nishera

What a fun and spicy little C-Drama! Definitely one of the better ones I've seen in recent years. I rate it 9.5 (rounded up to 10) stars.

While the plot starts out like a typical C-Drama, filled with plenty of the usual /unrealistic tropes (bad-boy, chebol heir working undercover at his parent's company, hardworking, staight-laced woman who brings him to heel, love rivals, overbearing parents, corporate crises, etc), that is as far as the "typical" bit goes. There is no drawn out angst, the love and corporate rivals are painted as human rather than evil, and the tit-for-tat exchanges between the ML and FL are evenly balanced, so the power doesn't feel one-sided (and OMG, his pranks...).

In addition, while the age gap is acknowledged as a concern, the FL doesn't spend all her screen time ob-stressing over it as is common in many age-gap romances (though you get the impression that maybe she worries off screen). And since the overall pacing is quite a bit faster than the usual C-Drama, the storytelling is also kept quite a bit lighter. And the little "candid interview" snippets at the end really add a whole new level of entertainment to the larger story!

On top of that, it is solid from a technical standpoint, with beautifully done cinematography, great acting by a gorgeous cast, and a lovely soundtrack which, though a tad repetitious, features some very emotional and memorable ballads.

ROMANCE RATING: * * * 10/10 It's rare to find a C-Romance that doesn't shy away from sexual tension /romantic contact, but this one delivers beautifully. Yes, it takes a while to get rolling, but once it hits (ep 19), you get all your payoff at once! WZY and JC have fantastic chemistry together, which translates as both adorable and hot (depending on the scene), with plenty of prolonged kissing scenes and some very exciting bedroom moments. It was refreshing to see a FL who isn't afraid to initiate or say what she wants (rather than wait for the guy to make all the first moves).

In short, if you are looking for a "fresh" or avant garde sort of film, this one might not do it for you. But if you are a romance junkie, this film is almost sure to tickle your fancy! Highly Recommended!

If your first thought when reading the synopsis is that a story about 3-lifetimes of (mostly) unrequited love sounds tragic, tedious, and mono-chromatic, then you're exactly right. Admittedly the cast and filmography are gorgeous, and each of the FL's incarnations were moderately interesting, but it was hard to care when the main plotline (the love story) just kept repeating. Eventually there is progress and some resolution, but 75% of the story feels like you've already been there, done that. On top of that, although there are several prolonged kiss scenes, it's hard to sense much passion, so that's kind of a let-down too. In short, I'm sure there are plenty of folks this type of story would appeal to - I myself just don't happen to be one of them.

I give this show 8.5 stars (rounded up to 9). While there are plenty of good period K-Dramas out there, this is the first one I've seen which focused so sharply on the misery and precariousness of life suffered by those in the royal family (as well as the general helplessness of life in the caste system). You truly feel the agony /suffocation of an existence forced to revolve around protecting the king, throne and/or preventing any appearance of treason, constantly having to sacrifice one's personal needs and dreams for the "greater good." It's also rare for a film in this genre to take such a psychological approach to its storytelling, or to see a villain who is so vicious and despicable, yet so tragic at the same time. Joo Sang Wook isn't my favorite actor, but he was perfect for this role, and he acted it masterfully.

All in all, despite being (mostly) a love story, don't be fooled: This show is 75% tragedy. However, if you can endure the torment, the great acting and (mostly) happy ending makes it worth watching (and yes, justice does eventually prevail).

ROMANCE RATING: * * * 8/10

YSY and JSY had very good chemistry together and shared 4+ kiss scenes, all of which (IMO) were deep, passionate and emotional (YSY especially comitted himself well). As a "pure love" type film, there was no real sexual tension to speak of, but there was so much else going on, you don't have much time to notice or care.

Recommended!