2025 has been an enormous yr for Korean artwork, starting from Ok-pop music to Ok-movies like KPop Demon Hunters, and now Ok-dramas have efficiently joined the bandwagon. Netflix’s Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is the newest addition to the streaming platform’s considerable record of Ok-drama collection, in addition to the newest Ok-drama collection to attain world recognition. The romantic comedy follows Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-ah), an aspiring Michelin chef, who by accident time-travels to the Joseon Period, Korea’s longest dynasty, the place she turns into the royal prepare dinner for the tyrannical king Lee Yi-Heon (Lee Chae-min). The collection, very similar to different historic Ok-dramas, is a narrative of star-crossed lovers introduced collectively by time, and whether or not time will maintain them collectively or separate them stays to be seen. Within the meantime, viewers are handled to scrumptious meals, comedy, romance, and intriguing characters.
Since its launch on Aug. 23, the rom-com Ok-drama soared to the quantity two spot on the streaming platform’s prime 10 non-English reveals record and garnered 8.1 million views over the weekend, a 4.6 million viewership enhance from the three.5 million views it acquired on its premiere weekend. The fantasy drama is directed by Chang Tae-yoo, who’s additionally identified for steering the historic drama My Love from the Star in addition to different comparable tasks. With rom-com queen and Ladies’ Era (SNSD) member Yoon-ah and the charismatic Chae-min, the Ok-drama does greater than explicitly depict the tyrannical rule of a disgraced historic determine. The comedic timing offers levity to moments that seemingly replicate the actions taken throughout this tumultuous time in Korean historical past.
What Is ‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’ About?
The Netflix Ok-drama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty breaks a longstanding custom in Korean dramas, and fairly than being a manhwa, a Korean comedian adaptation, it’s tailored from an online novel titled Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Chef, written by Park Guk-jae. The novel and the Ok-drama adaptation observe Yeon Ji-young (Yoon-ah), a younger chef from the twenty first century, on her means residence to South Korea from France after successful a culinary competitors. As an alternative of returning to modern-day South Korea, Ji-young is transported again to the Joseon Period of Korean historical past. As she involves phrases with the thought of time journey, Ji-young shortly realizes that she’s traveled again to a deadly time in Korean historical past: the rule of King Lee Yi-Heon (Chae-min).
The 2 instantly get off on the fallacious foot as they’re each from two drastically completely different time durations. Earlier than she’s conscious that he is the domineering ruler, Ji-young challenges his authority, prompting the short-tempered king to threaten her life. Ji-young is the kind of protagonist who lands on her toes, so she makes use of her masterful culinary expertise to enchantment to the tyrannical ruler’s palate as a method to outlive. Her cooking expertise break via his chilly exterior and contact his coronary heart, a process others have struggled to attain, so as an alternative of sentencing her to loss of life, he makes her his official chef, that means she’s unable to go away the palace. There are guidelines she has to observe, together with by no means cooking the identical meal twice or presenting him with a meal that is unsuitable for his distinctive style in meals; in any other case, that will be the top of her journey. Ji-young, left with no different choice, decides to make the very best of her state of affairs if she hopes to outlive Yi-Heon’s ruthlessness and cruelty and get again residence.
The Actual Life Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’
The newest Ok-drama to hitch the streaming platform’s in depth record of Korean content material has fantastical parts, however the historic context can be value noting. The story is about throughout the Joseon Dynasty, which spanned over 500 years between 1392 and 1910. For Ok-drama connoisseurs, the Joseon Period setting is nothing out of the bizarre, provided that many collection gravitate to this time interval, so this collection brings a way of consolation when it comes to the setting. The wild card is in Lee Chae-min’s character, King Lee Yi-Heon, who’s loosely based mostly on the real-life tyrannical ruler King Yeonsangun, who’s known as one of the crucial infamous rulers for his brutality throughout the Joseon Dynasty.
Just like the fictional character, King Yeonsangun’s mom was executed when he was a younger boy. As he grew up and was topped king, Yeonsangun sentenced and deposed anybody complicit in his mom’s demise. He additionally, like within the historic drama, had ladies rounded up and offered to him for pleasure functions, which was depicted within the first two episodes and continues to be referenced within the newest spherical of episodes. Any type of criticism was suppressed both by imprisonment or execution. After ruling for practically 15 years, Yeonsangun was overthrown by different nobles and officers, changed by his youthful brother, and died after two months in exile. Like Ji-young mentions within the first 4 episodes, Yeonsangun was a bloody, authoritarian determine, and the Ok-drama, though fictionalizing the real-life ruler, retains that essence in Chae-min’s character.
‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’ Is a Sequence Ok-Drama Followers Do not Need to Miss
As a frequent shopper of Korean content material, some Ok-dramas appear repetitive and lack originality. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is a welcome breath of contemporary air and the Ok-drama I used to be ready for this yr. There have been different profitable Ok-dramas on Netflix, most notably When Life Offers You Tangerine, however this collection is all-around entertaining. There’s romance, fantasy, historical past, and comedy all geniusly blended and carried out by a gifted solid ensemble. The comedic deliveries are completely positioned and timed with out showing out of the blue and lacking their mark.
Seeing that it follows the story of an aspiring Michelin chef, the culinary features of the narrative are thought out and offered in extraordinary element. There’s time put aside for the characters to precise their love for the meals and describe it in nice element, so the viewers really feel included in that have. For individuals who love historic dramas like Outlander and cooking reveals like The Bear, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is the fruits of each. There are 4 episodes out there to stream now on Netflix with a two-episode weekly launch schedule.