Mr. Queen is a South Korean television series top billed by Shin Hye Sun and Kim Jung Hyun.
Title: Mr. Queen
Hangul: 철인왕후
Genre(s): Historical, Romantic comed, Fantas, Body swap
Episodes: 20 + 2 spin-off
Duration: 70-90 minutes
Release Date: December 12, 2020 –
February 14, 2021
Network: tvN
In the modern age, Jang Bong Hwan (Choi Jin Hyuk) is a chef who works for the country’s top politicians at the Blue House. He has a free spirit, but he one day finds himself in the body of Queen Cheorin (Shin Hye Sun) in the Joseon period. King Cheoljong (Kim Jung Hyun), the reigning monarch, is a gentle and easy-going person.
However, he is only king in name. Queen Sunwon (Bae Jong Ok), the late King Sunjo’s wife, wields true power in the country and has relegated King Cheoljong to a figurehead. Her ambitious younger brother, Kim Jwa Geun (Kim Tae Woo), also desires power. Queen Cheorin soon discovers that King Cheoljong is not what he seems, and that he has a dark and suspicious side to him.
One of the greatest feel-good Korean Dramas of all time! Mr. Queen is a sweet pile of love and optimism. The highly-engaging plot, enthralling turn of events, and top notch performances from the cast made this series one that you shouldn’t missed! It was wrapped with all shades of emotions. It will take you to a laugh-a-minute and rib-tickling thrill ride. It has the ability to make the viewers smile from ear to ear. This KDrama is flawed but endearing and delightful at the same time. Despite of all the plot holes, it successfully left a huge impression to my heart. Pitch perfect fusion of hilarious comedy, heart fluttering romance, and poignant drama! Spellbinding, genuinely entertaining, and a notably real good stunner—sweet gem! Heartfelt! Kudos!
Right off the bat, This show already captured my attention. I found it totally intriguing. The story sounded very interesting and to be honest, I actually don’t have any idea how it will progress. It never had any dull moments. I absolutely enjoyed it from start to end. The blend of emotion is just perfect. It was a humorous comedy that turned out unexpectedly heartwarming. Fun and immensely enjoyable!
I can’t really count how many times I laughed really hard from the extremely comical scenes from this show. I can’t forget the dragon ball scene, twerking to BLACKPINK’s music, when So Yong tried to end her life by poking her belly with the hair accessory, Mac Donaldu, Court Lady Choi’s moments at the bamboo forest and many more! Remembering those funny scenes already makes me laugh loudly. This series is indeed one of the best comedy KDramas!
The strongest suit of Mr. Queen is its ensemble cast! Everyone did a tremendous job in portraying their roles. They are super likeable and well-defined. The whole cast gave a grounded and life-like performances. All of them from the lead stars to its supporting characters are totally spectacular. They made the story highly beguiling. Without them, I don’t think this series will turn out this stellar. Their intriguing and flawless execution to their characters made this KDrama an astounding one! Below, I want to talk about the actor who became the powerful foundation of the show:
Shin Hye Sun as Kim So Yong
All of the praises and respect goes to this extremely versatile actress! From heavy drama to heart fluttering romance, and humorous comedy, she proved that she is a brilliant actress. I can’t imagine this show if she did not take on the female lead role. I couldn’t think of any actress who can pull off such convincing and commendable performance aside from her. She portrayed three personas: Kim So Yong, Jang Bong Hwan, and Lee Saeng Mang. She successfully pulled off all these roles in the utmost perfection manner and polished it with overflowing charisma. I have already seen a lot of dramas with the female lead pretending to be a guy and I must say that this is the first time that I have watched such faultless execution. She really made me believe that a guy is inside her body. From the way she talk, move, and the quirks really resemble a guy. Her portrayal in this series solidified her spot in the industry. Her range in acting is absolutely wide. She can now be align to Korea’s Top actresses.
[SPOILER ALERT]
The downsides of Mr. Queen:
I absolutely love this show but I must be honest that it really has quite a lot of plot holes. Let’s talk about them:
• What happened to So Yong’s soul?
Throughout the whole run of the show, we know that Jang Bong Hwan took over So Yong’s body. It showed us that while he was trapped into her body, he was in a state of comatose but we never had any idea if what was happening to So Yong’s soul during those times. Did she never left her own body? Did she wander through time like what Jang Bong Hwan did?
• Is the King in love with So Yong or Bong Hwan?
I think, this is one of the biggest plot holes of the story. Cheol Jong felt nothing for So Yong except for hatred. It was certain that he is in love with Jo Hwa Jin. He only started to fall in love with the Queen when Bong Hwan got trapped into her body. The King definitely fell in love with him because it was not the personality of So Yong. Yes, it was a woman’s body but the soul inside of it is a man. At the end it showed that there are trace of Bong Hwan’s personality left with So Yong but it does not sit well with me.
• Is Bong Hwan bisexual?
Right from the beginning we know that Bong Hwan is a womanizer. He only cares about two things: his cooking and the girls. Even during the first few episodes, it was clearly showed how crazy he was when it comes to ladies. But as the story progresses, he started to developed feelings for the King. I do not think it was So Yong who kisses and made love with the King because we saw him question his self if he really likes doing these things and he often answer himself by kissing again the King or with a pounding heart which means yes.
If you will notice, this show really has a lot of unanswered questions, it was wrapped up in a heartwarming manner but the truth is it left a lot to be desired. No matter how hard I try to understand and answer these questions, I couldn’t come up with answers. But despite all of the imperfections, I still admire this show because it successfully managed to entertain me. In fact, it is one of the most enjoyable KDramas ever. And maybe, the team behind this show decided to not further tackle the main core of the story which is gender identity because Korean netizens may intensify their scrutiny to the drama as they are very sensitive and conservative. But I just wish that they become more courageous in telling the story because I know it can be tackled in an in depth way.
[END OF SPOILER]
“How miraculous it is… that tomorrow comes every day? However, we do not realize it is a miracle until the day when tomorrow does not come. It is because we are foolish, and we only realize what is precious after we lose it.”
If you are already tired of watching mind boggling Korean Dramas, I assure you that Mr. Queen is the perfect show for you as it will heal your wounds from its heartwarming and enjoyable quality. The addition of compelling characters also made this series highly entertaining. It was an engrossing gem of a drama fueled with great comedy, affecting moments, and praiseworthy acting. It definitely has what it takes to keep the audience glued to it. It was not perfect but it was still compelling and amusing. If you want to just smile, laugh, and feel comforted this is the perfect series for you.
Annyeong Kimchi Land 