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This review may contain spoilers
Mouthwatering food (and king) but bland storytelling
Another eclipse, another timeslip, another lady earning the chance to meet and fall in love with the most eligible bachelor in the Joseon Dynasty. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty spruced up this genre by serving appetizing royal cuisine beaming with flavor to a hot and delicious tyrant king.
Lee Chae Min plays the tyrant King Yi Heon with smugness and intimidation. However, he shows his playful side if the dishes tickle his taste buds as he is a self-proclaimed food connoisseur. No doubt, Chae Min is this year's rising star, stealing everyone's hearts with his face card, romantic gestures and comedic timings. Romcom actors are not given enough credit with their work. Balancing swooning gestures with punch lines is no easy feat especially if you want it to come across as natural and not cheesy.
Yeon Ji Yeong (played by Yoona) is the lucky chef who gets to meet and serve Western fusion Korean cuisine to King Yi Heon after opening a mysterious book during the eclipse. Her sunny and hopeful disposition is infectious and that eventually rubbed off to our tyrant king. He fell in love with the foods as well as the cook herself.
After a heated negotiation between King Yi Heon and a Ming envoy, Ji Yeong once again ends up on a cooking battle but this time the stakes are higher and she is up against the Ming cooks. I certainly enjoyed the cook-off and all the interesting ingredients and twists they used in the dishes. The story and chemical reactions behind the cuisine made the dishes themselves more appetizing and mouth-watering. The show highlights all the meticuluos planning put into cooking and the importance of each ingredient to make a meal flavorful. This made me realize how fortunate I am that I live in the times where condiments and pre-prepared mixtures are ubiquitous so I can make an easy and tasty meal in a short amount of time.
With all the interesting bits about cooking, how come this show ended up tasting bland and dull? The answer is it has too much contrasting flavors. The cooking battles and the tyrant king's search for truth feels unrelated that these two themes ended up telling two entirely different stories. If only they picked a lane and focused on the royal cuisine more and the tyrant king being a picky eater, maybe I would be sold on the story it's telling.
Most, if not all, supporting characters are one dimensional. A bit of backstory would help me grow fond and sympathize with the cast especially the villains. The finale was dull and unsatisfying because the once formidable foes ended up admitting defeat and dying in the blink of an eye. It was too easy and fast that we didn't get to celebrate their downfall.
Overall, Bon Appetit, Your Majest offers delicious dishes and yummy king 😋 but that's enough to mask the missing ingredient which is story cohesion. Still, this is a decent watch if you're an avid fan of mukbang with lots of much needed close-up on Chae Min's lips and funny, creative animations of taste sensation.
Lee Chae Min plays the tyrant King Yi Heon with smugness and intimidation. However, he shows his playful side if the dishes tickle his taste buds as he is a self-proclaimed food connoisseur. No doubt, Chae Min is this year's rising star, stealing everyone's hearts with his face card, romantic gestures and comedic timings. Romcom actors are not given enough credit with their work. Balancing swooning gestures with punch lines is no easy feat especially if you want it to come across as natural and not cheesy.
Yeon Ji Yeong (played by Yoona) is the lucky chef who gets to meet and serve Western fusion Korean cuisine to King Yi Heon after opening a mysterious book during the eclipse. Her sunny and hopeful disposition is infectious and that eventually rubbed off to our tyrant king. He fell in love with the foods as well as the cook herself.
After a heated negotiation between King Yi Heon and a Ming envoy, Ji Yeong once again ends up on a cooking battle but this time the stakes are higher and she is up against the Ming cooks. I certainly enjoyed the cook-off and all the interesting ingredients and twists they used in the dishes. The story and chemical reactions behind the cuisine made the dishes themselves more appetizing and mouth-watering. The show highlights all the meticuluos planning put into cooking and the importance of each ingredient to make a meal flavorful. This made me realize how fortunate I am that I live in the times where condiments and pre-prepared mixtures are ubiquitous so I can make an easy and tasty meal in a short amount of time.
With all the interesting bits about cooking, how come this show ended up tasting bland and dull? The answer is it has too much contrasting flavors. The cooking battles and the tyrant king's search for truth feels unrelated that these two themes ended up telling two entirely different stories. If only they picked a lane and focused on the royal cuisine more and the tyrant king being a picky eater, maybe I would be sold on the story it's telling.
Most, if not all, supporting characters are one dimensional. A bit of backstory would help me grow fond and sympathize with the cast especially the villains. The finale was dull and unsatisfying because the once formidable foes ended up admitting defeat and dying in the blink of an eye. It was too easy and fast that we didn't get to celebrate their downfall.
Overall, Bon Appetit, Your Majest offers delicious dishes and yummy king 😋 but that's enough to mask the missing ingredient which is story cohesion. Still, this is a decent watch if you're an avid fan of mukbang with lots of much needed close-up on Chae Min's lips and funny, creative animations of taste sensation.
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