‘King the Land’ Receives Mixed Reactions Due to Immature Plot, Relying Solely on the Combination of Lee Jun Ho and Yoona?
There’s a slight difference between a predictable rom-com and a predictably entertaining rom-com.
JTBC’s weekend drama ‘King the Land,’ aiming for the clichéd yet classic rom-com flavor, has started airing.
However, apart from the actors’ performances and buzzworthy factors, the drama is somewhat causing disappointment. Perhaps expectations were too high. The unique charm of ‘King the Land’ hidden within its immaturity has not been easily revealed yet.
The first episode of ‘King the Land,’ which aired on June 17th, tells the story of Gu Won (Lee Jun Ho), a man who scorns laughter, and Cheon Sarang (Im Yoona), a smile queen who always smiles, as they strive to create a day where they can genuinely laugh in the VVIP lounge of ‘King the Land,’ the dream of every hotelier.
Despite the somewhat predictable rom-com format of a chaebol male lead and a cheerful female lead, the meeting of Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona in ‘King the Land’ played a significant role in making it one of the most anticipated dramas of the first half of 2023.
Lee Jun Ho achieved the highest viewership rating of 17.4% with his previous drama ‘The Red Sleeves’ and swept the trophies, while Im Yoona also achieved successful results both in acting skills and box office success, surpassing 13% viewership rating with ‘Big Mouth’ and gaining recognition through the movie ‘Confidential Assignment 2’.
The beginning of ‘King the Land’ followed a typical rom-com development. The grumpy male lead and the bright female lead meet by fate and continue to build their relationship through coincidental encounters. The presence of a loyal secretary beside the male lead and supportive friends beside the female lead is also a clichéd element.
It’s also regrettable that the accidental encounters between the two characters were set up with primitive comedy elements. For instance, Cheon Sarang mistaking Gu Won as a sexual harasser while cleaning feces stains on an exercise equipment at the hotel gym. The scene where they reunite after seven years, with Cheon Sarang encountering Gu Won while he is defecating in a restroom with transparent glass windows, created more awkwardness than amusement.
Furthermore, the way Cheon Sarang consistently maintains a brazen attitude towards her boss, Gu Won, feels like a collapse of her character.
However, the combination of Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona has a captivating charm. Lee Jun Ho portrays the emotions of a grumpy yet wounded character. Im Yoona adds charm to her character with her unique loveliness and bright smile.
The first episode recorded a rating of 5.1%, surpassing the previous drama ‘Doctor Cha’ first episode rating (4.9%). The second episode experienced a vertical increase to 7.5%. l
Last year, SBS drama ‘Business Proposal’ starring Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jeong also received mixed reactions in the beginning due to its childish and predictable setting, but it gained significant popularity as the characters’ charm shined.
Similarly, if the storyline of ‘King the Land’ continues to build up steadily, even the immature and predictable elements can become appealing. It’s important to remember that relying solely on the combination of Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona has its limitations.
Source: daum
