About the Drama
The Drama “Grand Prince” was released in 2018, it a South Korean television series which stars Jin Se-yeon, Yoon Shi-yoon and Joo Sang-wook. The actual title of this drama is in Korean “대군 – 사랑을 그리다” which when romanized is “Daegoon: Sarageul Geurida, meaning “Grand Prince: Paint a Picture of Love”. This drama is a fusion Saeguk which means (for those of you who are not kdrama nerds) it is a historical drama made with modern elements mixed in. It has some political and historical elements but it is primarily a romance.
It aired on TV Chosun from March 3 to May 6, 2018 on Saturdays and Sundays at 22:50.
Trailer
Uploaded by MAC Drama World
Synopsis
This Synopsis was taken from MyDramaList.
Centered around one woman who gets caught up in a bloody romance with two princes. This drama tells the story of a man who would kill even his younger brother to have the object of his love, the woman who wants to keep the world at a distance, and the intense desires and pure feelings that they experience. Bromance between the royal brothers intertwines with both love and hate. There is a fierce rivalry among the women of the royalty in claiming the ultimate position of queen.
The young woman, named Sung Ja Hyun, is beloved by all and is the daughter of a prestigious government official. She’s so famous for her beauty that she has prospective suitors lined up from all over the country vying for her hand. She’s inherited her scholarly father’s personality; she possesses a strong sense of compassion and righteousness, and tackles things with passion.
The Review
My Overall Thoughts
This drama was good. I am a big fan of the historical romance genre in general and Saeguks in particular. The drama is easy to watch and not very predictable, it is also very sweet and the romance feels genuine. It is definitely a good drama with some nice ups and downs as well as emotional moments, however it is not one that struck my heart deeply. It was lovely, I enjoyed it and if you like these genres you probably will too.
The Best Parts of the Drama
Fusion Saeguk
I love that this is a fusion Saeguk because it allows for an appeal to a larger audience and also a bigger focus on romance. Traditional Saeguks (historical dramas) involve a lot more real history, however due to the nature of this drama they focused much more on the romance rather than the history and politics. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy Traditional Saeguks as well, however need much more commitment and involvement to watch. It is like the difference between Epic fantasy books like A Song Of Ice and Fire Series, versus easy to read ones like the Narnia series.
Romance
This Drama “Grand Prince”, had a really solid romantic storyline, I was never disappointed. We get to know and see the leads romance develop, and it really seems genuine and sweetly moving. It is also surprisingly down to earth at times, you feel like oh, if I were her, I would have done the same thing. It is gratifying to see complete loyalty to each other from the leads. Their romance is well built and established and it makes sense.
Side Characters
The side characters in the Drama “Grand Prince” are developed and interesting in this one, with particular focus on some of them more than others. Therefore the side-plots are also interesting and meaningful, rather than bland and boring.
Setting
The setting is weirdly quirky. I know I know, “quirky” as a descriptive for a historical drama? Maybe it’s because I have seen too many Saeguks and so I am familiar with the setting but things seemed very off at times due to the addition of modern elements, I can’t give specifics without spoilers, but it got weird at times.
The plot was okay, didn’t hate it but it didn’t really impress me either. It has been done before but it had enough of a unique spin to be interesting.
Things That Were Meh
To be honest I don’t really have much bad to say about this one. It was good but not great, throughout.
The things the Drama “Grand Prince” lacked for me was a feeling of epicness. Yes, that is a word. I wanted it to take risks with plot that it never did. Also, many cliches were in the plot, not enough to make unwatchable, bit enough to make you slightly incredulous at what’s happening. Also the political stuff was at times cringingly bad. If you happen to enjoy epicness in your drams as much as I do you can look for a few good recommendations on my list of Top ten Asian Dramas.
My Final Thoughts
The Drama “Grand Prince” was a fun drama to watch even though it got a little boring at times and the plot had some slightly ridiculous turns. I liked it and would recommend it to those of you who are interested in the historical romance genre.
Disclaimer:
This review is the Author’s opinion, the author does not claim anything stated here as fact. If you disagree with anything written in this article please do not hesitate to sound of in the comments down below. However, please keep in mind that the author is not liable for any information stated in this post. It is purely opinion.
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