Synopsis:
Jang Bong Hwan is an excellent chef the best of the best and working for the president of Korea none the less. He's handsome, successful, and a notorious womanizer. Then something happens that transports him back in time to the Jeoson era where, as a twist of ironic fate, he is trapped not in a man's body but a woman's. He struggles with the role he is given as not just a woman but a queen in an era where women do not have a lot of freedom and the politics at court are deadly putting him in the middle of two warring households.
Review:
Hello dear reader! The summertime is quickly settling in and I hope you and your allergies (if you have them) are behaving themselves. I love summertime and not just because it's the season of my birthday but there i just so much to do. Anyway, onto my review. I have had a time trying to find a drama that I could just latch and sink my interest in. I came across Mr. Queen on a whim because a friend was talking about upcoming dramas and I decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did!
If you are a new reader let me explain how I rate my dramas. I rate my dramas on mainly two categories, storytelling, and direction. Under Storytelling, I take into account not just the acting, but the writing, and music as well. It is usually presented as a percentage. Under the category direction, I consider both editing and direction, editing counts for 2 points while direction counts for 3. It'll be out 5. I call them my sticky notes because that tends to be what I write my thoughts on when I'm watching.
On my sticky notes I gave Mr. Queen a solid 95% for storytelling and a 4/5 for direction. As you can already see I've given this series high mark all around. This was a fenominal series. The actors had good chemistry, the story was intriguing and fresh, the music was well curated and placed. I didn't give it a 100% because there were parts of the series to found to be dull. There were also characters I didn't really understand their motives and their lack of growth bothered me. Also, there were just characters that when they came on screen I zoned out.
The main leads were honestly well casted. I've been following Shin Hye Sun for a while now and I've loved almost everything she's been in. She is a phenomenal and
versatile actress. I am proud to say I've been watching her dramas since the days she was casted only as side characters. I am so glad in the past years she has been able to show what she's really capable of as a main lead. I thought I'd seen almost every side of her, but her acting as if she were a man from the 21st century in the Joseon era inside a woman's body is just. . . well, the chef's kiss. She doesn't just change her tone to a lower register, but the way she walks, sits, and eats echos that of a man perfectly. You could tell she really had a good time with this character because the character itself just seems so lively and real. Her character arch is also one of the greatest I've seen.
Kim Jung Hyun, now I know he has a few scandals about him at the moment with a few actresses, one may or may not be his ex-yeojachingoo (girlfriend), but I feel he did relatively well in this drama. I've only seen this man in one drama prior to Mr. Queen but I feel that he did the character well. He's a young king meant to be the puppet of a dowager Queen but as he grows older he desires control of his own kingdom. Besides that he is now met with his wife (the Queen) who is acting clinically insane and not at all like herself. To make matter's worse she's part of the Dowager Queen's clan making him suspicious of her. However, I feel like him unable to see that the Queen really isn't herself and means what she says is a bit out of character for him. He never catches on that she is unlike the woman he knew before the switch and he's supposed to be this brilliant man able to see a person's true intentions. Oh well, all part of the story I guess.
Anyway, the story itself was hilarious I laughed a great deal more than I thought I would. I absolutely loved the main female lead, and her true self as Jang Bong Hwan. I enjoyed King Cheol Gang but the true highlight is definitely the Queen. I also have to
give a little shoutout to Choi Jin Hyuk who was the male Jan Bong Hwan. His voice over as her inner monologue is perfect. His voice acting was spot on and Shin Hye Sun's ability to act out Choi Jin Hyuk's voice overs are perfect. They were paired well.
I also feel like Choi Jin Hyuk was cheated out of a better billing. He only appears in about four episodes physically, but his voice is present for more than half of the series. Yet, he is casted as a guest star. I feel like a side character would have been better than just guest star. . . Anyway, that af no fault to the writer or the story itself.
As stated before there were character's that I found to be dull and possibly unnecessary. There were a few side stories that I also think were left unfinished before the series ended. Why and how the initial switch happened between Jan Bong Hwan and Queen was also left unsaid. I feel the queen's actual soul was also unexplored. By the end we still mostly know the Queen as Jang Bong Hwan. These are the only problems that I had with the drama, but overall I greatly enjoyed this series. Anyway, I am glad you came to see me dear reader, and I hope you return. I watched the series on Viki which is a free website. If you know another place to watch please leave a comment below. This was my take on Mr. Queen. If you agree or disagree with something that I've stated, or you feel like I missed something leave me a comment below. I love to hear from you. Goodbye and until next time!