The King’s Case Note – His Majesty is a Crime Solving Detective?

“The King’s Case Note” is a 2017 Korean drama film, and is categorized as Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Historical fiction, and Adventure; and streaming on Viki. The film is based on the comic “Imgeumnimui Sagunsoocheob”.

• Memorable Quote: “A king must know everything, especially the truth others fear to speak.”

SUMMARY: The king is not just an ordinary monarch of Joseon. He’s very clever, educates himself in a wide range of subjects, and is relentless in his pursuit of justice and truth. He has the perfect assistant; a chronicler or historian who has a photographic memory. He only has to see something once and he can recall every detail.

♦ There’s No Such Thing as a Ghost Fish

In “The King’s Case Note”, Yoon Yi-Seo reports to work. It’s his first official day at work as a historian or chronicler. He made the mistake of saying he’ll serve the king faithfully. WHAT? Chroniclers are supposed to be objective and only record what actually happened. They can’t distort events to suit the king’s fancy or curry his favor. Yoon Yi-Seo didn’t mean the words the way they came out of his mouth. He just meant he would do a good job. Before he knew it he was being dragged off by the chief historian to meet the king.

Yoon Yi-Seo entered the throne room, and he was face-to-face with King Yejong. First, he looked up at the ceiling, and then he looked down. He was trying to look away from the king and not meet his direct stare. The king approached him directly and said that he had heard the chronicler not only took excellent notes, but he heard that he had an excellent memory. The king said that he heard that Yoon Yi-Seo could see something only once, and he could remember every detail. So he tested him, and Yoon Yi-Seo passed the test with flying colors. He did indeed recall the details of the dragon on the ceiling of the palace.

King Yejong was pleased. He had a new partner to help him solve mysteries! Yoon Yi-Seo was going to accompany the king on his secret missions. The villagers were circulating a story about a ghost fish. The king didn’t believe there was any such creature. But the villagers did, and that meant the king had to either prove it was true or prove what it was that the villagers saw in the water. That may have been the first mystery King Yejong and Yoon Yi-Seo solved together. But from now on, they were a team, a detective duo always on an adventure.

Main Characters:

• King Yejong (played by Lee Sun-Kyun, “Parasite”, “Payback: Money and Power”, “Kingmaker”)
• Yoon Yi-Seo (played by Ahn Jae-Hong, “Rebound”, “Secret Zoo”, “Chicken Nugget”, “Time to Hunt”)

*In Memory of: Lee Sun-Kyun (1975 – 2023)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.4 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.7 of 10 stars
• Letterboxd: 3.1 out of 5 stars
• Viki viewers’ rating: 9.2 of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

Do you want to watch a historical whodunit with a splash of humor? This delightful gem was just added to Viki.com’s database. The Los Angeles Times describes it as “a workable, quirky Holmes-Watson dynamic”. I agree.

• REAL HISTORY NOTES:  There were two monarchs remembered as King Yejong. One during the Goryeo Kingdom and one during the Joseon Dynasty. Yejong was the 8th king of the Joseon dynasty (1450–1469), and he had a short and troubled reign. He succeeded his father, King Sejo, in 1468 at the age of 18, and died just over a year later due to a physical illness. Because Yejong died without a suitable heir, the throne passed to his nephew, Seongjong.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

‘The King’s Case Note’ Review: Buddy Film Loses Momentum | Variety

Film Review: ‘The King’s Case Note’ | YAHOO! Entertainment

Despite chemistry of stars, Korean comedy ‘The King’s Case Note’ is easily dismissed | Los Angeles Times

Movie Review – The King’s Case Note (2017) – The cat that watches TV | nekosdrama

TRAILER/TEASER:

CJEntertainmentUSA. “[THE KING’S CASE NOTE] Official Teaser Trailer w/ English Subtitles [HD].” YouTube, Video, 5 Apr. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWDKP-tOXJE.

https://youtu.be/zWDKP-tOXJE?si=xCLMOYhRmfCSVYN8

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Five (5) Similar K-Drama Films and Series (Though Not All Comedy):

(1) Detective K Series (2011, 2015, and 2018)

• Plot Summary: Set in the Joseon era, these films follow a quirky detective and his sidekick solving bizarre cases. Sherlock Holmes meets Korean period drama.

(2) The Face Reader (2013)

• Plot Summary: A man with the ability to “read faces”, i.e. he uses the age-old art of physiognomy to discern a person’s character and fate by studying their facial features, gets entangled in ruthless palace intrigue and corrupt political schemes.

(3) The Tale of Nokdu (2019)

• Plot Summary: Assassins show up at a man’s home, but they don’t succeed. He realizes one of the group is a female and chases after her. She disappears into a widow’s village. He disguises himself as a woman to infiltrate the village and uncover why assassins were sent to his home, and discovers a web of secrets, including his true identity.

(4) Secret Royal Inspector & Joy (2019)

• Plot Summary: A reluctant secret royal inspector teams up with a divorcee who has a natural ability to solve crimes, and together they uncover corruption.

(5) Joseon Attorney (2023)

• Plot Summary: A lawyer uses the law to seek justice for his family, uncovering deeper conspiracies. Sharp and layered with courtroom drama. His assistant is a princess.

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RELATED LINKS:

11 K-Dramas To Watch If You Like These Series | Rotten Tomatoes

18 Korean Law Dramas To Watch That Will Make You Scream ‘Objection!’ At The Opposing Attorney | Middle Class