This review may contain spoilers
Superb Drama with Great Cast especially the Male and Female lead
I absolutely LOVE this drama. And I love the entire cast. The female lead did a stunning job in portraying her character. It's rare to find a female lead which I absolutely love in Kdramas. Usually the male leads are so talented and good looking that they overshadow the female leads. In this drama, the male lead and female lead are perfectly matched. It is an absolute joy to see them together. And their comedic scenes are hilarious. All the cast are brilliant. They executed their respective roles brilliantly. A huge Thank You to the writer, director, producer and entire cast for this splendid show! Take a bow everyone for the absolutely amazing performance all of you executed! Amazing, amazing, amazing acting....such a joy to watch all of you. And a huge thank you to Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-Hyun for your outstanding and wonderful performance! You both made this show an absolute joy to watch.This show has a great balance - the serious parts keep you at the edge of your seat, the funny parts make you laugh out loud, the romantic parts are so touching...it is just a perfect show with a very gripping plot, hilarious humour, superb acting by everyone!
The only thing I didn't like and felt dissatisfied with is the ending.... the King fell in love with the soul of Jang Bong-Hwan. So why did So Yong have to benefit from the efforts of Bong-hwan? Everybody fell in love with the character of Bong-hwan. So when she switched at the end to So-Yong, she became a boring normal character again... although she showed that some of Bong-hwan's characteristics had rubbed off on her....Its still not the same. I hope there is a sequel and that in Season 2 Bong-hwan returns to the King.
I have withdrawal symptoms after the show ended...It felt that something is missing in my life. I used to look forward to new episodes of Mr Queen every week. I WANT MORE!!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Jang Bong Hwan got the shaft.
I really wish they gave Jang Bong Hwan more closure. They could have had him meeting the king as a reincarnated person in modern times. The poor king fell in love with a person and lost them. He was stuck with a pale shadow of a personality. He could at least be reunited with his soulmate in a later life. Also Hang Bong Hwan as the queen made deep bonds with the maids and others. He fought life and death situations with them. He should have seen some of them as reincarnated characters in his time. He did all the work for saving their lives and then all those people were taken away. The quitter queen reaped all the benefits.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Splendid as a rom-com but lacking a well-executed plot
When I started watching "Mr. Queen", I had no idea how popular it was or why it was so beloved. That turned out to be a good thing - the only expectation I had going in was good comedy. And wow, did it deliver on that front!Besides the humour which was completely to my tastes - physical over verbal, great comedic timing and perfectly balanced with drama - the acting was what shined in my eyes. Shin Hye Sun was the star of the show. She had impeccable chemistry with her co-stars and wasn't afraid to emote with her face. In fact, I would go as far as to say that she was the sole lead of the drama, and every other character just bounced off her. Kim Jung Hyun was also a perfect fit for the role of the king who pretends to be foolish, but for the life of me, I could never come to enjoy his performance 100%. Maybe it's just the character archetype I don't like, but I only liked his scenes with Shin Hye Sun's character(s).
The rest of the cast was amazing and delivered engaging relationship sub-plots - be it Director Hong and Kim Hwan's hilarious friendship, Court Lady Choi and Head Chief's budding romance, or Hwa Jin and Yeongpyeong's angsty courtship. These six characters, paired and alone, helped me get through the latter episodes without falling asleep. I was about to give up on Hwa Jin as a likeable character, but writers seemed to get it together in episode 15 (about time) and gave her much needed complexity.
As I near the end of my review, I also must talk about the ending of the drama, which is where most of my issues with plot and narrative choices stem from. Let's talk about the obvious first: So Yong returned to her own body in the most unsatisfying way. Bong Hwan was the one who survived in her place for months, the one who built the relationships with his servants and the King. And the writers try to cram in her character last second to claim the benefits? Yes, this was So Yong's body originally, but she was unfairly neglected - the lake incident was a suicide, her scream for help, and she was gracelessly shoved back into the world that abandoned her without getting time to heal. Also, writers, are you really trying to convince me no one would have noticed/cared that the Queen was acting completely differently? For goodness sake, her entire voice changed.
The most disappointing thing, though? It would've been so easy to get this right. The premise of the drama is soul-switching/time travel. What held them back from placing So Yong into Bong Hwan's body, too? We could've seen both of them growing together, learning from each other, and the plot would've been more engaging and more comedic. A queen from Joseon era travels into a man's body and has to solve a crime he is accused of? Yes, please!
Sorry for the long review! After all my complaining I want to reiterate that "Mr. Queen" is an astounding drama with wonderful comedy and romance, and it did give a pleasing conclusion to all its side characters and sub-plots.
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Typical
Like so many K-dramas, its better to stop at episode 4 or 5. In this series the cute-ness and comedy has worn off by then.The characters didnt develop and the story line drags. To stay interested I concentrated on the make-up and costumes- which always looked brand new (am I the only one that notices that? Also- its weird when you can tell the men are wearing lipstick)There wasnt a very big cast to populate the palace and a couple scenes looked like they were filmed at a public park. I had to remind myself that this was a period sit-com not an epic historical drama. This wasnt my cup of tea.
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More of a rant than a review
I jumped into this head-straight with even familiarising with the cast or learning the concept of the drama, and you know what? It is a treat.So to people who are like "meh" and click the button "plan to watch later". Don't. Watch now.
Story: So far so good. Basically I have seen historical dramas falter to find a balance between romance and politics, this is the 2nd drama after Scarlet heart ryo that is doing it so good. Queens character is hilarious and very well written.
Acting: Damn. The actress. Damn. There isn't a time when you can say that you felt she is not not a woman. She has great comic timing. The supporting cast is pretty strong too. KJH had been in my radar since school 2017.I am so happy to see him deliver something so amazing
Music: End track ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. Very well suited. The tracks used in the series are mostly 21st century pop but it fits so well. Well done in choosing the music.
Overall: Skipping this will be like choosing to go hungry when you have ice cream infront of you.
Rewach value: i don't rewatch. But i just may rewatch this.
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Must Watch
This kdrama is highly recommended, you won't regret watching this I swear. I didn't expect I would be addicted to this drama like yo it's so good if I could rate more than 10 I would, definitely. Someone introduced me this movie and I watched tha trailer first and I can't help but to watch it even though it's ongoing, I planned to watch it when they're done filming the episodes but mygawddd I can't stop my self. So far this is the best kdrama I've watched for the past 4 years, I never thought I'd be addicted again cause I stopped watching kdramas since online classes started.They're acting is great especially the king and queen, the Queen's acting is excellent her movies are also great and the king's acting is also excellent his first drama I watched was school 2017 and he's with the royal consort in that drama, I admire both of them for their great acting. The royal consort is also a good actress, she can change her emotions fast in the drama.
The plot of the story is veryyy excellent I swear, thumbs up to the director, the actors, and everyone who's managing it.
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a new favorite
I was hooked throughout the entire show. Not a single episode left me feeling bored. I kept wanting to know what would happen next and Mr. Queen kept delivering. The comedy in this drama is what made it so good. More specifically, the main actress who delivered it was amazing. She played the role so well and made me absolutely fall in love with this show. Also, a more minor character but, I loved Kim Hwan lol. Such a little ray of sunshine :'> Not only were the main leads entertaining, but the side characters were too. It was such a fun ride and I'm sure one day I'll return to rewatch it. I think this is actually the drama I would recommend to someone who has never seen a kdrama. I feel like this is one of those shows that anyone could enjoy. But one of its faults is the ending. It really didn't sit well with me. It didn't completely ruin it, but I would've been much more satisfied if the queen had remained as Mr. Queen, if you know what I'm saying...Also, the music. I really loved this ost. Will be adding to my playlist for sure :)
I know one thing..I'm going to really miss this drama
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This review may contain spoilers
The writers bit off more than they could chew
The Good:The acting was good. The cast delivered performances really well
The story, although poorly executed, was initially enticing
The Not So Good:
I knew the writers were going to land themselves in trouble super early on when they conveniently stopped clarifying who is in charge of the body at different times. Majority of the time we could clearly tell it was Bong Hwan but, sometimes I think they made Bong Hwan So Young-esque under the guise of Bong Hwan having So Young's memory. But they never show us So Young's point of view for us to truly understand how much of what was happening was her vs Bong Hwan and if she was changing to be more like Bong Hwan because when she got her body back she continued acting Bong Hwan-esque.
The body-swap was not done well because they did not think through how the whole switch-co-habitat-switch-back would cohesively work.
The Other BIG BIG BIG Problem is the Characters lack substantial motivation for why they do what they do. The story plot is being moved forward on toothpick legs. The greatest motivator in this whole world of Mr Queen is unrequited love. The only other plot mover was the Dowager and Mother-in-Law and the Dowager's brother's thirst for power. Everyone else was doing this because the person they loved or who they loved was not loving them. We get it, love is important but this is a bit much.
First half of the show I could forgive a lot of these problems but by the last 3-4 episodes I was not even concentrating completely, I just wanted to the end.
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There are also characters in the drama that I find regretful since they were not highlighted as much. I like the incorporation of the 'foodie' time of the queen since in the present era he is a chef so I really like those parts. Since it's a historical drama, a touch of political parts is there which is normal and I also find them okay.
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This review may contain spoilers
I hated the ending...
It was a good drama but I hated the ending... The king didn't love Kim So-Yong, but the other soul.He loved her for the way she was, for her interior and personality.
That part where he goes to the library and sees the king's face grimace at her In that book.
How unfair..
I just don't give the story a 10 because of the ending.
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This review may contain spoilers
A really good soul-swapping storyline
I tuned in because of Kim Jung Hyun. I saw him in Crash Landing on You and thought his acting was superb. Plus, this drama received some high marks. There is a twist to the soul-swapping storyline in that Shin Hue Sun's character has both souls in one body fighting over who will dominate. She does an amazing job of acting masculine within a feminine body and during a submissive female cultural period of time. I think her acting dominated the storyline, and I was especially charmed by the "texting" she started with the King Cheoljong. Kim Jung Hyun's acting was again superb. He has range in his acting skills and will be a dominate leading man in many, many types of dramas, of which many I will tune into. Another character that held me through the drama was Cha Chung Hwa. I have seen her in several dramas, and she never fails to entertain. She is also an excellent and versatile character actress and commits herself to every part. The story ebbed and flowed, with some parts slower than others, but still carried the viewer forward to the finale. It was exciting, heartbreaking, romantic, intriguing, funny, and typical all in the right places. The only improvement I would recommend is in the music score. I think musical compositions can add so much to a storyline, but for some reason the producers did not feel that was necessary here, but I felt it was lacking. Other than that, I applaud the screenwriters, producers, directors, the main and supporting actors, and the rest of the cast for a really entertaining production....thank you!Was this review helpful to you?
