This review may contain spoilers
and when I tell you this is the kdrama I loved the most in 2023...then WHAT
This is the perfect rom-com to watch if you need a couple of hours of relaxing and happy times.Let's start with the main couple: in my opinion Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoon Ah have a beautiful chemistry and they worked really well together, they really looked like a strong and beautiful couple.
Gu Won is such a precious guy I wish I could put him in my pocket. I love that's he's not the usual kdrama chaebol who starts off as a tsundere and doesn't start to change until halfway through the series, he's actually an adorable dork from the start, and he's such a pushover for Sa-rang it's actually so sweet how he would do literally anything for her and to win her heart. And he's such a nice guy to anyone in the end, I mean the guy took under his wing mr. No because he wanted to help him during his first day of work and Gu Won actually acted out of his promise to make him his assistant, and then they became best friends! I love the relationship they have.
I feel like Sa-rang is a bit more stereotyped to other general female leads in dramas, what with her being a strong independent woman who doesn't fall at the man's feet after two seconds but, she's also super kind and caring which I appreciated.
But to me, what really makes it in this drama are the side characters. I must admit that I often struggle to enjoy secondary characters and other couples, I often find them annoying and irritating, especially some of the FLs' friends, but I am so glad it was not the case here. Pyung-hwa and Da-eul are such supportive friends, and they're so funny too! Ro-Wun is literally like a prince, and No Sang-Sik was a pleasant surprise too. I love the little group they formed as the "six siblings", I really enjoyed their scenes together.
I noticed this drama has A LOT of negative reviews, especially regarding Gu Won and how he doesn't do anything except courting Sa-rang and how he doesn't care about his position in the hotel and I'm so confused??? Did you not watch all the scenes where he actually goes out of his way to get to know his employees and their wishes, continuosly pushing the hotel council members to do better and appreciate their employees more?
In conclusion:
Is this drama full of chichés? Yes
Is this drama pretty much void of angsty and super dramatic moments? Yeah, kinda
Is that a crime? No. Sometimes, you just need something romantic and funny without any excessive tragedies, and that's okay. If you enjoy lighthearted stories that make you laugh and warm you heart with their simplicity, King the Land is the drama for you.
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Pick it when you need it! It will be a huge comfort for you!
The first time writing a review but I felt the need to write one because of all the negative comments.I'll list some facts here that made me love this drama
What made it different from other Romcom:
1- Smooth romance without unnecessary breakups or misunderstandings between the main leads.
2- many romantic scenes, almost every ep after ep 8 and they are satisfactory, so wait for it and don't drop it
3- the main leads were clear about their feelings and didn't care about the people opinion
4- their feeling developed quickly without hesitation, non of them tried to avoid the relationship or deny it from the beginning to the end (for example the FL didn't get scared because the ML is from a higher level, and the ML didnt get scared that his family might oppose)
5- Very positive, which you is sth need when you are tired from everyday life, this drama will surely comfort you especially if you watched it before you sleep.
6- strangely the father didn't resist the relationship a lot and he quickly accepted
7- the OSTs are all amazing
8- it resemble a sweet and somehow realistic love story which everyone one dream to experience.
9- The trust and honesty between the main leads is amazing they depended on each others supported and loved each others despite the problems they faced throughout the drama.
( i really love how they didn't break up when their relation was revealed and also when the FL saw the ML with his potential fiancé, she believed him and didnt misunderstand)
10- again solving the problems easily was a positive point for the drama in my opinion because sometimes you get tired from how other dramas complicate each problem and spend many episodes it so this drama can be resting area for you.
But I have to say that I skipped some parts which were mostly about the father and the sister and their unnecessary problems, they really didn't add anything to the story.
So all in all, what I want to say is that when other people think that the simplicity of this drama is what made it bad i believe that it is exactly the opposite, the smooth happy and honest relationship and the sincere acting of the main leads made it a perfect choice for a comforting drama.
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Definition of a true romcom
Some people may say that this rating is too high and maybe it is, when looking objectively. I am not looking objectively. No, I am completely looking at and reviewing this show fully aware of the rose-tinted glasses I’m wearing and could care less.Yes, there are problems with the show. Sarang could’ve been given better depth as a character and the Arab Prince storyline needed to be completely trashed. This show could be corny, cheesy, and even cringey at some points, but the happiness and joy this drama gave me outweighs anything else.
Like i said, i know I’m viewing some aspects of it with rose-tinted glasses, but this show couldn’t have come at a better time for me. My anxiety was at an all-time high when the majority of this show was airing and it was so nice to be able to escape into the lives of these characters and their relationships.
Won and Sarang’s romance is probably one of the most mature and healthiest I have seen in a kdrama. They never fought over stupid things, always communicated, tried to understand the other’s perspective, and fought for their relationship when circumstances tried to force them apart. Listen, I love drama and messiness too but sometimes when couples break up for little to no reason I’m left wondering why I rooted for them to get together in the first place. I never questioned that with these two, they always proved time and time again why I loved them and why they should be together.
I also loved the majority of the side characters. Both of Sarang’s besties were great and I liked how they both had their own individual storylines outside of being Sarang’s friends and supporting her romance with Won. Pyeonghwa and her noona romance with Rowoon ftw! I also liked Sang-sik, he was very chaotic as Won’s secretary and I liked their begrudging bromance. Sarang’s halmeoni was also a standout and her relationship with both Won and Sarang was lovely. Also, even though I’m supposed to hate her, and I did, I liked Hwaran as a villain. Mainly because she didn’t bore me in her scenes like so many do nowadays.
In terms of Won and Sarang individually, I mentioned earlier how Sarang didn’t have as much depth to her character as Won did. While this is definitely true, I still really liked Sarang. I liked how hard-working and kind she was, but wasn’t a pushover by any means. She remained true to herself and her beliefs throughout the whole drama and never tried to change herself for other people. I loved her ending and how she started a hotel herself and it worked out because of her as a person, not because of any outside factors. Won was also like the best kdrama boyfriend ever. He actually tried to see things from Sarang’s perspective and actually changed the way he acted and did things accordingly (Shocking, I know). He never tried to pressure her into anything and always wanted what she wanted, never want he wanted for her. His character growth was great and I loved his arc because although Sarang helped him appreciate the people around him, you knew that it was always in his nature he just needed the guidance he never got.
Junho & Yoona had great chemistry too and were genuinely wonderful in their respective roles. I can definitely see why so many are obsessed with their pairing now, lol. They had so many moments that were clearly them improvising that really made Sarang and Won’s relationship believable. Some couples come across as very rehearsed when your job as an actor is to seem the opposite.
This show was just really enjoyable for me and is highly rewatchable. I would say this show is my guilty pleasure, but I really don’t feel guilty about it at all.
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Perfect love story ❤️ worth the watch!!
Nice drama from beginning it flow no boring moments, love the storyline of the bully big sister and the rich little brother Gives an insight showing that not everyone born into wealth is happy. Some are hurting from the same pain most of us without money are going through.Also, I love the development between the two main leads it's. Natural not forced Lol, episode 5 is so wholesome. I love the chemistry, and I can't get enough of the main leadsHands down, one of the best kiss I have ever seen in a drama I hope they won best kiss at the awardsEpisode 11 was so moving and heartfelt with a touch of laughter.I am ready for 2 more episodes.
Episode 12 is one for the books. I couldn't stop laughing 😆 I won't ruin it for everyone by Telling you why it was funny, but it started out with a bang lol 😆 😂 😅 you will love it.Oh wow, just when I thought I had seen it all in this drama episode 12 came in with a big splash.
episode 16 was the best most happiest ending I have ever seen in a drama, it was so satisfying that I would definitely vote for another 16 episodes. This drama made me change my mind about marriage. lol 😆 it was that good.loved ever second. ❤️
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Very fun
The writers flirted with using tropes we are super familiar with, but almost always twisted them a bit making them more enjoyable and less frustrating. It's not a perfect story, and my personal taste is that there be less "Villian" characters, but at least this one doesn't cause a lot of angst so that's better. The show is fun and Junho and Yoona are a great pair to watch together. There were a few characters that I found exceedingly annoying and wished were shown less, but they are mostly overshadowed by the other positives. Overall I really enjoyed this show.Was this review helpful to you?
offensive drama
the answer provided by jtbc for ep 7 content was a diplomatic answer.As if they didn't know it was offending.
I mean muslims and arabs in general are known for being conservative.
They would never do the things depicted in the drama.
It was highly offensive and thoughtless.
They have no excuse since a quick google search would have prevented the incident.
Their goal right now is to limit their loss, hence the half-baked apology. I hope thks incident prevents any more belittling to arab and muslim culture.
This incident is not the first in the kdrama world.
In shooting stars, africa was depicted as a hungry, poor coutry that didn't even have electricity waiting for the white korean to save them (for commercial purposes)
In descendants of the sun, arabs were depicted as terrorists and criminals.
This lack of respect for the arab and muslim culture needs to change.
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Simple, Average Rom-Com, Surface Based Level Story
I finally finished this drama, a week after it ended. Honestly, it's not that bad of a drama but it certainly doesn't give me that motivation to catch up when it was still airing or continue on to the next episode. So, if you want something more in depth with the characters and the plot, then this drama is not for you. If you just want a simple rom com or something easy to watch where you don't have to think much, then this might be for you, since there's no breakup & no love triangles. There are evil characters in this drama but the evilness factor (1 - lame to 5 - pure villain), I give it a 1. I mean, I shouldn't even call them evil, just bullies, as most of them are rude/disrespectful co-workers and family members. The sister of the ML would be the closest to evil but even for her, she doesn't have the upper hand and never gets her way anyways.The Plot: As I mentioned, the plot is very surface level based. This could be why some people found it boring. The writers didn't dive deep into details about problems each character had. It seemed like the direction was more focus on the comedy aspect. While they had good ideas on the problems for each of the character, it wasn't handled in a way where you wanted to know more about the issue. Instead, they just tried to make it funny. In fact, this drama felt more like I was watching a school drama except it was adults in their career world with co-worker bullies.
I like the cast but like I said, with the surface level-based plot, it was hard to connect with the characters and their importance of their role. Even the evil sister had a past wound that could've been healed within this drama but nope, it was brushed off with a last episode instant get over it. Let's talk about the leads. With the FL's character Sa-Rang, I never got that sense of reaction that she liked the ML's character Gu Won. It seemed more like, "Oh he likes me. I guess l'll like him back". For Gu Won, there was a scene with the grandma asking him what he liked about Sa-Rang and he couldn't even answer her properly. So, what was this connection then based off of? Who knows. Personally, I was more invested in the second couple, the airplane couple. At least their buildup of their relationship made a bit more sense than the leads.
At least the music was good. Nice osts playing in the background of certain scenes.
It's not a drama I would consider rewatching, but hey, this drama has a good group of friends, which I enjoyed watching their scenes and the relationship between Gu Won and his assistant is pretty funny. But besides that, just an average to slightly below average rom com.
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Overhyped, overrated waste of talents!
I had high hopes on 'King the Land' as I only became a fan of 2PM in 2023. I was disappointed by the quality of this series.What I like
1. The flight attendant -Pyunghwa's struggle and love life kept me watching this series.
2. Jeju island - so pretty
What I dislike
1. Poor writing - Aigo, King the Land has no proper plot. The showrunner is banking so much on Junho-Yoona chemistry.
2. Gu Won's characterisation - My number #1 issue with his character is that he lacks motivation/drive to run family business. I don't mind so much about him being rich, pampered/spoiled brat but if you don't want to run family business then why so greedy? I can't deal with mediocre employee who knows nothing but kissing boss's ass. That's my view of his character.
3. Sa-rang's characterisation - started off as ambitious & driven woman who now gets distracted by her boss's charms. Why is a hardworking female lead's romantic interest a nice nepo baby?
4. Visit Thailand ad - what a filler episode!
Favourite scene
Da-eul's re-enactment of RoWoon's deep voice & coolness during a sleepover. That's hilarious!
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So boring waste of time
I tried watching this but the FL is a bad actress and really annoying with her act and facial expressions. She looks dumb. The whole comedy was beyond stupid. The only good thing is the ML who is not just a pretty face but also can act well. I wish to see him in serious roles that align more with his visuals. This drama is a mistake for him to accept the role. I really liked the kiss scene though- Kdrama are definitely getting better and that man can really kiss. I have watched the red sleeve and I have to say that the role that ML represented there was great and his acting was top-notch. These truly surprised me since I know that he is a singer but I guess acting is his natural talent.Was this review helpful to you?
King of the Void
In the last two years, i have seen my share of kdramas, but nothing as bad as King the Land.I got hooked to kdramas because of the original and creative premisses (Attorney Woo), strong and consistent storyline (Red Sleeve) or light but funny romcoms (Business Proposal).
Even super light shows like Secretary Kim, so light that i dropped it, feels like a Shakespeare play compared to the void that is KTl.
At least in that drama the secretary character had some agency in the first episodes, she was looking to improve herself and open a new chapter for her, trying to break away from a life serving her narcisistic boss. The KTL FL character is more: Oh, look an hotel, so shiny and pretty. Oh, look, it's the president son, so shiny and pretty. End of story.
I was just stunned by the poor writing and especially by the stale humour, isn't a romCOM supposed to be even slightly funny. I hanged on for several episodes, pressing fast foward on the frequent cringy scenes , and finaly quit in ep10, the worst episode ever of kdrama history for me.
I could not believe that in this day and age, an 1hour tv show would offer absoluting nothing as a story. It´s a compilation of promos for tourism in thailand, glamour pointeless shots of the lead actors and a string of unbearable cute/funny/giddy sequences with the cast, that could be from a B-rated US sitcom from the 70´s.
The humour here is simply appalling and It´s painfull to watch good actors lost in this degrading and meanlingess episode.
What's next, for the second season you don´t even have to pay a writter, the producer only has to mix some glamour stills shots off the lead actors, a PowerPoint presentation with "happy" moments of a random cast of actors who look funny and a promo video from the board of tourism of the country who pays better.
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too corny
I guess they tried to make a wholesome kdrama but it turned out boring, because nothing ever happens! And even the "dramatic" scenes or the "dramatic" part of the story was emotionless.The main couple lacked of chemistry and sometimes it felt like they were siblings. Maybe it was the acting but Gu Won lost his personality completely almost at the end of the show. Like I get he was in love and everything but it felt like I was watching a completely different character.
Some characters and situations doesn't make sense and I found the whole plot mid.
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Underwhelming
I realize that my review is in the minority, and please, for those who love this drama, don't take offense. I adored Lee Jun Ho in "The Red Sleeve" and view him as a multi-talented entertainer. Im Yoon Ah is also a standout performer, and when I saw this coming out, it was on my watchlist from day one. My particular disgruntled opinion of this drama comes from the writing. The story arc between sister and brother was not explained well and the main FL's ex-boyfriend was unnecessary. There is also a Cinderella approach with Cheon Sa Rang with a feminist twist of "I want to do it myself," that miraculously came with grandma's savings. Really? The class distinction between the two leads was glossed over, and the character development between the two could have started with them finding a common ground between their social statuses. Instead, their noble characters made them fly above. I give it a solid 7 for the acting, total cast, and production. For the rest, I would gently urge the writers to pen a more interesting tale for the viewer. Without that, I hit fast forward a lot.Was this review helpful to you?
