Many Joseon era dramas these days feel like they are just recycled over and over again. It's a shame as I enjoy the dramatic situations available to historical romances, and due to the premise I was willing to give this show a chance.
The scenario that the woman is in the 'high power position' compared to the man is refreshing. But, it doesn't result in more tension or difference in dynamic compared to your standard gender bending (changing clothes, bathing etc.). There's lots that could be done to truly flip your expectations, but so far not much has happened.
Six episodes in, we are still at the show synopsis stage. You could read the summary, pick up at episode six and know exactly what is going on. There's now been episode after episode of long looks, and speculative glances with no real character development or real dramatic tension.
This is a competent effort, but does not add anything new to the genre. At this stage I couldn't figure out a reason to continue watching.
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This review may contain spoilers
I Loved It Until About 1/2 Way Through
I loved it until about episode ten-eleven. I was completely with it, loved the pacing, the sets, the storyline, the acting, and the costumes. And then I got about half-way and my brain just got completely derailed by the plot.So here's a guy who spends about 4-5 hour long episodes coming to terms with the fact that he loves a man, and may not even be hetero, willing to endure that conclusion in a time that no one accepts that kind of thing and BAM!
"This is my secret!" I have breasts! Lmfao I'm sorry, but that just annoyed me so much because they made such a big deal of him coming to terms with everything, and then WHAM! I've got lady parts! Do you know how upsetting that would be? I mean, sure, bend the gender normative stereotypes -- but dang, that would be a REALLY uncomfortable turnaround for SO many people.
Also -- why doesn't she tell him that she's the court maiden he's been looking for RIGHT THEN? Like, BAM, I'm a woman, AND I'm Dam-yi! It's ONE sentence. Just Darth Vader it.
"No, _I_ am Dam-yi!"
Also, he recognized the Crown Prince AS A WOMAN the VERY next time he meets her/him -- and YET, for some reason just nixes that entire idea with the slightest nudge, even though he SAW her.
No? No. Okay, anywaaaay...
The bodyguard, who is the strong, silent type (and takes his job VERY seriously -- seriously, that scene where the four of them sit down for drinks together and he chases Ji-un around the danged table - HILARIOUS) -- is the only man in the entire kingdom, the entire palace, no, the entire danged SHOW with bangs/fringe in his hair or a memorable talisman on the sheath of his sword -- and yet, he wears a mask while trying to hold up the king at sword-point. All I kept thinking was, "Dude, I don't think your mask is going to do much." Albeit, let's face it, the bodyguard's lack of talking really made some points truly hilarious. Funny.
I truly loved the Crown Princess' eunuch. He was hilarious and adorable all in one. The cast made everything enjoyable even though I lost my mind arguing with my danged television at some points at the stupidity of some moments. It actually annoyed me so much I didn't think I could continue. However, I _am_ on episode 14 (only six episodes/hours left) -- so I'm trying to stick in there. Will update when I finally finish it, if I can.
P. S. I'm still giving it a seven, because even if I ended it right then (which really, you COULD do) -- hey, dethroned, left the palace, managed to connect with Ji-un again, and BAM - happily ever after, free to live her life with the man she loves, show OVER. Honestly, I could walk away right now and just pretend the rest didn't happen and be content.
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um that the main character lee hwi (played by park eun bin) is gorgeous and i can't get over it :)
WELL PARK EUN BIN IS SO GORGEOUS AND IM A SIMP. (especially her smile sjbfjsbf so cuteeeeee) but honestly this drama is MWAH I can't wait for the rest of the episodes to release! I'm so fucking excited, waiting week after week... but it's worth itttttyk I was doubtful at first but I'm like that about all dramas i watch, but yk watch 2-3 episodes (or well more if you'd like and if 1 episode is quite short then, like get ur head in the storyline and see) if you still don't "like" it then drop it. can't say much more cuz yk we all have different taste and thoughts so might love it but someone else might not like it all cuz it's not their style but yeah well this is a really good drama for people who like kinda foreign Korean history with love^^ and dramaaaa (obviouslyyyy)
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Brilliantly Written
To say this was a great series is an understatement. It's such an original story, which is pretty hard to come by, especially since there are so many dramas about the Josoen Dynasty. These twenty episodes flew by, not one of them were boring, each adding something special to this drama. As you watched everything unfold in the first half of the series, you couldn't imagine it getting any better, but then episodes 10-12 happened. These three were definitely the pinnacle episodes of the show. From that point on, it was so addicting to watch, wondering how on earth this was going to play out.Eun Bin was over the top as Dam I and Ro Woon, who I'm always a fan of, gives just a fantastic performance. These two, together with a great supporting cast, especially Yoon Su, really blend so perfectly together.
To watch important characters getting killed off early in the series made this really unique, not something you see happen, especially in a 20 part series.
The antagonists were equally talented in showing the evil side of the story, always balancing out money, greed & power. The writers do a great job at giving us punishing endings to all who deserve it, while giving us happy endings to all or most of the protagonists. It doesn't seem likely that everything will end in a good way as you go through the last couple hours, but somehow it comes together to give a very satisfying ending.
Excellent series to enjoy!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Great Joseon-era drama filled with hot men
First of all, this was my first, full Joseon-era drama I have ever watched so I was really impressed with the production quality, costumes, and the beautiful sets that were chosen.The storyline was so well-thought of, from beginning to end with so much drama and intrigue, as well as romance, comic relief and sadness!
The cast was star-studded and there were so many hot male characters I didn’t know where to look at! 😂😂😂
The characters/actors:
I love Park Eun-bin and she naturally did not disappoint in this role either. The way she played the King was remarkable! She proved once again that she can take any role. When I first saw the adult version of the King played by Eun-bin I was like “Oh wow she is sooo handsome!!” 🤯
As the character of the King, she initially displayed her cold, heartless side but slowly softened up throughout the drama. Sometimes it was so sad to watch her long for her femininity whenever they went to the market places 🥺
Then there was Ro Woon!!! I now understand the hype around him! This was my first drama of his I watched and omg I have definitely been missing out!!! He is so handsome like how!!???? as if an artist drew him! I am seriously obsessed with the way his face looks like 😍😍😍 also he looks a bit like Taehyung from BTS.
As for his character, Jung Ji-un he was such a cuutie!!!!! From his first appearance on he was interesting! His love for the king and his friendship with Jaeun and the other scribes and teachers was very funny to watch. I loved to see how he was behaving when he realized he had feelings for the king without knowing that he was a woman 😂 I just loved the fact that he was the male lead.
Next, Lord Jaeun aka Hyun was my favorite character of the series 😍 He was so kind and smart and respectful to everyone, quite literally my dream man. It was a bit strange tbh that he was in love with his cousin 😅 But he realized that his feelings were wrong and acted accordingly which was again very remarkable. Also, I did not expect him to become the next King at the end of the drama. Actually, I thought he was gonna die while protecting the King or sth but I am really happy that he survived ☺️ I just wish he had a girl fall in love with him because he is HELLA FINE!!!! 😍😍😍
And of course, two of the most important characters, Court Lady Kim and Eunuch Bok-Dong were the pillars of this drama and the female lead. They might seem like mascot characters at the beginning but they actually had very crucial roles. Court Lady Kim was like her mother she never really had and the Eunuch was a replacement of her dead twin brother 🥺 They both gave her the warmth and support of a family she never experienced since her own family was just cold and distant all the time.
I really grew to like Kim Ga-on as well. At the beginning he was very misleading and we all thought he was a bad guy. But I love how he turned out to be the most loyal and skilled warrior to the King. And his little love story with Ju-Un’s friend was soooo cuteeee omg!!!! 🥹🥹🥹
One of the villains with a redemption arc was Commander Jung aka Ji-Un’s ruthless father. He was the roundest character of this drama! His character development and decisions were very unexpected. He reminded me of Snape in a way. Up until the moment Commander Yoon died partly because of him he was this evil commander doing all the dirty work for Lord Sangheon. But after his old friend’s death he started to change. His last scene with Ji-Un were sooo heartbreaking, I cried so much 😭😭😭 I an glad he got a redemption arc because he was a very skilled warrior that benefited the King greatly in the end (although they lost the battle).
And last but not least, Seo-un and Ha-Gyeong were quite interesting too. I loved how Seo-Un realized that Ji-Un had feelings for anothet and just how she could not marry the King for these reasons, she understood exactly how Ji-Un must be feeling. It was still very sad to see her suffer and hurt at the end and she cane to become one of my favorite characters as well.
Ha-Gyeong was so cute when she first fell in love with the King not knowing that she just fell in love with a woman 😂She was a little bit naive and clumsy at times but I really loved her character. I kind a wish she had more screentime or actually I was hoping she would fall in love with Jaeun but that did not happen sadly.
These were my favorite characters. Of course Lord Sangheon and the rest of the royal family were important too but I didnt really care about them. Sangheon was just an evil, manipulative old man who should have died earlier! I wish Ga-on had assassinated him earlier!
And then the Late King aka the father of the female lead was a character I don’t have much to say about. Him and the Queen Dowager were quite insignificant for me tbh. And then the most annoying characters were Lord Changun aka the uncle and Lord Wonsan aka Jaeun’s evil brother. I HATED them!!! especially the uncle!!!! They were probably even worse than Lord Sangheon.
As you noticed the characters in this drama were amazing! No character was abundant or useless. Everyone had a purpose even the very small minor characters. Loved how they were utilized to strengthen and keep the storyline moving.
Some pros and cons:
Pros:
1. Characters
2. Storyline
3. Soundtrack
4. A lot of handsome men
5. Sword fight choreos were on point
6. The ending was beautiful
Cons:
1. The episodes with the Ming guy were a bit strange and I still don’t know how that fit into the general plot.
2. Some things were left uncleared in the end for example what happened to Lord Wonsan, or whether Jaeun found out that the King was the twin and how they ended up switching their lives.
Not that many cons at all and very small minor ones.
Definitely a 10/10 watch for me!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
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Had potential till it didn't
I loved it so much and then it just went for too long and became far too political. Disappointing.Ost is great, got the good feels
ML is hot and just so good (loved him since Extraordinary You), he was adorable and so cuteeeee and sweet.. FL convincing as a male.. loved the reversed gender roles. I applaud them for writing this so either male or female works playing the roles!!
But why 20 EPs, you could have finished by 16 sigh...
I only finished because I really wanted to see the ML smile and be happy..
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Great one and time worthy to watch
Seriously I don't like historical theme dramas but because of rowoon I watched 2 episodes and now I can't wait to see the next episodes they were really great also the OST was so soothing rowoon really did the great jon and also the casting of child actors representing the younger version were so on point that I kinda felt that these actors will definately be look alike of each other in near future. Time worthy please watch it. Also the storyline is great and kinda uniqoeyso Im hoping that it'll grew more interesting on future episodes so I'm really satisfied with the series and will follow it till the endWas this review helpful to you?
Had me so hooked!
I hate historical dramas and by hate, I mean I have never fully finished one but this show had me so hooked from the first episode. I have only watched 2 episodes so far but its so good. They did such a good job with the casting because the FL is so pretty and the ML is so fine. I will surely be watching all eps of this drama. Netflix is doing a really good job with the kdramas that they've been putting out lately. I really recommend that you give it a try. I really think I won't be disappointed with the show. Every aspect about it is so interesting & I also like how the side characters have a huge impact on the overall plot.Was this review helpful to you?
Characters have new story to tell that will spice your interest
Well, the actors are really interesting since they have new roles to portray far for previous acting. It's visual is admiring and chemistry even for young roles is indeed nice. The OST also complements and creates wholesome mood. The flow of the story is clear and logical which fascinates the viewer to watch more and look forward for next twist. I am a fan of SF9 Rowoon, so I will definitely support this since he is becoming good in acting with a great actress Park Eunbin. This story triggers my interest on how it will run and end.Was this review helpful to you?
This is still a maybe for me, but concerned
So I’m going to be honest and withhold judgment for the moment and give it a chance to grow on me. I will admit the kids are charming. I’m so early in the series, I haven’t even seen them morph into adults yet. But, I will say that even though I know it’s a “fantasy” set an unnamed but concrete Joseon time period, the modern anachronisms are so jarring that they pull you out of the story. You end up thinking, “that’s impossible, never would have happened,” instead of just enjoying the show. And it’s only the first episodeWas this review helpful to you?
Animal Abuse Boycott
The King’s Affection openly abused the animals on set and they filmed it so you can see the abuse with your own eyes. The horse falling on its head in episode 1? How many takes did it take? How many times did they abuse the innocent and noble horses that we didn’t see? If you have any morals- boycott this Korean series!Was this review helpful to you?
PODIA SER MUITO MELHOR
Fiquei admirada com a atuação da protagonista, ele entrou tanto no personagem que quando eu contava para os outros eu ficava falando "Aí o príncipe, quer dizer, a princesa... A protagonista vestida de príncipe", com certeza o melhor da série é ela. Sei que a vibe dela é toda série por conta de ser forçada a ser um menino quase toda a vida, mas achei que faltou algum momento "feminino" dela sabe? Um olhar, uma risada, não sei... Algum momento onde por um instante ela pudesse ser ela mesma, no final tivemos um pouco disso mas foi tão rápido.Não houve um plot na história para agitar as coisas, não ri muito nem chorei, nesse quesito de emoção achei morno. Os secundários não despertam tanta atenção. Me apaixonei demaaaais pela esposa do principe/princesa hahahahaha... Ela é toda fora do padrão, engraçada, livre e apaixonada. Fiquei triste que no final não acharam um cara top para ela. Gostei do final, achei ele bem crível com a realidade do dorama, mas não fiquei com saudade.
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