More of an eternal ordeal
I put off watching this show for various reasons, the first being that the trailer gave me major Goblin vibes and I couldn't shake off the feeling that the writer(s) wanted to ride on that show's brilliance. The cinematography, the story of two ill-fated lovers, and the FL (who I thought was just juxtaposed from the Goblin world to this show's world and asked to love Lee Gon now instead of Kim Shin).I'd be lying if I said I wasn't prepared to be projected to a pretty flimsy plot. I knew what I was getting into. The plot chasms ( calling them holes would be too generous ), made it so difficult to follow the story many a times. And I need to mention the absolutely horrible way the episodes were linked. There seemed to be no sense or reason or pattern or explanation to connect the scenes. One moment you'd be watching an event in present day and the next you'd be suddenly taken back to a distant past (even a different world) with characters who were not even there in the present scene nor does the scene hold any relevance to current events! What am I, as a viewer, supposed to make of this. Now I just have information that I think might be useful but turns out to just be a filler. This was just one of the ways that the writer(s) tried too hard to make the show seem smarter than it was. It really wasn't. It was more or less a sad and unnecessary rip off of, yes you guessed it right - GOBLIN.
I liked the FL's work in Goblin, and was looking forward to seeing how she carries a more or less similar character. Absolute disappointment, although I doubt it had anything to do with her acting skills but rather just the way her character was written. But I also think there is always something an actor can do to liven up a dead script. I kept seeing flashes of Ji Eun Tak and I swear I wasn't even trying. The crying, the snarkiness, the love sick behavior, right down to her mannerisms. There were moments where I'd almost anticipate her to break into one her signature "Ahjussi!" Lee Min Ho is an absolute eye candy, and served the purpose of nudging me towards the end of the show. Let's be honest, he's not really one of the finest actors out there, but he still did a better job than Go Eun-ssi. I wouldn't give up on her altogether, maybe just chalk it up to bad writing, God knows how many ships that iceberg has sunk. I saved the best for the last. Woo Do Hwan. What a masterpiece that human is. I confess I fell in love with both his roles. I shed tears for his characters more than I shed for the lead pair (zero). There was a depth and a meaning to his characters, and he played them both brilliantly. If Lee Min Ho nudged me along to finish the show, it was Woo Do Hwan (Yeong, or Eun Seop, really) who's hand I wanted to grab and run off into the sunset with. I waited for him to appear on screen, but alas, the writer(s) by this point had probably just thrown all care or respect for the art of storytelling and sold their soul over to the advertisers.
Did this show even have music? The first time that guitar melody plays, I paused and stared at the screen in shock. Had they, had they really? Could they? HOW could they? Was pasting the same fall/winter aesthetics not enough? Really? And it didn't even sound good! I kept waiting for a good ost to play, or stick to my brain, and I'm still waiting, and probably will be waiting eternally. They really should have just played the Goblin OST and had some saving grace.
Will most definitely not rewatch this and do my duty as a responsible KDrama viewer to stop others from watching this too. Unless you're doing it for a case study. A case study of how not to rip off a successful drama and turn it into a circus; of how not to chart a love story; of how not to write flat characters; and basically how no matter the star cast, the production, the backbone of a show is the script and without it, it might take off spectacularly but then crash within a couple of episodes never to pick altitude again.
The intensity of my disappointment with this show far exceeds the intensity of the love that the leads shared which the writer(s) were trying to shove down the viewers' eyes. I get that these are two people who love each other very much, but for God's sake, pace it out. Although I do understand it would be very difficult for any sane woman to resist the charms of a man who looks and talks like Lee Min Ho for more than a minute, but that's besides the point. The love felt forced, the dialogues made my eyes roll far back into my head, the scenes which were orchestrated to make the viewer bawl left me staring awkwardly at the screen waiting for the cringe to be over with. I do need to mention the other relationships in this drama were far, far superior. The bromance was heartwarming. I was more invested in the friendships and bromance than I could manage to be with the lead pair.
The makers had a fine and easy on the eyes cast, a swanky budget too I'm sure, and could have made a memorable drama but sabotaged it all up with poor writing and poorer execution. The finale was the last nail on this coffin. I'm a sucker for fan service endings (forgive me as I wipe a tear recalling Crash Landing On You's end) BUT, that does not mean I will consume anything in the name of a happy ending. Theoretically my brain understands that these are two very very in love, and the rules of the world don't really hold any ground, since the story itself spans worlds and ages. But that doesn't take away the emotions and depth, which again the writers probably traded for product placements. "Here, take about a month long worth of bonding, and give me the milk tea latte with chewy tapioca seeds, which I should taste before stirring" "Ah, still, refreshing". Not.
My verdict would be to steer clear of this show for as long as you can. It's addictive in the wrong way, almost as if you want to watch how much more they can botch show. I will have to watch Goblin again to rinse my mind off of the badly recycled piece this show was. There are definitely better dramas out there, I'd skip this one if I had Manpasikjeok and could go back in time to stop my foolish self from watching this. Or maybe I was fated to watch it (and discover the brilliance that Woo Do Hwan is), and I'm fulfilling my destiny by writing this review and stopping others from watching it.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
Best thing about this series is how it looks, Serious money was spent on costumes, makeup, locations, settings, props, and special effects Very slick, smooth and real eye candy -- probably too much product placement, at least that's what it looked like. I could be wrong.The actors were clearly buffed, polished, brushed, waxed, and well-dressed - also easy on the eyes, even the villains. I think they did they job they were told to do to the best of their abilities, which is considerable.
After that, this show becomes a trainwreck. I am a lifelong SciFi fan, and I appreciate fantasy as well. This gave token -- beautiful visually, but token attention to any kind of fidelity to either genre or even with a blend of it. It was sad -- all of it was either garbed in fake, unconvincing jargon, or truncated when they forgot where that idea was going. Bad. Dumb.
And, here's the spoiler: The ending was identical to that of "Crash Landing on You" with the exception of period costumes and props. I was disappointed in CLoY, but this, coming out so soon afterward, was a real letdown.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The Power of Lee Min Ho
To be honest, among all K-dramas I've watched, this one is very hard to describe. Took me weeks after finished watching to embrace myself writing my review here. And I decided not to read other's opinions, good or bad, on this since I believe they will affect my objectivity. I want to be very honest pouring out my review about The King: Eternal Monarch.1. The Power of Lee Min Hoo
I don't see myself as LMH's die-hard fan who's passionately waiting his comeback after discharge for military service. Since I started watching K-dramas, LMH is, sadly, not on my most favorite actor list though. But for real, I can see clearly that LMH is one of few actors who has such a strong aura. His persona is out of this world and this I believe becomes the reason why he always gets those rich man or prince roles. Specifically talking about The King: Eternal Monarch, I can tell that Lee Min Hoo is the strongest X factor this drama is a bomb.
2. Ads are crazy
I've never seen a drama with too many ads before. Like, the product placements are everywhere! But don't get me wrong. I'm totally okay to that. The ads are beautifully capsulating through the drama so it doesn't bother me too much.
3. This drama is not for everyone
This kind of story is not for everyone, like for real. If you're into science fiction-thingy, this one is for you. But to me, this one is watchable and I really enjoyed my time watching this back then. I didn't find TKEM is hard and very complicated to watch like most people are saying. I remember, I cried so hard on the last 3 episodes. Some scenes are very touching and I praise all the casts for their excellencies.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
This drama has a great casts but the story itself is a soso...Please don't get me wrong just watch it yourself and be ready for the tones of product showcasing hahaha.?✌?
Still, the show is quite a stealer in terms of visual. Thus, my rating for their visual is 10/10.
And let me remind you with the effects, it's totally amazing. BUT THE STORY...again...watch it hahaha✌?
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
I'm confused...
I was so excited for this show and it honestly was an incredible disappointment I love a sci-fi and fantasy show like any other nerd but this was the most confusing thing I have ever seen. I want to say that the plot doesn't make logical sense but I'm not confident I understood it enough and I'm not planning to rewatch it to be sure.The things that carried me thought this show was the need for chicken, fancy drinks and a creepy face masks. There were so many sponsored, like most of the plot or the shots in the show were based on sponsors, It felt like I watched a very long
perfume commercial.
There are two thing I can give to this show, the first was the acting...I love the actors and they did a great job with the hot pile of garbage they were given. The second was the cinematography, at least I know were all the sponsor money went.
In conclusion, don't watch it.
P.S OTS!!!!!!
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Esta resenha pode conter spoilers
This drama did not leave the same impact on me as KES's work Mr. Sunshine . The story was all over the place, full of cliches, and felt unorganized. For the most part, if a drama has a bunch of cliches, cringe scenes, not so great story, as long as it has something to keep my interest, I won't complain much about the flaws. It felt like I was forcing myself to watch this drama and it took me a long time to finish this drama cause good dramas I usually finish in 3 days but this one took me 10 days. I was hoping that maybe that the start of the drama is slow and boring and it will get better in the middle but it wasn't till the last 4 episodes that actually brought back some of my interest.The Characters /Acting & Story (spoilers start here)- Let me start this off by saying that in the main cast I have only seen LMH previous dramas & KGE's Goblin. I'm unfamiliar with the other actors.
This drama had the potential to be better, the idea of the story of a parallel world was a great start. There were just too many things that confused or angered the audience.
For example, the blatant advertising angered a lot, I found some of them funny but annoying at the same time. Most kdramas I watch always show the actors going to Subway or something and I know that it pretty much looks like Subway's sponsoring the drama, but at least time and dialogue are not wasted while trying to advertise the place. This drama had LINES promoting products. I saw LMH mention about 3-4 times about bbq chicken's being the best or another product being the same as his country blah blah. That is so unnecessary & unrelated to the story in a way. That time could have been used to explain more about the plot or have lines relating to the drama.
Now for the confusing part:
This whole parallel universe then third dimension with everything frozen along with time traveling could have been kept straightforward but the way they decided to deliver it throughout the drama was confusing. You get to know this parallel universe exists and it takes a few episodes to find out how it works and why time stops and for how long and then its meaning behind it a few episodes later. And then even more episodes later you find out sorta about why some of them have burning scars on thunder-storming nights. Then near the end you find out they can go back in time and multiple universes. I get they're trying to use the common method of slowly giving you answers which in most dramas I don't mind but it made me bored and only interested in the end to see how it ends. Another thing is they start off the first episode in a scene and in the last episode we're back in that same scene. I didn't mind that either. But then to do the same within episodes is triggering. I would start the next episode wondering if I skipped an episode cause it was not in order. They would randomly start somewhere and go back to connecting to that scene later on in the episode or next episode. And some scenes were never gone back to clarify.
WDH made his parts enjoyable to watch whether he's Eun Sup or Yeong. He was able to perfectly act out two different characters of the parallel world. I wished the directors/writers gave him more scenes/screen time. He's one of the reasons why I gave this drama a higher rating than most average reviews. He pretty much carried the drama by bringing "life" into his characters so I overlooked the fact that not much is known about these two characters. I wished they'd show some romance between him and KYJ instead. I'm sure they would have a better story and pull it off than the main couple.
As for JEC, I can't even say anything about her acting. She had minimal scenes with almost no impact. We know so little about her character in the drama as well. All we know is she's an ambitious person with a hunger for power and she's willing to do anything to reach her goals. The writers make us assume that she's like this because she wants to climb up in the social status ranking because she has this inferiority complex that she started out at the bottom with nothing. That's a very typical reason and at first she's shown out to be a strong female character but turns out its the men in the story (her husband, advisor, etc) that helped her to get that far in the social ladder. Then they show how Lee Lim also wanted to use her and it seems like she just gets outsmarted by every guy in the story. They imply that she cares for her mother, but there were no scenes to feel that mother-daughter relationship to begin with. And we know nothing about her doppelganger character at all.
KKN's character was somewhat better. I could feel his affection with his mother & Tae eul. Although there are some things I do question about the writing of his character. The villain was a flat character. Not going to go into depth in the review it will be too many spoilers already.
As for the main couple everyone had this criticism regarding their chemistry. I feel like they would have better chemistry but because of the crappy writing and the flow of things it wasn't pulled off well. I think this couple would have been better if the writing/story was adjusted a bit. But my critique is regarding their characters. I will admit watching KGE in Goblin made me question if it was her acting that's bad or the role given to her. In this drama, she did a lot better. It's true she didn't pull off the two characters differently in the way WDH did. Luna's way of talking and Tae eul was pretty much the same. One just had different tastes in clothing and hair than the other. I also hate how this drama portray its women (complete opposite from Mr. Sunshine in that sense at well). It's already tiring to see every media whether Western or Eastern portray women like this. They show Tae eul as a police detective with a black belt. She's admitted at times to be scared, but have to be brave and she wasn't afraid to get to the bottom of something or hunt/run into somewhat dangerous criminals. But in that one scene where she gets stabbed, they show her not using her skills as an officer and black belt user. As an officer, I'm sure you will be aware of what dangerous situation you're in and you have to be on watch. They just went from showing a strong female to a weak female in a situation like that. I would get if she's outnumbered. But in another scene she was strong enough to get herself away in an outnumbered situation as well. I also felt like she would play a major role in the drama and contribute to helping Lee Gon out, but they even take that away from her. She's basically shown in investigations and as the love interest of the male lead. I don't mind seeing a FL in love with the ML but at least showcase her strengths often and make her more useful in the story.
Overall, the production was high quality and music/OST's were amazing, but there were countless flaws in the story. If you can overlook these flaws in the story, and watch for minimal entertainment and some action then you'll be fine. Although for me this only got interesting near the end when things were going to be tied up and supposedly explained clearly. This drama makes you end up crafting theories for multiple things.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Love the acting - plot a let down
I am a huge fan of the cast and waited for forever it seems like for Lee Minn Ho's next show after his military service. And the creator of Goblin!!! Very excited and the leading cast had me setting the alarm bell on Netflix and binge-watching the entire season. The series has a strong start, the beginning plot was great but then it started to go downhill in the middle. It seemed so rushed and the storyline lost its luster and became predictable and honestly, I almost didn't finish it. I was disappointed with the ending but even though it was not as good as I had anticipated if you are a fan of great acting and wonderful production it is worth watching. Just don't get your hopes too high on this one.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
BEST DRAMA EVER!
I have watched a lot of dramas but The King: Eternal Monarch has by far been the best.I loved the acting.
Lee Min Ho's acting was spot on. The way he portrayed his character was so life-like. The emotions he displayed were so on point that I often found myself tearing up in the sad moments and laughing in the playful ones.
Woo Do Hwan's acting was absolutely perfect. His acting was superb. His acting as Jo Yeong and Jo Eun Sub was so great, that I actually had to research to see if Woo Do Hwan had a twin brother. He portrayed both characters expertly. He gave each character their own personality and behavior. I could just make out who was who.
Kim Go Eun's acting was done amazingly. I don't think anyone could have done a better job. She captured the emotions just right and I felt as if I was really there watching them instead of sitting on my couch.
The OST was epic. I really have no words to express how perfect it was. The OSTs set the mood. If it was romantic scenes, heartbreaking scenes, happy scenes, or action scenes, the OSTs captured it perfectly. It was so great that I downloaded all the OSTs
This drama I can positively say was a work of art. Everything, to the acting, OSTs, the professionalism of the different sets made the drama more realistic and enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone and everyone. It will make you want a season 2!
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
TKEM starts off with a strong footing. It reels you in with really good world building of the Kingdom of Corea (which is one of the major things I liked about this drama), and the mysterious manpasikjeok that allows it’s holder to travel parallel worlds.
The first few episodes were a bit slow in terms of the major plot but seemed rushed with the romantic relationship of the leads. I personally didn’t have that much problem with how the romance developed but I guess I can see where it might seem rushed. The romance time frame was a bit badly executed and would have been better if their time together and apart was more implied. The story also expects the viewer to know some basic concepts on time travel / parallel worlds which allows the story to focus more on the major plot. It is not that hard to understand what was going on as almost everything comes into place at the end. The story really picks up by episode 11 (may also be due to the change of directors) and I rarely had a hard time in enjoying the whole series. Perhaps the minor issue I can think of in the script is how the product placements were given that much dialogue. It would’ve been better for most PPL to have been just on display or have the characters use them. The PPL didn’t really bother me as I just thought of it as a comedic relief.
When it comes to production and technicalities, TKEM does not fall short. The costumes were amazing and I appreciated that it fits the color grading of the drama. The cinematography was good but camera angles in some scenes of dialogue could’ve been improved. Camera angles play a major part on how the delivery of dialogues will be interpreted by the viewers. There were times when emotional scenes could’ve been shot more closely because they felt so far off you can’t feel the emotions that well even if the actors portrayed it well. There were also times in the earlier episodes when banters felt a bit awkward because of lack of sound effects that were thankfully fixed in later episodes. The OST was really fitting and the instrumentals were no joke (just take a listen to My Love And... —an orchestral take on My Love by Gummy and it is amazing).
The characters in TKEM had good chemistry. Some side characters could’ve been removed to make way for more of the plot but it was still a delight to witness them interact with the leads. The absolute scene stealer in this drama is Eun Sup / Jo Yeong played by the wonderful Woo Do Hwan. Every scene he’s in, he acts it out in full. Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho also portrayed their characters well but might have suffered through the seemingly premature development of their romance which made their characters a bit flat to some. I also loved the strong personality of Tae Eul that complimented Lee Gon. As previously mentioned, time was not that implied in the drama which made every reunion of the leads translate to Tae Eul being “too weepy” and the exact opposite of her established characteristic (which I do not agree with). Another issue I have concerning character development was of Prime Minister Goo. Her character seemed pointless. She could’ve been more utilized, really. I personally had no major issues in understanding the motive of the main villain but some viewers may not spot it clearly when it was show vaguely.
Overall, TKEM has flaws that can be overlooked when getting into it. I personally enjoyed this drama and never skipped a scene (which is saying something as I always skim and skip through dramas I’m watching). It needs to be watched continuously and with an open mind. It’s far from the best but if you are looking for a grand fantasy drama that requires a little bit attention to detail, this is for you :)
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
If you love a good story and a good romance, this isn't where you will find it
This is probably the most overrated drama i've seen that not only disappointed in every trope it dipped it's hands into, but made me question if i should give up on kdramas altogether.It has a lot going for it if it wanted to make it work. be it the sci-fi aspect, the crossing over worlds aspect, the "i broke the world for us" aspect, the secret identity, the villain who crosses over for the hunt aspect-- all of this has incredible potential but i truly wondered if the writer wanted to achieve anything at all story wise except make the audience confused because none of the premise is ever followed through on.
The male lead is insufferable. i have tried to think of other words for him but this is truly the only word that describes him best. even a sad backstory is no excuse for the attitude he has and he is so underwhelming as a character all together. meaning he himself has no defining traits that set him aside or make him a believable character. the female lead is a cop who is a self-proclaimed flat-earther and while she tries to present herself as smart strong female lead, the things she does is far from it. Not only do the main leads not have any chemistry, their 'romance' is so sudden and out of no-where that it genuinely makes no sense. Not even the excellent cinematography can make you believe their is anything worthwhile between these two in the entire sixteen hours of your life you waste on this show.
The only redeeming factor this drama has is Woo Do Hwan, who exhibits incredible variety as an actor as he plays a dual role, switching almost seamlessly from a stoic bodyguard to a mellow confused fellow who takes care of his siblings with his whole heart. I hope he moves onto better projects where he can showcase his talents better because if you want to watch this drama for him alone, you can. But the rest of the story will leave an incredibly bitter taste in your mouth.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Can Lee Min Ho be more handsome!!??
Lee Min Ho was an handsome king and that is a fact...he was born for this role but.... Story was SHIT ....I get what writer wanted to say, but screenplay was to raw, forced, predictable and characters were not good developed. Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho are not good match at all... there is no chemistry between those two! Kim Go Eun is great actresses but she couldn't do much better since screenplay was Shit! Her character was rude and without empathy to the point that I hated that girl. Why king fell in love stayed mistery to the end.... End of story is a pure shit in a much higher level they stayed together forever in different universums.... Crap! All in all cast was good , OST and production but in the end when story is bed only bitter taste stay in your mouth.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Disappointing
Story :The scenario and all the characters were very badly organized, I hardly understood anything :’) Nothing was logical and nothing was explained. The concept is good but it has not been exploited well enough...
Acting :
Kim Go Eun was very good, she's a charismatic actress.
Lee Minho was also good of course but we all know that he's not versatile, his facial expressions were the same as usual so i was a bit disappointed by his acting.
Woo Do Hwan was amazing, the two characters he played are very different and he pulled that off really well.
I discovered Kim Kyung Nam with this drama, he play very well and I had a second lead syndrom T-T
Overall :
Despite all that, there is action, suspense and humor so I watched everything pretty quickly and I had a good time, surely the reason why I put this note while this drama deserves less objectively.
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
