Much better than expected

Mr. Queen is a story of a chef who, during a life-threatening incident, has his soul/consciousness transported into the body of a queen from Joseon. There, he has almost complete control of her mind and body, and has to figure out how to survive the incessant attempts of regicide while navigating the personal and political intrigues of the era, all the while attempting to get back to his own time.

**Note: I held off watching this show because I thought it would be cringey. I hate cringe, and usually hate the time-travel trope. But I read lots of good comments, and then my daughter happened to ask me if I'd seen it yet on the exact day I planned to start it. She was 3/4 of the way through it at the time and said that although it should be cringey, it's not. After having watched it, I 100% agree with her, and I'm glad took the time to watch.**

I was struggling to get through this drama until I got to episode 8 (of 20.) Episode 8-9 caught my attention, and after that I was "all in." The entire second half of the drama, in my opinion, included all the comedy, excitement, and drama that this show was missing in the first half. The ending, the last half of the final episode, got a lot of complaints from other people, but I thought that it wrapped up the story in the best way possible.

**Spoilers ahead**

There were complaints that the king fell in love with one person and stayed in love despite the queen being herself again when the chef went back to his own time. But there were hints throughout the entire drama that the queen was still there in her body, just hidden. Her own personality came out at various times, like when memories appeared and when she was able to embroider again, as well as during the romance scenes with the king. The king was astute enough to realize that there was some part of the queen that he'd fallen in love with that was, in the end, missing, but the queen had picked up some of the chef's mannerisms and ideals, so her differences weren't so great that people thought she was a whole 'nother person.

Of all the characters in the story, Court Lady Choi and Kim Hwan were probably my favorite characters out of the entire series. Kim Hwan's absolute cluelessness and naivety was totally endearing. I thought he was going to be a random nuisance side character at first, but loved him by the end. (Congrats Young Jae, you won me over!) Court Lady Choi's personality transcended the screen, and her bravery and purity made me fall for her almost as hard as the Royal Chef did. (Cha Chung Hwa is a fabulous actress!)

Ah...I totally lied. My favorite character of the series, the whole reason I watched the show in it's entirety, was King Cheol Jong. Kim Jung Hyun is one of my current favorite actors, and he did not disappoint. His expressions are able to convey a multitude of emotions, but he somehow does it in an understated way. His physical movements are sure and confident, and I absolutely loved watching his fluidity in the one-on-one fights.

The first 8 episodes were no higher than 5 stars for me, but after that, it was a solid 10, so I'm giving this drama an average of an 8. I will be going back to rewatch some of my favorite scenes, but I'll probably be skipping the beginning of the show.

Edit: Due to the fact that I can't forget this show, I'm upping my score to a 9. Happy watching!

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I apologize for the novel....

This is a heavy, heavy drama. It’s also very, very good.

The following are simply things I want to say. Some of this is a reaction to the drama itself, and some is in response to what I’ve read in the comment section as the drama unfolded on our TV, computer, or phone every week. I didn't hit on every character or actor, just the ones about which I had something to say.

The characters:

The kids as a whole: They had developed such a loving support system for each other in their younger years that being apart, not continuing to love and support each other, was simply wrong. Their happiness was with each other.

Phukhao: Phukhao is the younger brother of Mai, who was murdered when he was young. Phukhao grows up angry, and is allowed to retaliate in childish ways without consequence. As the story progresses, however, he is faced with the reality that his emotions were misplaced, and shows true maturity by allowing himself to let go of the anger that was expected of him. I think that if it hadn’t been for Mai’s devotion and true love for his little brother, Phukhao would never have been able to overcome his pain and move on.

Kongkwan: She begins as a meek, scared child who only trusts her group of friends, especially Phukhao. She is the youngest so they take care of her the best they can. As she grows up, she never is allowed to really grow out of that due to the social stigma of her sister being a murderer. She does become a strong, resilient character though, because she never lost faith in both the friends that protected her and the friend (Phukhao) that hated her.

Nink (Phukhao’s ex-girlfriend): I find it interesting how Nink latches onto Lookzo. Despite them being enemies, Nink has no one else. It seems that although Nink and Zo (Lookzo) have bad feelings towards each other, in Nink’s eyes, even bad feelings are feelings….a connection she is lacking after Phukhao broke up with her. So she forces herself into Zo’s life, despite Zo’s reluctance.

Sai (Phukhao’s mother): She is a “poor little me” character that is pissed that she can’t make others make the same choices that she did. She ran away from love because it was hard. Because it wasn’t “acceptable.” Others are willing to fight for their love and she does everything in her power to stop them. Her tears don’t cover her hero complex.

Santi (Phukhao’s father): I love Santi’s character, but I kinda want to pop him in the back of the head and tell him to wake up. He is so self-involved that he doesn’t realize what he’s doing to his family. Luckily, he redeems himself in my opinion.

Piak: Ahh…the coward turned hero when he had nothing left to lose. Despite this, I loved his love for the kids.

Oh (Lookzo’s father): My favorite character. He’s simply adorable.

Mai: My other favorite character. He tried. He was just too young and ineffective to be able to accomplish his goals.

Sudteeluk (Luk): Although she is several years older than Mai, she and he fall in love. Since they grew up together, it’s really not surprising, even though some (characters and viewers alike) reject the morality of their relationship. (I’m not sure why there’s a magic cut-off date for childhood vs adulthood, because that’s not how reality works. I’m all for protecting the innocent and obeying the law, but love doesn’t know those boundaries, and sometimes people do things, by mistake or intention, that they know is against societal norms.) Luk was brave to try to save Mai’s reputation and prevent the other drug factions from using his death to their advantage. But in the end it did more harm than good.

**********
The actors: It amazes me that people can watch a series and have so much to say about the acting. I agree that there is good acting and not-so-good acting, but when an actor takes the role given to them and plays it 100% by that character’s background and personality, then the fault isn’t with the actor, the director, or the script, but the character itself.

Ohm Pawat (Phukhao): Ohm is an outstanding actor. He immerses himself into his roles. Many comment that Ohm is overacting in this drama, but I totally disagree. He is playing a teenager that is full of pain and regret. Teenagers are often overly dramatic, as their emotions are often raw and hormone driven, and they don’t yet have the capacity to deal with their emotions properly. This is a learned response that even many adults haven’t mastered. Ohm is playing a teenager that is raging and acting out because no one has let him/helped him get past his brother’s murder, mostly because the “adults” aren’t mature enough to handle their own pain.

Tu (Kongkwan): As with Ohm, I think Tu played her character outstandingly. Comments that I saw about her were pretty awful, and while she isn’t my favorite actress (just a personal preference) I have nothing bad to say about her portrayal of Kongkwan. She is playing the meek, scared child that you see in the beginning of the series. According to the society Kongkwan lives in, her right to be happy and involved is voided by her sister’s actions. She doesn’t get to show herself as “living,” since merely existing is a blemish on the community. So the complaints I read about how Tu isn’t expressive make no sense to me, as the character herself isn’t allowed to be expressive.

Pleum (Mai): In my opinion, Pleum was the best actor in the entire series. His actions and reactions were totally on point. (It’s possible that I’m starstruck.)

Off (Plu): People comment that Tu’s facial expressions, or lack thereof, were a problem. I disagree with that. I would say that Off’s expressions were much more lacking. I know Off is a good actor and getting better, but it always struck me in this drama that his expressions almost never changed. Just as Tu, Off was playing a character that was pretty beaten down and worried all the time. I personally loved the character of Plu, I just thought that Off's portrayal should have been more expressive, and I question why he didn't get the same comments from the peanut gallery that Tu did.

**********
Those are the main points I wanted to make. Within the drama itself, I found that some things didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I can chalk some of it up to differences in culture. The rest I can blame on it being a drama, and since I can barely understand real life at times, not understanding every little detail in a drama doesn’t really bother me. I liked this. I liked it a lot, but I cried a freakin’ river while watching, so my box of tissues is a lot lighter now.

Also: Grandma (Pum) and Grandad (Yo) are 'best characters!!!'

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Ahhhh....Zombies! All of us are dead: Review

Ah. Zombies.

All Of Us Are Dead.

I mean….of course we are. Let’s face it, we all have a zombie apocalypse survival plan. Don’t we? Because if you don’t, you probably don’t have enough imagination to enjoy this show, much less survive an actual apocalypse. But even with a plan, would you make it?

Me? Nah. I had to stop and check my blood pressure too many times, just while watching. LOL. The action is almost non-stop through most episodes. The amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins as I watched could have powered a small city for a hot minute. It was hard to simply sit through these episodes quietly. You’re either cheering someone on or wanting to throw someone off the roof. I can’t imagine what it was like to film this because there was something going on constantly. The special effects were fabulous, the acting was on point, and….someone commented about plot holes. Are you stupid?? What plot holes?? If you listen to the dialogue (or in my case, read the subs) they explained everything at one point or another. Even the science of the virus itself is explained, and the parts that weren’t explained were stated as unknown or unknowable within the script itself. Maybe there are some plot holes that I missed, but I can’t think of any. I actually do have a couple of questions, but I hope for those to be answered in Season 2.

The plot of the show is pretty simple and as expected: Survive. It centers around a group of high-schoolers trying to help each other survive and get to safety. There are heroes and there are anti-heroes. There is bravery and cowardice. There is fear. Disappointment. And a lot of death. (Too much happening to get a kill-count.) But don’t worry. The government will make everything right. They will, won’t they? Won’t they?

It’s not all bad though. Well, actually it is, but there are some sweet moments that will endear you to the characters, as well as some truly heroic actions by some truly heroic people. There are even heroic actions by some who would prefer to be anything other than a hero. There is friendship and trust and love. But mostly death.

If you don’t like blood and gore, then this is not for you. If you get attached to characters, assume they will die. If you’re looking for a happy ending….well, there is an ending. I don’t know that I would call it happy.

Enjoy!

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Entrancing and beautiful

Have you ever been afraid to rewatch something because you feared it would taint your initial reaction? The beauty of this little piece of amazement, with it's awe-inspiring scenery and it's heart-wrenching story has me at a loss for words. I really want to tell others about it but I don't want to spoil it. I am also afraid that others won't find it as entrancing as I did. But in my opinion, that was on-screen poetry. When I finished the last episode, I just sat there......there were no words. I had questions, but I didn't want them answered. I want more....but that was enough. I want to talk about it, but I don't really know what to say.

Ok....here goes:
There are some people who would have problems with this piece because it involves a love story between a high-schooler and someone older. Ages aren't given, so it's hard to determine the validity of that argument, but Tiew does look older by several years, and Mork even mentions it in a round-about way. But Mork isn't innocent in that he knew what he was doing and allowed the situation to occur. He even tried to end it but was ultimately trapped by his own emotions.

I gave the Music value 10 stars, but I was so entranced that I honestly can't tell you if there was music. All I know is that the music in my heart as I watched was worthy of a 10. (OMG that line was so cheesy, but I'm not changing it!) The acting was amazing. The way Tiew gazed at Mork gave me butterflies. The way Wise delivered his lines made me not care that I didn't understand, because HE knew what he was talking about, and that's all that mattered. Watching this, you're never really sure if/when they are dead or alive or in a dream, and you won't understand the time line, but in the end, that doesn't matter either.

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This is what a drama should be!

This drama was done in the style of the old Friday night American dramas from the '80s. It seemed to start off as a typical university BL, but better, because it dealt with a variety of people and their problems without taking away from the main leads. However, at times it did give us a break from the mains to focus on the side characters, which helped to round out the story. It built up to the grand finale with flashbacks intermixing with current events, helping the audience to understand what was motivating the characters.

I am flabbergasted at the low ratings for this drama, but I have to thank them. I waited to watch this drama because many people said it wasn't good. So when I got around to watching, I was able to binge the whole thing instead of waiting each week....which I would have done, had I started it when it was airing, because it's so good. But I might have been less excited for it if I had to wait for the weekly episodes, as some of them were slower than others. Still, I would have enjoyed it....

....because:
There was plot and plot progression ....and a whole-a** villain! There were love scenes and heartbreaks and symbolism and foreshadowing and sacrifice! There were guns and bows and horses and cellos! (at least one of each. LOL) There was a hero saving the (not so) damsel in distress.....there was conflict, revenge, and resolution. And the acting!!! The acting was phenomenal! Except for the villain. The villain was very....villain-esque. At some points, I almost expected the villain to cackle with witchy laughter and say, "I'll get you, my pretties!" LOL But, you know, it's....fine. There were enough other characters who did a good job to keep my rating at a 10.

I'll definitely be revisiting this drama. There was the real-world problem of everyone having a crush on everyone else and having to navigate through all the emotions to find someone to be happy with. Now that I know all the characters, I can rewatch their interactions with more interest.

Moral of the story is: Judge it for yourself. For me, it's a 10.

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Pee Nak 3 is the best one yet!

I've just finished binging all 3 of the Pee Nak movies over the last few days, and....Oh my gosh I'm going to be excitedly awaiting movie number 4! I hope they continue with these. The stories and the characters get better with each movie.

This was my favorite of the 3. I really enjoyed the cinematography and the beauty of the locations where the filming took place. I was happy to see so many of the original actors continuing the story, plus some new ones. I was excited to see Leo Put and Plan show up in this movie. And from the foreshadowing of the next movie, it appears (crossing my fingers) that Mean and Plan will both be in it...? I adore their chemistry, even if it's not a BL.

I enjoy that the comedy is over-the-top funny, but not so much as to make it unwatchable (in my opinion.) It actually made me laugh out loud in some spots, and that's unusual. I also, surprisingly, don't find it irreverent towards Buddhism, but as I'm not Buddhist, I could be wrong about that. There were moments when I actually even did some self-reflection as I watched, and when does that ever happen in a comedy/horror??

(Also, I checked out the YouTuber from the movie, Kyutae Oppa, and I kinda liked his YouTube content, as well as his singing. I am sad that he doesn't have subtitles in the vids where he's not speaking English, as I'm not fluent in the other languages. I can pick out a word or 2 here and there though, so it didn't stop me from perusing his channel.)

Although I miss August in this sequel, I think this was a well-done movie. I would definitely recommend this, and you can watch it as a stand-alone, but I think it'd be best to watch the first and second movie so that you have backstory on the characters.

And before I go, I want to commend a couple of the actors...Tar would have been around 15-16 yrs old when filming the first movie, and I was impressed to see him do so well in all 3 films. And Pond kind of blew me away in these movies! But I can't forget Aim and James, with their comedy relief. Great job all!

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I hate everything. :'(((

What was that ending??? I just finished the last episode and I am so....frustrated. And upset. That doesn't mean it's a bad ending. On the contrary, it was a very good ending. They get a reset. But at what cost?

If you take out all the credits and previous episode scenes and such, you get maybe an hours worth of scenes. Honestly, that's not enough to flesh out what could be a really good story. Like Denis. What's up with him? There's so much more there than we get to see. And whatever fate that decided to make a "child of God" have to suffer as he did, not to mention the suffering of Yu Dam.....I mean, I could come up with parallels between this story and Christianity, but I don't think that is where they were going with this. There's so much of the story missing or only hinted at, and you have to fill in the blanks. I honestly feel that I wouldn't be quite so upset if I had more of Denis' backstory and an explanation of his current role within their work and private lives.

The acting was phenomenal in my opinion. Especially Jang You Sung, the actor who played Denis. I've never seen someone actually make me feel like I was watching a caged animal in human form. And the pain and anger and panic that he portrayed was amazing! But also, Park Young Woon and Park Jeong Woo did fabulous jobs in emoting so many different emotions, just in that short time frame.

I have so many questions......

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Adorable!

This was adorable! Although it was 11 short episodes (about 15 min each), the story was played out well. It had its happy moments, its sad moments, and times when I was teary-eyed while watching. That's quite a range of emotions for such a short series, but it was written and acted well enough for me to enjoy it thoroughly.

I have glanced through some comments and other reviews, and I was surprised to see that there were actually negative remarks. I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea, but if taken for what it is, which is simply a cute, fluffy story, it's great! If you try to add in logic and reasoning behind every action, you're going to be disappointed, because fantasy is just that: fantasy. If you're that person that can happily delve into the realms of the magical, mystical, or mythological, then you will enjoy this.

Make sure to watch episode 0 on Strongberry's channel on YouTube, which tells the backstory of Choco and Milk. They also have some "making" videos, which are cute too.

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Character growth wins over angst

Not to start off on a negative note, but:

I absolutely despise this type of series. It makes me cringe with it's over-the-top displays of angst.

That being said, I powered my way through it because I actually liked the story, and the character growth was satisfactory. I also enjoyed watching the bits of manga drawing, simply because that type of talent fascinates me. The story itself is unrealistic and would never have had a happy ending irl, but it's not real life. It's an escape. It's silly. And sad. (I actually shed a tear.) But it has a happy ending, which we all love. And the acting wasn't bad at all. The characters displayed what they needed to. And the female best friend was something that we all need in our lives, and he was lucky to have her.

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Mixed thoughts

So much manipulation!....for it to just end up like they wanted in the first place. It seems everyone wanted to beg, borrow, and scheme their way into being in control.

This is not so much a review for others as it is for myself. I'm trying to figure out what I just watched. Hidden motives, actions, reactions, and a lot of character contemplation make this seem like one of those books that you were assigned to read in high school. You know, the ones that you didn't really understand but had to do a report on anyway, and by the end of the report you kinda understood it a little better.

Ultimately, I liked this drama....but barely. Everyone had their own idea of how to fix a broken situation, and it was frustrating to watch. You never really knew whether the characters were being selfish or selfless. My favorite character was Han Tae Young, because he was so optimistic. But my second favorite was Jung Ji Yeon, the female editor, because she refused to let herself be manipulated and didn't hold back her opinions when asked. She told it like it was, and wasn't afraid to say that she was looking out for her own interests. But she also didn't blame anyone else for her own missteps. She had courage and class.

The one thing that I didn't like about the three main characters is that they were all determined, but so passive by the ending scene that it was unrealistic. And that professor? Excuse my language, but he was a douche.

I'm not going to recommend this drama, but I'm not going to not recommend it either. The actors carried out their roles well. So I guess the story is what left something to be desired. I've definitely watched worse, and I was able to get through the drama without any thoughts of dropping it or dreading the next episode. So I guess it was ok.

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Be emotionally prepared

I didn't want to watch season 2. I liked the first season. I knew that season 2 was going to be sad and I wasn't emotionally prepared.

I forgot.

I ran out of other things to watch and saw this in my list, and thought, "I haven't seen this yet, and there was a reason I didn't want to watch, but I can't remember why." By the end of episode 3, when I'd had a constant lump in my throat and a pain in my heart since the beginning of episode 1, with no end for the sadness in sight, I remembered why I didn't want to watch season 2.

I have zero regrets.

I haven't read all the other reviews, but I have read some comments, and honestly, by the end of the series, if you can't figure out why Ji Woo originally left with only a note, then you haven't had enough life experiences. Not everything is black and white, and sometimes the reasons you have for doing something don't really hold up when you think back. And sometimes, you can blame someone for the problems in a relationship, and then you realize that you were the problem all along. It happens. But in that realization comes growth. Ji Woo was just lucky enough to have someone who loved him enough to chase after him, and who supported him regardless of their status.

That being said, Seo Joon did everything he could to make himself available, in hopes that they would reconcile. That kind of love will get you a lifetime of happiness when you are with the one you love, but is nothing but pain when you are trying to win back the relationship you had. Or that you thought you had. But even when Seo Joon thought he'd had enough, he was smart enough to know that, once Ji Woo relented, if he didn't take Ji Woo back then and there, he would never have the chance again.

I hurt for them through 9 of the 10 episodes, but the 10th episode made it all worth while. Just hold on. It'll get there.

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So cute!

This is probably the sweetest series I've ever watched! It could have been cringey, but wasn't. There could have been a ton of second-hand embarrassment, but there wasn't. It was pleasant to watch, and made me smile over and over.

Rui Rui is so adorable, and one of the most talented child actors I've ever seen! He stayed in-scene and stayed focused on the actors, as opposed to paying attention to what the filming and production team was doing. He delivered his lines with just the right amount of emotion or attitude required.

A lot of time, actors will deliver the correct look at another character, and then their look will drop into something more real. Zhou Jun Wei as Cheng Mun was able to not only maintain the correct look, but the way his face settled made you think, "Oh, he really likes her!" This is exactly how the show was able to maintain it's level of sweetness.

I'd like to know if there will be a second season, because there's so much left at the end that they can build on. I am dying to know if Ning and Wan Jie finally get together. Ning might have to knock him on the head to make him realize what's standing next to him all day, every day. But also.....there was a hint at the end of the last episode of better things to come....

I'm so glad I watched this. Sweetness overload!

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Unpopular opinion

I seem to have an unpopular opinion of this series. I very much enjoyed the acting in this drama, and I know a lot of the actors are seasoned and fairly well-known. However, the time travel trope is not my favorite, and it made me cringe way more than I would have liked. I powered through it though, and I did like the majority of it, mostly because of the actors/acting as opposed to the story. I can see that they tried to make it "not" cringy, but still.... And I did shed a few tears in the appropriate moments. Strangely, the part I liked most in this drama was that the protagonist died, and they actually let him be dead for a while....that was new.

I'm glad I watched it, but I probably won't revisit this show again.

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So good!

I've watched this 3 or 4 times already, and more when you consider how many times I rewatched scenes and clips. I absolutely love this series! Idk why I haven't reviewed it yet....but the more I watch it, the more I like it. The music has me bopping along to it without me realizing it. The sweet kisses makes me smile. I love that there is growth within both the main characters. All the characters are portrayed really well in my opinion.

I swear, my favorite scene is when Jae Young walks around the corner in a leather biker jacket and winks at Ryu Ji Hye. I think I'd have had the same stunned reaction that the 2 girls did! LOL

So lets talk about what I don't like. Park Seo Ham has a really good complexion. So why do they have to put so much makeup on him?? As good looking as he is, there are times when he reminds me of a corpse because of the heavy makeup they use. That's not cool. Also, the last episode is a little rushed in my opinion. They could have given it 5 more minutes and it would have been fine. And...um....I think that's about it. I think there's nothing else I disliked.

If you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth watching.

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Adorable!

This was such a good series! It was adorable. There were no cringey scenes. (There's one scene that could have been cringey but wasn't, so bravo!) There were multiple issues touched on but the main story stayed on course. My ONLY complaint is that it was too short. I would have liked to have seen so much more of every part of this sweet little story, including the side characters.

(And now to cheat the system for the required 500 characters.....)

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