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Good but lengthy drama
Imo, this drama was far too lengthy for my liking. Like 24 episodes that are each over 1 hour is a bit overwhelming.Story: The main two are extremely good at acting, Chaekyung and Shin take a while to envelope an actual relationship but midway you can how their love blossoms. I think the sweet times they have together are especially adorable! The story is interesting because it's about a royal family in South Korea.
Acting: Though there are some characters who I wasn't a fan of, I enjoyed the rest of the cast and everyone really made their acting realistic.
Music: Of course we're all familiar with 'Perhaps Love', if not, it's the best ost to ever exist, and one I will always tune in to listen to it. The other songs were also nice.
Rewatch Value: eh, probably not. This drama is too long. Even though I enjoyed it, I would not watch it again. I would probably just watch a scene or two on YouTube.
Overall, I'd give it a solid 8. But I'd definitely give it a try. It's known as one of the best nostalgic drama's in all K-dramas.
Extra: If you enjoyed Yoon Eunhye in this drama, then I recommend 'Coffee Prince', it's my all time favourite drama and the kiss scenes are to die for!! Eunhye has a really good role in the drama and Gongyoo is in it too :)
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Shin Chae Kyung or the Crown Princess. Her acting abilities were good! I loved Joo Ji Hoon who played the Crown Prince. This gave me more information on arranged marriages, love the history class. Being in love can ruin a lot of things when you are young. I thank everyone that wasn't an actor/actress and those who are supporting actors and actresses. Thank you!
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The fashion choices omg!
You forget that those hairstyles and clothes were everywhere 20 years ago! The fashion was more eye-catching than the actors' acting at times. The story's concept is interesting, the soundtrack good and the production of the show fitting for those times. But the acting was mediocre at best. Still, I get why back then this drama was very loved. The romantic cliches always "sell". I also have to point out that the ending was so unsatisfying and fell flat.Was this review helpful to you?
7.5/10 – Draggy in parts, but unforgettable as a classic royal romance.
Princess Hours is truly one of those iconic K-dramas that defined the mid-2000s era. The concept of an ordinary high school girl suddenly becoming a princess and navigating palace life felt like a fairy tale come to life. The chemistry between Shin (Ju Ji Hoon) and Chae Gyeong (Yoon Eun Hye) was slow to build, but that’s what made it so rewarding—their awkward bickering, gradual trust, and eventual genuine love felt natural and heartwarming. Some of the most memorable scenes for me were their clumsy but cute moments in the palace, the comedic timing, and the way Chae Gyeong’s innocence brightened the otherwise strict royal atmosphere.On the downside, the drama definitely suffers from pacing issues. The middle episodes drag with too many repetitive misunderstandings, palace politics, and love triangle moments that could have been tighter. At times Shin’s cold personality felt frustrating, though it made his eventual growth and affection more impactful. The second male lead also added tension, but his storyline sometimes overshadowed the main romance.
Still, despite its flaws, Princess Hours is a nostalgic gem with beautiful costumes, a whimsical OST, and a romance that lingers even after all these years. If you love royal settings, slow-burn relationships, and that classic early K-drama charm, this is a must-watch.
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A VERY LOVELY DRAMA!! MUST WATCH...
What is Love? What is its value and the sacrifices u have to make for the one u love is all depicted in this drama very beautifully..
It is one of those dramas which will be in my heart and memories forever as we all can relate what is shown in it whether it is heartbreak or unconditionally loving someone.
The story is about two young high schoolers one an art student coping up with life and has loving family not economically stable and a Crown prince who was rich but was deprived of all the love. The story is about their unconditional love for each other which develops in them unknowingly. Their love-hate relation adds humor and spice to the drama.
A real heart touching story and cried a lot watching this but I am very happy that I could watch this masterpiece...
I recommend this drama to every Kdrama watcher and let me tell u its really worth watching. It is not some rich boy poor girl drama, this can teach u a lot about life...
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I liked the fictional historical environment of the events. The fictional monarchy still available made me thinking about how the Korean culture and population thought about the monarchy.
The development of the characters from their different ideas and perceptions of the monarchy was interesting to see and to understand how different people have different opinions on something that bring them together.
If you want to start to know about the interesting Korean dramas and the various successful project I would suggest everyone to start from this drama.
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classic melodrama with all cliches
If you love those dramatic, old classic dramas you will love this one. Its got a Tsundere hero, a over cheerful FL, a very competent second ML who is completely messed up with a cray cray mom, beautiful haunting OST, gentle & noble second FL -- if a long slow burn messed up romance is your thing where you literally understand the truth of loving someone despite yourself rather than for their qualities - well this one is for you..Otherwise skip as it can cause you great frustration.
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Goong C-
It was a really hard sell when a core part of the plot was the male lead treating the female lead like a piece of shit, combined with the "oh no he doesn't know how to express his feelings", these tropes are better left in fanfiction. The case was even worse due to the absolute lack of any chemistry between any of the four leads, this was the definition of negative rizz. It got even worse, all of the three leading cast Ju Ji Hoon & Song Ji Hyo & Kim Jeong Hoon brought an utterly abysmal joke of a performance, admittedly, this was their first main role and was totally incomparable with their current performance, all of them went to do much better and bigger things, it's better to forget they worked on this drama. On the other hand, Yoon Eun Hye was pulling the entire thing together, solo carrying whatever left to be salvaged. Her dynamic with her friends and family was quite good, but not with any of the leads. The puppets at the end of each episode were a nice touch, it would have been nicer if they incorporated that in the drama itself. The earlier parts of the drama were generally better, the events in the palace were a bit boring. To build up for the climax, the last 4 episodes created the last point of tension however it was seriously atrocious writing, one of the worst conflicts I've seen a writer come up with. It was just pure bad writing from that point until the last frame of the drama. If they slapped in some random terminal illness nuances it would've been a better serviceable finale. If anything, I'm only remembering this drama for its awful last few episodes. At least it was much better than Boys Over Flowers (2009).Was this review helpful to you?
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Started Strong, Then Communication Failed
I started watching this for Ju Ji-hoon after finishing Trauma code , and honestly, the first few episodes were really good! I was excited and hooked. But then… things started to get unnecessarily complicatedThe biggest issue? Lack of communication. Seriously, half of the problems could’ve been avoided if the characters just talked to each other properly. It’s frustrating to see them go in circles over misunderstandings.
And about the second leads... I get it to some extent. The female second lead was actually in a relationship with the male lead once, so her lingering feelings make some sense. It’s not fully justifiable, but still, it’s not completely random. But the male second lead?? He knows she loves the ML. She even tells him. Yet he still clings to her and acts like he has a chance? Why?
Also, the female lead opens up emotionally to the second lead more than the male lead. That’s where things go off. If she had communicated with the ML the same way, so many things could’ve been solved early on. But then again, the ML isn’t innocent either. He’s no green flag—he’s aggressive and emotionally closed off a lot of the time, which doesn’t help.
And don’t even get me started on that one scene—if you’re going to eavesdrop someone’s convo, at least stay till the end! Why walk away halfway and cause even more confusion???
Overall, I loved the vibe of the drama at first. I really wanted more sweet or happy moments between the leads, but those barely happened. It turned into a series of misunderstandings.
As someone who’s watched hundreds of K-dramas over the years, I do feel like older dramas have a special vibe—something about the aesthetics and the OSTs. I genuinely love them for that. But story-wise, many of them feel way more complicated than needed.
I think if I had watched Princess Hours when it originally aired—or if it was my first ever K-drama—I would’ve loved it wholeheartedly. It would probably have become my all-time favorite. But now, watching it with more experience and perspective, I just can’t fully justify the characters’ actions. Still, I get the nostalgia.
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Painful experience
No drama ever stressed me out as much as this one. Not because it was so beautifully written or the characters who I liked were going through hardships - no. The exact opposite. It started out okay, with the FL being your typical 2010ish lead (bubbly, oblivious and dumb - bordering on mental retardation) and ML being this ice-cold guy. And although ML was extremely unlikeable in the beginning, he got better. But every other character - oh god, I find no words. Literally every character made me mad because they were so stupid, hypocritical, greedy and unlikeable. By the way, I have no idea how people developed second lead syndrome here, his whole nice guy attitude made my blood boil so much. If you intent to watch it and not almost cry out of disbelief at the stupidity and out of frustration, I recommend to completely skip episode 22. By the way, whoever decided to make this show 24 episodes long needs to go to prison.Actually, the show was quite okay and in my opinion a much better show than Boys over Flowers (they kind of have a similar vibe) until the last few episodes when they, for whatever reason, decided to torture the watcher. When ML didn't even become king in the end, I almost threw something at my laptop. Like man - what did I even watch this whole fight for the crown bs for? The romance of the main couple was very cute and the only thing that kept me watching.
Overall, this review mainly serves the selfish attempt at self-therapy after this stressful experience I went through.
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A NOSTALGIC GEM!!!
I am and will always be biased toward ‘Goong’, as it was one of the first dramas I watched back in elementary school (I’m 27 now). Revisiting it brings back a flood of wonderful memories, and I remember every girl in school was obsessed with Lee Shin. And let’s not forget the unforgettable OSTs. I listened to them on repeat, jamming out with my walkman (I feel so ancient, lol).While the acting leaves much to be desired and can often be quite cringeworthy, the story perfectly encapsulates every young girl’s dream at that time. The plot is delightfully light and whimsical, making ‘Goong’ my go-to drama whenever I want something easy to watch without diving into more serious or complicated narratives.
‘Goong’ is fun and simple—you don’t have to strain your brain to follow the story, which is a refreshing escape when you just want to unwind. It’s a nostalgic treat that reminds me of a simpler time, filled with youthful romance and fantasy.
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