O Rei: Monarca Eterno (2020)

“And even if the door closes, open all the doors in the universe and return to me"

So I’m confused...why are we hating on this drama? I had to create a whole reddit post to ask people if I should watch this. Most people told me to save my time, but, against everyone’s better judgement, I went and watched it anyway. And I loved it? I’ve heard so many people say it’s a trainwreck, advertisement-saturated, no-charisma, rushed-romance, plot-holes-galore, confusing mess of a drama, but I must have missed something, because I didn’t really encounter any of those things when I was watching it. I may be a tad biased because Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun are some of my most favorite actors (Still can’t get over Goblin and Legend of the Blue Sea *sigh*) but I thought this drama was actually incredibly high quality. While I do admit that the romance could have been paced better, I understand that the author was just trying to allow for their affection to develop quicker for the sake of the plot. Because the main story was not about them falling in love; it was about their relationship across two separate worlds and their fight against a power hungry lunatic. It’s kind of hard to pull off that type of story unless the leads fall in love quicker than what we are used to. As for product placement, I honestly found it extremely entertaining. To be honest, I didn’t even really notice it at first until it dawned on me that usually kdramas blur out logos that they are not sponsored by. Nonetheless, I thought their chicken dates were absolutely adorable and helped move the plot forward rather than provide an unnecessary distraction from the main story. The charisma between the leads was off the charts, so I have no idea what y’all are talking about. This is one of my favorite kdrama couples ever, and I rarely give a 10 star rating to a drama, so color me impressed. I definitely hopped on that Woo Do Hwan bandwagon and loved him in every single scene that he was in. The man is a genius. To be honest, there’s so many things I want to say about this drama that made it amazing for me, but I just can’t put it into words. The character development was some of the best I had seen in a while. I expected the ending to be horrible judging by the reviews, but it was actually very easy to understand and accept. As I said in another review, science fiction dramas are bound to have some plot holes, and while I felt that there were some things that weren’t entirely explained to me, I’m content enough with the ending, and I don’t feel that the discrepancies actually matter as much as some people think they do. I thought the ending was absolutely perfect, and I appreciated how the drama spent the last 30 minutes tying up loose ends and showing us what happened after the leads finally reunited. Overall, if you don’t think too deeply about any of the science-fiction aspects of the drama, you have a wonderful drama on your hands. I loved every single character (Yes, even the Prime Minister. I thought she was freaking badass) and I definitely plan on rewatching this drama in the future because of the wonderful blend of romance, action, and science fiction that it had. Thank you, Kim Eun Sook, for blessing us with another incredible drama. I can’t wait to watch more of your works!

Leia Mais

absolutely worth it

At the heart of the story is Lee Gon, played with charismatic finesse by Lee Min-ho, a modern-day Korean emperor who discovers the existence of a parallel universe. The concept of parallel worlds isn't entirely new, but "The King: Eternal Monarch" manages to infuse it with fresh energy and intrigue. The show explores the consequences of altering one's fate and the butterfly effect that ripples through time and space.

One of the show's strongest elements is its meticulous world-building. The Kingdom of Corea, set in a parallel universe, is a visual spectacle. The attention to detail in creating a world that is both reminiscent of and distinct from our own is commendable. From the majestic palace to the modern cityscapes, each setting is crafted with precision, contributing to the immersive experience.

The chemistry between Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun, who plays detective Jung Tae-eul in the Republic of Korea, is palpable. Their love story unfolds against the backdrop of political conspiracies and power struggles, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative. The romance is beautifully interwoven with the larger plot, preventing it from becoming a mere distraction.

The show also boasts a stellar supporting cast, including Woo Do-hwan in a dual role as Jo Eun-seob and Jo Yeong. Woo's performance is a highlight, providing both comedic relief and emotional weight to the series. The dynamic between the characters, whether it's the camaraderie between the palace guards or the tense political alliances, adds layers to the storytelling.

While the series excels in many aspects, it is not without its flaws. The pacing, especially in the early episodes, may feel slow for some viewers. The intricate plot requires patience as it unfolds, and those seeking instant gratification might find it challenging to invest in the story initially. Definetly worth a watch!

Leia Mais

Unique 2020

I don't know why a lot of people criticizing this drama.
For ad?! After reading their reviews only I got, what they're telling ad's that it's used here. And those are not really relevant in the story line.
First of all I get a Hollywood style vibe from this Drama. It was actually perfect in it's every aspect. Acting, OST, Story, Production and Plot. It was really a unique story so far.
The OST are really good and especially, Gravity (I'm using this one as my caller tune) and Maze.
In Acting aspect I've seen a lot of reviews criticizing Lee Min-ho I don't get this why?! He's perfect for his role as both wise and spoiled King. Hats off to those are performing double roles. I was wondering how they choose the cast?!! Bcz each and everyone got perfect role and they did their best.
It's a drama for those who loves
Fantasy/ Sci-fi (parallel universe)
Thriller/Mistery
Melo/Romance
Smart ML and FL
Happy Ending (Most satisfying one, we can get 4
couples at the end)
Plz don't get swayed by the negative reviews it's really a good Drama. I've watched it about 5 time's.

Leia Mais

Top class drama

This drama used Korea's leading script writer. The production values are at cinema movie standard throughout. The monetary cost of some of the scenes is way beyond almost all other dramas. The plot is tangled and can be taken at different levels. Mathematics is a theme and Einstein's theories are referred to in the set up of the story and this is a clue to understanding the plot. Better educated audience members will appreciate this drama more fully than those who are not. But it doesn't matter, because the show has a strong fun element, frequently poking fun at itself, so if like me you are not strong on Einsteinian spacetime math, it is still enjoyable and you can get the gist. However, this is hardly your average k-drama TV. That is why it did less well when it aired than expected. It is too high order for the average TV audience.
The casting is perfect. Lee Min Ho's screen presence in every shot for the whole series is strong. The director used Minho's beautiful smooth deep voice like a sound track throughout. His voice becomes almost mesmerizing as it is seldom out of one's ears for long. This is a unique and unprecedented feature in a k-drama and it is a strong point giving a fairly subliminal aural continuity throughout the episodes. It was very soothing too. This drama is a truimphant showcase of Minho's acting talent and it is impossible to imagine any other Korean actor able to perform so naturally and commandingly and with that voice.
Goeun has a very difficult job. First she is Minho's love interest when as i have just said his brilliance is shining and any co-star is likely to look second-rate or worse against him. Goeun also has to play a tough cop at the same time as a girl Minho, a King, would fall for, plus she has to play a part in 2 timezones and a double of herself in both timezones. Most Korean actresses couldn't get near acting this part. She gets better with each episode. She deserves an award for her achievement. She is the emotional epicentre of the series and her diverse part compliments and off-sets Minho's needing to stay magisterial all the way through. Although, hilariously, Goeun knocks him of his perch quite a few times!
This is the most postmodern hybridized drama ever made. It is a historical, political, romance, melodrama, comedy, farce, action, pychological drama all at mixed up, sometimes doing two or even three genres simultaneously. For an audience that can see and appreciate this it is easily the best k-drama ever made. But also, the intelligence of the drama was its weakness and why it wasn't able to retain a wide audience despite the large sums spent on the hype and marketing before and after it started airing, and why it's not a drama that the average viewer is going to like, because its going to be over their head.

Leia Mais

This had so much potential, so where did it go wrong?

Let's start with the positive. The acting was superb and the cast was full of people who committed to their roles wonderfully. I enjoyed everyone's characters and journeys along the way. I do want to see LMH as a bloodthirsty villain now because I enjoyed him so much as a smart but unyielding ruler. If you're looking for plot (there was a little to much but we'll get to that later) this has that too. Smart and badass female lead, lovely relationships, and wonderful comedic moments also graced The Eternal Monarch. Watching this was very much delving into a fanciful world of time travel, plot twists, and star crossed (or in this case world crossed) romance. It was a fun ride that arrived at a satisfying destination.

Also, I will forever treasure my little ghost ship of Jo Young and Lee Gon. Okay, moving on.

So that brings this to where it went wrong. First of all, the editors should be fired, and the writers bonked well on the head. The plot was there and had so much potential, but somewhere along the way it got lost in the war between the romance and the plot twists. There was so much world and character building that there were simultaneously too much going on, and still a few loose ends to be tied up by the end. Secondly, the editing was all over the place. There were honestly moments where I was looking at the screen lost, my brain trying it's best to tie all the lost strings together. Not sure what happened there. The romance between the two main's was a little abrupt as well, but they had good chemistry so I didn't mind. Third, and very last, was all the BLATANT product placement. Not even Thai dramas are that bad. I understand the need for it, but it definitely could have been toned down to be a little less in your face. It interfered with moments and brought me out of the setting.

In the end though, it really isn't bad, and the acting is what kept me going until the very end. It's full of plot twists, worthy characters, and sweet relationships. All in all, give this a try and see for yourself. Not a masterpiece, but worth a watch.

Leia Mais

Underwhelming relative to all the hype

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 fantasy romance drama with 16, 70 minute episodes.

Lee Gon/Lee Ji-hun (Lee min-ho) is the King in a country called Corea that exists in a universe. parallel to the Republic of Korea. As an eight year old he witnessed the assassination of his father by his half uncle who also intended to kill Lee Gon. Jeong Tae-eul / Luna (Kim Go-eun) or her parallel counterpart saved Lee Gon from death and then disappeared. Since that time Emperror Lee Gon has been looking for his mysterious savior with the help of his friend and Captain of the Royal guard, Jo Yeong / Jo Eun-sup (Woo Do-hwa). Lee Gon’s uncle, Lee Lim / Lee Seong-jae (Lee Jung-Jin) killed the former king to obtain a flute that has magical powers including the ability to render the person who possesses it eternal. In fighting his Uncle, young Lee-Gon broke the flute in half with a sword and now has the other copy. Lee Lim opened the portal between the two universes and is reeking havoc along the way. Emperor Lee-Gon plans to put an end to his Uncle’s evil and close the portal between the two universes.

Spoiler***There was so much hype around this one in drama circles that I expected this to be one of the great ones. And, reading reviews, a lot of people really liked this but this is not my favorite role for Lee Min-Ho. I also did not see much chemistry between the two leads - they seemed more like two people that would be great friends. It was hard to see the transition from her more or less being annoyed with him to liking him then loving him. It may have been easier to see that transition if there was chemistry there but with the friend like aura I just wasn't getting it. Netflix also puts a particular spin on dramas that I am not as much a fan of - they Americanize things a bit and I actually started watching Asian dramas because I did not like a lot of what was going on in American dramas. What I mean by Americanize is there is this theme of over the top "strong, independent woman" who is just fine alone. I get that, I do, but I also think many people are overall happier when they are together with the right person.
Most single people I know and have observed are lonely on some level. I also could not get why he seemed so taken with her so quickly I know he thought she had some role in saving him when he was young but that wasn't enough to understand why he would be romantically interested in her. She was not very nice to him in the beginning so for someone with all the options he had to fall for her in particular, it was a hard leap to make. This was a parallel universe/time travel drama and I rarely find that premise compelling so it could be that I am a bit biased and have high expectations. I was often unsure which character from which parallel universe was speaking. That may have been partially my fault as I watched it very slowly as I was having a hard time staying interested. It moved back and forth and between a lot and was confusing at times. The ending where they travel every weekend together to different places and times and that is how they were together has to be one of my least favorite endings but is not uncommon with time travel. Not necessarily traveling together but it is common that they meet infrequently. I think, if anything, traveling every weekend to see the person you love would become tiresome. And you wonder about simple things like - what would they do if they had children. Would they become part of the every weekend travel?
There wasn't much to the plot either just his Uncle was a traitor who wanted to take over the throne and gain control of the magical flute for immortality. I would not re-watch this readily and would only recommend it to someone who is serious fans of either lead or who particularly like the time travel and/or parallel universe them.

Leia Mais

Don't understand the negative reviews

This was the second Kdrama I ever watched, after Crash Landing On You. Lee Gon was immediately my new image of a knight in shining armor.

The acting is top notch. I completely believed in Lee Min Ho as a king. It took me a lot longer to warm up to Tae Eul, but not because of Kim Go Eun's acting. Woo Do Hwan stole every scene he was in as Eun Sup and absolutely nailed playing his alter ego's polar opposite personality as well.

My method of judging the quality of a show's soundtrack is whether or not listening to it on its own recalls the emotions I felt while watching the drama. Most of the tracks in The King's OST definitely do that for me.

I will say that the story and pacing had some issues. There was a LOT going on at any one point, and it wasn't always clearly explained. However, I have now watched this drama all the way through twice now and on the second watch I realized that a lot of the things I thought were plot holes actually weren't. Without the constant speculation about the plot, character relationships, etc. that's usually going on in my head during my first viewing I picked up on a lot of things that I didn't notice the first time around. I think the writer tried to be a little bit too clever at times, but it wasn't incomprehensible at all. The plot does kind of start to collapse under its own weight towards the end, meaning some of the episodes feel a little slow and plodding as the characters try to sift through some of the various threads, but overall I felt the cast pulled it off.

Some have complained about the relationship between the main leads feeling off as far as how quickly it progressed, but that also gets more or less explained. Saying too much would be giving spoilers, but it's very in sync with the characters' personalities and the situation they find themselves in.

Product placement is another criticism I see a lot of people have, but maybe since I'm not in Korea and don't see most of the advertised brands in stores it doesn't usually bother me that much. As long as the "commercial" doesn't interrupt the narrative flow (which it doesn't with this show, imo) a lot of the time I don't even notice it.

It's a beautiful drama with great acting, a unique story and compelling soundtrack. It's not without its flaws, but those flaws don't ruin the whole thing. I will probably watch it for a third time in the near future. :-)

Leia Mais

Tried to be the next Goblin, but didn’t quite get there

I didn’t love this drama, but I didn’t hate it either. It’s 💯 worth the watch for LHM and KEG alone. Their chemistry was absolutely something special. LMH was charming as usual, and KEG is such a breath of fresh air. The characters were fresh and simple, which I enjoyed, especially a female lead that is fierce and can rescue herself (honestly the rescue scene stopped my heart). The music was beautiful (but too much like the Goblin OST to really be unique imo) but Gravity really did stick out. The Cinematography is gorgeous, and the costumes are really something Spectacular too, especially his. But the wonders really stop there. The plot line is kind of all over the place, which is mostly due to the parallel universe aspect of the show. Lots of storylines don’t really go anywhere, or feature useless characters that you end up forgetting. There is a large cast, but that’s mostly due to the fact that everyone is playing a dual role because of the parallel universe aspect. It gets confusing and that you sometimes don’t remember which universe or world they are supposed to be in right now, especially when it comes to switching around the worlds. The show tried a little too hard to be ingenious, and relied a little too much on the fantasy aspect, meanwhile all I wanted them to do was go back to the main love story. Which getting onto that was kind of rushed, on the female side anyway, but I mean it’s LMH so I get it. Lastly the product placement in this drama took me out of it a lot. I definitely felt at times but the actors were going to turn and wink to the camera they were selling some thing so hard.

Leia Mais

not sure why the rating is so high...

the drama is not all bad, it has good comedy scenes (especially with woo dohwan)
captivating story and beautiful set design & CG
you can tell they had a big budget
there is great chemistry between leads in the beginning, but it seemed ambiguous on taeuls side (not sure if her feelings), and romance seemed a little sudden
also it was annoying how taeul spent most of the show just crying

i also found certain things confusing such as the laws and family structure of the prince - it was hard to understand why lee gon reacted the way he did

joyeong and myeong nari were the best imo wish we more scenes of them

Leia Mais

THIS DRAMA IS ONE OF ITS KIND ... SO STOP WITH YOUR UNNECESSARY HATE!

I just don't really understand why this drama is getting so unnecessary hate?
You did not like it ? Then move on .
I am not saying that the drama itself is perfect .... there are flaws ... there are over the top advertisements put in the scenes ... a bit overrated production ...But here people are just demeaning it like anything !
I liked the concept with which it started ...a parallel universe and the monarchy system which made somewhat sense cause previously there were very few dramas with present day monarchy setting (ref Goong , Goong S , The Last Empress etc ). Many might even argue that the plot was somewhat like W ... so what ? Well for me it does not really matter cause it is watch worthy and the efforts of the cast , music production and the graphics was clearly praise worthy (In this context I just want to say I personally loved the ost maze it was sad at the same time beautiful ) .
Coming to the cast ... many are arguing that LMH is back with same acting style...guys just understand its his own way of portraying characters that makes him different from others ....he was great here and nailed his character too . The rest of the cast were great as well .
Now coming to my personal opinion I enjoyed it overall ... some of the dialogues were really great ! Don't pay heed to the negative reviews and give it a go ..... and finally be a judge for yourself if it was worth your time or not

Leia Mais

Not the best, not the worst

I'm on episode 11 so I can't yet review how I will like the ending of it but I feel like some people are giving this show too much credit and others not enough. If you want to watch it because it seems like a romance drama, don't. The romance starts off cute with potential but then they skip the whole dating and getting to know one another part and when she randomly blurts out I love you I literally said "What the hell?" out loud, it was that random and awkward. If you want to see a dramatic love story that will move you, this isn't it.

That being said, I think the overall story is actually somewhat interesting. Yes, it's a bit cheesy but as the show went on I got more into some of the characters and how they are linked to one another and the past. We all have different tastes in films, so some people hate this plot and think its awful but I think the storyline is actually pretty cool. Will I rewatch it again? No. I think it's a good show to binge real quick when you have nothing else to watch or are waiting for new seasons of your favorite shows to come out.

The actors were decent, the set was pretty. Not the best, not the worst.

Leia Mais

It's a Simple yet beautiful drama, Don't keep your hopes too high.

Lovely Drama...Also Most awaited. ??
The Storyline was refreshing and without any doubtful twists, it goes smoothly with rhythm and ended beautifully.
Oh...Lee Min Ho, If he is in the drama, it's definitely not a waste of time. His sweet yet strong character...Omg I loved it.
Kim Go Eun, She did really well in both roles. I admire her.
Woo Do hwan, No doubt He was the attention seeker of this drama. Act totally amazing, his both characters are so different and he did so well. Each and everyone was so good. They should have concentrated on OSTs a little bit more
You can't expect high level of twists and turns. Because it itself an interesting drama in its own way.
If you want to watch a drama that goes simply without any frustration.This one is So Good. ❤️❤️

Leia Mais