Toph

A lot of korean historical dramas lifted inspiration from the lives of past real kings/princes but twisted a little bit to give life to the show. To name a few: Scarlet Heart, Queen for 7 Days, The Tale of Nokdu, etc. So I would say it's common among writers.

Highly recommended! ❤

I just watched this recently. I couldve really enjoyed this if I saw this when it was aired over 10 years ago. But since I have watched a number of historical dramas and a lot already evolved in writing, pacing, directing, etc. i felt a little bored with this one. I still finished this because of the friendship between the four leads and i fell in love with Gu Yong Ha's character. And pls dont hate me for saying this as this is only my opinion, I think Park Min Young doesnt have much variety in acting. I watched WWWSK, Queen for 7 Days, Healer, Her Private Life, it's like I'm watching the same character set in different titles/genre. Yes, she's pretty and can cry, but I dunno.. I still watch her dramas because of the drama as a whole. For me, a good actor/actress can deliver a character that feels different in every role he/she portrays.

The positive for me:
1. Humor - I really cant stop laughing on the comedic scenes here considering this is historical. 'Most' historical dramas are quite serious and if theres an intent to be funny, they cant compare with Mr. Queen.
2. Acting - the male and the female leads did a superb job. They showed full range of emotions where I could really feel them (e.g. the king is crying of happiness of becoming a father and when he scolded the the royal court, and when the queen was lost in the forest, and a lot more). Of course, the supporting cast did well too! Love them all!
3. Romantic scenes - since this is historical drama, it's quite fresh for me having those scenes.
4. Story - though some parts are somewhat predictable, they still delivered a convincing story-telling
5. Fight scenes - just wow! I fell for Kim Jung Hyun!

The negative for me:
> The ending - i would be happier if they showed that JBH is the reincarnation of the queen to justify why So Yong reaped all the benefits that JBH worked hard for. They are both very determined (as supplemented in the Mr. Queen: The Secrets), with talents that they are very good at (one with cooking and one with embroidery and playing with that string instrument). I would also be happy to see the court maid's decendant owning half of Gangnam in JBH's time.

This is just so funny!!! Love it! ❤

LOL! In my opinion, this is the best office drama for me, so far. I liked it more than Chief Kim and Misaeng.

May I just say that the villain is so hot with his long hair. :D

Lol!

The accomplice/real Baek Hee Sung was only stabbed once. How could that result to a comatose? And for 15 years?

Amazing! Eun Ha is so cute! ❤ I cried every time Ji Won and Hyun Su clear up their misunderstandings and how Ji Won express how much she loves her husband. I'm so weird to cry on the most part of the last episode. The part that I didnt understand or maybe i missed it - (under spoiler)

Im also confused about the real VIP but i think the writer left that open-ended. Mr. Kim the Tailor planned the bombing itself, but he's serving someone else (shown while talking on the phone in Korean). Not sure if it's Secretary Han he was talking to, but possible since it was assumed that Secretary Han ordered the escape of Mr. Kim from NIS through the ambulance. I think, Secretary Han also handpicked Assemblyman Oh and Park Mu-Jin to fit in the scheme of things. So does this mean he's the real VIP? However, there is another possible VIP who is a Japanese (the one Tae Ik is talking to in his phone in Japanese while escaping to Russia at the airport). I believe this unknown Japanese ordered the shooting of Mr. Kim at the helipad and ultimately wanted a new cold war in the Korean peninsula.

If u watched the US version (original), his exposure was much shorter. The Korean version made a huge improvement on his story line/exposure. In both versions, he died.

Cute and fluffy! Laughed and cried. I was really touched on how Da Jeong and her husband overcame their broken marriage.

Though there are a lot of cliches here, i loved them. Still fun! ❤ :)

Yes! If that happened to me, i would choose someone who can respect people regardless. I also find Sung Joon's character boring. I fall hard for funny guys and knows how to put others above himself. :)

My questions that i didnt get the answers:
1. How was it discovered that a guardian gwi must consume the blood of the maternal relation as part of the secret plan? It was only said "a rumor". I was talking about the time before the memorandum was authored.
2. I thought the memorandum was destroyed by Gwi. Was there a duplicate copy?

They spent too much time finding the memorandum and yet forgot to explain these things.

I almost dropped this because of too much time spent on finding the memorandum. Super slow-paced at the earlier episodes. I kept going because watching Gwi is a feast to my eyes! I only enjoyed the last 5 episodes.

I agree that the female lead is a wrong cast. She is not suited for a saeguk. I loved her in Pinocchio. She played just fine in A Poem a Day.

I dont feel any chemistry between the main leads. I cringe every time they had their sweet moments. Fast forward!

All the male leads acted so well and were eye candies! Gwi is a perfect fit for a vampire.

Theres something lacking in the direction of scenes like theres some dead air. No complaints on the action scenes.

It would have made more impact for me if Shin Hyuk got the lady. Yes, first love is special. But a lot could change in a person's preferences in 15 yrs and from what they depicted in the drama, Hye Jin and Shin Hyuk clicked more. I would have a fallen for a guy who is still composed even under pressure. I didnt see any chemistry between Hye Jin and Sung Jun except that they are each other's first love.

Now finished the whole thing. Good thing Shin Hyuk grew on me. He deserved more. Like he's supposed to be the 1st lead. I still dont like Hye Jin's exaggerated acting/shouting.

Im at episode 4 and i find Hye Jin and Shin Hyuk so annoying and overreacting. I know it's comedy, but I cant remember I laughed so far. Why do i feel frustrated of Hye Jin's clumsiness and loudness?

I love all the sword fight scenes!