First of all, I have a love/hate relationship with this drama. I thought it was really well done but I was little disappointed in the ending. It was just too much like real life for my tastes. It sort of made me want to stick to fantasy historical dramas like 'Gu Family Book'. There was no kiss scene either. I know he was a prince and she was a menial worker but still... Some of us live for those kiss scenes. One of the reasons I watch dramas is to see if the kiss will be good or not. The chemistry between the characters was great and no one really over did their acting. The younger actors did an awesome job as well. All in all it was enjoyable in it's own way. I would get impatient waiting for the newest episode to be subtitled and try and figure out why this drama was 32 episodes long and then realizing that they just wanted to fit in every possible bad event that could happen in Jung Yi's life into the drama. They definitely succeeded at that.
Moon Geun Young
She is by far my favourite Korean actress. She isn't perfect looking. Her ears stick out, her eyes are too close together but she has this charm that makes me love her. She can act, too. I've only seen her in 'Cinderella's Sister' and 'Marry Me, Mary' and character wise I thought Jung Yi was a good balance of both of those previous roles.
Kim Bum
I have so much respect for Kim Bum's character. He kept his word till the end that he would protect Jung Yi until he couldn't anymore. (I will never get over his last scene) I wanted him to move on though because he deserved to be loved, not by Hwa Ryeong, but maybe some other girl could have come into the picture and be understanding of his Jung Yi's relationship. But no, the writers had to crush my soul.
Kim Bum was the perfect casting choice for this role. He has this calmness about him but he also seems guarded. It's impossible to not buckle under his cool stare.
Side note: Rumour has it that Kim Bum and Moon Geun Young are dating. I am all for this relationship. I wish them the best of luck. Fighting :)
Lee Sang Yoon
This drama was my first encounter with Lee Sang Yoon and damn he did a good job. He definitely has the presence of a royal and his voice when he got all angry and passionate... Whew, it got a little warm in here. He was a great lead and I'll definitely be checking out some more of his work. Hopefully something where he isn't wearing historical clothing and doesn't have a tight little bun on his head.
Check out the Crown Prince swag this guy had the honour of wearing:
I can't find a picture of them but Jung Yi's four friends (who made the clay) pretty much made the show for me. Especially that really sassy one with the braid.
