O Rei: Monarca Eterno (2020)

I do not understand why someone would say that this was bad

I RECOMMEND this to everyone who likes romance, love at first sight, thrilling scenes even when a plot twist is not that big, more universes/fate idea; does not mind laughing after crying 10 minutes ago, does not mind blood or cheesy scenes, does not overthink the story and lives for a happy ending.

I will just quickly share my opinion on that -It was all an ad- review, it is nonsense. There were a few moments where they ate food or ordered, but (at least in my opinion) it isn´t a Kdrama without delicious food. If you focus only on advertisements you won't find many. I don't understand how can someone throw this in the trash because they do not like seeing how are they ordering some chicken...

Ok, so now to the story... There were some unexplained scenes and I did not like the way some of them got repeated, but it was worth it. I think they could pay more attention to make it easier to understand or to what is going on. Most of the unexplained things were explained in the next episodes but some scenes remained unexplained. There also were some scenes I felt like they added to make it longer, but as you continue watching, they will have a meaning. The idea and the way it went, just amazing.

Also the plot twist... I can not say when exactly it came because there was still something going on. I was stuck in the story to see how it will end up and I am not disappointed. I am also not saying that it was the best I ever watched because I expected something else. Besides those unexplained things, I enjoyed watching it :,)

I think the actors did a great job, I mostly loved WOO Do Hwan (one cute boy and the other one bad boy, I mean who would not like them XD), and I respect the choices Kim Go Eun´s characters did, she acted SO well. His Majesty Lee Min Ho did as great as only he can do and I am pleased about the other actors.

About the characters, I got excited the most about the main relationship, but also ship between Eun Sup and Na Ri won my heart. Every character has an interesting personality that represents him and also makes some funny moments to the story. I was so into it I sometimes forgot they were actors and not the real characters (but that is the point of watching :)

The music is like in most Kdramas, a bit of sadness, a bit of romance and there is that one used in thrilling scenes. I think they could make something more "magical" (since the main thing is using the magic flute and travelling through universes) and not like in any other dramas. But it suited the scenes so I guess it was ok.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it, the time you spend watching this Kdrama is not wasted. <3

Leia Mais

Little confusing, but a masterpiece

I know this may be one of the most confusing kdrama. But I swear, this was sooo good.

I first watched it in 2021. This was some of the first kdramas I watched. So, as a beginner in kdrama, it was so difficult to watch the scenes and read the subtitles at the same time. Because of that I missed so many details and didn't understand the plot well. It was just ok for me that time. But the OSTs made a great impact on me and made me watch it again in 2024.😭

Now the gaps are filled and I am able to connect the dots. I love everything about this drama now. Plot, cast, visual and especially the OSTs.

Talking about the cast, everyone including Lee min ho and kim go eun did a great job. The OSTs 'My Love' and 'You are my end and my beginning' is my fav. I would cry a lot while listening to it.

Now, it is on my top fav list.
Everything about THE KING ETERNAL MONARCH is an art.
I will definitely rewatch it again❤.

And everyone who are still hestitated to watch and confused after watching it, just give it a try.

Leia Mais

A drama that set out to show off to its viewers but ultimately failed to live up to its own hype.

That's the sense I got from the beginning of this show, it felt big headed and self satisfied, "please watch me, I'm so clever" Not.

This show tried its best to dazzle us with the mystery regarding how time can be manipulated and with mathematical wizardry, but unfortunately as the story progressed all of this clever potential was discarded by the wayside and all we ended up with was very poor pacing and inconsistent storytelling.

I consider myself to be adequately well versed in things like music, literature, world events, art, philosophy etc; so as a viewer I really welcome it when a writer presents an unusual and unique story, and I'm quite able to keep up with the events the writer is unfolding. But in this drama I was constantly scratching my head wondering 'what's going on now?" "did I miss something ?" "wait a minute who's that?" all to culminate in this weak ending that rendered all the confusion null, mainly because the huge amount of characters that were introduced came to nothing, were never fleshed out and their stories were minimised towards the end.

This drama took its viewers for granted mainly because the majority of people already loved it even before it began. There was a great willingness on the part of the viewers to forgive some flaws and go with the flow, but I think that the flaws in this show are unforgivable, for example the show has very poor structure and the chronology is all over the place ( I know this is supposed to be explained by the time travel/parallel universe premise) the story is all over the place, literally; As a viewer I was often plunged into scenes without a clue as to the context, thus the head scratching.
In my personal opinion, my real time experience watching this was not enjoyable because as I watched it episode by episode I never got to the point of enjoyment because I was always searching for clues to help me understand the story better.

The acting mention I can give here is for Woo Do Hwan, his scenes are always engaging and he has a depth of delivery that is impressive. I also like Lee Min Ho, he's not a bad actor but in this show, the intention was to make him look cool rather than to act well. Kim Go Eun is the kind of actress that will act according to the quality of her leading man and supporting cast, and I think she failed to shine here; I was also not impressed with how she was written, from a strong, confident police lieutenant to a weak, weeping, lost in love damsel, it was truly awful.
Prime Minister was atrociously written, I can tell she's a good actress but really Jung Eun Chae had no chance with the cards she was dealt in this script, It's a role she should have refused to play; her character's descent into the typical jealous, mean and spiteful spurned woman was so disappointing, because this was a role with so much potential.
Lee Jung Jin as Uncle Yi Rim was a waste of a good actor, he was so badly written with weak motivation and back story, it was sad to see.
Kim Kyung Nam had depth as Shin Jae, but ultimately it all amounted to very little.

This show had flashes of brilliance, the concept is intriguing, unfortunately it was handled poorly.

The rating I've given is mainly for the production value, the cinematography and the few flashes of brilliance, oh and Prime Minister's wardrobe.

I understand the OST is good, but I actually never became too familiar with the songs except for the one by Gummy. The music was not used consistently so that's another lost opportunity to build poignancy because music plays a big part in that.

That's all I have to say, sorry but no.

Leia Mais

I watched this one as it came out, and as a result I was disappointed for a lot longer than I needed to be. However with this I hope others don't need to be, and that those who will truly enjoy this drama find it well.
NOTE: I added a whole star to the overall simply for the first ep which was really well done. And spoilers are general rather than being about specific scenes/plot points.

WHO THIS DRAMA IS FOR:
1. People who'd watch anything as long as Woo Do Hwan is in it
2. People who are all about aesthetics. Not just the actors/actresses, but also the costume design and scene comp is so pleasing to the eye.
3. People who have no issue with overused tropes, predictable plot twists, and romance that takes up half of each ep.

STORY ~ 3
This one had a strong enough premise, but starts to fall to apart at the end of the first ep. The first ep had the ideals for everything in this drama. The pacing was good, the characters distinct and somewhat likable, the dialogue told more while saying less. Starting from the end of ep 1 that attention to detail drops, only reaching such lvls of quality once in a blue moon. Many plot points were utter wastes of time as they didn't lead anywhere.
This drama also masquerades as Sci-fi when the writer clearly wanted it to be fantasy, using her usual deus ex machina to fix every.

ACTING/CAST ~ 3.5
--Screen time wasted on shallow characters, and star cast wasted because of bad writing. Protagonists win for reasons, and the antagonists look menacing on the outside but don't accomplish a single thing.--

Main leads: while the main male character was consistent he lacked depth, and while the main female character seemed to have depth with other characters, all of that went away when in the presence of the ML (AKA half the show). As for the acting, it's LMH as usual meaning you'll either hate him or love him (AKA he still hasn't learned how to act). Kim Go Eun gave a solid performance, but with how badly her character is written it's hard to distinguish if her cruddy scenes are due to inconsistent abilities or writing/direction.

WDH/Jo Yeong and Eun Sup: both characters are likable and have much more to them than many of the others. Also with a stellar performance from WDH it's easy to find habits, movements, and speech patterns (not just accent) held by one or the other.

Kim Kyung Nam/Kang Shin Jae: Thought he was gonna be a typical a**hole 2nd lead who was bitter from years of pining after 1st lead, however I'm happy to say that wasn't the case! In fact he easily stole the show for me. As much as I adore Eun Seop and Yeong, neither of WDH's characters had half the depth as Shin Jae's character did. He is such a well written character and he has the only satisfying character arc in this entire show. Kim Kyung Nam's portrayal of him was awe inspiring, really adding to the character.

Antagonists: The antagonists get a 1 star in total for the actors being great, however the two main antagonists accomplished nothing throughout the show.

Ensemble: There were some fun characters in the ensemble cast, however they were still under explored and some characters left me wondering why they were included if they didn't ever further the plot or have their own agency.

MUSIC ~ 3
I've heard it's got a great OST, but considering I can't remember a single word, nor any tune other then the opening one I can't rate this section any higher.

REWATCH VALUE ~ 3
Only worth it for specific scenes or if you can't sleep until you've figure out what the hell is going on.

TL:DR
Great premise but badly written. Great cast (for the most part) but numerous useless characters. A soundtrack that works but might not make you feel anything.

If y'all want specific examples or spoils lemme know and I'll spoiler tag them in the comments.

Leia Mais

This is the drama I've recently finished watching. I expexcted it for quite a long time and I had a high expectations about it.
The story is set in two different worlds- the modern Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Corea. The series' genre is not only a fantasy but also a romance, so the main part of the story is the blossoming love between the King of the Kingdom of Corea Lee Gon(played by Lee Min-ho) and Jung Tae-eul(played by Kim Go-eun), who is a police officer in the Republic of Korea. The other thing in drama is the appearance of Lee Lim (played by Lee Jung-jin) who is the uncle of Lee Gon. He wants to become the King so he kills Lee Gon's father and tries to do the same with his nephew. Unfortunately the traitor manages to escape and go to the Republic of Korea thanks to the Manpasikjeok(a magical stick, which can open a portal between the two worlds). Lee Gon has the mission to stop him in order to keep both worlds safe.The drama has exciting and intricate plot so if you are interested in love stories with fantasy elements you'll definitely like it!The special effects were amazing! I could easily feel the difference between the two parallel worlds.The acting was so on point! Maybe it was very challenging for the cast to portray double images. For example Jung Tae-eul's counterpart in the Kingdom of Corea is called Luna and she is a thief.
All OSTs were good, but my favorite are : Orbit by Hwasa(MAMAMOO), Please Don't cry by Davichi, Heart Break by Gaeko and Kim Na-young and My day is Full of you by Wendy(Red Velvet) and Zico(Block B).
I hope my review is useful and I was able to make you check out this k-drama! Expect reviews on other series soon!

Leia Mais

ONE OF A KIND! ♡

This is definitely a Masterpiece!
There are a lot of reasons why this is undeniably One of the Best kdrama in history.
The Duality of the roles portrayed by the character leads alone showed how amazing the story is. It takes a lot of talent and acting skills for one to be able to fit and perfectly portray dual roles. I can proudly say that all of the casts did an incredible job. Only those who feel how hard it is to transition from one emotion to another can appreciate those part of the story.

This is just one of so0 many reasons why The King Eternal Monarch is One of a Kind. ♡

Leia Mais

A Mind bender but Complicated to Watch Drama

"The devil is in the details " because this was one hellish movie to completely enjoy. Week after week after week the viewer is challenged to remember intricate details of the lives of multiple characters in two dimensions and in two kingdoms. After 13 episodes the drama seemed too complex and convoluted and the temptation to drop or give it a low rating was in my heart. However, I realized that the questions I kept asking were "Who is this character?" " What Dimension or Kingdom? " and "What Time frame Is This ?" This is the quandary I was in and it needed to be asked constantly. and while watching it was often unanswered. The writer had brilliant ideas but the execution of them were lost -- first in translation (simple translation notes or aides would have helped the viewer understand what as going on each week. Helpful also would have been a refresher summary since the drama was so convoluted. Having criticized the production and visions of the director I must now explain why in the end I found enjoyment in the drama.

The Acting - A+ The expressions and chemistry were extremely good for the leads and supporting actors did an excellent job. Many had to play dual roles in two worlds and had to exhibit different character traits to carry out the distinctions of the two worlds. Kudos for their efforts.

The Story -- B- Unable to follow consistently. I had to binge watch (rewatch) after 7 weeks. I also needed to use other websites to find reviews and recaps to try to follow each episode during the rewatch. I also needed to read several comments to try to find hidden meanings and clues to the stories progress throughout the drama. Basically could not watch without a CHEAT SHEET

Once I had my Cheat Sheets and Techniques -- well the drama felt like I was watching Inception. Time twisting, parallel universe, mathematical principles and theories all were worth researching in an attempt to understand this jewel in the rough. The only question as a future viewer (if you haven't seen this drama) is - are you willing to research and study recaps to get a full understanding because the editing the story just makes you frustrated. Living on the rewind button during the rewatch to understand was no fun.

For the Future Viewer -- Watch - it is a beautiful drama and a good romantic drama. The ending was satisfying.

Leia Mais

The mastery of unfolding.

Contrary to what I have expected The King has definitely highly exceed my expectations and even above that, it is definitely one of the best dramas in 2020, even in the last few years. Wonderfully written, brilliantly produced and masterfully executed.

Let's start with the story and plot. Complex, intriguing and most importantly engaging. I don't think I have watched a drama (for a while at least) that urges me to think about the plot in deeper ways, questioning every single scene and input. And actually thinking while watching. I wasn't just brain-pausing. I worked, but it was so enjoyable and I didn't want it to stop. This drama has received some critique, I haven't seen a lot, but most of them were about how they did not understand the plot. I disagree completely, it's not that I am smarter, I was just very attentive and invested. I do have to add that the first 4 episodes were rocky for me, but the moment Lee Gon brought Tae Eul to the Kindom of Corea the hype hit the rooftop and I was starting to get very interested. And up until then everything just got better. What shook me the most about this whole creation, is the UNFOLDING of the story. Not revealing much, but just enough for the viewer to understand, IF they watched carefully. The world building was done so damn well, like it is not an easy task to build a world as complex as this. And double that cause there are technically two worlds. Praise the director and writer. I appreciate the happy and lighthearted ending, this drama has been heavy from the first episode on and it feels very reasonable to end it like this. Also why did I knew that they'd add the old hands, it's beautiful but heartbreaking. A part of me definitely wished them to stay in either of their worlds and marry and have kids or whatever, but I guess they can't because of their counterparts. What I wanted to add as well, is the fact that these people did not just sell the plot. They sold the emotions of the characters that were in this world. It was the emotions and ambitions that carried the show. Things didn't just happen, they happened with an action and there was a reaction. And I could see that every single character was so emotionally scarred and involved in the happenings.

The production is insane. The money that went into this... I couldn't even imagine. The cinematography wasn't just gorgeous, but also purposeful. They didn't just decided to choose that angle, that cut and that grading. They choose while thinking about the narrative and feelings they wanted to portray. And you can see that, which I appreciate so much. The music. I mean I don't quite like the songs tbh. Not gonna lie, they don't stand out much, but DAMN those BGMs (I mean the instrumentals, the orchestration). Especially "If you..." or "My love and..." that melody will forever be stuck in my head. It will remind me of the feels of every time they played this. Every time Gon and Tae Eul had a heartbreak to endure, an obstacle to fight. It represents the drama in every way. Beautiful, glorious, majestic, endearing, heartbreaking, bittersweet and hopeful. I am a bit obsessed you see... you hear! In conclusion this BGM is superior and a masterpiece. It fits so perfectly and underlines the emotions of the scenes, I dare to sa enhances them, I couldn't ask for more.

Last but not least the characters. What I just realised in the last episode, was the fact that there are no kdrama tropes in this. If I would illustrate a kdrama it would be some kind of shape, any shape depending on the drama, but most of the time there is this deformed saggy part. That annoying character who just doesn't make any sense and in the end they try to justify this character with some whack redemption arc; that annoying car crash; that annoying memory loss; that annoying misunderstanding (triggers me every time); and so many more I can't even think of them. What I mean is, that saggy part is undeniably a part of the whole thing, but not pleasant and just unnecessary. But The King doesn't seem to have that. Everything is finely tuned and written for the whole story, everything fits without being awkward and that includes the characters and their actions. I can't despise them for any personal reasons, because... they didn't annoy me. They made sense and just acted on their beliefs, which always seemed legit. Praise the writer. I loved: Lee Gons intelligence and kindness, but strictness; Jeong Tae Euls bravery, trust and quick-witnesses; Jo Yeongs loyalty and friendship (and everything else about him, especially that hair, and those clothes); Jo Eun Seops jokes, childlikeness and love for his family and siblings; Koo Seo Ryungs ambition, strong headedness in a mainly male dominated industry; Kang Shin Jaes good heartedness, his silent love for Tae Eul and his sacrifices.
It was indeed very nice to see them again, with a different destiny, living their lives as they should have. Luna as Seo Ryungs police sister and again as Shin Jaes junior. Lee Gon in the marine, Shin Jae still living on the edge of between a cop and a gangster. And Jo Yeong with siblings (I lost my heart when he passed out, it looked like dying i was dying ok).
I gotta say with all honesty. I am not a fan of Lee Minho, never have been, I just think he is incredibly overrated for what he serves, and his visuals are definitely not my style. But damn, I never said that he can't act, but he SERVED as Lee Gon. Especially his emotional scenes were excellent. I can't imagine anyone else than him as Lee Gon. Well done!!
Kim Go Eun, as always. Amazing on screen. She just acts and acts and it's just perfect. Her crying and clinging on to Lee Gon, her fighting scenes, I mean she's just brilliant. (Btw her hug scenes with Lee Gon were the best I've ever scene, I could feel that damned pain and love) I am rooting for you! Waiting for the next drama hihi.
Well, here comes my bitch, or more like I am a bitch for him. Woo Do Hwan. Might just be the main reason I pushed through the first 4 episodes. I probably would have watched this because of Kim Go Eun anyways, but the moment I saw him in the trailers I just couldn't wait. And oh, my boy did not disappoint. He literally stole the limelight, I am sorry to everyone else, but he shined, both as Jo Yeong and Eun Seop. This role was just perfect for him! He deserves more recognition for his amazing acting. Damn, the way he sobbed as Eun Sup when he and Yeong said goodbye to each other (gosh I was sobbing too), and that passing out scene in 1994, that TEAR synced perfectly with the camera movement and the music. Satisfaction level reached. His voice also, AH. Plus, that face. I have fallen under his spell long before, but I am even deeper after this drama. I am so glad he got the chance to do this role, it's just perfect.
The cast has made this story to what it is today.

The King: The Eternal Monarch is a show to watch with attention, and only then will you be able to comprehend the magic and brilliance the production team has created. A wonderful and adventurous story, with a heart wrenching love story, strong and loyal friendships. The story of waiting, trusting and finally accepting your own fate and quote: "decide to be happy with our fate". It tells its story excellently and I don't want to change anything about it.

PS.: Y'all act like the ads are the majority of the whole drama, also they aren't always in your face. And don't act like there aren't any in other "amazing" dramas. And also, I really don't understand how people have so much to criticise I just don't see it.

PPS.: After a few months I still think this drama is better than people make it sound like, but I do agree that it had more potential and could've been done better, but if they lived up to taht potential it would've been l e g e n d a r y.

Leia Mais

Why?
Why was this given the green light?
Why did the actors agree to this project?
Why does the screenwriter keep getting work?
There really are no words to describe how bad this drama is regardless of how hard it tries to portray itself as a good one. Again I was suckered into watching this as the hype for it became to much and I succumbed to peer pressure. Every imaginable troupe that you can think of is in this drama: tough fl, sweet ml, product placement, sml secretly in love with the fl, evil character that wants to kill main character, product placement, beautiful scenery and did I mention the product placement?
The actual dialogue the mains would have with each other is the most contrived dribble I have EVER come across in a drama... EVER! It's so pretentious and full of itself that I couldn't help but just roll my eyes every time they were on screen; I fear I would have major eye damage towards the end.
Lee Min Ho- has never been a favorite actor of mine. I've seen several of his dramas and dude is just not a great actor... but he's really handsome so he has that going for him. Kim Go Eun- she's hit or miss for me; sometimes she pretty good (Monster) and sometimes she's really bad (Goblin) and this was a miss. Woo Do Hwan- I really don't need to say anything about the kid- he's PHENOMENAL in everything he does even when the script is crap- like how does he do it?! It's pretty safe to say the writing for this is straight up atrocious- like absolutely no logic at all. Any and everything you thought you knew was just thrown out the window.
If you've read this far then you should know that I do NOT recommend this drama, but if you're a glutton for punishment- go for it.

Leia Mais

#TKEM is a 2020 kdrama and one the most viewed in Netflix. I decided to watch it because of the big stars first team-up Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun (whom I adore so much) and they never fail to amazed me, because this drama is a masterpiece. l super love the plot and every episode was just mind blowing as in you need to work-out your brain to solve a puzzle hahaha ? cinematography and visual effects is so Daebak and it makes me fantasized everything.

The sweet/sad romance amid King Lee Gon and Lieutenant Tae Eul is refreshingly distinct, no draggy romantic cliches here, their relationship is straight to the point, no push and pull, considering they perceive they may not have eternity together but chose to acquire their fate for the moment.

The cast are all did a great job but who catches my attention was Woo Do Wan ? it was like a love at first sight feeling hahaha... I already watched his previous projects like #TheDivineFury and #MyCountryTheNewAge pero ala kami spark (char ?) second lead lng xa or kontrabida but here in TKEM his delivery in his characters as Yeong and Eun Sup is so plausible for me and he is one of the highlighted character here.

I also have to commend the writer Kim Eun Sook for doing this masterpiece. I've seen her oast projects The Heirs, DOTS, Goblin, Mr. Sunshine and lastly The King: Eternal Monarch all of them has amazing storyline FOR ME.

I'm just so happy that TKEM ended with a happy ending because I am so inlove with their characters. ??

PS: Before watching the final episode ako gi-rewatch ang episode one para mrecap lng hahaha...

Leia Mais

I'm happy i decided to give this drama a chance this weekend. I wasn't going to watch it because of all the negative reviews i was seeing but i was bored and i thought I should watch one episode on Netflix but I ended up watching the whole episodes.
The story is nothing new but it is refreshing, the drama is fast paced and every episode leaves you wanting more.
The actors all did what they had to do and they brought their 'A' game.
The cinematography is one i haven't seen in a kdrama before and it just makes everything more beautiful.
Also, those saying the FL isn't pretty or cannot act can suck it because that lady actually acts well and I'm not even one of her fans but that lady is good especially the way she played her part as Luna.

Leia Mais