The Secret Romantic Guesthouse

꽃선비 열애사 ‧ Drama ‧ 2023
Dropped 11/18
Anto
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 17, 2023
11 of 18 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Nothing ever happened?

Gave it a fair shake, but honestly, this drama is just too long. Every episode felt like it was a rehash of the previous one because of how glacially slow the plot moved along. Everyone was constantly scheming and it felt like all of them were playing double agents in one way or another. The issue was, with all of this going on behind the scenes, in reality, there was way more talking than there were actions taken. Everyone spent too much time planning, and too little time executing those plans.

There was some solid acting (some were better, others worse), and as is to be expected with sageuks, the set design and costumes were beautiful.

I hung in there until the first kissing scene, hoping that maybe the romance aspect would save the show, but there was not even a hint of a spark to be found between the leads. And I just can't justify it anymore to keep wasting my time with a bland plot and chemistry-less couple.

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Dropped 8/18
Juelin
4 people found this review helpful
Mar 30, 2024
8 of 18 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

Meh

The show started out pretty good. I liked the different dynamics between FL and the three males. Each man was different and brought something unique to the story. I also liked that the show did not fixate on angsty and long-winded love triangles. It was evident from the 1st episode where the romance was going. However, even with all the tropey moments, ML and FL's chemistry was still lacking and they spent most of the time just talking and hanging out. I wanted to see more.

Unfortunately, the story fizzled out pretty quickly. Nothing was really happening and the mystery was gone. I am less than half-way done and bored out of my mind.

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Ongoing 4/18
firstdance2000
5 people found this review helpful
Apr 1, 2023
4 of 18 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

It's got a nice wind in its Sails

I love a good Joseon drama/love story! Took a chance on this one based on title only and after only 4 episodes, this has not disappointed me. The characters are excellent with some great seasoned veterans mixed in. The cinematography is first class and the backdrops are gorgeous and very much put you into that 1600-1700's feel. The main characters each have very definitive personalities and there are some special support roles that make this even more interesting.
Bad Guys have not disappointed! Can't wait for the following episodes as this, along with that quirky Divorce Lawyer, have become my two favorites thus far...and there's no April's Fool to that!

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Completed
Xtinew
0 people found this review helpful
May 22, 2023
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

WHICH ONE IS THE REAL PRINCE?

The star of this drama is Kang Hoon, he's cute and adorable. 3 guys with hidden identity renting rooms for their national exam in town hosted by Yoon Dan-Oh, one of the guy was the run-away crown prince's son whose gone missing many years before with the help of watchman. The Crown Prince's son Lee Seol was survived from the coup, his parent killed by his brother taking away his seat as the heir of kingdom. Lee Seol was helped by a watchman, a mysterious man who'd protect the king, since young he went hiding and lived surround people under different identity.

3 handsome men; Kang San, Kim Shi Yeol, Jeong Yu Ha were room mates, although they're not getting on well, they're pretty civil to each other. Kang San was good with his martial art and very tart, Shi Yeol is an easy going, gambler, playboy, Yu Ha was a serious scholar and like Dan-Oh but who actually were they? When the chief of Palace guard were looking for the 'golden dust (Lee Seol) his intention was to find the watchman because he believed if he find the runaway prince he certainly would find the watchman who killed his beloved son during the coup. He suspected Dan-Oh would know who it was among the 3 guys and struck a deal with house as collateral.

I guessed it wrong, I thought it wrong, which one was the real prince amongst 3 men. Eventually the King was determined not by the real blood but by conveniences. Good ending..all had their happy ending.

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Completed
Crazy about Asian dramas
0 people found this review helpful
May 18, 2023
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Happy ending

Very first drama is good . Really it is very good . Every actors and actresses had done a great work . Though it had happy ending but still I wanted to see Kim Shi Yeol and and Hong joo's happy married life . I also wanted to see main lead's marriage and one more person marriage that Jung Yoo Ha's marriage. I think then it would be a perfect ending .

In the middle of the drama I had always been concerned about the character,Kim Shi Yeol . I worried what would happened with the character at the end and when only 2 episodes were to go ,I had started worrying about other two characters one is main male lead's character friend who became soldier along with main male lead to guard the king and another is Jung Yoo Ha . Would both of them had bad ending or not . So nicely the character did their acting that I was so much emotionally connected with them.
The one who played the role of cruel king ,his acting was also good though he didn't get much screen .
With one more character ,I connected emotionally was the fiance of Hong Joo ,his character was kind ,he was just doing his duty. What he had been told that was he doing, to protect his king . But he was protecting the wrong one ,as a consequences he lost his life.

About Kang san his acting had always been good . But when the watchman'secret was disclosed this character who played the watchman role started gaining equal attention from viewers .In order to admit in king's military ,inorder to win king's confidence kang Dan's character did lots of hardwork ,he cleared the military exam but still in sword fighting he always lacked behind from the watch man ,without watchman it had become difficult for him to fight . So this character become equally important.

Starting to end I enjoyed watching drama

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Dropped 2/18
yonsama
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 22, 2023
2 of 18 episodes seen
Dropped 9
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

A very familiar plot but FL is severely lacking charisma and moral fortitude.

I mostly watch historical these days, usually Chinese. There are a lot of them so I feel like I'm spoiled of choices. In comparison sageuks are hard to come by so I try to watch the first few episodes of majority of them and find a gem that's worth watching through the end. Let's just say that in terms of passing my standard, I only end up watching completely at most two or rarely three in a year.

I really thought this was worth my time and fill my sageuk quota until I saw the FL's action in the second episode. I like ambiguous leads but I expect them to have at least have a proper reasoning for their actions. I though it was not enough for me to see FL suddenly taking the decision to join with the antagonists just so she saves her inheritance from debt. I know she look like she is not fully aware of the magnitude and criticality of the situation but she should at least have an inkling of the behind the scenes conspiracy of the royal court. Watching herself sell her services out to help the bad actors search the prince left a bad taste in my mouth and her flimsy excuse and reason for doing this isn't good enough for me. Drop at episode 2, I may pick up this later depending on my mood and how the story goes.

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Completed
Link
1 people found this review helpful
May 20, 2023
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Le Club des (presque) Cinq à l’ère Joseon

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse dévoile des personnages brillants liés à des intrigues dynamiques. Malgré quelques zones fouillis et lenteurs narratives, le quatuor rend honneur à ce sageuk léger et mystérieux sur fond d’ère Joseon.

La principale force de The Secret Romantic Guesthouse est dans ses personnages principaux. Yoon Dan Oh (Shin Ye Eun), une jeune aubergiste orpheline. Shin Ye Eun n'est pas une actrice qui me fait vivre de grandes aventures et ici, il lui manque ce petit quelque chose pour pleinement s'approprier son personnage. Malgré ses grands sourires, elle ne projette que des émotions artificielles. À ses côtés, Kang San (Ryeo Un). C’est aux côtés de ses compères, notamment son Veilleur, que le personnage déploie tout son potentiel. Cependant, son personnage souffre d’un revirement de situation inexpliquée.

Jung Yoo Ha (Jung Gun Joo) qui est le personnage le moins travaillé. Malgré sa place au coeur de l’intrigue, le portrait qui lui ait donné manque de charisme et d’épaules solides. Bien que Jung Gun Joo offre une bonne performance, on remet en doute sa place. Pour finir autour de ce quatuor, Kim Si Yeol (Kang Hoon) qui vole la vedette. Kang Hoon donne vie à un personnage mystérieux, amusant et pourtant meurtri au plus profond de lui. Son arc narratif aura suscité le plus d’intérêt au fil des semaines.

On ne peut ignorer l'intérêt du roi Lee Chang (Hyun Woo), lentement rongé par la psychose de se voir être détrôné. Le personnage n’amène aucune sympathie, cette amerturme est renforcée par la performance exceptionnelle de l’acteur qui sombre dans la folie. Quant à No Sung Gil (Lee Joon Hyuk), le chef des eunuques, il démontre une nouvelle fois son naturel quant au fait de ne pas savoir de quel côté il se trouve.

Si le drama ne possédait pas plusieurs cordes à son arc, il aurait été difficile de garder le spectateur accroché pendant les dix-huit épisodes. S’il n’est pas rare qu’un sageuk se perde avec ses sous-intrigues, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse arrive à définir chacune d’elles sans jamais s’emmêler les pinceaux bien qu’on retrouve quelques épisodes de remplissage.

Les intrigues sont bien amenées et dynamiques. On trouve quelques fausses pistes afin de perdre un peu le spectateur. Cependant, il reste malgré tout possible de démêler soi-même le vrai du faux. L'arc autour du Veilleur est fascinant. J'aime les identité cachée et les super-héros. Le Veilleur était un peu comme mon super-héros mystère en ère Joseon. D'ailleurs, ses scènes de combat sont entraînantes et lisibles, tout comme sa révélation qui reste poignante jusqu'au bout bien qu'on fini par deviner son identité. Cela arrive plus tôt que je ne l'avais pensé, c'est mon unique reproche. Quant aux romances, je n'ai pas trouvé la romance principale intéressante, contrairement à la seconde qui était beaucoup plus brute d'intensité. Elle a totalement éclipsé la première à mes yeux.

C'est un bon drama avec des intrigues bien menées. Malgré des lenteurs et scènes traînant, la paire de personnages différents qui se complètent permette de donner vie à ce sageuk plus sympathique qu'il n'y paraît.

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Completed
Dramalia
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 27, 2025
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Uno storico moderno e frizzante!

Recensito da: Effe IG: _Dramalia_

Ho iniziato questo drama con aspettative confuse, i coreani, forse per questioni linguistiche o forse per reali incapacità, tendono a rilasciare prima della première spezzoni di trame confusionarie e spesso poco entusiasmanti, quindi non ero ben certa di cosa mi avrebbe riservato “Secret Romantic Guest House”, soprattutto non avevo assolutamente capito nulla delle dinamiche che legavano il gruppetto di protagonisti. Partiamo con un flashback con un classicismo dei drama: l’incontro da bambini. Kang San (Ryeoun), ovvero il vero erede al trono figlio del Principe Ereditario, fugge inseguito dagli assassini della sua famiglia, colpevoli di un tradimento. Impaurito, si nasconde in una casa che espone il lutto, è la dimora di Dan-oh (Shin Ye Eun) che sta piangendo il padre. Kang San, accovacciato nella cuccia del cane, incontra la piccola Dan-oh che lo protegge mentendo alle guardie che lo stanno cercando. Anni dopo ritroviamo i due adulti, Kang San si è formato come guerriero con lo scopo di vendicare la propria famiglia e detronizzare il Re, mentre Dan-oh, caduta in disgrazia dopo la morte del padre, gestisce nella casa di famiglia una locanda dove vive con: la serva che tratta come una madre, un solo cliente fisso che da anni non riesce a passare l’esame di Stato e un giovane studioso che è innamorato di lei. Nel magazzino della locanda si nasconde la sorella, Hong-ju (Jo Hye Joo), promessa sposa di una guardia che è stata barbaramente uccisa il giorno prima del matrimonio qualche anno prima. La ragazza, seppur mai convolata a nozze, è stata considerata come una sorta di sfortuna per la famiglia dello sposo defunto e le è stato chiesto di togliersi la vita, Dan-oh, per salvarla, inscena quindi la sua dipartita e la nasconde facendola passare per un fantasma. Alla locanda arrivano Kang San e Shi-yeol, entrambi fingendosi studiosi. Mentre Kang San medita vendetta, scopriamo che Shi-yeol è la sua guardia personale che in segreto lo segue e protegge da sempre. Preparatissimo e imbattibile con la spada, è conosciuto per essere un guerriero spietato e sanguinario sebbene si mascheri, anche di fronte allo stesso Kang San, con lo spirito di un ragazzo burlone, imbranato e molto simpatico. Nota di merito per l’interpretazione fantastica dell’attore che lo porta in scena, Kang Hoon, la sua espressività e bravura nel dare vita a due aspetti estremamenti diversi della stessa persona, mi hanno letteralmente rapito il cuore. Comunque, mentre tra Kang San e Dan-oh scoppia la scintilla, anche tra Shi-yeol e Hong-ju nasce un sentimento. Intanto i piani di vendetta procedono e scopriamo che Yu-ha, il giovane studioso innamorato di Dan-oh, è il fratellastro di Kang San, figlio del defunto Principe Ereditario e di una concubina, ed è anche colui che sta partecipando ad una rivolta contro il Re. Yu-ha viene anche scelto come rappresentante di questa rivolta quando i suoi natali reali vengono scoperti, assume quindi l’identità di Kang San e si presenta ai seguaci della rivolta come il vero erede al trono. La sua morale però è molto più salda del previsto e, scoperta la parentela di sangue con il vero erede al trono, i due fratellastri, anziché farsi la guerra per il potere, stringono una saldissima alleanza.
Devo dire che questo drama è l’esatta rappresentazione di quanto il genere storico si stia evolvendo e si stia sforzando di portare in scena storie sempre nuove e sempre più moderne. La trama, seppur ricalcando il consueto intrigo di corte, è fresca e coinvolgente, scorre bene per tutte le 18 puntate, ben supportata dalla scelta di non incentrare tutto sui consueti due protagonisti, bensì scandagliando a fondo le storie personali di tutti i personaggi, elevandoli sostanzialmente alla stessa importanza di chi dovrebbe rivestire il ruolo principale. Anche le tematiche hanno subito una bella evoluzione, per una volta infatti vediamo il concretizzarsi di una relazione dopo il classico bacio finale e vediamo accenni ad approcci fisici e sessuali. La protagonista è emancipata, sveglia e d’aiuto, non d’intralcio ai ragazzi. Tra tutto però, devo ammettere che più che alla storia d’amore in primo piano, mi sono affezionata a quella tra Shi-yeol e Hong-ju, il classico genere di storia con un potenziale magnetico che avrebbe onestamente meritato un drama a parte per quanto avrei voluto saperne di più e viverli di più. Detto ciò, è stato davvero un bel drama a 360 gradi. Non ho critiche né rimostranze, non ho trovato momenti tediosi o troppo assurdi, me lo sono davvero goduto dall’inizio alla fine. Molto interessante il parallelismo tra il Re in carica che uccide il fratello per il potere e la scelta di cooperazione e collaborazione fatta invece da Kang San e Yu-ha, i quali dimostrano invece di non essere realmente interessati al trono ma al bene del popolo. Mentre Yu-ha, ad un passo dal potere, abbandona le sue mire per lasciare il posto al legittimo erede, Kang San rifiuta lasciando la guida di Joseon al fratellastro che dimostra, al contrario di lui, di avere un chiaro piano in mente per governare il popolo con giustizia e pietà. E’ la strutturazione di un rapporto familiare, interpersonale e politico sano e pieno di speranza. Così come sano è anche il triangolo amoroso che vede coinvolti i due con Dan-oh, in nessun caso il sentimento dei fratelli si trasforma in gelosia o in una spada avvelenata da sfoderare l’uno contro l’altro, il rispetto per i sentimenti reciproci e per quelli di Dan-ho viene prima di tutto. Un bel messaggio. Detto ciò, spero che con questo drama il mio amatissimo genere storico d’ora in poi continui a perseguire un filone evolutivo, ricercando trame nuove e introducendo tematiche più brillanti.
Assolutamente promosso e consigliato agli amanti del genere!

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Completed
danissaur
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 16, 2025
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

talvez o problema tenha sido meu

Não me cativou, não fiquei colada á televisão e quase que vi os últimos episódios apenas por obrigação.
Mas é uma boa série,os atores também são bons e a história está lá.
Foi uma experiência não muito boa para mim, mas isso não significa que outros não vão gostar.
Gostei do final, achei que era o mais justo e se tivesse sido eu a escrever a série, faria exatamente igual. O problema foi realmente alguns episódios intermédios onde faltava ação e romance.
Ss roupas e os cenários eram lindos e muito bem trabalhados, o que visualmente tráz prazer de ver.

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Completed
Melusinefandedrama
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 20, 2024
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

très bonne série / very good series

English below

C'est une série très bien faite et convaincante !

J'ai aimé :
- les secrets ! Il y a en a beaucoup, alors soyez vifs !
- Les acteurs ! Ils sont excellents, et plein de surprise : le roi joue vraiment le fou, le veilleur... surprise ! Ryeoun est top, bref que du bon.
- La production est somptueuse, beaucoup de scènes en extérieur, de bons combats d'épée, de très belles scènes comme le banquet, le polo etc.

J'ai moins aimé : le rythme un peu lent dans la 2e partie

This is a very well-made and compelling series!
I liked: - the secrets! There are lots of them, so be watchful !
- The actors! They're excellent, and full of surprises: the king really plays the madman, the watchman... surprise! Ryeoun is top, only good acting !
The production is sumptuous, with lots of outdoor scenes, good sword fights and some very fine scenes such as the banquet, the polo, etc.

What I didn't like was the slightly slow pace in the 2d part.

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The Secret Romantic Guesthouse poster

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  • Score: 8.1 (scored by 5,984 users)
  • Ranked: #1727
  • Popularity: #1183
  • Watchers: 18,935

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