An european view
I am European, Italian, and I watch K-dramas in the original language, with subtitles.I certainly miss a lot about Korean culture - which nevertheless fascinates me - and in particular about ancient Korea. So my review will have many flaws. I didn't know the two actors before Captivating the king.
Indeed the actress seems a bit stiff but I think it depends on her character: even though she has become her lover, she cannot behave with too much confidence. Look at the reluctance of her gestures even after the first meeting, and how they change later, when she is now convinced of the king's sincere love and of her real intentions towards the Crown Prince. Of course the king has more freedom of maneuver. But, I repeat, I don't know of any other performances by the two actors.
The historical setting takes many liberties, but overall it draws quite clearly on the events of the second Manchu invasion of 1636 and King Hyojong of Joseon.
In short, overall I watched this series with interest - and I rewatched a few episodes back, to better grasp the different nuances, and it didn't seem so bad to me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not enough steam to last until the end
This drama starts off in a powerful way but by the middle of the 16 episodes, there is not enough meat to the story to sustain it until the end. The female lead's "revenge" story has nowhere to go because the audience already knows that the king is not the true villain of the story. Perhaps more importantly, the character lacks any real personality to make her scenes compelling to watch, much less make her romance with the delightfully complex male lead at all convincing.The king (male lead), on the other hand, has a true story to tell in this drama. His journey from Grand Prince to exile in Qing and back to Joseon and ultimately the throne is thrilling, and Jo Jung-suk plays him with so much pathos and intensity. The show could have ultimately benefited from minimizing the romance and female lead's role and focused on the king with a shorter number of episodes. Alternatively, a more interesting romance or more complex political storyline could have justified the full 16 episodes.
I was hoping for more from this beautifully produced show, hoping for a really satisfying, dramatic sageuk. There are some really great moments throughout, but by the end, I was fast-forwarding more than actually watching. I feel as though an 8 is really generous from me - but some of the performances (including the younger child actors) are really terrific and lift up the show. Something to check out for those who love period/historical dramas, but it is no masterpiece.
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"Captivating"
I joined this site to voice my opinion about this drama. I can not believe the bad reviews it is getting. Captivating the King is the number one kdrama of 2024. Note: I am cynical and critical and not easy to please. I also do not speak Korean, so I give up watching (reading) quickly. However, with this Kdrama, I could not wait for the next episode to come out. I sat in front of the TV with expectations every Saturday and Sunday. One weekend, I was out of the country in a small village in Africa, and I went on the bus and used precious minutes to watch the episodes. I have not been this interested in a drama since Alcamy of the Souls Part 1.I am also shocked that Queen of Tears is getting a rating of 8.9, and the male lead got Best Actor. For what crying? The best episodes of Queen of Tears were the last two. The others fell short. The emotional connection between the two did not come until the end—the last two episodes.
Captivating the King was, in one word, "Captivating". I only watch romance dramas, but Jo Jun-suk was so good it tempted me to watch him in the Hospital. Shin Se-kyung's performance was also spectacular. She exemplified humility as a woman of that day but was a mastermind. What a contrast to pull off innocence and intelligence. I also applaud or, shall I say, "bow" to the writers and the directors. In a romance, you must establish chemistry between the couple and the audience; this was done in the first episode. I also liked that they did not wait until the last five minutes to give you "meat" (a substantial interaction between the characters). They ensured that you had enjoyable substance throughout. The supporting cast was good. They not only one villain but two. The love of father and daughter, the sacrifice for King and country. It was a well put together and thought out.
My family can tell when I like a movie because I will watch it again as soon as it is over. I have watched this (read) 5 times already. I could go on and on, but I will stop here. For those who have not seen the movie, please do not listen to the bad reviews. Watch it for yourself. If you like "Something in the Rain," "Crash Landing on You," "Alchemy of the Souls," or "Business Proposals," you will love this.
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Laborieux
Scenario confus voire même pas crédible et bourré d incohérences. Dommage, l'idée de départ était intéressante mais ils ne se sont pas foulés à l'écriture du scénario.Grosse erreur de casting de l'actrice principale en plus, aucun carisme, joue mal. Elle se contente de rouler des yeux, bon, il faut dire à sa défense que son personnage est tout sauf crédible.
Bref, je suis arrivée au bout mais je regrette presque. Je l'aurais oublié dans les 5 minutes après la fin.
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Seduzir, manipular, reinar e pagar o preço de cada jogada
Um espião sedutor se infiltra no palácio para derrubar a realeza. Entre conspiração e romance, o coração se torna campo de batalha. Disfarces, promessas e alianças que mudam conforme o vento."No fim, todos estamos apenas usando uns aos outros"
Quando a lealdade vira moeda, a traição é só questão de tempo.
Vale conquistar o mundo se você perde a si mesmo?
Kang Hee-soo (Cho Jung-seok) – espião mestre da sedução e da manipulação
Kang Mong-woo / Min Jae-yi (Shin Se-kyung) – mulher com identidade secreta e sede de vingança
Príncipe Herdeiro Sajo Hyun (Lee Shin-young) – herdeiro inteligente, preso entre o trono e o amor
Rainha Yoon (Jang Young-nam) – estrategista implacável do poder no palácio
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Une histoire poignante d'amour et de pouvoir.
La toile de fond de l'histoire m'a rappelé celle de My Dearest, une véritable perle, avec l'exil forcé d'une partie de la population de Joseon otage dans l'empire chinois.Il est clair que nous ne sommes pas au niveau de My Dearest mais, pour autant, ce drama est plutôt captivant qui tourne autour du jeu de Go.
Les deux acteurs principaux sont très bons surtout le ML. Shin Se Kyung n'avait pas un rôle facile et elle s'en sort plutôt bien.
J'ai lu quelques critiques très négatives que je ne comprends pas vraiment.
Quand on voit comment le drama est très bien classé chez Netflix avec un fort taux de révisionnage.
Comme quoi les goûts et les couleurs...
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Gouverner Joseon comme une partir de baduk, jeu de Go...
je l’ai beaucoup aimé, justement à cause de cette vision biaisée de l’histoire à travers la mentalité de deux joueurs de go, qui vivent leur vie comme une partie de leur jeu préféré, avec la vie ou la mort en conclusion de chaque coup ! le drama n’aurait pas été aussi bon sans l’excellence de Cho Jeung Seok qui met suffisamment d’intensité dans son jeu pour que toutes ces manœuvres ne soient pas simplement une suite de silences ou d’incompréhension.J’ai lu ici et là qu’on reprochait le manque de communication qui aurait tout résolu plus rapidement, mais… D’abord dans ce cas pourquoi faire un drama ? Et ensuite nous voyons cela avec nos yeux de personnes communiquant à longueur de journée par tous les moyens possible ! Ce n’est pas le cas à la Cour royale de Joseon ! personnellement j’avais assez vite compris quel était le but réel du Roi, mais l’intérêt était de savoir comment il allait vaincre tous les obstacles qui l’en empêcheraient, comme la soif de pouvoir du Ministre de la Guerre ou de la Reine Douairière !
Le personnage du Roi, et des conseillers entrent très bien dans le schéma de ce qu’ils pouvaient être sous Joseon, avec les traditions, la culture confucianiste de cette époque Mais le personnage de Hee Soo, de par sa nature même, est moderne par sa volonté d’indépendance, et sa façon de contourner tous les rites sociaux qui la dérangent ! Nous sommes intuitivement de son côté, elle pense comme nous, et nous ne comprenons pas que le Roi ne la suive pas ! C’est pourquoi ce qui semble un prétexte scénaristique maladroit (le fameux manque de communication ! ) est en fait obligé si on se replace dans le contexte de l’histoire ! Le Roi pouvait-il favoriser ce gamin inconnu, accusé de trahison, alors qu’il vient d’accéder au trône et que sa position est tout sauf stable ? Il a toujours en tête la fin du match, son but ultime, et s’il faut sacrifier une pièce sur le plateau de baduk, il le fera… Oh comme ce n’est pas romantique !! mais comme c’est politique !
C’est pour ça que j’aime ce drama, et s’il y a un prétexte scénaristique c’est d’utiliser une fois de plus le coup de la fille qui se fait passer pour un garçon !! Quel drama génial cela aurait été que ce soit deux hommes jusqu’au bout… Ou que le Roi, découvrant que c’est une fille, découvre du même coup qu’elle ne l’intéresse pas du tout… Bon, malgré tout, la fin a évité le bain de sirop, au contraire, on reste dans le flou absolu sur la façon dont ils vont rester ensemble et surtout ne pas faire d’héritier, ce qui détruirait le but ultime de la partie entamée par Yi In !
Au total, je l’ai trouvé prenant de bout en bout, porté par Cho Jeung Seok, bien secondé par Shin Se Kyung qui devrait pourtant essayer parfois d’avoir un visage plus expressif !
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Me gusto mas de lo que lei en las criticas
Quiero reconocer que empece a ver la solo por Jo Jung Suk, ya que lo considero muy buen actor y realmente cumplió mis expectativas, su capacidad actoral es maravillosa. Se kKyung la habiía visto en otros dramas y me habia gustado, considero que ella no actuó mal para el papel que le toco hacer, de verdad.La historia esta muy bien contada, lo digo porque en general me pierdo con tantas complicaciones y maldades cuando se trata de las cortes de esa época. Y aquií lo entendí todo muy rápido.
Tampoco entiendo tanta critica a esta serie, pero hubo un momento en que me di cuenta, que el personaje de ella, de verdad es muy flojo. Si profundizamos a entender las motivaciones de su historia, no tienen mucho sentido, decía una cosa y hacia otra, no influencio en mucho, por eso su personaje no esta bien armado, no es culpa de la actriz. Y esta claro que uno empatiza mas cuando tenemos una líder fuerte, aqui no es el caso. aunque en el fondo era bastante lógico que las mujeres no tengan mucha opinión en esas épocas. También me di cuenta que el maquillaje de ella siempre era perfecto, rostro impecable para CAUTIVAR, eso también me pareció exagerado ya que esta disfrazada de hombre.
En general la disfrute, me trague todos los capítulos en pocos días. Y si no soportan las historias con injusticias, con malvados que siempre logran salvarse, no la vean.
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História bem montada
O melhor da trama é que ela mistura drama, ação, comédia e romance de forma equilibrada. A atuação Jo Jung Suk está fantástica, ele segura o perfil frio de rei enquanto transmite todo tipo de emoção com olhares e tom de voz.Demorei a ver o drama devido as críticas negativas e me arrependi, o drama não só me prendeu como me manteve focada nele até o final. Você imagina que o rei tem um plano, mas você não tem qualquer pista de qual é até acontecer, mas o melhor é que não te empurram uma solução genial quase mágica, é simples, racional, realista e lógica.
Já o romance entra com a parte leve da história, é fofo, as vezes dramático e as vezes engraçado, mas no geral é fofo já que ela se passa por homem e ele não entende o que sente, mas todo mundo no palácio entende.
Vale muito a pena assistir!
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Através de reviravoltas políticas, o príncipe herdeiro Lee In acaba se tornando rei como seu irmão temia, porém nunca confortável com a posição que ocupa ele passa os próximos anos de seu reinado tentando assegurar a promessa feita ao irmão no leito de morte de punir os traidores do reino e manter a sucessão do trono para o filho do antigo rei.
Pouco tempo antes de se tornar rei, Lee In acaba conhecendo um jogador de baduk e fica completamente fascinado. O jogador de baduk na verdade era Kang Hee Soo, filha de um dos secretários real. Ela se apaixona pelo Príncipe Lee In, porém através de uma reviravolta do destino, ela se torna uma espiã e se aproxima de King Lee In para se vingar.
Sinceramente foi um drama que eu assisti mais pelo ator Jo Jung Suk do que pela história em si. Apesar de ter me surpreendido pela coragem do roteiro de apresentar um King Lee In impiedoso com seus inimigos, pois geralmente os mocinhos são bons de mais para punir os vilões com a mesma proporção que são atacados, aqui isso não acontece e gostei. Porém, a história em si não é muito empolgante e a química com a atriz não foi convincente. O final também achei bem sem graça.
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I protagonisti della storia sono il Baduk, gioco di strategia molto popolare in Oriente in cui i due avversari collocano alternativamente pedine nere e bianche sulle intersezioni vuote di una scacchiera, detta goban, allo scopo di controllare una zona del goban maggiore di quella controllata dall’avversario e i sentimenti imprevisti, che cambiano più volte le carte in tavolo nella vita dei protagonisti.
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