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Pure, undiluted audacity!
This show is crazy in a very good way. I was addicted from the first minute. I loved some characters and absolutely detested others. The plot twisted and turned and twisted again until I was dizzy, and I have to give major props to the screenwriter for setting out to write this outrageous story and sticking to her guns the entire way through, I really appreciated the way writer-nim kept all story threads firmly in her grip and kept the story tightly woven from episode to episode, truly an amazing feat.The cast is what really makes this show (in addition to the writing) What an accomplished group of actors every single one. I must give special mention to Shin Sung Rok; his portrayal of Emperor Lee Hyuk left me hating him one minute and shedding tears of compassion the next, he was in turn villainous and adorable and his is such a masterful feat of acting that my overall impression of him was sympathetic despite his reprehensible behaviour, he literally made the show for me.
Jang Na Ra and Choi Jin Hyuk also brought some excellent acting chops. Jang Na Ra is a firm favourite of mine as she always delivers a well rounded, evocative performance.
The young actress Oh Ah Rin who plays Princess Ah Ri also deserves a mention as she put in an impressive performance, she elicited tears and laughter which is admirable coming from such a young actress.
The music is great, I loved the songs when they played and they were well suited to the action on screen.
This next paragraph is a spoiler for those who haven't watched the show.
The one criticism I have is the way the show handled Choi Jin Hyuk's exit from the show due to a scheduling conflict, he was unable to film the final episodes as the show was extended and he had scheduled other work. His character of Na Wang Shin / Chun Woo Bin is very central to the plot in this show, so I feel like even though they had to scramble to find a solution, they should have had some of the characters (especially Sunny) actively remember him and even visit his grave to reminisce in the final episode. This was a glaring hole in the final resolution of the show and left me feeling disappointed, it's as if he never existed.
Also show tried too hard to force a possible love line between Lee Hyuk and Sunny, it really wasn't necessary; the show didn't need romance in my opinion because there was so much other stuff going on.
Overall this is an excellently crafted roller coaster of a show with an accomplished cast; definitely well worth a watch.
9 out of 10.
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I finished watching it when it came out in 2018 and only now I'm writing the review, this drama is quite hard to forget after you finish watching it. I started to watch this drama because of Jang Na ra and Shing Sung Rok amazing and intense acting, they really brought the whole drama to life. It starts off quite unbearable with the amount of backstabbing and having to see main lead suffer from it but it gets much more interesting once the revenge plot goes in motion. The description for this show is very off especially when it comes to her bodyguard but I guess they changed their plot along the way. I really did not felt any chemistry between her and the bodyguard so I like the new changes but some choices they made was very off because of real life complications which is a shame.
The overall show was very interesting to watch, it was very messy but a fun one! It has quite satisfying revenge storyline, the rewatch value is not so high because once you know all the plot twists its hard to get yourself to rewatch all the good and the bad parts. But its definitely a drama for people who enjoy palace intriques filled with all kinds of complex and greedy characters but in modern version. The overall show is complicated and even the villain can have its moments of goodness and its hard to truly hate them which make it even more exciting to watch atleast once.
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I’m a sucker when it come to dramas that have monarchs, crime, corruption, mystery, or love. This show had it all. I literally watched all 52 episodes with in 24hrs. A drama with a monarchy in modern society, I was hella excited.Even though the acting was a bit over dramatic, it fit for a over dramatic plot!
STORY:
I loved the beginning, catching the audiences’ attention with a crime, corruption and set in some what modern times. It so excited that I had no sleep!
Showing how Empress Dowager is a tiger mom, watching the Emperor every single move. Already knowing how controlling and crazy Empress Dowager is, I was some what cheering for her. Hoping that one day she would come to love Sunny and stop her ways.
What was interesting was that instead of fight for his love for the female lead character, the male lead was fight for his love with the second lead. It was like a tasteful surprise spice for the beginning.
The pure hearted, naive Sunny fallen into the Imperial family hot mess.
I honestly didn’t see Hyuk and YuRa as an item from the beginning. I saw it as they were just using each other, which they were.
They show how strong willed Woobin is to get revenge since day 1, both when he’s fat or fit. He had the same mind set.
Sunny getting the shock of what is like to be a royal was amazing.
The crime with Woobin’s mom was amazing. It was well executed and with a character like YuRa, it shows how sneaky the characters is goin to be. YuRa’s quick thinking left me speechless. Some of the things she did, backfired even when it was suggested that she should carry out those plans.
Flashing back to Empress SoHyun shows how much when Hyuk love, it’s strong. Lines that Sunny said and it was like SoHyun, shows how Hyuk is trying to protect Sunny and don’t want the same fate as SoHyun for her.
I really wish that the love story between Sunny and Woobin development more. But I think Sunny was just to wrapped up with Hyuk!! And I honestly was hoping to see the love story of Sunny and Hyuk really bloom, but Sunny couldn’t forgive him for his terrible crime. How could she?
Grand Empress Dowager's death was a mess.
The end was a lil rush not gonna lie. They a wrote Woobin off, it was a mess!!! He could have a better written story ending for his character. The rush to show the corruption of the Family, was ok, but they could have made it last longer.
THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTS!!!
Was a innocent naive girl turned to a badass. Sunny was it! I thought she would going to be annoying at first, but she blossom to a badass! From a carefree girl to someone who can piece puzzles together, standing up for herself and beliefs. she wasn’t willing to back down. When she face bad times, it made her stronger. Her have a charm to her character. She developed beautiful to a strong woman!
YuRa’s character was so interesting! A ruthless woman in the beginning, but turned out to be a lost soul. Precious things was taken from her, leading her to use her sexuality to get her way; using that to get back control and power through the most powerful person she can seduce.
Woobin is inspiring me to go to the gym more. He was so messy, but he soon became well disciplined. He’s way of approach to his enemy was gold. You know what they said, “keep your friends close, but keep yours enemies closer”. I wish he had more expression though.
Hyuk was such an evil psycho person. Created by his own mother. Even though Hyuk and Empress Donwager fought. They still protected each other. You can see his character development, trying so hard to become a better person for Sunny. His own mother mess up him so bad that it was hard for him to change till the very end. His character was so complex, I love it!
ACTING/CAST:
NaRa as Sunny was prefect! She have such a innocent looking face, and it helps playing for Sunny character. She was amazing when she have to show the character’s emotional pain.
Elliya is so good that she made me hated her so much in the beginning as YuRa. She made it seem like is the person that will be evil to the very end, and had no compassion.
JinHyuk made his character amazing. He did a good job at playing a cold hearted Woobin, but let the character soft and tender side shine through in areas.
SUNGROK WAS BEST SIT FOR THIS ROLE! He really sold the character to me. SungRok playing a psycho and mess up person is beyond prefect. He knows how and when to give a psycho expression. And when Hyuk was trying to change to a better person, SungRok really made me feel sorry for Hyuk. He sold Hyuk’s pain amazingly.
MUSIC:
I love the vibe of the music. It gives me a 2010s vibes, which a love!
My favorite song from the OST is “Low Voice” by Jimin Park
REWATCH VALUE:
Definitely would watch again!
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I am rare on writing a review and it's my first time writing it. I don't quiet know where I should start. Overall this drama has shown the complicated story. I'm not really fond of the conflicts since it's fiction. I'm always impressed with the story based on the historical fact. However, this drama is not really bad though I didn't find it as a highly recommended drama.The plot is always intriguing, full of startling event. Each conflicts present a thrilling scene. I think it is succesfull in making some drama viewers keep watching till the end of episode. Jang Nara (Sunny) as my favourite actres, is succesfull in creating a hearthwarming Empress but full courage. Though some characters are contrastive but Nara Jang could use her role as a naive woman who got married with the emperor, betrayed by him and manipulated, to be e decent and determined woman. For some plot, I found some illogical things. The change of Na Wang Shik is one of it. At first time I watched the way how Na Wang Shik struggle to maintain his body and improve his skills, I think it would take such period of time. But I am totally wrong. Not until a year or even months, Na Wang Shik changes. The way how Min Yu Ra gets her depression and in the end of story immediately she changes into a full hearthwarming woman with the problem in her memory is something that I couldn't take as logical ending.
Finally, I couldn't say that this is highly recommended drama but it is quiet interesting, especially in the complicated conflicts of imperial family.
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The leads have great chemistry. Jang Na Ra's and Shin Sung Rok's acting was also noteworthy, and I also loved Choi Jin Hyuk even though his acting was no more than his usual stiffness of a wooden board (it does have its own charm, even despite this).
However, since the last 2-3 episodes were not initially planned and one of the male leads wasn't able to participate due to conflicting schedules, I was partially left disappointed after an otherwise exciting watch. These extra episodes were probably needed to wrap up the story lines (although they did have lots of fillers as well), but the absence of one of the 3 most important characters made it feel incomplete and I was left partially frustrated because some of the plot lines remained hanging. The way they chose to conclude the show for the rest of the characters also didn't give me the closure that I was expecting, to compensate for the unresolved story lines.
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My Honest Opinion Regarding Certain Characters
Overall -The suspense is what kept me coming back. The beginning and middle of the series was great, but the ending was very unexpected and very frustrating for me. it felt rushed and all over the place. There were times where I thought some of the characters "origin" stories needed more spotlight or more details on certain characters POV's before certain scenes (Na Wang Shik's Demise; before bomb explosion). This drama also would've been better had the episodes been longer, but ig the short episodes added onto that suspense. Other than feeling rushed, this makjang was pretty good.
The Empress Dowager (The real Villain) -
I've never hated a fictional character so much in my life, she chose power over others (even her own blood). Killed and ruined so many lives because of her greed and pride. She wanted everything in her control, everything to be perfect. She was willing to use/throw anyone if it meant her success, truly a despicable woman.
The Emperor (The Villain turned Hero; still a piece of shit tho)-
When I finished the series, my heart ached for the Emperor. I hated what he did to the Empress and others, but loved his character development. I'm not trying to dismiss his wrongs, but when you think about it, he truly is pitiful. He was caught up in others schemes since day one. The pressure of having to be perfect is truly damaging to people as a child. Caught in his mothers web of lies, wrapped around her fingers, so easily manipulated because of his traumas. He was a puppet king. Although it cost him his life, at least he knows his wrongs and helped expose his mother in the end.
The Empress (The Main Character) -
Our naive and happy mc had to adapt to the palace in such a short time. Experienced so many betrayals and near death experiences. She had to become hard as steel to survive and find out the truth about the imperial family. Whenever she cried, I cried. Her stubborn attitude made me admire her even more, she stood her ground and didn't give up after everything that happened to her. The true definition of a strong female character.
The Guard (Na Wang Shik/ Chun Woo Bin) -
His death near the end was way too unexpected (i mean he was gonna die in a few months anyway, but still thought he'd survive after exposing the imperial family), I was super mad when he was just killed off. But one thing that makes me super mad, is that his romance with the Empress didn't go any further. They were super cute, but chose to disregard their feelings for the truth and revenge. What he had to go through was super unjust. He died before seeing his mission finished.
*Gotta say, Min Yu Ra is on par with the empress dowager. But her character development was surprising to me. Thought she would've died off a villain. The nanny was also super evil as well. But I applaud her for her actions at the end. Not wanting the little princess to remember her was the best decision as the princess's mother. She finally thought about her childs best interests instead of hers.
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The First Attempt
At first glance, the cast was stacked but that alone wasn't enough. The drama was obviously some kind of a parody on the genre but it didn't embrace its nature. It made me realized the complete lack of parodies in Kdrama in general which is really unfortunate. Hyper intense, extreme overreactions, deranged morals, illogical by design, fueled by insanity, and unhinged characters. However, for this formula to work, the drama needed one of two things, either add more self-awareness, commit to the theme and double down or create a structure amidst this entire madness. Both of which the drama didn't do. Which left us with a half-arsed attempt to what could have been a unique experience. It would have benefited greatly if it had been cut down to 12 episodes. Will remember it for the potentials it might have had.Was this review helpful to you?
This drama was a roller coaster from the start. The mood swings in this drama make you feel like the writer was freaking hormonal or high. Ridiculous acting paired with unnecessary comedy and animation (i did not see that coming) and dark characters who make you believe they might be high, make this show a complete mess but in the end there is a strange pull in the story that keeps you wanting to keep watching it and stick to the annoying yet lovable characters.
Genre : Makjang, Rom-com, Politics, Fantasy, Action, Mystery
Story : Evil king with a corrupt monarchy gets married to a naive and innocent theater artist who realizes the corruption and decides to release girl power on the evil monarchy. Mothers who are blinded with greed and selfish personal goals ruining the child's life; crude, blunt characters who play their role well make you love to hate them. (Special mention to Princess Ari.) I don't have anything new that's not already written in the synopsis so i'm not going to repeat the same. Revolving around revenge and justice, sometimes it feels this story would've been better as a manwha or an anime and not as a live action series. Lookout for the most hilarious character transformations of all time and the hot make-out sessions.
Actors : Jang Na Ra can make the most annoying characters turn into impressive quirks with her smile and she did exactly that. There are emotional scenes which were handled pretty well and maturely.
Lee elliya is someone i personally used to see as an immatured actress but her character had a lot of challenges that she conquered them pretty well.
Shin Sung Rok was his usual, fabulous bad boy.
Oh Ah Rin as Princess Ari is extremely lovable to a point you connect with her and hate her and love her at the same time.
A lot of other small characters are worth mentioning but none of them make a solid mark like the Ohrayi (Oh torayi family) and Seo Kang Hee
Will I watch it again? Probably no, because it is hell too long; not worth wasting 20 hours of my life.
Will i recommend it to anyone? No, because this drama needs a lot of patience and maybe a mood where you won't logically analyze the action scenes (Some actually had me questioning my sanity).
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somewhat salvageable as a female-centric drama
HA HA HA.i don't know anymore.
first of all, i always read comments wanting Sunny to end up with the Emperor LOL. i could never understand this. she even lost respect for him as a human (she only sees him as a monster until the end), so love is clearly not in the discussion.
she never once admitted to herself or to Wang Shik that she has fallen in love with him. we can see it from her eyes when she look at him, and worries for him that it's the look of love, but she never pursued it to protect her dignity as the Empress and as a married woman.
in that sense, i can totally respect the love line that was never pursued to its full potential. love is not about owning, anyways.
i cannot however, make sense that they never killed Wang Shik's character when he was out in Chungeum Island with the Empress and Min Yu Ra to inspect the greenhouses (poppy fields). his last scene in the drama was literally him fighting off the guards there. and when they decided to extend the story with no CJH acting his extended parts, they decided to simply kill his character during the press conference explosion without showing his face!!!!
WHAT FCKIN COMICAL WRITING.
i really believed they should have killed Wang Shik's character when CJH was still there to shoot it since he was dying anyways. and therefore leave his character out completely of the extended episodes. his distasteful character ending really left a bad taste in my mouth, damn. i also wished had they ended Wang Shik's character properly with his death while CJH was still acting it, Sunny was there to embrace him in his final moments, and let him know that she too has loved him back deeply.
ouh, how one could wish. i would have been so satisfied with that.
i liked that the Emperor ended up dead with the greedy ED killing him with her own hands. that shows how damaged beyond repair they both are. the Emperor would rather go out on a suicide mission than take the hard way to rectify Imperial Family mistakes on public, and the ED is not shy away from killing her own sons to pursue her greed, and she ended up going insane in prison.
well at least ep. 52 was pretty salvageable, with me being reminded that this was a female centric drama anyways, and the female characters writing have had more impact on me than the two male leads.
i really couldn't care less about the Emperor until the end though many viewers kept rooting for him. i literally get dumbfounded when people say he had the best character development. B*TCH, WHERE??
what i can say is, i am happy i skipped parts and fast forwarded this drama to quickly reach the sinking ship ending that it is instead of giving it my full attention intently from the start. LOL!
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An unexpectedly well-done series
I rode The Last Empress bus thinking that all I’d get is comedy and absurd plot to go with it. But ohhh la la, this series was wayyyy more than that. The series looked so expensive! Every detail screams “high budget!” The props, set, cinematography, color grading, OSTs, and writing definitely weren’t just whisked together purely for fun. That surprisingly, the screenwriters had an an amazing and well-executed plot prepared for all the people who decided to hop on. And the acting? Wow, the leads definitely did not just come to play. They came to slay.Unlike what the trailers promised, I’ve had my own moments of tears, especially at the finale episode. There were several tear jerkers here and there but surprisingly, only a few comedic scenes actually— and most of them were Shin Sung Rok’s who, I can confidently say, owned the show. Ohh I’ll talk more about him later.
Writing wasn’t perfect but the “WTF” moments can pass as comedic relief or could easily be forgiven for the drama’s fast pacing. The 26 episodes went by so quickly for the writers did not unnecessarily latch on any specific issue. Yes, the central issue loomed over the minor ones but at least the minor details didn’t drag on and end up being pointless like in some dramas.
Despite its facade of a fun drama, the issues they tackled could trigger several emotions especially aiming at personal values. The moral lessons on true love, family, and human dignity were too spot on that they’d keep moving your moral compass. Thankfully, we have a protagonist whose morals are intact and cannot be easily swayed with a little shower of affection, yet knows when and how to forgive. Traits that we could all try to emulate.
There was also no unnecessary romance (although that Hello and Prince Yoon stint somehow came out of nowhere. Definitely needed more build up for their love’s depth to be understandable) but admittedly this drama offered a lot of rooms for debate on who likes who or who truly loves who. However, the writers were smart enough not to dwell on any of those. It’s up to the viewers to read between the lines and to take the depicted scenes with a grain of salt. They just played with ambiguity with a dose that I can tolerate.
And now comes acting:
1. JANG NA RA— Let’s not compare her depiction here with her previous roles for it could spark issues that I refuse to discuss. What matters is that she really brought all her cards to the table in portraying Oh Sunny. Her moods were infectious—- she’s happy, we feel happy too; she’s sad, we feel broken too; she’s ready to wreak havoc, we’re on her boat too. Writing-wise, however, I just felt like her almost seamless adjustment into the Empress role was way too... convenient and unrealistic? Or did I just assume that she’s supposed to have a hard time adjusting considering she lived in poverty and had a regular commoner education?
Well, the thing is, we weren’t shown a Sunny who was struggling to fit in the palace. What we got instead was a ray of sunshine and regal Sunny who seemed to have the palace customs and protocols already ingrained in her system—- a case that we don’t often see in dramas with similar story of a commoner marrying into a royalty. That threw me off several times. She seemed to always know what to do next and is well-versed in surviving in the palace, as if she’s been living there for years. But props to the writer on how Sunny was made to deal with Lee Hyeok’s death. She was neither unnecessarily distraught nor shamelessly apathetic. She’s just sad. She felt the loss of a husband she once held dear and has accepted to have genuinely loved her in his remaining days. She was sad for the what-could-have-beens had he survived to live a much better life... with her.
2. CHOI JIN HYUK—- Gotta be honest, I’ve had the loudest laugh in the entire series at that scene where it panned out from original Na Wang Shik to Chon Woo Bin. Gosh! I did not pay attention to the trailers of who CJH is going to be that that the above-mentioned transition really made me burst out laughing. Writing-wise, there were a looot of unrealistic things brewed into building the character of Chon Woo Bin that I encourage you to no longer process much to avoid headache. Take them as this drama’s offer to the comedy deities. So, don’t dwell on them any longer for your own sake please.
While CJH definitely carried the role well almost seamlessly, his end was totally anticlimactic. It was such a non-deserved exit to the main narrative that I had to look for clues as to why the production did that. I found out that the drama got extended to four more episodes and CJH could not continue filming the extension due to conflicting filming schedules with his other project. While it was a not-so beautiful exit to the hero of the series, well, I must say, the writers did an amazing shift of focus from him to the Emperor that the viewers had no time to protest about Na Wang Shik’s departure style.
And that leaves us with 3. SHIN SUNG ROK—- He started out as the scariest villain and left the series as the beloved Pyeha. If there’s one character in the series that the writer tediously worked on making it greatly developed, then that would be Emperor Lee Hyeok. His childhood scars were shown well to make a clear connection with his personality disorder. And his insecurities were well-written that you’d understand why he’s turned into a monster. All of these could have been overlooked if not for SSR’ brilliant portrayal of the many layers of Emperor Lee Hyeok. He was a psycho when he had to, and was cute as that giant affectionate baby whom we couldn’t help but adore.
Moreover, his effortless power dressing really made us all believe he’s a real Emperor. He just looked sooooo good in the entire series that I began questioning my style in men. Before the show, I did not even consider SSR as my type of handsome but boom! The first episode made me grow a crush on him that gradually blossomed into love as the series finished. Truly, we all came for Choi Jin Hyuk but ended up leaving with a big Shin Sung Rok placard stuck on our foreheads.
4. The rest of the supporting cast did great. Almost everyone was excellent and stayed true to their character. Standouts, however, were Crown Princess Ari, Chief Assistant Min Yura, and also the villainess Empress Dowager Eun Ran who was annoying when needed to be, and funny when the script called for it. I just can’t unsee her stark resemblance though to Kim Sung Kyun [of Reply 1988 (Junghwan’s father) and The Fiery Priest fame].
In conclusion, the series had redefined our standards of dramas “on crack”. This was a rare fast-paced comedic and revenge themed drama with a VERY expensive production. You’re surely in for a treat. Just come with zero expectations and standards so you’ll understand what I mean.
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Drama started with lots of potential and somehow digressed along the way BUT BUT BUT it wasn’t that bad. The story plot has its loopholes but are compensated with its very crazy and excitable plots. I’m a distracted person in general and it is different to keep my attention too long and I have given up on so many dramas I have lost count lol. The drama isn’t perfect but it is definitely worth your time. It started off serious but half way through the script writer decided to make it comedic but I did appreciate it as the focus is switched to mostly shin sung rok. Choi Jin hyuk was meant to be the lead but his screen time is pathetic and I honestly I don’t feel bad because he is a pain to watch as with all his dramas. He is good looking and nothing more. The female lead was quite disappointing. Was this review helpful to you?
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