My most anticipated five June-July kdramas

[dangermousie]

It almost seems incredible, seeing how we are in the midst of an amazing May season, but this season will shortly come to an end and leave way to a new batch of dramas. Below, are my Top 5 most anticipated kdramas for the early summer season, from most to least.

1. The Princess' Man (July 20, KBS) - my most anticipated drama of the year, this one stars Moon Chae Won and Park Shi Hoo as fusion sageuk's Romeo & Juliet. Why am I so obsessed? For one, fusion sageuk is my favorite kdrama genre. All the more so, when it is romance-centric, which period kdramas almost never are (I always wish they'd borrow some of the swooning romanticism of period cdramas). Moon Chae Won is lovely and strong and I am ecstatic she is getting a chance to be a leading lady and Park Shi Hoo is one of my all-time favorite working kdrama actors and a chance to see him in sageuk again, as a lead this time, is a dream come true. Plus, I love the name - so much better than if it was Prince's Woman or similar. Somehow, more doomed and romantic. Ahhhhh.

2. Heartstrings (June 29, MBC) - romcoms and I have a checkered history but this drama is billed as a 'youth melodrama' instead (whatever that means) and Park Sin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa look adorable, with chemistry enough to burn (I was rooting for them in You're Beautiful - secondary guy revenge ahoy!). The stills are fresh and I am a sucker for 'upper-class classical musician falls for bad boy rocker with a crush on an older woman' set-up. So excited!

3. Myung Wol the Spy (July 4, KBS) - Han Ye Seul plays a North Korean agent who infiltrates South Korea in order to kidnap a top Hallyu star played by Eric (from what I know of Kim Jong Il, not that far-fetched, actually). Insanity ensues. Think less IRIS or Shiri and more My Girlfriend Is a Secret Agent. I am pretty excited because it sounds like it could be a great deal of fun, plus I adore the cast (it also includes my favorite, criminally underrated Lee Jin Wook). However, mixing adrenaline with comedy is a risky proposition and, in a worst-case scenario, this can turn into another Fugitive. Plus, I much happen to prefer Eric in more intense fare - I thought he was incredible in Que Sera Sera - but his lighter roles, like the one in Super Rookie, make me cringe. So we'll see.

4. Warrior Baek Dong Soo (July 4, SBS) - or "Baby Sageuk" as I like to refer to it, due to the fact that the cast is young enough to be kids of the regular sageuk protagonists. I am normally a sucker for fusion sageuks, especially of the Robin Hood-type variety, but I am unfamiliar with the cast except for Yoo Seung Ho, for whom I have an inexplicable dislike (probably due to his rabid fangirls). Plus, honestly - they are all much too young. Choi Min Soo, undoubtedly playing a wise mentor or similar, is the only one who's even legal. (OK, OK, I kid, but barely)

5. Gaebaek (July MBC) - I know very little about this one, except that it's a period drama starring Lee Seo Jin. Which means I am in in in in in in in in!!!

Comments

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I might check out all of these, too.

Re: Yoo Seung Ho is the youngest of the main cast at 18 - 19 by Korean standards. But, he's 17/18 until August, so he'll start filming as a 17 year old, playing a possible love interests to women in their mid/late twenties. Kind of creepy. I think YSH is a talented young man, but I agree that he has some rabid fangirls(women).

It also bothers me that he is put into adult roles opposite women, who are in their 20s and 30s. (Kim Ha-Neul's 33; Seo Woo is 26; Yoo So-yi is 26; Shin Hyun-Bin is 25.)Can't they put him with some younger ladies? He already looks 16, but him with some teen actresses. It's getting creepy.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Women have been screaming for him for the last couple of years, and since it's pretty clear all of them are not 16 themselves, it's tremendously creepy. However, this is not something he can control so what really makes me dislike him is how he is always inappropriately cast, age-wise. The kid is 17. He looks 17. You want me to believe he's Seo Woo's husband or skilled adult warrior/otp of whoever mid-20s actress he's paired with here? How about no.

His being cast in those roles completely kills any suspension of disbelief and wrecks the drama for me - it's like casting Kim Gab Soo as a college student romancing Park Shin Hye - the man is a good actor but this would be laughed at as completely ridiculous and never work. So why does the same thought process not apply here? What next, casting him opposite Go Hye Jung?

Leaving aside YSH, I generally prefer my sageuk casts, fusion or not, older. Like, another decade older. These guys are making Jung Il Woo in RoI (which was a very specific type of story) seem ancient.

totally with you

[(Anonymous)]

I totally agree with you . I 'll follow the other four , really looking forward for them all the more that NTOG will have finished at that time and that I know I ' ll have a serious withdrawal .

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

That's why the whole Noona/Nuna craze that is sweeping Korea creeps me out. The women in their late 20s-mid 30s are screaming over these kids in their late teens-early 20s; some of which are young enough to be their sons. I don't mind an age difference, but the actor/actress that is the younger party can't look or be 16. And, he looks like(and is) a teenager. But, like you said - young actors/actresses can't control who their fans are. And, they can't control what roles they are put into, not really. (Not until they are bigger stars. And its clear his people are trying to push the Noona craze for all it is worth.) He wasn't believable as Seo Woo's older husband, and I don't think he'll be too believable as a warrior.

When it comes to sageuk, fusion or not, it seems like they mostly cast actors in their late twenties/late thirties and actresses in their mid-twenties/mid-thirties for the leading roles. But, this time. . .they seem to be going for the younger crowd - casting younger, up-and-coming actors in the two lead roles; a 17 year old and a 24 year old.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh exactly. A little age difference is fine. But if the guy is still legally a minor, lay off!

[timescout.livejournal.com]

I'll probably check out all but Warrior Baek Dong Soo, though you never know.... it may turn out to be interesting. I'll wait an see what the verdict is with that one.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't have high hopes for WBDS, tbh. But you never know.

[puion.livejournal.com]

Eric in QSS = LOVE
(I even convinced myself to overlook how his character actually hit the 2nd female lead >0< )

Omg, I love QSS so much, it's almost friggin insane because I am usually not into angst and torture love triangle (in QSS's case, it was a square)...but heck, QSS was just amazing!

This is my favorite fanvid of QSS (it was actually this mv, that got me to watch QSS in the first place) - http://youtu.be/JwXYUGQjwx8

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link!

QSS is way amazing.

[lightsjustright.livejournal.com]

I think I'm coming around to doom and tragedy so Romeo and Juliet fusion sageuk-style sounds v. v. tempting.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Let's weep together :)

[rectherapyfreak.livejournal.com]

I love Eric in his stupid roles like Super Rookie and Chil woo. I am mostly excited for his show out of the ones you posted! I love han Ye Seul too!!

Looking forward to Heartstrings too and I will probably watch The Princess' Man eventually too.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

See, I am not so good with comedies so I am hoping the new Eric drama will have some serious bits.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

heartstrings and myong wol the spy sound exactly like my kind of thing. also I have started watching que sera sera and so far I kind of hate eric's character even as i enjoy his acting. he is a jerk! but I love both of the female characters and jury is still out on secondary guy, he's kind of cold for me tbh. I have sunkyunkwan scandal on my dl list too, crossdressing! girl attends boys school! hunky guys! I prefer more modern settings but a fusion saguek is something i've been wanting to try cause I generally love it when modern is blended with traditional/historical like that. So hopefully I will love it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

SKKS was my insane obsession last year. Highly recced!

[(Anonymous)]

The Princess' Man sounds interesting (PSH with a top knot again: yum! He was sooo perfect in Iljimae.)Plus the title is perfecccttt indeed! Afraid of a sad ending tho...
Myung Wol sounds funny... I always thought too that Kim Jong Il could order this kind of thing (I wonder if he didn't do it with producers, not sure though) Can you imagine Hyun Bin,for ex., abducted by NK spies??? Awful!

Emma

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

KJI did this - he kidnapped a famous director and his actress wife once.

[hanjae.livejournal.com]

Gyebaek's a general of Baekje who died defending Baekje from the invasion of Silla - he made a famous last stand against Kim Yushin's forces where he and his forces were eventually annihilated. I think I remember a Korean news article mentioning that it'll be the story of how "he grew up to be Gyebaek, the great general" or something. Needless to say it wil not be a happy, fluffy sageuk. :P But really, with a cast like Lee Seo Jin, Jo Jae Hyun and Cha In Pyo, who can resist? Might also be interested to see how Park Yoohwan (Yoochun's younger brother) does.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, thanks! That sounds very much up my alley. And I didn't realize JJH and CIP were in it as well. Oh, what a cast! So excited.

[spazzy06.livejournal.com]

I can't wait for The Princess' Man. I thought Moon Chae Won did a great job in Painter of the Wind a few years ago. I'm excited that she's tackling another sageuk- especially one with such a tragic romance.

I wasn't going to watch Heartstrings, but the stills that convinced me to at least check it out. Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye look too cute together.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so excited for TPM, it's unhealthy.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

I'm going to watch Spy Myong Wol because of the crackness of the plot and for Eric, but I am keeping my expectations lower than low. I like the plot premise a lot but it could go so so wrong so better not hope for greatness. It sounds more like my thing than Poseidon, which is the Eric drama that got canned, so I confess to being a little bit hopeful.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Poseidon sounded about as fun as watching paint dry, so no way to go but up.