Rainha Cheorin (2020)

SHIN HYE SUN DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

Although I gave Mr. Queen a 10/10 overall rating I wouldn't say it's flawless. It does have some loopholes in it but I think it's what makes this drama more relatable and charming.

I love that even though it was a historical drama it didn't bore me at all. Every episode was worth the time and wait. It actually got me hooked on episode 1 and after that I just couldn't wait to watch the next one.

The main reason I watched this drama was because it starred Shin Hye Sun as the lead. (Just a short backstory, I LOVE HER. Her acting is 100/10 for me. She always nail her role. Hands down). And as expected, she did not disappoint! I love how we only saw CJW in a few episodes (i think less than 5 eps) but it felt like he was with us from start to finish. Everytime we see the FL on screen we would immediately know who's spirit is talking either KSY or JBH. Her acting made it easier for us to distinguish the two characters easily even though it was played by the same actress. I noticed that SHS studied how CJW acts and tried to copy his subtle mannerisms like his smirk the way he talks etc. and that for me was just brilliant. And her chemistry with the ML wow oh wow. It's like the cherry on top of an icing. I loved it.

Story wise, I love historical dramas but sometimes it just gets too dark and heavy for me but this one I loved how light it was. Even though there were antagonists in the story it was still light but the story still was complex enough to keep us entertained.

I think there are only 2 things that would make the story better overall. First is to have the ML and FL meet in the future and be together again but they exchange their genders. Second is to have more episodes hehehe.

I'll honestly miss this drama. I'll miss our king and queen and the palace peeps. Love love love it!!!!

Leia Mais

Great start, absolutely awful ending

I don't usually write reviews but I just finished this drama and feel like I have to this time...

What I liked:
-the acting was phenomenal
-innovative story, nicely executed
-nice comedic aspects in the typical silly k-drama way
-lovable characters and nice development
-CJ and BH had so much chemistry

What I didn't like:
The ending was just awful. Nothing made sense and some characters did not deserve their ending at all. I wish Byeong In had gotten a better ending. But most of all my heart aches for Bong Hwan. He fell in love with Cheoljong, made friends and was so close to starting his own family, just to loose it all with nothing to make up for it. He couldn't even say goodbye to anyone. Also I couldn't care less about So Yong as she had like 5 minutes of screen time in the first 19 episodes. Even CJ said he feels like something is missing. Literally the worst ending for both leads imho. It's a shame that such an awesome series had to end like this.
I'm so so frustrated with it and if the ending makes or breaks a series for you, do NOT watch this.

Leia Mais

Strong start, awful final episodes

I'm really pissed after watching it. Why? Because the the show was great but after episode 16 it becomes so bad that I was considering to drop it right there.

Everyone points to the bad ending, but I started to fast-forward from episode 19 until the end, so it's actually bad even before the ending.

Let's start wit the good pars.

The acting was great, I can't complain there at all.
The comedy was really good and truly made me laugh outload.
The music fitted the show really nice with the comedy aspects and hit the mark.

Then the turning point for me was episode 17 when the show started to go downhill. (or more like falling in a hole)

Imagine a live version of twitter reenacted in a history drama, but only the gossip part of twitter, that was episode 17 for me. The first time was OK but the second... it was just stupid. And the plot started to rely on that twitter gossip... oh my... how can I describe how stupid it was. We have a saying in my country that describes episode 17 perfectly: "Your sister is a wh*re... now go and explain that you don't even have a sister".

After that we got the "eureka" moment when a specific character figured something out for no specific reason, turned evil and after 2min turned "good"... and after the moment the fast forwarding started for me and I didn't care for the show any more.

There were soo many bad things in the episodes after that, that it's hard to explain it without spoiling something.

It almost seemed that they switched the screen writer at some point, I don't understand how can the same person produce the golden 16 episodes and then sit and sh*t out the rest of them in this state.

Score:
1-16 eps - 9/10
17-20 eps - 4/10

So lets give it a 7/10.

I can't say if I can recommend it or not... it's good but brace yourself some really bad plot points in the end.

Leia Mais

Amazing show all around. Would recommend to everyone

Hands down one of the best shows I've ever watched. I was hooked on every episode. Although the ending was a bit rushed, it was extremely heartwarming and gave nice closure especially with the spin off episodes. I really just want to see more of everyone.

I was hesitant at first because I was never one for comedy dramas before but it this show kept me wanting more every week. The writing and plot are amazing, interesting, and very well thought out. This drama did not feel slow or draggy at all. All the actors really shone in this one even the side ones. Amazing acting all around, couldn't think of better fits and they all showed incredible range. All the characters were all super well written and acted. I will definitely be on the look out for their future works. This drama had me crying from laughter, happiness, fluffiness, and sadness. I just cannot with how amazing everything about this drama was.

Especially during a time where you just want to escape from the troubles of the world, this drama was perfect. I cannot tell you how many times this drama lifted my mood just by looking forward to the next episodes. I physically cannot write in words how amazing this show is. Just everyone needs to watch it.

Leia Mais

AWESOME

●No wonder that this drama received so much hype and every SNS has lots of spoilers, yeah even MDL went into a slump with a major spoiler post that wasn’t marked spoiler. I saw that and kind of waited for the hype to die down before watching it.
So finally after watching this drama my every bit of feeling says it's AWESOME.
Since there are so many good reviews already I would keep it short

●LIKED
>in terms of story spiced with action, comedy and romance are fabulous.
>excellent cast from leads to supporting actors everyone gave a topnotch performance. Loved Shin Hye Sun, Kim Jung Hyun, and Choi Jin Hyuk
>superbly tuned music makes the mood of scenes more enjoyable.

●DISLIKED
>Kim Byung In, and his forcing himself and showing that what he is doing is for the queen's good but I think he was selfish wanting to be happy because he was affection deprived.

Leia Mais

Love at the first sight

I must admit, watching the first teasers for this drama, i knew that i would love it. The following 20 episodes just proved my intuition right.
I love historical dramas, so this one was really up my alley. But i think even people not into historical dramas would love it. It has the right amount of comedy, present time references that balances out the usual politics of the palace.
Someone would have to pay me to stop singing praises to Hye Sun and Jung Hyun, they are just such good actors plus they had amazing chemistry. So if you want to watch a drama with actors who really have skills, this is the one. Probably the first good thing the producers for this drama did, was cast them both, i can't imagine anyone else doing justice to their roles.
The OSTs made the drama so much fun, whenever you heard Bong Hwan-ah~~, you knew things would be going down lol
Anyways, I fell in love so much with this drama, that i watched every episode at least 3 times, just can't get enough of it. And i will rewatch it more, that's how good it is. Hopefully a lot more people will get interested into it, it's currently my most favourite drama of all time. 10/10
Also, ignore the last episode, ep 20 doesn't exist, it won't hurt you, just watch the bamboo forst spin off!

Leia Mais

Unsatisfying ending

I was really excited to watch this show because the plot seemed really fun and lighthearted. And the first few episodes were exactly that but it quickly changed to a more serious tone, which I didn't hate but made the transitions between the two atmospheres in the show a bit confusing.
The cast did a phenomenal job. The (serious) crying scenes weren't spot on for me but the rest was really well done. The actors fit their roles really well. I have to admit I liked the Queen a bit more in the first half of the show because I felt like the chef's personality was completely there, but then it wore down when she regained her memories. Nonetheless, Shin Hyesun was great at portraying this character: I truly believed she was a male stuck in a female body. The side characters were great as well and made me both laugh and tear up at multiple points.
The soundtrack was INCREDIBLE and couldn't have fit the show better.
Now, about the ending...
Everyone was fearing an ending like Scarlet Heart's but I would rather have that kind of tragic ending to this one, which isn't much less tragic. Less people died but the two main leads got one of the worst endings possible. You can try to prove me wrong but the king fell in love with the chef's personality, that happened to be in the Queen's body. In one of the episodes, he states the reasons for having fallen in love with the Queen and all of them had to do with her personality, the way it was after the chef took over her body. Just like Kim Byung In realised he couldn't love this Queen wholeheartedly because she wasn't Soyong anymore, you can't make me believe that the King could love the Queen wholeheartedly after the Jang Bong left the body. Not to be mean or unfair towards Soyong who had suffered so much in her life, but the chef was the person who attracted the King's attention and affection. He even says in the last episode that he feels like he lost something...and the Queen even treats him differently now! No one can convince me that he will feel the same deep love for Soyong, even if he seems to have accepted this... shell? of the Queen he loved. She wasn't there throughout the show, the chef was! Therefore, it was him whom the King loved! On top of that, Jang Bonghwan is back to the present days, which I'm not mad about. What upsets me is how dismissive his attitude was when he found out that the King had survived. I'm probably not explaining this very well but he seemed to be like "Oh okay, he survived and did well in life. That's good!". It was like the King was just a friend who the chef was rooting for or someone whom he had grown attached to. Not someone he had been deeply in love with (and had a child with!!!), and, once again, no one can change my mind that that was exactly the case. The relationship between the main leads was treated almost as a casual thing in the end after having riskd their lives for each other and had so many dramatic moments. I can't help but think their relationship and true feelings were dismissed in order to have a "happy ending". And that to me is much more tragic than Scarlet Heart, where the viewers were at least sure the main leads loved each other to death and that the whole story wasn't in vain. On the other hand, Mr Queen... I wish both main leads had either ended up together in the past or the present OR that they had suffered for being apart. I wish the suffering was shown, for me to feel satisfied and sure of the relationship they had developed throughout the show. Judge me. Or maybe had found an alternative solution? This ending was not only unsatisfying but, in a way, more tragic that Scarlet Heart's.
I know the writers went as far as they could go not to portray homosexuality but I wish they had crossed that line and just accepted the criticism from close-minded people. Had they done that, the show would have been unforgettable. Now it's just... another show? I gave it 9 stars because of the acting and the production but I'm so sad I might change it to 8.5 later. I appreciate the risk but the show ended up being quite meaningless.

P.S.: I'm sorry but I can't accept that Soyong's feelings were mixed with Jang Bong's personality and that's why he liked the King. They had a baby together, I can't accept it LOL. And even if the special episode shows that the King was already in love with Soyong before the chef took over but was holding himself back because of her family, that to me just sounds like an excuse, as it does not match the character development shown throughout the drama. If that is the case, then the King wouldn't have promised his brother he would kill the Queen if she was a traitor. He also wouldn't have tried to kill her. Nope, it's just an excuse from the producers that fits their narrative that "THIS ISNT A HOMOSEXUAL SHOW!!!" A pity.

Leia Mais

Disappointing ending

This was an amazing drama from episode 1 till episode 19. But the last episode was very disappointing. The story and the acting was just phenomenal, but the writers screwed up with the ending. It did not make sense how the original queen ended up happy together with the king. It should have been Mr. Queen and the king ended up together and ruled till they turned gray-haired. Only then, after dying from old age, should Mr. Queen have returned to his future self. Other than that, I enjoyed the ride. I would have given the story and re-watch value 10 too, if the ending was different.

Leia Mais

The Elephant in the Room

How do you bring up an LGBTQ+ subject matter without bringing it up but use it as an enticing premise of a unique story? You do a show called "Mr Queen", of course!

Firstly, the acting and comedy in this romcom kdrama is top notch. Top. Notch. I have never laughed so much and so hard in my life with any kdrama as I had with Mr Queen. The interplay of misinterpretations from the modern and Joseon period mannerisms was brilliantly done. Jang BH goes about trying to survive through this milieu of Joseon politics with the most innocent of intents. Watching how his actions were utterly misconstrued by the Kim and Jo families was hilarious. The writing there was witty and on point. The actress for Kim SY was electric to watch. At some point, she does exaggerate too much on some body language to try to prove that she's a male in a female body but it's not too off putting enough to detract from the show. The supporting leads were excellent too. Everyone added texture to this gateau of a story that it's a fulfilling feast. On many series, it's usually the leads and one or two supporting cast that carries the show. In "Mr Queen" everyone held it up. Loved Court Lady Choi, who had the best drunk acting I've seen thus far in any Asian show (movies or TV series), the Head Chef was a delight (loved his comedic timing in "You're Beautiful" as well), Hong Yeon was adorbs! I really wished they'd given her crush on Hong Byul Gam a resolution. Kim Hwan was a great char with a pure heart of gold. The casting in this series was well thought out and everyone balanced each other up. That's pretty much the good of it. Hence the 3.5 stars. The rest though...

Not quite sure how to review this as it left a bittersweet taste in the mouth after. Really enjoyed the refreshing acting and cultural nuances that BH had to navigate through however, the flaws were too many to take this show anymore seriously than just a failed period kdrama.

At the beginning of every episode, viewers get a disclaimer that everything depicted in the series is fiction. I didn't expect though that the laws of physics would be warped too to move the story forward. Stuff like having people recover from heavy bleeding very easily and quickly. Having a spy access the king's private study whenever the plot requires it. Having a person know how to be a sniper with a rifle in a short period of time, as well as having BH know how to be an adept archer overnight. There were plenty of other examples of nonsense as well but these were just the ones that stuck out quite glaringly. None of these compare to the biggest BS of all though...

Having taught CJ all these knowledge from modern day, everyone seems to be content with accepting those while glossing over the fact that BH is a guy. "So you're from the future," CJ murmurs to BH, and we kinda go, "yes, and he's a guy too" however, this is lost somewhere in translation. The episode where BH, as SY, sleeps with whom he tot was HY, that was the point where the show is telling us where it stood. Will it be courageous enough to run with the very thing that set it apart from other boyish-girl-kdrama-romcom series or will it stay on the conservative, safe route? When it was revealed that HY was actually CJ in a drunkenly warped mistake, viewers should expect that all logic will go down the toilet. Thereafter every joke that pertained to BH navigating his sexual identity in the Joseon period became lame, sad and pathetic. If the writers had no faith in following their vision, why should we? The whole guy-in-gal's-body thing became a sham of a clickbait and stood as this elephant in the room that would not be spoken of. The only redeeming moment was when Kim Byung In (SY's cousin) took it seriously and treated the Robin-Hood-clad SY as the imposter that he was, but that was only a plot device used to save BH's life. He was quickly dispatched after as though the director didn't want viewers to dwell too much on that LGBTQ+ish issue. It is a pity. Although I don't seek out LGBTQ+ shows and would not be interested in a romance featuring this, I would've tolerated it in Mr Queen simply because it was honouring the spirit of the show and the most logical way to proceed with the issues presented. It would've made Mr Queen quite a pioneering show too. But, alas, no. Viewers didn't get treated to any of that.

As previously mentioned, there were a lot more logic flow errors in the show (why is there a director Han when his ancestor became a eunuch?) that grated but the biggest one is the ending. BH should've also explained the concept of modern day divorce to the king. Because I can't see their marriage legitimately lasting the sham that it'll be now that BH's no longer around. It's obvious that King CJ fell in love with BH. It was inconvenient to the writers and directors that he was a man. At the end of the day, the ending really did not do the characters any justice for all the trials they went through and the growth they showed. The crew should've given the LGBTQ+ theme an honest shot just to tidy up the relationship aspect of the protagonist and deuteragonist. What would've been so bad? BH was starting to accept that he'd have to be a woman and was starting to be open to falling for CJ. How does CJ feel about it? If he's not cool with it then that's that's. They go their separate ways. If he's cool with it, then they'll work it out. The world wouldn't have ended.

If I were to rewatch the series it would probably be because of Shin Hye Sun's amazing acting and only just the first few eps. Beyond that, I can't elucidate enough the disappointment I felt over the ending; it is likely I wouldn't watch it again because of that.

Leia Mais

I loved MOST everything about this drama

Here's the deal: Episodes 1-19 were some of the best moments I have had the privilege to watch in a k-drama- hell even the first half of episode 20 was quality entertainment. It's the second part of episode 20 that ruins it for me. I did Really enjoy everything else in the show! It had a very creative range of comedy and I felt In tune with all of the characters and their stories. It was almost ridiculous the way I would count down to the very hour up until English subtitles were available. This drama gave me lots of moments to laugh so loud that I would wake my family, but also moments that made me cry until my face hurt. There really is a lot to love about this show and I recommend it to everyone. Now that being said, I think it was unfair for SY (So Yong) to reap the benefits from all of BH's (Bong Hwan) hard work. Throughout the drama, we get to watch BH grow and develop as a character, his connections with everyone in the Joseon era were real and completely and utterly HIS, so for SY to swoop in at the end and claim it as her own is frustrating. BH has to live the rest of his life knowing that another woman gets to love the man he risked everything for. SY loves the king too, but definitely not to the same level in which BH and CJ (Cheoljong) did. CJ fell for BH's loud and unruly behavior. There are several times that he expected her to act a certain way, and when she didn't he found himself becoming more and more wrapped around her finger. SY, despite her attempts, just won't be able to give him the same thing.

Overall, I have to say that this Drama is amazing. And I'd give it a 10/10 if it hadn't ended the way that it did.

Leia Mais