Title: Princess Hours/Goong
Writer: In Eun-a
Director: Hwang In-roi
Producer: Eight Peaks
Main Cast: Yoon Eun-hye as Shin Chae-kyeong, Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Lee Shin, Kim Jeong-hoon as Prince Yul, Song Ji-hyo as Min Hyo-rin
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Original Run: 11 January 2006 - 30 March 2006
Original Channel: MBC
No. of Episodes: 24
Language: Korean
Synopsis:
Trailer:
My Rating: 1000/10!!! But since that's not possible, 10/10. :P
My Thoughts: *This review may contain some spoilers. Read at your own risk.*
I loved loved loved this drama sssoooo much!!!! It's my new favorite!! <3 The story was amazing. The characters had so much depth. The acting was really good. I loved everything about this drama, except the ending. But we'll come to that later.
Story: I loved the story! It was different from the stories of other Kdramas but similar in some ways too. I wanted to watch something that had the 'royal' theme in it so I'm glad I chose Princess Hours. It had me hooked from the first episode! Though the repetition of Shin going to Hyo Rin, Chae Kyung getting hurt and Yool telling her to leave Shin was getting a bit too much, it still didn't bother me enough that I would love this drama any less. It was funny and made me LOL numerous times. It also had me crying with the characters, getting angry at the characters and falling in love with them. I got very emotionsally invested in this drama and that is how I know it was awesome!
Characters: I liked all the characters in this drama. Each of them had their own stories and their own reasons for doing the stuff that they did. Though I got that they made Chae Kyung out to be a childish girl her acting sometimes got to my nerves. It was annoying sometimes how she acted. I mean she was 19 years old! Ha Ni in Playful Kiss did a better job. She played a similar character but she at least did not come across as someone who had a psychological problem or something. Nonetheless, I love Yoon Eun Hye and she's really pretty. I'll have to watch her in another drama to see if I find her a good actress or not. One thing I really liked about CK is that she wasn't that stupid. She stood up for herself in front of Shin instead of taking the abuse. The best thing about her was that she didn't reciprocate when Yool made a move on her. She was wise enough to keep her distance and I respect her for that. The poor girl was all alone in the palace. A free soul forced into a cage full of rules. Shin was not open and did not share feelings. Neither did he listen to CK's feelings. Yool was the only person she could talk to. The only person who understood her. So I do not blame her one bit for being so close to him. It was obvious that she only saw him as a friend and didn't harbor any romantic feelings towards him.
I had somewhat of a love-hate relationship with Shin. I adored him as a character but sometimes I got frustrated with him and was like 'use your brain dude!'. I felt sorry for the poor guy. He was stuck in that palace with all these strict rules and regulations without any friends. That's why he never learned how to relay his feelings. In the beginning we see Shin as a rebelling teenager but he changed a lot over the course of the drama. Ju Ji Hoon's acting improved a lot too, over the course of the drama. I loved seeing Shin grow from this arrogant, selfish brat to a loving and caring guy. I started out by hating him but then ended up loving him.
Oh Yool <3 My baby Yool <3 I loved him from the moment I saw him sleeping on the couch surrounded by books. A guy who's adorable and loves to read. What could be better? AND he likes the Harry Potter books! AND he's sweet and caring. Yup. I'm a goner.
Now, a lot of people didn't like Yool and said that he was selfish and clingy. I beg to differ. The poor guy had it as hard as Shin did. He lost his dad when he was 5. He and his mother were forced to move out of the palace. Not only that but he witnessed his mother trying to commit suicide at the age of 10. That's serious stuff and leaves a scar, especially on a child's brain. His mother was crazy with revenge and had been telling him since he was 5 that his kingdom was taken from him and he has to get it back. He loved his mother a lot, that's obvious. And he did everything he could to make her happy because she was all he had. That is why, even when he was not interested in the throne, he went along with his mother's plan. Then this girl came along and he fell in love with her. People argue that he didn't love her. He wanted her because he thought she was first his and was taken from him. Well folks, then he should want the throne more, shouldn't he? Why leave the throne for a girl you don't even love? Let me remind you, he was ready to even leave his mother for the girl. If that's not love I don't know what is. Now onto the part about Yool constantly telling Chae Kyung to divorce Shin. That irritated me, I confess. BUT I seriously think he thought he was doing the right thing. He saw how bad Shin treated CK. He saw how much he made her cry. So when he told her to leave him, I think he believed he was saying that to save her. Not to bring any misery on her or Shin or bring any shame on the royal family. As you can see by my long long rant, I loved Yool. And I believed he was right in his actions. When you love someone it's hard to leave them. But he never forced his love on CK. He only wanted to stay by her, even if it was as a friend.
I loved CK's family! They were so funny! And they loved her so much. They were a bunch of really sweet and funny people and they made me laugh out load loads of times. I loved seeing them on-screen!
Yool's mother was the selfish, evil villain of the drama. She wanted her son to be the King and it had nothing to do with her love for her deceased husband. She was really manipulative and clever and I should have hated her. But I didn't. I don't know why though. I have no explanation for her actions except that she was evil. But her transformation in the end was believable. Because she loved her son too. And after that blow she only had to realize what was more important, her son or the throne. She made a wise choice, one she should have made without having to go through all the pain and without making her son go through everything. Oh well, all's well that ends well.
The royal family was... something. They were not very clever, that's for sure. The only smart person in the whole family was Shin's sister. I think they wanted to show that since she had traveled the world she was smarter than the rest who spent most of their time in the castle. That doesn't mean that everyone else was stupid! They just weren't so bright.
I didn't like Shin's father much. He had an affair with Yool's mom. But she was the only one who was punished for it and no one said a thing to him. He was too rude to his son while he liked his lover's son better. That's just wrong. I really liked Shin's mum and I felt sorry for the poor lady. She never got love from her husband. She was made the Crown Princess suddenly and unexpectedly, being forced to take so much responsibility all at once. She could not spend much time with her son. Because of the palace rules she lost herself. So the way she was strict, it was only natural for her. The actress who played her did a splendid job! I loved her acting! Shin's grandmother was the most adorable thing ever! She was just too cute and she made me laugh and smile so much! I loved her a lot!
I really liked all the servants. I loved Shin's 'heaven'. He was somewhat of an assistant or manager. He was really sweet and I really really liked him. I also really liked Lady Choi who was Chae Kyung's teacher and caretaker. The girl who played her did an amazing job! CK's servant girls were really funny! All in all, I really liked the side characters too.
Shin's friends were your typical "F4". Arrogant, mean rich boys. There wasn't really anything special about them, to be honest. The one with the camera was really weird. He seemed... not normal. The one with the glasses was weird too. The only normal one was the one who liked Hyo Rin. I kinda liked him. Chae Kyung's friends were very weird too. They made me feel very uncomfortable. I don't think any 19 year old acts like them... do they? I've seen fan-girls in real life but they were just something else. The only normal one was the one with glasses and pretty, long hair. I liked her.
I really don't know how I feel about Min Hyo Rin. I liked her but then I didn't. I hated that at first she said no when Shin asked her to marry him and then she tried to sabotage his wedding and get him back. I respected her for choosing her dream over him. But the respect when down the drain when she started saying that she wanted Shin back. Girl! Make up your mind! In the end I think I didn't like her very much...
Props, set and costumes: I bet they spent a fortune on this drama! The props they used muse have been expensive but they added a lot to the royal and historical significance of the drama. I watched in the special episode that they created most sets using computers. Well they did a pretty good job! I loved seeing the Korean culture. The real Korean costumes and attire, the ceremonies. Everything was so fun to watch!
I'm so glad that the boys in this drama did not look gay... They didn't wear girly clothes or too much eyeliner. Sometimes I loved CK's outfits and at other times I hated them. For example I loved this outfit:
But I hated this one:
I loved Yool's clothes! But more than that I loved his necklace! He wore the same necklace in every scene throughout the whole drama. I thought that maybe it had some special significance to him that they would reveal later on. But they never said anything. Nevertheless, I loved his necklace and I want it too!
Romance: I loved the romance! It was hot and cute at the same time. I was in favor of Shin & Chae Kyung ending up together. I wanted Yool to be happy but not with CK. I loved the cute and funny scenes between Shin & CK. I liked how he got jealous when CK spent more time with Yool. I loved seeing how Shin's feelings changed towards CK and he ended up falling in love with her. It was all amazing! I liked Yool's and CK's friendship but I didn't want them to end up together. I could see Yool really loved her but I could also see that she considered him nothing more than a friend.
Ending: I was disappointed with the ending. But I knew that the ending would be disappointing. How? Because whenever I watch an amazing drama, the ending HAS to be disappointing. :/ So, the disappointing thing with this ending was that it felt too rushed and didn't pack up quite neatly. You get what I mean? The drama was pretty slow compared to the ending. I didn't understand some things so I had to make up my own assumptions. It was like they said 'oh lets just end it quickly and get it over with!'. I didn't get the Macau part. That rings part was stupid. I think they should have made another episode. To end things nicely. Instead of rushing it all. It felt like they left it in hopes of a second season. Well it's been 7 years since this drama came out, I don't think we're getting a second season (though I would love to!).
Memorable Scenes: There were so many memorable scenes in this drama! Mostly the ones between Shin & CK.
I loved their honeymoon/gone with the wind trip! It was so cute! And that car scene was so adorable!
The bed scenes were so funny!
I loved loved loved this drama sssoooo much!!!! It's my new favorite!! <3 The story was amazing. The characters had so much depth. The acting was really good. I loved everything about this drama, except the ending. But we'll come to that later.
Story: I loved the story! It was different from the stories of other Kdramas but similar in some ways too. I wanted to watch something that had the 'royal' theme in it so I'm glad I chose Princess Hours. It had me hooked from the first episode! Though the repetition of Shin going to Hyo Rin, Chae Kyung getting hurt and Yool telling her to leave Shin was getting a bit too much, it still didn't bother me enough that I would love this drama any less. It was funny and made me LOL numerous times. It also had me crying with the characters, getting angry at the characters and falling in love with them. I got very emotionsally invested in this drama and that is how I know it was awesome!
Characters: I liked all the characters in this drama. Each of them had their own stories and their own reasons for doing the stuff that they did. Though I got that they made Chae Kyung out to be a childish girl her acting sometimes got to my nerves. It was annoying sometimes how she acted. I mean she was 19 years old! Ha Ni in Playful Kiss did a better job. She played a similar character but she at least did not come across as someone who had a psychological problem or something. Nonetheless, I love Yoon Eun Hye and she's really pretty. I'll have to watch her in another drama to see if I find her a good actress or not. One thing I really liked about CK is that she wasn't that stupid. She stood up for herself in front of Shin instead of taking the abuse. The best thing about her was that she didn't reciprocate when Yool made a move on her. She was wise enough to keep her distance and I respect her for that. The poor girl was all alone in the palace. A free soul forced into a cage full of rules. Shin was not open and did not share feelings. Neither did he listen to CK's feelings. Yool was the only person she could talk to. The only person who understood her. So I do not blame her one bit for being so close to him. It was obvious that she only saw him as a friend and didn't harbor any romantic feelings towards him.
I had somewhat of a love-hate relationship with Shin. I adored him as a character but sometimes I got frustrated with him and was like 'use your brain dude!'. I felt sorry for the poor guy. He was stuck in that palace with all these strict rules and regulations without any friends. That's why he never learned how to relay his feelings. In the beginning we see Shin as a rebelling teenager but he changed a lot over the course of the drama. Ju Ji Hoon's acting improved a lot too, over the course of the drama. I loved seeing Shin grow from this arrogant, selfish brat to a loving and caring guy. I started out by hating him but then ended up loving him.
Oh Yool <3 My baby Yool <3 I loved him from the moment I saw him sleeping on the couch surrounded by books. A guy who's adorable and loves to read. What could be better? AND he likes the Harry Potter books! AND he's sweet and caring. Yup. I'm a goner.
Now, a lot of people didn't like Yool and said that he was selfish and clingy. I beg to differ. The poor guy had it as hard as Shin did. He lost his dad when he was 5. He and his mother were forced to move out of the palace. Not only that but he witnessed his mother trying to commit suicide at the age of 10. That's serious stuff and leaves a scar, especially on a child's brain. His mother was crazy with revenge and had been telling him since he was 5 that his kingdom was taken from him and he has to get it back. He loved his mother a lot, that's obvious. And he did everything he could to make her happy because she was all he had. That is why, even when he was not interested in the throne, he went along with his mother's plan. Then this girl came along and he fell in love with her. People argue that he didn't love her. He wanted her because he thought she was first his and was taken from him. Well folks, then he should want the throne more, shouldn't he? Why leave the throne for a girl you don't even love? Let me remind you, he was ready to even leave his mother for the girl. If that's not love I don't know what is. Now onto the part about Yool constantly telling Chae Kyung to divorce Shin. That irritated me, I confess. BUT I seriously think he thought he was doing the right thing. He saw how bad Shin treated CK. He saw how much he made her cry. So when he told her to leave him, I think he believed he was saying that to save her. Not to bring any misery on her or Shin or bring any shame on the royal family. As you can see by my long long rant, I loved Yool. And I believed he was right in his actions. When you love someone it's hard to leave them. But he never forced his love on CK. He only wanted to stay by her, even if it was as a friend.
I loved CK's family! They were so funny! And they loved her so much. They were a bunch of really sweet and funny people and they made me laugh out load loads of times. I loved seeing them on-screen!
Yool's mother was the selfish, evil villain of the drama. She wanted her son to be the King and it had nothing to do with her love for her deceased husband. She was really manipulative and clever and I should have hated her. But I didn't. I don't know why though. I have no explanation for her actions except that she was evil. But her transformation in the end was believable. Because she loved her son too. And after that blow she only had to realize what was more important, her son or the throne. She made a wise choice, one she should have made without having to go through all the pain and without making her son go through everything. Oh well, all's well that ends well.
The royal family was... something. They were not very clever, that's for sure. The only smart person in the whole family was Shin's sister. I think they wanted to show that since she had traveled the world she was smarter than the rest who spent most of their time in the castle. That doesn't mean that everyone else was stupid! They just weren't so bright.
I didn't like Shin's father much. He had an affair with Yool's mom. But she was the only one who was punished for it and no one said a thing to him. He was too rude to his son while he liked his lover's son better. That's just wrong. I really liked Shin's mum and I felt sorry for the poor lady. She never got love from her husband. She was made the Crown Princess suddenly and unexpectedly, being forced to take so much responsibility all at once. She could not spend much time with her son. Because of the palace rules she lost herself. So the way she was strict, it was only natural for her. The actress who played her did a splendid job! I loved her acting! Shin's grandmother was the most adorable thing ever! She was just too cute and she made me laugh and smile so much! I loved her a lot!
I really liked all the servants. I loved Shin's 'heaven'. He was somewhat of an assistant or manager. He was really sweet and I really really liked him. I also really liked Lady Choi who was Chae Kyung's teacher and caretaker. The girl who played her did an amazing job! CK's servant girls were really funny! All in all, I really liked the side characters too.
Shin's friends were your typical "F4". Arrogant, mean rich boys. There wasn't really anything special about them, to be honest. The one with the camera was really weird. He seemed... not normal. The one with the glasses was weird too. The only normal one was the one who liked Hyo Rin. I kinda liked him. Chae Kyung's friends were very weird too. They made me feel very uncomfortable. I don't think any 19 year old acts like them... do they? I've seen fan-girls in real life but they were just something else. The only normal one was the one with glasses and pretty, long hair. I liked her.
I really don't know how I feel about Min Hyo Rin. I liked her but then I didn't. I hated that at first she said no when Shin asked her to marry him and then she tried to sabotage his wedding and get him back. I respected her for choosing her dream over him. But the respect when down the drain when she started saying that she wanted Shin back. Girl! Make up your mind! In the end I think I didn't like her very much...
Props, set and costumes: I bet they spent a fortune on this drama! The props they used muse have been expensive but they added a lot to the royal and historical significance of the drama. I watched in the special episode that they created most sets using computers. Well they did a pretty good job! I loved seeing the Korean culture. The real Korean costumes and attire, the ceremonies. Everything was so fun to watch!
I'm so glad that the boys in this drama did not look gay... They didn't wear girly clothes or too much eyeliner. Sometimes I loved CK's outfits and at other times I hated them. For example I loved this outfit:
But I hated this one:
I loved Yool's clothes! But more than that I loved his necklace! He wore the same necklace in every scene throughout the whole drama. I thought that maybe it had some special significance to him that they would reveal later on. But they never said anything. Nevertheless, I loved his necklace and I want it too!
Romance: I loved the romance! It was hot and cute at the same time. I was in favor of Shin & Chae Kyung ending up together. I wanted Yool to be happy but not with CK. I loved the cute and funny scenes between Shin & CK. I liked how he got jealous when CK spent more time with Yool. I loved seeing how Shin's feelings changed towards CK and he ended up falling in love with her. It was all amazing! I liked Yool's and CK's friendship but I didn't want them to end up together. I could see Yool really loved her but I could also see that she considered him nothing more than a friend.
Ending: I was disappointed with the ending. But I knew that the ending would be disappointing. How? Because whenever I watch an amazing drama, the ending HAS to be disappointing. :/ So, the disappointing thing with this ending was that it felt too rushed and didn't pack up quite neatly. You get what I mean? The drama was pretty slow compared to the ending. I didn't understand some things so I had to make up my own assumptions. It was like they said 'oh lets just end it quickly and get it over with!'. I didn't get the Macau part. That rings part was stupid. I think they should have made another episode. To end things nicely. Instead of rushing it all. It felt like they left it in hopes of a second season. Well it's been 7 years since this drama came out, I don't think we're getting a second season (though I would love to!).
Memorable Scenes: There were so many memorable scenes in this drama! Mostly the ones between Shin & CK.
I loved their honeymoon/gone with the wind trip! It was so cute! And that car scene was so adorable!
 |
| CUTE! |
And then there were the hugs and kisses <3
Wow! That was such a long review! But I loved this drama so much and I had so much to say about it. One thing I've seen, after reading other reviews of this drama, is that you either love it or hate it. Well I loved it and I'd highly recommend it!
It's been a looooooong time since I last watched this drama but I remember that it has the best drama ost ever!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree!!
Deleteabsolutely agree the ending was too rush. i still don't get it how long did Chse Kyeong stay in Macau? After she had apart with shin. although it had been years ago { still love this drama very much
DeleteHey! I love this series too and I'm wondering if you know the instrumental song in episode 16 where Hyo Rin is washing her face before she commits suicide. Thank you!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I don't. But you could check from this list: http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic.php?info_hash=bcadeb77d3197170413f8f217bd3f1859e3de1c8
DeleteIt has the tracklisting and hopefully that song will be there :)
Thank you so much for visiting!
Yay! so love this KDrama, I'm watching it again. :)
ReplyDeleteI remembered watching this drama when it came out when I was younger. I finally found it recently and watched it all last week. This drama is so good. I totally agree with most of your thoughts. I really hope they make a 2nd drama but it's been 11 years. LOL, keeping my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteLoved your review!this is one drama i will re-watch every year...it is still enjoyable despite being over a decade old.
ReplyDelete