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Talk about chemistry!
D.O. and Nam Ji Hyun both did a wonderful job. Their parts were written so well. D.O., as the crown prince, had the hauteur that you'd expect from royalty. Even when his memories were gone, it was ingrained in him. Yet, there was a loneliness and vulnerability and you could feel his want of family. His facial expression was pretty flat through most of the show, but he has such expressive eyes. Nam Ji Huyn - how can a woman be so beautiful with no visible means of mascara on her eyelashes? Normally, makeup is used to enhance looks, but she doesn't need it. Her character was spunky, industrious and extremely likeable. To be honest, I've loved her in everything I've seen her in. Their chemistry together? Off the charts! I loved the scenes when they shared the screen. Everyone in the show did a good job, but I had to deduct points for two reasons. First, there were just too many evil guys in this drama and they all looked alike (that's my problem with period costumes). Evil men, evil women, evil groups, evil sub-groups. It left a sour taste in my mouth on the heels of the lovely romantic scenes. I had to deduct another point for the last episode and the tie-up of the relationship between the leads. She was strong throughout this show, and she always seemed to have a good sense of self. However, she suddenly did a 180 turn and pulled out the "I'm not worthy of your love" card. It didn't ring true, especially after the heart-wrenching scenes of each of them living separately. And her saying she'd marry that other man? Um, no. It felt to me like they pulled in a separate writer for the last episode and the flow was lost. There was a happy ending, but they waited until about the last five minutes to tie everything up. I was so disappointed after all the time I had invested in watching their relationship develop and unfold.Was this review helpful to you?
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I started this drama only for the sake of D.O. because I love his acting (and singing), and having read reviews I already expected that this would not be an amazing story. Of course there are cliches and tropes, and there were some things I found problematic regarding the plot and story, but I was surprised I didn't drop this midway and ended up actually liking a few things about it. WHAT I LOVED:
A major plus point is naturally D.O.'s acting skills; his facial expressions, his voice, his gestures are all on point. He really became the character, and portrayed in the true spirit the amnesiac prince who is lousy and dumb at many things, tries to maintain an imperious carriage, but is kind-hearted on the inside. I also loved the costumes, the setting, the cinematography; it was all really well-done. The love-story itself is immensely adorable, and if you're going to watch this drama, watch it for the cute scenes between the main couple and for the sake of the masterpiece that is Do Kyungsoo. The humor is well-balanced, not too over the top, and well-placed. I found myself chuckling and smiling a goofy smile many times. The village life, the side-characters like Kim Soo Ji (crown princess's brother), Kkeut Nyeo and her husband, town officials, and others really brought the drama to life with their wholesomeness. I also felt bad for the crown princess, who was forced into a marriage she had no heart in, was the butt of her father's political intrigues and was essentially a prisoner in her own house.
WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE:
Major Plot-holes and weaknesses in story:
It really bothered me that Kim Cha Eon (Crown Prince's father-in-law) kept insisting that he had no son, yet we've got Kim Soo Ji wandering around claiming that he is Cha Eon's son. WHAT?? That's something no one can overlook. And you're telling me, Seok Hwan/Moo Yeon worked under the man who killed his father and threatens to kill his sister, for ten years, and didn't once try to find a way out of this deal?? And that he fell in love with this man's daughter, the crown princess, and even got her pregnant? And Kim Cha Eon didn't figure this out till much later?? I'm sorry but I just couldn't believe in absurdity like this. I also find it silly that both Moo Yeon and Yi Suh kept visiting the bridge on 15th of every month (okay maybe Moo Yeon didn't go there often) but they never once met up. Yi Yul had two sets of memories to retrieve, I found that bothersome. Jae Yoon rescued his eunuch after the latter's throat was slit, and didn't tell Yi Yul about it till much later. There are arrows flying everywhere, and too many flashbacks. Yi Suh seemed to have no purpose in life except to wait for her brother, and neither she nor her brother seemed to want to take revenge or at least seek some sort of justice. Yi Suh's adoptive father was really problematic; I found him really uncomfortable (heh). He should've realized that the man he was rescuing had a wound from an arrow, which would mean he was either a runaway convict or perhaps had been caught in some battle and it should've been a red flag. He also wanted to keep lying to Won Deuk/Yi Yul and Yi Suh. Jae Yoon's connection with the gisaeng was also weird. That was such a weird, unnecessary and random plot move that I don't even know what to say about it, except I wish they'd left it out.
Acting: This is the first drama I've watched with Nam Ji Hyun, and her acting left much to be desired. Her facial expressions are very limited, she didn't seem flustered when she should've, she often stared blankly back at Yi Yul when he would express his desire to stay with her or marry her. Compared to D.O's acting, she paled.
Characters: Most side-characters have little or no backstory and seem mere cardboard cutouts; I wanted to know more about Kim Soo Ji because he seemed like a very interesting guy. I also wanted at least once flashback to explain how the crown princess and Moo Yeon developed affection over the years. Theirs was such a strange love story that I felt nothing toward it. There was no chemistry and no backstory to prop it up. It felt so hollow I can't even begin to talk of it. That loan shark guy in the village was also very strange; is he a good guy or a bad guy? make up your mind.
In short, don't watch it for the story, just watch it for a light cute romance and for admiring D.O's acting.
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The story of this drama is pretty good, but not great. What I love from this drama is they made this with good touch of comedy, a lot different with others saeguk drama I have watched. It is a romcom on first 9/10 episodes, then turned to be saeguk-melodrama type, and I don't know why I like the way they shifted the story like this. But honestly, the idea of Crown Prince loving an accused traitor's daughter is really lame and boring. It is even more common to find this type of story than Cinderella kind of story. This is why I don't watch saeguk drama much. Overall, the story is good, especially the love story, and they don't focus that much on kingdom's thingy.
Acting 9.3/10
Nam Ji Hyun never disappoints me everytime she shows up. Her acting is really great. I expected her to do this great job anyway so nothing to be suprized for. But, what suprized me is DO's acting has stands out. His gaze was something else, it felt weird at first but it became deeper later on, and what I mean is deeper in a good way. The chemistry between the two is also great. It convinces me that Won Deuk and Hong Shim fall in love to each other.
Ost 7.8/10
None is memorable for me. They didn't overuse it though, so it fits the story pretty well.
Rewatch Value 7.1/10
I might watch it again in the future, but I don't invest my emotion to it, so maybe only for seeing some of the scenes there.
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Beautifully shot basic story.
A perfect historical drama for a novice, who never saw any. It combines all the most popular, but also cliche plot lines, without being too gruesome and heavy with tragic stories. We have smart and moral Crown Prince, pushover king, evil ministers, sus Queen and "queen to be", childhood connection and sweet romance with just enough love triangle to keep it going.That said, for someone who saw a fair share of period dramas, this was just not enough. The plot was amazingly predictable, the political schemes were underdeveloped in favor of romance, which was a pain of itself. The whole middle part was barely anything more than Won Deuk and Hong Shim being awkwardly cute with each other.
The show being so focused on romance was the biggest problem for me, since I felt close to no chemistry between the leads. I'm not the biggest fan of Nam Ji Hyun, and this show just made me more sure why. While she is a good actress, and her delivery is great, I feel like she never had a good chemistry with her co-actors up till now. Not once watching her drama I was interested in romance, because I never felt the sparks on the screen.
Acting wise, the whole cast did an amazing job. Do Kyung Soo's role was not the most challenging, but his performance was great. The highlight of the show were his scenes with Kim Seon Ho. If the show focused more on them working together to discover the ploy of the bad guys, and develop the political background a bit more, this would be a fun watch. Make the plot happening in the village a lot shorter, come back to the palace quicker and truly dive into the conspiracy part - that would save the drama.
I also wished we saw more of Moo Yeon. His character had the most depth behind his actions and sacrifices, and it's a shame it was not used to its full potential. His connection to all the characters made me curious about his future and the choices he will make. I wanted to know more about how he deals with the situation he is in, and what will be the end result of it.
One thing that the show aced was scenography and cinematography. Truly stunning views and scenes, that made me take screenshots all the time.
Soundtrack wise, I do not remember one song from it. They were fitting for the situation, but not memorable.
Overall, there are plenty of better historical shows both in terms of romance and political schemes. I have watched the whole second part in 1.5x speed, since the show was directed in an extremely "slow" way. Everything seemed slow: the shots, dialogues, action... 1.5x speed truly did not feel that fast. It's a shame, since the cast was outstanding in many ways, but the predictable and not well balanced writing made the drama average at best.
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Good show, ending could've been a bit better
Good show. The actors did a good job portraying their characters. It had serious moments but also had a lot of enjoyable comedic breaks. Some of the editing/scenes were weird. The scene would be in the village but then they would cut to the palace for a short scene and then cut back to the village but it seemed out of places and unnecessary. That happened a couple of times. Some nice twists. The ending could've been better for me. It felt like a rushed ending. The antagonist was taken care of too fast. It was a good basic kdrama.Was this review helpful to you?
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Fun and heartwarming story
I hesitated a lot before watching this drama. It was still on air at that time. The only familiar face was Nam Ji Hyun at that moment. I was not a Kpop fan so didn’t know D.O. Thanks to this drama I learnt There’s a group called EXO that sang a song in our language rather than Korean before :)). The cast was young and beautiful. They are all now more famous than before, especially KSH and HSH. I noticed them in the drama as well.Again I didn’t expect much from this drama. I just wanted to try something new. I don’t like historical dramas that much. After 1 episode I got hook. The directing and scenes were beautiful. You will love scenes of Cherry blossoms and flower fields here. The story is quite simple, so if you look for some serious drama, this one is not. It is about a prince who learnt to live with ordinary people. He looked down on them But later grew to be friends with them. He found his long lost girlfriend and HS is a strong and nice female character.
There are many witty and fun conversations. If you look for joy and laughters in small moments, this drama is a gem. Nothing grande here. The plot was weak when it comes to the villain. The fighting in the end was too simple, but the love story is nice and the main focus still. So if you can ignore those flaws, then you will enjoy it like I do,
I really like the chemistry between NJH and DO and DO and KSH and KSH with NJH. I was not so impressed by KSH in this drama, but always remember his scenes. The last scenes when he triggered jealousy from the crown prince were funny. The bts were very nice. You should check them as well. All of them are really good actors. I would love to see them in another drama or movie together. Would be my wish.
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I've just finished the marathon of this series, back to back for two days straigjt. The show was great, interesting. One of the downside of this series is Nam Ji Hyun's acting. I've watched some of her dramas before and idont feel that her acting shines in this drama. Her acting look a bit stiff if i could put it tht way, especially in sad/crying scenes . but Do Kying Soo's acting really blew my mind. It was impactful and memorable. Amidst watching, i kept comparing Nam Ji Hyun with other actress who have played similar lead characters like Kim Yoo Jung and others and kept thinking how it would be if the character was played by other actress. Anyway, the story is entertaining and i like it a lot. The ending could have been better though. I meam, i really hate the whole extended drama of Hong Shim refusing to be with The Prince because of her concern of burdening the Crown Prince yada yasa. I would prefer to see her in the end confess about how she couldn't live without him too and how she love him too. I mean, the first rejection is okay, but i was expecting a sweeter reunion after their parting when they both realised they cannot live without one another.
but then again, it is a happy ending anyway so i can be okay with it.
The comedy bits are working to tone down the seriousness and conflicts in the plots. i especially enjoy Won Deuk 's funny antics as arrogant amnesiac man.
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Entirely Filler
The only episodes where stuff actually happens is episodes 12-15. This show was basically entirely filler material. I ended up skipping so much material. The ending was a bit lackluster, but most kdramas somewhat rush the last episode so I'll give that a pass. It's a cute story, but overall, I wouldn't recommend. Not as much time went into developing their romance or the brother character as I thought they should have. The pacing is also unnecessarily slow. They probably could have cut down the first 11 episodes by at least half.Was this review helpful to you?
High Rewatch Value (4 times since first watched 3 years ago. Still a ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶!
This is a very good drama. The storyline is solid, it has great cinematography, good music, and it offers a wide range of emotions that are found through a good blend of emotional unexpected series of events, comedy, action, and romance within a historical background. . The cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and there was good chemistry among the whole cast. The lead couple had very good chemistry as well, but I must say that it was strongly carried by the intense and stoic personality of the Crowned Prince. This drama offers a good range of complex stories and characters that gave a wholesome feeling to the storyline that was not solely concentrated on the female and male leads since each story was weaved nicely into their lives. The drama is entertaining on all aspects. Enjoy it!Was this review helpful to you?
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I have to say... this drama completely exceeded all my expectations, and I’m extremely glad for it. I don’t think I have ever watched a drama where I wanted to keep watching episode after episode quite like this one. All of the secrets which the characters were keeping from one another made for a compelling plot that kept me coming back for more and more. I absolutely adored Nam Ji Hyun in this drama. She never disappoints with her acting and always has amazing chemistry with her co-stars. DO was one of the most stunning actors I have ever come across. His acting skills were also wonderful in this drama, and, like some people here already said, his little “Oh HO!” that he did when he got upset was honestly the most hilarious and endearing thing ever. He really made the drama magical for me. I absolutely need to see Kim Seon Ho with a first male lead role because I feel like the guy only ever plays the second male lead despite being a wonderful actor. Overall the storyline of this drama was absolutely amazing, however I was left slightly disappointed at the very last episode. The death scene of the Vice Premier (or whoever he was) was a little anticlimactic, and I was frustrated to tears with the last 30 minutes of the drama, since they took what could have been a magical conclusion with the prince’s becoming king and providing us with an epilogue of his future life and turned it into a “funny” skit where he kept getting rejected by Hong Sim for an entire year straight. The progress that the lead couple made seemed to not matter at all, and it frustrated me that they were still unwilling to embrace their relationship and just GET TOGETHER ALREADY even in the last episode. It wasn’t funny. It was sad and it frankly ruined the entire ending of the drama for me. To not end this review on a sour note, however, I still believe that this drama is definitely worth a watch. My opinion on the ending is completely subjective as there was nothing inherently terrible about it. It was just not my idea of a perfect ending, and I had to take off a star because of it. The whole rest of the drama more than makes up for it, and I would honestly watch this drama again in a heartbeat if I didn’t have like 200 other titles on my watchlist. Was this review helpful to you?
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I had such high hopes for this drama and it got me on the brink of tears and fist pumps a couple times but never managed to get me there. The story is a solid 8, but unfortunately, episode after episode, I grew less and less fond of Hong Shim. Is it the way the character was written or the actress's (in)ability?
Icing on the cake, the finale really did infuriate me, we could have spend such quality time on the schemes from the Prince Vs Vice premier but no, let the Vice premier die like a chump and spend 45 minutes in Hong Shim's noble idiocy (or just plain stupidity). D.O was perfect, he actually managed to move me and THAT is why I watch Korean dramas, not to be annoyed and frustrated.
I'd rewatch this Drama just for DO, and fast forward the rest.
Too bad, this show could have really been something great, but it wasn't all that.
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not a fan of amnesia-related plots cause i think its absurd but this drama is an exception. its a highly recommended drama!the plot is fast-paced, no boring moments no bland scenes it is drama-rom-com packed in each episodes! no wonder it is one of the top dramas of last year. i just couldnt beleive i enjoyed this...actors were too young *given my age LOL*
The lead actor really is a handsome guy. he suited the male character lead. this actor is so good that even i sometimes get carried away.
but what do i really love in this drama? first, sweet kisses and lastly the male leads arrogant gaze LOL
it is a must watch. it has a satisfying ending. no hanging story no imaginary ending.
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