A must watch
This series has been one of my Top favorite series. I totally recommend this series who loves kdrama.Would have never expected this series to have everything in it. It has Romance, Drama, & comedy.
from 1st episode this series is hilarious
The actors Shin Hye sun after angels last mission with all lady like acting doing this role was one her best decision.
And kim Jung hyun after CLOY omg was so excited to see him in this series.
All the characters are taken so well, not just the main actors but the one supporting them. Lady choi & Royal chef is too cute you fall for them. This series will be on my re-watch list all the time.
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Great acting from the entire cast, but especially Kim Jung-hyun (who never overplayed his part and was the perfect match for...) and Shin Hye-sun (her mannerisms, talking and overall portrayal of a woman with a man's soul trapped inside her, was a joy to watch).
I've not seen a drama capture its story like this and its script, so well. Perfectly paced, funny, emotional, nail biting and so enjoyable. The main story was never lost and the character of Jang Bong-hwan was kept at the forefront throughout ~ even when Choi Jin-hyuk wasn't appearing! He was seamlessly reintroduced at given times too, which was cleverly done.
Even though this is fantasy, with a melding of 2 totally different eras hundreds of years apart, the direction and character portrayals made it possible to completely fall into it. Nothing felt a step too far.
I shall miss this so much and it's one I know I will come back to, again and again.
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The masterpiece that failed to stick the landing.
I feel like I can speak for many people when I say that after the last half hour or so of the last episode, this drama went from a 10 to an 8 to me. The ending is going to be what makes or breaks the drama for a lot of people, so that's my focus with this review.Before that, I want to take a moment to commend the show on everything that it did right. The first 19 episodes were fresh, new and exciting, with an amazing supporting cast and one of the best FL I've ever seen in a k-drama. Of course, the FL was playing a male character, at least partially, so that perhaps could have influenced the writing for the character to be different from the average FL. There's a lot of messy business in there that I don't think I'm qualified to talk about, so I'll just say that the actress did a phenomenal job playing BH's character and I enjoyed her performance immensely. The leads had great chemistry, the humour was on point, and for those first 19 episodes, the only thing that didn't quite keep my attention was the politics which, unlike the fresh take on everything else that the drama had going for it, remained as stale and predictable as any other Joseon drama.
Then the ending happened. Then BH returned to the present, SY seamlessly took his place as queen, and they made an attempt at happily ever after. And that's where the drama lost its spark for me. There are a lot of nuances in the relationship between SY and BH, and sorting through it makes the ending really difficult to argue with. It's made clear that BH is being influenced by SY's feelings for CJ. It's SY's love for the king that causes BH to be drawn to him, so using that logic, it makes perfect sense that SY would stay with the king in the end. Even knowing that I'm left unsatisfied. Over 19 hours of this drama were spent watching BH and CJ interact and a lot of the interactions that stand out most to me were conversations they had that SY never could have had - their constant back-and-forth over BH's slang terminology and the moral conduct that he carried out while in SY's place are some of the best examples. BH's cooking knowledge, as well, is what helped the king get through the festival. SY would not have been able to do so because she lacks BH's experience. And that's just it--the king was charmed by him, by BH's quirks and strange behaviour. Without BH carrying their relationship on his back, SY would not have gotten her happy ending even if it was her who woke up after falling into the lake.
So what we're left with is a main character who does all of the work and gets booted back to his time so that the girl whose body he's been possessing takes all the credit. And I know I should have expected as much - I DID expect as much, right from the moment the drama started - but that doesn't make it any less sour. We've seen this done before, and despite a few years having passed since the last one that I recall, having two male characters in love on a major network, even when one has practically fused with the queen, isn't going to slide. I get it, I understand.
What really got me, though, was how little BH seemed to matter after returning to his time. Despite being the entire focus of the last 19 episodes, when he returns to his body he's only given a few brief scenes that serve entirely to explain the plot that's going on in Joseon. The characters of the past got some fluff scenes, some cute, happy moments, but his screen time was just: wake up-->run away-->find out what happened to CJ-->find out he's in the clear now-->smile while talking about his newfound morality. On the surface, it seems fine. But the more I think about it, the more it doesn't sit well. He spent months with those characters and whether influenced by SY or not, he fell for the king. Then, instead of showing any bittersweet emotions, he just moves on. At least it looks like he moves on. We aren't really given any time to see him process it all. This is the character we followed from the start but he became a side piece in his own story in the last episode, and that's sad to me.
I did like the ending. Well, the other aspects of it. I like the punishment for the antagonists, I like the happy little moments with the side characters and, as always, Court Lady Choi is a blessing. So really, I don't think it's bad writing that left me feeling this way but bad choices. So while I wanted to give it a 7.5 because of how disappointed I was, I did take a moment to look back at the other 19 episodes and all the joy they brought me. Even if the destination is less than desired, the journey was a breath of fresh air for historical dramas. It was like nothing before it and every moment until now was funny and exciting with amazing actors and a music score that perfectly suited the mood. I can't deny that, and I'm still happy to have watched it. I won't punish the whole show for one episode.
But to me, this ending is bittersweet. Seeing BH smile and cry while looking at the king's portrait and knowing that the king feels that something is missing after BH's disappearance, never knowing who BH was or where he really came from and never fully believing the stories that he heard, it's sad. If not to the writers then at least to me, they were in love and this was their story. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Funny and fantastical journey
I really appreciated the humor and the writing in this drama. The jokes are on-point and the comic timing is excellent. It's a great drama to kick back and relax to after a long day. The writing is also very good. The pacing, for the most part, is pretty solid with little drag. I was binging this until almost the last few episodes. I'm not sure if this was because I was truly felt those episodes were not that interesting or as the major political conflict was reaching the climax, the budding doubts I had about certain sequences of events were burgeoning into confusion and slight disengagement. But it's mostly subjective nit-picking and would not detract from the overall drama to most.The characters were well-written. I appreciate the character develop our male lead has. Our female lead is an endearing character with humorous pragmatism and zeal. As others have mentioned, the lead actress did a phenomenal job and it was extremely easy to differentiate who she was playing. Kudos for playing on the the standard nice-female-lead, evil-second-female lead trope. And even when the second female lead is behaving like a standard antagonist second female lead at her worst, there is complex and relatable emotions behind her actions. Being put in her position, it would be quite understandable to interpret (or misinterpret) certain situations. There were even times in the first few episodes where I was blaming the female lead and/or male lead for their words or actions and ill-unintended effect on her. The second male lead did not have as much complexity but I appreciated him for who he was and I understood this character arc. I also appreciated the insight into clans and their inner-workings. The rest of the of the cast was so lovable. Hats off to Lady Choi! The facial expressions, tone and total comedic timing of the actress are total scene-stealers! It there was a spin-off on the FL and kitchen gang having random cooking adventures, I would watch it in a heartbeat.
As mentioned above, these was some political and character conflict I was a little unsure about. In addition, it seemed like this drama was wavering between being realistic vs totally campy and unrealistic. Overall, it seemed like the comedy was the latter and the series scenes or conflicts were the former. I worked very well, but there was few "serious" conflicts that, to me, did not seem very realistic or at least I was not drawn into the suspension of disbelief. Thus the disengagement I mentioned above. Also, when most Asian dramas have the problem of telling instead of showing, I wish this drama was a little more obvious about some distinctions between Bong Hwan vs So Yong. But really, this is all minor nit-picking.
The music is great and really augments the mood of the drama. The opening ost and Bong Hwan A are so upbeat and instant mood lifters.
Overall, this is a great drama with an amazing cast of characters, brilliant acting and witty sense of humor that I recommend, hands down.
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This is till date one of the most amazing drama I've seen
I've always been bad at coping up with ongoing dramas. I leave it in between coz i loose interest, but this one drama made sure I'm stuck to it. This is the only drama i could watch and not regret waiting a week for it to continue. I really loved the whole production including the way it makes sure we viewers don't go anywhere but sit there qaiting for it to come out. I wish more and more and more people get to know about this amazing drama and watch it too.Hoping for this masterpiece to reach heights! Hwighting!?
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Brilliant
First of all, Shin Hye Sun deserves the highest actor/actress award. She was magnificent in it. Great story that keeps you interested from the beginning to the very end. Many hilarious and laugh-out-loud moments. Good soundtrack, great acting and casting. Cha Chung Hwa who played Court Lady Choi was my favorite character. I looked forward to every scene she was in.I am surprised at some of the lower ratings. I think it's one of the best KDrama I have ever seen. It's certainly one of my all-time favorites now. Highly recommended.
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1This review may contain spoilers
The Best Kdrama for Year 2021
The best Kdrama for year 2021 without a doubt. The story is extremely hilarious and the politic is just as tight and awesome like other serious sageuk dramas out there. Both Shin Hye Sun & Kim Jung Hyun did great in their respective roles. The ending is very satisfactory as well.WHY MR. QUEEN'S ENDING IS A SATISFYING ENDING
There are a lot of audiences that are not satisfy with the ending, I think partly because they missed the various hints that the writer keeps throwing to us since the beginning of the drama which is, So Young has always been part Bong Hwan since the very beginning -- which influence both his behaviors and actions. And her presence is more apparent when she fainted and fell into vegetative state. So all the romantic actions we seen later are all her own doing and not Bong Hwan. You see Bong Hwan being confuse and hate those actions since it was always been So Young's doing. Bong Hwan just always tries to justified himself everytime he does something against his will to console himself since he can’t understand his action either (like imagining Hong Yeon when the Queen and the King had their first night together and any other various instances). So Young's memories, So Young's feelings, So Young's sync actions with her father, So Young's music ability, So Young's embroidery skills are the many hints that the writer throw to us.
The biggest hints:
Hint #1 - When Bong Hwan left the Queen's body in Episode 20, So Young knew he was gone since she cant felt his presence anymore -- she wasn’t ecstatic to get back, but she just felt he is gone since she never left her body in the first place. This indicates that she always there in her own body influencing all Bong Hwan's sub-conscience, behaviors and actions and do things against his wills.
Hint #2 - Bong Hwan was revealed as someone who never do justice (based on his conversation with Secretary Han on the balcony). This is the biggest hint that show us that all the helps the King received from the beginning from the Queen has always been So Young's doing. He influences Bong Hwan to do that way and in the end, Bong Hwan benefited from it as well and he become kinder and more towards justice and changed his destiny as well in the future.
Hint #3 - So Young never revealed to anyone that someone took over her body. Why? Because she know that she was always there in the beginning influencing Bong Hwan's behaviors and actions. Bong Hwan started to get So Young's memories one by one and can feel her emotions (thats why he knew that the Queen loves the King since the beginning and never love Byeong In). This later intensified when even when the Queen think, it was in So Young's voice instead of Bong Hwan. And later, the kiss, the first night which was done against Bong Hwan's will further proves this. And when we reached the end of the drama, we started to see less Bong Hwan and more of the Queen in term of action and decision makings. The personality of the Queen might be Bong Hwan, but the sub-conscious has always been So Young. Thats why she didnt feels guilty towards the King as well since she knew it was her that the King falls in love with.
I guess it comes to the question on who the King really fall in love with. The King starts to waver when the found out The Queen's grace behind her actions. She appears as someone arrogant & unruly (Bong Hwan) but she did something that help him with his dream of creating a better Joseon (So Young). So it was always been So Young's grace that made him fall in love with the Queen while Bong Hwan's un-princess like behaviors are the flaws (as he mentioned during his confession) that he accepted once he knew he had fallen in love with the Queen. In the end, it was So Young, the same little girl that he met when he was at his lowest point of his life -- the one who moves his heart -- the girl who fought for justice when she doesn’t need to considering the high status she’s in. But the writer did point out in the end that the King felt something is missing (Bong Hwan) when he looked at the Queen's Dictionary which I personally think is a nice touch to indicate he also appreciate Bong Hwan as well.
There's no injustice was done to Bong Hwan as once So Young is gone, his feelings towards the King is gone as well. His loves for the ladies didn’t fade even when the Queen finds himself falling for the King in the later part of the drama indicating the real Bong Hwan has never been gone -- he just co-exist with So Young at the same time. He still feel excited when he sees pretty women and wanted to be close to them even when he already accepted his confusing sexual identity. So now So Young is no longer part of him, he no longer feel attracted to the King anymore as can be seen at the end which he appears to happy & contented. Now So Young is no longer in his body, he just return to his former self.
And So Young has always had part of Bong Hwan's personality as well since in the beginning. Remember when she was called 'witch' by the court maids? When the King saw her terrorizing her court maid, it didn’t feel weird since she was like that as well before Bong Hwan entered her body. But after that, like how she influences Bong Hwan's to be more kinder and towards righteousness, Bong Hwan also influences her as well like how she can expressed herself more (through swearing) and now she can expressed more radical idea like court maids can get married at the end of the drama.
So due to this, I feel its truly a great ending. Everyone got what they want at the end and no injustice was done to any characters. They could go through the route that Bong Hwan accepted his fate to be in the Queen's body forever or Bong Hwan is the reincarnation of the Queen from the past life (which explain why his feelings to the ladies and the King legit as they are the same persons) but the writer chose this route which in my opinion is great as well.
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Great stress reliever !
I don't really have high hope before watching this drama bcs tbh I am usually the type that only give drama/movies a try when the leads are super famous.To my surprise, there hasn't any episode that I skipped yet, I laughed a lot, has a bit of seriousness but they manage to slide some funny twist between it which failed me feel the cold air everytime ? each episode is getting interesting. The acting is great, I especially love the trapped chef's monologues.
For someone that take history seriously, this might not be for you, but if you are willing to set the history part aside, you will be pleased with every scene in this drama.
Update:
I finished the drama! Still a great roller coaster ride! I kinda wish Bong Hwan to stay in the historical period since he and CheolJong seemed to love each other. Choeljong even said he felt something missing after SoYong is back. However, watching the extra ep of Bamboo Forest, I think SoYong and CheolJong already fell in love on their first encounter as adults bcs CheolJong kept her hairtie, and Soyong too was obviously swayed by him, not to say their childhood memories. Not the ending that I wish but it'ss great for Bong Hwan too, he got a fresh successful future ahead and he knows Choeljong had a great life with Soyong by reading the history, he got his closure and can move forward.
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the best sageuk i have seen...
i was interested in the drama the moment i saw the first teaser of it and from ep 1 to 20 it didnt disappoint me at all... it will be one of the very few historical rom-com that had comedy till the end... it did had the usual sageuk formulae of palace politics and everyone planning and plotting and having their own agenda but it never goes too serious with those aspects... it was a laugh riot till the end...the overall drama looked grand and it seems to be made with a good budget.... i think the makers were very confident with their product and thats why they chose the cast based on pure acting skills and not popularity... shin hye sun is a wonderful actress that needs more recognition and i hope after this she gains more success... she plays the real queen while she was happy and depressed, the queen with a man inside, then the queen who has two souls inside and at the end the real queen who is different from before and she did a spectacular job with all of the changes the queen goes through...
kim jung hyun is not that far behind... he also had a dual side to portray and he was amazing at it... even though the entire drama mainly focused on the queen he didn't get over shadowed by her and stood on his own in every scene they were together...
the chemistry between these two was great as well and has become one of my most fav onscreen couple...
all the side characters including the villains were good... one of the best things about this drama is it dont have a lot of bloodsheds and unnecessary violence... out of the main cast only one dies and that death was inevitable...
overall, for me, this is the best sageuk and one of the best kdramas ever....
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What Can I Say
My, this is one of the best things that happened in 2020. I mean the show is lit in every possible way! The story is unique, the screenplay is intriguing, the actors are outstanding & they're holding the pace of the story well! And, it's hilarious as hell! Believe me, Shin Hye-Sun is on another level in this one. I mean I love & admire her acting since Angel's last mission love. But now, after watching her in this one my admiration for her just went double! She's marvelous in her job & she's talented! Period!I dropped watching historical kdrama after Empress ki and scarlet heart's ending but this drama really made me watch historical kdrama again!! Right from the very first episode this show is like a hilarious rollercoaster ride, i love how the balance of drama and comedy is maintained in the show, not a single moment where you feel bored. The lead actors and even the supporting actors especially the court maid and Lady Choi are so fun to watch. Shin hye sun is nailing it in her role as Mr queen. She has a great comic timing and watching her with Jung Hyun aka The king is like a cherry on the top. I love how the show makes you laugh even in the intense scenes. This show is something which every kdrama fans yearned to watch. By far the show is running great and each episode makes you yearn for more. I just hope that the show gets a happy and logical ending. If you love to watch a show with humor and interesting drama then Mr Queen is your ultimate destination you have been waiting for!! Check it out you won't get disappointed at all !! All the best to the entire cast of Mr Queen, they are doing a fantastic job. Let's hope the show keeps us entertained thoroughly :)
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Have not felt so utterly devastated about a show since Game of Thrones Season 8
I loved this show, okay? I waited eagerly for every episode, I laughed, I cried, I put it down into my "all time favorites." I was so ready to give it a 10 rating. And now I don't think I can ever re-watch it after how the ending completely ERASED and NEGATED the journey of the first 19 episodes. Much like how Game of Thrones Season 8 managed to destroy the previous masterpiece seasons, the ending of this show—literally the last thirty minutes—managed to completely unravel and make the previous 19 episodes utterly meaningless. Utterly pointless. Spoilers ahead:This ending is garbage. Pure fucking garbage. I don't understand how ANYONE can like an ending like this without completely deluding themselves. I'm mindblown at the amount of ppl going "it was a great ending, it tied everything up!" HOW? The person who the king fell in love with and the person who ends up with the king are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. The king will live the rest of his life with a lie, with a person he never spared a second glance to before in his life. Bong Hwan will live the rest of his life knowing that history could be changed and yet someone ELSE got to live and love the man he fell in love with.
This whole drama, we followed BONG HWAN'S story, his growth, his fears, the way he progressed as a character, the way he fell in love with the king. Yet in the end, Bong Hwan was nothing but a stepping stone for So Yong to take his place. His journey and character growth became nothing but a means to someone else's happiness.
I don't think people understand. This isn't a happy ending. The one who the king fell in love with (bong hwan) is NO LONGER THERE. He's left with nothing. So yong, a complete stranger to us, is the one who gets the happy ending. Bong Hwan, who actually experienced everything with the king....becomes a side character to his own story.
This was one of my favorite dramas of all time, but this ending managed to erase every bit of rewatch quality for me. It erased every meaningful interaction between our leads bc at the end one of the leads is ERASED and replaced by someone who experienced NONE of what made those two people fall in love with each other. It feels like a slap on the face for everyone who rooted for the actual relationship between the Mr Queen who we came to love and know and the King.
If they wanted to have the ending be with the real So Yong and the King, then they should have had So Yong as the main character. Not Bong Hwan in her body. They could have played with the "they are each other's reincarnation" theory or the "the two people fused into one mind" theory. Anything would have been better than this farce. The king fell in love with the Mr Queen who was strange, wacky, a modern thinker, a feminist, liberal, a little bit crazy. The Mr Queen who walked like a man and who taught him strange words, the one who told him that he was a good man and a good king, the person who helped the king find faith and hope in the nightmare he was living. That was all Bong Hwan. Not So Yong.
And everyone seems to be ignoring that So Yong is now literally doing what Hwa Jin did to Choel Jong lying about who she really is and pretending to be someone else. We all hated Hwa Jin for lying and trying to replace the Queen, but now what? The same thing is happening, but because it's the original woman we're supposed to applaud for it? Think it makes everything fine? Insanity.
I can't help but think that the people celebrating this ending and saying that it's better that So-yong, the woman who the king did not fall in love with, got to be with the King over the man who he did fall in love with are closet homophobes who would rather have a completely different female character end up with the king rather than the man who was at the heart of this show. At the very least, the show producers probably thought that. This whole show feels like one massive queer bait and the ending hurts more than I can say.
"The thought of both Bong-hwan and Cheol-jong going through life with a gaping whole in their hearts longing for something they will never have again just kills me." A comment I read that I can't help but agree with.
The first 19 episodes would have been a clear 10/10. If only the last episode hadn't completely negated those 19 episodes. If only.
I haven't felt so devastated since Game of Thrones Season 8. It feels like a slap on the face after all the feelings I and other viewers invested in this story, in BONG HWAN's story, only to be paid dust.
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A delightful gem of a drama, one you wish they could create a formula for and replicate it.
I. Cannot say enough good things about this drama. Not even the drama. For me it's the cast. Hands down, 10/10. And you know something, I actually saw this advertising on Viki and I was just like. Ugh, what kind of madness are they going to try to pull with a show titled Mr. Queen? Did not expect anything good out of it and never even planned on watching it to begin with. Clicked on it just to reaffirm that yes, it was as bad as I expected it to be EXCEPT IT WASN'T.the comedic timing?
the deadpan humor from our king?
the first time i've seen a female lead that was strong minded, quick witted, had a plan, TOOK INITIATIVE, DIDN'T WAIT TO BE SAVED! I CAN GO ON AND ON. we have waited 10, 000 drama years for a Queen such as her!
Please, I beg of you, drama land give us more.
I was also delighted by how taken the ML was by her idiosyncrasies, found them endearing and strived to understand her. I love delving into a world where a ML can be strong, commanding and NICE without being boring. They both had distinct personalities and they managed to make a ML whose entire personality didn't hang on how much of an asshole he could be to the female lead or how cold and aloof he could be but who was still INTERESTING and omg, who had chemistry with our girl! (the chemistry!)
I also have to commend this drama for writing both leads as individuals who were their own people, who had their own journeys and adventures to go on, never being solely consumed by their love for each other. I know it's sometimes super romantic, but (especially in sageuks) it's so easy to have this imbalance where one character is more action oriented while the other sits and waits to have things happen to or around them (often the FL). In this show *both* of our faves had their own agendas, their own inner struggles and personal growth. It kept everything interesting and through it all we saw them both on railroad their way straight into each other, crash fall to the floor and stare at the other wondering "why the hell am I stuck on you?"
It was delightful.
I've rewatched it countless times and probably will continue to do so forever.
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