2
4
This review may contain spoilers
[ Alfred is a very relatable and well-developed character ]
This is one of those k-dramas that I would consider a romance "classic", but procrastinated on watching. I guess, in my head, over the years, I built up the idea that it was going to be a really angsty soap opera kind of conflicts and the the male lead was going to be some insufferable jerk based on the things I've heard and read. And while that's not entirely untrue, it actually wasn't that bad. I even kind of liked it. There is definitely some nostalgia factor at play here though as this is the kind of k-drama I use to watch with my family. I don't know if I would like this as much had I grown up in a more recent era. There were some cute moments and some frustrating ones, but overall, I thought it was good. Not great but a little better than ok. It was worth watching at least once.
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● REVIEW
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[ --LIKES-- ]
✔ the motives feel real and understandable. I may not agree, but I can understand why most characters are the way they are.
✔ Cute teddy bear scenery at the end of each episode.
✔ There are some cute, sweet, and funny moments throughout that helps build the relationship of the ML and FL. I like their relationship dynamic when they are just bickering, and ML is not being overly mean. There is a level of comfort they have with each other that I like.
✔ Although the ML is initially uncaring and can be sharp with his words, he does sometimes show subtle consideration/thoughtfulness for the FL, which is sweet. I wish that was more consistent though.
✔ My favorite character was Alfred. He didn't say or do much, but his presence was felt and contributed greatly to my enjoyment of this series. Life in the palace can be lonely so I'm glad the ML had a friend like Alfred.
[ --DISLIKES-- ]
✖ I don't think this series needed to be 24 episodes at about 1hr long each. I think the series length could have been cut in half. I'm even willing to let it push to 16 episodes, but 24 is too much. I think the pacing could have been better.
✖ To be honest, I wasn't feeling either of friend groups. Prince's friends are snobby. Princess' friends are over-the-top (minus glasses girl) but I guess at least they are friendly compared to the Prince's friends.
✖ Crowned Prince letting Hyorin kiss him. Regardless of how he feels or of his intentions, as someone who agreed to get married, he should turned away in that moment. Even if he has zero feelings for Chaekyung, he should still respect her as his wife (unless they agreed to an open relationship).
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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
The course of one's life can change pretty quickly. Sometimes we have a choice in the matter, and other times, it is beyond our control. Yul's father was originally next in line to be king, but he passed away in an unfortunate accident, so Shin's dad became king instead. Per royal regulations and the decree of the former king, Yul and his mother were exiled from the palace. With Shin's dad becoming king, Shin became the new crowned prince. Yul did not have a choice in his exile and Shin did not have choice in becoming crown prince. It was just the circumstances of the families they were born into. One was ripped away from the life and home he had always known at a young age and forced to move to another country, while the other was suddenly burdened with a lot more responsibility. Both had a life that was thrust upon them.
Then we have Hyorin and Chaekyung. Both were given a choice in how the course of their life would go, and both had to bear the consequence of their choice. Shin first asked Hyorin if she wanted to marry him so he could avoid marrying a total stranger. However, Hyorin made the choice to reject him, as she wanted to pursue her dream first. It's an understandable choice. They are young and marriage is not something most minors think about. No one wants to be trapped by the rules and customs of the palace life, as luxurious as it may seem from the outside. Hyorin made the choice to live her life freely, but she later comes to regret it. She was greedy and wanted both Shin and the freedom to follow her dream.
Chaekyung also had a choice in if she wanted to marry Shin. She initially opposed the idea of an arrange marriage. However, her family circumstance forced her to rethink the idea, and she reluctantly accepted. She made the choice to accept the marriage and she then had to face the consequence, which is a strict palace life and the responsibilities of being a princess. Both Chaekyung and Hyorin were unhappy due to their choices, but both also ultimately came to accept it.
All the characters mentioned above are about 19 in Korean age. This is about 17-18 internationally, but I would lean more towards 17. They are all still young. They all still have a lot of time to grow, develop, and mature. Right now, they are still kids, so I can understand a lot of their rationale, actions, and personalities. Even by the end of the series, they are just barely entering adulthood, so there is still much more development they are going to do as they progress in life. I'm basically saying all this to say that as frustrating as some of the main characters' actions are sometimes, I didn't find myself hating anyone. They all had a reason for being the way they were in addition to being young. If there were characters I didn't like, it was would be amongst the elders. The king also had moments that I didn't like, but he more just a mild annoyance. I think it was mostly just Yul's mom that was least likable to me. She was under the delusion that the royal family owed her something and she then pushed that delusion onto her son.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
I don't really have much to say about the cast or their acting. It didn't really leave any kind of impact on me as either good are bad. I'm also not really familiar with any of the cast. This is actually the first time I've seen most of them. A lot of their more recent works, I haven't seen yet at the time of writing this. I guess the acting in the series was about as I expected, especially for an older series. Very dramatic and soap opera-like.
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
I think the series has some nice soundtracks. Off the top of my head, I know "Perhaps Love", "Always", and "Give Me a Little Try" as being a few of the ones that I liked. There are also some decent instrumental tracks. I don't think any of instrumentals ones are playlist material for me, but I thought they were ok while I was listening to them throughout the series.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
While this series was good, it kind of barely passed into that threshold for me. I don't think this is something I would rewatch. If the story were more condensed and less draggy in some part, I maybe would have considered it. However, I feel like this had too many episodes and a lot of it is palace politics or Shin trying to figure himself out, which is not something I would be interested in seeing again. While the romance and fluffier moments were good, it's not enough to make me want to go back to see those scenes. I think this series was worth a one time watch, but not something I would want to see again by myself.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
Honestly, I think this was a series that could've had a proper sequel. I know there is "Goong S", but I don't really consider that a proper sequel as it isn't a continuation of this specific story. The main characters in this series were still pretty young and are still learning as they become adults. There is a lot of room for them to mature. I think it would've been cool to see a sequel to see them continue to learn about each other, marriage, and being a family as they try to live a more free life away from the palace life. Their story was only beginning. With that said, this was a good series. I liked it. Even though there were a lot of frustrations, I was only frustrated because I was on their side and was rooting for the characters to do better. The story also had some nice moments in between drama and angst. I just wish it was shorter, but I'm glad I watched it.
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● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
-------------------------------------------
● REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --LIKES-- ]
✔ the motives feel real and understandable. I may not agree, but I can understand why most characters are the way they are.
✔ Cute teddy bear scenery at the end of each episode.
✔ There are some cute, sweet, and funny moments throughout that helps build the relationship of the ML and FL. I like their relationship dynamic when they are just bickering, and ML is not being overly mean. There is a level of comfort they have with each other that I like.
✔ Although the ML is initially uncaring and can be sharp with his words, he does sometimes show subtle consideration/thoughtfulness for the FL, which is sweet. I wish that was more consistent though.
✔ My favorite character was Alfred. He didn't say or do much, but his presence was felt and contributed greatly to my enjoyment of this series. Life in the palace can be lonely so I'm glad the ML had a friend like Alfred.
[ --DISLIKES-- ]
✖ I don't think this series needed to be 24 episodes at about 1hr long each. I think the series length could have been cut in half. I'm even willing to let it push to 16 episodes, but 24 is too much. I think the pacing could have been better.
✖ To be honest, I wasn't feeling either of friend groups. Prince's friends are snobby. Princess' friends are over-the-top (minus glasses girl) but I guess at least they are friendly compared to the Prince's friends.
✖ Crowned Prince letting Hyorin kiss him. Regardless of how he feels or of his intentions, as someone who agreed to get married, he should turned away in that moment. Even if he has zero feelings for Chaekyung, he should still respect her as his wife (unless they agreed to an open relationship).
-------------------------------------------
● IN-DEPT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
The course of one's life can change pretty quickly. Sometimes we have a choice in the matter, and other times, it is beyond our control. Yul's father was originally next in line to be king, but he passed away in an unfortunate accident, so Shin's dad became king instead. Per royal regulations and the decree of the former king, Yul and his mother were exiled from the palace. With Shin's dad becoming king, Shin became the new crowned prince. Yul did not have a choice in his exile and Shin did not have choice in becoming crown prince. It was just the circumstances of the families they were born into. One was ripped away from the life and home he had always known at a young age and forced to move to another country, while the other was suddenly burdened with a lot more responsibility. Both had a life that was thrust upon them.
Then we have Hyorin and Chaekyung. Both were given a choice in how the course of their life would go, and both had to bear the consequence of their choice. Shin first asked Hyorin if she wanted to marry him so he could avoid marrying a total stranger. However, Hyorin made the choice to reject him, as she wanted to pursue her dream first. It's an understandable choice. They are young and marriage is not something most minors think about. No one wants to be trapped by the rules and customs of the palace life, as luxurious as it may seem from the outside. Hyorin made the choice to live her life freely, but she later comes to regret it. She was greedy and wanted both Shin and the freedom to follow her dream.
Chaekyung also had a choice in if she wanted to marry Shin. She initially opposed the idea of an arrange marriage. However, her family circumstance forced her to rethink the idea, and she reluctantly accepted. She made the choice to accept the marriage and she then had to face the consequence, which is a strict palace life and the responsibilities of being a princess. Both Chaekyung and Hyorin were unhappy due to their choices, but both also ultimately came to accept it.
All the characters mentioned above are about 19 in Korean age. This is about 17-18 internationally, but I would lean more towards 17. They are all still young. They all still have a lot of time to grow, develop, and mature. Right now, they are still kids, so I can understand a lot of their rationale, actions, and personalities. Even by the end of the series, they are just barely entering adulthood, so there is still much more development they are going to do as they progress in life. I'm basically saying all this to say that as frustrating as some of the main characters' actions are sometimes, I didn't find myself hating anyone. They all had a reason for being the way they were in addition to being young. If there were characters I didn't like, it was would be amongst the elders. The king also had moments that I didn't like, but he more just a mild annoyance. I think it was mostly just Yul's mom that was least likable to me. She was under the delusion that the royal family owed her something and she then pushed that delusion onto her son.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
I don't really have much to say about the cast or their acting. It didn't really leave any kind of impact on me as either good are bad. I'm also not really familiar with any of the cast. This is actually the first time I've seen most of them. A lot of their more recent works, I haven't seen yet at the time of writing this. I guess the acting in the series was about as I expected, especially for an older series. Very dramatic and soap opera-like.
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
I think the series has some nice soundtracks. Off the top of my head, I know "Perhaps Love", "Always", and "Give Me a Little Try" as being a few of the ones that I liked. There are also some decent instrumental tracks. I don't think any of instrumentals ones are playlist material for me, but I thought they were ok while I was listening to them throughout the series.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
While this series was good, it kind of barely passed into that threshold for me. I don't think this is something I would rewatch. If the story were more condensed and less draggy in some part, I maybe would have considered it. However, I feel like this had too many episodes and a lot of it is palace politics or Shin trying to figure himself out, which is not something I would be interested in seeing again. While the romance and fluffier moments were good, it's not enough to make me want to go back to see those scenes. I think this series was worth a one time watch, but not something I would want to see again by myself.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
Honestly, I think this was a series that could've had a proper sequel. I know there is "Goong S", but I don't really consider that a proper sequel as it isn't a continuation of this specific story. The main characters in this series were still pretty young and are still learning as they become adults. There is a lot of room for them to mature. I think it would've been cool to see a sequel to see them continue to learn about each other, marriage, and being a family as they try to live a more free life away from the palace life. Their story was only beginning. With that said, this was a good series. I liked it. Even though there were a lot of frustrations, I was only frustrated because I was on their side and was rooting for the characters to do better. The story also had some nice moments in between drama and angst. I just wish it was shorter, but I'm glad I watched it.
-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
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