This review may contain spoilers
If We Could Only Rewrite History
After Completing this Drama
You can read my initial review upon watching 8 episodes below. But today, my review is after completing the entire series. Like a well-planned dish, today's review is layered with flavor.
First Layer. What country with a troubled past doesn't want to rewrite history? I read this drama was based on a real Josean king, so I explored the history. During one of the most amazing periods of a country's imperial rule, this king and this period was a stain on Korean history. This is where I love the creativity of screenwriters. Start with the historical but put a spin on it. This drama said "what if?" What if the Josean tyrant king had met the love of his life who kept him from much of his tyrannical behavior, how would history unfold? That's the main plot of this drama. But how to do this. A time travel narrative connected the present to the past. So the heroine travels back in time to sooth the tyrant and change, at least some, of the history.
Second Layer. What if this portrayal has some truth to it? If you read about the reign of Yeonsangun, it is not positive. He is known for purges where many were slaughtered, even royalty. Also, he kidnapped hundreds of girls across the country and forced them to be his personal sexual entertainers and "comfort women." Quite a contrast to the king's portrayal in this drama. However, the plotting of others in this drama is a part of the historical record, and one wonders if this plotting, along with finding out his birth mother and her death was hidden from him, led to such anxiety and paranoia in him it resulted in violence, indulgences, and death. It is a possibility during a time when there was little knowledge or resources for those suffering from mental health issues. I want to take this chance to say that in my research on this king, led me to another Korean production. I watched the movie The Treacherous on Amazon Prime. If you care to see a different portrayal of this king then watch this movie. I will warn you that this is not innocent, nor sanitized like Kdramas are. It's raw, it's reality, it's R-rated, and this king is surely mad. It was good, and the actors portrayal of their characters were amazing!!
Third Layer. The food and the love story. The food was the star throughout almost the entirety of the drama. It was amazing, comical, magical, and I gained 5 pounds just watching it. The two main characters showed chemistry in their attraction to each other which made the viewer glued to their relationship as it progressed. This is the 2nd drama I have watched with Lim Yoon A. The first was King the Land. She had such chemistry with Lee Jun Ho that I'm in awe of her acting skills and have become a true fan. She completely commits to a role, and the results speak for themself. I've seen a couple different dramas with Lee Chae Min as a supporting role. They were superbly acted enough that I knew of his work before his starring role in this drama. His main role as King Yi Heon has surely cemented him as a leading man, I am a fan and look forward to viewing his future roles.
Fourth Layer. The production value of this drama. With the spread of Korean entertainment I have seen dramas go from 36 to 24 to 16 to 12 episodes. Sometimes the compromise destroys the story. Koreans are amazing and superb story tellers when they have the room to develop the story. The proof are the amazing dramas over the last 10-15 years. With the increase in demand, I have seen stories compromised by shortening them for an audience plagued by shortened attention spans, and demanding western streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Hulu). I'm saddened by this result. All of this to say that the production value of this drama stayed relatively high. The storyline was superb, my thanks to the screenwriter. The casting director got amazing actors in the right roles. The sets, the scenery, the costumes, the music, the cinematography was all superb. Thank you to the entire production crew. My only complaint, and its minor was the ending was rushed. It would have been nice to add substance to the king's appearance in modern times and exactly how he got there.
Well there you have it. A 4-course serving to a wonderful Kdrama. You will enjoy this production. I promise it is a delicacy worth watching.
It's Food Porn with a Side of Tasteful Fantasy - a review after watching 8 episodes
I'm only up to the 8th episode, but I just had to leave a review to say this is definitely worth watching. The time travel angle and the romance of the story take a back seat to the food. The food is definitely the leading character in this drama. The viewer is taken on a sexy, sultry, yet enchanting trip every time someone puts a bite in their mouth.
First, we get an up close view of the food passing over King Ye Heon's lips and into his mouth. Lee Chae Min's lips should receive their own star on the walk of fame....they are that luscious and enjoyable to watch. Once he begins to chew, he takes the viewer into a fantasy trip of his taste buds and mind. I laugh out loud each time it occurs as it gets more and more outrageous but delightful.
Watching these amazing dishes being prepared and eaten, especially by Lee Chae Min, is truly addictive.
You can read my initial review upon watching 8 episodes below. But today, my review is after completing the entire series. Like a well-planned dish, today's review is layered with flavor.
First Layer. What country with a troubled past doesn't want to rewrite history? I read this drama was based on a real Josean king, so I explored the history. During one of the most amazing periods of a country's imperial rule, this king and this period was a stain on Korean history. This is where I love the creativity of screenwriters. Start with the historical but put a spin on it. This drama said "what if?" What if the Josean tyrant king had met the love of his life who kept him from much of his tyrannical behavior, how would history unfold? That's the main plot of this drama. But how to do this. A time travel narrative connected the present to the past. So the heroine travels back in time to sooth the tyrant and change, at least some, of the history.
Second Layer. What if this portrayal has some truth to it? If you read about the reign of Yeonsangun, it is not positive. He is known for purges where many were slaughtered, even royalty. Also, he kidnapped hundreds of girls across the country and forced them to be his personal sexual entertainers and "comfort women." Quite a contrast to the king's portrayal in this drama. However, the plotting of others in this drama is a part of the historical record, and one wonders if this plotting, along with finding out his birth mother and her death was hidden from him, led to such anxiety and paranoia in him it resulted in violence, indulgences, and death. It is a possibility during a time when there was little knowledge or resources for those suffering from mental health issues. I want to take this chance to say that in my research on this king, led me to another Korean production. I watched the movie The Treacherous on Amazon Prime. If you care to see a different portrayal of this king then watch this movie. I will warn you that this is not innocent, nor sanitized like Kdramas are. It's raw, it's reality, it's R-rated, and this king is surely mad. It was good, and the actors portrayal of their characters were amazing!!
Third Layer. The food and the love story. The food was the star throughout almost the entirety of the drama. It was amazing, comical, magical, and I gained 5 pounds just watching it. The two main characters showed chemistry in their attraction to each other which made the viewer glued to their relationship as it progressed. This is the 2nd drama I have watched with Lim Yoon A. The first was King the Land. She had such chemistry with Lee Jun Ho that I'm in awe of her acting skills and have become a true fan. She completely commits to a role, and the results speak for themself. I've seen a couple different dramas with Lee Chae Min as a supporting role. They were superbly acted enough that I knew of his work before his starring role in this drama. His main role as King Yi Heon has surely cemented him as a leading man, I am a fan and look forward to viewing his future roles.
Fourth Layer. The production value of this drama. With the spread of Korean entertainment I have seen dramas go from 36 to 24 to 16 to 12 episodes. Sometimes the compromise destroys the story. Koreans are amazing and superb story tellers when they have the room to develop the story. The proof are the amazing dramas over the last 10-15 years. With the increase in demand, I have seen stories compromised by shortening them for an audience plagued by shortened attention spans, and demanding western streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Hulu). I'm saddened by this result. All of this to say that the production value of this drama stayed relatively high. The storyline was superb, my thanks to the screenwriter. The casting director got amazing actors in the right roles. The sets, the scenery, the costumes, the music, the cinematography was all superb. Thank you to the entire production crew. My only complaint, and its minor was the ending was rushed. It would have been nice to add substance to the king's appearance in modern times and exactly how he got there.
Well there you have it. A 4-course serving to a wonderful Kdrama. You will enjoy this production. I promise it is a delicacy worth watching.
It's Food Porn with a Side of Tasteful Fantasy - a review after watching 8 episodes
I'm only up to the 8th episode, but I just had to leave a review to say this is definitely worth watching. The time travel angle and the romance of the story take a back seat to the food. The food is definitely the leading character in this drama. The viewer is taken on a sexy, sultry, yet enchanting trip every time someone puts a bite in their mouth.
First, we get an up close view of the food passing over King Ye Heon's lips and into his mouth. Lee Chae Min's lips should receive their own star on the walk of fame....they are that luscious and enjoyable to watch. Once he begins to chew, he takes the viewer into a fantasy trip of his taste buds and mind. I laugh out loud each time it occurs as it gets more and more outrageous but delightful.
Watching these amazing dishes being prepared and eaten, especially by Lee Chae Min, is truly addictive.
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