For my first Monday Cutie, I dedicate it to my favorite South Korean actor Sung Joon! He's known for his lead role in the TvN drama Shut Up! Flower Boy Band. But these days, he's more known as that guy Suzy is rumored to be dating. I swear I'm not bitter. Well, guess what! He's not just that guy. He's Bang Freaking SungJoon and he has me wholly captivated since the first episode of SUFBB. Hee. In a way, he'll always be JiHyuk to me.
It's silly how I immediately liked him so so so much in the first drama that I saw him in. He came and knocked down my already established list of favorite Korean actors. He now reigns supreme in my heart, and the second is actually very far from toppling him over. Anyway.
In my biased opinion, he's an undervalued actor having been given the role of Gon in the recent Gu Family Book. He has proven himself capable as an actor not just in SUFBB but also in White Christmas where he plays the genius ChiHoon. I have yet to watch his movies because I can't find a freaking copy!!!!!!
I can't pinpoint what I exactly like about SungJoon, but one thing's for sure: I am physically attracted. He doesn't look like the typical Korean superstar. He doesn't have a long, straight nose and perfect teeth. He's not muscular neither is he pale white. His skin doesn't look like a baby's, and that makes me even more attracted to this gorgeous boy. He actually looks very normal, but he has this charm. You know what I mean?
Look, he can pull off a hideous perm! He actually looks very good in it. I think his experience as a model gives him an edge. He can wear anything and sport any hairstyle and own it! I think I should have just written a top ten list of why I like him?? I don't know. Anyway, I prepared a pic spam for you guys because he's lovely. It's under the cut because wow so many.
Cast: Lee SeungGi, Suzy, Lee YeonHee, Choi JinHyuk, Lee YooBi, Yoo YeonSeok, Bang SungJoon, & Lee SungJae
When I neither loved nor loathed a drama, it takes some time before I get around to blogging about it. It's like I don't really have anything to say because I didn't feel anything strongly towards the drama. That pretty much sums up my watching experience with Gu Family Book, and that's not exactly a positive thing. It's a drama ripe with so much potential but I feel like it didn't really get anywhere.
Gu Family Book tells the story of Lee KangChi (Lee SeungGi), a half-human, half-werewolf boy who grew up not nothing his beginnings. He's raised by a human father and he pretty much had a normal childhood. But as he reaches his 20th birthday, some secrets come out in the open and he slowly, but frighteningly, learns about himself.
It has a pretty good start, what with the story of SeoHwa (Lee YeonHee) and WolRyung (Choi JinHyuk) taking center stage. It's the heart and soul of this drama. For a simple two episodes, it tells a story of a heart-wrenching love that ruins the life of two people. And that simple two episodes tells a more compelling arc than the remaining 22 did.
That's what's extremely sad about Gu Family Book. It starts out with an engaging plot but it doesn't really take it anywhere deeper. There are so many character arcs that are left hanging. We don't really get much resolution for anything. In most parts, they just let burning emotions of many characters pan out and fizzle. I'm afraid the series focused on way too many characters' plight, that it didn't have enough episodes to resolve all the individual conflicts. KangChi's story is complicated as it is, maybe they should have just left it at that.
One of the character arc that left me hanging is ChungJo's (Lee YooBi). She's pretty much the present day SeoHwa, but she has no happy ending nor fulfilling finale for her vengeful life. I want so much more for her, but she ended up becoming a self-sacrificing third party. I seriously rooted for her more than I did YeoWool (Suzy). Speaking of YeoWool, I expected to have a more complex understanding of his character, but I didn't really see her past her love for KangChi. Her love and dedication for KangChi sums up the total of her arc, and in a drama filled with engaging storylines, hers failed in contrast.
Another character that I looked out for is Gon, played by Bang SungJoon. He's the reason I started watching in the first place. What can I say, he's a talent wasted on a stoic secondary character. It's weird how his character is present from the very beginning and revealed to be one of the four pillars, but nothing really important happened to him. Maybe it's just the biased fangirl in me talking.
It's not Lee Seung-Gi's fault. I like him as an actor, and as KangChi, he carried out his role extremely well. He's amazing at the candid parts, and he's just engaging in the emotional scenes. He brings out a whole lot of depth to his character. It's really the story itself that's a bit disappointing. I think it started in such a frantic and passionate speed that it couldn't sustain it for 24 episodes.
The most shameful bit is that they titled it Gu Family Book, but it didn't really play any significant role in the story of our main lead. Yes, it may have played a part in the story of his parents, but it did no sort of impact in his trajectory. Instead of seeing him brave the transformation from being a half-gumiho to being human, we ended up seeing him spend thousands of years waiting for the reincarnation of the love of his life. I seriously don't get it.
Basically, I think the ending pretty much defeated the purpose of the existence of the Gu Family Book. It could have been a really good drama, but it suddenly went nowhere. If anything, at least it gave us the love story of SeoHwa and WolRyung.
Truth be told, I only watched Can We Get Married? because I am helpless when it comes to Bang SungJoon. I just want to watch everything he's in. You can say he got me wrapped around his fingers, heh. But sadly, he's pretty much the only reason why I stayed, too.
Don't get me wrong, I like this series. In fact, I think it's one of the rare ones that deal with situations so realistically. It's also rare to find a series in which we start with a boy and a girl and the marriage proposal. We don't meet them when they're just starting out. We meet them when they're about to start a married life, and this is pretty much what happens after the closing credits rolled after every korean drama.
It's so fresh for me, especially when we have Jung SoMin and Bang SungJoon, playing HyeWon and JungHoon respectively, leading the drama. They have been around Kdramaland for quite awhile now, but both of them haven't been on that many dramas yet. I think that's what's amazing about cable channels, they give chance to talents that haven't been tapped into much and end up giving us some of the freshest performances of the year. They are seriously one of the most adorable on-screen couples.
However, this drama made me realize something, and that's I'm not much into family dramas. Though Can We Get Married? focuses mostly on JungHoon and HyeWon's engagement, we also get a shitload of side stories focusing on the sister, the in-laws, the friends, the cousin, etc. This is why it's 20-episode long, this is why I felt like it it is too long.
At first, I enjoyed watching HyeWon and JungHoon struggle with the wedding preparations. Meeting the parents is no joke, and having both sides of the family agree on one thing puts the couple in awkward situations. They have crazy fights that they didn't have before the engagement, and it's interesting what it does to them. They show sides of themselves that wouldn't have been revealed if they weren't engaged.
Then it got too repetitive. The parents fight. One of them get hurt or arrive at a conclusion. They break up. They get back together. Repeat until fade.
It was tiring. I got tired of the mothers-in-law fighting all the time. I have more to say about this, but I think I'll keep it to myself since I don't have enough knowledge about the Korean culture. I do love JungHoon and HyeWon, but not even my love for them kept me from getting bored. Way too much time is spent dwelling on HyeWon's sister's divorce and the aunt's love life. It's okay at first, then about half of the episode is spent on them. Uhm no, I'm not here for them.With all that said, I still have to say that the theme of the drama's pretty consistent. Though they have tackled way too many side stories for my taste, they maintained it consistent all throughout the end. This is quite a feat because for a drama this long, it's supposed to lose footing by episode 16. Though it does get a bit dragging, it at least makes sure to stick to the main theme.
But then again, it's really the length that becomes its downfall. I guess when you have more hours to fill, you also feel the need to make sure that it reaches that number of hours, despite knowing that you can pretty much make it a lot shorter.
Can We Get Married? could have been a really strong drama if only it focused more on the lead and gave less time for the side stories. But I guess it all depends on who you ask.
Shut Up! Flower Boy Band (☆☆☆☆☆)is my crack
drama of 2012. Even though it's only May and we still 7 months left,
I'm pretty sure that no other drama would take the place of this
drama in my heart. SUFBB left me crushed and heartbroken then made me
pathetically happy and satisfied by the last episode. It's just so
good that after almost two months since its finale, I still can't
stop talking about it.
I am guessing the fact that it's quite
underrated in Kdramaland makes me love it even more, makes me want to
keep on convincing people that it's so damn good. It is
so damn good and it is a shame that there's not that many people who
watched it. I have a feeling that many people were turned off
thinking that it has a shallow story and it only focuses on a boy
band that only goes by its looks. But boy are they wrong. It's
definitely something more, a whole lot more.
So what is this drama about? It's about
a rock band who just wants to make it big in the music industry. But
they encounter identity crises and relationship conflicts that would
somehow be a burden to their instant stardom. Yes, it's a pretty
common plot but this drama shows it in a way that isn't too cliche or
cheesy. And I love that. By the way, the band is aptly called Eye
Candy. Heh.
I know my ramblings won't be enough to
convince you. And because I have all the time in the world when it
comes to SUFBB, I came up with these reasons on why I love it a bit
too much. And just to make it a bit more interesting let's do this in
a countdown sort of way.
10. Amazing soundtrack.
I am no music expert but I can't stop
listening to the soundtrack! It also doesn't hurt that JiHyuk (played
by Bang SungJoon), the protagonist and the lead vocalist of the band,
has that raspy kind of voice that I really, really like. All biases
aside, okay. My favorite tracks from the OST are Jaywalking and Wake
Up. They performed Jaywalking a couple of times in the series, but
it's a shame that they didn't perform Wake Up even once!
9. Eye candy boys everywhere.
The band isn't called Eye Candy for
nothing! Personally, JiHyuk is the most attractive one for me. But I
definitely won't say no to any of the boys especially HyunSoo (played
by L of Infinite). And DoIl (Lee HyunJae), of course. Haha. But
seriously, they are so pretty to look at that they make watching the
drama such a pleasant experience.
8. Good acting by relatively new actors.
Besides Lee MinKi who appeared for only two episodes, every member of the Eye Candy are quite new when it comes to acting. Though their acting isn't perfect, they give justice to their roles. They're just so believable. Maybe they really become good friends in real life but these boys managed to make me believe that they are real people with real problems and real relationships. These boys breathe life to their roles and it's pretty amazing.
7. Captivating atmosphere and
cinematography.
I'd watch this drama for the tone
alone. It is filmed during winter (going on spring) so we got all the pretty winter clothes. Every scene also seemed to be thought out so much. I
especially love the scenes where sunlight seems to be leaking in.
Take this scene for instance:
Just imagine a drama where most scenes
are as beautifully shot as that. The scene just speaks to you. I swear I won't get tired watching this
drama. It's hard not to notice that it's edited quite well and wasn't
rushed at all. The scenes are well directed and you can obviously see that by the well-executed scenes.
6. Memorable characters.
I think it will take time and sheer
determination to forget a character like Byunghee who is awesomely
played by Lee MinKi. And it's not just ByungHee, too! Unlike
other flower boy dramas, SUFBB managed to flesh out each characters.
We get to know each member of the boy band and don't see them as just
part of the band but also as individuals. The members aren't just
part of the background but interesting characters themselves. /sigh I
really, really miss these boys.
Besides, JiHyuk oppa (please let me
call him oppa even though he's a month or two younger!) is definitely one of my favorite, if not my most
favorite, protagonists of all time. Okay, I'm pretty sure he's my
favorite hero since ever. He is flawed but that makes him even more
amazing. JiHyuk oppa, daebak!
5. Strong female characters.
I love a Kdrama that introduces me to
strong female characters. We've all had our fair share of damsels in
distress, and this drama shows us just that. But these damsels know
how to fight and triumph over their, well, distress. The girls in
SUFBB know what they want and they definitely don't show much tact
when it comes to going after what they want. They are also very clear with what they feel and leave no room for misunderstanding. Argh. SuAh (Jo Boa) is definitely one of the strongest Kdrama heroines I've met. Stay gold, SuAh.
4. Best OTP in the history of OTPs.
Let me just cry in a corner while I
reminisce the story of JiHyuk and SuAh (Jo Boa). Hrhr. OMG THESE TWO.
Okay, let me explain why I love them. First, they have so much
chemistry! From the moment they first see each other to every other
scene they're together, sparks were coming off the screen okay. They
look so good together! Second, their cute little interactions are so,
uhm, cute! Who will ever forget that lollipop scene? Those rooftop
scenes? Those headphone scenes? Again, OMG. Third, they obviously
need each other but they never act too dependent on each other. They
live their own lives and I believe every couple has to do that, too.
They're two separate individuals and they don't have to do everything
together. Fourth, they weathered so many storms and they managed to
trust each other despite all. And Kdramas are definitely lacking of
couples who trust each other. And fifth, I don't know. Maybe I'm just
incredibly biased? But every scene just make me go aaaaw, oooh, and
everything else. I hope they date in real life.
3. Solid storyline.
SUFBB has a good mix of drama and
comedy. But the weird thing is, it's not too dramatic and it's not
side-splitting funny, too. It's something in between but it has that
right amount of everything and a perfect amount of tension to keep
you hanging on. This drama has enough conflicts to keep the story
going for 16 episodes. There's no filler and every scene seem to be
made to push the story forward. A couple of problems arise throughout
the drama but they don't drag out a problem far too long. It's never
boring for me!
You got music, friendship, love,
dreams, and individuality. I'm pretty sure there are other themes but these
five themes are the ones most explored in the series. I like how it's
not just about another love-struck high school students, not just
about ideals-laden teens. It's about chasing after your dream and
what you're supposed to do when you finally achieve that dream. In a
way, it's different from other dramas since the series show the
after. SUFBB focuses on what happens next, what happens after
you realize your dreams. It's actually pretty clever. It's also about forming a friendship that lasts and doing sacrifices (idiotic or noble or both) to make it work. It's about trying to learn more about yourself and not grabbing at every limelight waiting for you. It's a coming-of-age drama about a group of boys who's trying to find their places in this bleak world, trying to find solace in each other. I have so much love
for this drama, and I'm pretty sure it's obvious by now that I have
pretty sufficient reasons to love SUFBB.
1. Best ending I've ever watched.
No doubt the best ending I've watched
since ever. I can't even remember an ending that comes close! The
ending is quite uplifting and made me feel all sort of awesome. It's
a happy ending but it's not the type of ending that you'd expect. It's an ending that will remind you what the drama is truly about, because we'd somehow get distracted in the middle.
It's far from cheesy, and it's not a happily ever after one, too. I
have watched the ending more than ten times now, and whenever I'm not
feeling the best, watching the ending makes everything a bit better.
We all know that it's hard to pull off
a good ending, and sometimes, the happy ones would make you feel
queasy. But this one just makes you believe that though there are
tough times and there will always be tough times, there are always
the good ones that will pull you through.
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