I'm finding myself currently quite obsessed with Mu Gyul... so I kinda get Seo Joon's obsession with him. Someone like that, even a day with him would probably drive you mad over him for a lifetime. He's like a fragrance you want to capture in a bottle. That Jang Geun Suk can play a character that has a similar premise with Tae Gyung and yet gives off a completely different aura is unbelievable. He's all sorts of awesome, isn't he?
Showing posts with label Jang Geun Suk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jang Geun Suk. Show all posts
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
[Drama I'm currently following] Mary Stayed Out all Night / Marry Me Mary - Ep 9
Contain Spoilers!
I was surprised that this drama has a very low rating, probably coz Jang Geun Suk's dramas have always had high rating. Oh wait.. You're Beautiful has a low rating too.. but it has a cult following! Anyway, ever since Playful Kiss got thrashed at the rating section, I never believe in domestic ratings anymore. This is probably the only drama that will have two guys I follow in the same lobby, restaurant and bedroom in my lifetime so I’m savouring the moment. It took me around 5 hours to finish this episode coz of the excessive rewind movements I made.. LOL. So many worthy MR-MG moments. I wish I had a cat.. I’d so name him Mu Gyul. Cute cat!! I'll probably suffocate it with with my overly affectionate hugs.
I can’t be bothered about the kiss at the end of the ep. If MR thinks she’s gonna be dating MG without running into a hundred ex-gfs.. not to mention fans and students.. trying to get their hands and lips on him, she has another think coming. And yeah.. MG has to start conditioning his non-confrontational brain to activate his non-confrontational body to push those pathetic girls away in the future. And what if there’re paparazzis following SJ to get another scandal scoop? If MG is still the music director of the drama.. won’t that be another problem for the production team?
Anyway.. the scene that actually made me go berserk is the meet-up between JI and MG.. kyaaaaaa! Jung-In, is talking about Mae Ri and business the only thing you can come up with as an excuse to stare at Mu Gyul for more than 10 minutes?? hahaha..I love this alternate couple. Someone make a fanfic already!
That said, I wish they throw some more likable characters into the mix. Right now, aside from MR and MG, I can’t seem to like anyone else. The parents are out of the list from the beginning, Jung-In is like a display mannequin in almost all the scenes (Why Jae Wook.. why? I watched this drama for you! I know you can be a brooding guy and still be full of life.. so why are you taking this easy way out? Is it at the behest of the director? I'm in despair...), I ish still wondering why Seo Joon is necessary, MR’s friends are mere (annoying) decorations, MG’s friends are just a bunch of cheerleaders.. how are the writers supposed to fill up 7 more episodes? I hope JI will still go with his decision to include MG and his motley crew in the drama. That’d be fun. I want more 'live' performances from the Absolute Perfection band!
IMO.. this type of drama will work better as a rom com M3 is supposed to be. I guess the writers have run out of wit by ep 3. That bedroom scene is epic and the screencaps/gifs should be immortalized in forums and chatrooms all over cyberspace!!!
Character analysis up to the current episode:
- Jung In who goes through life doing everything his father wants him to. Everything is bottled up with this guy. I can’t even imagine him shout at a wall when he’s angry. Throwing him into a brawl with Mu Gyul certainly made me see him as a human being, so he needs to be put in situations where he has to blow up once in awhile (preferably at his dad, but the old man is terminally ill so I doubt that will happen). I think, rather than MR, it’s with MG that he gets to be more himself and not a puppet controlled by his dad.
- Mae Ri who seems to think that she’s carrying the world’s problems on her tiny shoulders. She’s always going everywhere trying to fix things and she has no idea that the more she helps, the more the people she helps are bound to her. It’s precisely because she’s so understanding, always have the right things to say, will try to be beside them when they’re in trouble.. that all the guys are fighting over her now. And I think it’s sick that JI’s dad wants to keep her tied to his home just coz she looks a lot like her mom.. the woman he loved but couldn’t marry.
- Seo Jun who just goes with the flow.. most probably because she’s always got whatever she’s wanted since she was young.. that the only rebellion she displayed against her family is working as an actress. I doubt she’s doing it becoz she loves the profession or else why is it that she doesn’t care when she’s labeled as a difficult artist? Why does she have such a nonchalant attitude towards her craft? If you’ve left your family becoz they don’t approve of the choices you’ve made.. shouldn’t you work harder to show them that you have chosen well? She’s so hollow. Maybe that’s what attracts her to Mu Gyul in the first place… his passion in music that completely overshadows all other concerns in his life. She thinks it’s love though.
- Mu Gyul whose music is his food, his air, his salvation. I think he would have ended up on the wrong side of society without his love for his music. Encounters with all the women in his life (except for his mom and relatives, of course) were made possible only through his music. Even Mae Ri was not spared the crush when she saw him perform for the first time. I doubt his lifestyle that comes with his music will change, but he does need to separate between the women worthy to be let into his life and those who should just stay on its fringe. I don’t want his character to change much.. I love his free spirit, that he can sleep on thea street when he’s too sleepy or drunk just coz he feels like it. I love that he doesn’t use the GPS because he doesn’t like it when someone tells him what to do. I love that he uses bricks as bookends and that he has a swing right smack in the middle of his apartment. I love his over-the-top accessories and his shredded pants and his coats with their thick furry collars. I love his obsession with his hair. I love a lot of things about Mu Gyul that whenever the others push him with marriage talks, the thought that all the things I love about Mu Gyul may disappear as he tries to be more responsible about his relationship with Mae Ri is not making me happy one bit. I hope he can change and yet stay the same. Is that possible, newly-appointed scriptwriters? I really hope it is.
Dear new scriptwriters, even if you want to change everything about this story by the last episode.. can you not make Mu Gyul wear a work suit?? I will cry buckets if you end up making him into a regular salaryman just to make him suitable for marriage. Who says you can't be a glam rocker and get married? I can give you a list of famous rockers, glam or no, whom people deem unsuitable for family life but are still happily married after so many years. Well, I'm sorta a rock chick in my spare time so I should know this, at least. So please... let Mu Gyul keep his hot pink tops and clunky rings and spiky mittens and girly hair until the end, kay.
[Drama I'm currently following] Mary Stayed Out all Night / Marry Me! Mary!
... hereby called M3 coz I'm a lazy typist.
M3 is one classic example to illustrate why my reason for watching a drama or movie is based on the actors/actresses I follow rather than any trust in its plots or story. In fact, the writer has already left the building in an effort by the production to boost the rating. Rating, schmating. If they cut down a large chunk of Mu Gyul-Mae Ri time and stuff the drama full of dramatics just to pull the adult crowd, I'm gonna be one unhappy fan.
There're so many interesting Jang Geun Suk-Kim Jae Wook moments in this drama that I'm completely on the M3 boat right now. Not to mention that the Mu Gyul-Mae Ri couple is the cutest couple in k-dramaland I've ever stumbled upon. Jang Geun Suk has not been able to score in the cute couple department in his previous dramas. I refuse to go gaga over a pairing that ends up with one of them being dead in the end.. so the Hwang Jin Yi-Heon Keum pairing totally doesn't work on me. Despite liking Tae Kyung a lot.. the Tae Kyung-Go Mi Nam couple only got cute about a few episodes nearing the end. Well, actually only during that last scene when they're both staring at the stars while mouthing mushy dialogues to each other. And he didn't get the girl in Hong Gil Dong & Beethoven Virus.
However, I'm not too happy with the way Mu Gyul's character is progressing. They're making him succumb too fast to the demands of several annoying members of society when he's been pretty successful at ignoring them for most of his life. Just because you fall in love for the first time doesn't mean you have to seriously consider changing yourself at every turn. Where's the carefree Mu Gyul? He's looking more and more grim with every episode. I want to see him running through the streets and laughing in abandon with Mae Ri in tow again. Even their escape to the place where they want to watch the sunset is interlaced with pretty dry talks about building a family and growing old together. Eeeep... kids, you're too young to be thinking about such stuffy things. Enjoy your youth! It goes away in the blink of an eye~
The subbed episodes (up to ep 9) can be found in Youtube:
I like the Episode 9 recap by girfriday in Dramabeans. Go read!
M3 is one classic example to illustrate why my reason for watching a drama or movie is based on the actors/actresses I follow rather than any trust in its plots or story. In fact, the writer has already left the building in an effort by the production to boost the rating. Rating, schmating. If they cut down a large chunk of Mu Gyul-Mae Ri time and stuff the drama full of dramatics just to pull the adult crowd, I'm gonna be one unhappy fan.
There're so many interesting Jang Geun Suk-Kim Jae Wook moments in this drama that I'm completely on the M3 boat right now. Not to mention that the Mu Gyul-Mae Ri couple is the cutest couple in k-dramaland I've ever stumbled upon. Jang Geun Suk has not been able to score in the cute couple department in his previous dramas. I refuse to go gaga over a pairing that ends up with one of them being dead in the end.. so the Hwang Jin Yi-Heon Keum pairing totally doesn't work on me. Despite liking Tae Kyung a lot.. the Tae Kyung-Go Mi Nam couple only got cute about a few episodes nearing the end. Well, actually only during that last scene when they're both staring at the stars while mouthing mushy dialogues to each other. And he didn't get the girl in Hong Gil Dong & Beethoven Virus.
However, I'm not too happy with the way Mu Gyul's character is progressing. They're making him succumb too fast to the demands of several annoying members of society when he's been pretty successful at ignoring them for most of his life. Just because you fall in love for the first time doesn't mean you have to seriously consider changing yourself at every turn. Where's the carefree Mu Gyul? He's looking more and more grim with every episode. I want to see him running through the streets and laughing in abandon with Mae Ri in tow again. Even their escape to the place where they want to watch the sunset is interlaced with pretty dry talks about building a family and growing old together. Eeeep... kids, you're too young to be thinking about such stuffy things. Enjoy your youth! It goes away in the blink of an eye~
The subbed episodes (up to ep 9) can be found in Youtube:
I like the Episode 9 recap by girfriday in Dramabeans. Go read!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
[Uploaded Drama] Beethoven Virus - Jang Geun Suk & Kim Myung Min
I think this will be the last completed drama by Jang Geun Suk that I'm gonna pursue. I doubt I have the patience to finish a period drama so Hwang Jin-i and Hong Gil Dong are out of the list. I'm tempted to follow M3 every week though, despite my earlier resolve not to touch it with a 10-foot pole before it's completed... since I'm a creature who has almost zilch will power when it comes to temptation.
I went on the net to find out more about the actor.. Kim Myung Min. He turns out to be an interesting personality. Maybe not someone I can obsess over since he's such a scarily serious guy when he's working, but I can see myself hunting down all his works. There're not that many of them anyway since he only started to get good roles around 5-7 years ago and one of the them is in a period drama. It's weird.. I love the European period dramas/movies, but I can't stand the Asian ones.
Kim Myung Min has this thing about being called good looking. He will never believe you if you call him good looking or handsome. Watch this funny interview..
Well, I'm in agreement with the PD. In my eyes, he's really good looking. When I watched the MBC documentary on him, I realized why he's quite particular about his looks. All his young working life, he'd been told that he couldn't get lead parts because he's not good looking enough. Suddenly after Kang Mae came into existence, women find him to be an absolute dreamboat. If I were him, I'd find the whole thing amusing. But I think, some men or women do look much better looking after they've passed a certain age. Being young does not always equate with being beautiful. Looking young does not always mean looking gorgeous. And Kang Mae's intensely charismatic personality enhances his attractiveness. You just can't take your eyes off the guy and be awed by every word he says even though his words are mostly insults.
I was firmly in Kang Mae's camp from the 1st episode. Though his method is harsher than harsh and were I to be on the receiving end of his poisonous tongue I'd probably want to crawl into the smallest hole I can find and cultivate mushrooms there till I die, the things he says are usually the things I'd say in my head too if I were facing the same situation.. it's just that I'd sugarcoat them during my delivery. I'm more like Gun Woo in that respect. The persuasiveness Gun Woo displays in the last episode to make the pro musicians agree to play with the Mouse Phil in the joint orchestra reminds me of how I handled some stuff at work or at home so much that I rewinded it several times while laughing. I think I prefer Kang Mae's method better, it's purer and more heartfelt.. but I'd probably get sacked or alienated from society if I were to emulate his style. I'd probably be hated by my family too.
Several times when Kang Mae is scolding Gun Woo and the other Mouse Phil members, I find myself agreeing with his every word. Especially the "beggar's instinct". Wow, that hit me hard. And things like.. a dream is not a star to be looked at from afar, why are you trying to find a difference when there is none and trying to be nonchalant when your pride is hurt.. bla bla bla. I really love his dialog. There should be a quotable quote page on Kang Mae. Oh, I like this one a lot too: "It is your turn to be strong. I don’t need it. I am already perfect." haha.. that's funny. Kim Myung Min said that Kang Mae speaks every word sharply to the ear (link) and I really like his voice. It's really yummy and edible-sounding.
In the end, I still can't find the extra liking for Jang Geun Suk I need to continue to follow his works.. but at least I've found the next actor I'm gonna hunt down. Kim Myung Min's White Tower will most probably be my next victim.
Being a Nodame Cantabile fan, it's hard not to compare between the two classical music-based dramas. But after I've finished watching Beethoven Virus, I found that a comparison is really not necessary. NC and BV followed different routes despite operating on the same platform. The premise, the genre, the set-up, the story background.. they're all as different as night and day from one drama to the other. If you ask me which do I prefer in terms of drama delivery, I'd say NC. In terms of repeat watching too, I can watch entire NC episodes 20 times but if I repeat BV I will only be watching Kang Mae's parts. In NC, the music is as much a character as the orchestra members are, but in BV the music usually serves as a background or at most a catalyst for the story development. I'm not saying BV is not as good as NC, I'm just saying that the two dramas are merely trying to convey different messages so it's a given that the tonal delivery must differ too. It's up to you which one you prefer more.
There's not even one kiss in Beethoven Virus, it's based on classical music (which is usually considered boring and incomprehensible to regular everyday folks like us), and the main character is a 40-ish year old cranky megalomaniac. Yet it's one of the most popular dramas aired in Korea in 2008 and the public adoration (domestic and international) for the supposedly hateful sharp-tongued perfectionist is unprecedented. What other recommendations do you need to look it up? Don't fight the attraction you'll feel for Kang Mae. Resistance is futile.. as I have learned for myself.
An interesting project that was linked to BV: YouTube Symphony Orchestra
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
[Upload Drama] Marry Me Mary / Mary Stayed Out All Night / M3 - Jang Geun Suk
I shouldn't have watched this drama. I really shouldn't. It's not finished airing in Korea yet and now I'm depressed. This is exactly why I should watch a drama I'm interested in only after it's completed.. arrrrgh!
Some people complained that the plots are full of holes. I sat there reading those comments thinking.. you have Kim Jae Wook and Jang Geun Suk in the same room so many times (and sometimes in the same bedroom) and you're complaining about plot holes? Are we even on the same page here?
ma1A
Uploaded by kftw8. - Watch hilarious animal videos
I think this drama has taken what I've said about parents in my previous post and blown it up to gargantuan proportions. Imagine having 3 main characters with 3 parents who run around causing all sorts of mess and havoc in their children's lives with full expectation that the children will continue to honour and cherish their parenthood, be eternally grateful for the life that they've given however horrible it is, fulfill their unfinished dreams, treat them like gods, never complain or argue or say no to whatever disgusting commands they give out.... and I think this list is still not complete coz I've only watched up to ep 5 with sub. I wonder what other appalling proposals they still have in store for their adorable offspring.
I wonder if Koreans don't have such a high opinion of parents too...
Is it just my ears or has Jang Geun Suk gained more control of his voice? Maybe because I watched You're Beautiful and M3 close to each other, I noticed that his voice is much more interesting in M3... how should I say this... the songs are more skilfully delivered? Sono kanji de. Despite liking his "What Should I do?" and "Without A Word" songs, I don't have such a good feeling towards his voice.. so I was very surprised when I heard him sing "My Precious" in M3. And when I heard this song... what can I say... it's the song I love the most (so far) in the drama.
I'm staying far far away from this drama until all the episodes are completed and subtitled. What movie/drama should I watch next? Hmmm....
Some people complained that the plots are full of holes. I sat there reading those comments thinking.. you have Kim Jae Wook and Jang Geun Suk in the same room so many times (and sometimes in the same bedroom) and you're complaining about plot holes? Are we even on the same page here?
ma1A
Uploaded by kftw8. - Watch hilarious animal videos
I think this drama has taken what I've said about parents in my previous post and blown it up to gargantuan proportions. Imagine having 3 main characters with 3 parents who run around causing all sorts of mess and havoc in their children's lives with full expectation that the children will continue to honour and cherish their parenthood, be eternally grateful for the life that they've given however horrible it is, fulfill their unfinished dreams, treat them like gods, never complain or argue or say no to whatever disgusting commands they give out.... and I think this list is still not complete coz I've only watched up to ep 5 with sub. I wonder what other appalling proposals they still have in store for their adorable offspring.
I wonder if Koreans don't have such a high opinion of parents too...
Is it just my ears or has Jang Geun Suk gained more control of his voice? Maybe because I watched You're Beautiful and M3 close to each other, I noticed that his voice is much more interesting in M3... how should I say this... the songs are more skilfully delivered? Sono kanji de. Despite liking his "What Should I do?" and "Without A Word" songs, I don't have such a good feeling towards his voice.. so I was very surprised when I heard him sing "My Precious" in M3. And when I heard this song... what can I say... it's the song I love the most (so far) in the drama.
I'm staying far far away from this drama until all the episodes are completed and subtitled. What movie/drama should I watch next? Hmmm....
Monday, November 29, 2010
[Uploaded Drama] You're Beautiful - Jang Geun Suk
What have I been doing? You won't want to know. Work stuff.. bla bla bla.. meh
But I did manage to catch up on my k-movies (more on this later if I'm not too lazy to write about it) and k-drama. After I've finished hunting down all Gong Yoo's works, I'm onto Jang Geun Suk now. I heard of Beethoven Virus around the time I was crazy in love with Nodame Cantabile, so as much as I wanted to watch it.. I refrained coz I didn't want to clog my puny brain with too much classical whateva.
Then all those A.N.Jell clips cropped up on youtube. And since I hate to get into hyped up stuff, I just ignored it. Who cares about this Jang Geun Suk guy anyway? Pretty guys turn me off.. gah!
...heh, who am I kidding?
After days of sulking over Gong Yoo's meager updates, I decided to look up You're Beautiful coz I like all those cross-dressing shiz (yes, I'm still hung up over Coffee Prince). My impression of Jang Geun Suk throughout the drama?
But I did manage to catch up on my k-movies (more on this later if I'm not too lazy to write about it) and k-drama. After I've finished hunting down all Gong Yoo's works, I'm onto Jang Geun Suk now. I heard of Beethoven Virus around the time I was crazy in love with Nodame Cantabile, so as much as I wanted to watch it.. I refrained coz I didn't want to clog my puny brain with too much classical whateva.
Then all those A.N.Jell clips cropped up on youtube. And since I hate to get into hyped up stuff, I just ignored it. Who cares about this Jang Geun Suk guy anyway? Pretty guys turn me off.. gah!
...heh, who am I kidding?
After days of sulking over Gong Yoo's meager updates, I decided to look up You're Beautiful coz I like all those cross-dressing shiz (yes, I'm still hung up over Coffee Prince). My impression of Jang Geun Suk throughout the drama?
- He's too heavily made-up.. his face looks line-less like a mannequin. Why didn't he get the nickname "Walking Statue" like KHJ hyung-nim got in BOF?
- He looks short for a guy who stands at 182cm
- He walks with a hunch.. hmm, do all pretty guys walk with a hunch? Gackt always appears hunched.. Kim Jae Wook too. I wonder if it has anything to do with them trying to appear more manly. They can save all the trouble coz it doesn't work. They still look prettier than most female models I've seen on TV. Were I a guy, I agree with what Kim Jin Hyeok's friends said in Antique Bakery.. if I had to choose between ugly girls and someone as pretty as Min Seon Woo, I'd choose Min Seon Woo without hesitation. I wish my work place has its share of pretty guys too. It's like a desert there...
- He's too cute for his own good, not that I'm complaining
- He's younger than KHJ hyung-nim?? I thought he's older by at least 2 years. I wonder why I think that. It must have been all those intense stares Hwang Tae Kyung gives to everyone around him. Despite looking smaller than Shin Woo, he deserves to be called hyung-nim in that drama. Hwang Tae Kyung is charismatic like woah~
Anyway, in terms of story review.. it just affirms my belief that parents can really mess up the lives of their children. Seriously, if all they do is make their children's lives miserable, why did they give birth in the first place? Do they think that because they nearly died delivering us into this big bad world that none of us have a clue as to why we're to be brought into it in the first place.. we owe them our lives until the end of time?
Delusional psycho biatch... that's what I called Mo Hwa Ran. Why is it that when it's the parents committing all sorts of unspeakable acts, the children must always forgive them.. but if it's the other way around, the children get kicked out of the house, disinherited, spoken of to everyone as if they're evil beings? That person who says how a parent's love is unconditional must have been an orphan... or a very forgetful person... or maybe he/she was just clueless about what 'unconditional' actually means.
I don't get parents. I really don't. I've known them my whole life (obviously) and I still can't understand them.
I like Park Shin Hye's character, although I do think the whole set-up feels more like an anime than a live action. My favourite character has to be the Sachou.. JACKPOT!! (lol). I like the way Hwang Tae Kyung will call out "Go Mi Nam" in almost exactly the same tone no matter how urgent the matter that he wants to say is.. I thought it was really funny. I just love how Jang Geun Suk infused Hwang Tae Kyung with several unforgettable quirks that get under people's skin (well, mine anyway). He's brilliant.
Shin Woo reminds me of Yoon Ji Hoo. He even sings a song with a line.. "Because I'm a fool.." which reminds me immediately of "Because I'm Stupid". And I'm not the only who thinks these two characters are similar..
I didn't fall in love with Jang Geun Suk at first sight though.. a pre-requisite for a lifelong obsession. Hmmm, but it wasn't love at first sight with Gong Yoo either.. and I'm obsessed with the guy. Wait.. it was love at first listen with Gong Yoo's voice. That must count for something.
Anyway, here's a link to the drama for anyone who's interested to look it up. Sorry, can't embed it. The story is fun, and although the plot is riddled with cliches, everything is tied up so nicely that, by the time Hwang Tae Kyung sang that song for Go Mi Nyu in the last episode, I found myself thinking.. "so this is how a good story is written".
Delusional psycho biatch... that's what I called Mo Hwa Ran. Why is it that when it's the parents committing all sorts of unspeakable acts, the children must always forgive them.. but if it's the other way around, the children get kicked out of the house, disinherited, spoken of to everyone as if they're evil beings? That person who says how a parent's love is unconditional must have been an orphan... or a very forgetful person... or maybe he/she was just clueless about what 'unconditional' actually means.
I don't get parents. I really don't. I've known them my whole life (obviously) and I still can't understand them.
I like Park Shin Hye's character, although I do think the whole set-up feels more like an anime than a live action. My favourite character has to be the Sachou.. JACKPOT!! (lol). I like the way Hwang Tae Kyung will call out "Go Mi Nam" in almost exactly the same tone no matter how urgent the matter that he wants to say is.. I thought it was really funny. I just love how Jang Geun Suk infused Hwang Tae Kyung with several unforgettable quirks that get under people's skin (well, mine anyway). He's brilliant.
Shin Woo reminds me of Yoon Ji Hoo. He even sings a song with a line.. "Because I'm a fool.." which reminds me immediately of "Because I'm Stupid". And I'm not the only who thinks these two characters are similar..
I didn't fall in love with Jang Geun Suk at first sight though.. a pre-requisite for a lifelong obsession. Hmmm, but it wasn't love at first sight with Gong Yoo either.. and I'm obsessed with the guy. Wait.. it was love at first listen with Gong Yoo's voice. That must count for something.
Anyway, here's a link to the drama for anyone who's interested to look it up. Sorry, can't embed it. The story is fun, and although the plot is riddled with cliches, everything is tied up so nicely that, by the time Hwang Tae Kyung sang that song for Go Mi Nyu in the last episode, I found myself thinking.. "so this is how a good story is written".
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