Pokor

I really loved it- the ML, the FL, the entire cast, the devilish villains and all that extravagant food... Really wish this adaptation could have been more like an anime spread across seasons coz I definitely wanted to see more of all of them😭 I usually do dig up on the source more often than not but this drama has really got me into the light novel(especially as I love stuff where you can see the skeleton of history lingering in the fantasy). The plot was very much a shoujo Nobunaga no Chef with a hint of shonen(Food Wars), all in Joseon style.

The ML was a standout! The side characters stole as much of the show- the bestest court lady Choi Mal-im, Geum-gil, inventor extraordinaire Jang Chun-saeng, the Ming chef Bai Long, Gong-gil(g.o.a.t) and the cute bodyguard Shin Soo-hyuk. How Gong-gil and Shin Soo-hyuk ended up with insane chemistry after just one episode was magic. And I really started to root for Gil-geum and chef Maeng to be endgame. Consort Kang was so beautiful and dangerous. And don't sideye me but ol' uncle Jesan was kindof sexy in a villain way- he reminds me of Scar and even Jafar.

The drama had it's flaws- mainly pacing and spacing out the stories. I did feel they took too long to only do one single contest with the Ming which while it had segments, slowed down the pace and this felt odd- could have easily been done across two episodes. And they could have added more- if not the other international contests from the LN, then at least more court or character development for the mains and side characters(especially secretary Im, inventor Jang, Gong-gil, guard Shin and the side chefs deserved more). Also more side quests or travels incognito. The ost 'Land of the Morning' is stuck in my head. I could picture it as the FL conducting the trio of the king, his guard and Gong-gil singing(to a very medieval european adventure tune). More outings with them... Really wish there was more than just these 12 episodes.