Perfect Crown

So far, a fun watch

The first episode was slower. I try to watch the first two episodes before I drop. I’m glad I did!

This has been a fun ride so far. Full of tropes?
Yes.

But satisfying.

The character development is slower but that’s ok.

Makes me anticipate what is coming next!

The action had my toes curled in suspense.

The acting by both leads is believable and they have chemistry. Not the most ever on screen however there is a promise of more.

I will adjust my score as I watch episodes.

So far it is a pleasant watch, with just enough to pique interest ⭐️

Read More

A Good K-drama That Flipped the Narratives(fell flat at times)

I was extremely excited for the show ever since it was announced. The moment the first episode dropped, I just knew that I had to continue watching this. The cast is perfect but I was let down by how slow the story moved at times. I knew that there would be court politics and all that but honestly, I wasn't engaged with it. So the middle part of it was boring. It could have been more entertaining if there was more comedy because it's where the show shines the most.

One thing that I really liked about the story is how the second leads flipped the narrative. The Queen Mother was supposed to be a villain but she ended up a morally grey character which adds complexity but Jeongwoo was grating on my nerves the moment he appeared to show interest in Huiju and I was worried that they'd make him the good guy. Jeongwoo 's sole reason to destroy I-an was because he got Huiju. But he had every chance to make a move on her all these years. That just gave me the ick. But it is something that I really appreciate because the show was going in a very stereotypical direction until they flipped the narratives. I was glad to see a second female lead be complex and a second male lead be the bad guy because I never liked the stereotype of second female leads being villains and second male leads getting love for doing the bare minimum. Anyway, so I was really glad that Huiju exposed that sneaky prime minister.

However, I was not feeling the chemistry between Byun Woo-seok and IU tbh. I dont know if it was the actors or the character writing. The romance just fell flat at times. I was looking forward to the interactions with the palace staff, the aides, and Huiju's family more at certain points. MAN THE COURT LADY IS SO FUNNY! I was cackling when she brought Wan and Huiju a bed and kept calling Wan "Your Majesty." Guess some habits never change.

Although I complained a lot about the story moving slow, episodes 10=12 were actually really good. Byun Woo seok and IU are both excellent at playing powerful people (watch Byun Woo-seok in strong girl Namsoon and IU in Hotel Del Luna) so them being strong at a time where stakes felt especially high was AMAZING!!! Gong Seong-yeon deserves her flowers for her performance and captivating me in episodes 11 and 12. I loved the way everything came together although there were loopholes. Moreover, I dont know I feel about the abolishment because it makes sense but they could have left it at Wan gaining the throne because it is an alternate reality anyway. But not abolishing would mean that the same hierarchies would continue so it makes sense why they chose it. It just felt political but again I was skipping through court politics scenes unless Wan, Huiju, or the Queen Mother appeared.

Overall, it's a good show that flipped the narratives boldly but kind of fell flat on some of the execution.

Read More

Not worth the hype

The idea to re imagine the crown series characters or British monarchy in a korean setting is good , but so far the execution is a disappointment.

The hype is unreal for the following reasons:
1. Fans of IU and WooSeok
2. usual cliches of white truck, kissing scenes, male lead head over heels for an arrogant female lead.

I am not sure if WooSeok's acting is bad or the character is written such a way that it is a copy paste of 'Lovely Runner' SunJae. If you copy the scenes from LovelyRunner and place it here , you will not even understand the difference , it is that identical. Atleast in LovelyRunner , the actors looked different in different timelines. The effort they put to make these main characters to play their younger version is just 'bangs'.

Read More

Perfect Crown Is Perfectly...Fine

My personal rating system:

5.0= Average (aka "Not bad, but not good." IYKYK)

There's a Romcom Problem...and unfortunately, Perfect Crown doesn't escape it.

For a long time now, audiences have been complaining about the lack of squealing, heart-racing, butterfly-inducing content in modern romcoms. I am one of those audience participants.

Many issues have been identified, but if I talk about all of them this review would be longer than "War and Peace". So I'm going to talk about two: realism and the fear of “cringe”. Realism and the fear of cringe are the reasons why live-action Disney movies look so drab instead of vivid. Realism and the fear of cringe are why so many superhero flicks were dark and gritty until recently. Realism and the fear of cringe are why so many movies and TV shows (and arguably books) are predictable. It's negatively impacted almost every art medium and genre, but none as bad as the romance genre—particularly romcoms. That’s why so many of them, including Perfect Crown feel…lukewarm.

I've already mentioned this in a comment, but modern-day romcoms are trying too hard to stay grounded in reality. In doing so, much of the whimsical, epic, SWEEPING moments that became traits of the genre are either non-existent or feel muted. Perfect Crown's issue is the latter. It's a shame because I FEEL the director trying to create those moments for us, but I can also feel the screenwriter and whoever edited it practically chanting, "A realistic modern-day monarchy. A realistic modern-day monarchy. A REALISTIC MODERN-DAY MONARCHY." Why does it have to be so realistic when that's not what the genre's about? People watch romcoms to be swept up in a fantasy, but a lot of screenwriters and networks are forgetting that. They're too busy worrying about audiences finding their drama "cringe”, whether it's more profitable to make the leads red flags, green flags, or morally gray, and waiting to see what therapy terms people will incorrectly use to describe the relationship dynamics. It's obvious, and why Perfect Crown ultimately fails to stand out. I applaud it for trying to take us back to the romcom basics, but with two HUGE stars like IU and Byeon Woo Seok + an obscenely large budget, they needed to go wayyyyy BIGGER. This is a Cinderella love story (if Cinderella was already rich) at heart. And Cinderella’s a classic fairytale. We needed more whimsy, more drama, elaborate costumes, and ardent declarations of love! Not uneventful royal soirées with dresses that look straight off the rack at Nordstrom, baseball games where nothing cute or fun happens, and a Temu Titanic scene. People are calling the Temu Titanic scene cringe, but my problem was it being tame and lacking creativity. I’ve seen audiences forgive “cringe” in favor of novelty. If Prince I-an wanted to “fly”, Hui Ju should’ve taken him on a hot air balloon or something. Realistically, a yacht makes the most sense, but again, that’s the problem.

Yesterday I watched episode 7, and I literally turned to the person I was watching it with during Prince I-an's confession, and asked, “Was this drama prescribed alprazolam???" That was one of the most lackluster confession scenes I've ever seen in...anything. And it's because the drama's trying to do this whole "realistic, every-day" thing. Again, most people aren't looking for that vibe in a romcom with princes, princesses, and palaces. So stop holding back. Go all the way. Aim to give us a confession we’ll be quoting for months.

Now that I've finished talking about Perfect Crown's main issues, I want to get into the nitty gritty. I’ll start with the things I found lukewarm, then end on a positive note with the things that were good.


THE LUKEWARM

• PRINCE I-AN: I don't know how it's possible, but Byeon Wook Seok looks even prettier here than Lovely Runner. Seriously, what's his skin care routine??? The man's skin is supple. The man is glowing. He's doing the best he can with I-an, but the character simply is not dynamic or memorable. I love to write, so I've taken writing courses, and done a lot of studying on my own. If you want a character who feels 3-dimensional, you're supposed to be able to answer these 4 questions about them:

1. What does your character want?
2. What does your character need?
3. What drives your character?
4. What secret does your character have?

And why? (For all of them).

I know I-an wants Hui-ju, and the drama's done a good job showing us why. I also know he might want to rule, but why? Just because he's the overlooked second son? Sorry, but the drama hasn't shown I-an being particularly passionate about helping his subjects or wanting to further a certain cause. Does he want to get rid of homelessness? Save the dolphins? We know nothing. The only reason he forced his high school to make the archery field accessible to everyone was because of Hui-ju, not because he's passionate about inequality between the social classes.

I also don't know what he needs. Now I know some people will gleefully take this opportunity to nitpick or get trite with answers like, "He needs family!" or "He needs love!" Yeah...we all need those things as humans. What else? What does he specifically need?

What drives him?? Why does he even want the crown? It can't just be because he's been passed over for it in the past. That's lazy writing. What does he actually want to accomplish if he becomes the emperor?

Lastly, aside from the poorly kept secret of I-an and Hui Ju’s fake relationship, we found out another one this episode: I-an has the burnt remains of his brother's letter abdicating the throne, and passing it to him. Predictable, but a good secret nevertheless.

But yeah, at the end of the day, Prince I-an is an extremely forgettable character who feels incomplete. There's nothing engaging or nuanced about him. (And this is coming from someone who loves “nice/kind guys”, so it’s not because he isn’t a “bad boy”.)

• THE ANTAGONISTS: Yoon Yi-rang (aka the Empress Dowager) could've been an amazing antagonist. Instead she's one-note and underutilized. I couldn’t answer the 4 character questions above about her with a gun to my temple, much less the why’s. It would've been nice to see what she was doing in high school. Did she go to an academy like I-an and Hui Ju? Or did she go to a finishing school of sorts where the whole curriculum was being a good royal wife? It would've been so easy to humanize her by giving her this inner conflict of: my whole life was about supporting my husband, and now it's about supporting my son. What...do I want? The screenwriter could've even given her a cute/unique hobby she has to hide because it’s “un-empress-like”, but she can’t help but enjoy it. Nope. She's basically a cartoon villain who only cares about power via her son.

Yoon Yi-rang's father Yoon Seong Won is the other villain, and he's barely worth mentioning.

• THE PLOT: Yoboseyo?? Are you there? I didn't expect this drama to be plot-heavy because most romcoms aren't, but all the characters do is go to work, the palace, and get Subway. We need better palace intrigue (those who know me will laugh at that), political interference the Prime Minister has a hard time stopping, and more imaginative royal events and parties. The need for realism strikes again! Where's the creativity?

• THE WARDROBE/COSTUMES!!!!: Uh...for a drama about princes and princesses, and the uber rich, WHERE IS THE FASHION???? Is it hiding with the plot? Perfect Crown has had some of the most basic outfits I've ever seen! Every time the drama tried to do a big outfit reveal with Hui Ju, it was just a boring suit! LOLLLLLL. They expected my jaw to drop for a suit???? They weren’t even interesting. They were very regular. I know Hui Ju is a CEO, but she's already a rule-breaker, so let that actually translate to her sense of fashion in a meaningful way. And no, Hui Ju wearing a suit while everyone else is wearing evening gowns or hanboks doesn't count. A suit is still a suit at the end of the day, and an outfit known for being functional and practical doesn’t fit Hui Ju's personality even though the costume designer is trying to tell us it does. The whole drama exists because Hui Ju does outlandish, impractical things like enter into a fake marriage with a prince to raise her social standing. Her clothing choices don’t reflect that. Even her gowns and hanboks were lackluster. The peachy, tulle gown she wore in episode 6? Revolutionary! I’ve never seen that before. What an interesting choice for a bold character -_- Prince I-an’s black and gold royal uniform ate her up in that scene. In fact, his suits are often more interesting than Hui Ju’s when it comes to cut, styling, and color. If I had to give one character best dressed, it would be Yoon Yi-rang—which isn't same much, but her outfits are better than everyone else's.


THE GOOD

• SEONG HUI JU: She's a polarizing figure. People either love her or hate her—which means she's well-written. (Just because a character is universally liked, it doesn't mean they're well-written. People can wrap their head around that when it comes to male characters, but they’re still working on it with female characters). I happen to love Hui Ju. She's ambitious, intelligent, assertive, arrogant, resilient, and kind (she's kind, NOT nice. Kind and nice aren't the same thing. I will not be debating this. The only thing I'll say is kind people actually tend to rock the boat and piss people off in society, and nice people can often be people pleasers. Look up the difference). I can easily answer all 4 characters questions about her (that’s why I’m not going into them—because they’re easy and in your face). She's an engaging character, and IU's comedic chops are definitely not lost on me. Just wish Hui Ju had better fashion sense.

• THE CHEMISTRY: I didn't know if IU and Byeon Woo Seok were going to have any chemistry. This is something a lot of people were wondering about before the drama came out, and now that it has I think it’s safe to say they do. It's not the tense or explosive kind of chemistry, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't there. I'm not surprised because IU tends to have pretty good chemistry with most of her co-stars. She comes across as someone who’s chill and easy to get along with, and it's not hard for that kind of person to connect with others. I've only seen Byeon Woo Seok in Lovely Runner, but judging by people’s reactions to 20th Century Girl, he might have that same charm.

• THE ACTING: In addition to IU and Byeon Woo Seok's cute chemistry, the acting is what's keeping me watching. I love IU's little facial expressions, and comedic timing. And Byeon Woo Seok is doing a great job at acting smitten with her. Prince I-an’s eyes are full of fondness whenever he stares at Hui Ju. Their love story is sweet, and I want to see what happens with it. It's just a shame these two solid actors are wasted on such a mediocre script (I still can't believe it won MBC's Screenwriting Contest. This was really the most creative, impressive thing in the bunch???).

• TRYING TO GO BACK TO THE ROMCOM BASICS: There are a lot of things about Perfect Crown that could be better, but I do want to applaud it for TRYING to give us a whimsical fairytale romance. It’s trying to make us swoon and give us butterflies like the romcoms of old. There's no magic, time travel, serial killers, robots...etc. The focus is on I-an and Hui Ju’s relationship. A romcom in its purest form. But to be a solid one, Perfect Crown needed to let go of its fear of being cringe and unrealistic. Screenwriters nowadays seem to be scared of the words "romantic” (the irony), “sappy”, "outlandish" when they actually need to be leaning into those words to get the genre back on track. I mean, some viewers are already calling it cringe, so they might as well take it all the way and give us something unique and MEMORABLE.

We're more than halfway through the drama, so I don't expect much to change, but if it does I'd be happy to amend my comment. Perfect Crown had the opportunity to dust off the romcom crown and place it on its own head, but a failure to commit to the fairytale, and trying to make the story feel realistic and "accessible" only make it “fine” instead of great or amazing.

With that said, this is MDL so I know I have to leave a little disclaimer:

• I am allowed to have my own opinions. You don't have to agree with me and I don't have to agree with you.
• Constructive criticism is something that exists. Not liking every single thing about a drama is NOT hate.
• I'm open to respectful discussions, but not arguing. I have a job and other responsibilities. I will simply block you and you'll be talking to yourself in the comments (perhaps that’s what some of you want?).
• If things get too crazy, I'll nip everything in the bud and just disable the comments.

This is the longest review I've ever posted, and it's for an extremely popular drama. I’ve seen what some of you have done to others, so let’s keep it cute >.> I’ll be watching episode 8 later today.

Read More

Boring

This Drama is Soooo Boring,
Flashy Costumes, verrry pale, beautiful looking cast and some slow burning not very good chemistry, I wasted my time watching this Drama
first of all, there is no story to it.
He is Faithful to Throne, he has Many advantages instead can't protect his Grand princess.
booring
EXCEPT FOR THE STAR CAST AND BIG BUDGET THERES NOTHING TO SEE IN THIS DRAMA.

Read More

a thesis statement on everything wrong with 12 episode dramas

I was so excited about this drama and very much looking forward to it. So maybe because my expectations were so high, I was particularly disappointed in the things that kept this drama from being anything more than like a B rating for me. i enjoyed the costuming (though whoever put IU in those awful press ons...) the cinematography, The acting the ost, but I just think the writing fell flat. And I think a large part of it is partially due to the shorter length that k dramas have started to go towards on netflix and other international streamers. this just felt so shallowly written that I had a hard time really caring about anything that was going on but I have a hard time articulating how the writing could do better for everyone without a longer show length and more time to dig into the substantive reasons and explain people's motivations better. it's really a shame to see all of the pieces be there but the writing really disappoint the whole project.

Read More

The King who didn't like the kingdom

It was a great series. I watched it with great interest. Initially starting as a romantic comedy, the series later turned into a mystery. Events within the royal family became the focus. We saw those who wanted to kill the King and the Prince, the plans made against them, and the palace wars. It was very enjoyable. It was intriguing.In the end, those who attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince were punished as they deserved.The King's first act was to abolish the monarchy.

Finding such a subject and portraying it beautifully is a skill. Therefore, I congratulate the screenwriters and director. They portrayed it beautifully. I liked it. As I said, I didn't expect to see anything like this at the beginning. The acting was weak, the performances were poor. Only the visuals were emphasized. Later, when these mysterious palace conflicts began, the series improved and ended beautifully. I initially found the actors bland. But later, I got used to them. I embraced them. IU was an actress I liked. Her presence was enough. Byeon Woo Seok is a model-like boy. The filming focused especially on this aspect. He was prominent for his good looks. Steve Noh was very successful. He was the kind of actor you'd expect. In my opinion, Gong Seung Yeon was the star of this drama. She was the best actress. She acted very sincerely. She portrayed both good and evil very well. She conveyed the pain well. I really liked it. In my opinion, she gave an award-winning performance. Yoo So Bin was very successful. Well done. Lee Yeon was very successful. Well done. I also really liked Lee Jae Won. I recommend it to those who haven't seen it.

Read More

feels like stumbled at the finish line

Perfect Crown was already on my waiting list the moment the main cast got announced. IU + Byeon Woo Seok in a modern monarchy drama with contract marriage trope??? Oh I was SAT. SEATED. BUCKLED IN! Honestly, the biggest reason why I got interested was the setting itself. I’m such a sucker for modern monarchy dramas. There’s just something so addictive about seeing royal traditions, palace politics, luxury scandals, tailored coats, and generational trauma happening in modern society. Like yes please give me emotionally constipated royal people suffering beautifully inside expensive palaces. And this drama REALLY delivered on the vibes. Everyone looked insanely expensive. Even their emotional damage felt sponsored by luxury brands. Another thing that sold me was the contract marriage + high school crush trope. Was it cliché? Absolutely. Did I still eat it up every week? Also absolutely. Perfect Crown honestly does not reinvent the wheel. We got palace intrigue, tragic deaths, power struggles, one-sided love, hidden family drama, succession issues, emotionally unavailable parents, and enough trauma to destroy an entire royal bloodline. This drama looked at every makjang trope possible and said: “yeah put everything in there.” And somehow… it worked .

What truly carried this drama for me were the atmosphere, chemistry, performances, and emotional tension.
IU as Seong Hui Ju completely understood the assignment. She brought such fun romantic-comedy energy while still making Hui Ju feel emotionally layered underneath all the glamour and ambition. Hui Ju spent her entire life trying to prove herself because she was an illegitimate daughter. She built everything herself — money, business, reputation, influence — yet legitimacy was still the one thing she could never fully have. Honestly, girl was working like she had three LinkedIn accounts and generational trauma to overcome.
Meanwhile Byeon Woo Seok as Lee Ian spent the entire drama looking devastatingly handsome while silently carrying the emotional burden of an entire collapsing monarchy. I genuinely loved how restrained his acting was. Ian grew up being treated like a threat by his own father simply because his existence endangered the crown prince’s legitimacy. His royal title always felt hollow rather than powerful, like he was trapped inside a palace that never truly wanted him there. And somehow Byeon Woo Seok made all that sadness look gorgeous. That man could stare at a wall silently for 10 minutes and I would still call it cinema.

One thing I genuinely appreciated was the communication between Hui Ju and Ian. For a drama THIS dramatic, their relationship was surprisingly healthy. Misunderstandings didn’t drag for 15 episodes. They actually talked, solved problems quickly, and returned to being disgustingly in love again. Sometimes they weren’t even doing anything romantic — they were literally just standing next to each other breathing dramatically and I was already sold.

Hui Ju’s family dynamics were also really interesting. Her stepbrother initially felt like the typical legitimate heir rival, but later episodes showed he genuinely cared for her in his own way. Meanwhile Hui Ju’s father genuinely irritated me every time he appeared because that man raised his children inside an environment where love always felt conditional and political. No wonder everyone in this drama is emotionally unstable.

Now for Min Jeong U, the Prime Minister… On paper, he was technically the “better choice.” Status, influence, power, stability — he had everything. But Hui Ju still chose Ian because Ian understood her emotional loneliness in ways Jeong U never fully could. BUT STILL . Sir, you loved this woman since HIGH SCHOOL and still never confessed properly despite having endless opportunities. At some point that stopped becoming romance and started becoming a long-term government project.

And the Queen Mother… wow. Gong Seung Yeon absolutely embodied that role. She genuinely felt like someone psychologically trapped by palace life and her father’s obsession with making her queen at all costs. Her dynamic with Ian was also weirdly fascinating because I honestly think she became emotionally attached to him over time. Meanwhile Ian was just accidentally causing emotional collapse everywhere he went by standing there smiling softly while looking handsome!

Now here’s my biggest frustration with the drama; THE PLOT HOLES. I genuinely thought the drama was building toward some huge reveal about the late king possibly being illegitimate and Ian actually being the rightful heir all along. It would’ve explained SO much about the succession tension and the late king desperately wanting Ian to inherit the throne. BUT NO. The drama literally never explored that theory properly. Honestly, this drama being only 12 episodes should be considered a crime because there were way too many political conflicts and family storylines happening at once. This absolutely should’ve been 16 episodes. The pacing became insanely fast toward the end, and several plotlines felt unfinished.

Then suddenly…ABOLISHMENT. Like huh??? Is abolishing monarchy THAT easy??? That is literally an entire country system. The amount of political, constitutional, economic, and social restructuring needed for that would be INSANE. As far as I know, that’s literally one of the reasons why many European countries still maintain constitutional monarchy instead of abolishing it altogether. The transition itself would be unbelievably massive.
I KNOW this drama is fictional and fantasy-based, but my brain genuinely could not accept this level of elementary political writing . And episode 12 honestly became so messy because of it. You’re telling me the former king — someone established from the beginning as deeply beloved by the public — suddenly walks around outside after abolishment and NOBODY pays attention to him??? As if he’s just some random unemployed guy buying groceries??? That is literally unthinkable. Especially after the drama repeatedly showed how famous and beloved Ian was nationwide. Realistically, people would still recognize him instantly even without the title. And then the fact that Ian basically became jobless afterward… Oh that hurt me BADLY. From graceful grand prince carrying the emotional weight of an entire monarchy to pitiful house husband waiting for his busy CEO wife at home. Meanwhile Hui Ju goes back to being an ultra-busy Beauty Castle CEO while Ian just kinda… exists there looking pretty and unemployed. Like excuse me writer-nim what are we doing here??? I understand the intention was probably to symbolize freedom and normal life outside the monarchy, but the execution accidentally made Ian’s ending feel strangely humiliating compared to the grandeur and emotional buildup of his entire character journey. BUT STILL I also loved that Ian finally got to truly live as himself. Still, despite ALL my complaints, I cannot lie…I still enjoyed this drama a lot. I liked how most relationships healed by the end too… except for Prime Minister Jeong U because the drama literally left that man floating like an unfinished government document. Did he get jailed? Exposed? Exiled? We genuinely do not know. And lastly, the little king . My tiny cutie pie your majesty. I’m SO glad the drama never created conflict between him and Ian. Ian genuinely loved and protected him until the end, and honestly their relationship became one of the softest parts of the drama for me.

Overall, Perfect Crown is messy, rushed, dramatic, cliché, emotionally chaotic, and filled with enough palace trauma to emotionally bankrupt an entire kingdom. But despite all its flaws, the beautiful cinematography, modern monarchy setting, strong performances, romantic tension, insane family dynamics, and luxurious palace vibes still made this drama ridiculously entertaining every single week. Was the writing perfect? Absolutely not. Did I still get emotionally attached to these rich traumatized palace people anyway? Unfortunately… yes . 8/10.

Read More

It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't as good as it could've been

The cast was amazing, the production was great, and even the OST fit perfectly, but for me the drama fell short when it came to the story itself.

The biggest flaws?
The character arcs were flat, and the same goes for the relationships between the characters. The whole cast had such great chemistry, but the screenwriter and director failed to make proper use of it.

They missed the opportunity to make me feel engaged when I should have been. I really wanted to care about the characters and feel shocked at the right moments. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case.

We had SO MANY relationships that could've made this drama MUCH better if they had been properly developed. And then there were the villains. The Queen Mother and her father were kind of okay, but Jeongu's whole arc felt like a joke to me.

Pros
(+) Cast (top class! they did everything they could with the screenplay they were given)
(+) Production (noticeably very high quality)
(+) OST (the BGM really worked at times, enhancing the scenes and emotions)

Cons
(-) Flat character arcs (especially the Prime Minister, whose ending just made me feel sad for the actor who played him)
(-) Wasted potential of the whole AMAZING cast (they had a team of actors capable of handling much more complex and nuanced emotions, only for it to go unused)

It's a stretched 8/10 for me.

I enjoyed it, but I was also really angry while watching the final episode.
Yes, it was a romantic comedy, but I refuse to settle for that excuse. A good comedy should still have some depth to it.

Read More

Predictable - Typical Disney Vibe

Finished eps 9 - don't can continue to watch.

Ep 7 and still remains the cringy typical Disney stuff. I only continue to watch this because it's the only Kdrama on the weekend right now. IU looks just like Ariel. So cute and pretty. The story relies on her popularity, looks, and acting. But the story itself is not very interesting. I needed to lower my score because the actors dress funny (especially ML).
There's no chemistry between the leads. The second ML is better fit for her.
OMG -they recreated the Titanic scene - can it get cheesier than this???

First of all: Please don't attack me for my review. You can add your perfect 10 on YOUR review and say whatever you like. If you attack me, you will be blocked- I have no time for avid fans - this is just a drama. My review is a personal opinion. You should not attack other people's perspectives and tell them what to do on their reviews. If you like the actor/actress, DON'T read reviews that are less than 10! There's going to be contrary views. Really, don't waste your time being negative about some random people's opinion, especially, I am not even a professional movie critic.

I am a huge fan of Byeon Woo Seok in Lovely Runner. For me, it's the best Kdrama that I have watched. He and Kim Hye Yoon had the best chemistry there- the story was fresh and felt authentic. IU is also one of my favorites- she was amazing in a lot dramas.

This drama isn't like that kind of creative endeavor. There's no feeling to it. It's just a fun story to watch.
Lovely Runner is filmed like vintage movie, the colors and everything is very nostalgic and retro.
The comedic moments are authentic and so funny that you can't help but laugh all the way until the end.

Perfect Crown is a Disneyish drama- everything is filmed like that genre - the hero on horseback, with backlit dreamy vibe. The heroine is a cinderella with lots of drama.

Is this a good vehicle for Byeon Woo Seok? Yes- it emphasizes his looks. But I hope he'll get better roles than these disneyish roles.

Entertaining? Yes
Funny: Sometimes

It feels contrived? Comic strip vibe.
It's not like Business Proposal, which is really funny and romantic at the same time.

What to expect:
A lot of made up persona - not too realistic FL. ML looks handsome, HIGHLY romanticized. The entire feeling is disneyish. Is it a disney drama? It feels like it. I just looked it up - OMG, it is a disney story! Even without knowing, I could guess it :-)

I will change my rating if the story improves - so far, there's no other options so I am just watching it because there's no other good choice and it is entertaining.

Read More

Terrible

At first, my initial, shallow reaction was pure annoyance with the costumes, the sets, and the overall ugly aesthetic of the entire series (did you see IU's clothes, nails and her ROOM? my gosh..), even the boring emptless look in the prince's eyes. (This actually made me start to rewatch Lovely Runner so I could feel some warmth looking at him again). He seems so naive and fragile sometimes that is annoying. This is an absolutely terrible drama, with warped social views and incredibly superficial portrayals of humanity. The worst part, though, is how they keep trying to frame the prince as endlessly physically desirable while giving him zero intellectual depth at all, it’s just plain boring.

If you look close there are so many low quality copies from Crash Landing on You, I think they tried to portrait the same family mess with an illegimate daughter who is arrogant, rich, and strong woman, but they failed a lot on doing so, Yoon Se-ri has a unique personality and the drama is much more well written. For the lead man, I think they tried to follow the Lovely Runner script in so many levels, even the phrases, the scenes also badly copied and it looks like BWS is trying hard to make it look different, but honestly the writters and directors made terrible jobs.

I genuinely love IU and Byeon Woo-seok, but the writers and director are truly disappointing.
It feels like such a cheap production, as if they poured all their budget into casting these two leads and had nothing left to hire better behind-the-scenes professionals. I’m honestly even embarrassed for them. Coming right after Lovely Runner and When Life Gives You Tangerines, this show is honestly downright cringeworthy by comparison.

Read More