From the first episode, we expect to discover a comic and light drama. Well, " The Forbidden Marriage" is certainly all that, but not only. It's an amazing mix of genres with modern contexts or subjects, all connected to the historical side. There is comedy, certainly, but also mystery, political and police intrigues. In addition, despite its humorous side, this does not prevent it from also being endowed with a real serious story, with pretty emotions. This drama is based on screenwriter Chun Ji-hye's own web novel of the same title, which was also published as a webtoon. Let's discover " The Forbidden Marriage" available on VIKI since December 2022.
Synopsis
After the king lost his future wife and queen, he banned all marriages in Joseon until a new crown princess was chosen. Apart from this ban lasts for 7 years now, no princess has been chosen since and he continues to bear heavy mourning. So Rang is a high-ranking scammer who survives by playing matchmakers in these forbidden marriage times, and finds herself arrested. To get out of there, she has no choice but to lie, saying she has channeling power and get in touch with the late crown princess. The king having heard of this, wants to meet her in person.
CAST AND CHARACTERS
In the role of the king, we find here Kim Young Dae, who has particularly marked the spirits recently in "Shooting Stars". Here he plays an intelligent king, with a very nice little ego. He plays his role perfectly. 
His on-screen companion is Park Joo Hyun, who is relatively new to the entertainment world. Among other things, she recently played one of the main roles in the series " Mouse" in 2021 with Lee Seung Gi. We adhere or not to her character, it is true that she seems a little "colder" than her companion, but she manages the humorous side brilliantly. 
The second male lead is played by Kim Woo Suk, and it is one of the most beautiful roles in the drama. All in restraint, finesse, it is touching, and strongly marks the spirits. We have already seen him, among others, in Military Prosecutor Doberman , in such a different role, that it gives us a glimpse of his great potential. For us, really one of the roles to remember with that of the king. 
As for the secondary roles, they are of quality, and we love most of the characters. We can only adhere to the quality of their acting and to the material and the story that each carries, by the care given by the writers to each of them.
WE EXPECT EVERYTHING BUT THAT
One of these first strong points is really the fact that we expect a production a bit crazy, a real light comedy. And yes, it is, it is full of humor of all degrees, from the first episodes, the tone is set. Many scenes, will make you laugh, and there are some that you will find great like the one with the references to other known Korean dramas. 
But oh surprise, we also discover a real story behind, with plots, murders, twists, etc… In fact, it's far from just a romantic comedy. Nevertheless the intricate remains rather well balanced with the romance, and it is a clever mix very well dosed. You could even say that this drama is somewhere an ode to love, and it's so enjoyable these days. We appreciate it! Its other strong point is all its historical side, skilfully married to modern subjects of all kinds. Clearly it comes out of the "usual" historical dramas, in the way it is conducted, and honestly, we loved it. The sageuk is treated with a touch of modernism, something that we do not find all the time, and it is so well done, that we adhere totally even when we are used to Korean historical dramas. We find the same thing in the characters, and that makes all the difference. 
The cinematography and costumes are also very beautiful. Particular care has been taken to this, and it shows. All along, it remains a bit offbeat but ultimately not so much, and we easily go from laughter to tears, with sometimes sequences heavy in emotions that we do not expect. Short format, its 12 episodes make it a nice discovery easy to watch. In conclusion, do you want to discover Korean history a little differently through a quality drama? We advise to watch The Forbidden Marriage. This is a nice surprise, of a short format, which can also be a first step into the world of sageuk for those who hesitate to start. As for the others, even if you are used to Korean historical dramas, do not miss this one, it is really to discover, and you will have a good time in the Joseon era.
