Listen up y’all. If you enjoy sageuk, Missing Crown Prince is worth a try imo. There’s a sly tongue-in-cheek approach to the way the story is being presented that suggests it has some potential to be an unusual watch. Kind of like a picture that’s not hanging straight on the wall. 😏

Some interesting things about this drama:

1 – Although it’s a sageuk, it’s not quite fusion nor is it quite traditional. The story and the characters aren’t quite typical either. Sort of. But not. It’s all very familiar… until you realize it’s different. 🙃 There’s plenty going on to keep your attention.

2 – The cinematography has a somewhat 1930’s Hollywood vibe. I know, that sounds impossible, right? There’s also unusual orchestral background music, again reminiscent of that era, with tension building drums, angsty violins, and even operatic choruses. In particular, flashbacks are shown in a tinted black and white, film noir-esque style.

Here’s a scene from episode 2 that will give you a sense of the tone. However, you need to watch it with the sound ON. Given the length, I had to divide it into 4 parts.

Watch it here:
https://imgur.com/a/UU71boI

3 – This filming style is also reflected in the fight scenes, which have a bit of that 1930’s swashbuckling style choreography. For the modern viewer this creates a thin veil of campiness to the whole production. It’s also one way they’re melding the serious parts of the story with the comedic ones.

4 – Suho may not be the greatest actor ever, but I don’t agree with the heavy critiques. I CAN agree that it might have been better if the leads were more seasoned actors. But these two were chosen for a reason, and given the rest of the production so far, I’m willing to give them a chance. Both are better here than I’ve seen them before. And it’s only episode 2. I’ll give the director time to work his magic on them. They even have some decent chemistry. Not mind blowing, but it works. Partly because the direction is allowing for a wee bit more risqué connection between the two.

I wish I could describe this drama more clearly, but I think it can only really be appreciated by watching the first two episodes with a curious mindset.

It’s not perfect, of course. There are some clunky parts. There are some questionable parts. But there’s something here that makes me want to continue. I’m definitely in for next week’s episodes.

After watching these gifs, tell me what you think! Do you see how it’s a mash-up of serious and romcom? Intrigued? Repelled? Wondering if I’ve lost all sense of discernment? hehehe

BONUS POINTS if you can tell me why the MUA should be fired 😂👇