King The Land is all about rainbows and unicorns and sunshine! The drama is a fluffy, candy floss romance which can be called feel-good in the truest sense of the word. The pièce de résistance of the drama is its main lead — Junho. The show reminds me of those classic rom-coms of dramaland (the ones that ruled our hearts in the 2000s and 2010s) — in a good way!

ABOUT

King The Land is centered around The King Group. Junho stars as Gu Won, the son of its founder who has no interest in running the company. His half-sister considers him her rival for gaining the reigns of the business empire. Cheon Sa Rang (Yoona) is a highly efficient employee at the King Hotel. The two leads lock horns when they first meet but eventually fall in love (obviously).

REVIEW

The plot of the drama is very thin. The show knows that its strength and attraction lies in the OTP and it never wastes a lot of time on uninteresting bits like corporate hijinks, supporting arcs etc. The drama gets no bouquets for originality, but it pushes all the right buttons of the romantic-comedy genre. The main couple is beautiful with a charming, comfortable chemistry. Their moments are dipped in light hearted bickering, romance, comedy and softness at different times. Once they get together, their understanding and thoughtfulness is excellent. The romance is skillfully written; blending sweetness, cuteness, giddiness and intensity perfectly.

I love that Go Won is so kind and caring despite being closed off. And his good nature isn’t limited only to his love interest. Sa Rang is the stereotypical optimistic, caring female lead but her maturity and holding-her-own nature adds new layers to her character.

Despite being a perfect example of a new show laced with classic rom-com style, it thankfully avoids all weak and annoying plot stereotypes of those older rom-coms, like meddling second leads, miscommunication or noble idiocy, a male lead who is an arrogant jerk.

The cinematography is beautiful. The picture-postcard shots of Jeju are simply gorgeous. The drama has a lively and peppy soundtrack.

The drama consists of many delightful characters — the male lead’s loyal friend and assistant No Sang Sik, female lead’s best friends Pyung Hwa and Da Eul and her grandmother, Pyung Hwa’s colleague Ro Woon. These characters and the main leads together share a beautiful, pleasant camaraderie and their scenes together are so fun to watch, especially when they all travel to Thailand. I also enjoyed the secondary romance plot involving Pyung Hwa and her junior at work, Ro Woon.

The friendship between Sa Rang and her two friends is imbued with geuniness and warmth. I also loved the bromance between Gu Won and Sang Sik.

King The Land made me smile from start to finish. The drama is also laugh-out-loud funny in some instances. There is an ebullient vibe throughout. It contains classic Korean rom-coms elements and thankfully, it is free of incongruous plots (like murder mysteries/ fantasy/ sad or open conclusions) that populate most modern romantic-comedy K-dramas.

 

THE MINUS POINTS

As mentioned previously, King The Land lacks a solid plot and everything gets resolved too smoothly and quickly. As a result of thin plot and lack of conflict, the drama runs out of engrossing arcs towards the end. There are multiple tense cliffhangers that are instantly resolved in more like a “gotcha” moment. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but there is nothing much left plotwise.

Yet for the most part, King The Land works.

CHARACTERS & PERFORMANCES

Junho steals the show with a confident, uninhibited performance that is the best thing about this drama. He brings the little nuances and the little touches that make this drama more than an easy, run-of-the-mill rom-com. He brings heart and smarts to the part. Yoona injects a natural charm to the instantly likeable character. Ahn Se Ha has perfect comic timing. The supporting cast lends a solid support in their respective roles and arcs.

IN A NUTSHELL

An easy, feel-good and delightful romantic-comedy, with all the good factors of classic 2000s Korean rom-coms. Best thing about it? Junho.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.