This review may contain spoilers
Practically Perfect In Every Way
I am not a watcher of Korean historical dramas. I have tried watching a few of the very famous ones, dropping them during the first episode. The notable exception, that I actually finished, is Moon Lovers and that was only because I was going through the Lee Joon Ki superfan phase.I am taking part in a Drama Discovery Challenge and the next item on my discovery list was to watch a historical drama. So I decided to watch this. I got hooked after 20 minutes and watched it all over the weekend. And loved every second of it.
So Rang is an illegal matchmaker and is put in prison for fraud. In order to get out , she pretends to channel ghosts which attracts attention of the King who is inconsolable since the death of his wife seven years earlier and therefore installing interdiction of marriage, hence the title. So Rang accepts to "channel" the dead princess and in doing so helps the king deal with his loss and fall in love again. This also brings to surface conspiracies and murders within the palace by individuals hungry for power.
This drama is a joyful ride. It is set in Joseon, sometimes in the past but that is all: not a definite year just sometimes in the past. The past, the history is just used as a setting to tell the love story of two deeply scarred people.
The king, surrounded with rigid servants is shaken to his bones by So Rang's insolence, courage, good sense and optimism. They are both traumatised by past events and together they help each other to heal. And while doing so, they are hilariously funny. I have never laughed so much while watching an asian drama. Actually, the last time I laughed so was when I watched BBC's "The Goes Wrong Show" a few years ago.
Everything is so perfectly done here: comic timing is spot on, the story is tightly woven and there are no plotholes, it is serious enough not to be boring, cinematography is beautiful and music is nicely done blend of old and new. All in all, the story is a modern one (with all the PC bits grouped together in the last episode) set in the past. If we are to search around, we'd probably find a story of a traumatized cold CEO shaken by a quirky but poor girl into becoming a nicer human being. How about Lost Romance from Taiwan? So nothing original but extremely well produced.
Kim Young Dae is handsome, talented and his slight lisp is making him irresistible (though those abs are not to be scorned at!). Park Ju Hyun was a revelation: I really did not like her in Mouse but here she is awesome. They both have perfect comic timing. The actors are all great, they have amazing chemistry. All of them! And since this is a fairy tale, they are all paired up by the end with a few BL couples as well! Nice touch!
There is one thing that bothered me, nevertheless! The tone and the rhythm of the drama was for the first few episodes very light and funny. And even though it was very predictable, the palace conspiracies introduced a darker plot which did not balance the original comedy well so I was a bit disconcerted halfway through and I did not like it! 0.5 points off for that!
This drama reminded me of Moon Lovers, as it could have been as a happy drama. The chemistry is the same, the cold prince and the quirky funny girl who fall in love. The Forbidden Marriage has that contemporary, modern feel in the way they act and speak just like IU's character in MLSHR. Even the music: often it sounded really similar!
Cinematography is excellent, there are beautiful shots in the night as well as of shirtless Kim Young Dae. The production is of the highest quality, everything flows so smoothly and that is why I noticed one thing which was jarring: the closeups of them horseback riding looked faked and as if filmed in front of the green screen. Minor I know but noticeable! Like when they fake ride cars, motorcycles etc. in other dramas: it is so obvious and does not need to be!
This drama is a fairy tale, a very funny fairy tale, where everyone gets their happy ending and where the bad guys get punished. Watch it if you need cheering up, watch it if you are bored, watch it even if you're not into seoguks. Just watch it, you won't regret it! It is light and fluffy and perfect!
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This review may contain spoilers
Strong comedy that fizzled out halfway through
There was a lot to like about this show:-Over-the-top comedy. Kim Young Dae, especially, has such good comedic timing, as well as expressive eyes.
-Wonderful cast. I felt like everyone was well-cast and everyone played well off of each other. The comedic chemistry was on point with everyone. The 2ML (Kim Woo Seok) was wonderful at displaying longing for the FL, and I LOVED the friendship between the king and his trusted guard.
-The storyline. A Joseon story with a modern twist. When they re-enacted scenes from another drama, I about choked on my own saliva! The FL was a liar, liar, pants on fire, but you couldn't help but like her. It was really fun to see her get stuck in situations and how she worked her way out of them.
-Music. Beautiful and well-placed. It wasn't overpowering. I especially loved Kim Min Seok from MeloMance.
-Rewatch. No, for a couple of reasons. 1) I have too many other things to watch, and 2) I usually watch the swoon-worthy scenes if I re-watch anything, and the leads romantic chemistry was lacking for me.
-Costuming was lovely.
-I always like to see actors that I have seen in other things, and there was a lot of that here.
What I didn't care for that much, and these are all just personal preferences:
-I didn't care for all the sexual innuendo.
-The kisses were seriously lacking spark and the FL's lips were never aligned or involved.
-With each episode being over an hour long, the show was just too long. I felt there was a lot of stuff that could have been left on the cutting room floor.
-I fast forwarded through most of the storyline with the author and his cronies writing/selling the erotic books. It just seemed so out of place.
-Multitudes of bad guys (excellently played, but still). All I kept thinking about was it appears that royalty in the Joseon era was either stupid or they had absolutely no power. To have that many bad guys in the inner circle of your cabinet and not have a clue for over seven years?
-It switched from flat out comedy to full on melodrama and then never seemed to find its footing again. That may have been just me, disappointed that I finally found a good comedy and then they switched genres on me.
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Kim Young Dae gets to me with his bedroom eyes
Forbidden Marriage is my passion. Many have tried to start the buzz talk about this Korean Drama.Actors Kim Young Dae, Park Ju Hyun, And Kim Woo Seok
Who to choose? I really can’t choose between male First and Second Leads. I could date either male lead. This is a laugh-out-loud romp which morphs into serious drama just like Mr Queen. Male First Lead Kim Young-dae does it again. I reported previously how he heated up the cameras in Sh**ting Stars. With his bedroom alluring glances, Kim Young-Dae takes the roam out of romance and makes you want to settle down. Second Lead Kim Woo-seok is your “steady and ready” choice. Mr Perfection with no need for improvement. He has the comfort zone appeal, in a good way. Kim Woo-seok has done musical theater and can be seen in Rookie Cops. I loved both characters each played.
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Fun drama
Another great drama from Park ju hyunHer youthful looks and charm make her a good fit for the funny, mischievous So-rang, and her positive on-screen charisma was also one of the major main thing I like about the drama
The story is quite funny , really loved the way they combine the modern idea into history and the cast was amazing.
the tension between the first and second lead was also good.
the chemistry between the male and female lead was good, the actors really did their best.
A beautiful satisfying climax for the fans.
Totally worth watching.
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Dropped as rom-com transitioned to sad and serious
I had high expectations for this romcom after watching the initial episodes.The first few episodes had a quirky humour and some creative ideas which kept it interesting. By and by it started getting repetitive, very unfair on the SML and kept the ML a soft, weak, foolish and naive king who was stuck in the past leaving the country to suffer for 7 years! We come to know that every year there has been murders of women inside the palace and the king has not been able to move beyond his grief to even investigate this seriously! He seems to have backstabbing ministers in the leadership positions and powerless to do anything against them. Who would want to root for such an ML?
The FL felt refreshingly energetic and creative in the beginning but began to irk me down the line. She cons people without conscience and doesn't hesitate to cheat the king himself, even when he starts to fall for her she doesn't confess to faking her way into his heart. She knows full well the SML was her fiance and has feelings towards her yet she is secretive about her past with him too, stays close friends with him and gets rescued by him constantly. This is lazy writing as it makes the viewer pity the SML and resent the FL.
There was zero chemistry between the leads. Even the confession scenes felt bland and lacklustre. As per kdrama trope land they would probably end up together but I lost the interest in following it through to completion, as I don't expect good comedy or romance from further episodes. The characters are not likeable enough to invest further time in this.
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This review may contain spoilers
CROWN PRICE ALWAYS GET THE GIRL
I don't like the story line, in my opinion, it's stupid and dragging. A man with status of King couldn't get over the dead wife was the most idiot, not to mention he couldn't function to do his responsibilities and job as a King because of matter of heart. I want to slap his face and shout 'get hold of yourself.' It's fine when assuming the wife might get murdered and looking who's the culprit, it's ok to mourn the beloved wife and kept her in memory, it's personal choice if he wanted a Shaman to reach death world. I just couldn't understand the dragging of story to nowhere..on and on for harboring feeling after 7 years sorrow. Someone needs to tell him to 'get a grip' and give him some reality check. Well....looking forward for better story in future episodes.The plot that I like was the 2nd ML was legally engaged 7 years before the ban edict. They had mutual feeling of their marriage arrangement and their relationship as friends were blooming after the fact. While the King was muddle-head over a dead woman...and any matters about Kingdom was ignored...only about tiring feeling and sadness. The dead queen was a boring woman too...both actors had weepy expression on their faces, teary eyes with glossy make up (BOTH OF THEM). You know what they said about Crown Prince has always get the girl. No matter 2nd ML engaged to the girl, she picked the Crown Prince instead of him - a humble minister's son but not too worry - Crown Prince's sister choose him (convenience wasn't it) well....
There's similar drama 'Blooming Youth' on air that has the exact plots. Not hoping to finish the series.
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Its been awhile since I laughed so much, its funny like Alchemy of souls SEASON 1
The actors are all doing a very good job, I remember the main actress from a kdrama called “Memories” (or something like that) her acting is outstanding even this in that kdrama she wasn'ta main lead, hopefully I will see her more and more on the big screen, and I hope this kdrama does well both South Korea and all over the wolrd.
Been sleeping late because of surving, and
The story is not too complicated easy to follow, there are sad moments and funny moments
I’m very glad I decided to start this kdrama, its a GEM 💎
Please do give it a shot!
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This review may contain spoilers
Idol drama. Nothing more, nothing less.
I was so disappointed by this. I really love period dramas (sageuk), but perhaps I had the wrong expectation. I really shouldn't expect too much of 12 episodes. I really wanted to love it - I love both the leads. The plot elements could have been fantastic together: there was a underhanded scheme going on with a mystery. There was a super clever maid. There was a sad king. There was cutesy chemistry between the two leads. There was a second lead romance. There was a brave sidekick. There were hilarious sidekicks. The first few episodes were funny.Don't get me wrong, I can and do appreciate well crafted sageuk not based on history e.g. Red Sleeve Cuff, Rooftop Prince, and most recently, Bloody Heart.
However, this was an idol drama; nothing more, nothing less. This was a fantastical (ie I'm being sacarstic and rolling my eyes) drama.
The story suddenly introduces new characters and new plot points in the final few episodes.
SPOILERS
She survives attempts to kill her, jail her, etc etc so easily.
She SUDDENLY became eligible to be queen due to her newfound eligible heritage. (not previously mentioned)
The sidekick who was poisoned and his hand whitered away yet SUDDENLY and MIRACULOUSLY he survived and his hand heals.
She was SUDDENLY saved by someone who would become a key ally, in the last 4 episodes. We hadn't seen this person previously.
END SPOILER
I'm going to attribute this to the fact that there were only 12 episodes. No self-respecting sageuk can unfold over just 12 episodes. The writers didn't weave in a backstory (probably not enough episodes to). They simply threw assumed facts in your face to solve key plot points.
My only plus point: precisely because it was only 12 episodes, my pain wasn't prolonged.
In short, have the correct expectations when starting to watch this. Watch it because it's entertaining if viewed from a modern lens, like a fantasy drama. Do not expect an intelligent, authentic, sageuk experience.
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Bad acting
Acting is so bad including most support roles. Also story line is too obvious. Female lead’s physique is almost bigger than male lead and acting like 5 years old. And her acting seems forced. Male lead and felame lead have no chemistry at all. I usually like romantic comedy and comic acting but this drama is not for me. I didnt laugh and found myself irritated 😅. I started this drama because Mr. Queen is in recommendation. But it was big fail and waste of time. And storyline seems jump one thing to another thing.Was this review helpful to you?
The Forbidden Marriage — A Historical Comedy A Pallette Cleanser
So… I accidentally fell into the world of historical K-dramas, and The Forbidden Marriage was only my second one—right after surviving the emotional rollercoaster that was Love in Flames of War (43 episodes of pure character suffering… I’m still recovering). I desperately needed something fun, fast-paced, and absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible. Enter: this gem of a show.I stumbled across a few clips on TikTok and thought, “Okay, this looks chaotic, maybe it'll be funny.” And oh boy—funny doesn’t even begin to cover it. From the opening scene to the very last frame, I was cackling like a medieval maniac. I’m talking stomach cramps, tears-down-your-face, snorting-level laughter.
The female lead? Played by Park Ju Hyun..She carried this drama like it was her full-time job (which it technically was, but you get what I mean). She was sharp, unpredictable, hilarious, and had that kind of natural comedic timing you just can’t fake. I don’t know much about K-drama actresses yet, but whoever cast her deserves a raise. She didn’t just deliver—she sprinkled powdered sugar on the whole show.
The male lead played by Kim Young Dae, was fantastic—stoic with just the right amount of emotional chaos bubbling under the surface. And the second male lead? A surprisingly loveable addition to the already explosive dynamic. The three of them together? Comedy gold. Like an accidental love triangle with bonus sword fights and royal scandals.
The plot isn’t one you’re supposed to take too seriously—and that’s the beauty of it. If you're looking for deep political intrigue and heavy palace drama… maybe keep scrolling. But if you want something chaotic, fast-paced, and downright hilarious, this one’s a 10/10 no-brainer.
Highly recommend for anyone who just wants to laugh without having to analyze every single scene. Also, if you’re new to sageuks like I was—this is a great, stress-free place to start.
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10/10 one of my new favorites
Entertained the ENTIRE time. This one is contending with the big dawgs for me. I haven’t giggled and blushed this much since Twinkling Watermelon. Like they’re putting crack in the script I swear. It managed to toe the line so well between the light and dark scenes. ML carried a lot of this show in my opinion. He made 90% of scenes funnier with his reactions but he ate down the spicier scenes. I was impressed the actor was able to convey such a wide range of emotions in a character within seconds. Cudos to the writers as well because they really did the damn thing with this script.Dramas that don’t peak my interest completely leave a sort of hollow feeling. As if my Kdrama itch wasn’t scratched per se? This drama was like a 4 course meal, seriously, it was that good for me! I loved the dynamic of the leads. The way their personalities were written to play off of each other *chefs kiss* It was such a pure romance, the pacing was done wonderfully, nothing too fast but you’re not left wanting either.
In conclusion, the male lead is super fine and his shirtless scenes were 100 bonus points
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I stayed for the main couple
The main couple really carry the show. without them i wouldn't have watched it.if you look at the story as a whole, there are a LOT of plot points that are kinda random or that they end abruptly, that I wish they would elaborate on a bit more, but then again it is only 12 eps long. i like the romance. the ML has good character development. i like the female lead's acting and she looks best in the maid outfit. the second male lead is DULL and BORING and goes on my list of guys who look like penguins (no offense btw).
the story isn't such a strong one. mostly fluffy and comedy in the beginning. i like that there were some more serious scenes.
the romance and lead couple are so cute. 💗
i haven't seen 11-12 yet. but I'm pretty eager to finish them.
i started the king 2 hearts while waiting for this to air, so this is a nice refreshing fluffy sorta drama to while I'm almoat finished with the last episodes of tk2h.
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