This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing story badly told
1/ WHAT I LIKED:- The romance between ML/FL: I liked that the FL was known immediately as a woman by the ML and they quickly developped feelings for each other with the necessity to hide them while being together all the time. It was quite mushy and even corny at times but I enjoyed seeing these two together. There was no romantic moments together before the end but the feelings were there.
- The Love triangle: I liked that it was not tragic or angsty or annoying because the way FL/SML/ML evolved personally in connection with each other was subtly done. Things were pretty clear and honest every time.
- FL and CP's bodyguard relationship was really interesting and fun.
- Some good moments of comedy.
2/ WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- The storytelling : This drama greatly suffered from what we see in most draggy drama with 50 episodes: telling the action and events instead of seeing the action and events. One character telling another one what happened that the viewers already know and then it is then told to a third character... It is a waste of time and drags the story for nothing.
Also using a character telling what another characters did and then the consequences and then what he did after... in short all the action, this makes the drama hard to follow especially when there are too many characters and too many things to recall. People cannot keep track of everything. The story becomes messy and hardly understandable if you do not stop at every sentence to understand what is said and almost learnt it by heart or else it is hard to connect things.
- Some things comes out of the blue like deus ex machina to save the day. Like suddenly one character remembers something never suggested before.
- The story is disappointing in the end. All this for that? The bad guy just ends things on a whim and the other bad guy is just grotesque till the end.
3/ CHARACTERS/ CAST:
- CP: interesting guy with good values and sense of justice. Keeps doing good despite the hurdles he meets. Park Hyng Sik did a good job for me. He was an endearing CP despite being not to bright regarding the matters of the heart.
- FL as an eunuch was petite and not very cute. As a noble daughter she was pretty. I liked her strong personality and her interplay with the other main leads. The actress did a decent job.
- SML: felt sorry for him being put in the dark most of the time but the character was noble and loyal.
- TML and TFL : managed to be fun and useful especially towards the end for TML. Their "romance"
was weird though.
- Main Bad guy: Pretty well hidden in the beginning but motives of the character becomes questionable and almost nonsensical and in the end... whoah...What a way to doom yourself.
- Second Bad guy: annoying and grotesque as expected from this actor. His ending was unusually crazy though.
- Bodyguard: Good guy despite some tense moments.
- Loved the princess Ha Yeon
4/ OST:
Nothing to remember.
5/ REWATCH VALUE:
I won't rewatch it.
6/ OVERALL:
I am not sure about this drama in the end. I had huge expectations when I started it but I have to say it soon became draggy and the way the story was told annoyed me to the point I put it on hold and then binge-watched the 7 last eps. Honestly I liked the characters and the actors but I did not enjoyed how things were told. I think its a weird story told in a convoluted messy way. So I would give it a 7.5/10 and I would say watch it if you like the lead actors.
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Park Hyung Sik does it again!
As a fan of Park Hyung Sik, it is to no suprise that I was hella excited to watch this. This drama was full of excitement, and i finished it in less than 3 days. It's sooo good. The plot is interesting with little to no plot holes.One thing I disliked tho was the ending. Ofc I'm happy they got together in the end but I felt like it was kind of rushed a little. Maybe 1 more episode to show how things ended would have sufficed. Nonetheless, the actors did a spectacular job, as did Park Hyung Sik (as always <3)
Totally recommend !! 🩷
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Fabulous Drama
I totaly loved this DramaGreat Story, Brilliant Acting, Wonderful Settings. Horrible Baddies.
Stunningly beautiful Male Lead who shone every moment. Lovely Female lead.
The Second Pairing of characters were superb and ideal partners.
Sad story of torment from hideous players made you want to step inside the screen and beat them up. This showed how well they acted. All the chracters played their roles well. The Female Lead was also brilliant.
The chemistry between the leads built up beautifully.
I have watched it several times because it makes me feel good.
The second pair were trully funny and added heaps to the Drama. The Mad scientist who brought so much humous was a Joy.
All of their acting was wonderful. In short, It was Great, I loved it.
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In the end the turtle won!
The beginning is slow paced as a turtle in the race. But the slow pace worked very well here. In the end all that character building brought out an excellent plot. The background score is the highlight of this production. Very well composed. As always great performance by all the cast involved. Solid performance from Jung Woong In and Lee Tae Sun. With the suspense, cliffhangers and clever direction made this turtle win the race.p.s: twenty episodes is still little bit overkill but still well deserved.
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One f the best this year 2023
Besides " The Forbidden Marriage" this one " The Blooming Youth" were equally good and exciting drama to watch. The main characters were all great . Some parts are sad, some parts made you laugh, some parts is quite suspense especially that witch part. It is also romatic in a different way that makes it all perfect drama. I guess it is not easy to write the story of this drama, but thanks to the screenwrite, Produce and Director to make it a real excellent Historical darma and the pick of the Main Actor and Actress were real good and suits tham totally . I watched this drama twice cos I love itこれは見るべき素晴らしいドラマです。見逃さず
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This review may contain spoilers
worth to watch interesting
One of the coolest historical Korean detectives! I like it ! ) at first it seems that fantasy or mysticism, although there was still something mystical and inexplicable but not really fantasy - this is the black spirit of a shaman, there was no logical explanation for this (like how they then explained all supposedly mystical things).In general, it turned out cool, it seems there is no love theme at all , but at the same time there is great affection and partnership slowly growing into love (between the crown prince and Zhi Yi).
I thought that Sergeant Han would betray the prince to avenge Zhi Yi, but he did not betray.. surprised ahah
and even more surprising was the fact that Tae Gang has a twin! What a twist ! )) Until the last moment, I was about Zhi Yi's suspicions about him, I thought that he set her up in the past, but it turned out that he was not, and not even his brother...
It’s a pity, of course, that there were few episodes with the brother and twin, they would have done more to develop the topic, left more time and events before their meeting (the twins) and the disclosure of the existence of the twin ..))
The king surprised me, compared to the chinese wuxia series, where the king gave orders and decided to listen to his subjects or not ... but in Korea I see that the king cares more about the opinion of advisers and indulges them, he is afraid of the families with whom he is married .. what he is king after that ? hmm .. somehow it’s not logical .. well, probably this is the difference between chinese culture and traditions from korean .. idk
Also, according to the plot of the penultimate episodes, I thought there would be a 2nd season ... that would be the best, but somehow they quickly finished everything (Although I liked it! I recommend it!))
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Go watch it - it's one of the best shows of 2023
This series is the kind that stays with you a long time after you have finished because the main characters and their stories connect with you at a deeper level. While the plot might not be the most original, its presentation is novel. The acting of the entire star cast is outstanding. Special mention to Park Hyung Sik - the Crown Prince - who looks more royal than the royals themselves and has given one of the finest Prince/King performances out there. It's a complex character, and he has brought out each layer beautifully (the actor's facial expressions are so good that you can make out what he is thinking without him saying a word). It's great to see a Prince who looks and acts like one, but he can empathise and work on his weaknesses. His shy and reserved nature adds to his relationship with FL who is unconventional and fiesty, giving us a very old fashioned romance which is like a breath of fresh air. It's a character-driven story. Even when the PD lets the story slack, the actors pick up and keep you glued. There are no boring episodes. The humour is A+, and some episodes will get your adrenaline soaring. Full marks to the team for the correct period feel, costumes, and mannerisms. While violence is minimal, some scenes can be disturbing. Romance has a Jane Austen feel to it, which is beautiful. Go watch it.Was this review helpful to you?
An intriguing sageuk with mystery and palace machinations
The synopsis for this drama is quite inaccurate. After watching the show, I was laughing at their description of Min Jae Yi as "a gentle and poised daughter." In truth, she was a tomboy who dressed in boy's clothing from an early age and charged kids toll for crossing a river she supposedly owned. She also frequently hopped walls with her trusty maid/sidekick to escape her house and often got into trouble.After being accused of murdering her family, Min Jae Yi didn't randomly run into Crown Prince Yi Hwan; she specifically sought him out, hoping to get his help in clearing her name, while also intent on protecting him, as her Father had begged her to [his last words to her].
TLDR: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Drama
Historical - Joseon period
Mystery - Secret curse letters delivered to Crown Prince; one by one are coming true.
Romance - if you're looking for skinship and insta-love, this is not the drama for you. The romance is about trust and deep abiding love that takes time to develop.
Drama - I laughed, I cried and my heart was touched.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this drama as I had a chance to keep guessing and the revelations came in bits and pieces. I delighted in the rapport between the main leads whose bickering kept me entertained. But they also worked well together when they were investigating crimes, and they eventually were each other's confidants. As always, Park Hyung Sik did a fantastic job as Crown Prince Yi Hwan; he really showed a range of emotions in this role and was so forward thinking in saying that Jae Yi was a woman, not an object. Jae Yi is probably one of the most feminist characters I have encountered. Her true self is the tomboy that jumped over walls, exhorting coins from strangers to help the poor; in the meantime, Society dictated that she had to grow up, get married and place duty above all.
Lee Tae Sun as Kim Myung Jin (coroner, investigator, scientist, general people-helper) stole the show with his lack of self-awareness. Jang Ga Ram (Min Jae Yi's maid) was perfect as Myung Jin's student. They made me smile and laugh so much. The other leads and supporting actors did a fabulous job, resulting in the well-produced drama. Even though I meant to watch this while it was currently airing, I'm now really glad I was able to binge watch in 4 days. My patience would have been sorely tested if I had to wait so long in between episodes.
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I'm sad it ended
The story is basically about this women that is framed for the murder of her entire family, while the crown prince receives a 'curse' note that he is trying really hard not to believe and it's about how their lives start to intertwine basically. The women runs away from the soldiers and disguises as a Euninch to stay by the Prince's side and prove her innocence. The story is very different to many other dramas I've watched and I must say I loved the progression of the storyline that gradually revealed many interesting elements but with just enough rom-com too. The leads' love felt so real and pure, unlike most of the dramas where the leads obsess over PDA, I really liked how the leads in this drama were not subtle but their love felt pure and innocent almost. I loved that about this drama. The actors in my opinion have done a TERRIFIC job. ABSOLUTELY LOVED the leads, a lot of people are saying that they didn't have chemistry and it felt forced but I think they had great chemistry. I think most people think that because of the lack of PDA, but honestly it shud be harder to present love without PDA, like just in the 'eyes' you know lol. But basically I loved the cast's acting, regardless of what anyone said they've done suchhhh a great job at presenting this drama that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. The music is also really good, I think it's gonna make it into my playlist. Overall, Absolutely terrific drama with a great storyline and a purely innocent love without PDA that is just soo enjoyable and entertaining to watch. 👑📜👘🫅🏻💞🤵🏻♀️👘🔪🩸Was this review helpful to you?
Química fantástica, intriga hasta el final
Acabo de verla por segunda vez, y aunque me ha gustado mucho, como la primera vez que la vi, puedo ser más objetiva con las cosas que no me han entusiasmado. Básicamente lo más flojo ha sido el final, súper precipitado, donde apenas dedican 1 minuto al cierre de la relación amorosa principal.Y en general, así como la FL siempre ha declarado sus sentimientos, el ML, ya sea por su carácter frío, por responsabilidad o por mala conciencia, ha sido incapaz de mostrarlos.
Los secundarios, muy divertidos. Me hubiera encantado que se le hubiera dado un arco argumental amoroso al guardaespaldas.
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Dissappointing all over
The show started off strong, with an interesting concept and a few promising plotlines. But it was so poorly executed that it became downright frustrating to watch.The characters felt like cardboard cutouts, full of contradictions. How can someone who survived the assassination of her entire family show so little grief? Min Jae, a woman of high status, suddenly has to work as a low-ranking eunuch, yet she barely seems affected by it. Early on, we see how much she looks forward to marrying her General—what happened to all those emotions? There's no conflict when she falls for someone else, even though her fiancé is still searching and pining for her. She’s nearly strangled to death by a guard—surely that would provoke some anger? But Min Jae shows no emotion, even when the Crown Prince (who is in love with her at the time) says he understands why his friend tried to strangle her. Jeez… it drove me crazy.
And then there's the Crown Prince, who hides the fact that Min Jae is still alive from his best friend, falls in love with her, and shows no real inner conflict about it either? All of this is glossed over with just a few lines—no meaningful dialogue.
I’m sure the actors struggled to convey emotional depth due to the weak screenwriting, but they could have at least tried to use more facial expressions. And Min Jae’s way of speaking—with what sounded like a forced low voice—was completely flat, lacking any intonation regardless of the situation.
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This review may contain spoilers
A good watch!!!
A period drama with political mistery! Initially it started with a bang, but what I feel, that it ended up not as good as it started off.They could've been showed Min Jae yi (FL) charecter more in action. She did her part well. However, the story leaves many open ends. Even at the end she couldn't remember the day when her family was murdered. She was indeed a victim of dirty politics but her situation and grief of losing family was never avenged. I know it's not a love story but I expected more warmth from the crown prince, because the feeling was mutual.
Now come to the ML, the crown prince, started being cursed and all but suddenly he starts doing just fine. I really wanted to see unraveling of that curse part. Also he could have been little more warm towards the FL but even he loved her he kept holding back his feelings even after her honest confession.
The story of twins (the body guard and his assassin brother) was also sort of incomplete.. could have showed little more.
The support roles are pretty fine. The story was absolutely good but after 19th episode it was wrapped up like there is no time in the world!
I mean all these mistery was resolved in just one and half episode in hurry so that many things left open ended.
Wanted more story on that old guy who hypnotized grand prince!
There were many filler parts which could have been removed and they could resolve the mistery from episode 17 may be!
However I liked the story, it's definitely a good watch. I like both the leads. Park Hyung Seek is good but he could do better. I love the FL. She is just perfect and did just to charecter even in the last episode when crown prince came to confess to her.
All over I would say, if you like period drama please give it a try you won't regret watching it.
P. S - I dint understand that justification of the title at all!! If anyone understands please share.. :-)
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