I enjoyed the humor but not the romance. I don’t know whether it’s because Oh Yeon-Seo has the unenviable role of playing straight man (woman) to everybody else’s over-the-top comical characters or because her acting just seems rather flat, regardless of her character. The scenes with Monkey, Cow, Dog, or Pig sparkle so much that I feel like everything deflates when it’s just Jin Sun-Mi, even when she’s battling monsters.

And is anybody else being driven a little mad by the OST “always behind of you?” I want to write a letter begging them to re-record the song to “always behind you” or “always in back of you.”

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I loved this drama! I may be in the minority in that I think that Mr. Queen ended well, better than I'd expected.

I always thought that Bong Hwan would eventually return to the modern world. He took great pride in being a talented chef at the Blue House and he would not have been able to pursue that calling had he remained as a queen in the Joseon period. He also mentions his parents, including his Zumba dancing mother, several times and I think that it would have upset him had he died in the modern world and broken their hearts. Further, the fact that he went after Han's ancestors seemed to indicate that he hoped to return eventually. I'm not convinced that that ever truly changed. Much of Bong Hwan's boldness and frankness (and cheekiness) was a result of him always seeming to have one foot out the door despite falling in love with Cheoljong. Yes, I think that Bong Hwan fell in love with Cheoljong and Cheoljong fell in love with Bong Hwan, not so much So-Yong. But I also assumed that Cheoljong would remain in Joseon as King because he was the type of person who would not give up his throne and his responsibilities to his people to follow Bong Hwan to the modern world, even if Cheoljong had had the choice. Thus if Bong Hwan must return to his world and Cheoljong must remain in his, then their separation is sad but inevitable. As for So-Yong, she clearly loves Cheoljjong. Cheoljong may or may not eventually love So-Yong as much as he loved Bong Hwan but is that really the only thing that matters in life? They work together to institute reforms in Joseon and are remembered as wise, compassionate rulers. Seems like a good resolution to me.

Some people seem to fault Cheoljong for not realizing that So-Yong is not Bong Hwan but it seemed to me that Cheoljong realized something was different. He couldn't figured out what really happened (for obvious reasons). If I could change anything about the ending, it would have been to add a scene where So-Yong comes clean with Cheoljong. I do feel sorry for Cheoljong, being left in the dark.

Finally, I think that Mr. Queen would not have been as good as it was without stellar acting by Shin Hye Sun, Kim Jung Hyung, and Kim Tae Woo.

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I started and dropped this drama three times before finishing it. The biggest problem I had with it was the Orchid fairy character. I rarely enjoy dramas where the female lead character is artless, naive, and not too bright. There was also something about Esther Yu's wide-eyed delivery that exacerbated all of those characteristics. But I kept hearing such glowing reviews about the drama that I pushed through to the end. I think I understand why people like it. Both the Esther Yu and Dylan Wang characters do evolve over time. There is some welcome humor to leaven the plot. Plus the costumes and sets are alternately beautiful and over-the-top campy, which made it fun. I also liked the Dan Yin and Jie Li characters.

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The Niao Niao character makes this a great and entertaining watch because she is one of the toughest and smartest drama heroines out there. Although the love story is beautiful, it is watching her stand up for herself and come into her own that makes this drama special. There is a lot of intrigue and fighting and revenge but there is also a lot of humor sprinkled throughout, which makes the 56 episodes race by. Ling Bu Yi makes for a worthy suitor who is just as principled (and stubborn) as she is, but just as emotionally damaged too. Watching the two of them clash and fall in love and clash some more is addictive. There are also some great side characters. One of my favorites was Empress Yue, who deserves an entire drama devoted to her. I also really really liked Niao Niao's interactions with the scholar.

I think this is one of the best, most epic romances around.

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This drama was mind-bending and imaginative and a lot of fun. I liked the fact that I never knew what was going to happen next. The writer was very very clever and managed to pull it off, for the most part. Lee Jong Suk was perfect for the role. After all, he looks like a manga character come to life. I always underestimate his acting ability due to his looks but he routinely exceeds my expectations. No exception here. And I always love Han Hyo Joo, who seems to pick good projects. There were a few particularly inventive things that stood out from the usual drama. The fading in and out from manga drawings was magical, especially due to the fact that they kept the manga aesthetic rather than trying to make the portraits exact copies of the subjects. And I could tell that the writer tried really hard to make everything tie together, while throwing in unexpected delights such as the water in the bathroom, probably my favorite scene. Well done, everyone.

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Great ensemble cast and female characters

Blossoms in Adversity is a historical drama with a strong Girl Power feel. The main story seems to revolve around the way the women in the extended family come together and find their voices. The female lead, Hua Zhi, is everything one would want in a female main character--smart, brave, morally upright, and hard working. Yanxi, the male lead, has similar qualities, but also killer martial arts skills, beautiful hands, and a cute, bouncing ponytail. Together they make an ideal couple, who actually talk things out with each other. (Maybe this is less of a historical drama and more of a fairy tale.)

I do have some quibbles. There are a number of unrealistic elements, such as the way that Hua Zhi gets away with mouthing off at people in power, the speed with which the Hua family claws its way out from ruin, and the repeated use of poor but virtuous and grateful commoners as plot points. Thank goodness for the emperor, who adds some much needed ambiguity and malevolence to the story.

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This drama has a Groundhog-type time travel plot where the protagonists have to unravel a mystery in order to save lives. I think that the drama leaves some things unexplained but I enjoyed it a lot. I just wish that they had left the romance out because it did little for me and almost got in the way of the main story. Similarly, the two young main protagonists, as good as they were, were pretty much overshadowed by the acting and experience of the older actors, particularly the mother and father, who were both amazing. I would recommend this drama to anyone who wants a fast-paced drama with unexpected twists and turns.

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I can’t remember a drama with as many beautiful people (young or old, good or evil, main character or random person on the street). Mades it harder to follow the plot, haha. (It’s easier for KDramas. If a guy is good looking, he’s often good; if he’s bad looking he’s bad. If he’s good looking but bad then he gets a sad backstory to explain his badness.)

I like the main character who is funny, smart, principled (but not sanctimonious), and kind but not a pushover---he can, and does, match all of the schemers around him scheme for scheme. There are a number of great female characters, including his faithful sister and a sidekick/rival (whom, unfortunately, I like much more than the primary love interest). The fact that some of the most unlikely characters are actually martial arts experts made this especially fun and interesting.

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The Korean version of this drama is not the wrenching Greek tragedy that the Japanese one was and that is both bad and good to me. Bad because it was not as emotionally disturbing as the Japanese version. And good because … it was not as emotionally disturbing as the Japanese version. The Japanese version left me feeling completely drained. This one is not quite as upsetting. I like the characters in this Korean version better. Kim Moo Young is not as damaged and Yoo Jin Kook is much more sympathetic. I think all of the actors did a great job, particularly Seo In Guk.

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Well done. The drama cleverly skewered a number of overused drama tropes. I enjoyed the story arc of each one of the roommates, partcularly that of Lee Eun Jung's, which was moving and poignant. I also loved the Hwan Han Joo character, who is much tougher than you'd think and who has some of the funniest moments. I applaud the drama for casting Ahn Jae Hong as a sought after male lead, even though he doesn't fit the tall, willowly, jawline-that-could-cut-glass stereotype of the usual Korean male lead. Shouldn't all of us choose someone smart and funny like him over Mr. Handsome Arrogant and Smug Chaebol? But this opinion apparently is in the minority in drama-watching land.

Sometimes the humor could be a little slapstick, especially when it involved Im Jin Joo but other parts were laugh out loud funny.

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I have mixed feelings about the drama. On the one hand, kudos to the drama for daring to have such a flawed male lead (wonderfully acted by Chen Feiyu). My interest was caught when the drama began with the male lead getting out of prison. I liked the fact that there was no attempt to sugarcoat him and make him the “done-wrong” victim of a conspiracy or of the system (as a typical Korean drama might do). He has lots of problems, but you still root for him. I also liked the female lead, who was smart, strong, and principled, and wore gorgeous coats. And I liked the friends, Ren Di and Fang Shu Miao.

What I didn’t like as much was the romance. Xi Lun was attracted to Zhu Yun because of her smarts and integrity but he was cruel to her multiple times and even when he kissed her, it looked like he was eating her face. I could see how someone like Zhu Yun would be attracted to a handsome brooding genius like him but I also thought that she was too tolerant of someone who was borderline emotionally abusive.

Plus there were parts in the drama that required some suspension of belief. For example, why were the protagonists prevented from entering a competition due to the way they exposed fraud and flaws in the prior competition, yet the fraudster himself could enter and win? I was also skeptical of the explanation for how they managed to walk out of the hacking and virus accusations unscathed. And the whole sneaking around behind the parents’ backs doesn’t work when you plaster your faces all over the news.

But then there would be something that I loved, e.g., when Zhu Yun posted the video and walked out Like a Boss. That was my favorite scene in the drama.

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I loved this. It starts out at a fairly leisurely pace (despite a tragic death) but then takes off with a bang so that the last fifty-three (53!!!) episodes seem to pass by much faster than the first twenty. What sold it to me is the Ming Lan character, who is much smarter and savvier than she appears at first -- plus it’s funny that she seems to be eating constantly. I have to say that it was difficult for me to connect the characters as adults to their child counterparts, with the exception of Xiaotao. I really liked Gu Tingye as a child, who seemed confident but not cocksure, principled, and mature beyond his years. I understand that his abusive family helped turn him into what seemed to be a vain, out-of-control, and immature adult and that he wasn’t really that way but I sometimes sympathized with others, including members of his family, when they found him irritating as hell. But then he would save Ming Lan in the nick of time or prove how smart and wily he was and I would forgive everything.

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