Not for me

This show was, easily, four hours longer than it actually needed to be. If they'd foregone all the "flash-back" repeated scenes and all the long musical montages with characters staring off into space they could have shaved off a lot of run time.

The couple had more BFF chemistry than romantic sparks, which also kinda took away from the love story angle, and the OST wasn't much to my liking either (honestly, there were some weird choices thrown in there like an ACDC cover done with traditional Korean instruments, a Canon in D inspired piece, and a song that sound like something from the OST of The Mummy). I liked the instrumental versions much better than the actual sung songs.

The villains kept smirking out in the open, for everyone to see, every time they did something nefarious. They could have laughed evilly, too, and still no one would have suspected they were behind all the treasonous plotting. So dumb.

The acting was good, and that's the one positive aspect I can talk give this drama. Plus, all the pretty costumes and filming locations, but that's par for the course with Joseon dramas. I wouldn't recommend watching this one, to be honest.

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Utter disappointment

I'm a sucker for idol dramas, but this one was the most disappointing one to date.

It honestly felt like something that would have been on the Disney Channel ten years ago. The acting wasn't that bad, but the story had literally zero emotional impact.

With a name like Miracle I would have expected to see blood, sweat and tears being shed for the characters to reach and realize their dreams. For them to put everything on the line on the unlikely chance of a "miracle" happening for them to make their wishes come true, but they barely struggled.

For example, So Rin's accident was the perfect set-up to set her on her journey of disappointment, struggles and heartache to eventually overcome her physical limitations (or find a way to deal with them) and reach her goal, be it the original one or a new one she discovered along the way. But there was none of that. She was a glorified babysitter for two squabbling men that acted like little kids more often than not.

Luice spent most of his time lounging around, and don't get me started about "Si Woo realizing his dream of becoming a k-pop idol". That was a 30-second montage and then a 3 sentences speech. We barely got to see him put in any type of effort.

The music was also a flop. Three or four repetitive, unmemorable songs. I expected a lot more for an idol drama.

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Hated it with a passion

As we say in the book community, I'm DNFing this one. I just found both lead characters to be very unlikable people and impossible to root for. After 13 episodes, they were both still selfish, self-centered and cowardly, and I couldn't help but find them very toxic together (and it was complete BS to throw some sob-story 3/4 of the way in just to make your character seem a little more sympathetic).

For a good chunk I found the older sister to be incredibly annoying , exasperating and ridiculous, but she eventually grew on me. Her and the ex-fiancé were the only characters I liked, but I just couldn't endure over 5 more hours of torture to just get a few glimpses of them and find out how their arcs concluded (I have my guesses, but if anyone feels inclined to comment a few spoilers down below, I won't be mad).

I just honestly can't see how this drama has such a high rating.

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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.

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ML was a huge red flag

There was for sure some kind of black magic used in the making of this drama. I disliked most everything about it (from the acting, to the plot, characters and music), and still, I found myself binging the whole thing.

Yoo Chan had the emotional intelligence of a rock and was pretty much a walking red flag. He always resorted to emotionally and verbally bullying those around him, and especially the FL. The fact that he pretty much only dated one girl during the whole drama, and she wasn't the FL has to be one of the oddest things I've seen in any romance, ever.

Bo Ra being nicknamed "idiot" by Yoo Chan was mean, but also highly accurate. She had a good heart, but often behaved in moronic ways.

The OST was a cheese fest and I'm happy I'll never have to listen to those songs again. Or the clicking of soles over those unusually loud floors! Never had I come across a show with floors as loud as the ones here.

The prosopagnosia played no role at all, aside from creating an insignificant amount of silly drama and was magically resolved, almost as an afterthought.

The drama was half the ML getting over his unresolved feelings over the disappearance of his first love (the mystery was what kept me hooked during those first few episodes), and half IT/business mumbo-jumbo with some out-of-nowhere, utterly out-of-character betrayal to spice things up.

Honestly, the only character whose story I enjoyed was Do Jin. He was the most fun and interesting.

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The aesthetic was flawless

This is a very sexy drama.

It's slow, sensual and very much centered around the relationship (or lack-thereof) of the main couple, so if character driven stories aren't your thing, I don't think you'll like this. Personally, I loved it.

I also quite enjoyed the close-ups on their eyes and mouths and the scenes where they showed parts of the faces and bodies of certain characters, but never the whole person at once. It was very reminiscent of manga or manhwa vignettes. I thought those were very cool directorial choices.

The music went great with the overall chill vibe of the show, and it was fun how butterflies kept coming up in the songs.

Great drama. 10/10 would recommend!

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A super sweet drama with awesome characters!

I especially liked the male lead. Kim Young-Kwang did a fantastic job. And kudos to the writing team from deviating from the cliché of the aloof, arrogant boss and going for a vulnerable, earnest character. Do Min-Ik was one of the sweetest MMC I think I've ever seen.

And, of course, Veronica Park stole the show every time she came on-screen. Kim Jae-Kyung did a wonderful job playing her.

Smiles and happy feelings all around!

P. S. I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out to the kooky OST. The Lion King, Queen, Damien Rice and Let It Go. Weird, random musical choices, but I liked them!

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10/10 binge-ability.

I don't typically enjoy Joseon dramas all that much because the villains tend to suck and painstakingly explain all their awful plans step by step as they plot along. There was quite little evil plotting here, while still delivering lots of drama, so this show was a very welcome surprise!

There were so many different plots happening in short and long arcs that I never got bored. There was a big mystery regarding a dethroned king, there was relationship drama, there were power struggles within the court and also the journey of a group of women trying to find their place and be acknowledged in a male-centric world. The show even took the time to give some backstory to a couple of the other historians, which could have been boring but wasn't because it ended up helping me better understand their actions and motivations.

The cast was huge, and everyone did a fantastic job. This was my first time seeing a drama with Shin Se Kyung and she was absolutely wonderful. And Cha Eun Woo as Prince Rin was just too precious for words. He was so earnest, sweet and pure. I liked the different power dynamic of having the female lead be the older, more confident one in the relationship and her male co-star be the innocent, unsure one. They were great together. And the Crown Prince and Historian Min deserve some recognition, too. Along with the other three female historians, the eunuch that always accompanied the Prince and Hae Ryung's maid.

A wonderful drama all around.

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It was a nice show, but I don't think I'd watch it again.

I really liked the chemistry between the main couple, and all the scenes with Da Hyun bickering with her mom and grandma were a riot, but I feel like this story had a lot of dead space. I often found myself getting bored or distracted. The pauses were too long, the scenes sometimes dragged out. I'm a huge fan of letting a story breathe, and let viewers soak the emotions in (which this show had no shortage of), but I think they took it too far. Towards the end, around episode 11 or 12, I really lost interest because I felt like the events had gotten repetitive. But I'll admit the last two episodes managed to leave me with a positive impression.

At the end of the day, the acting was fantastic all around, the OST was lovely and I even found myself invested in the secondary couple, which at the beginning I couldn't care less about. So, if you don't mind slow, draggy plots, I think this drama is worth giving a shot to.

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Lovely production. Unbinge-able plot wise

I'm conflicted with how to rate this one.

I loved the directing. The soft, warm color schemes. Even the wardrobe consisted mainly of white and tan clothes. And the OST was just so lovely, calming and chill (quite a few of the songs ended up getting a little heart by me on Spotify).

But at the same time, this drama could get so dull at times. This was in no way, shape or form a drama that should be binged. It just doesn't work like that. It's best enjoyed by watching one or two episodes at a time. Otherwise, the softness that was so compelling in small amounts turns into unappealing, unexciting blandness.

It was mentioned a few times by one of the characters that what makes their documentaries good is how they capture moments of everyday life that are so ordinary they would otherwise go unnoticed, and that's pretty much this drama in a nutshell. How even daily life is full of special moments we are only made aware of in retrospect. But you can only witness so much of a person's uneventful, daily life before you get bored.

So, yeah, pace yourself, spread the episodes out in between maybe something more high energy, dramatic and tense, and I'm sure you'll end up enjoying this one all the more for it.

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They told the wrong story

As a whole, this series was a 5 for me, but the last episode was an 8.

The thing is, the finale was disconnected from the whole rest of the story and was the conclusion to a narrative that wasn't actually actively explored.

And this drama would have been so much better if that had been the case! I really wish the romance plot had taken a backseat (the main couple had absolutely no chemistry anyway) and the story would have focused more thoroughly on what the last episode touched on. Trainee life, and the grueling, challenging, often heartbreaking process hundreds of hopeful kids put themselves through.

But I guess actually telling Annie and Eun-Jo's story would have been too controversial. But can you imagine? The story of two young kids in love, who get signed to different agencies, then one gets to debut and be loved by millions while the other continues to be miserably exploited all while having to hide their relationship. And then the emotional fallout of her committing suicide and his journey to try and forgive himself, find his love for music back, and try not to hate this voracious industry that can make dreams come true just as easily as it can crush them. Oh, it would have been so much better! And the emotional impact of that last song would have been like a kick to the chest.

I'm sad that so much potential got wasted. Also, considering the fact that way over half of the cast are idols, there was wasted opportunity there too. The drama was at its best when the characters were singing, dancing or preforming in some way (being idols, basically). Every song and choreo was amazing. But the show totally failed to take advantage of all the talent it'd cast.

Honestly, just watch the first and last episodes, all the ones in the middle aren't that good anyways.

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Nothing too crazy, but still passable

It was ok. I think the first half was the strongest. The show was at its best when it was fun and over the top with the whole X stuff IMO.

I think maybe they should have cast someone else to play the male main lead. He had good chemistry with his co-star, and his acting was good, but he looked way too old compared to the rest of the cast to be playing a high school junior.

I also would have cut down on some of the B plots. I really didn't care about Dae Hwi's problems with his girlfriend and would have much rather Sa Rang be given more screen time. Or maybe even Eun Ho's brother.

The last few episodes were kinda weak, but it was still an overall enjoyable enough watch.

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This show is an EPIC MESS.

If you're looking for a North-South romance, you'll be better off just watching Crash Landing on You.

The first few episodes of this show were rough. Just a bunch of barely connected scenes (I legitimately considered the possibility I was blacking out and missing parts of the episodes, that's how little sense they made). They got better later on (either that, or I just stopped expecting the show to make sense), but the later episodes, especially towards the middle were much more enjoyable than the first ones (the WOC ones were my fave).

Honestly, there's always something so compelling about the star-crossed lovers trope. It's hard not rooting for the underdog; for the young couple in love that has to fight against the world to be together. I think with a tighter, cleaner script this show could have been a smashing success.

Well, a better script and a whole new cast of western actors. This show had an insane amount of none Asians playing minor (and not so minor) roles, but not a single one of them could act to save their lives. TBH, they probably could have done better if they'd just casted foreigners off the street (or maybe that's what did and why everyone was so awful).

The main cast did an ok job given the insane script the had to work with. I kinda disliked Hang Ah's characters because she kept switching personalities and turning into a meek, helpless, weak little girl when she was supposed to be a badass Special Forces soldier, trained in assassination methods, torture techniques and whatnot. But I'm sure Ha Ji Won did her best with what she was given. And, at least, she played off Lee Seung Gi pretty well. Special mention also to Lee Yoon Ji, she really did gave her role as the traumatized princess her all.

Overall, a lot more enjoyable that I would have first thought (and it went by surprisingly fast given how long it was), but I still don't know that I would recommend it. There are so many other better shows out there. Just go watch CLoY instead.

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