AngiBorahae

First 6 episodes were pretty good. There is not too much political stuff, but more war and fight scenes so far, which I prefer. Having too much politics early on can become tedious without a thorough understanding of the characters.


The introduction of each character was well-made and I like the dynamic between the leads. Despite their initial adversarial relationship, they quickly formed a strong and endearing friendship. Also I’m glad that ML found out so early on that she is a woman. It’s cute how he tries to protect her in someway… even tho it always ends up with her protecting him XD

I absolutely love the FL! She is smart, strategic and displays leadership qualities. Even if she’s not the strongest while fighting, she’s nowhere a damsel in a distress, but always finds a way to help herself with her surroundings. I really, really hope it stays this way and they won’t dumb her down in the process…


As for the other characters, I like both protagonists and antagonists so far. But in terms of acting, the more seasoned actors, especially the elderly ones, have made a stronger impact so far.

Also I’ve never seen the ML actor before, but I’m not sure if it’s his acting or his dubbing voice, which kinda falls flat for me sometimes. 
Especially in emotional scenes, I can’t take him serious. When he was crying at Chunniang’s memorial, it was so weird, like a comedic crying, his facial expression and the voice… I just couldn’t take it serious at all.

He lacks ML actor qualities for me… but maybe he changes my opinion later, because it’s too early to judge for now.

While I'm uncertain about the filming date of this drama, there's a sense of it feeling somewhat "outdated." This sentiment is especially noticeable in cinematography, music, and dubbing. Especially the dubbing made it hard for me to get into it, but I got used to it after some time.

But all in all a decent start and I'm looking forward to next episodes :)

I enjoyed this drama overall, but I believe it suffered from an attempt to blend too many genres, ultimately leaving each one lacking. The inclusion of drama/life, thriller, romance, comedy and sports elements. None of these genres managed to stand out for me.

The thriller/murder/investigation storyline, in my opinion, fell flat and anti-climatic. Romance also came too short. I can’t believe Doo Shik also missed the last match and village people mosst of it. Don’t know what this dumb writing was for. Maybe to show that he’s capable without any support or Doo Shik around… anyway, I was disappointed in that scene. The ssireum match rather felt like a cringe Hollywood ending.

Furthermore, the romance seemed kind of one-sided, with Baek Doo pursuing while Du Shik appeared indifferent and at times even childish in her behavior of being ignorant to his feelings. She ignored his messages, left him dangling a lot of time. Her lack of initiative in their relationship was disappointing imo. 

I still liked the leads very much, but I wished for more balance and Du Shik to be more active. He even had to squeeze a confession out of her…



And we surely also can’t call this a sports drama.
I actually expected more sports, which was maybe my fault to begin with as its not in the main genres, but there sure is a trend to squeeze a thriller case in rom-coms these days.



I believe the drama would have been more compelling without the murder/thriller genre, allowing drama, sports, and romance to take center stage.


What I liked the most, was the friendship between all the childhood friends, even tho it developed just in the last few episodes. I would've loved to see more of them :)

Ep 5 and 6 were soooo good! The action scenes are on another level :D
Can't wait for next week. Jeong Jin Man! Jeong Jin Man! Jeong Jin Man!

I wonder if it's really romance or FL's ambition to marry rich 😅 Let's see~~ I'm down for both 😊

I'm soooo excited! I'm actually not into this kind of plot or business dramas, but I miss Jae Wook's acting so much. He just has a way of delivering his lines and performance. It's been so long since AOS... and Death's Game was great, but I can't wait to see him as a ML again.

I haven't seen much of Lee Jun Young, but I liked his acting in Mask Girl. Just worried about the lead lady's acting, but there are good rookie actors out there. So I'm hopeful :)

Also the trailer looked good so far :D I hope we get bromance, because according to the synopsis and trailer they are on the same side 😊 Even tho I do love romance dramas, I don't care if there will be romance in it or not. Just hope it won't be annoying and bring the overall plot down.

It's funny how the Japanese and Taiwanese adaption have the same rating of 6.6 lol

Parfait Tic was one of my faves manga, when I was younger. The love triangle was really well-made in the manga. It's sad that there is no good live-action adaption out there. I didn't watch this one, but according to the comments, it's not good.
I'm wondering if I would still like the manga, If I read it now 15 years later as an adult 😅

I agree, she looks too feminine. Not just her appearance, but also her mannerism. They could've at least not put obvious makeup on her. But well, I'm willing to overlook it, considering the overall excellence of everything else presented so far.

Yes, but this is a series with 16 episodes each 70 minutes long. That makes 4 eps just 25% of the whole drama. So it was just the beginning and a lot happened in these episodes, so I'm not sure what people expect if they say it's not true to its title yet 😅

Of course the focus had to be how he ascended the throne, so the title of this drama could actually work. There was no King to be captivated yet. 😂

What do you expect with just 4 episodes tho? I think the writing was really good and well-paced so far and it seems the first four episodes have been the prolog of the main story.
Also he just started to be the King... so before there was no King to captivate anyway :P

I doubt he's easily corrupted or a villain. Yes, he made questionable decisions, but I believe he ascended the throne with the aim of uncovering his brother's murderer and ensuring that the Royal Prince rightfully ascends to the throne when he reaches the appropriate age.

He was killed.

Ah good to know! Thank you for roughly explaining the timelines and history insides! :)

He didn't sentence them to death tho. He sentenced them to be flogged 100 times and 3 years of hard labor. I think he actually wanted to spare/save their lives with that instead of sentencing them to death. It had to look like serious punishment, so he will be seen as a strong and wise ruler. Unfortunately her friend died due to the injuries of her torture on the way.

So even if the King had any intention to save them or be lenient with them... it will be futile as her good friend died and it's mostly due to his betrayal.

I'm on ep 11 now... oh man, why do I prefer her with Ding Ye? 🙈 He matches her chaotic energy and challenges her. I love how they seem to be on the same wave length and have similar interests. Their scenes are so fun to watch and they have interesting conversations :D

I feel the same way, especially during the scene where he and Ying Zi reunite after 12 years. While she was at the top of her acting-game, he appeared emotionless and indifferent. I know his character is supposed to be somebit aloof, but I was hoping to catch a glimpse of some hidden emotion on his face. But it was rather flat and stiff...

I believe the storytelling in this drama would be so much better if they presented the past before delving into the present. The constant back-and-forth approach is rather frustrating and is disrupting the overall mood for me. Including the flashbacks in the present into other timelines.

While I understand the intention to create a sense of mystery and keep it entertaining, the constant shifts make it hard for me to invest emotions. I find it difficult to immerse myself when the story keeps changing the timeline...

I'm also sorry. I didn't know they changed some script, but still it's a spoiler regardless. I was just really fed up, because novel readers have often spoiled stuff for me. I'm sorry, If I sounded too harsh! You put it in spoiler now, so it's safe for future viewers 💛

Wow... thank you for spoiling everything and ruining my anticipation. I absolutely hate how inconsiderate some novel readers are. There is a spoiler tag for a reason!!!

I haven't seen "My Dearest," but based on the synopsis, it seems that both stories are set around the same time. So, yes :) I suppose the timeline here is just before the Qing invasion, while "My Dearest" is situated in the midst of it.