King the Land

Simple and amazing

This was actually so good and sweet, I don’t care what anybody else has to say about it. There was barely any drama including the main couple after they actually got together, they faced challenges with their status’ but they never broke up stupidly they were ready to fight and give up for each other. Goo-won in general was just such a good guy, the way that he went to help her grandma and always took care of sa-rang was so amazing. And whenever she complained about him using his status he quit doing it OH MY GOD DUDE. She got a god tier dude. Although very cliche I also liked it whenever Sa-rang showed him normal people stuff, like eating at the restaurant and peeling the potatoes. It was so sweet. Another thing I loved about this was Sa-rangs goal, it was so normal and strange and I love it whenever characters have goals like that just because it makes them seem a lot more real. Very nice show absolutely love it

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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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"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.
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Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen the series yet, please don't read any further from here!
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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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Reallyyy cutee!

Two words: really cute! This drama is just cute. I can't say that is an amazing, fantastic kdrama because that isn't true, but at the same time I enjoyed it. The main problem for me is that it doesn't have a plot. All the 16 episodes are about the love story that I loveed but I wished there was something more. But if I have to be honest, I was a sucker for them. Their romance was on point and their chemistry was so good that I wouldn't be surprised if they are a couple in real life. It's definitely a good rom-com with really funny side characters and good romance.
Now, moving on the actors. So I personally lovee Junho, he's super handsome and an amazing actor. His first drama that I watched was The Red Sleeve and I fell in love with him so bad, so I was super happy to watched another project and also with Yoona. To be honest, I don't love Yoona as an actress. There's something in her acting that doesn't convince me. She's not be a bad actress but I don't love her acting performance. All the other actors where good; nothing special, just good.
So, I would definitely recommend this kdrama if you wanna start watching them and also if you are searching for a light rom-com that makes you smile like a stupid.

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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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Welp!

I won’t lie the first time this kdrama was being advertised i was suuuuper excited and had such high expectations, especially since i love comedy kdramas and this was advertised as one.

to that being said, let me just say that the comedy was certainly served well and i had many moments where i laughed! so that part was good.

but i can’t lie that certain moments in the episodes were such a drag. couple of episodes in it got super boring and it seemed like certain moments in the show were added just to make the episode longer, like a filler of some sort.

most dialogue scenes were super boring except for the rivalry between won and his sister, i was really intrigued by them! i wish we got to see more of them and more of them getting along.

the side plot with the mother was also rushed imo and very boring, she appeared out of nowhere and was quickly accepted and then we moved on, and the thing with that friend with the husband? like why did she stay with him when he’s a literal selfish prick? though im happy she put him in his place and i loved the daughter!! she was such a savage!!

i loved the side characters a lot but i also feel like mr.no’s romance plot was either ignored or forgotten? even if it was hinted at like maybe once or twice it felt like it just got erased and was used as a filler plot. i’m also sad we couldn’t get to see more of sarangs hotel!

so in conclusion i think a lot of things in the show were dragged out or rushed ! it wasn’t a bad show per se, it’s a good watch but it did take me months to finish it.

anyway the actors did well!

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Top 3 Kdrama ever. Total Comfort Watch

If you want to watch something where you love and care about every single character and by the end of the show you are just impossibly happy then this is the mfing show for you.
The main couple are SO healthy and unproblematic it’s simply impossible to not adore them.
This is one of maybe two dramas I’ve ever watched where I’ve truly cared about the secondary characters storylines equally to the main storyline. The six friends (siblings! closer than family😭) are the best friendship group ever.

The villain villains perfectly, she is absolutely detestable and to be honest I didn’t even forgive her one bit in the end!

I am sad this show is over because I just dont know how I can start something new after this and say goodbye to these amazing characters.

I wish I hadn’t watched this drama… because now I don’t know how I’ll ever watch another without comparing it to this masterpiece.
my face hurts from smiling.
Instantly become a comfort show that I will absolutely be rewatching at least once a year.

I have only rated this just short of 10 stars because I really wanted Da Eul to leave her awful husband, but he did seem mildly less terrible by the end so I can’t be too bitter!

This, Descendants of the Sun, and Strong Girl Do Bong Soon are my all time favourites. if you haven’t watched them, go no. Then watch this. No need to thank me! Just live your best life and always smile from your heart <3

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Gets very boring midway

If you've been watching dramas for a while, you've experienced this many, many times before: New drama comes out with high production values during the first 3-4 episodes, then the show settles in.

Side storylines are quickly introduced to pad things out. It's not a generic drama without lots of filler. For King the Land, that would be the stories of the main character's friends, Airline Lady and Mall Lady. They probably have names. I honestly don't remember which one had a divorce plot that's going nowhere, but that's a thing. Scenes involving the two are good for bathroom breaks, phone breaks, or spamming the skip button on your phone until the environment changes.

Eventually, shows like these dip into immense tedium and the plot slows to a halt. There's 16 episodes and 4 episodes worth of writing, so they have to pad out the runtime. The main lead Rich Mannington has since become as bland and uninteresting as the female lead. The acting isn't terrible and the actors have damn good chemistry given the tripe they have to work with, but good actors don't make a show good alone.

Oh. The villain sucks, too.

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light-hearted, funny, with a well-known storyline

first of, it's nice to see a classic rom-com n the midst of all the bullying, torturing, high violence and crime dramas that were rather predominant in the past months.

This one seems rather a classic rom-com, with decent casting and actors, carefree music and a classic storyline too.
That said, - after watching the first two episodes - it is all pretty known concerning the story and the way it's constructed.
Although there were some rather funny scenes in yet both episodes, I did find myself thinking aw, they stole this part of the story here or there. The whole plot with her accidentally thinking he is a pervert? Saw that in 'suspicious partner'.
Her having this kind of girl clique where all is rosy all the time between three women? Saw that often elsewhere. And so on. So yeah, we all knw all the cliche K-drama scenes, and yes in this drama they used all of them once and again.

I was waiting for this drama mainly because of Lee Jun-ho, as I found him to be brilliant in 'the red sleeve' and really good in 'rain or shine' too. I get the idea of his role here is the brooding/sad and rather arrogant chaebol heir, and after a bit of a slow start concerning the actual acting, I do see the idea of his character after episode 4, and it's quite light-hearted and funny to watch him (and please don't beat me, I just think Lee Jun-ho is too thin now, he looks gaunt to me and not healthy. I know it's the trend for male Korean actors to achieve that but for me, at a certain point, it starts looking bothersome and I find myself thinking 'jeez he does not look healthy there' while watching).

The character of Yoon-ah is likeable and cute, and slowly getting a bit more substance after the first three episodes. The interaction between her and Lee Jun-ho is easy-going, it's nice seeing the characters bantering all the time and it's obvious both actors have known each other for a long time and probably like each others company.

The plot remains well-known from many other dramas (episode 4 just had the typical 'sad in the rain, he brings the umbrella'-scene) but it's enjoyable anyways, even if it's yet pretty clear what's probably coming next.
Right now I'm just enjoying that it is light-hearted, funny and carefree entertainment taking my mind off the day and any kind of worries. If you are looking for this kind of show, this one might suit you well!

EDIT I:

After having watched 10 episodes:
a big thanks to the creators of this drama for one specific thing: thank you for showing a young couple newly in love ACTING like couples do when they are head over heels. They gaze at each other, they want to touch each other and they want to kiss and seek every chance to spend time together. And I think it's a first that in a drama a couple kisses in a frequency that I'd consider normal at that stage. And even more, it's real kisses both want to share and it's shown like that.


EDIT II:

After episode 15:
how unnecessary was this episode ending? I guess I know what the writers are up to in the last episode (She meant quitting the hotel, not the relationship), but this last scene was sooo unrelatistic. She would never have just said these sentences without any context. She came to that restaurant that evening, even saying and remembering how they ate there for the first time on her birthday etc, seeing and knowing he planned something special for the night, him being nervous etc. So if she would really call it quits with him, totally out of the blue at that moment? She'd be a total psycho contradicting every single aspect of how her character was portrayed yet. So really, writers, was that necessary and in such bad style?
So, given I am right with my idea of what she actually wanted to say about quitting - her hotel job -realistically she would have said something like: 'I have to say something important too. I am very grateful I could work in such a high position in the hotel and I have given it a long and good thought. But I feel misplaced. I hope you understand and support me when I want to do something new.'


EDIT III

After the final episode:
ok, that last episode was like pure sugar coating, nothing but sugar, I even found myself laughing out loud. =D
I think this was the most unrealistic positive drama I have watched yet, everything that happened in this episode has absolutely nothing to do with reality - but that was the whole idea of this drama, and if you want TOTAL reality escape with everything fluffy and nice - that's what you should watch on steady repeat =D

I don't know where to start: apart from the MANY product placements, even in slow motion (common, the chaebol heir wears Dior 'sauvage'? Never would someone like that wear a cheap drugstore perfume - just as an example...) - sadly, people are not like that (or maybe my rather longer lifetime taught me otherwise;). That bitchy sister of Gu Won? She would never change. People who are that evil and nasty, remain that way, and when they get older it gets worse, never better. His father? Would have NEVER accepted his choice of a wife, ever. In reality the son would have probably lost his heir status, he would have never gotten the leading position in that hotel. And his father would not have shown up at the wedding and wished him well.
His mother would probably not haven shown up again in his lifetime... and so on, and so on. In the real world, most people are selfish, nasty, and they do not change. So, this drama really over-egged the puddig concerning unrealistic, but I enjoyed it exactly because of this =)

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Worst script, underdeveloped plot and characters

Mr Queen is a light and funny romantic comedy with a good story, great characterisation and well written roles, and a well developed plot supplemented by strong acting performances.

So is Gaus Electronics.

King the Land? It’s the worst writing I’ve come across for a kdrama and I’ve seen some bad ones. It’s for when you’re in a vegetative coma state and don’t have a functioning brain. Your brain has to be broken to not see how bad it is.

It’s sad that this is scriptwriter Choi Rom’s first script because it’s embarrassingly bad. It’s incoherent, there’s an absence of plot with tropes strung together to form a plot for the main characters. What do we know about them? Only that Gu Won’s mother went MIA and that he went to business school. As for Cheon Sarang, she lives and breathes customer service and is an orphan raised by her restaurant owning grandmother. That’s it. That’s also all they know about each other after 10 episodes and yet they’re declaring their love for each other.

The incoherent script is backed up by poor editing/directing choices with scenes strung together without any coherence. The script features non-sequiturs like Gu Won suddenly telling Sa-rang that he and his sister have different mothers after the writer-nim finally remembered she has to tend to a storyline. Also, Gu Won spends 5% of his working hours actually working but somehow he’s capable after six months of employment and will take over the hotel and company!

As for acting: Lee Junho is superb but I hope he selects a better script/drama next time. He’s backed up by reliably good performances of Kim Gaeun (though I’ve seen her in a few roles and they’re all of similar range) and Go Wonhee. Child actor Lee Yejoo is the other star.

Yoona’s performance is terrible, but I hear this is an improvement on her past roles.

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