100 Days My Prince (2018)

Sweet Little Drama

First and foremost, if you're looking for something new and revolutionary, this drama is not for you. There is no reinventing the wheel here. It is chock full of tried-and-true tropes that pop up in many, many K-dramas. Amnesia? Check. Secret identities? Check. Villain out to destroy the leads? Check. Shared childhood between leads that haven't seen one another since said childhood? Check. Powerful/rich male lead falls for poor/lower class woman? Check. Childhood trauma that follows the leads into adulthood? Check. Dead parents? Check. Love triangles? Check. Second-lead syndrome? Check.

But just because it follows all the expected tropes doesn't mean this drama isn't worth the watch. The story focuses on (reluctant) Crown Prince Lee Yul (played by EXO's D.O., Do Kyung-Soo) and Yeon Hong-Shim (Nam Ji-Hyun), an assumed-dead noblewoman living in hiding in a rural village with her adoptive father. Being a victim of palace intrigue and backstabbing all his life, Lee Yul is mistrustful and cold to the world around him, even those closest to him. While he performs his duties as crown prince and excels in everything he does through hard work and effort, he loathes nearly everyone around him for their weakness, deceitfulness, and/or treachery. He's trapped in a loveless, arranged marriage with a woman he doesn't like and can't even touch or stand the touch of. With a father-in-law (Jo Sung-ha as Kim Cha-eon) who killed his mother and a wife (Han So-hee as Kim So-hye) pregnant with another man's baby, it's no surprise when Lee Yul becomes the target of a plot to eliminate him before he exposes the betrayals of those around him.

Hong-Shim, meanwhile, falls victim to a decree made by Lee Yul that demands all individuals of a marrying age find a partner to marry in the hopes that the weddings (and the resulting baby boom that is expected to follow a bunch of people getting married) brings rain to end the drought. Fiercely independent and self-sufficient in her own right, Hong-Shim tries to delay her inevitable pairing off by insisting she's engaged to a soldier from a neighboring village, Na Won-Deuk. Her lie can only take her so far though, and just when it seems like her life may be over for defying the Crown Prince's orders, her father discovers an injured amnesiac in the woods that he insists is his daughter's long lost betrothed. Little does anyone know that amnesiac is none other than Crown Prince Lee Yul after a botched assassination attempt.

The setup is obvious, but that's okay! There's nothing wrong with obvious or predictable. The true charm of this drama exists despite the predictability. Lee Yul/Na Won-Deuk is a man out of place in the rural village, struggling to cope with what feels "right" to him (fine goods, plentiful food, talking down to everyone, not getting his hands dirty, literally and figuratively) and what he's told he likes and does (manual labor, simple foods made of rather disgusting ingredients, a simple life). Hong-Shim is struggling with wrangling a loose-cannon of a husband while trying to survive in a world and system that has little to no regard for the lower class. She's left trying to clean up Won-Deuk's messes, while also trying to make life better for herself, her family, and her neighbors.

As a viewer, nothing can really compare to watching the two gradually win one another over. The pair set boundaries galore from the moment they were married, yet those barriers begin to lower as they find they might actually like or even love the person they are married to. Watching them come together and ultimately be torn apart is heartwarming and heartbreaking. Each struggles with who they are, who they want to be, and an immense amount of guilt and responsibility on their shoulders. You can't help but root for them to find their way through the dizzying maze they're trapped in by birthright, betrayal, and the actions of others.

While I've talked a lot about the leads, this drama wouldn't be half as good as it is without the supporting cast. Songjoo village is full of characters that will make you laugh and despair simultaneously. The characters in this series tend to be pretty black and white. The "good" characters are just that; they're loyal, loving, friendly, forgiving, and generous. The "bad" characters are greedy and heartless criminals with no qualms abusing their power and wealth while always on the search for even more power and wealth. There are very few gray characters in this series. For the most part, you're going to love or hate (in the way you're meant to) pretty much everyone you're introduced to. What makes that especially beneficial is there's not a lot of filler. Since you'll have pretty strong feelings about everyone, all scenes feel relevant and important to the overall plot, regardless of whether they're light or heavy.

The acting in this series is top notch. Everyone is believable in their roles, sometimes frustratingly so. This is the first time I've watched D.O. act and in the first few episodes I was a bit turned off by his performance which felt very clinical and mechanical and dry, but after a few episodes it became clear it wasn't bad acting and was instead Lee Yul's cold, detachedness. As Won-Deuk begins adjusting to Songjoo village and his place within it and opening himself up to others for the first time, a new side of Lee Yul/Won-Deuk begins peeking though, and that side is only expanded upon once he regains his memory and place within the palace. By the time the series comes to a close, the mechanical Lee Yul is gone, so if you start the series and have a similar experience of not connecting to/with Lee Yul... just keep going! D.O.'s performance actually ends up being one of the best parts of the series.

Personally, I'm not usually one for period dramas. I don't care for the class system, palace intrigue does little for me, there are a lot of formal roles/positions within the palace and society that I don't really understand or care to research, and the costuming can be as distracting as it is beautiful. Most of the period dramas I've started I've lasted an episode or so before I move on to something set in the modern era, but 100 Days a Prince easily hooked me.

The music wasn't anything especially memorable or noteworthy. The score was overall there as a background character, supportive and present, but not especially key or necessary to what was unfolding in front of it. I always love when the music is a character in and of itself within the drama, but this wasn't that. When I purchased the soundtrack after finishing the series, I was disappointed to find there were only a few singles released. "Erase It" by Gummy and "Cherry Blossom Love Song" by EXO's Chen are the highlights and worth a listen/purchase.

I will definitely rewatch 100 Days My Prince again in the future. It's not one I want to watch and rewatch back to back, I feel like it's one that needs to breathe a bit between viewings, but it definitely has rewatch potential. The characters are easy to grow fond of and the story is tried and true.

Overall, this was a really sweet drama with likeable leads that have tons of chemistry and charisma. Give it a try! You won't regret it.

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really loooooong time ago i didn't watch a drama that capture my attention like this one
i loved it cause it has very logical events & the plot is really strong
i was sooooo eager to finish it as soon as possible
the events attracts me much
i don't like the FL i think someone else 'll be more suitable for the role she needs to work on her face expressions especially when she is crying she is so fake and close her eyes too much as if she is squeezing her eyes to make tears fall

i think most of EXO's fonds wont like my review cause i am not fond of D.O at all
first time to watch him in historical drama
this is really was a brilliant choice
but he needs to work also on his face expressions specially when he is angry and when raising his voice
but in general he was really good in historical roles

i was soooo fond of Kim Jae Young, first assassin i loved in drama
and i hate his end so much i saw it unfair totally unfair i really cried T_T

i was fond too with Kim Sun Ho i was questioning my self the whole drama
come on guys y u should make two great cute men love the FL
it broke my heart seeing him till the end continuing alone

the only thing i didn't figure out & pissed me off so much till the end y Han So Hee tried to kill Kim Jae Young
and i wished that the writer focus a little more on their story and how it began and made it happy one T_T

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Skipped like half of the series

If you come because of DO, go and watch it now!

Now onto my review, I watched it because True Beauty needs a Viki Pass so I wanted a romance series ASAP, and I wasn't disappointed at all. But I spent skipping half of the series, I didn't really enjoy the parts that involved the king, queen, crown princess and the left state councillor because, for me, they were so boring and slow!! I could handle their parts until ep 4 and when in ep 14 I actually decided to watch the entire episodes (because the series was about to end) I realized that I didn't miss that much (huh kinda weird don't you think so?). Nevertheless, I really liked the parts of Won Duk, Hong Sim and pretty much all the things that happened in Songju, they were the opposite of what happened at the palace: fast and exciting. So episodes 11, 12 and 13 were kind of a waste of time (I think I skipped like 75% of each episode tho).

The cast was great, I didn't really know much about DO but he definitely made me fangirl so hard (I guess it's time to stan EXO and not only listen to their songs) Ji-hyun was also great, I've always liked the way she acts. I just have 1 problem: the CHEMISTRY between the leads, their acting was great but I felt nothing when they kissed or had romantic scenes (ofc I was happy for the characters but still) that kinda messed up the experience.

I wouldn't watch it again, it's a likeable series in some ways but not as much to give it a second watch (and even less considering I would just be skipping many things).

To end my review I will say: The soundtrack was PERFECTION, I loved all the songs! (I guess they are really my style).

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First of all, if you're going to watch this because of the cast, just do it. Whether you like the plot or not, the cast will definitely not disappoint you.

Now for a more detailed review:
This drama feels dated in the sense that it follows a lot of the common tropes of kdramas which was pretty standard in 2018. I'm not saying it's completely unoriginal but it does fall into that simple kdrama plot. It doesn't tackle a lot of issues and is very straightforward. Don't misunderstand, I am not saying that the drama is boring. Although the end or outcomes are predictable, it still gave a lot of misdirects and suspense through the process.

I still enjoyed it a lot because everyone in the cast bring so much to the drama from out main leads down to the least significant random palace server, book vendor, or small-shot scammer. They all give so much life to their characters and I think it is also because all the characters, down to the smallest roles, were written with care. The chemistry within the cast (not just the main leads) was very convincing.

I can definitely see myself rewatch this drama because it has a lot of clever lines. The comedic timing of the actors in this drama are great.

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[#25BANPO_ARTIGO]

Vamos lá ver uma coisa: comecei a ver este drama porquê?
1º - sageuk (drama histórico);
2º - (confesso) DO, de EXO.
À primeira, a trama parece simples: Lee Yull (interpretado por DO/ Kyungsoo) é o príncipe herdeiro de Joseon. Parece frio, perfeccionista e distante; no entanto é apenas solitário e carrega consigo um enorme sentimento de culpa. Ele não era para ser príncipe, e muito menos rei (Jo Han Chul), mas agora vê-se forçado a cumprir esse destino, devido ao golpe que o seu pai orquestrou para tomar o poder.
No entanto, o drama propriamente dito começa quando, perante uma enorme seca que o país estava a enfrentar, e depois de vários rituais cumpridos e sem qualquer resultado, o rei se vê forçado a decretar uma ordem de casamento para todos os jovens do reino (antes de atingirem os 28 anos de idade).
Entretanto, numa aldeia distante, Hong Shim (Nam Ji Hyun), uma mulher independente e super inteligente (mas a rapariga solteira mais velha da aldeia) vê-se então forçada pelos oficiais a casar-se com um desconhecido, que acabava de ter sido resgatado pelo seu pai adoptivo, Yoon (Jung Hae Kyun). E quem era esse homem desconhecido? Nada mais, nada menos que o próprio príncipe herdeiro.
Certamente agora vocês se estão a perguntar como é que o príncipe (que já era casado) foi ali parar. Pois bem, lembram-se do golpe dado pelo rei? Esse golpe foi, na verdade, orquestrado pelo ministro Kim Cha Eon (Jo Sung Ha), que na altura se aproveitou da ganância e posição do antigo príncipe, para tomar conta do trono. Assim, esse ministro não só ficou como braço direito do rei, como também é sogro do príncipe e, por via de chantagens sobre esse passado, acabou por governar através do rei. E foi durante esta seca e crise económica que o reino estava a atravessar que o ministro viu a sua oportunidade de matar o príncipe herdeiro, reforçar o seu poder na casa real e, mais tarde, colocar o seu neto (ainda por nascer) no trono.
Depois dessa tentativa de assassinato, Lee Yul sobrevive mas desenvolve amnésia temporária. É neste momento que o pai de Hong Shim o encontra, o salva e pede para ele salvar a sua filha do castigo, porque ela não tinha ninguém com quem casar e cumprir assim a ordem do rei.
O que se segue é a história de amor de Hong Shim e Lee Yul, e a sua jornada de cem dias como aldeão até à recuperação da sua memória.
Dito isto, parece tudo tão leve, mas a verdade é que pelo meio vemos um desenrolar cruel de gente que não olha a meios para alcançar o seu fim; questionamos também sobre a paternidade do neto do ministro; mudamos mil vezes de opinião sobre os supostos vilões da história; e descobrimos que afinal a aldeã Hong Shim não é um ser de passado simples, e que esconde uma história triste com a morte do seu verdadeiro pai, desaparecimento do seu irmão, e de um amor de infância perdido.
Não é daqueles dramas que vá rever tão cedo, mas entende-se bem o porquê de ser o quinto drama com mais audiência na TV por cabo: é ideal para quem procura um sageuk, romance, muito humor e um enredo cheio de voltas e reviravoltas.

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A great romance with a good looking male lead! What's not to like!

Ok the most hilarious part of the plot ???? is that the story is about how D.O. hates being a farmer lol and all D.O. actually wants in real life is to be a farmer ^_^

Anyway on to the review!

D.O. is a perfect mix of handsome and cute, I can't get enough of him! Comedy, emotion, romance, this one has it all. There's also some very emotional moments but on the whole this one is low angst and gets more angsty toward the end. The acting was pretty good throughout and I loved that they showed the female lead initiating contact in several instances without getting clingy.

The story is about two people, Crown Prince of Joseon Lee Yeol (D.O.) and Hong Shim (Nam Ji hyun), a commoner who only has a foster father and no real family. These two have an ill-fated love and who, through various circumstances end up being married to one another. The crown prince is constantly warding off assassination attempts at his life and during one such attempt ends up losing his memory. Ok look I am an "EXO fangirl' and I couldn't stop raving about Rich Man Poor Woman and I have seen Exo next door, busted, Seondal, and Choco Bank (Kai) a million times. But when I review I will always try to be objective. So even if I watch something a million times because D.O. is in it, I will try to review objectively.

So this drama it was so fun and entertaining and like I said Do Kyungsoo looks so handsome! I was in love with his stern "oho" lol that was so funny!!! Honestly, this role is the perfect fit for him. It was really painful to watch him struggle in the peasant life ugh it gave me so much anxiety ^_^ I just wanted someone to make him remember again! And also, the brother and sister storyline omg that was so well done! My heart wept for them truly. And also for DO when his father the king is suffering the wrath of the villain and unable to help his own son when he was lying hurt and miserable in some peasants cottage.

And ok the exceptional OST!!! There's really no words to describe how amazing that OST is you just have to get it and you'll be listening to it a million times.

Anyway, so if you're looking for a romance with low angst and a handsome lead and music that will blow you away, watch this drama!

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A great sageuk with D.O. as ML, Nam Ji Hyun as FL and Kim Seo Ho as ML2.

A great sageuk with D.O. as ML, Nam Ji Hyun as FL and Kim Seo Ho as ML2.

PLOT: The FL, daughter of a nobleman killed after being accused of treason, has been hiding for years in a small village. The Crown Prince discovers that the Crown Princess, daughter of the Minister who really governs the kingdom, is pregnant even though he has never touched her. The famous minister decides to kill the Prince. But he survives thanks to FL's adoptive father, even he has amnesia. All the bachelors having received the order to marry, the FL marries the man taken in by her father, the ML-Crown Prince.

PROS:
+ Addictive series, with D.O. who is absolutely masterful in this role.
+ All the actors are excellent.
+ Well-written story, with constant suspense
+ Dynamic and intelligent production, with very beautiful sets, costumes, framing.
+ Well suited OST.

## The kings of Joseon are often shown as weak, powerless, or even stupid. The ML's father, here, is no exception...

CONS:
- Some lengths on the last part.
*******************************************************************************************************************
TB sageuk avec D.O. en ML, Nam Ji Hyun en FL et Kim Seo Ho en ML2.

PLOT: La FL, fille d'un noble tué après avoir été accusé de trahison, se cache depuis des années dans un petit village. Le Prince héritier découvre que la Princesse Héritière, fille du Ministre qui gouverne vraiment le royaume, est enceinte alors qu'il ne l'a jamais touchée. Le fameux ministre décide de faire tuer le Prince. Celui-ci survit grâce au père adoptif de la FL, mais il est amnésique. Tous les célibataires ayant reçu l'ordre de se marier, la FL épouse l'homme recueilli par son père.

PROS:
+ Série addictive, avec D.O. qui est absolument magistral dans ce rôle.
+ Tous les acteurs sont excellents.
+ Story bien écrite, avec un suspense constant
+ Réalisation dynamique et intelligente, avec de très beaux décors, costumes, cadrages.
+ OST bien adaptées.

## Les rois de Joseon sont souvent montrés comme faibles, impuissants, voire stupides. Le père du ML, ici, ne fait pas exception...

CONS:
- Quelques longueurs sur la dernière partie.

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100 Days Husband is basically Shopping King Louie but set in Joseon Time period.

A rich young man who has memories of the female lead whether he remebers them or not, loses all of his memory and gets lost, the female lead finds him.

Now, that he has lost all of his memory and has no memory of where he lives or who he is, the female lead and him are forced into living together. At first, the man useless and buys items that cause the woman to go into debt because he has no money of his own.

The female lead forces the male lead to get a job, but, the male lead is found to be very bad at that job, until they find out what he is really good at and he regains his memory. For a time the female and male lead live apart since, the male lead was found by his family and regained his memory, but later on, the male lead goes back to get the female lead and they live happily ever after the end.

Also, to make it more confusing the female lead in these two kdramas are played by the same actress Nam Ji-hyun.

But, 100 Days Husband is a better kdrama because it fixes the problems that I had with Shopping King Louie.
Politics added to the drama and made it less boring to watch and kept my interest even when the main couple had to be separated for a time. I found that the characters in 100 Days Husband felt more like real people who were going through real struggles.
For the casting/acting, D.O. and Nam Ji-hyun had great chemistry and really I could not imagine anyone else doing their characters as well as they did in the story.
The music in this Kdrama fit along with the storyline and tone and helped bring a certain atomsphere to the show. Kim Jongdae sings an OST for this drama and that is not the only song that is awesome in this drama.

The rewatch value for this drama is high as all the parts of this kdrama feel needful and add depth to the characters in the story.

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Um sageuk fofo

Segundo dorama que assisti com o D.O, caraa ele arrasa demais, ele no papel desse príncipe foi muito bom de se ver.

É um sageuk (histórico) que me surpreendeu, é divertido, fofo e com até poucos momentos tristes.

O Príncipe Herdeiro é lindo, com ótimas habilidades com o arco e flecha, espada e na literatura. Mas após a morte de sua mãe ele se tornou triste, deprimido e nunca sorri, além de ter começado a ser perseguido dentro do palácio.

Yeon Hong Shim ela é uma personagem divertida, inteligente e criativa. Eu gostei muito de ver sua história de vida, de como ela era guerreira, e de como ela era ao lado do pessoal da aldeia.

O Jung Je Yoon é charmoso inteligente e dono de um sorriso cativante (que eu queria poder chamar de meu 🤭🤭) que veio pra completar o triângulo amoroso e trazer mais emoção.

E com relação ao casal eu amei ver todo o desenvolvimento deles, do sentimento que foi surgindo, e do príncipe se adaptando durante esses 100 dias.

Claro que como sempre tem os vilões que dá vontade de matar né, e nesse não foi diferente o Governador Kim Cha Eon era de dar nos nervos, até a própria família ele prejudicava.

E o final? Bem...o final como um todo é bom, vale a pena mas ficou meio fraco, por mais fofo que fosse todo o último episódio, não fazia jus ao que os últimos quinze episódios do drama haviam oferecido, mas isso não fez o drama ficar ruim.

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Pleasant and watchable, there are strong echoes of Moon Embracing the Sun with a nod to What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?

The story is similar to Moon Embracing the Sun -- they meet as kids, but life gets in the way. This story is more linear, but I wish it felt fresher.

As a man with no memory, Won Deuk is out of place, much like the main character in Secretary Kim. This time, instead of being hilariously vain and out of touch, he's rude and superficial so it's not as fun and a bit of a turnoff.

I am glad that the scheming, shrill ladies of the court was kept to a minimum. That's one trope that I am glad they skipped.

Overall, it's enjoyable, but doesn't quite reach top tier for me since it feels a bit familiar.

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For the fact na akala ko matatapos ko sya ng isang maghapon magdamag ???? no joke . hindi lang sya malakas maka-isang episode na lang syndrome . sya yung tipong gusto mo agad syang matapos ???? pero sa kalagitnaan ng E11 , bumigay na rin ang mata ko .

PERO SOBRANG WORTH IT . lahat ng twist , ng plot . tas takte pa yung pagkakaedit e . icucut nila yung episode na iiwanan kang nagtatanong , tas sisilipin mo kung ano mangyayari sa next eps na di mo namamalayan , matatapos mo na naman pala tas sisilipin mo na naman yung next eps na .. (repeat 16x) .

and problema ko lang , hindi ko nalimutan dito na si DO sya ng EXO . Kasi si DO talaga yung nakikita ko kay Won Daek / Yi Yul . Yung pagka-authoritive nya na hindi mo sya pwedeng biruin and all . SATANSOO at it's finest ???? yung bawat O-HO nya , at 'Am I The only one feeling uncomfortable' sobrang prinsipeng prinsipe lang ang datingan ???? dalang dala ni Kyung Soo yung character nya . AT ANG CUTE NYA MAGSELOS ???? jusmiooooo ❤

but wait there's more . oo , given . Kyung Soo ang bida . na alam naman nating lahat na visual na . e sinamahan pa ng maliit pero super heavy na role ni Do Ji Han . tas may combo pang Kim Seon Ho na mapatay ang dimple ???? wala na . finish na . pinagsisihan ko na bat nga ba hindi ko pa noon pa pinanood ito ????????

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Another sageuk crossed off the list!

It's nothing you haven't seen, with all the classic tropes you've seen in every historical drama ever. The only thing that's new is D.O (Do Kyung Soo). Although his character was fairly one dimensional, he does have his moments. Some of my favourite lines:

*fireworks go off in the sky during the festival*
"There goes the taxpayer's money"

"I'm already aware you fell for my thighs, tell me something else"

"You mean to say I'm completely BROKE?"

He's a manchild, but I love him. Even D.O himself said how hopeless his amnesiac character is at the beginning

Interviewer: What kind of housework does Won Deuk do in the drama?
D.O: He can't do such things
Interviewer: Not at all?
D.O: No, not at all. Won Deuk is useless.

Lmao XD

I don't feel like going into details of the plot, characters or romance because it could all be described as average and generic tbh. Not necessarily a bad thing! Predictable doesn't always mean bad. After all, this drama does have a lot of enjoyable moments. However you shouldn't go into it with expectations it will knock your socks off either.

You should also be prepared for long episodes and for the final episodes to drag on forever (why didn't they just get rid of the villain 6 episodes ago!! what is the point in keeping him alive, 'he must live and suffer through his days' forget that bs just kill him)

Overall though, this drama wasn't too bad (if you're not sick of the amnesia trope yet lol)

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