Queen In Hyun's Man (2012)

Under no circumstances should this one be missed if you're a sucker for the following:

- Time travel
- Romance
- Historical

So much said about Queen In Hyun's Man and FINALLY able to take this one off the drama bucket list in 2017 is an experience hard to describe. But here it goes. A drama-altering experience much in the same way Kim Boong Do's future experiences forever changed the way he looked at things once he is back to that reality of his. In my case, this rewrote all expectations for time travel romance, while asking me to re-evaluate - ever so politely- all time-travel drama watching experiences I've had prior to this. For one, this drama interweaves between both past and present elements/worlds throughout the entire plot.


Story (9/10): Action is excitingly divided between the past and modern worlds, unlike most works of this genre where the character is stuck either in the past or future and the aspect of time travel fails to be relevant 95% of the time. While most time-travel pieces conclude the power of fate/history in remaining true to its course, this one explores the impact of one's actions and the precarious position of history as a result of it.

Let me make this clear. This is not a perfect drama. In fact, loopholes and flaws are clear at times. Characters and core premise are non-dimensional for the most part, but the charm of the characters, emotional twists and unpredictable turns in the telling of the tale to keep audiences thrilled down to the last minute, largely make up for it. For this, I am glad to let them pry the get out of jail free card for a 9 score.


Acting/Chemistry (9/10):

Something is just so charming about Yoo In Na as Choi Hee Jin that the attraction towards her character is so believable because of it. Ji Hyun Woo isn't what you call captivating at first glance but doesn't take long to grow on you thanks to his chemistry with Yoo In Na. Seriously one of the most romantic pairings in dramaland, so I bet you can imagine how toyed with my poor heart felt when I learned this ship ACTUALLY sailed in real life just to sink shortly after.

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This is the only drama I've watched so far that I can give a ten to! The plot while similar to rooftop prince (aka RP) was very different in several ways: how the guy could transport back and forth as needed (the last teleportation was kind of lame in one sense, but it made the ending as a whole was better than RP IMO), the setbacks both main characters faced were beleivable (in context with the story of course), and just the overall feel of the drama was excellent. I do have to say there were a couple episodes here and there that were a tiny bit so so or slow, but not to the extent that you'd want to skip them or fast forward through parts. The ending I have to say as forementioned was a bursting with almost every emmotion you can think of the only real problem I had with the ending was how they teleported him.

Now on to the cast: No complaints and everyone was fantastic (her ex was a bit irritating in a couple portions, but that's just the way his character was supposed to be). The chemistry between In na and Hyun Woo was amazing, and I heard that he confessed he really likes her in real life too -I hope they do become a couple because they are super cute together.

Anyways the soundtrack was great and is one of the only dramas I actually really paid attention to. The rewatch value IMO is excellent, and I will absolutely watch this again anytime I need a "recharger" drama and is my FAVORITE drama.

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STORY:

I'll preface this by mentioning I had watched the C-drama remake of this before watching the original. The original version, in my opinion, definitely outranked the remake. While I definitely enjoyed both versions, the Korean version was much better at keeping things flowing and interesting with no parts of it feeling draggy or annoying. The story itself is intriguing for sure - time traveling scholar who falls in love with a modern day girl, but really, I think my favorite part of the whole drama was the main actress.

ACTING:

Yoo In Na - really shined for me as the bright star of this drama. Her bubbly and adorable disposition was so fitting for this drama, but she nailed her sad and emotional scenes as well. Especially compared to Zheng Shuang (C-drama lead), you moved past the cute, pretty girl, and really got a great personality out of the K-drama version. She was funny, sarcastic, strong headed at times, etc. She felt like a real person and not just a cookie cutter main lead.

Ji Hyun Woo - honestly a little hit or miss for me at times. Overall I liked him as an actor and he did a good job, but there were many times watching him that he just had this odd facial expression and you couldn't tell if he was happy, sad, etc. A few moments, I think his timing was a little off - he'd take too long to reply or react to something, and it made me feel a little awkward at times. Overall though, especially towards the end when he was more accustomed to the modern world, he definitely became a good partner for Yoo In Na.

Kim Jin Woo - small shoutout to Han Dong Min because he really did a great job as well. He was great being the playful playboy, but you could feel his sincerity at wanting to get back together with Choi Hee Jin. And his scenes where he gets angry felt real and not like he was acting, which is a bonus.

REWATCH:

I'd definitely rewatch this one again sometime soon. It's only 16 episodes so nothing too hard to get finished in a few days, and honestly it's a well balanced drama that has its funny and entertaining moments as well as sad and emotional moments.

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I think this is the most and also the moooossst Full Packed Romantic Comedy drama I've ever seen in my whole life.Storyline,Acting and the Charrecters are supperb .I think I will never forget this drama until I die,the FL and the ML both gave their best in it .I would give their acting 20 out of 10.This drama could be a benchmark for Rom-Com K-Dramas.their is no objections or complaints about this drama.I would recommend every rom-com lovers to watch it. I've already watched it 7 times so you can see how much i loved it and the re watch value is much more then i watched it 1st time.so please watch it.i can assure that you won't regret it after watching it. Hope you find this Review usefull so thank you :)

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I don't like historical dramas. I get bored with them, the lack of technology, the struggles in communication. I don't like them. But, I saw a gif for Splash Splash Love and decided to watch it. And I fell in love.

So, post-Splash Splash Love, I needed to find a new drama to watch. Something similar, but perhaps with a more satisfying, happier ending. Along came Queen In Hyun's Man. I'd heard of QIHM before, had thought about watching it way back in the day but never did. I was a fan of Yoo In Na from the drama's The Secret Message and Goblin, so I decided why not. I didn't have anything to lose.

I loved it from the very first second. Not even one episode in and I knew QIHM was going to become one of my absolute favourite dramas. There was so much that I loved about it, that the little inconsistencies or plot holes didn't matter - it was so easy to look over them and just fall in love with these characters and their world.

Choi Hee Jin was a bit of a Mary Sue, but it didn't make me hate her like it's done with other characters in the past. Instead she's a breath of fresh air, fiery and spontaneous, fighting for what she believes in but struggling to see how smart she really is. Because she is NOT dumb, not in the slightest. She may lack some confidence, but she believes in herself. Even when her mind tells her something else, when everyone around her gives her a different story, Hee Jin trusts her instincts. Yoo In Na did a great job portraying her, she showed an excellent balance between Hee Jin's vulnerability and stubbornness,  her moments of heartbreak had me feeling like my heart was breaking too.

Kim Boong Do, I found to be just as wonderful as Hee Jin. Loyal to a fault, brave but also very afraid, a man who wants everything and in the end almost loses it all. Boong Do surprised me; at the start I thought he might be one of those stiff, rude characters who treats that girl as property, but all he ever wanted was the best for Hee Jin. All he ever wanted was the best for Queen In Hyun and Yoon Wol. He smiled A LOT which was such a nice change as men in kdrama's seem to always be the embodiment of a Byronic Hero. Also, watching his culture shock was so enjoyable; a Joseon scholar trying to survive in modern day Seoul led to many interesting and hilarious situations.

Together, Hee Jin and Boong Do were adorable. Definitely a couple to root for. They solved issues that they faced together, and always tried to do what was best for one another. And while sometimes they BOTH did stupid things, they didn't throw a fit. They understood, they talked it out. Nothing was over dramatic for them, they merely fell in love and they worked to figure it out. Thankfully, I didn't have to suffer through a horrible love triangle. It's just these two - but believe me, there are plenty of heartbreaking moments that will have you balling your eyes out because of them (*cough* the letter *cough* the hospital scene *cough*).

Finally, the plot. An interesting blend of historical and modern, QIHM successfully brings the past to the present. At times it can be confusing trying to keep track of the changing timelines and the butterfly effects. Other times, Boong Do's sudden switch from 2012 Seoul to the Joseon era can be confusing, but honestly it is 100% worth it. The split second moment of confusion is worth the drama and the acting as a whole. While the side characters were brutal (Han Dong Min I'm looking at you), it wasn't on behalf of the acting. Their characters were just so wretched, the way they treated Hee Jin at times was if she was merely a means to money or more fame. But hatred for the secondary characters aside, it's still worth it. Watching Hee Jin and Boong Do grow and fall in love, watching them find one another time and time again, will just fill your heart with a never ending feeling of joy.

Trust me when I say watch this drama. Give it a chance. It will honestly surprise you with how wonderful it is.

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Words cannot even describe how much I loved this drama! I am not usually the one to go for older series, as the cinematography and acting are usually not appealing, but this was something else. It probably was not the story that captivated me the most, even though it was quite unique for a time travelling Kdrama. The storyline was straightforward, nothing too complicated. What I loved about this show mostly was the chemistry between the leads - it was out of this world: the perfect amount of cheesiness, kissing scenes and all things adorable. I can see now very clearly why this is named as one of the essential Kdramas for beginners. It is a classic, staring from the cute couple, to the crazy side characters, to the ridiculous cliches and the captivating OST, which, overall, make this drama a masterpiece for me. So if you want something light and easy-to-watch, this drama will leave you surprised and will make you fall in love with it! (I am still having withdrawal symptoms but the way haha)

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One of the best fusion dramas out there!

Queen In Hyun's man is everything a romantic drama should be . Charming , swoon worthy and ROMANTIC. However , the writers of Queen In Hyun's Man did not think that was enough! No sir. They took it a step further with time travel elements , time slip too and the celebrity world.

This drama really gave alot in the chemistry , romance and simplicity departments. So much so that the angst purgatory stage that every drama deems necessary to have was actually quite lovely! And I hate angst.

The motifs , themes and conclusions were utterly satisfying and the reasons why it does not score a full ten is because the story was not expansive enough and just felt like there were two people . This is mostly because the supporting cast seemed to just exist and the FLs friend was annoying. I really despise noisy characters and she just had a banal way of speaking which was not even funny. However , these off elements do not take away from the charm of the drama.

Other than that- its perfect ! The OST is chef's kiss too. I loved how it had the fusion of Joseon and modern which did so mich for the continuity of the drama !

I highly recommend it . Its super duper refreshing ad will remind you what ROMANCE is supposed to look and feel like.

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OVERALL
Excellent drama that you should watch ASAP. What's great about it is the blend of the historical and romcom genres. There's action, there's history, there's fantasy, there's comedy, there's romance; a little of everything for everyone, so no need to hesitate, just dive in. Maybe think about it if you don't like love stories. But it doesn't hurt to watch one once in a while, and this one's worth it.

THE STORY
In three words: cute, interesting and fun. Although the premise is not very original, the story is flawless and incorporates enough innovation to make you forget it. For one thing, although it's a time-travel plot, forget the hundreds of clichéd jokes and plot elements typically recycled in these types of stories. In here, the guy who time travels is so smart, he can infer and deduce how to do things, and faces all situations with complete calmness. Forget the happy-go-lucky girl with little backbone and neurons. Here, the girl is good-humoured, but she's also playful (best part of her, I think) and perseverant. Their interactions are absolutely addicting, but what's great about the drama is also the interactions between them and other characters, and the back and forth between present day and past. All conflicts and complications are coherent and understandable, and the humor is good. Nothing to complain about, except that the show was too short.

THE ACTING
First lead role for Yoo In Na and she did great, even though it wasn't clear just how much was acting and how much was her being herself. Ji Hyun Woo joined my A-list. I'll be watching out for him now. He's good. Also, their chemistry was very palpable, and that's not just me saying it. There was a big scandal after that drama too. The actor made a public love confession and the actress soon followed. Guess that's why it just felt so real.

THE MUSIC
Good stuff, and always right at the right time. I just can't give it a 10, because I didn't like any of it enough to put it in my mp3. But it was good stuff. I especially liked the gayageum instrumental tracks.

REWATCH VALUE
Top of the list. Whenever I'm bored, I rewatch it. Short, good and fun, nothing better.

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