“I’ll annihilate your family.”

Kingdom is Netflix’s first Kdrama original. It was written by Kim Eun Hee, the author of the original adapted webcomic: The Kingdom of the Gods (illustrated by Yang Kyung Il).

The first series premiered on January 25th last year and of course it took me this long to watch it! I’d like to thank my bestie Mel for randomly deciding to watch it and suggesting I do and we message throughout it! ♥

I have a cold, so if none of this makes sense, sorry. Just know that you should watch Kingdom!

Kingdom is set in Joseon Korea. The King is “ill” and the royal family is monopolised by the Cho Clan, whose daughter is Queen (Kim Hye Jun). While the King is being cooped up away from everyone, the Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji Hoon) becomes entangled in a political conspiracy. To find answers, he goes to Dongnae with a trusted member of his personal guard: Moo Young (Kim Sang Ho).

When they reach Dongnae, they must face the reality of the disease that threatens to rage through the country towards the capital. In this endeavour they are joined by clinic nurse Seo Bi (Bae Doo Na) and mysterious Young Shin (Kim Sung Kyu).

I’ve heard that some people have complained that this drama was slow and not much happened… which yeah I can kind of see, but this is a Korean drama. Series 1 is only 6 episodes. Most dramas are around 16-20 episodes and sageuks can have 50!!

Also, how on earth can you be worrying about the slowness of plot when there are terrifying zombies?! The actors who painstakingly brought their all to each scene really made this a thrilling experience. Those actors were phenomenal! ♥

Lee Chang is a compelling lead, but it does take a little while to warm up to him. He has the entitled arrogance of many drama leads and it was great to see him actually stepping up and acting as the King he aspires to be. His bickering relationship with Moo Young is definitely what gives him more of a personality. I love Kim Sang Ho, so I was super happy to see him in such a great role. (I would also like to point out that if anything happens to Moo Young’s wife, I. Will. Riot. 😂)

Seo Bi is a great character! I love her! She is a strong, independent woman who protects herself and others without hesitating. There are men around her that are honestly so pathetic *cough* Beom Pal *cough* and she handles them so well! Can I also say I hate the fact that Beom Pal calls her Seo Bi, am I the only one?

As for the “bad guy”, Cho Hak Joo (Ryoo Seung Ryong) isn’t super scary, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of his calculations come to fruition. I find the Queen to be more evil and power hungry. Kim Hye Jun is stunning in this role and I’m excited to see more of her in series 2.

The drama, as most sageuks are, is stunning. The landscapes, architecture and the traditional Joseon dress make such a beautiful and stunning visuals.

My only dislike is because I’m trash and want romance in everything… I get that we have a zombie epidemic killing everyone, but if that could bring Seo Bi closer to the Crown Prince that would be great haha 😂😂😂

RATINGS:

• Plot: 7/10
• Acting: 8/10
• Production: 8/10
• Enjoyment: 9/10

OVERALL RATING: 8/10 

CREDITS:

• Written By: Kim Eun Hee
• Director: Kim Seong Hun
• Executive Producer: Lee Sang Baek
• Producer: Lee Sung Joon
• Production Company: AStory
• Distributor: Netflix

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re having a lovely day~