Bon Appetit Your Majesty Ep 1 Review: YoonA and Lee Chae-Min's show starts off in a highly entertaining manner

Bon Appetit Your Majesty aired its first episode yesterday. The show produced by tvN is coming on Netflix in episodic basis. Actress YoonA and Lee Chae-Min play the lead roles in the time travel historical drama where an ambitious sous chef gets transported to the Joseon era. The show was initially supposed to star Park Sung-Hoon who became a sensation after Squid Game 2-3 as Choi Hyun-Ju. However, it did not materialise after the flak he got for uploading a parody of Squid Game featuring Japanese AV content. Lee Chae-Min who has done shows like Hereditary and Crash Course In Romance was brought in as the lead.

Recap of episode one Of Bon Appetit Your Majesty

In Bon Appetit Your Majesty, YoonA plays the part of Yeon Ji-yeong, a young man who wins a prestigious cookery show and secures a job in a Michelin star restaurant. Fate has other plans as she lands up with a book that belongs to the Joseon period in the solar eclipse period. Ji-yeong is transported to the Joseon era ruled by Lee Heon, the tyrant king. Known for his cruel ways, he is fond of hunting and keeps a number of concubines. Ji-yeong thinks this is a dream before she realizes that she has indeed gone back in time.

Bon Appetit Your Majesty off to an entertaining start

The first episode is quite engaging and entertaining. Some of it seems silly but works in the bigger context. YoonA seems to be enjoying playing the character and it shows. She aces the passionate, crazy, feisty character of Yeon Ji-yeong. Lee Chae-Min does look a bit younger to her onscreen but he does a competent job of playing a ruler whose childhood made him beyond ruthless. The production values are excellent whether it is the outdoor locales, cinematography or art direction. The comic timing of the two leads is decent, which made the first episode immensely watchable.

Recently, there was a series The First Night With The Duke where we had a similar kind of plot. Some might a few similarities between these shows. On the hindsight, Park Sung-Hoon seems to have made a wise move opting out of this series. Lee Chae-Min seems more appropriate given it is a young king.