888AthenaBlack888
Somewhere between hopeless and romantic ~
Applaud the intention, not the execution.
On the day the release date of this drama was announced, I marked it in my calendar and remained giddy until the first episode aired. I’ve watched many dramas of both the leads before and absolutely adored them in their roles, so I was incredibly excited that for their combined project, Royal Secret Inspector and Joy. Perhaps it’s because of the massive hype I had built up in my head, but so far, this drama has been a considerable let down for me.
There are a lot of role-reversals in this drama, gender-wise, and I appreciate the intention of bringing to light the way women are treated after they receive a divorce (even now, unfortunately) and other issues. I also really liked a lot of the FL’s dialogues during such parts , as well as the relationship between the main lead and the crown prince and the dynamics of the apparent antagonist with his father and brother. However, everything else…not so much.
The plot is simple enough, but there are a few random elements mixed in which throws me off-guard. The visual cinematography didn’t impress me and neither did the pacing. I found myself skipping parts way too frequently. Majority of the time, the humour here felt immensely forced and the banter did not feel as natural as it should. A lot of the side-characters’ “quirkiness” felt more annoying than charming.
The ML is supposed to love cooking but honestly, it isn’t exhibited in as exceptional of a manner as say, in Mr Queen, where one can tell that they love the art of cooking and everything that accompanies it.
I know that Ok Taec Yeon is a brilliant actor. I’m still in awe of his performance in Vincenzo and I also know he has great comedic timing and chemistry, like in Let’s Fight Ghost. Similarly, I was blown away by the spectacular acting of Kim Hye Yoon in both Sky Castle and Extra-Ordinary You. But as I watched this, I was mildly disappointed. It’s definitely not their best performances, in my opinion, but it’s not entirely bad; just disappointing, especially since I know they can do much, much better.
I’ll probably give this drama a few more episodes to see if it gets better. If not, I’ll most likely drop it.
There are a lot of role-reversals in this drama, gender-wise, and I appreciate the intention of bringing to light the way women are treated after they receive a divorce (even now, unfortunately) and other issues. I also really liked a lot of the FL’s dialogues during such parts , as well as the relationship between the main lead and the crown prince and the dynamics of the apparent antagonist with his father and brother. However, everything else…not so much.
The plot is simple enough, but there are a few random elements mixed in which throws me off-guard. The visual cinematography didn’t impress me and neither did the pacing. I found myself skipping parts way too frequently. Majority of the time, the humour here felt immensely forced and the banter did not feel as natural as it should. A lot of the side-characters’ “quirkiness” felt more annoying than charming.
The ML is supposed to love cooking but honestly, it isn’t exhibited in as exceptional of a manner as say, in Mr Queen, where one can tell that they love the art of cooking and everything that accompanies it.
I know that Ok Taec Yeon is a brilliant actor. I’m still in awe of his performance in Vincenzo and I also know he has great comedic timing and chemistry, like in Let’s Fight Ghost. Similarly, I was blown away by the spectacular acting of Kim Hye Yoon in both Sky Castle and Extra-Ordinary You. But as I watched this, I was mildly disappointed. It’s definitely not their best performances, in my opinion, but it’s not entirely bad; just disappointing, especially since I know they can do much, much better.
I’ll probably give this drama a few more episodes to see if it gets better. If not, I’ll most likely drop it.
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