It’s almost exactly a year to the day that SBS was supposed to air big budget big name cast action thriller drama Vagabond, which was later pushed back a few months into the fall of 2019 rather than spring. Vagabond aired in the same channel and same Fri-Sat time slot as the currently airing The King: Eternal Monarch and it feels like deja vu for me as a viewer. Ratings for both are interchangeable, Vagabond episode 6 got 7.2%, 10.0%, 11.3% and The King episode 6 was 7.4% and 10.3%. I was highly anticipating both dramas and really liked the casting of the main leads before it aired, I actually loved Lee Seung Gi and Suzy more than Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun, and its sad both dramas turned out to be such disappointments. But apples to apples Vagabond remains one of the stupidest dramas ever written to grace the screen so loving the leads doesn’t negate a fact lol, and The King will have go Simple Jack to borrow from from Tropic Thunder to surpass Vagabond, which went itself there if you ask me in an attempt to be smart hahaha.
I’m also getting this weird vibe that either Kim Eun Sook or someone on her writing team HATES Japan because this is her second drama to put that country the political villain after Mr. Sunshine. Unless the Republic of Korea never had WWII whereby Japan gets neutered of its military force then it’s wholly implausible that it still views Japan as it’s main enemy and not Mainland China.
Anyhoo the King is just boring, like snooooooooozefest waiting for something to happen and 6-episodes in we have the King traveling between worlds multiple times and the female lead doing one trip herself but we still don’t have any insight into the fantasy mechanics, the motivation of the baddie, or any believable chemistry. The best part of episode 6 was a 2-minute flashback scene with Kim Go Eun and Kim Kyung Nam where he acted enough in such quiet measured effectiveness that it makes sticking with this drama worth it. I hope he dies soon and is liberated from this mess.
The final scene of episode 6 where Tae Eul runs and hugs Lee Gon is so unearned, there remains not emotional development through meaningful scenes between the two to payoff such an about turn on her part. But then if she accepted earlier on that Gon could be telling the truth and ultimately is a very odd but handsome, nice, very smart, and calm dude then her slowly falling for him just 6-episodes in could be believable. But the writing and their scenes so far just don’t build that so the jump from A-to-Z just looks good visually without the commensurate emotional satisfaction for viewers.
“I hope he dies soon and is liberated from this mess.”
Lmao I actually hope this won’t happen. To me personally KGE seems to be much more comfortable playing her role near almost everyone but LMH, so I need them to be around so there can (hopefully) be still moments where these two leads are not together. Vain hope I know but still.
I do think episode 6 is an improvement from the previous ones and I enjoyed it a lot. At this point I just pretend that the romance doesn’t exist in the drama and would go along with whatever else is going on.
That’s basically what I’m doing with the romance, just gonna side step that, even though I was looking forward to LMH X Go Eun
Also, if anyone pay attention to WORLD NEWS, Japan is SK’s political enemy rn. Trump is terrible in managing foreign relationship (cause he’s dumb), and Japan is taken over by its right wing fascist leader named Abe.
Abe is very anti-Korea, so I’m not surprised KES put Japan as political enemy, b/c it’s true.
Thanks for telling this
So true….the man is an ignoramus
Right wing is on rise everywhere to be honest. Far left has turned many people into right supporters. And true leftist suffer
KGE has more chemistry with every actors in this drama except LMH lol
So true!
I think KGE’s character is supposed to be tough, untrusting, non emotional from when she was a child to present… Then LMH’s character also is tough, untrusting and non emotional but LMH wants to prove to her that he is trustworthy and also worth her love. Ep 6 shows that KGE starts to feel emotion, I was happy to see them hug, the emotions for both of them are now opening up. He initiated it because of anticipation to meet the person who owned the lost ID, what he didn’t anticipate was she didn’t know who he is and she was very suspicious of him. So their characters are now relaxing but for the next episodes, LMH’s uncle will attack soon, so both KGE and LMH will be in fight mode. I like The King series. It’s very unconventional but I am sure in the end, the author will surprise us all.
I agree with you.. not many people will like it’s unconventional setting but I somehow find it good.. a friend of mine actu6said to me, if you like plain funny romantic drama shows, then this show isn’t for you.. this show is for people who can think deeper and read between the lines and see deeper into the story rather than just watch it’s lazily.. hahaha
To the writer/ director I think theres connection between the. 2 lead actors & I like the flow take note :
That’s how i looked at it too,not the stereotype story, including the role portrayal of a monarch who is benevolent, calm and stately and a gentle person. Also, I am viewing at it from the point of view of the storytellers – writer and director. The 2 worlds are being introduced in a balanced way, not too fast and not too slow. And the plot is very interesting and looking forward how its unfolding continues in the next episodes. I am watching it primarily due to KGE.
I think it’s deliberate and follows the storyline. KGE thought he’s a crazy handsome guy spouting nonsense at first. Why would there be chemistry at first? But things obviously changes when after she crosses into his world. She’s a no nonsense kind of girl and here’s this king who’s just too perfect to be true. Remember the flashbacks with Sinjae? The leaders of those two groups were both cute. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. The first guy wasn’t interested in her when he took a look at her at the window and the leader was a complete bully. She said it herself. I don’t go easy on guys.
I didn’t know Lee Min Ho has so many haters out there. I get you might not think he’s amazing as he is but there’s a lot of hate. Pretty strange
The back and forth between two universes reminded me of Live Up To Your Name which is one of my faves k-dramas.
But LUTYN prevailed because it explained well the fantasy, injected perfect comedy, the female lead is a strong character but she isn’t blindly headstrong and stubborn as Tae Eul and not to mention the phenomenonal chemistry between Kim Nam Gil and Kim Ah Joong. The romance was slowly built up slowly amd in the end, it resonated strongly with the viewers.
TKEM unfortunately failed miserably at all those mentioned and these are all basic rules.
I really enjoyed ‘Live Up to Your Name’ as well!
This romance felt like Empress Writer KES royally decree us viewers us to accept it right on the spot. ‘They’re in love I tell you. He genuinely loved her, see how he fawn over her ID picture since he was a child? Look at their deer-caught-on headlights staring contests! That’s love at its finest’
I felt like episode 6 wasted like almost half an hour with the random Japan storyline which does nothing to push the main story forward. I suppose both male leads look dashing and dapper in their commander navy suits. I can look at them for days lol
This show is really underserving the talented supporting cast, they’re mere accessories and vases so far. They could had axe that Japan navy plot and develop the characters better.
I agree that hug at the end just made me want to clobber myself in the head. This is not romance, I’m not buying this microwaved romance.
@Laura I believe the Japanese storyline taps into current political tension between Japan and Korea and appeases SK’s patriotism. Whether it is to evoke a sense of patriotism or used as a vehicle for attracting viewers or both, I really don’t know but I give them that and just largely ignore it. I find the whole “battle” anticlimatic though if you ask me.
Yeah whoever wrote this drama were so in-your-face with the romance, like they’re force-feeding us and coming up with silly actions for the characters to drive their irrational points home. I’m so glad at least we know in ep 6 that the villain’s plan is moving forward. Many of the side characters are really hard-carrying this show for me.
@ Hye Mi
That’s very interesting. I wished people would be more civil with one another, it’s rather petty.
It now makes me curious if they are airing this show on Netflix Japan, I wouldn’t be surprised if Japanese viewers get turned off haha
—The battle is just a vehicle for emperor peacock to showcase his manly feathers to Mrs. Flat-Earth girl lol
The romance is like played in reverse, they’re together first (due to royal decree by Lee Gon, she’s his wife lmao) and now they’re dating to get to know one another lol
I’m hoping the supporting characters are fleshed out more in future episodes and more doppelgängers are introduced sooner than later. Maybe Luna can replace bland Tae-Eul ?
@Laura: Definitely agree with you! After seeing some people trying to reason with them to no avail I’ve decided to ignore their posts. I personally find there’s no point in persuading someone who’s so hung up on taking others’ opinions personally while forcing their own opinions down people’s throat.
Back to the show, yes I wish there were more meaty materials for our cast to work with. The concept on which the drama is built has a lot potential, but we have unfortunately seen so little of it. Most of the buildups so far have served decorative purposes mostly. Hopefully when it’s Shin Jae and Yeong’s time to face the devil, we can have something to suit our palate 😀
@Laura I’m half Korean and half Japanese and am currently in Japan watching this through Netflix. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about ep. 6. I was not expecting to see so much unnecessary political shade in this kind of drama and was “turned off” by it. It didn’t add any depth to the story and it just seemed to only serve as a political statement with regard to historical conflicts and the current political climate between the two countries. I understand that this is all fictional but it just seems too hard to believe that they were not trying to depict Japan as an aggressive menace to South Korea today.
Am I the only one that confused about the FINGER PRINTS? Why the bad uncle can have the same fingerprint with his dopplanger (based on autopsy report) but main leads don’t have the same fingerprints with their dopplanger (cops cannot trace LMH and KGE)
Me too! Great point! This confused me as well. Tae Eul has a different fingerprint from Luna (or maybe Luna’s fingerprints are not on file). Lee Gon’s doppelgänger was killed as child so it explains why his fingerprints are not on file in one of the world’s. And Lee Gon’s uncle has the same fingerprints as his doppelgänger? I think more explanation is needed on this front. Maybe if they tested WDH’s character, then we can determine if the doppelgängers in each world are a genetic match.
I think Luna’s fingerprints are simply not on file yet. She is known to the police, but they haven’t caught her (yet).
LMH is dead as a boy in ROK, the Uncle from KOC killed him. He was the boy discovered in the reservoir (or something like that).
For KGE, we don’t know if they have Luna’s fingerprints.
I don’t remember but I don’t think they explained it yet, surely in the future. It definitely got tampered somehow. Magic?
Finger prints. Remember his korean version was killed young.
Whereas kim go eun corean version luna is criminal. Maybe her record isnt there!
To my understanding LG’s doppelganger has never registered his fingerprint (he supposedly died before he could do so). It was explained in either ep 1 or 2 that police could not track fingerprints of children who were considered missing.
As for Luna she is still a mystery to everyone. I’m not sure how the fingerprint system in Korea works, including at what age fingerprints are collected. It’s just my guess here but probably Luna became a homeless person before having her fingerprints collected. According to a book on forensic science I’m reading here: “The identification process might be more difficult for certain groups of people including the homeless, people without a picture ID in their possession, and those who do not have antemortem fingerprint records.” I’ve watched quite a few real crime shows (albeit in the US and the UK so the contexts can be different) and they seem to only compare collected fingerprints with fingerprints already on a system (aka those that belonged to convicted or ex-convicted criminals). That’s why I didn’t find that part confusing, but maybe that’s just me :).
@hyemi
That’s really insightful, thanks for sharing 🙂
@Laura: I’m always happy to share 😀
I think Luna is her doppelgänger. Maybe Lee Lim kidnapped her as a child so that’s why she’s not on file? He might use her somehow to in his plot to take down LG.
Funny this is also being aired in Netflix Japan
So prime minister Koo talked them down twice before but this time she can’t and the king goes in, feels like it was more for them to show Lee Gon off as brave and beauty shots of LMH in his uniform.
I wish they would write the prime minster better because she seems like she could be such a boss b**tch character.
Yeah that end run and hug, a no from me, it definitely didn’t feel earned despite them having 6 EPs. It just feels underdeveloped and lacking.
All the yess to Kim Kyung Nam and Go Eun flashback scene, at this point they both have better emotional connection and depth then the king and her and the acting was on point especially KKN.(she also has better chemistry with bodyguard Do Hwan). I also liked shin Jae and Jangmi scene, budding bromance there? I don’t want him to die, I’m sticking around for him.
I wish we could see more of lee rim, the actor is really good and overall wish things connected and flowed better because the story on paper is really strong.
I’m seeing this show till the end to see where it goes.
Prime minister role is getting good. She puts sexist jerks to their place and elites as well. She is self made woman. Issue is she wants more than what she have. She is pm but ultimate power is in hands of king. She wants that power more than queen title. I want to see what she conspires agaimst our heroine
I agree. I watched Ep5 beginning after hearing it was better than the 1st three. She even had better chemistry with WDH in the gun-pointing and finger print screen. I anyway liked her with KKN but he is much better out if this mess like Koala says. KGE and LMH are just not working for me despite ppl swooning over the kiss.
They can’t kill Shin Jae! He’s the most interesting character! The evil Uncle spied on him, so he must be important.
The cops scenes are the more fun for me. It’s the more natural ones and less cringey. The bond between Ta Eul and Shin Jae is strong.
Honestly, I like this drama except the scenes between the leads are the most boring because they don’t have any chemistry. But the story is really intriguing with a lot of details, it’s just LMH lacks charisma for this role.
I agree! He’s my favorite character besides the consort lady. His scenes and backdrop with Tae Eul feels like a completely different drama, like a slice of life lol
I have a nagging feeling that he might die in the end.
Same, their scenes feel like it’s a different and better drama. I have that feeling as well, that he might not make it out alive. Also it feels like they might be setting him up to be tempted to go to the dark side.
@civie
He will be tempted for sure, probably due to desperation but I have a strong conviction that Tae-Eul will play a factor in influencing him not to go to the dark side.
Kkn lacks charisma. His part in episode 3 ruined drama and ratings. Episode 6 lack of him and drama saw rise. I hope his sfreen time stays like this!
Lmao u said this even before airing. Just say u hate lmh. Stop sugarcoating. Atleast likes of marie r not fake??
What about episode 5 ratings?? Isn’t it the lowest so far..albeit after that cliffhanger where Tae Eul was supposed to go to the other world, it should have drawn more viewers. Epi 5 had minimal KKN scenes. Don’t blame him for low ratings. Atleast he is doing his best and many people can see that. It is mainly the fault of script writer and director for putting too much fillers making viewers feel disconnected..
The success behind a drama is also fuelled by a stellar supporting cast. For example- CLOY. If KKN ‘s scenes are giving viewers an edge then you should feel happy about it cause
ultimately people will see the positive points and it will be beneficial for the whole drama. ONE can’t force people to like almost non-existent chemistry between the leads. I personally find their individual scenes quite ok but not when they are together.
Well people r putting lmh fown and i feel d same for ur precious kkn. N u start policing. Lmaool
He has zwro presence.
And stop cheery pixking. He was in episode 3 which ruined the momentum of next episodes. With episode 6 his least screen time and focus on kmh as commander and lead couple ratings picked up. Noone fares about sidekick
You need to stop speaking for everyone else. Thier hug scene sparked huge number on naver with positive comments. People loved their chemistty in episode 6 especially last episode.
Cloy supporting cast was entertaining i find kkn boring or u r entitled to uropinion on lmh but i cant speak on kkn lmaoo. Hypocrisy
And their scene together n war scene has highest peak for the episode. So its better u stop speaking for people!
Yes you are entitled to your opinion..But what about epi 5 ratings??. I still didn’t get an answer. With no KKN ,it should have increased. Now you will say it is writer’s fault..Now this is what we call hypocrisy. In the same way I can say epi 3 was the worst due to writer and not KKN.He may bore you ,it is your choice but many find his character nuanced. Go check DB or any site..
Dramabeans? That sitevstarted bashing lmh when project was announced. I have no intention to read edgy opinions to boyher my mood all over again!
Second episode 3 ruined the momentum when kkn sppeared and it continued. And ofc writer n director r at fault. But when ratings declime the oattern continues girl. But a good episode with main leads, drama pick up like it did again in 6 episodr.
There is no hypocrisy. Dont give me bs of dramabeans n other sites. If they wrre neutrals they wont be anticipating drama n bashing him for year
And episode 6 highdst oeak came with coupme scene n ear scenes and couple hug trended. So i rathee believe that than efmdgy people of dbs. That is ur type
Kkn is non charismatic fot me n he is bore. Pls pd u did right with his screentime. Pls keep it up
Lol people there on ur neutral DB said theh shouldve casted kkn n wdh over lmh as leads. They were praising them to skies before airing. Ofcourse they will stick to their opinion of kkn as next robert de niro!
Go n read old posts pre airing n dont tell me that was very neutral perspective ????
Well stay mad !
Imagine using db as some holy words ?????the site which bashed him for year. Yeah very neutral????
@ady… I dont hate LMH, I feel sorry for him. But I wont sugarcoat the fact that this drama is crap, mediocre at best, and a waste of money. KKN is the only charismatic character, acting and story in this whole mess. You hate him because your favorite is being overshadowed. But you should focus your frustration on the writer who made this crap, the director who cant deliver and the female lead who does everything to make sure she is annoying each time she’s on the screen
@mind overshadowed by kkn???????????????????only edgy people on db who were hating lmh fot years n here say that . Doesnt mean he is overhsadowed. Joone outside these site give damn about kkn expect u people. He has no screen presence. When h n lmh were in same scene, lmh ate him alive. So pls dont pass ur opinion as fact????there is reason he is born to be sidekick and will remain one. Director realised n gave him less screen time this week after he ruined last week episodes!
Only people like u thibk that. Most dont care about a sidekick??
I just find it fun y how some people r trying too hard to build this narrative to fit their agenda
Lmh was everywhere in episode 6 and saw the ratings rise. His commanding presence in navy scene. Just stay delusional
I only see lack of charisma in kkn. He is boring and has zero presence. U can keep watching every 5 mins he get in every episode and dream of him bejng overshadowing anyone. We will see how manuy main leads roles kkn will get after this?????people here dream so many things bcoz they hate the male lead???? noone watch for him expect edgy people like u??what robert de niro of korea did special to ovwrshadow anyone. Lmaooo.even kim g9 eun eats him alive whenevwr they are in same frame. Just ur cult of edginess think that . Noone else. Side kick will always be sidekick. And i dont hate him but his new born fans sorry lmh antis r makkng it true thouvh. He has sone nothing in drama but u people will call him second coming of jesus?? doubt anyone knows his name in korea???? overshadow in ur dreams.
Lacks charisma, I have to disagree, especially after seeing him in special labor inspector. Nah, I don’t hate LMH, I’m sure that would be easier for you digest if many people did I assume.
He lacks it big time
Shin jae looks like a creep sex hungry maniac
woooow.
Yes he is obsessed like a creep when heroine of drama shows no interest in him
Lol what, I mean his not the one who suddenly kissed the female lead. From what angle does he look like a sex maniac, his always stayed within his bounderies when it comes with Tae Eul. Also it seems like you don’t like the fact people are praising or liking him. That’s not his fault, his just a good actor, that’s on the director and writer, they should do a better job in writing Lee Gon and helping LMH take his acting to the next level.
You are so funny.
Rofl he isnt. He has zwro screen presence. Female lead d8dnt mind the kiss and in episode 6 end came rjnn8ng to him saying i kissed u n happy tears n hugged him. Consent is there. Whereas shin jae is creep stalker
Lmh in episode 6 army scene ratings boosted up. Kkn in episode 3 ratings momentun got ruined
Yeah I like the police scenes as well, especially Jangmi, his too innocent
rose93@unicorn.net was the best part! So funny!
This was the best episode and thats why secind half increased by 3%
The best scene was corea japan war scene. Lee min ho facing japan as commander. And the moment when ur beloved is going to war hit hard bcoz i m frm army family myself. The emotion was there.
If u wanna see so kuch logic in fantasy then it will never fulfil ur expectation,. I 3as annoyed in first 2 weeks too but olot is finally set by sixth episode and king finding out his evil uncle is alive as well as detective heroine finding out the person from northern corea speaking in recording. That means she foind out people r passing dimensions
And the last koment when she hugged him and he realized she is in danger bcoz she is with him now
Heirs picked up after episode 6 and with they way epsiode 6 video got appraciation in naver, i think drama will pick up now. Finally double digit after long time and upward raying in second half is good sign.
Now next week looks murders, thrills etc. I think it will pick up like heira did after 6th episode
Episode 6 is best by far
If only the writer established a really strong common interest between the two leads, like interest in science or parallel universes or social justice and goodness and build scenes with them together based on those to establish their emotional connection from EP1 to EP4, then the kiss scenes wouldn’t be that cringe-worthy and forced. The story was all over the place in these episodes, seems like the writer had a lot to tell and couldn’t make it work. Right now, it seems that their only common thread was that ID found years ago. Oh well. I’ll still watch this drama, just a pity that there were some lost opportunities there to make this a really great and memorable drama. LMH I think is still the best looking guy in SKorea 🙂
Yes, I think their acting is just fine, and if you looked at any one scene out of context, you’d think it was simply lovely. But there are several missed opportunities in the script to give logical reasons for these people liking each other. I wish it had included some of the things you mentioned–common interests or a common goal where they could team up their strengths to solve it. (I think the possibility for that is still there–she is a cop and the guy he needs to trace is in her world. Meanwhile, he (the king) understands all the math stuff about the parallel worlds, which is another means to control and track his uncle.)
I feel like the pieces are there, but they aren’t connected. If they were, then these individual scenes would really pack some emotion. I’m hoping the drama improves in this area. I want it to do well.
Glr i think they connected the dots in episodr 6. What is ur opinion abt thag
Couldn’t agree more, 6 EPs is plenty of time to develop a deep meaningful bond and connection resulting in the run and hug scene to be satisfying. But it’s not, they had plenty of time but didn’t develop the romance in any substantive way, that could have helped build the chemistry. I honestly don’t think they should have made lee Gon so into her in the first place from just an ID card, and now she longing for him, but where did that switch her happen
Lee min ho is indeed a best looking and finest actor. Love him
He is king
Also korea japan had bad history especially japan who sugarcoat its past to new gen , never accept the history. They did harm china and korea in very bad way. Wounds will always be there.
So from patriotic pov to show japan as enemy makes sense to me atleast.
I loved the scene. Best scene for me in epsiode 6. The war scene looked so high budget, lmh in navy commanding the navy. It hit hard. And the ratings jumped in double digit. I think plot is set. If they make next week good, it can go heirs trajectory. And next week promo looks it have a murder scene , thrill elements. And also king has founf out uncle is alive. We need a ditect confrontation. Problem is show is too light hearted till episode 5. They need to introduce scenes like war scenes.
Personally loved kim go eun end scene. Her tears looked natural when he saw lmh.
This episode is best by far
I want more of korean wdh. He is hialrious. But kkn bores me. He has no screen presence and puts me to sleep.
You only like popular ones didn’t you
Yeah i like hot n A listers bcoz they have x factor which side kicks dont have. Syat ayra is different
My takeaway so far after viewing 6 episodes….I like the horse.
There r 2 horses btw. One who runs n one who rests lol. I loved the baby horse
And she’s a girl this entire time despite the name LOL
I knew koala was gonna get butthurt if this drama sees rise.. Stedy?? It has risen 3% haha. Just wait for it folks once this drama starts to hit the 15-20% Koala will be put on respirator. She will never forgive even speaking about years later. It happened before once
Just check her post during heirs day. I used to like her blog till i saw the comments. She made some homophobic comments there. I was disgusted???? If this drama picks up like heirs???? hope it does if it keeps up lile sevond half. So i can see her ???
She also said the same for heirs and we all know how it picked up after 3 or 4 weeks???
He can be liberated from the mess lmaoo. Its not like he goona get lead roless. ???now watch some of his new fans come here. ??
Btw it is number 5 on japan netflix?????? i wonder next week it will even rank there
And numbee one in various countries ???????????? hope netflix signs the leads in their projects with it success there
Oh no another koala and TKEM article
She needs hits. Tkem brings that to her blog ?
Has anyone noticed how Lee Min Ho has the same facial expression in every single still of this drama? He has always been a limited actor but now he has fully regressed to wood acting level.
Lmh in navy suit??????????????????????felt like saying oppa???stay blessed . U r so cute ???
I feel like koala is losing credibility. Bring us good articles and constructive criticism. By the way you have already expressed your opinion and constructive criticism is done in one article and also pro critics they just don’t hang around howering over any specific show. As many have voiced earlier just drop it if it’s not for you and move on. No need to become obsessive over it. All your articles on this show seems personal and kinda takes away your credibility. You appear like a mere troll by the day. Let common sense in this situation win and come out of this mess as a better and stronger person don’t linger over something
??????????
@sasja
Is she a journalist? She’s running this site for entertainment purposes, a hobby. She’s already has a daytime job, she’s not seeking anyone’s credibility or approval. She has the right to voice however she feels and do whatever she wants in her life. She can analyze a show every episode even if she’s not impressed by it.
She doesn’t owe you or anyone else anything. Just because she express a different opinion, it doesn’t make her a troool Take care of your own life, it’s hard enough taking care of ourselves and our love ones, don’t tell people on how they should entertain or express themselves, as long as they’re aren’t hurrrting anyone. Her thoughts are not hurrrting anyone.
Her thoughts can be pointed out if she runs a public blog . She can make it private exclusive club where her views cant be questioned. She made them on public platform
It’s her blog, she is freely to express her opinion, her hobby, but at the time, the viewers also free to express their opinions as well. Koala knows darn well what can bring the traffic to her blog. Every single episode out, she wrote an article merely telling how bad it is. I don’t see any constructive criticism in her article. Just merely mocking.
Her reaction reminds of Memories of Alhambra. She dislikes of the drama a lot and every single episode she post complaint how bad it is until the point the viewer got so mad and call her out then she turns around and post another article next episode saying it’s better, blah blah blah. How one can be so inconsistent.
The same happened with When the weather is nice. In one article, she complained it’s boring, bad that’s why the rating is low. Then fans got it worked up and then next article she clarified that bad rating doesn’t mean drama isn’t good???
@ady
I mean I agree her blog is a public platform but we shouldn’t expected it to be like an actual news site instead of an opinion site. So that’s why I’m
Confused when Sasja talked about credibility.
Credibility is only for actual news report sites. How can she even lose credibility in the first place? Lol This in an opinion site. And I agree that people can question her views but they shouldn’t tell her to keep quiet on her views. Let people talk ?
@Ta
I agree everyone is allowed to to speak freely, I’m just upset when people tell other people to remain silent just because they don’t agree with their opinions.
What’s considered constructive criticism is subjective but even if it’s not constructive, just let her vent her frustrations and mock it to her hearts content lol I really want to love this show because of lmh and other reasons but I’m feeling pressed and disappointed, it’s not good in my opinion and I understand why she complains a lot about this show, I want to do the exact same LOL
Let’s be honest, Who hasn’t been contradicting and fickle-minded on their assessment of certain things? Hahahah I have for sure. But definitely people should feel free to call her out when they feel she’s being unfair but at the same time don’t hush her from expressing her inner thoughts lol
Why would you get upset over this this matter?. She is frustrating and venting her disappointment then so are people get frustrated with her fickle minded and called her out.
Shouldn’t we let both sides express their feeling instead of taking one side?
I think since you agree with her that’s why you okay but what will happen if you don’t agree with her? Would you be contemplated seeing your favorite show just gets bashing in every single article?
If you are, then good for you, but most aren’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t watched the drama because I always wait until they done airing so I can marathon it instead of patiently waiting every week, ?. I don’t have that patience.
@ta
It’s not just this site but in many sites in general, there are people who confuse negative opinions as hateful comments and tells people to stop commenting and leave. I’m like people chillll.
—-It’s just a trigger of mine ?
If I disagree with people, I voice it out but I will (try) never tell people to keep silent with their opinions as long as it doesn’t harm someone emotionally or physically.
—in the future if you ever see me hush someone from speaking their opinion, feel free to call me out. Be my accountability partner LOL I’m human and I’m flawed, so keep me in check ?
I should had done the same but I lacked patience but I was able to do that with cloy and it was fun to marathon that show lol
@Laura it may be her public blog but just yappin about the same thing its just bad look for her and unhealthy. This is plubic blog at the end of the day. taking celebs to seriously specfically entertainers as what they do is irrelevant and dosent require one to them to serious its a none issue made into issue sort of childish blogging and obession over none-matters
@jonas
I see where you are coming from. Maybe I’m too free-wheeling hahaha
I honestly don’t think she really cares much about what we think anyways, this is probably her medium to alleviate her stress by saying whatever is in her mind. It’s a public blog where people can comment but it’s private in the sense where she’s not too concern about what other people think and only talks about topics that concerns her. It’s like an open diary or web journal of her thoughts in the entertainment world lol
Laura, I think she does care about what her commenters think that’s why sometimes she flips her words like flipping a table. It’s her blog after all but I kinda lost my respect for her in some sense. I used to like reading what she wrote because she is very good with word choice and her writing is thoughtful and consistent, but not anymore these days.
@ta read her posts during heirs day. There were some homophobic references made during those days on lee min ho n users called her out in one post. She wasnt even criticising back then. It is not the first time
@ ta
I’ll chew and ruminate on your thoughts and I’ll try to be more observant here and see how I feel in the future haha
Everyone knows this drama did bad in ratings and story. Only delulus deny and make up stuff to protect their fragile egos and talks about trending all the time. Lmh is stiff. Kge is stiff. Entire cast is stiff.
That was quite cruel!!??
May is a hater lmaoo. Antis thinking they are edgy??
Lmao cruel? The coward couldnt take name directly lmaoo.
And only delusional r haters like u who think side kicks r important???
And there is no makeup stuff here. Look like u r stuck in 90s! Netflix ranking as well trending stuff matters in 2020s.but delusional people like u r stuck in stone ages???
Drama opened with doubke digit did bad in second week but has finally picked up in 6th week. Heirs did the same after3rd or 4th week. Lets eait vefore u calk it failure.
And why not talk directly coward? Lmao tske my name. It is jumber one netflix many countries inlcuding korea and number one koreas streaming site ehich is bigger than netflix korea. Maver is huge in korea and last scene trended. Only delusional haters cant accept reality
Heirs was heaten by Secret who was the underdog and start gaining viewership after secret ended. Idk where is the improvement in that.
If n what doesnt counts. Heris is blockbuster. Secret is not and outside korea noone knows secret.
In the emd people remember heir ended as bb. If n what doesnt counts
Only haters like u have fragile egos who see success in selective way!
And drama ratings r picking up. ,now i hope it does better so antis like u can cry in corner and take may with u???
And ur opinion is stiff??? he will keep getring big roles n u will burn more hater???
Move out of stone ages and welcome to era of streaming. ,u r stuck in past. So netflix hit dramas doesnt matters . Ok boomer!
Stone age is a man forcing a kiss on a woman while she doesn’t reciprocate or close her eyes. It’s like mansplaining and manspreading and a plain unrequited kiss.
Thr women didnt m8nd it at all. She liled it and ecen in last episodr came running ti hug him. So clear the consent is there
So yes st9ne age boomer get ur acts right
the bad guy/uncle is phenomenal though, it’s my first time seeing the actor and he’s quite powerful on the screen. His casting is on point.
And they give him less screen time. We need more confrontation murders. Looks like he is going ro kill old prince. Pls make it dark
@Raine
Yes, exactly. This drama is bad, bad, bad. And the fact that is it hyped, a LMH comeback show and expensive make it even worst. For all the money that they had access to, this is all they can produce. The casting director was the worst. Zero chemistry bw the leads and they still hired KGE.
I think that huge fat budget was all used up in paying the actors and writer.So there was nothing much left for the other department. For exa: that subpar editing involving the balloon and the bridge scene was quite awful. K-netz totally thrashed it.??
I normally don’t have a problem with fangirl comments but it is RICH of people to be saying harsh words about every other younger male actor in this drama anytime anyone dares to praise them ….while having a hardcore victim complex about LMH ever getting criticised, blaming it all on “edgy internet”, calling one of the sites that openly fangirls over him/looks forward to his projects a hate/bashing website….wtf.
Double standards, much? And don’t even get me started on the crazies constantly crying over how dare koala not worship this drama, how dare she havr opinions and state them on her own website, and how dare she have ever said anything less than worshipping about lmh even if it was ages ago.
I constantly disagree with koala and point it out but at least I’m not so freaking invested in some celebrity I don’t even know that I insult people I’m actually interacting with (over the internet) for it. People are behaving like idol fans, it’s not a good thing.
Also I don’t care about angry replies and namecalling, feel free to leave them all under here. I’ve said my piece, if anyone is pissed off by it that is their problem, not mine.
Thanks @Royal We for bringing this up.
????????????????? ????
If LMH fans are so pressed that they resort to insults and name calling, it might be a good idea to stay off Koalas blog since it gets them so riled up. Folks can agree to disagree and have differing opinions, no need for personal attacks or name calling.?
Noone is attacking u but u were saying bad things about him when this project was announced last year
And we can handle such comments. Antis can never win
And u r the one who is long pressed hater for year
No matter how much his fans denies it. It a fact that everything from cast to writing is being critized. The rating show its. It didn’t manage to bring any new viewers. And naver is dominated by TWOMC. Same thing was being said about epi 4 ending but every thing was back to square one in next episode. Lmh needs to come out of his shell. His fans came at me when I wrote about his zero expression acting. Indeed I was right. Majority of them are talking about his lack of acting skill. No matter how cringy kes writing is,Her previous actors made her drama work but this time she chose actor who can’t act in first place. Visuals cannot carry the drama alone.
The fact that Vagabond had one of the worst writing to date yet has similar ratings to TKEM despite being less expensive, less hyped, and no supposed “actor of his generation” hallyu king + superstar writer is so funny to me considering his fans called Vagabond a flop lol. So TKEM is ultimate flop then?? lol
Recent KES dramas are mediocre at best (aside from Mr. Sunshine), but become successful due to strong acting from male leads: SJK< Gong Yoo, and LBH. Clearly LMH is not on their level as seen through TKEM ratings.
Can’t say about LMH having watched him in only one project so far apart from King,but I think KES is really being messy this time. Its not that I liked her earlier dramas. Infact I watched three of the most famous dramas of hers and it was a yawn+cringe fest.In my case even her leads couldn’t save those but nonetheless they appealed to the masses and hence popular .I mean I have watched other parallel universe dramas based on similar scenario for example W. Although I liked it but agree that the later half ruined the momentum and many people got pissed. However majority agree it had a great start and that the world building, suspense during the first few episodes were awesome. It kept viewers at the edge of the seat and the transformation between the two worlds was seamlessly done without leaving viewers scratching their head. In W I can digest that line in epi 2 “She is the key to my life” because they gave proper background to it. I don’t remember cringing at that point. Whereas here I rolled my eyes,cringed hard at “I will take you as my queen”.I was able to sympathise with the protagonist’s character in W but not in this case cause the writer developed it so badly .The audience needs to be connected and here something feels like missing which can’t be exactly put into words.W may have gone haywire in the later part but in this case King started with a lackluster opening and don’t seem to have much of a progression.After 6 episodes I wonder how many unnecessary fillers they gave so far.
Chemistry is subjective to people and I can’t help but compare .For me W had quite good chemistry but here even when the king swept the girl off her feet up on a white horse,took her to a different world ,I couldn’t feel anything. The writer should have atleast tried to show the reason why they fell in love.Infatuation cannot be categorised into love.She just can’t convince us with the way she wants.
Thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying. LMH can’t act and I’m tired of his pretentious rich guy caveman roles. Just knock the girl in the head with a club and drag her to your cave. I don’t see anything leading up to a romance with Kim Go Eun in TKEM. But he kissed her. He force kissed her while she stared at the wall with her eyes wide open like a dead fish. What kind of chemistry is that? What kind of romance is that?
Tmroyal u being a woman using fangirl as an insult is extremely sexist . Fangirls makeup more revenue than anyone in world for any actor or idol group etc.it is quite insulting shaming women!
Well if people can bash male lead alm the time then why cant other have opinion on other young actor? ,that site hated him. U can go checkout when news came out.
Koalas not only criticisr she openly bash. And isnt ir public space? Noone is hating her or anything. They r replying to her if they dont agree
@roual dont reply* but not shame women for liking an actor. It is sexism
I literally said “I normally DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM with fangirl comments”. I don’t see any men on this site, everyone commenting has either a female name or stated they are a woman. It’s a reasonable assumption when all known fans are female, to use the term ‘fangirl’. Where is the insult or ‘sexism’ in that?
No one is shaming anyone for liking an actor, I’m shaming those who behave badly online, call others names etc. in the name of defending some celebrity against even mild criticism of their professional skills or performance (something I have often seen idol fans – sex not specified – doing on this site). Claiming ‘sexism’ isn’t a defence to justify immature behaviour.
Oh pls royal we all know how fangirls words is used. No need to sugarcoat it.
Name calling is done when they name call the actor in question and put blame on the actor for failing script. Actor job is to bring jnitials but if director is failing to deliver what actors could do
And third criticism is done. I Understand! But there is fair line between criticism and bashing. And if author post negative blog, her views can be contradicted.
royal we, don’t even bother trying to explaining to people who have no ears. Some people do not understand reality from fantasy. This show get hit from all sides for lacking something but all they do is act defensive and loves to talk about trending this, trending that. It trending in the moon, it’s trending under the water. They make up a bunch of fake things to accuse people of. Just ignore and move on. Sensible people don’t mix well with those who are insensible.
Girl it is numbee one netflic korea with millions of users as well as asia. Number one korean viggest streaming aite. So get ur facts. Only fake here is u. Anti lmh
Rained btch u r sensible? U really thibk tok much of urself.
And there is no fake thing. Go n check rankings stone age boomer
Atleast the “stone age boomer” doesn’t write like a 6 year old child. Where are your parents at Ady? They really should be keeping a better eyes on you and teaching you better. It’s so adorable how you think you can intrude on the adults conversations with your rabid nonsense writings.
Fck off 2 cent whre. I m an adult and i dont need my parents preach8ng me.
They dony own me to order me around
Feeling intimidated by by strong opinions from a women? U must lile doormats
I don’t feel intimidated by children who think name calling is insulting lol. All you do is make yourself look stupid ? but keep trying to upset me by calling me names sweetie, it gives me a good laugh when you do ? lol
Also, no adult writes like you so stop pretending you are one.
Lol someone’s mad ???
Rofl only mad here is u 2 cent whre and yes u got intimidated. As much as u want ti deny! Boomer
And i write fast from fonr and i like to misspell bcoz i dont take suh topics seriously unlike u disgusting creepy cretaure. Move on. U cant stop me old cnt
Koala has taste for preferring Suzy and LSG over LMH and KGE, who have no chemistry and mediocre acting despite being purely actors from the beginning lol. The fact that Vagabond had one of the worst writing to date yet has similar ratings to TKEM despite being less expensive, less hyped, and no supposed “actor of his generation” hallyu king + superstar writer is so funny to me considering his fans called Vagabond a flop lol.
Koalas proved she has no taste when she stans woozie
Star power is initial which lmh gave with double digit opening. Lsg could bring single rating and ur fave has no role in even that. N ur fave drama was promoted for year with massive budget as well and rumor of kjh cameos. Drama was unprofitable with sequen cancellation. Whereas king made 30% prpfit preairing thnx to lmh
And pls gy hb sjk arthdal remember, ksh all have given disastwrs. Dont ecen go there
Lmh will keep getting big roles . Whereas ur fave is showpiece these days
As it is her blog I think she has the liberty to be biased and praise the dramas that she likes which may not be liked by the masses or otherwise. Come on it is her taste/preference. What can we do about it??She is not a critic to scrutinize from a neutral point and it is not right to expect that. And it’s not like she bashes every drama ..She indeed writes some good stuffs ,shares her thoughts if a drama strikes a chord with her.
It only hits you if your bias is criticised whereas if Koala roasts some other popularly hated dramas then the same people takes part in it.
And who is asking her not to post? Noone is saging she is hyporcite or something.
But we can have disagreements. If her words r harsh for project in question, reolies can be little harsh too. That is what public blogs r up for
I think S.Korea’s economical relationship with China is pretty important to the both of them? At least important enough to not risk offending China. Also Japan’s foreign relationships with Asian countries is PRETTY complicated as well o.O.
@adyjunjihyun
If there is one delusional fan spewing hatred and throwing constant tantrums here because people didnt share your love of LMH and the show, it’s you.
The show is ugly, bad, mediocre, boring, irritating, annoying, cheaply made. LMH is like wooden ornament when he acts here. KGE is overacting. KKN is the saving grace at least over the first 6 episodes. He’s the only one that draws a pleasant feeling when on screen. All of these opinions are shared by many readers here. I get that your love for LMH is amazing, salute to you on that. But my opinion matters to me, like they matter to those that have demonstrated theirs here. You dont like it? SO WHAT? Want to change your mind and our opinion? You can try. You want us to stop? No. Does your opinion matter to me? Absolutely not.
Read between the lines if isn’t already clear. If you hate this blog because it doesnt agree with you, nobody is ever forcing you to even read her posts. Nobody. It is free country. Rights goes both ways. But to wish for her to make this a private one? Yah right. Who do you think you are. We dont do dictatorship at this time and age.
Mindy big essay. Now i m going to sleep so this is my reoly till tomorrow if u write ur bs again. I do what i feel like u do what u wabt did i stop u? I m not someone who take bs in real as well as onlinr.
Thats ur opinion. I found it bad in first week especially third episode but this week it picked up for me and rise kn 6th episode shows audience has found that epi good. Did i say my opjnion matter to you? Theb y u post it here if u dont like opposite opinion? For me that guy is most boring and thankfulky this week had less screen time because he ruined last week episodes for me. Did i ask u to share my love for lmh? Nope but if u post on public platforn people can argue with u. Deal with it
You r rrally dum airhead. Looks like woozie airhead syndrome. I never said her to make it private. If she is public then all will not sugarcoat their words if she is harsh herself. So dont preach me mandy
Rating in South korea may not give them justice.
But for Vagabond, it’s aired in netflix and 1 of the most successful show airing there. Always trended in twitter so thus the king.
By calling Vagabond stupid while the international receipt going crazy, don’t you think ignorant?
Just passing by, so much comments ! Even if i like Lee min Ho, the show didn’t appeal to me so i dropped . I’m sad because i wanted to like it but i couldn’t . Time is precious to bother to watch something that i don’t like. If some people enjoy it, i’m happy for them .
I have also dropped it. Really wanted to like it but it’s just so so boring. Time would be better spent re-watching old favorites than this bland snooze fest.
Hi everyone, I know it’s totally unreliable but after getting tired of the currently airing Kdramas I decided to give Taiwanese drama someday or one day a trial but I didn’t like the first two episodes, should I continue?. I seriously don’t want to waste my time.
Maybe give episode 3 a try, that’s when it really captivated me but after that, it’s prob the best to drop. I really love it, but there’s not a single drama where every single person in the world will love it. It does have high ratings on sites if you care about that stuff.
It’s pretty good. You should watch it.
I’m ignoring all of the stan wars in this post, b/c I ain’t got time for any of the bullshit. We are adults. Let’s act like one.
I kept rolling my eyes so much while I watched episodes of The King: The Eternal Monarch that I have a legit fear of my eyes accidentally rolling to the back of my head. I couldn’t stand the main leads at all. Is it bad writing? or bad portrayal? I don’t know and I just don’t care at all. There’s no chemistry whatsoever. Don’t care about them as characters nor do I care about their illogical and superficial romance.
It was the same for me. So much eye rolling. The chemistry between the leads is really at negative….And that hand-holding scene in the plane, in front of the staff, was so cringy, I actually had to look away from the screen…..I tried hard to follow the show and give it a chance, and things looked better from end Ep 4 to some of Ep 5. But Ep 6, was all over the place again. All that war scene that doesn’t seem to move the storyline forward in any way. I was busy surfing the net and reading stuff while Ep 6 was playing cuz I lost interest in the storyline….. The writer and director really really did badly for this show, and the lack of chemistry and bad romance storyline of the leads didn’t help. Acting was also pretty wooden throughout.
Lol ok Im weird but I like ep 5 more than ep 6
I m glad u finally like it. Episode 6 was good considering how grand it was
“I hope he dies soon and is liberated from this mess”. Such an accurate assessment of this drama. I dozed off a few times listening to LMH deliver his lines with the personality of a blank piece of paper. It sounded like emotionless, monotonous dribble. The kiss in episode 5 was stoneage-like…”Me the King, I like you, no matter what you like, you be my queen, I kiss you, force you to kiss me back”, ugh! Kim Go Eun, Kim Kyung Nam, Kim Young Ok, and Baek Hyun Joo are trying to hold this together by acting acting while LMH is cruising by on his height and “good looks”
One of the disadvantages of Vagabond was it got 3 parts per episode…it was experimental for SBS to do that. If they got 1 or 2 parts, they surely got higher average ratings.
Anyway, I enjoyed both dramas…it depends of the viewer’s preference tho.
For someone who hasn’t watched Korean dramas (except Kingdom, but Kingdom is a different animal all things considered) in almost 10 years, I came to this show with below zero expectation, mainly because I know KES is a crappy writer. Never liked any of her shows, never liked her dialogs. I’m here for the cheap thrill and giggles. Given that I don’t have that baggage of expectation and that I’m in serious need of cringy pasttime because the real world is getting into me, I’m quite enjoying the show with all its flaws. I also like the fact that I’m in the minority. Hahaha!
Knowing that the writing and directing are major head scratch, the least of my problems are actually the actors and the soundtrack (again, I’m in the minority, I like that the music is unobtrusive). I also kind of “get” KGE’s brand of rudeness and LMH’s bland and stoic sageness. I guess because I didn’t bother with the clanky, disjointed world building, so I filled the holes myself. One of my favorite scenes in all the episodes so far is that back hug Tae Eul gave her dad and that whole interaction they had afterwards. She giving that emotionally tight hug to her dad shows that strong affection is very much present in her family. But her dad’s response to her means their emotionality isn’t exactly warm and gentle. I mean, they’ve showed it multiple times throughout the show that she’s one tough cookie because she’s into taekwondo. But that moment of emotional vulnerability with her dad was a nice touch.
I’m bored. Hahaha! I’ve said I wouldn’t overthink. But I guess I’m seriously finding reason to love this show because I couldn’t bring myself to watching other things.
A side comment to LMH though. I really hope that he has bigger aspirations towards his career though. I wouldn’t say that he’s an awful actor. I wouldn’t go that far because I truly believe that he can act. I mean, not Song Kang Ho level, but there’s talent in there. However, him coasting through characters like Lee Gon for years now is kind of regressive talent-wise? If he can flex his muscles to something out of character would be a welcome development now that he’s in his 30s. Well, it’s just me. As for KGE, she’ll have easier time to transition to Chungmuro because that’s her natural habitat anyway. Hopefully after this, she concentrates in film for the next foreseeable years.
Anyways…till next week. ?
Numbwr one netfkix korea today as well throughout asia. Netflix korea has millions of users btw
Also number one vod or something which is biggest streamin site on korea. And kings target audiemcr filled with that demographic but delusional haters will deny this fact
I am loving every bit of Lee Min Ho.
Me 2 darling
Why do you blame their chemistry? They do well both visually and emotionally,not physically.Like KGU
Who doesn’t want to show her fellings for the King, event Through the King show how much she like her. Because she thinks she is not in the King’s world… ***Please do not resist their chemistry.We want to watch the drama happily.. ***
As a viewer from turtle island, i am watching it on Netflix.
I find the show is entertaining very much like a hyper ‘soap’ television show. Its channeling Dallas, Falcons crest, dynasty and another world.
Except it’s an asian viewpoint.
It’s quite entertaining and the lead actress is a rising global superstar like Michelle Yeoh.
Plus the king’s ‘unbroken sword’ is an actor being wasted. He is star, definitely. I hope he can gain more global exposure. He’s an interesting character actor.
I watch it with my children. Such an interesting world, look forward to the bad guy and jealous PM.
Kim Go eun, a rising global superstar like Michelle Yeoh. yes, i agree 100. in the the Republic of Corean. what a delusion!
She is akready a A list actress in movoe land as well as drmaa. Unlike ur 1% rated acrress. She is respected by movie ditectors lmao. Get a grip
A lister? Really? Since when? since she partnered with Lee min No. No.No.
is she now in the same category as Song hye kyo, Jun ji hyun, Son Ye jin, Kim tae hae? really? lols. vlap vlap clap
ok ok. i get it. She is an A lister in the parallel world. Clap clap clap
the Female Lead in this drama is unpleasant to watch, annoying and overacting.
She is an overrated and hyped actress. and yet others are sayong that shes the best in ger generation.
Hope shes not the FL in the king eternal monarch. Cant bear to look at her and watch her. Ugh…….Ugh…i need an anti emetic….
I dropped bcuz of the FL. her acting is unbearable . first i thought i can turn a blind eye to her with LMH on screen. i thought his visuals and presence will cover her miserable acting but she is so beyond endurance to me that even LMH couldnt cover it.. she cant deliver any chemistry. KES really needs to stop casting her and SERIOUSLY needs to stop writting stories like this. so boring and repetitious. its 2020. audience cant be fooled anymore. this year had such amazing dramas already that this drama doesnt stand a chance among them.the story is bad but if there was a suitable FL to give a hand to LMH to make chemistry it couldve done much better.there were poor cheap stories with sweet couple that draw people attention before.
this drama is lacking two key factors:CHEMISTRY&GOOD STORY
im so disappointed LMHs comeback drama turned out to this cheesy story. what a waste of potential,energy,time and money.
i hope he takes a different role on another drama. not a rich guy or chaebul. maybe a doctor/detective/artist i dunno.
i wish him luck and i hope i never ever see him on trash drama like this with cringeworthy actresses.
Who wrote this? Probably eating your own words by now, it was later explained in the story that tae eul and lee gon have crossed paths several times in the past. Thus, explains why that hug scene in the last part of episode 6 happened.