i am not one to dissect every little element. i go for the more overall entertainment value. Of course you can complain that there were some areas of slow progress. Or that this or that actor did not come across as you would have liked. But for me it was a very entertaining series. I felt frustrated that i had to wait for the next episode.
I thought the male lead was the most outstanding actor of this series. i will watch out for him more. I have to say the side characters were really well played. The Queens controlling nature came across vividly. As did the malevolent uncle.
The story was interesting and held my attention throughout. I thought the female lead did a reasonable job she was very expressive in the first few episodes but maybe she was directed to reduce facial expression as the series went on. It maybe a failure of direction rather than the actress at fault for some of the criticism she seems to be receiving. I suppose as a Baduk player you can give yourself away. All in all i think she did a decent job. Yes i would have liked her to be more animated in the later part of the series. I thought the costumes, cinematography, and the music we all brilliant and added much to my enjoyment. I will watch this again without doubt