Secret Royal Inspector Joy

I really wanted to love it.

First of all, I have to say, this drama is so beautifully made I recommend anyone to watch it just to admire the details and work they put i to it.

The costumes are gorgeous, the props, hairstyles, locations, sets, the cinematography and its colors.

I have watched many historical korean dramas and I am telling you I have never seen one made with such care. There's even a few letters showing where they are trading with other countries and you can actually read the beautiful calligraphy in old dutch and portuguese)

This series has literally all the ingredients to be amazing and yet it didn't cut it to be so.

Even the characters are very unique , women are not just waiting for the men to save them and do the work there's many strong female characters and that is just awesome to watch. Love how many feminist kdramas they are creating lately.

For me the problem was the story and the pace, it is just not interesting enough and everything is so slow. I'm very sad because I was very looking forward for it and I really really wanted to love it.

I fell in love with the acting of Kim Hye-Yoon when I watched Extraordinary you and she didn't disappoint, she is just so fresh when she acts, but there's no depth in her dialogues and is just sad. Even when they ask her why she wants to get a divorce, I was expecting for her to actually tell something deeper.

First time watching Ok Taecyeon acting and left me cold, his comedy looks forced and I didn't feel any connection with the main lead, but might be the script's fault.

I am giving it a 7 because of how's amazingly this show is made.

My rating is 8 only because if lee jae kyoon. Remove this guy's perfect acting from the series the drama drops to 5 or 6 for me.

Park tae soo kept me going. His eyes said it all.

An extremelyyy underrated actor. Desperate to see him in a lead role!

Other than that, story was a bit disconnected Starting episodes were funny up till 6th or so. Then drama lost all continuity and scenes didnt fit.

Chicken fake voice of female lead was the most annoying thing.

Romance of leads was just okay. No feeling there at all.

Bromance of male lead and his two servants was good Story: 7/10 Acting: 7/10 (exclusive rating for park tae soo: 10/10) Direction: 5/10 Script: 7/10 Makeup/clothes : 9/10.

A royal inspector Ra Ian, played by Ok Taec-yeon has more interest in cooking than carrying out his royal duties. He is despatched to investigate the disappearance of another royal inspector and along the way gets involved in a small town dispute where an independent woman Kim Joy played by Kim Hye-yoon is seeking a divorce. They end up becoming involved with each other and investigating various crimes, one of which goes to the very top of the royal court. It is an interesting story from the Joseon period with great sets and costumes. The acting from the entire cast is good but what lets it down is the failure in the writing. The storyline seems to lack cohesion and you never feel involved with any of the characters or their story lines.

The first 7 episodes are fun like most people thought, couldn't agree more bout that. A literal no brainer, not tragic and complicated like most Sageuk drama. A perfect choice if You desire something light and bright after a heavy ones like crime-thriller drama. Or so You thought... Cause in fact it hides darkness behind. It's "secret royal inspector" similar to what us modern community have after all.

Lee Jae Kyoon (Park Tae Soo) acting, especially on the game-changer 8th episode and tearjerker 14th episode is exceptional! I watched the 8th episode at work, during lunch hour, my desk was a literal puddle of tears. His expression shows it all, it's heartbreaking. Meanwhile for the 14th one i watched it at home, on my lazy Sunday afternoon when i'm alone. Dude i bawled my eyes, crying out loud T. T Though I've been watch kDrama for 20 years (since 4th grade), it's a shame that i just recognized him in the Veil (his acting was excellent there as well), huhu. Hope he'll become much more famous and get more lead roles later!

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy is a joy to watch! Kpop singer/rapper Taecyeon of 2PM is also a respected actor. I first became aware of him through his work on Vincenzo. His chemistry in this series with beautiful spunky actress Kim Hye Yoon is a winner! Together they are an unbeatable team solving mysteries and intrigue at the Royal court! 2021 is the comeback year for 2PM and another winner in the actor department!!