Synopsis

A cantankerous young prince, played by Exo's D.O., is attacked by assassins he hits his head and develops amnesia. He quickly weds Hong Shim, played by actress Nam Ji Hyun, who is somewhat of a beloved leader of her community. Hong Shim is already 28, and considered an old maid. Due to her continuous need to work for survival, her quick tongue, and sassy personality Hong Shim was deemed unmarriageable. The story follows the conspiracy within the palace that leads to the Prince's attack and how the fight for the throne is always a blody one. It also follows the main leads as they try to find happiness in life, and how love can soften even the hardest heart.

Review

So, I've had to wait to write about this drama. The Dramafever app on my TV and Ipad was doing something weird and not giving me subtitles while the show was running. Or it would spit out a random subtitle here and there without any warning and stay stuck on the one subtitle for a long time. I even tried to cast it and the darn thing kept freezing. Long story short, it's taken me a while to catch up on some dramas. Hopefully I can fix all the kinks before Tarious Behind Me begins because I am super excited about that one. Word of caution, if you updated your apple products you may experience the same problem.

Anyway, back to the drama. My first thoughts on this was a simple. . . Wow. I could not believe half the crap that happened in the first episode alone. It is just amazing to see where people's greed will take them. Dear reader, within the first twenty minutes of the drama it'll shock you to witness everything that our characters are forced to endure, and at such a young age!

I cannot give a rating on the story telling just yet, so my sticky notes are wide open. Although, I will say that the story has been engaging thus far. It may just get a high rating on my sticky notes. However, I will say that it does tend to lag every once in a while and there are a few scenes that are super slow and boring to watch. Direction wise I gave it a 3/5. There were just a few things I did not like within these first five episodes that I would change. Such as interactions between some of the actors, especially the main actor himself. I know he is a singer and not an actor, however that is something that I believe that the director should catch and help with.

I have to say whoever those child actors are, they have my utmost respect. Wow, those children are on a completely different level, it is crazy. I mean they show such depth and maturity as children that it astonishes me. Especially the little girl who plays the younger version of our main female lead. She was on another level entirely. Not only did the character require maturity but she also brought a certain sense of grace as well. I honestly have to compliment her for her craft. She is going to be someone to watch out for in the future. As is the younger version of our main male lead, he made my heart cry out for him. He did amazing at showing the emotional damage that the character endured as a result of his father's greed. His cries really stole through my heart. Bravo to the two of them.

D.O. is doing well. He isn't the best actor by far, but he isn't doing bad. There are a few things in particular that I wish the director would help stage better, but he doesn't. And a few close-up scenes that I feel ruin the scene and are unnecessary. It takes away from the overall acting, which isn't complimenting D.O. As a new actor, you're bound to not know how to best position yourself and I can see D.O.'s apprehensiveness at times. It almost looks like the prince is constantly nervous, which I guess works for his situation but considering the prince is still the prince, despite amnesia, he should still be assertive. That is why I feel like the actor's nerves are showing in the character. As the episodes go on, you can see he becomes more confident in the role and explores the emotions of his character a little more. His facial expressions and his line delivery are also getting better.

Nam Ji Hyun is doing great. I've never seen her before, but she is definitely making an impression on me. You can see her character's inner struggles by her facial expressions alone. You can feel her frustration of adulthood and yet see the sad, lost little girl who watched everything vanish before her eyes (family, status, and all her possessions), and had to grow up too quickly. I look forward to seeing what else she brings to Hong Shim's character in the future. She also has a way of interacting with the main male lead that seems to keep him comfortable enough to create really cute interactions. He seems to be more settled in scenes with her.

That was my opinion of the drama thus far. I hope you found something useful in this post. I also hope you give this drama a try and let me know your opinions. I was watching it on Dramafever, but I've started to look elsewhere since the little bug with the subs started. You can also find a list of places to watch it on My Drama List. Goodbye, and until next time my dear reader!