Queen Cheorin (2020)

Perfect Ending

Human consciousness is a mystery. I think this drama played with its concept masterfully. A human being is a soul and a body. It is not a human being if it is just a soul or just a body. Kim So Yong was a human being. Jang Bong Hwan's consciousness was sucked into Kim So Yong—a human being; a body and a soul.

The Queen's most important decisions was driven by Kim So Yong's genuine emotions and authentic memories. The King did not grow fond of Jang Bong Hwan and his beloved dragon, he loved Kim So Yong the Queen.

With this perspective, I think the ending was a masterpiece.

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Brilliant writing and acting!

1,000,000 stars! Hands down one of thee best drama I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen them all! Lol The writing is absolutely brilliant! It’s so smart, witty and absolutely hilarious! Never forced!
I never once questioned the storyline or plot because everything flowed beautifully. No throw away episodes or fillers. Every episode was gold!
Shin Hye-Sun should win every acting award for her role as Kim So-Yong. She was absolutely phenomenal!
I wasn’t into the casting of the king at first but he proved me wrong a couple episodes in. Kim Jung-Hyun was the perfect person for the role of king. The Queen and King’s chemistry is absolute fire! Come to think of it... Her chemistry with everyone she acted with on screen is absolute fire!
And the queen and king’s supporting cast were brilliant! Their comedic timing was impeccable! I can go on and on about this drama. I laughed, I cried, I squealed with joy! I was so invested in these characters that I didn’t want it to end! I haven’t enjoyed a drama like this ever. So much so that I paid for a Viki pass to watch it and it was worth every dollar!
I’m hoping there is a sequel because this cast is phenomenal together!
I definitely will be looking for other dramas by writers Park Gye-ok and Choi Ah-il! As well as director, Yoon Sung-sik. Those 3 and this cast and crew really are a dream team.
I don’t ever watch dramas twice but I would totally watch this again and again. Brilliant!
Highly recommend it!

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EDIT: 02/03/23

So.... I gave this a 2nd chance. I still stand by my opinion that there is a lot of politics in it. For a historical drama, that is to be expected, but I seem to be feeling more historical/fantasy dramas recently, and this one was one that I wanted to give a proper chance. Needless to say, I definitely enjoyed it more this time around. I don't think it's absolutely brilliant, and there were many points where I zoned out, but I didn't feel like I needed to watch it at 1.25x speed, which I will take as a win.

Overall, it's a good drama if you just want a bit of a laugh but also have some court intrigue. Plus, the cooking scenes are brilliant! I don't think my original review was particularly objective, nor was it representative of the entire drama, so it only felt proper to update this.

Original review submitted 19/07/21:

I don't normally write reviews but there weren't many critical reviews of this drama I could see on MDL, so I thought I would add my two cents to the mix.

I initially started Mr. Queen because of the rating, the reviews and because my parents had watched it, so I had seen snippets of it (mostly the comedic scenes), which I enjoyed.

So things I like... I like the comedy, especially the cooking scenes, which I felt were executed really well. Props to SHS for really bringing out the funny parts in those scenes. I think some of the humour is a bit crass and unnecessary (and which fell a bit flat at times), but overall, the comedy was good enough that if you want to watch it as a comedy, you can do it.
I also like the premise, of a head chef transmigrating into the body of a queen-to-be. Transmigration is always something that I enjoy reading/watching.

The main thing I didn't like about this drama was the politics. It's the thing that made me drop it... I'm not one for court politics and conspiracies and this drama had wayyy too many of them. Perhaps they all tie in nicely towards the end, but I was already watching the drama at 1.25x speed, and I didn't have the patience or energy to sit through another 15 episodes of something that I might not even enjoy.

The politics also takes up a LOT of time. It's why I was watching it sped up in the first place. Some will enjoy the contrast between politics and comedy but I felt that it was this contrast that made it so much harder to watch all the political scenes.

Many reviews here talk about how the ending was disappointing or unfulfilling. I didn't get that far... To me, the beginning all fell a bit flat and I never felt like I was hooked onto the drama.

So would I rewatch it? Probably. Perhaps now is just not the time for this drama. I'm not feeling it and I won't give it a fair opinion if I continue watching when I already don't want to watch it.

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Joseon on crAcK

The title says it all. I'll write a review without spoilers, so here goes.

Like the description reads, it's about a chef who travels back in time and lands in the body of a Joseon Queen. At first, I feared the concept but the reviews said this drama was gold, so I gave it a go. I'm not the type to enjoy historical dramas, but damn in this one the MC (Queen/chef) makes you even forget the drama takes place two centuries ago. So fresh!

Shin Hye Sun played the role perfectly, I sometimes wondered if she was really possessed by a male character. The MC was so clever, he/she didn't annoy me once, adapted quickly and

The fun thing in this drama is that there isn't one MC, all the support roles/ side characters have depth too, they're funny, real, expressions are priceless, all irreplaceable. Sometimes the humor is PG-13 but what do you expect when a man get a woman's body and discovers he's married to a SNACK of a king?

Although the genre is mainly comedy, this doesn't lack romance at all.

The only disappointing thing was the ending. Like, it wasn't suuuuper disappointing to the point of flipping tables, but they could've made it more meaningful, more thought out.

I'll stop here bc I don't want to drop spoilers, but If you need that comment that tells you whether you should watch it or not, GO WATCH IT.

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So much fun

My favorite part of Mr Queen is that I repeatedly return to it in small scenes just to laugh my butt off. Its plot, premise, and incredible acting never get old. It's just that type of series.

As the series is set during King Cheoljong's reign, it takes place during the Joseon era. In this storyline, Jang Bong-hwan, a modern chef, finds his spirit or soul in Queen Kim So-yong. While maintaining his identity, (at least trying too) Jang navigates complicated and intricate court politics disguised as a Queen. In addition, the concept of the storyline makes it fascinating and hilarious at the same time.

It's a refreshing take on the historical drama genre. An element of surprise and unpredictability is added to the story by the premise of a man suddenly inhabiting the body of the queen. King Cheoljong and Jang's dynamic is fascinating as they build a friendship/tough romance (no toucheee!) and navigate their roles.

It is a well-crafted story with relatable characters. The story is spiced up by the side characters, mainly the head court lady Choi and maid Hong Yeon. The royal chef is also quite a character himself. It is also noteworthy to highlight King Cheoljong's growth and transformation, as he embraces a more modern approach and challenges traditional norms. Intertwined with the old ways, the new mindset brought on by the spirited queen brings a refreshing new concept. All of this works because of the good script, pacing and execution of the actors. But let's give credit where credit is due and praise Shin Hye Sun's performance as Queen Yong/with Jang Bong's soul. Just exceptional.

Among the themes explored by Mr Queen are gender, identity, power dynamics, societal expectations, and loyalty. Not only is the series hilarious, but there are also many serious moments, making it an engaging and entertaining watch. I find Mr Queen very entertaining and underrated. Yes, the show aired years ago, and there is no more promotion, just word-of-mouth, which is probably why some have passed on it. Even I did at first. Having finally tried it, I am glad I did. It is now among my top five favorite K series of all-time because of the solid story execution and performances, the pacing and the music. I see why this series has lasted for years on Netflix.

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Wow what a great drama i love it♥

Wow what a great drama. It is true that this is a historical fantasy drama, but at the same time it has historical truths that are correct for that time and it was fascinating to watch it.. Great acting and casting of the entire cast... a drama that has everything, laughter, crying, love, corruption, political upheaval, friendship and sacrifice.. There is no doubt that actress Shin Hye Sun is extremely talented and has versatile acting ability. The plot manages to maintain tension throughout the episodes, so that you immediately want to see the next episode, all the characters from the main to the last functions (including the servants) develop their personalities gradually.. highly recommended drama 10/1

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A masterpiece (almost) until the end

Okay everyones already complained about the ending. It sucks, theres no way around it and it made me bitter for weeks.

BUT despite that it still remains one of my favorite historical dramas. Absolute shoutout to the actress of the FL. She did an amazing job bringing her role to life. She was funny and charasmatic and I really loved every second of her.

I am very picky with my romance but I think it was developed very nicely here. Both leads had some pretty good chemistry. The humor was there during the whole show and it was a good balance to the more serious stuff. It never failed to make me laugh.

Anyhow I am not much of a reviewer so I dont know what else to say. I just want to say that despite the whack ending this show is deffintly worth your time.

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Amazing! Funny! Pure entertainment

When i first read the plot, i was not at all sure about how its gonna work - "Male in a female body". But reading the reviews, i decided to give it a try. The first episode, got me hooked. It was so funny and i ended up laughing a lot. The best thing about this drama is the female lead's acting. She just nailed it! She made me laugh. This drama is just pure entertainment. The first two episodes are the funniest. From episode 3, things get really serious but still there are many funny scenes till the last episode. I really have to talk about the great cast. Male lead also did a really good job. My favorite characters are Female lead kim so young(mr queen) and court lady choi(she was rocking). The only thing i didn't like very much was the ending. Although we have a happy ending, i expected a better ending. But i don't regret watching this drama at all. I highly recommend this drama.

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haven't enjoyed so much in a while

While I've always found both lead actors very talented, I never thought I would enjoy this show SO much! Shin Hye Sun is extremely good, and she portrays the character so well. Her body language, her tone, etc. On the other hand Kim Jung Hyun is as good as the King. Not just the acting, but the thrill and the humor in the plot go so perfectly well together. With a modern-day Korean man's soul in the body of a Joseon Queen, the story is just hilariously magnificent. The fact that the drama addresses concepts like gender identity and gender inequality but in a historical setting, just adds more to it's worth! They even made Instagram accounts for both the King and the Queen!! TOO CUTE!! A must watch~!! <3

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