King The Land - 100th review!

100th review!

Ah, I needed this cute, fluffy and predictable drama! Perfect for the summer! Hot male lead is a cherry on top of this cake! 😈💛 In productions where you know in advance that there will be a kiss in the 8th episode, in the 13th there will be an argument but in the 14th I will be back, boredom is very likely. However, this series is so fresh and interesting that nothing like that happened 😇😁

Together with See You In My 19th Life it was my first take on watching drama weekly. I always waited until all episodes or at least 70% of them would be published but this time I decided to "take a risk". It was a very interesting experience and, contrary to my assumptions, I didn't go through 5 days of week nervous about action development. Fortunately, most of the cliff-handers were between Saturday and Sunday, so my heart could take it easy 😅🙉

Who is the King and where is Land?

The King is a conglomerate with hotels, airline and butiques run by wealthy Gu family. Won Gu is the younger of two heir-siblings and after finishing his studies in the UK, he starts working in a hotel as a VVIP manager. Due to his rough upbringing he cannot stand fake smiles so when he meets Cheon Sa Rang whose smile is killing, he despises her immediately.

Cheon Sa Rang is the most devoted and loved person in whole King conglomerate. She makes the world brighter with just her smile. She is thrilled to wotk at the King Hotel, where she has spend the happies days with her mum. As a result of many random events, this couple has to work together more often, which quickly changes their attitude towards each other 😉😉

First things first - the characters:

Because of the multiple clichés, on one hand, actors had to work more than in the dramas with unique scripts to not to be lost in a sea of "wealthy & handsome CEO" productions but on the other hand, everyone expects it to be typical, light-hearted and over the top with acting 😆 Try to find a balance in there 😂 Nevertheless both primary and secondary characters did an excelent work and deliver a fantastic show.

It was my first time seeing Lee Jun Ho and I really liked him 👌 He played Go Won very realistically, but in a few moments I had the feeling that it wasn't enough for him. Something better is written for him. Then (after the episode with the scene in the old palace) I heard about his performance in Red Sleeve and seen some shorts&reels, and I'm sure his career will continue to be brilliant. The chemistry between him and the main character was palpable and they were brilliant to watch together. The actor has a talent for expressing emotions - he is not Shin Hye Sun aka emotion queen, but he is good at it.

Im Yoon Ah (here Cheon Sa Rang) is also a new actress for me to follow 👍 her character was convincing and adequate that made her enjoyable to watch. Sa-Rang is cute and gowing on me episode by episode. Go Won got me in few minutes while with her I needed some time. The interaction between her and Lee Jun-ho is easy and natural and I couldn't take my eyes of them. I liked these two more than Shin Hye Sun & Ahn Bo Hyun from See You In My 19th Life.

Oh Pyung Hwa (portrayed by Go Won Hee) is with Kang Da Eul (played by Kim Ga Eun) best friend of Sa Rang. Pyung Hwa is a flight attendant but because of the prank of her ex-boyfriend, she has a big problems at work and promotion. Girls lived together till Da Eul got married. Now she has a mature 5 yo daughter in a hyper lazy husband but that doean't stop her from going crazy with her besties (pictures below)😎

I have seen Ahn Se Ha (here No Sang Sik) in few dramas and he always plays well. His characters every time have a soul, spine and character. He makes a great supporting roles and I wish he will reach a main role one day. I know that for korean standards it will be hard for him as he is not fitting the insane beauty model but will always wish it for him. Here he had already a big role and I'm hyper happy for that 💛 He is a fantastic actor. (first picture above on the left)

Gu Hwa Ran is Won's older half-sister (played by Kim Sun Young) and at the beginning of the series, she is the director of 3 companies in the King group and rules them with a firm hand, looking only at numbers, not people. That's what her father expected of her, the investors and that's how she's always been taught. The harsh upbringing made her disbelieve in love and family and hates her younger brother 😒 and wants him to dissapear forever.

Nam Gi-Ae plays Go Won mother and I think she always plays bad mothers. I don't think I saw her in a role of a good, smart or at least supportive mother role. The opposite applies to Sa-Rang's grandmother, she is played by Kim Young Ok, i.e. the national Korean grandmother, so she cannot be a different character than a loved and resolute one. I nor like nor dislike Won's father (Son Byung Ho). He is a fairly neutral character for me but plays a navigational role in the series. It's a pity that his love story was cut down because it seemed to be pretty interesting 😓

Placing a link with review to the ranking, I realized that this is already the 100th review on my blog 💙💚💛💜💖 I never thought I could see so many TV shows in just 3 years 🙈🙉🙊 But I love these dramatic suspenses, plot twists, incredible scenarios, handsome casts and emotional roller coasters. Watching them is a great rest after work and a moment of relaxation in the evening when the husband goes to the gym. I'm super happy that such a typical drama like King The Land became my 100th review. CHEERS TO THAT! 🍸🍹And in the fall, there will be another reason to celebrate because then I will reach the 100th fully watched drama!

.... but back to the drama!

In my opinion what was the best in King The Land, together with the chemistry between the leads, was a great portion of realism in emotions. Won and Sa-rang were acting amazingly as a couple being over the heels towards each other - their gazes, wanting to touch, to kiss and seek time to spend together.... so adorable and perfect 😍 I saw one comment saying something that it's a first that in a drama a couple kisses in a high frequency and these are real kisses they want to share. Not forced ones upon them by the producers and the script. I couldn't agree more 💋💏 It gave very much similar vibe as the kisses in a magnificent Hidden Love 💕

The way their feelings developed was very adequate (not too fast not to slow) so watching the first episodes were a great relaxation full of thrilling moments 😇 Then some action came in and the story picked up pace. Gradually, more Gon Won' family secrets came to light and Sa-Rang's friends became more pronaunce. King The Land is a 100% of light-hearted, funny and cute drama with a catchy storyline. Maybe the plot is inflated with numerous clichés but it didn't take away any the charm. It is a CEO featured drama after all 😆 One of favourite!

King The Land has a very accessible and uncomplicated script, but unfortunately the last episodes did not stick to it. Last 2-3 episodes was a grand mess. The editor messed here something up. 14th was jumping from one scene to another, 15th had the most out of any place ending and 16th was a mix of everything imaginable. The ending is not bad, but the way to it is almost through torture 😬 I won't reveal what exactly happens to not to spoil the finale for those that didn't see it yet, but I would take completly different road and approach to last episodes. 

Even though King The Land doesn't have the most ambitious script, the characters are great and have a very nice backdground. After watching the first two episodes, one can easily predict what will happen but it doesn't have much of an impact on being surprised by certain scenes, shocked by certain characters, and in love with the main couple 😍 There were plenty both funny and heart-melting scenes in every episodes that made me glued to the screen every Sunday evening. This weeks I was feeling for watching light productions without too much violence, excessive aggression or other harassments. Just embracing love 💛 This rom-com was a perfect fit!

The combination of a cool story, good actors and 13 out of 16 great episodes gives King The Land a score of strong 6.5/10 points. I was fully enjoying this carefree entertainment taking my mind off the day and any kind of worries. 

Still not convinced? Then have a look at the bellow still and move on to episode 8 immediately... if that won't convince you then I don't know 😻🙈🙉🙊😡😎😈😇