Madie
- Acting: the acting was both marvelous and sub par. You have a couple of veterans who, of course, pulled through. At the same time you have characters that didn't really convey what they were supposed to. I'll mention those who stood out:
The crowned prince: by far the best performance in this drama. His facial expressions were on point. He had this royal aura around him combined with confidence and consistency. It was like this role was tailored for him. He only needs to work a little bit on his crying scenes because he looks like he's laughing instead of really crying.
Hong Ra On: the weakest acting came from her unfortunately. She lacked the heart to portray emotions. She was always looking down for no apparent reason. She didn't know how to convey what the character was supposed to be feeling. that's why most of the time her expressions were the same regardless of the situation.
The Queen: Marvelous acting on her part. Her evilness was palpable. I was even a little scared.
The rest were alright.
-Plot: This story needed work in both characterization and plot progression. You have a revolution that was only a revolution in name. Characters that spent their whole lives trying to spark a rise from the people but that plot point was converted into a plot device mid way. Nothing was done with it, It only served to put Ra On on her knees in front of the prince, with a sword on her neck so he could save her. I mean, what was even the point of Ra On's father's appearance? He was brushed aside fairly quickly after his introduction.
Ra On was a reactive character. She did nothing for the entirety of the series other than get captured by whoever and confuse the two love interests. She didn't feel like a main heroin at all. Her chemistry with the prince was questionable as well. At some points, I even felt bad for him because he was giving it all he got but she didn't have the same level of compromise. Also, I didn't understand her decisions. They didn't make one bit of sense.
Another thing to mention is that the politics here didn't make sense. How many times did the two ministers get caught red handed by the royal family and yet they were still there, unpunished?. Minister Kim also did some questionable things like killing a criminal that was being interrogated right before he was going to name the real culprits and yet nothing was done. This was kind of frustrating.
-The cinematography, music and direction were average.
In average, I give this a 6.5/10. It could've been better if the female lead was someone with a more powerful acting.
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Positives:
1- The OST: This drama has one of the most outstanding pieces of music I’ve ever heard. It also helps that the music was properly used, enhancing the tone of each scene incredibly. Enchanting is the word I’d use to describe it.
2- The Cinematography: The camera angles, the filters and the flow between scenes really stood out. The visuals were coherent with the mood of the screenplay.
3- The Supporting Cast: Mr. Choi and Wook Tak carried this drama for me. Interestingly enough, they stood out more than the leads.
Negatives:
1- The Plot: Although the concept was very interesting and you can tell effort was put into it, the story wasn’t articulated properly. It was all over the place. The writing was in desperate need of focus, direction and impact. The flow of the plot was jarring and didn’t connect well at some points. It also didn’t help that the drama became episodic in the middle, with a villain of the week kind of concept.
On the other hand, It felt like we were subjected to more filler than actual meat. The fact that the leads got to know each other as a couple through their dreams and not through actual interactions didn’t really help their relationship.
Sadly, Mr. Choi’s and Wook Tak’s pasts were dismissed too quickly. Proper focus on them was needed but the producers prioritized filler scenes over them. I wanted more.
2- The Leads:
-I’m a huge LJS fan. In fact, I watched this drama because he was in it. It saddens me to say that this was not his best performance. Did he feel…bored?, he clearly wasn’t putting much effort into it. I’ve seen what a great actor he is and this really felt flat. It could really boil down to the director not knowing how to exploit his potential.
On the other hand, it doesn’t help that this is like the millionth time we’ve seen him in the same stereotype of character. He really needs to get out of his comfort zone acting wise.
-Suzy’s acting is simply not my cup of tea. She doesn’t know how to connect with the audience nor with her character. She’s stoic, monotone, distant to the character she's trying to portray, unnatural and emotionally armored.
3- The Chemistry:
This is a character driven story so choosing the correct cast was crucial. The story relies on the romance aspect but the chemistry between Suzy and LJS was nonexistent. Both of them are responsible for that. To explain my point further, after watching so many LJS dramas, I’ve come to realize that his romantic scenes are carried by his counterparts, not by him. His peak in chemistry was with Han Hyo Joo and it was because she was the one openly and naturally expressing herself, and as the receptive one, LJS responded accordingly. With Suzy, they seemed awkward and distant. Neither of them looked interested. At some point, I even thought LJS was not the main romantic interest and Wook Tak was going to get the girl in the end. They both need work in that aspect.
Overall, I think the story has entertainment value but it didn’t come close to previous works such as Pinocchio and I Hear Your Voice.
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