King the Land

Where’s the twist?

This is my first review on rom com drama. I’ve watched a lot of dramas, not to mention other genres too. And I can say that this drama gives me a plain and boring vibes. I know that this drama is romance but surely, it’s not romance all along though? There must have to be some twist to make the story remarkable but this drama does not build up the plot. I love the lead’s chemistry but I don’t think it gives the strong reason to watch because until the episode that I’ve watched, there is no direction where the plot is going. The trauma, the backstory of the characters didn’t reveal up till now which make it seems like this drama will not be wrapped in a good way.
This drama could have done better with the plot and the cast but they wasted it.

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This urban fairytale needs to come with a health warning

This show may not be a great drama, but it is a good textbook rom-com. It is totally divorced from reality and its characters are distillations of the classic Cinderella trope. It ticked all the boxes with workman like efficiency. Whether you love or hate this show will largely dependent on how much sugar you can handle before going into diabetic coma. DO NOT watch this show if any of the previous words is a trigger for you. You have been warned.

From start to finish, the show is an escapist fare. You have to accept this to enjoy it to the fullest. Hence the following checklist;
• Industrial strength rose tinted glasses ✓
• Left brain - disengaged ✓
• Comfortable loungewear ✓
• A tub of ice cream and 1 spoon ✓✓

To review this show as a serious drama is pointless. The performances are decent but most characters are one dimensional. There are many swoon worthy moments and a decent amount of skinship. Most of them centred around expensive and beautiful set pieces. Everything has been polished to a high gloss. Nothing is left to chance. It is the equivalent of a glamorous coffee table magazine.

Speaking of a glossy mag, this show also has product advertisements. So much PPL! Obviously expensive brands are prominently featured but wait, we can do a tin of paint as well. Oh, you want something bigger? Let's write a whole episode selling Bangkok and then continue to sell other Thai products in the next episode as well. It got to the point that I counted 11 PPL's in the last episode and that is not including a few implied ones.

However, all this PPL pales into insignificance when you consider the shiniest product on display, Mr Lee Jun-Ho. He is always impeccably dressed and groomed . A three-piece suit is his weapon of choice. It is cut so sharply that he should be declared a lethal weapon. The ML doesn’t carry the show, he IS the show. There are so many close up of him looking handsome, dashing, smouldering, sexy . . This is how you market a celeb, baby.

On the other hand, the FL only have a few glam moments. Most of the time she lives in his shadow, and she is almost always in uniform or loungewear. She plays the supporting role well. However, he is the Prince to our Cinderella. He literally comes to her rescue more than once.

While the ML is flying high in the business world, her goals are much more modest. It is a little unfair when you consider how capable she is suppose to be. It is further exacerbated by the ML pulling off win after win with ease and what appears to be minimal efforts.

The rest of the support cast is straight out of central casting. The ubiquitous BFFx2, sidekick secretary, executive yes-men, etc. The one antagonist is low impact and achieved little. Side plots are inconsequential and only serve to take up the slack. There is growth in some characters, but they are totally predictable and all paths lead to . . . the Happy Ever After Ending or HEAE™.

In fact, there are so many feel good moments in the last episode that it should come with a health warning. It is serious sugar overload. Every side plot is tied off with a huge pink bow and the thundering herd of unicorns are on drugs. Redemptions are handed out like free samples at the supermarket. There is no point in being judgey because this show exists in its own fairytale universe. All is well in this corner of dramaland.

You can certainly rewatch a few episodes on a rainy weekend and it will make you happy. Don’t expect to be touch in the heart but your dopamine level will rise. I did groan a few times early on before I gave up the fight and attack the ice cream instead and got comfy in my loungewear. If you can't beat them, join them with gusto is my motto!

P.S. I got to get my hands on that portable BBQ set. It is spiffing!

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Lots to like, but...

This Drama surprised me. It was a blast from the past, nothing but trope after trope, with clichés thrown in to break up the tropes. BUT, it worked - mostly.

WHAT I LIKED

1. Self-awareness. THe show KNEW it was a tropefest and embraced it, inviting the audience to laugh at its rehashing ALL the tropes. Couple shirts?! It worked because the show knew it was silly and was inviting laughter.

2. Kim Young Ok. This amazing actor just makes EVERYTHING she's in better, and the writer here was smart enough to give her lines that fit her dual persona as hallowed halmeoni and spunky gran perfectly. She was a HUGE part of the reason I stuck it out, as was

3. Ahn Se Ha. The one role that wasn't a trope - no BoF, Heirs type Drama that I've seen had such an irreverent Sancho Panza character, and Ahn's delivery was perfect. Very refreshing, especially in the first half.

4. OTP chemistry. I'm not so much out of the loop on who's dating whom in K Ent as out of the entire galaxy the loop is in, but if these two are a real couple, it would explain a lot. A by-the-numbers romcom like this literally lives or dies by the OTP chemistry, and these two sold it really well, INCLUDING

5. The first kiss scene - HUGE bonus points for this scene, one of VERY few in K Dramas where The kisser ASKED FOR PERMISSION. That is both romantic and sexy and swayed me heavily in favour of not dropping

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

1. The clichéd mushiness of the evil half-sister at the very end. Keep those cojones, sistah!

2. The show was too long

3. The show was way too long.

4. The show was ridiculously way too long

5. The show was irritatingly ridiculously way too long

6. The show was unbelievably irritatingly ridiculously way too long


In the end, I gave it 7.5 because of everything it did right. It would have got 8.5-9 if it had been 12 60 minute episodes instead of 16 70 minute episodes

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Rom-com for teens maybe

Nothing can impress you about this production if you have gained little maturity!!! Full with brand promotion !!

1. The ML has no work to do, no ambition, no motivation ( total spoiled brat!) until he met the FL and falls for her without any reason. This absurdness just got carried and repeated illogically for Arab prince in another episode. This raised a confusion if the FL is presented to be most beautiful?? if she is then why not every other male falls for her except selectively rich young males? WTH.
2. The ML had mommy-issues and the suspense around the mommy just was hype. However, the first maturity or sensible behavior was presented by ML only when he interacted with his mom . That was really great scene with a lot of sensible conversations and expressions. Most powerful part of the whole series, I would say.
3. The ML always wears very respectful mask around all the people rgardless how poor or rich the person is, but is unexpectedly rude towards his best friend till the end. I understand they are sketched to be very close, but that one-way insulting behavior is very contradictory to his whole personality.
4. No work, full of romantic talks are so damn boring. The ML just have tooooooo much free time. He even disrespectful towards FL's professional work time. I also dont understand how the FL falls for ML ? Maybe because he saved her life? Maybe
5. The side stories also have very weak plot but I enjoyed them more than the main story. The feminism brushed plot of Da Eul's married life had simply no logic. How she just was getting exploit by her husband and in-laws very very badly when she suddenly change the plot totally upside down in fraction of seconds??? It was most weird and unrealistic plot-twist. Same kinda goes for P Hwa's storyline too.
6. There was no logic when the FL was transferred to another hotel by ML's father when almost everyone knows where she went. What was the need for that drama? Maybe the dad had an ulterior motive and wanted to revive the broken business with help of the "best talent" and his super-talented son . Dang, he had really big brain, LOL
7. I think its just very very common story with full of unrealistic plots that only teens and starter drama-lovers can enjoy. If you have enjoyed really good K-dramas before, you will feel like waste of time.
8. Why I started to watch and finish it? Started it because it popped up in my suggestion list in NETflix with a good rating and finished it because I dont know, maybe wanted to change my taste and reset it to enjoy or find the next drama?

Summary: Nothing special, nonsense story, over-hyped and overrated.

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A Veritable Brand Fiesta

This was a show extolling the 'virtues' of big corporations in a world that is dying because of the excesses of capitalism.

But let's leave politics aside for a moment. Even if the product placement wasn't oppressively in your face, this show lacks any cohesive plot or character development that might give it any appeal. It's popularity seems to be more about the actors than the story, or perhaps the notion that it depicts a 'progressive' modern image of South Korea.

There are so many issues with this show. I found that the FL had no character development at all - she was apparently perfect to start with. The ML, on the other hand, was ridiculously imperfect and arrogant and had to be TAUGHT to care about other people by the FL.

Some things were really over the top:

1. The ML had no experience at the job (he spent years studying) but he was made the president of the hotel after ONE event.
2. No one in the entire hotel could provide the ML any clues about his mother's disappearance for decades, but the FL found out about her almost effortlessly in a matter of days.
3. The ML had almost nothing to do at work (where he was apparently given a challenging leadership position) except fall for the FL. And he fell almost immediately. Granted, without his immediate interest, the plot would not have moved along, but it felt forced and uncomfortable, built on superficial interactions.
4. The FL's ex-boyfriend was such a stereotype. I can't understand the purpose of his role except to make the ML look good in contrast (since the ML was quite a trainwreck himself, to begin with).
5. They found, forgave, and moved on from the disappearance of the ML's mother in one episode. Wasn't this a major plot point?
6. The FL discovered and implemented her lifelong dream in one episode.
7. In 32 years, the ML made NO friends and had no relationships, not even bad ones. Really?

Almost every episode made my roll my eyes in agony at the complete lack of originality or depth in the script. It's pure bubblegum fluff, trite romantic tropes, and grating brand promotions, built entirely on the looks of the main leads. The only reason it got 2 stars is because the main leads' acting was half-way decent. Give it a miss. You won't have lost anything.

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So Basic ( Romance KDrama 101)

If you love rom-coms with cute couples with cute chemistry and need a filler drama to watch I recommend "King the Land". This drama is every KDrama cliché ever in cute repackaging. Do you like reluctant Cinderellas and brooding Chaebols? Check. Do you like families fighting for succession, meddling parents, childhood trauma, ridiculous misunderstandings, damsels in distress, and plenty of product placement? Check! Do you swoon over a "trip and dip", or the umbrella savior swooping in, do you cheer for mild stalking, makeovers, being forced to stay overnight in a remote town/island, men cooking enthusiastically, and other assorted food porn, bonding while drunk, or lots of lingering stares? Big checks for all of the above. Don't worry about these being spoilers either, the story is so standard it can't really be spoiled.

Whatever you think is going to happen is going to happen.

I admit I was on board for all of the above and then some. I would definitely classify this as a fan service drama for that reason. I was entertained consistently until things started turning more and more into a Tourism Ad and the obvious product placement became too overwhelming. It all leads to a decent ending, with some satisfying character conclusions, but if you told me this entire script was written by ChatGPT compiling successful romantic KDramas of the past I would believe you!

"King the Land" is not original. It's as basic as basic gets, but not bland. That may be the appeal for a lot of viewers. It felt kind of relaxing guessing exactly what was going to happen next. I thought the main couple was cute without being too cheesy. Im Yoon Ah is great as the confidently quirky and optimistic Cheon Sa Rang. She balances out the moody charm of Lee Jun Ho as Gu Won. I've definitely liked Jun Ho in other dramas and he owns the leading man role swag in this. The rest of the supporting cast of BBFs , Co-Workers, and Ahn Se Ha as No Sang Sik are great too. My only character complaint is that the sister role was so one-note it made her character less interesting in spite of her performance.

Would I watch this again? Maybe, once it slips my mind, and it will slip my mind. I do feel like this drama loses its momentum about halfway through, which makes committing to rewatching this harder, but the cuteness and well-executed tropes may be enough to convince me to rewatch. Sometimes junk food dramas are exactly what I crave. It's escapism that you can rely on. This drama is very self-aware of its cuteness and tropes and attractive leads and milks it.

This is a Cozy drama for sure! It's also a love letter to the service industry. What it's not is plot twists and clever dialogue. It's also lighter on the drama that I'm used to for a hotel-centered drama, so It doesn't even stand out in that genre, but once I watched episode 1 I knew what to expect and knew I was committed because it was exactly what I was in the mood for. This is the kind of drama you can leave playing in the background and just catch all the smile-worthy moments whether that is couples flirting or friendship and comradery. I loved watching the characters rely on each other and have each other's back even if the actual situations weren't always funny or interesting, and If you skipped from ep 10 to ep 16 you probably wouldn't miss much.

Overall, "King the Land" gives me an old-school KDrama rom-com feel without feeling dated. I wish it were shorter because their cuteness couldn't always carry the boring and repetitive plot. Maybe enjoying this drama is an exercise in appreciating the simple things once in a while. A drama doesn't have to be a 5-star masterpiece to be enjoyable. Sometimes a few Squid Game references are enough to amuse you. The one real mystery in the plot is resolved in the most anticlimactic way, however, even this simple plot generated a genuine smile from me many times, a major theme in this drama (that I liked a lot). So "Hermès" to that!

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Cliche, but romantic

This drama was a great rom-com to pass time and give you a little bit of happiness and fun while escaping from your daily lives. There were cliches and cheesy moments sprinkled throughout the drama, but at its core I believe this drama is meant to be light-hearted so you can easily disregard all those cliches and just enjoy the beautiful couple GuWon and Sarang and their romantic love.

If you're here for romance, you'll 100% have a great time. Although I say the drama is cliché, this is more about the main character's roles (chaebol ML and kind "lower class" FL), side characters and their story lines, and to an extent, the overarching plot line of this drama - chaebol family dynamic (within a hotel management setting). For the romance enthusiasts out there, GW and SR's love story was cheesy but quite refreshing, despite the overused chaebol-regular kind girl dynamic we've seen MULTIPLE times before. What was refreshing to me was the fact that the couple actually stood by each other despite their "class difference" (as their society would put it); and even more importantly, I loved that SR had a lot of self-respect for not just her position in her relationship with GW, but also in her life in general. However, I did feel like JunHo and YoonA were acting like they were in love a lot of times, so the chemistry didn't 100% click for me, but you'll get lost in their visuals and JH's intense gazes so most people will probably not notice the unnatural acting.

So, for people looking for romance specifically, you will have a great time (9-10 stars). I care a little bit more about the plot line so some aspects of this drama - mainly the unreasonable obsession GW's sister had against him, the unprofessional nature in which coworkers treated each other, and GW's questionable management style made this drama difficult to watch. Latter one is not as serious, I just didn't necessarily believe GW to be a really competent hotel manager. His whole methods to managing the hotel were nice to see but really only seemed feasible in an "in-a-perfect-world" situation, and it felt more like he was just solving whatever issues his girlfriend had mentioned about the hotel rather than actually working on his own to look into the hotel and finding what needs to be improved. Anyway this was more of a nit-picky observation.

Overall, I don't think this drama is meant to be deep or realistic, so as long as you can watch it light-heartedly and want to be swept into the world of a visually appealing couple being sweet and in-love together, then you'll have a good time.

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... anyway

Finally finished this one. Had it on pause because it was just so boring and draggy that I got annoyed. The leads and their chemistry truly carried this drama since it didn’t offer anything interesting plot-wise. Which is why I find it crazy to make each episode 70+ minutes long. A reason why I liked “Business Proposal” so much is that the episodes were all 60 minutes long, there weren’t any unnecessary plots/storylines, and it was interesting. KTL was too long for what it offered, which is why I didn’t enjoy it as much. Sometimes, the secondary characters were annoying, the “antagonist” childish to be honest… like she was beefing at her big age over the hotel… anyway.

Also, what was the point of the Arab prince? They used his character as a plot devise to move forward our couple by making him ridiculous. I don’t know why they had to be culturally offensive, the writer could have just made the character some important business man or a politician. Why use stereotypes and mocking an entire ethnicity? That part was just super insensitive and dumb because him being an “Arab prince” didn’t add anything to the plot, it wasn’t important where he came from – he just served as comic relief.

If it wasn’t for Yoon Ah’s and Jun Ho’ chemistry, double speed and the fast-forwarding button, I would have never finished this. It entertained me, made me giggle, and even made me lose a tear or two, but overall, this was disappointing.

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Ep 1-8 was really good but the rest was mehh ?

I really like this drama, it's really fun and simple, but after episodes 9-10 for some reason I felt bored and when I watched it I got sleepy because I was bored, even though I forced myself to watch it. , but the exciting sensation is in episodes 1-8, I think the drama becomes boring. I feel that some of the characters are too forced to act and I don't know why it feels like something is missing after episodes 9-10, it's a bit disappointing even though I expected more because episodes 1-8 I think this drama is very good and I watched it with enjoyment but after episode 9 it feels empty and I feel bored.

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"Sugar sweet" series with some places to improve at the end

First of all, ... I think the series is really sweet.. I laughed, pined and cheered at times. I think the two main actors were brilliantly cast in their roles and it was just fun to watch the development of the two. But the last two episodes have left me with so many question marks that I just have to know who else feels the same way.
***
Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen the series yet, please don't read any further from here!
***
Why does Sa Rang suddenly want to end the relationship in episode 15? This makes zero sense as there is no need at all. Even if she has new professional plans for herself, she doesn't have to sacrifice the relationship at any time. Especially after all the back and forth, up and down. What is it good for? At first I suspected the stepsister and was hoping for an exciting twist, but not even that. It's also her own will. Things get even more confusing when she then quits and tells Goo Won's father that she is doing this because she has realized that she cannot live without his son (makes little sense to end the relationship after such a realization) and for that prefers to quit to pursue his own plans. And if that doesn't cause enough confusion, without a clarifying conversation, the relationship will just continue just as cheerfully, even though she just ended it. He surprises her in a good mood at the bus stop and hey presto .. everything is back to normal. Then Sa Rang finally opens her dream hotel, which actually seems to be a “one-room” Airbnb, and the long-awaited marriage proposal finally follows. Well, from here I was in a forgiving mood ... but what was that at the wedding?
I thought it was sooo nice that he picked her up halfway down the aisle...but...then what? No vicar in sight, just Goo Won's right hand announcing both. OK, maybe it will be his job?! Arrived after 5 steps at the altar/on the stage, both overjoyed decide to walk together. What is that? No vows, no exchange of rings, no kiss, nothing...? So much was promised at the beginning of the mock wedding and then basically nothing happened. I've never seen a wedding like this and the ending left me a bit dazed. Instead of the longed-for full-length highlight, there is a look back into the cabin where Sa Rang chooses the Goo Won suit. So there shouldn't even be that much of a surprise.

Well, I don't know ... you could have ended this really successful series sooo nicely. Are you happy with it or do you feel the same way? It still got 9 points from me because I really liked the rest of it and had a few fun hours - but the ending was nothing. 😕

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Candy Floss Romcom with a tug of commentary

King the Land is one of those easy watches that will have you smiling like a kid in a candy store.

It makes no pretenses about itself and unapologetically commits to the fluffy rom com tropes with all the trappings of umbrellas, theme park rentals and magical appearances to save the female lead. And with all of that fluff - it still manages to touch on issues like classism, elitism and sexism in the service industry which I found so self-aware of the script.

While the ratio of plot to character is arguably thin ( those who say zero plot also have merit) the charm of the drama is the charisma of chemistry existing amongst all the leads and the drama makes very good use of this charm. The push and full factor runs very strong because of this making it an all round very pleasant watch that emits joy. Seriously - I was smiling throughout so top marks for that.

So why does it score an 8.5 and not a 9 or 10? Simple- though the show is a light hearted comedy at its core , I could not overlook that I felt baited at times into thinking it was going to get deeper into an issue/problem ( which were serious motifs by the way) only for it to fizzle out. Thematic resolution was thus quite weak and having the identity of being fluffy is not an excuse for not resolving pertinent themes presented.

Otherwise - the drama is amazing, Lee Jun Ho is captivating as Gu Won , Im Yoon A is greatly improved in her acting skills and the supporting cast was wonderful! No complaints. The music is great too and has entered my daily rotation too .And the visuals were top notch.

Shoutout to the presentation of Gu Wom and Cheon Sarang too- the most natural dating couple I have seen that was not prudish. Very rare in dramaland.

Overall- would not be surprised if this was a future rom com GOAT in time .

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