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This review may contain spoilers
Shoujo Food Wars? ???
I was originally going to give this show a 7.5, but when I sat and thought on it I realized the ending pissed me off more and more. Not to mention that when I actually gave it a second thought, the story was nonexistent as well as the "romance." I think I was just blinded by the flashy visual effects that looked straight out of Food Wars mixed with the attractive cast.
I love time-travel stories, and historical slow-burns have my whole heart. As such, I was locked in like crazy when this show was airing for a while. The show set itself up in the first episode to be an exciting historical tale that would eventually lead to steamy romance between a modern woman and king with more than a few screws loose. I personally like dark romance-esc relationships and have no issues with a complex love story between a mentally unstable king with mommy issues and a mentally stable modern day lady forced to be dragged along to the palace on one of his sporadic whims. Some people might have an issue with that pairing, but I don't. In fact, I encourage that spice. But what I got instead was a show stuffed with filler, underdeveloped characters, and an undercooked romance. And just as I had my hopes rise again with the intensity of the Ming food battle and the plot taking center stage during the final three episodes, the ending gave through with the final blow to leave me unsatisfied.
I tried to console myself when I was watching the plot turn away from any serious writing by accepting that it was always meant to be a fluffy slice of life, but then they whiplashed me with a sudden importance put on a decent plot again in the last episodes. The tonal switch-up was out of place and I think they should have stuck with a single genre and called it a day so as not to raise my hopes. The story was just left feeling vacant with how they didn't even try to explain the mystery behind Mangunrok nor how the fuck Yi Heon managed to get himself into Ji-young's era. The explanation being gatekept behind "it's a secret" made me drop the score an entire point. Did they even think about explaining the supernatural aspect at all??? I'm tired of seeing authors write time-travel plots without actually considering the consequences of explaining its existence in the verse it's written in. They just decided to have Ji-young randomly be summoned back to her time under BS circumstances and cut away from showing what became of Yi Heon's life during her absence. Then they expect you to accept that Yi Heon, a man who was raised as royal man in the 1500s and lived as a king to be able to perfectly adapt to the modern era in roughly a month. Who's buying that?! Realistically, this man would have been thrown in a jail cell for threatening random people on the street with a sword whilst wearing bloody clothing. Then they want you to accept that it makes perfect sense for all of Ji-young's friends acquaintances from the Joseon era are either reincarnated or have descendants that look *exactly* like them 500 years down the bloodline. Get real.
The character writing was probably the most unfortunate aspect of this show, however. I initially liked Ji-young's character for being a tenacious and intelligent woman that was going to need to have to use her charms to survive in an era where she'd be persecuted. But of course, the roadblocks that would appear due to her gender and apparent madness are completely irrelevant. Then by the end she felt so lackluster as a romantic lead. I mean, they wanted me to believe that a modern woman like her would fall so deeply in love with a maniac like Yi Heon despite only being in Joseon for no more than a half year. I realized just how misplaced she felt in the show when she was completely useless during almost all plot-relevant conflicts later in the show. I mean, what did she *really* contribute? In the actual palace intrigue, she was just a damsel that needed to be saved by a flurry of attractive men with swords. Yi Heon himself was far more interesting that her given his plot relevance and questionable morals. But of course, they try and make him seem like the good guy by the end and everyone else is the bad guy. I liked him more when they leaned into how much of a whack job he was; this is what made me excited to see how the central pair would develop feelings for each other despite their contrasting personalities. He made me laugh a few times as well and I love funny bastards that deserve to be put into an asylum. They could have just kept with his insanity and made it more tragic, but they chose to make him magically remorseful by the end without any prior indications of hesitation for his crimes. Him being okay with giving up the throne during treason was extremely hard for me to believe given that he was a man used to having every little whim cared for and using his position heavily to his advantage whenever he felt like it. It doesn't make sense to me that a guy willing to risk the lives of his citizens for a mere unofficial food battle would care enough about their well being to sacrifice his power and prestige in the final episode. The show didn't even attempt to address the repercussions of his actions against those he harmed, either. The rest of the cast was just background dressing with good potential that went unused. The jester was a guy with a good motive, but was left with virtually zero development even in the last episode. The only character I really felt any slight effort to write from was Tang Bailong. But of course, he existed for one arc alone, so he disappeared along with any complexity in character writing. The main villains, Jesan and Mok-ju, were underwritten and fell flat as central villains. Where was the complexity in them? How did they get away with the obvious rules they kept breaking? The bonding moments with the cooks were cute, but their characters one-note as well. Gil-geum was the only semi-important one, but she was so extremely annoying with the way she'd talk and sprout open her bug eyes to the point that I couldn't wait for her to leave my screen. I thought they were even teasing a romance between her and the jester at one point but that just went nowhere per usual. That may have secretly been a good thing however, because I am getting tired of seeing side couples that just take away screen time from decent main couples. The lack of backstory for virtually everyone really did detriment their characters; even Yi Heon and his sparse flashbacks made it hard to truly understand his rage.
The romance itself was hollow. I couldn't understand just why Ji-young fell in love with Yi Heon by the end. The guy literally attempted to murder her on multiple occasions and was called a tyrant with mommy issues in history for a reason. She knew that he committed the Chaehong and purges, yet didn't seem that phased being beside him. The man was literally going to have chefs lose their limbs right in front of her, yet acts like a high schooler in a Shoujo a couple of episodes later. She barely expressed a single ounce of judgement for a man as vicious as Yi Heon; not even in her head. As for Yi Heon; he was a king notorious for being a womanizer, yet acts like a lovestruck fool for Ji-young super fast into their "romance." He didn't show a real discriminatory bone in his body towards Ji-young despite her being older, of unknown origin, and mentally "unsound." And I find it incredibly hard to believe that a guy so horny he was criticized for it in history books would be a blushing idiot in front of a woman who is only exceptional at cooking. Where were the sparks required for me to believe their supposed "love"? I felt tension from them in the first episode given how much it seemed like it would be enemies to lovers, but that sizzles out when they actually attempt to write them romantically. I don't believe that either of these two grown adults, one of which is heavily experienced, would be acting like teenagers in their first relationship whenever they get into proximity of each other. I was excited to see how they'd write a romance between a mature woman and king with a womanizer status. But it's like they forgot who they were writing and erased that aspect of Yi Heon's character in favor of generic K-Drama romance. Where was the angst of a modern lady being a side piece to a king and the looks she'd get from it? Where is the concubine feuding she'd get dragged into? Why wasn't Yi-Heon's supposed "favoritism" of Mok-ju shown? Where was Yi Heon's classism at being attracted to a commoner at? Why didn't they have that sexual tension you'd expect to see in a harem setting? Why didn't they explicitly show scenes that grew their attraction toward each other? Where is the hardening of resolve it would take for a modern woman in Ji-young's situation to develop at? Where was the complexity of Yi Heon initially liking Ji-young because she reminded him of his mother at? Where was the difference in mindsets that would bleed through into their choices in their relationships at? Where was the, albeit toxic, power play at? I swear they didn't even have any substantial bonding moments that would make their undying love believable. Yi Heon himself even admitted in episode 1 that he didn't find Ji-young attractive but would "bestow a favor" upon her anyway, yet then gets blushy at the mere touch of her later. That does NOT seem like the attitude of the same guy at all. The most "attraction" I feel is Yi Heon being drawn towards Ji-young because she reminds him of his mother, in classic maniac fashion. They barely seemed to find each other attractive by the end, but act like a married couple in the epilogue. And you can call me a degenerate if you'd like, but I still wanted more intimacy and implied sex scenes. They were supposed to be mature adults, yet the most they get are surface-level kiss scenes sparsely thrown in. Incredibly disappointing.
I thought the main actors did well in their roles however, the ages did not match up. I mean, they wanted me to believe that Ji-young looked 27, when her actress is obviously in her thirties. I'm not insulting her looks, I'm just stating it how it is. I was also very confused on how old Yi Heon was supposed to be. I was curious so I researched the actual Yeonsangun he is based off of and according to Wikipedia, that guy died at 29, so I guess he was in his late twenties as well? But then it wouldn't make sense for the MDL page to list them as having an age gap *in* the drama. I saw that there was some issue with the casting of the King and that impacted the eventual age gap, but I didn't know that when I was watching the first 8 episodes of the show. So as you can imagine, I was very confused. But the casting itself was good; I give kudos to whomever casted Yi Heon's actor because that guy's bug eyes and devious eyebrows and smile had me laughing my ass off every time he did that goofy grin. And although I criticized how it was hard to link with Yi Heon's personal rage pertaining to his backstory, I could still feel his anger and sympathize with his resentment due to the actor's passionate portrayal of raw emotion in serious scenes. Ji-young's actress was good in the role; it's not her fault she was given a poorly-written character to play. She managed to come across as a skilled chef stuck in a different time period, so she did what was all her character writing required of her.
The visual effects that would play when people bit into their food had me dead more than once. I thought I was tuning into an episode of Food Wars a few times when the sounds they'd release from their food comas, only to be awakened to reality when I realized there was no ecchi. I had to question how hard it was for the actors not to burst out laughing when recording those scenes. I think my favorite scene was when they saw the phoenix soaring in the air during the Ming food battle. I was fucking dying when they were enacting animal gestures during those scenes, as well as the Ming envoy praying to a giant Buddha out of nowhere. Those scenes were probably the best entertainment for me in the entire show.
The production itself was beautiful and the scenery looked amazing. The greenhouse was straight out of cottage-core and the food was as delectable to look at as it probably tasted. I had not qualms with the music either and felt it enhanced pretty much every scene it was in. The random Mangunrok rap thrown in mid-show followed with a dance sequence that made me feel like I was watching the Boondocks was definitely a hilarious and artistically crafted scene. The costumes were great and I adored the hair styles of the women along with the robes Yi Heon would wear; the robe he wore to Lion Dance was definitely my favorite one by far. The camera angles were nice and they accented action sequences well.
The action sequences made me feel extremely shallow when they made me froth at the mouth more than anything Ji-young made; I have never been so entranced by handsome men wielding swords and doing kickflips before in my life. I was one heart-eyes emoji away from being a complete degenerate. There really is nothing quite like seeing Yi Heon, Su-hyeok, and Gong Gil adorned in historical garb and attacking nameless assassins in order to protect the fair maiden, Ji-young. I've never wished for a show to turn into Shoujo more before in my entire life. And when Yi Heon was bloody and battered after arduous fighting in episode 12, I was enjoying the sight.
Though, despite any positives I may have, I cannot picture myself ever rewatching this show again in good faith. There just isn't anything that would make up for the negatives that would cause a sour aftertaste to resurface upon rewatch. There is underdeveloped chemistry, lack of sexual tension, hand-fisted plot, shallow villains, two-dimensional characters, and an underutilized setting. So, would I recommend this show? No. I would only recommend it to someone if they reeeeally liked cooking. As for someone that really likes political intrigue or romance, I'd steer clear altogether. It'd be a waste of time.
꜀( ˊ̠˂˃ˋ̠ )꜆
I love time-travel stories, and historical slow-burns have my whole heart. As such, I was locked in like crazy when this show was airing for a while. The show set itself up in the first episode to be an exciting historical tale that would eventually lead to steamy romance between a modern woman and king with more than a few screws loose. I personally like dark romance-esc relationships and have no issues with a complex love story between a mentally unstable king with mommy issues and a mentally stable modern day lady forced to be dragged along to the palace on one of his sporadic whims. Some people might have an issue with that pairing, but I don't. In fact, I encourage that spice. But what I got instead was a show stuffed with filler, underdeveloped characters, and an undercooked romance. And just as I had my hopes rise again with the intensity of the Ming food battle and the plot taking center stage during the final three episodes, the ending gave through with the final blow to leave me unsatisfied.
I tried to console myself when I was watching the plot turn away from any serious writing by accepting that it was always meant to be a fluffy slice of life, but then they whiplashed me with a sudden importance put on a decent plot again in the last episodes. The tonal switch-up was out of place and I think they should have stuck with a single genre and called it a day so as not to raise my hopes. The story was just left feeling vacant with how they didn't even try to explain the mystery behind Mangunrok nor how the fuck Yi Heon managed to get himself into Ji-young's era. The explanation being gatekept behind "it's a secret" made me drop the score an entire point. Did they even think about explaining the supernatural aspect at all??? I'm tired of seeing authors write time-travel plots without actually considering the consequences of explaining its existence in the verse it's written in. They just decided to have Ji-young randomly be summoned back to her time under BS circumstances and cut away from showing what became of Yi Heon's life during her absence. Then they expect you to accept that Yi Heon, a man who was raised as royal man in the 1500s and lived as a king to be able to perfectly adapt to the modern era in roughly a month. Who's buying that?! Realistically, this man would have been thrown in a jail cell for threatening random people on the street with a sword whilst wearing bloody clothing. Then they want you to accept that it makes perfect sense for all of Ji-young's friends acquaintances from the Joseon era are either reincarnated or have descendants that look *exactly* like them 500 years down the bloodline. Get real.
The character writing was probably the most unfortunate aspect of this show, however. I initially liked Ji-young's character for being a tenacious and intelligent woman that was going to need to have to use her charms to survive in an era where she'd be persecuted. But of course, the roadblocks that would appear due to her gender and apparent madness are completely irrelevant. Then by the end she felt so lackluster as a romantic lead. I mean, they wanted me to believe that a modern woman like her would fall so deeply in love with a maniac like Yi Heon despite only being in Joseon for no more than a half year. I realized just how misplaced she felt in the show when she was completely useless during almost all plot-relevant conflicts later in the show. I mean, what did she *really* contribute? In the actual palace intrigue, she was just a damsel that needed to be saved by a flurry of attractive men with swords. Yi Heon himself was far more interesting that her given his plot relevance and questionable morals. But of course, they try and make him seem like the good guy by the end and everyone else is the bad guy. I liked him more when they leaned into how much of a whack job he was; this is what made me excited to see how the central pair would develop feelings for each other despite their contrasting personalities. He made me laugh a few times as well and I love funny bastards that deserve to be put into an asylum. They could have just kept with his insanity and made it more tragic, but they chose to make him magically remorseful by the end without any prior indications of hesitation for his crimes. Him being okay with giving up the throne during treason was extremely hard for me to believe given that he was a man used to having every little whim cared for and using his position heavily to his advantage whenever he felt like it. It doesn't make sense to me that a guy willing to risk the lives of his citizens for a mere unofficial food battle would care enough about their well being to sacrifice his power and prestige in the final episode. The show didn't even attempt to address the repercussions of his actions against those he harmed, either. The rest of the cast was just background dressing with good potential that went unused. The jester was a guy with a good motive, but was left with virtually zero development even in the last episode. The only character I really felt any slight effort to write from was Tang Bailong. But of course, he existed for one arc alone, so he disappeared along with any complexity in character writing. The main villains, Jesan and Mok-ju, were underwritten and fell flat as central villains. Where was the complexity in them? How did they get away with the obvious rules they kept breaking? The bonding moments with the cooks were cute, but their characters one-note as well. Gil-geum was the only semi-important one, but she was so extremely annoying with the way she'd talk and sprout open her bug eyes to the point that I couldn't wait for her to leave my screen. I thought they were even teasing a romance between her and the jester at one point but that just went nowhere per usual. That may have secretly been a good thing however, because I am getting tired of seeing side couples that just take away screen time from decent main couples. The lack of backstory for virtually everyone really did detriment their characters; even Yi Heon and his sparse flashbacks made it hard to truly understand his rage.
The romance itself was hollow. I couldn't understand just why Ji-young fell in love with Yi Heon by the end. The guy literally attempted to murder her on multiple occasions and was called a tyrant with mommy issues in history for a reason. She knew that he committed the Chaehong and purges, yet didn't seem that phased being beside him. The man was literally going to have chefs lose their limbs right in front of her, yet acts like a high schooler in a Shoujo a couple of episodes later. She barely expressed a single ounce of judgement for a man as vicious as Yi Heon; not even in her head. As for Yi Heon; he was a king notorious for being a womanizer, yet acts like a lovestruck fool for Ji-young super fast into their "romance." He didn't show a real discriminatory bone in his body towards Ji-young despite her being older, of unknown origin, and mentally "unsound." And I find it incredibly hard to believe that a guy so horny he was criticized for it in history books would be a blushing idiot in front of a woman who is only exceptional at cooking. Where were the sparks required for me to believe their supposed "love"? I felt tension from them in the first episode given how much it seemed like it would be enemies to lovers, but that sizzles out when they actually attempt to write them romantically. I don't believe that either of these two grown adults, one of which is heavily experienced, would be acting like teenagers in their first relationship whenever they get into proximity of each other. I was excited to see how they'd write a romance between a mature woman and king with a womanizer status. But it's like they forgot who they were writing and erased that aspect of Yi Heon's character in favor of generic K-Drama romance. Where was the angst of a modern lady being a side piece to a king and the looks she'd get from it? Where is the concubine feuding she'd get dragged into? Why wasn't Yi-Heon's supposed "favoritism" of Mok-ju shown? Where was Yi Heon's classism at being attracted to a commoner at? Why didn't they have that sexual tension you'd expect to see in a harem setting? Why didn't they explicitly show scenes that grew their attraction toward each other? Where is the hardening of resolve it would take for a modern woman in Ji-young's situation to develop at? Where was the complexity of Yi Heon initially liking Ji-young because she reminded him of his mother at? Where was the difference in mindsets that would bleed through into their choices in their relationships at? Where was the, albeit toxic, power play at? I swear they didn't even have any substantial bonding moments that would make their undying love believable. Yi Heon himself even admitted in episode 1 that he didn't find Ji-young attractive but would "bestow a favor" upon her anyway, yet then gets blushy at the mere touch of her later. That does NOT seem like the attitude of the same guy at all. The most "attraction" I feel is Yi Heon being drawn towards Ji-young because she reminds him of his mother, in classic maniac fashion. They barely seemed to find each other attractive by the end, but act like a married couple in the epilogue. And you can call me a degenerate if you'd like, but I still wanted more intimacy and implied sex scenes. They were supposed to be mature adults, yet the most they get are surface-level kiss scenes sparsely thrown in. Incredibly disappointing.
I thought the main actors did well in their roles however, the ages did not match up. I mean, they wanted me to believe that Ji-young looked 27, when her actress is obviously in her thirties. I'm not insulting her looks, I'm just stating it how it is. I was also very confused on how old Yi Heon was supposed to be. I was curious so I researched the actual Yeonsangun he is based off of and according to Wikipedia, that guy died at 29, so I guess he was in his late twenties as well? But then it wouldn't make sense for the MDL page to list them as having an age gap *in* the drama. I saw that there was some issue with the casting of the King and that impacted the eventual age gap, but I didn't know that when I was watching the first 8 episodes of the show. So as you can imagine, I was very confused. But the casting itself was good; I give kudos to whomever casted Yi Heon's actor because that guy's bug eyes and devious eyebrows and smile had me laughing my ass off every time he did that goofy grin. And although I criticized how it was hard to link with Yi Heon's personal rage pertaining to his backstory, I could still feel his anger and sympathize with his resentment due to the actor's passionate portrayal of raw emotion in serious scenes. Ji-young's actress was good in the role; it's not her fault she was given a poorly-written character to play. She managed to come across as a skilled chef stuck in a different time period, so she did what was all her character writing required of her.
The visual effects that would play when people bit into their food had me dead more than once. I thought I was tuning into an episode of Food Wars a few times when the sounds they'd release from their food comas, only to be awakened to reality when I realized there was no ecchi. I had to question how hard it was for the actors not to burst out laughing when recording those scenes. I think my favorite scene was when they saw the phoenix soaring in the air during the Ming food battle. I was fucking dying when they were enacting animal gestures during those scenes, as well as the Ming envoy praying to a giant Buddha out of nowhere. Those scenes were probably the best entertainment for me in the entire show.
The production itself was beautiful and the scenery looked amazing. The greenhouse was straight out of cottage-core and the food was as delectable to look at as it probably tasted. I had not qualms with the music either and felt it enhanced pretty much every scene it was in. The random Mangunrok rap thrown in mid-show followed with a dance sequence that made me feel like I was watching the Boondocks was definitely a hilarious and artistically crafted scene. The costumes were great and I adored the hair styles of the women along with the robes Yi Heon would wear; the robe he wore to Lion Dance was definitely my favorite one by far. The camera angles were nice and they accented action sequences well.
The action sequences made me feel extremely shallow when they made me froth at the mouth more than anything Ji-young made; I have never been so entranced by handsome men wielding swords and doing kickflips before in my life. I was one heart-eyes emoji away from being a complete degenerate. There really is nothing quite like seeing Yi Heon, Su-hyeok, and Gong Gil adorned in historical garb and attacking nameless assassins in order to protect the fair maiden, Ji-young. I've never wished for a show to turn into Shoujo more before in my entire life. And when Yi Heon was bloody and battered after arduous fighting in episode 12, I was enjoying the sight.
Though, despite any positives I may have, I cannot picture myself ever rewatching this show again in good faith. There just isn't anything that would make up for the negatives that would cause a sour aftertaste to resurface upon rewatch. There is underdeveloped chemistry, lack of sexual tension, hand-fisted plot, shallow villains, two-dimensional characters, and an underutilized setting. So, would I recommend this show? No. I would only recommend it to someone if they reeeeally liked cooking. As for someone that really likes political intrigue or romance, I'd steer clear altogether. It'd be a waste of time.
꜀( ˊ̠˂˃ˋ̠ )꜆
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