Immensely enjoyable, this. Nam Ji-hyun and D.O. are well-paired as Hong-shim/I-seo and Won-deuk/Crown Prince Lee Yul. Ji-hyun is so naturally funny, emotional, serious – nails every scene, while D.O. is impressive for a boy band guy. Together, they make a fabulous couple, and we must credit the portrayal as well as the writing of their characters and the well-developed relationship.
Ji-hyun brings realism and pathos into how I-seo relates with all the people in her life – not just Won-deuk but also her adoptive father, her brother Mu-yeon/Seok-ha (played by Kim Jae-young), Jung Jae-yoon (played by Kim Seon-ho), her best friend Keut-neo (played by Lee Min-ji), and all the village people. On top of that, she connects differently with each person. Such a versatile talent!
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| siblings finally reunited |
D.O. plays his part with sufficient sensitivity (such as when he's yearning for I-seo after he has to return to the palace) and his constant “Oho” and “Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable?” are funny!
Kim Seon-ho has star aura although he is not the male lead. Kim Jae-young is perfectly subtle as the subtle, sad guy who operates mostly in the shadows. The minor characters are amusing and I like every single one in the village. Happily, they get promoted and assigned important roles for having helped Won-deuk!
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| matchmaking session 1: disgraceful, you're 28 and unammaried |
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| matchmaking session 2: I'm single so of course I'll participate |
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| the best friends and father a girl all alone could want |
It is just Han So-hee (Crown Princess So-hye) who stands out in the wrong way – she looks the part but she's stiff, exaggerated, and what was that awful wailing scene when she finds out that Mu-yeon is dead??! It was painful to watch it, not because of his death…
The plot has successful spins on various cliches – amnaesia, childhood love/connection, extreme childhood tragedy, the whole community (village) are my friends. These turn out well on the whole. I just wasn’t too keen on the childhood love part. The Crown Prince never wanted to consummate his marriage with the Crown Princess because he couldn’t forget the girl he met when he was young?! Please, lah! Yes, she was quite a character and did inspire him to be serious about his studies but that was when they weren’t even ten! I did like how he revealed his identity: I-seo, it's me, the idiot.
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| the cherry blossoms bring them together again |
My minor complaints:
- I wasn’t always entirely sure of the intentions of the evil minister – does he go to these lengths just so that he can get a foot in the royal family?
- It was odd how the Queen morphed from evil to comical.
Loose ends that I wish were tied:
- rehabilitating I-seo’s father since he was falsely accused of being a traitor and
wrongfully killed
- officially acknowledging that Seok-ha did not kill Won-deuk when he had the opportunity to
- I-seo being accepted by the King and at least some inkling of an impending royal wedding
- Won-deuk giving I-seo the cherry blossom shoes he promised
- an affirmative ending for Ae-wol (such as raising her status), who played an important role in some of the resolution
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| the other pair of shoes |
Oho, enough griping! It is a charming, cheerful and heart-warming show.
16 episodes, tvN
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