Queen & I (DVD) (End) (Multi-audio) (English Subtitled) (tvN TV Drama) (Malaysia Version) DVD Region 3

Kim Boong Do makes for an interesting, unruffled hero who adapts quickly and calmly to his changing circumstances and approaches the modern world with intellectual curiosity rather than comedic shock. After learning how the talisman works, he begins to move freely between time periods, using the advantage of time, modern transportation and historical knowledge to thwart his political enemies, save the queen and carefully rewrite history. While his enemies angle to kill him in Joseon times, in modern times Boong Do's budding relationship with Hee Jin opens up new questions about their future together and the unforeseen consequences of time travel.

Having an underacting hero who travels back and forth in time at will offers a twist to the usual time-travel setup, and both Boong Do and Hee Jin are well-written and well-acted protagonists who are refreshingly confident, straightforward and proactive about their situation. The protagonists spend most of their time immediately acting upon their conflicts and emotions, sparing the audience from the kind of stagnant, hesitation-driven angst that slows down many a romantic melodrama. The characters move forward (or backward) with steadfast reason and purpose, and every timeline reboot adds to the story and to the protagonists' connection with each other.

Though there are some holes in the time-travel logic, Queen In Hyun's Man is surprisingly well thought out, turning the time-travel experience into a thinking man's journey rather than a vehicle for fish-out-of-water gags. Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na's sizzling onscreen chemistry also lifts the story a whole other notch as a romance. Queen In Hyun's Man could have been yet another time-travel romance with only semi-big names, but thanks to pitch-perfect casting, inspired writing and solid direction, it turned out to be one of the most heartfelt and thought-out Korean dramas of the year.