King the Land (2023)

A very retro drama with an identity crisis . . .

I don't mind an old Cinderella trope, as I am a big fan of rescue scenes and protectiveness from heros. This drama, however, sucks out any impact in favor of going light and absurd everytime. Just as there might be a touching moment, or a seething jaw clenching, hands fisting scene . . . it turns out there's no danger at all! The secondary romances are not the most inspiring.

Another reason to watch an old school Chaebol romance is for the clothes, style, cars etc. but we are robbed of that as well. The costumes and set design are all mediocre, and the choice of our main male lead characters suits and shirts can lean into the bizarre. Also the product placement at times was over the top.

I was really disappointed by this, but did keep watching hoping for a last minute dramatic moment, but it's featherlight all the way through. By the end, I was wondering if this was a really bad parody of a drama instead of just a bad drama. Skip!

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Cliche rom-com, but the chemistry is Amazing!

This drama is the exact definition of drama Cliche; a cold, handsome, wealthy boss and a poor, beautiful, loving girl. That sums it all. They fall in love despite bickering with each other from the beginning, but their love blossoms into something profound.

The whole drama is set in various hotels and you see cute and breathtaking sceneries. The story is quite simple but there are mishaps along the way for the leads too. Don't expect to see the logic behind anything that happens, as it is the nature of this drama to be funny and romantic. The leads are just made for each other.

overall, a feel-good drama with cute skinship and chemistry between the leads.

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a series of gender discrimination was mentioned in the series

I missed this series ? I loved it so much, I thought it was just a cliche and nonsense series but no, it was very lovely ?? It was full of good feelings. And finally there is a series that will make you feel good every minute ? and the most interesting thing was the relationship of the main couple of the series, unlike the other couples of Kdrama, the couple of this series have a very healthy and mature relationship, they don't fight or break up over trivial things. They didn't get upset, their relationship surprised me a lot. Also, a series of gender discrimination was mentioned in the series. This is what makes this series special for me. It was great, I enjoyed watching it??❤️

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King the land for Advertising

I don't understand if the story was really good or not .
but there is a lot of advertising for clothes and for the places they travel to...for makeup and for drinks....is the series a romantic story or is it a story to pass advertisements for clothes, watches, drinks and shoes.... and to confirm my words.
Lee Jun Ho in this drama was a men who fall in love but he makes advertisements for clothes, some facial makeup, and other frivolous things. this is too much in every episode
I apologize if no one likes my opinion, but unfortunately this is the reality of this romantic drama.

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Lack of creativity

If you're looking for a genuinely engaging and unique romantic comedy experience, it's best to look elsewhere.
If not, repare for a cringe-worthy journey through the land of overdone tropes and predictable plotlines in the romantic comedy "King the Land".
This show had nothing new to show us. You start watching it and find yourself drowning in a sea of familiar storylines and eye-rolling situations.
ugh.

Rich male lead running after a hardworking (and obviously not rich) female lead? How original! If you're looking for complex characters, this drama is not for you. Our leads are perfect examples of romcom stereotypes.
At first, there was some chemistry... but then I don't know what happened. Their interactions often felt forced, and their emotional connection seems... again, forced and fake. This makes it difficult to invest in their relationship or root for their happy ending.

King the Land serves as a great example of everything that's wrong with the romantic comedy genre. It leans too heavily on clichés. While it might offer a something for those seeking mindless entertainment, it mostly just leaves a bitter aftertaste due to its lack of originality.

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A Mixed Bag of Emotions: "King the Land" Review

Going into "King the Land," I was filled with anticipation, ready to dive into what appeared to be a promising drama. However, as I watched it unfold, my initial excitement gave way to disappointment. The show's plot, while having a sweet premise, left much to be desired. While it eventually wraps up with a cute ending, the journey leading up to it felt uneventful and lacked depth.

One redeeming quality of "King the Land" is the stellar acting by the main leads. Their performances are commendable, displaying chemistry that makes their characters' romance feel genuine. Unfortunately, the characters themselves come across as disappointingly basic and generic. It's a letdown to see such talented actors relegated to roles that don't offer them much depth or development.

Where "King the Land" truly shines is in the second lead couple of Oh Pyung Hwa and Lee Ro Woon. Their love story stands out as the highlight of the show. In fact, their dynamic and chemistry are so compelling that it almost feels like they should have been the main leads of the series. The moments shared by this secondary couple are not only sweet but also filled with a depth that the main storyline sorely lacks.

Overall, "King the Land" left me with mixed feelings. While it had the potential for a captivating plot and boasted some impressive performances, it fell short in its execution. The second lead couple, Oh Pyung Hwa and Lee Ro Woon, added a much-needed spark to the drama, making me wish that their story had been given more prominence. In the end, "King the Land" is a bittersweet experience, where a promising premise and talented actors are let down by a lackluster plot and underdeveloped main characters.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " King The Land " is a romantic comedy with two strong leads.

The drama has a smooth start, with a story that brings back nostalgic feelings for the old Korean romantic comedies that ruled the last decade and even before that. The romance is sweet and the banter between the leads is adorable and entertaining. The friendship was also an enjoyable factor.

However, everything went downhill when the two leads got together, which happened early on. Thus, the drama was left to deal with romantic dates, traveling abroad, and some family drama, which at least kept things interesting here and there but was too predictable to be able to save the drama.

Other than the boring plot, however, the performances kept being strong, and the main couple had chemistry.

So, overall, two and a half out of ten.

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Definition of Chemistry will never be the same

I have not one complaint about this show. I can't even believe I'm saying that.

Look, it's not Dr. Zhivago, Gone with the Wind, or the Godfather. It's a rom-com that hits every point for me. Sometimes you don't want a full, heavy meal. You just want something light to eat and relax. Is the plot thin? Well, KTL is a magazine, not a novel. And magazines have their place too. KTL is light, funny, sexy, romantic and sweet, with two stars that know how to play off each other. It's perfect escapism. And it avoids all the Kdrama tropes: No birth secrets, no secret adoptions, no amnesia, no White Truck of Doom, no relative killing another's family member, etc.

Product placement? In spades. Find me a Kdrama (especially on KBS) that doesn't. But it's beautifully lit, staged, filmed, and the locations are surreal - think how beautiful the Thailand and England scenes were. And Yoona & Junho have re-written the concept of chemistry. We know their history IRL, which makes it even more special. Their scenes are so electric at times it could power Downtown Seoul. For me, nothing will ever come close to them as a couple. They are the new Gold Standard.

There's just enough villain to go around, but, and this is something that the current KBS series could learn from (I'm looking at you, TRHC & AOME writers) the biggest point to me is how well our leads COMMUNICATE. No deep secrets held for long, they talk out their problems, and nothing is held back.

This series is my Happy Place I've run to during the angst of TRHC. I can't even count how many times I've seen the last 2 episodes. It's ENTERTAINMENT, folks. That's all. And it's 10/10 on that aspect for me.

Count me in on those wanting a Season 2. I want to see how these 2 and their supporting cast tackle the challenges ahead (her running Hotel Amor while balancing being his wife, future family life, etc). I think they can come up with one more season of things for all of them to do. Hell, I could watch them playing Monopoly, frankly, and be pleased.

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Fluffy Cute CEO Romance with no plot!!!

ML Gu Won is a heir of a Hotel chain owner and head manager of the Hotel, ofc he has his share of childhood trauma eventually fell for a beautiful staff SaRang (FL).
This is a typical CEO romance, both leads are visual treats. extraordinary screenplay, has beautiful vacation, date nights, nice kisses and amusement park scenes.
If you liked CEO romance like Secretary Kim or Business proposal then it's a must watch for you.

Now if we look into the story, the love between the leads are just perfect but there are many flaws if we look into peripheral things like the ML is achieving things one after another but never showed him actually working. While he is in hotel, either he is busy thinking about SaRang or running after her. He won the political game yet they never showed that he is well connected with other board members. On what basis he is achieving success is not clear.

same goes with the past trauma of ML. His mother just left and comes back years later and things get normal just like that. I mean there should have been more to overcome his trauma but they dint pay much attention to it.

The sister is unnecessarily cruel, however her kid is super cute I enjoyed his interaction with Sarang.

What I enjoyed in this show?
Sarang! She is just like a sunshine spreading happiness with beautiful smile. she is hard working and eventually she realised her dream.
She is strong and her love towards Gu Won is beautifully presented in the show.

The granny of Sarang, ofc she is the best Halemoni of kdrama and here also she just outdid her role.


The makers paid much attention to Sarang's personal growth in the story but kinda ignored (or you can spent less time on) Gu Won's charecter development.

Sarang's friend who's husband is a cheater never get the justification of her situation. she is independent she could have moved on from that toxic family yet they wrapped up her story super fast, this part is pretty annoying!! if the makers can't rectify a toxic story, why bother showing it!!!
the roommate (airhostess)kinda get silver lining so I was happy for her.

however this is supposed to be a fluffy romcom and everyone gets a happy ending, the screenplay is beautiful so we as an audience are expected to be happy at the ending and that all it matters!! But wait does that mean there won't be any original approach!!!

Do i like ceo romance? goddam yes!!
Do I re-watch CEO romance dramas? absolutely yes!
Would I re-watch this one? - ummmm few particular episodes may be!!

P. S - I looooveee the ost though ?

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It's not worth watching

I don't understand the trajectory the script was supposed to take, first the FL wanted to work in the hotel when she grew up but then has a change of heart towards the end of the drama. The romance between the main leads was too rushed and the characters lacked proper character development throughout the drama. The ML's sister could not convince me that she really hated her brother. The story involving the ML's mother isn't fully explored to the viewers satisfaction. I feel in love with the FL's grandmother she was really sweet. The drama was a let down in my opinion, especially due to the fact that it had the best actors in the industry, it's a pity their talents were not fully utilised. It's watchable if you skip a lot of unnecessary scenes. I appreciate the drama for it's depiction of friendship in a positive light.

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clichés are cute but no character development for FL, no-brainer watch

I am an avid romcom watcher and I love my clichés but after seeing this, I don't think it was worth the 16 hours I spent in the span of the 2 months it aired. I came here after seeing their cover of Señorita and their chemistry there was oozing! If only they had a more mature concept cuz they are grown late 20s/early 30s. The build up of the kissing scenes were just meh. It's not explosive and steamy. It's a good watch for children.
The last episodes were hasty. The sister was always fighting over the inheritance with ML and he expressed he didn't care about it but in order to be able to protect someone, he must have power. This seemed like it was just handed to him by his father because from the get-go, the father didn't want the sister to become the president of King Hotel.
Honestly, if they dug deeper in the sister Hwa-ran's story it would be more interesting how she became a "villain." She witnesses her father remarry and have a family with ML and his mom. Only for the ML's mom to disappear into thin air. It would be so cool to know their background and dynamics. If Hwa-ran was just pettily fighting her stepmother.
But no, they focused on Cheon Sa-rang who aside from dating a jerk before Gu-won, pretty much is a really good person. There's nothing to work with because she seems PERFECT. Nothing to nitpick in terms of character development because she seems to have it put together. In the end, she gets her grandmother's savings and starts a hotel of her own in 1 episode.
The OST was cute but once you play it too many times, it gets tiring.
If they did a historical fantasy, I would have dug that. If they did a modern day romance it would be so cool if they did 2 idols dating e/o. I was expecting something like W:Two Worlds were they didn't shy away from skinships as it felt more intense and "age-appropriate" for the actors. They also had to do the fiancee cliche with the girl saying she'll do anything to have Gu-won. I was actually sad she gave up too easily.
In real life, people just don't give up like that with one conversation. Same is true for Hwa-ran.
The actors HAVE talent but the script is so meh. If you want a no-brainer stress free watch go for it.
People compare it to Business Proposal and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? but those 2 executed it better. This one not so much.

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