Mr. Queen

Best Historical K-Drama EVER

There are about a hundred positive words to describe this masterpiece of a drama, but the most suitable one I think would be “amazing”. This drama really didn’t let me down, and it’s 200% worth all the high reviews it has. “Mr Queen” had me laughing the entire time. I never got tired of it, and I promise you won’t as well!

There are many factors to this, but the first thing I noticed was the stunning visuals of the actors/actresses. Whoa. The FL and ML portrayed their characters flawlessly, and so did the supporting roles! I really enjoyed Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon’s characters! They were like the best besties anyone could ever ask for, haha. Additionally, the effortless chemistry between the leads deserves a pat on the back, because it was all too romantic and sweet. I especially liked Kim Soyong’s actress, because the way she fitted into the different personalities and roles was all too perfect. What really got me was her facial expressions!

Moving on, I’d just have to mention the OST (music). From the moment Bong Hwan woke up in the queen’s body and starting running around, being chased by the palace maids and eunuchs, to the very last second of the drama, I could not sit down still while any of the theme songs were played. “Bong Hwan A”, “…Keep Going”, and all the other songs had me dancing along, meanwhile “Here I Am” had me shedding some tears and presenting some of my terrible vocals. Such wonderful songs for a wonderful drama!

Furthermore, I genuinely enjoyed the storyline as a whole. It was humorous most of the time, it was serious at others, and it was helplessly romantic too. A combination of all of these and you get a chef’s kiss drama. Mr Queen not only related to modern society, but also had lots of historical politics in there as well. Although most of it wasn’t historically correct, I really liked the conflict between the Kim and Jo family, both in-court and in the inner palace. The only thing I would say about the plot is that I wish the ending could’ve been a little different. I think this, because Cheoljong first fell in love with Bong Hwan’s reckless and unrestrained attitude and behaviour, but when he returned to the modern world, the king didn’t really notice or do anything about it. I don’t know about you, but I lived for that version of Kim Soyong, and I felt a little disappointed with the finale when that side of her disappeared. In addition, I would’ve also liked to see their baby in the end, but unfortunately we did not get to add that cuteness to this drama. However, it wasn’t a big deal and I still really enjoyed it overall.

If you’re searching for a fantastic historical drama, I highly recommend “Mr Queen”. I guarantee that it will be the best one yet. So please do yourself a big favour and add this title to your watchlist! :)

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Appreciate the Brilliance of Shin Hye Sun in This Incredibly Entertaining Series!

I have seen Shin Hye Sun in three series before this one: Oh, My Ghost, Stranger, and most recently in Hymn of Death. All of the above are dramatic roles, and all I can say is, “Oh, my God!” Her comedic chops are off the charts! She is nothing short of brilliant, stealing virtually every single scene that she is in! I compare her to Lucille Ball. While the rest of the cast is absolutely fantastic, this series doesn’t work without Shin Hye Sun’s incomparable performance!

Most body-switching movies and shows are same-gender switches. I’ve seen just a handful of cross-gender switches, and while they tend to go for comedic effects, the actors tend to overcompensate. The man exaggerates female characteristics such as speech and walking while the woman does the same. Shin Hye Sun, instead, goes for more subtlety and realism as a man who’s suddenly been thrust into the body of the Queen. Jang Bong Hwan is a chef from the future, so he not only has to figure out how to live in the body of a woman but also a woman who also happens to be of royalty!

What we end up getting is some of the funniest and zaniest roles I’ve ever seen. Shin Hye Sun brilliantly doesn’t even alter her speech very much. Just to the point in her smirk, the way she sits and communicates, which is Jang Bong Hwan’s style. In short, she gives us a very masculine queen as well as one from the future, who isn’t afraid to inject current idioms, terms, and ideas into her speech, often causing hilarious confusion among the Joseon people from 200 years ago who have no idea what she’s talking about. King Cheol Jong even begins keeping a Dictionary of the Queen’s Language in an attempt to understand her. He also has no idea why his once docile queen is now far more aggressive and direct in her speech and manners!

We are taken back to Joseon about 200 years in the past when a puppet king is being controlled by nearly everyone around him, but most notably by the Grand Queen Dowager, the Queen Dowager, and Kim Jwa Geun (the Grand Queen Dowager’s brother). It did take me a few episodes to get the names down because there are so many. Basically, you have two rival families in the Kim’s and the Jo’s who are vying for control of the country. The Queen is of the Kim family while the King is of the Jo family. Little do they realize that the King is far stronger than anyone realized or anticipated as he struggles to find a way to bring balance and contentment to his subjects, who mostly live in slavery and poverty. But the wild card in this drama is the Queen. No longer meek and docile, Jang Bong Hwan quickly decides that the Queen is nobody’s puppet and nobody’s fool. Instead, he figures out a way to understand his new role but also how to help the King gain power to stand up to those who would use him for their own purposes.

I’ve said this in numerous reviews already, but Koreans are masters of storytelling and always find a way to convey an uplifting message or something to think about to improve things. This series is no different. Overall, the series is comedic, but it does have some dramatic moments, some heart-wrenching ones, and also some inspiring ones too. In the end, we find that both King Cheol Jong and Queen Kim So Yong (after she’s reverted back to herself without Jang Bong Hwan) have both changed (even if Jang Bong Hwan left behind a few seeds of influence!). Jang Bong Hwan, himself, realizes that he is no longer the same, self-serving man that he was before either. He wisely states, “Perhaps it isn’t about trying not to be rotten, but instead cutting out what is rotten.” And that such an idea might—in fact—help to change the world, but it first begins with changing yourself. Gandhi himself stated as much when he said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

This is simply one of the most delightful series I’ve seen, and it is literally rock solid from beginning to end. I kept waiting to see if the story would begin to falter or drop off slightly toward the end. It didn’t. It kept me completely invested from beginning to end.

Unfortunately, the government in Joseon from 200 years ago proves that not much has changed in the world since that time. The rich still oppress the poor. The powerful still exploit the weak are always in search of ways to retain even more power. Mr. Queen gives us some food for thought; that just because that is how things are, it doesn’t mean that nothing can be done or that they must somehow stay that way. King Cheol Jong and Queen Kim So Yong give us two examples of what can be done if will, determination, and courage are vested. Or perhaps one of my favorite quotes from Lord of the Rings: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

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Great comedic actress, ultimately a mess

What if a modern man landed straight in the middle of your standard Joseon era plot, but into the body of the queen instead of the king?

The actress here (Shin Hye Sun) is really amazing, and plays all the bodily quirks, humor and slapstick in a truly wonderful way. The first 10 episodes sail along on her sheer acting ability plus some love triangle intrigue. The male actors that form the love triangle are a bit one note, but they show good connection with the actress.

It quickly became clear that no one knew how to end the plot, and the writers just stuck to the same themes and gimmicks of the first 10 episodes. The rest of the actors and plot devices are somewhat mediocre, and so everytime the main actress is off screen it was hard to pay attention.

By episode 17, I was skipping rapidly (I did finish it). Music was fine, I would not rewatch. I grade on other criteria:

Complex Themes: 6
Love can come in unexpected ways. Embracing what life throws at you with sincerity can be rewarding. The gender and body dynamics are not explored much at all.

Character Growth: 7.5
The male chef in Kim So Yong's body goes from being dismissive and treating it all as a game, to sincerely wanting to help the people he encounters, and feeling more open to emotions. It was an expected transformation, but still decently done.

Complex Women/Relationships Between Women: 7
There's lots of women characters but besides the main character, they are all somewhat caricatures with very thin backstories. Kim So Yong's rival was the only other female character that had a bit of depth.

Cinematography/Production Budget: 7
Competent, in the way most modern dramas are. But, the sets, costumes etc. all feel like you've seen them twenty times before. The fight scenes are fairly uninspired.

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I can't give this show a small grade bc it brought me a LOT of joy, laughs and heart-warming moments. I tried not to ship the main couple because I knew this could happen in the end, but the writers made such an effort to make us ship them, and root for their journey that there was no other way. In the end, this show was about the love story of two men and the writers were too coward to give it the ending it deserved, it comes across as unfair both to the characters as to the viewers. Nevertheless, I'd definitely recommend watching this show since all 19 episodes before the finale are a must watch. The characters are all highly interesting and nicely built and Shin Hye Sun makes the watch worth it! Unfortunately, the ending may give a bitter taste on your mouth.

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Extremely entertaining and fresh but an ending that might leave you dissatisfied

Firstly, if you do decide to see this drama, please bare in mind that you should not watch it seriously and be bothered by the logical repercussions of certain actions depicted. I actually wanted to give it a 10 purely on the basis of the ENTERTIANMENT VALUE this drama has but I did not due to my disheartened viewpoint regarding its ending.

Reasons you should watch:
-The Queen (Bong-Hwan) and the King understanding one another and slowly falling in love.
-The perfectly timed comedy that save all the serious moments too from getting overly-dramatic.
-The support cast add a lot to the story and are full of characters with distinct personalities.
-Never not entertaining- there is no dull movement and I would wait each week for this drama to take me by surprise.
-Brilliant modern day references incorporated in the Joseon Era.
-Last but not the least, THE ACTING. Shin Hye Sun does emerge as the star playing two characters with different genders simultaneously but Kim Jung-Hyun does an equally good job! Scenes were they are together- none overpower the other and they seamlessly deliver powerful performances. The entire support cast does an excellent job too.

My one and only complaint:
-The ending. I do not want to include spoilers in the review and so I won’t expand on this but it sort of undermines the purpose of the journey BH and CJ shared as CJ fell in love with BH as the Queen.

The ending might not sit well with you just as it did not with me but I do see people interpreting this as a happy one as well. However, I would still go on to say the show was refreshing, entertaining, comic, surprisingly romantic and worth a watch!

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Finally a fresh, less-homophobic take on the body-swap genre

What made me love Mr Queen was how the romance between Cheoljong and the Queen (who isn't really the Queen) crept up on me while watching the show. When I first started it, I didn't think I'd last long because I usually prefer romances. But then... BAM! They took me by surprise and it was delightful!
Never had I watched a K-drama that had dared this much in relation to gender and sexuality, so I immediately fell in love with the drama.
However, it didn't come without its' flaws.
I didn't expect a happy ending. Eventually, Hwan Bong would have to leave everything and everyone behind, of course. And that's just what happened.
The expected "no-homo"ness of it all resulted in an ending where they try to trick you into thinking it was a happy one. I'd prefer to think that the interactions between Cheoljong and the Queen with Hwan Bong in her body were all genuine, it makes the story much more interesting and powerful. You can't just sit there and tell me that it wasn't all real and that Cheoljong fell in love with the Queen, actually. Not only that, but that Hwan Bong's feelings for Cheoljong only came from the Queen's soul that lived inside her body.
Still, it felt like the creators pushed for it, but I bet they couldn't make the ending a more satisfactory one due to censoring reasons.
The ending had to be at least bittersweet for it to work (considering that Hwan Bong *had* to go back), but I wish the bond between Hwan Bong and Cheoljong had been spelled out better for the viewer and recognised for what it was.

Besides that, I have to congratulate Shin Hye-sun for her portrayal of the Queen, this is by far the best performance I've ever seen in a drama. She ate and left no crumbs. I also enjoyed Jung Hyun Kim as the male lead, I really like despite of all the controversies lol.

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Smooth Sailing Plot So Grab Your Popcorn!!... Mine!!

Mr. Queen was a breath of fresh air because at that point, I had lost my interest in Kdramas and was moving onto Cdramas.
Surprisingly, Mr. Queen got me hooked from the start of the drama to the end, it was a smooth journey. Most Kdramas become tiring to watch by Episode 12, 13 or 14 but I didn't want this drama to end.
I have to applaud our Main Female lead for her exceptional and professional acting skills, it really impressed me.
All other casts worked really hard and put their best. There was almost no character I could dislike even the supposedly antagonists.
The OST is also good.
I really enjoyed the drama and it's a big go ahead for me.

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Comic, well acted, clever , a must to watch!

Ok you need to watch this! It is hilarious, super funny, great acting, great facial expression, intrigued political schemes, a bit of drama... Yes, it also makes you cry a bit... well at the very end.. but everything just turned up fine... with a great and satisfactory finale. This is my second Kdrama as i usually watch Cdrama... but i think it got me converted to korean productions now! The FL is amazing, fantastic, she can impersonate a man in a female body so naturally, jeez made me laugh out loud a few times...
Every episode is worth watching, you got very strong friendships and unrequired love, which was dealt with in a mature and realistic way. I have appreciated that people were direct, straightforward. Nice!
On my list of re watching when i want something funny 😁 😂 😀
The second lead for me was the chef, and the court lady and those two were so well matched and super funny! Ahahahahhaha i LOVE THEM! Ah, also, please don't get me started on the way the king laughter! Oh my god! A strong, deep voice, nearly a sarcastic one, dome with a serious look... he was taking the piss, big time! BRAVO!

And... I also must comment on the flirting side... the kissing... oh my oh my... love that kissing! Initially I didnt particuarly like the king , both the actor and the character... just to realise later on that i found him super sexy.. and every scene this couple was spending together... was hilarious! Add this kdrama to your list to watch, you won't be disappointed

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If u r reading this review to decide whether u should watch it or not so my suggestion is watch it, it’s a good drama.

Things I liked-

1. Casting was perfect
2. All actors acted very well especially the actress who played queen.
3. Cinematography was good.

Things I didn’t like-

I thought the show was a little draggy. In some episodes same thing was happening again and again, it was entertaining but after a certain point I felt bored and I skipped some unnecessary scenes. If they made 17-18 ep instead of 20 ep then it does not make any difference to story.

Minor spoiler-

If u watching this because of BL then don’t watch it because it’s not BL. I could say go princess go was sort of BL but this is not.

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WHAT A GREAT SHOW! Loved the ending too, it was perfect!

Our Queen Shin Hae Sun was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE. Her mannerisms, her acting, her reactions, her voice, her humour, her aura, everything was perfect! She made the role iconic in every way possible. Her iconic dancing scene alone was worth watching the whole drama, to be very honest.

Our King, Kim Jung Hyun, I've already seen him in two shows (CLOY, and School 2017) and he was brilliant as always. He was the perfect balance of dumb yet mysterious. I didn't like the arc where he was kinda involved with two women at once, and tbh I got the romantic angle but it did make me very uncomfortable that our straight male lead had to be physically and romantically involved with the King butttt but the actual leads looked so cute together! (I wish I could've enjoyed it as a gay/bromance type thing but I just couldn't).

Also I LOVED Kim Byung In AND Hong Byul Gam SO MUCH.
Kim Byung In was SO SEXY in his relentless love for the Queen, and he was steadfast and determined and didn't change his feelings till the very end! Hong Byul Gam was SO DAMN HOT whenever he had any action scenes, and he had a confidence in the show which was damn SEXY. Also he really reminds me of Oh Jung Se.

Also the Court Lady Choi, she was hilarious. Her arc with the Royal Chef was funny as hell.

The villain arc in the show could have been better, but I LOVED watching Kim Jwa Geun as the 'real power behind the Kim clan'. The other villains were forgettable lol.
However the story would've been great in a 16 episode format. The episodes were perfect till about 14, afterwards it dragged till 20.

Overall the show was fresh, thoughtful, all the characters had GREAT comedic timing, and the show was overall a delight to watch.

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Well-deserved hype

Story: The plot is straight to the point. A king wants power to eradicate corruption & evil doings in the palace and have his revenge as well. The key to enjoy this drama is not to expect anything and it’s what I did, that’s why it was very entertaining for me. First few episodes were highly entertaining, the middle was a bit flat while the rest were good enough for you to be curious to know what will happen next. The drama will get you hooked first that you have no choice but to find out how it will end.

Acting: They were all amazing and perfectly casted, even the side characters. I think I only noticed one acting that was not passable and it was one of the court maids who were gossiping but overall, they were all phenomenal actors.

Music: Ahhh, the music(not all osts but effects) is like a mix of mission impossible & ocean’s series. When it’s time to cry, the songs were just perfect to cry on.

Rewatch value: Definitely the funny parts. Those laugh out loud ones.

Overall: It was 8.5-9 for me. The politics issue was just right and there were some unpredictable moves from the queen and king. However, there were some episodes that I found boring and some humor of the side characters weren’t that hilarious. Despite that, I still recommend this drama and will be one of the top kdramas this pandemic years.

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