The King's Affection (2021)

Could have been better but 20 episodes was definitely TOO MUCH

This one had a good beginning and actually it was stable but after EP12 everything felt too draggy. The story was interesting in the beginning, simple but interesting, but they couldn't maintain at the end and I was a forced to finish this only because I liked the characters. The plot itself wasn't the strongest thing in this drama, actually it was the weakest, and I think 20 episodes was too much for this plot. For me the good things about this drama are the characters and their chemistry and the OST (which is AMAZING probably one of my favs of the year).

Talking now about the characters. I had mixed feelings with Dam I in the beginning because altought I understand she had to become cold and self centered to be the king, her character was a little blend in the beginning and I only liked her later. But omg Eun Bi was perfect in this role, she's an amazing actress. Ji Woon for the other side, was the opposite. I loved him in the beginning and all this "love beyond gender" was amazing. He was so cute and perfect omg I died many times. But later, he became too blend and it seemed like he was there only to be Dam I partner. I like cute characters but I think that he could be more than that. But of course, I loved them as a couple. I saw some people saying that they didn't have chemistry but I loved their chemistry and they were really cute together. Lee Hyun omg...he was perfect. I shipped Dam I with Ji Woon but I had second lead syndrome here because of of him. Seriously why they had to choose Nam Su for this role lol I knew I would fall for him the moment I saw he would be in this drama. So Eun was a pretty good second female lead too. I also liked the Courty Lady and her relationship with Dam I. The only character that disappointed me was Ga On. Byungchan was so hot here but his character only had beauty lol For me this character seemed lose in the script and I couldnt see anything strong in him.

Well thats it. For me the drama its not bad, it does have a pretty good beginning and almost all characters are interesting or good but for me 20 episodes was TOO MUCH for this plot and everything felt too draggy as I almost dropped if it wasn't for the characters.

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a roller coaster story with alot of twists

I don’t know why this drama getting bad reviews, but I beg to differ, will just honestly share what I think of this drama, in my own opinion

At first, I was not hooked with the Young FL & ML’s acting, I am quite irritated how the young FL acted. But given her dual role as boy & girl, I tried to hold on until they get old.

While this was ongoing, I stopped watching at Ep8, because I knew I’ll best appreciate this drama once it was finished airing because I’ll be able to watch the rest eps in one go. Hence, I didn’t regret.

I thought on Ep11, everything was going well. I even told myself, the writer gave Dal-Yi few more episodes to be a girl, but… I was quite frustrated and disappointed when just after 2 eps, everything just go back to what it was used to be.

But I realized THIS IS A HEAVY DRAMA which requires A LOT of TWIST & TURN of story. I decided to trust the writer’s flow of story and director for extending this drama upto ep20.

This is not just a typical light story where she pretended to be a boy, has childhood first love, etc.

I barely got to ep17, because I just cannot take the heaviness I am feeling about this drama. But I kept holding on how this story will turn a happy ending.

So… I endured all the people that have to die, skipped the bloody battle because I cannot dare to watch it whole.

I thought on Ep20, everything was just a dream, I almost throw my phone! I almost hated the whole cast tbh! I was telling myself after all those bloody battle, cries, laughter, they have the gut to tell everything was just a dream?! How dare they?! Lol. But good thing, it wasn’t the case.

At the end I AM MORE THAN HAPPY HOW THE WRITER, DIRECTOR ended the story. They let the deserving people to die. Except young prince ofc. But TBH I AM NOT SATISFIED because Yeon-seo. was only given a few minutes to enjoy her new life as a girl. Grr. I was actually waiting for more few eps of her as a girl!!! Huhuhu

I realized, so the writer intentionally made the ML be great at curing sick people because of the ending.

For me, the writer carefully planned the flow of the story, and the director executed it well together with the actors. Given that this is a HEAVY DRAMA. Each character has its own persona and they all stick to it until the end. They became consistent with the character development. Plus the great acting skills of all the cast! Kudos to all the team.

Some people might not be able to appreciate this, but I would like to let you know, I am happy I watched this drama. No regrets.

Court Lady Kim, Bok Dong, Ga on, Hyun, all these supporting cast and all other cast acting were exceptional and I highly appreciate thier hardwork for this drama.

I hope to see them to another drama again, especially my personal bodyguard Kim Ga-On. Hahaha

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It didn't need 20 episodes

This show had a great premise and great actors. I even liked the OST even though it was a repetitive 1 or 2 songs played at the correct time. However, as other reviewers have stated, it really didn't require 20 episodes. 16 would have been more than enough enough. I only once felt sad for the 'king' in recognising that they couldn't be together. And they only had maybe 1 episode of being together as themselves. The rest of the time was dreary politics which wasn't even really useful. We didn't see her as someone who cleverly schemed to thwart the baddies or to help those around her.

Concurrently airing was Red Sleeve Cuff which as a sageuk is superior in every way. The plot moves faster, and even though there isn't much court politics and intrigues, the love story was very real and well done. I much enjoyed that instead. If this wasn't on Netflix, I would have given up at episode 6. I only finished it because I was subscribed to Netflix.

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What a beautiful epic

I have to admit right from the start I loved this series. Great story, stunning performances by all of the actors involved and chemistry between the leads that was as moving as it was passionate. The costumes were beautiful and the action scenes were virtually nonstop so that to me the pace never faltered. The music was well placed and catchy to the point that I found myself humming it in the car. Would I watch it again? Most definitely. Would I recommend this drama? In a heartbeat, it was just that good. Do yourself a favour and watch it too. You won’t be sorry.

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love, loyalty, politics, power and greed

This is truly one of the best I've ever watched. First, amidst the historical portrayal of societal prejudice against women in power, the heroine's persona is an epitome of someone who had proven this preconceived notion of weakness attached to women otherwise. Secondly, the story depicts how true love transcends beyond gender and status. Although this type of unconventional relationship is a deal-breaker to a male dominated culture and era, the plot was carefully elucidated in a realistic multi-angular lens.

The story shows how power corrupts the minds of some, but brings out the best in others.

The cuteness of the cast is overwhelming. The soundtrack is phenomenal.

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amazing drama full of excitement, romance, betrayal, friendship and more

I just finished and what an exciting drama and below does have spoilers, but only on the outside. The actors and actress were picked to perfection for. the characters they protrayed. I am sorry that a few of them I wished to have seen more of the good ones that were killed off to early and the ones i wanted dead earlier lasted to the last minutes of there lives. I enjoyed the storyline of twin's being born in the palace and according to King it would cause an abomination that a boy/girl shared the same womb(what a load if s**t). The Crown prince begged the king to keep her, and but the princess own father the left state chancellor ordered that the baby girl and everyone that knew of the twins killed immediately to hide the secret. The crown prince followed orders and disquarded his wife's request to keep her alive and so the doctor did acupuncture which made the baby appear dead for her father eyes. Then she had Yoon the CP Hyejong's bodyguard and her friend to take the girl out and leave it at the ministry door and hopefully she will have a better life. The princess has a hard life as the ministry closed down and Dam-I found herself homeless and then at the age of 11 becomes a palace maid and loving it and her new friends. When she meets ji woon in her hideaway hidden and they become close friends(each others 1st love) until someone states that she looks like the CP. The princess has Courtlady park investigate and bring the girl to her as she is happy she is alive and sad because she ended up in the Palace after all. The CP also learns of her and has her switch places with him a few times so he can go out and play until his grandfather finds out and send his henchmen to kill her, but by mistake they kills the prince. The princess now explains to Dam-I that she is a twin and her dtr. and wants to send her out again, but learns the CP was killed in her place and now she has to learn to be a boy and CP. This is now her adventure as the CP and a girl watching all the horrible things and corrupt people around her, but due to her GF she is made a puppet against her will to save everyone she care for. This goes on for years and her father had learned that the CP was actually his dtr when his wife was dying and so he trunk caded a charge and had the CP removed and sent out with Yoon and a dress & letter asking to be forgiven and her to be a girl. She meets up with Ji woon after being hunted and hurt he finds outs she a women and the beginning of there relationship. Unfortunately the GF disagree and kills the king and brings the CP back making him the king under his control again(still doesn't know she a girl). There story continues and she starts to fight back so please watch as it's so exciting and sad till the very end. A great Drama and if you live Rowoon like me it's an extra bonus.. Enjoy ?

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A Misnomer

Judging from the title, I expected a king who was ambitious and selfless willing to sacrifice personal desires. But no, the MC can't even protect herself even after training several years, falls down by just a poke, nor she is caring for public and the people who sacrificed themselves for her. It's okay if MC didn't care about her position but how wonderful this story would have been if she actually did. How cool it would have been if she had been like Zhan Duoduo of Joy of Life or Queen Rudrama Devi.
Had I been warned that this is not about a king but a person with identity crisis then I might have skipped on this one.

The Affection part is an eyesore as well. Imagine forbidden love but no my heart didn't flutter. Childhood connection is so overused now. Except for the hunting ground intro scene, much of the romance was so-so.

About the storyline, much time is wasted in childhood storyline and palace schemes part is nothing special either. It was so draggy, predictable and cliched. There are better political dramas to watch than this.

But then the drama was so perfect it had good cast, good production, good music which was an earworm but without tighter plotline nothing can save this mess.

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When you fail to plan...

... you plan to fail.

And this pretty much encompasses my feelings about this drama. While I love Rowoon and Eun Bin, and while they acted the crap out of what they were given to work with, the overall lack of character development for the leads, the lack of planning and foresight on the part of the leads, and the passive way they continually dealt with their challenges all made this an incredibly frustrating drama for me. Also.... The Angst. Don't get me wrong, I love me some angst. But when your angst continues to drag on and becomes the entirety of the plot for multiple episodes + you're not making plans and trying to figure out workable solutions.....y'all. Y'all. I cannot.

That said I did really enjoy some of the side characters; Lee Hyun & Kim Ga On in particular were my favorites. And Go Gyu Pil always makes me smile whenever he pops up in a drama, and lately he's just been popping up everywhere.

Overall though, The King's Affection had great concept, but for me it ended up being a lot of wasted potential in execution.

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It's Good - but not good enough to be a serious political drama, or a romantic-comedy

Completed - 5/22/2022 - 8.25 rating

When “The King’s Affection” was airing everyone commented how good Park Eun Bin was in the dual role of Dam Yi/Lee Hwi. And it is without a doubt that her great acting is a big selling point to watch this drama. I was hesitant though, as I am not a big fan of gender-bender. But my fellow MDL’er recently recommended this to me again, so I gave it a try. And yes, Park Eun Bin is excellent. However, I was under the impression that this is a romantic-comedy with a side of political plot. It ended up being a political drama with a side romance, and unfortunately, I found the execution to be average.

What I Like:

1. Park Eun Bin - As mentioned, she is excellent in her role here. Gender-benders could be a hit-or-miss as oftentimes, I just can’t force myself to believe that the actress is a man. But here, PEB gives off such an aura of a cold prince. We follow his/her journey from being manipulated as a puppet crown prince, to slowly dissolving that ice facade into a caring prince for his people, and the eventual king who finally has the strength to oppose his grandfather. Add in the romantic plot of acting shy and naive, PEB deserves her acting award. However, I would have loved to see more scenes of her as the adult Dam Yi, so that we have a better contrast of her acting prowess in playing the male and female roles. We got a little of that, but not enough.

2. Choi Myung Bin (child version of Dam Yi/Lee Hwi) - this young actress has a bright future ahead of her. She’s already appeared in many dramas and her role as the young Dam Yi/Lee Hwi really impresses me. What I criticized above for the lack of Park Eun Bin scenes as Dam Yi, we got it covered with Choi Myung Bin. Half of her scenes are of young Dam Yi - innocent, sweet, hopeful and smart. The other half of her scenes are of Prince Lee Hwi - scared and traumatized. Choi Myung Bin and her counterpart, Ko Woo Rim (young Jin Woon) reminded me of the excellent teen cast of “Moon Embracing The Sun”. And we all know how those young actors’ careers panned out now.

3. Romantic Role Reversal - It’s refreshing to see Lee Hwi as the typical cold male rom-com role, e.g. those CEOs, and then Ji Woon as the one who is lovesick and madly in love. The chemistry between the leads are great, especially n their initial student/tutor relationship, and when Ji Woon falls in love with Lee Hwi. I also like that the drama did not make it a big deal that Ji Woon is in love with a man. It’s portrayed that he couldn’t believe he loves the crown prince and didn’t really care that he’s a guy. He’s not afraid to profess his love. Additionally, once the leads are in a relationship, we see FL initiates a lot of physical affection.

4. Rowoon - He is really pretty to look at! (sorry, I just have to mention this). His acting has definitely improved since his “Extraordinary You” days. His role as Ji Woon provides him with an opportunity to portray many more emotions than his role as Ha Ru in EY. I do think he is better as the lovesick and funny Ji Woon, than the emotional and sad Ji Woon. His crying scenes leave room for improvement. I am looking forward to seeing him in “Tomorrow”.

5. Production Quality - Beautiful costumes for everyone. I love the colors and the patterns, especially the subtle designs on the king and crown princes’ hats. Ji Woon also has a variety of very colorful costumes as a male character, and is not limited to just blue, white and black. The set designs, props, and the use of natural lighting in candles are to my liking as well, even though the palaces are not as grand as in C-dramas.


What I don’t like or have mixed feelings:

1. Plot/Plot holes - I enjoy the overarching plot of this drama. However, I feel that it has an identity crisis. The drama appears to be a political drama with a romance subplot, but the execution and the tone are not as serious as other sageuks, e.g. “The Red Sleeves” or “Moon Embracing The Sun”. On the other hand, the romantic subplots have a rom-com feel to it with the slow-motion, bright backlighting, falling into your arms, etc. These elements are not enough to call this drama a rom-com, compared to “100 Days My Prince” or “The Tale of Nokdu”. The drama is not serious enough, and not rom-com enough to be excellent in either genre. The pacing of the drama isn’t great either. If this is a 16-episode drama, the stories would be tighter and won’t drag in the middle. I had to watch it at 1.25x speed at one point because everything is so slow in the middle.

Moreover, I do have minor issues with the writing of the story.
* The leads really don’t care about kissing out in the open????
* If the Left State Councilor is making life difficult for everyone, isn’t it easier to just assassinate him? He obviously went home at night with just a few bodyguards, and we got some excellent swordsmen and bodyguards on the good side.
* I don’t think I’ve seen a court official being so blatantly disrespectful to the King or Queen Dowager that he would barge into anyone’s room without announcement, insult or talk over others. There are similar villains in other historical dramas, but this one takes the cake in “I don’t care” and giving the King the ‘finger’. No finesse needed in manipulation.
* The ending of FL after having tea with the villain - no explanation of how and why she would have such an ending.

2. Music - There are some really good songs. However, I don’t like the use of songs in this drama. Ballads are on cue to play whenever there’s a romantic scene. It doesn’t leave room for viewers to feel for themselves, and the songs seem like manipulation of viewer’s moods. Some of the ballads sound pretty modern for a sageuk, but that’s just my personal opinion. I am used to watching historical C-dramas where songs have a more traditional feel.
3.
Underdeveloped characters/stories - Since there are 20 episodes and they somewhat ran out of stories to tell, why not give a little more on some of the supporting cast? I would love to see more of our good-looking bodyguard, Kim Ga On, so that he’s not just standing there looking handsome. I want to know more about his struggles after the death of his father. How about more childhood stories between Lee Hyung and Lee Hwi, so that we can see how Lee Hyung’s feelings start to develop for Lee Hwi? Or the friendship between the two veteran guards and how the friendship fell apart?

4. Fight Scenes - The fight choreography could have been better and longer. We have a couple top swordsmen in the show, and they barely show their skills. In fact, they seem to get hurt pretty easily and are unable to face off even 5 mere soldiers (not super assassins). I thought our ML is both an excellent scholar and a great swordsman, but he ended up always getting slashed and hurt in a fight.


Other Random Observations:
1. Love Court lady Kim and Eunuch Hong!
2. Korean eunuchs can have wives? They still have their…. reproductive organs?
3. No matter how wounded you are, you recover real fast - except Lee Hwi who needs TLC from Ji Woon often.
4. The tutors provide comic relief - not too over-the-top
5. No annoying character - The young queen borderlines funny and annoying and didn’t quite tip to the annoying side.
6. The way these characters tail/spy/follow others, it’s amazing no one was discovered.
7. Leads’ secret rendezvous spot is used in several other K-dramas aka “Rookie Historian”, “The Red Sleeve”. This must be the prime spot to have secret meetings.

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WHY DID THE STORYLINE CHANGE AFTER EPISODE 4?

The drama is good, but since the drama started off so strong, and with a focus on politics in the monarch, I was expecting the storyline to move that way but it totally flipped around. WHY DID THE STORYLINE CHANGE AFTER EPISODE 4? =/

Before reaching episode 5 I wondered why the reviews for this drama was so low because the first 4 episodes are worthy of a rating of a 10. However, after episode 4, the storyline turns from political to romance. However, the romance was not as well crafted as it could have been. Don't get me wrong, it's good but just not great. It is full of common tropes, and slow motion side effects when the female and male lead just so happen to mistakenly find one another in each other arms. Note: After episode 6, it recovers and is back to being great again!

Btw, the female lead actress did a wonderful job acting. The second male lead (Mr. Dimples) is super cute!

Okay, I'm back with an update after watching episodes 7 and 8 and the political part of this drama is good but the romance scenes are horrible. I don't think the writers and director did a good job at trying to convince me that the romance in this drama could work; they should have stuck to a political historical drama without romance. I have to lower my rating from a 9.0 to a 7.5.

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