This review may contain spoilers
Alot of food & alot of violence with last minute unexplained happy ending
The male lead is pretty loathful for a good bit & then his deranged broken bad boy charm slowly (slowly) settles in. This is fiction/fantasy, so it's best to avoid seeing his character as real boyfriend material, but you have to admire his loyalty & "all in" attitude. (well Let's try to say so anyway) . Kudos to male lead Lee Chae Min for pulling off the nuances of deranged, unhinged , smolderingly charming & heartbreakingly distraught.A nod to Choi Gwi Hwa as well for making his villain so maniacal.
The Female lead works really hard to sell her character & though the actress is not my favorite (SO I say ,as I realize just how many drama's I've watched with her in them!) she jumps into every scene with "gusto" and makes it work for her. Male lead's character ,(a demonic form of Austen's Mr. Darcy ), & is angry at everyone & bent on revenge -though he's not sure (or particular about) who the target is. The cooking & the killing being equal parts in this drama, are an odd mix. The cooking segments are wonderful (even if you aren't a foodie) The bite size mysteries that pop up every once in awhile concerning sabotage , trading out new world ingredients for Joseon dynasty ones is surprisingly interesting. Figuring out who (all) the bad guys are is difficult as there are alot of people who'd like to see the leads dead.
In order to enjoy this drama : suspend disbelief a good bit and take it for the violent yet somewhat fluffy drama it is. Set your expectations at that bar & don't get caught up in the few plot holes ( might be more than a few). Overall I enjoyed the drama, though Ep. 11 was brutal & hard to get through, but as you go you see it's necessary. The first half of Ep. 12 is unpleasantly bloody & gut wrenchingly emotional (pun intended). Both Ep 11 & 12 have recollection montages (which I hate) , but the warm fuzzy in them set you up to be emotionally invested in the final struggle & then to fully enjoy the happy conclusion . (Though be warned; the happy ending is both nonsensical & satisfying). If given another episode they might have gone into explanations, but really, why bother ? They have already given clues for us to fill in the blanks ourselves & why does it matter anyway ?
I took off points in my rating for what I felt was too much time spend on drawing out killing scenes . ( A quick stab -camera pans away & move on is the way I like my drama deaths!)
I will rewatch this.
I didn't notice the OST at all, which fits this drama well.
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the only person who loved it
I’m actually surprised to see so many bad reviews because I loved the show, from the story, the comedy, the humour, all of it, to me, it was a great watch!k dramas don’t always have to be complex and incredibly thought out to be good, sometimes takes things for what they are and you will enjoy them more.
I thought they did a great show with both the storylines, the food and new recipes. I looked forward every week to what new dish she would bring and what the emperor would think
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Unpopular opinion
I think this show is over hyped, because there was not an equal beside it now. The acting was nice, the ML was the best by far from the cast. Production was as it should. Also, ost went completely unnoticed to me. However the script was the main "problem" in my opinion. Borderline ridiculous at times, with basic and boring dialogues. I couldn't even persive the special effects -reactions to the food as funny. Exasperated to the max. If only this show was written differently, then it would have objectively been a really good one.Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
Overhyped, Lacking Substance
While Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is clearly a cooking-focused show as suggested by the title it felt like it should’ve been more than just food and kitchen scenes. The premise had potential: a royal figure, time travel, and an unexpected dive into culinary arts. But unfortunately, the show fell short in execution.The romance angle was underdeveloped, and the backstory of the deposed queen didn’t go deep enough. There was so much emotional and historical weight they could’ve explored, but instead, the plot just stalled.
After the first two episodes, it started feeling repetitive. Every episode followed nearly the same formula, with very little actual plot progression. One major frustration was the lack of explanation for how his Majesty ended up in the present time — a huge plot point that was glossed over entirely.
Overall, the show had great potential and a unique concept, but it lacked depth and forward momentum. With better storytelling and more character development, it could’ve been something really special.
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too much cooking, not enough story
the beginning of this drama pleasantly surprised me: the culinary theme felt fresh and unusual, which immediately set it apart from most historical projects. that was exactly what drew me in at first. but later it became clear that the writers relied too heavily on this cooking angle. the main plot is built on familiar cliches from other historical dramas, and even those could have worked better if they had been developed properly. instead, the creators stretched out the contests over several episodes while giving too little attention to character development.the romance line feels insincere – the characters feelings appear suddenly, without enough foundation.
that said, i can’t say everything is bad. the story has its own logic, and among the characters i especially noted the jester – a charismatic figure who truly stood out despite his limited screen time. i wish there were more characters with this kind of charm.
so for now it’s a 7/10. the drama has a fresh idea and a few strong moments, but the main story could have been much more engaging if the writers had worked more on the characters, the plot, and avoided the overuse of cliches.
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Another beautiful but ultimately forgettable drama
A spirited rom com served with beautiful faces and more beautiful food. Sucked back in time, Ji Young, immediately finds herself interacting with recorded history's worst tyrant that also happens to be a foodie and her skills as a chef save her as she adapts to ancient Joseon and struggles to find her way home. In the process she inadvertently changes the tyrannical king with her soft heart and delicious dishes leading to wonder if she really wants to return to her own time.To be honest I was really disappointed in the romance of this drama. As a romantic comedy I expected the romance to be sizzling but it was luke warm at best and entirely one sided. King Yi Heon completely carried this show for me. I'm here for all the red flagged men that are changed by love and he played that part exceptionally. From his taste palate to his misery this man delivered. He drew me in and I was hooked. Ji Young, however, was just kind of there for me. I did not dislike her but I also didn't find myself as entranced by her like I was with the male lead.
I also found the plot lacking here. They focused so much on the food and so little on the actual story progression. Carrying the food obsession and mind blowing skits that worked in the beginning was very repetitive by the end. Instead of spending as much time on the food they would have benefited from actually growing the romantic chemistry. So much screen time is given to the theatrics of the cooking but little to the actual power struggle and palace inner workings that lead up to the finale. And then you get to the end and you end up left completely underwhelmed. I can forgive giving no explanations for the time travel but the drama even chose to completely ignore Ji Young's reason for being in the hospital. Did the plane crash? Did she pass out in the bathroom? I mean I would have been satisfied if they just said she was in a coma following an accident but it was completely ignored.
Overall a very pretty drama but will be lost in the sea of mediocre dramas that leave no real impression on you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great start, mediocre ending
I enjoyed most of this drama, but it wasn't particularly thought-provoking. It had good production, and I liked how each dish cooked by cook Yeong was highlighted in its own episode with its own mini plot. Overall, I feel it fell apart towards the end, as it focused too much on wrapping up the story, and a lot of it felt really rushed. The Ming cooking competition was easily the best part of this series, and it's worth a watch for that, just don't feel obligated to finish it.Was this review helpful to you?
Nice, light escapism
Was the story and pacing handled well? No. Were the characters well written and three dimensional? No. Did I like the relationship between the FL & ML? Nope.Did I enjoy watching this? Yes!
To be honest, the pacing dragged a lot throughout the show, the FL definitely was in Mary Sue territory and frequently got away with ridiculously high stakes by the power of just being the protagonist, and the ML was presented as being a sweet, yearning boyfriend while actually being very insufferable, unempathetic, and veeery immature.
Which is quite a list of bad things, but I'd still recommend this drama to others anyway.
It's not a good story, but it's a very good pick me up for some good old fashioned escapism, especially if you don't want to pour a lot of emotional energy into a fully well fleshed out story.
I liked watching the FL beat impossible odds again and again through the power of her (delicious looking) food. The cooking scenes were definitely very fun. There was also a nice amount of side plots and intrigue to keep the storu from becoming too stale, and the characters were all entertaining and fun go watch on screen.
Overall, I have no idea how this drama got such a big hype going around it at all, but it did get a few laughs and gasps out of me when I was feeling pretty down, which I'm happy about.
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Good but could have been better
I really enjoyed this series but it could have use a few more episodes for everything to come together. The ending felt rushed and the romance definitely needed to improve. I wanted more scenes of them together when they realized how they truly felt about each other.I know food was an important element of the show but it overall shadow the romance with how much emphasis was on it instead of the romance.
Eventhough I tuned my brain off during the show, the ending could have been explained better.
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Made me hungry
This was really good and at some parts really funny..The dishes prepared looked good and kept you wanting to eat while watching it 😆
Overall the acting was good and the characters fitted well together.
It was totally hilarious at some parts, and really good at other parts.
I loved the characters i think they made the show .
But the recipes were mouth watering and presented really nice. The facial expressions when they took a bite were just too funny
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Good but a little dragged out
Overall, the plot and the characters were really good. I liked the drama quite a bit, but the last few episode dragged on a little too much. There is an upper limit, to how many times I need the leads to get a full flashback of all the times they have looked romantically into each others eyes. Especially when we are at climax of the plot. Let the plot unfold. This was however, a minor issue, thst only started in the last episodes. Overall the show was enjoyable, just a little too long IMO.The acting was great and the casting was amazing. Every character felt fully compatible with the actor behind.
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1overhyped
Bon Appétit, Your Majesty – 5/10At first, the drama felt a bit silly but in a cute and funny way. By Ep 2, I got intrigued with the cooking methods, and from Ep 3–10 I really enjoyed the kitchen dynamics, the bond between the cooks, and the rivalry with Chef Ming. The cooking parts were definitely the highlight.
What didn’t work for me was the romance. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the leads, and the king lacked presence, he didn’t have king presence at all. more like CEO. The female lead also didn’t carry the “main character” vibe, similar to her role in King the Land.
Eps 11–12 took a serious turn with deaths and fights, but i was bored af. I almost dropped it. The king’s breakdown was meant to be emotional, but it just came off unintentionally funny.
Overall, I first rated it 8/10, but after the last two episodes, I settled on 5/10. The ending, where all the cooks appeared in modern time, was the most enjoyable part. Overhyped just like QOT & LR, but you can watch it if you enjoy food-centric stories.
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