This review may contain spoilers
mild plot, everything else 10/10
I was curious about this drama for a long time, and it did not disappoint!
I will begin with the strong points (no spoilers):
The actors
This was my first Byeon Woo-seok drama, and by god, do I get the hype around him now! He is very dreamy, very charming, his acting is concise yet meaningful, and can also be powerful when the script demands it.
IU is IU, nothing new to say here, she’s always amazing.
The actress portraying the queen, I was not expecting such strong acting there. Her eyes add a special touch to the character, making the queen cold and regal, but also an unsettling presence.
The wardrobe
This was by far my most loved part of the show. Prince I-AN’s choice of clothes was always, ALWAYS, on point, whether in color, silhouette or fabric. He looked like royalty without any effort, and apart from his posture, I think this is due to the excellent costume design. Well done, team! If not for anything else, I would say this show is worth watching for this alone, every character always looks magnificent on screen (except for one or two outfits when they made IU wear yellow, hm, I much prefer her in cooler tones).
The soundtrack
I cannot stress this enough, it was heaven when I realized the dramatic theme song didn’t have vocals in it. I could focus solely on the acting and the vibe of the scene. I think some dramas can get overly dramatic depending on the theme song’s vocals, and this often is a hit or miss for me. I have gotten used to it, but it was a pleasant surprise to not have it here. That is not to say that we don’t have songs with vocals in Perfect Crown, but they are very well chosen and placed in the right moments, not every 30s of each episode.
Now the bad parts:
The Plot (mild spoilers)
Unfortunately, the plot stays superficial throughout the whole show. The villains have shallow and undeveloped motivations, and most of the obstacles the protagonists have to endure are the cliched car accident, someone trying to assassinate someone and “passing out” moments. Both of the antagonists have a 180º personality change midway through the show, and, sadly, I do not think IU and Woo-Seok have chemistry (they are fun and cute together, and I was so charmed by his charisma that I did not mind this at all. I kind of think he had better chemistry with the antagonist queen, though).
In the last episodes IU’s character was totally relegated to the background to make way for the overly-predictable showdown, but politics was never a super-developed part of the series, so it just gets boring. I will say that when the main conflict is resolved, we get some adorable scenes of the characters together post-climax, and these are cute and wholesome, so we end the final episode on a high note.
Overall, I would say that Perfect Crown lacks a more complex plot, but more than makes up for it with charismatic characters, good performances and beautiful costumes.
I will begin with the strong points (no spoilers):
The actors
This was my first Byeon Woo-seok drama, and by god, do I get the hype around him now! He is very dreamy, very charming, his acting is concise yet meaningful, and can also be powerful when the script demands it.
IU is IU, nothing new to say here, she’s always amazing.
The actress portraying the queen, I was not expecting such strong acting there. Her eyes add a special touch to the character, making the queen cold and regal, but also an unsettling presence.
The wardrobe
This was by far my most loved part of the show. Prince I-AN’s choice of clothes was always, ALWAYS, on point, whether in color, silhouette or fabric. He looked like royalty without any effort, and apart from his posture, I think this is due to the excellent costume design. Well done, team! If not for anything else, I would say this show is worth watching for this alone, every character always looks magnificent on screen (except for one or two outfits when they made IU wear yellow, hm, I much prefer her in cooler tones).
The soundtrack
I cannot stress this enough, it was heaven when I realized the dramatic theme song didn’t have vocals in it. I could focus solely on the acting and the vibe of the scene. I think some dramas can get overly dramatic depending on the theme song’s vocals, and this often is a hit or miss for me. I have gotten used to it, but it was a pleasant surprise to not have it here. That is not to say that we don’t have songs with vocals in Perfect Crown, but they are very well chosen and placed in the right moments, not every 30s of each episode.
Now the bad parts:
The Plot (mild spoilers)
Unfortunately, the plot stays superficial throughout the whole show. The villains have shallow and undeveloped motivations, and most of the obstacles the protagonists have to endure are the cliched car accident, someone trying to assassinate someone and “passing out” moments. Both of the antagonists have a 180º personality change midway through the show, and, sadly, I do not think IU and Woo-Seok have chemistry (they are fun and cute together, and I was so charmed by his charisma that I did not mind this at all. I kind of think he had better chemistry with the antagonist queen, though).
In the last episodes IU’s character was totally relegated to the background to make way for the overly-predictable showdown, but politics was never a super-developed part of the series, so it just gets boring. I will say that when the main conflict is resolved, we get some adorable scenes of the characters together post-climax, and these are cute and wholesome, so we end the final episode on a high note.
Overall, I would say that Perfect Crown lacks a more complex plot, but more than makes up for it with charismatic characters, good performances and beautiful costumes.
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