alienshore7

Happy to. Thanks for asking.

Interesting. I never really thought of the age difference being the problem with Han Ga In in Moon/Sun. I thought the problem there was that I've seen better acting in local theater. She was just god awful -- one of the single worst acting performances I've ever seen by a lead female. Age didn't make any difference to how bad she was in that.

I feel similarly about Personal Taste. It wasn't the age difference that bothered me; those 2 just didn't have any chemistry (and I'm blaming that 55% on LMH and 45% on the writing and directing, which wasn't very good.)

So while I think age difference can definitely make a lack of chemistry even more glaringly obvious and grating, I think it's the lack of chemistry to start with that really causes the problem.

So funny! Great article!

Nice article. Great topic! Thanks!

Oh, and how did I miss Secret Garden?! Seriously, this is the most glaring one. If anyone other than Binnie had done this, it would have been a disaster because the plot is actually kind of annoying and dumb. It is his acting and the chemistry between him and Ha Ji Won that make this work as well as it did. They are one of my fave Kdramaland couples, and Kdramaland would be a sadder place without them.

--I don't particularly care for BOF, but I like CheerfulSoul's point that Jang Geun Suk could probably not have played dumb as well as Lee Min Ho did, so I guess this ended up for the better.
--I absolutely can't see anyone other than Yoon Si Yoon in Me Too Flower. It was not a particularly good drama, but he was very good in it and it also showcased a different side to him than we normally get to see since he was a darker more mature character. Plus, he is one of the best kissers in Kdramaland and that super hot kiss scene would not have been the same without him, and that would have been a great loss to the world.
--Faith had a lot of flaws, A LOT. I think Lee Min Ho was one of them. That said, I'm glad neither Lee Jun Ki or Kang Ji Hwan got pulled into this mess because they are both too good for it, and despite their better acting and action skills they could not have saved this drama. However, at least if it had been KJH, there wouldn't have been such a glaring age difference with the leading lady.

I've seen all of these so feel the need to weigh in as it is an interesting topic:
--Jung Il Woo was the BEST thing about the otherwise total mess that was Moon Embracing the Sun (at least mess once the adult actors took over). Joo Won is ok, but Jung Il Woo is definitely a better actor and Joo Won just could not have pulled this off as well as JIW did.
--As much as I like Cha Seung Won, I don't think I could see anyone but Jang Dong Gun in that role after having watched it.
--This would have been a travesty! This is one of my fave dramas and it is the only time I have ever thought that LSG could really, really act. He was AMAZING in this and his chemistry with HJW was equally blazing.
--I think Jang Hyuk would have been fine in Gaksital, but the character required someone younger for the more vulnerable scenes to work out well, so good they went with Joo Won.
To be continued...

I can't understand why people didn't like the first episode? Was it just too unique and artsy? I think it was brilliant. But since the story is being told visually rather than through dialogue I guess that puts people off. It's also stylized rather than naturalistic, but that too makes it so much more challenging and avant garde than your average Kdrama fare. So proud of the pd and writer for doing something so different.

Lee Min Ki is also my particular obsession and here are some more must watch if you lurve LMK as much as I do:
--Evasive Inquiry Agency: one of the most unique and awesome Kdramas I've seen. Also, it's probably the most underrated Kdrama on the planet. You've seen nothing like this.
--Oishii Man: actually more in Japanese than Korean and is not a compelling movie but rather like an arthouse type movie in wich LMK shows off some really great acting!
--Tidal Wave (aka Haeundae): he's not the lead in this, but still worth a watch. Have a box of tissues.
--A Million: I haven't seen this yet but will watch it just for LMK.

And check out his album No Kidding. I love it because it's not your usual Kpop, which I am not a fan of, rather it's more of an electropop, indie rock kind of feel. I especially like Tonight, Tonight and Dreaming.

Good point!

Great list! The going to bed fully clothed thing is the one that kills me everytime. I get so happy when I see someone put on actual pajamas or a nightgown! I mean how could a person sleep in a suit or a heavy sweater or with a headband in their hair? I just don't get it. I just figured it was the film companies' way of saving money on the wardrobes. But if that's not it, I'd love an answer.

Thanks for requesting.:-)

And in Arang too. Lee Jun Ki does his own fighting and even does some of his own choreography. His fighting is some of the best in all Kdramaland.

On top of that, if you are looking just at the drama Faith and the movie Rurouni Kenshin, I mean, seriously, there is no comparison. Kenshin has some of the best fight choreography and all around directing I've ever seen (could rival most American films) where Faith has terrible fight choreography and directing even by Kdrama standards.

Thank you, akai-kitsune for saying what I now don't have to.

That was awesome! I did the same thing with Big, Faith and Playful Kiss, and almost with Missing You, but eventually even the fan-ahjumma (I don't qualify as a girl) in me couldn't take that weepy disturbing mess anymore. And I loved what you said about pedonoonas - so funny!

Wow. Great list. You listed nearly all of my favorite younger actresses without listing any that I can't stand! I went through a period where I chose dramas based solely on actors that I liked, and while I tend to focus on two actors, there are also a few actresses that I will watch in pretty much anything and have watched dramas just because they are in them: Ha Ji Won and Yoon Eun Hye (although I couldn't stomach Missing You). I really like Shin Min Ah too and think Moon Geun Young is an amazing actress for someone her age.

Yeah. Sometimes I like mindless dramas that don't have much drama too them. That's why I watch something like this even if the quality isn't very good.

This is not a good drama; it's not really even mediocre. HOWEVER, I still find it very entertaining in a guilty pleasure, I love hot boys & gender-bending kind of way. I place it with To The Beautiful You, which I also found to be totally awful but yet watched all the way to the end because that is how much I like gender bender dramas. There is just something about the sexual tension created in them that just keeps me hooked every time even when everything else is lacking.

I think what some people are forgetting is that it takes 2 people to want to get married. It's not like all women who are dating a man for a long time are just waiting around for him to pop the question. Thinking that is the case is demeaning to women (as though women's lives revolve around a man asking them to marry him) and unfair to men (as though all the pressure of initiating marriage talks has to be on them).

Maybe these couples made the decision to delay marriage together, not just the man not wanting to until the woman is pregnant. Maybe the woman didn't feel the need to get married yet either? As a woman in a similar situation to Baek Ji Young and close to her age, I am shocked by a lot of the very old-fashioned, anti-feminist ideas being presented here. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but try thinking of things from other people's pov's too.