«I love this kind of fantastic stories, so to me this was a pleasure to watch. There is no room for “This is not logical” or “this doesn’t make any sense” because it’s fantasy and anything goes.»
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First things first
This review has no spoilers.
Three days ago, the last episode of this Korean drama was broadcasted and there’s been some heavy controversy from the start.
There was controversy over different topics, from being offended because there was Japanese architectural influence, to criticism over the past love story of one of the actresses of the drama (yes… It was also hard for me to imagine what does her love life have to do with this…). Anyway, each week there was a negative criticism and Korean television ratings were quite low during each episode’s broadcast.
However, the support that this drama has had worldwide is huge and Netflix has reported high ratings, which is awesome because I really loved this series.
I found this drama and eagerly waited for it for two reasons; first, because it is written by Kim Eun-sook, who also wrote Goblin, which to me is one of the best dramas ever; and second, because the leading actor is Lee Min-ho, one of my favorites.
The King: Eternal Monarch is a Netflix original and South Korean series released on April 17th 2020. The genre is historic, fantasy and romance.
What I do have to warn you is that the plot could be very confusing at times, but it’s part of the plan, the drama develops in two parallel universes and in different points in time, so it’s an experience filled with ups and downs and you can’t predict what will happen, at moments you can’t even understand what’s going on. Don’t despair or be disappointed, it’s part of the thriller.
Synopsis
Lee Gon, Emperor of the Kingdom of Korea in present time, crosses through an enigmatic portal that takes him to a parallel world where Korea is a Republic. There he finds detective Jung Tae-eul, whom he recognizes by an ID card that arrived to his possession when he was a kid, the night his father was murdered. Little by little, Lee Gon starts to discover a series of betrayals forming around him, led by his uncle Lee Lim, who was presumed dead and was hidden all those years, recruiting people from both worlds in order to destroy him.
In general terms
The King: Eternal Monarch is a fascinating story that I really enjoyed. It was a bit hard for me to have to wait an entire week to see the next two episodes. On these binge-watching times we live in, the waiting is a bit of a torture.
Even though I wanted to see this drama because of writer Kim Eun-sook and actor Lee Min-ho, there were other highlighting factors in this drama and were a pleasant surprise to me.
Why do I recommend The King: Eternal Monarch?
The plot
This is a fictional and very well-made story. In the Kingdom of Korea there is a magic object that belongs to the royal family and it has the power to transport people between parallel worlds were the same people exist, they share the same DNA and the same ancestry. The difference is that in each world, history not always developed the same way.
I love this kind of fantastic stories, so to me this was a pleasure to watch. There is no room for “This is not logical” or “this doesn’t make any sense” because it’s fantasy and anything goes.
There were jaw dropping moments, events that I didn’t see coming. Even the end I did not see coming. Those are the kind of shows that I like.
The King, Lee Gon
I have to write about Lee Gon specially because he is a character very well written. My respect goes to Kim Eun-sook because the King’s personality is another level of greatness. He is an imposing man, noble, responsible and at the same time sweet and respectful. He is a genius. Numbers are his passion so he is a pure mathematician and uses numerology to decipher many circumstances around him. Also, when he has to make severe decisions, his hands do not tremble, nor his heart, he is ruthless with traitors and evil people.
Lee Min-ho plays this character masterly and gives the King that magnetic and imposing energy. This is his best work so far and we can see the maturity and high level of acting he’s achieved as an actor. I am gladly looking forward to his next projects.
Actor Woo Do-huan
To me one of the best surprises was Woo Do-huan’s work. He is not a new actor, but it’s the first time I see his work and I loved it. In this series he plays two characters, Jo Yeong and Jo Eun-seob; they are so different from each other that you can’t help appreciate his excellent performance and fall in love with both characters. I am already checking other dramas he’s been in. Recently I finished watching My Country: The New Age, excellent drama and his acting: spectacular. You can read my review about that series here.
The love stories
I love Lee Gon and Jung Tae-eul as a couple, they have great chemistry, even though many viewers think otherwise. I loved to see how their relationship develops. At first, she was very hard on him because she didn’t believe any of his stories about being a King and coming from a parallel world, so their discussions were fun to watch.
And the other love story is between Lee Gon and Jo Yeong, Captain of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Korea and Lee Gon’s best friend from childhood. Their relationship is beautiful; Yeong always treats his friend with formality because he is the King, but he can also be firm with Gon when he does something reckless. Yeong would do anything to keep him safe.
Cinematography
I really enjoyed how the series was presented in terms of colors, locations, special effects, costume design and everything else. The King’s wardrobe: Divine.
Two worlds are shown, the Kingdom of Korea and the Republic of Korea and it was very nice to see both. The modern architecture design mixed with the ancient one in the Kingdom is beautiful. I loved the King’s palace. And let me tell you, the kitchen was awesome! I wish I had one of those, with at least 4 ovens! Lol!
The OST
To be honest, the songs from various artists didn’t have an impact on me, they were ok. The only song that stood out for me and now have on my Spotify playlist is Gravity by Kim Jong Wan, you can listen to it here.
As for the score, that one I liked a lot. My favorite songs were The Fantasia of Another Dimension which you can listen here, and Title of The King which you can listen here.
A little ending note
I really loved The King: Eternal Monarch, from beginning to end.
There were many negative reviews from the start, even about the ending, so it’s best that you see it for yourself and get you own conclusions.
Personally, it was not the ending I imagined, but I really liked it because it’s unconventional. One of the things I love about K-dramas is that, besides the fantastic touch, in many cases the endings are open and allow us to imagine what will happen next. I don’t agree with requests for a second season just so we can see the characters doing the one thing that was left for them to do…
So, to me The King: Eternal Monarch is a 5-stars rated drama, I hope you’ll watch it and if you already did, tell me what do you think!
Hugs,
MJ
*All pics taken from Pinterest.
Other reviews on my Blog:
The King: Eternal Monarch, early review
Mi terapia es escribir. Me desahogo escribiendo sobre la vida, mis aficiones, aprendizajes, bienestar, historias, libros y recetas. También me hace feliz conectarme contigo.
I agree with you. This show is fun to watch because of plot, script, characters, settings, costume design, cinematography and editing. The lead actors’ roles was very executed. They complement each other at various levels, so their relationship appeared real. That was a plus.
The fantasy element in the show made the audience think about what may come next. It was fun to speculate and try to resolve some mysteries. Thanks to all the characters involved all the loose ends were well explained and tied at the end (resolution part)
I’ll give to thumbs up to this show!
So nice to read your review Keli, I loved it and totally agree with you! ❤️ Can’t wait to see the next project from some of the cast members! 🤗