BE WARNED THAT THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS
SYNOPSIS: The story revolves around Kim Boong Do, a scholar from the Joseon Dynasty who is working to help reinstate Queen In Hyun. Since his job is so dangerous, Yoon Wol a gisaeng gives him a talisman that she says will protect him. Later Kim Boong Do finds himself fighting for his life when an assassin aims his sword at Kim Boong Do's heart. Just as the sword is about to pierce his heart Kim Boong Do suddenly disappears and is transported to present time South Korea. There he meets a struggling actress Choi Hee Jin. As Kim Boong Do learns more about the future from Hee Jin, he starts to look at the records in at a library to learn about how things will play out in the past. Using the talisman Kim Boong Do jumps back and forth through time. Both to help the Queen reclaim her title in the past and to see Hee Jin who he has begin to fall in love with.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
Ji Hyun Woo as Kim Boong Do [He is a smart scholar and one with a great sense of justice. He is able to stay calm when presented with a problem and able to adapt quickly when in the future.]
Yoon In Na as Choi Hee Jin [She is a lovable yet sometimes foolish women who tends to give her heart too easily to others. Though she goofs around a lot in life, she is serious about her acting.]
Kim Jin Woo as Han Dong Min [He is an actor and ex-boyfriend of Hee Jin, whom he cheated on and then left. The two end up working together on a new TV show and Dong Min decides he wants to give it another try with Hee Jin. He is often childish and full of himself, however there are times when he does show genuine care for Hee Jin and wants to help her with her career.]
SUPPORTING CAST:
Ga Deuk Hi as Jo Soo Kyung [She is Hee Jin's roommate and manager. She is often the voice of reason for Hee Jin and constantly threatens to quite because of how random Hee Jin tends to act and her sometimes lack of care for her career. She is very cautious of Kim Boong Do because she does not want Hee Jin to suffer another heartbreak.]
Jin Ye Sol as Yoon Wol [Is a gisaeng (Gisaengs are performers and sometimes prostitutes) who holds a deep affection for Kim Boong Do. She has been with his household since she was little and cares greatly for him though she knows they could never be together due to their difference in status.]
ACTING: I have to say this is probably the most well rounded acting from a whole cast I have ever seen. From the extras, to the minor characters, to the main characters I was really blown away. The villains are really so conniving and evil, King Sukjong just seems so hot headed and really makes you worry about his rash decisions. Ga Deuk Hi did a great good as Hee Jin's manager. A lot of people were saying she was mean or annoying however I never once though that about her. Anything and everything she did was in the best interest of Hee Jin. As for the the main characters, Yoo In Na's acting was really great, she made the character feel like a real person. Her cute bubblyness made her endearing and the scenes where she cried I swear I shed a tear as well because you could really feel her characters sense of lose. Ji Hyun Woo's acting at first wasn't really anything impressive to me, because he was playing a character that I had seen many times before. Which is the noblemen from the Joseon period with a sense of justice and pride. However it was his interaction with Yoo In Na's character that really made him shine. To see him act oblivious and curious about things around him in the future. To see his character pick up phrases and actions like a smirk were just great. I would have to say that my favor performance of his was the last episode. There were just so many emotions for his character and he displayed them so well. Lastly there is my favorite character from the show and that is Han Dong Min who was played by Kim Jin Woo. Wow was all I could say when I first saw his character. It was refreshing to see an ex-boyfriend/arrogant actor who had some depth. Though Dong Min's character is a player and cheated on Hee Jin in the past, he really does come across someone who secretly wants to see her succeed and perhaps has seen the error of his ways with how badly he treated her. I love that he is childish and at times in his own little world since he really does seem to believe that the whole world revolves around him.
PLOT OVERVIEW: For the most part I don't really have that many complaints about the plot. When I first finished the show I felt somewhat underwhelmed by the whole thing. However it only took me a few seconds to realize that the reason I felt that way was because the plot was so simple. The writers didn't feel the need to create unnecessary drama for the characters by adding in a long lost relative or beating us over the head with a love triangle. They presented us with the problem of the two main character being in love, however they are from different times. Kim Boong Do also has to deal with the problem of taking care of things in the past and deciding if he can leave it all behind to be with Hee Jin in the future. Also a major and big plus for me, was they were quick to get to the romance. The only big issue I have is with the very first few minutes of the first episode when they showed the two of them meeting. I let it go hoping that they would explain it in future episodes or wrap it up in the end how they never addressed it again and frankly would have been better just leaving it out. Also another small complaint would the way they shot the first couple of episodes. They shot it like an action movie with slow-mo and whatnot and it just didn't seem to fit. They also shot it from really odd angles and had a number of split screen that really did not add to the show. In my opinion the worst thing you can do is remind your viewer that they are watching a show through fancy camera work. The best k-drama's I have ever seen are ones that draw me into their world and make me forget i'm watching a show.
ENDING: The ending I have almost no complaints about except one. What they did with Yoon Wol's character I felt was unnecessary and kind of thrown in there. However I loved the way they solved the final problem and found the ending very satisfying.
SOUNDTRACK: What a lovely soundtrack. I'm a sucker for instrumentals that use old school Korean instruments. Also the singers all had lovely voices and they complemented the storyline.
OST Part 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artists | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "그대가 왔죠" (You've Come) | 정호규, Pabaki, Mr.Sync | 정호규, Pabaki, Mr.Sync | 김소정 (Kim So-jung) | 03:10 | |
| 2. | "지금 만나러 갑니다" (I'm Coming To See You) | 노는 어린이 | 노는 어린이 | 덕환 (Duk Hwan) | 03:18 | |
| 3. | "그대가 왔죠(Inst.)" (You've Come(Inst.)) | 정호규, Pabaki, Mr.Sync | 03:10 | |||
| 4. | "지금 만나러 갑니다(Inst.)" (I'm Coming To See You(Inst.)) | 노는 어린이 | 03:18 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artists | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "꼭 한번" (Just Once) | 영재, 민연재 | 영재, 배기필 | 영재 (Young Jae of 4Men) | 03:35 | |
| 2. | "꼭 한번(Inst.)" (Just Once(Inst.)) | 영재, 배기필 | 03:35 | |||
OST Part
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artists | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "같은 하늘 다른 시간에" (Same Sky, Different Time) | 조현주 | 김도형 | 주희 (Joo Hee of 8Eight) | 03:40 | |
| 2. | "같은 하늘 다른 시간에(Inst.)" (Same Sky, Different Time(Inst.)) | 김도형 | 03:40 |
RATING: Ok as for the rating. On a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst drama I have ever seen and 10 being a show I could watch every day of my life I give it a 9. I simply cannot really come up with a complaint about this show. I love the characters, I really liked the plot, it really is a board-line 10, however it just did not give me that 10 feeling that Secret Garden gave me. However I would like to state that Queen In Hyun's Man has one of the hottest kiss scenes I have ever seen in a k-drama and I believe it also have the first scene in a k-drama (that i've seen) where the characters shot the middle finger and it was freaking hilarious.
EXTRA: Ok I felt like giving my opinion on the whole Rooftop Prince vs Queen In Hyun's Man thing. Honestly I feel like you can't even compare them. Rooftop Prince is a murder mystery with a lot of action and suspense with twist and turns at every corner. Queen In Hyun's Man is a love story, that is complicated by the troubles in Kim Boong Do's past. So which one would I suggest watching, my answer is both. They are both really amazing with great acting, good plot-lines. Though Rooftop Prince had a lot of serious themes and you often worry if things will turn out all right for the main couple. It still has a lot of comedic relief and sweet couple moments, it just takes a while to get to the romance. With Queen In Hyun's Man it really does not take that long for the main couple to realize their feelings for each other and act on them. However I really don't find the plot that suspenseful, honestly the whole show just has this feeling that everything will turn out all right, which there is nothing wrong with, it's just things began to feel expected.
As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.
Thanks for your review! I enjoyed Queen In Hyun's Man more than Rooftop Prince- I have no idea why.
ReplyDeleteHonestly if I had to choose between the two I would pick Queen In Hyun's Man, simply because it got to the romance faster then Rooftop Prince did.
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