Thanks to everyone who shared your thoughts on our recent brainstorming post, on what we should watch next, as a community!
As promised, I’ve made a decision based on everyone’s input.
For the curious, I didn’t just take into account folks’ indication of interest (ie, how many people said they would be interested in watching this show).
I actually put more emphasis on what you guys expressed, in terms of your mood and genre preferences, and taking all that into account, it seems to me that The Princess’s Man (first floated by Trent – thanks Trent!) would be a good choice that would appeal to most.
I’ll talk a bit more about why this seems like an all-around good pick, but first, here are the various details that you might need!
Schedule: Saturdays, starting 24 September 2022. Posts will go live at 8:00am, my time (GMT+8).
Romance: Yes.
Commitment: 24 episodes. 2 eps a week = 12 weeks.
In other words: We will discuss E1-2 on Saturday, 24 September 2022.
Availability: Available on Viki with Viki Pass Plus, and on Kocowa.
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Why I picked this show:
The reason I picked this one, is because it feels like a good change of pace from the last two group watches we had, which were a quirky social commentary (Heard It Through The Grapevine) and a retro melodrama (Autumn’s Concerto).
At the same time, it sounded to me like a number of you are in the mood for something romance-centric (hi, MariaF!), as well as something epic (hi, Eda and Ele!).
While Bridal Mask / Gaksital is pretty epic, the romance in it is pretty weak, which is why I felt that The Princess’s Man would have a deeper and wider visceral appeal.
Why you should watch:
This is a pretty sweeping romance in the vein of Romeo and Juliet, and I do love that the writers weave our story around real historical figures, such that it could have plausibly happened, and just not been recorded in history.
That is just the kind of thing to tickle my imagination.
Also, Moon Chae Won and Park Si Hoo put in strong performances as our leads, and I remember feeling suitably immersed and invested in the love story between their characters.
For those concerned about the Romeo and Juliet reference, I can assure you that despite the epic scale of this forbidden love, this one does have (well, slightly) less tragedy built into it.
Last but certainly not least (hi, JJ!), I really enjoyed the pulsing, sweeping music that Show uses as its background score.
Trailer:
The Princess’s Man Open Threads:
I’ll be linking the Open Threads here, for easy reference. You’ll also be able to find the Open Thread links on my Full List page and on my Group Watches page.
E1&2 | E3&4 | E5&6 | E7&8 | E9&10 | E11&12 | E13&14 | E15&16 | E17&18 | E19&20 | E21&22 | E23&24
In closing
..That’s about it, really! I really hope that you guys are happy with my final pick, which I made as carefully as possible.
Please go forth and enjoy your first couple of episodes – and remember to tune in for the Open Thread posts, going live next Saturday! ❤️
Also, don’t worry if you can’t make it to join the discussion on Saturday itself; these aren’t live watch parties. Often the discussions go on all week, and sometimes beyond!