This review may contain spoilers
SSK defence squad
Writing this "review" mainly to defend Shin Sae Kyeong because wow, girl cannot catch a break from y'all.One thing I hate in the kdrama fandom is when women get all the criticism when it's so obvious that the writers and directors should get most of the blame. Now I am not saying that SSK is the best actress in the world but she tried and she did in my opinion well for with what she was given. Her character could've been so much more complex and interesting had they written her to be more on par with the ML's character. His brother dies and he becomes king and therefore heartless and in my opinion she should've been just as heartless, but god forbid women have any other emotion than sadness and love. The revenge part just was not as emphasized as it should've been and the love story was too meh to be entertaining. In any case, it is not SSK's fault she got a poorly written character. Had they wanted her character to be different they should've written her differently or directed her differently. SSK did justice to a character she got and y'all need to tone it down with the hate.
Lastly, I hated the fact that her best friend dies, basically because of the ML and the love story continues... How am I supposed to root for them if I despise him from the very beginning??????? "Oh but he's the king he had no other choice" WRONG, he had many choices and was even begged to pick another one. And how was the FL not angrier about this??? Give me the pen I swear I can fix this mess.
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A Giant Game of Go
I very much enjoyed this - I had just finished My Dearest a couple of weeks ago and this overlaps in time with Captivating the King starting with the end of the Qing invasion and the prince being sent to Shenyen, followed by the gradual collapse into some insanity of the reigning king (they each take a slightly different lean on this aspect though). Translator Jung is also present in character as well (different actor of course and with different motivations compared to My Dearest). If you've watched one, watch the other, it's interesting seeing the common bits as well as the different takes on things.The standout for me is the male lead - this is the first time i've seen Jo Jung Sook in an entirely 100% serious role, all of his others have allowed him to bring his brilliant light heartedness and comedic sense but there is nothing comedic about this role as he starts as the prince and progresses to being the King it's all serious all the way.
I enjoyed the interplay between the characters, the scheming going back and forth, and the strategies that the two leads were employing even independently of each other. It's like watching a pair of grand masters at work. The writing here was exceptional I felt.
I was absolutely hooked on this from start to finish - binged the entire thing in fairly short order.
Shin Se Kyung is someone I always enjoy watching and I thought she delivered well in this, does seem like she's a marmite attraction to many viewers but for me, I thought she was great.
As the bad guys start to get taken down there are definitely a number of "punch the sky" "yess!" moments to be had, especially with the big-bad :)
Well worth the watch in my view!
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This review may contain spoilers
MAJOR SPOILERS
This drama really has a weird obsession with sending the most beloved characters to Qing just to make the story feel heartfelt. But honestly, at this point, in this drama, Qing is basically a dumping ground, whenever the writers don’t know what to do with a character, they just ship them off to Qing. Justice for Qing lol.Captivating the King? More like Confusing..
I don’t usually write reviews, but this drama frustrated me so much that I have to say something. The beginning was really good, and I kept watching because I liked the male lead. But the second half? A total mess.
The story became rushed, and many important things were skipped. Instead of focusing on the main characters, the drama spent too much time on the King’s uncle. I understand that they wanted to show how the King was willing to remove anyone who threatened the country, even his own family. But did they have to drag it out so much? The same conflicts kept repeating, and it became boring. After all that, the uncle was just punished by drinking poison. That’s it? No big punishment, no satisfying ending for his character.
After episode 9, it became harder and harder to watch. you will expect the story kept circling around the same character pairings:
The King & the female lead
The Queen Dowager & the uncle
The uncle & his conspirator
They just kept interacting in different ways, but nothing new was added. No fresh conflicts, no excitement, just the same people plotting over and over again. The drama completely started feeling dull.
You know in the beginning, it felt like they were setting up for something big before things got intense. But instead of escalating, the story just deflated. We thought the villains would be dealt with quickly, and then the real climax would start. But no. Once the villains were gone, the drama also lost its direction, turning into an awkward mess. It didn’t know what it wanted to be anymore.
Then, suddenly, the female lead was sent to Qing, and a few minutes later, three years passed. Why even add this storyline.
The King’s personality also changed too suddenly. He was originally cold and ruthless, but later, he became soft. The Queen Dowager was so cruel that she killed her own son, but in the end, she was begging for her brother. And they made it seem like the King was a bad son, but they never properly addressed the mistakes of his mother.
Court lady Dong's character was also strange. At first, she worked for Queen Dowager for her own benefit, but later, the story changed to say that she truly cared about the King. Why? The King even cried for her, not because he loved her, but because she was the only one who knew a certain secret.
And many important characters were just forgotten.
Also, how did the female lead stay hidden as a woman the whole time? At first, she was always close to the King, but later, she barely appeared. It felt like she became a side character in her own story. And then they sent her to Qing, just like how they sent the princess before. I expected someone would expose her secret, but there is none.
The drama started off really well, and I thought it was building up to something amazing. But in the end, the story lost its focus, and the ending was rushed. If the writer didn’t have enough time, they should have either added more episodes or removed unnecessary parts. Instead, they crammed everything together and made the second half messy and confusing.
Overall, this drama had great potential, but it was wasted. If you like a strong start or you are coming for the romance like ME, you might enjoy the first half. But if you want a satisfying ending, don’t bother watching.
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The main actress ruined the show
Shin Sae Kyeong (SSK) ruined the show. With a good actress, even the most ridiculous plotlines would've made the show exponentially better. SSK just can't act. She has one facial expression and her mouth is always open. If the sound was on mute, we wouldn't known whether Mongwoo was happy, sad, horny, or constipated. She had no personality and her face always looked the same because of SSK's stiff acting. Half-way through, it was impossible to ignore her overbite and teeth always showing. I don't blame the actress because it was the director's or producer's, or whoever was in charge, responsibility to manage her and to tell her to keep her mouth closed. I am absolutely flabbergasted that they thought her mouth being open in every scene was ok. Even Jo Jung Suk, being the superb actor that he is, couldn't save the show. When one person spills his heart out and the other one just stares blankly, it completely kills the chemistry and any romantic mood.Let me emphasize that the gender bender/cross dressing trope is ridiculous and outdated. It is also very suspect. Dramas where a man is trapped in a woman's body and has a romantic/sexual relationship with another man get ruined by bad endings because the producers try to make them less gay. But, apparently, it's not gay at all to have a man liking a woman pretending to be a man. Totally not gay, because he is actually a she, right? Not really, considering that the guy who is having a crush thinks he is interacting with another guy and keeps questioning his own sexuality. If the show was set today, poor king Jinhan would be erratically taking internet quizzes to convince himself he was not gay.
The king should've found out that Mongwoo was a woman after she came back from the dead to eliminate any bias and identity crisis. This is not to mention that SSK was completely unconvincing as a man, as most women are. There were plenty of opportunities for Jinhan to find out early that she was a woman, like when he grabbed her hand and commented on how delicate it was. His ridiculous conclusion was that she was from a rich family, instead of questioning her gender. Any sane person at that point would've already had a pause, but the writers insisted he remained in the dark to drag the tension out for as long as possible.
The revenge plot was also nonsensical. They spent half the show talking about revenge and not doing anything. It was unclear why they even wanted revenge and what the king did for them to seek revenge. Mongwoo was portrayed as an intelligent person, but her motivations were very narrow-minded. I have no idea why she disliked Myung Ha. All he did was love her and wanted to marry her. Even forging the confession letter was done to protect her from being tortured. It seemed that she judged people's character based solely on their ability to play baduk, which made her very shallow and elitist.
Overall, bad acting, stupid tropes, and a boring and badly written plot make this drama a hard pass.
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Only Here For The Male Lead, Aren't We?
To be brutally honest without sprinkling any sugar, the plot--albeit engaging in the beginning episodes--was very rushed towards the end and so rough around the edges that it became a joke about itself. And when I type this, I'm mostly referring to the last episodes. Especially the ending. Okay, now, on one hand, the ending was very tranquil but on another hand, it left so much unresolved and hanging in the balance that it did not quite feel like an ending. Like, where are the babies? WHERE ARE THE BABIES? AND DID THEY...DO "IT", OR NOT? The open ending left me sad for this was a drama I was so quickly invested in.The earlier episodes, however, really took me in, especially the bittersweet relationship between the loyal and compassionate Grand Prince Jinhan and his only brother, the hateful and jealous King. However, *sarcastic here* color me surprised, that the show was nothing but carried by the excellent portrayal of the Grand Prince Jinhan/Lee In by Jo Jung-suk. I'm really glad, however, that there was still something to really look forward to in each episode. While the chances of an obvious woman being undeniably taken for male were below zero, JJS's intense gazes and expressive face left no room for doubting the King's heart-melting affection for his one and only love. Even the viewers must have been captivated from the other side of the screen. I was! Besides that, the king's mannerisms, charisma and aura easily commanded respect even from a simple k-drama lover like me. It really did feel like the ruler of Joseon was on my screen.
The antagonists, for example Yoo Hyun-bo and Park Jong-hwan, were more interesting than the characters who were supposedly on the 'good' side--yes, I'm hinting at you, female lead, Kang Hee-soo/Kang Mong-woo. The antagonists were a lot more brutal than I was expecting, though that didn't derail my interest but rather heightened it. Death felt like it was just a next-door neighbor for every character. All the characters felt very real, very medieval. I enjoyed watching the back-and-forth tackle for power amongst the ministers and also between the king and the court, and the overall portrayal of Joseon being in the middle of a conflict between the Qing and Ming.
Things I liked:
+ Jo Jung-suk's incredible portrayal of Grand Prince Jinhan/Lee In(is it Yi In or Lee In?)
+ the young Grand Prince/Crown Prince; he was so cute and respectful; he definitely stole every scene he was in!
+ the constant third wheel, the right-hand man of the king; he was always so done with all the gayness he was seeing lmao
+ Episode 9; after such a long wait, we get not one, not two, not three but FOUR KISSES! Kyaaaa! I was captivated for sure!
+ Court Lady Dong stole my sympathy and heart...she will be remembered always
+ The music and scenery are so pleasant
+ every time Lee In clapped back at his enemies
+ the plot twist that triggered Lee In's crowning as king
Things I disliked:
+ Kang Mong-woo's lack of 'manliness'; everyone has a beard except her, but a beard would not change anything; nonetheless, I do empathize that it would not be easy for a woman to portray a man as convincingly as Park Eun-bin did in The King's Affection
+ The ending was not terrible, but I would have preferred a more conclusive one
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Decent historical drama, that could have been better
So this was a decent historical drama - not very original, but good enough. It could have been better, though.When I first saw a promotion for this I was excited, but then I have been postponing actually watching it. It didn't disappoint me, but it didn't "wow" me either.
First of all: You have to manage to overlook the ridiculousness that no one really suspected her appearances as a man.
The story follows our FL Kang Hui Su / Kang Mong U, who is a very skilled baduk (go) player. She goes out in male disguise to raise money to pay towards freeing Joseon people taken by the Qin dynasty.
She, in disguise, happens to cross paths with Grand Prince Jin Han, who has come back to Joseon from being held "ransom" by the Qins. He is also a very skilled baduk player, and they connect over a game.
Royal power struggles are ongoing, and when the King dies, Jin Han takes the throne. In doing so, he has to sacrifice Mong U; sentencing her to 3 year labor camp (still thinking she is a man). She escapes, and 3 years later she returns with a plan of revenge. She manages to get close to the King, who does suspect her motives, but their connection and attraction is still strong, even though they both have conflicting feelings. And don't forget: The King still believes she is a man! Will she get her revenge, and is the King as cold-hearted as she thinks?
For me, the story was OK. It contains a lot of the rather typical historical drama elements and characters (power hungry scheming royal court members/Queen family, power-protecting Queen Dowager...), with the added element of baduk games. This is the link to the underlying events in the story; both the FL and the ML (the king) are strong strategists, looking and planning far ahead.
The FL was a bit weak and disappointing for me though. Her portrayal doesn't always match well with the type of character I imagined her to be. She seems too insecure and indecisive sometimes? I understand it could be an attempt at displaying conflicting emotions, but I guess it was a bit too much or "at the wrong times"...? Example: I did notice she flickers her eyes a lot, and I see several other reviewers mentioning this as well.
ML (the King) was good: This character had depth, different sides to him, and a good development. Strong acting here by Jo Jung Suk, who was very convincing in his role.
There is a lot of veteran actors here, all delivering good performances.
Should you watch it? If you normally enjoy the historical dramas, I would say "yes".
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Great production, well-casted ML, disappointing script
final personal review:wow, I must say I am disappointed beyond anticipation. great start, questionable middle and absolutely dull end. There are great visuals and production which makes so hard not to watch. But the screenwriters were either replaced of completely abandoned any effort somewhere around the end of the first half. The characters are unrelatable (that is the kindest way to put it) and the story absolutely holds no coherence whatsoever. Now to the actors, Jo Jung Suk is probably holding the thing somewhat together, the rest is doing also well considering the script they have to work with. But I am sorry to say this ,but the FL should've gone to somebody else. She has no connection with rhe camera - and thus the viewers ( I've noticed this about the actress in the Bride of Habaek deama as well unfortunately) , she seems to be washed out by anybody else in the picture with her, and she seems very weak even in scenes where the character shows strenght.
So for the actors I think kudos are due to jo Jung Suk and honestly even Mrs Jang Young -the maniac queen was quite concicing . As for the characters Captain Joo is still my favorite as well as the mature crown prince. Sleazy ex-fiance-wannabe made nice chatacter arc taht didn't feel too forced, so that was quite good.
Overall the first episodes set the expectations hight either for political side , romance or revenge drama. I feel like the final product delivered neither, I wouldn't mind the melow political finish had it been melow from the start , as they managed to rile everything up in th wforst half, the second fell quite short. As for the romance and revenge, it felt like there was none. The main couple became so boring I couldn't even bring myself to be curious about their ending together. Both love and revenge plot seemed to peak around episode 8-9 and after that it was diluted more and more.
My finalnconclusion is, that the drama should be renamed "Captivating scenery" instead, as the viauals are really the most captivating thing about rhis drama from viewers' perspective.
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A Captivating Premise—but will it stick the landing?
Hello everyone :) This is my review for the ongoing k-drama Captivating the King. As always, all opinions are my own and no hate to any actors!Story: 8/10
The story of this show is fairly generic for historical k-dramas—a high-ranking ML who is a nobleman or a member of the royal family—and a FL who hides being female for a purpose. From this description alone, I'm sure you can think of a few other k-dramas with the same premise. However, one thing that sets this k-drama apart from others in this generic description is it makes unusual decisions using the same algorithm. I'll outline how in a few ways:
#1) The ML in this show is not a squeaky-clean gentleman, he makes decisions that sway the FL and the audience against him, and then earns us back. His intentions and his mind are hard to read, and yet he's simultaenously very earnest-looking and charmismatic, making even the watcher wonder if it's right to root for him or not.
#2) The writers in this show are not afraid to kill off characters that aren't needed, which adds mystery to the plot as there isn't just one "big" villian throughout but multiple questionable characters that make us suspicious and then earn our trust back—the ML included.
#3) There aren't 100% clear lines of loyalty. Many of the characters cross and double-cross one another, using one another for their own purposes. I feel that this adds a lot of depth to the story, as in other historical shows, there's often the "good guys" side and the "bad guys" side.
For the above reasons, this show has been a lot of fun to watch so far. This being said, I will admit I have a few issues with the storyline as well, which is why I only gave it an 8/10 instead of a 10. These issues include:
#1) The FL in this show is admittedly less well written than the ML, which disappoints me for multiple reasons. Firstly, she's meant to be his equal, someone that gives him a run for his money (hence, the struggle of who gets captivated). We also don't get as many complex emotions from the FL's character as we do the ML's, as she almost always does what a viewer would consider to be "the right choice". I feel like the writers could have made her more of a grey-area character like the ML, and I think it would've made their already-incredible chemistry and forbidden love that much hotter.
#2) This show is very heavy on the politics and very light on the love. I understand why it's like that for plot purposes, but it's my own opinion that this show could've used more romance even if it was angsty. This being said, there are SOME scenes in which the intimacy just through simple touches and intense eye contact that made my heart flutter too, and since this show isn't over yet, I wouldn't say it's bad enough to be a dealbreaker even if you like romance dramas more.
Acting/Cast: 8.5/10
This is the first drama of Jo Jung Suk's that I've seen (although I am watching Hospital Playlist for the first time simultaenously haha) and I must say that I am blown away by his acting. His micro-expressions are incredible, the intensity of his eyes, and the way he says his lines with passion is really something. He really brings the ML's complex character to life in a refreshing way.
As for Shin Sae Kyeong, I have seen her previously in the Bride of the Water God and I was disappointed then and I am disappointed now. Now, I will admit that the writers did not give her as much to work with for her character as they did for Jo Jung Suk's character. Still, I feel that her expressions are exactly the same in every scene, give or take some tears. I do like the way she delivers her lines and the intensity in her eyes, but her flat expression takes away from her hard work. Initially, I wasn't too bothered by her expressions but as the show continues I am finding it harder to watch, especially since there's less romance than I expected and more political scenes where the FL must hold her own. Although I am disappointed, I mean no hate to Shin Sae Kyeong, and I am sure I will watch her future shows if they have an interesting plot like this too.
As for the supporting characters, I feel like they all did an exceptional job. Everyone, from the King's right hand man, to the royal family members, to the FL's allies, the Court Maids, and even the child actors did a wonderful job. The Grand Prince is a bit choppy in his acting, but he's still starting out so I won't criticize him too much.
Music: 8/10
I'm not a big OST person, but I felt this OST has been nice to listen to. 8/10.
Rewatch Value: 8/10
Since this show is still going on, it's a bit hard to guess the rewatch value since I haven't seen the ending. But I have enjoyed each episode and how it keeps me on my toes as well as the chemistry between the ML and FL, so I think I would rewatch this show.
And that's all for my review! Thanks for reading :)
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I thought the male lead was the most outstanding actor of this series. i will watch out for him more. I have to say the side characters were really well played. The Queens controlling nature came across vividly. As did the malevolent uncle.
The story was interesting and held my attention throughout. I thought the female lead did a reasonable job she was very expressive in the first few episodes but maybe she was directed to reduce facial expression as the series went on. It maybe a failure of direction rather than the actress at fault for some of the criticism she seems to be receiving. I suppose as a Baduk player you can give yourself away. All in all i think she did a decent job. Yes i would have liked her to be more animated in the later part of the series. I thought the costumes, cinematography, and the music we all brilliant and added much to my enjoyment. I will watch this again without doubt
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Lots of intrigue, little romance, terrible plot shortcomings
The story and the supporting characters are totally contradictory and illogical. The actors are excellent, but they can't make up for the shortcomings of the plot.Political thriller, crime story, family drama, least of all romance and relationship development between the leads.
What bothers me about MDL is that you have to write at least 500 characters. I don't have that much to say, nor do I have that much time. I'm just writing this to get to 500 characters.
I also don't understand the negativity against FL. I like her a lot and think that she's a good actress, just like everyone else.
The inconclusive plot is really the weak point here.
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I was captivated by the story
Captivating the King has a great story to tell. It talks about the history of the dynasty on their generation, about the dirty politics on whose gonna ascend the throne. It maybe boring because it's too serious but you will be hooked to its story itself they have on point view of the things being tackle.Jo Jung Suk is back in his craft he really owns this drama, he did an amazing job in portraying the king. It really suits him well. He is really a good actor.
Shin Se Kyung also did great, one thing that bothers me is that she's too beautiful to be a man hehehe...
I can say that ita a great casting, all the cast did an amazing job. This series really captivate me, it has a great narrative.
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I was Captivated!!!
I think all reviews should always start with "Personally, I hated or I loved".Reading the low reviews, one would think this was a horrible drama. Quite the opposite. I absolutely loved this drama (and I don't like historical drama - at all). I was captivated from Episode 1 through to 16. I would have watched in one sitting, had it been possible. I would recommend you watch it and decide for yourself. If it's not your cuppa tea, that's cool. On to the next. Don't base your decision on somebody's else's preference.
I loved the cast, the storyline, the pace and the music, the music - absolutely beautiful. Purchased the soundtrack and its my current playlist.
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