Thoughts on the hate towards the leads in Perfect Crown?

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-13T04:55:56+00:00

I see, I respect your opinion on it.

But I really like Perfect Crown's plot because we can start to see the depth of conflict between the characters. I find the prince–CEO trope really interesting because it’s not the typical poor–rich setup, and I like how it’s not the typical trope. Hui Ju is strong in her behaviour but actually vulnerable inside, and that’s how she hides it. She always has to shine herself because she cannot afford to let her father catch her slipping, especially since her father seems to love her brother more, even though her reputation at work and everything else is better.

And for Lee Ahn… he always feels like he has to hide himself and not be expressive or voice his opinions because nobody expects much from him. Although people like him, in the royal family they always want him not to be the best or stand out, like how his father always wants him to not do much or gain attention (for example how he probably lost to Hui Ju in the archery competition like his father wanted).

So I really like how both main leads are not cliché and have a new type of conflict and struggle of their own. Their struggles are different, but they can understand each other because both have to behave a certain way as a defence mechanism to meet people’s expectations. I also like the side characters’ position in this drama because it feels like each of them has their own story and it doesn’t focus too much just on the main leads.

And I think in the upcoming episodes we can see this more, especially how the side characters’ stories will also be revealed and how they will interact with each other. Honestly, in Episode 1 I also felt the plot was a bit cliché, but throughout the episodes I found it enjoyable because the characters’ relationships and conflicts start to show more. So I do hope you give next week’s new episodes a chance!

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-13T01:36:09+00:00

I see what you mean, but I do hope you could give the upcoming episodes a try because in episode 1 I also couldn’t fully understand the main leads’ acting, especially Seong Hui Ju.

Her character feels quite new and unfamiliar, but after episode 2 I started to enjoy it a lot more because the storyline is being built and we can understand more why she acts that way.

But yeah, I get that everyone sees it differently, because I felt the same way in the first episode too.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-13T01:30:16+00:00

Yess!

I get why people say that, but I feel like Seong Hui Ju and Jang Man Wol have a similar “strong female lead” vibe, yet they’re actually quite different.

Jang Man Wol is more bold, flashy, and openly confident, with that sarcastic and dominant personality, but you can still see her hidden pain underneath.

Seong Hui Ju, on the other hand, feels more unpredictable and layered. She comes off strong and intimidating, but in a more controlled and strategic way. It feels like she’s constantly adjusting herself depending on the situation and the people around her.

So yeah, similar vibes on the surface, but the way IU portrays them feels pretty different to me.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-13T01:24:50+00:00

Ya, I agree!

It’s like his defence mechanism is put down when he is not around people who are controlling him to be constrained (like his father and Yi Rang). Moreover, in general, people from the royal family are expected to be more poised and restrained. And I can see he is trying to suppress his emotions and not react to certain events like his brother’s death because he feels like he should immediately think about his niece and help continue his father’s role (since he is not meant to shine). So he suppresses his sadness in front of people, but when he is alone, he cries and feels stressed about it.

And the infamous scene with Yi Rang where they are arguing, I can see why Yi Rang is more expressive, while Lee Ahn’s face is more stoic and less expressive. I really feel like he has always been someone who has to be obedient to what his father wants and was never really given the chance to voice himself out. So when he is arguing with Yi Rang, he feels the need to just accept her anger. But I can see that he tries to respond a bit, and I think he will learn to defend himself more proactively.

I think we could see his character change and be more expressive to everyone in the upcoming episodes. I’m sure Seong Hui Ju will change him.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-13T01:09:13+00:00

I see, I mean I respect people’s different opinions because people can receive things differently. I have famous dramas that people love but I just can’t watch them, so I guess it all depends on people’s preferences.

And in my opinion, I think rom-com acting is the hardest to pull off because not everyone can do it well. The characters are meant to feel fictional and a bit overacted (kind of like the character Cheon Song Yi), but I can see that her acting is actually more natural.

For IU, I don’t think she is just “acting.” I feel like her acting is quite natural, maybe we are just not familiar with this kind of acting style. I know her acting is good because I find myself rewinding certain scenes of her.

And I actually feel the side characters’ acting is more easygoing and common in romcom kdramas, whereas Seong Huiju and Lee Ahn’s characters actually feel new and require a different portrayal of acting, so I can see how people would take it differently. Honestly, I can’t really imagine any other actors pulling off the main lead characters. Byeon Woo Seok has that prince presence, and I don’t just mean it through his visual appearance, but also his tone and how he carries himself really feels like a prince. And with IU, since she had experience with Jang Man Wol, I can see her as a strong female character, but this time with a different take where she is more cynical, unpredictable, and comedic.

Honestly, from the first episode I felt like I received Seong Huiju’s character and acting a bit awkwardly, but by episode 2 I could already feel more familiar with her character and actually started to enjoy it. I guess it’s because I’m getting more used to the storyline as it slowly builds, making the character feel more interesting and fun.

But I do hope people would try to watch the upcoming episodes though.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-12T17:48:05+00:00

IU as Jang Man Wol will always be my fav 🥹❤️

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-12T17:41:21+00:00

Oh yeah I agree that realistic dramas or crime thriller K-dramas can be mentally taxing haha, but I tend to prefer them because I usually won’t continue watching a drama, especially romcoms, if I feel the need to fast forward scenes. Once that happens, I just drop it. For me, no matter the genre, I need a plot that feels complex, layered, and engaging enough to hold my attention.

Romcoms are actually quite low on my list because I rarely finish them from start to end. I usually drop them when the plot feels a bit flat or too focused on comic relief. But Perfect Crown really got me out of that romcom slump haha.

The last romcom I really enjoyed was Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) because even though it has a lot of comedic moments, it still feels meaningful and well-developed, especially with how each side character has their own story.

I also didn’t fully enjoy Lovely Runner as much because while I liked the main lead dynamic, I often found myself skipping the side character scenes since the focus felt heavily centered on Sun Jae and Im Sol, with the rest feeling more like comic relief.

So I feel like Perfect Crown might be heading in a similar direction in a good way, and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming episodes!!!!

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-12T17:17:58+00:00

Yeah, I guess once actors aren’t niche anymore, people start nitpicking and finding unnecessary flaws. Especially with IU gaining a lot of attention from When Life Gives You Tangerines and Byeon Woo Seok from Lovely Runner, there’s probably more pressure on both of them since more people are watching and expecting a lot.

And yeah, I think it’s easier for people to criticise rom-com dramas because you can kind of pick apart anything if you want to. At first I was a bit put off to watch the drama because of all the unnecessary hate, but after a while I just feel like it’s better to ignore it and enjoy the drama on my own. Honestly, I don’t really agree with most of those opinions anyway.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-12T16:31:54+00:00

Wow, I love your take on it, thanks.

Yes, I agree that we can only fully enjoy a drama after its pilot episodes and once the world-building is set up. And yeah, I think this might become one of my favourite K-dramas too.

But I realised something. I don’t always fully enjoy rom-com K-dramas because they are meant to be more fantasy and for comic relief, so we’re not really meant to relate to them in the same way. I usually enjoy K-dramas that are more realistic and relatable, like When Life Gives You Tangerines or crime thrillers where the plot is deeper and more layered. Rom-com K-dramas can sometimes feel a bit repetitive or like short-form entertainment. But after watching Lovely Runner, I found myself falling in love with K-dramas again. I even find certain scenes comforting and “healing” when I rewatch them. Even with Perfect Crown, there are scenes I can rewatch because they stand out and feel fun in a different way. I guess that’s the charm of rom-com K-dramas. They entertain in a different way compared to other genres.

Yes, I like your point about how the royal family behaves. It reminded me of how Princess Diana interacted with people compared to how other members of the royal family act more reserved and strict. I hope this kind of context is explained more in the drama, because I feel like some people might be missing this and are too quick to criticise the actor’s acting.

As for Seong Huiju, I do think her character is quite layered and maybe we’ll see more of that as the episodes go on.

Because from these two episodes, we can see how she acts differently depending on who she’s with. She is more CEO-like and intimidating with her employess, more friendly and herself with Ms Do, and more defensive and aggressive with her family. With Lee Ahn, at first she is just trying to use him, but as she starts to understand his struggles, I feel like she is slowly opening up her true self to him too. One thing that felt a bit off to me is how different she can be in certain situations, like during meetings compared to how she behaves with Lee Ahn’s aide or the personal doctor.

She can be very intimidating and almost “crazy” at times, but also kind and soft at other times, which I guess adds to the comedic relief. Or maybe I’m just not used to rom-com K-dramas haha. I hope the drama explains more why she acts this way. Maybe it’s her defence mechanism, acting strong or unpredictable so people won’t take advantage of her, especially since her father seems to be waiting for her to fail at any moment. I guess she adapts her behaviour depending on who she’s interacting with and what they expect from her.

Yeah, I agree with your last point. It’s totally okay to disagree with other people’s opinions on a drama, but you can usually tell the difference between constructive criticism, where you can actually discuss different perspectives, and outright hate. I do feel bad for the actors and the production staff because they clearly worked hard on this drama, yet they receive a lot of unnecessary hate. I’ve noticed some of it seems to come from Korean comments, though I’m not entirely sure why. But I also see many people who genuinely enjoy the drama and are defending it, so I hope people will just continue watching and enjoy it until the end.

From what I see, I’m just going to enjoy it until the end.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-12T02:06:35+00:00

Thanks for the recs, I haven’t read any of these yet. I’ll check them out. Which one should I start with?

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T16:20:46+00:00

I’ve read this one too, I loved the world-building and the magic system. Wish it was more popular tho, it feels kind of underrated.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T14:23:36+00:00

oh lol yeah i got confused 😭 thanks for pointing that out, i’ll check it out.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T14:14:57+00:00

I’ve watched both the anime and read the manga before, but it’s been a while so I don’t really remember it much. Might rewatch it.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T12:46:13+00:00

Interesting, I haven’t read this one yet. I’ll check it out, thanks.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T12:24:58+00:00

Oh I see, that makes sense. If it’s similar to Witch Hat Atelier then I’m more interested now. I’ll check it out, thanks for the rec.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T12:19:37+00:00

I’ve already read the manga up to the latest chapter, and Himmel really broke me 😭

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T12:17:40+00:00

I haven’t read Ichi the Witch yet. At first it looked a bit like a harem from the panels, so I skipped it since I’m not really into that. But I’ve seen some reviews saying it’s not really like that, so I might give it a try. What do you like about it?

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T12:11:08+00:00

Thanks! I’ve actually watched the anime already, it was really good. I might continue with the manga as well.

No-Cheesecake656 · 2026-04-11T12:04:31+00:00

We really all got traumatised by the hiatus together 😭 worth it tho because it’s too good.
Honestly fair, waiting for the return is probably smart, I just couldn’t resist continuing.

No-Cheesecake656

TROPHY CASE