Reviews

King2Hearts is not your typical K-Drama, and succeeds in going places where most of the drama's I've seen wouldn't dare. It's hard to pin this down as one specific genre. It goes from political action-thriller, to intense revenge thriller, to star-crossed romance, to opposites attract rom-com... Each episode left me curious, excited, and completely clueless about what to expect next. There are very few moments that could be considered typical, and whenever I was able to successfully predict what would happen next, something else would come along and leave me in complete shock. This is drama done right!

I decided to watch King2Hearts because of the 2 leads. Both Ha Ji Won, and Lee Seung Ki, have starred in dramas that are among my all time favorites. I just knew that they would be impressive together, and I was absolutely right. They both do what they are known to do well in this, without creating characters that seem recycled. Lee Seung Ki is used to playing obnoxious/spoiled characters that learn to change their ways/grow up. Jae Ha is no different, but the range, and maturity, of the role really shows what an impressive actor Lee Seung Ki has become. Ha Ji Won knows how to balance sweet with tough, which I loved about her character in Secret Garden. As North Korean Kim Hang Ah, she goes from cartoonishly girly and naive, to fearless and intimidating. I preferred when she was kicking butt, but also loved her vulnerability, and was amused that her biggest challenge was being feminine. Together, they had amazing chemistry from the start. They basically become a living metaphor of the North-South Korean conflict, and their romance is exciting, frustrating, sad, and inspiring to watch. In spite of the grand scale of their relationship, it's still portrayed realistically. During the first episodes, when I wasn't sure If I would like this drama, I already knew I'd at least love watching their love story.

Big fans of romance should know that even the supporting characters have a beautiful love story. Jo Jung Suk and Lee Yoon Ji were so great together, that I cared about them as much as I cared about the main couple. Their characters, their romance, and their specific story arcs, were strong enough to justify their own separate drama. That's the beauty of King2Hearts. There are absolutely no weak storylines, or weaklinks in the cast (except for some questionable english speaking roles, but that's easily overlooked, and normal for K-Drama).

The villains in this drama are the stuff nightmares are made of. In the beginning, I didn't know what to make of Club M's crazy John Mayer, and I was more confused, and amused, than scared. Now I realize that Yoon Je Moon was just slowly laying the foundation for a truly memorable psychopath. It was thrilling watching him go head to head with Jae Ha, and wondering what crazy thing he'd do next. He's certainly one of the best Drama villains I have ever seen. Creepy BonBon also deserves a mention as being the first non-Korean I've seen in a K-Drama who not only didn't suck, but was actually really good. Samanda Daniel plays the perfect twisted side kick, and definitely more than held her own.

The writers, and director, really did an amazing job of creating a realistic modern Korean monarchy, and making an accessible North Korea believable. The overall plot focusses on telling a great story more than doing what fans would want, or expect. I appreciated that, though some viewers may be more upset by certain choices by the writers. The direction is top notch. Not only is it beautifully shot, but the director's choices really added to the emotional impact of many scenes. There's one scene in particular, between Jo Jung Suk and Lee Yoon Ji, that was especially touching because of the direction. The pacing is also just right, knowing when to keep you on the edge of your seat, and when to slow down and take in a moment. The music greatly supports each episode as well.

Rarely do I give dramas a 10, but I couldn't justify anything lower. I look forward to rewatching it now that I know what to expect, and to revisit some of my favorite scenes (I've already rewatched some scenes several times). I think it would still be exciting the 2nd time around, even though I know what's going to happen, because it's all executed so well. I would highly recommend King2Hearts, unless you're specifically looking for something lighthearted, or simple. I'd also recommend being open to an ending that falls a little outside of the traditional 'happily ever after' mold. Even if you're not convinced in the first few episodes, I'd give it a chance, and keep watching. That's exactly what I did, and now I'm adding this drama to my top 5!

Citeste mai mult

What a great drama this was! It was surely one of the best thrillers I've ever seen!

The acting in this drama was just superb and everyone deserves an award, even the crazy guy. This whole drama deserves an award. All those other actors who rejected the lead, should be regretting it right now because this drama was amazing and Lee Seung Gi did an amazing job. Cha Seung Won, I gotta tell ya, you missed a great drama. Lee Seung Gi's acting was the best of all. He can really act and Ha Ji Won, great as always. The two's chemistry was very real and they delivered it very beautifully.

The story is very different from the typical drama. It really had such great moments where they were very emotional. It has been a very long time since I have cried and sobbed at the same time while watching kdramas and King2Hearts made it happen. The story is very well written and it wasn't boring at all. After every episode, it left me at the edge of my seat. It was very entertaining.

I highly recommend the drama and I assure you, you will not be bored. Very good drama.

Citeste mai mult

This drama is a fist in your face. There is nothing comparable here with korean dramas. Filming quality, playing quality, situations, showed feelings... I never seen in that way before in a drama.

A complex story (i guess they written the whole synopsis before start filming), deep, sad. The characters' psychology is really well done. The actors match pretty well their roles, and they play really well. Mention to Lee Jun Ki. I thaught he was nothing but a "cute face", but bloody hell, he sweats, he bleeds, he screams, he cries, he laughes, and you're with him, you feel what he shows.
I spent the 16 episodes with a node in my stomach. There is no timeout, no unnecessary rebounds, no flashbacks of what you watched 5 minutes ago, no easy feelings.
Really a masterpiece,

Citeste mai mult

The most thrilling drama I've ever seen. FOR SURE.

This was a mixture of romance and action. And it was just great. It was soo interesting that I would go crazy if I couldn't see the next episode right away.

The storyline was a masterpiece. Even though there were ONE "solution" at the end I didn't like, I can't say it ruined the drama.
There were sad parts, aslo cute and romatic parts,but mostly it was filled with action - thrilling and interesting parts.

Actors were brilliant!
I'm not a rewatcher and I wouldn't rewatch it because it's not that interesting as you already know what will happen, but there are some scenes I would like to watch again.

I'll give it 9 points because I only give 10 to my most favourite ones. It's very good, but not my absolute favourite. sorry..

But still, I strongly recommend you to watch this drama. It's a drama with a strong and thrilling storyline and it won't leave you unaffected.

Citeste mai mult

The "soulmate" idea is rather dated. In fact, I think its cultural relevance really took a nosedive when angry (or worse, desensitized) nineties kids became the proponents of modern youth culture. Their way of thinking was called cynicism back in the day; now it's just another norm. At least that's true in America. However, Korea, as I've come to see it through its popular entertainment, has a culture that still embraces (and positively beats to death sometimes) the concept of fate. Destiny. Meant-to-be. So what better format to tackle the soulmate conundrum than the k-drama?

Except this wasn't your average k-drama. It's called a sitcom, but that isn't giving it nearly enough credit. It's also called a romantic comedy, and while it has romance and comedy, that's not a nuanced enough classification. And, while almost 100% of Korean dramas follow the 16-20 episode format with such uniformity that predicting which episode the big confession will happen in is almost an exact science, this one turns linear storytelling into a loose guideline rather than the strict rule. Also, the fact that it was entirely preshot without the stresses of the live-shoot system really shines through; it is confident and the different plots dovetail and interweave with efficiency and steadiness.

The writers were particularly successful in creating deceptively sharp characters. On the surface, they appear to be stock and silly. Most of them WERE stock and silly. But, taken as different, embodied responses to the "do soulmates exist?" question, they become luminous in their own right. And, of course, I would be remiss to forget to mention the wonderful cast especially Shin Dong-wook (effortlessly charming and insouciant) and Lee Soo-kyung (hilarious in her permanent exasperation).

The one thing I really liked about this drama, the aspect that vaulted it directly into my list of permanent favorites, was its way of handling life's little intersections, the minor butterfly effects. How we're a lot closer to others (and by extension, different types of happiness) than we think. The format is a direct manifestation of this and also gives a physical motion to the very cerebral process of emotional maturity. To say more would be to ruin the pleasure for first time viewers, but there IS this one scene that involves rain and Lasse Lindh's gorgeous song "C'mon Through".....

Most importantly, the writers found that perfect sweet spot between the opposing poles of the big question. The tone was neither idealistic nor cynical; skeptical, perhaps, is the right word although it implies more negativity than actually existed. Maybe it is most accurate to say that there was a thoughtful melancholy to it, one that removed it from the realm of throwaway slapstick and placed it firmly on a higher plane. This is Soulmate's strength: It has the singular ability to turn what might have been utter, lowbrow farce into something intelligent and bittersweet.

Tl;dr? This has my definite endorsement. Watch it for something different with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart.
--

Citeste mai mult

In the beginning I started watching IWGP because Yamapi was in it - But after only a few minutes I had almost forgotten about him.

The characters in this drama are very believable and well-done, they are realistic and have their good and bad sides.

I like how important friendship is for the story, much more important than the romance or violence.

The acting was really good, especially in the dramatic and fighting scenes. The actors looked like they were really in character and I never thought someone looked awkward, when they weren't supposed to.

The music wasn't outstanding, but it was there. I didn't pay much attention to it and felt like it wasn't really important.

The story itself was great, interesting and full of emotions. I never thought an episode was dragging, though there were some that confused me in the beginning.

You do notice that the drama is a few years old, though, but I don't think it's a bad thing.

I recommend everyone to watch this and give it a try because I thought it was great.

Citeste mai mult

I was looking forward to a revenge melodrama cause there hadn’t been one for a while and also Uhm Tae Wong was back in a drama...

Story- the first 4 episodes is the teen part of the plot and just watching these got me hooked. Shortly after when they switched to the adult actors they kind of lost me. The reason being they had UTW playing a college student aged character for a couple episodes. The time jump was also confusing. It really made that part of the story less credible. When another time jump happens after that (not sure how many yrs passed either) the older adult story of revenge is suppose to start. The rest of the episodes dedicated to that really didn't capture me because they waited to long before things got exciting. I kept watching because I wanted to see how it would all end. Speaking of the ending, I really liked the last 2 episodes. They were really well written and I was satisfied with the outcomes. I liked the way the romance was written being subtle but still prominent as well.

Acting/Cast- While the acting by all the main players good and bad were phenomenal I have to give it up to the actors that played the villains. First, LJH who played Jang Il really was brilliant because he had the hard tasks of playing the most complex character. He played borderline psychotic pretty convincingly at the same time you felt sorry for his character. The rest while cast of the villains portrayed their characters so scarily good. As for UTW, I have mixed feelings about his casting because he is suppose to be the same age as LJH's character and he definitely looks older than him. The writers needed to change the age ranges to make his character more believable. I also wanted to mention that Lee Bo Young had no chemistry with UTW so their romance turned out not to be a big draw. Her character also didn’t really serve that much a purpose in my opinion.

Music- it starts off without out of place music but by the middle half you can tell they started to fix it.

Rewatch- I’m not interested in watching this again because I didn’t enjoy watching it the first time.

Overall Equator Man is a must watch only if you like any of the actors involved. It’s not something that will be memorable down the line.

Citeste mai mult

Ok, i have decided to write a review afte the end.. Because the story was so good-make that i was afraid to be in delusion with the final.. But this not happened.
The most appreciated thingh of this drama was the capacity to' take you breath away.. How says jae ha... STRESS.. But at the and everytihng is perfect match. There Are love, justice, war, political conflict, and very deeply emotions involved in the plot.
In one word: welldone!
And my special appreciation for the king jae ha... One of the best character aver seen. Congratulations with all the actors, a great performance for everyone.

Citeste mai mult

This drama was very good. The acting of all the actors was very well shown. This drama is not like one of those dramas which may seems good with the plot but have very bad acting in it. This was a very good drama. All though the actors were not very well known because they did not have any big names, but the acting just made this drama very well liked. Once watching it, you have to continue watching it. This drama makes you very sentimental, and it touches your heart. It also had very sad scene, happy scene, pity scene, happy scene, and it was just very wonderful that no words can describe it. This drama was not like one of those cliche drama with a typical story, it shows how the main lead can end up with the 2nd lead. I just love this drama, and although it was a 32 episode drama, where instead i usually watch the 16 episode drama, but it was worth it. I kept following the drama, wishing and waiting for the next episode to be updated. You won't regret watching this drama it was very well done artwork.

Citeste mai mult

The Equator Man is not for the soft hearted. This drama goes hard from beginning to end. Even the good guys aren’t that good. I personally love it!!! This drama has murder, attempted murder, pain, anguish, and revenge…all the makings of a deeply disturbed drama. The story basically revolves around a woman that we barely even get a glimpse of. Her love for an evil man that misunderstands her begins a chain of events that rock the world of all those that come in contact with him. There is even a beautiful romance in the midst of all this sinister chaos.
There are some transition problems between the teenagers into adults…it makes the time spacing a little confusing. The story isn’t one I have seen before. It has some of the fundamentals as other Korean dramas, but they are used in a different way.

Im Woong Jae and Lee Hyun Woo do an excellent job of playing the teen male leads. Their parts are crucial to the drama. If they had not portrayed the feelings of the characters in such a way that draws a person into events, then this drama would not be as good as it is.

Uhm Tae Woong plays the adult Kim Sun Woo while Lee Joon Hyuk plays the adult Jang Il . Tae Woong portrayal of a blind man is a little off, but I still think he did well in depicting a man that has had a tuff life and has been hurt many times and turns to revenge as a method to sooth his madness.

Joon Hyuk plays a man that has done something unthinkable and has slowly gone crazy because of it. On the outside he looks perfect. He struggles to keep that image and to even try to believe it himself, because inside he knows the truth. Although some people may disagree with me, I believe his character has gone through as much pain as Sun Woo. He just handles it differently.

Lee Bo Young plays Ji-Won, who is the love interest of both male leads. She is also Sun Woo’s voice of reason. She does a lovely job of playing a character that is essentially good, but understanding of Sun Woo’s need for revenge.

Im Jung Eun plays Soo Mi. This character is horrible. I think she is even worse than Jang Il . She may not have committed a crime, but her actions are of a person without a conscience. She is certifiably crazy.

The actors that play the supporting characters do a good job too.

The music goes really well with this drama.

I probably won't watch it again, but I enjoyed it the first time.

Citeste mai mult

Yo... At first I thought it would just like be Goong, but after watching the first episode... I've realized it's REALLY different from Goong...
The story was good. I love how they incorporated the North-South Korea conflict in the story. It was not simply a romance drama but a drama with SENSE. This drama was exciting and definitely COOL.
For the cast, I admit, I find Ha Ji Won soooooooo COOL and AMAZING. I love her character... She was definitely great in portraying her role as Hang Ah. Seung Ki, was great as ever. He was moving and hot and I almost think that he was really a real KING... The princess and shi kyung's story was also very heartwarming. BUT my favorite character for this drama would be JOHN MAYER! He was simply CREEPY! He was so good in his role that he gives me goosebumps when I'm watching him act. He was a real FREAK! But freaking in a good way, since he really was the MAIN INGREDIENT for the drama's suspense. He is the BEST VILLAIN I've seen so far in dramas.
The music, on the other hand, I couldn't notice it while watching the drama. I don't know. But I might be just so concentrated that's why I can't notice it. Heheh... Rewatch value, 8, hmmm... I don't think I would watch this again. maybe, after some time. Overall, I think this deserves a 10... (^-^)

Citeste mai mult

Why oh why? But this drama just deserved an all out 10 for me! (^-^)
Everything was simply amazing... MYSTERY + COMEDY + ROMANCE = ROOFTOP PRINCE!

The story was fresh, entertaining, and I guess, intelligently written. I have watched hundred of dramas already, but as far as I can remember, this is the only drama that caught my attention from START to END. I mean, it's the only drama that started with a 10 and remained 10 all throughout the end. Other drama might start with a 10 but the excitement would slowly go down in the middle and then go back up high at the end BUT rooftop prince is just different, each episode was exciting enough for me and it would feed up your curiosity up to the end.

The cast was SUPERB. Yoochun and Ji Min, might not have that great chemistry but I guess they're just so good with their characters that it would make you believe they are really in love with each other. Yong Sul, Man Bo and Chi San, were simply entertaining! Their cuteness are just.... uh-oh..... can't be explained! They're just so cute! The villains, Se Na and Tae Mo, were great too... Villains til the end! Their evilness would make you want to strangle them both...

Music was outstanding and fun. A mix of traditional and modern sound (as what I believe, hehehe). It was cute just like the story. Rewatch value would definitely be a 10 as well! It would definitely push you to watch it all over again (I'm planning to watch RP again, atm, even after just finishing the last episode... hehe, though I usually don't rewatch dramas after a couple of years, or sometimes I just don't watch a drama that I've already seen, RP would be an exception (just like GOONG!)

Overall, RP deserves a 10! One, who loves dramas, should definitely watch ROOFTOP PRINCE! You would missed half of your life if you WON'T watch ROOFTOP PRINCE! kekeke... I would miss RP! Best drama for 2012 so far!

If you want a drama where you could laugh your heart out, shed bucket of tears, become "detective-like" in guessing the next scenes... then ROOFTOP PRINCE is the right drama for you!

Citeste mai mult

I was excited for a new romcom and the fact that Han Ji Min was going to be in it. I was a little hesitant on the casting of Yoo Chun though cause I didn’t care for him in Sungungwan Scandal. Im pretty aware my review will be different than a lot of the other ones written…

Story- It took a couple of episodes before I became interested in it. I liked the comedy and felt the plot started to get really interesting towards the latter half. I didn’t like the ending it just wasn’t my type of ending. It just left me with a bitter taste.

Acting/Cast- The acting by Han Ji Min was flawless and she delivered many powerful scenes. Yu Chun really impressed me with his acting. With that being said, I think the casting for these 2 leads could have been better. They didn’t have any chemistry, which totally put a damper on the romance. It wasn’t believable to me. One of them needed to be replaced in my opinion. As for the actors that played our villains Tae Mu & Sena, they did a fantastic job! Their characters were scary but needed. I liked the rest of the supporting cast a lot.

Music- Lovely and powerful in the emotional scenes and when the scene was funny it matched well. I liked the OST for the drama but its not something ill remember outside of watching it.

Rewatch- I wont be watching it again just because the OTP couple didn’t have any chemistry and I wasn’t satisfied by the ending. Although Im sure many others who liked it might find it rewatchable.

Overall Rooftop Prince is hilarious and moving but I think casting of leads who had chemistry would had made this drama a lot more enjoyable and memorable.

Citeste mai mult

First think: seems corny and alredy see,
But
Now: so cute, romantic, funny... And a true and real love story (despite the plot that it's a fantasy)... It remember me coffee Prince for the alchimia between the lead roles... And... The best kisses from years!!!
If you are a little bit bored about the "girl that cry and can't decides between the main lead and the second lead" or about the "man that don't know how to express his feeling" or about a love story that really develop only in the last Two episodes.. Ok you have found the drama for you!
For me one of the best drama from months.. It remember me coffee Prince or secret garden.. great!!!
The 9 for the music is only because there is drama that has a better sound, not because the music it's not good.. I like it very much.

Citeste mai mult

Yes, I know, everyone is writing a review for this drama, but why not?! It was a good drama that deserves a good review, and if that good review just so happens to be 10 good reviews, that's alright as well! So, this drama was amazing from the get go. The storyline is unique. The whole idea of time travel and reincarnation, and all that good stuff, makes for a highly interesting story, and it continued to make an interesting story until the very last moment. This drama was well written. There were a few times where things were unclear, mostly toward the end of the drama, that needed better explanation, but even then, the writing was handled well. The characters in this drama were exceptional. The actors who portrayed the bad guys did a wonderful job. The characters were evil with a purpose. The audience could actually see that they had a reason to harbor so much hatred and be so selfish, they weren't just bad without a cause like in other dramas. The love between the two main characters was so endearing and sweet. You could actually feel the connection between the actors. They had great chemistry all the way through. The music has to be the most beautiful I have ever heard for a drama before. The songs were sweet and simple, but at the same time, held so much power. As wonderful as this drama is, it's not highly worth rewatching. It's worth rewatching a lot more than most dramas, but still, something about the ending of this drama dampened its rewatch credibility. Overall, this drama was wonderful, and highly enjoyable. There were funny moments, and sweet moments, and moments where you'll literally be wanting to jump into the drama and choke someone...yes, it's true, you'll have horrible thoughts towards a few particular characters. This drama had everything, and it's definitely worth watching. It's highly enjoyable and I'm so sad to see it end.

Citeste mai mult