Hi all yee K-Whackos! :P missed me?! It's been QUITE a while huh?! well let's make up for lost time!.. while i was busy with.. LIFE... i however did NOT 4get about that land not too far away that we all love and cherish known as the K-drama/pop world. So what have i been in up to lately? well i took the opportunity to watch the new drama by Hyun Bin which has been a BIG hit in S.Korea in the recent past, Secret Garden, & at the same time iv been refreshing my memory of my all time favourite K-drama, Goong! Lets keep the former aside for now & focus on the later shall we?
Watching Goong / Princess hours was a WHOLE new experience all over again! why? coz, while it was just as entertaining & moving as the 1st time, there are many things which we probably never made note of the first time which really makes you pause and think for awhile when watching it again!
For me it was that I realised that this was a drama without exaggeration! Ok so the fire at the end would be a little over the top but other than that everything else seemed pretty realistic. The irony being that its as fictitious as a drama would get, what with the creation of a korean monarchy which doesnt even exist, but looking at the human aspects of it allows you to relate to each of the characters as people! this is especialy true in terms of the Role of the "Tae-ja Jeonha" aka "Lee Shin Goon", who gives just the right amount of emotion to his character which makes him seem more like a real person rather than a character in a drama! some times it may seem as if hes not really showing as much emotion in a particular situation as he's expected to... but the point is that he doesnt know HOW to!and it was truly wonderful to watch the gradual changes in his character after he meets chaegyun....all in all i found his character the most delightful to watch (the fact that hes rather tall & good looking was a BIG plus too ;) )!
But the same applies for all the character, coz each and every character was depicted with such precision that there was never any form of over-acting, and it was almost like they were INDEED part of a royal family! :D
Other than the undoubted talent of the cast starting from the "Beegung" to the "Great Queen" all the way down to the "sang gongs" (i hope i got that right) aka the maids in waiting, what gave the story more depth is the fact that when it really comes down to it there really was no negative character here unlike other dramas. This is because we're artfully given a bit of insight in to the lifes of each character, hence making them seem as average humans with their own reasons behind each of their actions; "Hyorin" with her hidden background, "Yul Goon" with his pitiful situation, & even his mother the "Tae-hu mama" has her own twisted reasons for being the way she is!
I think the reason there was so much depth in this drama was mainly because it was based on a book/manhwa and therefore the cast and crew probably had a better understanding of it, ultimately leading to a more fuller & richer viewing experience to us all! Another good example for such a drama would be BOF which is also based on a manga & is without a doubt a favourite of all K-drama lovers!
.............. omoooo this is probably the most SERIOUS review i have so far posted!!! Sorry if its too dull & boring guys! :( i Promise to make things more interesting in the future!
PS: Checkout few of my favourite lines from the drama..
1.
Beegung: if we meet again in 2.5 million years run away from me
Yul : Why?
Beegung: Coz even in 2.5million i would still only like Shin...
Yul: Then even in 2.5million years i'll still be waiting for you...
(Bit corny i know, but i thought it was sweet & rather sad, specially hearind dear lil Yul saying it! ;)
2.
Great Queen: When a man keeps himself as no.1 position in his heart he will only see himself... but if he takes a few steps back he will see everyone else... (really meaningful-explains the change in Shin Goons character)
Infor: Remeber the scene where at the end of episode 23 ( i think) chaegyun takes shin to visit "her world" & they walk down a crowded street where you can hardly spot them & then stop in the middle of the road & statr kissing?
Apparently that scene had been shot using hidden cameras & people hadn't known that there was a drama shooting and every1 had been shocked when suddenly two celebrities started makingout in the middle of the road! :D pretty interesting stuff huh?! Check it out
