Jang Dong Gun 장동건

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*** I feel sad & bad that on June 15th "Arthdal Chronicles" hit its lowest point yet in the ratings, 5.787% in its fifth episode. The drama's performance has been quite poor considering the high quantity of money invested in it. The drama's premiere started out at only 6.729%.

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*** Now that the first six episodes of the drama has ended and part two is set to begin, I hope it will do well compared to the previous EPs.  It has been struggling with weak viewer interest ever since it premiered. The drama has also been a target of criticism.  Because the drama was pre-produced, there's no practical way for the production company to address complaints. Part 3 is set to begin on September.

 

 

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she gets him

 

 

Jang Dong Gun and Kim Ok Bin share a heady, needy kiss as Tae Al Ha comforts Ta Gon after he kills his father. Ta Gon may fall for Tan Ya later but I think Tae Al Ha will always be the person and woman who understands him best. She emphatises with his pain, ambition and conflicting emotions in between, for which he is grateful.

 

 

In this scene, she is stunned that Ta Gon actually summoned the courage to kill his father; she pointed out acidly in an earlier episode that she could never fully commit to him even though she has feelings for him because in her opinion, Ta Gon can never kill his father and assume top dog position. Ta Gon lives for his father’s approval and validation but I guess he has had enough of the old man.

 

 

Dysfunctional as these two may be, I find this scene oddly touching since Tae Al Ha explicitly and intimately gets how devastated and torn up he is inside. She articulated how well she knew him when she acknowledged achingly, “It must have been hard for you.” Plus, when he informed her his father was dead, she immediately knew that Ta Gon had done the deed just by reading his expression. She shed tears too, knowing he was hurting like crazy.

 

They are both extremely strong characters but probably have been supporting each other since they were kids, drawn together by their respective testy relationships with their sires. Soulmates, sinister as it is. Now I really want to know how they became so chummy… flashback, please! I bet these two will suffer a tragic fate together at the end.

 

On a separate note, I was chuckling at how the couple made out without a care while Tae Al Ha’s lady-in-waiting was just beside them.

 

Even funnier was how she clumsily scurried away to leave them to get on with things in private. Heh. Solid, emotive acting by both actors.

 

 

 

source : https://breathlesssurvival.wordpress.com/2019/06/18/she-gets-him/

 

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8 K-Dramas Of 2019 That You Shouldn’t Miss

 

It’s already halfway through 2019 and what a year it’s been in K-drama land! In the world of K-dramas, when the story is good, it’s easy to get lost in the lives of the characters. And with the long list of K-dramas that have already aired this year, there’s a handful that is definitely worth watching. Especially with summer vacation coming up, all these K-dramas are pretty fail-proof, so you don’t have to worry about watching something boring. Here’s a look at eight K-dramas of 2019 that you shouldn’t miss!

 

Warning: minor spoilers for the dramas below.

 

 

Arthdal Chronicles

 

Probably one of the most highly anticipated K-dramas of 2019 was “Arthdal Chronicles.” The main reason for its buzz was its Hallyu-packed cast which includes the likes of Song Joong Ki, Jang Dong Gun, Kim Ok Bin, and Kim Ji Won.

 

The story involves various tribes trying to conquer the land. There is one tribe, in particular, that is led by Tagon played by Jang Dong Gun. He’s evil and has it in his best efforts to make sure he’s the ruler of all tribes.

 

 

This series is worthwhile to watch not only because of the amazing cast but also because of the cinematography and the writers  – Kim Young Hyun and Park Sang Yun wrote the epic sageuk “Six Flying Dragons.” The story can be a bit hard to follow along with at the beginning, but once you figure out the characters, you’ll be totally sucked into this beautiful fictitious world!

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

credit : soompi news

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*** Part 2 of tvN's 3-part series 'Arthdal Chronicles' has another poster!

 

 

picture credit : allkpop

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Drama viewership ratings for the week of June 17-23, 2019

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 22
Mother of Mine	53	KBS	22.8%
Mother of Mine	54	KBS	28.7%
Different Dreams	27	MBC	3.0%
Different Dreams	28	MBC	4.5%
Different Dreams	29	MBC	4.2%
Different Dreams	30	MBC	5.1%
Nokdu Flower	35	SBS	–
Nokdu Flower	36	SBS	6.2%
Chief of Staff	4	JTBC	4.4%
Voice 3	13	OCN	3.9%
Arthdal Chronicles	7	tvN	5.8%
Sunday, June 23
Mother of Mine	55	KBS	26.4%
Mother of Mine	56	KBS	33.6%
Voice 3	14	OCN	4.8%
Arthdal Chronicles	8	tvN	6.5%

 

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

LINK here : http://www.dramabeans.com/2019/06/drama-viewership-ratings-for-the-week-of-june-17-23-2019/

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Han Ji Min And “Arthdal Chronicles” Top Lists Of Most Buzzworthy Actors And Dramas

 

 

Check out the top 10 TV dramas this week:

 

1. tvN “Arthdal Chronicles” – 17.4 percent
2. MBC “One Spring Night” – 10.93 percent
3. OCN “Voice 3” – 9.41 percent
4. tvN “Search: WWW” – 8.91 percent
5. OCN “Save Me 2” – 7 percent
6. KBS2 “Angel’s Last Mission: Love” – 4.26 percent
7. tvN “Abyss” – 3.96 percent
8. KBS2 “Perfume” – 3.88 percent
9. JTBC “The Wind Blows” – 3.68 percent

 

 

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

credit : soompi news
 

[willenette]

Drama viewership ratings for the week of June 24-30, 2019

 

 

 

Saturday, June 29
Mother of Mine	57	KBS	24.6%
Mother of Mine	58	KBS	30.5%
Different Dreams	31	MBC	2.9%
Different Dreams	32	MBC	3.9%
Different Dreams	33	MBC	4.5%
Different Dreams	34	MBC	5.0%
Nokdu Flower	39	SBS	4.0%
Nokdu Flower	40	SBS	5.3%
Chief of Staff	6	JTBC	4.0%
Voice 3	15	OCN	4.1%
Arthdal Chronicles	9	tvN	5.8%
Sunday, June 30
Mother of Mine	59	KBS	26.4%
Mother of Mine	60	KBS	32.7%
Voice 3	16	OCN	5.5%
Arthdal Chronicles	10	tvN	6.8%

 

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

LINK here : http://www.dramabeans.com/2019/06/drama-viewership-ratings-for-the-week-of-june-24-30-2019/

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“Arthdal Chronicles” Continues Its Popularity Reign For Fifth Consecutive Week

 

Amidst the divorce news surrounding one of its main leads, Arthdal Chronicles keeps its buzzworthy rank since its premiere.

Based on the survey conducted by Good Data Corporation, Arthdal Chronicles is still currently the most popular drama.

 

 

The gathered data came from 34 currently airing dramas aired between June 24 to June 30. Tallied results came from online articles, blogs, SNS & video responses.

 

Winding up to the last week of the second part of Arthdal Chronicles, revelations and outwitting games are being exchanged, amplifying the thrill of the narrative. In addition, episodes 9 and 10 last week showed 2PM’s member Nichkhun’s cameo as Neanthal survivor.

 

Maintaining its story presence, the series though is still unable to defeat the love pairing of One Spring Night in terms of actor performance. Han Ji Min and Jung Hae In firmly settle on the top spots of drama actors portrayals. Their series follows behind Arthdal Chronicles on drama category. Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won land on the third and seventh ranks respectively. Albeit the divorce news which erupted recently, Song’s renditions of dual characters did not go unnoticed.

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

source : HelloKpop

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Drama viewership ratings for the week of July 1-7, 2019

 

 

 

"Arthdal Chronicles" went up a bit.

 

 

Saturday, July 6
Mother of Mine	61	KBS	23.1%
Mother of Mine	62	KBS	28.4%
Different Dreams	35	MBC	2.2%
Different Dreams	36	MBC	3.8%
Different Dreams	37	MBC	4.1%
Different Dreams	38	MBC	4.8%
Nokdu Flower	43	SBS	4.6%
Nokdu Flower	44	SBS	6.5%
Chief of Staff	8	JTBC	5.0%
Watcher	1	OCN	3.0%
Arthdal Chronicles	11	tvN	6.3%
Sunday, July 7
Mother of Mine	63	KBS	26.8%
Mother of Mine	64	KBS	31.3%
Watcher	2	OCN	4.5%
Arthdal Chronicles	12	tvN	6.8%

 

 

 

LINK here : http://www.dramabeans.com/2019/07/drama-viewership-ratings-for-the-week-of-july-1-7-2019/

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*** "Arthdal Chronicles" released its first OST, Poem Of My Destiny, by Ailee.

 

 

cr-https://breathlesssurvival.wordpress.com/2019/07/07/peom-of-my-destiny/

 

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[HanCinema's News] "The Last Empress" and "Arthdal Chronicles" Under Fire for Overworking Staff

 

 

"Arthdal Chronicles" had a similarly extreme schedule for its Brunei location shooting. Having arrived on February 26th, staff worked for 151.5 hours over the next seven days, an average of over 21.5 hours per day. This situation was even worse than that for "The Last Empress" due to sweltering temperatures in Brunei and the limited ability of the crew to complain about working conditions while stuck in a foreign country.

 

An often-cited cause for these poor conditions is a lack of proper contracts for employees working on drama crews. This makes them easier to exploit. High turnover has also made it so that newer employees in this field often don't know what they're getting into until they are on site in an overly pressured environment. Such employees are more likely to burn out of the field entirely than to try and take collective action to improve conditions.

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

 

Written by William Schwartz

 

 

 

 

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***  So far, we'll have six episodes more to look forward to for the drama. I heard that the final third episodes will air in September, after the new drama “Hotel Del Luna” finishes its run. There are rumors that tvN might be thinking of extending the drama for a second season. But as of now, the broadcasting station is saying “nothing has been decided.”  Maybe because the ratings have failed to meet market expectations. Considering that “Arthdal Chronicles” was one of the most promising productions created by entertainment mogul CJ ENM this year, with the largest production budget ever for the broadcasting station, the ratings are disappointing. Even apart from the numbers, “Arthdal Chronicles” has been the subject of many controversies.

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*** Part 2 of “Arthdal Chronicles” will come to an end on Sunday. Each part of “Arthdal Chronicles” consists of six episodes. The final part of the series will begin airing on Sept. 7. During the two-month break, another drama, “Hotel Del Luna” will air on tvN.

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*** IDK why they don't release all the parts continuously, though.  It seems like an awful decision..... bad idea.  To wait for the last part is crazy.  As far as I know, it was never announced that they would be showing part 3 at such a later time. This sucks. I will watch later when all parts have been aired. 

 

 

**********************************************************************

 

“Arthdal Chronicles” Announces Premiere Date For Part 3

 

 

tvN has released details about Part 3 of its drama “Arthdal Chronicles.”

The drama is comprised of three parts, each of which is made up of six episodes. After premiering on June 1, “Arthdal Chronicles” has aired “Part 1: Children of the Prophecy” (literal title) and “Part 2: Sky Turned Inside Out, Rising Ground” (literal title) thus far.

Part 3, which is entitled “Arth, the Prelude to All Legends” (literal title), will begin airing on September 7.

A source from tvN explained, “There is a lot of post-production work that needs to be done, such as computer graphics, so we made this unusual programming decision. It’s because as the characters meet their fateful turning points, we have to pour all of our abilities into production.”

“Hotel Del Luna,” starring IU and Yeo Jin Goo, is currently airing as the follow-up drama to Part 2 of “Arthdal Chronicles.”

 

Source (1) / soompi news

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ko so young + jang dong gun chill on vacation

 

 

Ko So Young shared snapshots of her vacation with hubby, Jang Dong Gun. Gotta say they both look fit and fabulous. He is still sporting his buff physique from Arthdal Chronicles and it’s always nice to see a celebrity couple hanging out and have a good time.

 

Spoiler

 

 

source : https://breathlesssurvival.wordpress.com/2019/07/31/ko-so-young-jang-dong-gun-chill-on-vacation/

Spoiler

 

 

 

[willenette]

*** The poster for "Arthdal Chronicles" Season 3. It will air the final installment starting September 7.

 

 

photo credit : https://breathlesssurvival.wordpress.com/2019/08/23/heralding-arthdal-chronicles-season-3/

[willenette]

*** I feel sad & bad about the drama since the 1st 2-seasons didn't reach the ratings height expected considering with such a big names & big budget production. The season 3 seems more action-packed this time I hope it will be better for its final & last season. Looking forward to S3. Since there's a break of airing from the last seasons I just hope the momentum wouldn't be lost. Fighting Team Arthdal! 

[willenette]

chit chat

 

 

The cast of Arthdal Chronicles share their thoughts about each other and it is quite apparent the four actors get along well. The ladies look lovely, lovely, lovely. The men are charming as well.

 

 

 

source : https://breathlesssurvival.wordpress.com/2019/09/01/chit-chat-2/

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3 Key Points To Keep An Eye On In Part 3 Of “Arthdal Chronicles”

 

 

 

tvN’s epic fantasy drama “Arthdal Chronicles” will soon be returning for its third and final part.

 

“Arthdal Chronicles” stars Song Joong Ki, Kim Ji Won, Jang Dong Gun, and Kim Ok Bin in a story about heroes who write their own legends in the mythical land of Arth. Parts 1 and 2 aired earlier this summer.

In addition to the plot developments introduced in the Part 2 finale, here are three key points to keep an eye on in Part 3:

Power plays

 

From the very first episode, “Arthdal Chronicles” has been about power: who has it, how to get it, and whether they can keep it. One powerful tribe in particular is the White Mountain Tribe, and more specifically the Asa Clan, who are in charge of the religious rites of Arth. The Asa Clan claims indirect descent from the gods, making it very difficult to oppose their power.

 

However, Tanya (Kim Ji Won) threw a wrench into this old power dynamic when it was revealed that she was a direct descendant of the gods. She is a powerful weapon in Ta Gon (Jang Dong Gun)’s political struggle against Asa Ron (Lee Do Kyung) and Asa Ron’s control over the country’s religious rites. One of the key plot points to watch out for in Part 3 will be how Tanya, Ta Gon, and Taealha (Kim Ok Bin)’s uneasy alliance goes up against the long-held power of the White Mountain Tribe.

Spoiler

Action sequences

 

While Parts 1 and 2 certainly haven’t been short on action scenes, from Song Joong Ki riding a horse bareback to intense sword fights between various characters, Part 3 promises to deliver even more. Part 1 introduced the characters and their motivations, while Part 2 focused on the rising tension and political intrigue between the tribes.

 

But as the recent preview indicates, Part 3 will finally show the characters erupting into full-out war as Eun Seom takes his fight to the far corners of the country and Ta Gon finally lets loose his towering ambition to become king of Arth. Many of the principal characters are shown covered in blood or fending off physical attacks in the preview, and Song Joong Ki even takes on a bear in one scene.

More fantasy elements

 

Part 1 introduced fantasy elements like the Neanthals, a superhuman race with incredible strength and speed and the ability to have dreams, and prophecies about blue comets and the end of the world. Part 2 focused less on the supernatural aspect of the drama, but Part 3 will reportedly feature even more fantastical elements than Part 1.

 

At the end of Part 2, Eun Seom promised the dying Satenik (Jo Byeong Gyu) to deliver a lock of his hair to his wife back in his old tribe. To find his wife, however, Eun Seom and his fellow slaves must journey through a strange part of Arth and meet the various tribes there. Part 3 is therefore being billed as an “adventure drama,” in which Eun Seom travels through fantastic and supernatural regions in order to fulfill a quest. The scenes of “fantastic and supernatural regions” were shot on location in Brunei and other places abroad.

 

Part 3 of “Arthdal Chronicles” premieres on September 7 at 9 p.m. KST.

 

 

 

Source (1) / soompi news

Spoiler