Every moment with the OTP on screen was entertaining to watch, but the writers just couldn't commit to handling the whole genderbender, semi BL situation and this concluded in what I consider one of the worst endings I've seen in a kdrama. (typically I don't even start a kdrama, if the ending is bad) I'm sure that the fear of conservative housewives bombarding them with letters is part of it, perhaps even KCSC could have been considered, but good God there were so many ways to turn the situation tame in a more wholesome, happy manner. (there are some great ideas in the comment section)
While I was watching the drama I was thinking that perhaps the main writer wrote all the political stuff & the main storyline, while a group of writing interns were responsible for the comedy. Imagine my surprise, when I saw later that this drama has been written by a duo. I guess that could explain everything.
Despite the bad story I decided to give the drama a 8/10 rating. Partly because it's been an extremely memorable experience, partly because the comedy is just so on point and also because EVERY actor was trying so hard. Korean actors are almost always professional enough, but in this show nearly the entire cast has shown near tangible enthusiasm, even more so than in Crash Landing. As I said the saeguk makjang writing was bad, but thanks to the extraordinary acting performances - at least compared to other saeguk makjangs - it felt quite polished to me.
If Shin Hye Sun doesn't win a Daesang for this, then the award show season of 2021 would hold no meaning. (She is way more deserving than Jun Ji Hyun ever were) This is not the first time for her to carry a show on her back almost singlehandedly (not even the second time), but she was just too brilliant.
The production quality is very high, the sets, the OST, the cinematography were all up to standard. That "Bong Hwan-A" song is just perfection..
Shoutout to court maid Hong Yeon, I'd be more than willing to watch her in a leading role.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
A drama that would have been nearly perfect with Moon Lovers ending...
Wow what a show! I have to admit I wasn’t really into it at first. It took me like forever to start liking the king and caring for the palace people at all. At first I only wanted to know what happened to Bong Hwan. But then suddenly they got me… What I find most fascinating is, that this might be the most queer k-drama we ever had… even though they did try to avoid any discussions about it with a weird ending and yes that is a small down point for me.Shin Hye Sun outshined everyone with her acting if you ask me. She is simply amazing and I loved her portrayal of So Bong as well as So Yong (though I did not like So Yong at all). I also think Kim Jung Hyun did a great job, I already loved him in Welcome to Waikiki and was able to discover a new side of him again after CLOY. And as much as I loved Na In Woo’s outfit I think he has got room for improvement… but that could have been due to the script I am not quite sure (but dios mio he was hot in that outfit).
As for the ending, everyone was basically ready to give this drama a 10/10 but the ending ruined this for most of us. I have to say I was not too surprised, but would have wished for something similar to Moon Lovers in that case. Even though it would have been heart-breaking I would have preferred So Yong dying and maybe waking up as Bong Hwan again in present time (just like Moon Lovers). Cheoljong would have suffered of course and it would have been quite tragic but it would have been fair and simply logic. The way the drama ended means he is now married to a woman he doesn't love because the women/man he loved was Bong Hwan. And that's it. Also I don't get how Bong Hwan can be okay in present time. I mean you can say whatever you want but he LOVED Cheoljong. I think the drama missed a huge opportunity here to make a point about the fact that you can fall for everyone be it a woman or a man, because you fall in love with a person and not with the persons gender. But yeah it is not a surprise they finished it that way, without questioning Bong Hwans feelings, it is a k-drama after all. And since the genre was comedy they couldn't let So Yong die of course...
However despite the ending I think this was a great drama and I am glad I did not drop it. I might even rewatch it again in a few years :)
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Tellement hilarant !
Mr QueenQuand l'âme d'un homme du 21ème siècle se retrouve accidentellement piégé dans le corps d'une Reine de Joseon 200 ans plus tôt...
Un peu plus et je n'écrivais pas de critique. Ce drama ne faisait pas parti de ma to watch list. Le synopsis ne m'attirait guère. Que l'âme d'un homme du 21ème siècle se retrouve piégée dans le corps d'une reine de Joseon 200 ans avant n'était pas des plus attractifs (pour moi). Cela me semblait un peu trop étrange pour pouvoir y adhérer, sachant qu'une romance semblait prendre place entre cette ladite reine (habitée par l'âme d'un homme) et son époux, le roi. Je ne suis pas une très grande fan d'histoire de ce genre (je ne critique pas ceux qui aime les "yaoi", tous les goûts sont dans la nature). Les critiques élogieuses m'ont pourtant fait hésiter. Après tout, j'avais eu la même réticence avec "Porco Rosso" ( l'histoire d'un homme changé en cochon, hum....) et j'ai bien fini par adorer l'animé de Miyazaki.
La tribu avait voté pour le voir, j'ai donc suivi un peu à contrecoeur. Et je ne le regrette plus du tout.
Avant de commencer à palabrer, je n'ai mis que 8,5 (sur mydramalist) non pas à cause de cette fin polémique, mais bien que bourré de qualité, ce drama n'aura pas réussi à faire battre mon coeur à vitesse folle comme pour "Mr Sunshine" ou à me faire autant rire que dans "Joy of Life" ou à me faire adorer les personnages comme dans "Hikaru No Go". C'est donc aussi pour une question de ressenti personnelle et de mes émotions propres que je ne mets pas la note maximale. Ceci étant dit, ce drama fait partie tout de même des must to see, et je vais de ce pas vous dire pourquoi :
L'histoire est originale, l'âme d'un homme se retrouvant piégée dans le corps de la Reine de Joseon 2 siècles plus tôt n'est pas une notion que l'on retrouve souvent dans le monde du drama. Il y a bien eu précédemment des échanges de corps comme dans "secret garden" ou l'âme d'un décédé qui se retrouve dans le corps d'un vivant, voire un animal devenant un être humain. Mais ici, petite nouveauté, c'est l'âme d'un homme, 100% playboy, 100% hétéro, qui se retrouve dans le corps d'une femme, d'une reine de Joseon, mariée, 2 siècle plus tôt.
Jang Bong Hwan tombe accidentellement d'un immeuble et tombe dans le coma. Son âme se retrouve immédiatement dans le corps de Kim So Yong, reine malheureuse et utilisée de manière éhontée par son clan afin de contrôler son mari, le Roi Cheol Jong. Bong Hwan se retrouve alors involontairement au coeur des complots du palais. Le scénario est rondement mené et on y prend vraiment beaucoup de plaisir à suivre les tribulations de So Yong et de Cheol Jong au sein du palais et à leur souhaiter une victoire bien méritée.
Le gros point fort de ce drama est incontestablement le personnage de Kim So Yong interprétée par l'incroyable Shin Hye Sun (une actrice que j'adore). C'est un énorme coup de coeur que cette Reine habitée par l'âme d'un homme! le jeu de de Hye Sun lui donne une dimension inoubliable! Peu d'actrice aurait pu jouer cette Reine de manière aussi vulgaire, aussi drôle, aussi touchante et aussi bouleversante! Un peu plus et le personnage de Kim So Yong détrônait Man Wol de "Hotel Del Luna" dans mon coeur. Je dois avouer que j'ai rarement autant ri! seul "Chief Kim" et "Joy Of Life" surpassent ce degré d'humour qui nous oblige à rire tout le temps. Les situations dues à cette crise identitaire âme masculine versus ressenti d'un corps féminin sont hilarantes. Impossible de ne pas rire. Impossible de ne pas adorer le jeu des expressions de So Yong quand elle/il se rend compte qu'il n'est plus un homme mais une femme. Sa façon de parler, sa façon de marcher, sa façon de rire, tout chez elle est juste incroyable. Cette actrice mériterait un award pour son jeu! Sincèrement, juste pour elle, il ne faut pas hésitez à regarder ce drama! On rit grâce à elle du début à la fin.
Cheol Jong est un personnage attachant, mais j'avoue que je n'ai pas eu de coup de coeur pour lui. Je pense que c'est surtout sa relation avec la Reine qui l'a rendu aussi intéressant et attachant. Leur interaction était tellement poilante et parfois inattendue. La romance que j'appréhendais était tout sauf "bizarre". Si au début, l'intérêt était de montrer que Bong Hwan était bien majoritairement présent et qu'une relation ne pouvait se faire, peu à peu on se rend compte que la vraie Kim Yo Song est toujours là et que ses sentiments pour le roi déteignent sur Bong Hwan qui petit à petit perd "sa masculinité" au détriment de la féminité de Kim So Yong. Le tournant se trouve lorsque la voix off de Bong Hwan est remplacée judicieusement par la voix de Kim So Yong durant les pensées de la reine. A partir de ce moment-là, Kim So Yong/Bong Hwan devient à nos yeux totalement femme. Il devient alors évident, du moins pour moi, que Kim So Yong influence aussi les sentiments de Bong Hwan.
Les scènes de "kiss" font parties des plus passionnées de tout dramaland. Je dois avouer que la scène du "faisons taire la rumeur" est la scène la plus drôle et sexy que j'ai jamais vu. Il fallait le faire! Une scène où on rirait à gorge déployée tout en rougissant (oui, j'en rougis pour ce genre de chose, mon âme d'ado sûrement) à l'incroyable sensualité de la scène! mémorable!
Spoil, ne pas lire : La fin ne m'a pas du tout frustrée, contrairement à la majorité. J'ai trouvé cette fin logique et jolie. Dans le présent, Bong Hwan semble soulagé de revenir dans son corps, il est heureux de la fin des événements et ému lorsqu'il voit le fameux portrait du roi. Mais à aucun moment, me semble-t-il, Bong Hwan ne montre de détresse à son retour ou de signe de chagrin d'amour. Ce qui m'incite à croire fermement que les sentiments entre Kim So Yong et Cheol Jong étaient bien réels. Admettons en effet que Cheol Jong soit tombé amoureux de Bong Hwan, si on regarde les épisodes spéciaux, on comprend parfaitement que la première rencontre entre So Yong et Cheol Jong fut loin d'être anodine. Bien au contraire, c'est sans équivoque à mes yeux, Cheol Jong tombe bien amoureux au premier regard de So Yong, la vraie. Par ailleurs, nous savons que les coréens sont friands de la destinée. Et nous apprenons très vite que Cheol Jong et So Yong se rencontrent dés l'enfance et que So Yong est aussi avant tout celle qui sauva le roi, celle que Cheol Jong n'oubliera jamais. Je pense donc sincèrement que même sans l'intervention de Bong Hwang, Cheol Jong et So Yong aurait fini par s'aimer aussi intensément.
Je ne sais si cet épisode a été fait afin de "complaire" aux fans déçu du "couple" Cheol Jong/Bong Hwan. Peut-être.
Fin du spoil.
La romance arrive tardivement entre eux et ce que j'avais du mal à concevoir, est venu naturellement (ils sont doués ces coréens!). On adore voir So Yong déchirée par ces sentiments intrusifs et tous ces malentendus et ces situations tous aussi burlesques les uns que les autres. So Yong qui a inventé le "messenger" de l'époque! j'adore!
Les personnages secondaires tels que Dame Choi ou Hong Byul Gam entre autres sont totalement décalés et désopilants, on en pleure de rire. Dame Choi va beaucoup me manquer.
Je n'ai par contre pas trouvé le clan des vilains super top vicieux et hyper malins. Ils étaient juste méchants et avides, quoi.
L'OST colle parfaitement à l'ambiance du drama. L'opening est entrainante et donne envie de danser. La chanson de Bong Hwan est géniale, à chaque fois qu'elle jouait on en riait d'avance.
Sincèrement, si vous recherchez un drama où on rit à en voir mal aux ventres, un drama avec une jolie romance, une jolie amitié, des liens incroyablement forts entre les personnages, n'hésitez surtout pas. Foncez et riez.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Definitely recommended, I can see myself picking this up in some years to relive this moment:) This is a good start for 2021 drama series
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
different from everything, crazy funny and taboo free
Without spoiler:this drama is really fresh, different, soo much funny and catches you from the first 10-20 minutes. there are so many things that are soo different from usual dramas.
what was great:
1. FL (though she kind of is ML) - character like who we haven't seen
2. phenomenal acting from FL. others are good too, but not near to her.
3. humor, oh God, I haven't laughed that much soo long
4. cliche and taboo free, for example I don't remember drama with so much sexual/intime undertones, they act so natural and show so real chemistry and sexual tension, passion...
5. very unusual story, I mean gender switching is normal in dramas, but there are so more unusual storylines in this drama, few times I was like "no way, they wouldn't goo so far..." but this drama really breaks many drama taboos
6. the whole mood of the show, with perfectly fitting music and acting, there are soo right mood, soo funny
.... there are many really good things too, you should watch )))
what was bad:
main problem is the end, 1-2 little different scene could be make this drama completely perfect.
Spoilers:
the whole story clearly showed, that it was only SY's body and then some memories, BH even blamed female body for wanting king. Even if there was some piece of SY which helped BH fall for king, the character we watched for 19,5 episodes was BH. King fell in love with BH and then changing him even and King didn't even noticed it... that's just not logical.
There was scene, when BH/SY says to that guy who loved her, that it's just her body and if he loved her how he couldn't notice that now this is different person, so same goes to king, even more because king was his husband and was all the time with her, so how he doesn't noticed?
Ok I understand if they would stay together and happy anyway, because he already loves her and even if noticed that she changed, he wouldn't just stop loving her in one day, would see her in good way anyway and get used to even new herself, it is realistic, on the other hand SY not saying "you know, I'm not the one you fall for" is realistic too, she loved king whole life. But at list they should show that king sees difference, is kind of confused, misses how she was or something like that. He loves his wife but misses something, that wouldn't destroy happy ending or anything.
We can't say that they afraid taboos or gay theme, because this drama had so many brave scenes, so much sex/intime undertones, they already showed us practically two males fall for each other. one gender theme was in side characters stories too. So why back at the end?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Whether we need this gender-swap to tell the story I am on the fence about. I think but that the story could have worked well enough if the main character was just a woman from the 21st century. Sometimes it seemed to me that they were brushing over things that should have underlined the struggle that a person who is not in that time, not in their body, would deal with. And I don’t think this is the radical or feminist take that some might have wanted about of women or the gender. But I also don’t think the drama ever intended to be a big commentary on society or gender roles. It just wanted to be a comedy sageuk with a twist.
I liked pretty much all the female characters in the drama for different reason. There was a range of characters and even the more comic relief ones had more to their roles than just that. Most of my favorite moments in the show had something to do with the main character’s friendship with their maids as well as the mutual respect that existed between them.
The sort of regular, everyday life of the court, especially for the women in the highest positions, was something I enjoyed too. Those moments are usually more in the background in these dramas. And I found the humor mostly revolved around that; life in the palace, the people who worked there, a little bit about politics and power struggle, but also the fact that the main characters was from another time period and how that person did things differently from the others and the conflicts that created. Much more than the actual gender-swap. Which is why I think we didn’t need it.
It took a while for the drama to mix the humor with the more serious tones of the drama that boosted the suspense in the story. The humor that led the drama in the beginning, but the more political bits never felt too jarring to me. And after a few episodes I felt like they managed to mix those two elements well enough so they worked together.
Despite some complaints about the politics taking up too much time, Mr. Queen was always a comedy and manages to keep the humor up throughout the drama, despite the politics and all the power struggles taking place. But even in the darkest, most tensest moments the show always manages to mix in lighter and funnier moments in. I never felt like the overall tone of the show dropped, or that it become too heavy. The humor never dried up and the story never became too dreary.
Many people do not like the high stakes, which never feel that high compared to other such period dramas, or the politics and just want the romance and the comedy. But personally I think dramas like these could not keep the story going with just funny moments and no politics. There have to be stakes and in the palace stakes comes with political maneuvering. Most stories are based on some kind of tension, risk and conflict.
The conflict here comes out in subtle fights for power, very under the table political tactics to, shifting of allies and clashes between several powerful clans within the Joseon era. But those conflicts never took over the whole story. It is the usual shenanigans that you usually see in these period dramas, but just a bit more woman focused, which I enjoyed a lot. How the women used their power and manipulated the court and people around them. The king has his focus as well, but the is surrounded by really smart, calculating women.
Overall I felt like Mr. Queen was a pretty standard period drama that tried to have a little bit of a different angle on things, that just aimed to be very fun and entertaining. It never took itself that seriously, but I also didn’t think it was saying that much either, although criticizing society through comedy is what the genre is sort of made for. Yet the light-hearted spirit that was always persistent through the drama, the character and just the amazing performance of Shin Hye Sun, made Mr. Queen overall a really easy and entertaining show to watch.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
The best historical series ever
I really am both excited and happy about such a cute,fun and happy series.i was doubted to watch it at the first episodes were released due to a man came to a woman but when i started watching it the only feeling that a had was happiness with loud laughter and pure love .i was never stressed or deeply sad as the happy moments went after the sad ones and the revenges were not that poisonous to darken our hart,i really care about ending of series so the happy and open ending- which make me hope that it could be Mr Queen 2 in near future- was really pleasing.the Ost is one other thing make me connect to the story and luckily the ost did go to the story line very well i really will miss this series i really hope that they come to decide to make the second Mr Queen series .....thanks to all cast and crews.wish to see you soon.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Great show with full of comedy and refreshing idea, but losing it in the last episode
The Show has broken through many types of clichés, and for the first 19 episodes are gold. Great comedy, amazing acting, good script as well. But, seeing the season finale, it gave me a disappointment.*SPOILERS*
Because we kind of lost one of our main character half-way in the last episode(Bonghwan), where he went back to his lifetime and left Soyoung's body with her soul (and here I thought she is dead for the whole 19 episodes!). After that, Soyoung just lives in her body but apparently, also adapting Bonghwan's behaviour. Now, I don't know what to feel about this. Because Cheojong fell in love with Bonghwan's character, his persona and everything about him (he admitted this in the ealier episodes), and now he was left with someone, who is completely stranger to him, and us. I thought he is going to realize that the person inside of Soyoung's body is not really her, but the writer seems to ditch that off. It's kind of what I've expected because writer-nim also did that with Byung Im (he is completely oblivious with Soyoung's new behaviour and still think that it IS her).
Anyway, now Cheoljong will live a life, where he thought the person who he loves is right besides him, but actually not. And what about Bonghwan?? Are you already forget about him, who has already done everything to save Cheoljong and everyone in there, while Soyoung had done nothing and just enjoy all of his hardwork up until now?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Excellent 19 episodes, trash finale. Queer baiting trash.
This is a completely hilarious show with an interesting premise that produces a queer leading character - a man in a woman's body. It's extremely unfortunate that the finale is such a cop out, which renders the entire show another example of queer baiting. This is an exciting roller coaster ride that at the end throws you off your seat to your death.Spoilers below:
1. The king is explicitly in love with the spirit of the male MC, not the real queen. He noticed that the queen is out of character but did nothing. They’re now just another straight couple.
2. Is the MC bisexual now? Ending it this way makes it another queer baiting show. The writers are also trying to backtrack and say that both characters' souls are inhabiting the same body but remember how the queen's body almost died because the MC went back to the 21st century? The doctor said her body was in a soulless state. This is the only time where the queen's soul took back control of the body and their explanation is that she's in hiding all along? Also, none of the queen’s feelings for other characters stayed, not her feelings for her childhood friend/maid, cousin, or father, only her feelings for the king, whom she met once as a child, “remained.” But why? Is her entire existence anchored around her love for the king? The MC certainly rationalized it as the queen’s feelings when he first felt his attraction to the king. At the same time the MC certainly has enough control and agency to do whatever he wanted unrestrained by the queen's years of etiquette training, including acting on his attraction to women. Bullshit.
3. The original queen is literally the most useless character on the show but gets to reap the fruits of the MC’s labor. In fact, she is a(n abusive) damsel in distress saved by straight male MC. This is not feminist at all.
4. All the reforms they did led to an identical Korea in 2021.
Bad ending on all fronts. 0/10. Just don't watch the finale.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Based on the (controversial, censored) Chinese web drama, Go Princess Go, Mr Queen tells the story of a modern day man who finds himself living in the body of Joseon Queen. The first two episodes were unwatchable slapstick but I persisted for one major reason: the acting, the amazing acting. These are two transcendent performances from some of Korea's finest actors.
I won't spoil anything for people who haven't seen it but this is a fusion Sageuk romp with a fun script, wonderful acting, brilliant production values and an ending that was as disappointing as it was inevitable. The show's attempt to backcast the themes as some sort of quest for justice or campaign against corruption rather than a romance is jarring but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the ride, even with its last-minute attempt to walk back The Gay.
If you think about it too much you might get annoyed so, as with most fusion Sageuks, it's best to not think about it at all. Just enjoy. And there's a lot to enjoy. Especially around Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun proving they are A grade actors with amazing comic timing and genuine gravitas.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
SPOILERS AHEAD
I am proud to say I'm an anti fan!This drama had everything. Interesting storylines, out of the world acting, fantastic music...
The King and the Queen were ultimate couple goals. Personally I believe that after the second lake incident So Yong started to resurface along with her memories and she was unconsciously directing Bong Hwan. So the King wasn't only in love with Bong Hwan's character and charisma.
The only thing that I wasn't fine with was the death of Byung In, this guy had me frustrated for 18 episodes and then he made me like him in 5 seconds, damn you second lead syndrome...
Lastly, I have to talk about my favourite secondary character... Kim Hwan was stealing the show without even trying. He is precious someone protect him.
Definitely gonna rewatch this drama.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
The best show I have ever watched
I don't normally watch historical movies by this one was fantastic. It was just a great show everything was perfect from comedy to romance, thriller. I was always at the edge of my seat and expectant but this how never failed me, The idea was great, the bromance was touching. I cried a lot and laughed a lot when they started to fall in love i was just so elated and proud. I wish we saw the baby boy or girl and I wish he stayed there longer Definitely will watch it again and honestly everyone should watch it you won't be disappointed. Hopefully, there will be a season 2 with a much better ending.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
