Mr. Queen

All but romance

First off, I enjoyed the comedy, the music, the costumes and the acting as great. All deserves praise. That being said, it is the so-called romance I do not for one minute buy and that ruined the whole show for me. I don't know if the writers purposefully did the "Oh look, it's a man in a woman's body *giggle giggle* Aren't we so clever and so brave?" thing or what, but for me, it did not work.

Sexual attraction and sexuality does NOT work that way. If I was suddenly thrown into a man's body, there is no WAY I would 'turn' or 'become' bisexual or gay - no matter HOW much I cared for another woman. It ain't happening. My mind is still a straight female and I am ONLY sexually attracted to men. Period.

I know there are a LOT of BL lovers out there, which is why so many fall for this trope, but I am not one of them. Other than that, the show is fine, but I will never watch this again. The score I gave may be low but considering one of it's premise is a 'love story' and failed to do so - IMHO - is the reason why.

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It's been a while since liked a drama this much, yet hesitated with the ten star rating. Mr. Queen is a drama that does not feature any filler episodes, it's written so well that every episode is eventful and it develops even the minor characters. That being said, for you to enjoy this drama fully, prepare to do some mental cartwheels to see the main leads in an "innocent straight relationship" the creators want you think they are in.

The cast of Mr. Queen is nothing short of spectacular. Shin Hye Sun does an incredible job, I especially liked her performance as the character got more and more incorporated with both people inhabiting the brain. She also has incredible gestures and mannerisms that reminded me of Choi Jin Hyuk and me never forget, that she basically played two characters at once. Her chemistry with Kim Jung Hyun is amazing and his performance is also amazing. I was surprised by the acting range of both of them. The amazing performances don't end there. Everyone was just so good, I have no complaints.

The story is very interesting and it almost makes the viewer feel as a companion to Bong Hwan. He is quick on his feet and often surprises with his wits. At first, I was in awe of just how into it (the slapstick and hilarious comedy) were the creators willing to go. The comedy was very strong at first and even though it makes room for more dramatic elements later on, it was a constant in the drama. There was one plot point, quite early on, when the personalities of Bong Hwan and So Yong clashed a bit more and they started to be a lot more intertwined with each other, which made doubt that it could be still entertaining, but it turned into a good move. I also liked how they kept the inner voice of the Queen, even though it changed in tone, throughout the entire drama.

Mr. Queen features a lot of classic elements of a true historical drama and I liked the incorporation of modern elements as well. Especially interesting was the use of Bong Hwan's skills in the kitchen and the addition of the royal kitchens was a nice view of the court from this perspective.

What this drama did also well was pairing the characters up into smaller squads (#squadgoals all around) and it featured a lot of banter and funny moments, even for the less interesting characters. And, as we are in a historical drama, the villains are properly evil and the heroes are properly heroic. Soundtrack is also very catchy and I liked it very much.

I would like to address the main issue that a lot of people, including me, have with this drama, but I feel like having stepped on thin ice. I see the cultural context and the point of Bong Hwan coming into So Young's body, which was primarily to help her in a dire situation. On the other hand, well... It's a situation in which everyone who watches it takes what he/she/they want to take from the main relationship. But if helps in accepting other types of relationships other than the typical heterosexual ones, I think, that it would be a big help.

To sum it up, Mr. Queen is a damn good drama, unfortunately with some baggage. Regardless of that, I enjoyed it very much, I looked forward to it every week and I will miss it a lot.

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Disappointing Ending

I really enjoyed Episodes 1-16, it was so funny and entertaining so I didn’t take this show seriously. Yeah I agreed not to be one of those who take ‘Sports Day’ seriously. However, when the show changed to a more serious tone after learning that the queen was pregnant, I couldn’t help but also follow the show’s direction and tone. As much as I enjoyed its first 16 episodes, the last four kind of ruined it for me.

My rants:

1. I totally hate it when a drama drags on a potential ‘death’ of a major character and milk on having it for cliffhangers. My goodness, we all know that the king won’t die as early, and won’t ever since he has a plot armor. I feel so annoyed when they did it.

2. I know this is a drama but I hope they didn’t insult the science of pregnancy. The queen walked on her foot for days, slept on the cold forest, get tossed, hanged on a cliff, and chased by guards. Got stabbed and whatnot, I was really shocked that the baby in her womb survived all of these. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t celebrate miscarriages but having the queen miscarrying the baby at the end should be the most logical thing that could’ve happened. For the life of me, the queen and the baby fought for their lives overnight, but the next day, she was walking around bossing people around as if nothing happened! Jeez, unacceptable. I feel very insulted as a viewer. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It would make sense scientifically and romantically to miscarry the baby because it was Bong Hwan in So Yong’s body when the baby was made. Now that So Yong is back, they could always bed and make a new baby that is really out of love and truth.

3. Why did they trash Kim Byung In’s characters like that? All the main cast (king, queen, Jo Hwa jin, had a happy ending but him? They wasted his character. Seriously, they left his body in the forest like that?? I feel so angry for him. I am very disappointed in So Yong. Girl, you don’t have a right to weep and call her Orabeoni!

It wasn’t also explained why those two swap bodies. What connection do they have that of all the millions of people in world, why him? Why her? I could’ve missed it? If not, what a waste.

I strongly feel Mr. Queen should have ended in Episode 16. The last four episodes turned it into trash.

I’d probably order something from McDunaldu to console my disappointed heart.

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One heck of a ride ...... but ending.

If your looking for a show to watch for fun after long day of work, MR.queen is the answer. However, i would suggest not look for deeper meaning or logic in the story; the premise itself is 21st century chef - man soul (jang bong hwan) enters women's body (kim so yong) who is from joseon era making them into new person so-bong.

As the story progress we get to see so-bong tackling palace life challenges along with identity crisis in more unique & comical way possible. I personally love how so-bong calls out every person who actually wronged so-yong in one way or other & comradeship between so-bong and king.

Acting wise, this show does have one of the best ensemble cast i came across in k drama world; their acting manage to cover up most of the plot holes. And a big shout out to Shin Hye sun who managed to nail both characters in one go; i can't imagine anyone in those roles other than her. Same goes with kim jung hyun as a king and their chemistry is off the charts, i hope down the line someone would cast them in modern drama.

My only complaint is writers are too focused for 20 episodes on balancing comedy, action, drama they failed to establish entire two souls in one body logic leaving it to audience imagination. In process the entire romance between king - so bong falls apart leaving bitter n unsatisfying feeling in the end. <---- MY OPINION

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A Worthy Historical Drama to Watch

One of the best dramas in quarantine I've watched! Usually, historical dramas drag on which does not help my attention span of a goldfish, but this one had me hooked on all 20 episodes. I think the best part of this drama was the incorporation of comedy into an action-based historical drama; you are bound to laugh AT LEAST ONCE in every episode. The chemistry between Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-Hyun could literally be felt through the screen; the acting of both of them was phenomenal. The way Shin Hye-sun was able to portray the funniest moments but also act out the most painful ones really shows her talent and versatility as an actress.

However, the one reason why this drama had me pressing "next episode" for 24 hours straight is because of the soundtrack and OST. The subtle music behind the comedic scenes really made you laugh and of course, the iconic "Bong Hwan A!!!!" song is literally the highlight of every episode. Overall, this drama is amazing if you want to laugh and cry at the same time and watch an actually interesting plot unfold through the screen.

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this was a BL and you can't convince me otherwise

Oh come on ! Commit and make it gay !
The king did not fall in love with the prude but with the insane chef.
You want to make me believe that after the last episode they lived happily ever after ?
No, he probably cried himself to sleep every night thinking about the love of his life.
While his wife is confused on why her husband has not genuinely smiled since they reunited.

Anyways, I laughed so hard sometimes I had to pause just to finish laughing. It was almost on Business Proposal level, almost.

Also I want to lower the rating bc they made me salivate every episode. Still thinking about the ramens.

I was in love with the cousin but just bc he was hot.

I guess it's all I have to say.

bisous

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SHIN HYE SUN DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

Although I gave Mr. Queen a 10/10 overall rating I wouldn't say it's flawless. It does have some loopholes in it but I think it's what makes this drama more relatable and charming.

I love that even though it was a historical drama it didn't bore me at all. Every episode was worth the time and wait. It actually got me hooked on episode 1 and after that I just couldn't wait to watch the next one.

The main reason I watched this drama was because it starred Shin Hye Sun as the lead. (Just a short backstory, I LOVE HER. Her acting is 100/10 for me. She always nail her role. Hands down). And as expected, she did not disappoint! I love how we only saw CJW in a few episodes (i think less than 5 eps) but it felt like he was with us from start to finish. Everytime we see the FL on screen we would immediately know who's spirit is talking either KSY or JBH. Her acting made it easier for us to distinguish the two characters easily even though it was played by the same actress. I noticed that SHS studied how CJW acts and tried to copy his subtle mannerisms like his smirk the way he talks etc. and that for me was just brilliant. And her chemistry with the ML wow oh wow. It's like the cherry on top of an icing. I loved it.

Story wise, I love historical dramas but sometimes it just gets too dark and heavy for me but this one I loved how light it was. Even though there were antagonists in the story it was still light but the story still was complex enough to keep us entertained.

I think there are only 2 things that would make the story better overall. First is to have the ML and FL meet in the future and be together again but they exchange their genders. Second is to have more episodes hehehe.

I'll honestly miss this drama. I'll miss our king and queen and the palace peeps. Love love love it!!!!

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Great start, absolutely awful ending

I don't usually write reviews but I just finished this drama and feel like I have to this time...

What I liked:
-the acting was phenomenal
-innovative story, nicely executed
-nice comedic aspects in the typical silly k-drama way
-lovable characters and nice development
-CJ and BH had so much chemistry

What I didn't like:
The ending was just awful. Nothing made sense and some characters did not deserve their ending at all. I wish Byeong In had gotten a better ending. But most of all my heart aches for Bong Hwan. He fell in love with Cheoljong, made friends and was so close to starting his own family, just to loose it all with nothing to make up for it. He couldn't even say goodbye to anyone. Also I couldn't care less about So Yong as she had like 5 minutes of screen time in the first 19 episodes. Even CJ said he feels like something is missing. Literally the worst ending for both leads imho. It's a shame that such an awesome series had to end like this.
I'm so so frustrated with it and if the ending makes or breaks a series for you, do NOT watch this.

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Mr Queen failed its own protagonist

*Warning; this review is not about the overall show, it's mainly my gripes with the way Bonghwan's character was handled. Please keep this in mind before continuing.

As much as I enjoyed this show for its comedy, I definitely believe the writers did Bonghwan dirty. We never really learn much about his life outside of being a chef and in a coma, we don’t know anything about his friends or family, or why he even wants to go back so badly. They don’t properly flesh out his motivations, and treat his desire to go back home like a joke throughout the entire series. I wish they further explored all the trauma he went through; waking up in a different era and in a body that isn't his own, being referred to as Kim So Yong while his own identity is slowly erased, adapting to a female body (i.e. periods, pregnancy, etc) and then having to deal with all the palace politics and violence as a modern man. Bonghwan literally went through the most shit on that show and the writers never addressed it or took it seriously. Not to mention how they kind of forgot how Bonghwan was stuck in So Yong’s body in the second half and instead treated him like an eccentric version of So Yong. I literally had to keep reminding myself that this was Bonghwan inside the body because this show was trying really hard to erase his existence for the sake of the romance. Like I literally know nothing about him as a character separate from So Yong. even though he was the protagonist, Bonghwan was one of the most neglected and underdeveloped characters within Mr. Queen.

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The Queenless Queen

While the series set out to explore the comedic possibilities of a modern soul trapped in a historical queen's body, the formula turned out to be very limited to spin it for a very long 20 episodes. I enjoyed its earlier episodes but it kept repeating the exact same gags with every single episode. How many times they repeated the same kitchen/cooking gags? I don't understand how they thought that would work. The cast size was limited as well, it could've definitely helped in coming up with new material. However, its biggest flaw was trying to add plot to its bare-bone formula. It's one of the rarest sights to see this level of shameless attempts. They didn't even know how to include it so they dedicated separate episodes for it in the middle parts while reallocating the comedy to different episodes separately, again. Cutting and editing it down into an 8 episodes package could've solved most of its issues. I wouldn't have rated it this high if it weren't for its set up, characters, and some of the gags.

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