Title : The Crowned Clown, Man who became King, Gwanghae
Episodes : 16
Genre : Historical, Remake, Politics, King, Romance, Drama, Tragedy, Melodrama, Brotherhood, Evil Character
Story : 7 out of 10
Characters : 8 out of 10
Cinematography : 8 out of 10
The remake of the popular movie, Masquerade, The Crowned Clown goes deeper into the story than the film, with the leading actor giving us one of the best performances of the year so far.
Story
King Yi Heon is a ruthless emperor, who even killed his own kid brother, in order to secure his place on the throne. Addicted to drugs, he mistreats everyone around him and sees enemies everywhere. Mad by his obsession and fear of assassination, the king needs a break from his reality. Thus, clown Ha Sun is ordered to take his place.
Ha Sun is a poor actor who goes from town to town along with his crew and performs, acting as the king, due to his striking resemblance to him. Now, he must play him in real life. However, Ha Sun is nothing like Yi Heon. He is kind, smart and gentle. And soon, he falls for the beautiful Queen, who still thinks that Ha Sun is her husband, Yi Heon.
The story had a simple feel into it. And yet, it built so many twists one on top of the other. That was due to the characters, that were presented beautifully. The love story was also quite sweet and a nice addition to the drama. Other than that, the story had political twists, strong brotherly bonds, some comedy moments here and there, tragedy, fighting scenes and lots of drama. However, towards the ending, the drama got a bit boring. And, as for the ending, although it was good, that final twist was too cliché and didn’t serve any purpose really.
Characters
Ha Sun is a poor actor whose only family is the other artists that perform along with him. He is kind, sweet and resourceful. After being ordered to portray the king, he finds the task hard, as he is in constant fear. However, after a while, it’s obvious that he is as if he was born to rule. Yi Heon, on the other hand, is a man driven mad by the power. Taking up the throne after his father’s assassination, he regards everyone as his enemy. He also cares only for himself and doesn’t even spare a thought on his people. Yeo Jin Goo played both characters and the contrast was remarkable. I’ve got to say that he is a great actor and he finally got recognized for his talent.
So Yoon is the lonely Queen, married to Yi Heon. She was in love with him, but he never approached her after he got the throne. He actually mistreated her and so, they grew further apart. When Ha Sun takes the throne, the Queen sees a warmer side of her “husband”. As she is gentle and loyal, she keeps her distance, although, his kindness soon makes her slowly open up to him. The adorable zombie of The Korean Odyssey, Lee Se Young, shined in this one as well (still waiting for How are You bread to air though T.T). She was really beautiful and had an inner calmness that served her character well.
Yi Kyu is the King’s loyal servant. He is his second-hand and a father figure. He loves him as his son as well. At first, he doesn’t like Ha Sun and hopes to bring back the real king. However, soon, he grows fond of him. Kim Sang Kyung was great as Yi Kyu and had chemistry with Jin Goo which helped with the bromance.
Cinematography
The settings and costumes were really good and looked authentic, creating a great canvas on which the cast shined. The filming was simple, but I especially enjoyed the beginning, with the loud drums that created an air of darkness and power before the drama started.
Overall
My overall rating is 8 out of 10. It was a really great drama and got me hooked from the first episode, but it did get boring for a few episodes.
K&J Reviews 
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