And WAAAAH! To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed this drama, contrary to the reviews I read. Like, yes the story is a little bit confusing because of the 2 different worlds and some actors playing 2 different characters. And of course the whole time travel thing. Any story that involves messing with time/space is always going to be confusing anyway. But still, I loved following and uncovering more about the story within each episode. The characters and the actors were also all just incredible.
I definitely think this is a drama to watch if you have patience for more complex stories and are willing to delve into understanding all the little details. However if you're not for that, you'll probably just get frustrated with this drama.
STORY:
The story is definitely more on the complex side. There's a lot going on. It's easy to get lost and get confused so you have to really pay attention whilst watching it. Now, I get some people may not be into these type of screenplays, maybe they prefer a simpler story or just one that's not as easily confusing.
But for me, I actually really really enjoyed the complexity of the story since it kept me intrigued throughout.
Yes there were some science and math garjon to do with time in this drama that if you're unfamiliar with will just confuse you. And since I am definitely not a science-y/math person, it definitely did confuse me a bit. So I would say/advise, try not to pay much attention to all those garjon stuff as it's just something that will just confuse you the more you try and understand them. At the end, all those garjon didn't even really play a big part to the story. They were more of a filler to add extra character to Lee Gon. Instead really focus more on the characters that are travelling back and forth.
With that said, the most confusing parts of the drama where some viewers might get lost with was trying to figure out which of the 2 worlds a certain character is at or a particular scene is taking place in. Unless it's the Busan palace in the Kingdom of Corea or the Gwanghwamun Square in the Republic of Korea, it's kinda hard to tell. Then once you add in the dopplegangers as well, I suppose it can get even more confusing. So this part of the the story could've probably been made clearer because once you don't know which world is which or which character the actor is playing then obviously the story will get all jumbled up.
There was also a lot of focus on the bits to do with the parallel world (i.e. characters crossing back and forth) and the Uncle's actions (building a secret army) that the romance bit of the story was rushed and there wasn't really a build up to it, except for the ID card and the main characters meeting each other.
Maybe Kim Eun Sook could've probably taken out a couple bits from the base story i.e. the lightning burn, since they didn't even fully explain why some travellers had it and some didn't. Or maybe even took out some characters from the uncle's army like the pregnant lady or the stable guy.
If she would've taken some unnecessary bits, it would've probably been not as confusing and then maybe she could've also put more of a build up to the love story instead.
CHARACTERS/ACTING:
Kim Go Eun was great as Tael Eul. I watched her for the first time in Goblin and was really impressed by her performance there. She did a great job in this drama too. Her emotional scenes were very moving, that they could really bring you to tears. She was a badass in the first few episodes when she fought off criminals too. Her doppleganger character (Luna) was just alright. It was a quieter, darker character with a more haggard look so I don't think it took much to deviate from her Tael Eul character as she just had to tone it right down and make it seem like a sick, more depressed version of Tael Eul to be honest.
Lee Min Ho was also great. This is the first time I've ever watched him and must admit he does have that king aura and charisma to him so he carried the character really well. Though it would've been interesting to see him play another character in the drama as well to see a different style to his acting.
The supporting cast also did an excellent job. Their chemistry was a joy to watch especially the Violent Crimes Unit Squad, the bromance between Lee Gon & Jo Young and that familial love between Court Lady Noh and Lee Gon. A special shoutout and applause to Woo Do Hwan (Jo Young) as well for playing 2 very different characters so well. He was the best in duality among the whole cast.
Overall this drama is really not as bad as I expected and I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. The story was good overall. It could've done with a bit more character/love story build up but the basic plot line was well written in my opinion.
The one negative thing I must agree with among the reviews I read was the insane amounts of product placement. There were far too much that it became ridiculous. I don't mind product placements in dramas since ads, sponsorship and product placement is literally in everything BUT there should be a limit. It wasn't like the drama was promoting 1 or 2 products either. There was at least 6 different products. And there was a placement in almost every episode.
WOULD I RECOMMEND:
If you enjoy complex stories, 'don't-beat-around-the-bush' kind of love story and don't mind product placement then I would definitely recommend. But if you prefer simpler story lines, love a good character/love-story build-up and don't like ads in your dramas, then I would give this a miss otherwise you'll just get annoyed.
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Exceptional Swoon Worthy Action Fantasy Romance
It started with my music app suggesting My Love and... by Gae Mi & Park Hwan and wow, best recommendation ever!The music itself conveyed every emotion in one single track, happiness, love, beauty, passion, anguish, despair, sadness, loss and turned out to be the best single score track I've ever heard, and I do love a score.
Curious about the music and the rest of the score, I tuned in Netflix and began episode 1. Straight out of the gate, awesomeness ?
So the acting, first class! Woo Do-Hwan aka Jo Hyeong/Eun Sup, hats off and acting credit for his ability to portray two vastly different characters. He was goofy and 1000% swoon worthy at the same time.
Lee Min-Ho aka Lee Gon, Kim Go-Eun aka Tae-eul were equally fabulous. His gazes were intense I felt like I lost all sence of time staring back. The chemistry between the two was the best of any show ive ever watched, and watched a few now. You could see the emotions in their faces, looks and voices, absolutely a perfect pairing. Ive never wanted to be a female lead more than i did watching this.
I felt like there were no filler characters, they had a role and purpose and all portrayed their roles superbly. Lee Lim was a fantastic baddie, always eloquently spoken, dressed and soo in control, until he wasn't and then he was the epitome of evil!
The story was well written and normally I wonder about 16 episodes when they are all around 70 minutes however this was perfect. I didn't feel like dead space, pointless scenes or wasted time, the story evolved beautifully. By the time epiosde 14 came round, I was itching to see how it all ended.
As romances go, top marks, I was taken along with them, action was a tick, big style and Jo Hyeong was utterly amazing in those parts and in fairness, couldn't scoff at Lee Gon either. Fantasy, action, romance and friendship all rolled into one beautifully written and acted series.
Whoever casted the series deserves a clap as every actor suited their roles and I'm not sure if it would have had the same impact without the top 4 leads.
Cinematography, visuals, staging, clothing, and FX, all faultless and I cannot not mention, Maximus, stunning beast!
All this was wrapped with an unbelievable score and soundtrack, My Love and... and Gummys, My Love are top of the pile and been on repeat for 2 days now! The music for this really did fit the series and scenes and conveyed the emotions intended and also complimented and enhanced the scenes, as a good soundtrack should.
Couldn't recommend this enough, I will most definitely watch again and swoon just as much during the second viewing. Couldn't give it anything other than 10 accross the board.
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Lee Min Ho is King Worthy, except the Drama Itself
This was a pretty good drama being that it had Lee Min Ho, and surprisingly Woo Do Hwan (Yeong/Eun-Sup). I think the chemistry between him and the King (Minho) were the best and I looked forward to their scenes, or just Do Hwan because he was so charming.The chemistry between the MLs were really lacking. I didn't believe they were in love, unfortunately. It seemed really forced acting. Everything else in the series was decent, you really have to follow along the many parallel universes to understand the story.
A little gory in some of the bloody scenes (there's plenty of them in this series), but nothing that will haunt your dreams or anything. But there is violence.
Worth to watch for the beautiful traditional Korean garments the Royal Family wears though. Oh, and I really could care less about that Prime Minister character, straight up annoying. That character could've been removed in my opinion.
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Could have been best drama but not that good
An amazing story, Just lost its way. (i mean it became bad).Negative character can be shown more amazing, it was shown amazing in the beginning and showily dropping it off and I feel because of too much love it lost its original beauty.
Worth to watch, I say NO but few scene you can.
Cinematography is good
editing is not bad,
flow of drama from episode to episode not good (very few episodes you will like it) and in few episodes they will confuse you
People who like Suspense Drama’s would love this drama but they will get disappointment by the mid of drama.
More then Lee Min Ho, Woo Do-Hwan acting is amazing.
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genre- romance
if you like watching romance dramas than this drama is for you. The chemistry between Kim do Eun and Min-ho is the best. The love line in this story is really interesting because unlike other kdrama it starts off in the first and second eps. This drama is safe to watch if you have a serious case of second lead syndrome. als o this dram has so many heart-fluttering moments because it is unbelievable what a king will do for his girl.
comedy
this drama won't be known for its a comedy but it still has it funny moments which make you feel good. there are jokes in hear which will happen when you least expect it.
fantasy
in this story you can see another perspective of Kdramas which is Fantasy. this drama is based on a parrell universes. that is all i can say or i will spoil it
Acting
- in this drama , Kim go eun was such a great choice to play the main female lead because she is so savage in her own way and she really deserves this role if you are here for her you can have high expectations. Her acting when realizes something is amazing it's almost believable.
though the graphics in this drama suck
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Pretty drama
Obviously there are good and bad things to say about this drama as with many others.One of the good things was the production. It looks well made. The scenes are beautiful. The sets are beautiful. It's a very pretty looking drama.
Another good thing was the cast. With the exception of Lee Min Ho, I think everyone did an amazing job.
The thing that attracted me was of course the premise. I think that was very interesting.
The bad thing is it's very inconsistent and doesn't seem to follow its own logic. The drama is very slow for the first 11 episodes. Things finally start to pick up and get interesting in episode 12, but then starting from episode 14 plot holes start to pile up. Many seem to feel that the plot is complicated, but it's not. It's just full of plot holes, that's all. It's fairly easy to follow, but if you want to enjoy it, I'd advise not to think too much or you'll just get mad at plot holes that could have easily been taken care of. I think most dramas that involve parallel universes or time travel ultimately encounter this problem where they start creating plot holes, because the drama doesn't follow its own rules.
Another bad thing, and that's just my opinion was the casting of Lee Min Ho. He can't carry this type of drama. He looks the part, but misses the charisma to pull off this role. His acting is very boring too. Again, this is a personal opinion, I'm sure there will be people who enjoyed his performance.
Another thing that bothered me were the obvious product placements. I would be fine if they just showed the products in the background or something, but they just went too far in this drama by pretty much shooting commercials for multiple products. It looked embarrassing and uncomfortable for the actors and totally took me out of the story.
All in all, I enjoyed it. I would have liked it to be a bit more fast paced, but it's definitely worth a watch, albeit only once.
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perfect ending
This the first time I am writing a review . To be honest in the starting of this drama I was a bit confused and felt a bit wired that someone who have just met you for 1 episode and thinks of you as his queen. But as the story progressed it felt a lottt meaningful and complete .Loved the new concept that the writers were trying to show . The story was very sensible as both the leads were smart and understood each other . I saw a lot of comments saying that the ending should have been different, but I felt that it was the most logical end. I mean of course she wont be able to leave everything in her world and be the queen or it wasn't possible for the male lead to leave being a king and stay with her , so without leaving anything they were still together and happy what else do you want? So to conclude I would say that it was really a good seriesWas this review helpful to you?
Overall, I actually did think that the premise was interesting. But the editing of the time jumps and the overlap in plots between episodes made the story unnecessarily confusing. The drama is beautifully shot and the CGI is well done. I'm not the biggest fan of Kim Eun Sook's writing, because I feel like she re-uses a lot of tropes, which makes dramas a bit lackluster in my opinion. The only reason I really committed to watching this drama all the way through was because of Lee Min Ho, which is an accomplishment for me because I couldn't finish Goblin (also written by Kim Eun Sook) for the same reasons.
In regards to acting/casting, Lee Min Ho is fantastic as usual. He really excels at portraying the aristocratic wealthy prince type. I just wish that the story was more comedic overall, but especially in regards to his character, because we all know he can pull it off based on his past roles. I also really felt that there was no chemistry between the main leads. I've never been the biggest fan of Kim Go Eun, because it always seems like she doesn't truly vibe/connect with the male leads in her dramas which make her characters seem a bit dull in my opinion. I felt the same way about her roles in Goblin and Cheese in the Trap, because I know that the male leads in all of these dramas have pulled off outstanding performances with other female leads. Overall, Woo Do Hwan pulled off my favorite performance of the season with his outstanding portrayals of two very different characters. I want to see him as a ML in the future FOR SURE.
Otherwise, OSTs were nothing particularly noticeable. I also will not be rewatching because I don't think it's really worth it. If you really enjoy these actors, maybe check out some of their other works first and save this for later.
TLDR; It didn't blow me out of the water like it should have, give Woo Do Hwan a main role!
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The perfect example for the super-hyped drama turned meh
I don't even know if I liked this drama or not. Because if something has potential but it isn't good, the dissapointment is greater. It had potential but for a number of reasons it wasn't so good.Actually, the story was really interesting. Different dimensions with a whole system and how they suppose to work, modern royalty (though I would prefer not to be so westernized), the mystery and crime part. But at the same time it was too complicated with no reason at all. But the script and the direction used all these for just a complicated background for the romance which, let's be honest, didn't even made sense. Too forced, without proper character development and completely no chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun (and I mean at all, I saw an interview and even their real-life interactions look awkward).
Generally, I don't like Lee Min Ho, I haven't found some role he was ok. But he truly doesn't fit Yi Gon. It is a mix of a bad written character (too perfect, no character development, the same from start to end) and an actor I don't think is something more than a pretty face (questionable). Everyone also was decent in their roles (and most of them had 2 roles with completely different characters).
Besides all these, I actually enjoyed the drama. The villain was ok and with a super detailed plan (I believed they would never find him and hoped it). And, of course, one more drama to prove that Woo Do Hwan can be anyone and do anything (one of the very few people I enjoyed to watch). I think he is amazing in everything he does and this drama is no exception. He portrays two COMPLETELY different characters with great tallent. Also, I loved Head Court Lady Noh (Kim Young Ok). She was the only logical person there.
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Confusion between "complexity" and "lazy writing"
I have seen other works of writer-nim, which i did enjoy, hence i had to use the term "lazy". I was watching a lots of negetive comments stating that it was "Complex" but from my POV, i found it quite easy to understand once i got the rythm. Don't get me wrong, me finding it easy added nothing to my viewing experience, it just made me wait longer for something to happen that i would find appealing.I have a very emotional bond with Lee min ho coz the first kdrama ever watched was City hunter and he was my first oppa, but Second lead stole all the thunder. His character was the Only interesting thing in the whole series and i found myself waiting for his screentime.
I am not a bitch.. i will acknowledge the effort to make a vivid time travel sci-fi story and it would have succeeded if the makers attempted to tie up million loose ends and made the characters true to their original traits( even though there is no character development). I personally didn't like the FL even tho kim Go Eun tried her best.
So only watch if u have time to kill. You won't miss much by skipping.
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The math isn't mathing... except for Woo Do Hwan that man's math mathes everyday
So I'm not going to lie, I really enjoyed the setup and even the middle of this show. It's entertaining, fast paced and has just the sort of tropes I like. The issue I have with it it's the story's resolution and most of the characters.While there are no hateable characters. I found most of them to be pretty average. ML is okay I guess. He's a little bit flat in his delivery, but I think that's because he's this royal person who has to be stoic... but still, because he had some childish behaviors at times I didn't think he was completely stoic so it was odd. I found it hard to connect with him most of the time because of his lack of expression.
FL started out great, but ends up becoming a bit too dramatic. She honestly just cries for no reason at times, every time ML showed up she cried. Girl, this man hasn't been hurt once and ALWAYS came back for you, what made you think he was going to stay away? This dynamic just became tiring. If they had given us reason to worry about ML I would have bought FL's worry, but hoenstly? He's never in any sort of real danger. We know it, they know it... so the crying FL became unnecessary and just annoying because it kept happening after a certain point in the drama and it took a lot of screentime.
On top of that, the love story went from zero to a hundred. Maybe I'm more used to slow burn, but in one episode FL is annoyed at ML or at least she acts rudely towards him. (Understandable btw- the guy seemed crazy) And the next one she's confesing her LOVE? I understand if after proving he's not lying she decides to give him a chance but instead she confesed love? That escalated quickly.
However the love story is not awful, they do have chemistry on screen and the characters are okayish most of the time. All in all the love story has its cute moments at times, but it was more draggy than lovable. The leads are not entirely unlikeable , in fact I think I like them more when they are separated. They are much more interesting characters apart than together.
I really liked ML when he had to deal with the treason part of the plot and the FL when she had to do cop stuff - also the cop team is nice. I think my favourite was the "ganster" cop who was actually so soft and liked macaroons. What a jem.
The rest of the characters are okay. But there's a shit ton of them and I gotta be honest I lost track of whose mother suffering for her son I was watching at some points. Just how many crying moms are there in this drama? There was also a pregnant lady who got replaced by her counterpart in one world and that plot line went nowhere. There's just so many side plot things that go nowhere. Everything gets fixed somehow in the end by pure magic.
Honestly the saving grace this drama has and the reason for this rating to be above 6 is Woo Do Hwan. This man can act and he carried every scene he was in. He is a joy to watch on screen as both his roles and his characters are the most fun. I wish Jo Youngand Jo Eun-Sup were the protagonists instead... I flipping love these boys a lot. Their stories seemed to have the most heart in my opinion, and the most personal stakes. Young's undying loyalty and also respect for his friend the king and his duty as a personal guard... or Eun-Sup's love for his family and his relationship with his little siblings and Na-ri. Give me this drama instead. I loved how by the end Young became a bit more open towards people while Eun-Sup became a bit more professional. These two actually learnt from each other and became friends... and then--- those memories got erased. Lmao.
Ok here's where it gets tricky.
The writer tried to make this really convoluted plot involving one of the trickiest tools to pull off because it can create a lot of plot holes --- time travel. Now I'm all in when it comes to time travel, when it's handled well it creates majestic, adrenaline inducing stories that just leave you in awe and feeling extremely satisfied. When it is not well handled however, it creates time paradoxes and obvious plot holes.... this one, I am afraid, falls in the second category.
You had me until ML went back to fullfill his destiny and save himself as that was the start of the show. Brilliant. Saw it coming yes, but loved that things came full circle. THEN you lost me when he did it AGAIN to kill antagonist before he run off to the other world. Sir, are you aware that creates a huge paradox that means ML wouldn't have gone back in time in the first place to safe himself if he never had gotten the half flute thing? Are we just going to ignore that? Ok sure. Oh what is that? We're also conveniently have the two leads remember everything despite the huge sacrifice this impossible deed just did? Of course, no consequences. And also lets make most of these characters we care about forget about everything we just watched.
Heavy long sigh.
Look I'm all in for happily every afters, but they need to feel earned. This one just felt like plot armor for the sake of the love story. Simply put, the writer wrote herself into a corner and used time travel magic to fix everything, deliberately erasing everything from the reality we just watched but from ML's and FL's memories... also Young's at least he gets to keep his memories.
Towards the end things got unnecessarily complicated. The drama is not terrible, but it's very infuriating. There is some brilliant acting from Woo Do Hwan and some really good moments, but nothing that can make me rate this one higher than a 7.
TLDR; Watch it with low expectations and suspend your disbelief. Throw logic out the window and you'll get a tropy enjoyable time.
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Jo Young and Jo Eun Sup saved the show
I only watched and finished the series because of Jo Young and Jo Eun Sup because I liked them and wanted to know, if things will end up well for them. The romance of the main couple came out of nowhere - no depth and no chemistry. He was the exaggerated filthy rich prince charming on a white horse and she a wanna be tough girl. Why did she point Jo Youngs gun against Lee Gon and asking over again if it is real? Girl! Why do you have to see the gun and then point it towards a human without being threatened? There is absolutely no reason for that. Besides you are working for the police! You should know better how to handle firearms! Absolutely nonsense and stupid! And this minister was such a status hunter. After all there were too many points that upset me. Without Jo Young and Jo Eun Sup I would have droped the series quickly. I can not recommend it after all.Was this review helpful to you?
