It was not very good in my opinion
It was decent, fine. The romantic tension was okay, but I felt like it was lacking. The villains were just bad, the one lady was more bark than bite she could literally not do anything and the guy acted like he was asleep the entire time. Neither one of them had any depth or back story. I have no idea why they were doing what they were doing. Side characters were fine, I didn't totally dislike them and at moments I even kind of liked them. I never figured out what was up with the crown princess, did she love the king or did she not? I also have no idea why they kept her ghost alive, like were they trying to drive him crazy enough to abdicate? The last episode was good but a bit drawn out, some things that happened just for dramas sake had zero consequence later on or was resolved very quickly and at the end of it left the thing that happened pointless to the story or character growth. All in all not bad but I've seen better.Was this review helpful to you?
Cinderella raises again, Mod Joseon© style.
This show started well. Feels like a bit of fast paced romp and the FL is a dynamo. A couple of tropey meet-cutes later and we are well on our way to a love triangle. The fact that the competing ML's are handsome is a definite bonus.The first few episodes certainly lives up to the premise and it was loud and whacky with a good dose of irrelevancy. There is a mysterious dark plot involving the usual palace intrigue (is there any other type?).
I realised we have a bit of a problem around the half way mark though. We seemed to have run out of story. There has been confessions, kisses, murders and rejections. The antagonists are already known, and their motivation made obvious. Umm, that is supposed to happen later, right?
What we ended up with is a draggy middle. The love line got complicated but not in a good way. The antagonists play merry hell with our leads, but it is the same plot going around and around. It is watchable because the writer-nim planted swoon worthy moments here and there so that we are given little sugar hits. Even so, it doesn't totally distract us from some awkward narrative. The inconsistent tone and pacing makes the Show feel out of sort. It is now leaning much more towards a melodrama than before. Rose tinted glasses are firmly in place.
The energy level does pick up somewhat towards the end. The queen selection process is interesting if a bit stilted. Finally, the main plot reach its conclusion. There was not a lot of surprises, but the resolution is satisfying.
Soon enough, the HEA ending slots into place, and we give thanks. Speaking of the ending, the final episode is total fan service. It was high-jinks all the way. No holds barred. It was so kooky that at one point, the show include scenes shot tiktok style and employed various modern motifs. That is most unexpected and immersion breaking. Some might think that the show has "lost the plot". It is entertaining if you roll with it but it is also a little jarring and breaks stride from much that went before. The ending is certainly filled with feel good moments. It is hard not to spark joy after watching that. :)
In terms of acting, the FL carried the Show. She is the focal point and she gave us her all. The ML's are mostly in her support. They do have the occasional dramatic or heartfelt scenes which are appreciated.
Consider the show is only 12 episodes long, I was hoping for a more intricate and novel plot. There are odd flashes of originality but the bulk of it is based on yet another retelling of the Cinderella trope. It is entertaining and watchable but it fails to reached its full potential.
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Pretty alright? Nothing too special but not bad
The only reason I started watching this was because of the ml, I really liked his performances in Moon in the Day and Shooting Stars, ironically I forgot his name😭 Anyways as I mentioned there was nothing too speical about this drama, the comedy was great though. But there was a lot of historical innaccuracies that kinda ruined the whole vibe for me, I couldn't take some scenes seriously because of that. And personally I didn't like how informal she was being with king for some reason, like even when they didn't know eachother that well she was treating him like herbest friend of 20 years😭😭 Idk it was too unrealistic for me. But it was funny sometimes so I'll give them that. This drama was pretty random as well, was not expecting all of these seggsual jokes it was surprising. And don't remind when they started playing Kyrie Elaison I was so caught of guard I burst out laughing like a donkey. The actors were great tho, so any imperfection wasn't from their part, did'nt pay attnetion to any of the OSTs so that should be saying enough. I don't think I'll be rewatching this but who knows 🤷🏻♀️ Moral of the story, wouldn't reccomend this to people who focus and pick on details, and to people who get bored too easily, cause it could be pretty uneventful at times.
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I like the way the king had been portrayed
After a very long time I had seen a king who was not helpless though he was sat at the seat of power . I had seen many historical drama in which though the king had power to do anything he wanted but as he was a king he had to work under so many rule .He under the influence of his father who had given him partial power ,who made him sat on thrown but he (father) had whole control.Here king took his decision under his will but I had seen some dramas where king was cruel and he took decision according to his will then he had never listen to whomsoever was.
I like the way the king had been portrayed and the way his grandmother took decisions which were for his benefits.
Chemistry between the leads were amazing .
I liked the acting of the each supporting characters . A big round of applause to them .
I know it was a fiction based story so in real life good king sometimes remain in the position of helplessness.
I liked the story as well as acting but story didn't has much .
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i really liked the chemistry between the two main leads i liked the whole story it was nice and cute but a little bit dragging to catch the villains
i liked that the end was happy for all parties
what i didn't like about this drama
1st* the sick insisting to put rainbow characters in the events
which was totally disgusting and there were no need for it at all
2nd* the story of the second ML didn't convince me at all during the end
3rd* i felt so sad when i discover at the end that the King's secretary was rainbow i used to like him so he was so funny
except these little disgusting parts of rainbow characters during the drama i really liked it
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light hearted, funny
I enjoyed it overall the leads had good chemistry I felt like the story had a few plot holes and unnecessary plot points and I thought the love triangle was not needed too but I’m biased because I don’t like love triangles. it’s was really funny though which is always a plus for me. I wished they had developed the friendship between the king and the second lead a bit more rather than just making them fight over a woman I wished they had a different conflict between them that helped pushed the story and also bring about character growth for both of them , personally I’m tired of the two friend fighting over one girl trope , I think we need to let that trope rest a bit, but that’s just my two cents on the matterWas this review helpful to you?
Park Jo Hyun’s performance as the crazy swindler was on point, as her character goes about the world jumping in sticky situations and getting out the next with her out-of-the box thinking. Ye So Rang’s highly observant skills and wealth of knowledge aided in her portrayal of the dead princess’ lost spirit that the King believed her powers of shamanism to be real.
For his part, Kim Young Dae tried to be his best as the brooding widower Lee Heon, who pines for his dead wife even after years after her death. So when he hears of the possibility that he can see his wife’s spirit, the King eats up So Rang’s lies as a kid eating candy. Hilarity ensues as Ye So Rang weaves her tale larger than the last, and the oblivious Lee Heon could not determine whether he’s speaking to So Rang or to the dead princess, and lines get blurred.
But there’s someone who probably knows So Rang’s secret: the King’s best friend, right hand man, Lee Shin Won, who is relegated to his role as the second fiddle, third wheel in the love triangle. Kim Woo Seok is decent as the second male lead, as his stoic stance, quiet demeanor completes his loyal-to-a-fault, kicked-puppy-dog look, that he can only be So Rang’s really good friend at best.
This show has a good, solid ensemble cast, from the courtyard couple Royal Nanny and Chief Eunuch to the band of Mosuldan’s (probably incels in today’s world). Everyone has their own little part of the story and are quite interesting characters in their own right, like the cunning fortune teller, the erotic author, and other people who give color to this drama.
The Forbidden Marriage is equal parts romance, drama, comedy, and politics, not one aspect too overpowering to take over another. Even the villains are not so villainy like in other dramas where I want to throw their heads against the wall, although sometimes I feel it’s justified only to wipe the smug grins off their faces.
Though it became a tad serious at the end, and lost a little bit of steam, this drama is an enjoyable watch.
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Something I won't rewatch
The reason I watch historical kdrama is its presentation of Korean history in politics, governance, food, costume, and culture. I am not sure which period this drama depicts but it does give us a historical representation of Korea. However ñ, there are quite a few things that I don't find entertaining.The protagonists are quite good. Kim Young-dae (The Penthouse) is definitely my bias. I also find Kim Woo-suk (Military Prosecutor: Doberman) quite a good complement for Kim Young-dae. Park Ju-hyun delivered the character required for the story. But the main antagonist played by Yang Dong-geun is not as convincing as other antagonists in other dramas. The character is so annoying not because of the character, but because of the bad acting. The actor us just so unappealing, there is no effort in bringing out the viciousness of the character.
The story lacks motivation. Conflicts are driven by characters' motivations. What is So-rang's motivation in all her actions? She has no thoughts of vengeance or no ambition. Why is she there in the palace anyway? She should have something to look forward to so she should remain there. What is the Minister of War's motivation? There is no clear competition of power in the story. Jo Seong-gyun has no apparent competitor. The King is weak; he has no established allies, the story failed to establish that in the council meetings. It's as if the king is just playing king. I am not convinced. All he does is sulk, there isn't a lot of council meetings that would make us see his decision-making skills in politics and governance. Council meetings should reveal factions and competitions. I didn't see it because there ain't a lot of council meetings. Most of the screentime is spent between the king and So-rang.
The only characters that appealed to me are: Lee Shin-won He definitely has a motivation for staying in the State Tribunal and serving the king. He used his position to look for his betrothed. However, even though he had that motivation, the story failed to give us development. Another character that is appealing is Seo Un-jeong. I watched the actress play characters in several dramas and she is good. She's able to bring out the fierceness in a villain. She should have been the main villain here, not the minister of war.
In conclusion, the drama is entertaining in some parts especially the comedic scenes. But the cute scenes are way too much. All those scenes in the king's bedroom are too dragging, some of which could have been used to present other characters schemes. It appears that there is no complexity in the motivations of each character.
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Cute show!
This was a fun and light-hearted, not too serious show – I really liked it. I liked how the female lead matured over the show, but she didn’t entirely lose her playful side either. KYD has proven again that his comedic timing is really good, he also plays the infatuated simp really well. Deeper, more emotional scenes are sometimes a little eh from his part, but I enjoyed the overall chemistry he had with the female lead as well as his general performance in the drama. The ending was also super satisfying – the bad guys were sufficiently punished and the main couple got to be happy! All in all, cute watch with the right length!🎉Was this review helpful to you?
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Sageuk for beginners!
I just finished watching this kdrama and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I anticipated.When I started it, it was without any expectations, I just needed something to watch for relaxation after a long day. It brought me exactly that-relaxation and a good laugh. Characters are likable and relatable so I am sure you won't have problem with them.
What I liked the most was the fact that there was no plot dragging and miscommunication that usually occurs in sageuks and then prolong until the last minute. Everything was wrapped up nicely and there were no loose ends and unanswered questions.
Cast had great chemistry and did their best in portraying their characters. I was really sad to see that it was not as hyped as expected on social media, but I think there were more factors that contributed to that which couldn't be avoided.
I'd definitely recommend this kdrama to kdrama newbies and also people who usually don't enjoy period dramas. I am convinced that people who don't like sageuks didn't watch good ones so I guess this is your sign to give this drama try.
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