Product Details

• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KYWQR6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,150 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Imagine being a happy-go-lucky high school student and finding out one day that your commoner grandfather and the King of the country had made a pact that you would marry the Crown Prince. This is Chae-kyung's predicament as she is quickly thrust into a royal marriage to a complete stranger. (Oh, and did I mention that Korea is a country that doesn't even have a monarchy in the real world?). For some, it's a true alternate reality Cinderella story, but for Chae-kyung, her Prince, named Shin, turns out to be mean and selfish with little intent of breaking up with his previous girlfriend and every intention of divorcing her in a couple years. But the bubbly and good natured Chae-kyung finds solace in the Crown Prince's cousin, Prince Yool. He is the true Prince Charming, a kind and understanding soul who quickly falls in love with her (his cousin-in-law). Complicating the situation is the fact that prince Yool used to be the Crown Prince and she was originally betrothed to him. And as it turns out, the parents of the Princes have a complicated past and love triangles all their own. Sound like a soap opera? Well, obviously it is. And a good one. Chae-kyung must navigate the difficult worlds of the palace and high school and marriage. The mixture of three situations that are difficult enough on their own creates all kinds of interesting difficulties for our girl next door.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and cute, May 7, 2007

By 

P. Her "MissHer" (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PALACE / PRINCESS HOURS KOREAN DRAMA 9 DVDs with English Subtitles (DVD)

I just saw the drama and its so cute. None of the characters in the drama makes you really hate them. All the character have their own reasons for acting the way they do. Its another one of those tales of how boy meets girl, boy and girl hates one another, boy and girl falls in love one another and then problems strikes which causes boy and girl to separate. Of course like most love stories the boy and girl finally end up together. The acting might not be to good but the story line is pretty good. I found out that it was pretty fun to watch and wanted to know how everything connected in the end. My favorite parts were the teddy bears but if you guys want to know what I'm talking about you'll have to see it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Palace was a refreshing drama for me, June 12, 2007

By 

LadyYuina (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PALACE / PRINCESS HOURS KOREAN DRAMA 9 DVDs with English Subtitles (DVD)

I must say that this drama was well done. The main female lead didn't come off as "strong" and "I can do anything" sort of way. And the supporting female character, I felt was not annoying or too obtrusive (much like most of them are made out to be). The acting was superb and things ranging from the costumes, settings, and music kept me intrigued in the series the entire time. Another note I'd like to add (for my own satisfication), I strongly felt that the supporting male character was much more deserving of the lead actress. But, alas, like any typical Korean drama, this is never the case. The lead male and female must always come together. This is a must see for anyone interested in seeing the lives of rich people, figureheads of a country, and such; and the many things they must go through to maintain what they have.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Curse Of The Golden Flower meets Full House, July 17, 2008

By 

Vince F - See all my reviews

This review is from: PALACE / PRINCESS HOURS KOREAN DRAMA 9 DVDs with English Subtitles (DVD)

Palace is a very expensive, long and honorable attempt at creating a multi-faceted story involving a monarchy in Korea. It's a rag-to-riches story in one sense, a love triangle in another and quest for power in still another. Was it all worth it? To be honest, I was left a little disappointed.

The monarchy's young prince is required to marry a commoner chosen by his grandfather as part of a promise. This average girl played by Yoon Eun-hye also by coincidence goes to the same private school that the prince goes to. How her poor family can afford it is beyond me.

After the marriage, the girl moves into the palace and does her best Lucille Ball impression. This creates many funny, and sometimes not so funny situations involving all those at the palace. Of course, things get more interesting. Someone else has their eye on her and basically becomes obsessed with her. This particular situation is probably the most unconvincing crush I have seen on TV. Not that he doesn't try with some good acting skills, but it's so obvious that they are not right for each other from a casting perspective. Kim Jeong-hoon who plays Prince Lee Yul has a bright future in my opinion, but he seemed a little out of place in this series.

On top of all this we have a quite interesting story among the elders. Yes, adults actually get to do something in this series. There is a battle for power, a secret relationship from times gone by and the eldest mother trying to keep everything from blowing up.

The situation with the elders turns out to be the most interesting part of the series, and at one point I was hoping the young princes and princess could finish up their business so the show could just concentrate on His Majesty's issues. Look into his wife's eyes, and you can see her longing for true love without having to say a word.

The acting of the adults in this show was quite superb, and I also enjoyed the performance by the young girls mother who sees everyone as a potential insurance client.

I am not saying that there was never an interesting or heartfelt moment between the young leads. I sure cried a few times. They just came all too infrequently, and with a series this long, we get the stuff that all soap operas are guilty of - FILLER! That stuff that's there to fill time but really is not necessary to the story.

There are also some continuity issues. In one, the princess is scolded every which way for leaving the palace without anyone knowing where she is. She cried heavily and promised it wont happen again. So, what does she do after all this? Yep, she gets in her car and leaves the palace without telling anyone. It had to be done because it sets up a potential scandal later in the show.

All in all I would have to say that I cannot recommend that you purchase this series, but if its on TV or as a rental, give it a try. You might find it more entertaining than I did.