The Queen for 7 Minutes
Realistically, the drama was mostly about the backstory, the queen for 7 days turned out to be the queen for 7 minutes. The spoiler/teaser introduction and that first episode in general left a bad taste in my mouth. There was no need to show moments from 18 episodes later this early, if their intent was to try to hook the viewers by showing spoilers then they failed. And don't even get me started on that loathsome love triangle that seemed to stain the entire drama. The pacing was all over the place—slow moments that dragged on forever and irrelevant sidetracking. The whole sibling rivalry angle was given a generic development. The not so good brother tried to justify himself but the writer didn't put an ounce of effort into that. Really frustrating writing towards the end.Was this review helpful to you?
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what an mess 1st episode was
First DYING king was jerk,everyone started as do not trust YUNG for no reason
Yung spear his brother in first ep was his biggest mistake
then he hear his step mother teach traitorous thoughts to young prince, He should have beheaded both mother and son right at that moment
at the end romantic music is playing when a adult male meet a teenager girl, WHAT director was thinking that his pedophilic vibes will add fun to the show ?
we all can understand this is a history written by the killer who kill his own Brother of throne and then made stories about him being a tranny
Yeok was a traitor and killer
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The only reason I gave it a 9 for rewatch value is that it is too emotional for me. This is an amazing drama. Thanks to the writers for doing their best while trying to stick with history
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This review may contain spoilers
You can love even when there's no time or place to love.Queen For Seven Days was a really good drama that needed the viewer to focus on certain elements to be fully appreciated.
You don't need to know the historical background to see the show, but in my opinion it would be useful to appreciate it in the way it deserves to . In fact, I had a love-hate relationship with every character in this show, but I must say, this was what made the drama good.
STORY
The story itselfs is nothing much. Basically it revolves around bad parenting that generated trauma, trauma that generates other traumas. All the traumas, the weaknesses, the misunderstandings are manipulated by the ones who ran after power.
Power ends to ruin brotherhood, love and sincerity.
The drama had a really nice start: I appreciated the first episodes the most. The story went on so smoothly and lightly-hearthed. From the second part till the end, the story picked up a really bittersweet flavor, which lead to kind of a 'passive' watching. At some point I felt the story was just going nowhere and repeating itself, but It was not that bad though, because I think that at that point the main focus was on the characters more than the story itself.
CHARACTERS
Characters were a m a z i n g, basically the only thing that kept me going on. As much as I loved this drama, I still don't have a favorite character. Everyone was so humanily weak, bad, overly egoistic or too caring.
The prince was very weak, his older brother was probably the weakest ever. Chae Kyung was cringely naive, and her family had so many ups and downs. However, this is why I liked the drama. Everyone had a different goal but the same way to accomplish it. I found very moving Seo No's character reasons and ideas, he was the only commoner between aristocrats.
I won't go too deep in this because it's too easy to spoiler, but just keep in mind that everyone will make you questioning yourself about who is right, who deserves the throne and so on...
The actors were awesome in their perfomances, Lee Dong Gun was at his best. He gave probably the best performance of the show. However, I must say other characters weren't as 'problematic' as his and they weren't given the opportunity to fully shine because of the script itself, in my opinion.
MUSIC
Again, I liked the music in the first episodes more than the others. I found the english song very suitable and nice. It was also light-hearted and I liked it. From second part on, the drama intensifies, so music gets dramatic.
REWATCH VALUE
Honestly I don't think I will watch this drama again. All the drama, the sorrow, the things that got me angry don't make it a show I would like to rewatch.
OVERALL
Queen For Seven Days starts with the most tragical flash forward. I don't like to think about sad endings, I love happy ones. However, I couldn't help but to keep watching it even tho it got more and more tragic episode after episode. Again, I think one should know the real history behind it before starting the drama.
I feel like most of the people are not able to catch the real meaning of it. Most of the watchers I spoke to talked about 'siding' with a character or another. I honestly think people should watch this drama 'coldly', without taking sides. I was impressed by the acting of Lee Dong Gun, and his character was the one with the best scenes, but this doesn't mean I'd side with him. I pitied him as I pitied other characters, and that's all. I often wondered why people thought he should've been the king when he had serious mental problems. (His brother was not the best option, but at least he was trying to help the commoners and not destroying the country. )
I think the writer intention was to inspire the viewer to question himself: the effects of bad parenting, lies someone says to protect another are right or not?, how deep can love be and so on...
I recommend it to someone who is looking for a nice drama filled with a 'hidden' love. It has a very sweet love story and it gets kind of "tenderly dramatic". First episodes are light and smooth, so it's not very difficult to get into the drama.
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Strong acting and familiar, but good tropes
I have watched quite a few historical K-dramas, and this is another strong one.The story does have the familiar elements of court intrigues, paranoid king, sibling rivalry over both the throne and love (kind of), time of separation, and loss.
The synopsis here on MDL is a bit misleading, or should I say: not as descriptive to the actual events in the drama. It revolves a lot more around everything happening before she became Queen.
The series starts off almost at the end, so we know tragedy will strike. It then takes us back to the beginning of the main couples' story, with a happier mood, but with events building up to the dramatic future. The young cast was brilliant! Kudos to all of them.
As for the adult cast, I thought Lee Dong Gun portraying the elder brother (king Yeonsangun) was absolutely superb. Everything from his facial expressions, the look in his eyes, and tone of voice – this was really strong acting. Even if he played an un-likeable character, you still got some sympathy with him, much because of Lee Dong Gun's portrayal: He managed to show us his character's feelings of hurt and betrayal.
(FL) Shin Chae Kyung portrayed by Park Min Young is also impressive. Her acting is consistently on-point.
(ML) When it comes to Yeon Woo Jin who played Yi Yeok / Nak Chun, he was mostly strong. There was a few instances though where (in my opinion) it looked like he was suppressing a smile instead of crying.
I did search up the history around King Yeonsangun, King Jungjong and Queen Dangyeon after completing the drama, and if Wiki is kind of reliable, my understanding is that the drama is loosely inspired by historical persons, not necessarily by historical events.
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One of my favourite kdramas but very under rated
This drama is so underrated 😪literally, the storyline, character development even the villain made me cry.
I don't think the king was actually evil, to be honest, but someone that had mental problems.
Just all tears to be honest haha.
I wished they could've had a mini-series of their life onwards.
I love this drama, it is one of the only dramas I was into and I watched all the episodes. Definitely recommend still can't believe this is not a popular drama.
The first lead couple though is mostly crying and emotional stuff 😅I still felt their love for each other especially when they first meet, you can feel their connection and character development throughout the series.
My favourite scene of the whole drama was near the end. 1. The king's dream and 2. When they reunite.
I was crying so much when I see his dream fades to reality. He really loved the queen but because of fate, she wasn't supposed to be queen. When they reunite, all you can just so is cry since they became old and wouldn't have a lot of time together, making them young again as in how they looked the whole series really brought tears to me, it felt like a few minutes when they were separated when it was like 30+ years.
The music goes really well the drama, when you hear it in a specific scene you either get goosebumps, get emotional or feel the tension.
OKAY but park minyoung crying for like all episodes mad respect to her LIKE HOW CAN YOU CRY THAT MUCH, same vibe as hwarangs girl character 😅
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An instant review because I'm left speechless
I just finished the drama 5 minutes ago and decided to an review to appreciate it instantly. I'm certain that this drama will remain one my best and highly-recommended Sageuk, besides Moon Lovers. This is the type of drama that requires you to be in the right mood to watch and the fruit is worth the patience and time, that's all I have to say.No characters were redundant and every details were necessary to lead the drama to its climax at the perfect timing. The main couple did not have exploding chemistry here but I think that was for the greater cause. Their romance shared the spotlight with the brotherhood and the familial elements, which made the drama not only mere tragic but also heartwarming. Although I like the show a lot, I have to admit it was dragging and lengthy at some points that might even push you to the verge of dropping. I think it was due to the arrangement of some details. Sometimes, happy, bubbly moments were weaved into the nerve-racking ones, maybe to ease the tension for the viewers, but this arrangement didn't work for me personally. Other than this, I have nothing to complain about this drama. My heart ached for every single character in this drama (well, not for Im Sa-hong and Park Won-jong. Sorry not sorry!)
I have watched a couple of Park Min-young's dramas and Yeon Woo-jin in 'Marriage, not dating', but this is my first drama with Lee Dong-gun, although I have heard of his name long ago. This trio really blew me away with their acting, but I have to especially praise Lee Dong-gun. I know it was the writer's intention to make the viewers sympathize with the tyrant (and I did) but Lee Dong-gun's eyes in this drama haunted me one episode after another. The emotions that he channeled through his eyes made me an emotionally-kneaded bread dough; I was feared, I was sad, I was heartbroken, I was touched, and moreover, those eyes even comforted me. Behind his tyranny is a lost and lonely soul and that is why my heart shattered for him. Thank you writer-nim!
Chae-kyung (Park Min-young) had such complexity in her emotions and she was perfect for this role. You can actually see her character evolves as the story unfold, from an innocent, naïve and pampered agassi to an appreciable and thoughtful wife/ queen. Yeon Woo-jin, unlike in 'Marriage , not dating', really shined in this drama with his charismatic character. Every time he undergo agony over situations, I can only painfully sighed.
I definitely need to praise the Queen Mother. Wow, just wow. I love every piece of her character. Her acting and decisions throughout the drama made it soooo much better. And she was the first one in the show to urge my tear to come out. Thank you Daebi mama!
Another character that I was so excited to see, the nanny (Yeom Hye-ran). Despite her minor role, I appreciated her presence in Chae-kyung's life and because I love just personally love Yeom Hye-ran, I have to give her the credit.
Now, whoever read to the end of this review, I won't rush you watch Queen for 7 days immediately but whenever you're ready, make sure to pick it up.
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Another Saeguk you can add to your list right now
You'll resonate about love again. As I finished this an hour ago, this is what I just concluded. As I've watched other romantic dramas, they always showed different kinds of love there is, different definitions, different lengths. Some I can already group accdg to the feels or idea they have, and this one sets another one.Without the acting though, I wouldn't have felt this , I wouldn't have screenshots of the lines if It didn't sinked in. For Yeon Woo Jin, this is by far the best performance I've seen him act. And for Lee Dong Gun, ghad he was so amazing. I just fell for him in this drama. Of all the scenes that made my tears build up, most of it was his parts, especially at the last episode, just seeing him again after dethroning him already made me tear up, it was all in his face, his body, his manners, the character is so transparent in him. And so, it will take some time for me to try and watch another drama or movie of him because I might still see Yoong.
I just wanna say this though, if there's anyone who deserve a true love and affection, it's Yoong. He's just so honest, I hope you have/will feel it too when he talk to Chae Gyung, for me he didn't lie, i can't remember, or there might be some that were halfheartedly meant, but then he said it with bitter words, not sugar coated ones, like Yeok did. I can't really think that I would have chose and forgave Yeok the way Chae Gyung did after all that lies but I just took in consideration of their pasts because that part really moved me. I could add it on my favorite pasts scenes list where some I even appreciated that part rather than when they were adults already.
The music though, ugh, I started practicing whistling again because if this, if you're obsessed with hearing that particular song/music that would make you gaga again over that drama. This one have it.
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SO ANGSTY, JUST WHAT I NEED!
if you ever wanted to cry and feel pain, Saguek dramas always delivers. they are filled with miscommunications, secrets, plotting, and yearning–ah, the perfect formula for tears.i was desperately in need of something angsty because i just wanted to feel pain. i wanted my heart to be ripped apart, thrown under the bus, and stomped on. and YES! this drama gave me exactly that! why does someone’s love story have to be filled with so many hurdles??? while watching this series, i couldn’t help but wonder: what would i do if i were in Chaekyung’s shoes? would i choose love over family? and if i were Prince Yeok, would i choose love over friends and my people?
i have to say, the most confusing character for me was the king. his decisions were often contradictory, and he was so toxic, but i could understand why he became the way he was.
overall, i enjoyed this drama more than i expected, and i loved the character development of each individual. i also have to mention that the casting for the younger Chaekyung and Prince Yeok was spot on! they resembled the older actors perfectly and gave off a similar vibe.
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In regards to the acting, Lee Dong Gun played his role perfectly, allowing viewers to sympathize with both sides of him. He was unlike any other second-lead. As for the two leads, they were perfect in their roles, as Park Min Young really took a step forward in her acting.
Though there were many joyful moments throughout the story, this drama will probably always stay with me as a heavy and sorrowful masterpiece.
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This drama was recommended by a close friend and told me to be emotionally prepared. During the first few episodes, I was thinking of not continuing it because I'm not ready for the tragic ending. I almost googled for the recap of every episode until the last.. but I fortunately went on. Fortunate because if I had not completed watching it, I would probably regret. THE ENDING WAS UNEXPECTED. haha I was wondering the whole time why would Chae Kyoung be hung for her public execution and why would she try to kill the King... but I did not get that kind of ending. Though I shed some tears, felt a little bit sad.. the ending gave me comfort. It was not a happy ending, but a BEAUTIFUL ending.I loved the OST! I loved the 3 main lead and almost all the supporting characters. I just didn't like the young Chae Kyoung that much. The resemblance of young Yeok and adult Yeok was amazing though. I was also amazed how the character of that brutal King swayed me by liking and hating him from time to time. I cried not too much and only at the latter part (thankfully) Ugh. This drama was great. It will be included on my list of favorite historical dramas
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For the acting I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. The actors were definitely perfect for the role each and every one of them. Everytime I see Yeon Woojin kiss or hug Park Min Young my heart flutters. He just kisses so gently *screams* I swear. This drama made me ship them. Yeon Woojin needs to do more saeguk dramas it suits him so much, he could pull off any costume and not look bad on them this drama can attest to that from prince, rebel, palace guard, to even king he'd look handsome and i bet he'd pull the lines too!
Music was definitely wonderful! If i could name the songs I like Love Again by Dear Cloud is one of them. This was like the tear jerker of all the ost's it helped me sob more while the drama was playing. And another would be the cute songs Dazzling You by Yoo Yeon Jung of Cosmic Girls, & When the Moonlight Shines on You by Fromm.
Would I watch it again tho? I don't know, i cried so much that i don't want to go through it again. However for people who do not easily cry, i'm sure you'd want to watch it again because it just absolutely beautiful.
This drama is absolutely a 10/10.
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