Well-scripted Historical Drama
I am not a fan of fantasy dramas or body-swapping dramas, but this has to be one of the best I've watched. All characters fit their persona, and even from the interactions with other characters, you can distinguish each. You will lose track of time as you watch the drama. In one day, I was able to finish nine episodes. The comedy is great. There is visible character development. The main male lead played a role in Crash Landing on You, a great actor. From the first episode, you are also immediately being educated about Korean history and culture. As the show progresses, you can see much more (I even memorized the Korean Kings' song thanks to the first episode). I love the outro, it really fits the drama, the ost is so unique and very enjoyable. Overall, a great show. I would rewatch the drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Oh My Tummy Hurts!!!
My Two Bits:Here's how it went for me:
Hahaha
Oh Shit... Hahahahahaha
Oh Oh No Way HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Damn... Hot and Weird
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHE
Damn... that made real tears ?
Die Already!!!!
Oh HOHOHOHOHO... Is this for real... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ouch
It's Over... So soon??
Phew.... that was one incredible ride!!
The rest is just your personal preference after you've invested in at least 4 - 5 episodes of your life
1 from my many many Favorite Bits.... that cart ride HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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Total Review
Drama is a must watch Korean drama. At first I thought it would be more like Scarlet heart ryeo but then the story plot was well written as well directed. I loved every bit of it, especially shin hye sun's performance. They way she portrayed queen cheorin is commendable. Not to forget our dear actor playing the king. The plots is very entertaining as well comedic in parts. The romantics scenes are swoon worthy. By each passing episode it grabs your attention as to what is gonna happen next. It always hangs you in a cliffhanger. It is a must watch in this period of pandemic. It has that good feel to it.Was this review helpful to you?
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A beast of a drama
This drama is a jack of all trade and a master of all it's all thanks to the writers/screen writers/director scenes are never boring or out of place there is a lot of wow/dramatic moments that would make you appreciate screen writing and when its funny its at home where it wants to be it mixes romance, comedy and sadness so well a moment you would be on your toes thinking what's gonna happen next the next moment your stomach muscles gonna be in so much pain from laugher it does everything it tries to do so well and it sprinkles the perfect choice of actors on top it's a fine meal.A ML inside a FL gender switch idea was so weird for me specially when he was talking in a voice of a male inside of the female body the first few episodes were so confusing as he liked the romance part but he wouldn't admit it and would fight it off 24/7 at that point a figured maybe there won't be so much romance and would be just a comedy drama until he/she fill into the second vegetative state and finally started self talk in her female voice (a part of her came back ) and from there the romance got a lot better.
The characters are all so loveable
King Cheoljong a cute pure person with so much to prove yet controlled for most of his reign getting stomped to the ground every time he tries to prove himself.
Kim So Yong , Jang Bong Hwan both are so alike yet so different in situation solving both seem to be confident and upfront they are so smart and so loyal yet so shy when it comes to loved once.
Grand Queen Dowager Sunwon and Kim Jwa Geun are the perfect partners in crime a tactical mastermind whose power was his knowledge and an emotional grand queen whose power was her position a perfect chemistry to make great villains.
great writing, great characters, great actors makes a great show
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Funny, Bold, Enticing -- the perfect KDrama
Can you imagine a drama where an overused and tired trope is presented in such a fresh and enticing way that you cannot help but REVEL in its GENIOUS?Are you looking to be surprised by a historical drama that's not entirely historical, has steamy romance, the perfect balance between politics, seriousness and COMEDY?
Do you want to watch a drama that is PURE COMEDY GOLD, that flows naturally and effortlessly?
WELL, LOOK NO MORE!!!
I have to say, I was sceptical going in. The trope of a person from the present travelling to the past/ soul-swapping/ period dramas are such overused settings that I believed nothing good would come of it. But boy, did they prove me wrong!
Any and all success of the drama goes to its writers and the actors. The female lead is AMAZING!!! There isn't a moment in the drama that you'd question if she's actually a man stuck in a woman's body. And the male voice-over -- he has the perfect honeyed voice of a casanova. I have to say that I miss it a bit.
The male and female leads have great chemistry and all the cast display a stellar performance.
This drama is like the perfect chilli hot chocolate -- it's rich, creamy, smooth and sweet (but not too sweet), and the spiciness just cuts through it to take you to heaven -- it gives you warmth and comfort on a cold winter night.
This drama is a godsend to remove the aftertaste of 2020.
Also, can we talk about the OST? It's sooooo good! A special shout-out to the 'Bong Hwan a' song because that just hits the spot.
P.S. Do not watch this drama in front of company because you'll be ugly laughing and snort-laughing. You'll have no time or inclination to laugh sweetly/politely.
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Best Historical K-Drama EVER
There are about a hundred positive words to describe this masterpiece of a drama, but the most suitable one I think would be “amazing”. This drama really didn’t let me down, and it’s 200% worth all the high reviews it has. “Mr Queen” had me laughing the entire time. I never got tired of it, and I promise you won’t as well!There are many factors to this, but the first thing I noticed was the stunning visuals of the actors/actresses. Whoa. The FL and ML portrayed their characters flawlessly, and so did the supporting roles! I really enjoyed Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon’s characters! They were like the best besties anyone could ever ask for, haha. Additionally, the effortless chemistry between the leads deserves a pat on the back, because it was all too romantic and sweet. I especially liked Kim Soyong’s actress, because the way she fitted into the different personalities and roles was all too perfect. What really got me was her facial expressions!
Moving on, I’d just have to mention the OST (music). From the moment Bong Hwan woke up in the queen’s body and starting running around, being chased by the palace maids and eunuchs, to the very last second of the drama, I could not sit down still while any of the theme songs were played. “Bong Hwan A”, “…Keep Going”, and all the other songs had me dancing along, meanwhile “Here I Am” had me shedding some tears and presenting some of my terrible vocals. Such wonderful songs for a wonderful drama!
Furthermore, I genuinely enjoyed the storyline as a whole. It was humorous most of the time, it was serious at others, and it was helplessly romantic too. A combination of all of these and you get a chef’s kiss drama. Mr Queen not only related to modern society, but also had lots of historical politics in there as well. Although most of it wasn’t historically correct, I really liked the conflict between the Kim and Jo family, both in-court and in the inner palace. The only thing I would say about the plot is that I wish the ending could’ve been a little different. I think this, because Cheoljong first fell in love with Bong Hwan’s reckless and unrestrained attitude and behaviour, but when he returned to the modern world, the king didn’t really notice or do anything about it. I don’t know about you, but I lived for that version of Kim Soyong, and I felt a little disappointed with the finale when that side of her disappeared. In addition, I would’ve also liked to see their baby in the end, but unfortunately we did not get to add that cuteness to this drama. However, it wasn’t a big deal and I still really enjoyed it overall.
If you’re searching for a fantastic historical drama, I highly recommend “Mr Queen”. I guarantee that it will be the best one yet. So please do yourself a big favour and add this title to your watchlist! :)
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Appreciate the Brilliance of Shin Hye Sun in This Incredibly Entertaining Series!
I have seen Shin Hye Sun in three series before this one: Oh, My Ghost, Stranger, and most recently in Hymn of Death. All of the above are dramatic roles, and all I can say is, “Oh, my God!” Her comedic chops are off the charts! She is nothing short of brilliant, stealing virtually every single scene that she is in! I compare her to Lucille Ball. While the rest of the cast is absolutely fantastic, this series doesn’t work without Shin Hye Sun’s incomparable performance!Most body-switching movies and shows are same-gender switches. I’ve seen just a handful of cross-gender switches, and while they tend to go for comedic effects, the actors tend to overcompensate. The man exaggerates female characteristics such as speech and walking while the woman does the same. Shin Hye Sun, instead, goes for more subtlety and realism as a man who’s suddenly been thrust into the body of the Queen. Jang Bong Hwan is a chef from the future, so he not only has to figure out how to live in the body of a woman but also a woman who also happens to be of royalty!
What we end up getting is some of the funniest and zaniest roles I’ve ever seen. Shin Hye Sun brilliantly doesn’t even alter her speech very much. Just to the point in her smirk, the way she sits and communicates, which is Jang Bong Hwan’s style. In short, she gives us a very masculine queen as well as one from the future, who isn’t afraid to inject current idioms, terms, and ideas into her speech, often causing hilarious confusion among the Joseon people from 200 years ago who have no idea what she’s talking about. King Cheol Jong even begins keeping a Dictionary of the Queen’s Language in an attempt to understand her. He also has no idea why his once docile queen is now far more aggressive and direct in her speech and manners!
We are taken back to Joseon about 200 years in the past when a puppet king is being controlled by nearly everyone around him, but most notably by the Grand Queen Dowager, the Queen Dowager, and Kim Jwa Geun (the Grand Queen Dowager’s brother). It did take me a few episodes to get the names down because there are so many. Basically, you have two rival families in the Kim’s and the Jo’s who are vying for control of the country. The Queen is of the Kim family while the King is of the Jo family. Little do they realize that the King is far stronger than anyone realized or anticipated as he struggles to find a way to bring balance and contentment to his subjects, who mostly live in slavery and poverty. But the wild card in this drama is the Queen. No longer meek and docile, Jang Bong Hwan quickly decides that the Queen is nobody’s puppet and nobody’s fool. Instead, he figures out a way to understand his new role but also how to help the King gain power to stand up to those who would use him for their own purposes.
I’ve said this in numerous reviews already, but Koreans are masters of storytelling and always find a way to convey an uplifting message or something to think about to improve things. This series is no different. Overall, the series is comedic, but it does have some dramatic moments, some heart-wrenching ones, and also some inspiring ones too. In the end, we find that both King Cheol Jong and Queen Kim So Yong (after she’s reverted back to herself without Jang Bong Hwan) have both changed (even if Jang Bong Hwan left behind a few seeds of influence!). Jang Bong Hwan, himself, realizes that he is no longer the same, self-serving man that he was before either. He wisely states, “Perhaps it isn’t about trying not to be rotten, but instead cutting out what is rotten.” And that such an idea might—in fact—help to change the world, but it first begins with changing yourself. Gandhi himself stated as much when he said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
This is simply one of the most delightful series I’ve seen, and it is literally rock solid from beginning to end. I kept waiting to see if the story would begin to falter or drop off slightly toward the end. It didn’t. It kept me completely invested from beginning to end.
Unfortunately, the government in Joseon from 200 years ago proves that not much has changed in the world since that time. The rich still oppress the poor. The powerful still exploit the weak are always in search of ways to retain even more power. Mr. Queen gives us some food for thought; that just because that is how things are, it doesn’t mean that nothing can be done or that they must somehow stay that way. King Cheol Jong and Queen Kim So Yong give us two examples of what can be done if will, determination, and courage are vested. Or perhaps one of my favorite quotes from Lord of the Rings: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
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What if a modern man landed straight in the middle of your standard Joseon era plot, but into the body of the queen instead of the king?
The actress here (Shin Hye Sun) is really amazing, and plays all the bodily quirks, humor and slapstick in a truly wonderful way. The first 10 episodes sail along on her sheer acting ability plus some love triangle intrigue. The male actors that form the love triangle are a bit one note, but they show good connection with the actress.
It quickly became clear that no one knew how to end the plot, and the writers just stuck to the same themes and gimmicks of the first 10 episodes. The rest of the actors and plot devices are somewhat mediocre, and so everytime the main actress is off screen it was hard to pay attention.
By episode 17, I was skipping rapidly (I did finish it). Music was fine, I would not rewatch. I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 6
Love can come in unexpected ways. Embracing what life throws at you with sincerity can be rewarding. The gender and body dynamics are not explored much at all.
Character Growth: 7.5
The male chef in Kim So Yong's body goes from being dismissive and treating it all as a game, to sincerely wanting to help the people he encounters, and feeling more open to emotions. It was an expected transformation, but still decently done.
Complex Women/Relationships Between Women: 7
There's lots of women characters but besides the main character, they are all somewhat caricatures with very thin backstories. Kim So Yong's rival was the only other female character that had a bit of depth.
Cinematography/Production Budget: 7
Competent, in the way most modern dramas are. But, the sets, costumes etc. all feel like you've seen them twenty times before. The fight scenes are fairly uninspired.
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Good premise
I really liked the idea—a time slip gender swap. First couple episodes were hilarious. Unfortunately turned into a subpar sageuk. I actually really like sageuk, with all the political drama included, but the writers really missed a lot of opportunities for anachronistic humor and examinations into Bong Hwan finding his feminine side. That said, it might be a good starter for sageuk newbies as it’s on the lighter side and doesn’t assume you’re well-read in Korean history. I actually prefer Scarlet Heart Ryeo for a similar feel but a deeper understanding.Was this review helpful to you?
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I can't give this show a small grade bc it brought me a LOT of joy, laughs and heart-warming moments. I tried not to ship the main couple because I knew this could happen in the end, but the writers made such an effort to make us ship them, and root for their journey that there was no other way. In the end, this show was about the love story of two men and the writers were too coward to give it the ending it deserved, it comes across as unfair both to the characters as to the viewers. Nevertheless, I'd definitely recommend watching this show since all 19 episodes before the finale are a must watch. The characters are all highly interesting and nicely built and Shin Hye Sun makes the watch worth it! Unfortunately, the ending may give a bitter taste on your mouth. Was this review helpful to you?
Extremely entertaining and fresh but an ending that might leave you dissatisfied
Firstly, if you do decide to see this drama, please bare in mind that you should not watch it seriously and be bothered by the logical repercussions of certain actions depicted. I actually wanted to give it a 10 purely on the basis of the ENTERTIANMENT VALUE this drama has but I did not due to my disheartened viewpoint regarding its ending.Reasons you should watch:
-The Queen (Bong-Hwan) and the King understanding one another and slowly falling in love.
-The perfectly timed comedy that save all the serious moments too from getting overly-dramatic.
-The support cast add a lot to the story and are full of characters with distinct personalities.
-Never not entertaining- there is no dull movement and I would wait each week for this drama to take me by surprise.
-Brilliant modern day references incorporated in the Joseon Era.
-Last but not the least, THE ACTING. Shin Hye Sun does emerge as the star playing two characters with different genders simultaneously but Kim Jung-Hyun does an equally good job! Scenes were they are together- none overpower the other and they seamlessly deliver powerful performances. The entire support cast does an excellent job too.
My one and only complaint:
-The ending. I do not want to include spoilers in the review and so I won’t expand on this but it sort of undermines the purpose of the journey BH and CJ shared as CJ fell in love with BH as the Queen.
The ending might not sit well with you just as it did not with me but I do see people interpreting this as a happy one as well. However, I would still go on to say the show was refreshing, entertaining, comic, surprisingly romantic and worth a watch!
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Finally a fresh, less-homophobic take on the body-swap genre
What made me love Mr Queen was how the romance between Cheoljong and the Queen (who isn't really the Queen) crept up on me while watching the show. When I first started it, I didn't think I'd last long because I usually prefer romances. But then... BAM! They took me by surprise and it was delightful!Never had I watched a K-drama that had dared this much in relation to gender and sexuality, so I immediately fell in love with the drama.
However, it didn't come without its' flaws.
I didn't expect a happy ending. Eventually, Hwan Bong would have to leave everything and everyone behind, of course. And that's just what happened.
The expected "no-homo"ness of it all resulted in an ending where they try to trick you into thinking it was a happy one. I'd prefer to think that the interactions between Cheoljong and the Queen with Hwan Bong in her body were all genuine, it makes the story much more interesting and powerful. You can't just sit there and tell me that it wasn't all real and that Cheoljong fell in love with the Queen, actually. Not only that, but that Hwan Bong's feelings for Cheoljong only came from the Queen's soul that lived inside her body.
Still, it felt like the creators pushed for it, but I bet they couldn't make the ending a more satisfactory one due to censoring reasons.
The ending had to be at least bittersweet for it to work (considering that Hwan Bong *had* to go back), but I wish the bond between Hwan Bong and Cheoljong had been spelled out better for the viewer and recognised for what it was.
Besides that, I have to congratulate Shin Hye-sun for her portrayal of the Queen, this is by far the best performance I've ever seen in a drama. She ate and left no crumbs. I also enjoyed Jung Hyun Kim as the male lead, I really like despite of all the controversies lol.
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