This review may contain spoilers
Love and Crown was a project I was genuinely excited for. I adore Allen Ren—his character choices and the types of stories he gravitates toward are usually ones I end up loving. And it’s been a while since I’ve really followed Peng Xiao Ran’s work, so her involvement added even more to my anticipation.
But the first episode completely threw me off. I know I shouldn’t have let the early news and reviews influence me, but they definitely colored my expectations. It felt strange starting in the “present” timeline, only to be abruptly taken to the past in episode two. I had to rewind several times just to figure out what happened. What exactly were the director or screenwriter trying to accomplish? Were they trying to build hype with the Goodbye My Princess parallels, only to jump back in time immediately after? It left me with so many questions, and I really wish the editing and story flow had been handled more smoothly.
Right now, I’m debating whether to put this series on hold or make it a slow, in-between watch while I catch up on other dramas. Honestly, I’m leaning toward the latter. I just really hope this series won’t disappoint the way many others have suggested. I don’t mind the comparisons to Goodbye My Princess—short series often share similar tropes anyway. What matters to me is seeing solid chemistry between the leads and a storyline that actually pulls me in.
This will be an ongoing review, current score is at 6/10
But the first episode completely threw me off. I know I shouldn’t have let the early news and reviews influence me, but they definitely colored my expectations. It felt strange starting in the “present” timeline, only to be abruptly taken to the past in episode two. I had to rewind several times just to figure out what happened. What exactly were the director or screenwriter trying to accomplish? Were they trying to build hype with the Goodbye My Princess parallels, only to jump back in time immediately after? It left me with so many questions, and I really wish the editing and story flow had been handled more smoothly.
Right now, I’m debating whether to put this series on hold or make it a slow, in-between watch while I catch up on other dramas. Honestly, I’m leaning toward the latter. I just really hope this series won’t disappoint the way many others have suggested. I don’t mind the comparisons to Goodbye My Princess—short series often share similar tropes anyway. What matters to me is seeing solid chemistry between the leads and a storyline that actually pulls me in.
This will be an ongoing review, current score is at 6/10
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