Women should be allowed to be King more often! LOL

No, but seriously, this drama was top notch.

This was my first time seeing Park Eun Bin in anything but I'm convinced there wasn't a more perfect choice for the role out there. Not only was she physically a great choice, but she also killed it acting wise. She was so level-headed and composed most of the time, but when her emotions bubbled over she really stole the show. She was so badass and brave. But also humble and unafraid of being vulnerable. I really liked both the character and how Eun Bin brought her to life.

As for Rowoon, it's amazing how much better his acting has gotten! He's improved so much. He did a great job as Ji Un. It was so adorable seeing him be all confused and flustered over his budding feelings for the Crown Prince/King. And his chemistry with Eun Bin was electric. It was a joy to see them in every scene they had together.

The rest of the cast also deserves a shout-out. From Hyun, Eunuch Hong and Court Lady Kim, to commander Yoon, Ji Un's father and even all the kid actors. Choi Byung Chan was maybe a bit expressionless and monotone as Kim Ga On, but then again that was kind of the character's personality.

For a 20 episode drama there was a surprising amount of things that were barely addressed. Hwi's mother's death and her marriage come to mind, one came out of nowhere and the other wasn't even shown. Not to mention the rise to power of Hwi's paternal grandfather. A bit more backstory on the Uncle and her two cousins also maybe would have been helpful.

Lastly, I have to applaud whoever was involved in picking the OST. They really deserve a prize for a job well done. And the team that made the intro. I'm one of those people who always skip the intro sequence in dramas, but this one was so beautiful and went so well with the music that each episode I looked forward to it.

Read More

Watching this show is a struggle

Given that this drama is kinda presented like a noona drama, I expected the age difference between Song Ah and Hyun Seung to be bigger. A one year difference in age doesn't seem that big of a deal. I expected five at the very least, ten if they really wanted to push it.

And, to be perfectly honest, it all seemed very juvenile. I feel like all the characters were too old to be playing these silly, childish mind games. They behaved like immature high school kids instead of grown-ass adults. Plus, the fact that Ro Woon had the same chemistry with Jin Ah as he did with the actress that played his eldest sister (that is to say, no romantic sparks between them in the slightest) did not help.

The only characters I found fun and interesting were the middle sister and her daughter. Everyone else was so bland and boring. And I strongly disliked the utter juvenile pettiness that's seemingly imbued into this drama.

Read More

Nothing ever happened?

Gave it a fair shake, but honestly, this drama is just too long. Every episode felt like it was a rehash of the previous one because of how glacially slow the plot moved along. Everyone was constantly scheming and it felt like all of them were playing double agents in one way or another. The issue was, with all of this going on behind the scenes, in reality, there was way more talking than there were actions taken. Everyone spent too much time planning, and too little time executing those plans.

There was some solid acting (some were better, others worse), and as is to be expected with sageuks, the set design and costumes were beautiful.

I hung in there until the first kissing scene, hoping that maybe the romance aspect would save the show, but there was not even a hint of a spark to be found between the leads. And I just can't justify it anymore to keep wasting my time with a bland plot and chemistry-less couple.

Read More

I, for one, was captivated LOL

Writing-wise, this is one of the best sageuks I've ever seen (and at this point, I've watched a whole lot of them).

I don't know how else to describe it beside it being smartly written. The characters were interesting and flawed, with multiple layers and complex emotions. Their actions were always motivated by solid reasons, and even the villains were clever in the way they plotted their evil deeds (which is not actually the norm in base of my observations so far). I was hooked throughout, and actually found myself being surprised by some of the twists and turns the story took.

The show was like a baduk game in and of itself, with the two opponents constantly trying to outsmart and outmaneuver each other, both when it was the King and his Gidaeryeong, and the King and those seeking to control him, which I really loved given how prominently the game was featured. There was a constant struggle for power going on, with the knowledge that any move had to be carefully considered because a wrong step could lead to catastrophic results (much as it was shown during the very first episode).

Also, there were a lot of different instances were it was mentioned how the characters were blinded because of how they were "captivated" by a certain emotion. Be it a thirst for revenge, or an overwhelming love, or anything in between. Which again, I liked the tie in to the show's name and theme.

Of course, it was visually stunning, like all sageuks usually are, and the OST matched the show well, even if it was not very memorable. The acting was top notch all across, with Cho Jung Seok shining especially bright in his range from tyrannical King to lovesick man, he really excelled in portraying a deeply complex character. Shin Se Kyung's character reminded me a lot of who she'd played in Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (also a marvelous sageuk fyi), a smart woman, confident in her abilities but somewhat limited by her circumstances.

The only reason I'm not giving Captivating the King the full 10/10 rating is because the romantic spark between the leads was sadly missing. I loved how mature, deep and settled their relationship felt, but the heat that comes with good chemistry was sadly missing. I bought they cared about each other, but didn't feel the attraction. When they kissed, nothing happened.

Either way, it was an amazing show and I had a great time watching it.

Read More

It made me feel all the feels

This drama is a wholeass experience.

The non verbal storytelling was some of the best I've ever seen. There was so much that was said without uttering even a single word, case in point: the little, seemingly unconnected scenes at the beginning of each episode. Pay attention to them. They may seem inconsequential, but tell a whole story of their own when analyzed in the context of the ambiguous ending of the show.

So too was the case with how the passing of time was subtly but distinctly conveyed not only by the clothes the actors were wearing, but also by looking at their environment. I genuinely wonder over how long a period of time this was filmed, became the production crew can put actors in shorts and short sleeves in the middle of winter and pretend like they're enjoying a nice summer day, but how do you transition from bare branches, to trees in full bloom, to verdant and lush foliage to falling leaves? You can control wardrobes, but not mother nature.

I loved the OST, the plot of the drama, the cinematography and especially the main couple. They had such intense chemistry, and Se Jong in particular just blew me away with how much he could emote just by minutely changing his facial expressions. I liked him in Still 17, but he was amazing here.

Read More

Amazing. Fantastic. Iconic. WATCH IT!

This show will break your heart, but it's ok because it'll help you piece it together afterwards. And there's no sweetest happiness that the one that comes after heartache. The laughs and the tears, this show has them both.

The drama was phenomenal. From the writing, to the acting, cast and OST. It was great all around. It lightly touched upon on the philosophy of life and death, how lightness and darkness are both sides of the same coin and you can't have one without the other. The garden metaphor and the deity living as a forever terminally ill patient was an interesting take on the more religious aspect of the story too.

And don't even get me started on the main couple. Their chemistry just jumped out of the screen. It was impossible not to root for them. I sincerely hope they'll work together again someday.

I don't know yet what drama I'll be watching next, but I feel bad for it given the large shoes it'll have to fill.

Read More

Disappointing

This drama was a mess.

It couldn't decide on a tone, so the parts that were fun and chaotic clashed really harshly with the super serious moments. I don't think the story progression was properly executed for the plot to have the impact it could have had. And the main character was quite unlikable. She was manipulative, kinda selfish and tended to take out her emotional struggles on other people. There was too much broodiness and moodiness going on for my liking. Still, there was some truly exceptional acting, so at least there was that.

I found the directing to be sort of off-putting, too. Some shots were awkwardly framed; awful, cloudy filters kept being put over shots and the tone temperature kept shifting. There were also scenes that looked almost like they were being done with a sort of fish lens because the edges of the shot were all rounded and out of focus. It was so weird.

And for a show literally called Just Dance, there was very little dancing involved. It was the same few shots of the same exact choreo done multiple times, but never in a satisfying way where you could actually appreciate the dancing and choreography.

Read More

Kinda Weak

On the plus side, this one is available on Youtube. On the minus side, the English subtitles were littered with grammatical errors and sentences that didn't completely make sense, which was super distracting.

The story was interesting enough and the acting was passable, but it was a little dry and emotionally restrained for my tastes. Also, it was very obviously set up for a second season that apparently never happened. Not the worst web drama I've ever watched, but it could definitely have been better.

Also, doing romantic stories with no kissing is such BS.

Read More

It was cute

My first drama that I ever saw Seo In Guk in was Doom at Your Service, and it's insane how different both his character in that drama and Louis were. After watching him be all broody and arrogant in Doom never would I have imagined he could also play an adorable, silly, spoilt heir so well. The man has range.

As for the plot, it was a little thin, and so there was quite a bit of filler to pad the run time. But Bok Sil and Louis were very cute together! However, I'll point out that I'm a little sad she didn't ever quite match his level of affection. Nam Ji Hyun never quite convinced me she was head over heels for her co-star. I feel like she exuded reluctance in all of their kissing scenes, and that's not really the vibe you want to get from a rom-com.

Still, if you want to watch something sweet and uplifting, this show is a good choice.

Read More

A second season needs to happen!

This show went from very happy, cheerful and optimistic to bleak and heartbreaking. The last few episodes are just drenched in sadness, and the very last one hits peak anguish, so be ready for that.

During the first few episodes (before anyone died) I kept pondering how in a much smuttier and adult rated world, this would have been a badass reverse harem story. Having a bunch of good looking guys crushing on a somewhat oblivious girl, I found it impossible for my mind not to fall straight into the gutter.

Ahem, anyways...

Lee Joon Gi really gave it his all in this drama, he was absolutely fantastic! He made me cry my eyes out in the last episode. And as unlikable as could be, and as questionable as some of his actions and decisions were, I still found myself empathizing with him and rooting for him to find some peace and happiness. The broken bad boy, be it in historical drama version, or in modern times is always so alluring.

IU was also did a great job. Her transformation from bewildered girl transported back in time to dignified court lady was seamless. It's crazy how she had unique chemistry with each of the guys playing a Prince. From sibling-like love, to puppy love to full on soulmates love, she had such great rapport with them.

The costumes were beautiful, even if at times the wigs looked insane and the polka-dotted court lady uniforms were kinda weird. It was my first time watching a historical drama not set in the Joseon era, so seeing everyone rocking the loose hair was kind of a wild experience LOL

Keep an eye out for the weird zooms into the actors faces during some of the episodes. It'll feel like you're watching the Office (US), and the characters will break the 4th wall, address you directly and say something completely at odds with the time period. I still wonder about that directorial choice.

All in all, not everything about this was great, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. This is worth watching if only to see the main couple act their butts off.

P.S. I want a second season set in modern times, with a rom-com feel where everyone gets a happy ending! Make it happen SBS!

Read More

Completely unexpected

This show is a trip and a half. Honestly, it was nuts. I wondered more than once while watching it whether the writers were under the influence of some substance or another while coming up with this.

It was very violent, but in a black humor type of way, were the serious flirted with the bizarre.

They very much left the door open for a second season, and I for one would be very intrigued to see what new path the story would take. Also, Song Geon Hee was absolutely amazing in this and, at the very least, the show is worth watching just to see him act his ass off. I hope he gets cast in more lead roles in the future.

Read More

Not sure if I'll continue watching

I don't know what it is about this show, but I feel uncomfortable while watching it. It's like this instinct that something's wrong. It's super weird and kind of hard to put into words.

At times, some of the music gave me mirror funhouse vibes, but there's this ominous feeling like at any moment everything will devolve into a nightmare and it'll turn out the funhouse was actually a horror experience. That was the kind of unsettling feeling I got.

Also, I just really dislike Hee Soo's character for some reason. I'm not sure what it is, but something rubs me the wrong way about her.

Read More