Three Games of Baduk
After reading some of the other reviews here,I realized that there is a serious lack of critical analysis and thinking going on with some of the reviewers. They miss the point of the Title and of the significance of theBaduk games being played. The King and Kang Mung Woo play the games on an actual board and they play tge game in the court. The King is acknowledged to be a genius player and by the nature of the game that means he is highly strategic and many moves ahead of other players and the members of his court. The viewers are not always let in on the moves he is going to make until it is time to make them. The same is true of Mongwoo. Some reviewers accuse her of not having any plan just because they are not shown it or because they are simply unaware of it. In the game of Baduk,a player can not have a fixed plan because their moves are dependent on the moves of their opponent. They can only have a goal and be able to spot opportunities for action as the other player leaves them. They seize on those opportunities and build on them. Therefore,their plans are always fluid. Such Mong Woos moves. The King moves in the same way. He is surrounded by power mongers looking for any opening to grab more power for themselves. Particularly. The Director and Dowager,who see him as a puppet. The Director is playing his own game of Baduk as he seeks to hold the same power as a King.This is a drama of subtlety not one of high jinks drama and action. The actress who plays Ming Woo is supposed to be a cypher. She can’t afford to let anyone read her,not even the King. So she. Does not give away her thoughts or feelings. She could never enter have entered then palace with thoughts of toppling the King if she had not mastered her own body language. It is clear that although she loves the King in spite of herself,she does not trust him. Her love is not whole hearted because of her earlier experience with the King. Each time she begins to trust him,she overhears or is told something that makes her shut down again. All of this makes her game appear to be erratic.
One thing she is very clear on,is the King’s ability to play Baduk and be many moves ahead of everyone else. So,she knows she is walking a tightrope with him. He is aware,too,that she may betray him but loves her too much to send her away. Each of the buduk players ,the King, Mong Woo and the Director play with each other and against each other. It is like a subtle dance as they engage and disengage. Too bad that some it was lost on many viewers who need straightforward characterizations and plot to follow a story.
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Disappointing Finale
Though I enjoyed the show for what it was, and the ML is a personal favorite, and the acting of most of the other characters was top notch, I was a little bored at times with this dialogue heavy and slow-rolling series. There was so much reading of the subtitles only for them to not have actually said much to advance the story, that I just felt weary after each episode. I can't say much one way or the other about the FL. She just seemed stuck on one expression, and frankly looked way too feminine to be convincing as a man, no matter how hard I tried to suspend disbelief. If they are going to keep making shows about women convincingly dressing as a man in the Joseon era, they ought to try with someone taller than 5'4" and a little more body presence than the fraily built supermodel types they keep casting.Episodes 14 and 15 were quite good, so I was expecting some good wrap up of the main "problem", but alas, they just wouldn't do it. The finale was either rushing you through time with narratives from side characters, or plodding through nonsensical scenes from the leads. It's absolutely unclear why she'd be avoiding him, the queen dowager's issues never get resolved, the maidservant clearly has a crush but we never see anything come of it, and the overarching dilemma never gets addressed at all - how will they reintroduce this person as a woman who the king wants as his queen. I mean, sure, the villains getting their due was interesting and all, but the woman dressed as a man issue was the main point of interest and I feel emotionally ripped off by them not properly tying that up.
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A well known tale in a new envelope
It is the story of the Grand Prince who has been held captivated by the Qing dynasty. HE wants to learn about their war tactics and defeat them. But,.....The opening episode is a wholesome. The director successfully traversed from the Joseon to Qing dynasty. The subtle difference in terms of culture, belief and work has been captivated. The Prince returns with a happy heart to his Kingdom only to be stopped at the door by guard. Here begins the the quest where the throne rightfully goes to Grand Prince and the incapable prince needs to step down. Like other historical dramas, it is also tells the tale of blood thirsty kins aiming for the crown. The capable Grand Prince needs to stay put and the incapable King wants to hold the throne even if at the cost of his beloved brother. The spare heir is benevolent and like always the crown keeper is the curse.
In the process of delivering historical stories, one of the key aspect is to malign the King. This is becoming so typical of the period pieces. A conniving Queen and the puppet King screams while carving path for Grand Heir to the throne.
The intriguing point of this historical drama fiction is the plot. Its fighting over the crown but the unusual suspense will keep you hooked. Helmed by Nam Gook, the male and female lead of the story is bound by play of Baduk. That Glorious game which made audience hooked last year with its subtlety. This time, the surprise is no miss. Hee Soo is determined to take down Lee In but her heart betrays her every minute. Lee Shin Young, whom you have seen as the dignified North Korean soldier in Crash landing on You is back as Myung Ha. He successfully triggers audience sentiment for him as the lone survivor of traitor father, who wants to teach the King lesson. His chemistry with Shin Se Kyung is soft and spicy, just essential for the gruesome plot.
Cho Nam guk, the man behind Good Detective leaves a taste of mystery throughout the story as character finds themselves developing with the story. Till the end, you don't know what is waiting for you....
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Nice game Go
Nice game of Go. Good people pretend to be bad to fool bad guys trying to look good. No one trusts anyone, yet everyone is a victim of a scam. Everyone is smart, but he doesn't listen to his mind, but to his heart. I love this show so much.The actors are great, the chemistry is good
The story is not new, but it is well thought out and logical and nice.
The political thread is not complicated, it balances the love thread well.
Perfect for melodrama. I think the ending is predictable, but the journey itself is so enjoyable that it doesn't need a big bang.
It was the best costume Korean drama of the last two years. I really liked the story. What I miss a bit is a more dramatic ending and a script for the main heroine. In general, female characters are very bipolar. It seems very much like the writer is a man and could not really identify with any of the women throughout the story. Nevertheless, I will definitely watch it once or twice. 10 for me.
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It captured the meh
As with many sageuk dramas, the setting, pageantry and historical references hook us in. The plot and characters sustain it. Unfortunately, this series is patchy in the last two and its quality suffers.The first few episodes are nicely done. The idea of the FL being a baduk master is novel, but it has its own narrative issues. Regardless, it set up the meet-cute of the OTP. We are left with no doubt that the romance of our leads is the corner stone of this drama. This is problem #1.
As with many Korean court dramas, the FL ended up having to cross-dress just to get access to the ML. The FL is just not convincing as a man. It also hamstrings her performance. There are moments of animation but it mostly feels wooden.
Unsurprisingly, the main theme is standard issue palace intrigue. There are the odd twists, but they are mere ripples in a mill pond. All the classic courtly characters are there. Both good and evil. The veteran actors turn in solid performances but this is bread and butter for them.
The run-of-the-mill political shenanigans is problem #2. We run through several backstabbing plots as expected. Each time we arrive at a flashpoint we’d get our hopes up. Is this the turning point? Will we see some major realignment? Alas, after each bump, the show would settle back to a long period of doldrum.
Other than the romance and political maneuvers, we must contend with a simmering revenge plot. Unfortunately, this has issues as well. So much time and energy have been devoted to this but at the 11th hour, the protagonist found out that it is all a misunderstanding. We knew this all along so . . . Doh.
Obviously, the evil characters are going to get their comeuppance. However, just like the muddled revenge plots, the righting of such wrongs took its sweet time. Everyone knows who they are but other than much gnashing of teeth, not a great deal happens and then everything happened. By then, I'm past caring.
As I mentioned before, romance of the leads is key. However, their chemistry is questionable. Their skinship mostly leaves me cold. Their first kiss is good but I challenge anyone to feel excited after watching their last kiss in the finale. Go on, watch it and tell me I'm wrong. I double dare you!
Thankfully, the acting of the ML steadied the ship. He was 10 times more animated than the FL and his acting is next level. However, he can't compensate for every shortcomings of this drama.
In the end, the series is watchable but there is nothing new. There are the odd highlights. The ending is a bit ponderous. You’d think an HEA ending is a given. Not so fast, chingu. It is as if the writer is having a bet each way. I have no idea why you'd do that at this late stage. It does reflect on the drama as a whole.
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Lack of reason overshadows credibility.
It's a good series to watch overall. I congratulate the production team and director, except for the scriptwriter. Particular attention was paid to the clothes, I congratulate this team twice. Other than that, the script had too much nonsense. First of all, it was not believable that our Badukçu Girl went to take revenge on the king with the same face and the same clothes. Even though the king said he would kill you, he did not. Afterwards, I had to punish you, and after a certain period of time, he sent his guards and asked them to save him. However, for some reason, this happened right at the time he was going to be killed. Badukçu fell off the cliff. The baduk maker's own servants find him and save him. This is also very interesting, you are there at this exact moment and are rescued. Then this girl of ours comes for revenge, wearing the same clothes and the same face, and appears before the king. He's making plans to kill her. Do you think it's believable? I think no. Nobody understood why this screenwriter did this. In addition, those who betrayed were rewarded instead of being killed. It was ridiculous. Our lead girl could neither be a man nor a woman. Caught between two games. His acting was next to nothing. So it wasn't there. It was just an empty image. However, Jo Jung Suk performed phenomenally. He may have been crushed under it. I don't know, but I didn't like the actress. Apart from the male lead, Choi Dae Hoon who plays the King, Park Ye Young who plays Lady Gong, Queen Mother Jang Young Nam, Hyun Bo. Yang Kyung Won, Lee Kyu Hoe who played the Prime Minister, Guard Kang Hong Suk, and Child Prince Choi Ye Chan were good actors that caught my eye. Apart from the script, it was a successful production. The scriptwriter has done a shame on the series. I couldn't feel the love in the series, I couldn't get the emotion. It's actually a love story, but it doesn't seem to have happened. Looks like it had a happy ending...Was this review helpful to you?
This is a rich well written story with a wonder love match around the game of Go.
Captivating the King is a Period Korean Drama you definitely want to watch this year of 2024. I had fully written up ‘Captivating the King’, then I had to go back and toss that writeup. In this Korean Drama, the viewer gets a Korean Drama first. See if you can identity what happens in this drama, which in my 250 viewed Asian Dramas, I have not seen. I have seen this occurrence happen with a secondary leads, but not with the Main Male Lead. ‘Captivating the King’ is intelligently written with a polished plot-line. There is skilled acting by all of the drama actors too, in this stacked cast.The Story
When Korea’s Joseon Dynasty became a tributary to the Chinese Qing Dynasty in 1636, Joseon was told to cut ties with the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who had been helping them for Centuries. While under the Ming Dynasty (Ming Dynasty reigned from 1368 to1644), the people of Joseon enjoyed more humane favors comparatively to being under the Qing. Now the once small nation of Qing has risen to great power, and the Qing Dynasty rules through retaliation and brutality.
The Qing Dynasty maintains strict order by holding captive in China Korean people of the Royal Courts. One such hostage from Korea is its Grand Prince Yi In. He is a very likable person when compared against his ever maddening brother, King Yi Sun of Joseon. After some time in captivity, Grand Prince Yi In finally is allowed to come home for a visit.
The Grand Prince loves the board game Baduk (Go), and Yi In is a great Baduk player, having honed his skills in China while being held in captivity. Upon his return to Korea, he meets a girl pretending to be a lad (Kang Mong Woo/Kang Hee Soo). She is a great Baduk player too and has an unbroken record of wins. However, game play is frowned upon for women, because of the male associations. Thus, she feels a need to hide her identity. The cutest love story emerges underneath this game of Baduk (Go), which channels around mystery and intrigue. Also there is much Court Intrigue in this drama. For likability, ‘Captivating the King’ is on the level of The Red Sleeve and My Dearest. It is a rich story which draws you right in.
Quote: “To wish for life when you love them and death when you hate them. Wishing them to live while wishing them to die. That is what it means to be captivated.” From The Captivated King.
Actors Corner
The stars of ‘Captivating the King’ are actress Shin Sae Kyeong (The Girl Who Sees Smells, Six Flying Dragons) and actor Jo Jung Suk (Hospital Playlist Series, The King: 2 Hearts), who is also an accomplished musical Theater performer. These are two powerhouse stars in Captivating the King. Both are at a level where the meatier dramas are offered to them. Both acting performances are at a stellar level in this drama. Shin Sae Kyeong and Jo Jung Suk are giving a master class of acting.
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CHO JUNGSEOK IS BACK!
Cho Jungseok amazing performance as always, from oh my ghost, jealousy incarnate, nokdu flower, hospital playlist and now captivating the king. his eyes, the way he glanced 🔥 well this is also my first time watching ssk drama, many people said that she has no expression and then i start watch a few clip of her previous drama but i think in this drama her acting impove a bit. the cinematography, the ost are amazing. i personally love the intro!! there's something about the intro 💯loving the first 2 eps, i cant wait to know the reason why mongwoo want to revenge.
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MA—STER—PIE—CE!!
🌧🌧🌧Rating: 9.7/10 🌧🌧🌧The story Quote: “To wish for life when you love them and death when you hate them. Wishing them to live while wishing them to die. That is what it means to be captivated.”
Preview:
The view shows Joseon during the Qing occupation. The Qing maintain strict order and rule with a strong hand, holding Korean hostages in their capital. One of them is Yi In (loyal to his brother (the king), the Grand Prince). After some time, the prince returns to his homeland, but no one welcomes him with open arms; he is treated as a spy and a traitor. He meets an unbeatable baduk player (which he himself likes to play).
Opinion:
I have grown very fond of this series. I'm so sad that I've already finished it. I started watching it on the 3rd of February and waited impatiently every weekend thinking "Do I have to wait much longer?". Lots of twists and turns. The ending of probably every or most of the episodes was gripping to the point where I wished I had started watching it after all the episodes were published. I was hoping for a sad ending. I was hoping for a tragic, impossible love. I was hoping for an unhappy break-up. What I got was everything. The last episode showed their momentary carefreeness, for one day they were a couple, a real couple. "Remember, you are my gidaeryong."Admittedly the ending didn't have anything special about it, it was a bit tedious, a bit touching. I think there was a way not to bore the audience, if only they had made it a dramatic ending.... let's not focus on that , let's move on to the cast
Soundtracks. Here a huge round of applause in my opinion especially to TAEIL for "Wave". This chorus triggered all the emotions, a feeling that is hard to describe.
Jo Jung Suk, do I need to add anything here? In every feed where I mentioned something about "Captivating the King" there was a sentence admiring his acting, his glassy eyes, his whispers, his ear-splitting scream.... everything was extremely perfectly great! The character of King Joseon himself was great, admittedly he may have actually (at the beginning) been sitting on the baduk too much. You could see that power changes a person. He started as a loyal subject of his brother and lasted later as a king who nevertheless has to defend the "crown". Still, I think he ruled fairly enough, not including Mongwoo and her friends. I really liked how he wanted to defend Hee-Soo and kept her with him.
Shin Sae Kyeong, I really liked this actress in "Rookie Historian...", but here, something didn't play for me about her. I had the impression that sometimes her eyes were running away somewhere else? I don't know. I loved her moments of tenderness and her relationship with the king, but in my opinion, too many scenes where she cried were shown. It's not down to the actress anymore, but this concept, this revenge plan, was it literally killing the king? My expectations were much higher.
Kim Myungha, really wasn't a very necessary character. Maybe she was supposed to fill in some space, going from being an unimportant character to becoming a bit more important. The script did not give room for Lee Shin Young to show off. I didn't really grow close to this character, I didn't really feel his importance (although I especially liked how he aroused the king's jealousy at first).
Park Ye Young as Lady Dong, I wasn't expecting much from the court lady, I thought she would be a budget character to play 'background', but I was really surprised. What I remember most was the vein that popped out on her forehead, it made a big "wow" on me. After that, I only appreciated her more and more. Her trembling, her look, her eyes... I really enjoyed her acting, I'm hoping for more new series with her.
Choi Dae Hoon as the earlier Joseon king was a bit annoying in my opinion. Otherwise, I have nothing against him as a character, but the fact that he suddenly spurned, ignored his brother, worrying only about power, about the crown, even worried that she was his spy for Qing, I understand that no one can be trusted in the court, but it bothered me a bit.
Ha Seo Yoon as the queen spouse Oh. I liked her a lot. I don't know why, but I was happy to see her working with gidaeryong. It made me sad to see her so ill, so I think she played the role well. Plus her relationship with Prince Munseong, I really liked that she treated him like a son even though he wasn't one. Her request to establish the Prince as the heir to the throne, I cried as she slowly died.
Choi Ye Chan as Prince Munseong. CHILDREN CAN ACT SO WELL?! In my opinion, he conveyed emotions perfectly, I didn't feel he was an inexperienced actor. I would like to watch his progress, there is a bright future ahead of him.
Yang Kyung Won as Hyun Bo. Is his punishment really not a joke? Exile from the capital? Seriously? For contributing to the deaths of people, aiding in treason? I remembered his acting from "...Samdal-ri", so my expectations were equal to his skills. He didnt shine, he didnt disappoint.
✅️ twists and turns
✅️ the ending of each episode keeps you in suspense
✅️ OST ("Wave")
✅️ Jo Jung Suk is 10/10, his voice, acting, looks, slay queen 🫶😭
✅️ Park Ye Young's acting, her trembling, her eyes.... everything is so perfect..
✅️ Queen Oh & Prince Munseong's relationship
❌️ Mongwoo's weak revenge
❌️ Kim myung-ha is a bit useless
+ I would have preferred that, after this three-year hiatus, King pretended he didn't know she was a woman in order to protect her, or that he knew her plan at all and let her carry it out because he loves her (someone wrote this under my feed and I very much agree).
Writing this made me feel like a film critic, this is the first time I'm writing an opinion... a bit lacking in order and composition, chaotically written.. but i hope someone ever reads this at least to some extent 😭🫶
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a rant about veneers
This drama started with a geart story, good plot, amazing characters wit personalities, however i think it fell off at the end. The ML is an amazing actor, I've been a fan for a few years and he embodies royalty like no other, perhaps a little too self-righteous. But the FL feels a little boring, not to mention her crying is weird, like she's trying to look pretty no matter what. And i don't mean to criticize her looks but does she have veneers? i know it's kind of a trend lately, she looks way too modernized to be in a historical setting.Something about historical dramas that i personally don't enjoy are open endings, it feels like there's more to the story but it is already finished and I'm waiting for something else to happen because the story kept building up. Did they really end up together? Does the King forgive his mother? Does the crown prince ascend the throne? Did the king choose a Queen? they kept bothering him about that even i wanted him to choose one.
But what i really liked about this drama was the ost, I feel like all TVN productions always excels in soundtrack songs
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Captivating The King Failed to Captivate Me
Before I start, what the %&@* was up with the ML's beard ?I started it because I am a lover of the historical genre and I was interested in seeing how they planned on writing a fictitious animosity between Qing and Joseon. Now, I am fighting to see a reason why I should even continue this show. I must be a masochist because watching the FL act gives me a headache when without subtitles you can't tell if she is angry, sad, confused, upset, or in love. She only knows five looks to consult from her acting playbook. The writing is just abysmal at best. The side characters have less screen time and have shown more dimension to their characters with their acting. This goes for the royal family members and Court Lady Jo.
It started strong and then the foolish ploy to get revenge just lost me. I am a big lover of revenge plots but it seems like the FL can't seem to get her head out of her ass for one minute. Her anger at the king makes no sense when for one it was Myung-Ha who faked the confession, secondly, he was not even the one who let her father go to the Great Qing. Her reason for revenge is not because she thinks he is corrupt, her pride is just hurt. She was surprised that a newly crowned King did not lose common sense when tasked with exiling her.
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"Captivating the King" took me by surprise from the get-go. As someone not particularly drawn to political struggles for the throne, I entered with cautious expectations. Yet, from the very first episode, it managed to ensnare my attention in a way I hadn't anticipated.This series is about our FL disguising herself as a boy, fighting for a noble cause while navigating the twist and turn of love. Meanwhile, our ML is in a power struggle fighting for the throne. They bond through an Asian chess game called go.
Initially skeptical, I found myself drawn to the performances, particularly that of SSK. Her portrayal of the lead character's inner turmoil with teary eyes, captive my heart each time. I mean who wouldn’t be in the exact same position in front of the man they love but they cannot reveal their identity? Witnessing her growth from her previous roles, especially post-"Run On," was a delight in itself. The chemistry between the leads, which was intense and emotional, had me on the edge of my seat, emotions swirling as her gender was exposed and their relationship unfolded.
While the series excelled in many aspects, there were minor imperfections that caught my attention. Some scenes felt slightly stiff and awkward, especially the part where he grabs and hugs her, the angle just felt off. Also, the abundance of side characters like the senior court maid felt unnecessary and could have been streamlined for a tighter focus.
On a personal rating scale, "Captivating the King" lands at a solid 7.5 for me. It's been a while since a K-drama has captured my interest so thoroughly, and SSK's performance only adds to its allure. However, deductions were made for the repetitive nature of palace politics and hidden love between a female disguised as a male.
In conclusion, I'm eagerly rooting for SSK's continued growth and eagerly anticipate what future projects hold for her. "Captivating the King" may have its flaws, but its ability to keep audiences invested and chemistry between the leads is undeniable.
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