[talk] ‘The Crown Prince Has Disappeared’ First Episode 1.5% → Final Episode 5.6%… A Youthful Historical Drama That Shines With Freshness

Now I don't think I'll be able to see Junmyeon on the weekends

Tears are blocking my vision ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Junmyeon, I'm so happy I get to see you every weekend❤

I look forward to seeing you again in another work~~~ hehe

'The Crown Prince Has Disappeared' First Episode 1.5% → Final Episode 5.6%... A Youthful Historical Drama That Shines With Freshness

'The Crown Prince Has Disappeared' is a Joseon-style romantic comedy that deals with the tumultuous escape of a young man and woman when the crown prince is attacked by the woman who will become the crown princess. It started with a 1.5% rating for the first episode and recorded 5.6% in the last episode, showing its strong potential. We looked into the secrets of its popularity that has been on the rise with each episode.

◆ Suho, who created the historical drama Suho

Suho, who boldly expressed his desire to hear the title of 'Prince' at the production presentation, showed his true worth by creating a 'Suho-style historical drama'.

Suho, who studied his own tone and created his character by watching all the historical dramas that were aired in the past two years, said that he was able to confidently act out 'Lee Gun' thanks to the support and interest from those around him. Despite it being his first historical drama, Suho immersed himself into the character with his solid pronunciation, low-to-mid range voice tone, and flexible expression of emotions, increasing the immersion in the drama.

It received favorable reviews for its detailed portrayal of the character's emotions, such as despair, sadness, excitement, and joy, that change from moment to moment amid the turbulent development of the drama. It also presented a splendid spectacle with its colorful hanbok and unabashed beauty, earning it the nickname of "national visual."

◆ A narrative that calls for dopamine… No time to be bored

'The Crown Prince Has Disappeared' opened with the tumultuous first meeting between Crown Prince Lee Gun and Choi Myung-yoon, and the story continued to be engulfed in plots and schemes of numerous schemers who flock to oust Crown Prince Lee Gun after Lee Gun finds out about the secret meeting between Queen Dowager Min Su-ryeon and Royal Physician Choi Sang-rok.

This gave catharsis to those who saw him with his unwavering integrity, discipline, and wisdom despite suffering through successive hardships and hardships. He stood up to protect his family from the evil forces that were trying to oust him, and he clashed with his younger brother, Prince Doseong, who was unaware of this, over the position of crown prince.

In addition, he made viewers feel sorry for him every episode with his heartbreaking romance with Choi Myung-yoon, the daughter of Choi Sang-rok, who is the main culprit in harming his father, Hae-jong, and is at the peak of evil deeds.

Following 'Bossam: Steal the Fate', writer Park Chul, who vividly portrayed the palace struggle, betrayal, and death, and writer Kim Ji-soo, who excellently utilized groundbreaking material that added shock to the twist, created a 'dopamine narrative' that gradually captivated the viewers' hearts.

Due to this, the viewership ratings, which had peaked at 1.5% in the first episode, also showed an upward curve with each episode, and eventually reached 5.6% in the finale, proving the new and fresh pace of the historical drama with an increase of more than five times.

◆ The freshness of young actors… The confidence of veteran actors ‘synergy effect’

'The Crown Prince Has Disappeared' received favorable responses for the fresh and exquisite chemistry between the young actors Su-ho, Hong Ye-ji, and Kim Min-gyu and the veteran actors Myung Se-bin and Kim Joo-hun. Su-ho, as Crown Prince Lee Gun, is a 'confident crown prince' who has experienced all sorts of hardships but never loses his will, and he has done everything from great action scenes to heartbreaking romance.

Hong Ye-ji, who plays Choi Myung-yoon, has solidified her position as the “next-generation queen of tears” since the beginning when she showed a surprising side, and has also acted in heartbreaking sobbing scenes in every episode. Myung Se-bin, who plays Min Soo-ryeon, a tragic heroine who dreams of desperate love, proved to viewers what experience is with her acting that holds the center of the drama, and Kim Joo-heon, who plays Choi Sang-rok, a crazy lover, passionately portrayed his fierce charisma for love despite it being his first historical drama, driving each episode to a tense ending. Kim Min-gyu, who plays Joseon’s gentlemanly Prince Doseong, has firmly established himself on the small screen with his delicate expressions of action scenes, tears, and even his unconventional shaman acting.

◆ Extremely polar narratives… Highly immersive production

Director Kim Jin-man's ability to evoke empathy with his sensual visual beauty in 'Kill Me, Heal Me' and 'Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People' also shines in 'The Crown Prince Has Disappeared'. Director Kim Jin-man vividly expressed the extreme narratives that alternate between heartbreaking romance and palace intrigue. In the exciting romance scene between Lee Gun and Choi Myung-yoon, he brought the film to life with bright and clean colors, and in the crisis scene where Lee Gun's life is in danger, he doubled the sense of anxiety with dark tones.

Director Kim Jin-man also focused on the characters' expressions to increase their appeal, and he helped viewers gain a broader understanding and heightened their immersion by emphasizing the individual characters' narratives, such as the conflict between Lee Gun and Prince Doseong and the flashbacks of Min Su-ryeon and Choi Sang-rok.

The production team, Studio Jidam, said, “Just as Lee Gun and Choi Myung-yoon found true happiness after a difficult journey, we hope that ‘The Crown Prince Has Disappeared’ will be a drama that leaves a dot of happiness in your hearts as well.”