Reviews

Enjoyable Yet Unsatisfying

My experience while watching Perfect Crown has been one of total, utter, and complete satisfaction. The premise was nothing even remotely original, and both the plot and characters had minor and major inconsistencies, but these shortcomings did little to derail my enjoyment of the show. However, now that I'm done watching the show and have had time to fully process everything, I see clearly and realize that several aspects of the drama left much to be desired. See, I’ve never been one to fall purely for aesthetics. Thus, it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to put my finger on what exactly was making me enjoy this show so much. And then it hit me; it’s the female lead.

Seong Huiju is an extremely likeable character. She’s not a particularly compelling FL, but she’s certainly easy to fall in love with. She’s bold, charismatic, tenacious, and so funny. IU nailed her comedic scenes so well. I simply must give a shoutout to the scene of Huiju exiting the hospital after her wedding debacle. Comedy gold! Huiju, for me, is the beating heart of this show, and it simply would not be half as enjoyable if she weren’t written exactly as she is.

I found Prince Ian a far more compelling character with more understandable motivations, a more fleshed-out backstory, and just better writing in general. However, I do feel like his character is tied too much to his relationship with Huiju, and much of his character work is sidelined in favor of developing his relationship with Huiju. Now, normally this would be fine in a show where the leads were clearly meant to feel like two indivisible halves of a whole. But it doesn’t quite work in PC because the writers are clearly trying to write two individualistic characters with separate (yet parallel) motivations, so making Huiju Ian's entire world is counterproductive.

This problem is directly related to the show’s biggest failure–pacing. Boy, have I ever seen a 12 episode drama that I needed 16 episodes more. So many subplots are brushed over because of time. Things like Ian's childhood, his relationship with his brother, his relationship with his father, the psychological effects his mother's death had on him, and his relationship with his position in the royal family could have been properly developed but instead they were only lightly touched upon. And as for Huiju, her relationship with her family (specifically her father) and her relationship with her social status could have been better depicted with more time. The worst victim of this is the Prime Minister whose character got barely any development before deciding to do a complete 180° turn overnight. More high school scenes and more insight into his relationship with Ian and Huiju would have been helpful in understanding his motivations. The horrendous pacing also helped create several plot holes that were never addressed until the end. Most were never even addressed at all.

Anyways, the acting was fantastic. Bombshell performances all across the board. Byeon Woo Seok and IU devoured their comedic and emotional scenes with equally striking accuracy. BWS’s ability to convey the emotion of a thousand words through a single look in his eyes made him the perfect choice to play the lonely, distant Prince eagerly yearning for warmth, connection, and understanding. Absolutely brilliant!

The visuals were spectacular, music divine. Supporting and side characters all felt truly relevant to the story. Overall, a good and enjoyable show. I would certainly recommend it.

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a good series if we don't compare it to the first part

If you want to make a series with multiple love triangles surrounding a play, that's fine. The interviews between scenes with the characters seemed like a super innovative idea in thai dramas. I liked the cast and all the couples had great chemistry. So far so good.

Do I consider this the second part of OnlyFriends? No. In the first part, everything was a mess. A group of friends torn apart by selfish decisions and sex addiction. Here we have love triangles, yes, but nothing like before. Boston in this part is practically an angel. I couldn't help but buy into the plots all the time, even though they are not essentially the same thing.

I liked it, but for me it would have worked better as a standalone product separate from the first part.

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Finally a romcom that's super satisfying

Perfect Crown took me out of kdrama drought and finally let me re-live those classic romcoms from past years. I am so glad I started this and did not hesitate. It was worth the watch.

I went into watching this drama having low expectation because I didn't even know that it would be airing this year, randomly saw a clip on socmed, then here I am. The first episode is my anchoring point, it was really exciting and good, then it got even better 3-4 eps. From then on, I become glued to this drama.

It perfectly delivered on the romcom aspect. I was giggling and kicking my feet like a teenager. It is just that good. Was this Cliche? yes BUT ITS SO ADDICTINGLY GOOD. I didn't cringe at all, but instead felt like I was transported back to my teenager self who used to enjoy such type of dramas so much. It's nostalgic in a way.

The development of the romance between the main leads were balanced and paced well. It was sort of a slow burn so it hits alot more differently when they finally got together which I had loved that they didn't rush. Each episode of this drama contained so many iconic scenes, I can't even easily pick a favorite scene because each scene between the main leads are so memorable it's hard to pick just one. Apart from romance aspect, the chemistry between iu and byeon wooseok set the bar so high. I think they had the strongest chem compared to their previous drama partners. It's funny how they used to play ex-lovers back in scarlet heart. I can't accurately describe it but their chemistry is just DIFFERENT. Like, they have the strongest magnetic pull.

IU and Byeon wooseok act amazingly in this drama. They portrayed their character well. Special mention to their crying and emotional scenes because their performance there deserves recognition. Their potrayal was so convincing, that's how good they are. Apart from the good story, their immersive acting in this drama made me want to look forward to their next projects. I can never see anyone else but them playing their respective roles for Perfect Crown.

The ending of this drama was so satisfying. I love how they really gave us more romance of the mainleads rather than focusing too much on palace politics. I also love how everything was resolve quickly because it gave more room for precious moments between the leads. It's overall a light watch with very satisfying romance. I also really liked the healthy communication the lead had and how we never got a really long separation arc instead they were always together.

I enjoyed almost everything about perfect crown and badly wish there was season 2 or the episodes were longer. I hope IU and BWS can collaborate in another project again one day, even if it sounds impossible. This will definitely go to my rewatch and fav kdrama list.

Seong Huiju and Iwan may you be happy forever!

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Great rom-com, bad political drama

The premise caught my attention at first cause it's right up my alley and i eat this kind of dramas up. The rom-com at start was perfection to me and i enjoyed so much that it would've been my favorite drama of the year if it held it up. It all changed around at the 7th episode, when political 2nd act started, it was out right bad and characters made 180s on what little development they had. It definitely partly ruined rom-com magic for me.

Positives
- I loved the leads, both were great and delivered what was asked from them.
- The rom-com arc at the first act and second acts romantic scenes were great and i'm big rom-com fans so i enjoyed them.
- OST was great
- Visuals in this are next level, this was visual masterpiece at it's core and it's the best thing by far in this.
- Brother and sister-in-law were great subversion of expectations and were great addition.

Neutral
- I don't mind the abolishing that much, i feel like it was always coming so i was prepared for it.
- The ending as a whole, liked the romance of it but the whole execution was kinda meh.

Negatives
- All political plot lines were half baked cause they did nothing with them at the first rom-com act which meant it never stood a chance
- SML/PM, straight up character who when the villain arc started just switched up from what little was established before, very poorly written character, good acting though.
- SFL/Queen mother, pretty much same problem as with SML/PM, her character was villain until switch flipped and suddenly she isn't. Also she got scot free abusing her children and that is just awful. Korean dramas usually don't do anything to mother when they abuse their children and it's no different here, very awful for Korean society to be like this, worst character by far for me, good acting though.
- Queen mother father AKA Jin Mu, terrible miscast, i feel like casting director failed the writers here, writers clearly tried to do some mystery on who is the villain and the casting just spoiled it and then writers wasted the character anyway.
- FLs father, such a non character and terribly written one.
- Secretary pairing seemed very forced and written just cause kdramas need second pairing.


Conclusion
For the rom-com parts i applaud, i enjoyed them and leads were great. Visually this is 10/10 and it was pleasure to watch this through out. The political plot was failure and it fell super flat, i think this would've done better with more lighthearted direction or leaned more in to political plot lines and make it longer, this combination which left both little meh in the 2nd act was blunder.

I have to say, i was going to rate it 8.5 but for SFL/Queen mother get away scot free with the kid while she abused him while in power was too jarring to see so that took the half away. It is just so weird to see child abuse as a little mistake and it's never addressed or she never gets punished for it, i just can't believe this is still a thing in 2026.

For the rom-com parts and visuals i can give it 8.0, it's okay one time watch for them. I probably wouldn't rate it this high if i wasn't big rom-com enjoyer.

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a cute rom-com, but maybe I was expecting something more

Korean royalty in the 21st century seemed like an interesting idea to me. Tropes like the "fake royal marriage" or the "we were rivals in high school" were there. The cast also had THE IU and THE Byeon Woo Seok. I mean, all the ingredients for THE DRAMA of the season where there, but I certainly didn't feel that way.

The plot was interesting, but being only 12 episodes long, it may have been resolved too quickly. At the same time, I feel the main couple hasn't had as much chemistry as I expected. It's not that the protagonists didn't have any chemistry, but it's certainly not the project where they shone the most as a couple.
If I had to highlight something, it would be the character of the widowed queen, played by Gong Seung Yeon, who has overshadowed the rest of the characters.

I don't think it's a bad drama, but my expectations were too high.

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Tedium Watch

I diligently skimmed through the last three episodes. My Romance Scammer prolongs the inevitable which is an obvious happy ending. I think this is why the new 10 eps per series rule is a good one, except, they completely disregarded it for MRS. This would've definitely benefited more towards that rule as 12 episode of practically nothing but back and forth-ness could've helped to wrap things up more quickly.

Let's Dive In.

This felt like watching an old GMMTV series from 2017. There's a lack of substance and missing nuance that makes this an incredibly dulling watch. The highlights are, of course and as per usual, Junior and Louis. I'm not totally convinced of Ohm and Poon as of now. There was a slight disconnect in their chemistry, but rom-coms are hard to impresses me as it is, so that could've been a large reason why too. Maybe they'll impress in their side-pairing in EarthMix's new series, but until then, I felt nothing.

Skimmed through the last three episodes cause I had lost interest at that point. This is a fun, turn-your-brain-off kind of series, and while I'm not against these types of series, this story stopped working for me very early on. However, I still have lots of faith in JuniorMark, and am getting there with OhmPoon. Until next time, I guess...

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - Dull. Boring. Tedious. Some funny moments. Good kiss scenes.

Acting: 8/10 - No one really stood out as being just top-notch, spectacular, but per usual, I really enjoyed seeing Junior and Louis on my screen.

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - Ehh. Not something I'd recommend, maybe to someone really interested in seeing their fave, but otherwise, it's a skip.

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The palace was on fire but the script burnt

Perfect Crown starts with an interesting premise. Seong Huiju has everything. Intelligence, capability, business success, confidence. Yet she chooses to pursue I An primarily because he holds a title. I understand that the “Perfect Crown” symbolizes legitimacy and status, but it feels slightly problematic that someone so accomplished still seeks validation through association. It goes both ways for any gender. When someone who already stands strong allows a title attached to another person to define their completeness, it weakens what could have been a powerful narrative about self definition.

That said, I did not mind the overall plot base. The marriage of convenience trope can work when written well. My issue is not with the trope itself. It is with the depth of execution.

Visually, the show is beautiful. The costumes are stunning. The entire drama feels expensive and polished. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be fancy. It looks grand and feels grand. But beneath that surface, the substance does not always match the aesthetic.

The drama blends modern elements with royal or korean dynasty culture, but the historical side feels barely explored. Korea has such a rich cultural legacy, yet the royal aspect here feels more decorative than meaningful. It exists more as a backdrop than as a force that shapes the story. The politics feel basic and kinda childish. The cultural weight feels minimized. For a story centered around titles and royalty, I expected deeper engagement with that world.

Coming to the romance, I would not fully classify this as a rom com because there is barely any comedy. It is mostly politics and romance. The leads do have chemistry. They work visually and emotionally. But their romantic development feels rushed.
It makes some sense why the male lead would develop feelings for the female lead. His perspective is clearer. But I genuinely could not pinpoint when she fell for him. There is no strong emotional turning point. It just happens. Even after watching it, I still could not clearly trace that shift.

The drama relies heavily on their shared past, especially their school days, to justify their present feelings. But those flashbacks are shown so minimally that they do not carry enough emotional weight. If you are going to base long lasting attachment on a past connection, that past needs to feel convincing. Here, it feels underdeveloped. The foundation for their enduring feelings is too thin to fully believe.

The biggest issue is not the actors or even the premise. It is the lack of depth. The show does not explore its themes fully. It gives politics, romance, and visual grandeur, but not enough emotional or narrative substance to make it truly compelling.
It is popular. It is visually appealing. It is decent. But it lacks the layered substance that would make it memorable.

IU's however, felt very reminiscent of her character in Hotel Del Luna. I’m not saying the characters are identical, but the aura, the dominance, the composed sharpness it all felt very similar. The only real difference is that in Hotel Del Luna she lived for 1000 years, while here she doesn’t here, jokes. Still, the overlap in personality traits made this role feel less distinct than it could have been.

I-An’s portrayal of the royal highness is where I felt the biggest disconnect. His character is supposed to be composed, responsible, emotionally grounded. But sometimes his restraint came across more as stiffness than depth. There’s a difference between being stoic and being expressionless. And when he did shift into emotional vulnerability, it felt sudden rather than gradual. The emotional transitions didn’t feel fully explored, which made it harder to connect with his character.

Steve Noh feels like wasted potential. His character, PM Min had years to act on his feelings, yet his character mostly exists to fuel the love triangle. His sudden emotional intensity feels more like a plot requirement than natural growth. Instead of being a fully realized character, he feels like a device to create conflict.

Daebi Mama, however, deserves praise for her acting. Her performance is strong. She truly lived the character. Even when the writing faltered, her acting carried emotional weight. She brought nuance and conviction to her role in a way that elevated the scenes she was in.

Another major issue is how quickly some characters shift from good to bad or from bad to redeemed. These transformations happen without sufficient buildup or reasoning. When someone suddenly becomes evil, the motivation feels thin. When someone suddenly reforms, there is no real tension or development to make it believable. The jumps are abrupt, and that weakens the emotional impact on us, the audience.

Overall, Perfect Crown had potential. The concept was intriguing, the visuals were impressive, and the actors did their part decently. But the inconsistent emotional arcs and lack of narrative depth hold it back. It is aesthetically pleasing and occasionally engaging, but it lacks the layered substance that would have made it truly memorable.

In short, watch it for the vibes only.

6.3/10

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Such a waste of idols drama

Wow a real disappointment. Ive been waiting for this since the announcement was made and mainly because of IU!! A total mess. I think there's an internal clash in creative output between the director and writer. I don't blame the actors because it's obvious they all tried. Completing it only because of IU& I like the antagonists' acting.

Don't make it sound like I'm too critical when the plotholes are many and too obvious. Can't blame the director solely because he has other good dramas in his portfolio but this one is plainly bad. Something is off but it doesn't reach the public's knowledge. Hence we get this mediocre production
As if they couldn't decide what they actually want to focus on. Too many storylines and then chaos. I was really enjoying it in the beginning but then as I said it became too messy - more drama than substance. Such a shame cause it could have been really good with this cast and the premise.

They couldn't bring back the Goong's glory,it had 2000's nostalgia protection lol. I bet if PC was in 2000's then probably it would've blown up lol

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Verdict: Guilty (Pleasure)

This is my junk-food drama; I know it’s imperfect, but it’s MY imperfect drama. Objectively speaking, this is probably just an okay drama, but for me it’s strangely a favourite -- a guilty pleasure, if you will. I’ve rewatched it more than any other drama I’ve seen.

I would say it begins a little trope-ish, the characters are almost gimmicky. Such as Eun Bong Hee being ditzy or Noh Ji-wook having... to put it lightly, the worst temper. But the law and crime aspect twists it into something quite entertaining. The court room scenes are good (even if not super accurate), the cases are interesting and the unexpected (if you didn't read the description like me) murder plot keeps you entertained. Thankfully, they do develop the characters and give us some great dynamics later. For example, Bong Hee does gain more skills and tact as she progresses. She went from arguing her client wasn't a stalker essentially based on vibes (and ignoring the fact that he previously had a VALID restraining order placed against him) to playing a vital role in catching a murderer and solving other cases!
The interactions between all the characters were always a delight to watch too, we have some good tension between Ji-wook, Ji Eun-Hyuk and Cha Yoo-jung. The characters are the back-bone of this show, they’re almost all likeable. For example, Mr Bang is an absolute gem! He and Mr Byeon were comedy machines! Moreover, even though I am admittedly an extreme amateur in judging acting quality, I think the cast is excellent!

I can recognise the care that went into crafting Noh Ji-wook's role in particular. The actor who played him (Ji Chang Wook) seems to have specific mannerisms for the character that are very clear, but still natural. For example, when he’s thinking of how to answer a question he’ll touch or open his mouth, he also touches the bottom of his nose sometimes. Another thing he’ll do is, if he’s shy about saying, he’ll touch his ear, or if he’s holding his suit case he brings it close to his body in a defensive manner. And if he’s lying, he smiles —which i noticed he also does when interrogating people very often. Usually I can never notice what actors are really doing, so this stood out to me (and also makes me sound a little deranged, to be frank). Though… it’s probably attributable to rewatching this like four times. In general, I would say the show improves substantially from the beginning in most aspects, including production and writing.

I can also understand how this show can get frustrating, the first time I watched it there were plenty of things that irked me. After all, It’s essentially a situationship drama since they’re really in a situationship for more episodes than they’re actually in a *relation*ship for. Not to mention, when they’re actually together, someone's busy getting killed. Something that irked me in particular, is that Bong Hee is ridiculously oblivious --or even arrogant at times-- when the drama starts. She is very avoidant when dealing with issues, and that’s something she doesn’t entirely shake. A prime example is Bong Hee’s decision to lie to Ji-wook about why she didn’t want to be with him yet. It was selfish and compensating for her own guilt. I don’t agree with Ji-wook lying to Bong Hee about Jung Hyeon Soo either, but I especially hate that Bong Hee blamed it on him and then gets mad at him for doing exactly what she’s doing. She makes both of them feel equally as bad or worse for no reason. Though, I wouldn’t say it’s far off from what many other dramas used to do. If you’re someone who enjoys healthy communication in your dramas, this one will have you pulling your hair out.

However, one thing I will always hold a grudge for, is the unnecessary fight about a client hitting her husband over the head. That sounds strange out of context but this will make sense if you’ve seen it. It straight up feels like an assassination of the character they built up for Bong Hee. They had already brought back some avoidant and annoyingness towards the end, then they gave the the most unreasonable thing to be upset about. Then she asks: “why did we fight?!” that was you, that was literally 100% your fault. It frustrates me that they turned that moment into some “women are mysterious creatures, just say sorry or whatever!” stereotype (perhaps even bordering on misogyny) moment. Seriously, it shouldn’t have been like “why are all women like this?” especially when it was *one* specific person being "like that". Arguably, that also portrays some valid feelings as trivial. Sure, all the guys are caught out on it, but it was plain unnecessary. It added nothing, it just chipped that ceramic bowl of character development. Sure, the bowl's still usable, but the chip will always be there.

In general, the ending had some undue friction, their initial friction led to chemistry because it progressed into a tease. The friction they added later, was just watching a couple fight and feeling like you’re third-wheeling. I'm not entirely sure I want to feel like I'm uncomfortably seated at a restaurant watching the main couple's trivial fight, desperately trying to come up with an excuse to leave. It also just didn’t make sense. You’re trying to convince me a prosecutor can’t read facial expressions to figure out if his girlfriend likes an outfit? Meanwhile he’s been reading other facial expressions left and right the entire show? Next you’re gonna tell me I’m an optimist. Overall, they could have done with some editing down. That’s coming from someone who would watch a second season in a heart beat.

On another note, there were some thoughtful details I appreciated more after rewatching. Notably, I realised there was an overarching theme of (love and) loss in this, we are given examples of all the different ways loss affects different people. Some deal with loss with anger and violence like Jung Hyun Soo (of course, that is not to say he was justified at all. It just works as an explanation for how he got there). You could even say Bong Hee fits into this category initially. Some have reservations and push people away like Ji-wook. Others, like the psychic seeing his lover one last time, had optimism. There are also instances of hope, and regret, sprinkled in dynamics such as Cha Yoo Jung and Ji Eun Hyuk.

(❗️This part refers to more specific scenes of the show. If you have not completed the show, I especially recommend skipping this part❗️)
They also tend to directly parallel scenes. For example, Ji-wook’s “plead” for Bong Hee to like him was basically the exact opposite of the circumstances in Bong Hee's confession. In which, she ran to him in the middle of the night, unintentionally blurting out her feelings, and he responds “don’t fall for me”. In this later scene, he runs to her as the sun shines on the leaves foliage, casting shadows. He hugs her, and says “please like me now”; It’s the exact opposite. This happens again later when Bong Hee broke up with Ji-wook. Before that he said “even if I ask you to leave me, don’t leave”. Bong-hui breaks up with him by saying “even if you ask me to stay, I’m leaving”. Additionally, these pivotal moments (like his plead, the break up, then the proposal) often happen in the same spot, on that street filled with trees. I thought these were nice details to add, and really solidify how the characters themselves contrast each other.

There are some random things though, like… introducing a psychic then immediately killing him off? Hilariously unnecessary and unfitting in retrospect, but they definitely used it for some good comedy moments. I would say they also provide us with a lot of unintentional comedy. That includes:

1. Bong Hee fondly looking back on a memory of utter distress saying: “he tried to prosecute me ☺️ he demanded that I spend 15 years in jail 🥰 I keep falling for him 😍” I just can’t help but ask, they… couldn’t pick a different scene???

2. For some reason, there’s a theme of using worse versions of things they have better versions of. E.g., sleeping on the (squeaky grandpa) couch or a chair… right outside your bedroom door, watching tv together… on your laptop, when he probably has a tv. Why?

3. Speaking of that grandpa couch, IT’S EXTREMELY SQUEAKY!! I’m shocked they didn’t edit that out.

4. Also for some reason he seemingly has a star wars storm trooper in his house?!? Never mentioned in any capacity, I had to pause to double check what it was, but I promise it’s there. If I recall correctly, it’s most visible in the episode where he’s reinstated as a prosecutor and goes to get the robe out.

5. “Let’s never break up” and in the same episode “let’s break up” almost comical.

6. There’s a weird amount of fridge organising in this show, like both Bong Hee and Ji-wook do it??

7. The intro really does not fit this show because we go from this cutesy “and I know love… is stupid 🥰” song, to someone getting murdered

Overall, it’s an entertaining drama and I would say it’s very reminiscent of the time it was released. Trying to speak objectively, I think it’s quite enjoyable even if it is flawed. At the very least, you’re likely to enjoy the characters (especially the comedic relief characters) and the main murder storyline.

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