The King: Eternal Monarch

A great drama

I don't understand the hate in the comments about this drama ! I really enjoyed it till the end. It's true that the story is very complex but I think this was on purpose. The combat, the plot twist, the travel time thing was really great, you can't be bored at all.
I enjoyed every episode and I think the chemistry between Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho was incredible ! I loved the way that she is a badass who can only be fragile with the man she loves.
The acting of Lee Min Ho was perfect, he was perfect for the role , really charismatic, strong , a real king !!
Can we talk about Woo Do-hwan ? He was stunning ! I loved the opposite personnalities of his doppleganger , for me the cast is a 10/10.
But I am not sure that I really understood everything at the end, that's why I can't give more than 8.5 stars.
Also I think that the vilain's story was not developped at all, like why does he want to kill his brother in reality ?? It will have been interesting to know his past too.
I think that's it ! It's a great show, give it a try !

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convoluted, romantic, intricate & violent

I've been nonplussed by all the fuss over Lee Min-ho since Boys over Flowers so this series was way back on my maybe later list. Also, I was equally unenthusiastic for Kim Go-eun as the female lead as she came across unlikeable & manly (uncouth) in the trailer. I had some concern that the series might be darker than I would enjoy & having read the negative reviews, I was completely taken by surprise with how much I enjoyed it ! It was convoluted, romantic, intricate & violent . The romantic light fluff coupled with the political intrigue + blood spatter was something that was juxtaposed, yet was well balanced . I never did fall For Lee Min-ho completely, but he WAS very endearing & his role was not that taxing as far as acting went. I never saw that Kim Go-eun was a woman to go through so much trouble for, but at least she became more likeable as she really appreciated Lee Min-ho's extreme efforts to be with her. I secretly wished that Woo Do-hwan had played the main role, but his role here was SO much more interesting than the role of the king. It didn't hurt that his visuals were off the chart he-was definitely a scene stealer. The ending was "happy" for most characters but left the main couple with no long term solution. Instead we are encouraged to just "go with happy" & not think too hard about it. Annoying, but even though I prefer tidy endings, this one I will give a free pass to be acceptable. I will definitely watch this again

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MIND-BOGGLING AND HEART-WRENCHING

I was indeed looking forward to this drama this year and I can say that it never failed me. It got me hooked from the get-go not because there was this back-and-forth thing that was happening but because of how it captured my interest and how the plot was intriguing. The story had to build-up overtime for our characters but one thing that needs to be pointed out is the fast-pace of the love story. LG's character has given away already that his love for KGE is there, ever since he held that ID of hers. So there was no need to build up his character. JTE, though it took her a long while, wasn't that dumb to let it linger for so long. So she reciprocated in a way that was only JTE style. I was satisfied with the ending as again, the writer's style is to have always the audience given that "open to interpretation" choice.

The story will bring you to a roller-coaster of emotions - all highs and lows. It will have your brains working on those formulas, time freeze, and time loops. But one thing it will surely make you believe is that no matter the time and distance, true love prevails and will always come back to you. 

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While y'all out here hating, we on the other side loving. PERIODDDD.
First of all, why the hate??. Y'all dong get mad at some other shows that are literally the same, like copy and paste. Ma'm this show was bananas in the best possible way, the acting was great, the story was confusing at times but guess what, there's something call PAUSE or REPEAT THE EP. I think people spent most of their time hating on it without watching the next ep. I loved the cast, they did a really good job. My only advice would be that next time if you are traveling back and forth they should change the color of the screen for the audience to understand better and not having to go back and forth almost every single time
Loved the badss women on this series. And Woo, boy you better come through I FELL IN LOVE W YOU. Anyways, stop the hate. Xoxoxo

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I knew that KES's drama always a big hit but i don't know it'll be this fab. I knew her from The heirs and after that i've watched many of her dramas. The King is one of drama where i need my brain to be useful. The actors, the ost, the plot twist and etc. It's just too perfect. The King will always be my favorite K-Drama and then Goblin. I'll be waiting for another wonderful project from KES. And hopefully it'll be very soon and can i ask for Kim Soo Hyun to be another main lead on her drama? And Kim Go Eun too, i'll never be tired if she's the female main lead. You know you can't resist her charm, she's just too good to be true.

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Stunning Visually Beautiful Drama with a Great Story. A Tale of Parallel Universes.

I absolutely loved this drama. An incredibly Creative Masterpiece from South Korea. Set in 2 Parallel Universes. Such a Great Storyline. The Main lead Character is every woman's fantasy come true. A Stunningly Beautiful Knight in Shining Armour. The Female lead was excellent. It is a Visually Exquisite Drama. Set In a Police Station and a Palace. The story moves across The Kingdom of Korea and the Republic of Korea. An amazing Clever Story of Treachery that Crosses 2 Universes. I have watched so many Korean Dramas and am amazed at the Creativity of the Script Writers and Production Teams, I have yet to come across any bad acting. Incredible talent that is well nurtured. There are also many stunning Chinese Dramas too but I prefer the 16 episode Korean set up above the 50-60 episode Chinese ones. This is in my Top 3 Favourites. I loved it.

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STORY:

This drama had plenty of possibilities to be entertaining an unforgettable. But it did not lived up the expectations. It was too messy trying to handle too many characters and too many events including details some very important some completely useless. The writer spent the first part of the drama placing all these elements little by little like Lee Lim placing his pieces of chess where all this led? Nowhere. When the action arrived and the characters started to take place in the plot, the drama seemed to take its momentum but it kept being erratic and when the final had to be delivered, there was not enough time to properly wrap up. The writer just scribbled a terrible ending by sending everyone in a maelstrom of time travelling completely absurd but with happy ending for almost everyone. But everyone are not the same ones of course since everything changed. What a silly way of ending a drama. I don't even mention the romance totally forced and not natural. Them ending as time and space travelers until they get old is a joke. They are scientists? They try to correct events? The purpose is to go drink tea? Nonsense ending.

ACTING / CHARACTERS :

- Lee Gon was just too perfect to be sympathetic or credible. The guy could do every good thing (calculating, cooking, rowing, beating, shooting, riding...) or bad thing (order suicide, executing unarmed people, slaying people out of rage, beheading people) all this without being held accountable. How 2020 Lee Gon version 2 doesn't meet 2020 Lee Gon version 1 who came to save Lee Gon as kid? How he did not vanished if Nothing happened in ROK? The way LMH portrayed him was annoying, boring, usual LMH work.

- Tael Eul was interesting at first when she was a cop and she was working on cases and then she become infatuated to the King God knows how and when or where. Then it is only about them missing each other and finding each other. She is a police officer but when Lee Gon slayed people with his sword for free she did not even blink an eye. Inconsistent writing. KGE did a decent job but no sparkles with her co star.

- Luna: what happens to her in the ROK? She just dies like that? She never happened? KGE was better in this role

- Lee Lim : He scarcely appeared, looked so mean but without clear motivations but ended up killed by his younger self in 1994 but he appears again anyway in 2020?? (terrible plot hole) . He vanishes in the twilight zone with his clothes but not his watch which turns counter clockwise because it looks nice this way... Lee Jung Jin wasted his time in this drama.

- Jo Young : No character development for him. He is just a bodyguard. If we assume he survived his travel in 1994 the Myung Seung Ah he meets back in KOC is not even the one he met at the beginning of the story. That scene in the corridor has no backstory.

- Eun Sub : a simple comic relief.

- Shin Jae: most complex and interesting character but what is the end for him? He hugs his mom and that's it? If He never happened in ROK, Lee Gon also never happened and Jo Yeoung as well. These two should have vanished like Lee Lim.

- Prime Minister: Starts a capable strong female who chases Lee Gon but she ends up a divorcee?? who falls from grace before her connections with Lee Lim are even explained.

- Nari / Myung Seung Ah : I am divided between "they were wasted" or "they were useless"

- The woman who is pregnant in KOC and gets swapped in ROK. For what? Just being beaten by her husband? Another plot hole and useless writing.

MUSIC:

I spent my time trying hard to find the logic of the events and characters so no time to notice the music. No song catched my attention.

REWATCH: Never.

OVERALL: This drama is a waste of talent and a waste of time. If you like beautiful and handsome actors showing their best side to the camera, you can try it. If you look for a good, well written and entertaining story, you shall pass. This drama tells you a draggy messy improbable story of some people and events and it ends up telling you "tricked! It never happened...". But how it never happened if it happened for it to never happen. Stupid writing. Stupid drama.

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