A Refreshing Take on the Regular Historical Drama
From excellent acting, a refreshing story, perfectly fitting music, and more, the Forbidden Marriage was a great drama, packed full of comedy, chemistry, and dramaStory:
Throughout the drama, the writers put a splendid spin on a somewhat obvious story. Though the story itself wasn't anything special, taking all the obvious turns and using many cliches. However, the writers managed to put refreshing snippets into the show, ranging from period-style TikToks and quirky sound effects, somehow giving the drama a modern relevancy through relevant topics and modern dialogue.
In addition, because the Forbidden Marriage was only 12 episodes long, there wasn't much unnecessary dragging out of relationships. The shorter length allowed for a more brisk pace and quicker character development. Plus, it also had a very satisfying ending that didn't feel too rushed.
Acting/Cast:
Because this was such a different and new perspective, the Forbidden Marriage needed some great actors to pull the scenes off. And pull the scenes off they did. Park Ju Hyun and Kim Yong Dae's comedic delivery, emotional depth, and chemistry with the other cast members (especially with each other) shined. Additionally, though it is hard to showcase without spoilers, Kim Woo Seok, Yang Dong Guen, Choi Deok Moon, and every single supporting actor provided some solid performances enhancing the drama.
Each of the characters they played was lovable and real while the villains were also aptly portrayed (*spoiler* shout out to the nice Queen Dowager, one of the rarest breeds there is in the Kdrama world).
Music:
Finally, the music was fun and really reflected the mood in many of the scenes very well. It provided some unique OSTs into a more uniform industry. There were also plenty of sound effects that enhanced the viewing experience.
Overall, the Forbidden Marriage was a very enjoyable watch that I will rewatch at least a couple of scenes of. It was fun, quirky, and refreshing, jam-packed full of excellent acting performances and memorable scenes.
I definitely recommend everyone to check it out!
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This review may contain spoilers
I hereby award this drama one of my very rare “loved ratings”…
Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this is a “loved”.What I liked: Thank you to the writers, directors, etc. for opening this with a disclaimer that was the equivalent of “in a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away…”. Setting this up as alternate reality gave everyone more freedom to enjoy this drama since it, in many ways, had nothing to do with historical reality. So if you’re one of those complaining about the lack of historical accuracy, I respectfully refer you back to the first five minutes of the first episode. Kim Young Dae is just as adorable in period costume as in modern attire. He did a great job of portraying a range of human emotions without ever overdoing it or making his character seem inconsistent. The character of Ye So Rang was great. She was funny and smart—and best of all, stayed that way throughout the entire drama instead of suddenly becoming dumb to make the ML look good. Lee Shin Won was adorable from start to finish and I love that, at the end, they hinted he would get to be in a relationship with an amazing woman, too. I loved the head lady and head eunuch—they were fun to watch, as well as the shaman. In fact, I pretty much loved all the supporting characters, except of course, for the evil ones (is it just me or did the main evil guy always looked stoned!?). There were some great scenes, too, that I had to rewind and watch at least once more: the scenes of the boys reading erotica for the first time (and the one of YSR jumping up and down to get all of the books out from under her skirts…lol!), when the King went to rescue YSR from jail, any scene where the King was being awkward or unsure, when LSW rescued YSR first and they’re both all “aren’t we missing someone?...” and more.
What I did not like: There was not really much. I was not interested in the side romance between the writer and the waitress at the tea shop—though his side kicks were hilarious—but that’s a just personal “meh”. Any objections I would normally have with a lack of historical accuracy were solved by the opening disclaimer and since I prefer fantasy over reality in dramaland, I was relieved not to have to worry about it. I did wonder how such an independent woman like YSR would take to being queen (like I did the FL in 100 Days My Prince), but they even addressed that on her wedding day so I was satisfied. Other than that, nothing horribly obvious comes to mind.
Would I recommend this? If you’re like me and prefer period costume dramas over historical drams, then yes. If you like a happy ending, then yes. If you cried during the Red Sleeve and need to make it up, watch this. If your cup of tea is gritty, dark reality, then no, this will just make you mad. :D
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BOOORING
Very boring and long for a short story.I get it that there's a love triangle but why make such simple and short story sooooo long. The start was intrsesting but as time went on it got more boring to the point that I forced myself to finish the drama because it had only 3 episodes left
The main character is a average quirky country girl who still believes in love after the king prohibited it.
I didn't like the girl faked that she could communicate with souls.
Too much going back and forth between the guys. Boring and predictable ending.
NEVER would recommend it or rewatch it again.
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Funny, and Fun to Watch!
The camera angles in the beginning are just mind-blowing. I've never seen anything aside from a music video filmed like that. The introduction to the show had me hooked immediately. A spunky female street-rat lead with her stand-in father-like figure who can often see the future are where this story starts. Alongside this opening storyline, is a king who cannot sleep or eat well after the death of his first and only wife. As others are known to say, 'misery enjoys company' and within this time a marriage ban is enacted. No physical contact, no flirting, no love letters, nothing to do with love is permitted. The people of this Joseon romp are in a quiet uproar, holding hands in secret, and asking for compatibility tests is hugely against the law.However, not for the female lead, So Rang. After being thrown in prison for being an underground matchmaker, she pretends to be able to conjure up the spirits of those who passed away. The King keeps her by his side due to wanting to stay close to his deceased bride, but soon after -- love sparks between the two of them.
With hilarious AND serious side stories, and your typical second male lead falling head over heels for the female lead -- the comedic timing and filming are to be enjoyed. Think of it like the McDonald's of kdramas. It may not be particularly healthy to binge watch an entire 12+ hour show, but I guarantee it's filling, enjoyable, and you may only feel a little sick afterward. Lol
The actors are great -- I truly think that the head eunuch, the old man psychic, and the lead bad guy stole the show at points, but the chemistry between the king and So Rang was good. The sets are stunning and the rooms, WOW, are just beautiful. I loved the costuming, and it was the series perfect length. Not too long, and just long enough to get the story out without ruining it.
I enjoyed the whole show and definitely would suggest it to anyone looking for a fun, not accurate-at-all kind of historical drama. Enjoy it for the modern speech, the jokes, the romance, and the serious storyline that is easy to handle because it's obvious, and hilariously awkward moments. It has a happily ever after -- so enjoy to your heart's content.
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Unlike other histrocal dramas
When you think of a Korean historical drama 9 times out of 10 you think serious, heart breaking, and LONG. However this Saeguk was different.You have a King who has lost his wife and set a marriage ban until he remarries and So rang a girl who has lost her way, working as a swindler and now has somehow ended up in the Kings palace pretending that she has been possessed by the late Queen and yet this was was HILARIOUS. The comedy in this historical drama was literally a breath of fresh air. I started this drama while I was in a slump and omg it brought me right back to life. Of course, their is treason, scheming, murder all of the tropes that a Saeguk has but somehow it never felt that serious and always managed to make me laugh, Now, there is a love triangle and although I used to LOVE a love triangle Korea has manged to make me hate them! In the beginning, I actually was enjoying it surprisingly and then after 4 episodes began to quickly hate it as it turned into an overly persistent sml who can't take no for an answer. I have seen some people complain and say that the show lost its fun in the last third of the drama however I have to disagree. The show was more funny and light hearted in the earlier stages of the show, but there is still major plots that need to be resolved and can't help but be a little more serious as the show comes to an end, but the quality was always the same. Anyway, I still thought the show was funny and unserious throughout and was quite obviously not historically accurate.
THE MAIN COUPLE!! One thing that I will always love in historical dramas is the TENSION and omg was it great. The drama was the opposite of a slow burn and they came to like each other very quickly although the king took a little while to recognised his feelings. Their chemistry was so GOOD. I kept rewinding scenes while internally screaming because the tension and chemistry was hitting DIFFERENT.
The acting was up to scratch Park Juhyun is always a plessure to watch and was so good in the comedy genre and slayed her emotional scenes of course. Kim Youngdae, is literally so FUNNY, he has amazing comedic timing. I hope to see him in more romcoms soon. The supporting case were also great, some actors were doing their job a little too well because at times I wanted to punch the screen.
The music was enjoyable so no complaints.
The forbidden marriage is the sort of drama you rewatch because you know you'll keep enjoying it over and over again.
I don't actually have any complaints other than the the love triangle but it didn't take away from the show.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and would recommend this romcom to any one who wants to watch a Saeguk that isn't gut wrenching but will instead a have you smiling and blushing.
Quick sidenote I have seem this drama being compared to the Cinderella trope but I would disagree it's not really rags to riches after you learn about her character.
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The king who wears his heart ❤️ on his sleeves!
This is one of the most underrated kdrama in 2023... it am surprised why this has not gained much attention that it truly deserves. But I'm highly recommending this for a lit of reasons:Timeliness - 12 episodes is just sweet perfection for me, I binge-watched this in less than a day and I am pretty much satisfied with how the writers kept it this short but without sacrificing the content.
Story - I didn't have to use up a lot of my brain energy to try and figure out how the story might end but I love the wit, the twists and how everything else fall into their rightful places up to the very end of this kdrama.
Chemistry - great casting! 👍 and i simply can't believe that a king have this much love!
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A done well job.
This is probably one of the best dramas I have watched. No hits were missed. This drama having 12 episodes is perfect, there are no boring or unnecessary scenes in every episode. It is very endearing in a way it just pulls you in for a coaster.The story was good overall, it's simple and eventful yet played and executed in a nice and beautiful manner.
The casts were amazing. Each presented their character well.
The only small thing I didn't like—was how they started liking each other, it felt as if it was just a flash.
But despite that this definitely deserves a great review. It was a very nice drama to try out.
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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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The Forbidden Scam
A girl pretending to be the Crown Princess's ghost, a spirited leading lady, and a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of historical tales—the ban on love. It sold itself as this wild, carefree series, promising easy laughs and a blissful escape. However, the writers tripped hard trying to weave in melodramatic and political plots because the original concept was unsustainable for more than a couple of episodes. They birthed these laughable plots and pitiful antagonists in the process. The female lead, originally devious and witty, took this nosedive into becoming this sad, serious persona spouting profound but empty and hypocritical lines. It was hard to believe or feel anything she said or did after this drastic change in character. Again, forcing a systematic change across the board after a couple of episodes. At the end of the day, this is just another poor cosplay show.Was this review helpful to you?
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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I'm glad they only made this 12 episodes.
Even so, they didn't give me as much of the OTP in their final form that i wanted.I really enjoyed the palace stuff the most. They did keep the villain stuff to a minimum, and I appreciated that aspect. However, I think they gave far too much airtime to the townsfolk. There was enough going on with the palace stuff, those parts, though sometimes satirically comical, felt somehow randomly distracting.
All in all, this was a lovely satirical sageuk, with lots of pretty castmembers who are also good actors. It was fun to watch. Binged right through it!
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Good start, weak finish, a series of two halves.
I really liked the start of this and was hooked. The effects of grief, loss and guilt, and how you can become isolated I thought were being portrayed in an interesting, way. The solution was perhaps comedic, but it wasn't making fun of the emotional pain.Depending on how you view the FL, she is either really annoying, like an over enthusiastic sales person, or someone who just wants to do her best in a bad situation, and trapped in a role she has made for herself. The ML,Kim Young-dae, for me came out best in this, when given the chance he has acting range. The rest of the cast were pretty much given stock roles, not their fault, just a poor script.
Mid way through the story and script fell apart, and the last episode was like someone had made a poor cake as was decorating it with too much sweet icing to hide the cracks.
My score is based mainly on the first 60%, the rest had so many plot holes, and the twist at the end, sign posted from about episode 6. Just a bit disappointed.
I like the main OST song.
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