What I think contributes to such age gaps in Korean dramas is that there is a lack of top quality actresses in the early to late 20s who can carry off important female lead roles. While there are quality actors in that age range who get cast in important male lead roles, like Lee Jong Suk, Joo Won, Kim Soo Hyun etc. Instead, we keep getting 'idol-type' actresses cast in lead roles, some who can't act to save their skins.
Fewer Suzys and Yoonas, more Han Hyo Joos and Park Se Youngs please!
Some explanation needed please: How in the world did everyone magically forget that Secretary Wang caused Young…
Well I just felt that Secretary Wang's actions were too easily 'forgiven' and forgotten. And I'm utterly unconvinced by her reasons for letting Young go blind. That kind of love is no love at all.
How in the world did everyone magically forget that Secretary Wang caused Young to be blind? And what, in the first place, motivated Secretary Wang to be evil that way?
What was the point of making Jin Sung stab Soo only to resurrect him?
What was the point of Young's suicide attempt? Just to have Soo prove his love for her? Seems pretty out of character coming from Young who is supposed to be strong-headed and confident.
On hindsight, the only character who achieves full redemption is the dead one - MOO CHUL.
Honestly, the Invisible Man example could apply to several Korean drama characters.. The poor second lead who never gets the girl. Another example is Lee Ki Woo's character in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. Also, the second lead in Playful Kiss.
Same thing with the boyfriend's mother from hell - Secret Garden, Boys over Flowers, My Name is Kim San Soon, Scent of a Woman, Winter Sonata etc. (Believe it or not I actually went through my drama list to recall the hell-raising number of dramas I have watched.)
Thanks for the fun article. My favorites are Nobuta and Sungkyunkwan! Watching your video of the latter was so…
Dayum this comment should be labelled a spoiler for the point about that scene in Gaksital.. But I agree - that's one of the most heartbreaking scenes for me in the show. Along with Joo Won's heartwrenching screams and crying. Gah gets me everytime!
what about king 2 hearts' lee jae ha ang eun shi kyung? or panda and hedgehog's seung ji and won il :)
Very good point about the King2Hearts' bromance! I'd probably use that as an example of a sacrificial bromance. Boys Over Flowers? Not so much. Not as high stakes as the situation in King2Hearts.
Forget Jun Pyo, who was there first choice for Jandi? That can't be there first ...................... Great article!
On hindsight and upon rewatching Boys over Flowers, Goo Hye Sun acted pretty horribly. Funny how drama addiction can blind you to all the flaws of a drama.
Aside from your nonchalance about Cha Seung Won, I think it was a boon to King2Hearts to have cast a younger actor - the audience has to believe that the king was a relatively young and immature looking man who had to fill enormous shoes left by his brother, and then the satisfaction will come from watching him grow to fill that role and make the throne his own.
interesting, what about doing a girl version of this article ? i think that would be good too :)
I think that would be a bit more difficult because many trendy Korean dramas are not driven by female characters. I can think of a few though - Prosecutor Princess, Delightful Girl Choon Hyang, Nice Guy, Kim Sam Soon etc
--I don't particularly care for BOF, but I like CheerfulSoul's point that Jang Geun Suk could probably not have…
Lee MIn Ho was not a flaw of Faith. I agree the actor cast in his role should have been older - NOT because of an age gap with Kim Hee Sun, but because of the gravitas needed to play a general. I believe he tried his best with the role, but he excels in roles where his inner emotions are drawn out - like City Hunter and Boys over Flowers - not in roles where he must keep his emotions in check and give too controlled a performance.
I agree with the other commenters that we need a better explanation for the sudden shutdown - whether it's lack of time to keep the site up, or allegations of copyright infringement. Any explanation would be appreciated.
Just watched this movie on the plane. It's alright, like many other big robbery movies, but probably not as smart…
Not that they had too many characters - it was that they tried to develop too many characters. Ocean's Eleven had more than 11 characters, but they only focused on the 2 or 3 main characters.
Extremely overrated...I can say I am pretty sure I'm the only one who did not like it. I should have read up on…
The bromance between the two leads starts the moment we learn about their past friendship through the flashbacks. The heartbreaking part about it is how one person's mistake caused the friendship to fracture, and how their own pride was getting in the way. Before the 14th episode we were already seeing their closeness.
Overall good. Rated 8/10. I could've given it a 10/10 if this had romance. I mean, I can see that Hakyung and…
Because it tends to outshadow the other stories in the whole show. It doesn't have to be romantic to be about love. There's bromance, parental, a teacher's love for her students etc. These involve love too.
It was only a year that passed - the premise that Kyung Joon got his body and suddenly physically matured 12 years in the span of 1 year defies ALL scientific logic. Even if that was the intention, could not the writers have made the effort to EXPLAIN this to us? That maybe this was the miracle that was supposed to happen? URGH. SO FRUSTRATED WITH THIS SHOW.
It was only a year that passed - the premise that Kyung Joon got his body and suddenly physically matured 12 years in the span of 1 year defies ALL scientific logic. Even if that was the intention, could not the writers have made the effort to EXPLAIN this to us? That maybe this was the miracle that was supposed to happen? URGH. SO FRUSTRATED WITH THIS SHOW.
Fewer Suzys and Yoonas, more Han Hyo Joos and Park Se Youngs please!
How in the world did everyone magically forget that Secretary Wang caused Young to be blind? And what, in the first place, motivated Secretary Wang to be evil that way?
What was the point of making Jin Sung stab Soo only to resurrect him?
What was the point of Young's suicide attempt? Just to have Soo prove his love for her? Seems pretty out of character coming from Young who is supposed to be strong-headed and confident.
On hindsight, the only character who achieves full redemption is the dead one - MOO CHUL.
Same thing with the boyfriend's mother from hell - Secret Garden, Boys over Flowers, My Name is Kim San Soon, Scent of a Woman, Winter Sonata etc. (Believe it or not I actually went through my drama list to recall the hell-raising number of dramas I have watched.)