It's funny - I am really enjoying the drama and their characters without (so far, but I have only seen one ep) liking him as a person - he is entirely too hard-headed, manipulative politically, and cynical - basically someone who WOULD be good at politics. I don't really adore him as a person but as a character, he is super fun.
I think he is a well-constructed character, and at the same time I'm waiting in anticipation for the scriptwriters to inject more depth into him. I do hope however that the whole BB angle is dealt with satisfactorily because I will be quite disappointed if they pull a Jdrama politics "explanation" =.=
And yes she's awesome! I love it when she really starts showing backbone =D
This is so entertaining. I needed something relatively light and realistic, and with a bit of officey stuff after Worlds Within and this totally hit the mark.
Btw, not to be a pusher or anything but have you watched Worlds Within? You might like! It's now my favorite drama ever.
I hugely enjoyed the first 6 eps or so of City Hall(this dance scene and one other were my favorite scenes and pure magic) but then it kinda turned into a minor BOF situation in which I despised both main characters, so eventually I just dropped it. It was a personal thing, though - both characters behaved in ways which completely clash with my beliefs about how life should be lived.
I would love to see Cha Seung Won in another drama because he was dreamy in his good scenes in this, but I had such love/hate for his character I couldn't take it any more.
no - as far as I watched it hadn't turned into particular melodrama - I just had major problems with its characters' behaviour on principle, and how the drama treated that behaviour. Cha Seung Won's character is charming and incredibly charismatic, onscreen, but I couldn't help but despise him, so it ruined the drama for me.
I know which behavior you mean (am spoiled) and it's not a dealbreaker for me (oddly, nothing is, except spinelessness combined with lack of self-awareness - I can't stand weak people. I would have been fine with e.g. Jun Pyo deciding he likes the cush life and thus will marry fiancee but try to string Jandi along because he has emotions for her. I would have even been OK if he realized he was hurting people but was too spineless to disturb the status quo. I am super forgiving of characters, Jandi and Jun Pyo were just uniquely lacking).
I do love CSW in the role - I just found out the initial choice was Ryu Shi Won, aka the only kdrama leading actor* I have a visceral hatred of. Phew!
* I mean as an actor. For all I know, he rescues puppies in real life. But as an actor, he, together with Gu Hye Sun and Yoona, are the only three kdrama actors where I will automatically avoid a drama just because they are in it, absent something truly amazing happening.
Slightly OT, but again I have to say that Goo Hye Sun needs to be given a chance! really really. You could try Hearts of 19, a much better and more satisfactory take on the poor girl-rich boy dynamic than the Korean BOF was.
Is Yoona that bad? Was this in the very long drama that she was in, or the recent one with Kwon Sang Woo? I was under the impression that she must be not bad, as she won a couple of awards for her acting (for the long drama), apparently.
Seriously - I don't think I can stomach watching GHS - it's not even Jandi as a character (though that was bad enough). I found her acting awful - so over-the-top and unsubtle she was like a weird cartoon, and that was when I liked Jandi as a character - I just thought the acting was bad! (There is a way to do a cute OTT person - Yoon Eun Hye managed in Goong but GHS failed miserably). Plus, I find her looks off-putting, even when she is supposed to be looking pretty. And yes, I admit, there is the residual irritation with Jandi and the fact that she got acclaimed for a role I consider horrible.
So basically, unless there are no other kdramas or (God forbid!) she stars with Kang Ji Hwan, Hyun Bin, or Gong Yoo or similar - one of a very small group of actors I will watch anything with, I am never touching anything of hers with a ten-foot pole because I get irrationally irritated just when I think of her.
Re: Yoona. It was because of the KSW drama (which was horrible to start with). She wasn't much of an actress in it, but much worse was the fact that she had no spark or charisma and, even worse, there is something birdlike in her face which just makes it very unpleasant for me to look at her. It's irrational - I can't explain it. But seriously, I find her looks very off-putting.
LOL yes, Hearts of 19 is almost 200 episodes long; our family almost died trying to marathon the whole thing over a number of days. Though that was actually the role that first made her famous, and I felt that she was very likeable in it (I am ambivalent about her in BOF; the acting as a whole in that drama didn't impress me too much anyway and I mostly was too busy wanting to burn the scriptwriter, who I blamed for most of the bad translation).
LOL and i can somewhat understand what you mean by irrationally disliking an actor based on their acting or their looks - the only reason why I watched Why Why Love, for instance, was purely because of strong reviews, Rainie Yang and general boredom: I would never have watched it otherwise because I always felt that Mike He had what the Chinese would call a 'Qian Bian' face (i.e. a face worthy of a beating). Although I'm glad I did in the end!
Basically, CSW has a politically expedient fiancee but he does not break it off with her before taking up with KSA (obviously, he does break it off eventually).
I am sure there are more details but that is as unspoilery as I could make it :)
Although I have to admit, despite hating cheating in all forms (even if you feel nothing for one party), the occasional Kdrama has gotten me to close an eye to it (Goong with Hyorin and Shin?)- sigh. Write a script well enough (such that it can be somewhat justified) and I lose all principles.
I don't think it bothers me in this case because he is clearly a 'politically expedient things rule' kinda guy - he is not supposed to be an unworldly angel.
Tbh, cheating in fiction rately bothers me, if it's portrayed well.
Re: Goong. I never thought Shin cheated on anyone - am blanking
I know what you mean; it's then really down to how well the scriptwriter copes with a rather tetchy issue. Usually it helps when the original girl/boyfriend was rather obnoxious to begin with, of course.
Well I guess personally I have a huge belief that you shouldn't start anything remotely romantic even in name if you already have feelings for another person - which was why I felt for Hyorin when she compared herself to Rosamund who Romeo forgot about as soon as he saw Juliet. Even though I loved Chaegyung and pitied her for the situation that she found herself in at first - which was pretty much comparable to the position that Shin's mum was in.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 01:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 01:46 am (UTC)Ad for KSA's character? TOTAL LOVE.
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Date: 2009-08-24 01:55 am (UTC)And yes she's awesome! I love it when she really starts showing backbone =D
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Date: 2009-08-24 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 01:46 am (UTC)Anyway, I love City Hall. I really dig their relationships. + it's fun and very well acted ^^.
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Date: 2009-08-24 01:47 am (UTC)This is so entertaining. I needed something relatively light and realistic, and with a bit of officey stuff after Worlds Within and this totally hit the mark.
Btw, not to be a pusher or anything but have you watched Worlds Within? You might like! It's now my favorite drama ever.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 01:53 am (UTC)I would love to see Cha Seung Won in another drama because he was dreamy in his good scenes in this, but I had such love/hate for his character I couldn't take it any more.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 01:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 02:55 am (UTC)ETA
Date: 2009-08-24 02:58 am (UTC)* I mean as an actor. For all I know, he rescues puppies in real life. But as an actor, he, together with Gu Hye Sun and Yoona, are the only three kdrama actors where I will automatically avoid a drama just because they are in it, absent something truly amazing happening.
Re: ETA
Date: 2009-08-24 03:40 am (UTC)Is Yoona that bad? Was this in the very long drama that she was in, or the recent one with Kwon Sang Woo? I was under the impression that she must be not bad, as she won a couple of awards for her acting (for the long drama), apparently.
Re: ETA
Date: 2009-08-24 03:50 am (UTC)Seriously - I don't think I can stomach watching GHS - it's not even Jandi as a character (though that was bad enough). I found her acting awful - so over-the-top and unsubtle she was like a weird cartoon, and that was when I liked Jandi as a character - I just thought the acting was bad! (There is a way to do a cute OTT person - Yoon Eun Hye managed in Goong but GHS failed miserably). Plus, I find her looks off-putting, even when she is supposed to be looking pretty. And yes, I admit, there is the residual irritation with Jandi and the fact that she got acclaimed for a role I consider horrible.
So basically, unless there are no other kdramas or (God forbid!) she stars with Kang Ji Hwan, Hyun Bin, or Gong Yoo or similar - one of a very small group of actors I will watch anything with, I am never touching anything of hers with a ten-foot pole because I get irrationally irritated just when I think of her.
Re: Yoona. It was because of the KSW drama (which was horrible to start with). She wasn't much of an actress in it, but much worse was the fact that she had no spark or charisma and, even worse, there is something birdlike in her face which just makes it very unpleasant for me to look at her. It's irrational - I can't explain it. But seriously, I find her looks very off-putting.
Re: ETA
Date: 2009-08-24 04:00 am (UTC)LOL and i can somewhat understand what you mean by irrationally disliking an actor based on their acting or their looks - the only reason why I watched Why Why Love, for instance, was purely because of strong reviews, Rainie Yang and general boredom: I would never have watched it otherwise because I always felt that Mike He had what the Chinese would call a 'Qian Bian' face (i.e. a face worthy of a beating). Although I'm glad I did in the end!
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 02:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 03:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 03:44 am (UTC)I am sure there are more details but that is as unspoilery as I could make it :)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 03:47 am (UTC)Although I have to admit, despite hating cheating in all forms (even if you feel nothing for one party), the occasional Kdrama has gotten me to close an eye to it (Goong with Hyorin and Shin?)- sigh. Write a script well enough (such that it can be somewhat justified) and I lose all principles.
Many thanks! =)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 03:51 am (UTC)Tbh, cheating in fiction rately bothers me, if it's portrayed well.
Re: Goong. I never thought Shin cheated on anyone - am blanking
no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 03:55 am (UTC)Well I guess personally I have a huge belief that you shouldn't start anything remotely romantic even in name if you already have feelings for another person - which was why I felt for Hyorin when she compared herself to Rosamund who Romeo forgot about as soon as he saw Juliet. Even though I loved Chaegyung and pitied her for the situation that she found herself in at first - which was pretty much comparable to the position that Shin's mum was in.