Meari21

Many K-dramas and C-dramas actually use skin smoothening filters or effects. This is especially obvious with older leading actors who are showing more wrinkles. K-netizens tend to be overly critical when they see their favorite actors showing clear signs of aging so they use these filters to help hide any skin flaws. I can see a little bit of filter on Yoona but not on the others. She’s younger anyway so she probably doesn’t need it. But I notice the filters are more pronounced with older actresses who are in their 40’s like Song Hye Kyo and Shin Min Ah. Not that they look old, it’s just that Korean netizens can be brutal when criticizing celebrities’ looks so they most likely just do it to avoid these reactions.

This made me laugh out loud! 🤣 🤣🤣

This is surprisingly good! I wasn't able to watch this while it was airing but I'm kinda glad I waited until all the episodes were out, otherwise I would've been too impatient for the next episode. I'm a sucker for detective stories and they did the CSI-esque stuff really well. In fact, it might as well be the ancient CSI. I didn't think this pairing would work (I am sort of biased because I really liked Ruipeng with Bai Lu), but it totally does! I ended up liking Li Landi more than I thought I would.

Agreed! I don't speak the language although I'm part Chinese and studied it casually as a kid so I can understand a little, but I can still tell they did a poor job at enunciating the words and using proper tone. It drives me nuts whenever I hear them use simple expressions and they sound like an AI imitating human speech! Just watching C-dramas can educate you on how to say those lines correctly. Whoever their language coach is (if they actually hired one), they are not very good at their jobs. lol The actors could've tried harder and done a little research. The one playing the Director sounds the worst! The female cook is really awful too, she speaks in a kind of sing-song manner that annoys me to no end. lol

Also, it’s a reminder that he is now 25 years old, which makes him 10 years younger than Yoona, not 11 as someone on this page vehemently claimed. Sorry, can’t help it. 🤣

It’s not extraordinary though. But something doesn’t have to be extraordinary to be enjoyable. I think people are just entertained because it’s a refreshing change from the usual K-drama fare these days. It’s not overly serious and it’s not afraid to be downright ridiculous. 😁

Yes, this is a food drama first, rom-com second. The political intrigue is the icing on the cake. It's also meant to showcase the ingenuity of the fusion dishes she creates using French cooking techniques and Korean ingredients. The drama works because it explores the rich history of Korean cuisine and how it has evolved over the years, so it's appealing to both local and international audience. Its lighthearted tone makes it an easy watch despite the politics involved. And you've got interesting main characters that are basically the epitome of the saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". It makes for great entertainment, just good old escapist fun.

I am a sucker for food dramas so this is right up my alley. I'm also used to watching food-centric J-dramas and anime so I'm used to the over-the-top silliness that make this genre unique. If you've seen Japanese web dramas like Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman and anime like Food Wars, the carefully curated dishes and overreaction to them are part of their charm. As this is based on a relatively lighthearted webtoon that is probably inspired by Japanese food manga/anime, I don't find that aspect peculiar or off-putting.

Besides, I believe the focus on the food is the core of this drama, the romance comes in second, and the politics third. In other Korean rom-coms, the characters' jobs are not the focal point but are rather treated as add-ons or accessories that if the writers decide to change their careers it wouldn't affect the narrative as much. This, however, is really about the food and the main character's identity as a world-class Michelin star chef. You take that character and put it in the most unlikely of places, ancient Joseon, forge an interesting dynamic between that character and a historical figure known for his discerning palate, and you can create a "what if" period fantasy with a modern fairy tale twist. That, to me, is the winning formula of this drama from a writing standpoint.

I’ve heard of that! Thanks! I’ll check it out. ☺️

Oh he did? Hahaha! Maybe I should check that out.

Dramas need some time to breathe and make room for character development. If it keeps moving forward with the story with not enough scenes to develop the characters, it would also come out flat. That episode was made to delve more into the budding romance between the two leads and also show the king's softer side. It's clear that she's changing him and has power over him. I'm actually a little disappointed that they didn't try to show him realizing his mistakes by taking genius inventors like Jang Chung Saeng and his uncle for granted. It would be great if he ends up rewarding the inventor and giving his uncle the acknowledgement he deserves, and starts doing things for the sake of his people.

If you notice the Ming cooks also use peppers, red peppercorns if I'm not mistaken, which is a staple in Sichuan cooking. But the use of gochujang and gochugaru is, to my knowledge, a Korean invention, at least in East Asia. The Chinese didn't use chilis that way. And that's what the Ming cook stole. Also, chilis do grow differently depending on their environment. The chilis in Joseon may have a distinct taste that is different from those found in China regardless of where it came from, when it was introduced, and who introduced it. So naturally, the cook would be intrigued because the Koreans during that time didn't even use chilis as a food ingredient at all, but the Chinese had already started incorporting them into their dishes, especially in Sichuan.

As a fan of BL and bromance-centric dramas, I find myself drawn to the dynamics between the royal guard and the royal jester. lol

This guy needs more attention. I was surprised to find out that he actually did all his stunts in Bon Appetit, Your Majesty. He's obviously either extremely athletic or he practices some sort of martial art like Capoeira based on his movements. I hope he gets leading roles soon.

Demon Slayer has awesome visuals, probably the best animation and art design among the current crop of anime series. But plotwise, it’s a typical coming of age story with lots of cool action scenes. My favorite is Zenitsu because he starts out as a cowardly character but develops into someone more formidable. He’s not the toughest swordsman or the fastest learner but he created his own sword techniques much like the main character in this drama. In the earlier part of the series, he can only access his skills when he’s asleep or has fainted. 😂 I immediately thought of him when I saw Mingming losing consciousness and was about to die and his subconscious took over.

He is very good looking. Very few can pull off that blond wig he wore in FoF and he looked really good in that drama.

Maybe it's just me but Mingming's character here reminds me of Zenitsu in Demon Slayer. He was only able to access his martial arts prowess when his life was in danger and was close to losing consciousness. lol I dunno, I like it because it's like a shonen anime. It's got side quests, the main character has supportive friends, and the fight scenes are cool. It's more like an adventure drama. I can understand why it might not be that enjoyable to others though.

I'm honestly liking this so far. It's like a cross between Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, A Dream Within A Dream, and Blood of Youth. But then again, wuxia is my favorite genre and I couldn't care less if there was a love angle or not.

I don't think there's a love story in this. Wuxia, in general, doesn't have romance. They're probably just adoptive siblings.

I think it's just an iQIYI thing. Most of their dramas have that look and vibe. I don't think it has a low budget because Tencent co-produced it and it was highly advertised as one of the most expensive dramas ever made if not the most expensive one to date. Fangs of Fortune for example did not have an overly high budget but it looked like it did because of the stylistic set designs, fight choreography, and special effects. The budget for this drama probably went to other expenses that we don't really see yet because it's been only 6 episodes. I'm guessing they focused more on the fight scenes and spent more on making them more movie-level spectacular.