The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

Watch for yourself and then decide

I don't normally write reviews but I felt compelled to do so after reading all the negative feedback and criticism on this Series. I hesitated watching this drama because of all the reviews. They were so in your face, with all these screaming negative headlines, I was practically forced to read them. However, I should have kept my usual stance, which is never to judge something based on reviews. Peoples opinons are subjective and based on whether they liked something or not. In fact I don't read reviews before watching. I read them after.

Back to the drama, I totally and thoroughly enjoyed this drama. I watched in two sittings and it would have been one sitting had it not been that I still had to work the next day. Within the first episode, and probably 20 minutes into it, I had to stop and rewind. I was riveted.

I get why there was so much negativity and criticism. People simply did not understand the storyline. If you did not fully grasp and understand the two worlds within the first episode, you were never going to understand the drama. You needed to be awake from Episode 1, to realise each time we switched worlds. But because people were not, they got lost in Episode 1 and stayed lost for the entire 16 episodes. The result of that was all the negativity around this drama. You were all expecting A, but you got B instead, and you simply couldn't handle it.

Did the viewers really expect to be told each time we switched worlds? It was pretty obvious which world we were in.

So from an overseas viewer, on the African continent, reliant on english subtitles, this was a great drama. Totally enjoyable and not the usual. Being an avid Korean drama, and Chinese, and Taiwan, and Thailand drama fan, I have watched some really lucklustre drama, where I have fast forwarded through most of it just to get to the end.

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I watched it with low expectations because of what other people's reviews about it, but from an unbiased point of view, I personally didn't find it that bad. I think that there are some draggy parts but the premise is quite interesting, and the plot was okay. The ost didn't stand out either. The acting wasn't amazing 100% of the time, though I think that the writing also played a big part in making the drama not as good as it could have been. I think that the best part of the drama is Woo Do Hwan and his characters Jo Yeong and Eun Sop. They're definitely my favourites and allowed Woo Do Hwan's acting skills to shine. I also liked Kim Kyung Nam's character. Another issue is that there are quite a lot of plot holes and not all the loose ends were tied up. One thing to note is that my friend watched it on a website where the location (Kingdom or Corea or Republic of Korea) and year were not shown so she was quite confused. Since I watched it on Netflix and the year and the location were written, I was not as confused and so I enjoyed it more than her.

TLDR, in general, the show was alright and if there's any reason to watch it, it would be Woo Do Hwan and his characters.

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Great plot, romance, science fiction/fantasy, humor, cinematography, amazing OSTs and background score.

I have watched over 60 kdramas in the past 2 years and I can honestly say that TKEM is already one of my favorites. I'm baffled by all this hate its recieving. On IMDB and Twitter I've seen so much love and praise for this show. One of my favorite things about kdramas is how they have explored different paranormal, science fiction, fantasy themes and this one is no different. I feel a lot of the nitpickers are forgetting that this is a FANTASY drama.

It is by no means a perfect show but I genuinely enjoyed it and already miss the cast. I thought LMH and KGE had great chemistry compared to his past co stars. LMH has improved greatly from his work on BOF and The Heirs. I was not a huge fan of KGE in Goblin but I absolutely loved her in this.

It had a slow build up at the beginning but I think it was necessary for the story and I I didn't find it boring. I felt included in solving each puzzle of the show.

If you want to watch the show please check the reviews on IMDB instead of here. It is a hit on Netflix internationally.

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Amidst COVID19, what happend to this drama?

I would like to point out that before you judge/criticize or comment about the series. Watch it first without skipping any episode. Yes, at first, you may wanna bear with a lot of product placements, you will be confused of the narration, and you would definitely be expecting a lot from the leads.

If you are just trying to read reviews first and decide if it's worth watching, then you will be defeated by your own unconscious biases. Reviews are meant for brainstorming. Have some guts to watch the full story first before agreeing to any Positive or Negative review. ?

Okay.!

Product Placements.
I saw a lot in every episode. Came a point I was literally waiting for a product to be introduced. Haha. But hey. Why are you so mad over it? Personally I enjoyed it. I even wanted to order The Alley MilkTea so much! People don't be so shallow, there's a business side in every show. If they choose to advertise then it's their gamble. A lot of Kdrama also include some (energy drink, tea, etc) and Im not convinced. Only TKEM convinced me! Hahaha.
Indeed those things were a bit obvious and they actually endorsed it well. Absolutely not your typical Drama/Commercial.

STORYLINE.
Yes People if you can't follow then the problem is with you. Haha. If its that simple and you get it, then good job! Now can you tell me why LeeLim continues to live after being killed by his past? Why Lee Lim doesn't age? How did Lee Gon,Yeong and TE remembered everything? If you can't answer these questions then I bet you didn't fully understand.

TKEM's first episode showed the reunion of the King's present and past self. Think of Avengers ENDGAME, it was when Nebula met her past self. See?

TKEM started in the past timeline where the time travel occured already not showing us the present until Episode15. While ENDGAME is always at its present until the Time heist/time travel occured. That made the latter easier to follow.

For me, the writer being creative who played mind game by complicating the storyline is the Drama's strongest point.

Indeed confusing, distinctions between two worlds were just emphasized on Logo's and character's wigs. Side stories of the person's switched by antagonist are maybe out of placed. And the fast transition of the female lead from being tough and boyish to a longing girlfriend, are some of the scenarios that were maybe pointed out as the downsides. But they were actually how the story goes. People will always compare it to other dramas, but I enjoyed it as it was different at every angle.

CINEMATOGRAPHY.
Cinematography at it's finest! Superb! I feel like watching a movie, seriously. Remember Tae Eul in her taekwondo clothes sitting by the window? Beautifully captured scene! How about Lee gon saving his future Queen? Everything in that scene was perfect! To those who are saying that it lacked on fighting scenes, Guys..... its a monarchy in 2020 meaning it's a modern version. It's just right to limit fighting scenes to put some realistic tone. An example of which was the "Japan vs KOC almost a battle" scene. Who would want a war nowadays?


ACTORS.

Actors. I CAN'T IMAGINE someone else playing the roles of Lee gon and Tae eul. Even in their interviews or Instagram posts, I see Lee Gon and Tae Eul. BTW, a commendation for Kim Go Eun, for being versatile! Not to mention Shin-jae's (dont know his real name ?) acting skills that turned me full hundred degrees from hating him to crying for him until the last episode. Yeong and Eun sup on the other hand, Wdohan did well in differentiating the two characters. It's hard to act seriously then on the next scene you'll be funny. ? CASTING, a two thumbs up!! ??

A wig to differentiate the 2 character's? Why not? The female lead, set for example, who is portraying 2 characters. She is a fierce police woman in Korea and a strong-spirited
villain in Corea. The villain needed a wig for her to disguise from her enemies. They have same strong personalities and they can't be easily distinguished. Kim Go eun played it well, I sometimes have to guess if she is Tae Eul or Luna. But, she totally nailed it when she talks, her eyes are also different. If you're going to watch closely you'll see in her eyes if she's TE or Luna. This is what Lee gon noticed, he was even deceived by Luna's appearance at first.
Compared to Wdohan's characters. He really needs to emphasize the differences. Yeong is strong and serious while Eun sop is funny and smart. Comparing KGE and Wdohan, they both did great! You who thought KGE failed to differentiate the two characters didn't understand it at all.

OST.
Who will not love the OSTs of this drama? ORBIT for me has the same vibe of Goblin's and I like them both. However MAZE is on a different level, it is the saddest song I ever heard and indeed a plus factor that it was sung in English. Should I say, a job well done for the music team who perfectly puts the music in the appropriate scenes. I admit crying on some scenes not just because of the great acting but because of the background song. In addition to it, previews are more exciting while ORBIT is being played, should I say it's more thrilling. BTW, I have to DL the songs now!?

If you are still reading, Thank you. ?

Here in the Philippines I admit TKEM didn't gain a lot of popularity like those of Goblin and WOTM. But im happy that there are still a lot of us that saw the beauty of TKEM. TKEM helped us went through the Lockdown days, it gave us opportunities to study science and theories, it represents family as everyone's core, warns us that being greedy wont do anything good and MOST ESPECIALLY it teaches us that God is always just and fair. God moves in mysterious ways, he is in anyform, he may be a flute, a sword, a yoyo kid or a grown up man but definitely God is in control. Fate is still in God's hands and Love really conquers all.???

For me, TKEM deserves an appreciation. Im not sure if the original script includes overseas location and it didn't happen due to the current pandemic. Amidst COVID19 they completed the series, how come others can even forget that? I have a lot to say, but I want this post to be as positive as it can be. So let the hate eat up it's own mess.If you love TKEM, LMH and KGE let them know by spreading good vibes in every platforms. Comment and keep the good reviews coming. Overthrow the negative reviews and that will definitely help encourage others to watch it. ???

The reality of our society is harsh already. We see them everyday in the news and watched it in other dramas, TKEM is definitely a breather!


Im still hoping there's a season 2.
???

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So here is the drama i've been waiting for the most for a long time now. So far the story did not progress anywhere, we pretty much only had world-building (and some banter) in the first two episodes that I've seen. I feel that there is no hook for me, other than the writer's name. I remember, when I watched the first episode of Goblin & I was already hooked by the birthday cake scene. Very pretty people are not enough by themselves to entertain me..
I'm pretty neutral about Minho, but I don't feel that he was ever a good actor & I really hope that this drama has more substance than his face, his acting so far has not been very convincing. I like Go Eun quite a bit, but I'm not yet sure about her character in this one.

Anyhow I'm hoping that things will go up from here, a 9/10 final review is still on the table. It's not going to be another Abyss, right!?

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edit: After seeing episode 3-4 I'm really hopeful. The story is finally on track & I'm kind of hooked, I'm genuinely looking forward to episode 5. MinHo's acting seems to have improved, perhaps he got more into the character as the filming has progressed. The world building stage seems to be over and I loved the teaser & how episode 4 ended.

edit2: I enjoyed episodes 5-6. I guess the only thing that's really lacking is humor, there is not a whole lot of it, but nonetheless I'm still excited about next week.
Here is me being nitpicy >>>
The writer is not the best at writing realistic warfare scenarios as we have seen in DoTS, we had some of that in ep6, probably it was an effort to jab at Japan due to their ongoing trade dispute. It's not great when real world politics have an effect on the entertainment industry like this, but I've seen much worse in Chinese works, hopefully there will be no more of this in future episodes. The second Jung Tae Eul detective Kang Shin Jae childhood origin story was completely unnecessary, feels almost like a byproduct of live filming/live writing. The drama had to be preproduced due to all the visual effects, but it's possible that the script was only written week by week as the filming went along, I hope that I'm wrong, because weekly writing almost never leads to a coherent script and that is pretty important for a high concept series to work.
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Final edit: "next week" came a little late, I had the time to binge the last 10 episodes over the course of a week. I'm disappointed overall. The romance got serious really abruptly, but Minho's acting was probably the worst it has ever been. Kim GoEun makes all these really lively animated faces & cries a lot, but Minho has no emotional range what so ever, their most epic scenes are completely butchered by Minho. I think it's safe to say that his bad acting killed the drama for me. The story goes real slow in between e6 & e12 and that would have been fine, if we had some cool romance, but Minho sort of ruined that, what else remains from the drama doesn't amount to very much.
I guess Kim Eunsook kind of borked the script, but objectively the script wouldn't even be that bad. With a better director & without Minho we could have reached the level of W, well too bad..
I heard folks discussing that the OST was really good, very similar to Goblin. Well, I'm not saying it's bad or anything, in fact is perhaps slightly above average, but to me this comparison doesn't make any sense. I feel that the 15th best track on the Goblin OST double cd is more valuable than all the soundtrack that TKEM has. It's pointless comparing them.

I just finished watching the last episode, which was probably the best episode of the drama and because of that I decided to give a final score of 6/10, but it's probably too high..

I almost forgot, good God the ad placements were terrifyingly bad. At times it felt like the entire drama was just an advertisement. There were some product placement scenes that straight up made no sense. I mean FL drinking something & then praising it is something that could actually happen, but Nari's supercars..

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Honestly, this show was that one show I was more than happy about last year. I am a huge fan of KGE and her paired with LMH was like a dream come true for me. I didnt want to watch the show as soon as it released because I wanted all the episodes out ( I have a tremendously weak will power and probably go crazy if I had to wait for a week) but I was extremely curious because of the 'bad' reviews on the show.So I said Okay, I'll see it for myself. I absolutely loved the story line , for me it was 'amusing' with the twists and turns , probably people out there dont like it because it isnt your ordinary Cheesy Kdrama with the ceo, rich girl poor girl shit. Yes I agree LMH played the character of a king but seriously he did nothing whatsoever like those cliché kdrama plots. The only thing that did disappoint me was the way it was potrayed, I mean the cinematography was hats off but throughout the show I was confused af, I mean at one point he's leaving her world ,to come back after wards and KGE starts crying seeing him and I was like, wait how long has it been I mean where the hell is the time frame? Moreover people say they dont have chemistry?????? Like are you guys serious ,did you guys look at the BTS?, As I watched I understood its not that they didnt have sparks ,its just that they weren't really potrayed. I mean you know the small things that make you fall for the person , I kept thinking no there has to be some , until one episode she just turns to him and goes ILY and I remember I was like 'when, where , howwww?' I just feel they over worked the storyline to the point that they forgot to build a genuine liking between the leads. And the points where Ive been confused , dont even get me started there were scenes where Ive been like 'what happened, did I miss out on anything?' I mean it was like random scenes put together. I GENUINELY, HONESTLY feel like either they should've made more than 16 episodes to elaborately show what they wanted to potray, or make it a bit more SIMPLER to understand, Ive had friends who dropped the show at the very start all because it seemed too "complex".Yes, I am a bit disappointed with the outcome because somewhere at the back of my head I wanted more of KGE and LMH , not them discussing about the antagonist, but actually opening up a bit and focusing on their feelings. I feel it wouldve been more natural. Anyway , I hope they come back together, because their scenes are to die for. P.S. If there was one thing I absolutely whole heartedly enjoyed It had to be WOO DO HWAN I mean that character , you could just look into his eyes and know if it was Eun sub or Yeong. I loved his character and every scene he acted.

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The writing sucks!!!!!!!!!

I really loved this kdrama and it that held so much potential with its strong cast of experienced actors, captivating plotline, well-produced OSTs, impressive visual effects, and a generous budget. However, despite its many strengths, the drama ultimately falls short due to its disappointing writing.

One of the most significant issues with the show lies in its confusing and convoluted narrative structure. Constantly switching between different timelines, parallel worlds, and flashbacks without providing clear indicators to the audience left me just feeling disoriented and I was just struggling to keep up with the plot. It would have been better if the writer offered more context and hints to help us viewers understand which world or period they are currently witnessing.

Another major disappointment was the dialogues in this kdrama whcih unfortunately suffer from being cringeworthy at times. While this may not be a major deal-breaker, it certainly detracts from the overall viewing experience. More polished and well-crafted dialogues could have definitely enhanced the emotional impact of the story.

Another major letdown in the series is the treatment of the character Lee Lim. The drama built him up to be an almost invincible force, only to have him captured and killed rather abruptly. Literally, he was built as if he was the next Thanos but he lost with just one bullet.

I also hated the inconsistency in the rules of the world established by the writer. They just made many rules and then broke many of them without any proper explanation, for example, they said only living things could move in the rift between worlds but somehow FL's bullet worked. The show would have greatly benefited if they maintained a coherent set of rules throughout the narrative.

Then there was the portrayal of the female lead, played by Kim Geo Eun, which is another point of concern. While she starts off as a strong and independent character as always, her development takes a frustrating turn, and she becomes a damsel in distress, relying on the male lead for support. Seriously she barely cried in the first 3-4 episodes but near the end every scene showed her she was crying, like wtf.

But even with all these flaws there were still some good things such as Woo Do-hwan's acting and the plot. but yeah for me this would have been an easy 10 if they just changed the writer and dialogue writer. And lastly I would say the rewatch value on this is pretty high for me because this just feels like a story that you have to rewatch to completely understand it

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Prince on a white horse

•Many reviews said its not as good as it should be, yes we all have high expectations as its LMH AND KGE drama.since LMH returned from his military service so more was expected.
And for kim go eun she was seen in goblin, one of the best kdrama till now, and TKEM is no where in comparison to Goblin.
Leave all the biseness aside and watch it with fresh mind.

•Story- read the synopsis, parallel universe have people meet by destiny and how they stay together and how they separate the wrong doers of the two world.
With the first episode LMH comes riding a white horse,My first thought was like this drama fulfills a girl dream of meeting a prince charming on a white horse.So based on this one thought i watched and enjoyed this drama.

•Acting- LMH and KGE had an amazing chemistry which really pulled the mass to watch it. Their time freeze scenes were done beautifully and makes me watch it again and again. as am a diehard fan of uniform, I must say LMH looked wow in navy uniform.
I liked kang shin jae,myung na ri. They just put more interest to the the story.myung na ri was really great to watch.

•Music-orbit by hwasa was up beat. Maze by yongzoo was soulful. These two osts are worth listening.
•Rewatch-I am watching it for the third time.it has amzing chemistry and story. So yes.

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Coulda done better as a BL

I've watched this show and honestly thought it could've done a bit better as a BL, I like the storyline but just not how they literally jumped time, universe travel, and all that stuff.

But the plot between that bodyguard and the King MMMMMM, okay. MMMMMMM. That is all I have to say, their bromance was what brought me to the show in the first place, and the first episode just shows all of it...

I've watched the bromance on some edits and it brought me to the show, I absolutely love Bromance.

But IMO (In my opinion) it would've done better as a BL and without the weird time and universe travel. (This ain't Multiverse of Madness)

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It’s all about balance - give it a try!

This is the first time I felt I had to write a review. Never thought the day would come as I usually enjoy reading everyone else reviews and more or less find my own views and opinions in them. Not so regarding this series.
Give this show a try, if you in general like the genre fantasy romance combined with thriller/detective story elements.

I watched what feels like a hundred of Korean and Chinese shows, this one only by accident. Because of the many bad reviews, I thought just to skip this one. Surprisingly, after the first episode didn’t strike me that bad I kept on watching. Some comments said the show messed up after the first few episodes, especially regarding the editing and story line. I don’t think so. As some one who skipped a lot of shows because of bad writing, stupid story line, too many plot holes and so on, I don’t understand why there are so many bad reviews about this one.

Yes, the FL did cry a lot after falling in love, but surely not out of weakness waiting for the ML to rescue her. Yes, towards the end it annoyed me a little, so I just forwarded these scenes.

As for the product placements, yes there are a lot of them. But, a few seconds seeing the brand of food and drinks didn’t really bother me. Not living in Korea or buying Korean groceries I don’t know any of these brands anyway.

The “parallel world” concept is not something easy to transfer. In this show it was done well enough. Naturally there will always be plot holes, but they’re definitely not as bad and obvious as some of the reviewers seem to point out. The last episode was a little challenging though…. They could have done better with another ending.
The editing has its reasons. I think it fits the concept and makes the evolvement of the story line quite interesting.

The romance is ok, it didn’t bother me as being more stupid or unrealistic than in other shows of this genre. It’s fun to watch, and their feelings for each other are not completely implausible. Besides, the whole story is about more than just their relationship.

TKEM is not science fiction, it’s fantasy. Therefore I don’t expect an scientific explanation for the traveling between the parallel worlds. Of course it’s only possible, because of “manpasikjeok” this ancient object of desire that they all want to get their hands on. Did ever some one who likes to watch this kind of genre complain about why someone can travel back in time? No, we except it’s just because of the heroine being on a specific time at the right spot under the full moon and here we go. No complaints. I don’t understand why so many people are bothered with the fantasy aspects in this one.

I would give this show 7,5-8 points. Just for fairness I might give it some more, to phrase it like that little boy for the sake of “restauring balance” ;-) TKEM is a well done show, the ending could have been done way better, the acting is still quite good. Nothing I have to watch twice, but nonetheless very entertaining to watch for the first time.

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Rock Solid, Entertaining Show...Until the Very End

Eun-Sook Kim hasn't failed me yet. She is a master storyteller, focusing on deep, rich characters and plots. "Mr. Sunshine" is still her masterpiece with "Descendants of the Sun" just a hair behind it. "The King: The Eternal Monarch" is another great series, even if it doesn't quite hold up against the other two. I still enjoyed it.

I give props to any writer who attempts to tackle "time travel" as a major plot device. It's not easy, and there is so much to keep track of. The best ones tend to provide the best and most feasible explanations. The worst ones tend to make the viewer believe that the writer had no clue how to write using time travel. In my opinion, "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" always did the best job when it came to stories regarding parallel universes.

The story centers around Lee Gon, King of the Kingdom of Corea, which we quickly find out, is a parallel world to the world that we know. His half-uncle (Lee Lim) seems to be plotting the overthrow of the current king--Lee Gon's father--but we find out that his true aim is to possess a flute that gives the wielder the ability to crossover into those parallel worlds. The coup attempt leaves Lee Gon's father dead, Lee Gon half alive as a young boy, and Lee Lim escaping. However, both are in possession of half of the flute (as it was cut in half), giving Lee Gon and his uncle the ability to crossover.

We find that Lee Gon grows up to be a genious in Quantum Physics, giving him the ability to use mathematical equations to access parallel worlds at various points in time as well as calculate the pitfalls of he and his uncle only having half the flute. Somehow, Lee Lim--not being a Quantum Physics genius--is able to remain a step ahead of his half-nephew.

Lt. Jeong Tae Eul is a young detective in the violent crimes unit as a black belt in Taekwondo. She is the first to come across Lee Gon when he crosses over into the Republic of Korea. Of course, she was immensely skeptical of him when he tells her who he is and where he is from.

Once again, we are provided with rich characters and fantastic actors to play them. Min-Ho Lee (Lee Gon) and Go-Eun Kim are the leads, and it's clear that their chemistry is what helps to drive the story. All of the supporting characters are great as well. The fact that nearly every actor has to play their main role plus their counterparts, was done seemlessly!

It can be a bit challenging keeping track of all the characters and their counterparts, as each character also has a different name in the parallel world. I also wasn't satisfied with the ending. It was as if Eun-Sook Kim tried to find a middle ground for the ending. Would Lt. Jeong Tae Eul become Lee Gon's queen and go to live in his world? Would Lee Gon give up his kingdom and go to live in Tae Eul's world? Both aren't likely, despite the deep love that they have. I know people tend to love "happy endings" so instead, we have both characters spending weekends traversing the multiverse and visitng various parallel worlds. Funny how Tae Eul always has weekends off, despite being a detective, and Lee Gon can simply leave his kingdom whenever he chooses. Nice ending? Sure. Realistic one? No. This wasn't like "Crash Landing On You" in which the two are separated by a wall and have no choice but to make the best of it. This is finding a "happy solution" rather than the "right solution."

Still, I wouldn't let the end prevent you from watching this series. Korean Dramas are fantastic at giving us good characters and good plots that keep us invested and longing to watch the next episode. You won't be disappointed by this series at all.

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