Completed
riri89
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 20, 2020
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers
First of all, I love sageuk dramas, whether it is Joseon/Goryeo era. I enjoy a good sageuk that portrays all the political drama of those times, the gorgeous outfits and love stories. When it comes to the Princess' Man, I feel like the plot was weak, very much so, and it failed to engage me.

First I will go through the main characters. Moon Chae Won does a good job for me in the first stretch of the story, but afterwards her character loses all purpose (she is just a love interest) and all charm. There is one point in the story when Seungyu asks her "where has the girl that used a man's back to get on a horse gone?" and I couldn't agree more. Of course some would say her character went through so many ordeals that she had to change from her more innocent and playful self, but change into something else than a clingy block of wood pls.

Seungyu played by Park Shihoo is complete eye candy, which helps until some point. When he stubbornly tries to keep torturing emotionally a girl that had taken an arrow for him and told him she knew where his sister-in-law and niece were, he lost me. There can be a push and pull, it is necessary for a series running for 24 episodes, but his character seemed to lack reasoning and a backbone.

Shinmyeon, the man that was supposed to act as the third member of this love triangle, was doing fine at the beginning, and I saw some potential in how the relationship with Seryung could develop and make everyone even root for him. Actually, his initial betrayal could have been justified better (like him being forced and coerced by his father more strongly, or the threat of his father being killed if he didn't obey), but like many other characters in this story he lacked any depth. He soon became just annoying and I couldn't wait for him to get off screen. His dialogues were monotonous and repetitive. A potential bromance with Seungyu that could bring tears to anyone's eyes also failed miserably.

The remaining characters were (to my opinion) very uninteresting. The original princess and her husband (who doesn't stop plotting treason and gets surprised when they want to kill him for it), Seryung's family (her siblings are terribly underused in the story), the bunch from the Gisaeng house (they never grew in me), the servants around the main cast (specially Seryung's) were used as tools for the story but had no personality or intimate relationships with their masters, and ultimately Seryung's father (who also didn't display properly the duality of his greed for the throne vs his loving side for his family).

The story focused heavily on the political plots which lacked lots of imagination. Every dodgy and badly planned coup to remove Seryung's dad from the throne was easily squashed and was very basic. For a series centering so much around this, I would expect better twists, but there were barely any. I found myself not caring which side would win.

The action scenes were badly shot and choreographed. A very important part of sageuk dramas is the martial arts, and who doesn't enjoy handsome leads going head to head with swords? In this drama, the scenes felt long and meaningless, they could have just written "action scene" and kept the screen black for 5 minutes and it would have had the same effect for me.

One of the things that bothered me the most of this drama was the selection of the scenes that made it into the episodes. Why did we have to spend a long time seeing Shimyeon burying his underling after he sacrificed his life to safe him (when we barely saw him and could not care for him) but for characters like Jeong Jong we just got to see a short clip of his pregnant wife crying? Why were all executions left out? And I would appreciate less flashbacks and less repetitive conversations and having 16 episodes instead of 24.

Lastly, the love story. I did feel it at first, but then it degenerated quickly into something too unpleasant to come back from. Like I said earlier, characters can have misunderstandings, but eventually love does make them want to believe in each other. It wasn't this way here. Seryung basically had to become clingy and lose all her pride, act cute with his niece, safe his life, and be a complete masochist to win him back. Still, the love story was the best thing in the drama and they should have focused more on that and have less basic political plots and coups.

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Completed
Mimie_t
8 people found this review helpful
Feb 3, 2014
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This drama was so good. The action, revenge and suspense was so intense and epic and the romance was so heart warming. The cast did a great job, they acted all parts very well. I have to be honest, i really hate how the story ended. Firstly, i don't understand why that evil king sooyang was not killed because of all people he is the one who deserved death at the end. Secondly, why did seung yoo lose his eyesight at the end, thats not fair at all and he didn't even succeed in his revenge schemes. Arrrrgh to me this is a sad and frustrating ending. Besides that, the whole drama was exciting and touching.

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Completed
LMitsuki
8 people found this review helpful
Apr 4, 2012
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
When I started watching it, I was still hesitant. I'm not really a fan of historical dramas, but it seems I'm slowly becoming one. "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" was my first, and it was totally amazing... And not "The Princess Man" totally blew my mind.

The actors chemistry is definitely superb. They made me smile and cry at the same time. The "Romeo x Juliet" story was totally heart breaking, and a lot more well-done.

The plot was the thing that made be more excited and, at the same time, more upset. They rush the first episodes, where the viewer watch their feelings for each other,making us confused about how their feelings were so deep.
The plot was damn exciting, every episode had their own twist. That was annoying sometimes, but it was worth it. I even thought they could have just done 16 to 18 episodes, but now I regret that thoughts. However, the ending didn't satisfy me.Although I liked it, it seems they all fought for something they didn't achieve. All the moments in the story that made us laugh and cry happened in vain, basically.

Despite everything, it's definitely a good drama. You should watch it for sure :)

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Completed
akai-kitsune
9 people found this review helpful
Aug 1, 2013
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
The Princess Man got a perfect score from me, because it pulled off every genre. I laughted, cried, hold my breath, trembled.....

The beginning of the drama is a cliche in my opinion, but the actors are very good and so you don't get bored. Later on the story doesn't let go of you and your emotions.

All the characters are being introduced in a good way. They don't stay as 2D characters, but are 3D. You don't just see the development of the main couple, but also the development of the side characters like the princess, the best friends and so on.
Believe me or not I loved the villian. No matter what bad he did I so wanted to forgive him. I so wanted him to turn good.

The OST is one of the best I ever heard. Wow, how the many songs moved me to tears at time. Hell, I even cried for the happy moments. The songs are all on my Mp3 and I get the same emotions everytime I listen to them.

Did I mention the acting? All actors do a good job. Park Shi Ho not only shows of his good looks and abs, but also an outstanding performance.
Moon Chae Won showed her great acting skills through this drama. Her chemistry with PSH was very good and you could feel their love.
Lee Min Woo as Jung Jong just broke my heart with his acting. Song Jong Ho was so good as the villian.

I don't think I'll ever rewatch this drama again, but I recomment it to everyone.

As said its one of the best drama ever.

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Completed
KdramaQueen89
10 people found this review helpful
Nov 4, 2011
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
Let me first say I'm not an avid Historicals watcher. Because of this my scores might not reflect the same love that everyone else has for The Princess' Man.



Story- The first 12 episodes were okay. They went by at a good pace not too slow but nothing significant happened to capture my attention. I felt they could have cut a couple of episodes out of this part of the story, making the drama shorter. The last 12 episodes were epic and filled with heartbreaking romance, action, and just plain excitement. The ending was bittersweet but a pleasant surprise.



Acting- I'm really really glad Park Shi Hoo took this role on. He showed in his last 2 dramas that he is HOT and a good but not excellent actor. Well in this drama he showed a variety of acting skills and definitely proved his excellent acting ability. I hope he wins an award for best actor=D Moon Chae Won performed her role well but I actually dont think this is her best character she has played. The supporting cast all performed their roles well but I wasnt obsessed with the characters. I do want to mention the little actress that plays PSH's niece. She was so believable and seems so talented for such a young age. Definitely want to see more from her.



Music- Was intense and really added to the changing mood. When it was romance scenes the music was lovely. When there was fighting the music heightened and elevated the suspense.



Rewatch- Although I liked the show I didnt have that special feeling I get when Im obsessed over a show. Because of this Im not sure whether I would rewatch this or not.



Overall my favorite part of The Princess' Man is the romance storyline between the main characters and definitely would recommend it for that reason=)

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Completed
kpopx3lover
7 people found this review helpful
Dec 27, 2011
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
DAEBAK!!! I don't even know what to say about this drama. It's just so good! I love it. This drama was too much sometimes because many unexpected things happened. When something good FINALLY happens suddenly something bad just had to happen. When that happened I was just getting ready to throw my computer at the window. This drama was like a roller coaster ride. One time, everyone would be happy and I would be smiling like crazy, then another time would be really sad which made me cry nonstop. So many people got me so mad in this drama I just wanted to shoot them. This drama made me go crazy! The suspense it had was just thrilling. I really like this drama. It's so epic but it's so long that at some points it was kind of boring because the same things were happening that sometimes you can expect what will happen next but other than that it was BRILLIANT!!! I really loved watching it. This is why historical dramas are the best!!

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Completed
connie1314
6 people found this review helpful
Jun 11, 2014
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
oh my goodness, this...is...AMAZING!
i've been kept on the edge of my seat for the last 4 days...this drama is all levels of Intense and Revenge!
I knew it was going to be intense but I did NOT expect this kind of storyline OR ending!!
I'm still in a bit of state of shock from just finishing really, but I thought I'd get my thoughts down before I starting fangirling and enter the post-drama daze that I fall in after an epic drama!

This drama starts off well, with a good introduction to our characters and storyline like when you're on a roller coaster ride and then...early on in the series it hits the peak and then it's one hell of a thrilling loopy loopy ride from there!

I had been a bit worried with it being 24 episodes that it would drag, but no, they carried out the story in a good paced manner ALOT happens in 24 episodes and if anything, I wish the last episode was slightly ended a bit, because I personally thought there was a few more strings that needed tying at the end...

But the acting was great by all the cast, the villains really went ahead and made me hate them to the coreeee whilst pitying them to the max at the same time, the main leads had lots of chemistry and the supporting roles also did a great job! Alot of tears were shed, not just by me but more than half the cast experiences some bit of a cry scene, and the way they cried, I felt their pain... :'(

It's my second drama after Innocent Man, watching Moon Chae Won and she is such a great actress! Easily landed herself a spot on my Loved Actresses list!
As for the male lead, I hadnt seen him in anything else before but I was pretty satisfied with his acting! The progression his character experienced from start to finish was great and carried out very well!

The OST for this drama is on all levels of awesome, it suits the drama well and the lyrics are really meaningful!

I would definitely rewatch this, even though there's a lot to take in, it is worth it in the end!

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Completed
KDramaCucko
6 people found this review helpful
Oct 14, 2013
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I don't even know how to begin this review other than these 3 words: Oh! My! Gosh!

It's been a year since I watched The Princess's Man, and I am still captivated by the story line and the lead actress and actor. This is absolutely one of the greatest Korean dramas I ever watched.

A very beautifully written drama. It is not like any other ordinary show. I watched the first 5 episodes and had to make sure that it's only 5 episodes and not 16 because the story line is to tight and so good! It already has so many conflicts from the beginning of the drama. The story kept me on edge even though I could not bear watching the heart-wrenching scenes of betrayal.

The main leads are SUPER AWESOME!
Love love love them!
They did really well portraying their characters. I highly recommend this drama.

A must watch!

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Completed
locurabella
6 people found this review helpful
Dec 9, 2012
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Moon Chae Won has become one of my favorite actress' and this AMAZING drama introduced me to both her and the handsome with the most distinctive beautiful smiles I've ever seen on a man, Park Shi Hoo.

This drama is gold; everything is perfect, from the plot, acting, speed, and music.

The main protagonists, MCW and PSH, have that chemistry that many actors lack in other dramas. At the end of the drama, like other fans, I wished they would really date so I can still see them together. All the actors acted well even all the minor characters.

The plot of this drama was never boring. There is enough action, revenge, romance and angst. You'll be awwing, crying, angry, and all of those emotions.

I honestly thought this drama was going to end badly but I was wrong. People curious about watching this drama, watch it. You will not be disappointed.

This drama by far has my favorite soundtrack. After hearing the intro song, I instantly downloaded, and every time I hear it, I think about this couple.

Why I also dub this drama amazing is because it has one scene that was beautifully acted, shot, and etc that I will never forget, and the best part is that there were no words involved. I seriously do not kid when i say MWC and PSH have amazing chemistry that they are able to pull of this type of scene.

Seriously, this drama won best couple, best actress and actor, and many more awards applauding its amazing plot. It does have the star-cross lover plot infused, but watch it to the end.

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Completed
Enigma_J_S
6 people found this review helpful
May 4, 2012
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
I found this show really amazing! The story line was great and because the king and his deeds really did happen, it made it more real and interesting. The acting was phenomenal, when they act I felt it! I cried so much and when they were happy, I was truly happy with them. I experienced so much emotions while watching the drama. The music is great as well and VERY powerful, it makes you feel the scene even more and has your heart racing. This drama shows you what true love and loyalty is. I would watch it again, however, I would have to prepare myself mentally again to go through all the emotions I felt again. I recommend the readers to watch this, I am sure this will also become one of your favourites.

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Completed
yue_cann
5 people found this review helpful
Jun 2, 2016
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
I don't know how to say my disappointment with this drama without spoiling it, but let me at least try.

This drama has a VERY GOOD PLOT, except for the last 10 minutes of it.
The actors were BRILLIANT. How can their stare convey so many emotions?
The music was one of the greatest I have ever heard in a kdrama. It highlights the viewers emotion every time it plays.
But the rewatch value? I am sorry for the fans of this drama but I will never watch this again.

WHY?

It is not because all of the heartbreaks, tears, and frustration I invest in this drama while watching it. I feel the story. I feel every sobs and anguish that the male lead felt. I laugh and giggle at every good moments. I scream and pull my hair every time someone I like in the drama dies. I feel all of these. And that is why this is a good drama. But maybe that is also the reason why I became disappointed in it. I feel too much of all the emotions that the last 10 minutes of the drama didn't make sense to me.

I don't hate how it ended. But it wasn't the way I want it to be. It doesn't have to be bloody. I just want to see some repentance and justice for those who lost their lives.

LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT: Don't fall in love with Jeong Jong..... scratch that.... don't fall in love with any of the characters. ......... you're welcome <3

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Completed
dapinaymrs
8 people found this review helpful
Jan 24, 2012
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I'm still giddy from watching the last episode while I'm writing this. Oh my, where do I begin?

The Princess' Man is, as the critics and viewers say, the story of Romeo and Juliet in Joseon style. Moon Chae Won plays Se Ryeong, cousin to the Crown Prince and the Princess Kyung Hye (Hong Soo Hyun).

She is at first betrothed to Kim Seung Yu (Park Shi Hoo)but as things go awry between their fathers, the Grand Prince Su Yang and Kim Jong Seo, they find themselves--and those close to them, inevitably caught in a complicated web of contradictions.

The story is a 9. There are some occasions where I felt the story should've picked up pace especially at those urgent times when it's a matter of life and death. Surprisingly, the side-stories were very well developed and I found the secondary contradictions among the characters much more intense than that of the main one (Se Ryeong-Seung Yu-Su Yang).

I have mixed feelings about the ending. If I had imagined an epic battle scene between Su Yang and Seung Yu, that was a grand, grand illusion. If anybody unlocks the message they were trying to convey at the ending, please tell me. As of press time, my brain can't decipher.

The acting is a 9. The cast did an amazing performance. Among those that really shone in this series are

Hong Soo Hyun for her terrific portrayal of the Princess Kyung Hye--reinventing herself at every turn: a cold princess, an unwilling bride, a woman slowly falling in love, a passionate wife and a calm, collected mother.

Lee Min Woo as the reliable Prince Consort Jung and BFFs to Shin Myun and Seung Yu

Song Jong Ho for his exceptional performance as the ever-tormented and tragic Shin Myun

Kim Yeong Cheol as the terrifying Grand Prince Su Yang, father to Se Ryeong

Park Shi Hoo and Moon Chae Won gave off sparks and did generally well although I felt she was a tad short on facial expressions for a number of emotions she had to portray. (And somehow, I could not appreciate her calling him 'seonsangnim' at the end...come to think of it, did you hear him say her name ever?)

Rewatch value and Overall: Solid 9. If you want a saeguk that tightly focuses on the love story and not so much on politics and war tactics, The Princess' Man is highly rewatchable.

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The Princess's Man (2011) poster

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  • Score: 8.4 (scored by 8,734 users)
  • Ranked: #672
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