Lee Juhoe who is the Producer for drama and films for TME Group which along with S Corp is the money behind Excitatio was interviewed. In it he said this: " In addition, #Excitatio will also be brought to life by the enthusiasm and fresh performances of the new actors, including #OhYeju who successfully secured her role after going through a rigorous audition process." This means a few things. One, she must have beat a very large number of competitors for this role. Two, she must have had one heck of a series of screen tests. Three, that him specifically mentioning her and what she did to secure the role shows they have big expectations for her. Four, in this kind of process one or more of the screen tests would have been with Lee Jun Hyuk himself. As the established star of Excitatio his agreement and support of her was vital. Five, a rigorous process means a fair process. In other words big name entertainment agencies like BH and Namoo actors couldn't pull any strings for their folks. She won the role with talent alone and not influence. Finally for a young 21 year old actress to land a FL role in a SBC Friday/Saturday night drama, mostlikely, the first of year with large expectations is huge. I think that TME Group, S Corp and SBS know that this is going to make her a star and them alot of money and move this very beautiful young actress into the top of the Gen Z generation. If Excitatio delivers like Revenant (SBC's last Friday/Saturday night occult/horror drama) just watch the awards come tumbling into her lap and of course Lee jun Hyuk's lap too.
With Oh Yeju, Ryu Dain, Kim Tae Young, and now Jo Beom gyu joining the cast this drama, anchored by the great veteran Lee Jun Hyuk is assembling a powerful group of wonderful Gen Z actors/actresses that I believe you going to drive young netizens crazy for the next six months and when it airs. And think about the visuals, this horror drama is going to produce!
According to NamuWiki, Netflix has bought the streaming rights for Korea. In doing that this early they are clearly signaling that they plan on buying the international streaming rights. Look for this drama to be the first big one for Netflix in 2027.
Just saw episode 8 which featured Kim Tae Young and he is getting good reviews. But what struck me are the parallels between this drama and his casting in Excitatio in January of 2027. Both shot in the same Daechi dong. Both are about taking evil pills, In this drama the evil in the pills is that they are addictive, in Excitation the pills are demonic. Both Kim Tae Young and his previous costar Oh Yeju, who is the FL in Excitatio want to get into Med School. Just like this drama SBS's Excitatio, staring Lee Jun Hyuk and Oh Yeju, is going to be a massive hit.
In the teaser Oh Yeju, who after Lee jun Hyuk figures most prominately in the teaser is something else. No one can deny that she has incredible, innocent, korean beauty standard flawless visuals. But to watch her transformation from the visually stunning young student, after she pops the demon pill, into the leering demonically infuenced creature is disturbing yet so mesmerizing. From the teaser it is clear that she "is the child" that Father Antonio is going to save.
Wow! What a teaser. Oh yeju looks incredibly scared and beautiful . Yoon Se Ah has that evil smile. Lee Jun Hyuk, looks like the exercist hero. I hope he survives. In putting out a teaser this early, SBS has real high hopes for this. It is going to be smash.
Currently binging Teach You a Lesson on Netflix. No matter your stance on its intense themes, it is an undeniable smash. It got me thinking about the upcoming SBS drama Awakening (2027). While the premises are wildly distinct, they share a fascinating structural theme—schools and classrooms being terrorized by an evil generated from within the student body.
Lee Jun-hyuk's character, Father Antonio, is basically the religious, Vatican-ordained equivalent of the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau. He's an outside enforcer brought in to clean up a distorted academic environment. However, Awakening has a huge advantage: because it leans into occult horror rather than real-world social commentary, it won’t suffer from the same controversial baggage that followed Teach You a Lesson. Barring any massive production blunders by Studio S or Director Oh Jun-hyeok, SBS is looking at an absolute goldmine.
Awakening is assembling a powerful group of young elite up and comers: Oh Yeju, Ryu Da In, Kim Tae Young, and Jo Beom - gyu. These are the kind of talents that will be the K drama stars in the next 5 years. Couple this with the star power of Lee Jun Hyuk and the deep pockets of S Corp, and TME Entertainment I don't see how this drama can miss.
I am looking forward to both female student leads. Oh Yeju serves as the central catalyst for the drama as she is the one who is first induced to take the evil drug. In addition as a newcomer she will be going through all the abuse and bullying that an elite school like that can dish out. The evil that possesses her maybe one of revenge. Ryu da in serves as the high-stakes "emotional and psychological anchor" that illustrates the tragic human cost of the drama's premise. Both leading roles are vital to the drama. In other words Oh Yeju the spark that lights the drama while Ryu da In is the fuel that keeps the narritive burning. Because, in the drama, Ryu Da In comes from an important family she may be a main target of the evil spirits.
This drama has a great chance to be huge for both of these talented up and comers. With Studio S and TME backing this there will be no financial contraints. My goodness having those deep pocketed guys is a total cinematic seal of approval. Couple this with it's great January time slot and I don't think I am going out on a limb in saying that SBS has huge expectations for this. These two may indeed be riding a wave that will rocket them into total stardom. I think that SBS is hoping to have another Revenant on its hands. If it even gets close to this, and it is good bet it will, the drama award nominations will come pouring in for these two.
It will be especially sweet for Rain. Oh Yeju is his only actress. After his failure with CIPHER he decided to have a boutique agency model. If he is able to guide Oh Yeju from an unknown student to a kdrama star he will hve all sorts of talent trying to be the next Rain discovery.
This was such an amazing series to me. Mad props to writers who can tell a good romance without the need of a…
Even though I have another view, I take note that you had a similar experience and so I understand and respect what you are saying. With her character I cut her a little more slack because she felt envious that they knew their parents far better than she did. And even though she was a bit of spoiled teenager, she also had many redeeming qualities that her family and boyfriend saw in her.
Finally, I must admit a bias because ever since I saw her in Under the Queen's Umbrella, Oh Yeju has become my favorite young actress. That view was further solidified by the chemistry she and Hong Minki had in Love Your Enemy. They basically stole the drama.
This was such an amazing series to me. Mad props to writers who can tell a good romance without the need of a…
Disagree somewhat about the youngest couple. I like the way the reviewer at Dramabeans put it. "While our maknae couple wasn’t my favorite pairing — especially during the miscommunication and false cheating allegations era — they were somehow the most solid couple of the bunch. Perhaps it stems largely from their infectious youthful optimism, but even when their relationship was at their rockiest, they still had chemistry." I guess one person's "youthful optimism" is another person's cringe.
The drama hasn't even finish, yet people already gave low rating?
Sometimes the drama in the kpop world leaks into the kdrama world. Right now, because of Irene's success with her solo album and because she beat out BTS in the Music Bank voting there is alot of negative stuff on X about Red Velvet. And it effects all the members. Ignore the numbers, this is a good drama.
Azure Spring looks more interested in food, aesthetics and attractive people staring at the ocean than in telling…
Couldn't disagree more! Agree on the visuals. But the story is compelling. And the acting is fine. Who knows maybe you are just biased against Red Velvet.
Lee Jun-hyuk's character, Father Antonio, is basically the religious, Vatican-ordained equivalent of the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau. He's an outside enforcer brought in to clean up a distorted academic environment. However, Awakening has a huge advantage: because it leans into occult horror rather than real-world social commentary, it won’t suffer from the same controversial baggage that followed Teach You a Lesson. Barring any massive production blunders by Studio S or Director Oh Jun-hyeok, SBS is looking at an absolute goldmine.
This drama has a great chance to be huge for both of these talented up and comers. With Studio S and TME backing this there will be no financial contraints. My goodness having those deep pocketed guys is a total cinematic seal of approval. Couple this with it's great January time slot and I don't think I am going out on a limb in saying that SBS has huge expectations for this. These two may indeed be riding a wave that will rocket them into total stardom. I think that SBS is hoping to have another Revenant on its hands. If it even gets close to this, and it is good bet it will, the drama award nominations will come pouring in for these two.
It will be especially sweet for Rain. Oh Yeju is his only actress. After his failure with CIPHER he decided to have a boutique agency model. If he is able to guide Oh Yeju from an unknown student to a kdrama star he will hve all sorts of talent trying to be the next Rain discovery.
Finally, I must admit a bias because ever since I saw her in Under the Queen's Umbrella, Oh Yeju has become my favorite young actress. That view was further solidified by the chemistry she and Hong Minki had in Love Your Enemy. They basically stole the drama.