King the Land (2023)

Recycled and used

Okay hear me out. I have a good eye for dramas and this one just wasn't it.

Have we ever seen Gu won like ACTUALLY working?
Gu won does absolutely nothing about real work and is extremely one sided with his ways of pursuing a girl.

Even Park soejun was rich and kinda the nepo kid in what's wrong with secretary Kim. (Which is supposed to be the worst character traits out there. In kdramas especially). But did he have a life outside his love life? Yes. Did he build his empire? Yes. Did he also have trauma ? Yes.

The elder sister decides to be a real bitch in her mind 40s? Are you kidding me? Tho it had me in the first 2 episodes. But Ms Noona kept getting repetitive. The entire "The hotel is mine and you have no right to it" was getting boring and annoying. She had good potential but alas.

All the characters were cardboard cut out. None of them had a proper story. Cliche and recycled cheese. Nothing I haven't seen. Nothing original. Would have been gold in 2013 tho. Will give them that.

If you want eye candies, sure go ahead. Give this drama a try. Both of them are idols and know how to look good on camera, no complaints there.
But disappointing plot for all the right reasons.

If you have got nothing new to show, get lost because there are more of those good kdramas out there that need attention.

When you have watched enough dramas, you just know these things. Any seasoned watcher will have similar opinions.

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Cute story and some intense moments, hot protagonists but borning last episodes

I watched it for the ML and the simple but well executed story. I started it because I had seen a drama years ago with Yoona and I remembered I liked her but it was Junho’s hotness that kept me going. Some episodes were really intense, like the one where they first kiss or funny, like the initial ones where they hate each other. The Thailand episodes were nice too, haven’t seen many dramas shot abroad. But I was disappointed by the ending, there were so many opportunities to heighten the tension with all those family issues going on but they decided to serve us a half boiled soup.

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One of the best dramas of the year!

This is one more drama of a CEO falling in love with his subordinate. But, personally, this one hits different for me. I think it's because of 2 reasons. 1) Gu Won. He is so cute. I love him! I like that he's just like other CEOs from dramas but he's much more sweet. Idk what is it but he's like a puppy that must be protected; 2) But also, their relationship grows from friendship to romance. Ik he lets it clear that he's courting her, and they flirt a lot, but they're also really comfortable with each other. And from my experience with dramas that's not common. Usually the couple is awkwardly in love until after some time of dating where they start getting intimate. But here they seem natural together even before dating. Such good chemistry! Besides this, they have A LOT of kissing scenes. I was so surprised by that. And they're good ones. Also, good talking scenes. There's no stupid misunderstandings or lack of trust. They're the whole package.

Before talking about what I think of the narrative, I gotta say that I DO NOT agree with the criticism I've seen so far of his series. I don't understand why, for some people, a good series must have so many obstacles for the leads' love, so many dramas and tears, and so many twists. As a fan of romance, I love a drama that focus on the couple, how they fall on love, what they love in each other and how they work to be together. I mean, it's so satisfying to watch a drama where the couple is happy together and help each other grow as a person and to overcome their traumas and fears. Personally, I think that's real romance. And all my favorite dramas are this way. So if you like romance, don't give a shit for what people are saying of this drama cuz I promise it's worth it.

Moving on, I think the main plot is a good one. It's kinda about how no one is better that the other and every person must be respected regardless of their position or hierarchy level. It made the antagonism between the Gu Won and his sister more important. It wasn't just a fight for money (at least not for Gu Won), it was much more bigger than that. They had different ideals and gave importance to different things. In this sense, Hwa-ran was a good villain. She was bad and I hated her but I liked the fact she never really wins, not even once, during the whole drama. I think it's really funny that in the beginning she was just in control of everything because Gu Won never wanted to have anything to do with the company. But when he put his mind into taking her out of the group, he did it like it was that easy. So, for me, she was a good villain bc she never wins against Gu Won and is only there for his personal growth. And the ending felt real. Like, his family don't end up hating each other, but they don't love each other either like those happy families from commercials. Instead, they just accept defeat and respect each other cause what else to do? So they didn't force anything. It felt relatable how his sister doesn't like him but still goes to his wedding; his mother has unresolved issues with his dad that she put aside so she can be present for her son; and Gu Won has a disagreement with each of them, but he still keeps them in his life.

Another good element in this drama is the comedy. It's really on point. It's been a long time since I laughed this much with an asian drama. And, for me, it's all because I truly like all the characters. That group trip to Thailand was amazing! I love the group, they were super fun together. Actually, all of Gu Won's moments mingling and learning from side characters were really good.

However, I must say that there were some things which I didn't like or that just bothered me:

- One mistake in the series, in my opinion, is how they dealt with the divorce thing. The part that Pyeong-hwa was prejudiced and tried to hide the fact that she's a divorced woman was ok. I understand that. But Da-eul should've divorced as well. Her husband was a complete asshole and she deserved so much more. Why did she need to put up with him? It's like the drama is portraying that even though it's wrong to discriminate people for being divorced, divorce is never the right choice either.
- Something that was missing in the end was Pyeong-hwa's situation at King Air. We don't know if she was ever promoted or if things changed about how the employees are treated there. Like, Da-eul had her "revenge" on her boss, and at least she was the boss at the store. But I think I missed some closure with Pyeong-hwa's situation.
- Why did they showed that annoying girl who worked with Sa-rang kinda falling for Sang-sik if they would never gonna bring that back?! I mean, I wasn't shiping them, she was just a toxic coworker, but it was weird hinting for smth that was gonna be forgotten in the end.

Well, it was very good and fun watch. The problems which I've put above weren't big ones as to get in the way of my enjoyment. This was for me one of the best dramas of the year. I super reccomend if you like drama with comedy and a lot of romance. The OSTs were really good; the story had a good pace as it wasn't rushed nor slow; the acting was good, Yoon-a and especially Jun-ho showed that they have good timing and talent for both comic and dramatic scenes. All the ensemble cast did their job well. It was 10/10 for sure!

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Cliche driven, but easy on the eyes!

Lets face it, most people are either here for one of the 2 leads and the fact it promises to be the next best rom com on Netflix since Business Proposal. King the Land checks most of the boxes and has a lot of the same feels. Poor girl meets rich CEO heir, and works for the same company - paths cross = fall in love.

There’s all the typical cliches and product placement inserted so unorganically to make you want to pull your hair out.

Let’s break it down:
• Cliches - these are expected for the most part, though at times it didn’t feel very well executed- almost like it was there just to check a box, but didn’t really create any of the tension they were probably hoping for. It was nice that ML wasn’t swayed by the idiotic cliches in the script.
• Product placement - every show relies on it, but the moments are so obvious, it feels like a commercial being dropped in the middle of the show. Weird. Can we not promote product somehow without prolonged pauses on the front facing part of the product and fake “ooohs” by the actors that the product is indeed amazing. Wasn’t surprised by Junho’s Dior ad either. 🤣
• FL - eating scenes. Same face and sound reaction each time, it got annoying. Some variety in food consumption acting would be appreciated.
• Suits - yes Junho looks amazing in a suit, and all of the slow mo suit walks were great, but it would have been great a bit more often to see him dressed down. When they did, it added to his softness of the character.
• Lack of originality - not much new in this kind of story. Always poor girl and rich guy. She needs rich guy to save her from something which he does multiple times. Fulfilling your dreams are relatively easy when you have resources and power, she makes quitting a job and starting your own hotel easy, I guess she had saved a gazillion Won while working at King Hotels. It’s a little exhausting all the demeaning of the “peasants” in these shows. But these plots sell. It would be nice for once to have a nice FL who can stand on her own 2 feet from the get go, but perhaps the audience need to feel like some rich CEO might save them one day?!?!!!

Overall, it was worth the watch. You’ll feel good and appreciate the lack of unnecessary drama. However, this didn’t hold my attention like Business Proposal and I likely won’t rewatch like I did BP (multiple times). Something didn’t fit right with FL acting - she needs a lot more emotional expression range in her acting, and I could never tell the lengths at which she either loved or disliked the ML. The FL in red sleeve did this better. I’m still giving it a 9.5 for the production overall.

And for all the dumb noise over whatever everyone is getting their knickers in a twist over the Arab scenes. Move on people. Stereotyping happens in shows all over the world. Its life. Calm down.

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this is how you need to behave in a love relationship

for me the value of a show comes from its entertainment level. as long as I feel satisfied when watching it, I'll score it well. this show is a very light romantic story. that means no deep thoughts, no deep script, no deep character development. so much it's frustrating sometimes. but it's light and refreshing. most of all, the relationship between the 2ML is very cute. really, the writer did a very good job on this. their first kiss is also now my favorite of all time!

which leads me to the cons: the story is too lightly explored to be catching. you'll find it easy to stop and you'll probably WANT to stop sometimes out of frustration or disappointment. just do it and come back when you miss it. it's also easy to dive back in. I managed to watch it in between other shows and that was the perfect match.
there is too much short cuts and some essential info about the plot are not even revealed. some characters just disappear without reason or explanation. this is very poorly finished. (details with spoilers in comments)

when to watch: if you have nothing else to watch, or if you are bored, this is a perfect romantic story to keep your mood light. keep it as a filler between the shows you are currently watching. have fun!

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Competent Jekel and Hyde slow burn rom com?

I have mixed feelings about this drama, but in my assessment 7 would be a fair score. The production is top notch, amazing locations, props and costumes. The story isn't really treading any new ground, but it is competently done. The acting is competent as well; the comedy is hit and miss. Usually after two episodes one knows if it is going to be good, but this one has many threads in which it could go towards, I can't confidently speak on the subplots. Depending on the direction the author takes it will be hit or miss.

It's not a bad drama by any sense of the word. It is not trying to take any risks either. The supporting cast might be too large, and many subplots might remain undeserved. In short, this is a chill drama to watch with someone, or some people. It will be bland for experienced drama watchers. It will be fun for those new to the genre. The strongest bit of writing thus far is in the comedy. I like understated irony as the basis of comedy.

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A try-hard that misses

Dropped it after 1st ep.

What I liked about it:
—of all the kdramas I've watched thus far, this is one of the few that has the languages downpat. I was impressed with Sa Rang's Mandarin and English, and Gu Won's English was good too. This added truth to the reality the show tries to portray with the different countries at play.

Things that turned me off:
— obvious Euro-centrism with "we are so rich that we are overlords to white ppl in their own lands". Did they need to juxtapose their wealth against westerners to make their point? Rather smacks of insecurity and overcompensation. Was a very cringeworthy scene, to say the least
— parallel of Gu Won receiving a bouquet on his graduation and Sa Rang receiving it from her beau, as though her greatest culmination was the attentions of a man whilst his, the attainment of higher education. Real warped idea of female empowerment that clues me in on the values of this show.
— despite the above, the thing that made me decide to discontinue with this show was watching Sa Rang try to get Gu Won's attention by speeding him off the treadmill. Not quite sure what the writers had in mind but in which planet is this harmful behaviour, that can potentially kill someone, actually acceptable? Just watching the show continue on after that and Gu Won stand up and brush it off was watching a gaslighting exercise in its own right. This behaviour is not acceptable and normal and garnered me zero sympathies for the female protag from that moment on and because I have zero emotional investment in any of the characters I won't be watching the rest of this series.

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Can we just move past this?

It's been a while since I watched such a boring starter episode in a drama. Most of waht is shown in the flashbak is just a big waste of time and it takes the majority of the episode. I don't care about any of the charcaters and the pacing is bad.

Nevertheless, the score I'm giving here it's mainly for the tropes in this drama. Idon't mind cliché in romance, but there are certain things that need to be approached in a new and more refreshing way in need to work, while others should just be left behind. I like Junho as an actor, but his character is so bland. Of course, it's just the first episode, but in one hour there was nothing appealing in the way the character was written or acted. There's no depth besides brooding CEO.

The female lead is ok, but not good enough to make me want to stay, Look, another woman who is poor but is fighting for her dream and in the end gets the job she is definitely not qualified for! Her friendship with the other girls is cute, but that's about it.

What pissed me off the most was the depiction of the male lead's sister. I felt the drama was trying to set her up as villain, although I don't understand why exactly? I guess South Korea just loves to put down strong, independent womem. This woman has been running the family business successfully for years, but sure, let's put the man who has no experience in this type of business whatsoever and got fired as an intern on his first day to compete against her and probably take over the company for reasons. And we are supposed to root for him because he is a man! And he is hot! Please, just spare me. I'm sure the drama is going to try to justify making the sister a villain in order for us to root for the male lead, but I just don't care. Like please, let's just stop demonizing women in positions of power.

I just think we have evolved as a society enough in order to leave these certain tropes in the past. King the Land simply doesn't bring anything interesting to the table in order for these clichés to feel fun, it's just boring and the bare minimum.

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