Ajooma reviews: The King Eternal Monarch

WARNING. This review has SPOILERS.

Yeong and Lee Gon battle the villains to save the kingdom and the multiverse.

The King Eternal Monarch (TKEM) had its finale last Friday, June 12, 2020. I followed every episode for three months and became invested in the series because of two women, Kim Eunsook (KES), the script writer who also wrote Goblin and Descendants of the Sun, and Kim Goeun (KGE), the actress who played the lead in Goblin. Needless to say, Goblin has a huge impact in my Kdrama life. I was very much impressed with these two women who were a part of the production and I wish to encounter their works once again in TKEM. And of course, TKEM stars Lee Min Ho who is a top Hallyu actor in South Korea (SoKor). This is my first LMH drama so I am curious.

What are my discoveries watching TKEM then?

1. LMH is brilliantly beautiful. I have no other drama to compare his acting chops to, but I like his protratyal of the genius "King" - calm, collected, steadfast and supremely rich. He is your cookie cutter romance male lead. And yet, through his interaction with KGE's character, he becomes a better man. A cookie that has more fillings than one.

2. It is the same with KGE and the rest, villains and supporting cast. No wonder, it had a rough start in the ratings and viewership surveys in SoKor.

3. TKEM was exciting and engaging but it didn’t move me as much as Goblin did. Goblin swept me off my feet because of the compelling characters whose internal conflicts mirror my own and yet, their dreams and desires amplify the call to a universal good. Redemption. Justice that restores. Courage to take leaps of faith.

4. Big concepts are found in TKEM too. Love when it is constant and beautiful transcends time and space. Knowledge of good and evil is essential to keep the balance in the universe. And yet, the narrative, creatively told like a digital set of magic cards challenging viewers to think and wonder, were all laid down in the end left me wanting for more. Like, a longer version of Yeong, the Unbreakable Sword fighting for his King.

Seriously, this trio deserves a spin-off!

5. And this is my lament. Woo DO Hwan (WDH) played his role exceptionally well not only as Yeong but as Eun Sop too. In the finale, WDH only gets a minute and a few mores seconds of fight scenes. This is the Unbreakable Sword who looks every inch the sword no one can break. 

6. The same goes with Kim Kyung Nam who played the detective Kang Sin Jae. He is by far, the most flawed of all the characters in the drama and made KGE and LMH's romance more interesting. It is a pity that he was left to cry in a corner when KGE left for the Kingdom of Corea.

7. The math and the science are mind blowing. Euler's idnetity is the anchor of the drama and this also explains why the romance trope, the villains and the trajectory of the heroes are constant an consistent. In the end, LMH's character transcends and becomes the eternal king indeed.

8. KES innovated in TKEM but the gaps and the lacuna in this drama that crosses genre requires a lot of mind work. I did enjoy this engagement, but for entertainment's sake, it shouldn't be that challenging for all viewers.

9. KES gave us a happy ending. Thank you very much! Everyone's story ended well and deservingly so. 

10. TKEM does have its blazing moments as well sparks but it never went off in full glory because the conflict is subliminal. I demand a spin-off syarring the power trio: Lee Min Ho, Woo Do Hwan and Kim Kyung Nam.

Rating: Three stars