King's Maker

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“King’s Maker” first drew me in with its bright & shiny artstyle. The story is about a lost prince returning to avenge the people that we loves and to correct the wrongs of his father. What can I say, this story has everything that I look for in a medieval drama:

Story (8/10)
✅ adorable romance = but at the same time it doesn’t overwhelm the plot.
✅ intriguing revenge plot = right when you think that it's "by the numbers" they throw a curve-ball at you.

Art (10/10)
✅ Colorful but Intimidating = to capture the dazzling & grandiose appearance that covers-up the twisted power.

Character (8/10)
✅ ... political struggle = MC fighting a uphill battle make connections.
✅ legitimate frustrating angst = the MC learning to jump through hoops to get to his goals.
✅ corrupt monarch = the king's obsession distracts him from his duties and makes him a more disliked character.

Enjoyment (10/10)
✅ hints of humor = to lighten up the mood of all this angst and drama.

If there is anything to dislike about the story, it would be the King’s pedophilia, but that is part of both the characters' and the audience’s hatred toward him. Also if you're wary of mature themes like blood and sexual themes, I suggest that you read with caution, but it's not too overwhelming

Aside from that, it a good story of mind games with a side of BL romance. And now is a good time to catch up on it since the 2nd season hasn’t been posted yet in English. But from what I've glanced at, it’ll expand on the aftermath of this season in great ways.

The strongest point of King's Maker is probably it's story line, which is cliché yet unique. Who wouldn't enjoy some drama around the throne? But this time there are no maids or high-born ladies dangling around the main prince, but the king's boytoy. He is also the one who is determined to make the said prince king, instead of some power-hungry mom.
The story is well-paced with it's ups (climaxes/highlights) and downs (relaxing/funny moments). The writer is able to tell the story without rushing it in 37 chapters, and make the reader hold their breath every page.

The story starts with Wolfgang Goldenleonard, the 4th prince ... of his kingdom, being taken into the palace after having lived outside for years. He despises the palace and his father and refused any interactions untill he met Shin. Shin is one of the 'children' aka boytoys of the king (Wolfgang's father), and he shares Wolfgang's disgust for the current kingdom. Shin wants to change it, and he plans to do that by making Wolfgang the king.

The characters all have their unique parts, and the main characters undergo character development. The romance between Wolfgang and Shin is slow as to not lesson our focus on the main story, but fast enough for the reader to notice their feelings for each other early on.

The art is out of this world. The artist really has their own style, which is stunning and not basic. There's no such thing as too much gold!!! Sometimes I'm fangirling purely bc of the art.

"THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS"
Chapter 23 and 24 killed this piece of work so hard. I don't even know how to explain this, but I'll try:
I'll go straight to the point, its not about just being fucked up. I've read and seen worse, but its so poorly written that I felt disgusted and very uneasy. Without getting into specifics, King is a pedo and he has a particular chamber for his doings with his children harem.
Its a fucked up place, full of toys for children, drugs and wine that he offers to his victims. There is obviously rape - and extreme violence afterwards with ... another victim, then suddently romance between the protagonist and the victim that is younger than 15.
Ladies and gentleman, you don't greet a rape victim by furiously kissing him/her or being sexual at all, imagine doing so the minute after the victim has experienced the trauma.
The BL isn't even worth it. Don't waste your time, there's not a good plot nor charming characters with interesting backstory other than simple trauma.