This review may contain spoilers
Yes, I know many people think this show is over-hyped with all the rom-com cliches that it could find. Sometimes, I listen to the keyboard critics (like when I passed on “The Heirs”), and sometimes I don’t (like I did in this instance). But I am glad I did not listen, not only did I find “King the Land” enjoyable, I found a newfound appreciation for Yoon Ah, whom I wasn’t really too keen on when I saw her last in “Love Rain.” Are there other pairings with better chemistry than Jun Ho and Yoon Ah? Sure. But I will recognize Gu Won’s and Yoon Ah’s effort in portraying two people who couldn’t be more opposite of each other. One who constantly smiles as she sees the silver lining in every situation, and has the tenacity to tackle challenges despite setbacks. While the other has a persistent cloud over his mood, because of his mother’s mysterious disappearance that he sees as abandonment.
Despite his lack of emotional intelligence, Gu Won tries his best with what he can, and after meeting Sa Rang, he learns to become more attuned to the needs of others. I also loved how the rest of the cast contribute to Gu Won’s character development, from “The Six Siblings” to Sa Rang’s Grandmother, they all shape his world view that allowed him to develop programs that are considered progressive for his hotel business, treating his employees and regular customers as “kings” in their own right despite their status.
To say that this drama is without its flaws is a lie. Could the product placement be less ubiquitous? Yes. Could the drama use fewer tropes? Maybe. But in the end, when Sa Rang realizes that the genuine pleasure of serving people isn’t necessarily being in the most prestigious lounge serving top-tier customers but in the every-day common folk, do we see the fundamental principle of this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch it!
After my big dissapointment on her Big Mouth series, Im Yoon Ah came back alive, Lol!King the Land, I would say, is a great piece. Though the storyline was ordinary, predictable, the creators were able to blend some interesting plots to keep me wanting for more. They were able make it interesting even without friction or the "misunderstanding" trick on the storyline. ML's sister did a great job on her role, she is one of the reasons why I irritatingly hoped that the next day after Sunday is Saturday, Lol! At one point, I hoped that this woman will hit rock bottom, so hard that she would become a street beggar by the end of the series, Lol! That was how effective she was in portraying her role. My blood pressure even goes up just by staring at her. Sesang-e! Lol!
I personally like Jun Wo, I have seen him in some of his series like Just Between Lovers, Wok With Love, Good Manager among others. He is a great actor. What I like about his role in KTL is his being so understanding and considerate to his girlfriend to the point he even cancelled his proposal just to give way for her dreams. Cool!
So far, I have not seen that many KDramas ended in a wedding. But the wedding part was was just right for the series.
Im Yoon Ah is likewise great with her performance in this series. For me, she is the right pick for the role. Bubbly, independent, has positive attitude towards life and determined to fulfil her dreams. Like I mentioned above, I was so dissapointed that about what happened to her in her Big Mouth series. That was so unacceptable to me to the point that I placed the series on hold half way through after I accidentally read a spoiler. I think I could still continue, I just dont have the heart. Seeing her again in KTL was so "reincarnating" for me, Lol! Im a big fan of her- her beautiful face, mesmerizing smile and enchanted voice. Both leads are "natural" actors and so the result is obvious.
Supports were all good. Great soundtracks.
I enjoyed watching. I can rewatch this without the skips. Lol!
-B-
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This review may contain spoilers
Heartwarming, exciting and funny
At first I was a bit skeptical because of some bad reviews, but wow, I really loved this drama! I watched so many dramas with several episodes of heartbreaks, break ups and sad moments that I really enjoyed the mostly positive flow of this drama. Of course there are some problems for the characters to overcome, but no problem lasted too long and it all got cleared up without too much unnecessary drama. I think the story is well written and shows many important points of mistreatment at work and the importance of friendship and family. It kind of motivates to keep on working hard and pursuing your dreams. I really liked to see how the woman main lead always gave her best, despite her colleagues who treated her really bad in the beginning. The story doesn’t feel boring and had a perfect length. For me, the romance was very cute and had many heartwarming moments. I really enjoyed to see them grow closer and become so precious to each other. Same for the hilarious and absolutely cute friendship of the group, which develops very nice through the story. The characters decisions were mostly understandable and they didn’t leave each other for odd reasons. Plus, I haven’t laughed that much while watching a drama in a long time. For me, it was the perfect balance between romance, comedy and tension. I absolutely recommend it!Was this review helpful to you?
King the Land Has Brought Genuine Smiles To My Face
I just finished binge-watching King the Land for the second time because I couldn't resist knowing how good it was when I first experienced it a few months ago. Upon watching it again, I am glad that I feel about it the same as I did when I first watched.I've seen a couple of articles saying that the drama didn't do very good and comparing to other shows like Business Proposal, which to me was odd because I actually watched Business Proposal before but after a few months I truly was wondering if I had watched it, I couldn't remember anything and had to look for some scenes to trigger my memory.
But anyways, enough comparing and talking about other stuff, let's get to the review:
— STORY
The plot is nothing extraordinary or even amazing, but it hooked me both times and didn't let go. I never once felt bored or like skipping scenes or even noticing time pass. I loved pretty much everything about the story and how it unfold, with only a few critique here and there.
There's no big cliche moments, or love triangles or "villains" or anything. It's a very simple story but it does so explendid in it's simplicity that made me love it.
— CHARACTERS
Gu Won and Sa Rand are by far the best part of the drama. They are both so lovable, funny, respectful and so mature. The way they interact with each other and their chemistry truly makes you feel in love.
I don't think I can out into words how much I love these two and the pure joy they brought me. I binged the show and by the end of episodes I noticed my cheeks hurting from smiling so much, this happened in almost every episode and also during my first watch. I love that the drama had this affect on me so much and made me feel so happy. That's what a romance drama should be all about.
The other characters also did a great job, specially the grandma and Gu Won's secretary person.
— VISUALS
Everyone and everything looked so beautiful that I cannot think of a single moment or character that looked anything but amazing.
— MUSIC
The music was absolutely fantastic! The kind that touches your soul, makes you feel the love between the characters and that sticks with you throughout days. There were some misuses and overuses here and there, but aside from that it was beautiful.
— RATING
King the Land is an extremely beautiful drama that touched my heart and makes yearn for love like theirs. It is such a beautiful and emotional experience. Although I didn't cry much, the amount of happiness I've felt watching this was everything to me. My hurting cheeks from smiling too much at the screen are proof of it!
Sadly not everyone could enjoy it, but for those of us who did and know how special the show is...
Hermés :)
My personal rating for the show is a very well deserved 9.7/10.
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Breath of fresh air
So happy to find a show unlike others trying to be edgy, complex and woke. It was a proper comfort show with very sweet and often funny episodes that are best enjoyed slowly (i.e. not binging). I think people who miss older kdramas with a straightforward love story, little ups and downs and overall wholesome vibes will like it. It is not like recent Netflix shows which I really appreciated. Acting was great, none of the characters was annoying to watch, and the story progressed at a chill pace with a very satisfying feel.Was this review helpful to you?
Chemistry, Kissing Scene, Comedy Scene
Chemistry yang kuat antara Yoona dan Junho menjadi salah satu faktor yang membuat drama Korea ini sangat menarik untuk ditonton. Selain itu, drama ini juga menyenangkan karena sisi komedinya.Drama ini dimulai dengan seorang wanita bernama Cheon Sa-rang (Yoona) yang bekerja sebagai pelayan di sebuah hotel mewah. Cheon Sa-rang adalah wanita yang baik hati dan pekerja keras. Suatu hari, Cheon Sarang bertemu dengan seorang pria bernama Goo Won (Junho), yang merupakan putra dari pemilik hotel tersebut. Goo Won adalah pria yang dingin dan tidak ramah, tetapi ia juga sangat tampan dan kaya.
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FINALLY Leads With Chemistry!
Let me be straight right up front. King The Land's plot, or lack thereof, is nothing new. The character personality types are ones we've all seen time and time again. I only started watching it because of the hotel setting. I'm a sucker for some settings and luxury hotels is one. In my opinion the story would have been better had it concentrated more on the inner workings of the hotel. With that being said what KTL has the almost every romcom (and every drama with a needless romance) doesn't have is chemistry between the the leads.It's painful watching a drama where the supports carry every episode because the leads suck. Trust me. I've seen way too many of them from several countries. Luckily, KTL's Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoon Ah had chemistry to spare. In fact the entire cast worked well together and the character bonds leapt from the screen. Animosity and hate also jumped the screen. I have to give a special 'well done m'am' to Go Won Hee. Damn did I hate her. She played one of the biggest witches that ever witched. Her character, Oh Pyung Hwa, was a nasty spiteful piece of work. Go did a damn good job portraying her. The girlfriend chemistry was wonderful and I enjoyed the every 6 sibling scene.
The dialogue is good but there's no substance. The editing is excellent. The end of the episodes had you guessing what was next (usually incorrectly) making watching the next episode a must see. The star behind the scenes is the costumer and whoever picked Lee's 3 piece suits. *drool* That man looked good. Honestly, all the men were keenly dressed. The work uniforms were well fit as well. The only failures were the suits worn by Go. All, but 1 were ill-fitting.
Typically, I pay no attention to the music, but a couple of songs in KTL caught my ear. It has no re-watch value for me unless I just want to watch some well dressed men. ZZ Top did not lie.
King The Land is fluff. Plain and simple. It's an easy watch that you don't have to invest much in. You can turn your brain off and just watch it. No need to figure out a mystery or guess what someone is thinking. It's obvious. I'm not saying that's bad. We all need some fluff sometimes. I needed a break from my murder mysteries, supernaturals, and thrillers. King the Land provided that break. All in all, I enjoyed it. If you need a break, give it a shot and enjoy it for it's simplicity.
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Falls below its potential
This drama would have done better if it was shorter. The writers had a brilliant cast to work with that gelled really well together. They had such interesting material for the 2nd love story between Pyung Hwa and Rowoon. I loved the sisters character because she wasn't devilishly evil, she wasn't trying to kill her brother or anything insane. So much potential was wasted. The writers/directors/producers were so obsessed with the visuals they forgot to bring any substance.Lack of character development - For any of the side characters I would have loved to have seen some development.
What happened to Hwa Ran's mother? Why did they make it seem like she wasn't her father's daughter? Does she love her husband? How did they meet?
Pyung Hwa had the most interesting background and as a throw away we learn the pilot was her ex? Why did he register the marriage? How did she confront him then? I would have loved more of Rowoon's background, how did he become to be such a great person?
Da Eul's ending was wasted too. Get her together with someone better. Being single is better than that loser of a husband. He didn't learn anything at all.
Unclear ambitions for the main leads. Won wants to own everything but settles for the hotel? Why doesn't she open a hotel with her name Sa-Rang that means love in Korean, rather than Amore? WHY? Won is busy building an empire, why can't she do it at his side? The resort hotel could have been the starting place? She worked hard to get to the top of her field and what? She starts over? She earned a position at King Hotels. She would have earned that promotion!
It was just too long for no reason. But the parts I didn't fast forward through were nice.
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A drama similar to WH SECRETARY KIM, but not as good
It was ok, i enjoyed watching...STORY - the positive reasons of the drama are others than the plot.The story is similar to other dramas. Side stories not very interesting...
And hard working girl and a rich good man meet and...
CAST- good job of the main actors.
MUSIC - i liked one song. Do not remember the others...
REWATCH - do not think so.... Maybe one or two scenes. I prefer rewatching better dramas with similar plots.
OVERALL - i enjoyed watching. Did not liked the end very much, especially the job decisions of the FL. Did not enjoy the unemployed golfer husband... Or the story of ML's Mother and the take smiles...
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This review may contain spoilers
Actions actually have consequences
This show seems shallow on the surface but after watching it unfold week by week it developed into a show that had me watching two people slowly and deeply fall in love in a way that I haven't seen much of in Kdramas.Normally I'm not a fan of Cinderella dramas because the ML never seems to truly understand how the real world works and it always feels like the power imbalance is off by too much. I get irritated by how forgiving the seemingly strong FL lead is and wonder if after the drama is over, their marriage turns into the hate-toxic one the ML's parents usually have written.
I was worried that this might be the case with how clueless he seems about everything outside his rich bubble, but that wasn't the case with this drama.
I liked that she wasn't teaching him how to be an adult, to have empathy for others or just outright teaching him to be a person as though she was his mother. She was just being herself around him, honestly speaking her mind and by being by her side he opened his own mind to things outside of his perspective.
She refused to change who she is, refusing to stop smiling or letting negativity seep into her self worth and her mental strength is amazing. She solved problems in her own way, using her own experience in life to be the best she could and follow her dreams.
I really enjoyed that there were actual consequences to his initial attention. His games and attempts at grand gestures were seen as inappropriate and often blew up in his face. I appreciated that we got to see the consequences of these moments and it wasn't done with the usual Kdrama clichés. Because in reality, his seemingly big romance gestures could have harmed her reputation and in past dramas, this would have been brushed over and forgiven because he "wouldn't have known."
The initial jealousy from others who already think low of her due to her education was realistic and the face that there were supportive people too made that usual impending doom of potential bullying scenes disappear because again, she was able to use everything in her arsenal to win them over that it would have felt hollow without a peer whose joy I could vicariously live through.
The practised smile she held throughout the show became more and more genuine as did his, their awkward photoshoot a stark contrast to their shared smile over his part timer interview.
When he approached her honestly and without all the flair, it became perfect to me. It played into is dislike for fakeness and the change in proposal solidified that for me.
There is no unnecessary breaks-ups or love triangles and they actually voice their thoughts and feelings like mature adults. This blooms into a beautiful romance that had me squealing like a giddy teenager whenever they pulled something obnoxiously cute (that restaurant photo got me!)
My only negative would have been the ML's family. I feel as though there could have been more there, especially with the father and the sister. I would have loved to have seen him grow an understanding and earnest bond with his sister, to share in the things he'd learned and heal from her feelings of neglect from childhood.
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Ceva intr-un ambalaj stralucitor
Basically, it is a mix of cliche, variety show style shooting, brand advertising (not very subtle). Acting...disappointing, commercial clip level packaged as drama. The secondary actors, some are veterans and know what they are doing, but even the venerable grandmother does not patch up the script from the pieces. Poor direction and editing, I've seen better graduation projects than this. The picture still has a few successful frames, but the actors are posing, not acting. The negligence of the team reaches the ridiculous with the Indian actor playing the role of an Arab prince. Even school children know that no one but an Arab can be an Arab prince and only an Indian can be a maharajah. plus it's poorly played, like the western roles. It is so full of contrasts, as if it were a suitcase covered with labels from all the airports. The second bad series, with famous actors, in 2023. Start thinking Netflix subscription is overrated.Was this review helpful to you?
not captivating enough
this was hard to continue watching…i just found it kind of boring and the acting was awkward at times. this took multiple revisits for me to finish. trying to do what buisness proposal did but they lowkey failed💀 i don’t have more to write but this is saying i have to write more to submit a review idk so 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🥲🥲🥲🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️💁🏻♀️💁🏻♀️💁🏻♀️💁🏻♀️💁🏻♀️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗🤔🤔😉😉😉😉😙😉😉😉😉😉😙😙😙👯♀️👯♀️😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀😇😇😇😇😇😇😇💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🤷🏻♀️⛷️⛷️🌨️🌨️🌨️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️😊☺️☺️☺️😉😉😉😊😌😌😌😌😉😉😙😙😌😗😙😚😍😙😙😋🥰😌😙😋🥰😙🤪😋😋😜😜🤨Was this review helpful to you?
