Hilariously good!

I had my doubts when I read the premise - a man in a woman's body sounded odd. However, I'm so glad I watched this!
Most dramas let go of their comic sequences once they get to the more serious plot points - this drama kept cracking me up throughout. I didn't want it to end!
The acting is brilliant - Mr Queen & King Cheol Jong, alongwith the supporting cast - fit so aptly in their role. I loved seeing how they embodied all the different emotions of their character, alongside a healthy dose of humour. The ML surprised me the most - I didn't expect to like him as much. His reactions to the queen's antics are phenomenally done!

I can see myself coming back to this drama, time and again, whenever I need to lift my spirits.

--spoiler ahead--
I have to say: I severely missed bong hwan in the ending - I wished that he would return to the king but he didn't. "The thought of both Bong-hwan and Cheol-jong going through life with a gaping whole in their hearts longing for something they will never have again just kills me." - this feels extremely unfair to cheol jong & bong hwan. Even though they're played by the same actress, I wanted bong hwan to continue in joseon rather than so yong.

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The cast & plot make up for the poor editing & transitions

Despite the classic chinese drama style bad scene transitions, this drama roped me in firstly for its plot, and then for its cast. I have new favourites in, especially Bai Shu (yang bawan) & Sun Qian (chun yu) - their reactive acting was exceptional, and the rest of the cast were great too! In the beginning, I found Chun Yu's acting quite expressionless but, in time, that explains itself.

Few scenes (especially in the beginning) were not convincing enough, and repetitive dialogues made me roll my eyes, but again, the plot (what happens next) kept me going.
It's purely the cast and visual fx that pulled the 9 star rating. Even when I got bored in parts, I came back for them. I will definitely rewatch this drama for the cast. Their chemistry was spot on.

All in all, I highly recommend the drama.

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Endearing watch + so many positive charcters!

This is such a light, positive drama - even the negative characters don't remain so for long, everyone is good! (rare in recent dramas) or at least has a good side worth appreciating.
The casting is great. I began watching because I was curious to see the moment when a 30 year old wakes to realize their age while feeling like a 17 year old + I admire the actress. I continued watching for everyone's acting + the positive vibe of the drama.
Even though the plot continuously teased on disclosing the suspense for our main characters, I didn't mind due to the positives.
And when finally the main leads discovered what was going on, it happened all too soon - everyone adapted fast, understood eachother quickly, accepted their reality quickly etc. This felt unreal. But again, I didn't mind. It was coming to an end.
I liked the end takeaway - choose what makes you happy, you don't have to achieve your goal the fastest, just happily at your own pace. As long as you're happy & doing what you love, you'll be aligned with yourself & likely, win. The journey matters.

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The perfect fusion of humour into a serious story arc

The minamdang gang is pure fun! I had a great time laughing along with the actors - the cast & crew did an especially great job of fusing humour without ridiculing the seriousness of the story arc.
Seo In Guk is an absolute treat to watch! Loved his acting & expressions throughout. This drama is a lovely destressor without giving up on the great story & acting.

The few cons I found were easy to overlook in light of the acting. Any scene with Seo In Guk was an absolute joy to watch.
This is going to be one of the dramas I rewatch as a mood lifter in the future.

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