The King : Eternal Monarch (2020)

Twitter fans and I watched a completely different TKEM

Poor LMH! I’m a fan but this isn’t the right comeback.

Love Team: Dislike. No chemistry. Not matching from looks standpoint. King is fully smitten at first sight and we’ve no idea why. (The ID is too trivial)

Male lead: Dislike despite being LMH fan. ML had unrealistic reactions to everything. Eg overly calm when transported to parallel world, expounding nonsense and calm in gun fight.

Female lead: Dislike. FL was too weepy from halfway and became Katie Waitey in the end (the label on Kate Middleton when she didn’t really pursue serious career and was just waiting for Prince William).

Evil uncle: Dislike. He could’ve been a worthy antagonist but was utterly powerless and futile. All these years of planning - it’s not just his plan didn’t succeed, his plan didn’t make sense

Prime Minister - Dislike. It’s not that I felt she was evil. ButThere was no point for her role. True, we had some cute scenes on ep16. But ep1-15, there was a lack of coherence and sense of purpose for her role. It didn’t move the plot at all.

Supporting cast: good to very good. They were put to good use. Woo Do Hwan the bodyguard served a good purpose and bromance with himself was fun to watch, Shin Jae the police officer acting was good, Luna served good purpose (even if I didn’t like her as I disliked the actress), the court lady, old prince uncle were good plot insertions that painted a richer world.

Writing . terrible terrible terrible. There is nothing good I can say about the writing.

Directing - overall ok as scenes were pleasant to watch. But 2 big sins - (a) excessive use of slow-mo which backfired. (b) lack of tensions in crucial parts

Music - it’s ok. Not a personal favorite but I can’t criticize the music.

Cinematography- scenes were pleasant to watch but some cheesy insertions (the red balloon, slo-mo photo destruction). But overall good.

Cannot recommend to anyone except drama newbies.

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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.

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Time travelling is messy as it is add in multiple dimensions. I skipped so much that i had trouble understanding the show which is on me. But i just couldn’t sit through it all. The show itself is SUPER Boring. As a fantasy enthusiast i was badly disappointed. The female leads characters starts of strong, excellent intro but somewhere along the way they completely lost it. It feels like she is crying every ten minutes. I couldn’t roll my eyes enough. The male leads character is well written but the actor was unsuccessful in conveying the emotions and the passion he feels for the female lead. The romance part of the show is ruined thanks to the male leads robotic stiff acting. They tried to make the male lead cool with some action scenes but it just made the scenes really fake and impractical. The Action scenes are more glamorous than realistic.

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This one was highly anticipated one on my list but i am kind of disappointed. Plot has many holes and from time to time didn't make sense. Too many flash back scenes. Though they show FL as kickass but she cries buckets in the drama and at times it's beyond me to understand why so much crying? what is the reason to cry? for e.g. when she was running away to LL goon's and sees LG her crying i couldn't understand was that a relief to see him or she was super upset?? every scene FL appears she is crying on the screen. It really does not portray strong FL when you see her cry on every scene with LG and just becoz she can throw few punches does not make her strong. Strength mainly come from internal being which i found was not there. I was bored while watching this and only sat through this becoz of Lee Min Ho. It's a one time watch .

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Legendary

Pls don't watch a drama forced,or with hatred. Don't allow others reviews and comments to influence u. Everybody doesn't have the same style or have interst in the same genre. Ppl simply watch it for the visuals. Well u can. But respect the cinematography, the work that's being put..and respect the story...it's a freaking drama and watch as it is...if u don't like it you don't have to watch it...but if you caught the plot new and nice...well give it a try...upto where i have finished (10...) It's being fast paced...if ya'll don't understand chemistry...pls don't watch it...for me it was amazing...just think according to the story..and don't think so realistic...he's a freaking king and she's a tough woman...and their auras r different...so understand the story..and watch it..not just for the mere visuals. Well u can. But then don't complain about story and chemistry nd stuff...everything's not everyone's cup of tea.
Don't like it Don't watch it.

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I am a romantic fantasy fan lord of the rings ,the wisher harry potter that kind of movies fan I am romantic by nature so some romance with historic background is my love. This is a background for what I will say
The king is a TV series I love to see more than once
The hero in that TV series is not the actors the hero is
1- The screen writer Kim Eun Sook she did an amazing job she made me know what a royal family should be and what an orphan baby that can have anything in the world still at the same time has nothing from this world all his world is his country its pride he is putting everything on hold for that with no care for himself or his happiness yes you can feel that the hero is detached from every one all the time as if he is documenting every frame move and emotion she made him a scientist that is his job and at the same time a king who his main gold is justice love and care for everyone her message was delivered with flying colors
2- The music is the second method to deliver that message thank you for entertaining our souls and ears with the same elegant way the screenwriter did
3- I thank the directors they made me feel the difference between the 2 world without even mentioning that this is brilliant thank you
4- About the cast every and each one of them has a talent and was put at the correct place and environment to act and entertain me and every one can watch
Than you all for the good work waiting to see more of the screenwriter Kim Eun Sook work when I see your TV series I am on another world this world is mine watched the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God I love it too

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Visually pleasing but messy in the second half

Likes:
1. Lee Min Ho looks so good in every single scene that he kept me watching even though this drama was boring half of the time.
2. The very interesting idea of parallel universe where there are two kinds of korea. I had to keep pausing the drama so that i could think of what happened. And after the show i still kept thinking and guessing what would happen next.
3. Thoroughly enjoyed Woo Do Hwan as Eunseop and Jo Yeong (but i like Eunseop more!)
4. The stunning visuals and ost
5. At first the blatant display of the PPL was laughable but it also made me look for them on the internet

Dislikes:
1. During the first half i was confused if we were in kingdom or in the republic. There were too many characters to track and questions kept piling up without answers until ep 11. and the biggest plothole just felt lazy like they didnt have time to explain because we're on the final episode.
2. Super boring like nothing really happens until the last 10 mins and then it makes me anticipate the next episode. The next episode will answer a little bit of the previous ep by first 15 mins then it becomes boring again until the end. I was honestly watching this because of Lee Minho. Good thing the second half saved this show.
3. This happens in every time travel drama that as we get deeper into the story, the less the time travel logic makes sense. Until we end up just following the story without thinking of the logic anymore.
4. The romance build up was rushed that i didnt feel invested in them. I was just forced to believe they are in love and they need to be together in the end..because they are our leads. .

Overall, you dont need to be an intellectual to watch and enjoy the show, but you need to remember that this is a fantasy kdrama, not scifi. You need to suspend an appropriate level of disbelief while watching the show. Dont overthink the plot and concentrate (on their lines and the small details) so you can follow the story.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Fantasy Romantic Story

As an avid viewer, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story. The on-screen chemistry between Lee Gon and Tae Eul was nothing short of beautiful, and I found myself completely invested in their journey. The storyline was captivating, with an impressive blend of fantasy, romance, comedy, action, and adventure. However, as the story drew to a close, my enthusiasm dwindled. While the ending appeared to be happy, it left me feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. Despite this, I must say that it was a good story with a lot of potential, and I would recommend it to others - although with a caveat about the ending.

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Hard to describe

I watched the drama a month after the series finished. Lee.Minho is definitely a looker in this drama. His love interest is not a fave as well but hey this is my personal opinion only. Anyway, friends kept talking about this drama so I started watching it.

It is a drama that will confuse you if you do not pay attention. Parallel worlds with identical people ... how does one explain that? It is cleverly written and I am sure hard to portray.

I felt like the expression of love was a bit subtle. There are moments that moved me but a lot of times, Lee Gon could have shown more, done more towards the girl. I was not convinced that he truly loved her. Must be the facial expression...To be fair, he looked the part, so dashing, tall, and handsome. He did not give up till he found the right Eun ul!

The ending was a bit disappointing for me. I wanted them to be together forever like everyday, not just weekends. They should have resolved the issue of having an identical counterpart so they can marry. But hey it is not my story to tell.

It looks like an expensive drama. It showed class and all.
Lee Min ho , you are so handsome!

Well done to the cast and crew! I tend to thank them in my reviews because they did their darnest to entertain us :):).

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I don't know why but I really enjoyed this drama, I think because it was different, like a story that you don't usually see in dramas.

I think I enjoyed the two different like worlds I guess, like how you were different in another world, and even if you see each other, it's not like you disappear or something!

I think I also enjoyed the mystery of it as well, like it was kinda murder mystery! This is also the drama that made me really like Woo Do-hwan, he was such a good looking bodyguard and was able to portray like two different characters, it felt like two different actors as well ! -

Yeah, I feel like all the different actors were able to portray the other side of them really well, you'd think it was two different people but it was the same! - and I do love the actors outfits in the more richer side of the world - with the glow facemask! Made me really want one -

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how ideological constraints can limit narrative freedom

This movie is still one of the best in K-Ddramas: you can see that they really pulled out all the stops with the budget, visuals, top-tier casting, one of the best hit screenwriters, top directors, and beautiful music.
The movie is truly well done, and you watch it until the end. All the characters are well developed. I really like the two lead actors, as well as the supporting ones. As with most sci-fi films, it's hard to write something that is 100% coherent, so there are many plot holes... but maybe it's all about just one message: that you have to live, love, and enjoy every day, not think about the future, and live in the present? Committing to love for a day equals loving for eternity.
It's nice, it's romantic, but I wonder, as someone who's not Korean, if I still see propaganda in certain ideologies, which I think harms the artistic side of the work, especially regarding the plot. Why is it that in Korean dramas, characters often don't want to have children? Like getting pregnant, for example? The propaganda mostly focuses on work, personal comfort without making compromises (I think love requires a little effort, and a balance or equilibrium is good), and there's also a patriotic element about not leaving the country. ’m writing this because I see it systematically in many dramas. It’s great to incorporate a message into the storyline, but changing the narrative just to push an agenda is unacceptable for me.

[spoiler] At the end of the story, the female character could have logically married the male lead as proof of their commitment. She could have visited her father and friends on weekends, like an adult managing her life, right? But the writer avoids taking risks. It feels like they don’t want to show her choosing a more personal life, because it would suggest she prefers a life of luxury, a "king," over her country and the republic it represents. She avoids leaving her country or job, which aligns with this patriotic message— [END SPOILER] working for the state and doing the hard jobs no one else can do. This pattern is seen in other works by the same writer, like Descendants of the Sun, or other k-dramas, such as Crash Landing on You. In both cases, the stories fall into similar traps, forcing the characters to stay within these ideological confines, which ultimately weakens the plot.

This critique highlights how ideological constraints can limit narrative freedom, making storylines feel forced or unrealistic.

Another issue with this drama is the excessive product placement; entire scenes revolve around showcasing products rather than advancing the plot. I get that they need to finance the stars, but it's a bit much, isn’t it?

Lee Min Ho has crazy charisma, Kim Go EUN she act really well ! and the others are perfect too ( Kim Kyung, Do Hwan, Young Ok,

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I started watching this drama because of Lee Min Ho & yess...He nailed it.This drama is more amazing because of him .
Kim Go Eun's acting is as always splendid. Their chemistry is beautiful but seeing rushed romance was a bit awkward for me. Although it was still lovely because of Lee Min ho. And it was interesting to see different genre ( science fiction , which is rare in kdramas). A bit confusing because it was difficult for me to remember names of both world's counterpart's
Not disappoint at all, interesting characters like Eun Sap made this drama fascinating ,I loved his both characters.
Background score was mesmerizing but OSTs could be more nice.
At last it is like a treat to Lee min ho lovers
You'll enjoy this beautiful drama without getting frustrated . Worth watching & must watch for Minoz.?❤️

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