O Rei: Monarca Eterno (2020)

Where do I begin...

I have been anticipating this drama since it's announcement, and even more after watching Goblin, my first Kim Eun Sook drama, and The Legend of the Blue Sea, my first Lee Min Ho drama. Waiting months and months for this drama, I can say that I was not disappointed. I got excited every time something related to The King was released before the premier. When the teaser came out, I was so excited that a drama I have waited months for was almost premiering. When the drama premiered, I skipped one of my classes just to watch it, and I do not regret that! I watched the first episode twice because I was so excited and happy. I was not disappointed at all.

Romance fantasy is no doubt my favorite drama genre. With a historical touch, The King is definitely a memorable and amazing drama to me. I already loved Kim Eun Sook's writing style, but after watching The King, I ended up loving it even more.

Now, the things I loved about this drama:

Plot:
Despite it not being exactly like the original synopsis, I loved the plot of this drama. A parallel universe is already a complicated topic to master, and adding time travel to it no doubt made it more hard. Despite this, I think Kim Eun Sook does an excellent job tackling both subjects in one drama. I also surprisingly liked the flow of the drama. I didn't mind the slow movement of the plot at first since I think it connects perfectly well to the story. The reason the first few episodes are slow might be because it represents the story, how everything slowly unfolds. The first few episodes are the the stepping stones to the drama. Things start progressing faster as Lee Gon realizes more and more. If Lee Lim and Lee Gon's first interaction was before half way point, I believe I would find it a bit rushed. Personally, I rather have a slow half then a rushed half.

Romance:
For me, the romance was not rushed. I think the romance worked really well. Both Gon and Tae Eul are from different worlds, two worlds where time flows differently between them. I think the romance was built up perfectly and I loved how time played a big part in their romance as well. I felt their connection and how much they cared for each other. I didn't mind each emotional reunion, since it came after not seeing each other for a long time, since, as I mentioned, time flows differently between the two worlds.

Characters:
Every character was so interesting and the actors did such an amazing job portraying them. I loved how many actors portrayed different characters from both worlds. Lee Min Ho's portrayal as a king was done so well, and Kim Go Eun's portrayal as a fierce police officer was perfect as well. As many could agree, Jo Yeong and Jo Eun Seop definitely stole just about every scene they were in. Both Yeong and Eun Seop were amazing characters that I thank Kim Eun Sook so much for creating. If Woo Doo Hwan doesn't win best supporting actor then I don't know who will! I loved Yeong's bromance with Lee Gon, and every Yeong and Eun Seop interaction was priceless. Another character I want to talk about is Kim Yong Ji's characters, Myung Na Ri and Myung Seung Ah. Despite only being supporting characters, I loved every scene both Na Ri and Seung Ah appeared in, and even wish they appeared more. Kim Yong Ji's and Woo Do Hwan chemistry was amazing, I need to see these two as leads in their own drama!

Other:
The cinematography was flawless. Every episode was filled with beautiful scenes that I could not take my eyes off. I also loved the references to her previous drama's, such as Goblin and Mr. Sunshine.

Final thoughts:
The biggest key to this drama is the details. There are details hidden in every episode, which I love so much. You're not stupid if you don't get the details, it's perfectly fine if you didn't. This is why I wouldn't recommend this drama if you can't pay attention. If you watch to kill time, but don't want to pay close attention, then this drama might not be for you. So much stuff happens that it will be hard to keep track if you don't focus. That being said, I do think anyone interested in watching should definitely give it a try. I also recommend watching a few episodes a day or at least one a day. Since there are so many details to absorb, I think watching at once is the best option.

I wouldn't change the cast. I wouldn't change the script. I would add more time per episode or more episodes though. Although Kim Eun Sook managed with 16 episodes and keeping just about the same, 72 minute time. I believe more time would have made it better. I am really thankful to Kim Eun Sook for creating another masterpiece. I hope she continues to write amazing drama's in the future. Truly, in my opinion, the best Korean drama screenwriter.

No doubt my favorite drama of this year, and one of my favorite drama's of all time.

Leia Mais

The story evolves as the show goes on, nothing is as straight forward as it seems. It is very satisfying to see story plots and ideas shown in the early episodes come to fruition in the later episodes. Everything comes full circle, things that may have been dismissed in previous episodes as not that important comes to be important in later episodes.

The acting by every single person in this show is amazing. From Goblin we already know that Kim Go Eun is a fantastic actress but she is absolutely brilliant as Jeong Tae Eul in King.

As Lee Min Ho's come back drama after being in the military, this was a great show to showcase his acting skills, in the heartbreaking moments, you cry with him and in the more light-hearted scenes you laugh and just want nothing but happiness for his character Lee Gon.

Woo Do Hwan as both Jo Yeong and Jo Eun Sop, was amazing, before this, I had only seen him in The Great Seducer, in which he was amazing but he truly shines in the double role here. Absolutely deserves all the praise he is getting and I am now going to look into more of his dramas.

Leia Mais

The King: Eternal Monarch was everything I could ever hope for in a drama. *chef's kiss* A masterpiece. I wish I could rewatch it again for the first time

Honestly if I had to recommend a kdrama for someone who had never watched one before, this would be it. A high budget, well-casted, well-written, exciting show that keeps you on the edge of your seat eager for more. It’s too good, too good!!

The romance was top tier. I'm aware it's been a topic of controversialness, but for me - Jung Tae Eul x Lee Gon are one of my new favourite couples. Especially the scene at the end of Ep 11. Had me on the edge of my seat!! That scene >>> any boring love scene ever made

Their dynamic was just so fun. A post to summarize (courtesy of @lavenderbyun):


Tae Eul: take your clothes off

Lee Gon: *undoes 1 button*

Tae Eul: I DIDN’T SAY STRIP YOU IGNORANT SLUT


Lmaoooo, they give me life ♡

And Lee Gon! My man. We love (1) romantic, skilled, handsome science nerd. Someone who travels across time and space for his love, asdfghjkl; A king worth stanning.

One of the highlights in the beginning? When we're in the Kingdom of Corea and people were just shocked cause no one is allowed to touch the king but he lets Tae Eul touch him HAHAHAHA

Considering his well-known 'I don’t like being touched by people', he is certainly shouting out loud here to everybody around him 'I'm crazy about this woman and I just want to touch her all the time!!!!'

I loved all the characters in this drama. Especially Jo Young & Eun Sup, their scenes were always a highlight. Woo Do Hwan has the range, give him all the awards

And his bromance with Lee Gon!! Love them sm

I will admit my brain started to hurt with all that time travel, multiple universes and that place where time doesn't flow. It is a lot to get your head around but just don't think about it too hard is my advice lol

Otherwise, this drama deserves all the praise. I could rave about it forever, please give it a shot!

Leia Mais

Amazing

What an amazing drama. Honestly, what can I say that's bad about it? Nothing. It was completely new and like nothing I've seen before. It was really different and fantastastical. It had romance, humour, fight scenes, and fantasy elements. All in all, it was just a really great drama. I loved it a lot and the ending was perfect and made sure everyone got their happy ending. I would for sure rewatch it and recommend it to anyone. Don't let the bad reviews get to you and stop you from watching because we all have different tastes and to those who are up for trying it out, I would definitely back you up! Good luck and enjoy.

Leia Mais

Do You Want Some Cheese With Your Chicken?

Don't be confused. This is not a 7 first kisses sequel, it was not supposed to be an advertisement drama special..

the moment the production decided to add more lines for the product placement than the plot/character development was the moment they threw away the viewers worth.
honestly I don't think I've ever seen a drama so bluntly advertise their sponsored products this much. "I've never found this fried chicken outside of korea", "this makes my skin moist", "this boosts your stamina", "this mask is a best seller" and blah blah blah ;/ if anything they made me want to buy those products even less.

one of their biggest problem was how they show you an event like ep11's over dramatic ending and then the next ep they start from a pre setup and repeat everything again and get to the point only halfway through the ep. (that's not how cliffhangers work)

the lines were so cheesy and cringe worthy it was embarrassing, and the acting from the 2 mains was mediocre and the only reason it was acceptable was becasue everything else sucked.
the romance lacked substance and it was too rushed that it made it seem like taeul only loved yigon's money. they had zero on screen chemistry and no amount of neck kisses (which was just 1) could save their so called love.
speaking of kisses, they start with the cliche open eyed fish kiss, gave 1 neck kiss and went back to "covering their face with a hand or something" so it looks like they're kissing but it was obvious they were not ;D and I don't personally care for kissing scenes since they don't add to the romance but enhance it, and so if the actors feel uncomfortable having more than 1 kiss they shouldn't be forced into it.

the plot was a literal zero. an empty flashy mess of a story. nothing was consistent, nothing made sense and nothing was explained.
this is what happens when the writer gets a deal to make their drama after only writing the 1st couple of eps, it was obvious she only had the start idea and the end (which was a total cheap move full of fan service) so she was lost most of the time.

now the directors all take the other part of the blame. the switching between the 2 worlds was so bad that no one could tell which world they were in until someone's name was mentioned ;/
the audios were always such a mess, the chewing were too loud and every sound felt artificial, like ep11's footsteps. it felt like a zombie apocalypse..

they had so many side plots and characters unrelated to the main plot that it was hard to know who was who and what purpose they held, but worse part was that nothing was explained and thus they were just fillers..
everything big and flashy uncle evil seemed to work towards was pointless. he looked scary and evil but was caught in 1second, they talked big of time stopping but it never became an issue..

so to sum it up we had 1 ep of plot, 14 eps of fillers and angst and 30min of resolution followed by 55min of fan service~
as if the 2 worlds was not confusing enough they had to add time traveling, but alas how else would they have had saved their empty black hole mess of a plot?

Jo Young / Jo Eun Sub and Myung Na Ri / Myung Seung Ah were the highlight of the show for me, both as actors and as characters so I'm incredibly disappointed by the wasted potential. they could've had 2 more couples in this and increased the level of uwu but anyway, the Jos and the Myungs had better chemistry and more believable love lines and though I was happy with their end, I was again disappointed that they didn't really show them together much...

young was such a cold, professional no nonsense kind of a guy but his social life (shown only as laptop sticker -I wonder whose idea was that) and his interactions with both eunsub and their puppy twins showed how much more of a sweet warmhearted person he was. I wish this drama was about him ;(
https://mydramalist.com/35039-the-king-the-eternal-monarch#comment-3574531
eunsub was laid back, easy and friendly that people (ie the 2 mains) took advantage of and forgot several times, but his interactions with young was beautiful, they were the only 2 sane unselfish people (beside the Myungs). and in the end I loved his growth to a solid reliable man~
also since I don't want to share spoilers here I'll link my comment https://mydramalist.com/35039-the-king-the-eternal-monarch#comment-3565969

the music was a repeat/ripoff of goblin and they did nothing to add to the already non existent mood, and I didn't even want to watch this the 1st time let alone rewatching it (though I have rewatched WDH's scenes alot)

Leia Mais

One of the best Fantasy K-Dramas: A Reassurance

This was my second ever kdrama; it pulled me into the world of dramas, and I've been hooked since then.
Do not listen to the mixed reviews; take it from someone who has seen a ton of fantasy dramas (around 45); this is one of the best.

This isn't a review of sorts; I don't remember the scenes well enough to do so.
But I recall the stellar acting and plot. You'll love it if you appreciate fantasy, romance, mystery, drama, and a sci-fi parallel worlds scenario. Give this drama some time; don't drop it after the first two episodes.

(I was obsessed after the first episode, but I know how different people can be; if you have any second thoughts, take my word and watch it.)

Leia Mais

A underrated gem! Best kdrama of 2020!

UNDERRATED AND A GEM!! Okay I am gonna be honest, this was my favorite kdrama that came out in the crazy year of 2020. The story was original, beautiful and ahhhhh swoon worthy. I am a sucker for destiny and fate-like stories, and this one is one of my very top favorite kdramas. Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho are both two of my favorite actors! The characters Jeong Tae Eul and Lee Gon had amazing chemistry and growth as a couple. The two different worlds of Korea was so interesting and captivating, of course the queen kdrama writer Kim Eun Sook wrote this one so I knew it was going to be fantastic. Woo Do Hwan did a incredible job with his two characters, he is a wonderful actor and hilarious, his duality was amazing. I loved how this drama showcased a love story that had no confusing breakups or unnecessary drama. It always was right up to the main point of the story and the fight for Tae Eul and Lee Gon to be together. I laughed and cried and fell in love every episode in this drama! Visuals were stunning, OST was perfect, acting amazing, plot incredible! And of course I love happy endings SO please do yourself a favor and watch this amazing drama!

Leia Mais

First of all this tv series is not for everyone. It tackles parallel universe and time travel and that in itself can get confusing more so if you're the type of viewer that doesn't really focus on watching or you like to do other things while viewing.
I personally like this series mind you I had low expectations because of the reviews that I have read however I watched episode 1 to 9 from morning to night and I was surprise that it got me hooked. I finished the whole series in 2 days and I was on edge the whole time because I just couldn't predict what would happen or how the character would react to difficult moments.

If you want to watch this because of the romantic LMH that you have seen in other series don't expect that here. There are some very romantic scenes but not a lot. Its not your typical romcom. I like the way he expresses love here though it's more realistic lets say compared to his character in The Heirs or BOF. When I watched those shows I always say no such guy exists.
Main comment is Its a complicated tv series even the flow of the scene is not typical. It starts one scene and very subtly ends that scene and you will think that was it. However in the next episode it will show an in-depth view of the scene. This is where I would say a lot of people think it was messy. For me doing it that way gave me that "ahhh" or "gotcha" moment while watching the next ep. Had the director and writer done it the usual way of doing the whole scene in and then a cliffhanger could have change the viewers perception. I like the way they did it but its not everyone's cup of tea. Reminds me of the movie Inception wherein there were so many layers to the scene.

What I like about it was almost every episode there is a "twists" and that got me. Acting was superb, I think they all did a brilliant job I was crying in a lot of scenes but the best actor was the 2nd male lead. He showed a wider variety of characterisation.
What I didn't like -- the ending - i wasn't happy with that "compromise" but that's just me (can't say much w/out spoiling).. Secondly like any other time travel/parallel universe movie there will always be loopholes look at Avengers for instance.

So many negative comments about the sponsored ad have you seen Goblin and other TVN shows they have heaps of them especially with subway brand. This is how tv shows make money and almost every hollywood film does this too so I wasn't very bothered with it. I have seen more blatant advertising

Leia Mais

This drama had potential to be good considering its parallel universe plot line featuring doppelgangers. It became quiet clear however that all that potential was thrown out the window as the drama focused heavily on a forced love line between the Prince and Lieutenant. The Prince barely knows anything about the Lieutenant, other than her badge, and is obsessively in love with her already, wanting to make her his 'Queen' right from the very start of the drama. The Lieutenant bares this oddity of affection and due to the solid acting skills of Kim Go Eun, makes you think she loves him back. I must say, Lee Min Ho truly drags this drama down with his lack of acting ability and the story being too focused on him. All of his lines sound the same and are delivered in a manner that is cringe-y or as bland as if he was reading off a sheet of paper.

As you progress on in the "story", it becomes a jarring game of hot potato between dealing with the main villain [Uncle Baddie] of the story and the romance with the shots happening either too quickly or too slowly and then BAAMM suddenly, we get romantic moments between our leads confessing their love ever-so desperately. This is a heavy handed attempt to make things thrilling without offering any development or consequences. The side characters with enveloping stories that interact with defeating our big uncle baddie are constantly placed on the back burner or simply not given the proper time to develop. The ideas for product placement has more intended use throughout the drama then the actual plot lines which only deepens the disappointment of this drama.

The timeline in this drama is a complex layer of complete garbage that neither makes sense nor can be resolved to any full effect. The drama was clearly not properly thought out and it shows with how chaotic episode 12-16 episodes are. It serves up unwarranted fan service over quality story and characters. The characters themselves are either too flat to be brought to life or stand on their own due to the poor quality of the script.

Woo Do Hwan's Jo Eun Sub / Jo Young, Kim Kyung Nam'sGang Shin, and Jung Eun Chae's Jae Goo Seo Ryung / Goo Eun Ah characters are scene stealers and make the drama more bearable but aren't necessary outstanding in their own right just by lack of competition. Woo Do Hwan has straight up WON the heart of so many MDL'ers and has been meme'd endlessly, which can be the only true accomplishment this show has achieved.

Finally, the saving grace of this drama is that it is dressed well in terms of cinematography and costume design. With a budget so high, it is hard NOT to be dressed well. It's money, however, could've been spent better. This is truly the type of drama that once you finish it, if it disappeared from your life the very next day, you wouldn't be losing out on anything.

Leia Mais