KDrama fans are happy to learn that Mr Queen will be available on Netflix starting tomorrow, February 15. Aside from the original Netflix Kdrama entries: Crash Course In Romance and Love To Hate You, the hilarious historical, time-travelling, gender-flip series streams this month.
From director Yoon Sung-shik, who also helmed Hwarang, The King’s Face and Bridal Mask, Mr Queen is the quirky romantic comedy that mashes up time travelling and gender-switching in all its 20 episodes.
Shin Hye-sun leads the cast as Kim So-yong who is Queen Cheorin. She has Kim Jung-hyun as a partner in the series, Yi Won-beom, the King Cheoljong.
Meanwhile, Choi Jin-hyuk is Jang Bong-hwan, the popular playboy chef of the present time whose soul ends up in the Queen’s body.
One Of Korea’s Top-Rated Historical Comedy Drama Lands On Netflix
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Mr. Queen clocked in a steady rise in its ratings during its broadcast in Korea. From its pilot episode rating of 8.03% on December 12, 2020, it started its weekly climb until its final episode on February 14th, 2021, with 17.371%.
Not without controversy, the drama faced a snag in the early episode releases. The negative reaction of viewers as to the term that the series used for the historical record of Korea.
Episode 2 had a character referring to the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty as a ‘jirashi’, which is a newsletter containing rumours and hearsay.
Also, as it is an adaptation of a Chinese drama titled Go Princess Go, the writer of the original series have apparently made remarks about Korea.
After addressing the issues, the producers of the drama made measures to correct their mistake and moved to fulfil their promise to deliver their series as one that is new and creative, different from that of the original.
True to their word, the series showcased varying points of view and touched on social issues while making people laugh in each episode. The main character is a man’s soul in a woman’s body at a time when gender equality is not as it is today.
His modern school of thought is completely flipped and we definitely see his struggles from being a man to a woman.
Being a historical drama involving the royal family adds its fair share of complications to the plot. The supporting cast was also given ample time to shine their own light in the series.
Each character contributed to the story’s progression either as a support for the Queen or the cause of her King’s troubles.
Netflix K-drama Fans Are Happy to Watch Mr Queen To Their Fill
Credit: tvN
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Personally, I got so excited that the series would be available on Netflix. I get to revisit the episodes and scenes that are my favourites.
Mainly the scenes where Bong Hwan, in the Queen’s body, prepares food. He uses contemporary culinary techniques and Korean cuisine profiles, then brings them to the past.
There was even a scene where it appeared that he inadvertently made the first-ever instant noodles in the Joseon Era. Also, there was an episode where he created a ‘fast food menu’ for a royal banquet.
What is more appealing to me is that the series successfully put Korea’s present-day popularity in a historical setting. The main character even introduced a face mask to the Dowager Queen so she doesn’t put the Queen in exile.
So many more hilarious surprises await the viewer of Mr. Queen. I am just sorry I won’t be able to watch it for the first time again.
Would you be interested in watching the historical Kdrama series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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