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A maioria das pessoas não gostaram desse drama, mas eu particularmente amei! Me prendeu desde o primeiro episódio apesar da história não ser muito inovadora, mas a atuação do Jo Jung-suk é muito maravilhosa e ele é um ótimo ator. As pessoas costumam falar muito da atuação da Shin Sae-kyeong mas eu não acho que nesse drama ela deixou muito a desejar. A química entre os protagonistas é muito boa e para mim esse é um dos melhores desse ano até agora. Algumas coisas que deixaram a desejar na minha opinião, foi as poucas cenas de romance dos protagonistas e principalmente o final. O final poderia ter entregado muito mais do que realmente entregou, mas fico feliz pois teve um happy ending pelo menos. Mesmo com esses poucos defeitos, eu realmente gostei e não entendo porque as pessoas massacram tanto essa série.Was this review helpful to you?
Captivating the King -A drama full of sadness , romance, hatred and plot
I love this Historical drama and with the great main actor and actress and also others who casts in this drama. Though it has not ended and watch until 13 episodes, the King is not a bad man, he wanted to build a better antion and create peace in his country as the son from his brother the ex King is too young to rule. However he cared for him and his sister but bad rumours about him made many suspicious of him and the killing of the traitor and given exile to those people whom they reported as traitors and one of them his valuble baduk player ( Shin Se Kyeong ) and was in misery when he heard that she died, and became acholholic and womanizer because of that. Deep inside him he listened to his mother and that wicked uncle of his. I have the feeling it will be agood ending for this drama and I enjoyed the story lineWas this review helpful to you?
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the FL ruins it
I liked :the ML, Jo Jung Suk is great in this show, probably his best performance !
The story is fine
The supporting characters are good, the villains are bad (very good actors), I enjoyed the queen dowager (actress was so good in the crowned clown) , the first king Choi Dae Hoon, Yang Kyung Won (who was also good in Vincenzo and Crash landing on you)
I dislike :
The Female Lead ! The actress is so bad ! She was bad in rookie historian, she didn't change !
Someone can tell her that to keep your mouth open during all the series is NOT an acting skill !
She spent less than 5 minutes with a closed mouth ! She has no facial expression, she just rolls her eyes lol
Zero chemistry with the ML, always the same face.
The character is not better, at the end why did she leave ???
It s a bit long, especially the last 3 episodes.
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Held My Interest From Start To Finish
The headline says it…this story kept me hooked from beginning to end, and not all stories do….I’ve dropped my share of stories an episode or two in due to the story not keeping my interest, poor acting by many, or a story line that makes little sense and/or is difficult to follow. For me, the acting in this series was excellent, with the actors portraying Grand Prince Jinhan/Yi In, the uncle,Park Jong-Jean, Court Lady Dong, and the young Grand Prince giving specially outstanding performances. I truly hated the uncle, which means he did a great job as an actor (guess the writers/director gets some credit there too)…I don't tend to nitpick stories…they either hold my interest or they don’t. I only have two slightly negative comments. They didn’t try to make the female lead’s character Kang Moowoo look LESS pretty when portraying a man. You can’t do much to hide a slim build and narrow shoulders, but why were her lips obviously rouged/glossed even when dressed as a man? And although there was a happy ending of sorts, I would have liked to know more.; I still felt like I was left hanging just a bit.
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Captivating the King: Onde o Amor e a Tragédia Dançam no Trono
Poucas vezes terminei um drama histórico com o peito tão apertado e, ao mesmo tempo, tão preenchido. Captivating the King não é só um Sageuk — é uma poesia visual embebida em dor, poder, amor e escolhas impossíveis. E eu não estava pronta para o turbilhão emocional que ele me entregaria.A história gira em torno do Rei Yi In, um homem marcado pela solidão do poder e pela perda, e Kang Hee-Soo, uma mulher que carrega uma missão secreta, mas que se vê dividida entre o dever e os sentimentos que começam a brotar de forma inesperada. E é nessa tensão entre o amor e a lealdade que o drama brilha — ou melhor, machuca.
Desde o início, fui completamente capturada pela atmosfera melancólica e pela intensidade dos diálogos. A escrita é refinada, cheia de camadas políticas e emocionais. Nenhum personagem é totalmente bom ou mau — todos estão presos às suas circunstâncias, lutando contra as correntes do destino. E isso torna tudo ainda mais dolorosamente humano.
A química entre Jo Jung Suk e Shin Se Kyung é avassaladora. Ele, como rei, carrega um olhar que diz mais do que qualquer decreto real. Ela, com sua dualidade entre a espiã e a mulher apaixonada, é simplesmente fascinante. Cada cena entre eles tem uma tensão quase sufocante — como se o tempo estivesse prestes a parar.
A produção também é um espetáculo à parte. Figurinos deslumbrantes, palácios envoltos em sombras, trilha sonora que toca fundo... Tudo foi feito com um cuidado estético que eleva a narrativa. Mas o que mais me marcou foi a delicadeza com que o drama trata o amor impossível. Não há exageros nem promessas vazias — apenas a crueza do que significa amar alguém em silêncio, sabendo que o fim pode ser inevitável.
Captivating the King não é para quem busca finais simples ou respostas fáceis. É um drama para quem aprecia histórias que machucam, mas que também transformam. Para quem entende que, às vezes, amar é também saber perder.
Com lágrimas nos olhos e o coração apertado, só posso dizer: esse drama me cativou — completamente.
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Brilliant & Indeed Captivating
I'm kind of shocked by some of these poorly added reviews, I found this series to be just brilliant in every way. The first three episodes it was kind of up in the air as to the direction the major characters would be going, but once episode four played out with the major events that transpired, the drama took off with full steam.Jung Suk was fantastic as always. I was expecting him to be great in this role and he definitely did not disappoint. Sae Kyeong was equally as brilliant, as was Shin Young with his role as Myeong Ha. I must admit, I had a strong disliking to that character early on, but he turned out to be a great asset to the series as well as to the King. The supporting cast was very strong with talent, giving us several evil characters you counted the minutes for them to get their retribution, which they all eventually did!!
I guess the only negative I had a difficult time with was everyone not recognizing Mong U as a woman simply because she was dressed like a man ... but you simply have to get past that or else the series does not work for you.
All in all a great and extremely enjoyable series!!!!
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A Solid Drama with Strong Performances, But Lacking Chemistry and Believability
As someone who's been deep into K-dramas for nearly a year, I can say I've definitely caught the bug. Captivating the King wasn't one I fell for immediately, though. I found myself starting, abandoning, and returning to it multiple times before finally getting hooked by about the third episode. It wasn't the easiest journey, but by the end, I found myself enjoying it far more than I expected. It isn’t an epic, must-watch drama, but it certainly isn't terrible either. I'd describe it as a solid middle-ground series.
The story had potential, though I can't say it fully delivered on it. The plot, while engaging at times, lacked some depth and had its fair share of holes that made it difficult to fully suspend disbelief. I’m no expert on Korean history, so I won’t nitpick its historical accuracy, but I did find the period setting interesting, even if it wasn’t flawless. The world-building was definitely one of the stronger points.
Now, let’s talk about the characters. They were, for the most part, well-developed, which helped carry the show. The villain stood out, with a performance that was good enough to utterly dislike him, though I would have preferred if he hadn’t taken up so much screen time, especially in his overly dramatised final moments. It almost felt like the show was trying too hard to make him this larger-than-life figure when it was already clear he was a significant threat.
The real standout was Joe Jung Suk, who played the king. I first discovered him through Hospital Playlist and absolutely loved his performance there. In Captivating the King, he doesn't disappoint. In fact, I’d say he almost single-handedly carried the drama, effortlessly drawing you into his character's struggles and emotions. He truly made the series watchable for me, especially when the storyline itself faltered.
Unfortunately, the female lead, played by Shin Se Kyung, was a bit of a letdown. While she’s undeniably stunning, her performance felt wooden, and her emotional range didn’t quite match the gravity of the scenes. Her chemistry with the king felt lukewarm at best, and I couldn’t quite grasp her character’s feelings for him. A lot of the time, it seemed like she was out of her depth, particularly in her interactions with him. The biggest flaw for me was her disguise, which was, frankly, laughable. The idea that she could pass off as a man was hard to buy, and every time she appeared in that disguise, it pulled me out of the story. I’m sure Shin Se Kyung has done well in other roles, but for this one, I feel a different pairing could have elevated the drama significantly.
In conclusion, while Captivating the King didn’t make it to "epic" status for me, it was still an enjoyable ride. The solid performances from the supporting cast, particularly Joe Jung Suk, helped compensate for the weaker aspects, like the female lead’s performance and some of the less believable elements. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly not a disaster either—just a decent, if flawed, historical drama.
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Very common drama with Jung Suk in a state of grace.
There are actors and then there are actors, but without a doubt, Jung Suk is at the top shelf. I believe that in the awards season, he and the leads of "A BLOOD LUCKY DAY" will be vying for the Best Actor award for drama. Returning to Jung Suk, he began the drama portraying himself as a sweet and simple prince, but upon ascending the throne, he transformed into a paranoid and suspicious king. However, as the episodes progressed, this image softened. Although I still believe that the crimes he committed three years ago have not been fully justified, I understand that if the characters affected by it have come to terms and moved on, I won't dwell on it.It's incredible how Shin Sae Kyeong's acting falls short, it's uniquely hammy. The female highlights in terms of acting, for me, are the veterans Park Ye Young (Lady Dong) and Jang Young Man (Queen Park).
My favorite character without any reservations was Kim Myung Ha, who was dismissed by the protagonist early on in the drama and moved on without trying to create a love triangle (thanks to the scriptwriters for that). Many times, he brought Hee Soo back to reality. Usually, secondary protagonists are persistent, but Myung Ha was different; he immediately stepped aside and even helped the couple get together in the end. Yes, I still find the lead couple extremely toxic, but that's a discussion for another topic.
It was an interesting drama that delved well into palace intrigues, and Jung Suk was the maestro behind it all.
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The Female Lead Is Reason to Stop Watching
I could not go on. The story may be good but Shin Sae Kyeong's acting as the female lead is bland and beyond boring. She was ok in Rookie Historian but in this drama, she was totally disappointing. She was stiff, her facial expressions were the same. If you remove the sound and subtitle and just watch her face, you won't know whether she's happy or upset with her deadpan expression.Overhyped drama but did not deliver for me, all because of the female lead. I just get irritated watching her on screen.
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Pretty Good
While starting this show i did not have high expectations since the cast was quite unfamiliar for me (i have only seen one of shin se-kyung's drama's "Run On") but i was utterly mesmerized in the first few episodes.Pros:
1) The biggest pro for me is the ml's acting skills, his eyes are so expressive and his line delivery is impressive, i found myself rewatching his dialogues because they were so powerful
2) The struggles of being the king was described really well and the king's predicament was also well written
3) Wave by Taeil which is one of the main osts of this show was soo good, its very melancholic and the tune was stuck in my head for days
4) I also really liked the fact that court lady dong was not a one dimensional villainess who always conspired to do evil but rather had feelings of her own
5) The queen's story was quite tragic and im glad that they didnt portray her as an obstacle to the main couples relationship but rather as a noble girl that got unlucky and her relationship with the grand prince was also really cute
Cons:
1) The ending didnt really feel like a proper ending, after seeing it i felt like i was seeing the second last episode rather than the last episode, i had certain hopes for what their relationship would end up as and i was sad that none of it came true
2) It got very fast paced towards the end and very draggy in certain parts as well
3) I remember being so annoyed when the fl kept having the deer in front of headlights look for every scene and the fact that she kept going back to revenge when the ml was baring his his heart out to her
4) I still dont see why myung-ha's character was necessary to the plot
5) I dont know if its the bad/biased writing but the fl's scenes were so unmemorable, on one hand you had the ml's POWERFUL line delivery and emotions and the fl consistently had the deer in headlights look and her lines were just not IMPACTFUL enough
Overall i would say that its a pretty good show, the first few episode were easily a 10/10 but the later episodes changed my mind. All in all if you like angsty romances with very less skinship but a lot of meaningful looks then this show is definitely for you. I do think that i liked this show more due to the fact that i waited every week rather than binge watching the whole thing since the wait at the end of every cliffhanger and the numerous predictions i cooked up were definitley a huge part of the experience
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A Beautiful Start with a Wish for More Romance
Captivating the King began on a beautifully high note, setting the stage for what promised to be an engaging and visually stunning drama. The initial episodes did a fantastic job of drawing me in with their elegant set designs and costumes that perfectly captured the essence of the period. The storyline centred around the complexities of court life and the intrigue of royal politics, was compelling and richly layered.However, as the drama unfolded, I found myself wishing for more romantic scenes to develop between the leads. Given the strong chemistry between them, there was a missed opportunity to delve deeper into their relationship and provide viewers with those heart-fluttering moments that make historical dramas truly memorable. While this drama excelled in many areas, including its storytelling and production values, a greater focus on the romance could have elevated the drama even further, making it an unforgettable experience for fans of the genre.
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DECAYED CAPTIVATION
this historical drama bases its title on 'captivation', a kind of love/hate dellusional state... it sounds amazing, but did it hold the bar???without spoilers, the show definitely start with a BANG !
At least the first half is definitely worth it for the unmatched quality: the plot, dialogue, characters, concept, the pace! loved it all!
SPECIAL MENTION: the ML truly held the bar from A to Z till the last minute of the show. HIS PERFORMANCE puts him in the top actors in my view! it's also my first time seeing a show of his!
now for the things i liked less:
-the show looses pace & same quality after the first half, petty plotting takes over unfortunately...
- the FL performance was underwhelming. mainly her passion & strongheadness. In her defense, she had a multilayed character as she would disguise as a man to play baduk. the gender disguise trope has been done in other historical dramas, and many people compared the starring difference in performance. I think the production did not help the FL in solidifying her character ( ratio of women vs man disguise scenes) and historical context to show the limitations of women in the social sphere that pushes her 'stronghead' character... in other scenes, we had to assume her passion for justice or her emotions as it was not clearly vehicled in her performance. i like this actress a lot, but ubfortunately it was a stark contrast with the main actor performance...
- many unecessary dialogue scenes between ministers that can be a little boring.
-LOVESTORY: if you were expecting a passionate love story, this will not fall under your expectations! while it wasn't a bad thing per say, just know the lovestory part starts as an intellectual love and soulful more than emotional as the main characters are portrayed as geniuses that expect the same from their ideal partner.
All in all, i think this show is worth STARTING for a great captivation of the ML, and the amazing lines/plots of baduk geniuses ( ML & FL) where they may be planning 2-3 steps ahead of everyone.
REWATCH value: since i watched it as it was airing, i'd often rewatch a few scenes from previous episodes because the writers carefully put clues & hints in trivial things which i enjoy a lot! it's stimulating!
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