Rainha Cheorin (2020)

Do you love the shell or the mind? My answer by the end...Love. Is. Love.

Shin Hye Sun is what drew me into watching this drama in the first place - I've loved her in everything I've seen her in. The beginning of Mr. Queen was pretty rough for me. The first couple of episodes were sincerely awkward and over-the-top silly to watch. I've watched a number of historicals, most of which I enjoyed, and so watching this felt like satire. But slowly (VERY slowly), I came to appreciate the beauty in this story; it took until about half way through the drama for me to no longer feel bored and start genuinely enjoying the story and character dynamics.

Shin Hye Sun really is what carries this drama. Her acting is impeccable - I could feel all her emotion in just her facial expressions. And the way she impersonates a man was spot-on!
Kim Jung Hyun unfortunately just didn't do it for me. I've never really had an opinion about him either way in all the dramas I've seen him in (so far, I've liked him best as Alberto in Crash Landing On You), but in this one, I just don't think he was the right fit. He doesn't have the presence for the type of character he was trying to embody, which was a pity. But by the end of the drama, I had simply come to terms with his lacking qualities in portraying his character and just enjoyed the drama for what it was.

Plot-wise, I found the second half of the drama much more interesting and entertaining to watch than the first half (which, honestly, was terribly boring for me). And I'll be completely honest: It took a little while, but I really came to terms with the odd romantic dynamic between the King and Jang Bong Hwan...and liked it and rooted for them!

Mr. Queen sincerely challenged the way I perceive romantic love; it was something I had to acknowledge about myself and then push past the initial discomfort so I could see the beauty of this love. The portrayal and development of their romance was really so well done on the writer's part, where it had nothing to do with gender, that I couldn't deny their love. Do you simply love the shell? Do you actually love the mind regardless of the shell? Is it both? And what I came to realize is that there's no real right answer. Love. Is. Love. *Sigh*
So yes, I am one of the people who just wasn't satisfied with the ending.

If the story was not going to turn out having a romantic ending for Jang Bong Hwan, why have him feel those romantic feelings toward the King? I don't agree that So Yong's spirit inside the Queen's body made Jang Bong Hwan feel romantic feelings for the King. I just don't think it was that simple. Jang Bong Hwan came to care for the King as a person while seeing him struggle and looking past the mask he wore in front of the court. You see this breakthrough in the first half of the drama while the King struggles with maintaining his façade in the palace.
To be clear: I'm okay with Jang Bong Hwan going back to present day. I mean, come on, if So Yong's spirit is still in there, she deserves to live too. I'm totally for that. BUT, why doesn't Jang Bong Hwan get a romantic ending too? It felt like Jang Bong Hwan did all the hard work in getting the King to fall in love with the Queen, his feelings getting tangled up along the way, but he doesn't get to reap the rewards. And honestly, the King loved the Queen BECAUSE of Jang Bong Hwan. I'm not sure if he would have been drawn to her had Jang Bong Hwan not been impacting her behavior. It's even implied that the King noticed that things were different....the dramatic irony is that Kim Byung In didn't notice the change in the Queen...with the King noticing it, you'd expect him to then long for what was missing, right?
Also, you've seen it so many times in dramas - why didn't they do some form of reincarnation of the King in present day as a woman so Jang Bong Hwan gets his romantic happily ever after??? They've done it so many times before. Such a wasted opportunity.

Due to these points, I am having trouble feeling satisfaction with the ending of this drama. I understand that due to social taboos in South Korea, the writers felt pressure to be more conservative in representing sexuality, but it just feels supremely unfair to Jang Bong Hwan. I truly believe based on their dynamics, inner monologues, and interactions, he romantically loved the King, not just So Yong's affections coming through and imprinting on him. His feelings developed and grew over time in a reasonable fashion. Even though Mr. Queen is not nearly as tragic, this ending reminds me of the lacking ending from Scarlet Heart. *sigh*

The OST was really great! "Here I Am" by Jo Hyun Ah was my absolute favorite in the entire drama. I absolutely adored her voice and the melody. *applause*

I don't think I would be able to rewatch this and I personally didn't enjoy it enough to warrant recommending it to others. Shin Hye Sun was amazing, but...the story, the comedy, and the unsatisfactory ending are enough for me to just feel meh about it.

Leia Mais

A new type of time travel. It is in my top 10. A must see

Absolutely loved it. What a great storyline kudos to the writers with a fresh new concept on time travel not a typical stereotypesThe cast is killing it the roles and compatibility they played. It's funny, sassy, murderous, ignorance, power trips, love, jeousley, misunderstanding and more.
Jang bong hwan chief chef and Queen of joseun Kim so yong both fall into the water and switched souls as he remembered she
kisses him. He wakes up to find out that he's in the Queen of joseun body and only has his memories . He/she has to figure out what happened to them as someone is trying to kill both of them As she learns about who the queen was he uses his cooking skills and modern time recipes as to win over the empress and Queen dowager.
Then she finds out that everyone is trying to kill her as they all think that she knows the bad things the king, consort, queen dowager and empress did and thinking about. As time goes bye she realized that she wasn't a pleasant person in the palace. As she trying to figure how to get back home nothing is working. So she gets the pond filled up and jump backs in then. All of a sudden the king saves her, they get out and start fighting about there feeling for each other and she tell him they will have a "no touch" relationship.

Then one day while in the kitchen she grabs her heart and he see himself having cpr done and colaspes into a vegetable state. The queen wakes up and gaines more of her memories good and bad, but now he doesn't hear his own voice and she starts being attracted/romantically to the King. Now she has to remember they are in a no touch and needs to stay away from the king , but now consort jo is jealous and trying to kill her. unwind as she figures out that everyone want the king gone so each family Kim & joanyon each uses the queen and consort jo to hate each other. As Kim jwa geun the grand queen brother plots against the king and brought into court the king private army which had fake ID at his request so they wouldn't be compromised. Kim jwa geun calls the king out and embarrassed him and tells him be should just be a puppet. A few day's later the Kim family makes him read a ltr as he turn around an explosion happens and he's hurt. Thats when the queen realized that he has no power/backup so she brings in 3 consort for herself from the Han family who is able to support the king. Due to his injuries he and the queen got closer & consummated there marriage. So they make a plan in which most think he lost his hearing and they talk about him so he uses this to his advantage. A few day's latter in court everyones giggling n talking as he snapps and give the court a blow, when he's able to prove Kim Ja geun scandal and removed him front court the queen dowager is furious everyone is confused that he could do everything without them knowing.
So now the Kim family is targeting and trying to kill the queen, with a ice drink that has poison, she is stopped by a maid and Kim jwa goes nuts and sentences her to death as an example. Later the king tells her to drink the poison as queen trys to stop it but to late she goes nuts yelling at the king how could he she was 8yo. The king tell her it the rules and walks away she see his fingers crossed stating that she's OK. They released her and her mom to get away. So now the grand dowager is spreading rumor about the queen being unfaithful and should be killed, so to protect her Kim byung tells the king to leave(its a trap) to go after the infraction, but fights with Kim byung and he goes off the cliff. Kim Byung comes back and tell everyone the king is dead and the queen was upset, but not even 1 day passed he tells to join the Kim family again for protection she decline and he's mad. She starts to realize that the king isn't dead and checks the body and isn't him so plans to leave the palace in search. She meets the palace maid and they goes together then they run into minister guards who court lady choi try to stop.and is injured.. They run more and now Hong yeon(maid) makes them chase her, but the queen is caught by kimbyung and winds up at the same cliff as he strangles her all the memories come back and he doesnt kill her for that. As he protects against his men he gives her proff and tells her to run. Now alone and afraid she thinks it's bad man instead the king. He takes her to camp and maids are alive and the king plan to take his throne back. They sneak Into the palace and start to get control, but empress moved the coronation time up and they can't make it in time. The queen has Kim hwan steal the king stamp and the coronation can't proceed. On the way to throne a sniper shoots her and then the king they colospe and she wakes as her self and he as himself. He escaped from the hosp. to the library to see if history changed and they lived and he finds out he turned Han pyojin into police and was in protection. The queen/king are all alive and
made changes. There is so much more, but you need to watch

Leia Mais

I loved the comedy aspect (+my explanation for the ending)

The acting was rly spectacular. I personally think that Shin Hye Sun and Na In Woo nailed their characters.
Shin Hye Sun was amazingly versatile in showing both the differences and similarities (in the spinoff) between BH & SY, and her portrayal of Sobong's mannerisms and thinking expressions were really on point. Na In Woo did so well in playing the 'villain' that wasn't really a villain at the same time, who was so heartbreakingly selfless in his love towards SY.

For the story, I didn't love the ending, but it's to be expected for time-travelling historical dramas. I think that a lot of explanation is required for the ending to be satisfying and even then, it depends on an individual to decide whether they found the ending to be satisfactory. For me, I like to think of it like this (kinda to comfort myself):
-BH and SY shared the same body, which is why BH's body was in a vegetative state, and there was no swapping, nor was SY's soul in the lake.
-SY was there and felt his presence, and was completely aware of what was going on (when BH left, she said that he was gone, and didn't seem shocked about where she was or what was happening).
-I think it's just that BH was the dominant one the entire time, though as time went on, SY became more dominant (in later eps he could feel her hormones and her romantic feelings, and told her to back off, and it wasn't just him being dramatic haha).
-SY was hiding(as she said in ep20), and BH helped her become more confident (eg so she could swear in ep 20), while she helped BH change (when he went back his past had changed for the better). SY and BH have similar personalities(as shown in the spinoff), though BH is crazier.
-I'd also like to think that CJ fell for SY before BH was there (because of a scene in the spinoff), but he suppressed his feelings after finding out that SY was from the Andong Kim clan.
-Also, Kim Jung Hyun (actor for CJ) replied to a question in a live and said that it didn't matter whether CJ knew that BH was gone cuz it didn't matter whose soul was in the body, what mattered was how he chose to see SY from his perspective.

Anyways, I loved the comedy aspect of the drama. Sobong, her interactions the other characters, and crazy mannerisms, were the reason I started the drama in the first place.
Also, I love how Byeong-In was written and how they made me feel so sad for him. He loved SY selflessly from the start and was always there for her (eg in flashbacks, and before CJ cared for her in the early eps, though sometimes he was a bit overkill haha), plus how he sacrificed himself for SY and was killed by a hitman sent by his father. Additionally, I love that he was the only one to realise that SY had changed (tho BH told him he wasn't SY... but hey he realised that SY was still there, and BH didn't tell him that :"D)

Anyways, I think the ending is one of the happier options we could have gotten, considering the face that it's a time-travelling historical drama, though maybe they could have made us understand SY better with more flashbacks. Although the ending may not be 100% satisfying, I find the entire story and the episodes leading up to the ending so funny and enjoyable that I still think this drama is worth a watch.

Leia Mais

No Ta chi

The story was very unique. It had some LGBT elements that had to be handled with a certain level of care and awareness. Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, the writers decided to go down the safe, less gay, route without realizing that the ending completely destroyed the plot.

** SPOILERS **

The drama was about Bong Hwan (BH), a 21st century man, traveling back in time and waking up in a body of a princess soon to be a queen. It was filled with very funny and clever moments that kept me very entertained. But, after episodes 14-15, the plot kind of became stale. The scenes were not as funny anymore but annoying. I eyerolled at the scene where the queen threw a temper tantrum over Lady Choi eating all the yogurt. However, this wasn't the biggest problem with the show. The biggest problem was the ending.

The story was about BH's relationship and subsequent love story with the king. Nowhere in the drama did the writers elude that BH and So Yong (SY) ever fought for control of the body, or that sometimes it was BH and sometimes it was SY who was in control. It was always BH. This was even confirmed in the queen's last conversation with Byung In telling him that "she" did not know where So Yong was or whether she was even alive.

The king, Cheoljong, fell in love with BH in SY's body. BH's unorthodox behavior, unpredictability, straight forwardness, lack of manners was what was attractive. If the king wanted a meek and polite young lady, he would've stayed in love with Hwa Jin.

Everything the king did - writing the queen's dictionary filled with new words that BH introduced to him, writing a journal about new fighting and exercise techniques that BH taught him, reforming the country, was because of his relationship with BH, not SY. SY by herself was a very minor character and appeared in only a few flashbacks. Even SY's ideas about women's rights were BH's ideas and not hers.

And, what do we get at the end? BH goes back home without even saying "good-bye" to anyone. The king ended up with SY, who was not the person he fell in love with. But, that's ok, so long as SY looked exactly like the person he loved, we were supposed to accept it. What a terrible, horrible, no good message.

I am not sure why the writers did not go down the incarnation route where SY and BH were the same person living in different eras, and, at the end have SY and BH's souls and personalities merge as one in SY's body. There was already a premise for that with the queen's identity crisis "her" being a man in a woman's body and having a romantic/sexual relationship with the king.

It was also strange how the king did not pick up on the fact that after BH left, his wife became a completely different person who could no longer cook and had an entirely different personality. Or, that SY ended up lying to the king about who she was and did exactly what Hwa Jin did. But we are supposed to ignore it.

Shin Hye Sun is an actress from god. She did an amazing job portraying BH and SY as completely different people, they even spoke differently. SY was soft spoken. BH was coarse and aggressive. It was rather strange to assume that the king, who was head over hills in love with BH, did not see that his wife was different, considering that the differences in SY's personalities after the suicide incident were consistently addressed in the show. We did get a scene where the king somewhat realized that he lost something, but that scene looked like an afterthought rather than a serious and tragic realization that something important was lost.

Even Byung In, whom I hated, became a sympathetic character at the end because he actually confronted BH about SY and was the only one whose love was authentic. The writers made it look like it didn't matter to the king who he was married to so long as that person looked a certain way.

I honestly thought that BH would return to the king in one way or another, but the ending left me completely flabbergasted. Nobody ended up with the person they actually loved and the king's relationship with the queen was based on a lie. The attempt to paint SY to be more like BH because she started cursing was a lousy cop out. What made BH different was his boldness, a sense of justice, and ability to form close relationships with servants and nobility alike. SY just capitalized on it and ripped rewards from everything BH accomplished, without achieving anything on her own. What a stupid way to destroy an awesome story.

The rewatch value is like in the Game of Thrones. Everything is awesome until it all falls apart at the end.

Leia Mais

Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun are phenomenal !

This is not your typical historical drama. It has it all, comedy, romance, drama, action ... and the chemistry between the FL and ML ? WOW! Its particularity is to bring modern sense of humour into this historical story in a clever way. Shin Hye-Sun is absolutely stunning in her role! You will laugh a lot, will fall in love but also cry ! This is a must watch and it is very likely you will want to watch it again ! Well casted, the plot is captivating, actors well casted, sceneries and costumes well designed. Let's hope for a season 2 or another sequel cause it is one of best k-drama of 2021 !

Leia Mais

Wish come true!

Like I said, my wish come true! I have been longing to watch Hye Sun-ni & Jung Hyun acting together. Since 30 but 17, she is kinda funny & dorky while Jung Hyun with his dorkiness in Eulachacha Waikiki and I thought it will be great if Hye Sun & Jung Hyun in a same project.
And now after 2 years, Mr Queen is born! With a great casts, story, production & not to forget the OST(Omona!), this drama is so entertaining. It looks like Hyun Bin oppa (Crash Landing On You) has been passing the baton to Jung Hyun to become the successor of 2020 TVN winter drama slot.
But... this drama reminds me with a Chinese drama (cannot remember the name) that got time travel with cross gender.
I was like... okay, how far Mr Queen going to go? Every weekend the drama going wild & fresh. Quite surprise exactly and amaze with the story.

Leia Mais

A Delightful RomCom

I can't say enough good things about this show. I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a well-cast romcom that will brighten your mood. I won't get into spoilers, but the story is very clever and Shin Hae Sun's character is particularly unique. Even though the main appeal is the comedy and the cute romance, the story is surprisingly captivating. There's many interesting themes and revelations along the journey, and it all culminates in a very satisfying ending.

Shin Hae Sun and Kim Junghyun have fantastic chemistry together and they acted out one of the most swoon-worthy romances I've ever seen. The cast as a whole has great comedic chemistry together, and every character provides something worthwhile to the story.

I really enjoyed the OST as well. It fits perfectly within the flow of the drama, and the lyrics go well with the characters' stories. "Here I Am" by Jo Hyun Ah is especially amazing and has become one of my favorite songs.

I feel like it's very rewatchable (I've watched it twice already myself and rewatched my favorite scenes countless times). The comedy aspect is such a good pick-me-up for whenever you need it, and it's also the kind of story where you will likely pick up on new things that you may have missed the first time around.

Overall, highly recommended. I think this will be a pleasant surprise for a lot of people as it was for me. Even my friends who don't usually watch romcoms enjoyed this one.

Leia Mais

You will laugh you your lungs out and cry your eyes out

PUHHHHHLEASEEEEEE. I almost died watching this show like ACTUALLY…I don’t know how many times I bust my lungs watching this show, im pretty sure at some point I even had to bring out inhaler so I wouldn’t suffocate out of laughter. The acting was good especially the female lead. She did such a good job acting out the confused male who couldn’t figure out if he was gay or if the original owner of the body was taking over. The male lead also did amazing with his role. Of course it got serious like it went from being funny as hell to being all gloomy and sad but that’s only for like 2 episodes lol it gets back to being funny

The romance was OMG like I was shooketh and I mean SHOOKETH BEYOND SAVING. My toes were curled the entire time like oml. And when she used the “would you like to eat ramen” o was like ooo~. The kiss scenes were so hot im pretty sure I got burned😳. Like man were they spicy. The chemistry was off the roof and it was all just so cute and all gushy and funny and sad, it was a very well planned roller coaster.

This one is a must watch for everyone, you actually won’t regret it. At first I just watched it to pass time when it first aired but then I actually became so invested like I would be in class waiting for when the next episodes would air, so watch it. And please… DONT DRINK WATER AS YOU WATCH…you might choke of laughter 🤭

Leia Mais

MINDBLOWING!!!

A REALLY AMAZING DRAMA!!!!!!!!
I have already watched it like a 10 to 15 times...
All the episodes are well made and will keep you entertaining. They all have some amount of comedy, romance, plot so u will not get bored.
Mr. Queen all in all is a very amazing drama and will keep entertaining you till the the very end. Everything about it soo nice may it be the plot, romance or taking revenge...
All the actors casted have done a commendable job. the chemistry between the main leads is wonderful and makes it more interesting..
I recommend this to every Kdrama watcher this is a kind of drama which will not let you sleep at night you will be just thinking that what will happen next.
It is a great piece of art made very skillfully.. I really want to congratulate the entire crew of this series on making such a wonderful piece...

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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!!!

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais