Meari21

I am a sucker for food dramas so this is right up my alley. I'm also used to watching food-centric J-dramas and anime so I'm used to the over-the-top silliness that make this genre unique. If you've seen Japanese web dramas like Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman and anime like Food Wars, the carefully curated dishes and overreaction to them are part of their charm. As this is based on a relatively lighthearted webtoon that is probably inspired by Japanese food manga/anime, I don't find that aspect peculiar or off-putting.

Besides, I believe the focus on the food is the core of this drama, the romance comes in second, and the politics third. In other Korean rom-coms, the characters' jobs are not the focal point but are rather treated as add-ons or accessories that if the writers decide to change their careers it wouldn't affect the narrative as much. This, however, is really about the food and the main character's identity as a world-class Michelin star chef. You take that character and put it in the most unlikely of places, ancient Joseon, forge an interesting dynamic between that character and a historical figure known for his discerning palate, and you can create a "what if" period fantasy with a modern fairy tale twist. That, to me, is the winning formula of this drama from a writing standpoint.

I’ve heard of that! Thanks! I’ll check it out. ☺️

Oh he did? Hahaha! Maybe I should check that out.

Dramas need some time to breathe and make room for character development. If it keeps moving forward with the story with not enough scenes to develop the characters, it would also come out flat. That episode was made to delve more into the budding romance between the two leads and also show the king's softer side. It's clear that she's changing him and has power over him. I'm actually a little disappointed that they didn't try to show him realizing his mistakes by taking genius inventors like Jang Chung Saeng and his uncle for granted. It would be great if he ends up rewarding the inventor and giving his uncle the acknowledgement he deserves, and starts doing things for the sake of his people.

If you notice the Ming cooks also use peppers, red peppercorns if I'm not mistaken, which is a staple in Sichuan cooking. But the use of gochujang and gochugaru is, to my knowledge, a Korean invention, at least in East Asia. The Chinese didn't use chilis that way. And that's what the Ming cook stole. Also, chilis do grow differently depending on their environment. The chilis in Joseon may have a distinct taste that is different from those found in China regardless of where it came from, when it was introduced, and who introduced it. So naturally, the cook would be intrigued because the Koreans during that time didn't even use chilis as a food ingredient at all, but the Chinese had already started incorporting them into their dishes, especially in Sichuan.

As a fan of BL and bromance-centric dramas, I find myself drawn to the dynamics between the royal guard and the royal jester. lol

This guy needs more attention. I was surprised to find out that he actually did all his stunts in Bon Appetit, Your Majesty. He's obviously either extremely athletic or he practices some sort of martial art like Capoeira based on his movements. I hope he gets leading roles soon.

Demon Slayer has awesome visuals, probably the best animation and art design among the current crop of anime series. But plotwise, it’s a typical coming of age story with lots of cool action scenes. My favorite is Zenitsu because he starts out as a cowardly character but develops into someone more formidable. He’s not the toughest swordsman or the fastest learner but he created his own sword techniques much like the main character in this drama. In the earlier part of the series, he can only access his skills when he’s asleep or has fainted. 😂 I immediately thought of him when I saw Mingming losing consciousness and was about to die and his subconscious took over.

He is very good looking. Very few can pull off that blond wig he wore in FoF and he looked really good in that drama.

Maybe it's just me but Mingming's character here reminds me of Zenitsu in Demon Slayer. He was only able to access his martial arts prowess when his life was in danger and was close to losing consciousness. lol I dunno, I like it because it's like a shonen anime. It's got side quests, the main character has supportive friends, and the fight scenes are cool. It's more like an adventure drama. I can understand why it might not be that enjoyable to others though.

I'm honestly liking this so far. It's like a cross between Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, A Dream Within A Dream, and Blood of Youth. But then again, wuxia is my favorite genre and I couldn't care less if there was a love angle or not.

I don't think there's a love story in this. Wuxia, in general, doesn't have romance. They're probably just adoptive siblings.

I think it's just an iQIYI thing. Most of their dramas have that look and vibe. I don't think it has a low budget because Tencent co-produced it and it was highly advertised as one of the most expensive dramas ever made if not the most expensive one to date. Fangs of Fortune for example did not have an overly high budget but it looked like it did because of the stylistic set designs, fight choreography, and special effects. The budget for this drama probably went to other expenses that we don't really see yet because it's been only 6 episodes. I'm guessing they focused more on the fight scenes and spent more on making them more movie-level spectacular.

I actually find the drama's premise intriguing. The plot revolves around a present-day author who is tasked to adapt a classic novel and make it more palatable for a modern audience. But he ends up rewriting a lot of stuff that the novel lost most of its identity and what made it special in the first place. He also uses an AI program to help him write, which is something that we suspect many screenwriters and even book authors do these days.

He made the main character perfect and overpowered, turning him into a Gary Stu that can do no wrong, great at everything, beloved by everyone, and good looking on top of that. He fails to understand the lessons the original novel means to impart to its readers and disregards the importance of character development.

Interestingly, this is something that many modern writers have been doing lately. They tend to create messianic characters that are ridiculously overpowered, inserting their own fantasies into their modern adaptations, and departing from the core message and essence of the original stories. They fail to understand what made these classics so beloved and important pieces of literature. Mingming's superficial understanding of the novel and disrespect for the source material is the reason why he was transmigrated into the novel. There are lessons he needs to learn and he will experience the same adversity that the main character goes through to achieve character growth in this coming of age story. I suspect that by the end of the drama, he will create a much more fitting adaptation of the novel and write with his own ability instead of relying on AI.

He's a writer who's supposed to adapt a classic novel and give it a more modern twist, making the main character a Gary Stu that's overpowered. But he ended up changing a lot that the AI system he was using malfunctioned and transmigrated him into the novel somehow. I suppose it's trying to teach him the true lesson of the story which is about hard work, perseverance, and character growth.

Is it low budget? I thought this was the most expensive C-drama ever made thus far. This is co-produced by Tencent/WeTV and iQIYI. It's the S+ drama of all S-tier dramas. But I do get why people may think it's low budget because it does have the same look as Mysterious Lotus Casebook. Maybe the bulk of the budget went into the fight choreography and locations?

I was waiting for this drama to air to renew my iQIYI. My boy Cheng Yi is back to doing what he does best, wuxia!

I compared this to The Eternals before. I owe that movie an apology. This is way worse. I’m only on episode 3 and it’s becoming apparent that this is not a slow burn drama like I initially thought but one that has a directionless plot.

Netflix uses the term consort and she is addressed as “mama”, which is used for queens and consorts. I researched more about the usage of consort and concubine in the Joseon royal court and they seem to use consort and concubine interchangeably, at least in terms of the English translation. The royal consorts are basically higher ranked concubines. But since they are given titles, they wield more power. The titles come with a royal
decree which is a binding contract between the woman and the ruler. So it’s basically a marriage. If they take on lovers, it’s considered adultery and treason. The lower ranked concubines are not given these titles as far as I can understand. The Queens are different, thus they wear different clothing and headdresses. So yeah, we are both right. The drama’s production team uses the term concubine because in the Korean language, they are the same.

But if you check the list of queens, consorts, and concubines during the Joseon era, the Queens and consorts are not the same. Yes, they can be called Queen or Princess consort, but the title of royal consort is also given to the higher ranking wives. As for Chang Noksu, there is a debate about her true station. Some historians say that her rank was deliberately lowered despite having a higher rank among his wives. But she did start as a concubine as she was the daughter of a slave. Because she was his favorite, he promoted her to a higher status.

Then the subtitles in the drama are incorrect because they do call her consort, a junior consort. And she is addressed as "mama", which is a title reserved for consorts and queens as it basically means "your grace/highness" if I'm not mistaken. To be honest, I'm confused because these titles are not normally used for concubines.