Mayra Esther Rodriguez
Carolina, Puerto Rico, The Sunny Caribbean (El cálido Caribe)
This review may contain spoilers
This review will be a little long, but it is necessary. Please read carefully and calmly.
To give my opinion on this drama, I must put it in its great and fair perspective: WE ARE ADULTS AND THIS IS A FAIRY TALE FOR ADULTS. We all have an inner child, who from time to time, for our mental hygiene, manifests itself.
THE FAIRY TALE DEFINITION IS AS FOLLOWS:
In children's literature the genre of the story is especially valued. There are children's stories of all kinds: classic and traditional, fables, legends and mythical stories adapted or fairy tales.
KEY FEATURES:
The stories that are told are fantastic and appear imaginary beings who share adventures with human characters.
The natural and supernatural dimension intermingled. In this sense, there are characters who change their appearance, others who live eternally, natural elements with feelings and endless magical aspects.
In the tales there is a permanent tension between the forces of good and evil, but eventually the stories end with a happy ending.
IN UNIVERSAL CULTURE:
These tales are part of humanity's cultural heritage. With them the little ones feed their fantasy world, since in children magical thinking plays a relevant role. However, beyond children's stories, in fairy tales we find other elements that also interest adults: the craving for freedom, the pursuit of happiness and the need to daydream.
In every fairy tale there is a handsome prince, who rides in a white steed, in search of his princess. There is a villain, eviler than anyone, there is a fool and a bad witch.
The Prince: King Lee Gon
The White Steed: Maximus
The Prince's Squire: Jo Young
The Princess: Jung Tae Eul
The Villain: Lee Lim
The Witch: Koo Seu Ryung
The Fool: Kang Shin Jae
The Fairy: The Yoyo Kid
The Fairy's Magic Wand: The Flute and the Yo-Yo
And to really enjoy this dorama, we must let our inner child breathe, and manifest himself, and let us not drown him with our meanness and worries. This is a necessary exercise for our good mental hygiene. We must be excited in life.
Fairy tales do not seek to teach on a specific topic, nor are they literature to contribute to our intellect and spirit, because they only serve to ENTERTAIN. They only present the struggle between good and evil, and how good overcomes evil. And present the struggle for ideals. THIS IS A MODERN ADULT FAIRY TALE. THAT’S IT.
Fairy tales are often taken on the license to take some elements outside of culture, and that are not necessarily entirely historical.
If we take this into account, we cannot get so angry with the scriptwriter, because she just wanted to blow our imaginations, in a world as complicated as the one we are living in right now (Coronavirus, global tensions, problems of global economy, etc.)
What if the Netizens criticized whether to analyze or give the screenwriter the opportunity, which allowed the King to dress him in a royal hanbok of the Joseon Dynasty and wear on his head a crown of the Silla Kingdom (THING THAT HAS A REAL MEANING, WHICH LATER WE WILL SEE, STILL A HISTORICAL ERROR).
And what that if the Netizens returned to criticize that the seat of the Kingdom was in Busan and that Seoul is the political capital, and especially the tantrum that these same Netizens formed by the Japanese pagodas of the "opening", and also the tantrum that they formed because, if the Kingdom is united and the Republic separated from the North, (THINGS THAT MAKE SENSE, WHEN THEY ARE ANALYZED, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE HISTORICAL ERRORS.) We must be like children and be more condescending with this drama, if we take "The King: Eternal Monarch "like an adult fairy tale that only served to make our imaginations run wild. Of course, I think that all Korean physicists and mathematicians who are serious professionals, should be RAGING seeing how most of how THEY DESTROYED SO SERIOUS THEORIES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF A HISTORY, WHICH NOT EVEN THE SAME LEE MIN HO DID NOT UNDERSTAND, BUT Despite all this, these are elements and licenses that a good writer needs to take to make a good fairy tale.
And as for the end, one incredibly happy, because as in every fairy tale, the prince stays with the princess and they are happy to stay. (OF COURSE; WITH A MODERN TWIST. THEY DID NOT MARRY AND WERE SNEAKING TO LOOK LIKE LOVERS ON WEEKENDS.)
GOOD THINGS:
BUDGET:
The cost of production: $25 MILLION DOLLARS. The special effects were excellent, the Korean tourist sites were exposed to attract tourism.
COSTUME:
The costume may have been more exuberant, according to that production budget. But nevertheless, they all dressed elegantly.
PERFORMANCE:
Excellent! A dream cast, who worked as pieces engaged with each other. Lee Min Ho as the King (the fairy tale prince of the story) fully completed his work. Handsome, tall, sportsman, excellent action actor (Remember his performance in City Hunter), the inexhaustible Lady Noh, the villain Lee Rim, the one we all hate, the beloved Jo Young, the Unbreakable Sword, the conflicted and suffered Shin Jae, the hateful Prime Minister Koo Seu Ryung. Jung Tae Eul, the princess of the story, a tough girl with a tender heart, I have nothing negative to say of them. I did not like that the President of the Republic of Korea never appeared, and that it should have been Lee Gon’s double.
THE OST
The soundtrack of this drama is superb.
THE FLUTE, REAL, HISTORICAL AND MYSTERIOUS
The Manpasikjeok,a legendary flute believed to calm the seas and drive away any concerns. The bamboo flute was called" Manpasikjeok”, which means a flute that calms ten thousand waves and became a national treasure. Apparently, ten thousand waves here refer to all kinds of hardships or storms of life. Some say this legend reflects the Silla dynasty's desire to bring people displaced from two other kingdoms that it had unified and establish peace and stability in the United Kingdom of Silla. And we see here how the screenwriter, like a good Korean, wants the unification of the peninsula, a national desire.
WHY THE CROWN OF THE KINGDOM OF SILLA?
The Netizens were superficial because they did not relate this crown to the Manpasikjeok flute, both of which come from the same historical place. We must think twice about things before saying them, you should not be superficial, everything in the dramas has a meaning, we must be critical in our way of thinking. It is an advice I give to the Netizens.
WHY BUSAN?
Because Busan is nestled in the former capital of Silla. (at the south of Korean Peninsula.)
WHY IS LEE GON THE THIRD KING OF THE KINGDOM OF KOREA?
Because this kingdom was established in the drama after Korean independence from Japan. That's how it should have been naturally if the nation had not been divided later as a result of the Korean War in 1950.
IDEALS PRESENTED THE DRAMA:
The author presents in a veiled way Judeo-Christian element (The tree of life in paradise, Adam and Eve, the Devil, the concept of limbo, the seeds that are born in a New Land.) But these same elements could also represent a Unified Korea, North And South Korea and the limbo could be the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), the Japanese invasion, subliminally seen in the much criticized "opening" of the pagodas. Because this drama, like a good fairy tale, makes our imaginations fly.
THE YOYO BOY
The yo-yo's boy is the spirit of the flute, and according to everyone they had a double in the other world, twice as much of the flute was the yo-yo.
Yoyo's boy is really a girl!!
NOT SO GOOD THINGS AND MISTAKES
THIS PRODUCTION WAS UNTIMELY PRESENTED.
This production aired on the wrong time, because he had the bad luck to compete with the drama "The World of the Married".
SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN WERE AT A LOW POINT IN THEIR DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.
Remember that the invasion of Japan in 1910 is still very present in the collective psyche of Korea. And at the time of the dorama premiere, they were going through a diplomatic problem, so the naval battle of Korea and Japan in the dorama fell so badly, and the famous "opening" pagodas (even if they make sense).
THE RUN-OUT END
This drama must have been 20 to 24 episodes for everything to be resolved in a calm and coherent manner. I think that Goblin's open ending, which left a bad taste in many viewers, along with the bad reputation of the writer, for writing these controversial endings, was still present in the collective mind of all viewers. The ending was too muffled and forced, even though hardcore fans of Lee Min Ho found it perfect. But I am more objective. I look at everything objectively.
COSTUME AND HAIRSTYLE
As for the wardrobe, despite being a worthy and elegant one, it did not have the majesty that a king deserves, no matter how modern the time. The female lead could have been better dressed and her hairstyles could have been more feminine at times
LEE MIN HO'S MISGUIDED COMMENTS, SAYING HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THIS DRAMA.
These misguided comments from Lee Min Ho were only fuel for the Netizens, who always gave the impression of having a hate agenda against him and against the writer. Based on Lee Min Ho's misguided comments, then the drama should have been offered to an actor who mastered the themes of quantum physics and abstract mathematics, such as Kim Jeong Hoon, Prince Yul of The Princess Hours. He is also a handsome actor, extremely attractive and exceptionally good in the action genre. And based on this, he would have done a better job, of course, Lee Min Ho's work was very good, but it would have been much better if this actor had played him, because he would have endorsed the character, much more than Lee Min Ho.
LACK OF TRUE INFORMATION
But they failed to search for consistent information for scenes such as the sea battle (where they used Korean navy ships, and not the Japanese navy), and mistakes made with Maximus' saddle, which was an English saddle, and was too simple, unworthy of a king.
These are my final thoughts of the drama. If you want to see a modern fairy tale, I recommend the drama, just for fun, without paying much attention to the mistakes. And personally, I would slap the producers for destroying a drama that could have been the drama of the year, because a budget of 25 million dollars is no small matter. And I ask the screenwriter to stop giving us hasty endings.
You do not have to totally agree with me.
To give my opinion on this drama, I must put it in its great and fair perspective: WE ARE ADULTS AND THIS IS A FAIRY TALE FOR ADULTS. We all have an inner child, who from time to time, for our mental hygiene, manifests itself.
THE FAIRY TALE DEFINITION IS AS FOLLOWS:
In children's literature the genre of the story is especially valued. There are children's stories of all kinds: classic and traditional, fables, legends and mythical stories adapted or fairy tales.
KEY FEATURES:
The stories that are told are fantastic and appear imaginary beings who share adventures with human characters.
The natural and supernatural dimension intermingled. In this sense, there are characters who change their appearance, others who live eternally, natural elements with feelings and endless magical aspects.
In the tales there is a permanent tension between the forces of good and evil, but eventually the stories end with a happy ending.
IN UNIVERSAL CULTURE:
These tales are part of humanity's cultural heritage. With them the little ones feed their fantasy world, since in children magical thinking plays a relevant role. However, beyond children's stories, in fairy tales we find other elements that also interest adults: the craving for freedom, the pursuit of happiness and the need to daydream.
In every fairy tale there is a handsome prince, who rides in a white steed, in search of his princess. There is a villain, eviler than anyone, there is a fool and a bad witch.
The Prince: King Lee Gon
The White Steed: Maximus
The Prince's Squire: Jo Young
The Princess: Jung Tae Eul
The Villain: Lee Lim
The Witch: Koo Seu Ryung
The Fool: Kang Shin Jae
The Fairy: The Yoyo Kid
The Fairy's Magic Wand: The Flute and the Yo-Yo
And to really enjoy this dorama, we must let our inner child breathe, and manifest himself, and let us not drown him with our meanness and worries. This is a necessary exercise for our good mental hygiene. We must be excited in life.
Fairy tales do not seek to teach on a specific topic, nor are they literature to contribute to our intellect and spirit, because they only serve to ENTERTAIN. They only present the struggle between good and evil, and how good overcomes evil. And present the struggle for ideals. THIS IS A MODERN ADULT FAIRY TALE. THAT’S IT.
Fairy tales are often taken on the license to take some elements outside of culture, and that are not necessarily entirely historical.
If we take this into account, we cannot get so angry with the scriptwriter, because she just wanted to blow our imaginations, in a world as complicated as the one we are living in right now (Coronavirus, global tensions, problems of global economy, etc.)
What if the Netizens criticized whether to analyze or give the screenwriter the opportunity, which allowed the King to dress him in a royal hanbok of the Joseon Dynasty and wear on his head a crown of the Silla Kingdom (THING THAT HAS A REAL MEANING, WHICH LATER WE WILL SEE, STILL A HISTORICAL ERROR).
And what that if the Netizens returned to criticize that the seat of the Kingdom was in Busan and that Seoul is the political capital, and especially the tantrum that these same Netizens formed by the Japanese pagodas of the "opening", and also the tantrum that they formed because, if the Kingdom is united and the Republic separated from the North, (THINGS THAT MAKE SENSE, WHEN THEY ARE ANALYZED, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE HISTORICAL ERRORS.) We must be like children and be more condescending with this drama, if we take "The King: Eternal Monarch "like an adult fairy tale that only served to make our imaginations run wild. Of course, I think that all Korean physicists and mathematicians who are serious professionals, should be RAGING seeing how most of how THEY DESTROYED SO SERIOUS THEORIES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF A HISTORY, WHICH NOT EVEN THE SAME LEE MIN HO DID NOT UNDERSTAND, BUT Despite all this, these are elements and licenses that a good writer needs to take to make a good fairy tale.
And as for the end, one incredibly happy, because as in every fairy tale, the prince stays with the princess and they are happy to stay. (OF COURSE; WITH A MODERN TWIST. THEY DID NOT MARRY AND WERE SNEAKING TO LOOK LIKE LOVERS ON WEEKENDS.)
GOOD THINGS:
BUDGET:
The cost of production: $25 MILLION DOLLARS. The special effects were excellent, the Korean tourist sites were exposed to attract tourism.
COSTUME:
The costume may have been more exuberant, according to that production budget. But nevertheless, they all dressed elegantly.
PERFORMANCE:
Excellent! A dream cast, who worked as pieces engaged with each other. Lee Min Ho as the King (the fairy tale prince of the story) fully completed his work. Handsome, tall, sportsman, excellent action actor (Remember his performance in City Hunter), the inexhaustible Lady Noh, the villain Lee Rim, the one we all hate, the beloved Jo Young, the Unbreakable Sword, the conflicted and suffered Shin Jae, the hateful Prime Minister Koo Seu Ryung. Jung Tae Eul, the princess of the story, a tough girl with a tender heart, I have nothing negative to say of them. I did not like that the President of the Republic of Korea never appeared, and that it should have been Lee Gon’s double.
THE OST
The soundtrack of this drama is superb.
THE FLUTE, REAL, HISTORICAL AND MYSTERIOUS
The Manpasikjeok,a legendary flute believed to calm the seas and drive away any concerns. The bamboo flute was called" Manpasikjeok”, which means a flute that calms ten thousand waves and became a national treasure. Apparently, ten thousand waves here refer to all kinds of hardships or storms of life. Some say this legend reflects the Silla dynasty's desire to bring people displaced from two other kingdoms that it had unified and establish peace and stability in the United Kingdom of Silla. And we see here how the screenwriter, like a good Korean, wants the unification of the peninsula, a national desire.
WHY THE CROWN OF THE KINGDOM OF SILLA?
The Netizens were superficial because they did not relate this crown to the Manpasikjeok flute, both of which come from the same historical place. We must think twice about things before saying them, you should not be superficial, everything in the dramas has a meaning, we must be critical in our way of thinking. It is an advice I give to the Netizens.
WHY BUSAN?
Because Busan is nestled in the former capital of Silla. (at the south of Korean Peninsula.)
WHY IS LEE GON THE THIRD KING OF THE KINGDOM OF KOREA?
Because this kingdom was established in the drama after Korean independence from Japan. That's how it should have been naturally if the nation had not been divided later as a result of the Korean War in 1950.
IDEALS PRESENTED THE DRAMA:
The author presents in a veiled way Judeo-Christian element (The tree of life in paradise, Adam and Eve, the Devil, the concept of limbo, the seeds that are born in a New Land.) But these same elements could also represent a Unified Korea, North And South Korea and the limbo could be the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), the Japanese invasion, subliminally seen in the much criticized "opening" of the pagodas. Because this drama, like a good fairy tale, makes our imaginations fly.
THE YOYO BOY
The yo-yo's boy is the spirit of the flute, and according to everyone they had a double in the other world, twice as much of the flute was the yo-yo.
Yoyo's boy is really a girl!!
NOT SO GOOD THINGS AND MISTAKES
THIS PRODUCTION WAS UNTIMELY PRESENTED.
This production aired on the wrong time, because he had the bad luck to compete with the drama "The World of the Married".
SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN WERE AT A LOW POINT IN THEIR DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.
Remember that the invasion of Japan in 1910 is still very present in the collective psyche of Korea. And at the time of the dorama premiere, they were going through a diplomatic problem, so the naval battle of Korea and Japan in the dorama fell so badly, and the famous "opening" pagodas (even if they make sense).
THE RUN-OUT END
This drama must have been 20 to 24 episodes for everything to be resolved in a calm and coherent manner. I think that Goblin's open ending, which left a bad taste in many viewers, along with the bad reputation of the writer, for writing these controversial endings, was still present in the collective mind of all viewers. The ending was too muffled and forced, even though hardcore fans of Lee Min Ho found it perfect. But I am more objective. I look at everything objectively.
COSTUME AND HAIRSTYLE
As for the wardrobe, despite being a worthy and elegant one, it did not have the majesty that a king deserves, no matter how modern the time. The female lead could have been better dressed and her hairstyles could have been more feminine at times
LEE MIN HO'S MISGUIDED COMMENTS, SAYING HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THIS DRAMA.
These misguided comments from Lee Min Ho were only fuel for the Netizens, who always gave the impression of having a hate agenda against him and against the writer. Based on Lee Min Ho's misguided comments, then the drama should have been offered to an actor who mastered the themes of quantum physics and abstract mathematics, such as Kim Jeong Hoon, Prince Yul of The Princess Hours. He is also a handsome actor, extremely attractive and exceptionally good in the action genre. And based on this, he would have done a better job, of course, Lee Min Ho's work was very good, but it would have been much better if this actor had played him, because he would have endorsed the character, much more than Lee Min Ho.
LACK OF TRUE INFORMATION
But they failed to search for consistent information for scenes such as the sea battle (where they used Korean navy ships, and not the Japanese navy), and mistakes made with Maximus' saddle, which was an English saddle, and was too simple, unworthy of a king.
These are my final thoughts of the drama. If you want to see a modern fairy tale, I recommend the drama, just for fun, without paying much attention to the mistakes. And personally, I would slap the producers for destroying a drama that could have been the drama of the year, because a budget of 25 million dollars is no small matter. And I ask the screenwriter to stop giving us hasty endings.
You do not have to totally agree with me.
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