Another good piece from Author Kim!
Reviews gotten me skeptical but it surpasses my expectation.Author Kim is very well-known in writing different kinds of genre and this drama is like a combination of Goblin + Mr Sunshine where it has a little of the fantasy element with some foreign affairs politics. However, as this is the first drama over the past few years that wasn't produced Director Lee Eung Bok, the production wasn't that fantastic, but still okay.
For those who enjoyed fantasy, this will most likely be your cup of tea. However, do note that this is slightly more complicated than the other fantasy as it involves time travel, universe travel and space-time gap but I personally think that these have made the drama even more special! As someone who enjoy fairytale, I love how they created the monarch world and also where the king was riding on his white horse! Pure imagination!
A big applaud for the cast as well for portraying more than one role in the drama and slayed it! My favourite goes to Eun-seob and Jo Yeong!!!!!! He is so charming and cute at the same time in his totally different-character roles and really deserve much love omgggg!
Overall, I love it! Giving it a 9.0/10.0 as 1 mark goes to the excessive product placement that is out of nowhere. I don't really enjoy product placement in the drama, especially when they even designed their lines to promote the product, it gives me a C-drama vibes which I don't really fancy it. And this drama has really too much of it, it sort of ruin the whole atmosphere build up for this drama. Other than that, all good! :)
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I have watched quite a few Kdrama since The Heir and Boys over Flowers or even Lovers in Paris but I have never had a kdrama series that not only I but a lot of viewers intensely “ENGAGED” to the point of mastering on the facts and brewing theory after another on whats going to be the next episode. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have watched this as soon as it was aired. The agony of waiting for another week in order to find out what happens next created the hype and the passion for this show.
Nevertheless, its the comeback show for 2 of our main roles, Lee MinHo and Kim Go Eun not to mention the scriptwriter is no other than KES ( who wrote Goblin and the Heirs as well). She is known for her romantic dialogues, puns and witty lines. Plus the introduction of a parallel world and romance aka long distance relationship in a parallel world is unheard of in the Korean drama realm.
The undeniable chemistry between our FL and ML is another thing that made this show worth to watch and rewatch like 10 times over. Lee Min Ho as Lee Gon, the benevolent king from the Kingdom of Corea and our brave Lieutenant Jeong Tae Eul from the Republic of Korea mastered their craft and manifested in the screen.
As the story unfolds, the team behind this show didn’t fail to give as much spotlight for our other main leads and supporting actors as well. I like that they have their own stories to tell and how they are instrumental and uniquely intertwined with our main lead’s lives.
I love the quick-witted humor in this show and how it is being presented. Not the usual funny and comical antics like the usual rom-com shows I have binge-watched before.
Kim Eun Sook is a genius! A lot of people seemed to give up on this kdrama just because it’s too complicated but it need not be. You just have to watch the whole thing through ... everything will beautifully unfold right then. The realization that their relationship is a bit sad and entails a lot of sacrifice since we are talking about a love eternal in a parallel world but they decided to just embrace their fate and live only for today and love tirelessly until forever ... Every dialogue, every word, every line in this show holds a lot of truth and depth, thus setting the bar so high on how a beautiful love story should be. Definitely a 10 in my book!
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Wandering_Queen
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
This drama had potential to be good considering its parallel universe plot line featuring doppelgangers. It became quiet clear however that all that potential was thrown out the window as the drama focused heavily on a forced love line between the Prince and Lieutenant. The Prince barely knows anything about the Lieutenant, other than her badge, and is obsessively in love with her already, wanting to make her his 'Queen' right from the very start of the drama. The Lieutenant bares this oddity of affection and due to the solid acting skills of Kim Go Eun, makes you think she loves him back. I must say, Lee Min Ho truly drags this drama down with his lack of acting ability and the story being too focused on him. All of his lines sound the same and are delivered in a manner that is cringe-y or as bland as if he was reading off a sheet of paper. As you progress on in the "story", it becomes a jarring game of hot potato between dealing with the main villain [Uncle Baddie] of the story and the romance with the shots happening either too quickly or too slowly and then BAAMM suddenly, we get romantic moments between our leads confessing their love ever-so desperately. This is a heavy handed attempt to make things thrilling without offering any development or consequences. The side characters with enveloping stories that interact with defeating our big uncle baddie are constantly placed on the back burner or simply not given the proper time to develop. The ideas for product placement has more intended use throughout the drama then the actual plot lines which only deepens the disappointment of this drama.
The timeline in this drama is a complex layer of complete garbage that neither makes sense nor can be resolved to any full effect. The drama was clearly not properly thought out and it shows with how chaotic episode 12-16 episodes are. It serves up unwarranted fan service over quality story and characters. The characters themselves are either too flat to be brought to life or stand on their own due to the poor quality of the script.
Woo Do Hwan's Jo Eun Sub / Jo Young, Kim Kyung Nam'sGang Shin, and Jung Eun Chae's Jae Goo Seo Ryung / Goo Eun Ah characters are scene stealers and make the drama more bearable but aren't necessary outstanding in their own right just by lack of competition. Woo Do Hwan has straight up WON the heart of so many MDL'ers and has been meme'd endlessly, which can be the only true accomplishment this show has achieved.
Finally, the saving grace of this drama is that it is dressed well in terms of cinematography and costume design. With a budget so high, it is hard NOT to be dressed well. It's money, however, could've been spent better. This is truly the type of drama that once you finish it, if it disappeared from your life the very next day, you wouldn't be losing out on anything.
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Marshmallow-Chocoholic
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An “Eternally “ Forgettable Show
Kim Eun Sook has been an incredibly popular screenwriter over the years due to her past involvement in works such as ‘ Lovers In Paris’, ‘ Descendants Of The Sun’, ‘ The Heirs’, ‘ Goblin’ and ‘ Mr Sunshine’. Whilst admittedly the quality of her works have remained divisive amongst drama watchers and critics alike, it is almost guaranteed that Eun Sook’s dramas will generate a certain buzz and present a wide range of acting talents. Therefore when news was released that ‘ Eun Sook’s latest project would be bringing on a star-studded cast alongside an intriguing premise, it certainly seemed to suggest that ‘ Eternal Monarch’ would be a worthwhile watch. However, reality can often be disappointing and not even Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun could prevent the drama from descending into a cataclysmic spiral of mediocrity.
Undeniably, Eun Sook’s premise for the show had good potential upon paper. Parallel worlds, histories and doppelgängers can’t be claimed to be entirely brand new concepts within Korean dramas( note shows such as Duel , King of Two Hearts and W; Two Worlds for references ), however, the potential for a show in which one of Korea’s darker moments of history ( for those who don’t know , the 1910 Japan- Korea Annexation Treaty which played a part in ending the Korean monarchy , and the tragic Korean War of 1950-1953, which caused the divide of North and South Korea ) having never existed in one world with a still present Korean monarchy , did seem to suggest that King; Eternal Monarch could’ve been a generally enlightening and profound drama.
Sadly, Eun Sook wasn’t seeking to stimulate our brains with philosophical thoughts, centralising her efforts upon lacking “ cute” couple moments instead. It’s fair to say that Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun’s names as our leads within the show, offer a certain appeal for fans through memories of other stellar performances by the actors ( particularly Boys Over Flowers and Goblin) , however, Min Ho’s portrayal as Kim Gon sadly, was easily forgettable through his generic deliverance of lines and development as a character throughout the drama. Similarly, his costar Go Eun’s performance as detective Tae Eul/ her criminal counterpart , Luna, certainly wasn’t portrayed in an unbearable performance, however, her deliverance of lines preceding her reputation as a top -notch actress, was a mediocre performance to say the least ( equally parallel to her costar Eun Chae’s wobbly deliverance of lines in the drama )
. As for their characters, cynical cop and a smart King from a parallel world, isn’t something you see everyday, yet, for a show which centralises upon romance, there was nothing notably impressive within the build up of the two characters and their relationship. There were no moments of genuinely moving emotional trials , development , paced storyline or more importantly why either lead even decided to fall for one another at all. On a partial side note, the one joy which Eternal Monarch did bring for viewers was Woo Do Hwan’s comical portrayal as an easygoing intern at Tae Eul’s station and his counterpart , the cynical and confident bodyguard of Gon in his world.
On the other hand, whilst Do Hwan was possibly one of the few decent actors in the show, Eun Sook could have done a lot more with the storyline overall. If the show had focused less upon advertising the latest designer outfit on Min Ho as he swishes along the streets of Seoul in Tae Eul’s world , or a new chicken restaurant during a moment which could’ve been prevalent to the pacing of the storyline, then perhaps Eternal Monarch would’ve also offered us a greater explanation to exactly the unexplainable central reason behind the parallel universes , the intentions to exactly how two people can exist at the same time worlds apart in different dimensions or time zones ( note the whole unexplained reasons behind the boy with the yo-yo , the footage from the future and of course changing the timeline with Gon’s alternate self), and a well-written antagonist who didn’t fall short upon being simply a nefarious moustache twirling villain as well.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
Where do I begin...I have been anticipating this drama since it's announcement, and even more after watching Goblin, my first Kim Eun Sook drama, and The Legend of the Blue Sea, my first Lee Min Ho drama. Waiting months and months for this drama, I can say that I was not disappointed. I got excited every time something related to The King was released before the premier. When the teaser came out, I was so excited that a drama I have waited months for was almost premiering. When the drama premiered, I skipped one of my classes just to watch it, and I do not regret that! I watched the first episode twice because I was so excited and happy. I was not disappointed at all.
Romance fantasy is no doubt my favorite drama genre. With a historical touch, The King is definitely a memorable and amazing drama to me. I already loved Kim Eun Sook's writing style, but after watching The King, I ended up loving it even more.
Now, the things I loved about this drama:
Plot:
Despite it not being exactly like the original synopsis, I loved the plot of this drama. A parallel universe is already a complicated topic to master, and adding time travel to it no doubt made it more hard. Despite this, I think Kim Eun Sook does an excellent job tackling both subjects in one drama. I also surprisingly liked the flow of the drama. I didn't mind the slow movement of the plot at first since I think it connects perfectly well to the story. The reason the first few episodes are slow might be because it represents the story, how everything slowly unfolds. The first few episodes are the the stepping stones to the drama. Things start progressing faster as Lee Gon realizes more and more. If Lee Lim and Lee Gon's first interaction was before half way point, I believe I would find it a bit rushed. Personally, I rather have a slow half then a rushed half.
Romance:
For me, the romance was not rushed. I think the romance worked really well. Both Gon and Tae Eul are from different worlds, two worlds where time flows differently between them. I think the romance was built up perfectly and I loved how time played a big part in their romance as well. I felt their connection and how much they cared for each other. I didn't mind each emotional reunion, since it came after not seeing each other for a long time, since, as I mentioned, time flows differently between the two worlds.
Characters:
Every character was so interesting and the actors did such an amazing job portraying them. I loved how many actors portrayed different characters from both worlds. Lee Min Ho's portrayal as a king was done so well, and Kim Go Eun's portrayal as a fierce police officer was perfect as well. As many could agree, Jo Yeong and Jo Eun Seop definitely stole just about every scene they were in. Both Yeong and Eun Seop were amazing characters that I thank Kim Eun Sook so much for creating. If Woo Doo Hwan doesn't win best supporting actor then I don't know who will! I loved Yeong's bromance with Lee Gon, and every Yeong and Eun Seop interaction was priceless. Another character I want to talk about is Kim Yong Ji's characters, Myung Na Ri and Myung Seung Ah. Despite only being supporting characters, I loved every scene both Na Ri and Seung Ah appeared in, and even wish they appeared more. Kim Yong Ji's and Woo Do Hwan chemistry was amazing, I need to see these two as leads in their own drama!
Other:
The cinematography was flawless. Every episode was filled with beautiful scenes that I could not take my eyes off. I also loved the references to her previous drama's, such as Goblin and Mr. Sunshine.
Final thoughts:
The biggest key to this drama is the details. There are details hidden in every episode, which I love so much. You're not stupid if you don't get the details, it's perfectly fine if you didn't. This is why I wouldn't recommend this drama if you can't pay attention. If you watch to kill time, but don't want to pay close attention, then this drama might not be for you. So much stuff happens that it will be hard to keep track if you don't focus. That being said, I do think anyone interested in watching should definitely give it a try. I also recommend watching a few episodes a day or at least one a day. Since there are so many details to absorb, I think watching at once is the best option.
I wouldn't change the cast. I wouldn't change the script. I would add more time per episode or more episodes though. Although Kim Eun Sook managed with 16 episodes and keeping just about the same, 72 minute time. I believe more time would have made it better. I am really thankful to Kim Eun Sook for creating another masterpiece. I hope she continues to write amazing drama's in the future. Truly, in my opinion, the best Korean drama screenwriter.
No doubt my favorite drama of this year, and one of my favorite drama's of all time.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
Entertaining, but not for people wanting more substance.
The King: Eternal Monarch is difficult to review because, at face value, it is an entertaining drama: interesting premise, excellent cinematography, addictive soundtrack, strong female lead, suspenseful, and romantic. The problem with The King: Eternal Monarch, however, is that it fails to meet expectations, leaving many viewers feeling as though they watched an early, conceptualized version of a drama released as it was being written by an author with a vague concept of where the plot was going and no knowledge of how many episodes were left until the ending. We know what could have been, so our disappointment leads us to be overly critical of what we have been given.**Story: 7.0**
While the plot devices of interdimensional travel and a modern day Korean monarchy are nothing new, the combination of the two are unique enough to excite any fantasy lover. Throw in a dashing king, a tough female cop, and a villain traveling between dimensions, killing people and replacing them with their doppelgangers, and you have the building blocks for something special.
Sadly, someone somewhere thought more would be better, and all the elements that could have made this drama great were poisoned by the the addition of a time travel plot device, a surplus of ridiculously blatant examples of product placement, a female villain who served no real purpose other than to be an unlikable annoyance when convenient for the plot, a multitude of supporting characters and their doppelgangers who were difficult to keep track of, and a sometimes non-linear story-telling style that made the whereabouts and actions of the villain difficult to follow, with very little mystery or payoff because of it.
The addition of so many minor characters was, perhaps, the biggest downfall to this series because it detracted from the time that could have been better spent developing the main characters, in particular the relationship between the male and female leads. For a show that is built around a love story that spans multiple dimensions, it sure didn’t spend a lot of time developing the romance, and instead it relied heavily on the concepts of fate and destiny to carry the relationship while the leads spent a large amount of time apart in their respective worlds.
The main antagonist and biggest external conflict for the leading couple, villain Lee Rim, also suffered due to shared screen time with his many, many doppelganger minions. His villainy would have been much more impactful if his motivations for world domination had been expanded upon and all the corrupt doppelgangers were introduced as they were exposed, the extent of Lee Rim's reach being unveiled one doppelganger at a time. It was a missed opportunity that would have created suspense and kept viewers guessing as to who was good and bad along with the leading characters.
As the show went into its final four episodes, the plot began to feel rushed, as though the writer anticipated the series being 20 episodes long but was told half-way through production it was only going to be 16 episodes instead. Moments previously depicted in the first episode (Lee Rim being interrogated at the police station) turned out to be insignificant and irrelevant, and the downfall of the villain was less impactful and grandeur because it happened three different times, all rather abruptly and without much fanfare.
I suspect that a lot of fans were satisfied with the “happy” ending, but I found it to be a cop-out. While all our secondary characters found endings in the reset timeline deserving of their good--or bad--deeds in the original timeline, it was clear that the writer didn’t know how to resolve the love story that spanned two worlds and various timelines. While a together-but-separate ending worked in Crash Landing on You, it’s hard to imagine such a situation working out in the long-term for this couple, despite the clear implication that they do somehow manage to grow old together, when one of them is the king of a country that still expects its monarch to produce heirs.
I personally would have liked an ending where everyone, including Jung Tae Eul and Lee Gon, lost their memories of the other world after the reset--which would have been more in line with traditional time travel logic--allowing us to see Jung Tae Eul meet Lee Ji Hun and Luna meet Lee Gon and fall in love in their respective worlds, suggesting that the two souls are destined to be together no matter the universe. Of course, such an ending would have had to exclude the cute moment between Luna and Kang Shin Jae, but it’s a sacrifice I would have made, especially since he seemed to have chemistry with the therapist/doctor, who could have turned to be his love interest in the reset.
**Acting/Cast/Characterization: 7.5**
Woo Do Hwan stole the show with his dual roles as Jo Young and Jo Eun Sub, and I would watch this drama again solely for his performance. While the two characters were foils for each other, there were moments when you could see flashes of Jo Eun Sub’s personality in Jo Young, showing that the four-year-old Jo Young introduced in the first episode could have also grown up boisterous and carefree, had his parents not divorced and he not become the King’s Sword. Woo Do Hwan did an excellent job of portraying them as two sides of the same coin.
Lee MIn Ho fit the role of dashing, attractive king, but much like Prince Charming in Disney’s Cinderella, he had very little personality outside of being perfect. To be honest, I’m not sure if this is a symptom of Lee Min Ho’s acting abilities or a combination of the director and writer pushing for the idea of a fairy tale romance, complete with a royal leading man who excels at literally everything. If that’s what they wanted, then they succeeded. Unfortunately, as a viewer, I found that level of perfection unbelievable, and I feel like opportunities for Lee Min Ho to express deeper, less flattering emotions were skipped over in favor of having him look pretty for the camera. While I don’t mind seeing Lee Min Ho being paraded around in a bunch of dashing uniforms while riding in slow motion on the back of a gallant steed, the reality is that if he’s placed on such a high pedestal, both socioeconomically and personality-wise, it’s hard to imagine a police detective who values comfort over appearances forming a meaningful bond with him, definitely not in the time allotted to them as a couple in this series.
Kim Go Eun’s acting was hit or miss for me. As Jung Tae Eul, she had some real standout moments, such as the last twenty minutes of episode 11, but for the majority of her scenes her facial expressions were kind of flat and wooden. Perhaps that was an intentional choice in order for her to appear more like a tough-as-nails cop despite her petite appearance, but instead it felt like she had no personality outside of being a detective, which further widened the emotional gap between her and Lee Gon. I found her role as Luna much more intriguing and complex, and the blank-faced delivery of her lines felt more befitting of the street hardened thief dying of cancer than of a cop with a lot of friends, a loving father, and a princely suitor.
Most of the supporting cast did well in their roles, including several standouts, but there were a few characters that I wish had been excluded from the drama (Looking at you Prime Minister.) in order to tighten the plot.
**Music/Cinematography: 10**
I was extremely happy with the cinematography and music. With Netflix funding the production, it’s no surprise that the special effects and camera work seemed more on par with a Hollywood production. Every scene in which time stops is gorgeous, especially the moment it paused as Jung Tae Eul was tying her hair and the warm hues of fall dominated the color scheme.
The soundtrack was extremely catchy and was used effectively to compliment the various scenes. I am particularly fond of “Gravity” and “Orbit.”
**Rewatch Value: 9**
Despite all of its flaws with the plot and the disappointing resolution, this drama is immensely entertaining. If you acknowledge it for what it is, a drama that capitalizes on cliches and romance tropes, and that is your bread and butter, then you will be pleased with this drama and want to rewatch it for the vicarious fairy tale thrills. However, a lot of people want more from their dramas than unrealistic entertainment; this drama isn’t for those people.
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A wise person once said, "Understand the plot then skip to Woo Dohwan's scenes."
That person was me.Anyway, I'll be speaking about 4 main points.
1. The Pacing
2. The Villain
3. The Romance
4. The Plot Convenience
There are minor spoilers in here. If you watched 2 episodes then you are spoiler free from this review.
[ The Pacing ]
You can't feel emotionally attached to any of the characters. The author had created TOO MANY plotlines to focus on. The parallel universe, the romance, the investigation, the doppelganger, the villain, the side characters, the side character's side story, add all that and you get a messy execution. The pacing is all over the place.
Since this whole drama is written to center around romance, they could have simplified it by giving us less characters and unnecessary scenes. Characters like the Prime Minister (second female lead) held no importance to the plot. She is neither a good enemy nor a good ally by the end which makes her pointless. All that screentime, for what exactly? I love women in power but she didn't impact the story in any shape or form. She doesn't change anything. I don't understand why I had to watch all that set up just to come up with NOTHING!
This happened again (but much BETTER) with the second male lead. He had a good build up but he ended up being flat too. They should have connected his storytelling without the long gaps (to keep it heartwrenching) and gave him a more satisfying ending. He is one of the characters that you expect something from but it never gets delivered. The author just wasted all his potential by playing the self pity card.
Which brings me to another point. The investigation scenes are meaningless too. It was like running in circles. This author have learned the "show not tell" technique wrong. The male lead finds out all what the detectives found beforehand which makes me wonder why am I even watching them solve this case? Nobody cares about the flip phones, okay?
Anyway, I just wanna add this personal opinion but it would have been nice if the two worlds were more different.
[ The villain ]
Probably the most frustrating character in the whole drama because he's NOT supposed to be like this. He is evil for the sake of being evil. One of the worst villains we have seen in dramaland. He is an ABSOLUTE IDIOT! How did he succeed in creating a coup and gain followers is beyond me. His wickness is almost cartoonish. It's like I'm watching PowerPuff Girls. The amount of dumb decisions he made caused me to facepalm. The author didn't even try with him. He is smart when convenient and an idiot when convenient. His character exist to create tension and make our hero seem heroic. His plans were pretty smart and if he played his cards right, he would actually been a great threat but the author wanted a justifiable reason for the romance to happen. If the antagonist (involved in politics) have an IQ less than your average viewer then don't write him.
[ The Romance ]
The romance failed before it even started. IF it had a good setup, a lot of people wouldn't have called it forced. The problems started when our king here got the good ol' "saver complex" symptoms. Someone saved you? Instantly in love with them! I gave up on the romance from that moment. Everything about her is destiny or fate... he said "Be my Queen" in the 2nd EPISODE! MY GUY, YOU JUST MET HER IN THAT VERY EPISODE, DAFUQ YOU TALKING ABOUT? QUEEN MY ASS!
Where is the development? Moments that brings spark? Funny bickering of them trying to work side by side? Moments where they realized their feelings? Learning to understand each other? Make us wish they are together because they are cute to watch? We skipped all that. We got a girl who's uninterested, a one side bickering that isn't amusing because she is annoyed and a man, who apparently isn't interested in romance, suddenly in love with a girl over a badge photo. The chemistry doesn't build itself. It needs presentation.
[ The Plot Convenience ]
I wrote it in the comment of this review AND in the general comment section because it contains HEAVY spoilers. It hard to talk about plot convenience (and plot holes) without pointing out WHICH one were they. If you didn't watch this drama, I wouldn't recommend reading it. It won't make sense, trust me.
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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.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
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.
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When sci-fi leads to a mess
TKEM is a title that has undergone the exact same fate as Hotel del Luna. The drama has been hyped and declared a possible masterpiece even before airing, due to the combination of cast-screenwriter plus romance-fantasy. But as HDL, the plot didn't live up to the hype.The author wanted to propose an ambitious sci-fi fantasy that tells us the story of two parallel worlds, where each member of the cast has a double role and is involved in a "save-conquer two world plot-line". The main concept may be brilliant, but the script is not well written and definitely it is badly executed (editing and direction).
The author was unable to manage the amount of information she wanted to offer, failing on multiple fronts. Between plot holes, errors on space-time theories, which casually favor the hero while disadvantaging the villain, bad characterization of characters and useless characters who steal precious screen time, penalizing both the main plot and the main couple, who also lack chemistry due to a hasty and forced romance.
The director wanted to tell the story in a non-linear way, jumping between sub-plot, often using flashbacks. All this has unnecessarily complicated a plot that was already complex of his own due to the number of characters and plot-line, plus the space-time theory, and two different worlds that looked almost the same.
Add the bad CGI, an OST that lack of impact, the controversy over product placement and japan style building and what positive aspects are left? The great cast, some acting, the scenography & costume. Definitely not enough to save a drama. Overall TKEM is an ambitious project with great potential, which unfortunately has turned into a giant mess because both the author and the director wanted to overdo it.
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Potatoes and cheese
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A story of tangled loose ends
The glaring ads didn't bother me. The cringey prince-charming-saving-Cinderella-in-a white horse-holding-a-sword-while-the-enemies-are holding-guns made me cringe too, but did not daunt me. I gave this series a chance after another, but the unrealistically happy ending was the final straw. I think a sad and tragic ending would have made more sense.After all the mess that the broken flute had caused, I thought LG would come to realize that the previous kings had good reasons for not playing God. Gon could have tried to do what’s right and seal the road to parallel worlds forever by leaving the flute in the baloon dimension, making sure no one can abuse its power down the line again. He could have decided to do that after finding Tae-Eul and fulfilling his last promise. Sure, he would be left heartbroken, but he would be making a decision bigger than himself or his royal family woes, and that would have been an amazing character redemption, no? Because in the end, if he doesn't choose what's best for eternity's sake, then his focus on killing his uncle and getting the flute would be nothing but a personal vendetta which would have made him somewhat of a narrow character with nada development.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what he has become. In the end, he chose to use the flute for his own selfish reasons, even if that reason is love, ignoring the fact that him and Tae-Eul couldn’t live like teens on a road trip forever, what with him being a king with the responsibility of sustaining the royal lineage by finding a queen in his world who could provide him with an heir.
Holding on to that note, here’s another flaw: if the children have the same parents in RoK and KoC, it goes to say that the worlds have ‘mirror’ couples too. Therefore, the hint that Luna and Hyeon-min could end up together while LG and Tae-eul are gallivanting through dimensions is breaking the series’ own set of rules.
In an alternate ending, I’m imagining Tae-Eul wandering the streets where she met LG for the first time, still teary-eyed and wistful, when a grown Ji-hun walks by. Only this time, she dropped her ID that she was holding as she was intently staring at his face, and Ji-Hun stopped to pick it up, looking at it first and then her face, before saying her name out loud and returning it to her with a smile…. While in Corea, Gon’s life is again in trouble due to some terrorists or another coup. Yeong was busy protecting him from the front, when a bullet was shot from behind. Luckily, a police officer shielded him from this bullet, who turns out to be Luna. If you think about it, Gon's obsession with Tae-Eul started with the thought that she had something to do with saving his child self. In a fixed timeline, Luna was actually the one meant to save him, and Ji-hun was the one meant to pick up Tae-Eul's ID.
All along, Tae-Eul is apparently fated to meet Ji-hun in her world, and Lee Gon to Luna. LG and Tae-Eul’s meeting was a result of the the strings getting tangled and mixed up, so when the flute got fixed, so does their fate and timeline. Finally tying the loose ends. Not a happy ending, but way more realistic and would make the title "Eternal monarch" more befitting.
Needless to say, I am sorely disappointed in the loose ends and lack of character development that I have created in my mind a more sensible ending while watching. They set a lot of rules, yet in the end, they fail to abide by the rules. And that, for me, is the most annoying of all.
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As the most anticipated drama of the year, this one disappoints BIG TIME!
Story: Writer probably thinks when you throw scientific BS in the story, it'd make the drama looks like highly intellectual. Parallel universe, doppelganger, time travel, mathematical computations/formulas thrown as part of a story, is a brilliant idea ONLY if you know what you are doing, if not leave it to the experts. Writer thinks she can get away with it, but she made a big mess and doesn't know how to solve it! Those people who think this is a masterpiece is either a LMH or writer's die hard fans.
Acting casts: Thank goodness to Maximus, WDH's character and SJ. The villains are just decorations, PPL appeared more than them. Writer probably lose interest and just throw some fillers and whatever she thinks will work with the fanatics. I am not even a WDH fan but he stands out in this drama, totally overshadowed the ML. The 3 stars is for WDH, KKN and Maximus.
Music: Good thing, I liked 2 of the OST's, if not I would give this 1 star!
Rewatch value: Probably just watch WDH's scenes OR maybe just go to youtube and look for clips instead. Not gonna waste my time fast forwarding a lot of awful and cringey scenes.
Overall, this drama is for the fangirls only, nothing more nothing less.
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