O Rei: Monarca Eterno (2020)

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

I should have been more wary of this, considering that the screenwriter is Kim Eun Sook. She has done other projects such as Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, Descendants of the Sun, The Heirs and Secret Garden. I actively dislike three of those, haven't finished Mr. Sunshine but have no real opinion on it, and enjoy the ridiculousness of Descendents of the Sun, even if I think it's objectively bad. The link between them all is that there is a dramatic and intense central love story that usually has significance to the wider world and is somehow cosmically important. The scope is usually very grandiose. The actual characters are usually not very good, the plot is jumbled and inefficient, and the romance often feels contrived. I know it's not something that is determined by a screenwriter necessarily, but I rarely find the chemistry between the leads compelling. Some of that is the characterization.

The biggest issue for me is Lee Min Ho. I am not a big fan of his, I find his acting to be wooden, dull, and lacking in chemistry with his co-stars across the board. In fact, I don't know a single one of his projects that I enjoy. His comedy never works for me and when he is being an imperious king he is just so unlikeable. Not to mention that he doesn't pair well with Kim Go Eun, who (although not consistent) is a good actress. Him being the male lead and also the King, having him be unlikeable just sank the whole thing for me.

I don't remember a great deal about the plot, which I think is telling of the weakness of the whole thing. I know there's some crossing of worlds, and backstabbing plotting, and doppelgängers, but the whole thing just didn't really stick. I often feel this way with these dramas (Goblin was terrible for this) -- there is no good antagonist. Everything is BIG and WORLD-ENDING but the stakes just aren't there.

And god, how did this drama make swords not cool? All of his kingly stuff just pissed me off. The horse was completely ridiculous and the fact that they were actually fighting with swords was so stupid looking. I don't understand why they went with that western style of sword either, instead of just a modernization of a traditional Korean style? I may be way off in that criticism but I just thought it was weird. In gangster movies where the yakuza fights with swords it looks so cool, and here it really reminded me of those hallmark Christmas prince movies. Sad.

My two pieces of praise are for Kim Go Eun, who had some truly excellent scenes. She is one of the great Korean drama criers. Absolutely fantastic performance when she finally sees Lee Min Ho after being on the run, and she's covered in blood and hysterical. I love to see her full breakdown performances. She was also good in other aspects, overall I think she did her best with what she was given. Woo Do Hwan was also excellent. Great in the serious and comedic roles, and very hot. He should have been King.

Overall? A mess. But everyone will watch the next one like it that comes out, because we all keep hoping they'll live up to their promise.

Leia Mais

SIGH....This is laughable

This drama started out so strong to me. I'm like: Geez, how is the villain so savage? Then enters the main leads and everything started to go downhill.

I've read a bunch of reviews and I agree with most of them. I absolutely love rom-coms and I love them, even more, when there is a fantasy element. But how can you NOT nail any of these? I've watched a bunch of time-travel romances before and none of them has been this bad? Do they even have any chemistry?

Why don't they give us proper timelines? Sigh...I also don't think that would've helped to show how these two fell in love. Sigh...where is it? It's going to take me so long to finish cause I press the pause button as soon as the 'love' starts. Why is the FL crying so much? I'm so lost!!!!!! I don't get it!!! Can someone help me?

Maybe I'm just salty..but the story is just bad. The acting is too much from the leads. The music is good though!

EDIT
Okay, so I dropped the drama for a while and just started it again because I need to finish it no matter how bad it is. Man this is still a struggle for me to finish. What a huge ad campaign! Advertising really starting to grate on me now.

Leia Mais

Keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end !!

When I am saying this will keep you at the edge of your seat till the very end, I literally mean it.

This show is a complete package show.
From Acting,
Cinematography,
Casting,
Storytelling,
Story writing,
OSTs,
Direction everything is in sync and perfect.

Storyline :- Talking about the storyline it is very unique and extra ordinary. This drama is very convincing in a way that you may imagine that a parallel universe can actually exist.

One thing I like about this show is this one maintains balance between romance, mystery and suspense unlike other shows which mainly focuses on only romance.

Its a MUST WATCH show. Hands down.

PS :- If you are a fan of time travel you must not miss this masterpiece.

Leia Mais

Checked for the hype but did not reach my expectations

I was quite enthusiastic about this drama. I love the main cast specially the 2nd male lead. However I didn't like the main story. I didnt get hooked by it.

The idea of 2 dimension with 2 Korea is actually a very nice aspect ! I really love that part. I didn't like the rest. I think I am getting tired or unrealistic love story or cheesy love story.
I don't recommend it but I always think people should see by themselves!
I think people see big name and just get bias...
There were at the beginning very nice and mysterious part such as the ID card in the 2nd dimension ! But you kind of get bored of the whole thing.

But I love the 2nd male lead playing two character ! I watched a bit more thank to the 2nd male lead

Leia Mais