominant male lead. It isn't a swoony romance and it is not about the female lead. Lee Minho carried the romance for me but it might be because I like a strong male lead. This role seems to be suited for his type of acting. The charisma of a King or a knight in shining armour on a white horse. There were enough times he got to say lines that cheesy romance novels stereo typically write for a King.
The rest of the cast, considering everyone had to play dual roles, I found extremely engaging. The storyline failed a couple of the characters in later episodes.
Music:
10/10 and really, all I need to say is that there is this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apNWEcuBboI
Rewatch:
I don’t think I would rewatch this without a lot of fast forwarding.
Overall:
You can break a piece of art down into the different lines and colours but until you stand back and look at it as a whole, you don’t really see any substance or merit. This show is like that to me. There is so much I can say that could have been done better. Yet, I feel I could replay some of the moments and get the “feels” all over again. Watching it left me feeling good. If that is all it provides in the world as it is today, then this drama was worth it.
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Another good piece from Author Kim!
Reviews gotten me skeptical but it surpasses my expectation.Author Kim is very well-known in writing different kinds of genre and this drama is like a combination of Goblin + Mr Sunshine where it has a little of the fantasy element with some foreign affairs politics. However, as this is the first drama over the past few years that wasn't produced Director Lee Eung Bok, the production wasn't that fantastic, but still okay.
For those who enjoyed fantasy, this will most likely be your cup of tea. However, do note that this is slightly more complicated than the other fantasy as it involves time travel, universe travel and space-time gap but I personally think that these have made the drama even more special! As someone who enjoy fairytale, I love how they created the monarch world and also where the king was riding on his white horse! Pure imagination!
A big applaud for the cast as well for portraying more than one role in the drama and slayed it! My favourite goes to Eun-seob and Jo Yeong!!!!!! He is so charming and cute at the same time in his totally different-character roles and really deserve much love omgggg!
Overall, I love it! Giving it a 9.0/10.0 as 1 mark goes to the excessive product placement that is out of nowhere. I don't really enjoy product placement in the drama, especially when they even designed their lines to promote the product, it gives me a C-drama vibes which I don't really fancy it. And this drama has really too much of it, it sort of ruin the whole atmosphere build up for this drama. Other than that, all good! :)
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beautiful drama
everything is well done in this drama, the acting, the plot, the music !2 Korea, one kingdom, one republic, and a way to go from one to another world.
The story is very well built, when you re-watch it you see how thorough it is.
The OST is one of the best i know for a series, always a pleasure to hear.
The casting is great, the 6 main roles are absolutely perfect. The chemistry between the FL and ML is good, but also the Bromance between Lee Min-Ho and Woo Do Hwan, and the "more than friendship" relationship between Kim Kyung Nam and the FL. The prime minister is very well played as well.
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Loved it!
This is one of the best shows I have seen this year. A very good sci-fi drama with wonderful acting by the cast. I do understand some character development has not been done in a proper manner but overall you will surely enjoy it.If we watch carefully there are small hints depicted by the director which took the story ahead beautifully. I loved the closed ending and not leaving it to the public.
This is definitely not for people who do not enjoy such genre or such concepts or want more chemistry to be shown.
Personally I loved it alot. And I do understand people have different tastes and choices. So that's alright.
Have a good watch.
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