Regele, Monarhul Etern (2020)

I still don't think the drama deserved the hate it received right from the beginning. How people could go and judge it after 4 aired episodes is beyond me. So I'll try to give this constructive criticism, because I don't say that this drama is a masterpiece when it isn't.

After the first 4 episodes I had a blank mind, couldn't say if I liked or disliked the drama. I didn't feel bored, nor excited.
It's the same after I completed it, just that my head is now full of thoughts about all the questions that were left unanswered. I won't go into detail but if you like your drama end to tie all loose ends, look elsewhere because the writer left us with lots of empty room for interpretation.

What's positive about the story is the setting and the idea itself. I found it interesting and still think it could make a good drama. Sadly, as the drama kept going it only got more confusing. There were some moments when I wasn't sure if I missed something or the scriptwriter herself got more and more confused with all this traveling between worlds.
It might have been better to keep it more simple but that's not how it is. And yes I have to admit there are some filler scenes that we could do without and plot holes throughout the drama. But just as much plot holes there are product placements which personally I find just as distracting and annoying.
Bottles with coffee, chicken, food delivery service, beauty products, bakeries, car brands and more. The most annoying for me was the coffee and beauty stuff. More than once it looked like I had accidentally turned the teleshopping channel on. No joke. We even get praising lines with this products telling us how good it tastes or an explanation how to use the beauty product. This might be allowed but it's definitely not what I want to see in a drama. Sponsoring is okay and important, I get it, but please don't shove those products in our faces like that and mess up the flow and logic of the story with them. There were nice scenes that lost its meaning when another product popped up and stole the attention. There are way more subtle ways to do this...

The whole cast did a great job and the acting was really good. If anything I would blame the scriptwriter that made the female lead cry so often and not the actress for having to follow the script. It was my first drama with Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho and I liked them both a lot. Woo Do Hwan was the only one I knew from the cast/who was already among my favorites before this drama and he once again showed how good he can portray different personality types. I enjoyed every scene with him the most. I would wish for more scenes with him and Kim Yong Ji who also left a good impression. ^^ I liked the acting of Jung Eun Chae and Lee Jung Jin. Sadly their characters kept staying pretty much in the dark.

The OST is good, probably not going to be a favorite of mine but it's fitting the scenes of the drama and also nice to listen to on it's own.

As for the rewatch value. Chances I'm gonna rewatch this drama are pretty slim. Maybe a few scenes, mostly from the first couple of episodes when the traveling still caused funny scenes and didn't turn into a who's who.

I recommend everyone to go and see for themselves if this drama is to their liking or not. As I said, it received a lot of hate and I think not all of it was fair and appropriate so go and decide for yourself. Maybe this is your next favorite?
For me it was decent despite flaws in the writing and how the story progressed. I don't regret watching it.

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The drama was only good for first two episodes. After that it is all down hill.

The characters at the beginning shown they have potential character development to them, but as show went on, each character became dull , the main hero and heroine are only cliche romantics, while the other characters are just minions to promote their love story.

The main story and plot of the drama just became something to promote love story only.

Worst product placements, feels like whole drama is one big advertisement.

And Lee Min ho acting I personally felt poor, his ultra handsome face is the only saviour.

Woo do hwan is good with his acting, but his role became pointless. His screentime doesn't even last decent 5 minutes in an entire episode, even the other side characters have more individual screen time than him though he is one of the main characters. His character became like a background cameo. Woo do hwan has chosen a bad role this time.

You watch it if you are a lee min ho fan, and like him a lot or if you are kim go eun fan, but if you want to watch a good drama with good story, good character development, good acting, than this isn't for you.

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First, I want to emphasise that I am no hater of any of these actors. I do like some more than others (Sorry Lee Min Oh, I just can't deal with you anymore ...), but to be fair, I believe that even the best actors could not save this drama.

To be honest, there was potential at first ...... and then nothing happened.
To sum up my opinion in a few points:
- Flat characters
- Relationships happening out of nowhere, because why should we spend time on building real links between characters?
- No real suspense, as viewers we often understand things way before the characters do, and really, that takes them an awful lot of time.

I love most of these actors but unfortunatly their characters are so bland that they can't do any magic here.
As for the aesthetic, it is really enjoyable and pleasing to the eyes... but that's all this drama is about: nice visuals.

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Woo Do Hwan loving & caring about Woo Do Hwan is #Life!

I struggled with the thought of 7.5 or 8.0, and stuck with 7.5 because 2 out of 16 episodes boring me doesn't deserve higher, if I'm honest. But the acting in this drama is really good. I loved the entire cast, good and bad. The story was somewhat problematic at times, but still a well-written script with understandable concepts. However, the choice of how to play out the concepts to the end was *somewhat* dissatisfying, but not completely.

Pros:

1) It’s extremely disappointing to me that NetFlix & SBS don’t provide the cinematographer’s name from the production studios. I love everything about the costume styling, design crafting, the set coloring, and the feel of the location shots. It brings back the vibes I got watching Mr. Sunshine. Plus, I think these kinds of productions just suit Lee Min Ho’s acting style.

2) I actually get the whole Alice in Wonderland concept and am pleasantly pleased by it to describe the whole parallel universe.

3) Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, Lee Jung Jin & Kim Kyung Nam acted their f'ing asses off in this drama. Well done guys! Lee Min Ho was, well, Lee Min Ho. His character was like so many roles you've seen him play...but that isn't necessarily a *bad* thing because, frankly, he does these roles superb and fits the bill nicely. So he surely doesn't have to work too hard acting his part like the others did...and that's why I praise them more.

4) Woo Do Hwan & Kim Kyung Nam together in a scene is a total #Vibe. Lee Min Ho and Woo Do Hwan together in a scene is a total #Bromance. Lee Min Ho & Kim Kyung Nam together in a scene is a #Mood. Stick them all together and sprinkle Go Eun on top in a scene and it's a total #SliceOfHeaven. LOL! I want to see these guys together again.

5) Woo Do Hwan loving and caring about Woo Do Hwan is #Life! Heck, if I was Woo Do Hwan, I'd love myself too!!! =)

6) The romance wasn't 100% overpowering the story, and Go Eun & Min Ho had outstanding chemistry. They actually looked extremely comfortable with each other, and this is the most mature and likable OTP ML Min Ho's played, that I often thought, 'dang, he looks really cool'. hahahaha.

{{I'm going to be one of these people that argues against some of the complaints about "superficial" or "forced" romance with no proper progression.

**spoilerish**
Please, people, bear in mind, this is a child that believes this person has something to do with helping him out and through the most TRAUMATIC experience of his life and who he has been OBSESSING about into his early 30s, with no significant other.
She gets her world rocked by him in an amazing way.
The times between meetings are extended periods, not days or even weeks. He pulls her into his life over this timeframe, and has her where all she has are memories until he shows up, making her think about him OBSESSIVELY, and WORRY that each time will be the LAST time...

Wasn't that clear??? It was conveyed easily enough that way to me....No, sorry to say, you're sadly mistaken about the TIME SPAN of the drama if you think she was hot for him and kissing him only a COUPLE WEEKS after they met. Not true at all. Pay closer attention next time. LOL. }}

Cons:

1) Too many supporting characters moving around with moving parts, gets a bit tedious to watch. Wished the concepts were portrayed a bit more succinctly as it went on.

2) This cast is so good and strong they're meant to be *together*. Wasting screen time with 1 or 2 at a time for long periods does such a disservice to how I'm vibing this drama. I get into the dynamics of their relationships, only for it to be cut and other stuff dragged out that wasn't as entertaining, imo.

3) I felt like Kim Kyung Nam was a bit type-casted with his character. Reminded me of what made me love him in Come and Hug Me, but I was sad a bit, because I want to seem him in more versatile roles. That being said, he still knocked acting his character out of the park, so it's only a slight compliant. =)

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This drama has received a lot of criticism, some rightfully so, but others not so much. Let's start with the most obvious one, the ad placements; ridiculously placed (how on earth can packaged kimchi taste as good as homemade prepared kimchi, especially recipes made for royalty??) That's one of the worst ad placements I've seen on a show. It definitely did take away from the show and dialogue, but not too much if you understand that many big production shows need sponsors in order to fund the show. The terrible ad placement is one of the reason I knocked off a whole entire star from my overall rating.

Another reason why I knocked off another star is the time travel theme they had. Any time a script involves time travel, you know there's going to be a lot of plot holes. The plot armor in this drama is quite thick. Especially in the last episode where it was completely unexplained as to why the physics within the realm was changed. There were a few characters that seem to have an impact (whether major or minor) become completely irrelevant to the climax in the finale.

The last 3 episodes could've been better. Lee Lim could've definitely have been better written. Why did he come to obsess over the artifact? Why did he want immortality? Why did he think it was a good idea to expose the existence of the two different universes? If his backstory could've been explained for even 10 minutes, I think it would've completely rounded out his character. The Prime Minister, Koo Seo Ryeong, why did she ultimately desire the artifact as well? Did she really think she can easily come out to Lee Lim and expect him to go "yes, you may get the other half"? Being as clever as they writers intended her to be, they could've at least kept that trait. I was expecting a multi struggle at the end as everybody wants the artifact for their own reasons. The last episode introduced too many details that should've been better explained. How did Lee Gon manage to navigate the realm that connected to different universes? How did Yeong manage to retain his memories of the other world?

But then, why did I decide that the show was worth enough for me to give it 8/10? The chemistry between Kim Go Eun and Lee Minho. Truth be told, I wasn't really a fan of Lee Minho starting out the show. His previous dramas that received a lot of praise, I didn't really like them, partly because of the character and the plot didn't really interest me. But I did feel that he was able to portray a wider range of emotions in this drama, compared to the previous ones. I didn't think about starting the drama when I watched the trailer. But, I was sold seeing how comfortable the cast was with each other during their interviews. And mostly, I liked Kim Go Eun as an actress a lot. There are little intricacies between the different characters of Luna and Jung Tae Eul, such as Luna gives off a more solemn aura due to her upbringing in comparison to Jung Tae Eul. Do Hwan's portrayal of the characters Yeong and Eun-Sop was spectacular. However, I don't think it's fair to claim that only he carried the show, whereas the other actors didn't. The characters that Do Hwan had to portray were starkly different and "simpler", whereas the other characters were a lot more complex to portray.

Overall, the drama was beautiful and the chemistry exists between the actors. However, like with many time travel themed shows these days, there are too many plot holes in the script, which is where a lot of the criticism stems from. Many audience just end up feeling like they got duped of the flow of the plot, including me. But ultimately, in the end, you have to watch the drama for yourself in order to judge whether you like it or not. As I have found myself in many situations disliking a drama that many people loved, and vice versa.

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Sempre que posso tento ver algo de Kim Eun Sook, amo como ela coloca elementos da sua cultura, espero que crie mais coisas do gênero e amo a temática universos alternativos, então logo me lembrei de W e Queen In Hyun's Man, mas tentei não ter grandes expectativas, não porque achei que não iria gostar, mas porque gosto de me ver presa em algum mistério e teorias, o que o dorama cumpriu bem.

No começo fiquei um pouco confusa com os dois universos similares, o reino da Coreia outro república da Coreia, mas gostei, nunca vi algo onde os dois universos são tão parecidos e também não posso deixar de admitir que a princípio a ideia do vilão foi boa, com alguns erros é claro.

Mas imagino por este dorama ser da mesma autora e atriz. A personagem principal e o dorama em si sejam comparados com Goblin, mas acho errado, Jung Tae Eul é forte, decidida e uma boa policial, não precisa se salva o tempo todo ou é excluída do foco principal, a medida do possível esteve junto com o rei tentando ajudar e resolver todas as circunstâncias.

Gostei da personalidade do rei, foi bom ver Lee Min Ho em algo diferente, sei que ainda não é totalmente fora de sua zona de conforto, mas Lee Gon sempre me surpreendeu com sua inteligência e controle.

Porém meus personagem favoritos foram Jo Young e o Eun Sub, o Woo Do Hwan está de parabéns, mesmo interpretando dois personagens tão distintos fez com maestria, a cena do episódio 15 foi linda e emocionante.

Sobre o final, eu gostei, vi pessoas falando de furos, mas se parar para analisar, como tudo seria perfeito se todos universos tem tempos e histórias diferentes? Outra coisa a ideia de final aberto que teve, é a característica da autora, pode não agradar a todos, eu mesmo não gosto se não for bem executado, mas aqui senti que foi.

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A failed masterpiece

TKEM was supposed to have the best of everything: the most successful screenwriter and director, extremely popular actors in an ensemble cast and a lot of money being into production. We were hyped for months. All of it unfortunately could not save this mess of a show that it became.

Pros:
1. AMAZING CINEMATOGRAPHY: Everything is beautiful.
2. Lee Min Ho in all his glory.
3. Woo Do Whan in his double role is extremely convincing and is the best part of the show.
4. Most of the actors in this large cast have done a really good job.
5. Interesting concept of parallel worlds and time travel.

Cons:
1. Very annoying FL. I do not like her. I'm disappointed with Kim Go Eun's portrayal of Tae-Eul. The character herself isn't very likable either. The way they styled her is also drab and disappointing considering the contrast with the King who is always looking regal.
2. No chemistry between the leads. I tried to convince myself that they look good together for a very long time but I'm finally giving up. Their romance is really boring, no fun moments.
3. The plot is a mess. There are too many characters and none of them is able to make a meaningful impact because its not coherently put together.
4. Kang Shin Jae is given a lot of importance in the plot, but the actor doesn't have equivalent screen presence to pull it off.
5. SO MUCH PPL, the characters not only use the products but also TALK ABOUT THEM. I never complain about PPL but honestly in this drama its very distracting and really pulls you out of the story.
6. The world building is off, Kingdom of Corea looks almost like and Republic of Korea and its hard to tell the difference unless its the palace setting.
7. The suspense is not built up properly cause often the audience already knows what's going on while detectives on the show try to catch up.

Overally the show is a mess. You might want to invest your time into watching the beautiful cinematography, Lee Min Ho and Woo Do Whan.

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If you want to actively feel your brain cells deserting you as you watch, this is the drama for you! OR watch for a lesson on what happens when you rely on star power, ppls & production value over TELLING A GOOD STORY.

The plot is frustrating, the pacing is all over the place, the hate for powerful women is strong, the chemistry between the leads is about as fire as a wet fish (despite being super cute off-screen???), god this drama is bad. It also has one of my personal most hated tropes of introducing a supposedly badass female lead only for her to descend into crying damsel by like... episode 2. I KNEW it would happen but damn was I unhappy to be right.

There might be a few reasons to watch this drama. Woo Do Hwan having crazy chemistry with himself is no.1, Jung Eun Chae being beautiful is no.2. But other threads like Kim Kyung Nam’s storyline which has the potential to be good or Luna or even our main villain - are all so sidelined in favour of the boring romance & making Lee Minho look cool that I was just frustrated waiting for the interesting parts instead of looking forward to them.

Also if you watch on mute you can be dazzled by the gorgeous cinematography & production value. Plus, the OST is amazing as I find the OSTs of trash dramas tend to be. (Why is this such a common kdrama trend?)

Anyway, I’ll be waiting for wdh x jec to receive justice by starring together as lovers in something else bc they have chemistry just by glancing at each other & meanwhile enjoy myself via the rants of people hate-watching a dragging every other second a ppl appears to the dirt.

Ps. Writing this review was extremely cathartic, thankyou @myself for the rant I needed it.

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The Greatest Science Fiction Romance in the last 40 years

"더 킹: 영원의 군주" or "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020) was the best science fiction and romance of the 2010 decade. I would say that this show has gained the number one (#1) spot in my list of "Top 10 Overall Best Sci-fi TV Show" pushing down "Fringe" (2008) which held that rank for 12 years.

I. Story
The writer, Kim Eun Sook of the "Lovers in Paris" (2004); "Descendants of the Sun" (2016); "Goblin" (2016); and "Mr. Sunshine" (2018) fame, once again showed us her amazing talent in creating stories that truly captures the imagination and heart of the audience.

In "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020), Kim Eun Sook has woven beautifully the "parallel world" trope into her memorable romance plots. She did not leave it simply as a literary device then forgotten, she placed it in the center of the series, and the drama and romance unfolded through it.

Each episode was more or less one hour and ten minutes, and no episode was boring, no episode was dragging, no episode was a repeat of previous ones. In every episode there is a fresh plot, a new story to tell which added to the development of the characters, the relationships between them, and the tension and clashes when worlds and ambitions collide.

II. Acting/Cast
What an amazing cast--Lee Min Ho, Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Eun CHae, Lee Jung Jin, Kim Yong Ji, Kang Hong Suk--they picked the right people for the roles. Their unique acting styles made their characters fully alive and their interaction with each other natural.

The show was not only about "Yi Gon" (Lee Min Ho) and "Jeong Tae Eul" (Kim Go Eun), everyone were key persons in creating the world of the "Kingdom of Corea". They all brought their best and created a masterpiece.

III. Production
While there were a few noticeable errors, the editing and sequence of the scenes covered it all. I especially like how they did not present the stories, in each episode, in a linear fashion; instead they kept scenes for the next episodes and did flashbacks at the right time.

The mixing of historical with the modern in the fictional "Kingdom of Corea" were seamless. There were no out-of-place moments. Where there are modern things, the room was designed to fit these modern gadgets. Where there should be a historical look and feel, the room either did not have any modern materials or the few blended with the environment. Not an easy task to achieve.

It was not only the interior designers but it was also the directors and cameramen who did great shots in creating a seamless mix of historical and the modern environments.

IV. Conclusion
I highly recommend "더 킹: 영원의 군주" or "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020) especially if one is a fan of "parallel world" type of science fiction. Think of this show as "Fringe" (2008) but with touchy romance and intense family rivalry.

Overall score of 9.5 out of 10 stars.

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I started watching this drama after almost all the episodes had aired, so I could watch them back-to-back without the disadvantage of having to wait week after week for new material. From what I've seen of people's complaints, I think the biggest problem with this drama is that people set their expectations WAY too high because this was Lee Min Ho's first drama since his return from enlistment, and it felt like people were expecting something that would rival Goblin. Which is why people were so disappointed when it turned out to be an "alright" drama filled with the typical product placement that is rampant in most dramas (Do you want some skin care with that fried chicken, anyone?).

The concept and storytelling was good, the acting was great, and the OST is memorable. Hwa Sa's Orbit will be on repeat for a while to come. I wouldn't say the drama was exceptionally brilliant by any means, which is what I think everyone wanted it to be, but it is NOT bad. Lee Min Ho was dreamy as the king hopelessly in love with the woman of his dreams. In addition Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, and Kim Kyung Nam especially did a great job in this drama.

The only thing about this drama that somewhat disappointed me was the ending. Endings are hard to get right, especially in dramas containing time travel, so I am not surprised that the finale was full of plot holes. However, despite my personal dissatisfaction with certain writing choices for the ending, it was alright. For new viewers who are just discovering this drama, I would simply suggest that they skip reading the comments and spoiler-y reviews, and simply watch it without bias and do not expect it to be another Goblin.

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Parallel universe, time travel, PURE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

After you watch all 16 episodes, you come to terms with why the actors were the way they were in the earlier episodes. This drama does not follow the typical K drama arc. You have to watch it from the beginning and finish it before you fully witness the character development of each character - esp Lee Gon and Jeong Tae-eul.

From episode 1-13 your mind goes into unlimited theories which may make it appear confusing to most people but after watching episode 14-16, you see how beautiful everything comes together.

So if you made a review without completing the 16 episodes, I think the review isn't valid, because we should take something and evaluate after watching the whole thing to be able to get the writer's vision of the story.

This drama has the best HUGS or EMBRACE in all Kdramas I have watched and I already have been a witness to KGE's acting which improved even better after Goblin but the jump in acting skills is higher for LMH - gone are his boyish ways, this drama was a perfect showcase of his "majesty". I think they both were the perfect cast for this drama. Apart from them, the characters of Jo Yeong, Jo Eun-sop, and Kang Sin-jae were also VERY IMPRESSIVE.

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