Interesting drama that you can easily watch, one episode after another, within a week, completely addicted by the action. Watch if 1) You like strong female leads, 2) You're looking for a new cute actor to obsess about, 3) You want to watch a fictional account of North-South Korean relations. Don't watch if 1) You can't stand when the male lead is a jerk with the female lead for half of the show, 2) You have low tolerance for nice people suffering and/or dying, 3) You don't like surreal, cartoony characters.
THE STORY
Let me start by saying that I like shows that allow us to have a look at North Korea, even if that look might be completely misleading. Also, let me say that although there might be no truth in it, I like the positive, promising outlook that this show offers of the relationship between North and South Korea, something a lot nicer than the neverending relationship strain that is constantly being reflected in other shows and the media. That being said, there's more to this drama to make it quite good: a strong female lead, a maturing male lead, a very adorable second couple (almost better than the main couple), some thrilling action scenes and an interesting love story. The male lead is a jerk for about half the show, but since he redeems himself, that's okay. The bad guy is a complete nutcase that has no life or purpose other than being a bad guy, but since you're quite happy with where that leads him, that's also kind of okay. Some sad incidents happen over the course of the story that make you wonder if they were really necessary...and that's the main thing that irked me. That, and the excessive aegyo of the female lead in some scenes, but that's another story.
THE ACTING
I was very impressed by the secondary actors in this drama. Jo Jung Suk was fabulous and won a free, one-way ticket into my Top-actors list. Lee Joon Yi was also very good in her role, and especially in portraying the emotions that someone undergo in her character's situation. I also have to say, for once, there was a non-Korean actress actually acting well, Samantha Daniel. Perfect rendition of a psychopath. Although I love Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won, their performances seemed less impressive simply because their roles were not much different from others they had played, but they had great chemistry.
THE MUSIC
Taeyeon, baby! Her song, Missing you like crazy, was absolutely amazing for the show, and instantly found its way to my mp3 and my list of best drama OSTs. Instrumental tracks were also quite good, particularly one called Hang Ah's dream.
REWATCH VALUE
Rewatched. Twice.
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I was expecting it to be more of a romance than it was, though, to be honest. It is really more City Hunter/Iris-ish than, perhaps, Spy Myung Wol, or other romances masquerading under a serious premise.
I give the story a 10 simply because it is SO good. The pacing of the story is good, save a slow last few episodes, and the romance is believable. It also has motives behind everything people do, for the most part. Quite a thrilling story line that goes well above what you think it will.
I have to give the casting and acting a 9. The KOREAN actors were wonderful, and reminded me of the reason I started watching the drama in the first place- Ha Ji Won and Lee Seung Ki. And then I saw another actor I recognized from What's Up, and knew it was going to be great. But, as most dramas do, it had TERRIBLE white actors. Seriously, I don't know where they find their white people. They speak English, but it doesn't sound natural at all.
The music was good. I don't have much to say about it. It never failed to fit the mood of the drama, and didn't suck, but it wasn't particularly memorable, so a 9.
Rewatch value is a 9. I'm probably going to watch it again, but not any time TOO soon.
I just have to give this drama a special mention because of the AMAZING lead couple. I know both of these stars from elsewhere, as you should too, but their romance in this is so convincing and deep that it has convinced me that they should just get married ASAP. Great chemistry.
All in all, I recommend this highly :D
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And can I just mention fake-America has me in stitches because I know that real-America would do similar stuff and I'm not offended?
I was rooting for Shi Kyung and Jae Shin the whole time, too... still am. I haven't cried that much because of a drama since the finale of City Hunter (you know what I mean), and it takes an awful lot to make me cry. Shi Kyung is such an adorable dork and he doesn't even know it.
I would definitely recommend this drama to someone who is in to the heart-stopping moments, hanging on to the edge of your seat with every cliffhanger, and just general badass Ha Ji Won (seriously, that carousel though...).
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The cast was amazing every single actor/actress was so good on their role I really believed them. Kim Han Ah & Lee Jae Ha really made me root for them & their love. I felt every emotion, kiss, sadness & triumph they experienced. I am so glad I got to see their story. I cannot forget to mention Princess Lee Jae Sin & Eun Si Kyung. Their story was a great addition to the drama. Their love was touching, funny, tender & sad.
Music was incredible. I want to get the soundtrack. The clothes, scenery & sets were so well done I really believed they were real.
I will re-watch this drama many times. It was just that marvelous!
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Positive:
-Since I don't like dramas where every action lasts for some hours I'm very pleased with King2Hearts. Occurances and actions were held in a acceptable time and you could watch the drama without getting tired.
-The acting of the cast was absolutely great. Sometimes I did not like decisions which the characters made however the cast acted so well that I sometimes really forgot that they are just acting^^
-I really really liked the costumes and the props. Such things like the uniforms of the officers or of the royalty made the drama believeable and it also went well with the modern props
-The background music is absolutely amazing. The music supports to deliver the feelings of the persons even more and I had to cry and to laugh more than just a few times
Negative:
-For me it was quite difficult to distinguish between "an actor acting" and "an actors acts that his character acts" especially with Hang Ah (if you don't understand what I mean with this point please don't mind it)
Other:
- If you cry easily...get a pack of tissues ready because you are going to bawl your eyes out with all the crying
- The rewatch value is really high because I just re-watched it in 2015 and I really think this drama is still as good as the first time when you watch it again :D
- Overall: I think this drama is a MUSTWATCH!!!! Many may say that this is not true but I think it's not the same as many many others so its important to see something new^^
Also this is the perfect choice if you ever wanted to see an epic love story in a Kdrama because it's all about that, action scenes and drama.
(That's my first review so don't be too hard on me, please -_-)
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I had no intentions to start this drama. The main reason was its name. “King 2 Hearts” sounds like a cheap romantic melodrama and doesn’t give justice to the drama. I don’t know why they change it because I’m sure there are many people who didn’t watch it for the same reason. And they are missing a really good show.
The drama is asking a really good question: can two countries who grow up so different from each other and became sword enemies over those 50 years can work together again ? The relationship between the two main characters kind of symbolize the connect between the North and the South. They are different but, with time, they slowly develop a good relationship and fight to keep for their love. What King 2 Hearts is telling us that beyond all those political issues, there are people. It’s a bit idealist and far from being perfect but I really like this idea.
King 2 hearts also has the greatest antagonist I’ve seen in a Korean drama: John Mayer which gave me goosebumps from time to time. That character was really well written and played. But in the other hand, the love relationship between Hang Ah and Jae Ha was kind of annoying at the end. Too much drama kill the drama. I had more fun watching the relationship between the second characters than the main loveline.
Another plus, the use of foreigners. It looks like they casted real actors and did'nt pick some random tourists on the street. This time, the acting is not awkward and they actually can act. If you watched Rooftop Prince, you know what I mean. Right ?
Like I said in the beginning, I really like Lee Seung Ki in his role. In the other hand, Hang Ah lost my interest. I liked the fierce and strong north korean woman. As the episodes passed, she became weak and uninteresting.
I have hundred things to say about King 2 Hearts but my limited english stops me. I can say that I laughed a lot, cried a lot and enjoy every episodes of that drama.
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This drama has the perfect charachters and the most perfect actors/actress' that you can't see in any other dramas!
Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won really did a great job in King2Hearts! They take their roles to the fullest, and you can't stop, to be more impressed from each episode you watch!
King2Hearts has a plot, that really cached me. In the first episode I was like, "This drama is really wierd" but that was because of the main villian (Yoon Je-Moon - Kim Bongo), that i actually came to love really fast (not him in person, but how he acted his role, as Kim Bongo, the villian that really impressed me, and I found really amazing).
The plot is stunning, outstanding, perfect, amazing and really though through! You have to think back sometimes, of things happend before, because it keeps on giving hints.
I just have to say, that King2Hearts is my favorite drama!! It has everything!
I couldn't stop watching it, it kept me awaken all night, because I had to watch the next episode!
And I have already watched it almost 3 times...
So you really have to watch King2Hearts, if you wanna watch a perfect drama, 'couse you can't stop with keeping on watching the next episode!
TOTALY THE BEST DRAMA!!!
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First off, this is a political drama where there is romance, but does not only consist of love. This drama consists of the main character, a spoiled prince leaving his immaturity behind and becoming the new king. When he joined the WOC, he wasn’t interested in ruling or being in charge of anything. Once his brother passed away, he had to face reality and take over. It’s a political action thriller type of drama. The main two characters, played by Hai Ji Won and Lee Seung Ki, had AMAZING chemistry. Hai Ji Won played a badass character. Now that is a femme fatale. All the suffering they went through paid off in the end. And what a risky move to make a drama with the making allegiance of North and South Korea. Bravo to the writers.
The second couple, reason I bawled my ass off, the princess and the soldier, played by Lee Yoon Ji and Jo Jung Suk. My emotions…seriously, those two were perfect. Ying and Yang; they balanced each other perfectly and both actors had AMAZING chemistry too. But they had to kill him. WTF! It was a complete flashback of prosecutor Kim from City Hunter. And then they had to wound my fragile heart twice, not once but twice in episode 19 with the recording of his farewell and again in the last episode with his “ghost/” “daydream” appearance. I wish both actors make another drama together as the main leads, seriously make it up to us fans.
Like I said, what an emotional drama. The first king, great character that at least died peacefully with his wife but didn’t deserve death. The english speaking actress, Bon Bon—great job! Her crazy persona was played very well. The other soliders were hilarious. The villain played by Joon Je Moon—best psycho villain! I hated his character, and I wish he would have died but that would have been to easy. I’m glad his character would rot in prison. I applaud his acting, bravo!
Anyways, I HIGHLY recommend this drama. If you like City Hunter and The Sun that Embraces the Moon, you’ll love this one. It’s about solving political corruption with a great ending (not taking into detail of Eun Si Kyung dying). It had a great mix of diversity, something rare I’ve seen, action, psychological thriller, romance, craziness, and much more. A great cast nonetheless that exceeded my expectations in their acting. If you don’t like these genres, don’t watch it. I like to watch all the drama on Viki due to the commentaries, but many complained about how “boring” it was. GTFO if you’re not into thinking that result in cunning scenes. Moreover, I will anticipating the following dramas by the actors in this one. Great drama, I applaud again the writers and the actors!
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This drama has it all. It has romance, comedy, psychological and physical terror, politics, family, and action to name just a few. The strength of the characters in this drama is what holds this story together. The writers did a fantastic job of keeping the characters consistent. There is not one time that the action and conversations are out of character. The story was well thought out. The writers may have worked from the end backwards, because it was carefully planned.
The range of emotions that one goes through watching this drama is what makes it excellent and that is a tribute to the actors. The main cast of Ha Ji Won, Lee Seung Ki, Lee Yoon Ji, and Jo Jung Suk is epic. I don’t think anyone will ever find a cast that will be able to compete with this one. The actors are right on the money and made me invested in the individuals they play and the story. The actors that played all the side characters were magnificent. I have never disliked a villain as much as Kim Bong Goo and I think that is because Yoon Je Moon plays him so well. He should get some kind of an award for playing the best criminal in a drama. I would also like to give a shout out to Lee Do Kyeong (Hang Ah’s father) and Yoon Yeo Jeong (Jae Ha’s mother). If it weren’t for them, then the whole story would be different.
There will probably be some people that dislike this drama because of one incident. Even though it was an emotional event, I believe it made this drama even better. The acting that was involved in that event sent this drama over the top.
The music in this drama is good too; especially the scenes where the Jae Sin and Si Kyung sing.
I really do believe that this may be one of the best dramas that I have ever seen. I would rewatch it in a heartbeat.
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I actually can't believe I am now writing a review for the whole drama, this whole time this drama has seemed so real and so close to me, that 'closing the book' is like saying goodbye to a whole world full of very close friends.
The plot of this drama has so many dimensions, which are continuous and meaningful, that I can write separate reviews for every one of them: JaeHa and HangAh's romance, North and South, JaeShin and ShiKyung, BongGu and the power, JaeHa becoming the King, the theory of ShiKyung (the research question being, whether such a person can exist in the world, maybe I should write a thesis on this)...^^
While I definitely view this drama as a romance, I think the main scene here is grabbed by JaeHa's becoming the King we see him in the last episode, from his very first steps as a worthless player (whoever thought of him that way...tsk-tsk-tsk) to a magnificently shining, war stopping King of South and North Koreas.
The drama provides such a rich character development plot it kept me breathless most of the time... The changes through which JaeHa went through with the help of JaeKang, then HangAh, then ShiKyung... aren't they brilliantly thought of?
In my opinion the love story described in this drama is the most beautiful and breath-taking love story...ever, even being not the center story of the drama, the love line didn't fail in JaeHa's every next step, in every HangAh's heroic act... being together or separated, they were perfect and strong...they both took my breath away, and I am hopelessly in love with this couple!
I don't think I possess the right words to describe the acting in this drama, now typing... it seems shallow.
Every character in the drama became a part of me during this weeks, every one of them (except for the foreign 'actors' who just...whatever) made my heart skip a beat, hit the air with fists, jump up and down.
Ha JiWon is one of my favourite actresses, and I was sure in her when I started watching this, she did not disappoint me for a second! Her HangAh had so many layers, so deep, so lovable, so heroic, so strong, she is definitely one of my favourite female characters.
Lee SeungGi... brilliant as a brat, brilliant as a King, brilliant as a lover who want to protect his loved one (suddenly I am seeing the part when he was holding HangAh in China, like she was the last piece of air in his lungs...). I think he has improved very much in his acting, and JaeHa was perfect, he become the King people will believe in, he brought the drama to the(almost) perfect ending...
Jo JungSuk... I think ShiKyung was the most difficult character to portray in the drama. As he was always being called 'boring and not having sense of humor', depending on the actor I think, ShiKyung could definitely be a boring one, maybe an honest and loyal, yes, but not the ShiKyung everybody fell in love with. Jo JungSuk made him perfect. This character will remain in my heart forever, he is one of the main reasons JaeHa made it to the end and the way he made it to the end!
I can't help but mention Yoon JeMoon as Kim BongGu, as he never failed to freak and creep me out with his character. BRAVO!
The cinematography and the music of the drama deserve the BEST award of all awards.
The symbolic value of the scenes played out by the light and shadows and the gorgeous music pieces never failed to put me deep into the world of the drama, I never doubted the reality of the event, I think I never will...
Long live the King and the Queen!
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The other members of the WOC add drama and comedic relief to a show that can be really tense. For this only being Jo Jung Suk's second drama, I was shocked by how incredible he was, and that he wasn't snatched up for dramas a long time ago. As for the villain, Bong Goo is far from terror-inspiring, and tends to drag the show down a little bit because he is never really given a clear motive for why he wants to bring the royal family down, or why he hates Lee Jae Ha so much to want to completely destroy any bit of happiness he has ever had. Or why he is so obsessed with really stupid magic tricks! That being said, he eventually does seem to pick up a bit of rhythym that makes him a worthy adversary for Jae Ha.
Also fascinating, the relations between the North and South. I can't claim a wealth of knowledge about the North, so I don't know how accurate any of their depictions are, but it definitely was an interesting look into the tense relations in the country, and how easily a war can be sparked. All in all, if you enjoy a big dose of drama, kidnappings, murder and attempted murder along with your romance, then King2Hearts is the drama for you! Just be prepared! It will make you cry like a little baby at times :p
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Acting/Cast: The cast was great, they portrayed their characters to the T. The only reason I gave it an 8 is probably because Ha Ji Won's accent takes some getting used to. It seems really fake in the beginning, well for me it did, probably because I haven't heard one like it before, and also, it took me a while to understand her character. She was a bit...annoying (for lack of a better word) in the beginning, but she really warms up to you. And as for the princess, I forget who portrays her, every single time that woman cried, I had to mute the thing, it was hard on my ears, but that may just be me.
Music: Good. I have heard better, and at times it was a bit too dramatic for the scene, however, it served its purpose well.
Rewatch Value: I don't typically rewatch drams, hence the low rating, however, this is probably one that I'll rewatch later on in the next few years if I have time.
Overall: This drama was pretty fantastic. As far as I've seen, there's nothing like it. It has a pretty original plot, the characters develop fluidly. There are funny moments, gut wrenching moments and moments where you want to strangle the bad guy through your screen. Its definitely worth the watch.
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